Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any way what so ever. This is written purely for my enjoyment.
AN: So so so sorry for the extremely late update on this story… I would offer excuses but sadly I was only suffering for sever writers block on both my stories. Well I got a one-shot Fairy Tail fic out, but that's beside the point. I have written out a few chapters and all that needs to be done is to type them out and such. Courting Death will be updated sometime in the future…. For now it's on hold. I want to get some ground covered with Treading Dark Waters. Long author note over, please enjoy the new chapter and please let me know what you thought of the chapter.
2nd AN: my Laptop had to be formatted and everything had to be reinstalled and all that nonsense, so writing was old hold for a time period. I'm terribly sorry!
Chapter 14:
The air was crisp and refreshing as a new morning dawned onto the world. Golden rays of sunlight gradually made their way over the mountains, chasing away the lingering shadows of the night. Soft tendrils of mist disappeared as the sun touched it with its warmth. The silence of the night was shattered by the calling of the birds as they greeted the brand new day.
Steady foot falls echoed through the deserted streets, creating an eerie touch to the new morning. Emerging from the shadows, a hooded figure ran into the sun's touch, relishing in its warmth. Puffs of moisture bellowed from the shadowy depths hidden within the hood. Long, slender legs propelled the being further down the lonely street. He kept a steady pace and the ground was pelted on further by his strong legs.
With the sun making its warm glow known to all who was awake, the person pulled back his hood; revealing thick, straight black hair that glistened when the sun touched it with its golden fingers. Piercing green eyes focused on the road ahead, keeping the pace even and the effort minimal.
Faint music drifted from the earphones, doing little to disturb the peace of the beautiful morning. The runner kept his strides even, barely showing any signs of strain or running out of breath. Crossing over the road, he made his way over to the park. Once Ulquiorra crossed the threshold of the park, he was soon enveloped in the soft morning sounds that flooded the confines of the park.
Bird chirped melodiously and the tress rustled their branches in the faint morning breeze. Ulquiorra carried on with his jog, working his way through the many pathways that were scattered throughout the park. One pathway in particular drew his interest. It lead away from the main fields and carried on further into the slight forest areas that covered on side of the park. The shadow soon swallowed Ulquiorra as he ran into the forest, leading him away from the sun's glare and deeper into the cooling depths.
He picked up his pace as the tempo of his music changed. It became more urgent, fast and compelling. He subconsciously changed his run into a more aggressive sprint. Small drops sweat trailed down his pale skin, some getting caught in his hair and other drops falling from his jaw bone to gather on his hood. The increased demand of running soon had his legs in sweet bliss. They felt like they were really getting a good workout. The muscles welcomed the strain being placed on them.
He pushed harder and ran faster through the trees. All too soon the edge of the forest terrain came into view. It started as a ghostly sliver of light that gradually grew as got closer to the edge. The glare of the sunlight flashed in Ulquiorra's eyes, causing him to squint as he made his way out of the shadows. Ulquiorra quickly finished his run through the park. At a much slower pace, he made his way back to his apartment. The closer he got to his apartment, the slower he jogged; until he was walking up the stairs towards his front door.
Upon entering his apartment, Ulquiorra noticed it was close to 8 o'clock. He had about an hour to get ready before he had to go the gym. Closing his front door, he silently went about his morning routine. Jumping into the shower, Ulquiorra quickly washed away the sweat that covered his body. Rinsing his hair, he quickly gave it a good wash before finishing up in the shower and stepping out into a steamed filled room. Turning the taps off, he turned around and walked over to the basin that stood in front of the large mirror. Passing a hand over the mirror, he wiped away some of the steam that had fogged up the mirror. Picking up his toothbrush, he quickly cleaned his mouth and brushed out his still wet hair. 'It will dry on its own.' He mused as he dropped the towel in the hamper and walked out into his bathroom, to get a change of clothes.
Today he had to look his best, since the interviews were happening today. 'Trust Stark to organize interviews a week before we depart for Australia.' The thought drifted through Ulquiorra's mind as he made himself some coffee. While sipping on the rich, dark coffee; Ulquiorra grabbed is phone and dialled Grimmjow. He had to make sure the man was at least up and about.
