Without Mercy

Grimmjow scoffs, rolls his eyes. Arguing with Ulquiorra never achieves anything. The hollow’s practically brain dead. Obedient. Like he doesn’t have a single thing he wants in the world other then to complete one menial task after another after another after another after— It would drive Grimmjow mad. A life like that.

No drive. No goal. No pleasure. No… Hueco Mundo offers little, Grimmjow takes what he can, where he can. Why would one want anything less?

Ulquiorra drags another snarl from his chest, “Aizen didn’t take me in, I’m not some fucking stray.”

Grimmjow was here first. This was his territory before it ever was Ulquiorra’s, his fucked up shinigami tainted extended pack. Grimmjow doesn’t want it, but it’s still his. Ulquiorra’s cocky. Thinks he’s something special because he is a Vasto Lorde, he would have struggled the same way Grimmjow had, just because it wasn’t recent… He’s so fucking pretentious.

He grinds his teeth together for a moment, before dragging himself back under control. Slipping up too much, showing too much emotion, that’s vulnerability he doesn’t need to be revealing. Not to someone like Ulquiorra.

Instead of fixating on his own irritation and anger he turns back to Ulquiorra, determined to pick apart Ulquiorra’s motivation. There has to be something underlying his actions. Even if that something is simply that the hollow can’t function without some stronger being ordering him around. Some people simply aren’t meant to lead. Where would Grimmjow be if his fracción weren’t such people. If mountainous Edrad and bone-shaking Nakeem weren’t content in following him rather then pursuing power alone.

Well. In all likelihood, he would still be here. They would be dead between his jaws. But his journey to here would have differed and Grimmjow doesn’t regret his life before now. Mostly. He wouldn’t seek to change it.

Grimmjow stares at the bug-eyed bastard as he tries to pin down the thread of his own logic, before finally asking, “What do you get out of it?”

Easier to cut straight through to the heart of the matter. If he lies, Grimmjow will know, and can remove another possibility from the equation.

“Did he not? Is it not Lord Aizen who suffered you to remain here? In your base hollow state, I daresay even some of the numeros could have simply handled you as a Menos. Such is the divide between arrancar and Menos. What else would you call his adoption of you and your fraccion into Las Noches? His gifting you the safety from regression in the form of an arrancar? 

Is that not charity?

Or do you mean to expect me to believe that you somehow attained this by anything other than the whims of Lord Aizen?” He asked calmly, that face of his almost seeming to draw as close as it ever did to an actual smile. Seeming amused by the implications of Grimmjow refusing to acknowledge what he’d been given.  

 The pause gave her hope that Bambi would actually put thought into what she liked. Something to work with. Then she spoke and it was all that much easier for her, Candice gaining a smirk before the arm around the other’s shoulder curled to drag her in close, almost as if reeling her in to give her ruffle her hair or something. She chuckled a bit, dragging Bambi along with her even in the more awkward walking position she put them in.

 ❝ Then it’s settled! Horror movies are just up my alley! And don’t worry, if you get scared during the movie, you can always cuddle up to me so I can keep you safe! ❞ There goes the teasing again, Candice proposing that horror movies are a go. She and Meni watched horror movies only sometimes and in reality, Candice wasn’t a fan THAT much since she still got hit by the jump scares horror flicks so love to use. But she’ll never admit that to Bambi. She’s just hoping to bank on Bambietta also being the same way or worse just to tease her some more.

The ritter couldn’t help but smile just a little as she felt Candice’s arm slide about her shoulders and pull her in closer. She glanced up toward the blonde and couldn’t help but give a bit of a smirk up at her companion, a brow quirking slightly in a silent ‘oh?’ responding to this sudden induced proximity. Not that Bambi really minded. After all, Candice seemed to be the more affixed to their set dynamic when it came to when they were alone vs when they were with their friends. Bambi hardly minded, and she did wonder why it was that Candice felt more comfortable doing this when they were by themselves. 

“Really huh? Well that makes me feel a lot better. Truth be told, I haven’t really seen anything super scary in ages. What’s the scariest movie you know?” She asked curiously, a bit of daring in her voice. Though wether she was challenging Candice to invoke a movie that would give them ample reason to get all close and cuddly, or if Bambi simply wanted some metric of what scared Candice, all the same that expression made it clear she felt she could handle whatever Candice could muster. 

“You piece of–” Grimmjow snarls, lips peeled back to expose sharp fangs. He hunches forward like he might be preparing to lunge, claws flexing against the air in agitation, a precarious beat stretching between them before he manages to pull himself back somewhat.

