Disclaimer: Various concepts and characters have been retrieved from Dragonball Z and Bleach for this story; they belong to Akira Toriyama and Tite Kubo. Please note, however, that the plot, which is an original plot, is unrelated to the events that take place in DBZ and Bleach, meaning this is an AU fic. The OC's and plot belong to myself, and KRenee.
VIII
Juritsu woke the following morning to the sound of someone cooking. Judging by the energy signature, it was Khrai. She had disappeared late the previous night after threatening Grimmjow with increasing amounts of violence until he gave in and agreed to stay over. He'd spent the night in Kaisuki's room, probably sitting vigil over Ulquiorra the entire time, even after Khrai had told him that he'd better try to sleep or she'd beat him into unconsciousness. The blonde herself had probably slept on the couch - assuming that she'd come back early enough to have bothered with sleep at all.
She almost felt a little hesitant coming out, not wanting to disturb the apparent calm, but nevertheless, the brunette stepped out into the living room regardless. Her blue-haired classmate was nowhere to be seen - reinforcing her theory that he was diligently posted by Ulquiorra's side - but she quickly caught sight of Khrai.
"What are you making?" she asked as she walked up to the island in the middle of the room and leaned against it. The scent wasn't something she recognized, and wasn't sure what to make of it. Whatever it was, it was almost painfully strong.
Khrai glanced over at her briefly before returning her attention to the pot she was using, "Freshly picked thyme, rosemary, and angelica boiled in holy water."
Holy water... where had Khrai gotten holy water from? The only time she'd ever heard of it was way back when she was a child, when Garlic Jr. had re-attempted to take over the world. She'd assumed that it was a rare commodity.
It took a moment to figure out the concoction was likely for the person Grimmjow and Khrai had collectively informed her about. Ulquiorra had apparently been the source of the dark energy she'd sensed in her friend's apartment, due to possession. While she didn't know him personally, she hoped, for Grimmjow's sake, that he would pull through.
"Juritsu-nan," Khrai's voice broke her out of her thoughts, "Would you mind doing me a big favor?"
Juritsu blinked, and glanced over at the blonde. "Um, sure," she replied, slightly unsure of what else to say.
"Sorry for sending you on an errand without even supplying you with friggen' breakfast," Khrai dipped a finger in the boiling water with a concentrated look on her face. Juritsu blanched at the action - didn't that hurt typical people? Though Khrai wasn't what she'd call typical... "Could you get me a plain white sheet? Gotta be a hundred percent pure cotton, nothing extra in the mix. If you can't find one at the market, try a fabric store, they got all the good shit…"
She trailed off, glancing away from her herbal mixture and frowning deeply, "N' take Grimmjow-nen with you. Poor bitch probably needs all the sunlight he can get at this point."
That was a weird and random request, and no matter what she did, Juritsu couldn't think of a reason as to why exactly a sheet was needed. Nevertheless, it had to be done. She grinned at Khrai, who simply nodded thankfully at her.
As she stood in front of the door to Kaisuki's room, where she could clearly feel Grimmjow's presence, Juritsu paused, and was completely perplexed as her heart started racing. Why was she so nervous all of a sudden? They were just going to the store; it wasn't like they were going on a date! And why the hell had a date even come to mind in the first place?!
For a moment, she contemplated just going herself, but Khrai was right. Grimmjow had been in that room overnight, and she could only thank her lucky stars that it was now the weekend, because she was positive that her blue-haired friend hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Getting out and getting some fresh air would do him some good, right?
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Juritsu gently knocked on the door before quietly letting herself in.
Grimmjow really hadn't moved from his post at Ulquiorra's bedside, and he looked worse for wear. His eyes hadn't strayed from his friend's motionless form, and the demi-Saiyan wasn't sure if he'd even registered her presence.
She approached him, slightly tentative, and came to a stop by his side. There was a long moment in which nothing was said, and Juritsu took that time to really feel the tension in the room. Concern, fear, anger, weighed down the air like a thick, suffocating blanket, and it made her heart wrench. Grimmjow was suffering, way more than he was letting on to anybody. He was always like that... quietly carrying his burden, not letting anyone in to take some weight off his shoulders and support him. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why he seemed to prefer solitary misery.
But she didn't want to see him in such pain anymore.
That feeling of being alone in the world, she knew it all too well; coping with her father's death and his decision to stay in the Afterlife. The first few of those several years were hellish. Lashing out at the loved ones who tried to support her, especially Gohan, she isolated herself for a long time, nearly drowning in resentment towards her twin for the events of that day. She'd never felt so lost before in her life. It'd taken her a long time to come around, and only then it was from the persistence of her friends and family, namely Vegeta, who'd somehow become a father figure for her in the years of Goku's absence. Without them, she wasn't sure where she would've ended up.
