(A/N) Got creative juices - and some fermented juices- flowing and got my next few chapters mapped out, so hopefully I can keep outputting. huge huge thank you to my readers for encouragement! I needed it, because this is my quarantine therapy! its also resulting in some really lond chapters so hope you enjoy. Stay safe guys!
Chapter 25
"Um… guys? You did not say we had to do a friggin' parade into this place. Is it always like this?" Mara asked, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. There were what she could only assume were students dressed in blue and red lining both sides of a long, carpeted processional. Some were clapping and talking, some were climbing over one another to get to the front, and some were even cheering out Hisagi's name. Mostly the women were doing that.
Hisagi pulled Mara up next to him to walk beside him as they headed through the courtyard, but Grimmjow was the one who answered from his place behind her. "Yeah, though normally our entrance is a bit of a mixed bag."
Before Mara could ask what he meant, the clapping died down but the murmurs rose and she strained to listen to what they were saying. The murmurs droned like a million flies and she was unable to pick out phrases but the myriad of looks answered her. Shock- who was she and why was she next to this beloved captain. Jealousy- same reason. Rage. The rage confused her until an anonymous loudmouth in the crowd yelled out "Fuck you, Espada!"
Mara's steps faltered and her eyes went wide, but neither Hisagi nor Grimmjow slowed their steps. The heckling rang out again with more voices joining the yells of hate this time. Looking over her shoulder, she was surprised to see Grimmjow's face showed nothing on it but boredom. He caught her eye and winked, before minutely gesturing with his chin for her to look forward and keep walking. He was used to this, she realized. Too used to this.
The din from the crowd rose louder as more people joined the jeering, but this time they were countered by the yells of others calling them out for doubting the judgement of a captain. Mara raised her eyes to see Hisagi's face was hard, eyes scanning the crowd for those speaking without breaking his stride.
"You aren't going to do anything?" she asked him softly.
"He can't," Grimmjow again answered, "he tried the first year and they almost took his post from him. Only reason they didn't is that there weren't enough ranked officers left to replace him."
"They also almost gave you back to 12. Reprehinsible…" Hisagi added lowly, trailing off. He flicked his eyes to Mara, "As I said, Koi, there are still many improvements needed to be made in Soul Society, but we will get there. Not all here are bad."
Mara nodded and let out a sigh of relief as they finally crossed the threshold of the main Academy building, the door shutting behind them. The men did not break their formation however as they wound deeper into the building, Grimmjow two paces behind the captain. Mara began to notice that no more students were present and she could only see the black shinigami outfits on people running around in between rooms. Often, they were carrying stacks of papers or rolls of scrolls that they barely kept up right as they scurried. Other shinigami with badges on their arms waited in the hall in small groups.
She saw a figure emerge in a white haori like Hisagi's and immediately two shinigami with arm badges peeled off from the group to dutifully follow him until he entered another room. She was surprised to note they maintained a distance of 2 steps behind him the whole way. This was apparently another unwritten rule.
"Good, we beat a lot of people here," Hisagi said softly to himself. "Mara, stay with Grimmjow while he gets in line for the combat viewing, I'll join you soon."
"Oh, okay," Mara answered hesitantly.
"Don't worry, you're safe here. I'll only be 5 minutes," Hisagi said warmly, dropping a quick kiss on her head before disappearing through a door.
"What?" she heard Grimmjow growl out behind her, "You don't think I can protect you?"
Mara turned to look at the espada whose casual demeanor and almost angry face were at odds with the sheen of hurt in his eyes. "Of course, I do," she answered without hesitation, causing his brows to raise just a hair in surprise, "but I am also smart enough to realize that we are in a place where you may actually have to."
Grimmjow's look softened and he motioned for her to walk with him further down the hall to where a small group of badged shinigami were gathering. "We have friends in these ranks too, ya know, Yumekanau," he smirked at her as he slid in front of a mountain of a man who was stuffing his face with something fried that smelled like heaven.
The man's rotund face turned almost the same shade of purple as his collar. Mara gasped as he grabbed the espada by his shoulder and whipped Grimmjow around to face him. "ESPADA!" the man roared, "I was in this line before you and deserve the prime seats!"
"Congratulations, Omaeda. You want a fucking cookie?" Grimmjow replied dryly, before reaching out to hit the big man lightly in the stomach. "Who am I kidding, of course you do."
