Special long chapter for you lovelies! I hope you enjoy it :)
New thing to keep track of (sorry). When you see *these* it indicates sign language. I'm also going to be putting quotation marks around the inner thoughts which are always in italics. I know its a lot to keep track you but you're all smart people, I believe you can handle it ;)
Chapter 11: Looks and Charms
Grimmjow lay on his side on Yukiko's folded up futon. He has been staring longingly at the painting leaning against her dresser, drying. Late the previous afternoon she had a vision and proceeded to stay up late, painting. The end result was a small black cat whose form pulsed into the much larger form of a panther. Yukiko thinks that it means he going to be getting real body back, and she suspects it will be soon. He remembered when it happened. The day after he had found where he was changed, they were having a conversation to let Yukiko practice her sign language.
...
When having conversations became a regular activity for them she made more kanji cards for him so he wouldn't have be so careful about how he structures his sentences and can say more. The talks can be somewhat enjoyable too. He has since learned that Yukiko was 22 and had lived all over the country. She moved to a new city every three months and she's been doing so for the past four years. The first two years she had been with the woman Nui while the last two she had been alone. She said the purpose of this was to hide from her village leader (someone who was very obviously a touchy subject) but when Grimmjow once again pointed out that it was stupid of her to use her real name she explained that they didn't originally but she was never good at adjusting to new names and now that she's actually in the government's system she would rather just use her real name. Supposedly the other woman, Nui, changes her name every time she moves. Yukiko also revealed that she was place in the Japanese government's personae documents because she had been arrested for selling her paintings on the street without some kind of license that allowed her to and when that happened they found out that she had no documented existence they created one and placed her under their care since it was such an anomaly and she was mute. Grimmjow couldn't entirely follow what she was saying when she started talking about governments and licenses but his take away was that the humans who run the country were unhappy that they didn't know she existed and they want to change that.
For his side, the Arrancar described his existence in Hueco Mundo. He told her about his time as an Espada serving Aizen; about the other Espada and mentioned his Fraccion which apparently warranted a string of questions regarding them. She wanted to know how and why he chose each of them to serve and work with him directly which turned into questions about what each was like individually and there seemed to be no end in sight about it so he decided to just tell her about how he met them while he was still an adjuchas, about some of the missions they went on as a unit then about how he led them to their deaths during an assault in Karakura Town. The mention of their deaths brought on a surprising question from her.{*"Do you miss them?"*}
He never thought about it. Does he miss them? "No. I don't even think about them unless someone brings them up."
She seemed almost bothered by his response. {*"Weren't they you're friends?"*}
Grimmjow swished his tail a bit now. "No. They were my subordinates and I was their king. At least I was going to be once Aizen was gone but some shark took the throne while I was busy training for my rematch against Kurosaki."
{*"He's the Shinigami that protects this city right?"*}
After the conversation turned to Ichigo he got too riled up to really talk about anything else and she couldn't get any more questions in so the woman ended up just closing her book and started to sketch while he cooled down. Though the constant drive for a fight with the boy was still there, he was calm enough to resume their conversation.
"Do you know how to find someone?" He had taken some advice that Yukiko had given him that previous night after he came back defeated. Don't think about the problem. Leave it alone and think about unimportant things so you can think about it with fresh perspective. But now he wanted to think on getting himself back,.
When she didn't respond, didn't see it, Grimmjow mewed at her and patted his question. She shook her head. {*"I'm more of a run and hiding person, not a tracking person."*}
Grimmjow tried to raise his eyebrow in questioning but didn't have any. "Bullshit. You fought a Hollow."
{*"I ran it in circles then ran away."*} She reminded him.
"Whatever. I took a break from the search like you wanted. Now help me come up with something about finding the guy I need."
{*"What is he like?"*}
"Shifty."
After a long pause, during which Yukiko watched him with an expecting look on her face, she sighed. {*"Anything else. Height? Build? Hair color?"*}
"Oh." Grimmjow pictured the guy in his mind, a bit difficult to do without growling. "Tall, average, blond. But he always wears a white and green hat and wooden sandals."
She looked at him with a thoughtful expression. {*"Is he your friend?"*}
The Arrancar hissed angrily at the question.
Yukiko's face relaxed and she looked like she wasn't the least bit surprised. {*"You don't have any friends do you?"*}
He growled and looked away from her.
She snapped her fingers to get his attention. {*"Would Kurosaki know where to find him?"*}
Grimmjow's ears perked up and he vigorously nodded his head.
