Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ THE CAPTIVE ❯ Chapter 6

It was the dead silence of Seireitei in the middle of the night that was becoming some sort of solace to Grimmjow, because it was the sound he heard when Rangiku was here with him. Aside from her pants and moans into his ears, and his own grunts. She lazed now on the bed, but he found himself restless and staring out the window at the sleeping white city.

It was crisp and cold out there, and near the window. The last weeks of autumn coming to an end... Soon it would be winter. Grimmjow knew what that meant. He also knew he didn't want to be here when winter was in full rein over the world.

Drumming his fingers softly on the window's edge, he curled his fingers around the bar and glanced over at her. "'t's been 'bout two weeks now, right?"

"Something like that..." Lifting her head from the pillow of her arms she looked up at the strong profile of her lover and smiled. With the moon's white glow setting his features in sharp relief, he looked every inch her enemy. The thought no longer brought fear to her, but a tight coil of desire and longing to feel him moving against and inside her.

They had yet to fuck, but it was fine, they would eventually. They'd found a strange sort of comfort from each other that didn't need the mind-blowing sex to achieve it, just a simple shedding of clothing which left them as man and woman rather than arrancar and shinigami. Pushing herself up, she sat in the center of the bed and eyed him.

He almost sighed but instead let out a faint growl and folded his arm across the edge of the windowsill and rested his chin against it. Two weeks... And other than that first night, he hadn't seen a single shinigami of higher rank than her. No interrogation tactics, no scare tactics. Nothing but silent shinigami bringing him food and water he barely touched, and a tub to bathe, and this woman. And he knew her constant presence here wasn't for interrogation. Her first questions about Ichimaru had made him wary, but since the deal had changed not a single question about Aizen, Ichimaru, or Tousen had arose.

Once she'd asked what Shawlong and Nakeim had been like... Once. Arrancar who were already dead. Knowing that Nakeim only spoke when addressed by an Esapda or Aizen, and Shawlong had a twitch in his brow when he'd been called Scissorhands really wouldn't benefit the shinigami's cause any.

It was annoying, being here. What, did they expect him to break, spill all of his secrets because he had some bit of cabin fever? Had she not been here nearly every night, maybe he would have already tried to rip the cell's bars from their hold.

"Long time to hold me," he said in a mutter, squinting at the various towers he could see in the darkness. "They even remember I'm here?"

The small smile that danced on Rangiku's lips suddenly died. Had he known that her own thoughts and run similarly Grimmjow might have been surprised. Only as of a few hours ago, she knew exactly what was to become of him. She just hadn't decided what yet to do about it.

Wrapping her arms about herself, she sighed and looked away. "They remember."

"They could get on with it a'ready, then," he said with a short growl, looking over at the broken arbor of Soukyoku. "Rebuild that souk-thing to try to kill me with it or whatever. Something fuckin' interestin' at least." Turning on his heel, he made his way back to the bed and flopped out on it, his head falling to her lap.

"They want to... take you to the 12th division."

He just cracked an eye open and glanced up at her, not seeing the reason for the hesitation and wariness in her voice. "That the division whose captain was turned into a puddle by a Quincy?" he snorted softly and idly reached up to toy with a strand of her hair. "I'd prefer the Souk- fiery bird thing, but whatever. So long as I get outta this cell."

She closed her own eyes with a shudder, her fingers combing lightly through his hair as she spoke. "They plan to... study you. Experiment on you. See what makes you, you." Leaning back against the wall she signed. "Reverse engineer you so to speak."

He continued staring up at her, seeing the worry that creased her brow. He hadn't seen it there before. He had no idea how long she'd known this. Maybe since the beginning, maybe only recently. He'd never really asked her what they planned to do with him. Stretching out his body on the bed, he dropped his leg over the end of it and idly kicked it back and forth. "Ain't worried 'bout it. Maybe if that weirdo who made the hougyoku was still around... but nah. Ain't worried. I'll rip 'em all apart if they lay a hand on me."

"Mayuri was that man's Vice Captain..."

"He's a puddle."

"He's a man without scruples."

