"When will our next checkup be?" Karin asked as Hanatarou delivered her breakfast.
"Today," Hanatarou answered shyly.
They had expected as much, based on their calculations, but it was good to have confirmation so they would have more time to prepare. She sent him a meaningful look and his eyes widened before giving a small nod of his head.
They had discussed it the best they safely could, and if they didn't make their escape after this upcoming checkup, they were going to find themselves burdened with young and separated. Karin did not relish the idea of racing through the desert with an increasingly fat belly, but she despised the thought of being chained here and used as a brood mother more. She would like to save being eaten as a last resort.
"I've been going through my tea by the thermos full, can you get me more?" she asked hopefully.
"I'll try," he promised with a smile.
She settled down with her breakfast and tried her best to ignore the other slaves getting the arena ready for entertainment. She still hadn't seen any Shinigami, other than Nanao, that she knew, and she would like to leave this place with that still being true. It was bad enough seeing people she didn't know being slaughtered and raped, she wasn't certain she would be able to keep her sanity if someone she did know was tossed down.
"Tonight then," Grimmjow grunted.
"It's not your feed day today, is it?" she asked, just to be certain.
"No."
She handed her meal over to him. "You will need it more than I will. One day of skipped meals won't hurt much."
He studied her intently before shuffling over to eat her food. She did use the water to clean herself and her yukata. Scent was something they were going to have to do their best to mitigate. The vandervich may not be able to track via scent, but wild hollows would. While she was confident Grimmjow and Starrk could deal with their wild cousins, it was best not to leave a trail of dead bodies the Vandervich could follow.
Or risk a stray claw making the escape moot, she mused.
The entertainment today featured only meals and she forced herself to watch. No one she knew of course. After the horrible display she and Nanao were brought to their appointments together. Their cubs? Pups? Children? Offspring? -Karin honestly had no idea what to refer them as- were growing well and Nanao's stomach was becoming very distended. Karin winced thinking about how big the woman would be when all eight were ready to come out.
She ate her vegetables and rice at dinner before forcing the rest on Grimmjow, even the water. He could go a month or more without needing to drink so filling him up now was worth it, leaving the canisters of water for herself and Nanao. After dinner it was all about waiting.
She forced herself to curl up in the nest and try to rest, stuffing down crackers to combat her nausea and asking Hanatarou for more before the lights went out. Those she saved. She felt her body coil, ready to move. Beside her, she could feel the tight muscles of Grimmjow against her own, the hollow also keyed up and ready. The waiting was killing her, but they planned on moving later in the night when it was unlikely many of the quinces would be up and about. If her observations were right, the real danger of Yawach would be somewhat negated too.
Finally, they heard the signal; Starrk's claws on the wall their cells shared. Taking a breath, Karin rose to her feet and rested a hand on Grimmjow's shoulders. She started counting down from thirty while coiling his power into her free hand. At one, she released the cero, eyes snapping shut as the bright light blinded her. Two explosions reached her ears.
Then she was moving, her hand on Grimmjow's flank as he led her blind ass out of the cell and into the hallway. Lights snapped on and the entire area erupted into commotion. Now she forced herself to the lead with Grimmjow by her side, able to move faster than Nanao with her smaller bulk as they raced for the hallway.
She drew some more of Grimmjow's power and busted open that gate. Once through, she almost gasped in relief as her powers came back. Now it was Grimmjow's turn as he rose his head to the celling and charged his own Cero. She took the time to grab two of the three sacks sitting innocently on the floor as Nanao grabbed the third. Hanatarou had come through for them.
The ceiling was blown off and black sky meet their eyes three floors up. They moved from tunnel to courtyard. Starrk took the lead now, picking their direction and running towards it. Shouts and cries of alarm flared up all around them, followed by gunshots and arrows. The Quincy before them stared in horror and turned to flee as Grimmjow and Starrk, unfettered, bore down on them. These ones were cannon fodder and neither hollow paused to do more than tare off a chunk of flesh to consume as they ran past. It was only a matter of time before more powerful opponents would appear before them.
Starrk lead them from the courtyard and into hallways again. The buildings offered some cover from the hail of projectiles and Nanao chanted spell after spell, blocking the path behind her with kidou barriers to slow the enemy down. It worked until they came to conjoining hallways, but every bit helped.
She could feel the flare up of reiatsu and knew the stronger ones were closing in on them. She saved her breath for running. If she could feel them, so could they. A wall loomed up before them and this time Starrk broke the wall with a cero. Behind this one was open desert. They were almost free of the place, if not pursuit.