{"Why don't we just catch him the next time a Hollow appears and explain that we need to find the other guy?"*}
Grimmjow was about nod yes again but now he wasn't sure. This plan would involve telling Kurosaki that he was turned into a cat. The humiliation of telling the one person he wants to defeat more than anyone that he's been reduced to a helpless animal was more than a little unbearable. It absolutely cannot happen.
"You go alone. Tell him you're looking for Urahara. That should work."
{*"You don't want to be there?"*}
He just looked away again. He doesn't want to explain himself to her.
...
{"Want to study with me?"}
The Arrancar barely lifted his head to look at what the book was. Sign language advanced. He read the title with a small sense of awe since he remembered her coming to the apartment with the same type of book for beginners barely a week ago. She is sure moving through them quickly. He blinked slowly with that acknowledgement but looked away, unmoving.
She put her hand on his shoulder patted gently to get his attention again. {"The message isn't going anywhere. So until a Hollow shows up study with me."}
He looked away again and sighed. Though this time he stretched after a few seconds and moved to the floor. "Why not? It's not like I have a better use of time."
He went to the table to get his cards and picked them up by a rubber band that Yukiko used to keep them together, then went to stand in front of the woman. The pair easily fell into a routine of Grimmjow using his cards while Yukiko referred to her book and signed while speaking to hold a conversation. They had done this with her last book too. He saw it as a way to pass the time. Things get rather boring in that apartment and they both wanted to talk to someone.
Right away this time she asked him, {*"What did you do after Aizen was gone?"*}
"I already told you. I trained while someone else took my throne."
{*"Is that it? You trained, came here and turned into a cat?"*} She looked at him with a deadpan expression.
Grimmjow flattened his ears and growled slightly. "Done being a bitch?"
She just smirked and raised her eyebrows playfully.
"I stopped to fight in a war against some powered humans who tried to take over Hueco Mundo and wanted to destroy the Shinigami's world. After that I ended up getting sucked into helping rebuild Las Noches."
{*"With who?"*}
"Mostly the other surviving former Espada. We all ended up living there again and Tier uses it as her palace."
{*"What are the other Espada like?"*}
"All the ones who live there are either boring or weak females for some reason. The only two who would pose a challenge won't fight and the ones who will fight are too weak to even make it fun."
She almost seemed panicked when he created that message. Yukiko even forgot that she was supposed to be signing her words as she spoke. {"All of the other Arrancar are female?!"}
Grimmjow's ears twitched as if she just screamed. "No. There are plenty of male Arrancar. All the ones who were Espada when Aizen was defeated and still at Las Noches are female."
{"Oh."} She was visibly relieved when he explained further.
He purred slightly as he mentally smirked. "You're a happy about that."
{"I'm not happy. I was just surprised."} She looked like she was emphasizing the word happy.
"Sure..." He wasn't buying it.
She wasn't asking anymore questions. Judging from the slight pink tint to her cheeks and the lack of eye contact, she probably didn't want to risk embarrassing herself again.
"Cute." Grimmjow thought suddenly and his tail started thrashing slightly in irritation at his physical restrictions.
She stood and stretched her arms, letting the book clatter to the floor. {"I have to go and meet that client from Kyoto again to get her decision. Do you want to come?"}
Grimmjow stretched too. It'd be a lot better than sitting around here. Besides, Yukiko will know when a Hollow comes before anyone else. He followed her out the door and into the subway for another ride. It was actually rather relaxing to ride on the vehicle, though if he was in any kind of hurry it would be excruciatingly slow. Just like last time he rode with her they got off at the first stop from the apartment and Yukiko lead the way except this time she steered them away from the residential neighborhoods and they ended up in a area with small, friendly looking buildings with wide windows and the whole street smelled of food. They were cafes. She sat in a metal chair at an outdoor table and Grimmjow jumped up to sit on the table with her.
From his viewpoint the Arrancar watched the humans. He's had a lot of experience with small and relatively young humans but this is possibly the first time he's been surrounded by nothing but adults. It was significantly calmer than any of his previous experiences with human crowds. "Good afternoon. How may we serve you today?" A man in his late twenties wearing a white button shirt under a black vest, tucked into black pants asked.
Yukiko pulled a small notepad from her shoulder bag and wrote out an order. "I'd like a cup jasmine tea and could we have a small bowl of water for my friend?"
The waiter looked slightly confused at the written message but read it and nodded with a smile. He came back with their drinks and asked Yukiko if she would like to order any food. Grimmjow peeked at her notepad as she wrote her response. "No thank you. I'm meeting someone."
