Author's note: So, here's the next chapter. I wanted to practice narrative so I thought making Grimmjow's POV third-person and Ichigo's first-person for this story. I have a reason, but it's hard to explain. I guess I feel his personality is not as approachable as Ichigo's? And I feel like his character has a lot more changing to do and it seems like conveying that change would be more effective in that mode? I don't know. *Shrugs
Anywayzzzzzz, enjoy...
Week 4
The moment had finally come. After about a month or so of recuperation from his battle with Kurosaki and that fuckin' bastard ambushing Fuck Nnoitra, he at last felt whole enough to seek the one being he felt was his one true rival and finish what they started. His mind played those battle scenes with a certain Tricky Berry over and over again till his obsession oozed from his pores and invaded his dreams. Every thrust, every parry, every advance and retreat meticulously combed through and dissected for openings and weaknesses.
Not only did this obsessive blue haired devil examine Kurosaki's fighting prowess, he also reflected on every twitch of the young man's earthen brown eyes and quiver of his pensive mouth. He remembered how his determined scowl would smolder with satisfaction when he gained the upper hand and when his full lips would part slightly and his face would lightly flush over the ridge of his nose and freckled cheeks when faced with a move that took him completely off guard. That boy wore his emotions all too plainly on his face.
Kurosaki was more intriguing than anyone else he'd ever met in his entire existence. Not only was his unrelenting desire to succeed astounding but, his fierce sense of justice and fairness was an utter disbelief. In Grimmjow's world, only the fittest survived and the weak were destroyed or devoured without a second thought. That boy, though, bestowed upon him an experience, an act upon himself that he did not understand:
Mercy.
He supposed Aizen dispensed his own version of mercy when he spared Grimmjow his life by only taking his arm when he disobeyed the megalomaniac, but the feeling was different. Aizen only made decisions to suit himself and his needs. Kurosaki's deep speckled henna orbs conveyed that he truly wanted to let Grimmjow return to their fight if he so chose but only on equal terms. Kurosaki wanted to battle him and not feel like he had any upper hand other than the skills he acquired through his fighting and training. He remembered how he mistook Kurosaki's glare for arrogance. How dare a mere human try to best HIM?! Then after his little explanation, before that Dick Nnoitra interrupted, he was going to refuse to admit that Kurosaki was showing anything but weakness. But now, after a month of contemplation, he was determined to meet Kurosaki on the terms of equality to prove once and for all who was King. Grimmjow didn't care if Kurosaki actually wanted to resume their battle; his very bones felt he needed to prove that he was on top and his nature refused to let go of those feelings. Though, even deeper down, there was some other need he couldn't form into words for wanting to confront the orange haired warrior. It ate at him and made him angrier, seething with unknown desire.
Now, in just a few moments he would get his chance. Grimmjow opened the Garanta and stepped into the void crossing two worlds. He strolled quietly, hands fisted in the pockets of his hakama, wearing his trademark sneer of a smile and flashing his brilliant white teeth to no one. He reached the other side of the void hanging above the center of Karakura. He closed his eyes and reached out with unseen feelers to look for the reiatsu he remembered like his own skin. Stretching out his arms, his fingers waggled through the brisk evening air and eyes clenched imagining the Berry's reaction of his arrival and pursuit to his location.
"Huh," he ran his fingers through his bright blue hair. Nuthin? Well, he would have to go to him then.
He tried again, reaching out farther and wider until he picked up on a faint, almost familiar feeling. There. It wasn't quite the same reiatsu signature but it was close enough.
He used his Sonido to get closer to that close enough aura which placed him in a forest of trees. He started a strolling pace, confident in the fact that his need would be satisfied soon, for just beyond this edge of woods is what he'd been itching for and he couldn't wait to scratch that almost painful need. If he had a heart it would be beating out of his chest. Feeling the reiatsu leaving the area, he quickened his pace. He was surprised to feel the aura moving away from him. He was sure Kurosaki would recognize his faint presence. He desperately tried to keep a tight seal on his reiatsu as to not alert others to his location, but Kurosaki's skill should have afforded notice right away.
He broke the crest of trees to find himself in front of a small body of water. He scanned the surroundings, tracing the shore around to the opposite side and his vision raised to the hill where eyes locked onto his prize. Under the full moon, he could clearly make out the unmistakable tangerine spikes, the sleek complex of athletic flesh, and the deep puddles of intertwined browns and golds that made up the Tricky Berry's stare.
