Grimmjow and Nel stumbled blindly through the Menos Forest, their vision stolen from them by Tousen's magic. The two had, no less than an hour ago broken through Aizen's barrier thanks to Grimmjow finally mastering a barrier breaking spell he found in a book he had stolen from Gin; Aizen's most trusted mage, when the man wasn't looking. The siblings had made it half way through the forest when their Kings blind mage had caught up to them, trapping them in darkness while he slowly searched for them with his heightened senses.
"Damn it I can't see a damned thing!" Grimmjow cursed in a hushed growl. A hand grabbed onto his wrist and he almost lashed out before he heard Nel whisper his name almost right next to his ear. "Yeah it's me Nel." He assured moving them forward through the woods, bumping into trees and roots as they went.
"He's going to catch up to us soon Grimm. What are we gonna do? Don't you know some magic that can dis-spell this?" Nel's voice started to shake with fear as she spoke. They couldn't get caught now. If they did, there would be no end to the torture Aizen would put them through. He was a cruel man, who cared nothing for the well being of his people. Warriors or otherwise. There was no chance that he would forgive the two of them for running away. But they didn't want to fight for him. Not for a King mad with revenge, who had stormed into their home land and destroyed everything. A man who took everything from them. No way would they fight his war.
"If I did I would have done it already Nel, just follow me. We need to get out of the range of his magic." Grimmjow whispered, feeling with his feet for where to step next.
"Found you." Tousen's voice sounded to Grimmjow's right, luckily the opposite side of him from Nel, but that didn't change the feeling of the man's blade cutting deep into the large male's arm, making him hiss violently and push Nel in the opposite direction.
Taking off at a sprint before Tousen could land another blow. The siblings stumbled over roots and rocks as they ran, until suddenly there was nothing under foot. The two gasped cutting their screams short so as not to give away their new location to the blind male pursuing them.
As they fell Grimmjow pulled Nel to him and curled his strong body around hers. Taking the brunt of the impact from the rocks as they slid down into what smelt and felt like some sort of cave. When they finally stopped their descent Grimmjow's back was blooded and bruised, his shoulder dislocated and the wound in his arm torn open wider. Blood seeped from the gashes on his back and the sword wound in his bled profusely. 'Fuck' Grimmjow internally hissed. That wasn't good.
Grimmjow groaned as his sister heaved herself off of her brother. Turning towards him to see that she could make out a slight outline of her sibling. This meant that they were freed from Tousen's magic. "Grimm, I think we're out of range now. Are you okay?" She whispered placing a tender hand on what she assumed to be her brother's broad shoulder.
Wincing in pain Grimmjow glanced up at the dark outline of his sister, squinting as light slowly became visible further down the cave behind her slender frame. "I'm fine Nel." He replied carefully getting to his feet, despite his bodies angry protests as the light grew closer and brighter. "There's a light headed this way Nel. Hide. Now." He hissed when Nel stayed put, making her dart behind a near by stalagmite, peeking around the side so she could still see the light and her brother.
Soon after Nel had hidden, a tall white figure came into view, a small ball of flame floating just above his palm. "Wel' Wel' Wha do we hav' er'?" The man's low baritone echoed demonically off the walls of the cave making Grimmjow narrow his eyes and crouch down, preparing to lunge at the possible threat. Even injured he was determined to project Nel. She was the only family he had left and he would be damned if he let anything happen to her again. "Now now no need ta' get all defensive ther' ma' friend." Shiro hummed as he waved off the larger male's aggressive behaviour. Noting the man's apparent injures and loss of blood. The albino could just barely see the trail off blood down the wall of rock behind the man leading up to the surface. It was obvious that the blue haired male wasn't going to be able to stand for much longer and to be honest Shiro was impressed he was still able to stand at all.
"I ain't your friend. Who are you?" Grimmjow hissed, barring his unusually sharp canines at the albino. His chest heaved as he tried to stay on his feet and shook his head slightly to fend of the darkness that was threatening to cloud his vision. He had to stay conscious.
Shiro grinned at the blue haired man. "Well I ain't really supos' ta tell no one tha' but fer' ya' I'll make an exceptin' since ya got a cutey hidin' ova ther by tha rock." Grimmjow crouched lower as best he could, ready to attack the man before him, but the albino made no move to attack either of the siblings. If fact the warrior couldn't sense any blood lust coming from the albino. Actually he almost felt safe, almost. "Tha name is Ogichi Kurosaki, second prince of Soul Society. Ba you cutey can call me Shiro." At the end of his introduction he winked at Nel who then decided there was no point in hiding anymore. As it was more than clear that this man knew where she was.
"Bull shit you're a prince!" Grimmjow growled stepping towards the supposed royalty not believing the words the albino spoke, but instantly regretted it when Nel's eyes widened. His wounds having finally been made visible to his sister when he moved closer to the light.
