/* Hi all! Here with another chapter for you. The pandemic has finally hit my household so I have some free time for the next fourteen days (no worries, thankfully we are all getting through it well with just minor symptoms). I'll get some time to work on this and maybe a couple of one shots. I hope everyone is staying safe and well! For now, here is Chapter 7. Enjoy! /*
Chapter 7 –
"Knock knock." A familiar voice interrupted the near silence of her temporary room.
Her eyes trained over to the door and she smiled, "Hey, what are you guys doing here?"
"We heard from Uryu-kun that you were here. How are you doing?" Orihime's sweet voice asked gently as her baby belly pushed Ichigo out of the way.
"I'm ok." Haruka lied. "You really didn't need to come. I'm likely being discharged in the morning. They managed to stop the contractions."
"Oh that's great news!" Orihime nearly cheered. "But why don't you come home with us? That way you don't have to be alone in that house."
"Jeeze, I guess you guys got all the scoop, huh?" Haruka joked.
"Hey, Haruka, you shouldn't have to be alone." Ichigo said as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
Haruka tried hard to hold back her tears. "It's fine. I've got Crey and Mimi."
"Haruka-chan…" Orihime sympathized. "Oh, I have something to cheer you up!" She pulled out a potted spiky plant that was sprouting little red flowers. "It's a Christmas cactus! It blooms when the weather gets cooler."
"That's so pretty. Thank you, Orihime-chan." Haruka replied as the redhead set the cacti down on the side table.
"So…" Ichigo started. "What's up with Koji?"
Haruka's smile fell. "I'm not sure." She answered honestly. "I won't know until Grimmjow gets back with more information."
Silence fell over them.
"My, my, Akiyama-san! I believe you were given specific instructions not to push yourself too hard." Yet another cheery voice joined the group.
"Akiyama-sama!" Crey's dramatic cry filled the small room as he tumbled in from behind Urahara. Orihime and Ichigo both stifled their laughs at seeing Grimmjow's gigai act like a blubbering fool. Haruka simply rolled her eyes.
"I'm fine, Crey." She reassured.
"When we heard the news, Crey was beside himself and insisted we come check up on you." Urahara mentioned as he stepped over Crey. "Are you sure you're alright, Akiyama-san?"
"Really, I'm fine. Have you heard anything from the other side?" She diverted.
"Nothing yet." Urahara replied, causing a frown to form on her tired face. "I'm sure we'll hear something soon."
"Don't give up hope, Haruka-chan. Grimmjow knows what he's doing." Ichigo said kindly.
Haruka gave him a small smile before replying, "yes… You're right."
The early morning sun was bright regardless of the thick tree cover overhead. Several rays beamed through, casting gentle warmth on his unconscious companion. He sat on a large rock that was embedded in the riverbed mud, watching the slowly sweeping waters move by. His mind was far away. It pictured Haruka sitting beside him. Her feet were bare with her toes gently dipping into the cool waters of the river. She wore a cute little summer dress with purple and yellow flowers patterned all over. It stretched around her protruding belly, her hand resting against it lovingly. The sun peeked through the trees to lighten her face; her face that was bright with that beautiful smile.
He sighed. The palms of his hands rubbed his tired face before reaching over to grab a small rock. He tossed it towards the passed out woman on the riverbank. "Oi, wake up already! You weren't in the river for that long for fuck's sake."
He grabbed a second one, this time hitting her in the arm. She groaned and shifted before more coughing and sputtering. Her hand pressed into the soft mud of the river side, sinking in as she pushed herself up. "Where are we?" She asked in a hoarse voice.
"No fucking clue. Deeper in the forest, I guess." He answered as he stood up.
"That's helpful." Satomi replied sarcastically. "What do we do now?"
Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "We go where the spirit energy is strongest." He answered simply. He pointed into the darkened woods, the sensation of several strong presences pulling his attention.
"That sounds like a terrible idea." She said as she stood as well while attempting to brush the mud off her clothes.
"You got a better one? Because the way I see it, we still need to find the ones responsible for messing with souls. Might as well be the strongest ones in the forest." He rationalized.
"It's dangerous this deep into the woods." Satomi complained nervously.
"No shit."
"I'm serious you arrogant son of-" She stopped mid insult as he turned his glare on her. He looked different then before; more agitated, more desperate. "There are a lot of Hollows this far in. Who knows what we will run into? Charging towards the strongest spirit energy in the woods is like suicide."
"You forget who you're with."
"Even you aren't invincible as much as you pretend to be." Satomi seethed. "I'd rather not die."
"But Kenji can?" He jabbed.
Satomi paused, her brow furrowing. The reminder silenced her.
