A/N: Hi again! Here's another chapter for this dark story of mine. :3
This chapter will include more romance (though it's implied). I hope I won't make Grimmjow or Ulquiorra OOC. O~O"
Also, how do you guys like Miyuki so far? She's not a Mary-Sue, right? RIGHT? XDD I'm paranoid about that kinda stuff.
Disclaimer: I think we all know that Bleach is Kubo-sama's. *nods*
Chapter Three:
La Espada Nueva
Grimmjow scowled as he stalked down the hall. He rubbed his bruised jaw irritably. Damn that bastard! The next time I see that fucker, I'm gonna pull his goddamn head off! Fuckin' stupid ass...he thought with clenched fists. The skin over his knuckles had been stretched over tightly, showing the white bone underneath.
He kept replaying Aizen's warning words in his head: The next time you fail to follow direct orders, you won't get off with something as light as this...
His eyebrows creased deeper and he punched a nearby pillar, sending debris crumbling down around him. He walked on as if nothing happened, stuffing his only hand into his baggy pocket.
He thought back to what had happened earlier in Aizen's throne room:
Grimmjow ambled into the room, a dark frown marking his features. He glanced at the Shinigami sitting on the throne ahead of him and his cerulean eyes narrowed.
Damn Shinigami! Sittin' there like he's king! I should be the one up there! he thought furiously. Instead of speaking his mind, he asked, "You wanted ta see me, Aizen-sama?"
At the mention of his name, said Shinigami's sinister brown eyes flickered to him. A smile played on his lips and a strong pressure flowed through the room, choking the former Espada. He fell to his knees and put his hand to his throat. His eyes widened and he struggled to breathe. He used a lot of his strength just to lift his head and glare at the brown-haired man.
After a few excruciating minutes of this, Aizen relinquished his power, making Grimmjow collapse to the floor with a gasp. He mentally cursed himself for being so weak. He stood up quickly, wanting to rip the smug grin off of the other man's face. His body quivered with rage, but he did not act on it.
"Now that I have your full attention, Grimmjow, I have something urgent I must discuss with you." He waved a hand and a tile a few inches in front of the former Espada started to glow. Bright images flickered across the floor and he watched with reluctance. He saw himself in it as well as that woman. What's her name again? Midori or somethin' like that...he thought without interest.
He saw himself stumbling over to her. She began to back away in fear and he suddenly slapped her. His right eye twitched. He hadn't realized how hard he had hit her. She was about to scream at him, but he interrupted her harshly. The images didn't come with audio, but he knew exactly what had happened. It irritated him that Aizen was showing him something he had experienced just a few minutes ago, but he was forced to be patient.
As soon as the images disappeared, he asked casually, "So what's there ta discuss, Aizen-sama?"
Something like anger flickered in the Shinigami's eyes but Grimmjow wasn't afraid of him. In fact, he stared back at him as a sort of challenge. "Did I not tell you minutes earlier that you are not to harm your Fracción or you would face a harsh consequence? Yet you deliberately disobeyed when she interrupted your pointless battle," Aizen pointed out with slight aggravation.
The blue-haired Arrancar was outraged. "Pointless? That battle was completely-"
He was cut off when something hard smacked his cheek, making him take a few steps to right himself. He glanced behind him and noticed a rather young girl recoiling her hand back inside her enormous sleeve. Her short hair was black and cropped close to her face. Three red star-like tattoos were above her left eyebrow. He whipped around and started to yell, "Bitch! What the-"
She suddenly disappeared and he felt another strong blow to the left side of his face. He spit out the blood that began to trickle in his mouth and looked to his left. The girl was actually laughing at him, though there was something strange about it.
He was about to cero the smile off her face when Aizen commanded, "That's enough, Luppi. His new injuries shall suffice. Thank you for carrying that out."
"It was my pleasure, Aizen-sama," she said in a taunting voice. He narrowed his eyes. There was something off about her, but he couldn't quite place just what it was. He was too furious to care, however. "Who the hell is she, Aizen-sama?" Grimmjow asked indignantly. His instincts wanted him to rip her to shreds, but he had to ignore them.