Though not to back off, Like hell is he going to. False accusations his ASS! Nothing he’s said has been false! Where the hell does Ulquiorra get off on pretending like he knows what Grimmjow thinks?

“My disco- What about yours! Huh? You’re the only one who mindlessly follows his orders like some sorta brainless drone! You telling me that shit doesn’t piss you the fuck off? Huh?!”

Those pale green eyes watched undeterred as Grimmjow made as if to ready himself to launch at Ulquiorra. But of course, there was no hiding or tricking the Cuarta’s eyes. There was insufficient momentum in the feint to properly execute any effective lunge in his direction, not that Grimmjow even in earnest could produce any such attack that would prove worrisome to the Espada. 

And of course, they get closer to the core of Grimmjow’s irritation. The Panther knew of their own inferiority to Ulquiorra, and so it must have been strange indeed to see what, to Grimmjow, must have seemed like a zealous following on Sciffer’s part. 

“Is that all?” Ulquiorra asked placidly. Eyes staring expectantly, as if there was something MORE. As if unwilling to believe that something so mundane were really at the root of Grimmjow’s insecurities, fueling his disdain. 

“Is there some reason that I should find aversion to the menial tasks that Lord Aizen assigns me? What am I wasting by adjusting so slightly the noises that bracket my utterance of his name? What am I losing when I emulate his inane gestures of implied respect in his presence? And in what danger am I in when I wipe away the trash that so impedes his plans?” He asked slowly, deliberately. 

“I am sure, that in whatever state of suffering you were trapped before Lord Aizen took you in, that to hold onto what minuscule vestiges of power you held, you could perhaps not spare even a mote of energy on such things. But I am afraid that I am unfamiliar with any such famine of time, effort, or energy.”

Of course. There was more to it. There were....things that fascinated Ulquiorra. Connections. Correlations that seemed far grander than the stages they played out on. From the view of the Arrancar. From the view portrayed by Lord Aizen. Something did not make....sense. The worlds they resided within. Seemed.........unwieldy. The balance between worlds: Frail. Ulquiorra understood how things worked on a systemic level. A world that slowly regressed into simplicity. He’d seen forests ground down to nothing in time. elaborate remnants brought to the state of dust and sand when abandoned. From instability to stability. That was how the world worked. And yet, the balance was so very precarious. Why? What was keeping the world from the low, stable nothing that it should reasonably be marching toward? 

Well. This was a little awkward. But it made sense. Tatsuki hadn’t exactly been in the best state either when being hauled off from the fight against Yammy, or after the Battle of Karakura. Or even particularly very conscious. It’d make sense that she wouldn’t remember.

“We have, but it’s not surprising you wouldn’t recall,” she replied. She momentarily debated making a show of what she knew about the other woman, but that’d probably just bring her guard up, especially since it’d been rather a long time since any of that information had been relevant or meaningful. It’d probably just piss her off. By then, Tatsuki was already prompting her.

She stayed where she was rather than approaching and offering a handshake, not wanting to do anything that might be seen as provocative. “I’m Yoruichi. Shihōin Yoruichi. You’d probably best know me as someone who broke into here with Ichigo, and helped him learn bankai.” Her roles in later events seemed to be less commonly known anyway.

“But I’m also the one who carried you off from those woods for medical attention after you encountered those Arrancar outside Karakura, and the one who did the same after what happened with Aizen.” One had gone well, the other not so much, but she’d done what she could at least.

“As for your question… Yeah, I think you can. But standing out in the open like this and talking it over’s a bit cliché. Anywhere you might like to go?”

She was promptly tense in response to the woman’s introduction as she felt a VERY sudden hike in adrenaline in response to the woman offering their name to the soul reaper and she could almost hear the faint echo of that name as spoken from one of her instructors. Shihouin? As in one of THE major noble houses Shihouin? Memories of her time in the academy immediately made her a bit more alert as she realized she was in front of a VERY upstanding Noble Woman. Of course, she’d heard about the formerly-disgraced Shihouin princess, but she had long since been considered restored to her previous noble status, and even HIGHER according to some who noted her influence and accolades from the most recent war. THIS woman trained Ichigo? No wonder he was where he was. 

She found her words caught briefly in her throat before she made a soft noise, clearing it before she was about to reply. That is, until she mentioned how they had met before.... 

The first time, she had passed out midway through the confrontation between Orihime and those guys. She remembered only the very slightest entrance of Ichigo arriving before she’d blacked out. And of course....the time in Karakura town itself. Or well, what she would later would find out was Karakura town in it’s sealed state in the soul society where it had been moved, had been another matter entirely. 

