A/N: So, I goofed when I edited the last chapter and accidentally posted it as both chapters 19 and 20. If you encountered this issue, I sincerely apologize. Please go and read chapter 19 if you ran into the same chapter twice. If not, you should disregard what I just said.
Onto this chapter! I'm so glad it's the longest one so far because I intended for it to be. It is very significant.
Hope you enjoy it! I definitely did.
desert oasis
Lifting his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun's intensely bright rays of light, Ichigo looked up to the vast blue sky that was filled with white, puffy clouds to make sure he still had time to travel before nightfall. From the sun's position up there, he could tell the time was between three and four o'clock.
Only a few more hours until nightfall.
"*huff* It's so… HAAAHT...! *huff*" he complained miserably, but continued climbing up an steep, golden sand dune.
When he thought about it carefully, none of the sand dunes he'd previously seen on either of his trips between Seireitei and Los Noches had been this large. But strangely enough, the ones in this area seemed very high in elevation. "We probably got lost a while ago because of that sandstorm…" he though seriously, trying not to lament over the idea.
With the hot light of the sun caressing his soft skin, he felt himself growing a little dizzy.
It wasn't long before he gave in to the heat and fell to his knees, then down on his stomach, dropping Grimmjow in the process.
He watched as the larger man slid down the sand dune a bit, and then came to a stop just a few feet below him.
"The sand is just as hot!" he said, regretting falling down onto it terribly.
After taking a few deep motivational breaths, he pushed himself up of the ground and walked over to where Grimmjow had slid to.
"I'm sorry about dropping you…" he said.
Pulling him up onto his back again, he continued up the large dune.
With his distance from the ground, he could see the sandstorm still passing a ways below him. Fortunately, he had managed to make it up high enough before the full force of it reached the area that he and Grimmjow were in. Though, even during the seemingly harmless first wave of it he had to stop and shield Grimmjow's wounds with his body. He realized doing that was futile when he considered how many times he'd dropped the man in the sand since he stopped that Espada from killing him.
"DAMN IIIIT!" the boy shouted up to the sky, feeling overheated, thirsty, and extremely exhausted.
"I thought I told you to put me down."
Ichigo's eyes widened when he heard Grimmjow's raspy voice in his ear.
"Grimmjow? I thought you had passed out a long time ago…"
"I just woke up, idiot. Why won't you fucking put me down?!" said man exclaimed, and then coughed right after he did.
Ichigo continued upwards, taking big steps in the sand with his heavy charge on his back. "Because I couldn't live with myself if I did something like that. I'd always know I was the one who left you to die out in this desert. Think about this from my point of view, will you?" He responded sincerely.
"Tch… that's a lame excuse… And don't ask me to see things from your point of view. I could never think the way a pansy like you does."
The boy rolled his auburn eyes at Grimmjow's follow-up, but dismissed him and grew excited when he finally reached the peak of the sand dune.
"WHOA! I-IS THAT A…"
Grimmjow looked over Ichigo's shoulder to see what it was he was so excited about, and his cerulean eyes grew wide from what lie hidden away in the middle of all the toweringly tall sand dunes.
"I'm not seeing things… this isn't a mirage, right?!" Ichigo continued happily.
"Idiot..." The bluenette said. "It's not a mirage."
"Hah! It's… then it's an OASIS!" the orange-haired boy shouted eagerly.
Indeed it was.
Tucked away from the rest of the desert where not many would go was this little sanctuary. The only reason Ichigo chanced upon it was because he'd been trying to avoid the sandstorm at a lower elevation than these sand dunes were.
Amazingly enough there was a large pool of blue water that shimmered in the sun's radiant light, and the source of it was a small waterfall that was surrounded by somewhat hardened rock in this oasis. There were also a few short palm trees, desert flowers, and shrubs scattered throughout the area. Noticeably, at the bottom of the narrow waterfall, there was a small rainbow.