Omaeda's eye twitched before he burst into a loud rumbling laugh, making Mara jump. "You crack me up!" he wheezed, "But I will take that cookie! You give me enough of them and maybe the king can finally have some gold!" The big man tapped an enormous golden medallion that hung on a thick gold chain around his neck.
"I ain't got no need for that shit, man," Grimmjow said with a toothy grin, "but if you really want to lose another piece of jewelry, how about we fight for it again?"
"Ha! You think I haven't increased my training! I am the Lieutenant of Squad 2! Second tier leader of the Stealth Force! The Vice Chief Commander of the Punishment Force-"
"I think you are making those extra titles up" Grimmjow interjected, deadpanning, but Omaeda was not deterred.
"- and if you think I shall lose to you-"
"Again."
"Then you have not realized my position of honor and strength! I will fell all who oppose me, as is my right and my ability as the –"
"Omaeda," a low, female voice rang out into the hallway, "Shut up."
Mara's eyes widened as the mountain in front of her seemed to crumble under the dark gaze of this small woman. "Y-yes, Captain," he managed to squeak out before she disappeared back behind her door with a slam.
"I see she is still as intense as ever," Grimmjow muttered, pulling Mara closer to him by her elbow.
"Yeah," Omaeda practically whispered, "And this is her in a good mood with Lady Yoruichi being able to visit consistently."
"Who was that?" Mara asked Grimmjow in a low voice.
Omaeda turned, finally noticing the diminutive woman now tucked against Grimmjow's side. "That is the Captain of Squad 2, Leader of the Stealth Force and Chief Commander of the Punishment Force, Soi Fon! How do you not know one of the most feared women in- wait a second…" Omeada went quiet, flicking his eyes to Grimmjow he asked, "Is this her?"
"Yeah," Grimmjow said, draping a possessive arm over her shoulder, "This is Mara."
Mara could feel the tenseness grow in Grimmjow's muscles as he introduced her to the man who she assumed may be something close to a friend. Despite their banter, Grimmjow seemed ready and coiled for an attack against this mountain. It would seem impossible to overcome a behemoth like Omaeda, she thought, but hadn't they said that Grimmjow could beat him? He already had… Mara leaned in a touch closer to hollow guarding her and felt safer propped against his strength.
Omaeda's eyes widened and he swooped her hand up, pressing his greasy lips to her knuckles. "No one told me that you were such a vision to behold!" he exclaimed in a stage whisper. "I am Omaeda Marechiyo," he said, pointing a beefy thumb at his large chest, "And if you ever want to be taken out and truly treated like a queen, you need only come to me! My family is one of the wealthiest in Seretei and I will show you sights and take you places you have never beheld!"
Mara gave a wobbly grin, unsure how to respond but Grimmjow wrapped the man's wrist in a tight grip. "Let go, or you lose the arm just like your captain," he growled menacingly.
"Oh, that's right," Omaeda said with an odd look in his eye, staring hard at Grimmjow, "She is promised to your captain. Huh."
Grimmjow stared hard back at him for an extended moment before breaking back into his trademark grin as Omaeda released her hand. "Sure," he answered back with an easy shrug.
Omaeda continued to watch Grimmjow, fixing his pointed stare at Grimmjow's protective hold around Mara's shoulders. It only made her want to cave into Grimmjow's embrace more.
"You know Omaeda is harmless, Grimmjow," came a lilting, musical voice hidden behind Omaeda, "He doesn't know how to react when faced with beauty. I, on the other hand, am well versed in dealing with those who share the trait." A dark headed figure stepped out from behind the large man in front. Decorative feathers framed his wide, purple eyes. His orange turtleneck came up to frame his androgynous face that was perfectly symmetrical, only offset by an artful braid on one side. "After all, I have to see myself in the mirror every day," he said with a hair flip.
He studied Mara for a moment before continuing, "Indeed you are beautiful. I am Ayasegawa Yumichika and we must do something about that frumpy robe."
Mara's hands rose to clench the robe more tightly around her, uncomfortable with the attention. She mentally thanked Grimmjow as he growled out, "Robe stays."
"Leave them alone, Yumichika," another voice ground out as a man with a head as clean as a cue-ball stepped out beside him, "This is not the place to discuss fashion."
"Any place is suitable to discuss how to highlight one's beauty," Yumichika replied haughtily with his nose in the air.
