It was a dark rainy day in Karakura Town. Anyone in their right mind would not be out in that weather. However, someone was. Harley Owl walked through the rain quickly, umbrella over her head. Her large hood was pulled up, hiding her eyes and hair in the shadows. She pulled her messenger bag tightly against her body so the library books inside wouldn't get wet.
Harley turned a corner as the rain picked up, her pace quickening. "Hey, hey! What do we have here?"
The teen froze, looking behind her. Four guys emerged from the alleyway, all dripping wet from the rain. Each held a slimy smirk on their faces. It made Harley's skin crawl. "Come here, cutie," one of them called.
Harley took a step back. "We just wanna play," another said cruelly.
Harley ran for it and the men gave chase. She threw away the umbrella and ran faster. Their pace quickened as well. Harley cried out when one of them grabbed her hair, pulling her to the ground. Two more hands shot forward, grabbing both arms and pulling her back into an alleyway.
"Someone help me!" she screamed, only to be smacked across the face.
"Shut up," they growled. "There's no one out here to save you."
The men ripped and tugged at her clothing causing Harley lashed out, trying to get away. At one point she grabbed her bag, and began to smack them in the head. They finally got a hold of it and threw the weapon away. The only thing left of the jacket she wore were the ripped sleeves dangling from the arms. Her white shirt was completely see-through, which didn't matter because the front half was completely torn open, exposing the bra and skin. The men were going after her pants now and Harley kicked and trashed, trying to get away.
"Someone!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Help!"
One of the men slugged her in the jaw, making blood fly from her mouth. "Shut up!" he snapped, ripping off the button to her pants. One then proceeded in taking the fabric between his hands and ripping it right down the seam, exposing her underwear.
"Stop!" They tugged at the legs of her pants. One man pinned her wrists to the ground on either side of her head to keep her from struggling. "Please!" Her jeans were down to her hips. "PLEASE!" she screamed and there was an explosion of multiple lights. They were all different colors exploding at once in the alleyway, lighting it up like the Fourth of July. Many screams came from the alleyway as well, and then it all stopped.
The streets were quiet once again, except for the rain that continued to pound the town. Harley lay in the alleyway in the same position the men had held her in. Her eyes were wide in fear, body shaking. She wasn't sure if she was shaking from the coldness of the rain, fear, or horror at what had happened. The men were completely gone as if they had never even set foot on this earth.
Harley opened her mouth, releasing one last, blood curling scream her body tensing from the force. It died away as the rain continued to fall.
The teen didn't know how long she lay there in the rain, but it was long enough to make all of her senses numb. The rain battered her face, staining her cheeks with 'tears'. Her eyes were foggy, halfway closed from exhaustion.
Then a shadow cast over her. She didn't have enough strength to fight back if this person came to finish off the others job. The person crouched down its face blocking the rain from hers. "Don't worry," the man spoke. "You're gonna be alright." The person reached out, picking Harley's limp body off the ground. "We'll fix you up."
Her eyes closed.
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Harley's eyes opened before rushing forward across the barren land, feet lightly pushing off the sand. Something caught up on her right. "You're going to have to move faster than that, Owl!" the person called over. Harley's eyes never wavered as she picked up speed, moving quickly through the air as if she was flying. Harley watched as a large white structure came into view. Her destination was a small doorway. There stood a person, leaning against the doorway casually.
Harley raced right towards it before coming to a sudden halt in front of the person. She let out a big breath of air, trying to refill her lungs. "How... did... I... do...?" she gasped out.
"Better, but you'll need to be a little faster if you want to keep up with the higher ups."
"I'll... remember... that..." she answered, whipping her ponytail over her shoulder.
The person bent down, letting Harley climb onto their shoulders before they went back inside. The human played with the soft, tousled hair with her fingers. "Where are we going?" she asked.
"A dumb meeting," the person growled under her.
Harley rolled her eyes, sighing. "Hey, Grimmjow, who am I training with later?"
The Espada looked up at Harley from the corner of his eyes. "I think Ichimaru wants a go at you today again."
"That's good. I like fighting with him."