A morbid groan filled the still dark room. Rays of sunlight filtered through the small gaps, casting spots of light across the carpet. Shrill ringing of a phone shattered the silence of the room. The lump in between the sheets groaned and shifted bout, hardly making any attempt to answer the phone. The phone gave a few sharp rings, before silence fell across the room.
A sigh escaped the depths of the sheets, followed by more movement and then all was quiet. Just as the figure was getting comfortable, the shrilling noise started up again. The cell phone on the side table blared out an annoying noise. A tanned hand emerged from the depths of the sheets, grasped and grappled along the side of the table; seeking the offending object. Fumbling along the surface, finger tips came into contact with a sleek metallic surface. The hand grasped the screeching device in a choke hold. Covers were flipped as a mop of shocking blue hair shot up and answered the call angrily.
"What?!" growled Grimmjow.
"Morning to you too Grimmjow." Came the emotionless response. Grimmjow let out an angry groan when he heard Ulquiorra's voice over the line. The man had woken him up yet again… it was like the man lived to make his life hell. Gripping the phone tighter, he bit out into the small defenceless device; "What on God's given earth possessed you to call this time of the morning?" Grimmjow grounded his teeth together in a vain attempt to calm his anger.
"I see you've forgotten already." Ulquiorra stated in a bored tone. Grimmjow stood up from the bed, phone still held by the ear and made his way out to his kitchen. He was trying to recall any important dates or information that he was told about recently. Getting to the kitchen he quickly switched on the kettle.
"Remind me again, so that we can skip the drama and lectures, Schiff." He grumbled as he waited for his coffee.
"Honestly Grimmjow. You are a grown man. Stop acting like a child." Ulquiorra reprimanded. Grimmjow merely rolled his eyes at Ulquiorra's little lecture. "Told you to skip the lecture, now cut the crap and tell me why you called so early." Grimmjow stated with a hint of irritation.
"You have thirty minutes to get ready and to the gym. The interviews are today." With that said Ulquiorra cut the call. Grimmjow grumbled as he got his coffee and went to get ready for the interviews.
Grimmjow arrived at the gym with little over ten minutes to spare. Thank goodness he rode his bike. He parked his back closer to the entrance and grabbed his bags. Taking of his helmet and ruffling his hair, Grimmjow walked towards the entrance.
Traffic was a nightmare today, which made his mood all the more thunderous. The busy parking lot just added the cherry to the shebang. Grimmjow was not in the greatest of moods, having been woken up via cell phone, rushed to get out on time, traffic jams and now limited parking. His day was just getting better by the second it seemed.
Making his way to the entrance, Grimmjow saw Szayel standing outside with Ulquiorra catching a quick smoke. Changing his direction, he caught up with them. "Yo Schiff!" he greeted and gave a nod in Szayel's directions. "Grimmjow." Ulquiorra said as he exhaled some smoke and took another drag from his cigarette.
"Well as much as I want to stand out here all day; we better head inside." Szayel stated while he stomped out his cigarette. Ulquiorra followed his example and did the same with his cigarette. He looked up and saw that Grimmjow and Szayel were already heading inside. He smirked and followed the bubble-gum duo. He would never in his life tell them that though. He mused that if he were to voice his amusing observations, the world would stand still as if in shock that Ulquiorra would dare to make a joke. So to spare the world population, Ulquiorra silently followed the pair and entered the gym as well.
Once all three of them made it past the check-in point, they noticed that there was a lot of activity and movement happening in the pool area. People were swarming around the pool's edge, running to and fro while shouting out instructions.
The men stood still for a few moments, not quite sure on how to proceed. Ulquiorra looked around until he spotted Stark's brown mop of hair amongst the sea of people. Motioning for the other two to follow him, he quickly pushed his way through the bodies. Grimmjow followed him and quickly figured out where Ulquiorra was heading. Looking around in utter annoyance, a fleeting thought crossed Grimmjow's mind; 'Why do we need so many people for a lousy interview?'
"Hey Stark!" Ulquiorra greeted once he got close enough to Stark. The coach turned towards the three swimmers and gave them a lazy wave. "Ah, you finally arrived. Good." Stark looked at the group. He then continued on lazily, "As you can see, we have a busy day ahead of us. A sports magazine and a young gossip magazine is here to interview you all. Their apparently doing a whole series of articles about the Olympics. Whatever, they can explain it all to you. Please work with them and Grimmjow!" Stark called sternly, "Do not mess up. Whether it's with the girls or the interviewers, please keep your temper down."