Finally cracking a real smile, Grimmjow removed his arm from Mara's shoulder to greet the men. "Ikkaku!" he laughed out, "Yumichika… what are you guys doing here?"
"Lamenting the fact that that ugly bone cannot be removed from your otherwise perfect face," Yumichika replied, voice verging on despair.
Ikkaku rolled his eyes before answering. "I have been called back as the new lieutenant, and this one had to come back to be officially moved to third seat, so we are stopping missions for a little while," he explained, gesturing vaguely to the badge wrapped around his upper arm.
"I'm so excited to be 3!" Yumichika exclaimed, obscenely dancing in joy, "It's so perfect, so beautiful!"
Mara couldn't help the giggle that rose in her throat at his antics as both men shook their heads in horror.
"Lieutenant, eh? Congrats," Grimmjow said, "What happened to the little, pink-haired demon?"
Ikkaku's smile dropped and he scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "Gone. That's all I know."
"Huh," Grimmjow said with a snort, "At least you are back so I can get a real fight in now and again."
Ikkaku's feral smile mirrored Grimmjow's own before he finally turned his attention on Mara. "Maderame Ikkaku. And you are?" he asked, extending his hand.
"Mara… Oliviera Mara," she stuttered out, juxtaposing her name as was custom. She reached out and briefly shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you," he said solemnly, as if he meant it, "So what are you doing here?"
"Well, I'm here with Shuu… Captain Hisagi and Grimmjow and, um… It's honestly a long story," she shrugged.
"Not that long," Omaeda said, showering crumbs as he stuffed another handful of something in his mouth, "She's engaged to Captain Hisagi. He brought her along because she has to be watched at all times. She came in all cookoo and -OW!"
Omaeda's stream was cut off by the yell as Grimmjow landed a hard punch to his kidneys. "Like she said, it's a long story," he told a now wide-eyed Ikkaku and Yumichika over Omaeda's bent form.
"You mean Hisagi is…" Ikkaku muttered.
"To her?" Yumichika asked, shocked, "But we all thought…"
"Yes. To her." Came a feminine voice. Her tone was icy in contrast to her looks.
Mara's eyes widened as they took in the new arrival. She was as tall as Yumichika, maybe taller, with long auburn hair that cascaded down her back in gentle waves. Her wide blue eyes were clear as a crystal lake and her perfectly bow-shaped mouth was only accented by the beauty mark placed perfectly on her face. Her face seemed to simply be the icing on the cake as her ample cleavage threatened to spill from her uniform top above a slim waist and hips. She was every man's wet dream. She looked like a goddess.
"Wipe the sneer off, Tits," Grimmjow growled at her.
The woman turned her imperious gaze on the espada, somehow looking down her nose at the taller man. "For the 478th time, Hollow, that is not my name," she sneered out before turning her scrutiny on Mara herself. "You must be… her."
The way she said it made Mara feel even smaller in this grand woman's presence, but she tried to swallow her insecurity. She held out her hand to the woman. "I'm… I'm Mara. Nice to meet you."
"Hmph. Matsumoto Rangiku, Lieutenant of the 10th division," she said before turning her back to walk to her place in line, ignoring Mara's proffered hand.
"Don't be like that!" Yumichika sighed, "Beauty should not fight amongst itself!"
Mara's shoulders dropped in defeat. I guess I just met my first enemy, she realized.
"She isn't always like this," Omaeda explained between handfuls, "She's just upset because she and Hisa-"
"Stop speaking now, pig, or I will kill you," Matsumoto said icily, glaring daggers at the other lieutenant.
Omaeda's face turned red as he turned back around to face the front, glaring into his bag of food. Mara hesitantly extended her hand to pat the big man's arm and offer him a small smile of comfort. Omaeda looked down in surprise before a warm smile graced his features. He patted her small hand before going back to munching happily from his bag.
"Mmm, look who's back," Matsumoto said in a low voice as all eyes turned to follow her gaze.
A tall captain with dark hair strode forward, silver/blue scarf wafting lazily around him. His hair was held by silver combs like a crown on his head and Mara had a faint feeling of recognizing him. He was the first captain in the garden she had landed in. Byakuya Kuchiki. She turned to Grimmjow to ask if she was right only to see that the espada had frozen. His tense arm was shaking as he reached out to push her close to Omaeda.
"No way…" Ikkaku murmured.