That reminded him of someone else. Grimmjow shifted a bit uncomfortably on the bed but left his head on her lap, still looking rather unworried and unperturbed. "They plannin' to take apart an' study or torture to see what I'll spill?"

The entire conversation was making her feel frankly ill. It didn't take a genius to know what Mayuri planned to do. It was simply a matter of how long Grimmjow could stay alive while under the mad scientist's knife. "The former... for as long as you manage to stay breathing."

That was almost a shame. He wouldn't mind seeing the look on their faces when they were disappointed in what little he would reveal. If he were to give up any information, he knew that Aizen's punishment would be so much worse than anything they could dream of doing to him. And Aizen would somehow know. And get his hands on him again.

Opening his eyes, he looked up at her face and frowned softly. "Oi. Quit lookin' so upset. I ain't worried, you shouldn't be neither. You like any of those 12th division people or somethin'? Cos they're all dead the second they try to do a damn thing to me."

"Not really. Nemu's a sweet girl and so is that strange girl she associates with in there with chains in her hair. Akon is cute for someone with odd little horns but that's about it. They're all good people in there. Everyone except Mayuri." She looked away from him feeling frustrated for fearing for him. "And I do worry. I don't want... I like you in one piece."

"Then I'll jus' kill him." That worked for him. This Mayuri was the captain of the 12th division, so was the only one worth his attention. The others weren't worth his time and would never be able to move a finger against Aizen. That was the only reason he'd ignore the rest, not because she seemed somehow fond of them.

Slowly sitting up, he eyed the woman and then on impulse reached out to clasp her cheek in his hand. "I'll be a'right, Rangiku. Got myself into this, will get myself out. Don't need anyone worryin' over me."

"Too late."

"Ch'..."

She smiled softly at Grimmjow's annoyance. "What?"

"You're bein' all annoyin', all sulky and worried like I can't handle myself. I'll be fine. Nothin' any a' ya can do to me scares me."

"I just don't like the idea of anyone I... know being there for any length of time. I wouldn't even wish it on my enemies!" The tail end of her words suddenly struck her as odd and funny. Here she was with her enemy and worrying over Mayuri's experiments. She laughed and leaned into his rarely gentle touch. "I get it. You're an arrancar. I don't need to worry."

He raised an eyebrow at her slip but didn't comment on it. She certainly didn't feel like his enemy now... Keeping him company, telling him what the shinigami had planned for him. Of course he knew she was. The shihakushou she wore so proudly was evidence of that. She wasn't wearing it now...

He sometimes thought about what would happen later. When he was somehow free of his captivity and back on Aizen's front lines. And she on the shinigami's. He didn't like to think about that. He didn't like the thing similar to regret and conflict he felt when he thought about that. He'd deal with it when he came to it. First he still had to figure out how the hell to get out of here.

"All ya need to think about is how many times ya wanna get fucked tonight. An' how," he said, distracting himself from his wayward thoughts.

She grinned, feeling instantly aroused. "All night long seems like a good enough place to start."

--

Nervousness and fright was apparent in her every move. Thankfully though she moved quickly enough not to be spotted. Rangiku's heart hammered in her chest almost painfully. She couldn't believe she was doing this. It was a betrayal and there was no way around it, but she couldn't and wouldn't let them do what they planned to do to Grimmjow.

Rangiku arrived at the man's cell quickly and quietly. Swinging open the door, she looked over her shoulder and noticed her lover on the bed. Her initial desire was to fling herself into his embrace and lose herself in him, but there was no time for that. Instead she simply tossed his stolen zanpakuto at him and stepped into the cell, leaving it open behind her. "Go."

The arrancar was laying but not sleeping, the news the woman had given him about the 12th division weighing on his mind far more than he'd let her know. How could it not? Despite his boasts he'd kill that Mayuri, and maybe that Akon too, Rangiku thought he was cute, he remembered his last attempt at killing a high ranked officer while here in captivity. It had resulted in a bit of humiliation and a chain on his wrist.

He jerked up to sit as his zanpakuto sailed through the air, easily catching it. He stared at her in surprise before standing and sliding the zanpakuto into the band at his waist. "Ya serious?"

"Yes. Go. They'll be here within the next few hours to transport you. I want gone before then."

