FEN: Whoa~ can't believe the news hasn't reached this site yet. An American comic "artist" had been tracing some panels of Bleach, Naruto, Hellsing and a lot more other famous manga and published it as his own work entitled "Incarnate". There hasn't been much news about it lately, but last I heard Incarnate's publisher held back all its copies until the issue is resolved. Kubo-sama has been notified about it already, I think, but he hasn't said anything except that he'll check out the comic sometime. I think the plagiarist's name was Nick Simmons... and I have never heard of him before.
Anyhow, going into an entirely new topic, sadly, I think my GrimmUlqui fic streak is about to meet its end. Bleach hasn't been of real interest to me lately and the fact that the GrimmUlqui fandom's dying isn't really helping my will to write either, but I'll finish at least this fic and Beautiful Stranger. Everyone's gonna have to say 'bye-bye' to Remembrance now, but I might get back to it. I might. I'm not really sure.
For anyone who's wondering, I'm gonna wander towards Katekyo Hitman Reborn for a little while. Dior Crystal introduced me into a new pairing and I fell in love with it right away. The pairing is 8059 or YamaGoku. I don't have any pairing in KHR that I support other than them, so I think I'll spend my free time writing solely to them or to GrimmUlqui if ever I find my way back here. Hopefully, I will.
Sorry for the long note! Oh, by the way... are people starting to forget that Grimmjow and Shiro are sociopaths (anti-social) here? Because someone I talked to just did. XD
Co-Existing.
Chapter Three.
Contrary to the morning before, Grimmjow was woken up to strong groans of pain. As it was just a couple of minutes after the old grandfather's clock had sang in alto, his mind was rather slow in absorbing the swift information his ears had been gathering long before he attained consciousness. Sitting up, dazed, his eyes fell upon the scrunched up face of the beautiful maiden, and only when that strange image reached his mind did it began to work.
"Ulquiorra!" He shot up, shocked far beyond he could handle. Having seen a strong reaction the pale face was alarming enough, but to see her squirming like this was something else. Unable to come up with anything, the blue-haired guardian ran off and literally dragged his half-asleep albino partner off the bed and across the servants' quarters to have him ask for help. The first one to answer them was the same old maid with pigtails.
"Wha' happened?" Shiro casually walked in Ulquiorra's sterile white room with his hands stuffed in his pockets and stood beside a surprisingly anxious and fidgety Grimmjow. Whatever happened to his heartless kitty? Just two days and it's down to being domesticated? That's weird. The kitty was stuck in a counseling agency in a larger number of days but nothing good came out of it... only a nice, little, bloody doctor on a stretcher. "Ya okay, Grimm?"
He shook his head.
"Chill, kitty." he raised his arm and wrapped it around his partner's neck, pulling him close. "So 'ows th' prince, lady?"
Grimmjow looked at him confusingly.
"Ah, sorry. Th' princess, I mean."
"The young master is fine." The maid replied as she straightened the bed sheets. "The comforter must have simply fallen off during the night. The young master's legs are so sensitive to the cold."
A pair of blue eyes silently turned away.
"I will be on my way." She bowed gracefully. "Have a good night's rest."
"Yeah, same to ya. An' thanks." He waved lazily and held his thoughts firm inside until the woman was out and had closed the door. The albino had recognized the uneasiness hidden behind his partner's eyes from the very moment he came in and had wanted to question it, but knowing Grimmjow, he waited. "So wha' did ya do?"
"I thought it was unnecessary."
"Psh. Yer takin' this too seriously. It ain't yer fault she's got weird stuff goin' on." He playfully tapped Grimmjow's head before unwrapping his arm around him. Yawning, the albino turned his back and walked towards the door. "Go back t' sleep. G'night, Grimm. Love ya."
Grimmjow swallowed thickly and replied hoarsely. "Good night."
xxx
The next time Grimmjow woke up, there was nothing to be heard but the sweet song of the birds dancing in the air at the garden outside the room. He was slightly surprised not to be woken up again by the sound of a piano piece being played rather masterfully. He thought that after that weird episode during midnight, Ulquiorra would strangely be out of bed again, playing the white grand piano situated at the slightly elevated platform at the far corner of the room. Of course, that was just Grimmjow's imagination being grand.
