WHAT
TWO CHAPTERS IN ELEVEN DAYS
THAT'S LIKE LESS THAN FOURTEEN
WHAAAAAT
To be fair it was more impressive when that eleven read six.
That's right! More frequent posting! Yayayayayaya! My schedule this summer's gone to hell but I'll still be posting stuff weekly and occasionally sooner.
The chapter's name is in Spanish. Just thought you should know that this will become more and more frequent. For those of you who don't know what it means, it means this.
"In order to fly, you need to try."
Poetic shit there. Rhymes in two freakin' languages.
This chapter! Two fateful encounters in one day?! It's Grimmy's lucky freaking day! I made up a little random stuff and a few characters just to get "Part Two" rolling, so please bear with this chapter's OC's five or so paragraphs of recognition. And of course, read, review, like, and enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own either Bleach or Fairy Tail, although I wish I was that lucky. Almost no OC's this time.
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR ALL OF BLEACH AND MOST OF FAIRY TAIL! READ AT YOUR DISCRETION...
Chapter Ten: Para Volar, Necesitas Tratar
...
Fate
...
"Am I supposed to take that grin as a good thing?"
"Grin?"
"Well, you are smiling, and you haven't done that before. Not like that anyway."
"You'd know it if I was grinning. The last time I legit grinned, I practically dug a man his grave."
"Morbid, eh? Gotta fix that."
"Bitch, you can try."
At this exchange, the Fire Dragon Slayer let out an annoyed groan from behind the bushes, but quietly enough so they couldn't hear him. If they did, it would be a problem.
"F**king lovebirds," Natsu muttered inwardly, watching the duo as they—get this—released each other's hands after holding hands for what was apparently the second time and then stood together. Weird, those two. Hadn't Grimmjow hurt Cana when he had attacked? That was such a weird way to pay him back for it.
Ugh, that grin on Cana's face was making him nauseous. He didn't get that girl at all! Why didn't Cana just challenge the bastard to a fight right then and there? Compassion was stupid. She was stupid. He was stupid. Everything was stupid. Except fighting, that was f**king great. And that guy was good for fighting and fighting only.
And maybe other stuff, the reasonable side of Natsu's conscience argued. He could just be a normal guy with a surprising amount of power.
The regular half of Natsu's conscience grabbed Reasonable Natsu and threw him over his shoulder.
With that part of him out of the way, Natsu fumed as only the son of Igneel could fume. Bastard. What hell of a right did Six have to just shrug his fight off and leave him alone? Nobody had heard their quick conversation after the whole body-swapping thing yesterday. But to Natsu, the man had made it very, very clear that he had no intention of fighting some "weak-ass idiot pyro kid" unless he showed some "actual power" at some point.
Bullshit! he fumed, sinking into a puddle of loathing and misery. I've shown plenty of actual power, when I fought that guy Zalty! And wave dude! And those other guys! And plenty of others! I bet I could kick your ass too, Six! What does the bastard have that makes him so f**king special?
Watching as Cana grabbed that guy Grimmjow's hand yet again and began dragging him to the path a ways away from Natsu, he grumbled same as before. "F**king lovebirds, why don't they just fight instead?"
Of course, grumbling to yourself doesn't work when you have a flying blue cat sitting in a branch just above your shoulder.
"You're just jealous," whispered Happy into his ear, and Natsu nearly jumped out of his hiding bush.
"Like hell I am!" he exclaimed, and Happy sniggered triumphantly.
"Natsu, don't be so defensive! It's nothing you can change. He's already more popular than you, and he's only been here for a week or so."
A scoff—but Natsu knew the feline was right. Grimmjow Jaegerjaques was oddly popular around the guild members. Probably not for the best of reasons, but what the hell. It was still popularity, regardless of the fact that his "flawless charisma" wasn't the thing that made people look his way when he walked into a room. Maybe the blue hair? No, that was pretty normal. Not the tattoo either, although it did contribute to a few of the stares.
The hole might have been it. "Che. Yeah, well, so what?"
Happy chuckled pridefully. "He's a neko too, it makes sense that he's so popular! Just like me!"
"But you're not that popular, Happy."
As usual, the insult didn't pierce the cat's thick skull—Happy was already staring off into the sky in self-admiration with a glow in his beady little eyes. The cat tended to do that often, except this time it really pissed Natsu off. Who gave a shit if Grimmjow/Six/Jackass was a neko? Who cared if some nekos were considerably more awesome to imagine than others? (He wouldn't dare deny the fact the Grimmjow as a giant white panther would probably look awesome.) Didn't change the fact that he had turned a fight with Natsu down. That made him an asshole.
And on top of that, because cars made Natsu too nauseous, he had had to walk to the battleground, and by the time he was there the fight was over and everyone was already voting and Grimmjow won the vote so he was a fairy now but Laxus was the only one still standing afterwards and shit happened with Cana basically saying "f**k you" to the old man and then everyone left and Grimmjow and Cana had talked and now Cana was flirting with the guy with a hole in his chest where a stomach should be or maybe not it was hard to tell with Cana whether she was flirting or not and Grimmjow looked increasingly more uncomfortable with each passing instant which made sense but it was the only thing that did make sense because Cana was Cana and Grimmjow was Grimmjow or maybe Six he still needed to decide on one because it was confusing as shit to have to remember two freaking names for the same guy who may or may not have been a neko.
Needless to say Natsu was damn confused. His rampant imagination did in no ways help, since he was picturing the whole situation with Grimmjow wearing cat ears.
"Oye, you can quit holding my wrist now."
"Why should I? This makes you uncomfortable, doesn't it? Perfect reason to keep doing it."
"...Little bitch."
"Better get used to it. Fairy Tail does shit like this a lot."
"What, piss people off?"
The Dragon Slayer dragged his attention out of his pit of woe just in time to see Cana step in flirtatiously close to the man, almost close enough to touch foreheads with him. Almost instantly, Grimmjow yelped and leapt away from her in a fighting stance, earning a raucous laugh in response.
"I knew it! You're innocent!"
Natsu blinked.
Didn't expect that, now did I?
As expected—or was it unexpected?—Grimmjow's face immediately turned a hot red as he vehemently denied it. "What?! I'm not f**king innocent, the hell you mean?"
The sly smile on Cana's face as she pointed a lithe finger between his eyes did in no way console him. Nor did it make Natsu any less interested. "You know, not used to being around girls and cutesy love shipping stuff and shit like that. Innocent."
"Like hell I am!" he yelled as he swatted her hand aside.