Luppi glared at him with a frown. "Did you just call me a 'she'? How rude! Can't you tell the difference between a guy and a woman? You're stupider than I thought..." he snickered under a large sleeve.
The former Espada blinked and yelled incredulously, "You're a guy? What the fuck! That's just wrong!"
Aizen stared at them with distaste and cleared his throat to gain their attention. They glanced at him and he announced, "Grimmjow, this will be your replacement. Antenor Luppi."
Luppi flashed him a triumphant grin that made his blood boil. "My WHAT?" he screamed irately.
The ruler of Las Noches raised an eyebrow and inquired, "Is something the matter, Grimmjow? I currently have no Sexta Espada, and Luppi has proven himself worthy of filling your place. He will be officially announced as the Sexta by means of a ceremony today; in a few minutes actually. It is mandatory to attend, and you must bring your Fracción unscathed." The blue-haired Arrancar glared at him with white hot rage and continuously clenched and unclenched his fist. Aizen smirked and waved his hand dismissively toward the exit. "You may leave, that is all I wished to tell you. Luppi has carried out your punishment for your earlier act of defiance."
Grimmjow narrowed his eyes and whipped around, infuriated as well as humiliated. He muttered curses under his breath, mainly towards the "fuckin' bastard who looks like a pansy".
When he reached the doorway, the Shinigami added, "The next time you fail to follow direct orders, you won't get off with something as light as this..." He whipped back and caught Luppi sniggering under his sleeve. He narrowed his eyes at the other Arrancar.
This caused Luppi to taunt in a sing-song voice, "Bye bye, former Sexta!" It echoed across the hall and reverberated in his ears until he used sonido to rid himself of the horrible sound.
"Dammit! How can Aizen replace me with that son of a bitch?" he questioned of no one in particular. He was nearing his room and glanced at his Fracción's door. He didn't like her too much, but he couldn't really say he hated her. He had no time to get to know her yet, not that he wanted to or cared.
He scowled as he thought of the girlish Arrancar that Aizen thought was as strong as he was. Grimmjow figured it must've been some kind of sick joke. With an enraged sigh, he strolled over to his Fracción's room and jerked open the door handle. He pushed the door with his shoulder, making it slam against the stone wall behind it.
He stormed into the room, preparing to drag her with him if she refused to come. He spotted a dark blaze of blue out of the corner of his eye and twisted. He was about to bark orders at her when he noticed that she was sleeping. Miyuki was lying on her stomach and clutching the white sheet like a lifeline. Her navy blue hair fell around her and covered most of her face. He could still see one of her eyes and a bit of her pale cheek, which was stained with tear trails. Her expression was one of anger, probably because of a bad dream.
He strolled over to the right side of her bed and nudged her shoulder. "Get up," he commanded with a growl.
"Mm…" she mumbled and curled up on her side. She exhaled in exhaustion but didn't get up.
His eye twitched in annoyance. He grabbed her arm and tugged her up into a sitting position. "Get the hell up already! I don't have time for this shit!" the former Espada yelled impatiently.
She groaned and looked up, squinting. "Who the hell…" She trailed off when she realized who she was talking to. Her lavender orbs widened and she glared down at her bed sheets.
"F-Forgive me, master. I-I should not have addressed you so informally…" she apologized quickly, anticipating a smack to the face or some punishment of the like.
He raised an eyebrow and muttered, "Stop calling me that. And stop talkin' to me like that too. It sounds stupid."
"What?" she breathed out, bewildered and slightly provoked by his comment.
He frowned at her and threatened, "Don't make me repeat myself." Then he noticed the small scratch on her neck covered in crusty blood. The bruise from his slap earlier shone purple, though she didn't seem hurt by it. She was tougher than he gave her credit for.
He pointed at her neck and wondered, "Where'd ya get that? I didn't give that scar to ya."
Miyuki instantly slapped a hand to her neck and pulled back. A few brown flakes smudged it. Miyuki scowled and answered, "That bastard, Nnoitora or whatever the hell his name is. That man with the weird scythe thing that you fought."
Grimmjow snarled, "That fuckin' asshole doesn't know when to leave a man's property alone."
