A/N: Bleach Wiki, I love you. Also a shout out to my fellow conspirators Singer and Kitty. Without them, this fic would still be gathering dust in my notebook. Which it's still doing. Kind of.
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Chapter One
The ground was frigid under his feet, the thin mud cracking slightly as he trudged through the murky substance. His boots, by now, had proven futile against the cold, and he absentmindedly noted he would need another pair of socks added to his already cocooned toes.
His dark clothing blended into the night that surrounded him, cloaking his lean frame and adding a sense of predatory purpose to his movements.
Out here, in the middle of nowhere, he was at ease, no tension lining his muscular shoulders.
A low snort from his side shook him from his musings, and he glanced down at his four legged counterpart. Pantera's black and white coat gleamed, the border collie's sky blue eyes bright and alert.
A sudden, sharp snap from the left.
Half lidded teal eyes flickered over to the general direction, no visible concern other than the slight movement of his fingers trailing to the rifle loosely slung over one shoulder.
"Stoba." He jerked his head over to the side, eyes not leaving the surrounding forest.
Pantera swerved away from him, falling into the familiar half crouch he'd come to associate with the command, and she slipped silently into the shadows.
He stand remained neutral as he continued, taking in the forest.
It couldn't have been long until he heard the high pitched snarl of Pantera, accompanied by the explosion of a gun.
He froze up, startled, before darting off into the undergrowth, near desperation fueling his flight-
O-o-O
Grimmjow bolted upright, limbs trembling and every inch of his chest soaked in sweat.
A shift of weight at his side nearly had him bolting until a pair of sleepy sky blue eyes met his own shocking teal.
Letting out a breath, he ruffled her ears gently. "Morning, sweetheart." he muttered gruffly.
The pale eyed border collie huffed, rolling onto her side and baring her stomach with a pleased look in her eyes.
"Glutten." he teased softly, trying to keep his racing heart in check and preferably in his chest. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in the clean, if not a little stale, air of his home.
It had been the same dream for about a week now, and it didn't fail in striking fear into him every time it changed. The same theme always remained. Pantera was always killed.
Said canine poked her cool nose into his face and nuzzled him, knowing there was something wrong with her master but not knowing how to help.
Grimmjow rubbed behind one of her ears slowly, the show of affection soothing to both.
"It was that dream again, sweetheart." he murmured, eyes softening as the collie gave him a content look, tongue lolling out the side of her mouth and her eyes half lidded with pleasure. Snorting, he swung the remaining sheets off of himself and moved his legs over the edge in a swift motion, Pantera deciding it was a good time to abandon ship.
He could hear her nails hitting the hardwood flooring as she made her way out of his room and down the hall towards the kitchen. Sighing, Grimmjow knew that he would have to get up now that she was. He'd changed the locks on the door again so she couldn't get out on her own.
But, he had no doubt in his mind that she would figure out how in a week or so. She was a highly intelligent canine, that much he could say for certain.
He pulled himself fully upright, popping his shoulders and spine and yawning widely, pearl white teeth gleaming for a moment in the dim lighting that shone through the cracks of the curtains.
At a quiet, impatient whine from the kitchen, he sighed, clear teal gaze half lidded, and stood, stretching like a cat as he did so.
"I'm coming, sweetheart." he muttered as he padded near silently down the hall, glancing out the curtains to see overcast skies. Rain tapped a steady rhythm against the windows.
His black sweatpants hung teasingly low on his hips as he continued on his way down the hall, his tanned skin illuminating his well toned frame that wasn't quite thin, leaning towards lithe or lean. His chest still gleamed with sweat, his long teal hair cascading down his spine, tangled and mussed from his nightmare. On his forearm, a panther stalked invisible prey, the words 'aut vincere aut mori' scrawled underneath in neat script.
Pantera nearly glared at him from her position next to the glass doors, her very vibe screaming, 'You asshole! How could you do this to me!'
"It serves you right, you know." he informed her as he navigated the huge black island that dominated the kitchen space, a silver sink placed in the centre, the remaining wall space behind it more counter space, with an oven, cabinets, and fridge neatly tucked away. A microwave also stood proudly on the counter next to the fridge, surface worn from use.