She inhaled slowly once more before placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. It'd surprised her, the way his body heat radiated through her palm. He blinked, eyes focusing and glancing up at her. He looked taken aback by her presence, as if he was expecting to remain alone.
She smiled in response to the slightly questioning look in his eyes and offered her free hand. "Come with me?"
Several emotions crossed those cerulean eyes of his; confusion, worry, uncertainty, nervousness.
Juritsu only widened her smile in response. Trust me, Grimmjow.
After a long moment of silence, gazes held steady, the blue-haired classmate reached and grasped her offered hand, returning her reassuring squeeze.
I trust you.
...
"You know, I thought it'd be easier than this to find a 100% cotton sheet..."
Grimmjow quietly hummed in response, looking over the packaged bed sheets, not really looking like he was paying much attention to anything in real time. Everything about him read as distracted; clearly he was preoccupied with Ulquiorra and his condition. Juritsu sighed, feeling slightly useless in the whole situation as she pulled out her cell phone.
No luck with the sheet =/
What could she do? Obviously Grimmjow was perfectly justified to be worrying about his friend. But it was unhealthy the amount of stress he was putting himself under. Surely, she could do something about that, right?
But even as they moved from shelf to shelf, quietly examining each group of packages, Juritsu couldn't help but feel like the only thing she was accomplishing was making him feel restless about Ulquiorra. Clearly the fallen friend was the only thing on his mind.
tried the fabric store already?
She frowned at the message and typed her reply: every fabric store and department store in town
find a store that sells witchery and magic. and make it snappy
Juritsu glared at her phone as she refrained from sending a slightly scathing text, and shoved it back into her pocket. A witchcraft store... yea, because the half-Saiyan made it a habit to regularly visit witchcraft stores to buy frog legs and newt brains and whatever the hell else they bloody sold. Did such a thing even exist?
There was a five minute pause before her phone vibrated again. Another message from Khrai - theres a store called the huntress' den three blocks south from you. tell the storeowner its for your sisters.
The brunette scowled at the message before replying with a brisk "K." Letting out an exasperated sigh, she pocketed her phone... and found Grimmjow staring at her quizzically. All at once, the butterflies fluttered to life in her stomach, and her ears grew warm.
"Ah, I... Khrai, you know... she's rude..." she managed, feeling like an idiot. She honestly didn't think she could sound any dumber.
"What'd she say?" he prompted after a slightly awkward pause, and for a brief moment, Juritsu had no idea what he was talking about.
"Oh, right. Um, well, there's a place not too far from where we are, and it sells witchcraft stuff."
Grimmjow raised an eyebrow at that. "Why the hell does she think a 100% cotton sheet would be sold at a witchcraft store?"
Juritsu shrugged helplessly. Hell if she knew, and besides that, they'd looked everywhere else. "No harm in checking?" she suggested weakly, and Grimmjow shrugged in response.
"Might as well." He sounded impatient. She supposed it was to be expected of him, she realized as her heart sank. Ulquiorra's health was more important than wasting the afternoon chasing down a sheet with her (since she didn't have the stellar looks that Lily freakin' had and all, of course). As she trudged behind him, she tried to not take it too personally, and mentally berated herself for feeling all crestfallen in the first place. They were friends, nothing more, nothing less.
And yet, as she continued to remind herself of that, her mood only continued to sour.
…
Khrai stepped out of the bathroom to greet Grimmjow and Juritsu as she heard the sound of the front door opening. She hadn't gotten any texts from the brunette since the one stating that they had "found the store." The girl's phone had probably either shorted out or spontaneously died. Khrai had been half-expecting something of the sort anyway, so she hadn't gotten worried. Witches had a knack for screwing with electronics like phones and computers simply by being around them. The blonde elf didn't have this problem (so long as she wasn't actively casting spells). Probably had something to do with the fact that she was dead.
When they stepped far enough into the house to see her, Khrai's gaze swept over their persons briefly before her attention settled on Grimmjow, "Find it alright?" She didn't sense anything latched onto him. Thank god. He looked uncomfortable, shifting around almost restlessly as he clenched and unclenched his fists a few times. That was probably a result him stepping through the angelica. She needed to stop forgetting that he was a Hollow.
Juritsu handed her the plastic bag she had been carrying. Likely, the sheet was in the bag. "Yea it wasn't too much of a problem," Juritsu remarked off-handedly, and Khrai noticed how the brunette's eyes kept drifting over to Grimmjow.