The man nodded and left them to themselves. Grimmjow continued to watch the people around them until he felt a hand on his face. He glared over at the woman with him, who was currently rubbing the side of his head beneath his ear while she watched what was happening around her too. Since she wasn't looking perhaps there was no harm in enjoying the touch, so he leaned into it slightly and allowed himself to start purring. "She won't be able to hear right?"
They continued like this for probably about five minutes. Yukiko looking everywhere but Grimmjow as she stroked and rubbed him and drank her tea, and Grimmjow pretending to watch their surroundings but actually peeking at her while he enjoyed it. When she stopped, it was abrupt and he almost fell over when the hand he had been leaning on was pulled away. He glared at her for it but saw that she was standing to greet a lady in a knit sweater and long flower print skirt. "Oh. Must be the woman that hired her." He realized.
"Ametsuchi-san. It's lovely to see you again."
Yukiko smiled sweetly and bowed slightly.
As Fujita sat down across from the younger woman she looked at Grimmjow with a smile. "Who is this?"
She reached out and placed her hand gently on his head, and lightly ran it down his head and neck. While he managed to restrain himself from lashing out at the older lady he couldn't suppress the low growl or glare. "Oh!" The hand retreated quickly.
Yukiko quickly threw her hand onto his head and pushed it down slightly as if she was forcing him to bow. His tail thrashed violently now and the growl increased in intensity. When the hand was removed he glared at its owner and saw that she was holding up a note that read, "I'm sorry about him. Grimmjow doesn't like strangers touching him."
The woman read it then chuckled. "I understand. Cats are rather sensitive creatures. I should have asked before just reaching out like a child."
"I ain't fucking sensitive!" Said cat cursed in his head.
Yukiko seemed to sigh in relief but shot Grimmjow a quick glare.
"Now then. You said you'd have some ideas for me to look over. May I see them?" The woman said, getting down to business.
The younger woman nodded and opened her sketch book. While Grimmjow was mildly interested in the work he really only half listened to the conversation. He mostly just settled down and relaxed, half asleep.
It wasn't until he felt someone poking him that the two woman regained his attention. It was Yukiko, looking a bit amused at that. She started writing out a message for him. "Why the hell won't she just ask me like she normally would?" This wasn't the first time he noticed her insistence on writing to him instead of mouthing the words when they were with someone else. He'll have to ask about it if he remembers when they get back to her apartment.
"Fujita-san is going back to her home tomorrow. Since that doesn't give me enough time to paint she invited us to come at the end of the week for the night so we can enjoy a festival that is taking place this coming weekend. Want to come?"
He heard the lady laugh. "Do you really think he can read that?"
Grimmjow rolled his eyes at her as he thought it over. Not that it was really a choice. Assuming he's still in his current body for some reason there's no reason for him not to.
He nodded yes.
"Oh wow! What a smart boy. In that case, I look forward to having you both as my guest." She said as she wrote her information down.
The two women stood and bowed to each other formally. While Fujita walked away Yukiko finished her tea without sitting back down. She pulled out some money from her bag and started to walk away but she failed to watch where she was going and bumped into their waiter who was carrying a tray loaded with half-empty plates. When she bumped into him they both fell to the ground with all of the glassware with a loud crash.
Grimmjow ran across the table to look down at her. She was blushing madly as her face and body was splattered with a variety of pastries and sauces and surrounded by shattered glass. For about a second it looked almost erotic.
"Miss! Are you okay?!" The waiter was quick to get up to his feet and grabbed her hand to help her up.
She flinched and skirted away from his grasp, afraid. Grimmjow jumped down from the table and pushed at her back to stop her. She almost shuffled back on to the glass.
When she felt him she looked back at him wide eyed. Then she quickly shot up to her feet, picked the Arrancar up without his consent and bowed once again before rushing off from the cafe.
Grimmjow let her carry him as she ran away, wondering silently why she was squeezing him so tightly.
()
Yukiko sat at her table across from Shimata as they held their regular sign language lesson. He came over at least three times a week for them and he seemed to think she didn't notice that he stayed longer each time. The first lesson only lasted forty minutes, today he's still there after an hour and half with no signs of being ready to leave. The man made Yukiko uncomfortable to say the least. He regularly made half-hidden attempts to make physical contact with her and every time she would avoid his touch. The man's behavior made her all the more thankful for Grimmjow. The Arrancar was always with her during the man's visits. Yukiko didn't quite understand why he was, but she wasn't going to ask. Pointing it out might make him quick to leave.
