Major writer's block for the past year and the fact that I had the hardest time in school yet is a total credible excuse.
I really want to thank Yukino Shirooka, for your review was really helpful in finishing/editing this chapter. I didn't really know where I was going with this story till my retired plot-bunny was revived. I now have some major surprises in this story coming up.
To all the others who had reviewed, I want to thank you for being so kind and adorable.
Don't loose those good vibes, you lovely bunch of people.
Review after enjoying.
The blue-haired man sat at the trunk of the oak behind him, trying not to panic and go insane. He had an issue, a massive one that may or may not need a therapist. Do they have those things here, anyway? Sure the crazy-doctor was in Ichigo's human realm and he always thought more than one Arrancar needed to see one. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
There was ground beneath him, but it was almost barren of grass, mostly dirt or mud that was making his white clothing dirty. Not that he really cared—since death was approaching very soon if he didn't so something quickly. Who minded for looking presentable when your own execution was on the horizon?
He eyed the town nearby from his spot on top of the hill, seeing kids run about, and people going to and fro.
Some people would love to have the same opinion that sunny days and wonderful weather was beyond perfect. Not many would know why they did, yet if you asked a random off the street, there's a good chance that they'd agree. There was an opportunity to do things such as shop, play outside, work with a great attitude, travel, get a job done for your guild, lose a child, picnic outside, and be around companions.
Or lose a damn child. He's freaking out so bad that he's repeating himself.
Groaning at the reminder, Grimmjow grabbed at his face roughly and tried messaging the wrinkles and stress from it. It wouldn't do to have the ladies of this world looking at him like some kind of beast, and it looking like you had been raised in the jungle all your life wasn't really a ticket to getting laid either. He placed his Zanpakuto on the space next to him and tried to retrace his steps on finding the damn brat.
Hours ago, that Bat-freak told him to take the child and head to the spot of energy that was calling them as he went to get knowledge on the world around them. The feline Arrancar agreed somewhat grudgingly; picked the girl up by her feet and the three went their separate ways, unknowingly leaving behind huge amounts of destruction in their wake while doing so.
While on the way of getting to the beacon of power, the little monster woken up crying and complaining of being hungry and wanting water. He was a Hollow, not a damn nanny for goodness sakes and told her to suck it up and stop being noisy (while shaking her by the shoulders, a bit comically). Looking back on it now, Grimmjow could've said it in a nicer way so she wouldn't start shouting that he was a horrible person and Brat-freak was a better person.
Like hell he wasn't, that guy doesn't even know how to spell his own name. Well, the Sixth didn't really know how to either, or even say that man's name and just called him different things according to his emotions that day. That wasn't being hypocrite, just being a fair judge.
Anyway, so eventually, the blue-haired had to stop by a nearby city that had to have food somewhere that was free and good. He set the child down and told her to follow him and don't get lost. He probably shouldn't have done that, so he wouldn't be in the mess he was in now, but right now, that didn't matter. So they two entered the outskirts, getting glances from the natives here and there, which wasn't unusual.
They possibly had a lot of tourists and travelers come through this place so that must be why. There were vendors on each side of the street the Hollows walked down, each selling different items and food that made even his mouth water; and the self-control of keeping under the radar was slowly snapping at each whiff. The place was bustling of humans and this weird energy that was all around him.
Though it was probably the stuff like they had back home in Las Noches called Reiatsu, but this stuff was everywhere and itching his nose, making it twitch. Some things had caught his teal-eyes; like the flying toys that children ran after, clothes changing color with a click of a button, even small little sparks controlled by parents, but not a damn food slot where it was free.
That's when he turned around to check it Nel was still following him, clinging to his pant leg. Well, that's where he had left her anyway. Peering around and then completely twisting to the back, a numb feeling had set in at that point. Where did she go?
"Oi, brat where are ya'?" he voiced the question aloud, looking around from his spot in the middle of the street, people passing by him with an annoyed glance. Not that it was really important at the time, but he had seen some pretty nice ladies eying him like a piece of trash as they walked by.