"Come on then, Princess. We don't have time for this; unless you just want to stay here and pout." Grimmjow pushed forward, no longer waiting for her response. He sensed when she started following, her weak energy lulling behind him. This was a mistake. He knew this girl could barely hold a sword anymore, let alone fight beside him. He would have to protect her, much to his displeasure. "Fuckin' cat woman couldn't just take her with her."
It wasn't long before a terrible sounding roar was upon them. "First one up to the plate." Grimmjow grinned as he effortlessly slashed his clawed hand through the monstrous Hollow. "Brings back old memories."
"What do you mean? Weren't you a Hollow once?" Satomi asked, her tone accusatory.
"In Hueco Mundo, only the strongest survived. We killed and ate each other." He answered simply, enjoying the horrified look on her face.
"Well then why didn't you just eat him?" Her voice was sick with disgust.
"I'm not a Hollow anymore." He said as he continued to move through the trees, following his instincts.
"Oh right, you're a human now." Satomi taunted.
He turned on a dime, charging into her and slamming her against the nearest tree. She yelped at his surprising attack. His blood covered hand dripped onto her clothes as his teeth barred within an inch of her face. She realized immediately that she had pushed too far. "I'm fucking Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Don't forget it, Princess." His tone was low and dangerous. She gripped his hand with both of hers, attempting to remove him from her throat, but his grip was iron tight.
His face suddenly changed, his eyes moving carefully to his left. She loosened her grip on him instantly, despite not sensing what he could. As soon as his fingers released her neck, she ducked. He charged to the left, slashing through bushes and making contact with a blade. The figure grunted as he held Grimmjow's weight against his sword.
Satomi stood and pulled for her weapon. She was stopped mid sheath, a hand gripping around her wrist and cold metal steel pressing against her neck. "Stand down, intruder." A strong feminine voice called out to Grimmjow as she held Satomi hostage.
"Shit…" He cursed as he backed away, sensing the ten new swirling energies around them. "Fucking cheap trick." He shouted to the woman.
Satomi felt as the woman's grip tightened, the blade pressing harder against her throat. "You think that is cheap?" The woman taunted.
Grimmjow could feel the change in the air, his senses going into overdrive. It was hard to distinguish one from another. It had caught him off guard.
A vine near his foot quickly wrapped around his ankle. He sliced it away effortlessly, but then two more came to replace it. He hacked and slashed at the attacking greenery.
"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Satomi yelled as vines with thick thorns dug into his skin. Vine after vine wrapped around his limbs, his torso, his neck. He grunted and strained against them as they brought him to his knees.
The woman approached, forcing Satomi to move with her. She watched in horror as her companion was slowly being consumed by the forest plant life. When they were within a few inches of him, she saw his eyes. They were unmistakable.
"You don't know who you're fucking with." She heard the growl loud and clear as his energy exploded, dissolving the plants within a few seconds. He immediately sliced the woman's sword arm, causing her to release Satomi. Her cry signaled the others to charge. "Get behind me!"
"What will that help? They have us surrounded!" Satomi shrieked as she unsheathed her sword.
"Just stay out of my damn way!" He returned as he intercepted the first. They met sword with sword, but Grimmjow's speed was far superior. Though his advantage was immediately cut away when two others joined the first. Every time he had an opportunity to strike, another would intercept him.
"There are too many of them!" Satomi shouted as her weapon collided with another.
"I don't run from a fight!" He roared.
"I'm sure Akiyama would appreciate you actually accomplishing something other than dying in a fight!" Satomi reminded him as the sole of her foot slammed into the chest of her attacker.
"Stifle them in darkness...Nova Luna." A baritone voice called out and the soldiers retreated. Darkness began to spread starting from the soles of their feet and moved up in a circular shape around them.
"Grimmjow, what's happening?" Satomi asked in a panic.
"Don't touch it." Grimmjow ordered as he observed the odd material void of all color. "Someone's locking us in." He pointed his finger, energy forming at the tip, and released it straight ahead. The substance absorbed the small cero attack, swirling around it before becoming still again.
"We have to get out of here!" She said as the substance enclosed around them before finally sealing them away at the very top.
It was deathly quiet. The wind howled outside her window, the cold attempting to break in. She was settled uncomfortably under several blankets, the monitors beeping had long since become a sound that lulled her to sleep. There was only one nurse on shift at night, her attention drawn to the more critical OB patients down the hall.
"How could you, Haruka?" The accusing tone made her heart shudder.
"How could you betray me like that?" He insisted.
"Who is he!? Who has taken you from me!?" His anger was overwhelming to her, causing her to shrink away.
"Haruka! Haruka!"
She gasped as her eyes shot open. Her breathing came in quick bursts, her heart racing. She pushed herself up on the stretcher, her eyes attempting to adjust to the dark. It was then she realized she wasn't alone.
"Haruka-chan." His voice was just above a whisper, laced in pain.
"Kenji-kun." Haruka said. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be on the ICU floor." Her mind was reeling attempting to decipher if what she was seeing was real or not.
