. TERCERO

the  comeback  is  always  stronger  than  the  setback.

[emptyespada-moved]

{ 𝕃𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦 } - a closed thread with 𝕹𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖑 𝕿𝖚 𝕺𝖉𝖊𝖑𝖘𝖈𝖍𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖐  

𝓤𝓵𝓺𝓾𝓲𝓸𝓻𝓻𝓪 𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓮𝓭 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓿𝓲𝓵𝔂 𝓪𝓼 𝓱𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓵 𝓯𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓿𝓮𝓼 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓲𝓭𝓭𝓵𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓗𝓾𝓮𝓬𝓸 𝓜𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓸 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓻𝓽, 𝓽𝓸𝓰𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓷𝓮𝔀𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓪𝓼𝓴 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶 𝓫𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓲𝓻 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻- 𝓼𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓥𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓸 𝓛𝓸𝓻𝓭𝓮, 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓾𝓻𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓻𝓾𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶. 𝓗𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓪𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓫𝓮 𝓪𝓷 𝓮𝓪𝓼𝔂 𝓽𝓪𝓼𝓴 𝓻𝓮𝓰𝓪𝓻𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓲𝓻 𝓻𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓽𝔂, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓭𝓲𝓭𝓷'𝓽 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓾𝓹 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓯𝓮𝓶𝓪𝓵𝓮 𝓐𝓻𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓪𝓻.

𝓗𝓮 𝓭𝓲𝓭𝓷'𝓽 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓶𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓝𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓵 𝓹𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓱𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓬𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓼𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓼𝓷'𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓸𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓱𝓲𝓶 𝓪𝓼 𝓶𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓔𝓼𝓹𝓪𝓭𝓪. 𝓣𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓼𝓹𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓸𝓷 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓸𝓰𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓤𝓵𝓺𝓾𝓲𝓸𝓻𝓻𝓪 𝓱𝓪𝓭 𝓷𝓸 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓭𝓸 𝓼𝓸, 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓫𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓝𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓵 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓒𝓾𝓪𝓽𝓻𝓸 𝓔𝓼𝓹𝓪𝓭𝓪 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓫𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓮. 𝓐𝓵𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓲𝓯 𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓰𝓸 𝓸𝓷 𝓪 𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓻𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓼 𝓼𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓮 𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓸𝓹 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽 𝓭𝓾𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓪𝓳𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝔂 𝓸𝓯 𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓷 𝓹𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓼𝓮𝓷𝓼𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓹𝓸𝓷𝓼𝓲𝓫𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓽𝔂.

𝓣𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓱𝓪𝓭 𝓪 𝓱𝓾𝓰𝓮 𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓬𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓫𝓪𝓭 𝓹𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓭𝓲𝓭𝓷'𝓽 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝔂 𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓪 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓗𝓸𝓵𝓵𝓸𝔀𝓼.  𝓐𝓼 𝓶𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓪𝓼 𝓱𝓮 𝓮𝓷𝓳𝓸𝔂𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓾𝓷𝓾𝓼𝓾𝓪𝓵 𝓼𝓲𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓫𝓮𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶 𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓲𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷, 𝔀𝓱𝓲𝓬𝓱 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓫𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓵𝔂 20 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓽𝓮𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝔀, 𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓭𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓪𝓼 𝓯𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓪𝓼 𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮 𝓛𝓸𝓻𝓭 𝓐𝓲𝔃𝓮𝓷.

𝓗𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓼𝓷'𝓽 𝓼𝓪𝓲𝓭 𝓪 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝔂𝓮𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓾𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓪𝓻𝔂, 𝓪𝓼 𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓪𝔀 𝓷𝓸 𝓹𝓾𝓻𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓸𝓻 𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓲𝓷 𝓬𝓪𝓼𝓾𝓪𝓵 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓯𝓾𝓽𝓲𝓵𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼. 𝓗𝓮 𝓴𝓷𝓮𝔀 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓾𝓬𝓴 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪 𝓯𝓮𝔀 𝓭𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓪𝓽 𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝓷𝓳𝓸𝔂 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓖𝓻𝓲𝓶𝓶𝓳𝓸𝔀, 𝓪𝓼𝓼𝓾𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓰𝓻𝓮𝓮𝓷-𝓱𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝔀𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓯𝓮𝓵𝓽 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓪𝓶𝓮.

𝓗𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝓼𝓸 𝓴𝓷𝓮𝔀 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓽𝓲𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓪𝓽 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓹𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓽, 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓐𝓻𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓼 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓲𝓻 𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓽, 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓤𝓵𝓺𝓾𝓲𝓸𝓻𝓻𝓪 𝔀𝓪𝓼𝓷'𝓽 𝓽𝓸𝓸 𝓯𝓸𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓭𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓷 𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓵, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓮 𝓭𝓲𝓭𝓷'𝓽 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓶 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓮𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻, 𝓱𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓱𝓮 𝓴𝓷𝓮𝔀 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓷'𝓽 𝓭𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓷𝓮𝓻 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓽𝓲𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓱𝓮'𝓭 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓻.

𝓗𝓮 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝓪𝓽 𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓫𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓯𝓵𝔂, 𝔀𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓱𝓸𝔀 𝓾𝓼𝓮𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓼𝓱𝓮'𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓪𝓼𝓴, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝓼𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵, 𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓵𝓸𝓻𝓭 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓴𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓸𝓷 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶 𝓾𝓹 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓸𝓯𝓽𝓮𝓷 𝓲𝓯 𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓪 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓷𝓮𝓻.

[sacrifizion]

      Nelliel eyed Ulquiorra as they trekked across the desert. He had said little to her during their mission. She didn't necessarily mind, it was simply his way. She knew he wasn't the open energetic type like her Fraccion tended to be, so Nelliel wasn't much disappointed. They both took their mission seriously. She liked that about him. Though the mission seemed simple enough, there was little they could do to expedite it. It amounted to little more than traveling about and trying to sense the Reiryoku the Vasto Lordes possessed. Of course, there was a good chance they'd learned to hide their power as well, making the task even more difficult. Still, Aizen wanted a Vasto Lorde and so it was their duty to find one.

      The eternal night of Hueco Mundo made it difficult to keep track of time. The moon's trek across the sky was a reflection of how it was in the living world, but that did little to help. In truth, she could continue traveling for quite some time, but the sigh issued by her companion told her that perhaps his boredom was growing.