"What's wrong Yuki-chan? You seem distracted?" Shimata asked with a smile that was so overly friendly it was creepy.
She signed out *Nothing.* Knowing full well that if she wrote her answer to him he would pester her for the gesture. She also tried to refocus on the actual lesson in hopes that he would hurry up and finish that way.
They had covered a lot in his frequent visits, it's perhaps the only good thing about the man. While she can have a fairly decent conversation now she doesn't know why she would bother. She doesn't know anybody. Doesn't communicate with anyone except for Grimmjow and her clients. Well, she sends letters to Nui but that doesn't involve any kind of personal interaction. Though that hasn't stopped her from doing her best to increases her knowledge of the language, even purchasing self-teaching books so that she can learn faster. The faster she learns it the faster she will not have to see this man on a regular basis.
*"So, Yuki-chan. I noticed that it always smells wonderful in your apartment. How would you feel about making us a delicious meal for your next lesson?"* Shimata asked with both his mouth and hands.
"Hell no." She answered internally and even heard a low growl from Grimmjow. Naturally that wasn't what she actually answered with. She instead she just shook her head and signed out *No. I can't afford to waste food on an unneeded meal like that.*
He continued to smile and laughed a bit at her. *"I would gladly bring the food. Plus you could walk me through it so we can cook together. That would be fun."*
He clearly loved the idea but she was utterly repulsed. Grimmjow too judging by the hiss he let out at the man. *Are we going to continue with the lesson or are we done?*
Shimata leaned back and frowned slightly. "Oh, I suppose we're done." He got up and collected his things. "Have a good time in Kyoto. I'll be seeing you when you get back."
The moment he said that Yukiko felt a strong impulse that signaled an incoming vision. She focused on the present moment as much as she could until he was out of the apartment then let it go, allowing the vision to take her over. It was a single overwhelming image. A red and white butterfly locked in a glass box surrounded by a dozen or so eyes, watching it.
Yukiko blinked as she pulled herself back into reality. She had crumpled over and her face was on the table. She must have hit it hard because she felt a sore spot on her forehead. When she looked around her she saw Grimmjow sitting next to her watching. She started petting him roughly over his face to force him to close his eyes and move away from her. She didn't want him to see the dread that filled her. She knew a bad omen when she saw one, and that most definitely was one.
She looked over at the series of painting for Fujita that lay against her dresser. A tiger walking through a bamboo forest, but the image was broken up into a stream of four canvases that attached at irregular points. It was complete but she just wanted to make sure there were no finishing touches that needed done. She needed to work on her vision painting. The need didn't just make her itch. It burned. Once again, not a good sign.
She rummaged through her blank canvases and pulled a smaller one and got to work. Luckily the image was simple and quiet easy for her to produce, only requiring two hours to get it right. Grimmjow watched her work for those two hours; she can see him trying to make sense of the image. She already understood what it meant more or less but she'll keep it to herself. Tomorrow they leave for Kyoto and she didn't want to spoil it. For whatever reason, it had been a quiet week and she was excited that she'll get the company for the festival.
Yukiko cooked them a simple dinner of rice and curry and they ate without conversation. She knew Grimmjow was disappointed about not getting his body back as quickly as he had thought after the woman saw it coming but she reminded him that visions don't exactly come with a date stamp. Also every day it doesn't happen means there's a greater chance for the next. Well except for this tomorrow since they'll be leaving for the next night.
Yukiko kept her mind on all of the things she wanted to do tomorrow with Grimmjow in Kyoto while she gave him a bath. The way he relaxed under her touch during his bath times always made her happy. Actually these past few days Grimmjow had become increasingly more comfortable, or at least tolerable, of her touches and she had caught him purring more than once. "He probably thinks I didn't notice it today at the cafe." She laughed to herself.
After Grimmjow's bath she sent him out so she could take one herself and then the pair settled in for the night.
...
Yukiko woke up somewhat early, for her anyways, and cooked a simple breakfast of fried eggs with sausage. The smell woke up Grimmjow, like usual, and she had the table set with their food and drinks before he made it to the table. She rushed through her meal so that she could hurry and clean the cookware. When Grimmjow was finished she was quick to clean up his dishes as well.