Quickly, Ichigo started walking down the sandy slope in order to reach the pool of water below. He was so excited that he tripped, dropping Grimmjow once again, and tumbled down the sand dune with him.
They both slid into the water with large splashes, and immediately realized it was fairly deep because neither one of them hit the bottom.
Ichigo surfaced first, and then splashed himself in the face with the water to feel its cooling embrace. It felt so nice compared to the hellish heat he had to endure all this time. Traversing the vast desert, with no water or food, had been like walking through an oven that was cranked all the way up.
Cupping his hands together, he brought them up to his mouth and drank as much of the water as he could, which turned out to be surprisingly clean.
"I wish I had a bottle or something to carry some of this in…" he said regretfully.
Once he remembered that he dropped Grimmjow, he started looking around for him.
He was surprised to see the man swimming, using his one arm to do it, over to the shallow end of the water.
"Grimmjow?" he called.
"Not now, Court Guard! Leave me alone!" said man responded as he struggled against the water with his one arm and deep wounds.
Swimming over to him, Ichigo offered to help, but was shoved off.
"I'm just trying to help you! What's gotten into you all of a sudden?!"
When he reached the shallow end of the water, Grimmjow shook his thick mane of hair dry and fell forward onto the wet sand.
"Grimmjow…"
"I don't like deep water, okay?! Now get outta my face!"
Ichigo paused and took a moment to consider what he'd just been told. After getting over the initial shock of the other's confession, he started chuckling. It got so bad that he had to cover his mouth with his hand to keep it from being too obvious. "You swim around all the time in your bath tub!" He managed to say, and continued laughing.
"There's a difference! And what about this is funny?!"
"Grimmjow." The boy said once he calmed himself.
Said man did not respond. Instead, he flipped over onto his back and started breathing heavy breaths of relief.
It was then that Ichigo had the chance to see the wounds Grimmjow had received earlier again.
"Hey… your… your wounds are healing!" He said, mostly astonished because the hole in his chest was almost completely gone. The large cut he got from that Espada, which was made even worse by that follower of his, seemed to be taking a longer time to close, though.
"I'm in my Resurrección state, fool. Of course my wounds will heal."
"But…"
"But what!?"
"Your arm…"
Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "That won't be coming back. I lost it while I was in my normal state, so I can't regenerate it."
"Why's that?" Ichigo asked, and swam up in front of the larger man.
"Some Arrancar can do that, but I can't. I only retained regenerative abilities in my Resurrección state. I sacrificed regeneration through Resurrecting for power."
"Well that sounds just like something you'd do…"
"Anyway, what do you care?"
"Well… I-I care a lot." The boy responded, and then moved so he was right over Grimmjow. Reaching down, he touched the spot where the hole in the man's chest was. "…It really is healing... I'm amazed something like this didn't kill you…" He observed.
"Get away from me!" the bluenette exclaimed, pushing the boy away with his arm.
Ichigo looked at him with a disappointed expression on his face. "After all this, you're still pushing me away?"
"I never asked for your help, and I don't want it either! I've got no more worth as a warrior, considering how Nnoitra almost took me down! I deserve to die here in this desert!" Grimmjow yelled.
When Ichigo jumped onto him and wrapped his arms around his neck, he opened his eyes wide.
"What are you doing?!"
"Grimm, don't talk like that! There's always something else you can do, and there will always be new reasons to live! Fighting isn't everything you are, so please... please just… don't die because of simple-minded thinking like that!" The boy said, holding on to Grimmjow tightly. Even when he felt the man's sharp nails stab him in the side, he did not release him.
"Let go!" Grimmjow hissed.
"Only if you promise you'll keep living."
"What's it to you?!"
"It's… I don't know why, but it's everything to me." Ichigo said, and reached down to take hold of the hand that was stabbing him. Pulling it away, he released Grimmjow from their forced hug, then stared down at the fur-covered hand he was holding. He then looked back and saw Grimmjow's paw-shaped feet and his tail swishing about in the shallow water. "You really do resemble a panther." He commented, recalling Pantera telling him about Grimmjow's past life.
