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Cradles in the sand	By : NovaAlexandria Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 9098 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, not make any profit from my stories.

Chapter List
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The next day ‘dawned’ bright as the fake sky was flicked on. The cells were at least shaded enough that it didn’t immediately burn her eyes. Karin awoke with a groan, most of her muscles feeling stiff and sore. Her lacerations only stung when she moved the flesh they were marred into, so that was at least one improvement already. Her stomach ached lightly with the need to go pee combined with the stirrings of hunger. Another groan pulled its way past her lips as she forced herself to sit up and stretch out her stiff muscles. Grimmjow was still in his nest, but this time he was facing her with blue eyes half lidded.
“Morning,” she greeted. “I don’t suppose there is some sort of hidden button somewhere on the walls that open a doorway into a bathroom is there?” she asked. “Preferably one with a large hot spring?”
“No,” he answered with a trace of amusement.
“Well shit. You got a corner you use for your business?” she asked, looking doubtfully about the cell.
“They let us out once a day to use the sand in the main pit.”
“That does not sound fun and kind of perverted,” she muttered.
A commotion from the other side of the duel bars brought both of their attention to the shinigami prisoner that was in the process of raising the outer bars. The shivering boy, for he hardly looked that old, deposited a bowl of water, a bowl of rice with what looked like strips of meat on top, and another empty bowl before hustling back out and securing the outer gate.
With a click, a small section of the inner bars swung in slightly as the latch was released. Karin retrieved the three bowls, making sure to leave as much of her body in the main cell as possible. She wouldn’t put it past them to try and separate her or retrieve her by trapping her between the two sets of bars. She wasn’t ready to be separated from the only person she knew here just yet.
"I don’t suppose you can detect poisons, can you? Any way to tell if this food is drugged?” she asked.
“Let me take a whiff.”
She was reminded as to just how large he was when he stood and padded over to her. If she’d been standing at her full, semi impressive 5’8” height, she would be looking him dead in the eye. He was probably a good 6ft or more at the shoulders.
“Smells clean, so does the water. If there is anything in it, I can’t scent it.”
“Thanks. Do you want some of the water?” she asked.
“Take care of yourself first. I do not require nearly as much as you do.”
“Alright.” Considering Hueco Mundo is a giant desert, I suppose that makes sense.
He padded back to his nest and curled up with his back facing her. She took the offered privacy to use the empty bowl to flush her bladder before eating most of her fare. She couldn’t bring herself to eat the meat. Something about it just seemed wrong to her. It was the wrong colour to be chicken or pig and yet the dark brown meat just didn’t seem the right shade to be cow to her.
“You want the rest?” she asked, offering him the bowl of meat and about a quarter of the water.
“You have had enough to keep your strength up?” he asked.
“If I get this amount every day, I should be good for some time yet. I am not as hungry as I should be. I remember Rukia once mentioning that plus souls in Soul Society don’t even need to eat, nor do lesser hollows. Maybe the larger reishi in Hueco Mundo is sustaining me some.”
“Perhaps,” he agreed. It didn’t take him long to finish the remains off. One swipe of his tongue brought the meat into his mouth and the water followed quickly, despite the fact his head was far larger than the bowl.
Sometime later, the three bowls were replaced with two; another meal of rice and meat and a fresh bowl of water. Grimmjow waved the water away, but he did eat the meat when she offered it. This time she really didn’t want to know what it was for she could see a few veins filled with black blood and it sure as hell was not fish.
“So, is this what the days look like here?” she asked sometime after dinner; which had included another bowl to use as a chamber pot.
“Most days.”
“Well, this is boring as all hell. How are you still sane?” she asked.
He laughed, a sound that actually seemed to have a hint of madness to it. “This is far more activity than most see while hunting in the empty sands of Hueco Mundo. There is a reason many Adjucus will form packs, and it isn’t just to make hunting easier or to have someone watch your back as you sleep.”
“I suppose it would help to have someone cover you while fucking too,” she mused aloud.
He stared at her, before laughing again. “You offering?” he asked.
“Not sure I am into bestiality. Besides, I got a feeling you are fully, feline correct, which means barbs, so double no thanks.” The mere thought was enough to make her shudder. Just how big would the barbs on a feline of his size be?
He laughed again and gave his head a shake. “Fuck, why couldn’t you have been born with Kurosaki’s power? He is such a prude.”