"Gooooooooooooo—OW!" the wooden door trembled. "Wha' th' fuck?!"
The blue-haired guardian sighed and stood up. "The door's locked, Shiro. Go be somewhere else until the caffeine wears off."
"Whaaaa'?! Nooo!!! Dun' do this to meh~"
"I'm serious, dumbass."
xxx
Outside, the rain fell hard. The irregular drumming sound of the heavy rain drops against the roof filled the room as everything else was overcome as easily as the absence of sound. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were stuck behind glass windows and wooden doors for the whole day, and Grimmjow cursed his luck for it. He hated staying in a place for such a long time. It made him relive memories that, under no circumstances, he would never want to remember.
The guardian stood by the glass wall, taking in the difference made by the water rushing down its surface to the landscape outside. The view revealed entirely the parts of the large garden that Grimmjow hadn't brought Ulquiorra to yet or at least he himself hadn't seen yet. The yard was beautiful despite being slightly flooded and the light of the flowers temporary dulled by the sunless sky. Nature truly has its own strange wonders, it seemed.
"Ngh..."
The croaking sound took the blue-haired attention in that split second and had the man walking back to the source almost at the very same second it sounded. Grimmjow knelt by the raven-haired's cold, pale legs and stared up at the pained face almost as if he was feeling it too. It was the very same expression from last midnight, but at least now he knew what to do.
"It's alright..." he muttered, running his warm hand over the freezing legs. "I'm gonna get some warm water and..."
As he stood up to leave, Ulquiorra held him back, her grasp still with the same soft and gently hand of hers. It made something throb beneath Grimmjow's chest, making him feel a lot stranger than he had already been feeling these past few days. There was something about her that was making him feel this way. Perhaps it was the same thing that had been making him have those strange thoughts about life and shit? No matter.
He tried his best to return the warm feeling to the hand that held his ever so gently. No one had touched him this way before... it had always hurt, he remembered. There was not a time that he didn't feel pain when he was touched except for now. It was hard even for him to imagine how Ulquiorra would've been now if she went through the same things that he had. Would her touch still be this almost loving? Or would she also have the hands that feared to touch and be touched? There were a lot of possibilities, and the fact that out of the million possibilities this one had to happen hurt the most.
Ulquiorra could've been someone everyone wanted to be. With her gentle hands, she could've been a doctor or a nurse, saving lives. She could've been a teacher or a musician, giving inspiration to all. She could've also been a mother of great children, a wife to someone who is worthy enough of her. She could've been a lot of thing Grimmjow would never could've been no matter how much he wanted it. He's just not suited for a life as perfect as something she could've lead without her senses robbed of her.
These feelings... they were more than strange to him. They were like aliens from outer space. Every time he was with her, he would feel a lot of weirdness coursing through his body. He could never name them, but surely it was only exclusive when Ulquiorra was near. It unbelievably felt good, almost unrealistic. If possible, he'd never leave her side again.
The rain continued to pitter-patter outside but in some strange way, it was drowned out of Grimmjow's consciousness. Strangely, everything belonged to her. There was nothing else in his mind at the moment but her and emotions she brought out within him. There was this prickly yet comforting feeling in their hands and it kind of made picture a serene flowing river a lot easier, or a sparkly fountain spouting crystal water.
It felt... warm.
He had never felt this good ever before. Giving in to the alien feeling, Grimmjow closed his eyes and let himself be swallowed by the relaxing images his mind kept on giving. It still felt frighteningly good. As if it was the most tempting thing in the world, he laid his head over Ulquiorra's blanketed lap and there, more of the strange emotions blossomed like flowers in spring.
Spring..?
"Na, na, na, na~ Grimmjow!"
"What?"
"It's meltin'! Meltin'!"
"What is?"
"Wha' do ya think?"
"Your ugly face?"
"Th' snow, moron! It's spring! Spring!"
"Will you stop repeating your words, brat? So what if it's spring?"
"Duh, ol' man! Spring! It means new life! New life! Ya promised, didn' cha? Tha' we'll start a new life once spring comes?"