Grimmjow's face grew wider with an insanely huge beaming smile bordering on the psychotic. He waited for Kurosaki to lock onto him. His mind raced with thoughts of the impending destructive battle, yet instantly, he was thrown out of his reverie with the coldest of realizations.
He didn't sense ANYTHING from the orange warrior, not one ounce of spirit energy or any inclination that the young man knew his whereabouts across the lake. The guy was just staring out over the water, seemingly deep in thought. Grimmjow balked. Is this really happenin'? Is this? Nah. It's a hallucination, yeah? I somehow stumbled on a dude who looks just like the Berry and maybe Kurosaki isn't in the material world, ya, that must be it.
He would check to make sure all the same. The bluenette was before the young man in no time at all, staring down upon the slightly shorter guy. No, he was correct. This was the same orange haired guy he faced all those many days prior but now, instead of the once confidant demeanor this kid possessed, he was looking upon a shoulder hunched, downtrodden individual with red rimmed defeated eyes. Gah, this guy looked terrible! Why wasn't he acknowledging his presence? Why was he just starring off to nowhere with that pathetic look on his face?
Grimmjow clenched his fists tighter at his sides and he snarled, "Oi... What the FUCK is wrong wit ya?!"
Nuthin.
He yelled at the top of his lungs, "Hey! I'm talking to ya, Kurosaki!" Still, nuthin.
Grimmjow seethed with anger and unleashed a bit of the tight hold he had on his reiatsu. In that moment, Kurosaki shook uncontrollably. His face twisted in pain and a slight grunt fell from his lips as he collapsed to his hands and knees. Grimmjow skid back a few paces to take the painful sight in its entirety.
Kurosaki finally showed recognition of another's presence. His eyes widened significantly and his mouth formed an uh-oh shape as he tried to coherently communicate.
"Wha...Who's th..ere?" Kurosaki sputtered, "Aaaarghnnn! S-stop!"
Grimmjow resealed his reiatsu, "Stop?! You want me ta stop?! What if I was something else, Kurosaki? Ya'd be fuckin' dead by now, stupid asshole."
Even though he knew Kurosaki couldn't understand him, for some reason, he still shouted incredulously at the guy on the ground trying to pick himself up. He stomped back and bowed over the prone Berry, lips pressed to his left ear and took a deep breath, ready to scream. The scent of sweat and fear and something sweet and familiar yet foreign to Grimmjow's vocabulary roused his senses and it put a hitch in his onslaught of words. He recovered angrily, his hand un-fisted just to re-fist into the Berry's locks on top of his head. He yanked his head up, bending Kurosaki's neck back at an uncomfortable angle making his eyes shut and mouth gasp, letting out a painful crack in his voice. Another undefined emotion stirred in Grimmjow, halting his assault on the much weaker guy in his hand. What was this hindrance? Why was he hesitating? He shook it off and proceeded his berating.
Grimmjow stared into the eyes of the unsuspecting instigator and spat, "This is fuckin' bullshit, Kurosaki! Ya promised me a fight an' I'm here for one, but now look at ya!"
Kurosaki's eyes peered through Grimmjow's face as he could not perceive the distance he was from him. Grimmjow let out an exasperated sigh, his hot breath traveled in the Berry's mouth and wafted over his nose. Kurosaki's eyes shot open and his face flushed a crimson hue over his nose and cheeks.
It was Kurosaki's turn for his own breath to hitch. That sound made a million little needles pinprick the skin all over the blue haired man's body. His grip tightened and pulled the ginger closer as he deepened and lowered his voice, "I could wipe ya off the face of this fuckin' filthy planet with a twist a my wrist. This wasn't the plan ya fuckin' bastard ya can-"
"I think you've had enough fun for one evening, don't you think? Let Kurosaki go and leave now or we will be forced to put an end to your existence permanently."
He was so ensnared with his one sided argument that he failed to see the three silhouetted beings appear a ways back on the hill. Grimmjow casually leaned back up, orange hair still loosely snared between his fingers and gave a soft chuckle.