      "Perhaps we should stop for now. There is little point in continuing to the point of mindlessness." Without awaiting a response, she started to make her way towards a small cluster of the crystals that jutted out of the ground, resembling trees. She sat with her back against one of the "trees" and looked to Ulquiorra. The neutral mask he wore made him impossible to read. At least for someone such as her who'd had little interaction with him. His piercing green eyes were a sharp contrast to the pale shade of his skin. The time for discussion was now. They needed a better plan.

      "We cannot simply spend all of our time wandering about. We will accomplish little. Perhaps we can find nearby Hollow and get a starting point. Their territories must be known by some. No doubt many go to great lengths to avoid them, much as they do Las Noches. What do you think?"

[sacrifizion]

destruczion‌:

GRIMMJOW TURNED TO THE LITTLE CHILD ARRANCAR WITH PRACTICED NONCHALANCE,  knowing nel only ever shifted to her adolescent form to annoy the ever-living shit out of him.  except, this time, nel’s greeting came in conjunction with happy birthday and not her usual chōkasoku straight to the fuckin’ face.  that was more than enough to snatch up the former espada’s attention from pantera, which lay unsheathed in his lap, long blade cradled by surprisingly gentle hands.  oiled fingers wrapped a little too tightly around the pommel as grimmjow’s gaze sailed athwart the short distance and landed on the odd, lumpy-looking amalgamation thrown at his feet.

over long moments, grimmjow stared at the plate of … wet sand, unnervingly quiet in his utter bewilderment.  he did not know how the hell to process the situation.  what the fuck was this?  and what the fuck was that — inedible heap of garbage?  seconds passed and he only mustered up an incredulous blink before his head snapped around so fast, it had to have hurt.   ❝kurosaki helped you?❞  grimmjow snarled, lips curled back and sharp teeth bared.

      Nel nodded vigorously. She found it easier to be more energetic and silly in her child form. It also gave her a sense of comfort. She’d spent so long that way. Not to mention Don and Pesche also seemed to be more at ease when she was in that form. She climbed to stand on Grimmjow’s lap.

      “I asked Itsygo what humans do on their birthdays and he said they get cakes and presents! We couldn’t buy a real cake so we made one from sand. But the ones Itsygo showed us what the cakes looked like and they looked sooooo good!”

      Drool began to run down her chin at the thought, almost forming a cascading river down her clothes. She held a chunk of the ‘cake’ up to Grimmjow, trying to shove it towards his mouth.

      “Try it! Bawabawa liked it! He ate the first three we tried to make!” 

[sacrifizion]

destruczion:

                         there’s a life beyond this gilded cage.

❝LIAR      !❞  jack slapped his finger of whiskey off the counter with a choked roar, the glass bursting into the neat row of liquor lined up on the wall.  the man held still as the echoes of his outburst throbbed unpleasantly in his ears, aware that this moment of release was but a brief respite —because when wasn’t that his fucking life — several bottles quickly added to his chaos, crashing to the ground from their perch on the shelves like sequential notes to this fucked up mantra still looping in his head, the words his sister had spat in his face before leaving him in the hallway, stunned and questioning why the fuck her age had anything to do with his warning about starrk.

the room settled into insufferable silence, swelled only by the rasp of his labored breaths, and it was during moments like this – when the stifling absence of sound grew so deafening, living alone didn’t seem close to worth it.  the quiet always seemed insidious with the way it blanketed his surroundings and crawled under his skin, leaving him cold and strangely craving, though for what he still hadn’t figured out.  a life that he could call his own, one that wasn’t damned—?

                       they had made their beds—so what if they died in ‘em, too.

it pissed him off just thinking about it, knowing that these questions had no real answer and — and it was all because of this stupid, empty condo.  because if noelle had followed him off aizen’s compound, he wouldn’t have to check every room, window, and lock each night before turning in, or have to bar his bedroom door with a chair and keep his pistol armed atop his nightstand.  if noelle had simply followed his example, he wouldn’t feel this lonely – this bitter, wouldn’t feel so bothered.  if he wasn’t living alone, his mind wouldn’t constantly stray to where noelle was, wonder if she was okay, or if she was injured or needed help — jack snarled as wild indignation flared between clenched teeth, the mere stirring of memory evidently enough to ignite cold fury.

raven hair, ugly teeth and two beady little eyes that lingered on noelle for far too long.  jack had assumed that taking one of them would’ve served as enough of a warning for nnoitra to stay the fuck away from his sister, but… with their respective line of work, he really should’ve known better than to think that sick bastard would’ve gotten the message.  should’ve seen nnoitra comin’ from a fuckin’ mile away… but he hadn’t, and noelle had paid for his reckless arrogance.

                          so he had taken nnoitra’s remaining eye,       then, his life, when his sister’s disappearance stretched beyond 36 hours.

narrowed blue eyes slid to the mess on the floor and he snorted, taking in the extent of the destruction.  made restless and ill-tempered by noelle’s unexpected proposal, it hadn’t taken long before he began driving himself up the walls, spitting curses to go with each shot of brandy…            the espada made no move to acknowledge the figure standing in the doorway, still too busy skimming through recent events, over what could’ve possibly given noelle so much hope.

❝tell me,❞  he said in a low growl.  ❝tell me what starrk said to you.❞  jack sounded strained, as though an immense weight had landed atop his shoulders.  ❝did he promise you a future?  did he fuckin’—did starrk fuckin’ tell you that we’ve got a chance out there?❞  jack whipped around with a ferocious sneer and moved quickly to close the distance, his left arm aching something fierce without his sling on.  ❝has he told you about the other runaway espada, ‘bout the cops who found the acid vats?  aizen doesn’t leave behind bodies, nelliel, don’t you get it?❞

                              ❝WE’RE DEAD MEN WALKIN’.❞

      Noelle took a moment before answering, running her hand along the door frame and taking in the scene. She wondered why he was so frustrated. Was it he knew she was right? Or was it he didn’t believe it was possible to escape from under Aizen’s thumb? She was glad he wasn’t looking at her. The look of pity and sadness on her face would only upset him more.