"…"
"This water seems to be helping me heal as well… So maybe it's what's helping you recover so quickly... you know, along with your regeneration. They weren't doing this when we were being attacked by that big monster…"
Still holding on to Grimmjow's hand, Ichigo looked over to his stubbed left arm. While the oasis seemed to be doing a fair share of the work in healing his recent wounds, he knew it would not bring Grimmjow his arm back. That was something he would need to ask Inoue to do.
"Are you going to let go of my hand, Court Guard?" Grimmjow asked, making Ichigo blush.
"Oh… well… that depends. Are you going to stab me again?"
"If you back off, I won't have a reason to."
Realizing that was fair enough, Ichigo released the man's hand and moved back from him a bit.
"Grimmjow…"
"What did you mean back there when Tesla was about to kill us?"
"Huh?" Ichigo asked, raising his eyebrows.
"I heard you say 'we'll burn together' or some shit when that swine was about to blast us to smithereens. I'm asking you what you meant by that."
Blushing even deeper than before, Ichigo averted his eyes nervously. "It's… a long story. Well, it's not really long, just complicated."
"I'm not going anywhere at the moment."
"…Well… I guess I can tell you…"
"There's no guessing about it. Start talking."
"Okay…" Ichigo said, not really knowing why he was giving in to Grimmjow's orders. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself so he could begin. There was no need to be nervous around Grimmjow, right? "Court Guards are supposed to uphold honor and keep high morals. It is something they tell us during training; the first thing, actually. And one of the things we do to ensure that we do that is… well… we have a Holy Book that we abide by. A lot of people in the kingdom follow it as well, but it is more stressed that we do than the citizens. It contains verses about how to live, how to treat others, and how to reach the Holy kingdom once we die so that we do not perish in Hell. I… I've been conflicted about myself and my standing with the Holy Being because the things you've been doing to me are a direct violation of a few verses from the book. But it's not entirely your fault because… at some point… I guess… I just gave in to you. And in doing so, I've become a sinner. Even you must know that homosexuality is considered an abomination—a crime against nature."
"I don't give a shit about that." Grimmjow said seriously. He'd become a crime against nature a long time ago, and it had nothing to do with sexuality.
"Well, I do. And… in becoming a sinner with you, there is really only one place we'll wind up when we die, and that place is Hell. It is said to be a pit of flames where we'll be confronted with our sins and tormented by them for the rest of time. And I… I said we'd 'burn together' because… well… I was thinking… that it may not have been so bad… you know, living in that kind of torture forever may have been a bit more bearable… if… you were there with me. We can be strong and endure it together." Ichigo said nervously, looking up to the blue sky to avoid seeing Grimmjow's reaction. Apparently he was capable of getting nervous around him.
"I can't believe how hard you Court Guards are drilled with that nonsense. Out here in the desert, the only thing that matters is survival." The cerulean-haired man responded. "We don't pay much attention to the afterlife. We just live for what's going on now in this life, and indulge ourselves in the temptations of this world until we can do so no more. Actually, I don't think many people out here even believe in an afterlife. Why would they want to, considering how cruel this world is?"
"Wow, that… that sounds like a terrible outlook and an even worse way to live…"
"Well yours is no better! I can tell from what you just told me that you only abide by that book because you're afraid of the consequences that would follow if you didn't. That's not belief. Even I know that."
Ichigo chanced a glance at Grimmjow, and blushed when he did. He looked so… amazingly intelligent.
And he realized that the two of them were having an actual conversation, albeit a controversial one.
Admittedly, what he just said struck him deeper than any blade ever had. He realized he believed in what he did primarily because he was afraid. And that wasn't belief.
"Looks like I hit home." Grimmjow said.
"You… you may be right… but still…"
"What?"
