OCs (c) Me
Bleach (c) Kubo Tite
The Bleached Chronicles
Chapter 29
"Grimmjow!" Chihiro screamed as she looked at them in horror, her hands held over her mouth. Ichigo had pierced Grimmjow's chest with Zangetsu as the man glared at him, blood beginning to drip pass his lips.
"Sh…it." Grimmjow muttered as Ichigo retracted Zangetsu from his chest, blood spurting out as he did so. He started to fall back but the boy quickly grabbed his wrist, before lowering him to the ground. Chihiro fell to her knees as she stared at his limp form lying in the sand, her eyes wide.
Grimmjow was dead, and it felt like the whole crumbled around her by that one simple fact. The man she loved… was gone forever from this world. She wanted to run to him, but her body wouldn't move. Her legs felt like jelly, like they didn't have the strength to move.
"Grimm… Grimm… Grimmjow!" she sobbed as she buried her face in her hands. Mae and Rae quickly wrapped their arms around her as she buried her head into Mae's shoulder, her feelings overcoming her. Tae was quick to transform into human form and joined her already phased sisters as the three tried to comfort her to no avail. Orihime watched on sadly, holding her hand over her chest tightly.
"I'm so sorry… Chihiro-chan." Orihime said softly as she walked over to the distraught girl's side. Rae glared at her and stepped away, her fists clenched tightly.
"Fuck off, Orihime! You're just happy that Ichigo is alive, and wanted Grimmjow-sama dead in the first place! Chihiro doesn't need your pity!" she spat angrily, making the young woman flinch back in surprise. Mae tugged on her sister's sleeve as Ichigo stood a few feet away, trying to keep her calm so the young man wouldn't go after her for being mean. Nel glomped him immediately as Orihime turned her attention to him.
"Kurosaki-kun…"
"Are you all right, Inoue?" he asked. She nodded before looking at Chihiro. Ichigo followed her gaze and sighed, wondering whether or not he should apologize. Until Orihime told him, he had no idea that Grimmjow and Chihiro were that close, and felt awful about what he did. Rae glared at him, baring her teeth.
"We don't need your fucking pity, Ichigo Kurosaki. Just take that bitch and leave, come near us again and I'll kill you." she hissed venomously. Tae glared at her.
"Shut up, Rae!" she then turned her attention to them. "I'm sorry, but Chihiro needs some time alone. Quickly, get out of here. I'll get her down and we'll escape on our own. We'll see you soon." she apologized, her head bowed slightly. Ichigo nodded reluctantly before picking up Orihime and throwing her over his shoulder, with some protest from Nel. Then he jumped off the pillar, before he and the child began to squabble because she punched him between his legs. Tae looked at Chihiro before transforming into her true form again, extending her whisker so it could wrap around her master's waist. She carefully picked up Chihiro and her sister's and placed them on her back before flying to the ground, not far from Grimmjow's body.
"It's okay, Chihiro. Shh- don't cry anymore." Mae soothed as she placed a hand on the girl's arm. She wasn't sobbing loudly anymore, but her tears didn't stop as they fell from her cheeks. The four stood there for a few moments, before they felt a familiar reiastu spike. Gasping, they turned and looked to see Grimmjow on his feet, panting heavily. Chihiro's head shot up immediately as she got to her feet, her hands over her chest.
"Grimmjow!" she cried in joy and relief, he was okay! He was alive! The Tres Ae sighed as they returned to their tiny dragon forms. The espada was alive, thank goodness.
"Grimmjow-sama!" they cried in unison as they waved, trying to get his attention. Without warning, his released form faded away and the four stiffened, this wasn't good. Chihiro took a few hesitant steps towards him, her hand reached out to him. "Grimmjow…?"
"Like I'd lose... There's no way in hell I'd ever lose to someone like you!" he roared as he ran at Ichigo, trying to run the boy through. Before he could strike, the boy caught his sword with his own. He stared levelly at the sexta for a moment before speaking.
"Stop Grimmjow. You lost." he glanced over at Chihiro, who was standing a few feet away, her hand extended towards the man. He quickly looked back at him.
"Walk away now, while you still have something." he finished, indicating Chihiro. Grimmjow glared at him, baring his teeth.