      “It doesn’t matter what he said to me, Jack. He didn’t promise me anything. He only told me what I already knew in my heart."

      You don’t have to be reserved to this life, Starrk’s words echoed in her mind.

      Noelle wandered to the nearby couch and sat atop the back of it rather than the actual cushion, facing away from him. She told him nothing but the truth. And truthfully, she did want to leave. She’d wanted to leave from the moment she had first stepped foot into Aizen’s compound. But it was an impossible dream to her, something unreachable. So she buried it, let it gather dust in the corners of her mind, a decaying thing that drew only heartache when it surfaced. She couldn’t have survived if she hadn’t. Such an elusive dream would only serve to·drag her down. She would have drowned in that ocean of muck and bile.

      It wouldn’t be long before they did, anyway. She knew well enough about the vats. She wasn’t stupid. There were only so many ways to dispose of evidence and Aizen was nothing if not·thorough. How long would it be before they ended up as just another pair of missing person cases? She almost laughed at that. As if anyone would miss them, anyway. They had no one, nobody except each other. That was another point in their favor at least. With no one to worry about, no *leverage,* there wasn’t a lot that anyone could use against them.

      “There have been others. Grimmjow. I know that. But you are forgetting the one key difference separating us from them. There is one thing above all else that tells me we could survive, that we could make it where others couldn’t.”

      She turned to stare directly at Jack, trying to get him to look her in the eyes. The room was dark, lit only by the light streaming in from the window, so she could hardly see his face. The shadows hiding his face didn’t stop her gaze, now filled with a determination forged of steel.

      “They weren’t us.”

[shadcwgame-deactivated20190902]

Ichigo: hello, people who do not live here.

Nel: hey!

Kyoraku: hi.

Ichigo: I gave you that key for emergencies!

Kyoraku: we were out of doritos.

[sacrifizion]

destruczion·:

YEAH, WHEN THE FUCK HAD HE STARTED CARING ABOUT BELONGING?  the concept of searching for something they weren’t meant to have, fitting in, turning into one of the many sheep that roamed these realms, DISGUSTED him.  it was sickening to imagine when he was arrancar.  espada.  grimmjow jaegerjaquez had never once given a shit about belonging somewhere, and that wasn’t about to change, especially not while in the presence of tercera and shady bastard.

❝i don’t care,❞ grimmjow clarified with a snarl.  he shot a finger towards urahara, never taking his eyes off nelliel.  ❝but they do, shinigami do.  shinigami, who we’ve either fought or evaded for all of our existence as hollows.  you think i’m gonna flip over ‘n lay on my back around them, jus’ ‘cause we took the quincies down together?  think again.  i don’t trust ‘em, and i’ve got every right not to.❞  and so did nel, if she would open her fucking eyes and STOP looking at the shinigami as though they were all like kurosaki.  although grimmjow would never admit it aloud, kurosaki was a different breed, in more ways than one.  whether that was a good or bad discernment, grimmjow figured the fact that he was alive and still breathing was good enough of an answer.

❝my, my, grimmjow-kun.  i had no idea you harbor such ill-will towards me.  i assure you, here, in karakura town, you may ‘flip over and lay on your back’ without worry.❞  ignoring the arrancar’s searing azure glare, urahara proceeded with a wide smile, gesturing arbitrarily.  ❝i’m sure you know that aizen had severed my ties with the soul society long ago, and what relationship i maintain with them now is best described as shaky.  while captain-commander kyōraku is certainly more friendly than the preceding captain-commander, i’m afraid my refusal to reclaim my previous position as captain of the 12th division has been… hard to swallow.  as a result, some of the gotei believe i have lost sight of what’s important.  so, i might be shinigami, grimmjow-kun, but i am not your enemy.❞

grimmjow’s expression had fallen to flat indifference by the time urahara finished, and the glint in the man’s gray eyes did nothing to rekindle his interest.  he spared that look of thorough detachment for seconds longer, before he swung back to nel, upper lip raised in a sneer, totally dismissing urahara’s reassurances.  ❝an’ who the fuck’re you callin’ weak?  don’t lump me in with the shinigami, nel.  ‘you think i can’t handle a little bit of pain?❞

shinigami might struggle with gigai, but that was undoubtedly because they were too stupid to adapt their new arsenal.  besides, common sense led grimmjow to assume that if the designs could successfully lend shinigami—or in this case, hollow—a temporary body, it was all but a means of WILLPOWER and INSTINCT.  two things grimmjow fully believed he held in high reserve.

with a broad grin, he spread himself atop the large cushion once more, lounging as if he had just returned from a glorious battle in which he was the victor.  ❝fine.  get the gigai then.  i’ll show you how it’s fuckin’ done.❞

      Nel gave a silent sigh of relief when Grimmjow finally acquiesced. She had planned on doing it regardless of his answer, but having him with her would make the experience easier. At least in some ways. The glint in Urahara's eye took on an almost malicious tone as he ordered the gigai brought out.

      They were odd to behold. She had seen the gigai Rukia used, but that had already been formed to her, and Ichigo didn't use one, so this was her first time seeing a blank gigai. It looked humanoid in shape, but as if it were lacking skin. The thick chords of musculature were visible in various places and the whole thing was the color of clay. The last odd detail, almost unsettling in a way, was the lack of a face.

      Urahara's voice held a rare serious tone, his fan folded at his side. "Be prepared you two. This is no doubt going to hurt, and not just a physical pain. It is difficult to explain, since something like this has never been done before, but it will not be easy. You must try to hold on to yourself through the process."

      Nel nodded her head in understanding and looked over to Grimmjow. She wasn't looking for assurance and no doubt he would give none. But seeing him there beside her was enough. Urahara had laid the gigai down on the ground on small mats. She stepped to its feet, her back to it. With one last breath, she closed her eyes and fell backwards into the form that awaited her.

