Hi. So this is not my first story by any means, but it is the first one I've posted on fanfiction-net. Please bear with the first chapter, as it's kind of just intro and such. This story is VERY AU and it is GrimmjowxOC . Please enjoy, and reviews with constructive criticism are VERY welcome. Also, I don't have a beta….but one would be very nice.
Tipping my sunglasses away from my eyes, I looked around the bus station. This was Karakura town? Well, I'd seen bigger. I let my bag down onto the concrete beside me, and sighed. "Where are you, Shinji?" I murmured to myself, though I was going through the spiritual pressures of all the people at the terminal. Most were minutiae, but I could sense who I wanted and he was getting closer to me.
I only had to wait another two minutes before a familiar blonde appeared out of the crowd. He frowned at me, narrowing his eyes as he walked over to me and grabbed my large bag from the ground. "You're late Hiroko Mikazuki," the visored informed me flatly.
"Had to get in one more round of training," I shrugged, shouldering my two smaller bags and following him as he started walking. "Besides. How badly can you really need me? You have that substitute soul reaper here, right?"
"His training isn't going as planned. I wanted you here to help with that," Shinji growled, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. "But I understand you were busy with training of your own."
I nodded in acquiescence. "That I was." I ran my fingers through my newly sheared dark violet hair. "You should've come. He would've trained you as well I think."
"I don't need an old man to teach me to become one with my inner hollow so that I can pass for one of these 'arrancar.' And I certainly don't need to learn to change shape. Tell me, has your other form become any more impressive than a small-"
"-Don't even go there," I snapped, stopping when he did at a car. He tossed my large bag in the trunk and I threw the others in the back seat. "And don't be jealous because Hiyori dragged you away to this town to find your new visored."
"She's not happy with you," Shinji retorted, getting into the car as I did. "She was completely furious when you elected to leave us, and she's not much happier now-"
"-She's not my mother," I interrupted, staring out the window. I turned to Shinji slightly and smirked. "And she sure as hell doesn't tell me what to do anymore. Not after three years of being her bitch."
The blonde visored chuckled. "Are you sure she knows that?" we were driving away from the bus station, toward a more deserted part of town.
"I don't know. Has she found someone new to boss around yet? The substitute perhaps?" I smiled out the window as a playground passed by.
"You know her too well," Shinji finally laughed. "But seriously, you've been well? I missed not having you around, Hiro. And your hair! Why is it so short?"
I laughed loudly. "I just decided one day to chop it off," I informed him, shrugging.
"Did you do it yourself?" Shinji reached over and grabbed one of the short strands. The longest barely touched the top of my shoulders. My bangs were still long, though, and hung over my dark red eyes.
"Shut up!" You're such a dick!" I told him, smacking his arm away. He was finally pulling up to a large warehouse. I sighed. "What is it with you people and moldy buildings? Why can't you get a hotel?"
"Because that would make us noticed," the man grunted, getting out of the car. He grabbed my large bag and I followed with the smaller ones, frowning slightly. I knew the kind of reception I was likely to get from Hiyori.
Sure enough the small blonde girl came running out of the building with a scowl on her face. She lunged at me but I avoided it, blinking and stepping away from her. "Nice to see you too," I muttered, eyebrows raised.
"Why'd you come back?" the small girl screamed, kicking me in the shin and making me yelp. "We don't want you here, Hiroko! We were fine without you-"
"-We talked about this, Hiyori," Shinji sighed. "We need Hiro here because of the threats from the arrancar. Things have been getting worse lately. We all know that. So stop being such a bitch," he rubbed the back of his head and sighed.
"Shut up, Shinji!" Hiyori snarled, but I was already walking past her and toward the others. I greeted them quickly before looking around the warehouse. Great place. I could still hear Shinji and Hiyori arguing, but I was barely listening. Instead I found a corner and piled my stuff around me before sitting on the floor and staring out at the floor in front of me. I was tired and before I knew it I had dozed off.
"WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS SLEEPING?" someone screeched from beside me, just as a kick was delivered to my face.
I gasped and was jolted awake, opening my eyes to see Hiyori above me.
"The arrancar are attacking and you're sleeping through it! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" she was aiming for my face again.
"Sorry!" I yelped, rolling away from her and getting to my feet. "I was tired! And you know I'm a heavy sleeper!" I yanked on my black boots, unsure of what was going on. "What's happening? Are we under attack?" I dodged a punch from Hiyori and pulled a pink hoodie on as well. She punched me again but this time separated the soul from my body. I didn't wear a soul reaper's uniform, but still my hoodie and shorts.
"Yes! Shinji has gone out to fight one of the arrancar. I want you to go out and make sure he doesn't need any help!" She kicked me again, making me howl.