"This place is not well watched. Only two staff members were watching ten patients." He mentioned. "Squad 4 was much more efficient with their staff."
"We've been understaffed." Haruka muttered at first. "Kenji-kun, I-"
"He told me everything already." He interrupted.
"He?"
"That Ishida. He brought me out of sedation to tell me the truth. And he also told me to leave you alone." His voice quaked. "Haruka, what happened? I don't remember anything after we went to Hueco Mundo."
"Kenji-kun..." She said simply. His face faltered in the dark shadows cascading over it. "You had turned into a Hollow. Aizen turned you into a Hollow. There was nothing else I could do. I tried everything…" Haruka's hands fisted in the sheets as her head fell.
"A Hollow?" His voice strained.
"It started when we were in Seireitei, though we didn't know what it was at the time. It wasn't until later I found out Aizen was behind all of it. He turned hundreds of Shinigami into his experiments and he used me to assist. I tried so hard to save you, Kenji-kun, but then you attacked me and I had no choice…"
His hand slid over hers and she looked up. "You didn't have a choice." He agreed.
"I'm so sorry, Kenji-kun." Tears ran down her cheeks. "And now… Now I'm doing this to you…"
"None of this is your fault, Haruka-chan. You did what I would have wanted you to do. You moved on with your life." He answered. "I just- I hope he takes good care of you."
Haruka swallowed hard. If Kenji knew she was with Grimmjow, with one of Aizen's former Espada… "He takes very good care of me." She answered finally.
"Good. Maybe one day I can meet him; if all of this gets figured out."
"They are working on figuring it out." She assured him. "I'm glad you're ok, Kenji-kun. Your heart is still the same after everything that has happened to you."
He offered her a small smile. "It's almost as if I never left. That's how it feels, anyway. For so much time to have passed… It's disorienting." He cupped her face gently and she pressed her palm against it, "I will always love you, Haruka, even if our lives had to take different paths."
She swallowed the sob, her gut twisting with apprehension. "Kenji-kun, I-"
"Hey, what are you doing in here?" Haruka's nurse asked as she was doing her rounds. She rushed out and called security.
"I guess I'll see you around." He mentioned as he made his way for the door to meet the security guards to escort him down to his room.
"Goodbye, Kenji-kun."
The sun had long since set by the time she made it back to Seireitei. She had spent the entire day looking for him, following any trace she could find but they all led to dead ends. It was as if he had just vanished out of thin air. "Oh Gin…"
She sighed heavily, as she moved through the streets towards her squad barracks. She was cut short abruptly by two arguing voices in an isolated area near the gate.
"Are you seriously not going to investigate this!?" A female voice nearly shrieked. "Kyoraku-sama…"
"I can't spare any more resources." A male voice returned, one Rangiku recognized immediately as Shunsui Kyoraku, their new leader. It stopped her in her tracks.
"They are resurrecting souls from the nether and putting them back into dead bodies in the World of the Living! I'm only asking for a small group." The muffled female voice continued.
She heard him sigh. "This parchment you brought back does not prove what you are trying to accuse…"
A loud bang reverberated from behind the shut door. It resembled the sound of an enclosed fist slamming into a tabletop. "Damnit, Sotaicho, the S4G are dangerous!"
"Yoruichi-san, take a look around. It's been two years since the war and Soul Society is still in shambles. So many lives were lost. It will take a century just to rebuild it to what we had prior. I entrusted Urahara-san to take care of matters in the World of the Living, even if they extended to Soul Society. I cannot spare anyone." The Captain-Commander's tone was firm, though sympathetic.
"Then you will only be condemning us to yet another war. They will rebuild and they will attempt to take their revenge on us." She returned.
There was a long pause before Kyoraku spoke again. "I'm counting on you to prevent that from happening. But I cannot spare any more souls to an unprovoked conflict. Urahara-san will have to figure this out on his own. I'm sorry."
The door slid open just as Rangiku snuck behind a building off to the side. He must have been reeling to not have noticed her there. But once he was gone, his companion was sure to draw her out.
"You shouldn't eavesdrop on other peoples' private conversations." The tall, beautiful woman stated from the doorway, her eyes set on the building Rangiku was hiding behind.
Slowly she moved out from her hiding spot and approached the intimidating figure. "I want to help." She said.
"Oh? You want to go against the ruling of our Sotaicho for something you know nothing about?" Yoruichi teased.
"I saw Gin." Her voice was rough and emotionless.
Yoruichi's playfulness was immediately snuffed out as she muttered a curse. "Did you now?"
"I want to help stop whatever monster is tormenting souls in the nether." She insisted. "And I know you are desperate for whatever help you can get."
Yoruichi ground her teeth together. "I cannot protect you from whatever punishment may await you for helping me."
Rangiku smiled wide. "Trouble is my middle name."