"Hey," Khrai's attention centered on Grimmjow entirely, and she frowned deeply, "Stop being such a drama queen."
Grimmjow shot her a glare before rolling his eyes and wordlessly stalking through the living room out to the balcony.
Juritsu watched him go, a frown on her face. "I really don't know how to comfort him," she almost sounded apologetic, "Actually, every time I think about it, I realize that... I don't really know him that well. And that's why I don't know what to do."
Khrai wondered if the look she was giving Juritsu was as incredulous as she was hoping. The younger woman seemed to wilt slightly under the gaze, so she must've been doing it right.
"Juritsu-nan, his brother-in-arms is on his deathbed, and I highly doubt Grimmjow-nen's the type to respond well to false comfort," she smiled, slightly exasperated, "You don't know many members of the opposite sex, do you?"
At Juritsu's bewildered look, Khrai chuckled, "Excluding family, Juritsu-nan. You'd be better off giving him a beer and telling him the truth."
Juritsu's eyebrows furrowed. If anything, she looked even more confused. "The truth...?"
The blonde nodded with a smirk, "Ulquiorra-nen's not going anywhere. I promise," She looked towards the window to the balcony, where Grimmjow was staring out at the too-sunny and too-cheery outdoors. She'd been able to practically taste the gloom in Kaisuki's room earlier. How was anyone supposed to have any chance of recovering in that kind of environment? She was surprised Ulquiorra hadn't died of second-hand depression in the middle of the night.
It was faint, but she heard it – almost like a mewling, a soft call. Her gaze hardened, blue eyes scanning the air around Grimmjow's person. It was the slightest thing – a shift in the shadows where there was no breeze, but it was something that the blue-haired man should've been able to pick up on easily. He didn't seem to react at all, even as the shadows of the house next door shifted more obviously, wisps of demonic, shadowy hands reaching weakly for him, wanting to feed on the strength of his anguish. They were repelled by the angelica, but if more of them came along, they were going to be in a bit of trouble.
She frowned deeply and stepped over to the balcony door, briefly forgetting that Juritsu was even present. Khrai pulled the glass door open, and with that window no longer obscuring her vision, she could see them even clearer. Juritsu probably couldn't – these weren't normal, Hell-born demons, and they weren't nearly strong enough to form a physical appearance to those who weren't so well-versed in the Otherworld.
"Grimmjow-nen," she didn't try to mask her feelings on the subject, instead allowing the concern and wariness flavor her tone (though, in his current condition, she wasn't sure he'd notice), "Come back inside."
Grimmjow glanced over his shoulder at her. "Why?" his tone was calm, albeit strained.
This was plain ridiculous. Those things were literally within arms reach of his face, and he couldn't see them? Had he gone selectively blind?! But, she gently reminded herself, she needed to try and exercise some patience with him. If she pissed him off, he'd probably bolt, and then he'd definitely get killed in some horrific fashion. That was the last thing she wanted right about now.
She mentally cursed the fact that she knew there were demons crawling all over the place and she couldn't risk mentioning Ulquiorra or anything remotely relevant to the truth until he was indoors. "Because I asked you nicely, so please come inside."
He sighed, scowling as he turned around, absentmindedly swatting around him as if searching for a mosquito. Khrai stepped out of his way, allowing him to enter the house before she did and closing the balcony door behind her. She paused thoughtfully with her hand on the knob, and then decisively locked the door and wretched the shades over it.
She then turned back to the wallowing little boy and let out what would probably be the loudest, most exasperated sigh anyone in the room had ever heard, "Holy fucking shit, are you blind or just stupid?"
Grimmjow seemed to take the bait easily enough. It was like he was waiting to pick a fight. "Honestly, I'm not in the mood for your shit," he snapped.
It wasn't like Khrai thought that Grimmjow deserved any of this nonsense - from the demons on his tail to the loss of his brethren. She sympathized with his grief, she really did. She'd been there before - it was the grief and loneliness that had led to her untimely death at the ripe age of twenty-three. Sure, it'd been nearly seven thousand years ago, but the feeling was still fresh in her heart.
But that didn't excuse his behavior at all. As a seasoned fighter, a warrior going into battle, he should know better than to allow himself to be truly blinded by misery, anger… anything, really.
And it most certainly didn't mean that she was any less pissed off about his utter obliviousness, "Honestly, I don't have the patience or the time to spend watching you like you're fucking five to make sure you don't do something retarded and get your dumb ass killed!"