He disappeared outside for a few minutes to use the bathroom then reappeared in her window. After she folded up her futon Yukiko closed and locked her window. She grabbed her pre-packed bag and her paintings, individually wrapped in newspaper and tied together. The pair raced out of the apartment, and she almost failed to stop and lock her door. The painting were large and awkward to carry but they were very heavy so once she got a comfortable grip on them it was an easy trek to the subway. They were going to go from the subway to a train and then from there it will take a bus ride to get to their destination. A three hour trip and as much as she wished she could simply sleep it away there would be no guarantee that she'd get them off at the correct stops and she needed to protect her paintings. So instead she passed the time reading through a book full of images of paintings. She had picked it up two days ago in preparation for the trip and had been careful to not let herself open it until today. Just to be safe she also relayed their route to Grimmjow so he can listen for their destinations.
The subway ride was fairly short since it only remains in the city but after that the train ride alone was going to be an hour and forty minutes. While she knew she was going to be awake for the entirety of it she expected Grimmjow to take a nap, but he was actually sticking the ride out with her. The little Arrancar had settled into her lap and alternated between looking at the pages of her book with her and standing against her to watch out the window. It was a peaceful trip and she cursed herself when her mind thought about it being a calm before a shit storm. "NO! We're going to have a nice time and then Grimmjow is going to get his proper body back. End of story."
She started petting the cat in her lap for comfort and was a little scared that not even her book could preoccupy her. Thankfully she heard the announcement of their station and closed her book. Grimmjow jumped off her lap to let her up and followed her off the train as they headed for the bus station.
The bus ride was less than an hour and to her joy Fujita was waiting for them at their final stop. "Ametsuchi-san, Grimmjow-chan! Welcome to Kameoka!"
Yukiko saw Grimmjow flinch at the way the woman called him and she smirked at it, but she gave the woman her attention quickly and returned a greeting with a friendly smile. The woman helped load the paintings into the back seat of her little yellow car along with Yukiko's personal luggage. She sat in the front seat with Grimmjow on his lap and Fujita drove them to her home. While the older woman spoke excitedly about the festival Yukiko and Grimmjow watched out the window at the small but clearly growing city. It was clearly transitioning to become more modern but clung tightly to their traditional culture.
"Are you ready for the festival?"
When their hostess asked that, Yukiko could only look at her with a wide smile and nod her head happily.
()
Grimmjow watched with faint amusement as the two women unwrapped the four paintings and started marking their placement on the wall. The older woman offered to call a male neighbor but Yukiko insisted that she can handle it, and he was vaguely impressed when she proved herself right. She had hammered in the nails and hung the painting perfectly while Fujita fetched them tea and a bowl of water for the cat. Only Grimmjow wanted tea too so he helped himself to Yukiko's cup. Their hostess laughed and while his companion frown she didn't seem too bothered and left it for him to have.
With all of her work done the two women admired the completed picture while he looked at too, fairly impressed himself. Of course a big part if it was probably because it was a large and dangerous cat.
Afterwards Fujita made a late lunch for the three of them then lead them to a guest room. Yukiko placed her bag down on the floor next to a small bed and sat on it. Grimmjow joined her up there so that he can examine their sleeping quarters. The bed didn't feel as comfortable as the futon back in the apartment. He felt the bed shift and when he looked at Yukiko she was beginning to remove her clothes, her jacket already gone. When they made eye contact her eyes sharpened. {"Do not watch."} She ordered.
Grimmjow huffed out a sigh but complied and padded up to the head of the bed and burrowed himself under the blanket so she could hurry up and get changed. He didn't know what was taking so long but he was certain she was spending more time getting dressed than she usually does, it must have been at least ten minutes. When she finally clapped to signal that he may come out he was actually speechless and his jaw may or may not have been hanging open slightly.
Yukiko had changed out of her regular pants and tee shirt and into a royal blue kimono with a practical river of gold and tan flowers and gold, white and red butterflies flowing upwards at an angle from the bottom hem of both the skirt and sleeves. There was a single gold flower on her shoulder with smaller tan flowers next to it and a single butterfly. Her waist was bound with a gold obi that was patterned with tan waves and had a green, red, and white rope tied around it and hem guard rising up beneath the obi and the inner sleeve were both soft red with darker shade of red cloud like swirls. Her long copper hair was wrapped and spun into a bun on the right side of her head and decorated with red metal flowers and many smaller white flowers.
"Wow..." Was about the only thing his brilliant mind could come up with. Well, if that's the only response he can think of then maybe it's a good thing he can't actually voice his thoughts. When several moments passed he still had not made any kind of motion her should shook with laughter. {"Is that a good response?"}
Grimmjow's entire body perked up and he could no longer make eye contact, but he gave her a single meow. She will know that it means yes. She sat down next to him and pulled on a pair of traditional socks, then a small bag that she fill with some money and hung it from a string on her wrist. She looked at Grimmjow with a smile. {"Ready to go?"}
The Arrancar jumped off the bed and got a head start for the door. She plucked a pair of polished dark purple platform sandals from her bag and followed. He waited for her at the front door of the house while she bowed farewell to the older woman and slipped into her shoes at the genka then raced off with Grimmjow to the festival location around some local shrine. It should be easy enough to find since there were already groups of other humans dressed in traditional and nice clothes all moving in the same direction.
