I finally got it done! Thank you to all readers and reviewers. Hope you enjoy!
Two For An Imaginary Truth
Inspired By: Tite Kubo's "Bleach"
Orihime paced before the front door to her apartment, her mind buzzing with thoughts on what to do. Ever since Ichigo had gotten his soul reaper powers back and the members of Xcution had been taken care of by him and the soul society, hollows had continued to pop up all over town. Orihime and Chad had been told by Kisuke Urahara to let themselves recuperate some more before joining the others on the battlefield after their memories had finally been fixed to make sure that they were psychologically okay. However there was a hollow near her home and the others were busy fighting other evil spirits already. She knew he friends would scold her for not trusting them to quickly finish the opponents they were fighting and intersect the one stomping down her street as well, but Orihime didn't want to risk someone getting hurt in case Ichigo, Uryu, Renji, or Rukia didn't make it in time. She was sure she could take care of the hollow since all that was left from the ordeal was a headache that came and went and made loud noises rather painful; other than that she was fine.
Making a decision, the seventeen-year old turned from her apartment door and ran for the stairs. Once she was on the shadow-licked street, Orihime headed straight toward direction in which the loud crashes and growls were coming from. Even if the creature was not making so much racket, she would have known where it was by its spiritual pressure; she had always been good at sensing such things.
He steel-grey eyes glanced at the bright quarter moon that hovered in the sky; she wished the stars were visible as well, but clouds blocked them completely after the city lights dulled them. She spotted what she'd been looking for perching on a telephone pole as it prepared to lunge at a spirit of a middle-aged man. It was not a big hollow considering, only about the size of a truck. Its tail was long and whip-like while its thick body was a dull grey and was covered in short, razor-like spikes. The milky mask the adorned the hollow was triangular with small slits used as eyeholes. The creature's prey screamed as it attacked with a vicious roar. Orihime raced forward summoning her Shun Shun Rika as she went; the pounding of her sneakers on the cement echoing in the darkness. She breathed a sigh of relief when she successfully shielded the man and halted the evil soul's charge.
"Run away." Orihime told the spirit; he was happy to comply and quickly dashed away screaming. The hollow moved to chase him, but the red-orange haired girl quickly blocked its way. "I won't let you pass." She said in a determined tone. Her opponent bared its teeth and snarled before lashing out at her shield. Orihime stood her ground and took advantage of the opening that the hollow created with its attack by using Tsubaki to slice the hollow across the mask. The cut was not deep, but it startled the creature into backing away slightly.
The evil spirit was surprised and hurt by the girl's attack at first, but after a moment, a new flood of anger consumed the beast completely. It let out a terrible shriek that vibrated Orihime's eardrums and made her already tender head feel as if it was about to explode from the headache. She kept her shield up and instinctively covered her ears with shaking hands, her eyes squeezed shut in an effort to help calm the pain.
The furious hollow saw his chance to skewer the girl and didn't hesitate to whip his tail around to attack from behind. Being too preoccupied, Orihime did not see the sharp tail aimed at her back until she sensed the danger. She only had enough time to turn her head slightly to look over her shoulder, but it was too late for her to defend. She was sure it was the end of her and a wave of regret filled her. She didn't want to die like this; surly Ichigo or someone would save her right?
Her wish was realized when a shadowy figure appeared between her and her almost death. She vaguely realized that the newcomer had come from the sky and had impaled the tail to the street with a zanpakuto; then she realized who her savior was. She had assumed it had been Ichigo, but the blade of the weapon was too small, the figure's height was too tall, and his shoulders too broad. Slowly the man turned his head and she was met with the face of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.
"G-Grimmjow…" She gasped as she remembered the last time he rescued her and the last time she'd seen him. He didn't respond to her, rather, he lifted his left arm as he gathered energy in the palm of his hand and Orihime flinched, fearing what he planned to do. The former Sixth Espada shot a bala over the girl's shoulder; it shattered her shield and obliterated the lesser hollow. She released a small shriek when the blast pushed her back a step and almost into Grimmjow.
She spun around and backed away from Ichigo's enemy and expected him to demand for her to do something to repay him for rescuing her like he had before. She hadn't expected him to stagger back a step and lean on the telephone pole for support. His expression had not changed; it held a blank, but intense look in his blue eyes that she had often seen between his psychotic grin and the expression he showed when he was feeling murderous. Curious, Orihime allowed her eyes to drift lower than his face. She gasped at the sight that met her; he was horribly wounded and covered in dried and fresh blood.