Grimmjow gave up after a few minutes search, thinking the small girl would eventually try and find him. He wasn't able to sense her, but why would he worry about that when there was a man frying fish right in front of him? That's how the Sixth Arrancar got lost in his own mind for a couple of hours, going to stand to booth, trying food and all sorts of crazy things that evolved around that weird Reiatsu stuff.
Alright, so he'd be the first to admit that was probably a stupid thing to do since the brat was nowhere in sight, but cut him some slack. What Bat-freak doesn't know won't hurt him too much—since that dreary guy would use any excuse to pummel him—and he was pretty sure the kid was around here somewhere. Well, that's what the immortal man chanted to himself when his mind after every dish of food.
"Err…Mister Blue-haired Guy?" How specific.
"Huh?" Grimmjow peered up from his cup of gourmet ramen, in the process of slurping the noodles mid-way. An elder guy with a creepy looking mustache flinched back a little from the intimidation that the other was unintentionally giving off. "What do you want?" that actually came out a lot messier than he thought it would.
The man began to sweat a little, "Eh, um, there's a bit of a problem according to your current situation…"
"The hell, man," he swallowed his food and wiped his mouth with his hand with an irritated expression. "Just come out and say it, or else I'll get impatient."
"You'll-need-money-in-order-to-pay-for-all-the-food-you-ate, sir," that sentence came out too quickly, jamming into his mind as he tried to make sense at what was said. The language in this world wasn't too different from the Japanese that the Shinigami had spoken, but the only difference that was bothering him was the order of the words and how everyone around him had an accent when speaking it.
He must have taken too long deciphering the words, because the manager and cook of the booth were now looking at him. "Uh…is there a problem here?"
"There is, now that I think of it," the immortal man gave a shrug, and then turned to look serious, which made the other two give a start and take a step back.
Some other people were staring as well as he burped and gave a deadpanned stare, "I'm still hungry."
That's how he un-knowingly got out of paying thousands of jewels at that food-stand. If it were anyone else that didn't have a killer intention swimming around him like this guy, they would've protested more, even called the authorities. That probably would have ruined the small Harvest Festival on this block, since two years ago was a disaster when some travelling mages came into town. They got drunk and too rowdy, and some of tourists were turned off, leaving immediately.
The effect of this action caused the owners of the stands to lose more money than they made, creating a small recession within the town. So when the mayor allowed the process of having another festival, the villagers were a little edgy. That was probably why so many people avoided and skidded around what looked like trouble makers.
Not that the Sexta cared about any history relating to that and the reason why they did do those stupid things. All he really needed right now was food and goodness-to-ever-living-gracious did he want to consume everything on this street right now.
Then someone had to go and be the douchebag. You know those types of guys who want to be the hero and get noticed by doing stupid stuff? Yeah, that person is what makes the top of Who-Gets-Killed-After-Ichigo-List.
As he walked about halfway down the street, trying out different booths here and there, nearly draining them of all their food and alcohol (he can't get drunk but might as well try) and enjoying himself. Yeah, every so often blue eyes would search around from his area of sitting to try and find a girl with green-hair. Of course he never saw her, so why worry about it right now, when a nice, juicy…whatever it is…on a plate in front of him?
Yeah, by now Grimmjow had just taken a seat at this place run by a small, old lady who baked what looked like Moon Cakes. He helped himself, reaching over and grabbing a few from the basket that rested in the middle of the table, scaring a few of the other women sitting there.
"Excuse you!"
"Ugh, you're such a pig!"
Blue-hued orbs rolled to the sky, and he went on to much on the desire food. Some people can be so rude. Also, this is probably when stuff hit the fan right about now. Remember that hero that he doesn't like? (It was mentioned 14 lines ago at some point).
As the immortal was munching on his treat, much to the horror of the elder woman who made them as he didn't even pay for one, a presence made itself noticed behind him. Though, not particularly worrisome, it was still another male who had that strange energy flowing through his veins at a large amount—more than any other villager here, as far as he bothered to sense.