"I want to find the answers someday. I want to believe with all my heart in a God that would be happy that his creations were able to find love. Even if it was with someone of the same sex, you know?"
"No, I don't know. And what the hell are you implying? Are you in love with m-"
"I'm not implying anything! I never said I was in love with another man. I have a friend back home who is, and I would want him to have a pleasant afterlife even despite that. I don't think it's right to punish someone for loving another person."
"A friend, huh? Of course."
"I'm serious! And anyway, what about you?! You have sex with me all the time! Even if you don't believe in it, that's still something that could eventually lead to lo-"
"Don't mistake me, Court Guard. I don't care who I'm fucking, just so long as I can assert my dominance over them. It's occasionally more satisfying to do it with another man, especially a prick like you. That's all this is. I don't know what it means to love, and I don't want to, either."
"You shouldn't say that! Love is… well… it's all we have as humans… It's the greatest thing we're capable of, and it leads to such amazing things. You should strive to achieve someone's love someday."
Grimmjow shook his head. "That's where we're different. You rely on that kind of shit to get by. I'm fine with the occasional fuck without strings attached. My true goals lie in battle."
"So what am I to you, then?"
This time it was Grimmjow who raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Well, I embody your fallen men's desires, right? Surely you wanted to protect them… that, too was a kind of love… you just don't realize it."
"You're delusional... I only want to honor their sacrifices. It has nothing to do with love."
Ichigo sighed. "…I can see we'll never agree about this… But it is nice, talking to someone like this… It's been a while since I've had the chance to."
Grimmjow sat up a little and looked down at his stubbed arm disappointedly.
Ichigo caught him doing it and smiled. "You know, I know of someone who can give you your arm back." He said.
With wide eyes, the bluenette looked up at the boy. "Don't fucking joke about this! I'll rip your mouth out!"
"I'm not." Staring right into Grimmjow's bright blue eyes, Ichigo kept a look of seriousness on his face.
"You're… you're kidding… You have to be…! There's… there's no way-"
"My friend can do it. She has the power to reject entire events and restore things to the way they were before those events changed them. She's even gotten to the point where she doesn't even need to know what happened to be able to reject it. That power of hers what's kept me alive for so long. If it wasn't for her, I probably never would have met you because I'd be dead."
Grimmjow gave in for a moment to the thought of getting his arm back. "Let's say you could get me my arm back. What's in it for you? Why should I trust you?"
"There's nothing in it for me, really. But I hate seeing you so miserable. I care about you, you know… So you'll just have to take a chance with me, like I did with you." Ichigo said with a smile.
"…Fine. I'll go along with you. But know this: my ultimate goal is to become king of Los Noches. If you get in my way or do anything to jeopardize that, I'll cut you down and end your pathetic existence, got it Court Guard? Your fate will be sealed if this turns out to be a trap."
"I'm going to stop you right there, Grimmjow. If I'm going to help you, you're going to have to address me with more respect than that."
"Oh yeah?"
"That's right. My name is Kurosaki, Ichigo. All I ask is that you call me by my name, instead of referring to me like we'll never be able to understand each other. I don't walk around calling you 'Espada' or 'Arrancar' all day."
"Whatever."
"No, it's not whatever. Say it. Say my name, Grimmjow."
Grimmjow closed his eyes and frowned up childishly. "Ku…ro…sa…ki." He said, pronouncing the syllables irritatedly.
"Good." The boy smiled again. While Grimmjow had his eyes closed, he took note of his Resurrected state even more closely. The things that stood out, still, were his mask and hole. The mask had lost its jaw-like shape and moved so that it covered his forehead. On the other hand, that hole was still in the same place as it had been before.
Reaching out, he slowly put his hand inside the hole, only to feel a strange weight on his hand. It felt like cool water, but there was no actual water there.
When Grimmjow grabbed his hand, he looked him in the face.
"What?" he whispered softly.