"Hell no-" he was suddenly cut off when a crescent-shaped weapon sliced him in the neck, causing blood to spurt out as Ichigo and Chihiro stared on in shock. The girl covered her mouth with her hands as she watched him fall to the ground with wide eyes.
"Grimmjow!" Everyone looked on in shock before looking at the owner of the weapon. It was Nnoitra as the man pulled his weapon back, slinging it over his shoulder.
"Sorry to cut in, but you guys were taking too long. Now it's my turn." he cackled. Chihiro growled as tears ran down her face before unsheathing Hoshiookami and pointing it at him, she was going to make him pay. He was going to regret ever doing that to Grimmjow!
"You bastard! How dare you do that to Grimmjow-sama?" Rae growled as Mae and Tae flew in front of Orihime and Nel. In moments a voice cursed lowly and groaned, causing everyone to jump in surprise.
"Nnoitra, you bastard…" Chihiro turned and saw that Grimmjow had survived, much to her relief. The man was glared hatefully at his supposed comrade, his eyes slightly half-lidded as he fought to stay conscious.
"Grimmjow! You're okay!" she cried happily. Nnoitra growled as he glared at the fallen man, starting to swing his weapon as he did so.
"Still alive? Just hurry up and die already!" he cackled as he threw his weapon at him again. Time seemed to slow down as Chihiro gripped Hoshiookami tightly and ran to Grimmjow's side, shielding his body with her own. Grimmjow's eyes widened when she wrapped her arms around his neck and realized what she was doing.
"No! Chihiro!" he cried as he tried to get her out of the way, but he couldn't move. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting to die by Nnoitra's hand as the Tres Ae swooped in, trying to protect them. But before it could hit them, it was blocked by a familiar black blade. They looked up and sighed in relief, the Tres Ae also sighing in response.
"Ichigo-sama!" Mae cheered. Ichigo had managed to block the blade before it could strike them, and was now glaring at the man as he held off his large weapon. Nnoitra looked at him quizzically as he pulled the blade back, confused before turning his attention back to Grimmjow.
"Wow, Grimmjow. To go so low as to have an enemy and a woman protect you from death, how pathetic!" he spat, causing the man to look away in shame. Chihiro growled as she got to her feet, holding her zanpakuto as she glared at the man.
"It's about time someone taught you a lesson!" she cried as she ran at him, blade raised. Ichigo paled as he watched her run, and prepared to run in after her.
"Chihiro! Get back-" Nnoitra saw her coming and prepared to strike her down, but she quickly blocked his blade with her own and dealt him a swift kick in the ribs, forcing him back. He growled as he continued to block and try to avoid her attacks, but it was futile. She swung her blade with all of the strength she had, her mind set on protecting Grimmjow and making Nnoitra pay for what he did to him. Mae, Rae, and Tae flew to Grimmjow's side and watched on with wide eyes, they had never seen such ferocity coming from her. Orihime, who was also watching with wide eyes, heard a sound behind her and turned, before gasping.
"Kurosaki-kun!" she cried before getting cut off. Ichigo turned and saw a blonde-haired arrancar holding Orihime's arms behind her back, he had an eye patch and a turquoise mark on his right cheek. This made the boy growl in rage.
"Inoue!" Before he could move, he heard a pained cry from Chihiro as she fell to the ground. He turned and saw that Nnoitra had kicked her in the stomach, sending her into the ground and was now standing over her as he prepared to finish her off. He looked at her with a wide smirk on his face.
"Not so high and mighty now, are ya? Now to squish you like a bug-" before he could finish, a green blur leaped up and kicked him in the face, sending him fifty feet into the air before he plummeted towards the ground, landing with a loud and heavy thud. Chihiro turned and saw a preteen with long, emerald-green hair standing over her, wearing long and flowing arm gloves and what looked like a strange green seifuku.
"Jeez! It took me awhile to find you guys! Good thing I found you, or else you guys would've been toast!" the girl smirked as she turned, revealing dark green eyes that glimmered with mirth. The Tres Ae smiled.
"Sae! It's you!" they cried in unison. Indeed, it was Sae as she helped Chihiro to her feet, her green eyes flashing to Nnoitra's rising form before looking back to her. Before Chihiro could ask how she got here, Sae spoke.
