Hello all~!
An interlude, with snow.
A short note about children, as well- the pairings in this fic are all the same as canon, with the exception of Ichigo and Orihime. Here, they are not together, they are simply good friends.
That said, Kazui still exists. He is Orihime and Uryuu's son. (I imagine him with black hair because of his father. XD)
Ichigo sighed, looking out of the window at the snow-covered hospital grounds. It was beautiful, and even as he watched the sky began to let loose another flurry, the flakes falling gently down passed him. He looked away, back to his patient. A car crash, right before Christmas. It was horrible, and Ichigo hoped the family would show up soon. Christmas had been brought to many patients here, the ones who couldn't make it home and who had family and friends to trim up their rooms.
"Ichigo, come on!"
He turned to the door. Orihime was standing there, already changed out of her scrubs and smiling brightly. Ichigo felt himself smile back, albiet a bit more weakly.
"Sure. Let me just finish up here and I'll meet you at the nurses' station?" He asked, already checking his clipboard once more.
"Alright. But hurry!"
She clicked away, cheerily calling a 'Merry Christmas' to everyone she passed. Ichigo smiled after her another moment before checking on his patient just once more. Satisfied that he'd left clear enough instructions for the overnight nurses, he left to his office, smiling back at the various 'Merry Christmas'es he received along the way.
The moment he was in his office with the door closed behind him, he allowed himself a moment to slump. Everyone he worked with knew he got a little weird around Christmastime, but they really didn't know the half of it. He hung up his coat in silence, put his clipboard on his desk. He jotted out a few notes on a pad and, propping his door open with his foot, taped them up on the outside in case anyone came looking for him.
He left his pager in his desk drawer, to be picked up on Tuesday morning when he returned. He grabbed his coat and scarf, putting them on carelessly. Next, his briefcase, before he took one last look around his modest home-away-from-home, and left, locking the door behind him.
He met Orihime at the nurse's station on their floor, offering her his arm. Together, they walked to the elevators in companionable silence. It lasted until they made it to the street, walking down the snowy sidewalk. Ichigo was content to listen to their feet crunch in the fresh snow, but Orihime apparently wasn't.
"You should come over this year." She suggested, the cheer in her voice not quite enough to hide her concern.
"Thank you, Orihime, but I have a date." Ichigo returned, softly.
Orihime gave him a flat, knowing look that he tried to avoid.
"Spending the night at home with dry eggnog and your cat doesn't count as a date." She pointed out.
Ichigo sighed, unable to help the smile that crossed his face. "Orihime…"
"I understand why you're waiting, Ichigo, I do. But you have your whole life ahead of you. If he loves you, he'll understand if you decide to, you know, get out there."
Ichigo looked at Orihime. Sweet, kind, forgiving Orihime.
"No, Orihime, he wouldn't."
Grimmjow, in effect, was not human. Had never been human. Yes, technically, he had been once. But from the moment Ichigo had met him, the only life Grimmjow had ever known was that of a Hollow. Of eat or be eaten, literally. He had the instincts of a Hollow, the motivations of a Hollow. Not of a human. If Ichigo were to take another, even if it was only in the meantime, even if only for a night, Grimmjow might never know. And despite that, Ichigo would still feel like it was a betrayal. If Grimmjow did ever find out, he would take it as an absolute rejection. Maybe it sounded harsh to some, but Ichigo was very content with his life.
So tonight, Christmas night, he would go home. He would sit with his cat, and drink eggnog, and watch Christmas specials on TV. He would call his father and wish him a Merry Christmas. He would call his sisters, and talk to his little nephews and nieces. He would call Orihime, later, and listen to her son tell him all about the cookies they were leaving for Santa. Uryuu would take the phone and tell him in the brusque way he'd never quite been able to calm since they were in high school together that Ichigo should stop being such an asshole and come over for once. He would laugh and hang up, and call Chad.
Ichigo would have dinner with his cat, and he would go to bed. In the morning, he would open the gifts from his friends before calling them again to make sure they'd gotten the ones he'd sent them weeks ago. And then, the day after, he would go to work.
That had been every Christmas for ten years, and it wasn't going to change any time soon if Ichigo had anything to say about it.