The man got even redder when Cana scooted closer with a devilish grin, and all of a sudden Grimmjow stumbled away and his back was pressed against a tree not even a few meters away from Natsu's and Happy's hiding place. A swear broke from his mouth as his wounded torso scraped against the trunk, but he didn't stop moving away. He dug his fingers into the bark as Cana moved in even closer still—and any Fairy Tail member would know that she was joking, but judging from his expression it clearly didn't feel like a joke. Grimmjow may have been a killer neko, but Cana knew how to make even the boldest of men uncomfortable.
"Happy, stay quiet," Natsu warned giddily, anxious to see the coming exchange between the two. The cat nodded silently, biting his lip in his attempt to stay that way.
Another laugh, this one even more teasing than the last. Cana was definitely enjoying this, it was obvious. "So prove it. What does tsundere mean?"
"Um..."
"Seme? Uke?"
"..."
"...Shipping?"
"Is that like with packages or something?"
"OTP? NoTP?"
"What—"
"No, shut up. You can't talk unless you know these. Yaoi? Yuri? Het?"
"Okay, I can at least guess on het—"
A sweatdrop slid down Happy's face as he whispered hoarsely, "Even I know those."
"Apparently, everyone but Six does," commented Natsu with a conniving little smile on his face. This was satisfying to see. He acted so superior, high and mighty and kingly and shit, but he didn't really know much about the real world, did he? That was the one thing that Natsu officially decided he'd lord over him for the rest of his days as a fairy. Natsu shoved Happy back down into the bushes to peek out at the duo's weird conversation.
As they watched, Cana's taunting suddenly made way for a horrified expression. "For the love of god, you're practically twenty-one. You do know what sex is, right?"
His face got even redder. "THAT'S what those things are all about?! The hell is wrong with you people?"
Natsu suppressed a maniacal laugh—or more like he tried to and failed. And then the laugh was already out, and Natsu being Natsu the second the mirth was out of his mouth his hiding spot erupted into flames.
The exchange between the two of them stopped as they both turned their gaze to Natsu laughing his ass off while rolling on the smoking grass.
Happy yelped and sped off into the sky; only just his luck, flying over Natsu's shoulder for a good hour or so of bickering and flirting had drained him, and he tumbled down to slam into Natsu's head.
"Aah! Watch where you're falling, Happy!
"Don't want me to fall on you, then don't be my cushion!"
Damn neko, always doing shit like that! Natsu kicked the cat off and dragged himself to his knees, still kinda laughing but less hard now.
"Natsu, what a 'surprise' this is."
"Huh? Who said..."
Natsu looked up and saw none other than the killer neko and the drunk, and the looks on their faces suddenly made the thought of them holding hands a very safe prospect.
"So, you were listening, ya little titch?" Grimmjow growled, cracking his knuckles loudly with a grin of excitement on his face. But under that, Natsu could see that he was grateful for the distraction from Cana's...whatever the hell you could call it. "What, this mean you ready for a real fight?"
But before Grimmjow could pound the living daylights out of Natsu, Cana stalked forward and wrapped her fingers around the boy's pink hair, pulling him up to her eye level as she leaned down.
"Ack! Lemme go, lemme go, lemme go!"
She pulled the hair tighter in response. "Damn brat! You guys are always the screw-ups around here. Did you sneak to the fight despite the fact that the Master would kill you if he found out?"
"No, no I didn't!" Natsu lied, writhing in her grip as Grimmjow watched on with a smug look.
Happy, of course, had to interject. "He dragged me with him, Cana! It was too late, I tried to stop him but before I could he had tied me up and carted me off with him!"
The cat attempted to scamper off, but one quick lunge from Grimmjow and he had snatched the bastard up by the tail.
"Where exactly are you running off to, baka neko?"
"You got anything to say?" Cana pressed Natsu.
He shook his head again and yelled, "I didn't see the fight, I swear! Happy and I, we were gonna try an' watch it, but we were late and didn't see anything."
Cana released him with a disappointed sigh as Grimmjow did the same. "Hmph. Maybe I won't tattle on ya to Master. But then again—"
Before anyone could stop him, Happy burst into tears and leapt at Six, clinging onto his jacket sleeve while sobbing. "Oh, Grimmjow-sama, please don't let the demon lady tell on us! I'm too young to die that way!"
Apathetic to Happy's pleas, he tried to shake the cat off and eventually flung him down next to Natsu. "That way? The hell way is that?"
Shit! Natsu knew what Happy meant. The ultimate Fairy Tail punishment...Oh god, just thinking about it made him want to curl up in a ball and hide. A sweatdrop fell down his face as he began to slink away from Cana, muttering, "No, anything but that!"
"...Fine, I won't say anything. But," Cana warned. "You better not pull any shit like this again." She sighed once more, before turning away from them with a grin on her face. Immediately, Grimmjow took a step back, obviously still as unnerved by Cana's Cana-ness as he had been before.
"You got something to say, little drinker?" he muttered gruffly.
Cana reached out and punched him playfully in the shoulder, making him wince. "Don't be such a stick in the mud. We better get back to the guild, or who knows what rumors Lucy and the others will start spreading. I'll meet you down the path!"
She looked about done, but then finished with, "And don't forget that you owe me a drink-off!"
Without another word, Cana spun on her heel and headed back down the path towards the trees, leaving a slightly confused Grimmjow just standing there on the edge of the forest.
The Dragon Slayer watched with a raised eyebrow as Grimmjow checked his nails, taking out the little woodchips that he had unconsciously clawed out of the tree. Then his gaze went back up to Cana, who was already starting to fade into the forest, and this strange look of confusion and interest got into his eyes.
Although he hadn't planned to—rather, he was coming to challenge the neko to a fight—Natsu put a hand on the man's shoulder. "Better get used to that one," he said. "You'll have your hands full."
Grimmjow cast him a dry look that basically said, "Tell me about it."
...
Grimmjow
...
"...You're shitting me."
"Nope!"
At this point, Makarov's smile could be matched only by my grimace. "The amount of damage you caused in town during your fight just upped your dues from five mil to ninety-three million jewel."
"HOW MUCH?!"
"Ninety-three mil—"
"I f**king heard you the first time," I seethed, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"Now, now. No reason for such language," he chided, but even I could see that the man was desperately hiding a grin.
So nothing good was waiting for me here, apparently. Barely around for a few days and I've already got my ass handed to me.