"How?" asked Yumichika softly, "Why?"
Following his line of vision she could finally see that it was the figure behind the captain that was holding the attention of everyone around her. The tall figure was hard to even Identify as a person but he loomed above the already tall captain in front of him. From this distance she couldn't make out many features but she could see that his deep crimson hair was woven into a long braid that fell over his shoulder and his body, and even part of his face, was covered in bandages.
"Abarai. Fuck." Grimmjow whispered to himself beside her.
She was unable to look any longer at the newcomer- Abarai?- as she was pushed up against Omaeda, who looked down in confusion. "I have to get my captain," Grimmjow said without looking away from the new man approaching, "Watch her." Grimmjow didn't wait for a response as he sonido'd to bang on a door far down the hallway.
Mara was suddenly very nervous at being left alone even though she could still see her protector not far away and she tuned worried eye to the big man next to her.
"Don't worry, Imoutosan [Little Sister}, I will make sure you are okay," Omaeda said kindly, patting her shoulder with a heavy hand, "I don't know what his problem is. It's just Abarai Renji finally coming back home."
"You sure know how to make a guy feel special," came a deep rasping voice.
"Renji!" Omaeda greeted him loudly, "You look like you should still be in the healers!"
"I can't stay cooped up," the man said harshly as he stepped around Omaeda to greet him face to face, "Now who has a prob-"
Mara looked up at the tall man as he froze in place, words dying on his lips as he saw her. She would swear his eyes would have opened wider if they could but one was covered completely by bandages that ran across his face and over his nose. The other was still swollen with green and black bruises that had just begun to fade. He also wore a white bandana that almost fully covered his forehead though she could see the bare edges of tattoos peeking out of the top and bottom. Tattoos resembling lightning bolts were visible on the sides of his neck and seemed to continue lower to his collarbones and chest, but they were also covered by bandages. The extensive wrappings went down both arms to his hands, covering all but his inked fingers.
"Ippin," he whispered in a tortured gasp.
Mara craned her neck back to look in the stranger's face. Dear god, he was even taller than Hisagi. He seemed vaguely familiar. The piercing eyes from her memories popped into her mind, but there was so much bandaging, so many bruises, that she just couldn't tell. The voice was different, just as deep but lacking strength. She couldn't help but stare at the stranger in confusion as he looked so intently at her. It was like he knew her.
Renji couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He didn't know if he could take this anymore. He had been prepared to step back and let Mara find her own happiness, no matter how it killed him inside. He would leave on her pedestal with a more worthy man to worship her. He had not been prepared to see her today. The dark teal robe reminded him of the dress she had worn to the sea and their salt-laced first kiss. Her hair was still the multihued blue of the sea and heavens, apparently the color matched her soul. It was no surprise to him as he had seen the play of colors awash in her rietsu. She looked beautiful and full and healthy as she had when she was a Whole before…
Please…
No, it wasn't her appearance or even her presence that was breaking Renji apart. He swore if it wasn't for the bandages he may have shattered apart on this very floor. It was the look she was giving him. Where love once blazed in an inferno of intention, emptiness stared out. There was no warmth in her look, no spark of recognition, just cold confusion and a cruel curiosity.
Please…
Renji knew that everyone was probably watching but he didn't care as he croaked out her name again. "Ippin…" he pled, trying to infuse all that he was feeling into his call for her. He was begging her for recognition. He watched with a small shred of hope as her brows furrowed. She leaned closer, biting the edge of her lip as was her habit when she was thinking hard. The sharp tip of hope was poised to release his boundless joy…
Please…
"What… what is Ippin?" she asked softly.
Renji could feel the needle of hope instead turn to stab his heart. He gasped wildly as he tried to think of anything to sway her. She was right here! Not under protection, not hidden away, not out of sight! He knew he should leave her to her happy new life but he just couldn't do it.
"Lieutenant Abarai," he could hear Byakuya's deep voice calling him back.
Renji threw a dispassionate glare that practically screamed 'don't fuck with me right now' at his captain, who only responded by lowering his eyelids in annoyance, much to the other lieutenants' shock. Renji turned back to see Mara shifting her weight uncomfortably and rubbing absentmindedly on her wrist. Her left wrist. The tattoo!
Renji reached out and grabbed Mara's wrist, causing her to yelp. He was gentle, but his iron grasp peeled her arm away from her body so that he could confirm it was still there.