"Yeah, well, Goatface and Yuzu didn’t help him any. Every time he even looked at a girl they went all stalker crazy on him, especially the old man. He would start railing about grandkids to the poster of our dead mother loud enough for half the city to hear. His exclamations about ‘young vitality’ didn’t help any either.” She couldn’t help the small smile that touched her lips. “Course, heaven forbid a boy even look towards Yuzu or myself. Do you have any idea how hard it is to even hang out with my male friends, which I had tons of, without the old man breathing down their necks and warning them of even attempting anything with his ‘precious flowers?’” she scowled.
“If they were scared off by your sire, then they were not worth mating anyhow,” he snorted.
“Can’t argue that point,” she conceded after thinking about it for a moment.
The bars to his cell suddenly opened. Throughout the day different hollows, most of them Adjucus, had been released into the large chamber. Several had wandered over their way, but a single look and soft growl from Grimmjow sent them off quickly. Karin rose to her feet and picked up her bone weapon.
“Stay by the entrance,” he ordered.
“No arguments from me,” she agreed easily.
She followed him outside just enough that she could dive back into the cell if another, or more, was opened. The sound of a few heavy sniffs brought her attention to the cell beside their own. It seemed to contain a… wolf? No, the body was too lean, the legs far too long and skinny and the head was not near broad enough. It wasn’t a dog either, at least not any species she could recognize. It almost resembled a fox, save that the tail was all wrong. He wasn’t very big either, far smaller than Grimmjow. Grey eyes stared intelligently at her and he or she cocked its head to the side to study her. It was hard to tell gender since it was lying down in its own nest of black and white cloth.
Can’t hurt I suppose, she mused as she studied him. “Hi.”
“Evening,” he replied civilly.
She studied him some more, her eyes shifting down to his front paws, one of which had a black mark on it. At first, she thought it was maybe a wound or a bruise, but she realized after studying it for a moment that it was actually a number.
“Making friends, Starrk?” Grimmjow grunted as he appeared by her side.
Starrk didn’t answer, but simple rose to his feet. While Grimmjow’s head was easily equal to her own, Starrk’s only rose to her stomach. The gate began to open and Karin shuffled closer to her own cell mate. She didn’t get the impression that Starrk was interested in eating or attacking her, but she wasn’t going to be all friendly with him just because he returned her greeting. He was a hollow after all and if that tattoo and his name were anything to go by, a former Espada as well.
She followed Grimmjow back into their shared cell while Starrk took his turn at sniffing around the sand. The gate closed behind them, once more locking them into the small space.
“I thought Starrk was dead,” she commented.
“He’s too old and powerful to be killed so easily. Idiots left him for dead not knowing what they were dealing with. You want to make sure someone as strong as he is stays dead, you eat them. Even that’s not a guarantee, come to think of it.”
“Is he a friend?” she asked curiously.
He gave a bark of a laugh before answering her question. “Hollows don’t so much have ‘friends’ as we have ‘not food’ or ‘not enemies.’”
“Pretty sure Nel would disagree,” she pointed out.
“Nel is fucked in the head.”
“Females are more likely to make ‘friends’ for the sake of survival and successful rearing of their young,” Starrk’s muffled voice came from beside them.
Karin moved closer to the pit opening so she could hear him better. The sandstone walls did a pretty good job muffling sound. “So, do hollows just mate and run?” she asked curiously. Dinner arrived and she once again passed the meat over to Grimmjow after he checked her meal for any poisons he might be able to detect.
“Depends. Most packs will help rear the young, they are so rare and so very vulnerable, but it will come down to the individual and their base creatures. These forms we take are chosen for a reason in many cases,” Starrk answered while they ate.
“What do you know Starrk? Until Aizen came along the only person you could even get close to was Lynette. No wonder all you want to do is duck your head under the pillows all day.”
“Lynette is gone.” His voice was hollow and Karin felt her chest constrict at the pain she could hear in it.
“What happened?” she asked softly.
“Aizen killed her,” Starrk answered bitterly.
“Thought you said it was some Shinigami freak wearing a pink kimono,” Grimmjow challenged.
“Shunsui?” Karin questioned, for he was the only one she could think of that wore an unmistakable pink Kimono. She doubted very many other Shinigami were garbed like he was.
“He was merely the sword Aizen threw her at.”
The light went out, causing her to jump a bit in surprise as darkness enveloped them. She patted her way over to the little pit she had dug in the sand and found the black kosodo Grimmjow had lent her from his own nest. It was unwise to be near the bars in the dark where a suddenly loose hollow could sink its claws into her. She got the impression that Starrk was done talking anyhow so she settled in to sleep. She had learned some interesting things today that were worth reflecting upon.