"Who do you think I am? You think I didn't notice them?" he shot back hotly, almost visibly bristling, "I could've wiped them out with my eyes closed! Quit underestimating me!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, let me clarify something really fast," She spat furiously, "Are we talking about those little spirits on the balcony just now, or the steadily increasing number of demons that are posting themselves all over this fucking neighborhood so they can lay in wait for an opportune moment to rip you to shreds?"
Grimmjow briefly gritted his teeth, having finally lost his temper. "I told you not to underestimate me!" he grabbed his Pantera and stormed over to the door, "I'd rather go out there than sit here and do fucking nothing! Those pansy-ass demons you're so afraid of are a fucking walk in the park for me, and I'll prove it right now!"
"Holy mother of-… does losing people always turn you into a raving idiot?!" Her voice was rapidly rising in volume, all sense of sympathies and reminders to not piss Grimmjow off escaping her. He grabbed the doorknob and wrenched it open, only to have it ripped out of his grip as it slammed shut again at Khrai's will – nuh-uh, you ain't getting off that easy, you little – and Grimmjow turned back to face her with a murderous glare. "Or is it just the fact that you know how utterly fucking useless you are, and you can't handle it?!"
"Don't act like you know me," he snarled, grip tightening on the hilt of Pantera, "Unless you're volunteering to be my punching bag for the next several hours, I suggest you get the fuck out of my way-…"
Juritsu's voice abruptly thundered over their bickering. "ENOUGH!"
Grimmjow immediately silenced, almost taken aback by the sudden outburst. Khrai's attention snapped to Juritsu, blue eyes flashing. The demi-Saiyan was not at all intimidated by the elf's glare, instead drawing herself up to stand tall and unwavering, regarding both of them with a fierce gaze.
"Of all the times to be going at each other's throats, this is the worst time to do it," the brunette continued, voice strong, "As far as I've been told, we're neighbors to the Gates of Hell, and fighting amongst ourselves is only going to get us all killed! Calm yourselves!"
Right, Khrai reminded herself chidingly, Priorities... Jeez, since when do I let anyone piss me off that easily?
She pointedly ignored Isolde sniggering in the background of her mind and looked to the nearest clock. It was almost quarter after three. If she didn't get her act together, she would have to wait until tomorrow. Ulquiorra probably wouldn't even last that long.
She glanced back at Juritsu, nodding silently in acknowledgment. At least someone around her was keeping a cool head. Finally, she turned her gaze back to Grimmjow, keeping her expression as neutral as possible.
"Ulquiorra-nen's not goin' anywhere," Khrai stated, swallowing down the urge to insult him at the end of her sentence. "I'm gonna save him."
Grimmjow gave her an incredulous look, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Isolde said there was nothing she could do," he countered.
"In case you hadn't notice, I'm not Isolde-nan," She replied flatly, turning away and walking over to the bathroom door, grabbing the sheet she'd abandoned on the couch, "My abilities are not limited to the living."
As she was laying the cloth flat at the bottom of the water-filled tub, she called back out into the living room, "If there are any windows open, I'd like them all closed and locked! Same with the doors!"
Grimmjow and Juritsu glanced at each other for a moment, Juritsu shrugging before the two of them took care of the windows and doors.
Out of all the parts of this particular spell, Khrai was looking forward to this part the least. She pulled open Kaisuki's bedroom door, doing her best not to gag on the cloud of dark energy hanging around the room like a bad smell. She crossed the room swiftly, all but ripping the blankets off Ulquiorra. There was a soft squelching noise that followed, and she glanced at the bed linens. There was black ooze staining them, and when she looked back at Ulquiorra, she could see that it was practically dripping out of the cracks in his gray skin. Gross.
"This is a little worse than I thought," even as she said those words aloud, eying the damage and scowling, new cracks were forming and old ones were splitting wider.
"If you're gonna kill someone slowly," she grunted, digging her hands under Ulquiorra and doing her best to ignore the feeling of that black goo smearing up her arms, "The least you can do is not make a huge fucking mess, Lucifer-nen." She hefted him up, fleetingly wondering if he was usually this feather-light, and headed for the bathroom. The all-but-corpse in her arms was pretty much dripping all over her clothes, and she could feel it soaking through both layers and irritating her skin. She was going to take the longest shower after this spell... and after she finished cleaning out the bathtub.
She wasted absolutely no time placing Ulquiorra in the water, making sure he was fully submerged. Almost immediately, the water started to cloud. Gross. After spending a brief moment sprinkling more angelica in front of the door, she turned to Grimmjow and Juritsu.