"Huuuuuh?! I don't remember saying anything like that. That's bullshit."
"Ya promised, dammit!"
"Hey, watch your mouth, kid! You're just fourteen!"
Starting life all over... Grimmjow always wondered if it really was possible. So many years have passed, about six or seven, and yet the memories still haunt him like it was only yesterday. Reopening his eyes with these vivid thoughts in mind, he glanced up and met a beautiful pair of faded jades looking down at him.
As strange as it had already been, Grimmjow continued to feel like he was in a different dimension... or perhaps even in heaven. The tension he didn't even know he had on his back was suddenly relieved and the knot of his brows slowly being undone. Gently, a finger began to dance against his relaxed cheek, a certain pattern being repeated over and over.
Was she trying to get a message across? The continues gentle waltz across his skin was almost as if it was saying:
...'Thank you'.
xxx
It was such a distant memory, but both of them remember it just as clear as yesterday was in their mind. It was more than ten years ago since they first met, and of all the perfect places to meet, it was at a juvenile prison. Even though both of them had knowledge that no other minor did, by law they were still children and problem children go there. It was actually a common place, at least for them.
"So what're you in fer?"
Rebellious teenagers neglected since childhood, what else did you expect? But behind everything else, regardless of how far they have tread away from who and what they should have been, reasons lie somewhere within: Grimmjow was a neglected child of a single workaholic parent; Koichi, beneath the vigorous facade, was the personalization of insecurity. No matter how tough they looked, both only asked for attention and acceptance. Of course, they would never voice that out.
About two years after meeting at prison, outside the metal bars they met again. It just wasn't just once, or twice... or thrice. They kept on bumping into each other like they meant to see each other so often. And so, like two magnets repelling each other, somehow they became sources of each others confidence, and that fire continued to burn until it swallowed almost everything. They fell into a path were insecurities no longer mattered as long as they walked into it together, or at least it was forgotten for a while.
Fighting, stealing... you name it, but at least they never took a life or they never have yet. Koichi was into torture, hurting them just for the fun of it or picking up a fight because he missed tasting blood so much, but he never took a life. He was just having fun, and Grimmjow didn't mind as long as they wouldn't get hauled back into prison or in any institution. He hated being confined, hated being reminded how small he was in the world. He hated being treated like he was insignificant and weak, like he didn't know something everyone else does.
Grimmjow denied psychiatric help because even they didn't understand. Even them, who were supposed to understand him the most, treated him like he was a kitty who only needed a ball of yarn. His life was far more complicated than that. It wasn't like jigsaw puzzles that lost a piece or teddy bear that lost an arm. They needed something that couldn't be found there—something that couldn't be found in normality.
They needed something different... something special, but they already gave up on it. There was no use seeking for something that didn't exist. They kept on stumbling upon interesting people, though. It was enough to make the crazy ride worthwhile.
"Who are you brats?" the insanely large man with scars all over his face and body asked, pointing his bony hand at them as he asked.
Grimmjow groaned, idly cradling his beat-up face with a fist as he crossed his legs. "Shiro, a runaway parasite." he casually said, jerking a thumb at the direction of his still overly ecstatic partner, "I'm Grimmjow."
"A runaway, eh? How 'bout you?"
"I'm king," he continued, brushing his dirtied pants as he stood up, "and I'm going to destroy you."
Because of their silent search, they found a better life working under a mighty monster, who beat the both of them up bare handedly. But from there, somehow they regained hope. Because, who knows? Maybe this was where they should've been years ago, a place where they blended well. A place they belonged to.
"So e're gonna work like cops now?" The now sixteen-year old albino giggled, prancing around the traditional Japanese hallways of woods and paper.
"...probably."
"Ah! Na, na, na~ Grimmjow!" he stopped cheerfully by the open space, "It's meltin'! Meltin'!"
Or maybe this would be where they would find what they needed to find. Living like this, with almost like family, like normal people, under one old and silly roof with weird people like them: a brat, a monster, a human cue ball, and a narcissist... Yeah, it was their kind of family. Two additional freaks wouldn't change anything so much.
xxx
"...mjow. Ne, Grimmjow..."