The fact they were feeding Karin suggested to him that they had no plans to remove her from his cell, at least not for now. The meat she pawned off on him, while merely scraps, helped to abate his constant hunger slightly. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her it was hollow meat from those deemed unworthy and hunted to death, but he had a feeling she knew, or at least suspected. He checked her food without needing to be asked after the first day. He had no desire for her to be poisoned or drugged. With his luck, they would leave her to rot in his cell and that would start to stink real quick.
Alright, I wouldn’t let her rot, I would eat her. Would take that info to my next six reincarnations.
Throughout the first two days he had to warn off the others that came stalking around to get a look at her during their own pee breaks. The second day saw Starrk issuing his own warning growls. He was loathed to admit that the others had given up so soon due to the fact Starrk had added his own warnings. The other former Espada was considerably more powerful, even regressed into an Adjucus form, than he was. In fact, Grimmjow was detested to admit the Starrk was probably still as powerful now as he had been as the 6^th Espada, despite Starrk suddenly finding himself on four paws instead of two feet. He never did learn how Yhwach had found Starrk or changed the former first, and he wasn’t about to ask.
There was next to nothing to do in the cells except sleep or talk. Karin at least knew how to keep up an interesting conversation and Starrk joined in occasionally. He had to admit, it was well worth the conversations to get dirt on Ichigo, and Karin was more than willing to share.
“Seriously? Kuro-fucking-saki was a mamma’s boy?” he demanded in disbelief.
“That would be putting it mildly,” Karin chuckled. “He was practically glued to Mama’s side. Tatsuki use to kick his ass every training session and have him in tears before Mama would come save him. Granted, she is a world renown martial artist, so that’s not a fair comparison. She was the one who trained me damn near daily when shit really started to get ugly out there with the white clad freaks.”
“What happened?” Starrk asked.
“Mama died,” Karin answered. Her face fell and grief passed over it. “She was killed by Grandfisher, or so I was told when my old man finally ‘fessed up after I threatened to introduce his head with Yuzu’s prized wok if he didn’t stop hiding shit from me. I can get why he did it when we were little, but at this point in our lives, with all the danger out there, hiding shit from us is just going to get us killed. I like knowing what I need to keep an eye out for.”
“Grandfisher was an Adjucus, one that preferred the taste of human flesh, preferably female, over his own kind. The fact your brother survived an encounter with him at such a young age should have been a warning of his potential,” Starrk mused.
“Or a clear sign of how weak ass and pathetic Grandfisher was,” he snorted. “Idiot couldn’t even handle being turned into an Arrancar right without only going part way and immediately getting his ass killed the same day. Weak ass fuck,” he muttered.
“Well, as stupid and idiotic as the old man can be, he is still, or was, a taichou.”
Grimmjow’s head snapped up to stare at her in surprise. It shouldn’t have surprised him considering Ichigo’s strength, but his rival had never once mentioned this about his Sire. In fact, Ichigo did his damn best to avoid talking about Isshin, and even the thought of Kurosaki’s sire had that trademark scowl on his face with an additional tick of irritation over his eye.
From what I have learned from Karin so far, it’s no wonder he never talked about his sire much. Speaking of talking, I don’t think I have ever heard Starrk talk so much. Loneliness must really be getting to him. Granted, Lilinette never shut up long enough for anyone to get a word in edgewise anyhow, least of all him, so maybe that’s why he didn’t talk all that much. Or maybe he is just enjoying the conversation until tomorrow, when she will no doubt turn her back on us, or at least him. Starrk will be one of the first up to be fed, assuming they got prey big enough to feed him. They just might drop a couple into the pit instead of one. Wouldn’t be the first time.
He had no doubt tomorrow would bring another round of entertainment. If not tomorrow than the next day. He had no idea how Karin was going to react to them slaughtering and eating the prey dropped down into the pit, or each other depending on the form of entertainment chosen. She hadn’t asked about the pile of shihakusho that made up his nest. Perhaps she thinks they are from the people the Vandervich killed. She wouldn’t really be wrong. Probably a good thing the lighting prevents anyone from seeing too well into the other cells. If she saw what went on in a few of them…
That thought brought a different one to his mind and suddenly the reason she was being left in his cell came into a different light. He was fairly positive there were no cameras in the cells, but the quincy bastards wouldn’t need to see in. The moment she went into heat every hollow in the stadium would know it and react. Unlike Shinigami or hollows, humans went into heat monthly, not by the decade. They could afford to wait and hope and see if anything came from it.