Of course, I hadn't been "around", per se. If you could call moping around the basement of the guild hall "around". Since I was still recovering and didn't have any money whatsoever to get a place to stay, the only thing for me to do was lounge around the guild's basement. There was a couch down there now. The "now" being because the second night in I had gotten bored of the lobby and moved it downstairs myself. It was empty in the basement most of the time, so I usually didn't have to talk to other people.
Of course, that plan never worked, because it got too boring and I'd get hungry or some shit like that and end up going to the bar. People had come to me to ask a shitload of questions about the fight. Who won the vote—me, by more points than I needed. Who won the bet—because I had done what I had, I lost. When the drinking competition was—never, if I could help it. How the f**k did I destroy enough of Magnolia to owe eighty-eight million more jewel—I don't even know. Where was I staying—why do you wanna know? Why did I look weird—go to hell. Why was there a hole in my chest—because f**k you, that's why. Did I love Cana—NO.
Why did I save her, then. This question came up a lot.
I think maybe...maybe I was just curious about her.
What happened to Laxus was another frequently asked one—I didn't have an answer for that. I hadn't seen him since the fight, four days prior. I didn't want to, not after conceding to him. He had gone to Szayel's for treatment, last I heard, and his arm was broken.
I still couldn't believe I had jumped in the way of his attack to protect 'Ber—to protect Cana.
Without even realizing it I shot a glance her way, down the counter from where I was talking to Makarov. She seemed to get what I was thinking, maybe. But instead of being oddly silent, she said something. "You idiot, destroying half of Magnolia just to beat the shit outta someone."
"The city was in my way," I scoffed in reply, and she laughed loudly just before downing a bottle. I reached over and snatched one of her extras before she could complain.
"Regardless of whether or not the city was in your way," the old man replied, sitting cross-legged on the bar counter, "the price needs to be paid in full."
"With what money?"
Mira chose this point to comment, placing her dish towel down in the sink and retrieving a piece of paper from under the counter. "Well, in order to get money in Fiore, you can do two things. You can get a job, which many non-guild people do. Or if you're in a guild, you can apply for a mission on the request board." She gestured to the board next to the counter, a big cork board with a bunch of sheets of paper randomly tacked onto it. "Normally, people make their own choices in quests, but just to start you off—since you're clearly not from Fiore—we looked for one that might help you get started."
"As it so happens, I've got one that might just work for you," Makarov said, brandishing the paper in his hands. "A bodyguard job for a young lady."
Protecting a girl, eh? That sounded boring as hell. I'm not a protective person. I popped the top on the bottle and took a swig. "What should I know about her?"
"From what the sheet says, she's a high-level wizard who lives up by the Worth Woodsea. She's a member of another guild that's not very well known around these parts—and while she's not extremely powerful, her guild places so much importance on her that they sometimes hire bodyguards to protect her on dangerous missions. Her job is to catch and detain a group of unknown troublemakers messing with business in Hargeon."
"Does she have a name?" Cana asked.
"Yes—Windy. That's all we know."
Didn't seem that difficult. "So is it really a high level job?" I asked.
He nodded slowly, pointing to the blood red mark on the paper that looked like an "S" with wings. "The pay is decently high, about four million, and that classifies it as S-Class. However, it's not extremely difficult, so it's a perfect job to break you in to the way things work around here."
"Break me in?" I scoffed. "You make me sound like a dog."
"And do you have a problem with that?"
"I'm really a cat person," I replied flatly, earning a small chuckle from Mira. The glare I sent her way only made her laugh harder.
"Sorry, Grimmjow," she said through teary eyes. "I'm just thinking about that girl who was in your body when the whole Changeling incident occurred. She seemed awfully...catlike."
"That's not the only thing she seemed like," Gray muttered.
Natsu just had to pop up there, of course. "Wait, you mean that chick Pantera? Like the one who was gonna strip but couldn't because she claimed her new body wasn't up for the task?"
He really didn't need to remind me of the things Pantera had done that night.
According to Cana, one quickly learns around Fairy Tail that Natsu Dragneel is best ignored. But me being me, I couldn't be patient. "Your point, pyro?"
"She's a slut!" Natsu happily supplied, popping out of his seat to provide his most lucid opinion. I punched him in the face in response, and he flew back to slam into the nearest table with a crash.
"The only one who trash-talks her is me, you pink-haired bastard," I growled, to which he gave me a middle finger and then passed out.
"But there was also that moment during the fight," Mira said, deathly serious. "You stopped moving for an instant, and that form of yours..." She shuddered and said no more. I couldn't blame her.
Makarov nodded slowly. "I don't know what type of power you must have as a beast like that, but that type of power is what Fairy Tail looks for."
"Sure," Scarlet scoffed, her hatred a fire in her gaze. "The power of a murderer is exactly what the fairies look for."
I growled and lifted Pantera just a little, displaying a section of the blade for her to see. "You wanna see exactly how that power works?"
She wanted to. I could see it, hidden in those eyes of hers. She wanted to fight me. She had that same desire to kill me that everyone else did.
I was just that type of guy.
Natsu woke up just in time to see Scarlet growl something highly suggestive and storm away from the bar. "Woah, Erza. Language?"
"Shut up," I growled.
"Aww, lighten up, neko-chan!" he exclaimed, and I felt a vein burst.
"Bala!" I yelled as I stood from my barstool, shooting a bright red projectile that slammed into his face and propelled him a few inches into the wall.
"Ninety-four," grumbled the master.
Happy took one look at his smoking friend and went into hyperness mode. "Oh my god that's so cool can all nekos shoot beams like that I should try because that'd be cool then I can beat Erza and eat her strawberry cake and show her just how cool nekos are because they are they're amazing and speaking of nekos were you really a neko when you beat Laxus to a pulp?" the blue cat chattered rapidly, eyes shining with excitement.
Bad timing.
That was about the moment Laxus decided to come in, and all the chatter ceased.
Only four days after our battle, Laxus Dreyar looked like a mess—not appearance-wise, mind you. The coat that I had blown to smithereens had been replaced by an identical one, draped over a dark shirt and brown dress pants. Over his shoulder he carried a small duffel bag, but I could see that his grip on it was tense. That was what looked like a mess about him. He looked like one little touch would make him explode—something told me that it was not a good idea to be around when it happened. And he has this air around him, of shame. Maybe that was because of the battle that had in no way gone as planned. There was this angry look in his eyes, one that instantly won a little of my respect. It takes guts to fight someone stronger than you and get off with just anger.
The guild was silent as he walked past me with a brief, "Hey," not daring to meet me in the eyes.
