Before you get started, I just want to say Thank you to everyone! (No, this isn't the last chapter! the next one is...) You guys have really made this an incredibly fun ride and I really am going to miss this story when it's finished TT^TT
But enough of that crap, it's not over yet!
Enjoy~~
The rays of the morning sun worked with all their might to pierce the haze of thick, grey clouds to warm the earth but the bitter wind had other ideas. The chill breeze had lessened from the night before but it whistled quietly to it's self between the buildings and down alleys, negating what little warmth the feeble sun did manage to offer.
The snow had finally ceased to fall but it coated the ground in a thick, white blanket deep enough to hinder travel even within the village's limits and made traveling outside of the town nearly impossible. At least for a human. The cold precipitation covered everything, painting homes and roads, carts and tree branches, anything within it's reach with a pure and nearly unbroken whitewash. It coated everything that it could cling to and drifted up the sides of the things it could not as if trying to wrap the world in a protective embrace to shield it from the blood that would be initially spilt in the name of something far less than noble and end in a gruesome pool more than worthy.
Silence reigned over the dense forest that surrounded the village. Not a single creature dared make a sound, the very trees themselves seemed to hold their breath and an ominous, tensed waiting settled heavily in the air. The humans went about their business as usual, those that braved the cold season at any rate, while the beings that would take up the task of insuring their safety, some that were not even of the same species, fretted and plotted and worked themselves to near exhaustion, knowing that the time before the upcoming battle was nearing it's end.
A head of vibrant orange locks, left loose to hang and curtain the Caster's face, was bowed over the heavy book cradled in the young man's lap. Ichigo read through page after page of hand written text scribed on parchment long before he had been born, long before even his deceased parents had been conceived. Occasionally he climbed to his feet to toy with a new spell or try a new technique spoke of in said book. Situated in the far back of the extensive space Urahara had hidden below his shop, the Caster was able to draw his magic near and let it flow through his body unhindered and without fear of harming those around him. Beginning to understand what being a Necromancer entailed, Ichigo began learning his craft at a rather swift pace, able to focus on the string of magic that was naturally within his reach and avoid those that were not. Yet he feared it wouldn't be fast enough. Everyone feared it wouldn't be quick enough, though no one dared speak of their fears aloud.
Placing a torn scrap of paper in between the pages of the thick tome, the Caster closed it and gently settled it on the ground beside him before climbing to his feet. Sweat from the toll he was putting on his mind and body trickled down his spine, wetting the back of the long, intricate robes he wore, the garments Grimmjow had told him were a symbol of his power and his craft when magic had still been a dominate art form to the human race. He had learned in the book that the robes were originally designed to help channel a Caster's magic, the intricate, nearly invisible patterns sewn within the fabric it's self were symbols to call and direct power, much like the runes he had inked into the underside of his wrists years ago to draw his magic to his hands. He had found more patterns in the book Urahara lent to him, symbols to help enhance his magic and give him better control, that he planned to ad to his body. All that was left was to wait for Renji to return with the necessary items and ink to do the job.
As the Caster climbed to his feet, so too did the werepanther that had grown so close to the man and his brother. Grimmjow stretched his lean, black fur clad body, arching his tail and opening his mouth wide in a yawn to show off sharp, deadly teeth that would soon tear into canine flesh and muscle. Too blue eyes, filled with a carefully controlled look of determination, watched the Caster as Ichigo took a deep breath and pushed some of his hair out of his face.
"Ready to try again?" The once mighty deidad asked quietly, his voice easily carrying through the equally as quiet space. In the distance, from the other side of the large underground facility, the sounds of metal working and a roaring fire echoed softly to create a background noise that the two had grown used to hours ago as Shiro, Urahara and Kenpachi worked nearly tirelessly to meld the silver ammo they wouldn't need for their own guns into daggers and knives to arm the citizens with.