Plugging in the coffee machine as he passed, he unlocked the door and opened it, a cool gust of air entering the warmth and making him shudder. Pantera was unaffected, darting out into the rain. No doubt to run a perimeter and check over her domain. Grimmjow watched as she disappeared into the fields long grass, headed towards the line of trees on the near horizon.
Smirking, he turned to the coffee machine, the warm scent wafting up to his sensitive nose. Inhaling it greedily, he grabbed a mug from one of the cabinets and rummaged around in the fridge in search of milk.
When he finally turned back, the coffee was practically calling his name.
Pouring the steaming liquid into his mug, he poured the milk with brisk movements before searching for a spoon. Once accomplished, he stirred it into a light cream brown, the coffee's heat dimmed only slightly.
Sighing contentedly, he sipped at his beverage and leaned against the counter, awaiting his collie's return.
o-o-o-o
He was near done his coffee when she returned, drenched and paws covered in mud up to her belly. Gleefully, she tracked dark brown prints on the stone floor, the grey highlighted with brown and water.
Automatically, she sat, watching him and waiting for the usual routine movements of drying her off.
"I suppose you'll get cold if I just leave you, hm?" he asked rhetorically.
She huffed and gave him one of her signature, 'no, really?' looks.
Grimmjow grabbed the ever ready towel on the back of his chair and reluctantly pulled himself up from his comfortable position to towel off the patient collie. Pantera groaned in contentment when he started rubbing her head, fingers nimbly rubbing behind her ears, something he knew she would be whining about later if he forgot.
These were the moments that lulled him into peace. These moments, when he could lose himself in the simplicity of just being with Pantera.
"Well, sweetheart, are we going to go for our run?" he asked softly, putting the towel aside and settling himself on the floor. Pantera sat back on her haunches, tilting her head to one side in a silent question.
"I was asking you, sweetheart. Not the other way around." he groused. "But I'm taking that as a yes."
o-o-o-o
Twenty minutes later found the pair dressed for the occasion and at the front door of the one story rancher. He was now in long, loose shorts, with a baggy sweater done up over a white shirt. Pantera was wearing her sky blue collar that matched her eyes, and she glanced up at him before back to the door.
"Impatient, are we?" Grimmjow raised a brow. Pantera whined, feathery tail beginning to wag.
"Of course. I know the drill." he muttered before opening the door. The rain was still coming down steadily, and there didn't appear to be any break in the thick cloud cover overhead.
Sighing and bracing himself for the cold run, he stepped out onto the step and closed the door behind his loyal canine before hopping off and starting a brisk pace. Pantera loped beside him, her tongue already lolling out in the universal canine happy face.
He settled into his routine of zoning out, the sounds of his own heart and breathing the only thing he could hear, other than Pantera's quiet steps. This was his clockwork, something that kept him sane, something that kept him from remembering the days when war and bloodshed was all he had known.
Shaking his head to clear the thoughts out, he focused on the rainy, empty road that led to nowhere in particular.
He didn't know how long or how far they ran every day. They just ran, kept themselves going, pushed themselves to new heights whenever the opportunity struck. He would listen to nothing but the sounds of his own body. He would stop when he was tired, and turn back when he was ready.
In all, he was ruled by his instincts when he ran.
Pantera eventually began to slow, sniffing at the surrounding shrubbery that lined the edge of one side of the road. The other was fenced neatly, the property not his own. Mentally, he marked the place. A new record.
Grimmjow owned over one hundred acres of farmland, and whenever he ran, his property lined the edges of the road until the next property arrived, and then the next and the next after that.
A low bark brought him back to reality. Pantera looked up at him expectantly, and he couldn't say no to her silent plea. "Alright, sweetheart, we'll head back."
Luckily, the rain lightened up some for part of the return trip, but then came back with a vengeance. It was near hailing when the two sprinted for the door, sopping wet and trying to avoid getting pelted any more than they absolutely had to.
Shivering, Grimmjow opened the door with his key, Pantera slithering in miserably. He followed, immediately grateful for leaving the heat on, and pulled the door closed before locking it again. Some old habits would never die, no matter how hard he tried to suppress them. There were just too many skeletons in the closet for him to pretend everything was normal. Like nothing he'd been through had happened.
