OCs (c) Me
Bleach (c) Kubo Tite
The Bleached Chronicles
Chapter 28
"Kurosaki-kun…"
"Itsygo…"
Chihiro and Grimmjow watched as Ichigo comforted Nel and Orihime, the strong feelings of sadness, anger, and hated anticipation hanging in the air like a thick blanket. She turned to him, her eyes full of unshed tears as she stared at him sadly. She didn't want them to fight, but it was already too late to stop it. Nothing would stop them now. He looked at her before looking away, feeling a pang of guilt inside of him.
"Don't cry. I hate it when you cry." he grumbled as he reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. In truth, he felt terrible. He hated making her cry, and that's exactly what he was doing. She nodded as she wiped at her eyes, stifling a few sniffles as she did so.
"O-okay." she stuttered. Mae, Rae, and Tae looked at each other from where they were hovering a few feet away before flying over and landing on Grimmjow's shoulders.
"Do you have to do this? You can always walk away…" Tae asked as she turned her head so that she was staring at him. Grimmjow growled.
"Fuck no. I'm not walking away. That bastard dies today." he retorted, a deep scowl on his face. Tae looked down before Mae placed a tiny paw on his mask fragment.
"You can do it, Grimmjow-sama. We believe in you." she encouraged, causing Chihiro to turn away and take a few steps away. Both sisters looked at her in confusion and anger.
"Mae! Don't encourage him to fucking fight! What if he loses? What if he dies? Chihiro'll-"
"Rae." Chihiro said sharply, causing her to snap her jaws shut in response. All four winced and looked at her, she had her back turned and was clutching one gloved arm with one hand while the other was limp at her side, her shoulders shaking. Grimmjow stepped forward to touch her arm but she flinched away, like his touch had stung her. She turned to him as tears streamed down her cheeks, making him blink at her in confusion. She stepped forward and grabbed the flaps of his jacket before burying her head into his chest.
"Please… don't go! You don't have to do this!" she sobbed as her shoulders shook. He looked down at her and placed a hand on the back of her head. The Tres Ae, sensing the change in emotions in the air, flew away towards Ichigo, Orihime, and Nel. Grimmjow was silent as he stroked her head, before sighing.
"I have to, Chihiro. Don't worry, I won't die." he whispered roughly. But she shook her head, tightening her hold on his jacket. They were silent for a few moments before he lifted her face up and pressed his lips against hers. She melted into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck as he hooked an arm around her waist, not wanting to let him go. They pulled away before Grimmjow ruffled her hair, but the look of sadness wouldn't leave her face. He then turned to the Tres Ae.
"I want you to keep her safe. If anything happens to her, you're all dead." he growled as he glared at the tiny dragons. They nodded in agreement. Like they would let their master get hurt in their presence.
"Okay, Grimmjow-sama!" they replied in unison. He nodded before looking at her once more, then he turned to Ichigo.
"Let's do this." and with that, they were off. Chihiro gasped as she looked up, before running after him.
"Grimmjow, wait-!" she exclaimed, but they were already too far away to hear her. She sighed softly and followed after Orihime and Nel as they stood at the edge of a tall pillar. Chihiro held her hands tightly together as she stared at them, her eyes never once leaving their forms, and watched as the fight began.
Grimmjow fired a cero aimed at Ichigo, but he quickly blocked it using his blade. The boy began to charge the Getsuga Tensho, but before he could release it, Grimmjow threw his sword with one hand and used the other to release a cero which destroyed a nearby building. Thankfully, the two were unharmed as they moved apart, getting a good distance away from each other. After a few moments, Tae transformed into her larger size and wrapped her snake-like body around Chihiro, forming a large circle around them.
"Shield." Tae muttered as her body emitted a golden light, catching the two combatants attentions for a moment. Chihiro and her sisters were surrounded by the topaz-colored shield as the girl stared at her in confusion.
"Tae? Why-"
"Grimmjow-sama asked us to keep you safe. And I'm making sure I hold up my end of the promise, but it's not like I planned to let you get hurt anyways." Tae answered, her gaze focused on that of Grimmjow and Ichigo. Mae and Rae nodded as they sat on Chihiro's shoulders, turning their attention back to the fight as well.
Chihiro nodded in understanding before turning her attention back to the fight, watching as Grimmjow pulled his blade from a pillar. Grimmjow was standing on top of the pillar, Pantera slung over his shoulder as he stared down at his opponent, planning his next move. He smirked at Ichigo before swooping down and engaging him in hand-to-hand combat, delivering various punches and kicks directed at the carrot-topped shinigami as he fought them off using Zangetsu. He quickly switched to his blade, the two continuing to block each other as they fought. Chihiro could see Grimmjow's lips moving, but couldn't hear what was said over the clashing of their blades or the sound of the wind moving as they used either shunpo or sonido.