Even Matsumoto looked on in concern as he grabbed hold of the girl and bent her arm to where she could look at her own wrist.
Mara noticed from her peripherals that Omaeda's bag of food dropped forgotten to the ground as he wrapped Renji in his meaty palms. "Abarai!" he roared, preparing to yank the man away from Mara, but he never got the chance. Without turning to look, Renji landed a palm heal hit to Omeada's chest, effectively sending the huge lieutenant crashing into the far wall of the hallway.
Mara's eyes widened in fear. Was he why she had to be protected? While he was scaring the shit out of her, she couldn't read that he meant her harm on his face but…
"Do you know what this means?" he asked her in that intensely hoarse whisper, holding her small tattoo that she had yet to decipher in front of her face.
Mara darted fear laced eyes between her own arm and the fearsome visage in front of her. Her words stuck in her throat.
Renji took a deep breath, trying to calm himself from the panic and anger at the unfairness of it all. She looked… she looked SCARED! Scared of HIM! He gentled his expression, dropping his voice into a soft croon. "Come on, Ippin… do you know what this is?" he asked rubbing his thumb over her wrist as he bent down to graze her knuckles with his lips.
Mara's eyes widened as she tried frantically to figure out what he fuck was going on. His going from scaring her like hell to a gentle caress in less than a second was throwing her for a loop. She shook her head wordlessly in response and the large man sighed in front of her, nibbling his own broken lip as if in thought. Suddenly he reached over to the arm holding hers and began ripping away the bandages there with a growl.
No sooner than he had ripped through the first layer, Mara felt her arm yanked from Renji's grasp as she was twirled and set behind a large muscular body.
Grimmjow blazed into her vision in a blur of white and bright teal. His eyes glowed blue as he batted Renji's hand off her before ramming him with a shoulder. The taller man reeled backwards from the hit to his bandaged chest before he looked up utter shock.
Renji watched in horror as an espada, an espada he was very familiar with, swept in between him and his Ippin in like a lightning strike. The horror grew as Grimmjow turned to reach Mara behind him. His hand came out to lift and cradle her chin as he appeared to look her over. The blood was pounding in his ears too loudly for him to hear what he was saying to her, but her eyes softened into a familiar warmth and she gave a small nod and smile. He watched as Grimmjow turned back to him with a smirk as Renji watched Mara scoot fully behind his opponent and lay a confirming hand on the shoulder of that monster.
Grimmjow could tell he had fucked Renji up while barely landing a blow and it had nothing to do with the man's pre-existing injuries. Destruction was so much more fun when it happened from the inside out. He smirked even wider as Mara responded to his order to stay behind him by sliding her affirmative touch from his shoulder to trail down his back in a gentle scratch that made him want to fucking purr. Even if Renji didn't see it, it was win for him all on its own.
As Renji stood there, mouth open, locked in surprise and horror, Grimmjow's shit-eating grin just grew wider until it finally jogged Renji from his stupor.
"Jaegerjaques!" he yelled, charging forward in a flash, "What the hell are you doing out of a cell?! Get the hell away from her!"
Grimmjow met him chest to chest as Mara cowered against a wall. "Oh you didn't hear?" he mocked, "I'm employed here now. What are you going to do about it?"
Renji blinked in disbelieve but after glancing at the faces around him, he realized it was true. They had let the monster out of the cage and given him a fucking job?! Renji's eyes darted around as hit mind flew to chaos. He could see Mara hiding behind the monster whose literal soul was missing while he begged for her to see him. Motherfucking espada causing yet another problem. She was supposed to be with Hisagi! Protected by Hisagi! Instead she was traipsing around and being protected by an espada just like the one that separated them in the first place.
With a roar, Renji saw red and lunged at Grimmjow, aiming for his face. Renji was slowed by his physical state, however and Grimmjow had ample time to parry the blow. He latched onto Renji's extended arm and swung him bodily around, slamming him into a support.
Renji's reaction time wasn't doused at all however and no sooner had he landed than he grabbed a trident from the guard next to where he had landed, launching it Grimmjow. As the espada deflected the incoming weapon, Renji charged him, catching Grimmjow open and plowing him backwards.
