Chapter 13: Strife
Something woke Tora, making her growl in annoyance. All she wanted to do was sleep but with the mission that was given by Aizen told her that she had to stay up. Sitting up, hearing the slight noise of the metal hitting each other, she looked down. She remembered that she was stuck in the predicament with the male espada.
Looking over at the man that was asleep with his back against one of the numerous dead trees, she smiled a little. Watching the slight breeze ruffle the light-blue hair that matched his eyes, she tore her gaze away. Even if that side of her wanted to keep watching the guy that was so important in her life.
"You're up before me is a surprise. Why is that?" Grimmjow's voice filled the silence that was around them. Her verde eyes went to see that his eyes were staring back at her, watching her for anything that might say something else. Getting up, the sexta espada brushed himself off and looked back at the arrancar that was still sitting on the sand. "I'll drag you if you don't get up. You know that."
Getting up quickly, the other feline arrancar brushed herself off and looked over at the man that was turning his back to her. Looking down at the sand, Tora had that feeling – the other side of her – that she shouldn't care for the man like she did. It only asked for trouble. Why care for someone if they just want to kill you, she asked herself as she followed after the man that held her desires.
Grimmjow's gaze swept across the area as his body felt spiritual pressure that didn't belong to him or Tora. It felt almost animal to him. Finding the direction it was located in, the sixth espada started in the location. Glancing back at the almost moping arrancar that was behind him a little bit, he noticed that she hasn't felt it. What happened to her, he wondered when he shouldn't care for his enemy like that.
"Grimmjow." Tora said as her gaze moved to see that he was paying attention to her half way. "How long have we been out here?"
"Almost near a day." He answered, unsure why she was asking a stupid question like that. Rolling his eyes as he looked a head of him, feeling the pressure move close with each step he took, he could almost feel his blood churn with the thought of blood shed. Maybe this will help the way he's been feeling lately.
Tora nodded and looked back at the sand that seemed to go on forever. How could it hide the menos forest without falling down? She wondered this as she continued to stare down at the small rocks.
Grimmjow stopped suddenly, feeling the smaller arrancar smack into his back. Ignoring the feeling, he stared at what was in front of him as they moved around to encircle them.
"Baka that hurt. Why did you —"
"You guys are the ugliest bitches I've ever seen in my existence." Grimmjow hissed as he cut off the brunette haired arrancar. Smiling more, he felt his blood churn more at the thought of killing something. It pleased him at the soon to be carnage.
Tora blinked and moved to stand beside the taller arrancar. Looking, she knew he was right about the hollows that were around them.
The seven hollows that were the targets of the mission stared down at them with boulder size eyes. Their bodies were clearly that of a fat pig, at least it reminded Tora of one. Their extremities were that of paws for a cat while antlers rested on top of their frogish heads. Their tails were like a scorpion's.
Glaring at the larger beasts that almost had no will of their own, Tora crouched as her hand went to her zanpaku-to hilt. Pulling out the weapon, she felt a jerk on the chain that stopped her from the action she was doing.
"Do you really have to take that out to use on some really weak hollows? You should have notice their powers way before we got here. You didn't though. If that's the case of having to use your zanpaku-to then you must be weak too." Grimmjow inquired then lectured with a gleam in his eyes. He knew they were mocked but he was sure she wouldn't notice that.
Walking around him until she stood in front of the man that she was stuck with, she glared up at the taller espada. Shaking her head, she reached up and slapped the side of his face that didn't have the fragment of his hollow mask. Why would he say something like that? He had always insulted her but this was a new thing.
"What the hell is wrong with you? I've done nothing to you and yet . . . and yet. And yet you continue to treat me like a pile of shit!" She exclaimed.
Almost like it was something interested, like a popular television drama or something along those lines, the seven targets kept their eyes glued to the two arrancars that seemed to be arguing over something.
Growling as his patience started to wear thin at the yelling that was directed to him, Grimmjow jerked the chain and grabbed both of her wrists. Jerking them to get her attention, he forced her to look at him as he bent down to her eye level. She didn't make any sense to him.
"Because Chibi, you act like you're so much better than any of the other arrancar, especially us espada. It's all because of you being a subordinate to that damn shinigami! You're not better then me, or any of the espada that can kill you in a second if given it! Why? You're weaker then those ugly hollows! I know that for a fact!" The light azure haired espada yelled as his face slowly inched closer to hers.
"What the hell? You think that I'm thinking that I'm better then everyone else? Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka! I hold my head high because I'm proud to be working with Madoka-hime! That is that! Or do I have to add the fact that I'm happy that Aizen-sama gave me a chance to be who I am today!" She screamed only to divert her gaze from the male arrancar that held her wrists. Looking back at the man, her tone softened into something that would come out if she was speaking to Madoka or someone else, "I never wanted you – most of all you – to hate me."