"I'm going to close this door," she stated, indicating the entrance to the bathroom, "Don't open it for any reason. I don't care if the god damn house catches fire; this door stays shut. You might hear screaming, or smell something burning, or see smoke. Ignore it, keep the house closed up, and don't go outside. We clear about that?"
Grimmjow tensed at that, clearly not liking the fact that his comrade would likely be in pain. Juritsu glanced over at him, sympathy crossing her expression before she looked back towards the blonde.
"We got it."
Khrai noticed the way Grimmjow averted his gaze, the way his shoulders stiffened. She sighed. It wasn't like Ulquiorra wasn't in pain right now, but he probably wasn't the one they were going to be listening to. She sincerely hoped that they hadn't been especially close to anyone dead. She nodded at Juritsu, and headed back into the bathroom, glancing down to make sure that she didn't break the angelica line before shutting the door. The water that Ulquiorra was submerged in was almost completely black. Gross.
She got down on her knees at the side of the tub, reaching into the water and cupping her patient's cheeks, muttering the enchantment before closing her eyes and dipping her head into the water, pressing her forehead to Ulquiorra's.
...
He was trying. He really was. Sitting still had never been something he particularly enjoyed, but it had never been quite this difficult. He felt like jumping up and running laps around the planet for a few hours. He'd slightly altered his position on the couch four times in the past seven minutes. Juritsu wasn't openly staring at him, but he knew that she was probably well aware of the anxiety running through him.
Grimmjow was attempting to watch the clock in an effort to calm his nerves. It wasn't working. In fact, it stopped working entirely when the clock abruptly forgot its purpose in life and ceased its mindless ticking. He stared at it for a moment, wondering if that was because of Khrai's ritual. Juritsu shifted on the couch, drawing his attention away from the timepiece. She was watching the door to the bathroom. He had been trying to avoid that for the duration of the past fifteen minutes, but it seemed he no longer had a choice. He looked over, easily spotting the tendrils of dark smoke making their way under the door. The smoke itself seemed to disappear into the air. That was good; suffocating now would've made this whole episode of his existence pretty pointless.
He watched the smoke carefully, tracing it with his eyes. It was a decent distraction for the amount of time he could concentrate on it. There was an odd flavor staining the back of his tongue. Grimmjow pointedly ignored the way Juritsu glanced over at him as he cleared his throat forcefully. There was a growing stench in the air that was making his stomach churn. Once upon a time, he would've been inappropriately excited by the scent of burning flesh, but that was a long time ago. He was about ready to vomit. He glanced over at Juritsu; she didn't look nauseated at all. In fact, she looked like she was sniffing the air to identify the odor. Probably didn't smell the same thing he did. Lucky.
He watched her out of the corner of his eye for a long time, blocking out the pulsing feeling in his gut, the aching behind his eyes. He didn't quite know why this was affecting him so much more than it was affecting Juritsu, but if he had to guess it was probably related to the fact that he was dead. Grimmjow lowered his gaze to his lap, concentrating on getting a handle on his distressed stomach.
"Sa… ru… ke… keru… Sake… ru…"
Grimmjow piqued at the voice, glancing around. Juritsu hadn't moved an inch, didn't seem to react, instead continuing to eye the dark tendrils of smoke... so did that mean she couldn't hear it?
"Sakeru! Sakeru! Help me! Help! Sakeru!"
His search for the source of the calling brought him to staring at the door. The voice wasn't Ulquiorra's, and it didn't sound like Khrai either. So who the hell was it?
There was a strange pull coming from within, reaching out. He felt drawn to that voice, but he didn't know why. His heart began to race in anxiety. He needed to do something, but he didn't! Who the hell was Sakeru and why the hell did it have something to do with him?!
Get out of my fucking head!
The stench of burning flesh, the sight of the black smoke that had increased in volume to a point of billowing out from every opening around the door, that strange voice and the inexplicable pull he felt to it... his hands closed into fists. He felt like he was gonna freakin' throw up.
"Sakeru, don't leave me, please…"
"…mm… jow…"
"Sakeru!"
"Grimm..."
"I love you, Sakeru."
"Grimmjow!"
Juritsu...?
The brunette was staring at him, a look of concern in her eyes. Suddenly, Grimmjow felt chilled, and… was he trembling?
"Hey..." she scooted closer to him on the couch, looking slightly unsure of what to do, "Are you alright?"
He wasn't even sure what to tell her. Alright? Far from it. But it wasn't like she was going to believe him if he told her he was hearing some random name in his head and smelling death, and no matter what he seemed to do he couldn't block it all out he just needed to get the hell out of here and-...