Grimmjow was prepared and quickly shifted his feet and center of gravity, using Renji's own momentum to send him flipping over his hip. He was not prepared for Renji to have grown so damn strong since the last time he had seen him, however, as Renji didn't release his grip on Grimmjow's waist. Instead Renji pulled Grimmjow over him using his own body weight as a lever to send Grimmjow rocketing away from him. The espada skidded to a stop, letting out a roar of his own as he leapt, mirroring Renji, back into the fray. Neither man was prepared to be yanked bodily out of the air by multiple sets of hands and slammed against opposite walls.
"What the hell is going on?" Ikkaku yelled as he held back one of Renji's arms.
"Just hold him!" Yumichika growled back from his other arm as Omaeda pinned Renji's waist. Ikkaku's eye's widened as he watched Renji's tensed biceps strain so hard that the bandages began to tear from them.
Matsumoto and another lieutenant worked to hold back the raging espada who's eyes glowed with malice. Multiple guards surrounded him, the tips of their spears and tridents pressing against his tough flesh to keep him in place.
Byakuya walked calmly between the two men, pulling his sword from its sheath at his waist.
No… Mara thought as she watched on in horror. She could see wisps of red and blue mingling in the air, at odds with each other even in their graceful swirling, but she couldn't move, couldn't speak. It was like all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. Her legs collapsed out from under her as she broke out into a cold sweat. She could hear the low rumble of Byakuya's voice from what felt like so far away. This needed to stop. Hisagi needed to stop this. She couldn't hear herself as she screamed out his name over and over again, finally lapsing into whimpering, "Otto… Hisagi… Otto…"
"For raising your hand against a member of the 13 Court Guard Squads, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques," Byakuya said disapassionately, "I shall put you to death."
No!
"Scatter, Senbonzakura."
Senbonzakura….
Mara felt like the floor had dropped out from under her until she realized that she was sitting a metal chair, a magazine open on her lap. She didn't look up as she asked "Senbonzakura?", rolling the unfamiliar word around on her tongue as she tried to pronounce it right.
"Yup," the deep voice replied. She could see tattooed fingers playing with a delicate thread anklet on her ankle, feet raised up to rest on a thick, well-muscled thigh.
She turned the page of the magazine. Her arms were so heavy. "A thousand flowers doesn't really strike fear into one's heart. Sorry," she said with a shrug.
She was rewarded with a deep laugh and a light flick on her converse clad foot. "A thousand small blades that shine like flower petals, able to cut from any angle, flowing too fast to fend off, is a bit too long for one name, Ippin."
Ippin.
"No one can block it and none survive," he concluded.
"You did," Mara said warmly.
"Tch, yeah, I did," the voice purred, "and it resulted in the first sign of respect I ever got from the man."
Senbonzakura… no one can block it and none survive.
"NO!" Mara screamed as she saw the pink petals launch into the air headed toward Grimmjow. She didn't notice that every movement except the pieces of sword had stopped in the room as all eyes fixed on her. She didn't notice that her rietsu had made the leap from nothing to a tidal wave that seemed to douse the room. All she knew was that she had to get to Grimmjow. He was her protector, her friend, her… She had to save him.
Mara launched from her position and the next thing she new she was in front of Grimmjow, a small cut on her cheek beginning to leak blood from where a petal had brushed across her cheek. She crashed into the shocked espada and wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him.
"Makenai Hito… No. I can't lose you, I won't!" she sobbed against his neck.
The press of Mara against him, her desperate words, knocked Grimmjow from his shock. She had moved so fast on just a single wave of rapidly suppressed rietsu… Freeing his arms easily from his shocked captors, Grimmjow wrapped himself around her in return. "I got you, I'm still here," he said gently even as his bright eyes tracked the unrelenting course of the pieces of Senbonzakura heading their way.
In the blink of an eye, Grimmjow gave up the fight and opted instead to save the girl. He pressed her face into his shoulder and spun with Mara clinging to his front, crouching down to press her into the corner of the wall. He pulled her arms from around his neck, pushing her into a ball, sheltered by as much of his body as he could. "Don't look, Yumekanua, please don't look," he whispered.
"Grimm," she whispered as she began to feel his body jerk above her.
"Why did you try to protect me?" he asked her in soft gasps laden with pain.
"You're… my friend? I don't know, I just can't lose you," she answered loudly, speaking past the now howling wind within the storm of flower petals. She was beginning to feel a trickling of blood drip down her shoulder from Grimmjow above her. She could barely hear what sounded like frantic yelling outside the sphere of blades.