"Keep your hands out of there." The man said seriously, keeping his eyes closed as he did.
Ichigo blushed and decided to let his opinion be known. "Grimmjow, you're really cute in this form."
Said man's eyes shot open and he looked down at the boy. "What?!" he asked.
"I said you look really cute. You've got those really long, furry ears, and your hair is long, too. Plus your teeth are sharp and you have that tiny bit of fur around your eyes. You kind of look like a cat or something." The boy admitted, and smiled when he saw Grimmjow's cheeks turn pink.
"Keep your stupid comments to yourself."
"Grimmjow…"
"I just said-"
Moving forward, Ichigo gently pressed his lips against the man's, interrupting him from speaking any more.
He made sure to take hold of Grimmjow's hand so he couldn't stab him with it again.
Closing his eyes slowly, the boy remained in place, enjoying the blissful ecstasy he usually felt from kissing his now former captor.
Even though he was getting no response from Grimmjow, he felt content. Just being with him like this was more than enough satisfaction for him for now. And it helped him realize he really did want to be with the man longer. Which is why somewhere in his heart, he started hoping they wouldn't just split up once they reached Seireitei and got his arm healed.
Pulling away slowly, he smiled at Grimmjow, who rolled his cerulean eyes in response.
"Why do you always do that? Let go of my hand before I choke you out with my tail." The armor-covered man said with an aggravated look on his face.
"Sorry… You're just… so kissable, Grimmjow. Stop pushing yourself away from people. You might just be able find happiness in something other than fighting."
"In your dreams."
"So, uh… I'm curious… why do you have a hole and skeletal mask?" Ichigo asked, moving his hand up to touch the bone-like mask on the other's forehead.
"That's none of your concern." The bluenette responded, and brushed the boy's hand off.
"… I guess not. You're the one who has to deal with it. I was just curious is all. It's not exactly normal."
"Fuck normal. And fuck this. I'm done lying around doing nothing. We should get on the move before the sun sets, or we're going to be scorpion food. I'm sure we're not the only creatures to have discovered this place." Grimmjow said, and then stood up as best he could. He was a little wobbly on his feet, and ended up falling forward onto his hand. It wasn't enough to support him, so he ended up belly down against the wet sand.
Ichigo got out of the water and helped Grimmjow sit up. "Your wounds are doing better." He said, and then looked down to where the man had stabbed him with his sharp nails. "Mine are too. My rib cage feels a lot better now. Maybe this oasis is special."
"The only special thing around here is you, Court-" Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed, stopping Grimmjow for a moment. "Kurosaki. Shit! You took the sting out of my comment by making me say your name."
"Well I'm glad for that." The boy said, before he pulled Grimmjow up onto his back piggyback style again.
"I can't stand you, you know that?"
"I know." Ichigo said with a smile that Grimmjow did not catch since he was behind him on his back. "Keep quiet while I climb these sand dunes. I don't have much energy, so I can't be distracted by your incessant criticisms and complaints."
"…Whatever." The larger man said, closing his eyes.
He could feel each step Kurosaki took as he climbed the steep hill of sand. With his unarmored chest pressed against the boy's back, he also felt his heart beating at a constant rate. It lulled him a bit, and he grew a little tired.
"Hey, Grimm."
"What?"
"I've been meaning to ask you… how old are you?" Ichigo asked, trying to make small talk. The complete silence as he climbed was not as pleasant as he expected it to be.
"Thought you didn't want me talking."
"I take it back. For now."
"I'm twenty-six."
"Really?"
"Yes. Why?" Grimmjow asked, growing sleepier and sleepier.
"No reason. But I didn't realize you were six years older than me. I guess you do look about that age."
"Yeah…"
"We're almost at the top."
"Mhmm…"
"Gr-Grimmjow?"
"…"
"Ah! Did you fall asleep?!"