With that said, Stark turned to go sleep on one of the benches. The group of guys laughed at how quickly their coach could fall asleep, anywhere and on any surface. They were standing their laughing at their coach's antics when one of the makeup ladies heard their laughter and quickly ushered them to the change rooms. "Get changed! Time's a-wasting and I don't have all day!"
The men quickly did as they were told. They didn't want to get on the wrong side of the makeup lady. You might end up looking like a clown. The mere thought sent chills down the spines of the swimmers.
"That woman is annoying." Ulquiorra stated as he took off his shirt and quickly got rid of his pants. Folding his clothes, he placed them in his locker, followed by his back pack and cell phone. Grabbing his swimming gear, he changed and got the rest of his things into his locker.
"Accurately stated." Szayel said while putting his glasses away. He followed Ulquiorra's lead and quickly got changed.
"Guys quit the chit chat and get a move on." Grimmjow grumbled, "I don't want to have a crazy makeup lady on my case." He quickly got rid of his clothes and changed as well. Taking any more time to change would only cement their doom.
As soon as they were all changed the silently made their way to the outer rooms of the gym again. The woman that had chased them away to get changed had noticed them leave the bathrooms. "Ah good, you are all ready it seems. Now we can begin." She clapped her hands and three more girls joined her. "This is my team. We are here to make you ma-"
"You're not going to make me look like a clown." Grimmjow interrupted with a growl.
The woman glared at him and clicked her tongue. "We will see about that Mr Jaegerjaques." The icy tone drifted in between the men, freezing them where they stood. She looked at all three of them, "Now come! No more interruptions." She turned and walked off to the makeup section, stationed near the pool.
Szayel quirked an eyebrow in Grimmjow's direction. "I would fear for my life if I were you Grimmjow." He smirked when he saw Grimmjow's shoulder tense up. Grimmjow scowled at Szayel, "Shut it Princess." Szayel huffed in irritation and went to sit on one of the chairs.
Ulquiorra merely ignored the two and was already seated and had one of the girls working on his makeup already. With a scowl in place, Grimmjow took a seat on the third chair and waited in irritation for the makeup girl to start her job. He looked over to the fourth seat and frowned, "By the way where is your brother?" Szayel merely shrugged his shoulders in answer.
A crash and shouting could be heard coming from the front of the gym by the entrance. It drew everyone's attention. Someone was stupid enough to walk into one of the lights that had been setup for the impending interview. It had crashed, thankfully not damaged by the force of the fall. One of the camera crew had rushed over to assess the damage. Seeing the fallen light, he turned and shouted at the tall blonde that had entered the gym and became the unfortunate soul to walk into the light. Said blonde was trying to calm the camera man down. Szayel rolled his eyes at his brother's clumsiness.
"Speak of the devil and shall appear." He sighed, signalling the girl to continue with her work. He was not interested in the drama unfolding behind him. He would rather look his best for when the cameras were pointed in his direction.
Illfort quickly ran to the change rooms and got into his swimming attire. Shortly he made his way to where the other swimmers were seated. Grinning sheepishly, he sat on the fourth chair. "Sorry I'm late guys." He apologized and got comfortable as the girls started to play with his long blonde hair. "Bet the photographer is going to give you the worst possible shots." Grimmjow joked as the girls fiddled around with his own hair. A few girls murmured in awe at his natural blue hair colour and he basked in the compliments, enjoying every minute of it in the end.
Illfort ignored him and focused on what the makeup girls were doing. They only had a few minutes before the interview started.
The interview was kicked off with a team interview. The guys were gathered around on edge of the pool as the photographers took photos as the questions were asked. The standard questions were asked and the guys answered accordingly, it was what was expected. It was when the team interview was over that things got interesting.
The guys were all seated in their own armchairs, facing the reporters. The two reporters from the magazines, each took a turn with their questions. The sports magazine kept it more or less professional, asking questions only related to the Olympics and the team. The gossip magazine was more bold and daring in their questions.
"The readers at Active Mag would really like to know why you all chose swimming professionally as a career?" the reporter asked once everyone had gotten comfortable.
