Title: Run Free
Author: Kireteiru
Rating: T
Warnings: vaguely hinted offscreen things
Pairings/Characters: implied Grimmjow/Orihime; Karakura, Soul Society, Hueco Mundo.
Summary: Semi-AU oneshot. It – it was an accident! I swear I didn't mean to…

A/N: Inspired by Persuasive by Murasaki Kaida.

I swear it was an accident.

It's just… I had the opportunity, and the Hougyoku was right there, and…

I didn't know this would happen. I begged him to understand how sorry I was, how I didn't know, how I wanted more than anything to set things right.

But the only actions I can't reject are my own.

I stroked the smooth plating that covered his panther form as armor. Ayame and Shun'ou circled our heads, occasionally settling to snap a golden shield into place around him, only for it to shatter before the "damage" could be revoked.

Why, why, why…! My power – it's greater than this! Why did I have to use Tsubaki on the Hougyoku? Why couldn't I have just left this to Kurosaki-kun? Why did this have to happen? I looped my arms around his strong neck, burying my face in his shoulder to hide my tears – not that it mattered. I knew he could smell the salt.

Grimmjow let me ride him.

I was kind of surprised he was willing to carry me like he was some kind of common pack animal. He laid that thought to rest right away; while not the best, he retained enough of a power of speech to make himself understood in Hollow form. Even as a "lowly" Adjuchas, he was able to move I high speeds I was incapable of without help. He could defend himself far better than I could, given my gentle nature. But, he reminded me, there were several other ravenous now-Hollows that were looking for food, and the two of us would make a nice snack for them. I knew it hurt his pride to admit as much, so I refrained from telling him that Starrk-san was likely too lazy to come after us, Haribel-san too benevolent towards her own gender, and Ulquiorra-sama too apathetic, leaving only Barragan and Nnoitra.

He carried me to a particularly empty spot in the Menos Forest. There were a few Gillians nearby, though; he ordered them to protect me while he hunted. When he came back, he ate them, too. I tried not to flinch when his powerful jaws snapped just on their masks.

I knew that if he stopped eating other Hollows, he would regress and disappear forever. I didn't want that, so I forced myself to turn a blind eye. For him, I could.

For all that he bitched about me being too hard to care for, he was always able to find everything I needed. He claimed not to give a crap whether I live or died, but every time I needed something, he went on a mad scramble to find it or an appropriate substitute.

Even if it meant going to the Real World to steal.

I think he was afraid that if I went to the Real World myself, I would never come back. A silly fear, but I never told him that.

As much as he disliked being an Adjuchas again, I knew he hated being under Aizen's thumb even more. He enjoyed his freedom too much, loved prowling the Menos Forest or listening to me tell wild stories about the Living World. Things had changed a lot since he'd been alive – he told me about vague memories of his that sounded something like the Bakumatsu, but he couldn't remember which side he'd been on, if he'd taken a side at all.

He forced me to learn how to defend myself.

He wouldn't take "no" for an answer, really, snapping his sharp teeth at me until I had no choice but to bring out my Shun Shun Rikka. He would attack my legs with his whip-like tail when I least expected it to improve my reaction time and teach me to always be on my guard.

I understood why he did it, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

It took them five years to come for me.

Five. Years.

By that time, I had almost forgotten everything that wasn't involved in surviving day-to-day in Hueco Mundo. I had almost forgotten that there was, in fact, life outside of the Realm of Hollows.

Harribel-san had stumbled across us about two years after I rejected the Hougyoku. She retained enough of her Arrancar self to recognize both me and him, and began dropping by to visit occasionally. Sometimes Starrk-san and Lilynette would come with her, sometime she would be alone. Although Grimmjow resented her presence, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth; with her and Starrk-san present, he could rest somewhat easy.

All three of the other former Arrancar were present with the Shinigami arrived to take me away.