"Damn! I want to hear what they're saying!" Rae cursed lowly. Chihiro nodded, she could easily see the anger on Ichigo's face. Whatever he was saying, it was pissing Ichigo off as the teenager growled at the older man. Without warning, Grimmjow fired a cero and Ichigo quickly used Getsuga Tensho to block it, but it was overtaken by the cero and Ichigo jumped out of the way to dodge it. Both disappear in the smoke that resulted as Ichigo tried to look around for Grimmjow, but Chihiro quickly spotted him with ease. He had sonidoed behind Ichigo!
"Wow!" Mae said in awe as Ichigo quickly turned and tried to counter Grimmjow's attack, but was still wounded in the process as a large cut was inflicted on him. Grimmjow growled loudly as he glared at his rival, not at all impressed on how the fight was going so far.
"C'mon! Bring out that mask of yours already!" he exclaimed as he stood on the sand, thrusting his blade into the ground as he did so. Without another word he slit his finger and a powerful cero began to form, using the blood that dripped from the cut as a catalyst. Chihiro looked to where it was aimed at and paled, he was aiming at Orihime and Nel!
"Gran Ray Cero!" he exclaimed as he prepared to fire it. Chihiro turned to Orihime and Nel, holding her hands beside her mouth so the sound of her voice could reach them.
"Orihime-chan, Nel-chan! Get out of the way! Hurry!" she cried, her voice frantic. Grimmjow quickly released it, the blast of energy hurtling towards them and gaining speed. Chihiro quickly jumped over Tae and ran out of the shield, before standing beside of Orihime and Nel and closed her eyes, grabbing on their arms as she tried to yank them out of the way. Tae gasped at this, as well as her sisters.
"Chihiro, come back!" But it was too late, there was no time for them to dodge the devastating attack that was coming right at them. Ichigo turned to them and quickly dove in after them, his eyes widening as he watched Orihime and Nel stare at the attack with fear-stricken eyes. Grimmjow paled when he turned and saw that Chihiro too was in the direct path of his cero.
"Shit, no!"
"Chihiro-" he cried but was cut short when the blast was stopped. Chihiro opened her eyes slowly, confused at first, but quickly gasped at what she saw. She stared at the familiar black-clothed back of a certain strawberry shinigami, before smiling in relief.
"Ichigo-san!" she cried in relief. Orihime sighed as she looked up, but something was different about the boy. She didn't know why, but there was something different about him.
"Kurosaki…kun?" she asked softly, confused. Ichigo turned to them and she stiffened when she spotted his hollow mask, the mask reminding her of her brother for a split second. Chihiro noticed Orihime's expression and quickly backed off, this was something between the two of them and them alone. She ran back to Tae and her sisters, Tae growling at her when she reached them.
"Chihiro, are you crazy? You could have gotten killed!" she exclaimed. Chihiro nodded sadly as she bowed.
"Sorry." Tae sighed before curling protectively around Chihiro again, this time making sure the girl couldn't escape.
"Whatever, just leave it to Ichigo-sama to protect Orihime-sama. You just stay with us." she muttered. Chihiro nodded as Mae and Rae took their places back on Chihiro's shoulders. Grimmjow sighed lightly before his expression changed and he laughed maniacally.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" he cried, pointing to Ichigo's mask. He quickly brought out Pantera and rested his left palm on the blade, preparing to release it.
"Now Kishire, Pantera!" with that, he slid his palm across the blade before he disappeared in an explosion of smoke. Chihiro looked around frantically, trying to spot him in the smoke before she spotted familiar blue hair. But… it was different. It was long, full, and much more wilder. More smoke disappeared to reveal cat ears, skin-tight armor, a head plate, and a tail as it swished around a released Grimmjow, now looking like a mixture between animal and human.
Chihiro gasped loudly as she clutched her dress, this was a completely different looking person. Though he looked much more breath-taking and powerful, was he still the same Grimmjow? The man she had fallen in love with?
He bared his fangs and threw his head back before letting out an animalistic roar, causing a large shockwave before launching himself at Ichigo. Chihiro immediately closed her eyes and covered her ears, she didn't want to see or hear anymore of this. It was just pure madness, watching them as they ripped each other apart.
She didn't want to see the man she cared about get hurt or rip her friend apart, but she couldn't find the will to step in and put a stop to it. Maybe it was because deep down, she knew he had to do this. He had to fight to prove himself, to prove that he was strong. It was a fight for pride, and she knew she couldn't interfere in a fight that involved pride. She could hear the muffled sounds of Nel and Orihime talking, but couldn't make out much of it. She was sure Nel was cheering for Ichigo though. After a few minutes, she could hear someone call out to them.