"Yumekanau," Grimmjow panted in her ear, "means dream come true. "You are… you…"
Mara wanted to see him, wanted to comfort him. She tried to move her head to see him but Grimmjow's strength wasn't gone yet. He held her still under him even as his weight began to sag against her.
"Don't… look," he whispered softly.
"I tried to save you because… because…" Mara stuttered over her words as she felt Grimmjow's breaths coming in shallow, stuttering gurgles, "Dammit!" She couldn't help the sob caught in her throat. "I tried to save you because I know it was you that saved me, who kissed me."
Grimmjow's finger moved gently against her hair as she cried into his chest.
"You… you… you tasted like hot summer nights and darkness and I loved it. Your arms felt like home and… I've only ever seen your face go soft for me alone. I know its stupid but its just an overwhelming feeling that you are an inevitable part of my heart.
Grimmjow pressed quivering lips, wet with blood to Mara's ear, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Koi no yokan, Yumekanau."
"Yes. Koi no yokan."
No sooner had the words left her mouth that the onslaught of blades stopped. Mara raised her eyes to see Hisagi standing above them wielding two rapidly spinning scythes. A thin trickle of blood ran down his face and right arm but he was keeping the petals at bay with the wind currents from his weapons alone.
Byakuya held the hilt of his sword, reforming it from the petals. "You can't just take someone who should be a prisoner and spare them due punishment."
"I did before," Hisagi said stoically, "I will do so again."
Returning Kazeshini to its sheath, he strode purposefully over to Grimmjow's huddled and bloody figure.
Renji could do no more than watch with wretched eyes as Hisagi pulled his Ippin from under the espada that had protected her with his life. He thought she was gone when she raced into the storm of Byakuya's blade. He had screamed for him to stop but he had done nothing, shocked into stillness.
Grimmjow had acted. Grimmjow had taken every hit directly but still didn't move. She had tried to save him and he had succeeded in saving her where Renji had failed over and over again. He watched as Mara finally saw the carnage Grimmjow had shielded her from, tears coming to her eyes and her hand flew to her mouth.
Griimjow reached out a hand to the girl, which she stooped down and held. "Please, don't look, Yume…" he managed to garble out. He was still trying to save her even then from the nightmares that would come.
He saw Omaeda rise and help to gingerly lift the torn and bloody espada onto Hisagi's shoulders in a fireman's carry. Mara never let go of his hand as they walked away wordlessly from the group, turning shy eyes to Hisagi to make sure it was ok.
Otto. Renji realized what she had said. She had called him otto. God dammit.
Walking beside Hisagi, Mara didn't let go of Grimmjow's hand even as his blood flowed down her arm, just as Hisagi never faltered in his carrying even as his haori was dyed red with blood. Both were stoic, both were silent and lost in thought. And both were shocked and dismayed as the cheering of the crowd, that was still gathered in the courtyard, turned rabid at the sight of the bloody espada.
"There's really nothing we can say to them?" Mara asked Hisagi. "This is madness, this is wrong, Otto. He saved me!"
"I know he did, Koibito," Hisagi said with sadness in his eyes, "but I am going to have enough of a hard time guarding him for today. We can't touch them and can't speak to them. I have to be in my position to keep fighting for him."
Mara looked deeply at Hisagi, seeing the struggle in his eyes. He really was trying so hard and fighting for those that needed it. Koi no yokan… she had said to Grimmjow that it was that overwhelming feeling that falling in love was inevitable, but she could see it reflected back plain as day in Hisagi, too. Was it possible to love both?
"Fine," Mara said, stopping her steps, Hisagi pausing beside her. "I'm guessing the punishment for a dress code violation is a lot less."
"There isn't one unless you are a student. It is just frowned upon," Hisagi replied.
"Good." With that Mara shrugged out of the long teal robe, exposing her scarred shoulders and now blood spattered white juban. Hisagi stooped down so Mara could tuck the robe around Grimmjow on his shoulders, shielding him from cruel eyes. She kissed Grimmjow's forehead gently as he groaned at her touch, then moved so Hisagi could stand up.
"Thank you for being so good," she said to Hisagi, cupping his cheek.
"I'm just sorry I couldn't stop it sooner," he said, bending to give Mara a quick kiss.
Mara grabbed back ahold of Grimmjow's limp hand and they left the stunned courtyard to only the sound of their own footsteps.