"Tch," I muttered.
Laxus breathed in deeply and headed for the stairs to the second floor. I heard the sound of tinny music start playing from his headphones as he slammed his bag down on a table and took a chair.
Gradually, the guild returned to normal. Though the chill riding down my spine had yet to disappear.
Makarov shook his head yet again and continued explaining. "...Well. The meeting place for you and the young lady is the train station in Hargeon, a ways south of here. You have until tomorrow afternoon to get there, when her train arrives. From then on, you protect the client with your life. Understood?" he said firmly as he held out the job request sheet.
"Easy enough," I agreed, taking the paper and folding it into my pocket. "Well, if that's it, I guess I'm all set. When do I go?"
"Hold on," said Mira, holding up a hand to stop the man's answer and giving me a warm smile. "Grimmjow's new here, so someone should help him get used to the layout of our cities and customs. It'd be my pleasure to take him there tomorrow morning."
"How are we getting there?" I muttered, already feeling sick just thinking about her driving skills. She didn't respond.
"Try not to blow up Hargeon too," Cana quipped, waving her bottle as a farewell. I gave her a middle finger in response.
"And we're forgetting one last thing," Mira said.
I glared at her, her smile giving me this odd feeling. "That being?"
"Your guild stamp."
"My what?"
Gray gestured to his chest, lifting his shirt up so I could see a deep blue mark just to the right of his heart. The Fairy Tail mark, the one with a tail and wings and everything. The one on the door outside.
"You need one of these to prove you're a member," he said, then taking off his shirt entirely and dragging a groan from Cana.
"Damn stripper... He's right, though." She turned a little so I could see an identical black mark on the lower left side of her chest. "It's mandatory for the guild."
Mira reached behind the bar and pulled a wooden stamp from the back, holding it out towards me. "Since you need it for the mission, where do you want it? And what color?"
I thought for a moment. "Any color?"
"It's magic, so yeah."
"Does it erase other marks?"
She shook her head.
"Fine then." I shrugged off my jacket and turned my back to her, noticing the fact that a couple of the other girls in the guild—the same ones asking me where I was staying, mind you—were staring. "Put it over my six, in the same blue as my eyes. But the six should be visible, no matter what."
Mira nodded and came forward, pressing the stamp against my back. I felt a strange feeling, almost like a jolt, but not a bad one, and then she removed the stamp with a smile.
"Good choice," Cana remarked, and the rest of the gathered guild members positioned themselves to see it as I shrugged my jacket back on. A couple of agreeing remarks followed hers, until finally Mira came forward with a small hand mirror and held it in a way that I could see it.
"Well? What do you think?"
Not bad.
Fairy Tail looked good on me.
I gave a nod of approval. Exactly how I wanted it—the blue mark looked as though it was under my Espada tattoo. Six came first, no matter what. "It's better than I thought it would be."
"Well, that's your official welcome," said Cana, raising her glass to salute me. "You're a real Fairy Tail wizard now."
"Very well then," Makarov said. "Now that you have your Fairy Tail mark, there's nothing left to do in preparation. Godspeed, Grimmjow, and dare I say it? Good luck."
...
"You didn't have to drive me here."
"Now, now, Grimmjow. It's my pleasure! Besides, you could use someone's help to get used to Fiore. It's not a very simple place to navigate."
"No," I managed to rebuff through the nausea that was making me see stars, "You really didn't have to use a car."
After an instant, Mira laughed. "You're a strange guy, Grimmjow. Getting nauseous in cars isn't something I'd normally peg you for."
"Neither would I," I muttered as the two of us walked from the curb towards the Hargeon train station itself. I don't know why we had to leave so early from the guild—that couch of mine is damn comfortable, you know. But here we were, in the port town of Hargeon, waiting for a train that would apparently be here in half an hour or so. So damn early...
"How's the mark feeling?" she asked, and I tried to look over my shoulder to see it. If I just craned my neck a little, I could see the faintest glimmer of blue with black overlaid on my skin.
"Nothing like a tattoo normally would" was my reply.
Mira quirked a smile at that. "If you need anything, just send a message to the guild to let us know," she said, straightening her dress. "The girl's really quite small, from what I've heard, but powerful too. Be on your toes."
"Whatever," I said, waving her off as my nausea finally faded.
"It's no joke. This is an S-Class mission. Under no circumstances will you sully the name of Fairy Tail by letting a young girl die. Is this understood, Grimmjow?"
The tone of her voice darkened when she said that, but I paid no heed. "Sure, sure."
"One last thing. It's imperative that you don't start any trouble in the town or pick a fight with the army. Fiore is a feudal kingdom at its roots, and to defy the army is to defy our king."
"Tch. I can handle an army."
She chuckled and turned back, and in my boredom I followed her back to the curb as she prepped the car to leave. She was also an oddly pretty girl, though not in the same way as Cana. There was an aura of something...shady around her.
My curiosity got the better of me. "Can I ask a question before you go?" I said.
"Anything," she replied, leaning over with her back to me so she could strap the thing around her wrist that utilized her magic for propulsion.
"You don't happen to have bat wings, now do you?"
Mira stopped dead in her tracks and looked over her shoulder to catch my gaze, and I think at that point I forgot how to breathe.
That look in her eyes.
The one time I saw Ulquiorra truly angry at me. That was it.
As quick as it had appeared, it was gone, and she laughed lightly. "I don't know how you get such strange ideas! They must all be in your head. Isn't that right?"
Before I had a chance to realize the inherent threat and warning, she hopped up into the driver's seat and disappeared into the town.
I got over the shock quickly, but not the feeling. "Tch. Bitch!" I yelled in her wake, but she was too long gone to hear me.
Creepy-ass demon.
So now I was just sitting around for another half hour. Well, now with her gone, there was nothing to do. I leaned against one of the support pillars and surveyed the station. Not that impressive, really. Just an open set of rails and a platform with random people walking around and waiting for the next train to pull in. Wondered if a train was as sickening as a car.
A loud yawn escaped from my mouth as I leaned back, hopefully out of the way of whoever might be walking by. It was a nice time to fall asleep—late afternoon, and it was already starting to get slightly dark out.
"Attention! The train on the Clover line is now arriving in Hargeon. Please clear the platform for the passengers."
Sure, sure, whatever, just lemme go to bed. So the Octavo was right in saying we needed a lot of sleep. I watched groggily as the dull red train cars pulled into the station, my eyes heavier with each passing moment as the vehicle finally slowed to a stop and the doors whined open.