"Don't die, Kurosaki-kun!" Chihiro opened her eyes and looked at Orihime, startled by the girl's outburst of courage. She then looked down and saw Ichigo at the base of a pillar, slumped against it as Grimmjow stood a few feet away. His mask was broken and was starting to fall off in places, signaling that he was growing tired and worn out. Then she turned her attention back to Orihime.
"You shouldn't be fighting for me… it doesn't matter if you win or lose… just please don't… hurt yourself any more than this…" she sobbed, the tears trailing down her cheeks as the boy stared at her in shock. Chihiro stared at her friend in admiration.
"Oh Orihime-chan…" she thought as she stared at the girl. She heard a cry and looked to see Grimmjow running at the boy, his claws ready to destroy Ichigo's mask. But before his hand could touch him, Ichigo caught it. Grimmjow looked at him in surprise as the boy turned to him, a small smile on his face.
"Sorry Grimmjow, but… I can't let you hurt me anymore." With that, Ichigo brought Zangetsu down on Grimmjow, slashing him across his chest. Chihiro gasped as she tried to run forward, but Tae held her back.
"Grimmjow!" she screamed, her heart hammering wildly inside her chest, thinking that this was it for him. He slumped to the floor as she tried to go to him, struggling to get around Tae's large body. Rae and Mae quickly took human form and held her back, grabbing her around the waist and legs.
"You can't, Chihiro! You'll get killed!" Mae cried as she buried her face into the girl's stomach. But Chihiro shook her head as she struggled, she didn't care. She just didn't want Grimmjow to die.
"I don't care! Grimmjow!" she cried as she struggled. Before Ichigo could attack again, Grimmjow countered with the blades on his forearms and continued the fight. Both fought with great ferocity, neither one giving in or giving up. Suddenly, Grimmjow fired darts from his elbows and aimed them at Orihime and Nel. Chihiro covered her eyes, waiting for the attacks to hit. But… they were stopped and she opened her eyes. Ichigo protected the two using himself as a shield and took the five darts. He panted heavily before returning to stand in front of Grimmjow. The man gave him an approving smirk, impressed.
"I'm impressed. You went to save the girl, but it looks like you took some damage. I'm not surprised." Grimmjow smirked. He shot a dart into a pillar and it destroyed it instantly, turning it into a mountain of rubble. He turned to him.
"And you just took five of those." he mused. Ichigo ignored this and shot forward, continuing to fight them as they exchanged blow after blow. Rae growled as she watched them go at it.
"Fools! At this rate they'll both die!" she hissed as she watched them fight. Chihiro nodded sadly as she lowered her head, it was true. At this rate, they were either going to kill each other, or both die from exhaustion. Ichigo slashed Grimmjow across the chest again and Grimmjow slumped to the ground, causing her to look up in fear. Suddenly, he grabbed Zangetsu's blade and growled something at him, what it was Chihiro couldn't hear. Without warning he impaled Ichigo through the stomach with his hand, causing Orihime to lurch forward.
"Kurosaki-kun!" she screamed in fear. Then Grimmjow proceeded to beat Ichigo mercilessly as he slammed him into the ground, buildings, just about everything around them, punching and kicking him all the while. At this, Chihiro knew she had to try and stop him.
"Grimmjow, stop!" she pleaded. He looked at her for a moment before going back to pummeling the boy, like he hadn't heard her. He then leaped back and a mass of energy began to form at his fingertips, forming into large claw marks. He decided he had dragged out the fight long enough.
"This is my most powerful attack, Desgarrón!" Grimmjow explained as he aimed his attack at the boy and released it. Ichigo blocked it but was pushed back before Tae wrapped around Chihiro tighter, blocking her from view.
"Get down!" she cried as shards began to bombard the shield. Chihiro obeyed and ducked, covering her head with her hands as she crouched there on the ground. After a few moments, she poked her head over Tae's body and watched as Ichigo destroyed the attack, causing it to shatter to pieces.
"I can't lose, Grimmjow! I'm going to defeat you, and everyone who stands in my way and take Chad, Uryu, Renji, Rukia, Chihiro… and Inoue back with me! So I can't die here, Grimmjow!" Ichigo cried as he pushed through the attack using his blade. Chihiro watched as he broke through, his sword aimed at the man's chest. Grimmjow turned his head to look at her, his eyes calm, and a sudden sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed in the air.
"Grimmjow!"
Please review! Before the crazy fans massacre me! *runs from crazed Grimmjow fans*