      The pain was truly intense. But it wasn't just physical pain, though there was plenty of it. She felt herself begin to spasm as a solidity she was unfamiliar with took hold of her. As a spirit, there had always been a disconnection to the world around her, even in Hueco Mundo. Now, she felt herself become

ANCHORED

                              IMPRISONED

                                                            CONTAINED

      Then there was the disconnection. The gigai also seem to limit their power. She felt it almost cut away from her, like a limb being sawed through by a jagged blade. It wasn't until then that she screamed. It was there, just out of reach; a pedestal that seemed to rise ever higher whenever she sought to touch it. It was similar to when her mask had been cracked by Nnoitra, but the power wasn't leaking away. It was just cut off.

      She didn't know how long the process took. It seemed to go on forever. The shock of each nerve flaring to life across an endless expanse of skin, the feeling of air in her lungs, and the numberless sensations of existence. She could feel as the gigai changed form to match hers, sprouted hair that grew like grass across the ground. And then it was done. She lay there, sweat dripping from skin alien and familiar to her. The light seemed brighter, causing her to wince away from it.

"Congratulations, Odelschwanck-chan. You did it."

      Her breath was heavy. Her chest seemed tight, almost constricted as her lungs expanded and contracted for the first time. She paused, gathering herself. Then she turned to face Grimmjow.

      "Are you alright?"

[sacrifizion]

destruczion‌:

LEAVE IT TO NELLIEL TO BRING KUROSAKI INTO THE CONVERSATION. his temper flaredat the mere mention of that damned shinigami’s name.  ❝that ambush was one of the bestthings that’d ever happened to him,❞ the former espada snapped without a second’s hesitation.  ❝‘kid was scrawny back then – WEAK.  he ‘n his little girlfriend could hardly take a single hit from me.  ‘way i see it, he should feel grateful for what i did.❞

their initial encounter had been a turning point for kurosaki, that much was evident.  he had to have trained day in and day out before their next collision.  grimmjow could still recall the astounding difference in strength, the thrilling moment when kurosaki’s hollow mask manifested for the first time, demonstrating such a worthy show of power, right before that asshole with the strange teeth intervened, ruining all the fuckin’ fun…  even so, from that day onward, kurosaki had only grown stronger, whereas grimmjow had lost his fracción as well as his left arm.  what had he really gained in return?  aside from the brat piquing his curiosity twice, and one damned good, but ultimately unfinished battle, nothing.

catching the sound of urahara’s stupid fan snapping open, the arrancar rolled his eyes, the intensity behind his glower abating by several degrees.  ❝ain’t like you’d let me fight him again, anyway.❞  though, that wasn’t entirely true.  nelliel probably wouldn’t mind if they sparred, as they had both learned to enjoy sharpening their skills out in the deserts of hueco mundo, it just wasn’t the sort of fight he wanted.  the concept of sparring wasn’t enough.

grimmjow wanted to feel bruised and battered with the zip of blood on his tongue, wanted to see the steadfast determination in his opponent’s eyes and know that they would give it their all, just as he would.  to feel overcome with the mechanical instinct to survive — grimmjow wanted to feel ALIVE, and only kurosaki had ever stirred that feeling.

❝grimmjow-kun, regardless of what you decide, know that you are free to use my training grounds as you please.❞

with urahara’s offer, grimmjow frowned as a better question presented itself.  …was nelliel on kurosaki’s side or not?  ‘the hell was she doing, attempting to coax him into staying in the living world?  surrounded by the incessant rumble of foreign sounds, strange smells, and that awful, never-ending sense of familiarity that only served to annoy the absolute shit out of him…  residing here seemed more like living in hell than heaven.

❝what’re you gonna do here?❞  grimmjow asked nelliel in a soft murmur, voice low and wary, his gaze averted.  ❝we’re hollow;  we don’t belong here.❞

      Grimmjow’s quick reaction told her she’d struck a nerve. Despite the aggressive dismissal of Ichigo, Nel thought she heard something else in his voice. Pride, maybe? She knew Grimmjow was impressed with Ichigo to say the least. Grimmjow was annoyingly stubborn at times, especially when it came to things that were for his own good.

      "We're more than hollows now, Grimmjow. We haven't been just hollows in a long time. We don't really belong anywhere." She turn to look at him, a skeptical expression on her face. "Besides, since when do you care about belonging?"

      Grimmjow wasn't easy to convince to do anything. If she told him to breathe, he'd probably hold his breath till he passed out. She had sought advice from Harribel and Urahara on what to do. Harribel hadn't been as helpful as she'd hoped she would be, saying that Grimmjow wouldn't do anything he didn't want to. Urahara, on the other hand, had a much sneakier suggestion.

      Grimmjow-san doesn't seem to be one to back down from a challenge. Perhaps you can use this to your advantage. he had said, with that usual self-satisfied smile on his face.

      Nelliel examined her nails, trying her best to look nonchalant. She hoped.

      "It's just as well, Grimmjow. I'm not sure how well you'd handle a gigai anyway. Even the Soul Reapers have trouble adjusting to them from what I hear."

      Urahara had told her that some Soul Reapers had trouble adjusting to gigai, either entering them or exiting them. Not everyone experienced it in the same way. And then there was another issue.

      "Besides that, it would most likely be very painful for us. Like you said, we're still hollows no matter how different we are. Urahara said our hollow forms might not adjust well to the transfer. It might be too painful to endure."

      Reverse Psychology. It was one of the only methods they had come up with that seem to have any viable chance. She hadn't lied to him of course. She would never lie to get her way, especially with Grimmjow. But she hoped she had managed to make her words seem like enough of a challenge to peak his interest.

      "Who knows if we could handle the pain?"