"Yeah." Ichigo nodded as he matched the werepanther's look. An apology for making the cat into his guinea pig again wanted to escape his lips, but he held onto it, knowing that Grimmjow wouldn't accept it nor want it.
He very nearly had his casting to the point where it would no longer target the werepanther as well as the wolves. Grimmjow had told him with the last try that it was at a level that he could work through if need be, but Ichigo had been able to see the way it still effected the feline and his reactions. Grimmjow may have been able to stand through it, even able to hold onto his resurrection and push passed what pain it caused, but it made him hesitate and pulled at his focus and that could prove deadly if something went wrong.
Even Shiro, having not actually witnessed the latest casting, had told him to stop hurting their feline companion before they even entered battle. It had confused Ichigo at first, that his twin had been able to tell his magic was doing the werepanther damage when the near-albino had been working on the opposite side of the large area at the time it had happened, but the Caster was quickly putting the pieces together. He didn't understand how it worked, but he realized something had bound Grimmjow to them and they to him. It wasn't a binding that controlled a creature's will, but more of a natural bond that linked them and it seemed to only get stronger as he developed his skills.
Grimmjow nodded as well, closing his eyes and relaxing his body as the Caster began a soft, nearly inaudible chanting. He felt the subtle tingle of magic riding the all but motionless air of the room, the feeling he always noticed as Ichigo pulled his power closer to his physical body. Moments ticked by and nothing happened. Grimmjow tilted his head slightly in feline curiosity and waited a moment more before opening his crystallin eyes to peer curiously and expectantly at the Caster.
He was met with a wide, almost over joyed smile. Confused, Grimmjow frowned slightly, his brows drawing together before his eyes widened and a slow grin began to creep over his own features. "You already released your casting?"
Ichigo nodded enthusiastically, quickly mumbling another spell that sent nothing more than a very faint breeze at the feline, something he wouldn't have even noticed had he not watched the Caster. As the smirk on Grimmjow's feline features grew to match the Caster's, Ichigo ran the few steps that separated them and happily threw his arms around the large werecreature, jumping slightly to circle them around Grimmjow's thick neck.
Grimmjow laughed, his deep voice rumbling in his muscled chest as he caught the smaller human. The orange haired man's joy was contagious and pride welled in the feline's heart, an emotion he hadn't felt in a very long time. The pleased purr that vibrated in his throat and chest was easily felt by Ichigo and was more than enough to convey the emotion as Grimmjow nuzzled against his neck and jaw.
"Uhh...am I interrupting?"
Both the man and the werecreature looked up, turning slightly to see Renji standing a bit awkwardly where the rows of shelving and tools and various items Urahara had stocked in his underground facility ended and the more open space the Caster was using began. He had left his heavy winter coat at the door but held a bag slung over one shoulder, no doubt containing the items needed to fill Ichigo's request.
Smiles never leaving their features, Grimmjow bent slightly to place Ichigo back on the ground so that they could make their way over to the tattooed red head.
"Nope." Ichigo said happily, pleased that he had finally figured out what he had been doing wrong. His demeanor changed slightly, concern showing in his expressive, sepia eyes. "She wasn't there was she...?"
"Still no sign of her..." Renji shook his head but kept his gaze lifted to match his friend's. "but we have other things we need to worry about right now, I'm sure she'll be fine." The red head let a slight, strained but genuine smile cross his face as he lifted the bag from his shoulder and shook it a little.
Ichigo stooped to grab up the thick book before leading the way back to the front of the space, where the others were, as well as a table and chairs they could use for their purposes. As they neared the area Urahara had set up for melting the silver, Shiro paused in what he was doing and glanced over at their approaching forms.
The near-albino lifted a pair of darkly tinted goggles away from his face, blinking a few times and wincing as his inverted eyes adjusted to the change in the lighting level. Sweat from standing before the hot flames of the small inferno they were using glistened on his bare torso, a bit heavier muscled than Ichigo's own. With a sigh, he pulled the leather work gloves from his long fingered hands and dropped them onto the table. The exhaustion began to show on his already pale features now that he had paused in what he had been doing since returning from his and his brother's home the night before.