The Fracción glowered at him. "Is that what I am to you? Your property? Something you claim a stake on and just-!" She broke off angrily. She stood up quickly and her body quivered with rage. "I will not be owned! I refuse to be a...a belonging of yours to keep or throw away like trash!" she shrieked, her hands clenched into stiff fists.
"Who the hell do ya think you're talkin' too, bitch? You think I fuckin' wanted you for a Fracción? Hell no! You're just a weak girl, and I don't need that!" he yelled back at her.
She slapped him across the face, making his eyes enlarge in shock. Her hand felt freezing and adamantine, but he was really stunned by the amount of reiatsu packed in her tiny hand. It was powerful, but it was also erratic and not concentrated, cutting her potential by nearly half. He whipped his head to her and lunged, his primal instincts propelling him to take revenge against her. He clamped her wrists with one hand and they toppled onto her bed. He was holding her wrists so tightly that he cut off the circulation of her blood and they hung over her head limply. Grimmjow noticed that her hands were glowing a faint white color but it soon faded, making him wonder if he had just imagined it.
"You're…hurting me!" she yelled, not in pain but as a warning. Her cheeks were starting to burn red by the position she was in. He was right on top of her, his face hovering just above hers.
"So what? I don't give a damn about you or that goddamn new rule! And you can't do anything about it," he sneered.
"I can tell Aizen-sama what you've done, you bastard. I can see that bruise on your cheek. He gave that to you, didn't he?" Miyuki spat back with equal venom.
He paused and got off her. He ran a hand through his bright blue hair. "Fuck!" he cursed loudly. She sat up, rubbing her wrists with a scowl. They tingled a little as the blood rushed back into her hands. She flexed her fingers experimentally to get more feeling back into them.
She glared at her master and muttered, "What the hell is wrong with you? Your temper-" The Fracción broke off when she saw a tiny Hollow scuttle across the floor. Her mouth began to water, though she didn't know why. Grimmjow's ears seemed to prick up and he turned to the source of the noise.
He followed the Hollow with interest and snatched it up in his hand. It squealed and bit at his thumb, drawing a tiny bead of blood. He fixed his gaze on it intently and bit it in half. She stared with horror as he gobbled its upper body, head, arms and all. Black blood dribbled down his chin and he sighed in disgust. "I hate eating these ones. They always taste nasty," he commented with his mouth full, as if it was a proper meal rather than a formerly living creature. He licked his black-stained lips and wiped the rest of the blood onto the back of his hand.
He caught the disturbed look on her face and smirked. "What?" he asked, dangling the other half of the Hollow by the tail with a finger. Its blood splattered onto the clean, white floor.
She felt sickened by what she just saw. "That was…disgusting…" she muttered and took several deep breaths to calm the unsettled feeling in her stomach. "Why did you have to eat that? It was a Hollow, like us. Aizen-sama can provide food-"
Miyuki was cut off when he burst out laughing. She stared at him, taken aback, and asked, "What? What's so funny?"
The former Espada sniggered a bit as he replied, "You...You think that bastard feeds us? He doesn't give a damn about us. We gotta get our own food and take care of ourselves. The only thing that damn Shinigami provides us is clean water, clothes, and a place to stay other than the desert out there. Since yer new, I don't expect ya to understand yet."
He tossed her the rest of the Hollow and she caught it instinctively. She grimaced as the blood stained her hands and held it away from her in disgust. "I don't want it..." she mumbled and made a face.
Grimmjow rolled his eyes and pointed at the half-eaten Hollow in her hand. "Hey, yer lucky I'm even givin' ya that. We don't have any fancy food here girl, so it's that or nothing. If you don't eat it, I will," he said in a bored tone.
She continued to stare at the Hollow half in her hand until he started getting annoyed. He strolled over to her and snatched it up. "Whatever. Starve for all I care," he stated simply and hung it over his head by the tail. He opened his mouth to eat it. Miyuki suddenly growled and pounced at him. He staggered backwards a little and she seized the Hollow from his hand. She gorged on it quickly, black blood staining her hands and mouth. She was repulsed by herself, but she found her hunger had been slightly satisfied. Why did I do that? she wondered with a grimace.