"Chihiro, get out of here. Ichigo-sama and I will handle him, but you have to get out of here and heal Grimmjow-sama." she ordered as she pushed the girl towards her wounded lover. Chihiro was silent for a moment before nodding.
"Okay. Mae, Rae, Tae!" she called. Tae nodded as she transformed into her true form, her body extending as she grew, before she wrapped her whisker around the girl and placed her on her back, along with a grievously wounded Grimmjow. Mae and Rae held on tightly to Chihiro's shoulders while she supported Grimmjow's limp form against her.
"Okay Tae, let's go!" she ordered. Tae nodded as she took off, going as fast as she could, knowing that time was of the essence. Chihiro held Grimmjow against her as they flew, tears falling down her cheeks as she felt his soft but faint breaths against her neck.
"Please… don't die, Grimmjow."
-Sexta's Quarters-
"Heave-ho!" the Tres Ae grunted as they helped Chihiro get Grimmjow onto the bed, the four straining at the effort because of how heavy he was. Once he was on the bed, they began to examine the many wounds that covered his body. He was bleeding profusely mostly from the neck and chest and they knew that if they didn't stop it soon, he would surely die. Mae landed on his chest and turned to the others.
"Okay, now we're going to need some bandages to wrap up any of the wounds that aren't healed once I finish healing him. And some peroxide to clean his wounds, we can't have them getting infected. Chihiro, you stay put and let us heal him. You need rest." Mae instructed, holding up her paw like a teacher would when they explained how to complete a task. Both of her sisters nodded as they ran into his bathroom to find the necessary items while Chihiro shook her head, she didn't want to sit by and do nothing. She wanted to help!
"I can't! He-" Mae glared at her immediately, cutting her off as the two stared at each other.
"Chihiro, there's nothing you can do now. Just rest, and we'll take care of everything. Trust me, everything's gonna be okay." she reassured her, placing her paw over her chest. Chihiro was silent before nodding and pulling up a chair, deciding to do as the dragon said. Mae smiled before looking at Grimmjow, her body beginning to light up as she prepared to release her shield.
"Okay, here goes! Heal!" Immediately, their bodies were surrounded by a sapphire-blue shield as Mae began to heal his wounds. Tae and Rae came in with the bandages and peroxide and they proceeded to care for him.
-Hours Later-
"Ugh…" Grimmjow groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. He could feel a heavy weight on his body and tried to move, wincing as pain shot into his muscles. Damn, was he sore and stiff. His whole body felt cold, with the exception of his hands which were warm, because someone was holding them. He also felt a sudden dissipation of a certain someone's reiastu, causing him to blink in confusion. Deciding to ignore it for the moment, he decided to focus on trying to figure things out.
"What the fuck… happened?" he thought as he tried to remember what happened. He remembered getting beaten by Kurosaki, then that damn Nnoitra attacking him, and the last thing he remembered was Chihiro protecting him. Then he shuddered.
Chihiro.
Where was Chihiro?
He opened his eyes and closed them again, wincing at the brightness of wherever he was at piercing his gaze. He blinked them a couple of times before his vision cleared up. He looked around, realizing that he was back in his room when he spotted the clothes on the floor and a few familiar things like his balcony. Looking down at himself, he saw that some of his chest was wrapped in bandages as well as his wrists and neck, probably covering his wounds. He slowly sat up and looked around again before spotting Chihiro, who was asleep with a chair pulled up against the bed, holding his hands limply as she slept. He sighed in relief, she was okay.
"Good… she's safe… how long have I been out?" he wondered as he looked outside, trying to figure out how long he had been out.
"Oh good, you're awake. You've been out for some time." a voice spoke, causing him to jump in surprise. He turned and saw a girl, probably in her early teens, with long green hair sitting on his couch, with the Tres Ae in her lap as they slept. He growled before wrapping a protective arm around Chihiro. Who was she?
"Who are you?" he growled, holding his woman protectively against his chest. The girl giggled softly, placing a hand against her lips as she did so.
"I'm not surprised that you don't recognize me. The last time we saw each other was when Hiro was brought to Hueco Mundo, along with Chihiro." the girl laughed softly. He stared at her quizzically before staring at the dragons in her lap. Then it hit him.