A hand on his shoulder almost made him jump. How and when did he stop paying attention? Juritsu was still watching him worriedly, and the heat from her hand was radiating through his shirt as she squeezed his shoulder in a gesture of comfort.
"You keep... zoning out," she spoke slowly, "Are you okay?"
There was a long pause, almost unnecessarily long as Grimmjow pulled his mind together long enough to think of a quick excuse.
"Just stressed..." he mumbled, and Juritsu let out a sigh, giving him an exasperated smile. Well clearly he'd have to lie better next time if he wanted to reassure her.
"You look physically ill," her voice held a chiding, yet gentle undertone.
"Yea, stress does that," he replied with a snap, almost immediately regretting it when he saw her blink, surprised, before backing away.
"I... yea, sorry..." she looked away with an awkward chuckle, "Didn't mean to be nosy..."
He mentally berated himself. He couldn't be taking his pent up anger out on her - after all, it wasn't like she wanted to be the target of the entirety of Hell. And he'd refrained from telling her anything other than some bullshit about Hell trying to come out and them happening to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"No, don't worry about it..." he spoke up, keeping his gaze averted to the floor. His fists clenched when the voice called out once again, "There's a lot going on right now, that's all."
There was a small pause before she quietly replied, "I understand."
He heard the underlying message easily enough: I won't bother you.
It wasn't like he was trying to push her away, not intentionally. As selfish as it was, he was merely protecting himself. But could anyone blame him? He left Hueco Mundo, which would've resulted in Hollows labeling him as a traitor, had they not all been wiped out. Soul Society had wanted his head from day one, and it was unlikely that that would ever change. On Earth, among humans, he was a freak, even if he once was a human when he was alive. He had no place where he belonged.
But perhaps that was why he was so drawn to Juritsu from the moment he first met her. She was a freak too. And granted, no normal human would've realized this; she was good at hiding her strength and her speed. He certainly wasn't sure if what he sensed was a fluke at first, but now he could feel how she held herself back.
But he did realize it was real, and it helped coping with the isolation he felt on occasion, living in the human world. Juritsu, in a way, had become an anchor, a fall back, as much as he hated admitting it. She had become someone he could rely on. And he would tell her his secrets, as soon as the time was right. She was his friend, after all.
Before he could say anything, however, there was a sudden pressure that filled the room. Juritsu felt it as well - he noticed the way she stiffened beside him and Grimmjow lifted his gaze again. A familiar young girl stepped out of thin air, looking over at the duo and grinning. That had to be the most terrifying thing Grimmjow had ever seen.
"I'm back," Saeka greeted nonchalantly, glancing at the bathroom door. She tilted her head slightly, smile fading a bit, "That bad, huh?"
So she had survived that blast. Good; he didn't know too much about her, but she came across to him as someone who would make a valuable ally.
Abruptly, he realized that she'd asked a question. "It's been about 30 minutes since she shut that door. I don't know if that means anything or not, but aside from that, nothing's happened.
Saeka nodded, "He got pitched pretty far down. That why it's taking so long." She looked at Juritsu, "Are you better now, Juritsu-san?"
Juritsu blinked at suddenly being addressed. "I do... thanks," she responded, giving Saeka a grateful smile.
"That's good," she replied as she looked back to the bathroom door. It was then that Grimmjow suddenly noticed that the calling in his head had stopped. He followed Saeka's gaze; the smoke had stopped as well, and that stench had dissipated, replaced by a subtle aroma of spices.
"Somebody get a blanket!" Khrai's voice suddenly barked through the door, "But not the ones on Kaisuki-nan's bed! They're covered in sludge!"
As Juritsu was jumping up to race into her room, the bathroom door opened and Khrai stepped out into the living room. Ulquiorra was shaking all over in her arms, his hair wet. The blonde who was carrying him looked positively exhausted as she walked over to the couch, gingerly setting him down. After pulling her arms out from underneath him, she immediately started rubbing his upper arms vigorously. Ulquiorra himself didn't seem entirely keen on her moving away from him, either, as he gripped the front of her black dress with trembling hands. Evidently, the loose, gray t-shirt she usually wore as a top layer had been discarded.
Grimmjow's eyes were wide as he'd quickly jumped out of Khrai's way. He scoured his kin's entire reiatsu, finding no trace of the dark energy that had possessed Ulquiorra before. So... did that mean...?
Juritsu brushed past him - he hadn't even sensed her re-emerge from her room - and hurried over to Khrai, pushing her lightly out of the way and wrapping Ulquiorra in the blanket.