I was about to doze off when a girl slammed straight into me.
"Kyaa!"
Completely unfazed, I watched as a blur of motion dashed off of the train and directly into me, practically bouncing off of me to land face first on the pavement.
"The hell?" Well, now I was awake, even if it was a half-dead type of alertness. I looked down at my feet to see this tiny midget of a girl just...lying there. She looked puny, seriously. And so freaking young—how old could she possibly be? Maybe eleven at best. Even so, she was small for that age.
Get this. I thought there were no cats weirder than Dragneel's little pet kitten—and yet here I was, with this impish kid lying at my feet and yet another cat standing next to her. This one didn't seem like it had any intention of flying though, but it was talking same as Happy. And holy shit, was her voice pretentious! Like Szayel when he got into his rants of sciencey shit and suddenly developed one of those terrible excuses for a British accent.
"Come now, Wendy! Don't make a fool out of yourself," she scolded. A pure white cat, with dull brown eyes and this frilly dress that really didn't advance my opinion of Earthland felines. "You don't want to be rude!"
"Y-yes, sorry, Carla," she replied shakily. Carla was a very, very pretentious name. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't watch where I was going!"
(A/N: Sorry if your name just happens to be Carla and you're not pretentious in the slightest. But I think we can all agree that that cat is really such a jerk. Granted, she has her reasons, but still...)
"We were looking for a wizard, perhaps you could help us?" The cat brushed off her dress and looked up at me, the stark six-foot difference apparently not fazing her in the slightest. But she did seem a little shocked upon seeing my Hollow hole, although she shook it off quickly. "...A wizard of Fairy Tail, a young man from what we've heard."
"Yes, that's right!" the girl exclaimed meekly.
This was the girl?
Oh boy.
"Not a wizard," I grumbled, fumbling around my pocket for the paper that Mira had given me and eventually finding it. I shook the creases out and held it down so she could read the old man's stamp on it. "But yeah, that's me."
The little girl whimpered in embarrassment. "Oh, no. So you're…you're the Fairy Tail bodyguard?"
"Sure, why the hell not."
She looked up to see me as she pushed herself up onto her knees weakly, her eyes locking on my Hollow hole as her mouth moved wordlessly and she went deathly pale. Honestly, it's just a hole. "Are...are you all right?!"
"This?" I pointed to it. "It's normal, relax."
Her hand reached out for a moment, and she whispered weakly, "Can I—"
"Can you what?" I all but spat. "It's part of me, so whatever the hell you wanna try, you can think again!"
"Wendy," Carla hissed with a pointed air, "leave the poor man alone."
"Yes, sorry," she muttered, about to turn away in shame. But the second she saw my pissed expression she shot to her feet.
"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Forgive me for staring!" Without warning, she dipped into a bow, and the cat beside her did the same. "My name is Wendy, I'm a wizard from Cait Shelter. Thank you so much for this, Grimm-san!"
"Wendy? The sheet said Windy," I muttered.
"Oh, yes, that! I'm sorry, but the person who wrote it spelled it wrong and I only realized after I had sent it out! It's Wendy, Wendy Marvell," she rushed, refusing to meet my eye. What the hell was wrong with her? I mean, unless I got more money for offing her than protecting her, she was perfectly safe. Like hell would I fail the first mission I got.
My first impression? Well, Wendy Marvell was tiny and really really strange. See, I used to think that my blue hair was unique, but this twit had dark blue hair that went all the way down her back and fell into her face. Those damn brown eyes of hers made her like she would cry at any second, but she still had a weak smile on her face all the same. And that was unnerving. For such a flat little kid with nothing to show, though, her dress was awfully short—just a tiny yellow and blue dress that barely passed her hips. Around both her ankles and upper arms, there were these wing-like bands, something made somehow made her seem even more childish. And on her right shoulder was a small blue tattoo, the shape of a cat with what looked like two twisted tails.
"Relax, Marvell, I'm not gonna kill you." I rolled my eyes.
Wendy nodded nervously, and that's when the cat—Carla—spoke up. "If you don't mind, may I see your guild stamp? Just for precaution, of course."
Lo and behold, a pair of white wings appeared on her back, and she soared up to about eye level with the little girl—still barely past my waist.
Note to self—here, all the cats can fly.
I grumbled something about pretentious flying cats and turned a little to the side so she could see the blue Fairy Tail mark placed with my Espada tattoo overlapping. "Here. Happy now?"
"Yes, I suppose." Carla gave me a look but then nodded. "I expect we won't get any trouble from you?"
"Nope," I muttered tightly, my mind wandering to the amount of money I'd have to make just to pay the old guy back. "I'm a f**king saint here, loyal as the day is long."
"Honestly!" The cat gasped in horror. "Such language, around a young girl! Shame on you—"
"No, it's alright!" Wendy said, a smile on her face as she held out a hand to shake. "I'm okay with it. It's nice to meet you, Grimm-san!"
Again with the Grimm-san—I didn't move a muscle. "I don't shake hands, Marvell. So, where the hell are we going?"
"Oh." Looking slightly crestfallen, she gulped and pointed off down one of the nearby roads. "That way."
As she marched off, my debt reminded me that I had no choice to follow. And as I did follow, Wendy explained the situation.
"My mission is to help a man who owns a corporation near here dispel a few thieves who have been harassing and killing his coworkers. His best friend was assassinated, his closest advisor murdered, and both he and his fiancé were attacked on the way to their house. The woman, Holly, suffered a minor injury and emotional trauma but was otherwise unharmed. And the client, Mr. Andre, head of the company that sells magic books in Fiore, has a broken leg and a bad sword wound to his torso." She bit her lip. "It's a dangerous situation he's in, physically, so I have to do the best I can."
"Wendy has forgotten one important detail," Carla supplied. "She can heal people with her magic, so this mission is a healing job as well."
Her? Use magic? The midget? Fan-f**king-tastic.
The healing would have been damn useful a while ago.
Money, I reminded myself, in order to stop myself from cursing out Kubo for waving the panacea right under my nose a week later than I needed it. I was doing this for the money. I'd have ninety mil left after this—no, wait, ninety-one, after what I had done to Natsu earlier. Shit.
"Then what's my job here?" I asked.
For the first time, resolve crept into the little girl's voice. "Your job is to defend me while I heal the man and then aid me until the mission is complete. And should the criminals come, you are to aid me in capturing or detaining them so we can hand them to the kingdom's police force."