"Oh. You're the green one that hung around the kid." he realized, remembering the eldest of the triplets that often stayed with Hiro. The girl nodded.
"I thought by now you would've remembered my name. It's Sae, don't forget it." she reprimanded. He growled before nodding, though he really didn't give a damn about what her name was. Then the girl pointed to his body.
"Mae healed you. But she couldn't take the soreness out of your body, she used almost all of her strength just to keep you alive. She's resting, along with the others. Chihiro's been with you the whole time, she just fell asleep a little while ago." She explained as she pointed at him. He was silent before meeting her gaze.
"How long have I been out?" he asked. She shrugged, clueless.
"Dunno. It's hard to keep track of time here. I could've been a few hours, a few days…even a week! But that doesn't matter. You're alive, and that's all the matters." She sighed, shrugging her shoulders. He nodded before looking down and pulling Chihiro into his lap, resting her head comfortably against his chest. He stroked her hair softly before turning his attention to the girl again.
"How'd you get here? And what happened to Nnoitra?" he asked. She sighed.
"I came with Kenpachi Zaraki, Taicho of the 11th division, and Yachiru Kusajishi, Fukutaicho of the 11th division. You see, after Hiro came back she gave her parents a false lead to Chihiro's whereabouts and currently she and her parents are in Kyoto."
"Meanwhile, I remained in Karakura Town and waited for the Gotei 13 to act, and had managed to find him and Yachiru and tagged along with them. When we got here, I felt Chihiro and my sister's reiastus and followed after them, and they followed after me. But… got lost." she explained. Grimmjow nodded before she continued.
"And when I finally found you guys, Nnoitra, at least I think that was his name, was about to kill her. I kicked him and she managed to escape and get you to safety. That left Ichigo-sama and I to deal with him, but he was too much for us. He threw me into a pillar and beat the living crap out of Ichigo-sama and this other woman, Nel, before Kenpachi and Yachiru finally appeared." she paused for a moment before continuing.
"And after a long fight, he finally finished off Nnoitra. Then, I came here to see how your healing was progressing while Ichigo-sama and the others went after Orihime-sama, who was kidnapped again. And so, here we are." Sae finished. He smirked, at least Nnoitra got was he deserved. Served him right for blindsiding him.
"Ha, bastard got what he deserved." Grimmjow muttered, smirking a little. He heard a soft moan leave Chihiro's lips and cradled her to him, Ichigo's words deciding to echo in his head at that very moment.
"Walk away now, while you still have something." his words echoed. This made the sexta espada think, and think hard. He had lost, but if it weren't for him, he would have lost everything. His life, his honor, and even Chihiro. Sae watched them before leaning against the couch.
"You're very lucky, Grimmjow-sama." she spoke. He snapped his head up and looked at her questionably, eyebrow raised.
"You could have died out there, but you didn't. You were given a second chance, not just by the fates but by Ichigo Kurosaki as well. Be happy, that you can hold her now when not even hours ago, you could have died, laying on those sandy dunes." She explained as she tried to make herself comfortable on his couch. But it was hard, since it was lumpy. He nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, you're right." he muttered. She smiled at this, maybe he wasn't a dumb brute after all.
"I entrust her happiness with you. After watching how she fought Nnoitra to protect your life, how she cried when we all thought you were going to die, you're the only person I can trust to keep her safe and happy. So, will you accept it?" she asked tiredly, giving a small yawn. Man, was babysitting three kids and two unconscious adults tiring. He was silent for a moment before holding her close to his chest.
"Yeah." he mumbled. She smiled before laying down on the couch, holding her sisters close to her chest as sleep took her.
"That's good…" she mumbled as she gave into sleep. Grimmjow watched the young girl for a few moments before looking down at the girl in his arms. He held Chihiro close to his chest as he carefully laid her down on the bed, before curling protectively around her and holding her tightly. He felt her sigh softly before she buried her face into his chest, a soft smile on her lips. He smirked at this.
"You're one hell of a pain sometimes. But you're mine, and I'm not letting you out of my sights again." he thought before burying his face into her chocolate-brown hair and closing his eyes, letting sleep take his tired and worn-out body.
See? I let him live. But that's because he's actually still alive in the manga. Thank you, Kubo! I loves ya! XD