Shiro raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, uncaring as he smeared some of the black soot from his hands to his face, and looked over to his more colorful copy.
Ichigo gave him a happy enough smile, though no one in the large space could push the urgency laced undertone out of the back of their minds for long. The Caster opened up the book he had been using as a guide for his magic and flipped to the page he needed, the one that detailed various patterns to help a Caster's magic flow more smoothly and quickly through their body. He pointed out what he needed from Renji and as the red head began setting up his equipment, Ichigo walked up to stand in front of his twin, leaving barely an inch between them.
Thinking to give his beloved brother a hug, the Caster quickly changed his mind when he realized just how filthy Shiro was from working and molding silver the whole night through. Instead, he settled for a quick kiss, able to taste the slightly salty sweat on lily white lips, but it didn't bother him as a gentle quirk lifted the corners of Shiro's lips. It was a far cry from the wide, suggestive smirk he normally wore, but it was better than nothing.
"You sure about this, Ichigo?" Renji asked over his shoulder as he finished putting his tattoo gun together and set out his ink. "That's a lot of ink..."
"I'm sure. It'll help channel my castings." Ichigo told the red head, stepping away from his brother and joining his friend at the table. "And I need all the help I can get right now."
Renji nodded and Ichigo removed his robes, folding them gently before draping the fabric over the back of one of the chairs. As the red head strung the elastic bands that guided the needle of his tools together, Ichigo took a seat and did his best to relax.
Shiro turned back toward the two men they had only met the day before. "Le' me take a piss an' I'll be right back, Urahara."
The blond shopkeeper glanced up from his work for a moment. "Oh, no need." He all but sang to the Undead as he pulled a pair of long handled pincers from the fire and up ended them, carefully pouring the molten silver from the vile at the end into a mold set in cool water. "All that's left is to let everything finish cooling, take your time."
As Shiro neared the stairs, headed up and toward where the washroom was located, the cellar like door was flung open, gaining the attention of everyone present. An odd man a little on the small side descended the stairs in a flurry of equally odd colors. He brushed past Shiro in his rush but froze before taking a step backward to bring himself in front of the near-albino once again. His odd, black and white painted face twisted into a large, slightly creepy grin to reveal large, blunt teeth as he took in the appearance of the young man before him.
"Oooh!" It seemed the man could hardly contain his joy as he studied the man he stood in front of, much to the gathered peoples' confusion. "Urahara, you brought me the Undead?"
Shiro's ashen brows drew together in a confused and angered scowl. His need to use the restroom forgotten, the paler of the twins turned on his heal, ignoring the newcomer, and all but stormed back to his brother's side. Ichigo held a matching expression on his face, his anger just as potent at hearing his beloved twin being called by that. He winced slightly as Renji moved over his chest, the needle guided along his sternum but his eyes never left the strange man, dislike and mistrust swirling in their depths.
"Such interesting guests today." The man muttered happily as he let his eyes rove from the unique Undead to his much more colorful copy, the young man that must have been the Caster, before settling on sharp, glistening fangs and piercing, cerulean eyes, all of which looked rather unhappy at the moment. "Oh my."
"Indeed, Mayuri." Urahara said, joining the scientist, his ever present fan hiding his features and remaining immaculately clean even after all the metal working he had done. "Powerful ones, too. Let's refrain from offending them, yes?"
"Oh fine." Mayuri reluctantly agreed. "I suppose you're right, but when this is over, I would love to run a few tests."
His only answer was a low, rumbling growl that instantly shot the idea down and promised pain if it was ever brought back up again.
"My, my." Urahara smirked behind his fan. "Kenpachi and I were beginning to wonder where you had gone to do whatever it is that you do when you're gone." The shopkeeper told the scientist, his mysterious smile evident in his voice and his sparkling grey eyes.