The walk wasn't short but it wasn't bad either. Yukiko slowed her pace and they now walked calmly with the crowd as the wave of people all moved towards the festival grounds. The stalls had already been set up and the delicious smell of festival food filled the air. Grimmjow raced off at the smell of something juicy and meaty. He found a stall that was grilling chunks of red meat and sat in front of the stall, licking his lips as he devised a method of thievery. But apparently that was unnecessary as Yukiko approached beside him and ordered a stick of beef chunks, looking down and smiling at him. He followed her as she walked away from the stall, never taking his eyes off the food in her hand, until she stopped at a stone bench and sat. Grimmjow jumped up and sat next to her before her butt was even on the surface. {"You do realize we just ate, right?"}
"So." Grimmjow thought when she finally took a chunk of meat off with her mouth for herself before placing it next to her on a small paper napkin for him to eat it off of. When he finished Yukiko lead him back into the crowd. He wasn't sure where they were going but he followed anyways. It was getting darker now and he watched as the workers in the stalls start to light the small spherical paper lanterns that line the walk ways. When he turned back to see which way Yukiko was going she was gone from his sight. "Damn woman. Why can't you stay where I can see you?!"
Looking all around him, Grimmjow couldn't find her anywhere. Only strangers stepping all around and over him. While no one was stepping on him they weren't paying him any attention and it seemed to be more a matter of luck. The Arrancar jumped out of the way of one set of feet and immediately into the path of another. He started yowling to get the humans' attention, successfully stopping a woman in wooden clogs from stepping on his tail and it gave him a chance to break out of the rush of people and hop onto the counter of a stall that was selling masks. "Hey! Shoo cat!"
The stall worker tried to send him off but Grimmjow just ignored the man and searched the crowd for Yukiko. When he caught a glimpse of royal blue he started yowling again to call her his way. Copper eyes fell on him and the woman pushed her way through the river of people to get to the stall. She plucked the cat up and held him at eye level. {"Are you okay?"}
Grimmjow nodded yes and so Yukiko held him closer to herself. She looked at the stall owner and bowed slightly, probably in apology for the Arrancar jumping on his counter, and returned to the crowd while still carrying him. Grimmjow pushed his front paws off her chest to get some distance between their faces and looked at her then struggled slightly. She shook her head. {"It'd be safer if you didn't walk here."}
Then she pushed him up higher to her shoulder and Grimmjow pulled himself to stand on her then balanced himself to snake his way around to her other shoulder, using her as a mobile perch. From his place he watched as Yukiko walked them past all of the lantern lit stalls and up very old looking stone stairs carved into the mountain side. This area was even more crowded and the trek was slow going, the sky had gone from reddish orange to black and riddled with stars before they made it to the top. She had passed the time of their ascent by scratching Grimmjow's cheek and chin but it was otherwise boring. When they got to the top of the stairs there was a Torii at which she bowed before walking through. Once pass it the area was totally flat and open save for the old shrine buildings accented with red painted wood. The shrine ground was filled with more people but there was clearly more space than below in the stalls so it didn't feel as crowded. Up at there, Yukiko washed her hands and mouth in a series of steps that seemed unnecessarily complicated to Grimmjow then waited in another line. All of this waiting was truly starting to irritate the Arrancar but he didn't dare leave to look around the shrine for something to do, certain that he'd not find her again if he did. Not certain of what they were waiting for though he looked back and forth at the line. "She's not going to just leave it after waiting this long. Right?" He debated and eventually hopped off his perch and walked up the line to find out what it was exactly they were waiting for. He made it to the destination and learned that people were ringing a bell, dropping coins in a box then bowing, praying and bowing again. "That's it? All these people here to just pray? If you're going to wait around for this long it should be for something interesting."
"Mommy, mommy! What can I wish for?" a little girl asked obnoxiously loud.
A woman with the child sighed. "It's not so much a wish as is a prayer. You are asking the shrine's god to grant your desire."
"So it's wishing to the god!" The child argued back.
"No, it's different."