"Yer instincts told you to," her master answered.
She twitched and glanced at him. Miyuki asked with embarrassment, "I said that out loud?"
He raised an eyebrow and replied, "Yeah. How the hell do ya not know when you say things out loud? Ya stupid 'r somethin'?"
She glowered at him and muttered in a low tone, "No. And what do you mean, 'my instincts told me to'?"
Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "It's obvious, ain't it? A Hollow's a monster that's pure instinct. We do things on impulse, we eat souls ta try to stop the pain we feel, and we do whatever the hell we feel like, whenever we feel like it. So as creatures who run on raw instinct, it makes sense that all we do is based on that fact. That's how I see it anyways."
Miyuki's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Not all of that is true. Aizen-sama won't let us do anything we want. For example, if he wasn't in command, you'd kill me." She said it with such certainty that he glanced at her with a confused expression. She absently traced the lines on her palms as if what she had just admitted didn't disturb her at all.
He stared at her injuries with a frown, particularly the one on her neck. "Wash up. We gotta go to this fuckin' stupid ceremony..." he ordered reluctantly. He scowled as he recalled that it was mandatory to attend. He didn't really want to see Luppi again after that incident, but Aizen made it so he had to. This brought a scowl to his face.
She scrunched her eyebrows. "Ceremony? For what occasion?"
Her master glared at her and replied through gritted teeth, "You'll see when we get there alright? Just clean yerself up or I'll..." He trailed off when he couldn't think of a proper threat. With this new rule, he couldn't really lay a hand on her without receiving a punishment in return. "Just get yer ass to the bathroom and out as quickly as ya can," he finally said.
Miyuki blinked and wondered, "Where's the bathroom?"
Grimmjow glanced at her and then at the wall. He sighed as he strode over to the empty wall and pushed on it. She was taken aback to see a portion of it actually moving backwards. She peeked around him and saw another white room that suddenly lit up as soon as the door opened. "It's here. Hurry up already! You better not make us late!"
She frowned but decided not to insult him back, though she knew that she could do so without consequence. She scurried to the bathroom before she was tempted to actually call him names. She closed the door behind her, hearing it shut with a dull thud. She glanced back at it and suddenly felt trapped in that tiny room, enclosed by stone on all four sides. Miyuki whipped her head forward to distract herself of the rising hysteria within her.
The bathroom had a simple layout: a porcelain sink with a cabinet underneath it clung tightly to the wall in front of her, over it a mirror, to its left, a tiled platform that served as a shower. Luckily, it had a curtain to shield herself from anyone who came in. There was no lock on the door, which she thought was greatly needed for privacy. Though, from the way her master acted, it probably wouldn't bother him or other Arrancars too much to see her naked body. Her cheeks burned at the thought.
Miyuki went over to the sink and turned on the cold water. It was strange to find something so modern in this vast palace that demanded so much from its inhabitants. Perhaps Aizen thought it was best to have his army in top condition, which included personal hygiene as well. The very notion was amusing in itself. She opened the cabinet doors and found a stack of clean white towels that were folded perfectly and a first-aid kit. She plucked one towel up and ran it under the water. She let it soak for a few seconds before carefully pressing it to her neck. It didn't hurt too much, so she rubbed her skin slowly to rid it of the crusty dried blood. When she had finished, the towel had turned a rusty color but her neck looked significantly better. She washed her hands and then took the first-aid kit out to tend to her wounds. She found it contained two rolls of gauze, a tube full of some sort of cream, and some bandages. Miyuki took out the tube and twisted the cap open. She gave a tentative sniff and recognized that it was an antibiotic. She squirted out some onto her palm and applied it to her neck. It stung a bit, but not by much. She had felt worse.
The Fracción glanced at her hands and decided that she needn't spare the bandages or antibiotic cream; they were too tiny to worry about. She turned around and felt claustrophobia try to envelop her again. The door had not even left behind a crease to point out where it was. Miyuki shoved her delirium back and pushed against the wall to try to find the opening. She stepped to the left and repeated the process of groping around to find it. A few minutes later, she found it and emerged gratefully.