Grimmjow awoke with his nose smarting and his chin aching. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his jaw and looking around himself. That's right—he'd fallen asleep over his homework again. He rubbed his eyes, dragging his palms down his face. He had to learn this Kaido, or he'd fail. It was a relatively low-level healing spell, but Grimmjow had more of a gift for destruction than he did reconstruction.
He sighed, looking out his window.
The dorm's courtyard was covered with a blanket of freshly fallen snow. This late, there was no one outside. Grimmjow put his chin in his hand, allowing himself to take a moment to just look at it. The sight of the endless blanket of white with the black night sky above tugged at his memory, but he'd long since learned that it would lead to nothing if he tried to remember. Only a headache and some class-A frustration.
"Turn off the light and go to bed already, will ya?"
Grimmjow ignored the grumble from his roommate. They wouldn't last long—his roommates never did. This was the fourth one he'd had just this semester.
He wondered how the old lady was doing. It was so cold out—would her little shack hold? There was a part of him, a part he didn't want to admit out loud that it existed, that felt bad for not visiting her yet. He'd been in the Academy for two semesters already. They did receive breaks. Grimmjow just usually spent his doing homework or in the library.
Grimmjow closed his eyes against the white, and instead there was a flash of orange across his eyes. A smile he couldn't place.
That was why he was doing all of this, after all. Going through all of this. He could remember a promise. He'd promised someone he would wait for them here. That he'd climb to the top for them. He couldn't remember anything else, but he trusted his gut, and his gut said breaking this promise would be the worst thing he'd ever done. And he had a feeling that he'd done some pretty bad things already.
There was a knock at the door, making Grimmjow turn in his seat, hooking his elbow over the back of his chair.
"Come in." He called, at the same time as his roommate grumbled a 'go away' under the blankets.
The door opened to reveal Abarai Renji. Grimmjow's eyes narrowed, and he stood slowly.
"Abarai." Grimmjow greeted, feeling a deep wariness settle in his stomach.
"Fukutaicho!" His roommate scrambled out of bed in nothing but boxers and hurried to bow. Grimmjow regarded this with a raised eyebrow before returning his attention to Renji.
"Jaegerjaques. Your presence is requested by Sotaicho Kyoraku. You are to come with me at once." Abarai said this with a completely straight face before turning on his heel and walking out.
Grimmjow paused for only a heartbeat before grabbing his Zanpakuto and following him, closing the door on his way out.
The walk down the halls of the dorm was silent. Grimmjow was still in his uniform from the day, hadn't bothered to change out of it when he settled down to study. He felt like he should have, now. He wondered if they were going to kick him out.
He wasn't deaf, after all. He'd heard the rumors about himself floating around the Academy. That Grimmjow wasn't really a Shinigami. Don't let his appearance fool you; somewhere there was a mask and a hole, and this filthy Hollow was hiding among them. Why would the Captain's Council allow this? Surely Central 46 had something to say about it?
Grimmjow's initial reaction was to beat the shit out of anyone who suggested he didn't deserve to be exactly where he was. He'd passed the entrance exam, just like everyone else here. He did his own work, minded his own business. How dare anyone suggest he was a Hollow.
But beating the shit out of anyone really would get him kicked out, and for the aforementioned reasons, that was something he couldn't afford. He'd made a promise.
Grimmjow was led out of the dorms and into the Academy proper, passed the familiar classrooms and training rooms. He slid his hands into his pockets, eyeing Abarai's back as they walked. He wondered how Kuchiki stood him. They'd had a daughter, he heard, so she must like him well enough.
They stopped short at a seemingly random door, and Abarai stood back to allow Grimmjow to go through. Grimmjow gave him a long, searching look, and received no explanation. Abarai wasn't even looking at him. Grimmjow sneered inwardly before turning to the door. He opened it, instinctively holding his breath. His stomach felt abruptly empty, even though he'd made sure to eat a few hours ago.
The classroom door slid open, revealing that the classroom had been cleared of all furniture. Instead, Shunsui Kyoraku was waiting for him, a peaceful smile on his face. Sui-Feng stood to his right, Rojuro Otoribashi to his left. As Grimmjow looked around the room, he realized that every single Captain was present. His heart began to pound in his chest, and his instincts screamed at him to run. That this was a threat, and they were going to eat—
"Grimmjow Jaegerjaques. Do you know why you are here?" Sui-Feng demanded, looking down her nose at him.