Mayuri held up his hand, one long finger pointed toward the ceiling as a sort of strangled squeak escaped and his eyes widened, as though he had just remembered his reason for being back. The scientist continued his previous rush, brushing by Urahara and skirting around the table with the unique companions sitting around it. He darted to his work table before he began explaining.
"I have seen evidence of werewolf activity around the village. Several of them at the very least." The man told the stunned group as he pushed aside papers and other items on his desk.
There was a moment of silence, even the quiet hum of Renji's tools ceased, before five pairs of eyes turned to look at Grimmjow expectantly, varying degrees of worry shining in their depths. As the scientist continued digging for something, eventually going to the shelves of weapons located behind his table, Grimmjow just shook his head.
"Starrk has not called yet." The wolf and his Pack had set up sentries, groups of wolves that surrounded the village and waited for Baraggan to make his move. The moment the traitor or his strays were detected, even just a scent on the breeze, Starrk was to let Grimmjow know. The call would come as a howl, and to Grimmjow, another werecreature with far keener senses than a human, that howl would tell him everything he needed to know about the invading wolves. But no howl had rang through the air and the attack wasn't expected until night fall, still nearly the whole day away.
"Is it possible that Starrk ran into trouble?" Urahara asked as he too rounded the scientist's work station and began selecting his own weapons.
"No." Grimmjow told the blond confidently. Mayuri must have been mistaking. "Should something happen to the Alpha, every wolf in the Pack would be crying. Even a human would know something was going on."
"Starrk?" Mayuri glanced to Kenpachi briefly before he continued his search. "Isn't that the name mentioned by the wolf you were collecting information on?"
"Yeah, turns out he's the leader of a friendly wolf clan in the are." Kenpachi grunted out to the scientist, looking calm and bored as ever, if just a little bit excited at the prospect of fighting more werewolves.
As the two spoke, grins spread across both Urahara's and Grimmjow's features, though the former's was hidden behind his fan, as they pieced together the scientist had seen. Mayuri paused as the realization of his mistake settled in and while it was a relief to know they weren't under attack prematurely, the scientist huffed in irritation and grumbled to himself.
Renji returned to work, inking the pattern Ichigo had pointed out into the Caster's flesh, a relieved and tense chuckle escaping him. Shiro pulled up a chair and sat beside King, watching as dark ink began to take over lightly tanned, smooth skin. No one said a word about the scientist's mistake, too relieved that it was only Starrk and his Pack out and about during the day to poke fun of the odd looking man.
"Urahara..." Mayuri called after a moment of continued searching, digging through his various creations and still prototype weapons. "Have you been trifling with my things again?"
"Of course not, I always tell you when I have been." The shopkeeper said as he began collecting the freshly made silver daggers. The bladed weapons were still smudged with the dirt and soot of the pyre they used to forge them, uncleaned and unpolished and certainly not looking very pretty, but they would do what they needed to should the invading wolves manage to slip passed their defenses and into the village.
"hnn." The scientist rubbed at his hairless chin, doing a remarkably good job of not smearing his face paint, and hummed as he stared at where he was positive he had left it. "It seems that one of my modified shotguns is missing."
Urahara sighed as his fan disappeared. "I had thought it seemed someone had tampered with the lock." He muttered to himself mostly. Unfortunately, he didn't really have the time to spare worrying about who may have broken into his shop, and since he hadn't noticed anything immediately out of place, he had went straight to work on creating the weapons the citizens would need.
"Ichigo, Renji. Are you two just about finished up?" The blond asked, beginning to heft the heavy, leather bag he had placed the daggers in. Kenpachi snatched the bag from him as the brutish man approached, easily lifting it to hold it over one shoulder. The shopkeeper gave him a grateful smile before looking back to the Caster and his friend.