"Stop hitting me!" I shrieked, grabbing my sword from the floor. "I'm going, I'm going." I tapped one of my feet on the ground and twirled my Awaitsume in my hand. "I'm going," I growled, dodging her again and running out of the warehouse. I ran down the street, seeing explosions to my left. I flash stepped to the roof and leaped to another one, kneeling slightly as I kept my red eyes trained on the fighting. I could sense immense spiritual pressures, and I recognized one of them as Shinji.
It took me only a few more seconds to reach Shinji's location, but that was enough time for the battle to be over. I saw a blue haired, one armed man facing Shinji, panting and looking angry. When I noticed the mask fragment on his face I realized he must be one of the arrancar. Another one appeared beside him, this one pale with black hair and a helmet like mask. Both of them had impressive spiritual pressure.
"We're done here," the pale one concluded, his gaze sliding to me. I stayed where I was, head tipped to the side as I held my sword in my hand. The both of them disappeared into a gargantua and Shinji took a step back.
"Ichigo. Are you-" he began, but the orange haired visored was on his feet finally.
"Why were they here?" he snarled, looking around wildly. "Shinji-"
"-Calm down, Ichigo," Shinji muttered, his mask dissipating into the air. "Come back to the warehouse. We'll-"
"-I'm going to see the others!" Ichigo yelled, taking off with a black haired girl at his side.
"What just happened here?" I asked, approaching Shinji.
"I don't know," he replied, looking at me quickly. "But I don't like it. Ichigo needs to work on his hollowfication. He doesn't need to be running around with the arrancar. Come on, Hiro." He turned, his coat billowing behind him. I sighed and followed him, scratching my neck as I did so. I swung my sword back and forth slowly as we trudged back to the warehouse and back to a waiting Hiyori.
"What happened?" the small girl shrieked, jumping Shinji. "Where's Ichigo?"
"I don't know," Shinji replied, easily pushing her off. "But it wasn't good. The arrancar attacked but then they just….vanished. It was strange. I don't like it." He shook his head, then looked at me. "I haven't seen you fight since you returned," he remarked, smirking slightly. "Want to?"
"That's what you think of in a situation like this?" I grumbled, frowning. I shuffled my feet, shifting my weight back and forth. "Do I have to?"
"Yes. Come on, Hiroko. Let's see if any of this training paid off." He grabbed my arm and pulled me to the underground training area, nearly smashing my face into the sand.
"I want to sleep!" I complained as Shinji faced me, sword held in front of him.
"Then beat me," he smirked.
"No releases? Only first stage of hollowfication?" I clarified.
Shinji rolled his eyes but nodded. "Fine." I twirled Awaitsume in front of me nervously, biting my lip. Shinji vanished and reappeared in front of me, slashing with his sword. I blocked it and stepped back, my eyes fixed on the blades. He turned the blade around and I exhaled slowly, turning my blade with it. Then Shinji disappeared again, forcing me to do the same. I reappeared and he was there, attacking me. I dodged his strikes and launched a few of my own, which were all blocked of course.
"You're getting faster," Shinji admitted, nodding. He pulled his hollow mask down over his face. "But you can't beat me like that."
"I know," I sighed, pulling my own black and white mask over my face. "I can't beat you at all." When I spoke my voice was warped, like the voice of my hollow.
"You sell yourself short. I've trained you well, Hiroko," Shinji replied, attacking me with more force. I couldn't speak because I was busy concentrating on dodging his blows and attacking him myself.
Minutes later both of us stood on the sand, finally still. I was panting lightly and there were whelps on my arms and a shallow cut on my face. "I've really missed having the shit beat out of me lately, you know," I growled, twirling Awaitsume in my hand. I hadn't released my sword at all, so it still looked like a traditional samurai sword.
"I know you have," Shinji laughed, resheathing his sword and shoving his hands in his pockets. He had a red mark on his face where I had hit him with my sword. Of course he wasn't bleeding at all. "I'm worried, Hiro," he informed me, leading me through the warehouse. I went back to my body and reentered it, sighing as I stood up and shook out my hair.
"Why are you worried?" I asked, falling into step with him as he left the warehouse. But I knew the answer to my own question. "Because the arrancar just left without causing any real damage."
Shinji nodded. "Yeah. They weren't really interested in the fight, it was just time consuming. I have a bad feeling about it." He sighed, looking around. "And I wonder where Ichigo went."
I shrugged, obviously not knowing the answer. "I felt his spiritual pressure when he was fighting," I remarked. "He's strong."
"Not strong enough to kill Aizen," Shinji retorted. "And that's what really matters. It makes no difference if he can kill a few arrancar when Aizen can always make more. No, Ichigo should be with us every day until winter so that we can maybe, maybe train him well enough to kill that bastard."
"I have faith," I told the former soul reaper captain. "You've never failed at training anyone yet. Even me. You have a few more months-you'll be able to do it. I think he has potential, from what I felt today and from the training I've watched since yesterday." I gave Shinji a small smile.
"Man I hope you're right." He blinked at me. "Or else we're going to be in a lot of trouble.