“Ah, right. I had ...” She trailed off for a moment before Yoruichi continued. She wanted help from her? She shifted a bit from foot to foot. What could she possibly help the woman with? 

 She’s contemplating it now. Really, she never gave much a shit about who she called her leader mostly cause she’s defiant regardless of anything, no matter who’s above her. That’s a lesson she’ll never learn, nor will she ever care to learn. Bambi’s laid back as a leader, but just annoying and loud. They have that in common, of course, but obviously Candice will amount her loud annoyance to being something more deserving of being heard because of her own vanity. But it is interesting to think about sometimes. 

 She tries not to sit on the idea of it too much since it reminds her of what Giselle had to do with Bambi to use her again for the war, which she doesn’t always think fondly of since Candice thinks Gigi is a freak just like the rest of them. But. No need to dwell on it when she’s able to walk and talk beside the real thing, not a product of a Quincy power. A small glance at the other, then back to looking ahead of her. Yeah. Gotta be the real thing.

 The squeeze to her waist gave an internal arch of her eyebrow in question, but she didn’t mention it. The two of them are casual enough to just be wrapped around each other like this. At least alone. Highly likely if the others were to see them, they’d separate in an instant. She know she would or else she’d just be subject to being teased to which she’d just yell about it.

 No need to focus on the others. She’s hanging out with Bambi.

 ❝ Easy. Meni and I watch shit all the time, I got some ideas of what we could watch, depending on what yer lookin’ fer. ❞ … ❝ The fuck do y’even like?! ❞ Movies were her and Meni’s thing, so she has no clue what the others would even be interested in. Meni got her hooked on murder mystery and action movies, but knowing Bambi, she wants something with TONS of explosions and loud noises all the damn time. Even the thought is making her groan.

She does notice a bit of a shift in Candice’s demeanor. She ...doesn’t speak up about it, but she does keep it in mind, wondering what sort of stuff could be going through the Thunderbolt’s head.  But, as Candice always did, she sprung out of whatever thoughts had been clouding her mind, and promptly proceeded to ask her what kind of movies she liked, and she DID take a moment to pause and think it over. Actually now that she thought about it there wasn’t exactly any particular genres she was bananas about. 

For a moment Grimmjow thinks his eyes are lying to him, visual hallucinations have never been an issue for him but who knows. His nose is very reliable though and the scent of human is appropriately thick in the air to confirm that yes there is a human in front of him. And not just any human.

Grimmjow glares down at her, largely insulted by her wildly incorrect assumption of his fear - he’s shocked, that’s all - and barks, “The fuck are you doing here.”

Its more of an order then a question. A demand to know what the fuck she would ever come back to this shit hole, willingly or otherwise, and why she hasn’t made ever effort to leave yet. He should kill her and be done with it, she’s invading his territory and he certainly does not want her here.

Eh? 

He seemed strangely upset to say the least. Or well, concerned? All the same, she gave a sheepish smile as Grimmjim demanded to know what it was she was doing here. Her guard just a little up, incase he felt the need to kidnap her or something. 

“Oh! I came to visit! To make sure everyone is okay! I also brought some food!” She pointed out, producing a box of donuts from under her cloak. “I asked Mr.Urahara if I could come to see how Nel was doing. But uhmm I figured I should probably bring some gifts while I was here. So I brought some things for you guys. Though I admit I don’t actually know what you all eat r like. So I had to make some guesses.” She admitted, drumming her fingers along the edges of the box. 

— He could feel that pressure behind his forehead build up. She always gave him headaches. Like hell she didn’t know why they did these drills. She passed the academy just the same as him, and they had been in this job for long enough that she knew the ins and outs of it. She just liked to pout and annoy him. 

      “Quit your childish whining.” He demanded, all but rolling his eyes at her. “You have a zanpakutou for a reason. What use are you as a shinigami if you don’t know how to properly use it?!” 

“Yea well I HATE it! You’re so mean!” She promptly thrashed about from her position on the floor! The fact that the finishing blow was generally expected to be via zanpaku’to was a GARBAGE rule in her opinion. More often than not she had SOUNDLY defeated a hollow, only for them to almost get one last dying hit in because she had to use her stupid sword! 

“Why do you even know kendo? It’s not like you can use any of these fancy movs with your shikai anyway! You use Hakuda almost as much as I do!” She promptly complained. But even as she complained, there was a sort of twist in her position on the ground. Before she promptly sprung back into a standing position, stomping onto the handle of her wooden sword that she’d dropped to send it spinning into the air where she promptly caught it! In the blink of an eye she was back into her kendo stance! Almost seeming like she was going to surprise attack him with a downward slash. 