Grimmjow was staring at her with impatience. She bowed to him and muttered, "I am ready now, master. I apologize for taking so long, but...I...ah..." She coughed and said quickly, "I couldn't find the door..."
She glanced up at him and noticed that he was turned around, his shoulders shaking with quiet laughter. "Yeah, very funny...You try being trapped in a room where it looks like there's no way to escape..." she muttered with irritation.
He exhaled and cleared his throat to calm himself. He then twisted back to her and gripped her shoulder. She raised an eyebrow and then felt the air whip past them. Her eyes widened and she felt that rising sensation again, the same rush she had when Ulquiorra had hurried them to Aizen's throne room earlier.
She closed her eyes and enjoyed the wind bolting past her, the feeling of flying as it seemed her feet never touched the floor. She was disappointed when their trip was over. They arrived outside the same throne room that Miyuki had gone to earlier. She glanced at her master and noticed the deep scowl on his face. What is his problem? We're here for a ceremony. It should be fun, right? Although I don't think Aizen-sama even has a sense of what fun is…she thought with a small frown.
Grimmjow pushed the stone doors open and walked inside stiffly. She followed with great reluctance. The dark throne room wasn't exactly in a festive mood. There weren't any colorful decorations, tables full of food, or happy-looking attendants. Everyone appeared to be either bored or itching to leave. They surrounded the throne in a sort of half circle, leaving a space for Grimmjow in it. Aizen was sitting on the chair, a frown on his face. The crowd was an odd bunch of Arrancars. One was a tall man being beaten up by a short blonde girl; another was an old man with a dark scar slashed across his face, behind him another weird group who stood behind him silently. She spotted Ulquiorra, his eyes closed. She almost wanted to greet him, but she was pretty sure that he would just either ignore her or stare.
When Miyuki caught a tall figure out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at it. She scowled as she saw that it was Nnoitora, though his back was turned to her. A young boy stood behind him, fidgeting anxiously with his jacket sleeve.
As soon as they entered the circle, a man with pink-hair and glasses hissed, "You're late, you foolish idiots."
Both Grimmjow and his Fracción were provoked by this. They started towards him angrily but the ruler of Las Noches commanded, "The both of you, stop wasting more of my time."
A fierce pressure engulfed them and Miyuki instantly fell to her knees. She felt like something was blocking the air from getting to her lungs and she gasped like a fish out of water. The former Espada hunched over and struggled to stand. He could barely breathe, but he willed himself not to fall, to not give the Shinigami the satisfaction in the knowledge that he was stronger than him.
Aizen smirked and relinquished his reiatsu a bit. Miyuki sucked in a breath and made a choking sound. Grimmjow's shoulders drooped in relief and he allowed himself to take a huge breath. He glanced at the center of the circle and noticed a slim, dark-haired Arrancar smirking triumphantly at him. He glowered at Luppi, wanting so badly to cero the sissy grin off his face.
Miyuki stood up shakily. The boy standing in the middle of the crowd flicked his eyes to her and gave her a flirtatious wink. She blinked, taken aback by this straightforward behavior.
Aizen announced, "My dear Espadas and their Fracciones, I have called all of you here today to tell you some exciting news. I have decided that this Arrancar, Antenor Luppi, will be the new Sexta Espada. Though he may not look like much, he is a suitable replacement," He put a subtle emphasis on the word. "For Grimmjow."
The blue-haired male clenched his hand into a trembling fist. He glared at Luppi hatefully and gritted his teeth. The new Sexta grinned and pulled down the right side of his shirt, revealing a black tattoo of the number '6' in elegant script.
In a cheesy voice, Luppi announced with a bow, "Aizen-sama, I will prove to you that I am a dedicated member of your army…" He pointed to Grimmjow with large sleeve and shouted, "By killing that ingrate who dared disobeyed you and his Fracción! This idiot does not deserve the lenience or the servant that you have bestowed upon him."