He dismissed the missing weapon, unable to do much about it and having a sneaking suspicion of who was behind the brake in. It seemed all that had gone missing was the single item Mayuri had mentioned and nothing from the shop above had been touched, meaning that the culprit knew where to go to get what she was looking for. There was really only one person it could have been and Urahara simply hoped Rukia knew what she was doing.
"Yeah." Renji answered him as he bent close to the Caster's chest, working swiftly but confidently to fill in the last section of arching line. A moment later, the red head stood up and backed away from Ichigo. "There ya go, all done."
Ichigo stood up, carefully running his finger tips over the freshly darkened lines on his chest. Where smooth, tanned skin had once covered lean muscle, six, arching and curved lines ran outward from the center of his chest. The lower two branched outward, spread wide to follow the curve of his pectoral muscles and round his shoulders, narrowing the further from the center they got and forming bracelet like marks on his upper arms. The second set of inked trails also started at the center of his chest, arching away to follow the curve of the first. However, mid way through they turned upward and ran over the tops of his shoulders to seemingly disappear from sight. The final and highest set started with the first two pairs, but scarcely branched out, instead running nearly straight up his chest and tapering off on either side of his trachea to end as narrow points under his jaw.
The lines were bold but didn't look bad and a wide grin morphed on Ichigo's face as he whispered a single word and felt the currents of his power strum through his body, pulled from the outside air and guided along the arching lines toward his center, where he could easily access it and turn it into a casting.
Both Grimmjow and Shiro let their features twist with smiles as well, able to feel not only the slight tingle in the air but feeding off the Caster's approval of the effects the symbols had on his abilities.
"Glad to see it worked." Urahara chuckled slightly, noticing how the other two seemed to sense that the Caster's idea had apparently worked before the orange haired man had said anything. "We best be going now though, if we want to warn the citizens."
In no time at all, the six of them were traversing the streets, headed toward the edge of town where a wide open market area was normally set up in the warmer weather of spring and summer. The location would conveniently allow Starrk and his second to join them as they revealed the existence of mythical creatures while the rest of the Pack stayed hidden and insured they weren't under attack just yet.
Kenpachi, Renji and Shiro each carried a heavy leather bag of freshly made, silver blades while Urahara led the way. Grimmjow, once again looking like a man though dressed in far less than was normal especially during the colder season, and Ichigo trailed right behind him. Mayuri, whom would have made up their seventh person, had opted to stay behind and watch over the shop, probably a wise decision since they were about to try convincing people that not only were werewolves real, but they were about to be attacked, not to mention the odd scientist's affinity for turning everything into an experiment.
With Urahara's connections and intellect, he had been able to pull a few strings and have the gathering announced as a must attend, emergency village meeting. Of course, flashing Grimmjow in his wereform to the village officials had helped a bit. The feline hadn't been particularly pleased after being grazed by a bullet from one the terrified officer's guns but it had just been a typical lead shell and the wound had healed within minutes and only acted to help their cause in the long run.
The mysterious blond smirked behind his fan but the expression was strained, even the normally goofy shopkeeper was beginning to feel the pressure of the tense atmosphere and situation. As if sensing something was suddenly very wrong, the growing crowd of villagers whispered nervously amongst each other, though the noise level never rose above a quiet and expectant din.
As the village officials joined Urahara and his group, wary of the blue haired man wearing nothing but a pair of loose shorts and seeming to hardly notice the cold, the tense crowed fell to complete silence. Nearly every citizen of the village stared at the strange group with wide, fear filled eyes and confusion. Of course they recognized most of the people standing before them. Everyone knew the kindly shopkeeper by name and had seen his giant of a partner in the shop at one time or another. Word of the Caster and his supposed to be dead twin had long circulated through the village, so they too were easily recognized, as well as Renji, who had lived there all his life. The only stranger was the blue haired man, but even whispered rumor of a blue haired man attacking a man in defense of Shirosaki had circled around a few days ago. Still, nothing could prepare the stunned citizens for the information Urahara began pumping into them.