"…"
"… Ugh… great… Now I have to listen to the nothingness of the desert while I look for a place for us to sleep tonight. I at least would rather hear you than hear nothing at all…" Ichigo said, whispering the last part.
When he felt something wrap around his waist, he immediately thought it was a snake and looked down.
To his surprise, it was Grimmjow's tail.
He had wrapped it around his waist twice.
The boy felt his cheeks growing increasingly warm, but he couldn't tell if it was from the hot desert sun beaming down on him, or if it was because of the tail wrapped trustingly around his waist.
"Tousen, just where are you going?" Gin asked, coming into the main hall of Los Noches palace.
"I'm going to take care of that pest Grimmjow, and then I'm going to do something about the Court Guard boy. They're both at fault for the loss of one of the Espada, so I only see it fit to punish them."
Gin grinned and leaned against one of the large stone columns lining the walls. "Did you not see the battle? It was Nnoitra who brought his own downfall upon himself. I agree, taking Grimmjow out seemed like a good idea, but he failed to do it. And what about Zaraki-taichou? He was the one who actually killed Nnoitra? Shouldn't he be the person you target?"
"…I don't want to start a war with Seireitei."
"If you find the Kurosaki boy and kill him, I'm sure that would do the trick."
"No one will know since he is out in the desert. He'll wind up as food for the beasts out there once I take care of him. The captains in Seireitei will be none the wiser."
"Okay, so what about Grimmjow?"
"He's on my target list as well, if you didn't just hear me."
"Did Aizen-taichou not tell you to leave him alone? And did he also not say to stay out of the Espada's affairs? This may be exactly what he wanted to happen, you know. If you kill Grimmjow, or the boy, you may end up throwing a wrench into his plans."
"…" Tousen stood in place, holding on to his sword with a tight grip. He really did want to eradicate Grimmjow, but Ichimaru had a point. If he did something, even when Aizen had told him not to, it could very well have a longer lasting effect than what he would intend for it to. "Why are you being so obedient, Ichimaru? You're not the type to heed Aizen-sama's orders so dutifully." The man stated, turning to him even though he could not see him.
"Because I'm interested."
"You're 'interested'?" Tousen echoed.
"That's right. What purpose do Grimmjow and the Kurosaki boy serve to Aizen-taichou's plan? Why is he so insistent on keeping them alive when all they've done is cause havoc between Los Noches and Seireitei, putting his own welfare on the line in the process? Are they doing what he wants by leaving this place? Judging from his withstanding patience with them and the mess they've been making of things, I'd say they're both obviously key components in his plot to take this land from the High King, but I want to see just what he plans to do with them. So that's why I'm being so obedient. Only because he's managed to perk my curiosity with his secret plan."
"Why does that not surprise me?" the blind man asked sarcastically, then started walking back the way he came.
"Wait, I didn't say you couldn't kill Nelliel. She and Grimmjow's spirit animal will probably prove problematic if they're not dealt with now. If you hurry, you can catch up to them."
"I'm not interested in those two. What could they possibly do to ruin Aizen-sama's plans, anyway?"
"Oh, that's no fun! You only wanted to kill Grimmjow because he gets under your skin." Gin accused, and then caught up with the other man.
"That is not entirely true, but I will allow you to believe it."
"Well, in any case, we'll see how this unfolds eventually… I wonder if those kiddies will survive out in the desert…"
"Don't be ridiculous. If Grimmjow was good for anything, it was dragging bloody animal corpses into the palace like an untrained cat. He'll be fine out there surrounded by prey like the animal he is. The real question is how long will he be able to sneak around in Seireitei for?"
"How do you know that's where they're going?"
"Think before you speak, Ichimaru. Where else would Kurosaki Ichigo take Grimmjow?"
"Oh, you think he's going to take him to that princess?!"
"It seems likely. That's the best way to get him healed, don't you think? That ability of hers is indeed a divine one."
"Wouldn't you be mad about that? I mean, don't you want Grimmjow to die?"