Huh. Brave of a little twit like her to go after a group of bad guys. "Criminals? What're they like?"
Our trio turned a corner as the sun slipped from the sky and disappeared behind the shadows of the alley. It was oddly quiet for the early evening. Something didn't feel right around here—I placed my hand on Pantera's hilt, her nervous whispering putting me on edge.
"Three women, from what I've heard," Carla said bitterly, flying alongside the little Marvell girl. It was weird how her wings didn't flap when she flew. She just hovered. "They've been attacking Andre's factories around the Worth Woodsea, up near where Wendy and I live. We think they may be environmentalists, since their targets are only factories cutting into the forests around there."
Only three?
"As of now, however, we have yet to consult the client to get his advice and approval of our work," added Wendy. "Unless I can't take care of the situation on my own, you don't have to do anything."
I sighed. "Hmph. Well, isn't that nice. If these people give you no trouble, I get paid for doing jack."
Carla gave me a very dirty look and said nothing more. I refrained from calling her a bitch on the grounds that calling her one would be admitting cats could be bitches.
We walked in silence for a few more moments, until Wendy suddenly burst into a run and headed for a decent-looking apartment sandwiched in at the end of the alley. It looked pretty small for a big corporation, so I guessed the company wasn't that popular in Hargeon.
"In here," she whispered, pushing the door open with a creaking noise that grated my ears—and the second it did, a blast of hot nauseating wind shot out and ripped a terrified shriek from her mouth.
Without warning, Wendy jumped at me and wrapped her hands around my torso, whimpering like the little brat she was.
Okay. This girl was starting to creep me out. "Get off," I replied coolly as the door slowly swung closed again.
She shuddered and squeezed me tighter, burying her fists in my clothes. She didn't seem to mind the hole now, not when she was too terrified of that damn building to care.
I was about to kick her off when the cat flew into my face with a disappointed look. "What in heaven's name is wrong with you?" she exclaimed. "You are her bodyguard! It's her job to protect her, no matter what!"
"Oh yeah, and the hell am I protecting her from?!"
She made a pointed nod towards the door.
"A door?! Who the hell is afraid of a door?"
"I've got an idea, Grimm-san," Wendy muttered shakily, answering my question. "Let's go in another way."
"Oh, for the love of God. If you're gonna be this much of a wimp, Marvell, then get behind me or something."
When she looked up at me in confusion, I groaned and pried her hands off of me, grabbing her by the shoulder and practically dragging her around until she was behind me.
"Better?"
She nodded weakly with a tight-lipped smile and wrapped her hands in my jacket. "Thank you, Grimm-san."
"Ain't done nothing to thank," I muttered, and without further ado I pressed my hand against the wood and pushed.
The door slid open to reveal a single dark room that smelled of ashes and...something eerily familiar. Something that reminded me of the desert. A single candle was set on a small table in the center of the room, but I couldn't see it lighting anything.
Wendy released me and stepped ahead as I unsheathed my zanpakutô. "...Hello? My name is Wendy Marvell. I came to help you with the attackers, Andre-san!"
Her trembling voice was met with silence as Carla flew to the little girl's side.
"Oye, I don't got all day!" I yelled into the room, lighting a cero in my hand but not releasing it. It cast a harsh red glare over the walls and floor, making everything look like it was out to kill something. I brightened the light just a little more, and that's when I saw him.
Let me just say this. The man was a wreck. A man about my age in looks, not too tall or large, and wearing a dark brown suit. But the suit was in tatters as he lay there, slumped in a small armchair placed a ways away from the candle. His leg was in a makeshift cast that didn't look like it worked. For all I know, he could have been dead, what with those eyes that looked blank as a marble slate. It made sense when I saw the sword wound to his chest, which had dyed the jacket of his suit a crisp dark brown. How that man was still alive was a question I don't think even Szayel could have an answer to.
Obviously, Wendy recognized him. "Andre-san!" she exclaimed, running towards him with her hands already out ahead of her. They were glowing with this greenish-white energy that was adding an extra source of light to the room, and from the light I could perfectly see the man's face. "I can heal you, don't worry, sir."
Upon seeing us, Andre's eyes went wide in horror.
"No!" the man cried hoarsely, shrinking away from Wendy's touch. "Don't come inside, you fools! They're here!"
And that's when the roof exploded.
...
Fate
...
Wendy barely had time to realize the gravity of the situation before there was a blade at her neck.
"Wendy!" Carla screamed.
Grimmjow stepped forward to get the attacker off of Wendy and was immediately stabbed in the torso by a longsword from behind.
"You think we didn't know you were coming, Sexta?" a deep woman's voice drawled from the doorway. She retracted the blade with a hiss of anger, snapping the blade to the side to send a wave of crimson flying towards the wall. "Oh, Kitty-kun, I'm gonna make you scream."
A spurt of blood flew from his mouth as he fell to his knees, but before he could pull himself up the figure roared something in some other language and brought her foot down on his back where it looked like another wound was healing and pushed hard. He let off a yell of pain and managed to flip over just as she impaled him again, this time on the other side of his chest. And then she withdrew, and stabbed him again and again, finally bringing her attack to a close with a long slash across his chest. With a strangled gasp, his eyes went wide and then dark.
"What? That's it? Come on, you can scream better than that." She pressed her foot down against his windpipe, but when he barely reacted, she removed it in annoyance.
"Grimm-san!" Wendy cried, tears of terror falling from her eyes as the person behind her grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back.
Why, oh why did I take this quest again?! her brain screamed. Her master had been against it, and so had Carla, but the cat would go with her anywhere and she knew it. But Wendy was the only wizard of theirs who could heal, and Andre needed healing, so she had accepted. She remembered the looks everyone gave her for it, and the disappointment of the rest of the guild in her judgement. And now she understood them. She wasn't anywhere near strong enough to take down a group of thugs if they were trapped like this!
What on earth was I thinking?
Carla let off an anguished yell and rushed towards Wendy, but before she could the woman in the doorway grabbed her by the tail and threw her down. "Stay down, you little shit!"
"Here's how this works," sneered her attacker raspily in her ear. "You and your kitty bitch get out, and we deal with your little Espada friend. I don't like hurting girls if I can help it."
Wendy made a move as if to speak, but the attacker threw her down next to Grimmjow with a yell of elation. "You wanna heal him, heal him! The better his condition, the worse we can make it."
Pulling herself to her knees, she caught sight of her attacker. A young girl, but still older than Wendy by at least five years. She was eerily pale and had short-cropped black hair that only served to make her look paler. Looked normal enough—but her eyes were different colors, and that scared her. One of them was ice blue, the other a fiery red and lined with a red marking around it.