 Candice huffed at being called a chicken. Sure, she wouldn’t tolerate it, but this could go on forever, so she left it at rolling her eyes and just muttering some trash talk under breath. She knew Bambi would take this as a win over her but she’s sure she can recall more of her own wins over the other that mean so much more. But there’s a time and place for everything. Now, at least since they’re in good moods, is not one of them.

 Feeling Bambi’s arm around her waist felt comfortable, relaxed as the two walked side by side. Crazy how they could be playfully (even sometimes not playful at all) at each other’s throats one second and chill with one another at the next. Their dynamic made no sense, but it’s best described by how Liltotto once put it: “best dumbass friends”. She’s not wrong but she doesn’t have to say it.

 ❝ Y’better not argue with it. I’ll take you as a leader over the others anyday. Yer just a dumbass without a clear head sometimes. But I’ll be damned if I said we didn’t all follow you anyway cause we thought you weren’t the boss. S’just how it goes. ❞ Candice will stand by that notion no matter what. Sure they all were ruled under Yhwach, but he’s old news. Bambi may have started as their self-proclaimed leader but surely enough, she thinks her and the others can agree that they’re okay with it.

Bambi just kept on chuckling softly and shaking her head at Candice’s assertion. She gave the woman a playful squeeze about the waist. 

But she didn’t say a thing. 

She knew she had been an awful leader. She’d taken a group of friends and more or less asserted herself over them because her Schrift had turned out to be something she COULD lord over them. And they had gone along with it. So she had ...in some small way presumed that they simply acknowledged her. 

A relationship that had culminated into her n her back, surrounded by them, and she KNEW the feeling. Had she just taken one more hit. Had she not managed to peel herself from that final hit and had bit the dust. They would have just finished her off right there. 

She never forgot those faces. Giselle’s mask of a smile. Meninas’s vacant look. Liltotto’s avoiding meeting her gaze. And the conflicted look on Candice’s face. And even now, with Candy talking about how Bambi was still their leader. She couldn’t help but wonder if she meant it. Or maybe....she just felt guilty about what they’d almost done to her. 

And she couldn’t help but think, for a long....long time after the war, about what had brought them to that point. It’s why she’d taken a back seat for the rest of ther war, alongside her outright fear of being killed. It was why she’d let Liltotto lead the charge once Ywacht had died. It was why even now, being called the leader felt ...conflicting. And at the same time, it was kinda.....

Nice. 

“Ah, hello! Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you!” Came a hasty response when Grimmjow had stopped dead in his tracks upon happening upon the woman in the middle of Las Noches. Of course, she REALLY shouldn’t have been surprised that he was startled to see her. After all, the notion of a human VISITING the place was probably just outright ridiculous. 

 ❝ Don’t ask fer shit you know yer gonna regret! ❞ In defiance, she just sticks her tongue out at her with an antagonistic noise to follow. Their playful little bouts were a constant, even when trying to be more calmer and speak normal but then again.. This is their normal. But, she’s not complaining. 

 ❝ Hit her up, sometime, she’s super chill. ❞ Nonchalantly now, Candi goes to stand at Bambi’s side and look an arm around her shoulders, leaning up against her a bit while her other arm made a gesture forward as if to lead the way to. Well, wherever they were gonna go eat. Though, she’s not even sure what she’s in the mood for. ❝ Don’t have to, eh? What if I wanna? War may be over and Yh-Bitch is dead, but we still look to ya. Comes naturally at this point, whether I intentionally say it or not. ❞

She snorted softly at that and reached out to lightly poke at the woman’s ribs. “Oh is that right? I think yer just chicken~” She chimed, very much amused at just how easy it was to get Candice all huffy again. 

But of course, she hardly minded when Candice slipped an arm about her shoulders, and Bambi promptly took the gesture to start moving forward, her own arm lazily draping around Candice’s waist since reaching up to her shoulders would be uncomfortable. 

As for the part about looking to her for leadership.....it was.....sweet of Candice to say. But she knew better. It wasn’t her that kept them all together after the war. Liltotto, of all things, had been the one to step up to the plate. Kept their heads level after the auswahlen. Given them a direction after the end of the war. She was even the reason why they’d gotten Candy and Meninas back. 