This set the former Espada off and he leaned forward like he was going to charge at him. Miyuki's lavender orbs widened as she as him vanish and suddenly appear again, tackling the childish Espada to the ground. He socked him in the jaw, hard. He raised his hand and curled his fingers to his palm in a claw-like gesture. A red ball of aggressive energy started to build up and he began laughing sadistically as he held Luppi's collar.
Clearly Luppi had underestimated Grimmjow's abilities. He sneered and then shouted, "Strangle him, Trepadora!" A huge blast of energy rolled over the group like a wave and some of the members, including the pink-haired man and a tall masked figure wearing gloves, shook as they slowly fell to their knees. Miyuki felt a tingle of power but wasn't affected too much by it, as she was with Aizen's power.
She stared as eight tentacles started to sprout from Luppi's back and they lashed out at her master with such speed that she almost didn't see them. Grimmjow flew back with an enraged cry and skidded along the shiny floor as he landed. Miyuki looked to Aizen to see if he would stop the fight anytime soon. She was shocked to see that he was actually smirking, as if this was an amusing spectacle to behold. She realized with a shiver that the ruler of Las Noches was actually considering Luppi's offer of killing the both of them. She felt rage sweep through her being and took a step towards the Sexta.
He caught her moving toward him and grinned a wide, deranged grin. "Don't even think about it, you stupid girl!" He brought a tentacle up and aimed it at her. It rushed towards her and she gave a scream as she, as well as the Arrancars next to her, jumped out of the way. He shot another tentacle at her with blinding speed when she was still recovering from the first attack. She gasped and fumbled for the sword in her sash. She managed to get it unsheathed and brought it up as a block. The Fracción was thrown back by the force of the assault and she grimaced as she thought, I won't be able to stop it!
Miyuki slammed into the stone wall and the tentacle recoiled. She groaned as her body was wracked with severe pain. She coughed out blood and dropped her sword, which landed with a noisy clang. The world spun around her and she slumped to the floor. After a few dizzy minutes passed, Miyuki tried pushing herself up. Her hair fell around her, covering her face in shadow. Miyuki turned shakily to glare daggers at the Sexta Espada. He complimented grudgingly, "You're still alive? You're tougher than you look."
He sent all his tentacles at her with a final smirk. Dammit…Not like this…I don't want to die like this! I…CAN'T DIE LIKE THIS! she thought angrily and rose her head in defiance.
A brisk wind flew in front of her and her vision darkened for a second. She blinked in surprise and glanced up, only to see her master blocking the many limbs with his sword and his body. He half-turned to her with a serious expression. She stared back with confusion. Is he…is he actually worried about me? she wondered with incredulity. Some part of her felt pleasure at this, which puzzled her.
Luppi shouted in outrage, "Grimmjow, you bastard! I was about to get rid of that vermin! Why the hell are you protecting her?"
Said Arrancar grinned ferally, as he did when he battled Nnoitora. He swung his sword at one of the tentacles, cutting it a little. The Sexta's eyes widened and he quickly disappeared from sight. Grimmjow did the same and the two reappeared again, the former Espada behind the current one. Luppi narrowed his eyes and cursed, "Dammit…"
The blue-haired male's eyes glinted with insanity as he slashed his sword downwards at the octagonal base that held Luppi's tentacles, effectively cutting all of them off and a portion of the base. The Espada screamed as a torrent of blood splattered to the clean floor from the stubs and the octagon on his back crumbled to dust. He was cut off suddenly when Grimmjow kicked him in the stomach. Luppi fell to the floor in a pool of his own blood and the former Espada's grin grew. He began to cackle as he continuously stomped on the Sexta's chest. A thin trickle of blood mixed with drool dripped down the side of his mouth with each kick.
"I'm the Sexta Espada, you hear me? I'M THE SEXTA!" Grimmjow yelled ferociously.
Miyuki stared at her master's savagery with terror and her stomach wrenched at the rusty smell of blood filling the room.
Suddenly, the former Espada was pushed back by an unknown force. She spotted a small figure standing near Luppi, wearing the same impassive expression he always had. Grimmjow scowled and snarled, "Ulquiorra! You bastard! What're you doing?"
Ulquiorra blinked and responded calmly, "Antenor-san is trash, but he is an Espada. I will not allow a demoted Privaron to kill one of Aizen-sama's finest warriors."