This guy would definitely pack a punch, had he not be a Hollow with the benefits of being one, anyway.
"Is there a problem here, babe?" a scratchy voice boomed, speaking to the lady a few seats down.
She turned, giving him a puppy-dog stare, "Yeah! He's been nothing but rude and didn't even pay for his meal!"
So now people were starting to stare, mostly the ones around the booth, others that passed by and stopped. Grimmjow raised a brow, "Look, you're bothering my date with food; we've been in a fight ever since I died and this is considered make-up sex."
"Excuse me?!"
"You should stop being so crude around women," the huge man retorted, not even batting an eye-lash. "Why don't you hand over the meal to the chef and leave?"
Maybe this is what Bat-Freak was talking about; gathering attention like this might not be so good. On top of all this, he lost the damn child that is still wondering around here and picking up her energy signature that all but disappeared is total horse-shit. "Jeez, can't a guy have a nice relaxing time without people bugging him?"
"You're the one bothering us!" the same woman shouted, this time a few more pairs of eyes, making him groan internally.
Why does she need to be so loud, really? Standing from his seat, he watched as some people stepped back a few, and he turned around, walking away. Those rude-ass humans yelling at him as he continued along the road. The blue-haired wasn't about to get in trouble with these idiots over food and such. Besides, he really didn't want something to come and bite him in the butt later.
Now, this is how he made it to the tree outside the town, sitting in dirt and trying to remember just when he last saw the girl. By now, he had searched for the Reiatsu, but nothing worked, since that weird energy that buzzed around the area blocked it. He just really hoped the brat would either find him or die off—the Bat-Freak following the latter along with her.
When did being alive and actually breathing become so stressful?
Drift to the Beyond.
Whatever Wendy was expecting when entering the town to see the festival was certainly not what she had in mind. Carla had seen the flyer weeks ago about this event and thought it would be nice to have a little break after training with her healing magic. So the little girl went along with it happily, packing quickly and chatting excitedly all the while taking the train. This was the first trip outside the guild in a long time and she wasn't going to waste it.
When she had arrived, people were bustling left and right, the magical energy around her at an all-time high with trinkets and toys being used all around. With a smile, the mage and her flying cat walked down a street, looking everywhere at the sights. Though Carla was a bit grumpy and pompous, that didn't mean seeing her little charge happy couldn't make her day a bit better. The Dragon-Slayer had been trying hard with the magic and even improved in the small things day to day.
So she was making progress non-stop which was incredibly good, so a vacation was her reward and it was well deserved. The white feline nodded at the inner confirmation and pointed to a game booth Wendy could try out and maybe earn a prize. The blue-haired girl gave a huge smile and ran over with the other following closely behind. The town was filled with plenty of people and it was really easy to lose someone if one was not careful.
Being the ever cautious one, Carla had wrapped her tail around an arm, that way if the mage got impulsive, it would be hard to run with them both attached. After the game, the duo had found a less crowded spot and stood there eating popsicles, watching everyone pass by.
Yet the day didn't necessarily turn out as planned when something bumped into Wendy's leg, making her grunt at the force. She peered down, seeing a green head and a skull mask covering part of it. Her bare appendage was getting damp and the girl jumped back in surprise, seeing the small child sobbing before her.
"Oh, are you okay?!"
A louder cry was her answer and from behind, Carla gave a wince, "I suppose the poor one has lost its supposed guardian."
Wendy knelt down, face pulled into a gentle smile. "Is that what happened? Did you lose your mom and dad?"
"G-G…Grim…"
Ah, so the problem was solved! "Where can we find this Grim? When did you last see him?"
A continuous stream of snot flowed out of the button nose, "He…H-e…left me!"
Memories swarmed the blue-haired as she frowned sadly. The heart was just aching and pulling roughly at the strings from the weeping reply. Her eyes softened from the panic-induced wideness they were before, and she shared a look with her Exceed. Leaving a child wasn't morally right, ever, in her mind and it seemed that Carla had thought the same thing.