Grimmjow felt something in him recoil and then snarl in response, and he fought to hold that reaction back. He knew better. He might not like authority, even a little, but he knew how to survive. Snapping at her was not the way to do it.
"No, I don't." He said instead, looking at each of the Captains again. He wished he had a million more eyes so that he could keep track of all of them simultaneously.
"Surely you've heard the rumors around the Academy." Shinji Hirako said, silkily.
Grimmjow said nothing.
"Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, we are here to tell you that the rumors are true." Rukia Kuchiki spoke softly, like she was expecting to deal him an emotional blow.
Grimmjow watched her out of the corner of his eye, his expression unchanging. The window was behind Kyoraku. His best bet for escape would be to go back the way he had come. He couldn't bother with opening the door, he'd have to break straight through it. He could do that. Maybe. They were very solid doors.
"You were an Espada under Sosuke Aizen, an Arrancar. After his defeat, you assisted in the defeat of the Quincy Yhwach and the Wandenreich." Byakuya Kuchiki was regarding him with cold eyes, and Grimmjow met his gaze fearlessly.
"So why are we here?" Grimmjow turned his eyes back to Kyoraku. "Why was I even allowed into the Academy? Are you here to sentence me to death?" He felt the mood in the room shift a little and shifted his weight instinctively to his toes, ready to run. "Why are we meeting in some classroom in the Academy instead of in front of Central 46? What, exactly, is going on?"
"That's what we were going to ask you." Kyoraku said, his smile never fading. "We do not sentence people to death without reason, Grimmjow, and in some sense we owe you a bit of a debt. You assisted Soul Society when you had little reason and no loyalty to do so." Grimmjow looked at Rukia, raising an eyebrow slightly. He was sure she'd have something to say about that first part; he'd heard the stories, but she remained silent.
Grimmjow's eyes flicked back to Kyoraku. It was clear that it was Grimmjow's turn to speak, but what should he say? The truth? That he didn't remember a damn thing they were saying to him? That at night he dreamed of brown eyes and a rich voice and blackness, endless blackness? Or should he lie? Just make something up?
"I made a promise." He said slowly, through gritted teeth. This felt worse than being disemboweled.
When it was clear that he would say no more, he was prompted.
"To whom?" Hitsugaya asked.
"I don't know." Grimmjow managed, looking straight ahead, at some place over Kyoraku's left shoulder.
"That's to be expected. You aren't a Hollow anymore, are you?" Mayuri purred. Grimmjow felt his skin crawl. Mayuri reminded him of someone, but he couldn't remember who, just that he got a grossed-out feeling about it.
"No, I'm not." Grimmjow refused to shuffle uncomfortably like he wanted to. Would they ask him to disrobe so they could really check? He had no Hollow hole anywhere on his body—he'd been over himself thoroughly.
"Yet you have preformed arts known only to Hollows." Mayuri continued. "Byakuya-taichou tells us you preformed a Sonido in the Rukongai, and your sensei tell us you continue to do so in moments of forgetfulness." He took a step closer to Grimmjow, who clenched his fists but otherwise did not move. "In fact, the first time you tried to preform offensive kido, you preformed a cero instead." Another step forward. "That you remember how to do so is quite peculiar."
Grimmjow clenched his jaw and couldn't stop himself from tensing up. If Mayuri didn't back off, he didn't know if he could be held responsible for his actions.
"Mayuri." Kyoraku warned.
Mayuri blinked, seemingly to come to alert, and stepped back into his initial place without comment. Grimmjow forced his shoulders to relax.
"Jaegerjaques, the question is simple." Tensuzaemon Iba's serious voice broke through the silence. "Where do your loyalties lie?"
Grimmjow did not answer immediately. He turned the question over in his mind, fixing Iba with a flat look. Finally,
"The person I made the promise to." He decided. It was as honest as he could be. "I would follow him anywhere. I would kill for him. His loyalties are my own." Grimmjow's mind told him this was possibly the worst answer he could have given. His gut told him he was not only right, but just in saying this. His gut told him that no one would question him if they knew who he'd promised to.
If only Grimmjow knew who he'd promised to.
Silence met his declaration. Finally, the other Captains looked at Kyoraku, so Grimmjow did, too.