His chest was bare except for blood-soaked bandages that had been sloppily wrapped around it, as if he'd done it himself. It was obvious that under the white strips was a large capital 'I' shaped wound, like a cut for surgeries or dissection. Bits of his hollow mask had been cut away and his right arm seemed to be missing fingers. He had a long fresh-looking cut that went down over his left eye. It had been stitched professionally, but in a way that resulted in the lid being sewn shut as well; Orihime suddenly wondered if his eyes was still there at all. The lighting was bad, so there was no way she could see everything that ailed him.
"Oh my gosh…" The kind-hearted girl covered her mouth as she slowly stepped toward him. She was about to summon Ayame and Shun'o, but his growl stopped her.
"Not here, idiot." He started to straighten from his position by the pole and Orihime stepped forward to offer assistance; Grimmjow refused with a threatening glare and a cold "Don't touch me." Seeing him in such a horrible condition reminded her of the last time she'd seen him lying on the white sands in Los Noches; it sent waves of guilt through her over not healing him then.
"My home is this way…what happened to you?" She couldn't help but ask. He ignored her and concentrated on not showing any weakness, despite the fact that he had an open incision on his chest that he had to wrap himself while breaking out from the Twelfth Division Research Center and leaving the Soul Society. Most of the drugs the bastard Captain had injected him with had worn off so he was starting to feel every slice, stitch, and stab; he had been so out of it for so long he hadn't even realized he'd had a number of certain wounds until they started hurting. His skin itself burned and ached and he knew he was bleeding internally since he decided to escape before the asshole could sew him up. Moving the way he had when saving the girl had not helped at all, but when he'd seen her in danger, his body had acted without thinking. He hadn't been certain he'd have the strength to fire a bala, so the fact he could was reassuring.
The girl looked almost exactly as he remembered, though her hair style was a little different; it looked softer and was wavy now. Her eyes were still the kind and innocent steel-grey they were before and she was the same height and had the same figure that filled her yellow short-sleeved shirt and long white skirt elegantly. She even reacted as Grimmjow expected: with sympathy and an eagerness to help someone.
Orihime guided him to her home and the arrancar was relieved that she had not insisted in helping him; everything hurt and even her gentle touch would cause a string of pain-induced curses from him lips. He managed to get up the stairs and to her door by willpower alone, pausing to let her unlock the door before entering.
Orihime was shocked at his smooth movements despite his extensive injuries; she figured that the only reason he was able to act so fine when he obviously wasn't was because of his numerous past battle wounds. Her shock only increased when she turned the lights in her place on and saw that not only did he have the more noticeably open wounds, but there were patches of red-purple colored skin scattered over his right arm, left shoulder and side, and on his neck and right side of his face, as if he had a rash or was having an allergic reaction to something. She was unsure whether it was spread any lower to his legs because he wore loose white pants. She noticed he was barefoot and wondered if his toes were cold, but shoved the thought aside. She observed that he was thinner and had lost a lot of muscle mass since she'd seen him last. His blue hair was longer and messier then she was used to seeing and was soaked with sweat. Despite everything though, she could see his arrogance, pride, and passion reflecting through his good eye.
"Hurry up, woman." Grimmjow suddenly ordered slowly lowering himself onto her couch and keeping his expression neutral; he refused to reveal just how much everything hurt.
"I should call my friends first. They should know…"
"No!" He barked out, obviously really hating that idea. "Just heal me so I can leave for Hueco Mundo." She paused before nodding and cautiously approaching, her eyes scanning his battered form. If he was being honest, which she realized he had always been as far as she knew, then she would just have to tell Ichigo and the others after he left. Orihime bent so she was kneeling at his side and Grimmjow kept his focus on her, waiting for her to fix everything. She didn't need to say anything; Shun'o and Ayame few from her hair pins and hovered over the former Espada. She watched as his fingers grew back and his eye wound vanished leaving the stiches to fall onto his lap. The eyeball itself took quite a few seconds more to form. It was like someone surgically removed it. She found it incredible that he was still alive, even for an arrancar; he wouldn't have been for much longer if he had not found her as quickly as he had.
Focusing all her energy on his chest since it was healing the slowest, she noted that he was in really bad shape. The odd rash was another matter; she couldn't reject it which made her try harder. When it seemed to be starting to lighten, she sighed slightly.
