Neliel sat up, panting heavily. Sweat dripped from her face. Grimmjow stirred, opened his eyes and looked up at her groggily.
"What is it?" He whispered.
"Bad dream." She mumbled, hugging her knees to her chest. Grimmjow sat up, understanding too well the effect of a bad dream. He wrapped an arm loosely around her shoulders, lifting her chin with his thumb.
"We'll be okay." He promised. She nodded, flashing dull brown eyes at him. He fought the urge to pull her against him and lost, knowing that his tough guy front mattered not when it came to Neliel. She needed someone who cared right now, and try as he might to disguise it, he cared.
"I…" She stopped. She listened. Grimmjow watched her intently. Her senses were all so much keener than his.
"Did you…"
"It was nothing." She mouthed, remaining silent anyway. She only slept for another hour that night. She couldn't tell if Grimmjow were asleep beside her, but she didn't dare move to look. She remained curled in a ball the entire night, too afraid to move.
She awoke some time later to pounding on the door. She sat up quickly, eyes bulging in her head. Grimmjow stirred beside her, opening groggy eyes and trying to focus.
"Pack." She mouthed urgently, waving her hands. She rolled her mat with speed and efficiency that could only come from practice and a desperate situation. She tied it up, and threw things into her bag quickly. Grimmjow rolled his own mat, and let it join hers in the bag.
Then, she threw it on her back. Grimmjow followed her through the home, and they made their exit through the back door, just the way they came. Neliel slipped the key under the mat and ran through the back yard. Grimmjow followed, and they jumped over a short fence into an alley masked by overgrown trees and shrubs.
She took a left and kept on running. They crossed a raised train track and waited on the other side, hidden in the shade of a large tree. Neliel caught her breath and looked back toward the house they had previously occupied. Two large men, dressed in black, stood at the front door, feet tapping impatiently.
Guns rested in holsters on their shoulders and hips. Neliel shuddered, knowing what their fate could have been. She looked down the tracks, her head tilted toward the east. Soon enough, a train whistled, and they heard the rumbling on the tracks.
"Get ready." Neliel breathed, and Grimmjow nearly smiled. As soon as the train was in sight, they took off. Luckily, a box car appeared toward the end, a door slightly ajar. Neliel jumped onto it, holding on tightly as she wrenched it open further. Grimmjow jumped in after her, and she shut the door after them. She left it ajar, as it had been, for she felt it would look suspicious otherwise.
It was then she realized they weren't alone. Halibel and Nnoitra sat across from them, backs against a wall. Neliel's surprise was clear on her face, and Halibel blinked, clearly surprised as well.
She slid to the floor of the car, leaning against the wall. "It's a long journey to redemption." She whispered wearily. Grimmjow leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. Halibel and Nnoitra only sighed lightly. It seemed as though in relief.
"It will be three days before this train is inspected again." Halibel mentioned. "We plan to board another one toward the coast." She whispered, eyes darting about the car suspiciously. "We've heard of a place across the ocean where they care not about one's appearance."
Neliel nodded knowingly. She had heard of this place. She couldn't be sure if Grimmjow had. He appeared as though he hadn't, but she could fill him in on it later. She noticed a door in the car, and decided to slide it open. There happened to be another compartment in the car, and she led Grimmjow into it. There she unrolled the makeshift beds, and pulled Grimmjow into her arms.
She didn't expect him to kiss her neck, or nibble at her earlobes. She had been so tense and so had he. "But-"
"Don't talk." He murmured. They had since shut the door, and now they were in complete privacy. The only sounds were those of the rhythmic clicking of the train. He pulled her close, leading his lips along a trail to hers. She sighed into his mouth, her eyes shut, succumbing completely to his touch. She couldn't resist—but she wanted to. She needed to.
"No, Grimmjow. Really!" She pulled away, her hands on his chest. "I'm—" She paused, lowering her face. "I'm a virgin." She shut her eyes. Grimmjow laughed softly, and the sound was pure magic reverberating in her ears.
"And you're saving it for marriage, right?" He whispered. She nodded solemnly, and it was all he could do not to laugh. In as solemn a tone he could muster, he said "Neliel, I hate to tell you this, but there's no way you'll ever be married. Not here, and not now. If you're not wanting to do it now, fine. But don't expect to hold out on me forever." He growled. "I'll even marry you if I have to."