When Wendy's frightened gaze lingered too long on her, she growled and lashed out. Her foot connected with Wendy's side in an instant and the little wizard tumbled back into the other woman.
"Hey, Apacci, cool down!" A dark hand grabbed Wendy's head and threw her back down towards Grimmjow. The other woman, a frizzy-haired woman considerably larger and taller than the first one. "I thought you weren't gonna hurt the kid. Are you a liar as well as a slut?"
"Shut the hell up, Mila-Rose!" she yelled, gesturing wildly to Wendy. "I just roughed the kid up a bit."
"A bit," Mila-Rose echoed with a disillusioned look.
"You did it too!"
"I didn't purposely kick the twit in the face!"
"Oh, you're a damn saint, ain't ya?!"
"Bitch."
"Slut!"
"Ugh, you're so damn annoying! I can't believe Harribel-sama wants you around at all!"
"Don't you ever dare disrespect the Tres!"
At this point, the duo had forgotten all about the little girl on the floor and the man bleeding out at their feet. But Wendy hadn't. It hurt her so badly to see another person suffering, she couldn't stand it!
I have to do something. He could die if I don't help.
Wendy dragged herself towards him, inch by inch, until she was finally at his side.
Wordlessly, she held her hands out over the worst of his wounds, and started up her magic. As she watched, a warm glow radiated from her hands and into his skin, sealing up the holes and wounds in his body as best as she could. A few moments later, he began to stir, and turned his gaze to her.
"Marvell?" Grimmjow choked out, and Wendy turned to see him with tears still falling from her eyes.
"Y-yes, Grimm-san?"
And then he grinned, and all of a sudden he was fine.
"Duck."
Blindly trusting the man, she dropped to the floor, just as an explosion of red energy decimated the top of the building. Wood splinters and bricks tumbled down as she threw herself out of the way towards Carla.
"Carla, Carla, can you hear me?" she pressed, but no reply came. The cat was unconscious, but she was also breathing, so that was always good.
"Oye, there's supposed to be three of you!" Grimmjow yelled, pulling himself to his feet and lifting up that sword of his. "I only see the lion and the doe. Aren't you missing an anaconda?"
What? Does he know these people? Her gaze traveled back to his wounds. And how can he be so energetic with those injuries?
The two women reappeared through the debris to see him, Mila-Rose wearing a grin and Apacci sporting a frown. "Like hell am I a doe, bastard!"
"Sung-sun doesn't like the dirty work," Mila-Rose exclaimed, picking up her weapon in excitement. "But me, I'm fine—"
"Don't steal my prey, baka!" yelled Apacci.
"Your prey?" Mila-Rose scoffed. "Bull. I got to him first!"
"Exactly! You had your fun, now let me at him!"
"No way!"
"Look. How about I fight him and you can just use the—"
Apacci cut herself off to raise her fists and block the blow coming from Grimmjow with a snort. "Idiot, I was talking!"
"Save yourself the trouble of dying and get out of here, Número. I've got a client now and you guys can't touch her."
Wendy felt a pang of guilt at that, but it disappeared as Apacci sneered. "We ain't after the little chit."
With a yell, Mila-Rose lunged for him, and he flipped off of Apacci to avoid the blade. A moment later, he pushed off of the wall and shot himself back at Apacci like a bullet. The resulting crash threw the little one onto her back, and by then Grimmjow was already up on his feet to pin her down with a gleeful grin.
"Oye, it's been a while since I got to fight a lowly Número," he said as Apacci squirmed. "Enjoy yourself in hell, Bestia!"
And just as Grimmjow raised his sword to bring it down on Apacci, Wendy saw Mila-Rose pull something from her pocket—a small black pulsating cube. The cube wasn't what scared her, though. It was the horribly dark energy radiating out from it.
"Look out, Grimm-san!" she cried, and the man's concentration broke as he looked her way with a question in his eyes.
Mila-Rose immediately realized her opportunity and laughed, grabbing the back of his jacket and pulling it up to reveal the gap in his chest. "Buenas noches, Sexta!" she crooned, taking the cube and throwing it into the hole with expert precision.
The cube passed through Grimmjow with a blue flash and came out the other side, just as Apacci reached out and caught it.
"What...what the hell..." Grimmjow whispered frantically as his sword suddenly slipped from his fingers into Apacci's waiting hands. "What did you..."
"We beat you, Sexta," Mila-Rose laughed, as he blinked groggily once, twice. To Wendy, one could almost say he looked a bit...intoxicated.
"What's wrong?!" she exclaimed, but before she could move to do anything, Mila-Rose grabbed her and shoved her back down. Yet still she pleaded. "Answer me, Grimm-san, are you hurt?"
But Grimmjow was already staring off into the distance, at something far, far away that wasn't there. "I..." He frowned as he raised his hands and stared at them blankly, blinking yet again. "I don't understand this."
Then he shakily looked over his shoulder to see Mila-Rose smiling like a demon. "You..."
With a weak swear, he tumbled back down to the ground, his eyes closed and his chest heaving raggedly as he caught himself on his hands and pulled himself onto his knees. The entire ordeal was painful to watch, honestly, but Wendy couldn't drag her eyes away.
"Wow, you're still awake?" Apacci whistled. "Damn, you're an Espada, all right."
Grimmjow tried one last time to stand and failed, sinking down to the ground, defeated and out for the count.
With much less flair than her companion, Apacci tossed the cube back into his hole—but this time, when she did, it exploded within the hole to create an enormous ever-changing network of shadows that eventually surrounded the man's unconscious body. With a black flash, the shadows joined together and then disappeared, leaving nothing but a small dull cube where Grimmjow used to be.
Mila-Rose snorted and picked up the cube as Apacci hopped to her feet. "Damn, that guy is strong. No match for the Tres, though."
With a nod, Apacci snickered. "Or even a low-rank scientist."
"I can't believe that it actually worked," she replied, staring at the small cube in her palm. "I mean, a caja negación is special on its own, but to give it two layers of effect?!"
"Was the first layer some kind of sleeping drug or something?"
Mila-Rose shrugged. "Don't know. I thought it was a reiatsu sealing device. That would explain why he didn't fight back against the second."
"You're full of it."
"Me?! Yeah, right. I don't see you and your skimpy ass coming up with a better idea!"
