I'm back and managed to squeak in before a full year passed between updates. A low bar to pass but I'm proud nonetheless. General note to everyone: I'm doing better, still have shitty episodes (not sure what else to call them) but less frequently and I think the worst of it all is behind me. School is honestly helping despite how hard it is.
Sidenote: this chapter being shorter is just because it's as long as it needs to feel complete. I actually think this length is perfect for updates but typically I can't stop jamming more details in because my brain doesn't create this shit in words. It's more a full HD video kind of thought creation so I try to convey that. You can even tell when my brain does a "scene change" because of how suddenly vague it becomes for a paragraph.
Trigger warning for referenced self-harm.
Chapter 22: Oppressive Shadows
Yukiko slowly woke up. She felt a strange mixture of comfortable and painful. Her eye hurt; way more than she anticipated. Probably thanks to her neglecting to ice it the previous night. Her lower abdomen was sore too, in a very specific area. An effect of being used for the first time in years. Despite the localized pain, as a whole she felt more comfortable and complete than she had in possibly her entire life. Grimmjow was still asleep, holding her to him in a cage of arms and legs that left her feeling safe. Safety in the arms of a murderous monster. How strange.
She didn't dare move; afraid she would break the tranquil air that blanketed the room.
"Awake yet?" Grimmjow's husky voice threatened to ruin her intentions.
To answer she burrowed her face further into his collar. She listlessly traced her nails around in aimless circles across his back. He shifted a bit and pushed himself down a bit to kiss her. She smiled and welcomed it. There quiet affectionate moment only lasted a few seconds though when Grimmjow kissed away from her mouth and went to her neck. Yukiko frowned and pushed him away. He pulled up and looked at her. She signed and spoke with a frown, {*"No."*}
"Why not? You even said you want to do it again," his voice still gravelly.
{"Doing it once doesn't mean we are going to start going at it like rabbits. Besides I really can't right now, way too sore."}
Grimmjow growled, "Fine," then laid on his back with his hands behind his head. Yukiko shuffled over to him and used his bicep as her new pillow. Considering his disappointment she half expected him to shrug her off but he instead removed his hand from behind his head and started tangling his fingers in the hair at the back of her neck. Her hair was finally chin length.
Yukiko sighed contently but couldn't shake the feeling of sticky grime and general dirtiness that coated her where she was once drenched in sweat. She frowned to herself but actually got up from her cocoon of warmth and comfort. "What?" Grimmjow asked.
{"Need a shower."}
He turned away from her with an annoyed groan. "Go for it. Since we aren't going to fuck no reason for you to have that enticing smell."
Yukiko snickered, {"Enticing?"}
Grimmjow stopped looking at her so she was going to have to go without his clarification, but she could guess. Personally, she found the smell of sex vomit inducing, though this morning she was so happy she didn't even notice it. It wasn't a sickening smell for once. While she wouldn't call it "enticing" she wasn't bothered either. Yukiko stepped over the man and held in a wince of pain.
One shower and thorough scrubbing later, she returned to the room in a towel. Grimmjow was now sitting at the table, still naked, staring at the news again. With his back to her, she could see that his 6 tattoo was present on his gigai despite the loss of his Hollow markings. He looked back at her when she closed the door. {"Why are you watching the news? You did yesterday too but I thought you were just pretending."}
"Starrk is supposed to show up when there is snow, so I want to know when it will snow next," he explained.
{"Why is that actually smart?"} she was shocked.
"Fuck you, I'm not brain dead."
{"You know there is still snow on the ground now."}
"Yeah but not for long, it's been melting."
Yukiko nodded in concession. She walked past him and started getting dressed. Before she was finished she heard Grimmjow's voice directly behind her, "Don't move."
She complied partially out of surprise; then because she felt teeth on her. He bit hard into the back of her neck and she tensed up in pain. When he released her, she turned shock and pressed her hand over the bite mark. He removed her hand from the wound and turned her enough to inspect it. He purred pleased, "Good. No question you're already claimed."
Yukiko grabbed both his wrists and glared harshly at him despite knowing he wouldn't be fazed. {"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"}
"I've decided. You are my person and I don't want anyone to target you so it's a little show to not approach," he sounded genuinely proud of himself.
She pointed to the bathroom. {"Go take a shower asshole!"} she roared silently.
"Sure," he was far too pleased with himself to be bothered by her anger.
The woman rubbed her neck and found that there was a thin layer of blood on her hand. He actually broke the skin. She groaned to herself as she finished getting dressed. While she did she heard the weather prediction start. A cold front was approaching and it was expected to snow in the next three or four days. A flood of anxiety washed over her. She saw a coyote holding a white and red butterfly in its mouth. Starrk captures her.