Kurosaki-kun was at the forefront of the squad. At first I didn't recognized him – he was so much older than when I'd last seen him – but no one else I know has hair that particular shade of orange. He was carrying Zangetsu-san in his bankai form, a long black chain wound around his right arm in place of a sleeve. Kuchiki-san was with him, a lieutenant's badge like Yachiru-chan's around her upper arm. Ishida-kun and Sado-kun were also in tow; Ishida-kun's bow had changed shape, and now both of Sado-kun's arms were transformed.

And, much to my surprise, Tatsuki-chan was there, too, I could feel that her reiatsu had grown much stronger, just like the others. It made me smile to see her standing as tall and stubborn as ever without me.

There were Shinigami with them, too: Zaraki-san and Yachiru-chan, Kuchiki-san's nii-sama, Urahara-san, and the former Vizored. Even Unohana-san, Hitsugaya-san, Ukitake-san, and Kyouraku-san were tagging along.

I didn't want them to have come all the way here for nothing, but at the same time, I didn't want to leave. This was my new home.

We evaded them for as long as we dared. We split up, and I sent my fairies with Harribel-san and Starrk-san to confuse the death gods. They emitted my reiatsu, so it seemed as if there were three of me headed in different directions. Eventually, they caught onto us, forcing us to come back together to defend ourselves against them.

Baigon, Hinagiku, and Lily zipped around in front of us, ready to form a shield at a moment's notice. Tsubaki was perched on my right shoulder, arms crossed but ready to strike. Ayame and Shun'ou were on my left, nervously waiting for the moment they might be needed.

I stood with one of my arms thrown over Grimmjow's shoulders, Harribel-san on one side of us and Starrk-san and Lilynette on the other. The shark-like Vasto Lorde appeared calm, but the wolves' tails were swishing restlessly, waiting for the Shinigami to catch up to us.

Kurosaki-kun appeared first. He always was pretty fast, even without his bankai active. Neither he nor the others seemed surprised to see the Hollows gathered around me, but they were surprised to see Grimmjow letting me touch him as familiarly as I was. They exchanged glances, uncertain how to deal with this change in our relationship.

They didn't know that even if they had come for me before I rejected the Hougyoku, they would have had to adjust for this "change."

My grip on Grimmjow's shoulders tightened when Kurosaki-kun stepped forward. The panther growled threateningly at him, making him stop in his tracks. He watched us warily for several minutes, soon realizing that we simply didn't want them to come any closer to us. Eventually, he spoke, choosing his words carefully. "Inoue," he said, "Inoue, it's time to go home."

I flinched at the sound of my family name. On the rare occasion he didn't call me "woman," Grimmjow addressed me as "Hime," "princess," and Harribel-san and Starrk-san had taken to doing the same, albeit not for the same reasons. Grimmjow claimed that it was because I was spoiled like a princess, but I was like no storybook princess I had ever heard of.

Kurosaki-kun's brows furrowed slightly, his concern clear on his face. The others also looked unhappy, and I realized that I had withdrawn slightly from them, taken a step back. I didn't want to leave my new friedns. Grimmjow was almost a Vasto Lorde, like Harribel-san and Starrk-san. I wanted to be there for him when he evolved this time.

"Inoue," Kurosaki-kun said again, taking another step forward, but I shook my head vigorously before he could continue.

It had been a long time since I'd spoken aloud. For safety's sake, we had long ago devise a method of sign language to cut down on our noise level. It took me a few tries to make intelligible sounds without descending into coughing fits that required Harribel-san thumping me on the back to clear my airways. "Don't want… to go…" I rasped finally, "These… are my friends… too…"

"Orihime," Tatsuki-chan started, but I shook my head again.

"Not going," I said, as firm as I could be with my voice so hoarse, "Not unless they can come without getting hurt."

Kurosaki-kun looked back at the captains, who were conferring with Urahara-san in low tones. Finally, the shopkeeper whipped out his fan and waved it in front of his face. "I don't see why not," he said cheerfully, "if they will consent to become Arrancar once more. I'm surprised you haven't reversed that effect yet, Inoue-san."

I shook my head. "Can't." I showed them what we already knew. Ayame and Shun'ou formed a barrier around Grimmjow, but it shattered rather than reversing the "damage" and fading away as it should have. "Can't undo my own work," I said, earning several gasps and low murmurs from the assembled death gods and their allies.