[sacrifizion]

dethberri‌:

          KUROSAKI DUG HIS SPOON INTO ONE CORNER OF THE BAKING DISH ,  hunting for remnants of caramelized sugar that wasn’t within range of nel’s path of destruction…  if there was one thing about nelliel that had come as a surprise, it was her monstrous appetite and ability to inhale sweet treats in mere seconds.  ichigo liked owning a right arm about as much as he liked owning a right hand – which was quite a lot, by the way, and regardless of his ambidexterity, ichigo preferred to keep both appendages firmly attached to his body for years to come.

❝how the hell did he develop the habit of destroying plants?❞  it’s a pretty specific remark to make about someone, ichigo reasoned to himself, imagining her blue-haired tyrant of a brother, stomping around the greenhouse and kicking over random potted plants with all the furious vengeance of a man whose puppy had died at the hands of an immobile oak tree.  what an antihero.   ichigo would have rolled his eyes had a better question not presented first, ❝and why catnip?❞  but when one of their silverware scraped against baking glass and the horrible, shudder-inducing squeak sent a chill up his spine, ichigo got the immediate suspicion that may have been karma rounding back to nip at his heels.  right.  those matters were of little importance compared to nelliel’s main concern.

❝i know my dad could always use someone to help move supply boxes.  the clinic gets restocked every monday morning while i’m at school, and sometimes on friday, too, if there’s been an accident or an influx of patients.❞  shoving the spoon into his mouth, he hummed.  ❝also, urahara shōten.  it’s a candy shop that’s just across karakura, in mitsumiya district.  my dad’s best friend owns the place.  they’ve been needing someone to help with the shop since his two kids started high school… that’s all i can think of.  i’ll ask my dad about jobs when i get home.  he has contacts through the clinic.❞

nelliel was still chomping away when the implications finally dawned on him.  ichigo’s smile fell away, collapsed into a tense line.  ❝wait, are you making rent?  nel, what about food?❞  too forward of a query from someone still attending high school, even if he was a senior now, he knew and didn’t care.  not when that might explain why nelliel gobbled up any and every food ichigo brought to her…

      Nelliel laughed around a mouthful of pudding. She swallowed before speaking.

      “It isn’t always active destruction. When he touches plants they just seem to whither away. But he also has the habit of twisting off pieces. I’m not sure if he does it consciously.”

      Nelliel grimaced at the memory of the first time he sauntered into the shop. She had to help a customer and hadn’t left him alone for more than a good ten minutes. By the time she returned, he had already plucked every leaf off a bonsai and to this day, she still had no idea why he did that. Her manager was unhappy, to say the least. 

      “As for the catnip, Grimmjow has another habit: he attracts strays. He won’t admit it, but I think he likes the attention. So, he probably tries to bring them things to keep them happy.” 

      Nel held the spoon in her mouth while she thought over Ichigo’s offer. Working around sick people might not be the best idea for Grimmjow. He wasn’t the most comforting person, especially while glaring at patients trying to recover. The candy store though, that might not be a bad idea. As long as he didn’t have to deal with children face to face, that might work. She told Ichigo as much. 

      She glanced away when he asked about her finances. They hadn’t managed to pull much from their savings before they fled. After making the down payment for the apartment, and a few months worth of rent, not to mention all the food, they were running low, even with her job. They were still making rent, and weren’t too low on food. Still, Nel skipped the occasional meal to save money here and there. She had told Grimmjow she just wasn’t hungry, but it didn’t look like he believed her.

      To be honest, the main reason she scarfed down what Ichigo usually brought was that it tended to be delicious, especially the sweets. She loved sweets.

      “We’re fine. We’ve still got plenty of money to last us for a little while. Grimmjow having a job would definitely help though, and I appreciate you offering to assist us. Especially since you don’t know us that well. I’m a little surprised you’re so willing. We’re...not used to such compassion.”

      She shook away the darker memories that had begun to creep into her mind and smiled up at him. 

Besides, she thought to herself, If Grimmjow starts working at a candy shop, maybe he can get me some free sweets.

She started drooling at the thought of piles of candy filling their apartment.

[sacrifizion]

destruczion‌:

THE EX-ESPADA BLEW OUT A MUFFLED SNORT FULL OF CONTEMPT.    ❝we?❞  when the fuck had ‘WE’ entered the equation?  there was no ‘WE’.  there hadn’t been any talk of ‘we’ since the first incursion, since the shinigami in karakura obliterated the closest thing grimmjow had to a family:  his brothers, the fracción he’d lost upwards of two years ago.  grimmjow grimaced at the memory.  he had no plans to renew his lost fracción, and he sure as hell wasn’t about to start reconsidering.

he fought alone and survived alone, and he was pretty fuckin’ sure working alone was also made clear from the start, long before the mother of all shits hit the fan and the quincies launched their full-on invasion after harribel’s abduction.  nelliel didn’t forget.  she couldn’t have, not with his constant reiterations that their alliance didn’t mean shit and as soon as they kicked quincy ass, he’d fuck off immediately.  even when the quincies set fire to las noches and all hope for harribel’s return had burned to ashes, grimmjow’s resolve hadn’t budged.

while he hadn’t been too prideful to admit that working alone may not equal to the best chance for survival, he still clung to his independence like it was the last thing left to keep him standing upright.  maybe it was.  but it didn’t matter anymore, the war had ended weeks ago and the contract with the shinigami reached the cusp of termination.  grimmjow had known this alliance was transitory.  had accepted in private the steadying presence of nelliel tu odelschwanck at his side was only temporary, too, and he was well aware shady bastard and his brick-wall-for-a-house-wife’s offer of sanctuary wasn’t meant to last, either.  and when that time came, who’s to say their neutral status wouldn’t crumble along with it?

    this – this peace – wasn’t meant to last.  none of it was.              like oil and water, shinigami and hollow just DIDN’T mix.