She looked at the blood on her hand in worry then to the bathroom door. "Just because I get caught doesn't mean I stay caught. Grimmjow won't let that go. I can prepare in the meantime." She felt a surge of determination. She told him that she will speed up for him so no more waiting for disaster to crash down on her. Fighting is proof of life. She was living. For the first time she felt life was blissful and worth fighting for. She was going to prove she was still alive.
She opened one of her sketch books and went deep into her memory for symbols that she hoped would never be applicable to her life, and started practicing them. That was how Grimmjow found her after his shower, though he got dressed before bothering her. The man pulled the book out of her hands and looked at it. "What's this?"
She held out her hand and he returned the object. {"I'm practicing. It's going to snow again in three or four days. I decided I'm going to prepare for chaos this time."}
"How is art supposed to help you?" he was doubtful of her thought process.
{"This is a seal. I have actual spiritual training remember. I can't do much but I can put up some resistance if I work for it."}
"Work on your fighting then," he argued.
{"You expect me to fight an Arrancar head on?"} she looked at him incredulously.
Grimmjow smirked, "No but it's a good excuse to get you to start behaving more aggressively."
{"I refuse."}
"I want to fight Starrk, you stay the hell away from him, obviously. But what about when you meet the little humans that you are so scared of? Get better at protecting yourself and you won't be afraid of them."
Yukiko slumped slightly. {"In case you forgot, it isn't as simple as saying don't be afraid."}
"If you're going to do something then fucking do something. Don't half ass it."
The woman stared at him in thought for a moment. {"You're right,"} she eventually mumbled.
"What was that?" he said, smirking knowingly.
She glared at him now, {"You are right!"}
"Good. Now one more time."
{"You are an asshole,"} she said this time. He grinned at her. {"Speaking of training, what about the Arrancar boy that you are supposed to be teaching? Have you done any work with him lately?"}
"Don't go changing the subject to that runt."
{"But have you?"} she pushed.
"I go and train him every day," he declared.
{"How?"}
"Why are you asking?" Grimmjow was annoyed.
{"Well, you're talking about improving my fighting, I want to know how much I'm going to hate it."}
"I actually like you so I'll go easier on you than the kid. Besides, if I worked you like I do him you would die," he laughed.
Yukiko smiled at his comment, {"Well I like you too."}
"Do you? Must have a death wish."
Her smile fell until it was barely there. "Not anymore."
If Grimmjow thought anything of her lack of response, he didn't say. "You still haven't explained how drawing will keep you safe."
Yukiko focused on the discussion at hand, forcing her thoughts away from the ghostly sensation of falling. {"This one is a spell that will shield me from concentrated Reiatsu attacks,"} she indicated the seal she had been sketching when he pulled the book from her. She then flipped back a few pages to another one, {"This will allow me to strike at Reishi directly, instead of the body."}
Grimmjow looked horrified. "What the fuck?! That's the most unfair power I ever heard!"
She shook her head then wrote her response, uncertain if he would be able to follow all the words. "It's actually incredibly inconvenient. They only work on small parts of a human body and the preparation then repercussions of the seals really make it not worth it in normal circumstances."
After scanning the message Grimmjow looked back at her, "Explain."
Yukiko started to write again but the man pulled the pencil away with a growl, "I hate you using this writing shit with me. Just talk like a normal person."
She narrowed her eyes, {"Rude choice of words."}
"Better."
Yukiko didn't want to explain now, didn't want to reward him for being an ass to her. {"Instead of asking me how I'm going to deal with trying not to die, how about you tell me how you plan on finding Starrk."}
He continued to stare at her, probably waiting for her to answer his previous inquiry. When she didn't he glared through his answer, "When he shows up here I'll just use Pesquisa to locate him."
"Right, cause it's just that easy," she thought with an eye roll.
"Why can't you use your drawings normally?" He pushed.
She still refused to answer, staring at him with a harsh look before he seemingly gave up. The man reclined on his back, a usual indicator that there will be no more conversation, so Yukiko pulled her pencil out of his hand and resumed practicing her seals. Her sketches went on for another few pages until she was confident that she had all the intricate symbols and lines correct. The next step in her preparation would require some supplies that she did not have, plus she was nervous about Grimmjow being around for it. She patted him but he didn't respond to her, though he wasn't sleeping. Yukiko shook him and the man looked away, apparently pouting about something. She pulled herself over his waist and sat on his stomach and hands pressed into his lower ribs for support. This got the Arrancar looked at her with total focus now, his expression quirked up. {"Good, I have your attention. I need to go to the store for some supplies. Want to come?"}
Grimmjow sat up but bent his legs to cradle her so she wouldn't slip off. "No," he answered on her lips before kissing her. The attention gave her that wonderful, warm feeling. Even though she was still sore from the previous night her body seemed more responsive to his touch; when his hand wandered up and under her shirt she didn't have the impulse to tell him no. For some reason, Grimmjow stopped his affection and laid back down, though he didn't remove his hand from her waist. She wanted to lean down into him and chase his warmth but stopped herself. She needed to stay with Grimmjow but if she wants to stay together in the long term she can't put off the work.