Grimmjow didn't stick around to continue listening to the stupid argument and returned walking down the line until he found Yukiko. She opened her arms for him and he jumped back up into them then swiftly climbed up to her shoulder again. He resolved to wait patiently for their turn. While he didn't believe in Gods it wouldn't hurt to ask whatever spirit was here to get him his body back.
When Yukiko stepped up to the box and rang the bell Grimmjow leaped down, then jumped up to swipe the bag hanging on her wrist. She bent down and opened it for him, looking very confused. He reached in and as best as he could, pinched a few coins between his paws and tossed them in. He missed Yukiko's laugh but waited for her to drop in money herself the pair bowed, clapped and bowed, following the same pattern as the other people. "I don't care who is listening but whoever you are, give me my body back!"
When they turned to leave the Arrancar saw every human watching with mixtures of shock and awe. They have probably never seen a cat pray. Grimmjow jumped back up to her shoulder and she walked them to a draw box with a large crowd gathered around it, but not nearly so quiet and formal as before. She pointed to the top of the box next to the opening to urge him to jump down then drew a small brightly colored slip from the box. {"Your turn."}
When Grimmjow reached in his arm when all the way to his shoulder but he felt something against his finger tips and latched on with his claws to pull it up then Yukiko immediately picked him up and moved them so others could have a turn. On the fortune slip he pulled it read "Slight good luck".
{"Not bad."} She said smiling.
He looked at her paper. "A little misfortune". That doesn't sound good. When they settled in a relatively empty spot Grimmjow completely unrolled his fortune to finish reading it.
"Direction- North
Desire- Your wish is imminent
Expected Person- You will find this friend
Lost Articles- You are not yet ready to find it this year
Travel- You will be moving often
Business- Embracing new partners will prove most beneficial
Studies- Do not fear new subjects
Market- Avoid major decisions with money to avoid calamity
Disputes- Many and often but few will be long lasting
Romance- Flowers will bloom this year
Changing Homes- You must choose
Child Birth- Nothing to worry about
Illness- Stay out of the rain to ensure health
Marriage- It is a matter of the soul"
Grimmjow read through the paper and didn't get it as a concept. Why do human insist on some paper telling them how their life will go? He wanted to read what was said on Yukiko's, for curiosity's sake of course, but was disappointed when he saw her tying the paper to a tree with hundreds of other ones. From what he could see, nearly all of the ones on there indicated some level of misfortune. He pushed his towards the tree too but she picked it up and held on to it, placing it in her bag. {"You should keep it. It's supposed to give you good luck so make sure you carry it with you when you get your body back."}
The Arrancar rolled his eyes at the words but it's not like he can argue. He just hopped back into her arms and up to her shoulder so they can start their walk back down the stairs.
()
Yukiko's shoulder was starting to hurt slightly from the weight of the cat on it but she didn't really mind. She took them back down into the stall area and they played games. While Grimmjow couldn't participate in many there were some that he could like ring toss and to many people's surprise, herself included, a water shooter game where they raced to fill a balloon. He beat her in the ring toss but not in the water shooter, nothing can beat having two hands for that type of game. In a slightly twisted sense of humor on her part, she picked a stuffed black cat as her prize; smirking cheekily at Grimmjow when he glared at her with a growl. None of the items from the stall he won at held his interest so Yukiko picked a small green paper fan with yellow butterflies on it. He watched as she played some other games that he could not participate in like goldfish scooping and yo-yo fishing.
She was have a lot of fun and was overjoyed that Grimmjow seemed to be enjoying himself too. He mewed in her ear and pointed to a stall of masks, the same one that she had found him at earlier that evening. She skipped over to it and inspected the masks. Looking through them she found one that she couldn't resist. A cat mask with green and blue accent lines instead of the traditional red. She purchased it and carefully put it on the upper left side of her head, out of her face but partially covering one ear.
Grimmjow had jumped back onto the counter and she let him get a good look at her. {"What do you think? Cute?"}
The cat tilted his head and closed his eyes but gave her a single meow to indicate yes. She laughed at the way he was reluctant to give the compliment but also couldn't help but smile softly. When he looked at her again she was still smiling and she extended her elbow for him. {"We've got one last thing to do then I think it's time we go in for the night."}
He jumped up her elbow then onto her shoulder and mewed in her ear in agreement.
Yukiko walked back through the crowd, which was now spreading out in searches for good spots, and towards the shrine steps again but half way up them she left the path and walked through the sparse trees until she found what she was looking for. A little clearing that overlooked the festival grounds and the town beyond.