As the blond began telling them of creatures that could shift from human to beast and monsters that lurked through the trees, some of the people in the crowed laughed nervously, thinking the notoriously eccentric man must be joking, but as the village officials stayed straight faced and pale with nervous worry, watching to insure no one got out of control and Urahara waved forward the blue haired outsider, the crowed fell silent once more.
Urahara, incredibly surprised with how well the tense crowd was receiving what he was telling them, could only hope that the people wouldn't panic as the entire village took a collective gasp of air when two towering werewolves stepped out of the trees and calmly neared them, easily hopping over the wooden fence that circled around the village's limits. Starrk and his even larger second came to a halt at Urahara's side, looking powerful and menacing but not aggressive as their calm eyes roamed slowly over the villagers. Just when the stunned silence began to break out into shocked and disbelieving whispers again, Grimmjow couldn't help but let a smirk cross his handsome features as he slipped out of the borrowed shorts and into his resurrection, careful to let his thick fur cover his more private areas before flashing the crowd and silencing the people once again as he veered before their very eyes, putting an abrupt end to their doubts.
Panic filled the air, reeking and strong to the werecreatures that could smell it wafting from the villagers, as Urahara continued to explain that a different group of werewolves, headed by an evil wolf, would be attacking their homes very soon.
Starrk took over, explaining that he and his Pack, alongside Grimmjow, the Caster, the Undead and Urahara's men, would be battling the attacking army and defending the village. As he spoke, giving a human voice and human emotions and actions to he and the other werecreatures the citizens were faced with, the gathered people began to rally together. Unable to deny the existence of creatures they stared in the eye at that very moment, they hardly thought about how outrageous it all seemed and their fear and panic made them trust Urahara and his odd, if a bit scary group.
To Ichigo and Shiro's surprise, nothing was said about them by the people that normally looked upon them with fear and hate. The loathing and suspicion normally shimmering in the villager's eyes, aimed at the twins, was replaced by desperation and an odd sort of trust, as though the strange and frowned upon powers and strength the two held was suddenly seen under a new and brighter light. Who would have ever guessed the two young men they had chased out of their town would one day be back to save them?
Starrk and his scarred up second, scars given to the wolf by none other than the feline he now had to fight alongside, took their leave as quickly as possible, rejoining their scouting parties on the hunt and look out for enemy activity. As the two made their exit, disappearing back into the seemingly desolate forest, Urahara explained the wolves' aversion to silver and told the villagers that they were to stay locked within their homes as soon as he dismissed them from the meeting, giving the Pack and himself the room and security they needed to fight. The village officials began passing out the silver daggers while Urahara explained that they were a precautionary measure for the unlikelihood of a werewolf not belonging to Starrk's Pack getting into the village and into their homes. He explained that it would only take a single cut by the silver knives to kill a wolf, quickly dispelling the panic at being given close combat weapons that had began to swirl through the crowd.
From somewhere in the middle of the gathering, cowl pulled low over her features in order to stay hidden, Rukia watched as the villagers were all but forced to accept the notion of an upcoming and unavoidable war. But really, what else could they have done when faced with that kind of news the way Urahara had gone about telling it to them? The strange man was more than intelligent and had given them all the proof they needed, even finding and parading the creatures around before the stunned crowd like trained dogs.
Now he armed them with silver and gave them a means to protect themselves and their families in their time of fear and need. The small woman instantly realized why they were given daggers rather than guns and the silver bullets she knew the shopkeeper possessed; Urahara must have been worried about the villagers harming the creatures he had deemed as posing no threat to them. He was protecting the werewolves and that cat even as he was protecting the citizens.