Yukiko peeled herself off of him and left.
()
Grimmjow stayed where he was after Yukiko left. She wasn't being dodgy exactly but didn't want to discuss whatever it was that she was planning. He tried to not be annoyed about it since she was worried about Starrk or her mom or whatever it was this week that left her jittery. She was always scared of something. Every time there was spike of trouble she went full flight-mode, not even entertaining fight. He didn't get it. She wasn't incompetent in a fight as long as it was with other humans and she could use Flashstep, so she could escape any situation that she needed. Being afraid was useless, a waste of time and energy. If something was a danger to you, attack and rip it apart. If you can't win, get away. Fear was irrelevant to survival in Grimmjow's world.
He glanced at the clock, late morning. Despite brushing it off earlier, he hadn't been to Hueco Mundo yet today, and while he should, he instead wanted to laze around the apartment. Preferably with his human, but this was fine, she'd be back. Maybe it was because they finally had sex after he didn't fuck for a while or maybe it was because he didn't get a round two, but he really didn't want to do anything. Caught somewhere between pleasantly content and lazily disinterested in the world outside their little space. It felt quiet in the apartment, the news on the TV at a low enough volume that tuning it out was easier than actually hearing it.
He was relaxed but too well rested to even nap. Not that they had been awake for long to begin with. Searching the channels for something to watch felt like more work than he was willing to invest at the moment. While he found more shows that he enjoyed than expected, that didn't mean he found nearly half of the things on TV worth the time. He peered over to the small shelf that held Yukiko's ever-increasing number of sketch books; pretty soon she's going to have to get rid of some or find somewhere else to store them.
He dragged himself forward the handful of centimeters needed for his hand to reach the shelf and dragged a small pile of them into his space with one swipe. The first one was actually what he was looking, the picture book she was making for him. On the surface, the idea was might have seemed insulting but making her explanation into a story was for her benefit not his. He understood that. All thanks to that stupid, fucking fear.
Knowing full well that it wasn't done yet, Grimmjow opened the first page of the book. Weirdly, Yukiko, the woman the story is supposed to be about wasn't there. No person was there, just a red and white butterfly and fluid-looking "balls" of blue or red light. He was actually a bit surprised to see that she colored the drawing, usually she left her drawing without it. The page was evenly split in two images: the butterfly carrying a light to the abdomen of a woman in yukata, and the carrying a red light towards some kind of black hole. "Butterfly moving souls around, to a new life or Hell. Got it. Why do I care?"
The next picture was similar to the first except the number of souls included was a lot more. The page after followed suit, similar to the split page except instead of carrying the souls the bug seemed to guide groups of them. "Don't do it…" he grumbled to himself.
Just as he hoped not to happen, the fourth page was another repeat with more souls. "Alright, now you're just stalling even in drawing form."
At least the fifth page was different, mostly. Rather than be split it just showed the butterfly herding souls to Hell but some getting left behind. The next page showed multiple defined images of the butterfly trying to guide the souls around but there was always too many for it to completely succeed.
On page seven, "How the hell did she have time to do all this already?" Grimmjow mumbled, the butterfly seemed to have specks falling from its wings that formed the Shinigamis' Hellbutterflies. That was weird. He knew the red and white butterfly was supposed to represent Yukiko, it always did. Right? So why was it creating the Shinigami pets?
Next the white and red butterfly was simply in the center of the page while the Hellbutterflies did all of the work moving the souls. The main butterfly, no longer overrun with souls had resumed individually guiding souls but other images on the page implied that it was spending time around living people. One of the images in particular was it floating around some kind of swordsman. Immediately following that the same swordsman was laying dead in blood and bodies, with the butterfly collecting its blue soul surrounded by the red souls of the other men. Yukiko's repetition struck again, this time with these images, the butterfly fluttering around the same man then that man dying. His soul always blue while all the others were red.
After the third round rather than showing the man again the butterfly was surrounded by some kind of swirling light that flowed downwards into the form of Yukiko. "Finally…"
This image of Yukiko had long hair and was wearing a red yukata. The Yukiko look-alike met the swordsman and on the same page there was a second image of them kissing. Grimmjow was tempted to tear the page out but restrained himself.
The next few images depicted a clear story of the couple having a child and the boy being taught how to use a sword by the man. The image that Grimmjow first saw. Oddly the following pages were all blank. Maybe she went back after getting to that point to color all the previous images? It still seemed like an unnatural amount of work to be done in the amount of time she had been doing this.