"I get the feeling his time will come soon enough. It doesn't matter how healed he gets." Tousen said, and then started walking a little faster to get away from Gin.
"Hey! Stop being such a loner!" Gin's voice echoed as he hurried down the halls after his comrade.
With the moon shining high in the sky above him and a cold breeze blowing against him, Ichigo kept telling himself to persevere.
If he didn't, he would end up being eaten alive by some of the large coyotes he'd seen running off in the distance a while ago.
Up ahead was a multi-platform plateau, and he decided that would be where he and Grimmjow would sleep for the night. While he slept, he would be able to regenerate most of his Reiatsu, which would help him get back on track to Seireitei.
All he had to do was reach the plateau.
"Court Guard." He heard in his ear.
"What did we talk about, Grimmjow?"
"Tsk… Kurosaki."
"Yeah? What is it?"
"You'd better pick up the pace. There's a scorpion tailing you a ways back."
Ichigo turned around quickly and jumped when he saw that there was indeed a large scorpion following him. In the moonlight, the only thing he could make out was the crimson glow of its eyes. The rest of it was silhouetted, making it seem all the more eerie. As if being huge wasn't already bad enough.
"Shit! That's just my luck!" he cursed, and then started walking faster.
Grimmjow remained silent as the boy carried him over to the plateau, but when he stopped, he grew curious as to why he had when they were about to be lunch meat... or dinner, which seemed like the more appropriate label. "The hell did you stop for? Got a death wish?"
"If I try climbing with you on my back, we're as good as dead. So I'm about to use some of the Reiatsu I've been able to regenerate to jump up to the top of this plateau. The scorpion won't be able to reach us up there."
"Well you'd better hurrrryyyy. It's getting clooseer."
"I know! Stop making the situation worse!"
"It's picking up the paaace..." Grimmjow said.
"Shut up!"
"It's almost heeerre…"
"Grimm-"
"Jump you pussy!"
Ichigo quickly knelt down, nearly falling forward because of Grimmjow's heavy weight on him, and then shot high into the air.
He successfully landed on the top platform of the plateau, and then tossed Grimmjow off of him angrily. "YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE!" he shouted.
"Kehehehahahaha! You were so scared!" the man bellowed as he laughed hysterically.
Ichigo walked past him and looked over the side. On the ground below, the scorpion was waiting, looking up at him with its piercing eyes and snapping its pincers.
"I won't be able to sleep comfortably with that thing down there… The way it moves is so creepy…" he said, looking a little disturbed by it.
Grimmjow stood up and walked over to Ichigo, then leaned on him for support. "Are you hungry?" he asked.
"Well… yeah… very… Why-"
The man aimed the palm of his hand down at the beast, then fired a Cero through its thick shell. "That's why."
…
"… I would prefer this to have been roasted over a fire…" Ichigo said disappointedly, holding a piece of scorpion meat in his hand.
"Well we don't have any firewood, so get over it. Just be glad you're eating something. I didn't have to share with you."
"I'm the one who went down to get it!"
"But I killed it."
"Ugh!" After giving up and rolling his eyes, the orange-haired boy remembered something important. "Grimmjow!"
"What?" said man asked, aggressively ripping a piece of meat off the scorpion's claw with his teeth after he did.
"What about Pantera and Nel?!"
"What do you mean 'what about them'?"
"Do you think they'll make it to Seireitei? I mean… You killed this scorpion… but what about them? I don't take it either one of them can hunt…"
"Tsk. Pantera is a master at hunting, so they'll be fine. Stop worrying about every little thing."
"Their survival is not little! It's a very BIG thing!"
"Just like what you take up the ass, huh?"
Ichigo grew so red in the face he had to turn away. "You really are a jerk…"
"Well, consider yourself lucky for now. I can't fuck in this state." Grimmjow said, tossing the now meatless scorpion arm over the edge of the plateau and knocking against the armor covering his groin with his hand.