The former Espada's eyes narrowed and he scoffed, "Finest? That fuckin' piece of shit can't be the Sexta Espada! I beat his goddamn ass just now! And you consider this bastard a good enough soldier for Aizen-sama's army?"
Ulquiorra closed his eyes as a response. The blue-haired male turned to the Shinigami and demanded, almost desperately, "Aizen-sama, don't I deserve my title back? I beat that damn pansy in battle! I should be the Sexta! Right?"
Aizen glared down at him for a few minutes with a look of distaste. Then he answered, "No, you do not, Grimmjow."
Grimmjow's eyes widened in disbelief. He was stunned into silence and he stared at the ruler of Las Noches shaking his head on his throne. "You attacked an Espada, your senior Grimmjow, and you expect me to simply hand you back your title as a sort of reward for your impulsive actions? That is a child's way of thinking," Aizen stated with a slight frown.
Aizen's words were like a blow to his chest. He staggered back a few steps, an astonished expression on his face. He then clenched his hand and set his jaw in an infuriated manner. Miyuki could tell that he wanted to slaughter Aizen more than anything at the moment. The incarcerated Luppi made a loud throaty guffaw that echoed throughout the room. He stopped to cough out blood, but he still had a smug grin stretched across his face. Grimmjow turned on his heel and strode out angrily.
The ruler of Las Noches simply peered after him with a smirk. Miyuki scowled when she saw this and slowly pushed herself off the tiled floor. She grunted in pain when she stood up, wobbling slightly. Her breathing was shallow and she glared at Ulquiorra accusingly. He stared back at her with a blank expression.
She ran out of the room after her master. She felt an intense but familiar pressure near her and rushed to it, knowing it was Grimmjow. She found it a little hard to breathe but pushed forward. Her perseverance led her to the desert-like room where her master was ravaging the red pillars. He cursed with great volume and cried out with frustration whenever he hit a pillar with his bare hand. She watched it crumble before her eyes and carefully approached him.
His back was turned to her and she called out tentatively, "J-Jeagerjaques-sama?"
The former Espada glanced back at her, his face contorted into a livid mask and his eyes glimmering with fury. "The fuck do you want?" he questioned her.
Miyuki narrowed her eyes. "I'm your Fracción, remember? Don't I have to follow you wherever you go?" she asked with a twinge of frustration at his attitude.
He whirled to her furiously and shouted, "Get the hell outta my face! I already fuckin' told you I don't need a damn weakling as my Fracción!"
She flushed with rage and reached out to slap him. He caught her hand in a painfully tight grip with a sneer. He leaned closer to her with a feral growl. The Fraccion's cheeks turned pink and she started to back up, though she couldn't go more than a step since Grimmjow was still clamping her wrist. His warm breath prickled her skin as he snarled in a low tone, "I told you, I don't give a damn about Aizen's new rule. If I had my way, you'd be a fuckin' bloody pile of guts by now."
She narrowed her eyes at him and asked nastily, "Well, if you don't care about Aizen-sama's rules, then why won't you kill me? Right here, right now?"
He scowled and forced himself to let go. She rubbed her now sore wrist irritably and carried on, "Do you know why you can't find it in yourself to kill me? Because you are afraid. Afraid of the punishment you will receive afterwards, like a mere child."
"You better shut that goddamn mouth of yours, bitch," he warned and took a step towards her in a menacing way.
Miyuki glanced up at him and saw the rage in his eyes, like blazing blue fire. The buzzing sensation in her chest started up again frantically and she almost gasped in surprise. She turned around to leave. "I'm going back to my room. I'm tired of calling your bluffs," she said, as an excuse to think through her confusion in a private place.
Suddenly, a breeze flew by her and her master towered in front of her tiny figure. Miyuki blinked and took a cautious step backwards. Another wind rushed by her and she found his rough hand around her. It was coiled around her head, his calloused fingers pressing into her clammy cheek. "You think I can't break your scrawny little neck with just one hand?" he whispered in her ear, making her shudder. Her lavender orbs widened and fear coursed through her. He had her ensnared, and the slightest provocation would result in death.