"W-what happened?" She asked softly, not liking him just silently staring at her.
"The bastard kept injecting me with shit...I think. Removed things he had no business taking out." He responded, grinding his teeth together in both relief and pain as he felt his insides knitting together and reforming under her healing light.
"Who…" She started, fearing that she already knew.
"Fucking Soul Reaper." He growled out and she looked down, feeling ashamed even more for having not healed him two years before; he could be frolicking around in Hueco Mundo instead of having his insides regrown if she had. She knew the Soul Reaper who was responsible for Grimmjow's torture. Uryu had told her about Captain of Squad Twelve, Mayuri Kurotsuchi and his craving for knowledge; her Quincy friend had said that he would do anything to learn about something once it caught his interest. She herself had seen just how far he was willing to go during her time in the Soul Society; he had killed his own subordinates! When she had heard from Uryu about his fight with the Captain, despite having seen him already herself, Orihime had pictured a mad scientist with wild frizzy hair, big goggles, and a white lab coat. Uryu quickly reminded her that he actually looked more like a clown. After seeing Grimmjow, the girl came to a final conclusion that the Squad Twelve Captain was a bigger monster than the arrancar seated on her couch.
"How did you escape?" Orihime asked. Grimmjow frowned at her constant questions but didn't see the harm in answering them.
"I ripped the asshole's arm off while he was cutting me open and tore apart any bastard stupid enough to try to stop me." The girl bit her lip gently at his response, hoping anyone he savaged during his escape wasn't too badly hurt. Feeling the skin on his chest knitting together the rest of the way, the arrancar leaned back on the couch and peeled away the bandages. He couldn't help but still be in awe of her power; she was a miracle worker. The girl deserved respect which he showed by not ripping a hole through her just for existing and being one of Kurosaki's friends. Once more she returned his power to him when he'd had it taken away; he would have to repay her again. Though he hated being in debt to someone, he absolutely loathed being unable to defend himself properly, so he would learn to deal with owing her for the time being.
"You had to bandage yourself up, didn't you?" She asked and he snorted but said nothing. "I'm sorry." She said softly catching his attention from his thoughts. Grimmjow knew it was coming; from his brief past interactions with her, he quickly came to realize that she was the type who couldn't help but think that they could have done something to prevent every bad thing from happening. Kurosaki was the same way.
"For what?" He said harshly (thinking about Ichigo really pissed him off) and Orihime winced.
"If I healed you before I returned home…"
"I would have gone straight to that damn Soul Reaper to gouge his stupid eyes out." Grimmjow smirked at the idea which made Orihime pause in her healing.
"What do you plan to do once you're healed?" The girl asked, leaning away and recalling how, though he had unintentionally helped the Soul Society win the war, he did want the hurt Ichigo. How could she have forgotten; his hatred of the substitute Soul Reaper was what drove him to betray Aizen.
"I already told you; I go to Hueco Mundo." Orihime slowly nodded before continuing her task. "Once I've gained enough strength, I'll return and kill every asshole who dared to cross me."
"You can't!" The seventeen year old gasped loudly and the former Espada frowned at her almost-shout.
"How dare you tell me what I can and can't do." Grimmjow growled out and Orihime's eyes filled with fear and she shuffled away, still on her knees and her healing shield still over him. The former Sexta Espada was surprised that he didn't feel his usual pride over installing fear into another; rather he regretted making her back away from him. His fingers itched to grab her and drag her back to his side, but kept the impulse in check.
"I-I didn't mean to…I just don't want anyone to get hurt." She said softly.
"Tch! You just don't want Kurosaki to get his ass kicked. And why be so willing to heal me; I doubt he would be too happy about it." Grimmjow said sharply and the girl's eyes widened slightly.
"I didn't think I had a choice. Besides, Ichigo will understand; he's very kind and always wants to help everyone he can, even if it ends up making more trouble for himself. It's true that I don't want him to get hurt, but I feel the same way about all of my friends and you too." She said honestly. It was the arrancar's turn to be surprised. He felt pleased at her concern for him even though he was just one of many she worried about; he wondered how she could be so caring. Still…it was the stupid strawberry head that had most of her attention; Grimmjow couldn't figure out how she'd fallen for the boy in the first place. Despite the lack of any special attention from him, whenever it came to Ichigo Kurosaki the girl was oh-so willing to throw her safety away as long as she could help the damnable Soul Reaper. Grimmjow doubted the boy would pick up on her obvious feelings on his own and had a feeling that the young beauty would be waiting forever for her precious prince to realize what he could have. It was kind of pitiful.