Blue orbs woke up and slowly gained focus, his other four senses doing the same as consciousness resurfaced. Grimmjow carefully raised his head and groggily looked up at his partner's grinning face. He frowned right away. He knew what that smile meant and it never meant good. Well, considering how the leech found him, sleeping on a woman's lap, the bastard wouldn't possible let it pass.
Groaning, he asked unkindly, "What do you want?"
"Wipe yer drool, Grimm." The albino snickered, tapping his finger at the edge of his own lips. "Dun' wan' th' queen of th' house t' see like tha'."
"I do not drool." He muttered but wiped his mouth with the back of his fist anyhow. "But, queen of what now?"
"Th' young master's mum's gonna come home t'night." He said, leaning back at one of the posts of the four poster bed, with the meaningful smirk still plastered on his face. "An'... oh," he turned his peculiar eyes down, feeling the strong vibration of his ringing phone. "Speakin' o' th' devil, she's 'ere!"
"I'm gonna shower." He muttered with a stifled yawn. "Don't you get any funny ideas while I'm gone."
"Mm-hm." The albino chirped, "Dress up t' make a good impression, yeah?"
"Like I give a shit."
"Yah, wha'ever. Yer showerin' either way." He shrugged, walking close to the occupied wheelchair and held on to the protruding rubber bars for handles. Shiro followed his partner with his eyes as his grin grew even more. "See ya later!"
"Hn." Grimmjow nodded, closing the bathroom door behind him with a soft thud. Looking around, the bathroom was huge and grand and everything... everything that was totally unfitting for what this blue-haired supposed human-hater was planning to do. He sighed and slid down with his back against the door.
This was wrong.
Seriously, wet dreams?! At the age of twenty-six? What is he? A vir—okay, he wasn't gonna finish that, but whatever! That was beside the point!
Grimmjow grunted and cussed as he fisted his electric blue hair, hating himself for going through such an embarrassing thing. Maybe he'd understand if he was younger... or if at least he was sleeping in a normal way without any possible reason for it or anything. And also maybe if he didn't remember the woman he was doing it with after he woke up! Besides, isn't that how it was supposed to be? He wasn't supposed to remember that pearl-like skin! That white, smooth, and sexy...
Shit.
Well, this wasn't taking him anywhere... well, yeah, it is, but... not to where he wanted to be. But it wasn't like he didn't know what he was supposed to do next! Of course, he does! Who the hell do you think he is? He is Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez! A fully grown man! A man! A MAN!
All I need is to jerk off and everything's getting all stupid.
Stupid hormones. Tch!
xxx
Knock! Knock! Came the sound of the thumping little fist of a lady against the wooden door. "The young master, Ulquiorra-sama, and one of the hired guardians, Kurosaki Koichi-sama—"
"It's Shiro." The albino complained, but was no less ignored.
"Let them in." came a deep, stern voice of the woman from the other side; it almost made the albino swallow hard. Almost. After all, how can a woman be so damn scary? The only thing that a woman has that could hurt him are gigantic boobs that could suffocate all the life and dreams off his body. Psh. Such a woman with a child so old couldn't have such a weapon.
"Yes, my lady," the servant nodded and bowed low, "The lady is ready to meet you, Kurosaki-sama."
"It's Shiro." He repeated, pouting at the maid. "Shiro, Shiro, Shiro. Say it wit' me. Shi-ro~ Shiro! Shiiiiiii~ rooo~"
"Kurosaki-sama,"
"Shiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrroo~"
"Kurosaki-sama,"
"Shiiiiii~ roooo~ It's Japanese! Ya kno' Japanese, right? Shiro, Shiro!"
"Kurosaki—"
""
"Ku—"
"Stop calling me tha'," the albino growled, gripping the raven-haired lady's throat in a snap of the fingers as tight as he could without killing her but enough to leave a mark and traumatize her for days. He pulled her suddenly shivering form down to the ground until glaring at her became completely effortless; the angle even gave fearsome accentuation on his eyes. "Ya bi—"
"Shiro-san, was it?" came another voice.
"Huh?"