She sat down on the grass and Grimmjow jumped to the ground beside her. {"Fujita-san said that this is a good spot to watch the fireworks."}
The cat tilted his head in confusion.
{"Fireworks always occur at the end of festivals. But I guess you haven't gone to many before, have you?"}
A head shake no.
She thought about what she had seen him doing during his apparently new experience. {"Grimmjow. Do you believe in Gods?"}
His tail whipped slightly and he shook his head no again.
{"So you prayed just because?"}
He seemed to shrug at that.
{"What if I told you Gods exist?"} She said with a serious expression.
Grimmjow flexed his claws and hissed. Either he was unhappy at the proposed question or he wanted to fight them. She'll have to ask him again when they have his cards.
The questions came to an abrupt end when a loud boom resounded through the festival grounds. The pair looked out into the sky to see the remnants of bright red lights fade just as another explosion of color started. One after another giant flowers of light and color bloomed in the sky before them. In this moment, Yukiko felt more at peace than she had in a long time. She could feel herself smiling gently and looked over at Grimmjow to see what his feline expression looked like. While it wasn't as easy to read as a person's she learned to markers of what would mean the different expressions on a human face.
But when she looked beside her the little black cat was no longer there. Instead it was the form of a man with striking blue hair and eyes. He had a strong jaw and a calm, peaceful smile on his face.
Yukiko was no longer captivated by the fireworks, instead she watched the ethereal form of the man she knew must have been Grimmjow. She watched the way the bright colors of the fireworks lit up his face and eyes and the slightly protruding fragment of a Hollow mask from his other cheek. She looked him up and down now. He was sitting with one knee propped up and an elbow resting on it while the majority of his weight was resting on his other hand that he leaned from.
Yukiko looked down at that hand. It seemed strong with its fingers slightly splayed out for stability. Yukiko rested her hand on his and when she did the ethereal form vanished and she was holding the paw of a cat. She didn't look at him; she just returned to staring at the fireworks with less interest than before. But she refused to take her hand off of his.
"Whoever lords over this shrine, thank you for granting my wish. Thank you for letting me see what Grimmjow's real face is."
...
Yukiko and Grimmjow returned to Fujita's home late into the night. They were both moving sluggishly and clearly exhausted. Unfortunately she had to remove her kimono and fold it properly, along with her hair ornament, socks and sandals. As she did this Grimmjow laid on the bed and she didn't even bother checking to ensure he wasn't peeking, something that she had taken to doing routinely should she remove any piece of clothing in front of him after his little reminder to her just over a week ago now.
Once she was dressed in a loose top and cotton shorts and her traditional ware put back in her bag, she kneeled at the bed and looked at Grimmjow. He rolled to look back at her after a moment, probably feeling himself getting stared at. Yukiko smiled at him again. {"Thanks for coming."}
He chirped slightly, a sound she had never heard him make before.
Feeling braver than ever, the woman leaned forward and kissed the cat right on his muzzle. It was a simple little peck but she could see that his eyes widened as his ears and even whiskers stood on end. He probably wasn't expecting that. Well, she wasn't either.
Yukiko crawled into the bed under the blanket, shoving Grimmjow out some his place, and she laid her head on the pillow. She glanced down at the Arrancar who was still watching her. {"Good night Grimmjow."}
He shifted a bit but then moved and curled up against her for the night.
If the chapter seemed a bit vague I'm sorry. I'm trying to condense the less important stuff and decided to extend this chapter to hurry along on the story. I expect next chapter will be the last one with kitty Grimmjow. Comments, complaints, reviews all make for a happy author so do it and I'll love you~
Yay Comments! (´｡• ω •｡`) :
XD-kaycee: Thanks, I really liked that chapter too. I've got a lot planned for after Grimmjow gets his body back. The story will be going on for a while :)
Silent Songstress Sorceress: Hehe. Yes, Grimmjow is really starting to enjoy her.
Jane: Awe, thank you!
Emzy2k11: Yeah, he's getting a bit more comfortable with showing a cuddly side.
Sytacus: Haha, I totally get the feeling of reading until you get to the end of a new story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too.
beautiful-note2895: Thank you! And you kind of got your answer regarding getting Ichigo's help in this chapter. Let me know when you get your story going, I'm always interested in reading new Grimmjow/OC stories :)
MrsSwordslover: Of course Urahara did something dirty like that. It's Urahara. I hope how she reacts to Grimmjow's real body doesn't disappoint (not this chapter, when he actually gets his form back. I've got a really good conversation planned for that moment). As said before, I extended this chapter and condensed the content a bit to get to the man-body-goal faster.