 ❝ Oi, get that dumb smile off yer face. ❞ Candice scowls mildly at her, brows furrowing for a moment before going back to a neutral expression. Bambi wouldn’t have mentioned anything, but she noticed that smile shift from something knowing to something more natural. They may be at peace currently with no teasing, but she’s still Candice, of course.

 ❝ Harribel and I talk at times. She’s chill about it. As for grabbing a bite, I’m down but—  ❞ she cocks one of her usual grins before reaching a fist out and gently bumping Bambietta’s shoulder in a more playful gesture.  ❝ —it’s your treat, boss. ❞

That smile quickly evolved into a grin in response to that indignant response, chuckling lightly as she seemed to annoy Candice with the expression. “Oh you gonna make me?” She asked with her head tilted, though she did settle down at the subject of the Arrancar matriarch. She couldn’t help but hum at the notion. 

 Looks like the fun’s done. Shame. Now she regrets not pushing to see how far she could’ve gone! But, no matter, no need to deal with dwelling on it anymore, it’s done with. Bambi seems past it too so now there was more to worry about. If she did choose to wanna hang with her, what would they do. With the others, she just sits near them and eventually ends up sleeping on them. But Bambietta’s different from them, strangely. Hm.

 Candice actually looks like she’s in thought for a second, arching an eyebrow eventually.  ❝ If you’re down, yeah we can hang. I got my fun, buuuut we can kick it. What’cha in for? Kickin’ around hollows? Blastin’ shit? Harribel told me they got movies ‘round here if you’re tryin’ ta chill too. ❞

Bambi smiled just a little as she noticed a little flash of something in the woman’s expression. Regret? Disappointment? Who knew with Candice, maybe she was just a little miffed that Bambi had recovered so quickly. But all the same she was pleased to see Candice rolling with it. 

 Looks like Bambi steadied herself and the work of her teasing wore off. Shame, but it was bound to happen. If she kept going while she had her momentum, Candice would’ve had her broken in mere minutes after. There was no reason for that in the open though, maybe if they were alone, just for a little bit of fun. The thought brought a soft chuckle from her, despite the light taunt from the other.

 Perks of being an “underling” to the other, she supposed. No one enjoys losing their teeth and she’d definitely need them. Though, noting what she said about not biting her palm or fingers excluded. Well, literally everything else. But that’s something she’ll keep to herself.

 ❝ Ain’t that sweet, you actually called me your friend. ❞ While Bambi wasn’t a hardass or someone who proclaimed hate for herself and the others, she also wasn’t one to outright say it, but neither was she to be fair. ❝ As if a Shinigami is gonna piss me off that much. Maybe I just like being friendly with my sweet, ol’ Bambi-chan. ❞

 If she acted this way with any of the others, they’d’ve just stared at her weird and Meninas would’ve definitely punched her. Good thing it actually works on Bambietta.

Bambi shrugged her shoulders just a little in response to the ’being friendly’ part. She knew that Candice and her were friends, so there was no reason to go fishing about that little playful response. She did pause, her head tilting just a little. She considered pushing the issue. Earlier on Candice certainly HAD seemed a bit miffed with the shinigami she’d been interacting with. But she decided not to press the issue. 

Ah, what the hell… The inside of her mouth felt weird, tongue rubbing at the inside of her cheek and around her mouth to swab off the feeling, but eventually just chalking it down to something of Bambi’s doing. It’s akin to something she’d be able to do with her lightning, but really, she’s lucky that it could’ve been MUCH worse, but she wouldn’t dare. Heh.

Her face gave her each and every reason to have a smug grin on her lips. Hands down and sitting on her hips, Candice was sure Bambi wasn’t gonna do anything to her, so she steps back in front of her just as close as they were before, with just a little bit of space at least.

❝ Ah come on! It could’ve been worse! Yer even lucky I didn’t even get to actually bite’cha that hard! Knowin’ a freak like you, though, you’d’ve enjoyed it. ❞

It became rapidly easier to deal with that embarrassment when the substance of Candice’s jeer struck her as a bit strange. Her brows furrowing in confusion. If Candice had actually had her teeth on any area that could be considered intimate, she might have been a little more vulnerable to the taunt. However all she could imagine was Candice biting her fingers really really hard. Which honestly didn’t sounds very pleasant at all. 

Practically in an instant, any progress Candice had made toward embarrassing the Explode was lost as the semantics gave her the breathing room to calm herself down. 

“Not my business if you’re into hand stuff, but please don’t go biting my palm or fingers. Not really a fan. You’re lucky you’re my friend or I’d have turned your teeth into cherry bombs.” She noted in an idle verbal parry of the attempted jab.