He closed the book and returned to his back then checked the clock. Barely 10 minutes had passed since he last looked. His easy mood was fading the longer Yukiko was away. Maybe he should have gone with her… "Fuck it. I'm going to Hueco Mundo." The Arrancar rose off the floor with a huff and left.
Grimmjow went through his familiar route back to Urahara's and was quick to demand his release from the gigai. The novelty of antagonizing him about the situation having worn off, the Shinigami complied with little comment. Not even bothering to confirm that he was leaving the World of the Living before doing so. Maybe the teen boy said something to him, maybe he didn't. Grimmjow didn't give him enough attention to know for sure
Las Noches felt loud. Not nearly to the degree of Karakura's streets but for a palace of the dead? It was teeming tense energy. There were Hollow's that Grimmjow didn't recognize in the halls, both Arrancar and Vasto Lorde. When the hell did Harribel find them?
Grimmjow spent admittedly little time in Hueco Mundo but he was still there daily and would have definitely noticed the influx of such Hollows. There appeared to be a small crowd of them around the door to the throne room, which was currently being guarded by Harribel's fraccion; the three women merged into their minotaur form. The fraccion were capable of little more than posturing before the group of stranger Hollows; their status as the personal servants to the King probably doing more for their safety than anything. Their eyes fell on Grimmjow and it almost looked like they were relieved. "Grimmjow! Harribel-sama needs to speak to you immediately," their amalgous voice called.
Fine with him, he wanted to know what was happening anyways. He strolled past the angry Hollows, giving them about as much attention he would a human, and entered the throne room. Nelliel and Harribel were speaking to one another, the stress projecting out of them like neon signs. That was actually alarming. The two women were calm to the point of cold in most situations, with the exception of Nelliel's childish inclinations, and even in the worst situations they never showed a hint of stress. Frustration and unhappiness? Sure. This? Never.
"What the fuck is going on?" he questioned.
The King beckoned for him to come closer as she answered, "The occurrence yesterday has sent the Hollows into a panic. All of these higher order individuals came seeking protection through numbers."
"What happened yesterday?"
Nel hummed as if thinking, "So it wasn't felt in the World of the Living. There was an intense spiritual pressure across all of Hueco Mundo. It was like nothing we've ever experienced. Since then, all of the weaker Hollows seemed to have gone into hiding too."
"Grimmjow, for the time being you need to remain in Hueco Mundo. There is something happening that we have no understand of and I need all sword arms ready."
"No."
"I'm not asking. It is an order," the King remained firm.
"Starrk is going to show up in the World of the Living any day now, I'm not dicking around here waiting on some boogie-man monster."
The women looked taken aback. "What would possibly make you think Starrk is going to the World of the Living in the next few days?" Nel questioned.
Well shit. He's been keeping his human's power close to chest and now that might not be possible. "I have it on good authority alright."
"No. Not alright!"
"It's your human isn't it?" Harribel answered much more calmly than Nel and Grimmjow could only narrow his eyes at her. "She supplies impossible information. How?"
He held tight lipped. She was his, he wasn't going to share her with them for any reason.
Nel reached out and rested her hand on his arm. "Grimmjow, if we haven't made it clear before let me make it clear now. We aren't interested in hurting Ametsuchi and we aren't going to try and take her prisoner. You want her to stay away from us and uninvolved with Hueco Mundo? That's fine. But if there's something important for us to know then please tell us."
Grimmjow growled in annoyance; it bothered him that he actually believed her. He swatted her hand away. "Fine. I don't know how it works but she gets premonitions. She's got a good track record too. She predicted that Starrk will show up in the World of the Living soon but she didn't mention anything about what's happening here."
The women took a moment to consider the information; Harribel spoke first. "Starrk is strong but that pressure we felt wasn't him. It didn't feel like anything I've ever experienced. The closest point of comparison I can find was when Aizen turned himself into that abomination of an attempt of a Hollow. Only hundreds of times more powerful."
Nel held her arms around herself in an almost defensive posture. "Whatever it was, none of us stand a chance against it."
"Damn. Wish I was here for it," Grimmjow thought ruefully. Maybe it was worth spending more time in Hueco Mundo than he had been.
"Grimmjow, as Nel-san said. We will respect your wish to not interfere with your human's life but, could you ask her if she has any information about this?"
"Fine."
"Also, while you're here can you go talk to Achiim? He's been hiding in his room ever since the pressure was released," Nel added.
"Are you seriously asking me to console a kid?"
"He looks up to you greatly," she pointed out.
He rolled his eyes and turned away to leave. "I'll ask Yuki but don't expect an answer."