"Yeah right, like ya got the pow-"
Boom! A flash of white light and pain in his left shoulder is all he saw and felt as his body was blown back a mere few feet away from Kurosaki. Well, that was a little more powerful than he though it would be. That same instant, three small glowing objects spun out from the figure on the left and glided through the air towards him. Grimmjow defensively brought his arms up to protect his face and body but the glowing lights created a triangular shield around Kurosaki. The brawny figure on the right circled around to flank Grimmjow and angled himself, armor clad arm towards his center, to get between him and the Berry quickly should the need arise.
Grimmjow righted himself swiftly and took on his own defensive stance not bothering to draw his sword, after all, this wasn't the fight he was looking for. He assessed the three now recognizable humans before him. Maybe they'd have the answers he was looking for. He decided a more toying approach was in order to get the information he desired.
Grimmjow brought his hands outward, palms up in a non-threatening manner, and shrugged, "This isn't really the idea of fun I really had in mind. Nothin' against ya all, but I was hopin' for a round with this Tricky Berry here. What the hell is wrong with this guy anyway?"
The three shot glances at their fallen friend. Ichigo was now standing up fully but eyes still looked to the ground and arms loosely hung at his sides.
Ishida spoke behind his hand as he reached to push his glasses up, "I don't think that is really any concern of yours, G-"
"S-sorry."
Everyone turned their eyes to Ichigo. He brought his head up and heaved a deep sigh, looking towards his friends aim, "I told you I'd let you fight me again if you wanted to, Grimmjow, but I guess I won't be able to fulfill my vow to you now. I'm sorry."
Grimmjow was surprised. Kurosaki knew it was him? "How did you know it was me, eh? This is bullshit, hey four eyes, ask 'em why he can't see me or hear me no more?"
"Kurosaki, you don't have to answer any of his questions."
"I know, Ishida, what does he want to know?"
Ishida huffed, "Well, first of all, he wants to know how you knew who he was."
There was that blush again. He looked slightly away from the Espada's direction, "I.. I had a feeling, that's all. Next question."
"He, uh, commented on the precarious situation and wants to know why you are unable to sense him."
Kurosaki looked back in his direction. His face softened and he shrugged slightly, "Shit just happens, I guess? Facing Aizen, I used up all the reiatsu I had. I'm just a regular human now."
"Shit... Fuckin' Aizen. So, there's nothing ya can do ta get it back?"
"No, they haven't figured out any way to get Kurosaki's reiatsu back, can we wrap this up now? I was working on a very important project for the sewing club I'd like to get back to." Ichigo glowered towards the thin black-haired guy and it sounded like Chado let out a quiet snicker.
Grimmjow contemplated the situation. So, The Berry lost his spirit energy when he fought Aizen. He wondered what lengths he had to go to in order to come out of that battle with such a loss. No matter now, he supposed. Why wasn't anybody trying to figure out a solution to this situation? According to that nerdy jerk, he wouldn't be getting his reiatsu back any time soon, so what was Grimmjow supposed to do now? Just... Go home? Accept this turn of events and find a new hobby? Now that he was before the redhead, for some reason, he couldn't bring his mind to accept this fate. There had to be something, anything he could do to be able to get Kurosaki back on the same level as himself.
All Grimmjow knew at the moment was that he wasn't going to just leave. Not now. Not after he finally had gotten to the place he most wanted to be. He had so many more questions to ask but it didn't seem like any of these fools had any answers for him or Kurosaki. He'd just have to seek out someone more knowledgeable for those answers. He looked upon the young man, searching his features. He saw sorrow and helplessness, but beyond that he saw a deep desire to redeem himself and a want in his golden brown eyes to not accept the fate bestowed upon him.
Grimmjow resolved to stick with the Berry. He had a mission to complete and was gonna figure out SOME way to get both parties what they desired, even if one of the person's desire was to kick the other one's ass. So he came to the first conclusion he could think of.
Grimmjow started pacing back towards Ichigo.
Ishida raised his bow and Chado took a step closer towards him.
"I'm not going to let you hurt Kurosaki-kun, Grimmjow-san," Inoue stated as she tried to put on her fiercest confident scowl.
Grimmjow stood inches away from the shield, "Not gonna hurt 'em girly. Well, not right now anyway. I just have one last question."
As Grimmjow got closer, Ichigo stretched his neck up towards the shape of his head that shadowed on the shield before him. He had a look of confusion on his face.
"Who's the guy smart enough here ta figure out how ta get Kurosaki to see me again?"
Now everyone else looked confused.