"I am satisfied." Kyoraku decided. "I will give Central 46 my assessment. They have no control over the Academy and so could not prevent you from entering, but by my word they will not stop you from becoming a part of the Gotei 13, if you succeed here."
Grimmjow knew this was the part of the conversation where he bowed and prostrated himself with gratitude. Instead, he said nothing, hands sliding into his pockets instead.
If the other Captains had arguments against Kyoraku's decision (which Grimmjow was sure they did, a few of them certainly looked rather sour) they did not voice them. They filed out one by one, until only Grimmjow and Kyoraku were left.
"Your sensei tell me you are an exemplary student, Grimmjow." Kyoraku said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I hadn't pegged you as a brown-nose."
"You knew me?" Grimmjow could have punched himself. No matter what, he was determined to show no weakness, and here he was showing someone exactly how hungry he was for any hint of his past.
"Only by the word of others." Kyoraku adopted a more relaxed pose, slouching in his posture. "I wonder who you promised to, and what exactly you promised them." His words had the affect of the rhetorical, so Grimmjow said nothing. "I have my suspicions, but I suppose time will tell."
Grimmjow swallowed.
"Ah, well." Kyoraku gave a contented sigh. "You'd best be off to bed. I remember my Academy days—they always seemed to start too early."
"Classes start at 8:30 in the morning." Grimmjow was surprised to hear himself say. It was early, sure, but not that early.
"All the same."
Grimmjow knew when he was being dismissed. He turned and left the room, forcing himself not to back out so that he could keep an eye on Kyoraku.
He walked back to his dorm room in a daze. What the hell had just happened?
Another Christmas, alone with his cat. Ichigo smiled, scratching Tokei between the ears.
She was a fawn Siamese, so her fur was mostly a light cream color and not pure white, but her eyes were just the right shade of blue. Ichigo had seen her on the street and he hadn't had the heart to leave her there, and then once she'd stayed a few days he hadn't had the heart to find her a different home. He named her Tokei, time, and she was his best friend.
There was a knock on the door, and Ichigo gave Tokei a last pat before going to answer it.
"Ichigooo!" He was nearly knocked off his feet as small arms wrapped tightly around him. He laughed.
"It's good to see you, too, Ichika." He patted her messy head of red hair. She'd grown since he last saw her, which was always pleasantly shocking.
She ran off, almost immediately, chasing Tokei, who hissed and leapt for the top of the fridge. Another reason Ichigo had kept her- she had Grimmjow's disposition, too.
"Rukia, Renji. It's good to see you." He hugged Rukia first, and then Renji, inviting them further into his house and closing the door behind him. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas." Rukia returned, though Ichigo noticed it lacked the usual amount of cheer.
"Being a Captain finally getting hard?" He teased.
"Ichigo…" Renji sighed. "I have to tell you something."
Rukia glared at her husband, her hands going to her hips. "Oh, now you decide to tell him? On Christmas?"
Ichigo regarded this with bemusement and amusement simultaneously. "Tell me what on Christmas?" He interjected.
"Ichigo…" Renji took one look at his daughter in the living room before grabbing Ichigo's arm and dragging him down the hall, where they could be afforded some privacy.
Ichigo listened to the tale Renji told with an emotion he couldn't quite identify. Grimmjow was alive. He had enrolled in the Academy. He was on track to graduate, endorsed by Kyoraku himself. Ichigo felt his knees weaken, and felt for the wall to lean against it.
"He said he made a promise." Rukia said, and when had she gotten over here? "Did he promise you something, Ichigo?" She asked, her voice not unkind.
"Yes." Ichigo managed. "He… He's really there? In the Academy?"
"Yes." Rukia nodded solemnly.
Ichigo closed his eyes, letting the relief wash over him. He hadn't been able to tell Orihime, his chief confidante, that he'd possibly been waiting for a dead man.
"How is he?" He asked.
"You could go see him." Rukia pointed out.
"I can't." Ichigo shook his head. "I'm not a highschooler anymore." He smiled sadly. "I have patients who might need me at the drop of a hat, I have to be available for them. I'm a doctor, Rukia."
She nodded like she understood. "He's… well." She said, finally.