He walked past the various Hollows again, ignoring the glares, and went to the hall that held his and Achiim's room. Reclined in the hall outside his door was Riverra. "I'm starting to think you're never going to leave."
The man regarded him with a soft chuckle. "To be fair, I actually did after your tantrum yesterday. I came back after that weird pressure was released." He then nodded towards the door. "The kid has been terrified since."
"Any ideas about what it was?"
Riverra leaned his head against the wall and looked up; his eyes shifting side to side as he thought. "My guess… The god of Hueco Mundo decided to make himself known."
"What the Hell are you talking about? The only "gods" Hueco Mundo has ever had was a old ass Hollow and a Shinigami with a god complex."
"Think about it my friend; this world didn't create itself."
"My bet is it was the butterfly," Grimmjow replied sarcastically.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just something I was reading," he waved it away. Wait, do picture books count as reading?
"There were butterfly emblems on the ruins back home," Riverra considered the comment seriously.
"That was human shit and it was a joke. Don't take it seriously."
The tiger Arrancar chuckled. "Made up or not, I'd love to learn more. Could you bring the book?"
"No; and Yuki hasn't finished it."
"I'll ask again in the future."
"The answer will still be no." He shook the handle on Achiim's door but it was blocked by something. "Kid open the door now if you still want to have it in three seconds!"
There was rattling noise on the handle after a moment and the door unlatched. Grimmjow pushed it completely open and was surprised that the room was covered wall to ceiling to floor in silky webbing. The boy was huddled in the corner, on a silk perch near the high ceiling, wrapped in a blanket. "Come on kid we got shit to work on!"
"You weren't here!" he practically wailed. "You didn't feel it! You weren't here! It's too dangerous out there!"
"If it's that's dangerous you hiding in your little nest like a coward won't save you! You wanna be able to protect yourself or not?"
While such a challenge would usually be enough to light a fire under the boy, encourage him to try to prove himself, this time it didn't work. He curled tighter on himself, being completely enveloped by his blanket. Grimmjow turned to Riverra, "You're good with the kid. Do something."
He blinked back with smirk, "Honestly you got further than I did. He wouldn't open the door for me; I was trying to wait him out."
Grimmjow growled and looked back into the room. Achiim was technically his subordinate, his fraccion by the standards of the old days. It pissed him off that someone associated with him was debilitatingly afraid, and he can't just kill him off like he would have had they still been the Espada. It was like dealing with Yukiko, but if she was a Hollow child. Difference was, Yukiko was good at consoling herself. When she was afraid Grimmjow was usually the trigger so he would remove himself, and when he wasn't she would demand physical contact. He was not about give the kid a hug. "Are we going to train today or not?" he tried again.
There was no response.
The man went into the room and grabbed the child, blanket and all, used Descorrer and took the kid with him back to the World of the Living. He needed an expert to deal with this. In their apartment, Yukiko was scrubbing some dishes in the sink. When she turned to the Arrancar he was immediately startled by how pale she looked and her wrist was wrapped in bandages. "What the fuck happened to you?"
She answered but her words were a little too slow for Grimmjow to actually follow. It's easier to read her lips when she spoke fast, elongating the words though made it unclear what they were. "No clue what you said."
She wrote on her board. "Drained from prep work. Who is that?"
"Some weird shit happened in Hueco Mundo and it's got everyone freaked out. The kid won't get over it, I need you to fix him."
She looked confused and spoke quickly in surprise, {"Why me?"}
"Cause you're an expert on being afraid. Put it to good use and make him stop being scared." Grimmjow dropped the kid, who landed with a grunt. Yukiko glared at him disapprovingly while he sat and reclined against the bedding.
The woman knelt down and offered a hand to the boy. "Don't touch me!" he snarled.
Grimmjow whipped the pillow at his head, slamming Achiim's face back into the floor. "Show some fucking respect!"
If Yukiko was glaring before, she looked like she wished she could murder Grimmjow now. Anger seemed to overrule her lethargy because she had no trouble speaking at a speed that was easy to understand. {"Don't you have a gigai to go put on?"}
"I'm babysitting, so no. By the way we gotta talk about some shit."
She seemed to sigh but returned her focus to the kid. She wrote on her whiteboard and showed it to the boy, giving Grimmjow a view of the introduction.
"Stuttgart Achiim," he replied with much less hostility this time.
She wrote some more, this time Achiim was shifting around and Grimmjow couldn't catch what she wrote.
"I'm a Hollow. I don't need to eat." So she offered food.
"If she's cooking, we're eating," he answered over the boy.
He turned to face Grimmjow. "But-"
"I'm not askin' kid. Yuki offered you food, you are eating it."