By default Szayel answered first, "Well it's quite simple. My brother and I come from a very active family, one with a medical background as well. So fitness played a big role in our growing years." Szayel stopped and looked to Illfort, who took over with the explanations. "Both of us took quickly to swimming and our parents were behind us every step of the way; so it was only natural that we would end up where we are today."
The reporter eagerly wrote down all the information that was given. The pen paused and the reporter looked at the Granz brothers again. "So it goes without saying that your family owns Granz Hospital?" The brothers grinned and nodded in confirmation. The reporter then turned to Ulquiorra. "And you Mr Schiffer? What was your reason behind swimming as a career choice?"
Ulquiorra looked up at him with a slight air of indifference. "I excel at the sport. I wanted to achieve the highest possible rank in swimming." was all he said. The reporter was at a loss for words, but wrote down what Ulquiorra had told him. "Thank you Mr Schiffer." He said, then turned to Grimmjow. "Mr Jaegerjaques. You came from a completely different background. Did this influence your choice in swimming at all?"
Grimmjow bristled at the question but kept his facial expression schooled in his famous smirk. "Of course. I never had special training or anything like that. I knew how to swim and I knew how to do it properly. Someone saw me swim one day and they liked my style. They took me in and show me how I could improve as a swimmer, with the right training and dedication." Grimmjow made sure nothing was leaked with regards to his days on the streets. He didn't want to disappoint his fans. They didn't need to know about his past failures.
"Do you all the same exercise regimen?"
The guys looked at each other, Ulquiorra decided to answer the question. "With the team there is a set schedule in place, but we also have our own schedules we complete in our own free time."
"Ah I see. Well before I hand you over to the gossip magazine; is there any advice you could give to our readers and your loyal fans?" the reporter asked one final time.
"Work hard and party harder!" Grimmjow stated and finished it off with an air punch. Both Ulquiorra and Szayel rolled their eyes at Grimmjow. Illfort laughed at the eagerness and the reporters joined in on the laughter. Grimmjow smirked at everyone and got back to his seat.
"Unlike my team mate here," Szayel started, "I believe that they should aspire to what they want the most. Work hard to achieve it and make a life out of it." Illfort nodded his head in agreement and said he followed the same style.
Ulquiorra shifted and draped his arm across the armrest. "The only advice I can give to my fans is to do what you're good at. That's all." The reporter thanked them for their time and informed them the photos would be taken afterwards.
The gossip magazine reporter made themselves ready to ask their set of questions. The sports magazine reporter left to go get the cameras ready. The guys turned to the gossip reporter and waited patiently for the questions.
The reporter started, "Firstly I would like to say, it is such a great honour to meet you guys and get the chance to speak to all." They then got down to business, "So now that all the nitty gritty is sorted out, let's get down to the good stuff. The fans at Gossip R Us would like to know what do you all experience as famous swimmers."
The guys looked at the reporter with amused looks in their eyes. There was so much that one gained from being a well-known swimmer. Szayel leaned forward slightly, "Well not only do we get free access to the gym at all times, but we get free things from all our sponsors." Ulquiorra continued, "It also gives us the chance to focus on what we do best, swimming for the next gold medal." Grimmjow laughed at all their reasons. "I just do it for the chicks man. Girls love someone famous and will eagerly jump at every word I say."
The reporter wrote all the information down eagerly. Looking back at the team the reporter went on the next question. "So it is safe to say that you are all single?" The men were caught a bit off guard at the question but answered it none the less. "I hardly have time for any relationship." Ulquiorra answered. Szayel grinned at the reporter, "I have yet to meet the one who is willing to share their life with me." Illfort laughed at his brother, "I'm taken sadly." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. Grimmjow gave the reporter a bored look, "I'm not one for settling down."
"Grimmjow, many of your fans were devastated when they heard you were in an accident. How has the accident affected you?" the reporter asked. Grimmjow frowned at the question. He shifted his weight in the chair and became more guarded. "It was a freak accident. No one could have predicted it. I just had to pick myself back up and carry on. I have a chance to take part in the Olympics, I'm not about to let such a chance go by." The reporter seemed happy with their questions and thanked the men for their time.
Since the questions were down, the photo sessions were about to start. The guys resigned themselves to the fate that awaited them.
Ok finally done with Chapter 14, yet again sorry for the long wait… Chapter 15 is in the works. Please review and let me know what you all thought about the chapter.