"Has he looked at you yet?" He asked just to be sure.
"Ichigo always looks at me; he looks at everyone he talks to." Orihime responded, feeling a little confused by the question.
"That's not what I meant." The former Espada said, slightly amused by her innocence. It took a moment, but the girl did realize that he was referring to whether Ichigo had started to see her as a woman or if he still treated like all his other friends. From what Orihime knew, she was just another girl he happened to be friends with.
"No…" She said softly looking down at her hands as she rested them in her lap. Grimmjow scowled at her sad expression. He brushed a hand through his hair, noting that he had to clean himself up when he had a chance; he was covered in dried blood and sweat. His intense blue gaze shifted from her lowered eyes down to her pouty lips. He couldn't believe anyone, expecially a warm blooded teenager, could overlook such a kind, beautiful female, no matter how weird she was personality-wise.
"He is a fool then." Grimmjow said honestly. Orihime gasped and looked up at him. Had she heard him correctly? It sounded as if he had complemented her, even if it was through insulting Ichigo. Though she thought it was strange, his comment made her feel good. "Are you done yet?" The arrancar grumbled as she smiled at him.
"Almost." She said happily and he felt like sulking. She focused more of her energy into ridding him of the last of whatever the weird rash was on his skin, ignoring how tired she was getting. Once all traces of his time in captivity were gone, Orihime allowed Shun'o and Ayame to return to her hair pins and grinned at him. Grimmjow scowled at how she seemed to glow with happiness; he wasn't used to such good vibes being sent his way and it left him uncomfortable and agitated. Silently cursing under his breath for stupidly saying something that would cheer her up, he got to his feet and looked at the girl intently. She shot up beside him, still smiling away without a care in the world.
Orihime hadn't known Grimmjow could say something so nice. What really made her so happy though was that he had said it so openly and honestly. She felt like singing with joy, but held back since the temperamental arrancar was still present.
Wincing at her smiling face, he turned from her and opened a garganta into Hueco Mundo and started to head into it. Right as he was about to step inside, a soft, gentle, and kind voice called out from behind him.
"Good Bye Grimmjow. I'm glad I was able to see you again." She said so innocently. He paused and looked back, his blue stare landing on her grey ones. They weren't like steel, he decided, they were more like rain clouds. If he was a sappy airhead like her, he would probably think that they were rain clouds pouring emotion or something equally stupid, but he was not. Still…he didn't feel like just leaving, so he decided to do something so embarrassingly un-Grimmjow-like that he would forever keep it a secret.
Much to Orihime's surprise, he turned around and walked toward her, the blank look on his face again. Before she had a chance to react, he gently grabbed her hand and pulled her close, leaning down as he went. The moment his lips touched hers Orihime's heart stopped. Her eyes widened, then slowly closed and he deepened the kiss. It was her first kiss. Feeling light-headed and off-kilter, she grabbed at his arms for some support, but he was already pulling away. Next thing the girl knew, Grimmjow had his back to her and was disappearing as the garganta closed. Before he vanished from her sight completely, he glanced over his shoulder and their eyes met again.
Just as the garganta sealed them off completely, Grimmjow grinned, remembering how she tasted sweet. It had taken him a while to admit it to himself, but he definitely had a soft spot for the girl.
Orihime was in a state of shock. She couldn't believe that he had kissed her, something she had only dreamed of doing with Ichigo; she couldn't believe even more that he'd been so gentle. She stared at the wall, trying to remember how to move. After a couple minutes, she slowly glanced around her, suddenly realizing she had been kissed by Ichigo's enemy.
Still light-headed, Orihime decided that she should just go to bed; she could tell everyone about Grimmjow in the morning, though she would leave out the part of him kissing her. It would be too embarrassing to try to explain it to her friends. She could almost hear Rukia freaking out and wondered if Ichigo would too, but didn't want to find out.
She changed into her pajamas, brushed her hair and teeth, and turned all the lights out. Snuggled under the covers, Orihime's finger tips gently brushed against her lips and allowed a smile to slid onto her face. Recalling her fairy tale story, Orihime realized who Grimmjow was in it. He wasn't a prince, evil lackey, or a villain; he was her knight, even if he didn't know it.