"I... pre-warmed the blanket. I hope it helps."
Thanks," Khrai replied sincerely, "He's fine now, Grimmjow-nen. He'll probably be asleep for a while, but he's fine." She straightened up, spotting Saeka, "There you are! Where the hell've you been?"
The girl in question shrugged, "Got thrown all the way to Hueco Mundo, and I decided that I might as well do a little recon while I was out."
Khrai grimaced as she walked over to the island between the kitchen and the living room as sat down heavily, "How was it?"
"Arid. And empty," was the simple reply, "You look pretty worn out."
"If you hadn't taken so long to get back, you could've told me that he'd been kicked into the fucking Pit, you snarky little-..." she tailed off, coughing lightly and wincing, "My throat's killing me. Fuck it, anyone else gets thrown to the Pit they can friggen stay there."
Grimmjow was studying Ulquiorra extensively. "How did you get back?" he asked off-handedly. The only way that anyone could get back was the use of a Garganta, and yet he definitely didn't see or sense one when she randomly appeared.
"Trans-dimensional rift," Saeka answered frankly, heading into the kitchen. It was kind of interesting to watch her pull out a glass and fill it with cold water; the way she maneuvered her talons was impressive, considering how long they were. She brought the cup over to Khrai, who gratefully accepted it and pretty much downed the whole thing in one gulp.
"Did you figure anything out during your self-proclaimed recon?" The blonde asked as she set the glass down.
Saeka nodded, and Grimmjow noticed the way she glanced over at him uncertainly, "Yes, and no..." she replied slowly, as if choosing her words carefully.
"Spit it out, devochka."
"Hueco Mundo was empty. Not a soul left in there," Saeka let out a heavy sigh, "I had hoped that maybe I could find someone to talk to, but there's no one left. At all."
Grimmjow gave pause, growing silent. Hueco Mundo was generally a desolate place, but the way Saeka had looked at him as she said those words...
Gone. Every one of them, gone. His brethren... dead. How? Why?!
Hot, hot anger began to course through his veins. Granted, he hated Las Noches, but Hueco Mundo... for a long time that was his home. And now...
The room once again, was suffocating him. This time, however, he didn't really have anywhere to run to, did he?
There was a stiff silence before Khrai spoke again, "Do you know where everybody went?"
"Lucifer's been locked in a cage for a long time," Saeka stated, her well of dark energy simmering. Anyone who paid any attention could tell that she was furious, "Because he kept eating up all the souls in Hell, and souls are worth more than gold in the Afterworlds because of the amount of raw energy they're made of. When he was finally let out last summer, he was pretty hungry... so they set him loose in Hueco Mundo. And he ate everything in sight."
His reiatsu was boiling. Honestly, he didn't even know how he hadn't erupted. But it was the fucking Devil himself. Nearly killed Ulquiorra, was constantly hunting Juritsu, and he had gone ahead and destroyed his home?
"Every-..." Khrai began slowly, but paused, brow furrowing, "Why'd he spare Ulquiorra-nen?"
Saeka's head bowed slightly, her black hair falling further into her face. The pause was deafening, and Grimmjow wasn't entirely sure he wanted to hear her answer. He was already on the verge of exploding. He didn't think he'd be able to take hearing anything more about-...
"Because he begged."
Grimmjow's fisted slammed into the table, punching through it with a snarl. His reiatsu flared out in the form of a hot, hot shockwave, but he didn't care, oh no. The only thing on his mind was spilling blood.
He wrenched his hand back out, grabbed Pantera, and stalked towards the door.
"Grimmjow?!" Juritsu's voice somehow reached him through the buzzing in his head.
"DON'T FOLLOW ME!" he roared, glaring over his shoulder at her. She'd paused in her steps, frozen, shocked, slightly taken aback, almost hurt, and inwardly he prayed that she could see his anger wasn't directed at her. I wouldn't forgive myself if you got hurt because of what I'm about to do please just stay here
He didn't wait for her to respond, throwing open the door and slamming it shut behind him.
No one followed after him.
He didn't care. It was better that way.
…
It was long after dark when Grimmjow had finished off the last demon in the vicinity. His lungs were burning, heaving for air. He was aware of several wounds on his being, and he didn't care. They weren't severe anyway.
He glanced around. He was in one of the more sketchy places of town. It'd be awesome if some punk human tried to mess with him. Wouldn't mind breaking a few noses while he was at it as well.
For a moment, the Espada's thoughts drifted to Juritsu. He wondered if she had listened and stayed. He wondered if she'd gone out looking for him after all. Would she have risked exposing her secret?