"Leave my ass outta this, ya topheavy slut!" she roared, slamming her head against Mila-Rose's as a vein popped in her forehead. The two grapples like that for a minute before the larger of the two drew away and sighed.
"Look, we caught the Sexta for the Tres. That's all that matters!"
"Yeah, so what?! Doesn't change the fact that you're a colossal bitch!"
"And you're flat!"
"Raagh!" Apacci looked about to explode, but at the last moment she caught sight of the still-petrified Wendy in the corner. Her scowl melted into a grin as she stalked closer. "Enough talk, we can argue when we're back at the office. Didn't Sung-Sun say that we should bring his accomplices too?"
"Yes, the midget is definitely his new Fracción," Mila-Rose deadpanned. "But I see your point. What's your name, twit?"
It took a moment for Wendy to realize they were talking to her. "Me?! Ah, W-Wendy. Wendy Marvell. The cat's name is Carla."
"Wendy and Carla? Well, here's the deal. You can either come with us or we kill ya and the kitty. Nothing complex about it. Make a choice."
Wendy thought about it as the two women loomed over her, clutching Carla's insensate form to her chest.
Perhaps, if I follow them, they'll kill me.
But then again, Grimm-san tried to save me. The least I owe him is to stick with him until the quest is over.
Wendy had just nodded her consent when Mila-Rose's arm wrapped around her torso and hefted her up.
"Oye, Andre!" she yelled over her shoulder—Wendy had honestly forgotten the tycoon was there. "It's your lucky day, you get to live a little longer. We'll be back in a bit!"
"Come on, already!" roared Apacci from the streetway, already a pinprick in the distance. "We don't wanna make the boss angry!"
"Keep your bra on, bitch, I'm coming," the dark woman growled in reply, as the two of them darted off with Wendy in hand—and suddenly, they were up in the sky, darting above the buildings at the speed of light at a speed that could sicken even the Sky Dragon Slayer.
Wendy wondered for a moment what their boss must be like.
And then she was blissfully unconscious.
...
Grimmjow
...
Oh, my head...
God, it hurt. What the hell happened to me?
Where the hell was I?
The memories came back to me in a flood of mixed thoughts.
Hargeon.
The little Marvell.
Tres Bestias.
Attack.
And then...
Then what?
The caja negación.
Shit.
Still feeling horribly drained, I pulled myself to a sitting position and saw exactly what I feared. Nothing. Just empty darkness.
I bet Ulquiorra wasn't this depressed when he was stuck in my cage.
Mila-Rose and Apacci did this. It could only be them, though I didn't understand who had given them the Hollow prison. That had been a caja negación, a tool used to punish disobedient Números, but for some reason I had been too weak to fight it. "Oye, you little shits, let me out!" I roared.
Apacci was quick to respond. "Hey, Mila, you didn't say he could talk in there!"
"I didn't know, leave me out of it!" she yelled back.
"What the hell are you two trying to pull? And come to think of it, how are you here?!"
"We don't give a shit or care, you're just gonna have to ask the boss. And we got the girl too, just in case the little kitty gets lonely..."
Marvell. They had taken her here too, wherever this was. Hopefully my client was alright, or I'd be screwed.
"That's enough, Apacci. We can drop him here, right?"
"Right."
Without a warning, the caja dissolved and dropped me on the ground, and immediately I closed my eyes to shield myself from the bright light of the room. It was universes different from the other building—a high-ceiling room with shining wood floorboards and walls of sunshine yellow. Ahead of me was a small circular table with three chairs, only the furthest of which was unoccupied.
Nearest to me, Cyan Sung-Sun stood from her seat and sighed into her sleeve, same as the bitch always does. "Vulgar," she said with a disgusted look at me. "Do try and tidy up next time you stop by. We like the office fine without your stench in the place."
"Hello to you too, viper."
"Me, a viper?" She laughed. "Ridiculous."
"You bitch, you know what I meant."
"How vile of you to call me such a derogatory term," she replied plainly. "I am nothing like the horrid apes behind you."
"F**k you, Sung-Sun!" the two in question yelled, and only then did I notice that they had the little girl and cat with them. Wendy was just beginning to stir from all the noise.
Upon seeing me, she was alert, and she yelped and jumped to her feet, picking up Carla in her arms and hugging her close. "Grimm-san! Are you alright?"
"Worry about yourself, Marvell," I replied, just as the duo pushed the little midget forward towards me. She didn't need the incentive, though—she was hiding behind me again before I even noticed. Go figure.
A few moments later, Carla managed to wake up and situated herself on Wendy's shoulder. "Where is this?"
"Palacio de Ondas," a smooth voice replied from the other chair, but it was turned around so that I couldn't see the speaker. "The control center of the Aguacero Intelligence Agency. It's not the nicest place in Fiore, but it makes for quite a private meeting place."
The speaker sighed contently. "It's quiet here, quieter than anywhere else I know. This place makes me happy. I know I can do what I have to, and whatever sacrifices I must make, I can make with ease."
"Who are you?" I asked tensely, moving Wendy and her cat further behind me.
"...You mean you can't tell who I am from all the water references and the sacrifice? Honestly, Sexta, you'd think you'd be a little smarter than this."
And I got it. How had I been that much an idiot?
Sacrifice.
Water.
The Bestias.
Of course she was here too.
And I knew that voice.
"...Tres," I muttered.
The Tres Espada gave me a tight nod in reply as she swiveled her chair around lazily to me.
"Well, look what the beasts dragged in," replied Tier Harribel, knitting her fingers together with a small smile as she looked down on me. "I'm here to talk about battle plans. Perhaps you could give me a hand?"
...
Heyo! I wrote so many different characters today, I pray I did them well. Oh and making Grimmjow so confused about fandom terms (which, in this story, only exist in Earthland) is something I've been thinking about for a while. I hope you guys liked this one, because I had so much fun writing the Tres Bestias! I'm like a mix of Sung-Sun and Mila-Rose, and I have the hair to cosplay Mila, so excuse me if I fangirl over the panther and the lioness.
See the theme? I like all the kitties.
So, Tier Harribel. Tier is a main character in this plot, and the next chapter will detail how she got to where she is and what the hell she kidnapped Grimmjow for. By the way, "Palacio de Ondas" is the "Waves Palace", and it's her place of business. It will grow more important as the story progresses, as well as the AIA.
Next chapter! The encounters are done! Now just the talking parts are left. And that quest. And added fees to current fees. Along with a couple of problems for people. Specifically Grimmjow. Again. What is he, a trouble magnet?!
Until then, ciaooooooooo!