"How's your control?"
"It's been great," she answered, raising one hand in front of her face. Colorful sparks danced in front of her eyes between her fingers.
"Careful," Grimmjow warned. "I don't wanna blow up with you if you slip up."
Harley scoffed, the light dying. "I'm not that weak anymore..." she grumbled.
The young woman got off of Grimmjow's shoulders when they arrived at the meeting room before they walked in together. Grimmjow took his designated seat, while she stood behind him, watching as the other Espadas filed in with their top Fracción in tow. Harley looked away from the door when Nnoitra entered with Tesla. She hated looking at that man. It made her skin crawl.
"Easy," Grimmjow muttered lightly so only she heard. Harley nodded, looking to her left and watched as Aizen, Gin, and Tousen walked in.
"Let's get started..." Aizen said, taking his seat.
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Once the meeting was done, everyone left. Grimmjow stood, his arm wrapping around Harley's waist. "Hold on," he spoke in her ear. He sonidoed out of the room and into an empty hallway.
Grimmjow released her and walked down the hall, her next to him. "Nnoitra again?" Harley asked.
"He was waiting right outside the door," the Sixth Espada growled. Harley shivered, skin crawling. "Don't worry, he won't follow."
"Still..." the young woman grumbled, rubbing her arm, which was full of goose bumps.
"It's gonna be alright, okay?" Grimmjow pushed.
Harley just nodded her head as they arrived at a training room. Gin was already there, waiting. "Are yah ready?" the Soul Reaper asked.
Harley nodded, stepping away from Grimmjow.
Two years had passed since Grimmjow found Harley in that alleyway. He brought her back to Hueco Mundo, where she was handed off to Tia so she could be taken care of. After she was well enough – well enough in a sense that when she walked around, she wouldn't blow up everything from being paranoid – she was given back to Grimmjow. However, Harley was still haunted by the nightmares from the past.
Gin rushed by in a flash and Harley threw out a hand towards the man. There was an explosion of fireworks that lit up the room. One of those sparks grazed Gin's cheek, leaving a small burn. "Very good, Owl, let's turn it up a notch," Gin spoke as he disappeared completely.
Harley looked around, trying to figure out where he had gone. You know when you get a feeling that something is coming up on you? Well, that's the feeling Harley got and four separate explosions of fireworks went off behind her. There was a yelp and Harley whirled around to find the former Captain on his butt with burns and charcoal everywhere.
Her eyes widened. "I am so sorry!" she exclaimed, rushing forward. "Are you alright?"
Gin smiled. "You're getting harder and harder to sneak up on, girly," he congratulated her.
"Uh... thanks... I think?" she said, helping the man to his feet.
"I'm done with her for today, Grimmjow. You may take her away."
Grimmjow appeared right next to Harley and they both walked away from the training grounds. "What else do we have to do today?" she asked.
"Nothing," Grimmjow answered.
"Oh good, I really wanted to go to sleep early tonight."
The man looked down at the top of Harley's head, cocking an eyebrow. He then noticed the slight bags under her eyes. "How have you been sleeping?" Grimmjow asked.
The human glanced at him quickly, before looking away. "Alright..."
"Harley..." Grimmjow growled, wanting a straight answer.
"Fine, fine, they came again last night, alright. Happy now?"
"Have you been taking that stuff I got for you from the World of the Living? The ones that make you sleep?"
"Yeah..."
"And?" Harley didn't answer. Grimmjow sighed in frustration. "They're not working, are they?"
"No... they're not..."
"For how long?"
"For the last month or two."
"Month or-?" Grimmjow cut himself off, growling in frustration. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because I know how troublesome it is for you to find these things, and I don't wanna have to rely on drugs all the time, Grimmjow."
"You need to sleep."
"I will sleep, tonight. When I get too tired, I don't dream at all."
"You also get weak because you don't rest your body and your powers go a little A-wall."
"You don't need to remind me," she grumbled, looking down at the ground.
Footsteps sounded ahead as well as a sinister laugh. It made the hair on the back of Harley's neck stand on end. Her eyes widened in fear. "Well, well, well, look who it is," the voice said. "If it isn't my favorite couple, Grimmjow and Owl." Nnoitra stopped in their path. "Hello, beautiful."