What could they do with the upset thing? Wendy could sense the weird magic breathing inside the girl and knew that they couldn't simply hand them into the local authorities. Those meanies would give the young one to an orphanage and probably a crappy one too.
"Do you think he'll ever come back?"
The long, green hair swished back-and-forth from her shaking her head in a negative, "He's so mean!"
Carla, who had floated above her came closer, and spoke lowly, "Do you think she's an escapee?"
"A slave, you mean?" Wendy furrowed her brows and a chill snaked down her spine at the mention of that option. Even worse, another thought of the girl being kidnapped by a dark guild and ran away made the worry increase. "Then we can't leave her here!"
"Well what are we supposed to do?" the white cat raised a brow, "Bring her along as an apprentice and train her in the way of healing magic? May I remind you that you still get exhausted from nursing one person alone, so you won't be able to—…"
"Hey!" She jumped up, startling both smaller beings, "That's a good idea Carl!"
"I wasn't serious—…"
"We can even see if she can join the guild and help her in more ways than one! Then take her on missions and teach her some things like I've always wanted to do! And…"
"Wendy, I will not allow it! This girl will have to be given to the town's police station so…"
"So that 'Grim' will come back and find her later, right?" the mage replied back heatedly.
When Wendy didn't get an answer, she took the initiative and looked back at the crying girl, smiling brightly. "Would you like to join us?"
Nel sniffled, wiping her nasty nose and giving the other a confused face, "Wha?"
"We can take you to our guild and meet our family! Then…" she laughed nervously, "I guess I can figure that out later…hah…"
"Will you have food?"
The Dragon Slayer had a question mark appear over her head at the sudden change of attitude. "Yeah, sure—…"
"Lots of food and stuff? Can I have all of it?"
"Yeah—…"
"I wanna go! Take me!" the poor girl didn't see the small body smack into her forehead pushing her backwards. Nel had nearly shouted the glass windows to pieces, freaking out the bystanders and tourists who all gave a shocked gasp.
"Gah! Hey, that hurt!"
"Heal it! You're a doc-tor, right?"
Carla gave a sigh at the two.
Drift to the Hanging Tree.
"Shut up."
"Don't be mad—…"
"Don't be an idiot then." Teal orbs narrowed at the other figure, daring them to move. "It wouldn't hurt as much if you stop moving."
"Yes, I should also ignore the sharp edge over my crotch, good to know."
"May have gone over-board," a shrug was all the silver-haired got in reply.
"Just a little, but that's expected from the little captain."
"You…"
Currently, the meadow that was once beautiful and stood for a great metaphor is ruined to the fifth degree. Mud and huge craters practically decorated every inch that were so deep that water were filling them from underground springs. Large primates with green moss covering them littered other areas, and trees acted as their makeshift coffins. Smoke and a sizzling sound was coming from the large pools of acid that had bones drowned within and snow was surrounding the mini-lakes.
A sigh that was so great told the taller that he let the remark go. "Stop being a prick."
"How ironic mini-me, for ya' to insist that," closed-eyes went upwards in a tight smile.
Monsters had attacked the two during a long explanation, which had went into detail of just what that being had told the older Shinigami. Not much was different between what was said to Toshiro, but the condition on what the Fox had to do here while alive was pretty simple. To keep the smaller and younger breathing at all costs, even to his own demise—which made the white-haired smile inwardly a bit. That bastard could go get himself killed for he cared at the damn moment.
After the threat of stupid, talking monkeys who tried to steal their bodies (that knowledge made both shiver at the prospect of that thought) was diminished, the 10th found out just exactly what he was wearing. It was pointed out by a dying ape who said that they just wanted the 'pretty woman' and gestured to the injured shinigami.
All hell broke loose.
(That was an understatement). Ice had shot out from his Reiatsu-explosion, and immediately froze the air around his spot on the ground. How he got from the tree to the other side of the area was another story.