"Forgive her." The tanned-skin, blonde lady nodded her head towards the short-haired maid he had under his merciful grip. "You wanted to meet me, right?"
Forget the annoying little bitch... Mrs. Schiffer had huge watermelons barely hidden by her hanging shirt!
Run, Shiro!
xxx
"I thought you liked women's breasts." Grimmjow muttered as he shoved a rolled up piece of tissue up the albino's nose. "Why the hell did you ran away when you saw her?"
So yeah, as shameful as it was to admit, Shiro did run away at the sight of large boobs that were barely concealed at the end without any second thoughts. Like it was one of those run or die kind of situations. Grimmjow really never understood the Japanese albino. One reason was that he never really cared. Second, well... Shiro hated talking about himself.
"I do, bu' thos're monster tits. An' by experience, I kno' those can kill." The albino scrunched up his nose, uncomfortable with the stuffing his partner had thrust into his nostrils. He scratched the bridge of his nose. "So 'ow did it go?"
"How did what go?"
"Ahh, I fergot tha' yer a walkin' stick on yer own." He muttered with a pout. "So I still hafta meet th' monster after all."
"Not really." Grimmjow sighed, sitting down at Ulquiorra's unoccupied bed while the blind lady, sitting on her wheelchair, was close to him. "She said it's all there is to know."
"Wha' is?"
"...I don't know."
"Smart."
"Shut up." He grunted, "Anyway, she said she wanted a bodyguard on her way. And I'm staying with Ulquiorra"
"Obviously."
Later that night, the tan-skinned lady moved out along with his albino partner. Grimmjow didn't see them off. He didn't care. So days came and went, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's life went on, but no one also came back within those days. Slowly but surely, the servants disappeared one by one without a sound, making the house feel a lot emptier than before as if the mansion was expanding on its own; nonetheless, Ulquiorra's schedule went on without a stump.
A few more days later, Grimmjow began to consider Kurosaki Koichi's disappearance, because with his absence came cold mornings woken up to silently. He didn't care about anything else.
"I don't get what's happening." He muttered as he sat at the chair by Ulquiorra's bed with a crimson book at hand. "That bastard better show up tomorrow and explain everything."
But the days went on and on... and on with the number of servants lessening ever so slowly with each day. Vague traces of existence of his partner still invisible to all eyes. For some odd reason, he started to get worried but it wasn't as if it was the first time the albino left without communication. Heck, the albino was MIA the entire winter last year! But that was due to funny circumstances, this time didn't seem to be the same.
"...The liquid crystals that formed in his eyes began to crawl down, going through the same path it once taken down a pair of emerald eyes—tears that were for him, and now he was crying the tears that were for the other. For the both of them. For the love that had never really been there." He sighed, closing the book gently. "The end." Finally! Crappy nightmare is over... stupid mushy novel.
Ulquiorra turned to him with all poise and pride that he was sure wasn't there before and lend out her hand, asking for his. This had become quite a little quirk for them to fill the room for conversations. It was certainly a peculiar way, but at least Ulquiorra didn't seem as dead as she used to be. Soon, even Grimmjow got used to the feeling, especially since he didn't have anyone else to talk to without Shiro pestering him 24/7. As shameful as it was to admit, he kind of missed having the stupid brat around.
'Worried?'
"What are you saying?" Grimmjow scoffed. "Is there any other book you want me to read?"
'Friend?'
"Huh?"
'Partner.'
"Aah... well, let the freak die if he wants to die. He'd seen enough of the world."
Grimmjow hadn't seen even Ms. Melon or whatever her name really was; he didn't care enough to actually ask. Having the case like that, he began to learn his ways around the mansion and personally made sure to meet everything the blind woman needed everyday. With more than a month going on like that, the blue-eyed guardian eventually felt comfortable around her as if he had known her almost as long as he had known his Japanese partner.
"Anything else? Food, blankets, shower... whatever?"
It strangely felt natural.
'Story.'
"You want me to read another book?" Ulquiorra shook her head. "Then what?"
'Yours.'
...until everything started to become personal.
Fen: Is everyone okay with a little gore at the end? I mean... they are bodyguards for a reason. :D
