I Hate That I Love You - CH 8: Abnormal
Time to involve a certain substitute Shinigami into all this.
I woke up with the light from out the window painfully stabbing my eyes. Recalling what had happened last night, I suddenly felt a knot tighten in my chest. I succumbed to her and told her I'd do whatever to make her happy. I even promised her things… It seemed like my world revolved around Orihime Inoue now. I accept this new weak side of me. Why else would I make that promise? It was a promise I was willing to keep nevertheless. It's like my mind was completely cleared, except that the knowledge to make Orihime happy stayed.
The first thing I smelled during my seconds of consciousness was Orihime's overwhelming, unique scent. The first thing I felt was my arm around her bare waist; her skin being soft and smooth was comforting and delightful. The first thing I heard was her even breathing as she slept.
I wanted to stay under this blanket for eternity. Tough luck...
I got up from the bed carefully and put on my clothes that laid on the floor over night. Then I placed Orihime's next to her on the bed. Without the guidance of a mirror, I tousled my hair to its usual messy shape. That outta do it. I took advantage of the time Ulquiorra was away. The night—with no pesky bodyguard always interrupting everything—was spent wisely. Maybe, I'd have to kill Ulquiorra myself to get this quiet and alone time again.
"Grimmjow-san?" Orihime called when she found the space next to her was vacant.
"Sleep, Orihime," I said.
She sat up from the bed anyway, showing me the front of her black lace bra again. "Morning already?" Then she yawned and started to get out of bed.
"Hey. Put on your clothes first. You know, just in case someone walks in," I cautioned. I could not believe the load of shit I would get to if we were caught spending the night together. I was already planned to get executed before for just the simple action of a hug.
"We've been risking that all night," she confirmed in a whisper.
True, I thought.
As soon as she was done pulling her clothes on, she rushed into my arms and kissed me swiftly on my lips. "Good morning," she said.
I was going to miss all this when Ulquiorra gets back. "How 'bout some breakfast, Hime-chan? I'm your bodyguard for now. Why don't I take you there?" I smirked.
I stayed in her room for the remaining two days and forgot the last time I was bored. With the girl, it seemed like I never was. We filled the gap of time by simply being around each other—that was better than anything I could think of. She told me stories, each of my questions led to one. I played with a lock of her vibrant hair while she told me one about her brother and her friend named Tatsuki.
I kept her away from the assholes that had the instinct to pull her hair out or break every bone in her body. They knew about Ulquiorra's absence since word got out quickly. But I told them I was in charge for the next few days. They seemed to be equally scared of Ulquiorra and me and stayed away. That incident with Loly and Melony remained fresh in their memory.
When he came back, that was like the bomb that destroyed my happiness and filled the rest of me with despair all over again. Every hour, every minute, every second I was away from her side, it felt like I had a kanata through my head that weighted heavily.
Orihime allowed visits of course, but he only allowed them when lunch was over. We made use of it carefully. Most of the time, I would ram her against the wall, pull her thigh over my waist and crush my mouth against hers. Sometimes, our conversations were supposed to be filled with hate, but we somehow purified them...
"How does it feel like… to be different?" she asked me while she was combing her hair in front of the mirror.
I looked up in surprise. "Huh?"
"You know what I mean."
"No actually. I'm not sure what you're getting at," I admitted, frowning. "What do you mean by 'different'?"
"Being... with me. A human," she said. "You get criticized a lot now, I figure." Her tone suggested she was guilty of the fact.
I never cared much when people would ask me if I was feeling all right. I'd simply answer with a simple, "never been better." Now that I thought about it, wasn't Orihime 'different' too? "Hey, you're abnormal too. You're in love with a creature of the dark." I grinned.
"I know." A tiny smile appeared on her face. "But how does it feel like for you?"
"Well, I still hate that I love you, Hime-chan," I confirmed. Hime-chan was a name I played around with, mocking almost.
"Yes, I know that too. Sometimes, I wish I was in love with Kurosaki-kun again," she said with a shrug, as if she was fine with everything the way it was now.
"Sometimes, I wish I would rather be a cockroach," I muttered.
"But otherwise, I wouldn't be as complete." She turned around and threw a big smile right at me.
I didn't say anything in return, but I knew that I agreed with her.
It was after lunch, and my legs dragged me to Orihime's room. Like always, Ulquiorra would eat faster than anyone else so he could stand outside in front of the big doors, mostly because he didn't trust me. That ass was just waiting for the day that I'd turn around and kill Orihime.
He seemed to oddly watch me while I approached. "Hey," I greeted before pushing the doors open.
He grabbed my wrist before I could, and he gave me a cold glare.
"What the hell, man? She said—" I began protesting.
"I know what she said, Jaegerjaquez. You're not skipping on today's meeting are you? Aizen-sama specifically requested all to participate. It will occur soon. I've informed Orihime about it—she understands," he explained.
"How about just a—" he cut me short again. That was getting on my nerves.
"How about we go to it now? It's better to be early than late," he said in his monotone. I knew he was rushing me to make sure I don't skip this time. Orihime's heart beats were even, he has done nothing to her.
Before I could respond, he dragged me away by my arm. I snatched it back harshly. "All right, I'm coming. Sheesh." Why was this meeting so important that I had to come? Usually, he let me off the hook when meeting were just a bunch of reminders.