His throat was dry, and he wanted a drink of water desperately. Neliel smiled despite herself, and despite their situation. "We haven't spoken this much in months." She observed. She pulled the canteen from her bag, and offered him a sip. He took it gratefully, lips curling in a smile at her. She blushed, the hint of color stirring desire in Grimmjow.
He kissed her again, holding the back of her head. She whimpered softly, succumbing to Grimmjow's caresses. He lowered her to the mats, and she stared at him, her eyes wide.
"Don't be scared." He told her. She understood, and he registered the look in her eyes. They undressed in silence, eyes lowered and turned away. They laid their clothes neatly beside the mats, ready to be slid back on in a hurry. Neliel's face turned an impossible shade of pink at the realization they were naked...together.
Though this wasn't new, the implication was. Grimmjow pressed his body against hers, kissing her gently to soften the shock. He could tell when she began to get used to it, her body pressed closer to his and she began returning his kisses.
Grimmjow's fingers slid down the length of Neliel's body slowly, resting on her thigh for just a moment. Then, two fingers were inside of her, moving to prepare her for what was to come. The look on her face was of pleasure, not pain, and this encouraged Grimmjow. With his other hand, he loved her breasts, one at a time. She writhed beneath him after a minute of this, and instinct told him she was ready.
He pulled his fingers from her and moved his hand to her knee. She froze, her eyes suddenly nervous. He smiled at her then, and she returned his smile, the nervousness leaving her eyes. He entered her, planting a kiss on her lips as her brows furrowed in slight pain. Oddly enough, he felt no blood. There was a barrier, and he knew he had broken it, but she wasn't bleeding.
"Don't worry about it." Neliel whispered. "Not every girl bleeds." She smiled softly, and he moved again. He thrust slowly, moving in and out, hands caressing her thighs. She wrapped her arms around his back, pushing close to him. He could feel her luscious breasts pressing against his chest.
As she warmed up to this new activity more, he increased his pace. He moved faster and faster until he felt her nails digging into his back, her thighs squeezing his waist. "No, faster." She murmured, her eyes bright. Grimmjow obeyed, moving as fast as he could. It was all he could do to keep from bursting with pleasure, but she wasn't finished yet. Her soft gasps and heavy breathing told him she was close, she had to be close, but he couldn't finish until she had.
After what seemed an eternity, her head fell back as her body shuddered, and Grimmjow let himself go. Carelessly, he came inside of her, too wrapped up in pleasure to think of the consequences. He rolled to her side, catching his breath. Neliel was already sliding her clothing back on and finding a place to relieve herself. She found a place and made use of it gratefully.
Then, she took her place on the mats, beside Grimmjow. He pulled her against his nude form, kissing her hair. She smiled at his touch, pressing against him. She fell asleep in his arms, into her first peaceful sleep in months. He lay awake for some time, just running his fingers through her hair. Never before had a woman made him feel so complete—even in this awful situation. In fact, it was a huge credit to Neliel for making him feel this way.
She mumbled his name in her sleep and smiled, and he rested his head on the small pillow. He wasn't about to let her go. She pressed closer to him, rolling over and pressing her face into his neck. Grimmjow yawned and shut his eyes. Sleep would come easily with her in his arms.
He awoke to find Neliel rummaging through her bag. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, but she looked rested. He stretched and pulled on his clothes, moving closer to Neliel. He kissed her, and she smiled softly. Though she smiled, her eyes showed the strain their hardships placed her under. She pulled a bottle of some strange tan liquid, and Grimmjow perked a brow.
"This is to hide my birthmark so that I may go into a town when we have the chance." She murmured. "I would use it to blend in to today's society but it is just too much of a hassle."
"Yeah." Grimmjow kissed her birthmark. "Besides, it's part of your face. I dunno if I'd like you as much without it." He admitted. Neliel blushed and ducked her head. She rolled up the mats and put everything away. Then, she moved to the other compartment where Halibel and Nnoitra were. Grimmjow followed her, and they sat across from them.
It looked as though the two hadn't slept all night. Suddenly, the train began rumbling to a stop. Neliel shot to her feet, and the other three did the same. She looked out of one side, and then the other. She made the executive decision out of which side to jump, and they all followed after her. She saw mountains wherever she looked. She wasn't sure where they were, but she knew she had to run. So she ran toward the mountains and forest, hoping to find a place to hide.
She didn't look back at first, until she realized someone was missing. She looked behind her to see Grimmjow crouched in the grass, a look of agony twisting his face. She gestured Halibel and Nnoitra on, and ran back to him.