Had he not been so lost in his thoughts, he might have noticed the quick shadows pass over the windows across from him.
o-o-o-o
Stepping out of the shower, steam falling off of his body like he was some kind of deity, Grimmjow reached for his towel and slid it around his hips, wary of his long hair getting caught. It hadn't exactly been the most pleasant feeling the last time, and he had no wish to do it again anytime soon.
His feet caressed the carpet as he opened the door and stepped into his room, padding over to his drawers in order to paw through various articles of clothing. Pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a tight wife beater that happened to be a dark crimson, he quickly dressed before wandering back towards the living room, where his comfortable couch awaited him.
Pantera was nowhere to be found: it wasn't too surprising, considering that she always found herself warm hidey-holes when she was cold.
It wasn't until a miniscule click echoed through the house to his ears that he stiffened, his hand automatically reaching under the cushion to grab the SIG Sauer P220 hidden there. He had a few, actually, hidden around the house. Most were the P220, but he had a couple of the older models lying around too.
Grimmjow's jaw clenched as there was silence- and then he heard his front door implode.
Suddenly there was gunfire everywhere, the sound leaving him breathless until his mind clicked into adrenaline mode. His breathing evened, instinct telling him what to do. He dodged, firing at the nearest assailant, his entire body cloaked in black. Fortunately, his aim hadn't declined in the slightest, and his bullet struck with deadly accuracy. Grunting as shrapnel from the wall grazed his cheek, he rolled, grabbing another hidden P220 and letting loose.
He took out two more of the intruders, bullets through their brains, before one finally got a lucky hit. His leg was suddenly burning, pain washing over him in waves. Baring his teeth in defiance, Grimmjow took the man down with a couple well placed shots.
He knew damn well they weren't here for tea and crumpets. Oh no, he knew exactly who they were here for. And he sure as hell wasn't about to go down without a fight. It went against his very nature.
Pantera was nowhere to be found: had she escaped?
Gritting his teeth, he pushed aside his pain and focused on not getting pumped full of lead.
Unfortunately, another grazed his ribs moments later, sending a line of pain and fire through him.
There were more people, more masked men descending upon the rancher, and Grimmjow was running out of bullets. Snarling under his breath, he lunged for the chair next to the couch, dodging another hoard of bullets. Strangely enough, he had the feeling that they weren't actually trying to kill him. More like try and wound him enough that he would be unable to fight back.
Well, fuck that. It wasn't going to happen.
He fumbled for the gun under the cushion for a moment, dazed as part of the wall exploded by his head and more shrapnel, this time glass, embedding itself in his flesh. It seemed that a moment of being dazed was all they needed, since another round of something went off by his hiding spot.
"You wanna play, fuckers?" he roared over their gunfire. "I'll play, alright!"
He pulled a grenade out of the floorboards, a sadistic grin crossing his features. "Let's all go out with a big bang, eh? Fuck you, bitches!"
Pulling the tiny metal away from the main grenade, he launched it towards the assailants, hunkering down and waiting for the explosion.
He didn't have to wait long.
The world exploded into bright flashes and bursts of colour, the sounds fading away to static as he had the wind knocked out of him.
This time it was much harder to come back. His mind could barely comprehend the images that blurred and fuzzed in his eyes, and he couldn't move as one of the masked men staggered towards him, something suspiciously glinting in his hand.
Grimmjow hissed weakly, scrabbling for purchase on the floor but only meeting with shards of glass, glass that viciously sunk its teeth into his palms.
"Nighty night." a low, gravelly voice sneered before the syringe sunk into his shoulder. Grimmjow howled silently at the sudden pain that came with it, unsure if it was a poison or a sedative. Either or, his fuzzy mind concluded, it hurt like fucking hell.
He could feel the adrenaline wearing off, feel the pain as it came back full force, realized that the reason he couldn't find purchase on the floor was because it was soaked in his blood.
Groaning, the world tipped sideways as even his pain began to fade, the sound of barking barely heard. He didn't feel Pantera as she nuzzled him, or grabbed his shirt and began tugging, doing her best to save her master.
He could only feel his world as it faded away.