He wasn't a fool. After plotting and dreaming of escape for weeks, here it was, looking him in the face. A good thing too, because his ideas for how to get out on his own power weren't the greatest. Zanpakuto returned, cell door wide open. He was at the door in an instant and paused as he stood right beside her, not yet leaving the cell. Not looking at her, he curled his fingers on the hilt of his zanpakuto, preparing to draw it. "Turn 'round."

Perhaps it was foolish, but she did as asked quickly. She was saving his life and she trusted him enough to know he wouldn't betray that. He had a deep sense of loyalty and these weeks had shown her that while she might not have his loyalty she did have his respect and that was what mattered.

His hand left his zanpakuto as she turned, deciding not to use it. Those who knew the details of his fights would know he'd never released, almost never drew it, though he came close. Also, if he used it on her they'd know he had it with him when she was here. that would defeat what he was going to do.

Instead he turned and reached out to the back of her head, idly twisting a strand of gold between his fingers. "I ain't gonna kill ya.... but I won't hold back much. So it looks legit. Just say I turned on ya. They'll believe it. I won't tell anyone otherwise... Not even Aizen-sama."

Her back stiffened just slightly, but not because he'd touched, her but because she was bracing herself the pain that would surely come. Closing her eyes, her voice was cold and robotic, as she felt the damning words leave her mouth. "We know about the Ouken. And should they ask, no, they're not okay. Hisagi, Momo, Kira... they can barely function and are practically useless." She was quiet a moment longer as her head drooped slightly. "Just don't burn me too badly with that cero of yours."

His fingers curled deep into her hair, holding her by the back of her head. A grip that could crush a normal man's skull was surprisingly light and the arrancar stared hard at her. He knew her offer was legit. He could feel the shinigami, milling about, completely normally. No platoon secretly lay in wait just up some stairs nearby.

Her words proved it too... Her actions were traitorous. Her words too. Shit... they knew about the Ouken? Aizen wasn't going to like that.

Her telling him that, just made him more determined to cover up her involvement in this. She didn't have to do this... She didn't have to do a damn thing that she'd done and he would have understood. He would have done the same. They'd kill her for this... if they knew.

"I dun wanna get lost in some maze after I leave... Do I jus' go up an' out?"

She gave him a brief but succinct run down of how to get out of the immediate area and the fastest way to the senkaimon and the dangai. Her voice tightened slowly with every word she spoke until she could barely get a whisper out.

Dammit. Did she have to sound so damn sad? She'd be sad if he went to the 12th division. She'd be sad if he didn't. Women. Growling softly, he took another feel around the immediate area, and as usual, found no one but her nearby. Shifting his hold on her to the back of her neck, he yanked her over to him and turned her, crushing her lips with his own briefly.

Her body melted against his, with the full knowledge that this would be the last time she would be kissing him. Rangiku didn't know what the next time would bring. She wasn't going to think about that. Instead she simply kissed him, allowing herself for one moment to feel the things she felt for him.

Grimmjow's fingers tightened on the nape of her neck but he held himself back from shoving his leg between hers, knowing exactly what that would lead to. She'd said they'd be coming to transport him in a few hours. That didn't mean they had all those hours to waste. They could come early.

Wrenching himself away from her lips, he used the moment she was still slightly dazed from the kiss to slam her head against the bars of the cell. Hopefully hard enough to knock her out. He didn't stay to inspect the damage. He could tell by her reiatsu she was alive, and that was all that mattered.

Seireitei was in full code red alert before he'd even made his way out of the division house, but it didn't matter. His sonido was too fast for them, the power of the rushing squads after him nothing compared to his, even lessened as it was without both arms. He'd have to be met with each and every remaining captain of the Gotei 13 to be stopped, and he wouldn't even let that stop him. Had they been able to mobilize fast enough. He took enough turns so it wasn't obvious he knew exactly how to get to the gate, but didn't waste time. The gate loomed before him, and as soon as he entered it, he ripped open the garganta.

He could still see the white city, on the far end of the dangai, as the garganta closed around him. He was going home... He idly wondered if he should have dragged the shinigami with him, rather than knock her out.