Starrk was the first one through, followed by Nanao as the woman launched into a shunpo to get out of the place.
Karin cried out in pain and stumbled, catching herself on the wall as her ankle gave out under her, blood spurting in all direction as a bullet tore through it. Grimmjow paused.
"Go," she snapped. "I will only slow you down," she ordered.
Instead of leaving, he launched a cero behind her, causing their pursuers to duck for cover and curse before kneeling beside her. "Get on," he ordered firmly.
Shocked, she pulled herself up onto his back, cursing foully at the pain in her ankle, before he rose to his paws and she held on for dear life as he launched himself out the hole and ran after the others. Nanao was taking the lead now, pushing off the sand with shunpo. Starrk and Grimmjow just ran. Behind them pursuit started to gain.
"Left, to that outcropping," Starrk ordered.
Nanao changed direction towards a pile of boulders. Boulders, Karin learned quickly, that lead to a network of caves under the sand. Nanao continued to put up barriers, including down side tunnels to confuse pursuit.
Hours later, they finally paused long enough for Karin to finally throw up as the nausea from her pregnancy and ride caught up to her and for Nanao to bind the hole going through Karin's ankle.
"You aren't going to be able to walk on that for at least a month," Nanao frowned.
"At best," Karin hissed. "You should have left me behind," she scowled.
"Che, your weight is nothing," Grimmjow snorted. "Like hell I was leaving my cubs behind."
"What now?" Nanao asked.
"We continue through the tunnels to the forest, then travel east," Starrk answered.
"Las Noches is south," Grimmjow pointed out.
"Yes, with an army between it and us, one looking for us. We will need to go around it," Starrk answered.
"How long is it going to take to get there?" Nanao asked.
"At least a month, if not longer," Starrk answered softly. "And that is on a more direct path without pursuit. The Sternritter will likely be deployed after us, and you two are in minimal condition to fight."
"How much food do we have?" Karin asked.
"Not a lot," Nanao sighed, opening the one sack from Hanatarou she'd grabbed and adding her stash to it.
Karin scowled as she added her own rations to it. The pile was good for a few weeks with two pregnant women needing to eat. Even with rationing there was no way this was going to last a month, it would expire even had there been enough. That wasn't including food or water for Grimmjow and Starrk. Of course, they could feed on hollows.
"Let's keep moving," Starrk ordered. "Grimmjow, would you mind? They need to conserve their energy to make the food last and I am too small."
"Yeah sure," he growled, crouching down before the two women. "Get on," he ordered.
They packed up their supplies and Nanao helped Karin up first before settling behind her. The size of her stomach didn't help much.
"What do you think the chances of Nanao having her children come before we make it to safety are?" Karin couldn't help but to ask.
"High," Starrk sighed. "Come. The more distance between us, the better."
"I don't think I have ever seen you so motivated and in motion in my life," Grimmjow chuckled as the two adjucus moved through the tunnels at a brisk pace.
"I will not have my pups or mate come to harm," Starrk answered with a growl. "I have waited far too long for this."
"Even after our escape?" Nanao asked.
"You agreed to be mine," Starrk answered.
"Umm, this mating thing, is it for life?" Karin asked apprehensively. That was something that she hadn't even considered.
"Till death do us part," Grimmjow answered.
She felt Nanao stiffen behind her and the hands holding onto her for balance tightened.
"I take it there is no such thing as divorce in the hollow world?" Karin asked carefully.
"What's divorce?" Grimmjow asked confused.
"Never mind. Karin Jaggerjaques," she mused the named again before glancing over her shoulder at a pensive looking Nanao, "and Nanao Starrk. Not bad names at least. I still think Kurosaki Grimmjow sounds good though."
"Fuck that," Grimmjow growled.
"Ise Coyote sounds terrible," Nanao offered with a small smile of amusement.
"That is terrible," Karin agreed with a shudder.
They fell into silence after that, travelling through the twisting, maze like tunnels until they came out into a forest of crystalline trees. The sight took their breaths away as Starrk and Grimmjow moved into the branches and started to race away. Occasionally Karin caught sight of another hollow, but it was usually its tail, or equivalent, fleeing from the two powerful adjucus.
Time had no meaning here. There was no day cycle and they stopped only when rest and food was required. They rationed the best they could, but after two weeks of travelling through the forest their food ran out. At least their water was good. Starrk and Grimmjow were good at finding the hidden springs of water.