Dark eyes glanced away from the shopkeeper to study the feline, once again in his resurrection and looking like the powerful and dangerous monster he truly was. The beast stood calmly beside the blond man, Ichigo and Shiro standing at it's side and acting as though they were simply standing by another human. She knew she shouldn't have been surprised. Those two were so far under the creature's spell they didn't realize the danger he posed to them and everyone else around him.
As those piercing, other worldly blue eyes seemed to settle unerringly on her form, Rukia quickly turned away and left with the few citizens beginning to trickle from the market square, completely missing as cinnamon colored eyes seemed to search the crowd almost desperately for her.
Renji sighed to himself as he realized he wasn't surprised in the least that he didn't see the missing Rukia anywhere in the crowd. Nearby, blue narrowed slightly before Grimmjow turned away from the crowd, dismissing the familiar figure his sharp sight had zeroed in on. He couldn't be sure that it was the female the red head had been searching for. He had only seen Rukia once before and hadn't been inclined to pay much attention to the human that didn't seem to like him or the men he chose to be with, the men that had brought him when he needed the protecting and defended him even though they should have seen him as a monster.
The city officials would be armed with silver swords, more deadly and dangerous to the attacking wolves than knives would be, but still far safer for Grimmjow, Starrk and his Pack. They would be stationed with in the village it's self, strategically positioned according to where Starrk, Nnoitra and Grimmjow had deemed the most likely to need the extra protection. Urahara and Kenpachi, also having combat experience, had thrown in their opinion and together locations had been settled on and instructions had been given.
The only people wielding fire arms loaded with silver ammo would be Shiro, Ichigo, Renji, Kenpachi and Urahara himself. Mayuri would also, of course, but the scientist was going to be acting as more of a field medic than a fighter and as creepy and unsettling as that notion was, the village's defenders feared they would need it.
Ichigo's own silver loaded hand gun wouldn't be of a very high caliber, only used as a back up weapon should he be unable to work his magic for some reason or drain himself of the energy he needed to cast, easily done since he was so new to the larger and more devastating spells he had been able to teach himself with the aid of the book he was given. Shiro planned to be by his side through out the entire battle, guarding his beloved King and using his own silver plated and trusty revolvers, loaded with the bullets he hand made himself. Renji would be with them, also armed with dual hand guns.
Kenpachi, with his wicked sword coated in something else the scientist had concocted and a silver loaded buckshot would be several meters away from the twins and partnered up with Urahara, who would be armed with a sniper rifle as well as a back up hand gun and posted in a pre-designated place along one of the higher buildings along the village perimeter. His sole hope was to find and eliminate Baraggan, the beast whom seemed to be able to control the mindless hoard of strays. Without Baraggan driving the pitiful creatures and commanding their movements, Urahara hoped that the monsters would fall into disarray and become even easier to combat and kill. Or perhaps begin killing off each other in their maddened need to fulfill their hunger.
Grimmjow would be mostly on his own, far faster and stronger than the humans and in need of space to utilize his ferocity. He would be out of harms way from any stray silver that would strip him of his more powerful wereform while still being close enough to guard his humans. Starrk, Nnoitra and the Pack would be taking care of the opposite side of the village, spread out to cover what the other's could not and far enough away to insure they stayed safe from the possibility of stray bullets while they fought against creatures that looked nearly exactly the same.
With the silver passed out and the citizens informed and prepared as much as could be insured, Urahara and his group made their way back to the weapons shop. Their plans were set, though flexible and easily adapted to whatever was needed for an unpredictable battle field. All that was left was to wait for the upcoming battle; a battle that promised to be bloody and vicious, where monsters would clash with men and the line between the two would be eviscerated, the definition altered and all hoped they could end it before it truly turned into another war.
After spending the whole of the previous night preparing as best they could, each man doing what they needed to be ready for the battle, the group was spent and it was decided they would sleep in shifts until Starrk informed them of any activity.
"Kenpachi and I can take fist shift. Grimmjow, you can take last that way your hopefully awake to hear the Alpha's call if it does happen tonight." Urahara suggested as he descended the stairs and led the way to the underground facility.