Gin was much too focused on disposing the rest to worry about a knife-to-the-back so to speak and nearly planted face-first into the jagged spikes after slipping on the potent frost. That was when the glowing ice started to grow and in a matter of milliseconds, only his neck was able to move. Nothing gave any give and he was too tired to actually try.
So here they were, staring at each other for what seemed like hours.
"I'll let you explain why I'm wearing women clothes."
A sly smirk at the wince and seeing the fresh blood assembled at a new area of the tiny-shinigami, "My time on this little endeavor?"
"Keep using puns and I'll tighten your chains and give you five seconds."
"I assumed this was just a 'thank ya' for keeping me alive for these past couple of days' kind of thing."
"Figured you'd enjoy it, fetish-weirdo," Another grimace at applying more pressure to an added wound. "You have sixty seconds."
"The first day we had arrived, I went exploring the town nearby this mountain. I knew it was too hot, even at this elevation for ya' and saw the clothin' you had wasn't going to help," His head nodded at the jeweled cloak, "Luckily this tiny girl was practically showing off her items and I happened to get some things that won't be missed."
"That was a minute and three seconds."
A grin appeared on the 3rd's face, "I'm a rebel."
"Should I take that in multiple ways, then?" Toshiro chuckled at the sudden frown of sarcasm.
A gust of dust and dirt blew in between the two as they mouthed off at each other, "Hah-hah, good one shorty; going to tell that to all ya' dead friends?"
"We're all dead, idiot, but good try." The white-haired pointed to the sliced-down trees around them, "Was the cracking noises I had heard then?"
Ichimaru shrugged, "Just trying out my powers in this world."
His greatest downfall would be his curiosity, "and the result?"
"Like the being said, I'm sealed by that thing on ya' hand, but I'm able to do things here and there."
"You tried to kill me with one of them." A tick mark appeared over the boy's head at the sudden memory.
"Got rid of the monkey, right? No harm done…" was all he got out before his freezing cage started to grow smaller. "…of course I didn't mean to almost shoot poison into ya' eyes."
The moving encasing stopped, and a smug glare was placed on the other's face. "Do you happen to know exactly where we are?"
"Well, the being told me Earthland, but said I'd have to figure out the rest." The silver-fox gave grinned, "But right now my best guess is that we're in a forest."
"Knowing that I'm stuck with you for a while doesn't make me feel safe."
"Not liking the pretty outfit I picked out for ya'?"
If the air around them grew any cooler, Gin figured that it'd start to snow in the middle of summer. Grey clouds were already settling above them in preparations and wind began to actually bite at his skin. Looks like the little snow-owl is really close to losing his temper (which would be lovely to hold over his head for a while) and the game was just getting interesting—shame.
"We're tasked with creating new lives, ya' know?"
Toshiro's livid tantrum came to a halt at the question and nodded stupidly. "Correct, and with me keeping you in line, you're allowed to have freedom."
"This is ironic: four already dead-beings who had welcomed their final breath are given a second chance because you decide to be an idiot."
Teal orbs squinted from the harsh sunset flooding the meadow from the remaining trees and saw the smiling Death-God. "Should I apologize or let you free from the ice?"
A cock of the head in mocking interest, "How about both?"
A nod in understanding with eyes closed in deep thought, "Right, so neither."
Tell me if there are any inconsistencies in how the story is written. Did any character have anything specific that wasn't addressed or properly carried out through the chapters? Great! NOW TELL ME THAT PLEASE. I have just gotten back to writing this and I had re-read this story multiple times but I can't see minor details sometimes.
I overlooked everything when I'm excited. I'll go back and re-write to help with the flow or simply cut it out.
Yeah, so small Wendy makes an early appearance and invites the girl to her guild. Didn't see that coming, did ya?
Where's Bat-Freak, anyway? He's the only one who did not make an appearance in this chapter. Wanna guess, lovely kittens?
By the way, is the interaction between Toshiro and Gin cannon enough? This is something new to both of them, but they're not new to dimension traveling ya' know.
Review and ask questions, be a man!
The Duchess