"That's the last of it," Nanao said morosely as she handed Karin four crackers, keeping four for herself.
"How much further to Las Nochas?" Karin asked apprehensively.
"We are about halfway there," Starrk answered.
Nanao could barely move, her stomach so distended now that the pups had to be arriving soon and Karin's ankle still couldn't bear her weight.
"Here," Karin handed Nanao her four crackers.
"No."
"Yes," Karin interrupted. "You are clearly days out from going into labour and you are going to need your strength."
Nanao looked at the meagre meal before sullenly nodding her head and eating the eight crackers. Karin could feel the contractions against her back and knew they were getting closer and closer together. She'd seen enough babies delivered in her family clinic to know the signs.
"We will need to find a den," Starrk sighed.
"Above," Grimmjow agreed.
"It should be safe to return to the sands. If we find a good enough den, perhaps one of us can run ahead to get help."
"There was that mountain range," Grimmjow offered.
"We could make it there in time," Starrk mused. "It is out of our way, but it would be safest for cubs and mates."
They were all avoiding the real problem; food. Karin and Nanao were out and not likely to be able to go long before starving to death. There was only one type of food in Hueco Mundo and they were unlikely to avoid it any longer.
"How much of the meat I shared was hollow meat?" Karin asked, being the first to be brave enough to bring the subject up.
"At least half," Grimmjow answered honestly.
"None of the others were likely to tell their partners what they were eating, were they?"
"No," Starrk answered.
"So, it's safe to assume most of the other Shinigami women have been eating hollow meat without too much in the way of adverse effects," she sighed.
Nanao shivered, but they were out of options. That night, Grimmjow brought back a kill and with some kidou from Nanao, they managed to cook the meat. Karin was the first brave enough to take a bite, chewing slowly.
"Well?" Nanao asked after she swallowed.
"Taste like chicken," she shrugged, taking another hungry mouthful.
Nanao finally managed to take a bite of her own meat. They ate in silence until their pieces were gone. Karin frowned as she rubbed her tummy, noting something odd. Nanao was the one able to put it into words.
"I feel full for the first time in ages."
"Yeah. Odd," Karin frowned.
It wasn't like they had been starved, at least after becoming pregnant, but it never seemed like the meals were large enough. Perhaps it had something to do with the offspring growing inside of them. Or, more likely, because this was the first time they had gotten a full meal outside of the containment the Quincy had kept them in.
"So long as it works," Grimmjow grunted.
They shifted direction and their journey took a new urgency. Starrk was pushing them hard, so hard it left even Grimmjow panting in the coyote's wake and needing to rest while the stronger hollow hunted for them. Finally, they entered another series of maze-like tunnels before coming back out onto the sands, or rather, out into a mountain range.
"This way," Grimmjow took the lead, heading down out of the mountains instead of deeper into them.
"You have an idea?" Starrk asked.
"Yeah, I know a den I used once. Small entrance, it will keep any of the larger dumbasses away from our cubs. Everyone knows to check mountains, no one looks too hard in the dessert."
It took two days to reach a rocky outcropping some distance from the mountain range. Starrk led the way through the small entrance, and it was small. Karin and Nanao had to go in on hands and knees since their large bellies made it too hard to crouch. Grimmjow had to drag himself in, wriggling on his belly. The tunnel was long and twisted several times before they came out into a bedroom sized room. It was slightly larger than their cells had been, and the roof was high enough in most of the room for them to stand.
"This will do nicely," Starrk nodded. "I will hunt, you will guard."
"Che, because I wanted to be in another cell," Grimmjow grunted.
"Your bulk alone will block the tunnel," Starrk pointed out.
"Yeah, whatever. Go get us some food."
"I think we can make a small nest with the sacks," Nanao mused.
"Better than nothing," Karin agreed. "I don't suppose there is a kidou to make cloth is there?" she asked hopefully.
"No, nor have we seen anything resembling reeds to weave a mat together."
"We aren't planning to move in," Grimmjow snorted.
"Do you want to be the one to huddle in the sand pushing cubs out?" Karin snapped at him.
He wisely kept his maw shut, eye shifting to the bone club she still carried. He knew from experience how hard she could hit with that and had no desire to discover how hard she could now that she had access to her reiatsu.