Grimmjow quickly threw the idea out the window. "That's unnecessary. Each of you can sleep while I listen for Starrk. Even should I happen to fall asleep, I'll be able to hear him."
When he was sent uncertain looks by the shopkeeper and his partner, the feline huffed a slightly irritated sigh but explained all the same. "I'm feline..." Grimmjow drawled, his voice deep and rumbling. "I'm a very light sleeper."
The fan was back out and hiding the blond's face as Urahara smirked at the creature's confession and the irritation that seemed to come with it. "Ah, of course. Like a cat nap."
Kenpachi pulled up a chair from the table to plop his giant frame down into while the shopkeeper joined the scientist to clue the painted man in about how the meeting had gone. Renji hesitantly joined Kenpachi at the table, his first though having been to join Ichigo and Shiro, but as he glanced over at his friends, he realized the Caster and the near-albino would want the last few hours of peace with the creature he knew to be their lover and more and he wouldn't deny them that.
The werepanther shook his head slightly but settled down and made himself comfortable, quickly followed by the twins. Ichigo and Shiro, without hesitation and uncaring what anyone else in the room thought, snuggled close to their inhuman companion, grateful for the few moments of tenderness and calm just before they entered what would prove to be a devastating battle. Grimmjow threw his muscled arms around them and pulled the smaller humans close, a slight quirk to feline lips as the two rested their heads against his solid chest; Ichigo on his right and Shiro on his left.
As exhaustion tugged at the two humans' eyelids and their breathing synced with each other while evening out, a pale, black nailed hand reached up to gently brush through a lock of vibrant orange hair before settling on the silky fur clad, rippling abdomen beneath it. Grimmjow allowed a very quiet purr rumble in his chest as he enjoyed his humans' warmth and embrace. The sound lulled Ichigo and his twin into a blessedly dreamless and empty sleep.
Minutes later, as everyone else began settling down and the building fell into a tense, somewhat forced and foreboding silence, Grimmjow took a deep breath and dug deep within himself until he sat, holding the men he loved close, in a half asleep state that would allow his body to gain the rest it would need. He wasn't so lucky as his humans, however, and he was quickly assaulted with flashes of a battle long since ended and nearly forgotten.
Old wounds were suddenly fresh, blood stained the snow covered earth in sickly pools but all seemed colorless and ashen as the background blurred and the corpses and mounds of freshly churned soil faded away. Flashes of color managed to register to darkened vision and pierce through dulled senses; vibrant colors and pale ones that contrasted immensely but fit together in beautiful perfection. Familiar features came into view, tear streaked and pained, smeared with blood and dirt. A matching copy just as pale as the first hovered at the other's side, exhaustion, desperation, fear and a million other emotions swirling just below the surface. The sound of a slowing heart thumped heavily in his ears, the world falling to a stillness that seemed out of place before the silence was shattered by a single wolf's mournful and haunting howl.
Inhuman, nearly glowing blue eyes slit open, filled with a dread and fear the once mighty deidad had not felt in countless decades. His keen ears perked forward as the howl, muted by distance but no less final than the bells of a church tower, trailed off and faded away, sorrowful and regretful. Grimmjow unconsciously tightened his grip around the men he held close as he stared sightlessly at the opposite wall for a moment longer, nearly unwilling to let go of the two and wishing he could keep them here and safely hidden. But as he gently stood, pulling the Caster and Undead up with him and awakening them, he knew he could never do that. Not to Ichigo and Shiro, not to the citizens of the village, not to the descendants of the humans he had once given nearly everything for.
Mere minutes later, as the group of human defenders and the werepanther in their midst sprinted from the shop's front door, the vicious snarling and the fierce snapping of massive fangs and canine jaws shattered the night's calm as Starrk's Pack clashed with the first wave of mindless drones.
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