Watching the green eyes that reminded him of grass close off from him, he hear a sigh escaped her parting lips. Is that how she really felt? He wondered what was actually going on in that head.
The sound of sand moving caught her attention. Opening her eyes quickly, she growled. "Don't ever interrupt me dammit!"
Using sonido, Tora ran her nails through the masks that are so important for a hollow that wasn't an arrancar. Feeling the wetness of the essence of life fall from the wounds and onto her nails, she went to kill the others that were trying to get away from the carnage she was causing.
Grimmjow blinked as he saw her standing there licking the blood that was dripping from her nails off. It was almost like she hadn't moved at all. Was this how she really was when she was pissed?
Shaking the rest off, Tora turned her attention back to the sexta espada that was near her. Hearing the clanging that was causing by her shaking, she glanced down at her bloody hand and rolled her eyes.
"Before I was rudely interrupted Grimmie-kun, I've never meant for you to think that I hold myself up in that way. I didn't want you to think that I'm arrogant. I just wanted to show that I was proud of whom I am, for whom I work with. I'm proud to be working with you, the espada – except Nnoitora and Szayelaporro – and everyone else." She explained and took a break.
"What? What about your powers? I know as well as everyone else that knows you that you've lost them." Grimmjow insisted as he watched the arrancar before him met his gaze.
"As for that, I guess that I lost my powers when Madoka-hime saved me so many times. I know she means well by that but at times I need the beating so I can grow stronger and wiser. You know that well since you've caused all that damage to me. When I do get my strength back, I guess it's when I'm mad." She continued and smiled a little. Letting her wrists fall to her sides, she took hold of his larger hands, letting her thumbs slide across the skin that was harder – like all hollows. Looking up to meet his gaze, she let that smile grow a little more. "I've always looked up to you Grimmie-kun."
Watching the smaller arrancar finish what she wanted to say, seeing her turn her back to him as if she was ashamed of the fact that she said what was really on her mind. It gave him a glimpse of what she really was, of whom she was. It made him feel stupid that he thought she was just some stuck up idiot that didn't know her place. He missed the fights that they had though. Grimmjow wanted those to continue, even if he didn't know if she did.
A low laugh escaped him as he felt her hands let go of his. It almost felt like he wanted them to stay in the smaller hands of the arrancar that was so different. The arrancar that might have a different past then the others. As he watched her as she looked around at the carnage that she did herself, his gaze softened. He wasn't sure what was going on within his body, almost like he was going through another metamorphosis again, he closed the space between them with another step.
"Humph. Maybe you aren't so bad as I thought you were . . . Tora-chan. Stay the way you are." He said as the softness that was so unknown to him even spread into his voice. It was so foreign to him that he wasn't sure what to do.
With the last of the words escaping the espada, the handcuffs that bound them together collapsed into a shower of black particles that fell toward the sand. The two looked down at the particles that looked like snow – even if she never saw the frozen water – as they rained down slowly. The particles disappeared before they could touch the sand.
A gasp escaped Tora as two strong arms embraced her slim waist. Was this the feeling that she longed for, for so long? She wondered if this was what it meant being so complete that you could almost die. Wrapping her arms around his torso the best she could, she buried her face in the exposed chest, feeling some of his jacket rub her cheek along with her hair.
"You know something, and this may come as a surprise to you Tora-chan. You've always looked cute for an annoying shrimp." Grimmjow whispered with a chuckle into her ear. It was almost impossible for him to act like this toward someone. It was almost like someone replaced him with someone that was the complete opposite of whom he actually is.
Tora looked up and found nothing of the sexta espada. Her gaze swept around her as she turned but found nothing of the man. Growling to herself even if she was smiling at the compliment that came from the higher ranked espada, she started on her way back to Las Noches. Looking around the area, she had a feeling something was going to happen. Maybe Madoka-hime did know what would have happened, Tora pondered, thank you.
When she did see the blue haired espada, she'll give him a good thrashing for calling her a shrimp.
Okay, in the original version this was where it ended. That isn't happening in the revised version. My muses – and that's including Grimmjow for some reason – wanted to add to it and started throwing ideas at me. I had to make an outline just to make them and myself happy. Also, so I don't forget anything. I have a tendency of doing that. So far I'm behind three chapters, and it's not complete, so there might be more then twenty chapters. I'm also planning on tying it into the main bleach story plot with a few tinkers here and there. You'll see where they'll be when those chapters come. Please review.