Finally Yukiko smiled towards the man and stood back up; she wobbled and looked like she was going to fall over. Grimmjow used Sonido and stabilized her immediately. He was already agreeing with her earlier statement that these protective seals weren't worth it. "Sit down before you crack your head open." He started pushing-leading her back to the floor at the table as he spoke.
He could feel Achiim's eyes following the whole situation. Yukiko rested her head in her hand but wrote a message, tilting it to Grimmjow. "I bought a cake to help me get some energy back. Get it out of the fridge and split it for us."
"I thought humans needed nutrition, not junk," he grumbled but did as requested.
"Wow. Grimmjow-san doesn't do what anyone tells him," Achiim said in shock.
He could hear the squeak of marker on board as he put the small cake on the counter and started cutting. "It's still impressive," Achiim replied to the unknown message.
He put the slices on plates and passed one to Yukiko then carried the other two. He placed the largest piece in front of the woman since she was weak and needed the food, and kept the smallest piece for himself. Cake was good, but he liked her cooking better. Besides, it was obvious the woman's intention was to spoil the brat into relaxing. He was suspicious about the food but took a bite then seemed enamored with it and ate without pausing for breath.
"Yuki, you know anything about some super powerful thing in Hueco Mundo? Something that's not a Hollow but close."
Achiim froze at the mention of the monster.
She thought for a moment. {"It could be the Hollow God."}
"Bullshit!" Grimmjow shouted, shocking the other two.
{"What?!"}
"Do you have any ideas that don't include imaginary figures?"
{"He's not imaginary,"} she said with a frown then bent over to write for Achiim. "If what you felt was the Hollow God then you'll be fine. He supposedly keeps to himself."
"I've never heard of a Hollow God."
"That's cause gods don't exist. It's just shitty people that think too big of themselves!"
{"You say that, even though I know you looked through the book."}
Grimmjow groaned, "It's just a bunch of random shit about a butterfly. You were supposed to be explaining your shit, not make some kids book."
She waved him away and focused back on Achiim. Yukiko ruffled his hair and this time the boy didn't threaten her. If anything, he seemed to revel in the touch. When she removed her hand she wrote, "Is there anything you want to do?"
"Um, well…" He glanced at Grimmjow nervously.
"Just say it. As long as you're normal when we go back to Las Noches, I don't care."
"I've never been to the World of the Living. Can we go outside?"
There was a pause in Yukiko's expression but then she nodded. She got up slowly but her color seemed improved and she didn't seem as unstable. Grimmjow stayed close to her but she didn't stumble. The group left the apartment and Achiim seemed immediately awestruck by the sky. "We have sky in Las Noches kid."
Yukiko lightly smacked him for the comment but the boy didn't give it any attention; he was too consumed with looking at everything in sight. Even the trees, buildings and sidewalk held his attention. He froze, mouth open at the sight of a human man walking by. He nodded at Yukiko and entered the apartment building, apparently one of their neighbors. "That human didn't see us! There are more humans here right?! How many? Ten? Fifteen? More?"
Yukiko could only nod, leaving Grimmjow to answer. "There's a shitload of humans here. Too many to count. Most can see us though."
Some birds flew away from a nearby tree, recapturing the boy's attention. "Those are birds! Real animals!"
The kid was bouncing in place, all semblance of his earlier fears gone, completely replaced by excitement. Yukiko started walking, leading them down the sidewalk. The boy would dart around, run ahead, inspect every little unimportant thing and stare at every living thing he saw. When they passed a house a dog charged the gate and started barking. Grimmjow recognized it from his days as a cat. "Oh this asshole again," he growled.
Achiim was startled by the barks and hid behind the woman, peeking at the animal from behind her bicep. She took his hand and continued walking them away; Grimmjow lazily followed along. When they left the neighborhood and got onto the busier streets Yukiko had to practically drag the child who tried to stop and stare the people every half-step. It was obvious now what destination the woman had in mind and he was dreading the excitable energy of the boy.
When they reached the park the boy kept glancing at Grimmjow, looking like he was expecting something. "What?"
"Nothing!" the boy immediately replied.
Yukiko released the little Arrancar and nodded him forward. Without waiting another moment the boy moved faster than Grimmjow had ever seen, barring Sonido, and was climbing the playground. "What the fuck is he so excited about? He can jump over this whole place."
Yukiko was smiling brightly at the sight of the boy. She turned to Grimmjow and walked backwards toward the tables while she spoke, {"I guess Arrancar or not, a child is a child."}
He followed with his arms crossed. "What's got you in such a good mood?"
She took a few extra seconds to watch the boy before looking back to Grimmjow. {"He makes me think of my brother."}
Grimmjow was determined to ignore the kid now that he was off on his own. "Why didn't you get a warning about the weird thing in Hueco Mundo?"