Renji snorted. "He's as well as can be expected." He corrected. "Some of the other students recognized him from the assault on Soul Society. They started rumors. The students of the Academy are all ages, but most of them are kids, and you know how kids can be." Renji paused. "I think he spends most of his time studying. I know he doesn't eat in the cafeteria with the rest of the students, and he's been through five roommates now."
Ichigo couldn't help a laugh. Of course Grimmjow had been through five roommates. That was just like him. It sounded like he was having a rough time, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.
"Ichigo, you should know… He doesn't remember much." Rukia told him softly.
Ichigo nodded almost eagerly. "Yes, we anticipated that." He told them.
"Ichigoooo! To-chan got into the cabinetsss!" Ichika called from the kitchen.
Ichigo took a deep breath. "I'm coming, Ichika." He called back.
Rukia sighed, and Renji frowned, but they let him go.
Grimmjow groaned, rubbing his nose. He should start putting a pillow on his desk, seriously.
"Mrrow."
"What…?" Grimmjow didn't have to look far to alleviate his confusion. There, outside his window, was a fluffy ginger cat. It stood on the outside sill, looking at him expectantly.
"How'd you get up here…?" Grimmjow murmured, opening the window.
The cat walked in like it owned the joint, sauntering over to sit on top of Grimmjow's textbook. It began to groom itself, turning to lick its own shoulder rhythmically. Grimmjow shut the window, preventing the cold air from continuing to gust inside. The cat didn't seem to mind, looking up at the noise before going back to washing its chest, unconcerned. Grimmjow sat, offering the cat his fingers to sniff. It did, and then rubbed its cheeks against his fingertips forcefully, purring loudly.
Grimmjow lived on the third floor. There was no tree outside his window. He had no idea how this cat managed to get up he—
"Ahhh, you're not quite a normal cat, are you?" Grimmjow asked with amusement.
"Prrrrrow!" The cat stood up, its two fluffy tails waving.
"Nekomata. I thought you only lived in the mountains, what are you doing down here?" Grimmjow murmured, stroking its head and scratching behind its ears.
The cat purred and rubbed against him.
"What are you called?" He murmured, stroking down its side. It turned honey-colored eyes to him and blinked, saying nothing. "If you don't tell me, I'll make something up. You won't like it." He grinned at the cat, who only sat down and began washing a paw. It was wrinkling the pages of his textbook. Grimmjow didn't care.
"I'll call you… Shoga. For your fur." He scratched the cat's head. "I'm sorry, but I don't have any food here for you."
The cat turned to lick the back of Grimmjow's hand, its tails flicking independently of one another. Grimmjow allowed himself a small smile, watching the cat walk all over his desk and bat his pencils around.
"Come on." He murmured. "If you follow me down to the cafeteria, I think I'll be able to find you something."
He stood, going to the door and opening it for the cat. The newly-named Shoga jumped down from the desk, stalking out of the room. Grimmjow led the way down to the kitchens. The cafeteria was abandoned this late at night, and while the kitchen wasn't going at the moment, it was never truly closed. Students were welcome to come down and make their own food if they wished, but most usually just purchased their food day to day.
Grimmjow waited until everyone was gone and made his own food, for the most part. He didn't like the stares that followed him in the cafeteria, or the whispers behind hands that he could never quite catch who they came from.
In the kitchen, he began to fry up some fish fillets, enough for both himself and Shoga. Some rice and vegetables, too. While they sizzled, he poured the cat a saucer of milk, and himself a glass of water. He'd only turned on one light—cooking in the dark was peaceful, and easier on his eyes.
When the fish was done, he tossed it in a bowl of rice and vegetables and tossed it all together for himself, and put the other fillet on a plate as it was for Shoga. Grimmjow dug in right away, laughing when Shoga recoiled from the steam that billowed from the fish.
"Bit warm, isn't it?" He teased.
Shoga looked up at him flatly before turning back to the food.
"You're welcome." Grimmjow murmured, and for a while there was silence.
When he was done, he cleaned the pots he'd used and put them away, the dishes as well. Grimmjow started for his room, and Shoga followed behind.
He fell asleep that night with a warm presence curled up near his ribs, purring away.
Thank you all!
I feel like the ending of this chapter is rather weak, but what happens next deserves its own chapter! ;P Sorry! ^^;