Idiots. Maybe one of those other simpletons might be enticed to mate with her for the sake of having their masks broken by King Fuckface so they can see what it’s like to touch upon being something similar to a Vasto Lorde before they die so ingloriously on the blade of one of those bloody shinigami, short sighted morons, but I am not so base as to mate an unwilling woman just because she was in heat. Only a fool lets their instincts control them instead of just listening to them. The fact we can choose to act on them or not is what makes us more than mere beasts.
They’d tried to entice him to breed before, but each time he either ignored the prospecting female or ate ‘em, depending on how hungry he was and how much of a meal they would make. He had no plans on playing to their games in anyway that didn’t benefit him. His attention was pulled back to the conversation and while he had missed Starrk enquiry, Karin’s answer at least explained how she had gotten tangled up in this mess.
“With the war going on there are very few shinigami on patrol anymore, which means plus souls are being left behind and hollows are running amok everywhere eating them up. Probably why Soul Society didn’t say anything to me, or the others, when we starting to take up the mantel. In fact, I think they even gave Tatsuki, Keigo, Asano and a few other of Ichi-nii’s more spiritually aware friends those blank zanpakuto to help clean up the mess with. I ain’t interested in a sword, more likely to cut me own head, arm or leg off if I even tried, so I got Kisuke to give me a seal instead to send plus souls on. It’s not my war and I couldn’t really care less, but I can’t just stand there doing nothing when I can see those poor plus souls being neglected when it ain’t their fault.
“As for the hollows that show up, I wanted to ignore them but the one I ignore today could be the one to kill a friend tomorrow, so I take care of them if I can or lead them about to someone who can help me deal with them or, on a few occasions, lead them to the middle of nowhere before I lose them. By that point they usually get a little pissed and head back here not wanting to waste anymore time or risk being noticed by a real shinigami.
“That’s how that long-haired asshole pinned me down. An adjucus had been hunting on my turf, or most likely fleeing from a Quincy patrol now that I think about it. I started to fight with it to move it away from the civilians when, bam, that jackass came in. He killed the hollow and roughed me up a bit before dragging me here. You know the rest.”
The way she scowled reminded him of himself when he had prey stolen from him… or when he had to bite his tongue in Aizen’s presence.
“So, the shinigami are losing?” Starrk asked.
“More like ‘not winning’ from what I understand based on what little info I get. Seems like they are kind of caught in a stalemate of some sort, but people on either side are still dying. I do know they managed to secure the Royal Palace, but not much more than that. Nel stops by to check on us from time to time and I get bits of info from Nanao-san when Shunsui sends her to exchange letters with those on the front lines. Part of the deal for Ichi-nii and Goatface to join in the fighting was that they would be able to keep in touch with all of us.”
He recalled every time Ichigo had gotten his letters when they returned to Las Noches after a patrol. It was really the only time he could recall the hybrid smiling, even if it was a sad smile. Now he understood why the young man had been so impatient to receive them.
The lights went out and he heard Karin shuffle over to her spot, curling up under the makeshift blanket. His own eyes adjusted quickly but even he could barely see in the blackness. He was just getting ready to drift off when a loud scream broke the silence. Karin bolted to her feet, bone in hand and facing the darkness. He gave her points for bravery since he knew she couldn’t see a thing. The scream turned into sobs that he could hear easily, but were no doubt quiet to her human ears; assuming she could even hear them. He supposed it was a good thing her hearing was not so great because it meant she missed most of the sounds of rutting that took place during the night.
“What was that, other than the obvious?” Karin asked, her voice somewhat shaky.
“Someone got hurt in the dark. It happens a fair amount,” Starrk answered calmly, and probably more diplomatically then he was about to.
“Not all hollows have good night vision I take it?” she questioned with a nervous chuckle, settling back down under her own blanket.
“Even with night vision, I can only make you out as a slightly darker shadow in a shadow,” he reluctantly confessed. “Even we need a bit of light to see.”
Karin settled back down, but somehow, he doubted either one of their words had comforted her, nor did he think she was going to get much rest tonight. Grimmjow folded his own ears back, trying to block out the noise of the others rutting with their pets. The scream had triggered most, if not all, of the others with breeding partners to mate.
The next morning came with a snap of the lights turning on. Food, water and chamber pot were delivered and several of the shinigami slaves were out in the arena, indicating today would be a day of entertainment after all. He watched Karin out of the corner of his eye as she watched them rake the sand and clean up the mess from yesterday’s potty breaks. It was unlikely he would be chosen to participate, but it was Starrk’s turn to feed.
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Cradles in the sand