gaze pinned on a shadow moving in the distance, cobalt-blue eyes watched the figure weave past buildings like a predator on the hunt.  his lip twitched once, twice, before he spun to glower at the idiots gathered around a table, each of them seated on cushions like they were civilized human beings and not the DEATH GODS they absolutely were.  two dirty shinigami seated side-by-side and plain competition—in more ways than grimmjow had ever imagined possible—stared at him from where they sat, waiting like his opinion meant close to jack shit.  if shady bastard felt he owed a debt to the arrancar, he could talk it up with harribel.

grimmjow sneered at them, baring sharp teeth and waning patience.  ❝don’t remember my contract with urahara specifically involving you, odel –❞  grimmjow paused abruptly, eyes slitting.  since he couldn’t hope to pronounce nelliel’s last name correctly, he didn’t try.  bounding off the wall, grimmjow then sprawled on the largest cushion available.  if his show of irreverence could get any lazier, he might as well pass out on their asses.  ❝if you wanna shove yourself into some meatsack, then that’s your problem, nelliel.  ain’t got nothin’ to do with me.❞

      Nel smiled at the abrupt stop when trying to pronounce her last name. Grimmjow's catlike attributes were glaring today. Still, she hoped to catch his attention. She felt this would be good for the both of them.She was well aware of what he thought of their ‘alliance’. Grimmjow had never been particularly close to anyone, except perhaps his Fracción. Nelliel had been getting better at reading him, but was by no means an expert.

      The fact he hadn’t left the room contradicted his words. If Grimmjow didn’t want to discuss something or listen to something, he’d either kill it or walk away from it. It was probably difficult for him to accept. He was, like all Hollows, a being born of violence. When they first become aware, they are hungry and will do anything to satiate that hunger. In Hueco Mundo, it was no better. The greater their form became, the hungrier they got. A biting, gnawing thing that seemed to feed upon them as much as they fed on others. To not feed was to not breathe. Until they became the Arrancar. Now their hunger was no longer an issue, but it was still a violent world, where only the strong survived. To go from such a place, where the strong ruled and the weak died, to a world where such problems were less commonplace would be a struggle for anyone.

      Peace was an unknown word in Hueco Mundo. A fantasy not worth imagining. For in a world where a friend was as likely to strike you as an enemy, what peace could be known?

       "Odelschwanck, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. So what will you do then? Go back to Las Noches? Spend the rest of your days staring out at the endless night? Aren’t you tired of the same things, Grimmjow?”

      She certainly was. She would have liked Don and Pesche to join her, but their odd forms did not lend themselves to gigai. Besides, they deserved some time away from her after having spent so long trying to look out for her. She stared down at the bracelet on her wrist. A triangle of  obsidian covered the top of her left hand, kept in place by two curling ram horns around her wrist. With it, they wouldn’t have to worry about her again.

      “Besides, this would give you a chance to study Ichigo. And aren't you curious about the living world? Last time you were here, I believe all you did was attack him.”

      She paused, staring at nothing. Her face was a blank mask, hiding the profound sadness that overtook her.        We were humans once too, Grimmjow she thought to herself.

[sacrifizion]

      "My offer still stands."

      Urahara sat covered in bandages, with that same mysterious smile and glittering eyes hidden behind a fluttering fan. It had been several weeks since the destruction of the Soul Society and Ywach's defeat. Nel and Grimmjow had spent that time recovering within Urahara Shoten. The destruction caused by the one called Askin had taken a toll on their bodies. Even Nel, in her short time within the dome, had taken a heavy hit. Now they sat on the comfortable cushions surrounding the short table in the center of the room. Urahara and the large man, Tessai, sat across from her. Nel's focus, however, remained on Grimmjow. Harribel had already gone. As soon as she was able, Harribel insisted on returning to Hueco Mundo. Her wounds from her confrontation with Ywach hadn't yet fully healed, but there was no stopping her. Once she knew that Grimmjow and Nel were all right, her worries turned to her Fracción.

      Since then, Nel had had time to think. She was beginning to grow tired of the fighting. She only fought when necessary, and luckily things had calmed down since the events in the Seireitei. With Las Noches in ruins from the Quincy attack, it would take time to rebuild. But even before then, there had been a growing discontentment within her. She had begun to long for more than white walls and endless nights. And she had a feeling that Grimmjow had similar thoughts, if not for the same reasons.

      The offer Urahara had mentioned involved them staying in the living world.

      I have two perfectly good Gigai just lying around the shop. They're yours if you wish, you and the angry blue-hair.

      While she believed his offer, Nel was unsure of his intentions. Urahara was a mysterious person, who rarely revealed his true intentions. When she had tried to ask why, he merely giggled and hid behind his fan, feigning innocence.

      She had to admit, she was tempted by his offer. But she was unsure of Grimmjow's position on the matter. She had taken to being somewhat of a leash for him. He rarely did what she said, but when she was near she could at least minimize the damage. She had grown used to his company as well, thinking of him as a brother. She turned to where he stood, leaning against a wall, staring out a window.

      "What do we do now?"

@destruczion

[sacrifizion]

dethberri

             THERE WAS A NATURAL ATTRACTION BETWEEN THEM ,  kurosaki couldn’t deny that.  they came together like they were magnets caught in an electric current.  slotting a place in their respective lives and fitting so perfectly together, it was as if they were each a missing piece to begin with, which only made it that much more baffling to know this drop-dead gorgeous girl with dark jade-green hair and eyes like that of a gray-storm warning had taken any interest in him.  ( well, his orange hair had garnered plenty of interest throughout his life, just not the sort of interest ichigo had wanted.  ever ).

barring the single time their easygoing demeanor had fallen away to an awkward silence, conversation with nelliel never faltered.  it came naturally, like whenever he hung out with chad, his best friend.  except, unlike chad, nelliel enjoyed talking.  she wasn’t the type who rambled and expected others to listen and nod, though.  nelliel talked and talked and hoped, never expected, for others to reciprocate information.  she never pressed him and that – this – shit, this friendship was nothing like ichigo had ever experienced before.