"Hmm." Urahara-san tapped his fan against his chin. "How unusual. If you all would not be adverse to such a suggestion, I believe I could obtain some answers for all of us with the equipment at my shop. In the very least, it would provide a safe place for you to become Arrancar again and build up your strength."

The Hollows all looked at me. Your life, I signed to them, It's up to you all. They spoke amongst themselves for a bit, then agreed. However, before we could leave, a strong Adjuchas attacked our group, having sensed the gathering of strong spiritual pressures. Starrk-san and Harribel-san immediately got between the Hollow and me, while Grimmjow slipped my grip and charged the dog-shaped Hollow. He was much faster than it, and took a large bite out of its mask as he raced past it. He didn't need to take more – the dog Hollow whipped around to face Grimmjow as he began to evolve into a Vasto Lorde.

I flung out my arm, Baigon, Hinagiku, and Lily forming a strong shield between Grimmjow and the Hollow. Tsubaki leapt off my shoulder and sliced the Adjuchas in two from behind, zipping back over to me as it began to dissolve.

I rushed over to Grimmjow, the others following at a more sedate pace. His new Vasto Lorde form was similar to what his released form had been as an Arrancar, save for his mask, tail, and the length of his mane. He wobbled a little as he stood; it had been a bit since he walked upright. I was glad to see that he'd evolved safely. He scoffed at my concern and looked away. I knew he was just embarrassed; he still wasn't used to having me worry about him.

Yoruichi-san helped me get back to normal.

Tatsuki-chan had kept my clothes and furniture after my apartment had been rented out to someone else, so I still had something to wear, even if it hung a little loose on me. I showered at Urahara Shouten, focusing on the feel of my friends far below in the underground training room. Harribel-san went first, then Grimmjow, and Starrk-san and Lilynette went last, all of them breaking their masks to regain their Shinigami powers.

The hot water was like heaven against my skin. There wasn't much water to be had in the Menos Forest, much less a desert like Hueco Mundo, and all of it was ice cold. It felt good to be clean again.

After I turned off the water, I stood in front of the mirror on the back of the door and compared what I saw to what I remembered from the last time I'd had a mirror to look at. I was thin, very thin. Not anorexic thin, but I could see the outlines of my ribs under my skin. My muscles were far more developed than they were five years ago, a result of the "training" Grimmjow had forced on me. My breasts were even bigger, if that was even possible, and my face looked more refined. I had lost all of my baby fat, surviving in the harsh World of Hollows. The old saying came to mind – "Trials will either make you or break you."

This one had made me.

After I had dried off and dressed, Yoruichi-san came in. I had managed to get most of the mats and tangles out of my hair, but it was still extremely long; I could never find a safe way of cutting it in Hueco Mundo. I sat down on the edge of the tub and let her trim my hair back to the length it had been before I was kidnapped by Ulquiorra. The floor was almost carpeted in orange strands by the time she was done; my hair had been down past my knees, after all.

I felt almost human again.

The remade Arrancar were waiting for me down in the training room. They looked the same as they had under Aizen, but at least they weren't wearing his ridiculous white uniforms. Harribel-san was much taller than Yoruichi-san, but Ishida-kun was able to do some quick tailoring to make one of the former captain's shouzoku and jackets fit her well enough. Grimmjow and Starrk-san were able to fit into some of Urahara-san's old shihakushou. They almost passed for real Shinigami, if one was able to overlook the remains of their masks.

I could tell that they were weaker than they had been as Hollows, but that was too be expected, Urahara-san told me. Natural Arrancar were weakened after breaking off their masks, but they could easily build their strength back up to the level it was when they were under Aizen. Grimmjow-san would be even stronger now, because he was a Vasto Lorde instead of an Adjuchas.

I didn't care. I just wanted us to stay together.

A/N: Lawdamighty, this thing did NOT want to end. I had to stop it somewhere, or it was going to wind up 20k words long.

Ne. Nee-chan. Where's my b-day fic?