She frowned. {"I don't see everything."} She sat back and looked like she was thinking then glanced around. She dug a notepad out of her jacket pocket and wrote.
"I thought I told you not to do that shit with me."
She discreetly flipped him off with her free hand and finished the message. "I can't see things in Hueco Mundo or the Soul Society unless it's associated with something or someone I'm thinking of. Whatever that weird energy was, it happened while you were with me so there was no reason for my power to take notice. I don't like talking in public, shithead."
He frowned, "So it's not as ridiculously powerful as I thought." She had looked back at the boy again so he snapped his fingers to get her attention back. "Hey, what's the deal with that book? Why is it about some butterfly and a guy? You said you were going to put your shit in it."
More scribbling, "It's context for my family's actions."
"Who gives a shit about context? They were fucked up people who did fucked up things right? Why are you trying to defend that?"
She bit her lip and stopped looking at him. She shook her head and said something he didn't understand. Yukiko hunched in on herself more, like a defensive posture. "I don't want to talk about it here."
He glanced around, seeing a handful of people, probably parents for the children playing. Actually, Yukiko probably did look like a weirdo, coming to a park to just sit and watch an invisible child and interact with someone who doesn't appear to exist. The child in question was walking back to them, looking less happy. The woman wrote her message before he even reached the table. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, uh... It's the first time I've ever seen other kids but, they can't see me," he spoke with a dejected tone.
"I told you, most humans can't see us."
He nodded sadly and Yukiko's face fell in response. "Shit. At this rate I'll have two people I don't want to deal with."
"Let's go to the movies."
They both looked at him wide-eyed.
"We haven't been in a while and no one can see us so why not."
Yukiko brightened at the suggestion and got up, not giving Achiim a chance to question what they were talking about. The walk to the cinema seemed to cheer the kid up somewhat but when they got there the woman seemed hesitant. "What?"
She wrote in her little notepad, "I'm not sure what we should see."
He looked over the titles. There didn't seem to be any horror movies, their usual genre of choice. Achiim's, as well as a handful of human children, eyes were glued to a disgustingly colorful poster of people dressed in dumb outfits doing even dumber poses. He saw the moment Yukiko noticed this as well because she glanced to him. "No," growled as menacingly as possible.
Thankfully, she was willing to take mercy on Grimmjow and when she went to the ticket counter requested a ticket for a, as she would call it, dumb-blow-it-up action movie. An acceptable choice. While there is little plot to these movies, this one being no exception, the mindless violence was pleasing to watch for the Arrancar. Shockingly the kid seemed to like it too, shifting and bouncing excitedly with a grin on his face. Yukiko looked bored and she fell asleep at one point. The movie being in English probably didn't help her engagement. He's not sure why there was a foreign movie playing but it definitely had the best fake explosions he's seen. He kind of questioned if they were fake at all.
When the movie was over he nudged the woman with his foot a few times to try and wake her up. She didn't budge. Until Achiim dove into her arm with a shriek, the got her to nearly shoot out of her seat. "That was the coolest thing EVER! Human stuff is so awesome! How do they get all those people in the screen like that?"
Grimmjow ripped the kid off her and put him on the ground, giving Yukiko a chance to stand and stretch her muscles awake. "They aren't in the screen, it's recorded and can play as many times as they want it to."
Yukiko made a face like she was snickering, {"Look at you, the expert on human stuff."}
"I was never dumb about it like that!"
Achiim was unaware of the exchange between the two as he was running away waving his arms and babbling excitedly about the movie they just watch.
It went without saying, but after the movie they started the return walk to the apartment. Yukiko didn't like being out for long and Grimmjow's limited interest outside of her made home the most enjoyable place for him too. Rather than keep a hand on Achiim, Yukiko walked close to Grimmjow, allowing the kid to more or less run circles as they went, still going on about the movie.
At the apartment the guys sat down while Yukiko started cooking dinner. Grimmjow eyed the dish that was left do dry when they went out. It was just a knife and a single bowl. "She's never allowed to do this shit again," he immediately decided. She probably felt his eyes on her because she looked back at him, a bit confused. When he opened his mouth to speak she pointed next to him at the kid. Achiim was wobbling in his spot and after a few rocks fell backwards, asleep.
Yukiko stepped to them and knealt over the boy, smiling. {"I like him. You should bring him by more."}
"Fuck no. This was a one time only trip for him. I already told him, if he wants to come to the World of the Living he needs to do it himself. What kind of Hollow, can't even manage that?"
She rubbed the sleeping face softly and draped the blanket he was cocooned in when they arrived over him. {"You should probably get him back then."}
"If I want him out of the way? Hell yeah." Grimmjow lifted the kid in his usual hold for after training, ragdolled under his arm. "I'll be back later."