"By the gods Grimm, your back! and your arms'!" Nel blurted, running to her brothers side, fretting over the man's wounds. "You said you were okay. This is NOT okay." She chided, worriedly looking over his wounds and gently prodding at them making her brother hiss in pain and try to pull away only to stumble a little but catch himself somehow.
Golden eyes watched the two closely. He could tell at least, that they were likely on the run. From what he couldn't be sure. But it was obvious to him that the two were no threat to him or Soul Society. So the albino Prince decided he would lend them a hand. Besides things had been getting boring back at the palace and this would certainly liven things up. Shiro mused, a grin flashing across his face briefly before a concerned look settled onto his face in it's place.
"Wetha you believe me er' not don matter none to me. But you should come with ma ta the palace. We'll get ya' all fixed up." Shiro pipped in appearing at the large male's side and wrapping his arm around his waist to help him walk, startling the two.
"Get the fuck off me!" Grimmjow yelled, trying to move away from the shorter male in his panic, only to find he didn't have the strength to do so and ended up putting his weight on the albino instead.
"Grimm please. Let him help you." Nel pleaded starring up at her brother with tear filled eyes, wrapping her own arm around her brother's waist, helping Shiro hold the larger male's weight. Grimmjow hated seeing his sister worry and cry, that's why he had lied, telling her he was fine, hoping in the darkness she won't notice the state he was in. But now he didn't have a choice. Nel wanted him to trust this Ogichi character and so he let the man slowly lead him back down the cave the way the albino had come from.
When they reached the mouth of the cave Shiro sat the blue haired warrior down on a near by rock. Nel kneeling down next to her brother, the two waited to see what the supposed prince was going to do. Soul Society was still a good distance from the Meno's forest and it didn't look like the albino had brought a horse or anything of the sort.
"Now ya both stay calm ya? This fella wont hur' ya' unless you try n hurt em'." Shiro warned, biting into his thumb and uttering words in a language neither sibling recognized. Surprising the two with his sudden self harming action. Neither had seen summoning magic before.
Black flames rose from the ground in front of the albino. The flames growing taller and wider as the siblings watched in shock and growing fear as a large smouldering wolf appeared within the flames. The creatures ribs and bones were sticking out in places as small flames and smouldering coals made up what should have been flesh and fur. Before the three now stood a hell hound. A demonic creature straight out of the pits of hell. Said to guard the underworld from those who dared to enter uninvited.
"Are you fucking crazy! That thing will kill us all!" Grimmjow shouted trying to stand only to have Nel force him to stay seated with nothing more then a slight push to his uninjured shoulder. "Nel wha-" He cut his sentence short when he noticed Nel's calm eyes starring at the hell hound that had bowed it's large head to Shiro. The albino ran his hand over it's head and behind it's ears, giving it a good scratch as though the beast was nothing more then a well trained dog. And from the looks of things that may be exactly what the hell hound was to the supposed second Prince.
"Tha' a boy Rayne. I need ya' help gettin' these two back ta the palace. Think ya' can giv' me a han'?" Shiro asked the hound, who seemed to grin and nod it's head at the request. Taking slow steps towards the two sibling so as not to scare them, the hell hound laid down, gesturing with it's big head for the two to get on it's back. "Don' worry he won't burn ya'" Shiro assured, ushering the two warriors to get on Rayne's burning body. Hell hounds were able to choose who they burned and who they didn't. Not that many new this though, as most who summoned them died in the jaws of the flaming beast. Shiro however had an innate ability to tame demonic beings. Rayne being one of the first he had befriended. He preferred not to summon demonic beings around other people if he could help it though. As, well, it tended to terrify people and make them doubt his father; the King's sanity.
"Come on Grimm." Nel hauled her brother from his seat on the rock and practically dragged him to the hell hound as the man's strength waned and his legs finally gave out under his own weight, his consciousness slipping from his grasp. Quickly Shiro was beside the two helping Nel lay her brother over the hell hound's back. "I don't think he's gonna make it. There's so much blood." Nel almost wept hoping on to the hell hounds back and starring pleadingly at Shiro as blood poured from Grimmjow's wounds. Her hands were covered in it from carrying the man. She had never seen her brother lose this must blood. She was terrified she was going to lose him, the only family she had left.
"Don' you worry sweet heart he's going to be just fine. Retsu will take good care of him I promise." Shiro assured the green haired sibling. Waving his hand over Grimmjow's unconscious body. The bleeding seemed to stop, as if being held inside the man's body by some invisible force. "Now let's get moving shall we?" Nel starred shocked at the prince, for a moment thrown off by the change in Shiro's manner of speaking but nodded. She didn't have time to dwell on it.
That settled Rayne stood to his full height and took off at a mad dash for the palace. Shiro; his master having taken up a place on his back holding Grimmjow in place with some help from Nel. The hell hound did his best not to jostle the injured warrior too much as he ran. Flame's raising from his body to wrap around the man like chains holding him in place. Nel yelped in surprise but Shiro promised her the flames would do her brother no harm. With that established the four sped towards the palace, Grimmjow's breathing becoming more and more laboured as time passed.