Ichigo turned back to Grimmjow. "Do you… do you still have a pe-"
"Of course I do, you dipshit! It's just covered up so it won't take any harm!"
"Oh…" the boy sat quiet for a moment, then decided to ask a question. "Grimmjow, you have reproductive organs, and you seem mostly human, so could you produce offspring if you wanted to?"
"Why are you asking me something like that? Do I look like I want a fucking kid?"
Looking down at the ground, Ichigo blushed. "I don't know. I was just curious…"
"Well don't be." The bluenette said, and then laid down on his back.
When the boy got up and came to sit down closer to him, he looked over at him questionably.
"Are you cold?" Ichigo asked.
"No. With my Hierro, I have a higher resistance to extreme temperatures. So unlike you, I'm doing just fine." Grimmjow responded, and then closed his eyes.
Ichigo laid down on his side and brought his knees up to his chest, then wrapped his arms around them in an effort to keep himself warm. This was definitely not how he was used to sleeping. Closing his eyes tight, he realized he probably wouldn't be getting any quality sleep tonight.
Opening his eyes and taking a glance up, he was reminded of just how star-filled the night sky was out in the desert, which made him smile a little. Though, the night sky seemed like the only pleasant thing the environment had to offer…
The sound of motion behind him caught his attention, and he wondered what Grimmjow was doing.
An arm unexpectedly came from behind and wrapped around him, then pulled him back. He turned to look over his shoulder at the man holding on to him. "What are you doing?" he asked, gazing into Grimmjow's cerulean eyes that were slightly glowing in the darkness of the night.
"Keeping you warm so you don't die, pansy. I need you if I'm gonna get my arm back, right?" the man answered, before wrapping his tail around Ichigo's waist and burying his nose into the nape of the boy's neck.
"R-right…" Ichigo said, feeling his body warming up and his penis growing stiff.
"Don't make any sudden movements or you'll probably be cut by the blades on my arm and legs."
"Okay."
Even though Ichigo didn't really want to admit it, being close with Grimmjow like this made him kind of happy.
After a while of lying in place, he heard Grimmjow start mumbling unintelligible things behind him, which let him know the man was asleep.
Looking up to the moon and hundreds of stars embellishing the sky, the boy found himself thinking about what everyone had been asking him or implying lately. He wasn't entirely sure if it was untrue, either.
What did he feel for Grimmjow?
They hadn't really known each other that long, nor had they gotten along for most of the time they did. Attractiveness was nice, but it would be a terrible idea to form feelings for someone based on their appearances alone.
Still, the cerulean-haired man holding onto him was quite a sight. In his normal state, he had quite a nice complexion. Very tan skin. Bright blue eyes. Tall. Well built. He just had so much going for him. Even in this transformed state, he was still handsome. And something about his animal-like physique was even more interesting, especially those long ears.
"Although they're not everything, I can't pretend that looks don't mean anything at all…"
His thoughts moved from Grimmjow's physical features to his personality. Other than being extremely pugnacious, he seemed otherwise uninterested in people. But perhaps there was a reason for that…
Remembering his words in the courtyard two nights ago, he decided that maybe his personality wasn't such an issue. After all, he did say he would change him someday.
Well, a better way of putting it would be 'opening him up'. It sounded more beautiful that way.
Finally, Ichigo thought about their current situation. It had torn him apart when he saw Grimmjow being tortured the way he had been by that Espada's follower, despite how much he thought he despised him. And the thought of them splitting up when he got Inoue to heal his arm made him feel a bit unhappy as well. Even though he hated to admit it, Grimmjow had become a big part of his life in the short time they'd known each other. It was too soon for them to part ways.
With their closeness at the moment… he couldn't help but feel a warm tingle in his lower gut.
"Grimmjow… I think… I think I…"
For as much 'thinking' as he did about the subject, Ichigo eventually fell asleep with a smile on his face.
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