( that recognition might’ve sent his heart fluttering more than once, but he was also a healthy teen and pretty much any form of social interaction could send his heart crashing against his ribs ).

their magnetism was still a strange concept for him to deal with, and although this sort of instant connection was foreign, ichigo definitely couldn’t deny its truth.  maybe it had been because of the way she handled one of his deepest wounds to date:  july 17th, rain battering glass panes above them and nelliel’s smile, warm and darling and devoid of any pity for him, even after the bout of silence.  it hadn’t taken the sting of his mother’s anniversary away, but what stifling grief he usually drowned in had abated in increments.  it was difficult not to feel inordinately thankful after that.

despite everything, kurosaki was certain his feelings weren’t romantic, but that hadn’t stopped his initial thoughts from wandering to restricted territory.  though, the first question had been the most compelling of the lot:  what had she meant by an ‘unhealthy home’?  where did she move from?  was nelliel single?  what kind of last name was that gibberish she’d said?  and why the hell was she working in a greenhouse and not as a model?  japan would have its next miss universe, easy.  ( these questions haunted him to this day, keeping him daydreaming and puzzling over how such a charming girl wasn’t already making it big out there ).

by the fifth visit, in which he’d made no attempt to make a purchase yet again, he conceded that maybe it was a tiny crush.  ichigo visited her workplace as if going without seeing the girl every once in a while wasn’t an act he could do in good conscious.  he always made sure to stop by, even if only to say a quick hello.  his only excuse was his concern.  moving and adjusting to a new country was a difficult process, and if it weren’t for her fluent japanese, ichigo probably wouldn’t have believed she wasn’t in a desperate need for help…  and there it was again, his protective instinct rearing its ugly head from just the thought of nelliel struggling.  ok, not a very surprising reaction from him, especially since nelliel had mentioned an ‘unhealthy’ home-life, but still.  ( with that particular train of thought, ichigo had decided then that he would protect nelliel, too ).

curiosity carried him back to her greenhouse like clockwork, and oftentimes, with a lunch or dinner for two in tow.  today, he brought nelliel banana bread pudding after watching her drool on a bouquet of flowers the last time it came up in conversation.  he figured she’d earned it twice over at this point, by the sheer volume of saliva produced alone.            kurosaki brought a spoonful of the dessert to his mouth, thinking quietly as nelliel practically inhaled her half of the baking dish in one facile swallow.

                  ❝grimmjow…  the tall guy with the blue hair and eyeliner, right?  i remember seeing him on my way in…❞          oh, ichigo remembered him, alright.  that dickhead had once sent him a parting glare so heated and uncalled for that it probably would’ve seared off his frickin’ eyebrows had he not immediately returned the glower with equal intensity.  moreover, with a height that surpassed his own impressive measure, an athletic build worth admiring, and that wild, electric blue hair, who wouldn’t remember him?  the guy stuck out worse than ichigo, and at least his hair color was still classified as a natural shade of red…   ❝can’t he just work here, with you?❞

      Nel enjoyed having Ichigo around. Friends had been in short supply when she was growing up. Plus, he sometimes brought her things and never seemed to expect anything in return. That alone earned him points in his favor. But today's gift put him on a pedestal. Bread pudding! It was a favorite dessert (meal) of hers. She smelled it as soon as he walked in, and she nearly tackled him when he showed it to her. Nel was so preoccupied by the delicious, godly ambrosia set before her, that she had nearly missed what Ichigo had said, but it brought her back to the present.

      Based on the way Ichigo had said Grimmjow's name, he wasn't a fan of him. That wasn't really a surprise. Grimmjow had a knack for rubbing people the wrong way. He once nearly attacked a store greeter. And solicitors had QUICKLY learned to steer clear of their apartment. The only thing that really got near their apartment was the landlady, a sweet old woman who didn't seem to notice Grimmjow's glares or ignored them, and the occasional stray cat that just so happened to follow Grimmjow home. She swore that every time he came home, there were more and more cats following him. Like he was forming a new gang or something.

      Nel laughed around her mouthful of pudding at Ichigo's description of Grimmjow. What he said was true enough. Grimmjow, much like her, stood out, both due to their height and their hair.

      "Yeah, that's him." She kept speaking despite the mouthful of bread pudding and occasional crumbs tumbling down her shirt. After gulping down her bite and wishing she had some milk, she continued.

      "He doesn't do well with plants. He has a bad habit of, well, destroying them. And I think he steals catnip whenever he comes in to visit. Besides I don't think this sort of delicate work suits him. Something where he can use his strength might help. Maybe a moving company or something like that. I don't suppose you know of anything around here like that?"

[sacrifizion]

So I found out that there are these things called Character Albums where the voice actors sing songs as their characters and I can’t stop listening to one of Nel’s because it is absolutely ridiculous and adorable. It is called, “Every Fight!”

[sacrifizion]

destruczion

❝NOELLE,❞  he snarled in warning, lips curling back and teeth baring.

for a moment’s pause, he simply glared, but when it appeared that his sister wasn’t about to back down, his sneer collapsed into a deep grimace.   what the shit.   quickly, he ushered her out of the main lounge, away from prying eyes and potential eavesdroppers.  this sort of talk wasn’t uncommon amongst their brothers and sisters, and some idiots talked it up as though bullshitting was an act of rebellion in itself.  aizen either paid them no mind or worse, encouraged them to make use of their ‘freedom of speech’, because acting as if he cared about their constant bitching actually worked to quell a few of the unsatisfied.

but he had overheard enough of their idealistic discussions to last a lifetime.  it was all part of the conditioning process, anyway, aizen’s manipulative shit that indirectly eroded the resolve of wayward members until they became one of the many mindless followers…  so long as no one acted on their impulses, aizen’s disregard for mutiny within his empire always held firm.

espada, on the other hand — no.  aizen wouldn’t tolerate his finest men and women harboring any doubt against their father.  and with the way noelle’s glare refused to waver, even as he backed her up and out into the hallway, as though completely unconcerned of the repercussions, jack knew he was in for it this time.