I made my way with number four toward the opposite direction of Orihime.
"Are we all here?" Aizen asked at the head seat for our long table. His eyes flickered automatically to me, and he smiled humbly, seeing me present. He would pat Ulquiorra on the back later and maybe even give him a doggy treat. "Good. We shall begin."
I raised my index finger.
"What is it, Jaegerjaquez?" He rolled his eyes and asked. Maybe he was remembering now why he let's me skip all the meetings. I wanted to annoy him like hell.
"What's this about?" I questioned. "Why'd I have to come?"
"It pertains with the entire Soul Society and how they're advancing on us," he answered politely. Aizen was wishing he could kill me behind his fake smile. "Now, we succeeded for this long without any attacks. I find it a bit suspicious that we haven't received any, even if they know our location. If we—"
I interrupted by sticking my finger in the air again.
He sighed. "Yes?"
"Why don't we just attack Karakura town already? Are we just sittin' here waiting until they make a move before we do?" I asked.
Tōsen, who was to his right, spoke instead. "Grimmjow, if you wait and listen, Aizen-sama will get to that part."
"Continue please," Stark said.
Aizen nodded, seeing other people backing him up. "As I was saying, if we make a move, that might be exactly what they want. There might be a trap and we would be unprepared," he explained. "Now, I want to hear suggestions for a new strategy."
Ulquiorra raised his hand immediately.
"Cifer."
"If you don't mind me asking first; do you have access to the Soul Society files and documents? There might be information there," he told his master.
Aizen shook his head. "I'm afraid not. The files are top secret and hidden in the quarters of Captain Commander Yamamoto and I have lost access to them—even if I was a captian—because of my… early leave." His eyes scanned the table. "Szayel?"
"How about we send a threat to back them down?" The pink-haired Espada suggested.
"Well... we could. Though, this might knock a sense of alert. The Soul Society has many great fighters, if I may admit," Aizen said after pondering through it. "Anyone else?"
The room remained quiet and nobody moved.
I snickered and slumped further into my chair, not really giving a shit about precautions. If he was so powerful, why does he need us? Fucking coward of a leader...
"Jaegerjaquez?" he called.
I was surprised to hear my name. Maybe he read my mind. I looked up at him with the slightest bit of interest. "Hmm?"
"You have a devious mind, don't you? What do you plan on doing?"
Getting the hell of this meeting. "I don't know." I shrugged.
He ignored my respond; he seemed to insist I had something in my mind. "You have clever tricks up your sleeve. Tell us the first thing on your mind about the situation... It'll allow you to leave those doors sooner." He added the last part for encouragement.
I guess it worked. "Send one person to sneak into the World of the Living and get information the old fashion way: pulling a guy by their throat to squeeze out any knowledge. There are people there who know about the situation and the information we need, right? They probably don't stand a chance against one Espada."
Aizen sat up right from his seat, considering it. "What if that plan goes the other way around? What if they get information out of us ins—"
I rudely cut him off. No one goes against my saying, especially if they asked for it in the first place. "That won't happen if we know who we're dealing with."
"What do you mean?"
"Who's someone who'll insist on handling a battle on their own no matter what. Someone who would rather like to know where we're keeping the girl instead of information about our plans." I explained.
After a few seconds of pondering, his lips curled into a mischievous smile. "Kurosaki Ichigo."
There was that jolt of electricity that was sent through everyone in the room, maybe 'cause they were afraid of his skills. The Substitute Shinigami who fought through captains and rescued the Soul Society in situations like those Bounts.
"I've met him myself, and he's perfect for the plan," Tōsen said.
"Now, we need someone who can defeat him," Gin told us.
My hand remained lowered as the majority of the group raised theirs; they wanted to see that power for themselves. The rest doubted his abilities and couldn't care less and I was one of them.
Aizen had said one Espada's name. "Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."
I had to accept the job without much of an option after he spoke of my name. Once he said something, everyone had to go by that no matter what. That's how bosses are. No one had the right to go against their word. No matter how much they refused or disagreed. I bit my tongue in order to save myself from getting killed for real. I stiffened in my seat that I couldn't even give Aizen a scornful expression. I didn't give a damn about meeting the Substitute Shinigami. Why couldn't he pick someone who was determined? I thought my obstinacy would wear on him.
As the meeting concluded with that final decision, everyone got up from their seats and proceeded out the door in an orderly fashion while Aizen's eyes were on them. As soon as they were out of his sight, they would begin to push and tug at each other.
"Jaegerjaquez, may I have a word with you?" he called after me before I left. Shoulda ran out faster.
I approached him reluctantly. "What is it?"
"I know you and Orihime have developed a strong friendship now and she might ask you why she didn't get invited or what we were talking about. May I ask you to say that it was just reminders for the Espadas only?" he quietly said to me.
I frowned. "What for?" I saw no reason to its purpose.
"She might want to come with you in order to reunite with her friends. We don't want that do we?" he pointed out.
The more I thought about it, the more he was right. I wanted her to stay here... with me. This order would benefit Aizen and I. Might as well do as he says. "Right," I replied.
He gave me an encouraging nod. "You may leave for your mission tomorrow."
A/N: I figured if I included Ichigo, this would be much more interesting. Look forward to the next chapters!