"P-please..." she murmured quietly and gulped. She had broken out into a cold sweat and was trembling.
Grimmjow muttered cruelly, "What was that? Speak up so I can hear you, bitch." He twisted her head a little, drawing a frightened gasp from her.
"P-please master...Don't kill me..." she begged.
"You think I'm kidding about killing you, don't you? Huh?" he shouted and dug his nails into her skin, though not deep enough to draw blood.
She cried out and tried to squirm away. He released her all of a sudden and she fell, stirring up a small cloud of sand. She turned to him bewilderedly and was prepared to back up in case he tried to attack her. He wore a serious expression as he slowly approached her. She shuffled back a little and he smirked. "I was," he stated simply and turned on his heel.
She blinked, still rattled from his earlier assault. She replaced it with a grimace and stood up quickly. She opened her mouth to say something, and closed it again. She felt frustrated with herself. I'm such an idiot. Of course he wouldn't hurt me...But still...she thought while glaring at a sand dune in the distance.
Miyuki felt a pressure come near her, one that felt powerful though slightly troubled. She turned her head to the entrance of the place and noticed Ulquiorra appear in front of the former Espada. "Grimmjow, Aizen-sama does not approve of you destroying his palace," the melancholic Arrancar said plainly.
Grimmjow rolled his eyes and spat, "So what? He's gonna whip me bloody 'r somethin'?" She was surprised that he didn't seem anxious about it, only weary, as if it didn't bother him in the least. Seeing how battle-crazy he was, it made sense that he had no regard for his own life.
"No. He wants you to come back and recognize Luppi as the new Sexta Espada. You do know what that means for you, I presume," Ulquiorra replied without a change to his features. Miyuki wondered if he even felt emotions, since she had barely seen a shift in his facial features ever since they had met.
The former Espada set his jaw and looked away furiously. Ulquiorra closed his eyes with a curt nod. Then they snapped open and he peered at Miyuki. There was something in his eyes that startled her. She couldn't quite place it, but she thought she saw, at least for a second, a hint of regret. He turned around before she could decipher it. "You are to come as well. Aizen-sama did not take your unexcused leave too kindly," he added and vanished before her eyes.
Miyuki frowned and let out a sigh. Her master glanced at her with a snicker, to which she glared heatedly at him. "So, shall you lead the way, master?" she inquired with a gesture to the exit.
"You still don't know yer way around here?" he taunted, his smirk growing.
"Shut up," she replied without thinking. Her lavender orbs widened and she recovered hastily, "I-I mean...I am sorry for addressing you-"
"Stop it."
"Huh?" she faltered with a tilt of her head.
He turned his head to her. "That stupid 'master-servant' talk. It's annoying. I never had any of my Fracciones call me that. They were as familiar as they wanted to be with me. It doesn't matter. I'm not like Ulquiorra to slap ya over somethin' as fuckin' stupid as that."
She blinked. "So...I can call you...Grimmjow then?" she wondered, still uncomprehending.
He scowled and affirmed, "I just said that, dumbass."
Grimmjow looked ahead of him and continued forward slowly, instead of disappearing in a blink of an eye like Ulquiorra. She glowered at his back and hurried after him. One thing bothered her though. Her master had talked in the past tense when he spoke of his Fracciones, and Aizen-sama had mentioned that Grimmjow had "lost" them. She gulped and wondered, Did Grimmjow...murder them?
A/N: Well, I didn't publish this as soon as I wanted to, but here it is! Chapter 3! :D
I would've published it on last Sunday, but I have been having a lot of trouble. First, my computer wasn't working too well for a couple of days. Then, on Tuesday, I developed a bad stomach pain which turned into these horrible cramps. It hurt so much to the point where my parents admitted me to the hospital. Turns out my pancreas was inflamed and I've been stuck in a hospital since Sunday (the 11th of March, not the Sunday before when I wanted to publish this).
Well, I'm still in the hospital, but never fear readers! I'm fine, and I'm well enough to type this in the hospital!
Um...Enough of my personal problems. But please review, favorite, alert this, and possibly read my other fics! :D