The women picked a corner away from the entrance, laying out the empty sacks and stacking their water bottles off to the side. They settled down together and it wasn't long before their breathing evened out, indicating they were asleep. Good. They hadn't been getting much sleep on the run and they were going to need their rest to deliver the young.
Starrk returned several hours later, dragging the hindquarters of some unfortunate adjucus into the cave. Grimmjow used his claws to sheer off a few chunks for their mates before devouring the rest.
"Well?" he asked.
"Las Nochas is about three-day travel away. I didn't catch hint of the enemy," Starrk reported.
"Is that three days for our speed or three days for your speed?" Grimmjow asked.
"Patrol speed," Starrk answered.
"So, there is a chance we might find a patrol if we travel a day out," he mused. He had participated in a good number of those patrols with Ichigo before his capture.
"There is a chance Nanao might be able to get a kidou message out," Starrk mused.
"Maybe after the cubs. She's about to pop. I could feel the contractions on my spine and even though she hasn't said anything, Karin's worried."
"I should go and bring back help. You are right, she is about to pop."
"No," Grimmjow rose to his paws. "I'll go. They don't know you, you are stronger to protect our mates, and you should be here if your cubs pop before help arrives."
That was true. The shinigami stationed at Las Nochas were familiar with Grimmjow's adjucus form, while having never met his.
"Fine," Starrk sighed in defeat.
"I wonder if I can get one for the road?" he mused, glancing at Karin.
"I doubt it. They are not so open with sex as we are," Starrk rolled his eyes.
"I got an idea," Grimmjow smirked, grabbing the femur from his meal and working it into the sandstone walls.
"What are you doing?" Karin demanded sleepily as his actions woke the woman.
"Hoping to get laid," he answered around the shaft of bone.
"Really?" Karin asked with a raised eye and crossed arms.
"Got it," he smirked in triumph. "We can hang your kimono over the bone to make a chamber."
Karin looked at the bone rod before glancing at Nanao, who had a blush on her face.
"Is this so you can have my scent all over you?" Karin asked suspiciously.
"If your brother had a sense of smell worth mentioning, maybe. I want one for the road. If all goes well, I will be back with help in a few days."
"Ah," Karin nodded in understanding. "Do you mind Nanao?" she asked.
"Uh, no. Excuse me," Nanao scrambled out of the corner the best she could, giving Karin an odd look.
Karin took off her Kimono and hung it on the makeshift rod, giving them the illusion of some privacy.
"For the record, I didn't pack the condoms, didn't think we would need them."
Oh, his barbs might be a thing.
"Fortunately, we got our powers back, so I should be able to do something to mitigate them, but if I tell you to stop, you stop," she said firmly.
"I will," he promised.
He grinned as he watched her move the bags aside so they wouldn't get dirty, then shift about until she was in a somewhat comfortable position. His shaft all but shot out of its sheath as he watched Karin work herself with her fingers before indicating she was ready.
He moved over her and sank into her warm heat, letting out a sigh of pleasure. He rested for a moment, just lavishing in the tight embrace before pulling back out very slowly. She let out a loud moan of pleasure and this time rocked back to meet him when he thrust forward. It was a short frenzy after that, and he was thankful his barbs seemed to be fine because he was not certain he could have stopped. With a final grunt, and a slight dismayed feeling this form had such little stamina, he buried himself deep into her and let out a mild roar of satisfaction as he finished.
Karin was panting beneath him, covered in sweat and slowly sinking to the ground with a look of bliss.
"Bestiality aside, if you ever make it back to your arrancar form, I am going to miss those barbs," she murmured sleepily. "Oi, Nanao, you and Starrk want a turn before Grimmjow needs to head out?" she called.
"We are fine, thank you," Nanao quickly assured them. "Besides, I am so ready to pop anything strenuous might break my water."
"Fair enough," Karin shrugged.
"I should get going," he stretched.
"Be careful," Karin whispered softly. "Don't be a hero, be safe. There is no way in all the layers of hell I am raising a brood of six because you got your tail in a twist."
"No promises." He offered her an affectionate nuzzle before slipping out of the cave and down the tunnel until he was out of sight. Outside, Starrk was waiting for him.
"I am trusting you to this Grimmjow," Starrk growled.
"I know. I am trusting you to keep my mate and cubs safe."
"I know."
With that, he took off across the sands towards Las Nochas, keeping his reiatsu pulled in tight and stalking through the sands like he hadn't done in some time. He didn't have time to fight every would be adjucus on its way up and he couldn't afford to be recaptured, or killed, by the Quincy.