It didn't matter. As the adrenaline began to wear off, Grimmjow began to feel the beginning of soreness and exhaustion. Anger was slowly transitioning to grief.
He was used to, for the most part, being on his own. But in the back of his mind, he always knew there was a place and people to return to. Now, however...
It was as if everything had been taken away from him. All he really had left was Pantera.
"Are you quite done?"
Oh, right. He had him, too.
"Yea, sure. Until they come back," Grimmjow replied after rolling his eyes at the Cuarta Espada. Somehow, he wasn't surprised. Ulquiorra was, after all, infuriatingly strong. Something as trivial as possession by Lucifer wouldn't kill the pale Hollow.
"So? When'd you wake up?"
There was a brief pause, "Six minutes ago. I was told that you went out to throw a tantrum and decided to retrieve you myself," Ulquiorra frowned deeply, looking perturbed, "You're bleeding."
"Yea, no shit," Grimmjow glanced at his wounds briefly, "I've had worse."
"I'm merely surprised by the fact that such low-level demons were able to wound you at all, Grimmjow." They'd been in each other's presence for less than ten minutes and Ulquiorra was already reminding the Sexta why they'd been at odds for so long, "To think that you once believed yourself to be stronger than me."
"Says the Espada who nearly died from a mere possession," Grimmjow finally turned around to finally shoot his comrade a half-hearted glare, though he wasn't feeling near as irritated as he usually would when dealing with the Cuarta.
He saw the twitch in the corner of Ulquiorra's lips as he turned his head, reaching up a hand and rubbing his thumb against his lip. In normal human beings, Grimmjow would've taken that as an attempt to hold back laughter. This person was so far from Ulquiorra it was a bit disturbing.
After a moment, the pale man met Grimmjow's gaze again, "I honestly cannot believe you would hold that against me," he tilted his head slightly. Grimmjow didn't think he'd ever seen Ulquiorra's eyes quite that green before. Maybe he'd finally gotten his hands on some Prozac.
But, as quickly as it had appeared, his expression turned serious again. The glow in his eyes didn't go away though. "Is it really so dreadful, Grimmjow? I distinctly remember you telling me how much you didn't miss Hueco Mundo and Las Noches."
Grimmjow averted his gaze to the ground. For a moment, he wasn't sure how to put his feelings into words. Hell, he wasn't even sure if Ulquiorra would understand. "It's different... when it's gone forever."
"After Lucifer is defeated," Ulquiorra spoke calmly, rationally - as always. Grimmjow honestly couldn't tell if he was getting it or if he was completely oblivious, "The number of Hollow will gradually return to normal. It won't be empty forever."
Grimmjow wasn't sure why he looked up - perhaps it was what Ulquiorra had said, perhaps it was how he'd said it - but he found himself struck by the expression on the Fourth's face.
His gaze was downcast, aimed towards the ground between them. His green eyes, which had been practically glowing with life a moment ago, had dulled back to the darker, emerald green that Grimmjow was used to. He could see flickers of shame, of inner turmoil, trauma, hurt... the layers of emotion that he was suddenly able to read on Ulquiorra's face was a bit of a shock all by itself. The Cuarta never showed emotion. At least, not on this level.
He begged them to spare him…
It was then that Grimmjow had an epiphany. Ulquiorra must have seen what'd happened. Or at least, he watched enough of it to have to try begging in order to save his own life.
A strange combination of emotions began swirling about in the blue-haired Espada. The first was his anger, expectedly. That bastard Lucifer had destroyed Hueco Mundo single-handedly and without hesitation, after all. The second, which had come up out of nowhere, was more of an instinct, and urge to protect, to safeguard, and not just Juritsu. Ulquiorra was his kin. They were brothers, as much as he hated to admit it. And even if he wasn't overly fond of the pale Hollow, there was a bond there.
"You're right," Grimmjow remarked after a long pause, slightly desperate to reassure his comrade, giving the Cuarta a trademark grin, "That ain't gonna stop me from ripping off the King's head though."
Ulquiorra had never been the best at redirecting conversation, and it became completely obvious when he spoke again, "We should head back. I promised I wouldn't be long."
Grimmjow nodded after a moment, sheathing Pantera. "Yea, I need a shower anyway," he remarked nonchalantly.
"If your strength isn't enough to defeat the Devil, I'm sure your body odor is."
"Ha, ha, asshole. Let's go."
A/N: Another chapter for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!
Also, if anyone wants to leave a review letting us know their opinion of the story, you're more than welcome to :3
- G