❝what the fuck’re you going on about?  why’re you bringing this crap up again?❞  to hell with pride, his sister’s words already jarred his composure.  noelle was about as cynical as he was.  daydreaming had never appealed to either sibling, the both of them owing that to years of living on the streets in their youth.  they had walked into this life with their eyes fuckin’ wide open.  had sold their freedom for a means to survive.                 END OF STORY.

now, he could only suspect what had brought her to such a hasty, not to mention, impossible decision.  ❝you saw starrk again.❞   not a question, but a statement of fact.  ❝i thought i’d told you to stay the hell away from him.❞

all this talk about leaving — what a fuckin’ waste of time.  as if gin wouldn’t hunt them down and skin them alive.  the numbers on their backs branded them as espada, and until the day aizen got fucked by rival gangs or the authorities, they would die as espada, too.

      She wasn't surprised by his response. She understood why he felt the way he did. Aizen had a way of appearing almost like a god, invincible and all-knowing. He had so much control over them, it felt like they didn't know who they were sometimes. If they stayed, they might just forget entirely.

      Noelle eyed the sling that held up Jack’s arm. She could still hear the snap of bone cracking, his cries of pain. He'd had a reminder of what happened when you tried to cross Aizen, courtesy of Tosen, Aizen's second-in-command. She couldn't blame him for his hesitance. But that was all the more reason they needed to leave.

      "We can't stay, Jack. You manged to walk away this time, but how long until you lose that arm completely? Or worse? How long till one of us is dead?"

      She looked at the floor, lost in memory. A trembling hand rose up to the scar running down her forehead. A reminder that she had few to no friends in that place. She had spent days wandering the streets, unsure of who she was. If it hadn't been for the two men who had found her and taken care of her, she might be dead. The memory of them brought a smile to her face. They were complete opposites in terms of appearance, one a giant and the other a stick in comparison. But both shared a goofy sense of humor, doing their best to keep her entertained in her childlike daze. They took care of her as best they could until Jack had managed to find her and take her to the hospital. Nnoitra had paid dearly for that.

      Since when did he have a say in who she spoke to? Despite the situation, she could feel her frustration with him rising.

      "I'll talk to whoever I want to. I'm the older one, remember? And he makes a good point."

      The older Espada was typically distant, like everyone else, but he had a sense of honor few of the others did. He hadn't been a fan of the idea of bringing two pre-teens into their sort of business to begin with. He was nice in his own way, although he had a bad habit of muttering to himself. Almost like he was talking to someone who wasn't there. It was just after what happened to Jack that he took her aside.

      You two have to get out of here. This is no place for you. You can have a good life, the both of you. I don't mean that you can't handle it. In time, I have no doubt that you could rise to be seated at Aizen's sides, but you can also do better. You don't have to be reserved to this life.

      "What reason do we have to stay? Eventually, either we'll get killed on the job or by one of our brothers or sisters. We're not just Espada, Jack. There's a life beyond this gilded cage."

[sacrifizion]

       "It's always nice to see you, Ichigo."

       Nel had gotten to know the young man over the last few weeks. She had been lucky to find the job at the greenhouse when she and Grimmjow first got to Karakura Town. They'd had enough money to get a small apartment and food for a while, but it wasn't going to support them forever. Better to start earning money as soon as they could. After all, Aizen could find them at any moment and then they'd have to run again.

      She was adjusting fairly well to life in Japan. It was very different from her home, but she always loved learning about new places and experiencing different cultures. She was having a much easier time of adjusting than Grimmjow at any rate. They had picked up the language fairly quick, too. Luckily, they were both quick studies.

       Something about working in the greenhouse had called to her. She'd seen a 'Help Wanted' sign in the window and immediately went inside to apply. She loved plants. There were so many different kinds and she loved to just look at them. The greenhouse was rather humid, but she was fine with that. Her new surroundings matched her hair too, which she quietly smiled to herself about whenever she recalled the connection.

      After a couple of weeks there, she had met Ichigo. He was a polite, distant boy. He reminded her of Grimmjow in some ways. He had a surprising shock of orange hair, which she took to be dyed at first, it stuck out so much. Apparently he came here once a year to buy flowers. When she asked about it, he said they were for his mother's grave. After the initial awkwardness, they talked a bit while she got him an arrangement. He had inquired about never seeing her around before and mentioned how he probably would have noticed a girl with her hair walking around. Nel's green hair certainly stuck out, especially in a place like Karakura, but that was part of the point in a way. Aizen wouldn't be looking for someone standing out.

      She'd told him that she had just moved there a few weeks ago with her brother. She didn't share too much, but she'd learned in her years that the best lies were oftentimes the ones closest to the truth. Our home life was...unhealthy. We thought it best to move on and get a fresh start.

      She was glad Ichigo hadn't pressed the issue. She was surprised, however, when he'd offered to help her with locating anything around town. She had smiled and thanked him, talking with him a bit more, but careful to not give too much away. She was a very trusting person, but she couldn't ignore years of near-Pavlovian conditioning. Aizen's lessons were harsh, but effective. She was always careful with what she said, always aware of exactly where anyone in the room was, and very aware of the knife she kept on her person at all times.

      Since that day, he'd come around every so often to check on her and see how she and Grimmjow were settling in. Despite her forced distance, she was glad to have someone to talk to.

      "I'm doing well, but I'm worried about Grimmjow. He hasn't been able to find a job, unfortunately. He has a slight temper." She giggled at the understatement, but there was a tone of quiet sadness beneath her words. It hurt her to see her brother struggle. He was good at what he did. One of Aizen's best. He was used to knowing what he was doing and knowing that it was something he could do. He wasn't used to struggling like this. Something as simple as a job was oddly complicated, in its own way. Or at least that was how Nel viewed it. Grimmjow wasn't one to share his feelings, even with her.

      "I'm really not sure what to do."

@dethberri