This time when he went to Hueco Mundo the air seemed less tense. Maybe having so many hours pass without some catastrophic event calmed the panicked Hollows. Grimmjow deposited the sleeping child back in his nest of webs and returned to the throne room, but found it empty. It took Presquisa but he found that Harribel, along with a handful of other Hollows, were in the conference room. The door was open, so he didn't draw attention to himself when he arrived and just stared at the King until she took the hint and came over. He refused to enter since he was uninterested in starting any kind of unnecessary interaction with the others. The leader standing to leave the table did draw attention though and the Vasto Lorde that was speaking stopped and growled threateningly at Grimmjow who sneered in response. Harribel stepped between their lines of sight and spoke quietly, "Have you learned anything?"
"Not really. Yuki said it's probably something called the Hollow God. Don't know about you, but I've never heard of it."
"Me either. Did she come about this information through her… Unique method?"
"Naw. Said it doesn't work for things outside the human world unless there's something specific she's paying attention to. Her family does have a history with Hollows though."
"Do you trust her assessment?"
"She's a human from a human family where they tell human stories. I don't know if they know a single thing that they are talking about."
"But do you trust her assessment?"
Grimmjow's face twitched at the repeated question. "If there is some old Hollow that makes Barragan look like a baby than I'm sure she'd know it. So yeah."
Harribel nodded. "Did she say anything about it?"
"Just that it usually keeps to itself."
"Thank you. If you want, I won't stop you from going back," she offered.
Grimmjow was already turning on his heels, "You couldn't even if you wanted to."
Following his usual line of activities, Grimmjow returned, took his gigai and walked home. It felt cold enough to snow already and was already doubting the three to four days prediction. When he got there he wasn't just greeted by the smell of a hot dinner, but also paint. She wasn't that far into it so there was no telling what it would be yet. Grimmjow grumbled knowing that she would not be any level of company until she was done. He used the time to sit next to the woman and take her left hand, which was resting on the table, and unwrapped the bandages. The slice up her wrist was straight at least, meaning she didn't hesitate and he wasn't sure if that was impressive or upsetting. When she described the seals they sounded stupidly useful but she never mentioned it requiring her blood for something. "Dumbass," he said somewhat quietly.
She glanced at him and shrugged before returning to her work. He put together his meal and watched her work progress as he ate. By the time he finished his pork cutlet bowl he was starting to get an idea of what the image was but waited to say anything. It made no sense why that would show up, considering the limitations of her power that he now knew. Yukiko paused and stretched. He could see her looking to the food on the counter that she didn't take time to eat yet. "Keep working," he demanded, impatient for the rest of the image.
When she looked at him, appearing a bit annoyed, he got up and made her a bowl and brought it to her. She accepted it without complaint and tried to use her free hand to eat while still working but her grip on the chopsticks was shaky since it was her cut wrist. The woman stopped working to eat. "You finished yet?"
{"No. If you really want me to keep working then you're going to feed me. Otherwise, I'm eating my dinner and I'll finish after,"} she was absolutely annoyed now.
"Good fucking luck getting me to do that."
{"Then shut up and leave me alone."}
He glared at the painting but got up and pulled out clothes from the dresser. He changed to give her space and try to not encourage her to take an extra-long time out of spite. To keep busy, he also went ahead and set up the futon. When he began to hover over her again, he noticed she started eating slower; he growled in frustration and started cleaning the dishes since that was the farthest he could get from her within the confines of the apartment. By the time he finished she was finally painting more and he planted himself behind her, watching the progress of the image. Once it was done the Arrancar easily understood the meaning of the white bat staring forward with images of a black cat and Yuki's butterfly reflecting in its eyes. "Ulquiorra watching us. Worst fucking news ever."
Yay Comments! (´｡• ω •｡`) :
XD-kaycee: So long as I don't go off on plot tangents Yuki's past will be brought front and center across the next 2-3 chapters (more or less). Please don't think I didn't PM you out of not feeling like I could talk to you. For the first time ever (cause I'm a needy writer) I didn't read the reviews as they came in, so the week of this update is the first time I've even looked. Had a really hard lapse shortly after the update and wasn't checking emails for like a month. Like I said though, I think the worst is behind. Haven't had an episode last longer than a week in a few months. I'm taking the victories as they come
ScarletBanshee: Thank you. As my update rate shows, I only write when I feel like it unfortunately lol.
Mariana Lestrange: Thank you :)
JennadeDamaged: Hello :) If I can get myself to stick to the schedule that I'm trying to make for myself then I should have regular time for writing. Whether or not I utilize it will always be up in the air since sometimes I just don't know what to do to progress were I'm trying to go.