Harley began to shake, sweat rolling down the side of her face. She dared not look up from the ground into his eyes. Sparks danced between her fingertips, ready to bolt if anything happened. "I heard you fighting. Tell me, how come everyone else can fight you, but not me?" He walked closer. "Is it because you secretly like me and don't want to hurt me?" Harley's eyes widened in even more fear at how close he was getting.
Grimmjow's arm shot out in front of Harley, stopping the Espada's advance. "What do you think you're doing?" Nnoitra sneered.
"What do you think you're doing," Grimmjow hissed. His arm pushed the girl behind him and she gripped the back of his jacket, the sparks dying in her hands. "I thought I told you to stay away from us?"
"And I thought I told you that I don't take orders from those who are below me." The two men glared at each other.
Grimmjow felt Harley's grip on the back of his jacket tighten. The Sixth Espada bent down slowly, hooking his arms under Harley's legs before lifting her off the ground. "I'm only going to say this one last time: stay away from my Fracción."
"Or what?" the Fifth Espada challenged.
"I'll rip out your throat."
Grimmjow sonidoed away.
He stopped at Harley's door, which was right across from his. Grimmjow walked into the room, lightly setting Harley on her bed. "You okay?" he asked. Harley nodded silently, looking at the floor. "You sure?" Another nod. "Do you want me to stay till you fall asleep?"
"No," she whispered. "I'll be alright..."
Grimmjow sighed, running a hand through his hair before walking towards the door. He took one last look at Harley, who had lied down on her side, before closing the door.
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It was cold and dark as Harley walked forward, not knowing where she was going. She walked around aimlessly, waiting for the first signs of life. Then something grabbed her arm in the darkness. Harley pulled away, but nothing was there. She looked around, finding herself still alone, and continued to walk.
A horrible laugh filled the air, making Harley tense. Something breathed against her neck. "Found yah, beautiful," a voice whispered in her ear.
Harley ran. She didn't know where, just anywhere. She ran until her lungs felt like they were going to burst, she ran even when her legs grew numb. The laughing continued. Two separate hands grabbed her arms, pulling her backwards to the ground. Someone's body weight pushed into her stomach, and Harley began to thrash. She cried out when they began to pull at her clothing, but not a sound came out.
Harley yelled and cried out louder, but still nothing came out. The laugh was joined by others as the hands worked their way across her body. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she kicked harder.
"... ley... Harl... Harley! HARLEY!" a voice yelled through the darkness.
Harley was jolted out of her sleep, finding that she was kicking and screaming uncontrollably. There were tiny explosions everywhere in the room, lighting up the darkness. Tears blurred her eyes, but she could see who was trying to wake her, and trying to avoid her attacks.
Grimmjow.
Harley's screams began to quiet down to large gasps of air. The explosions disappeared one by one, plunging them into darkness. Grimmjow was leaning over her face, now that she wasn't trying to kick and punch at her nightmares. One of his hands rested on a cheek, pushing her sweat soaked, bright orange hair from her face.
"You're alright," he whispered, his eyes locking with Harley's blue-grey ones. "You're alright."
Harley's body was still shaking as she tried to get back her breath and to calm her nerves. Grimmjow pulled her into his chest, hugging the young woman around the shoulders. He stroked her hair softly as sobs wracked her body. The human cried into his bare chest, gripping her sweat soaked sheets in hand.
Grimmjow sighed to himself, holding Harley tighter. "I promise, they're never coming back to get you," he spoke gently in her ear as her sobs grew quieter.
The Espada then stood up in one swift motion, cradling Harley, wrapped in her sheet, and walked towards the door. When it opened he found they had company. "Is everything okay, Grimmjow," Gin asked with his usual smile. However, everyone could hear concern behind his words.
"Everything's fine," Grimmjow answered.
"Really?" Tia asked, cocking an eyebrow, arms crossed over her chest. "It sounded like she was being murdered in there."
"She's fine," the man said again. "Just a bad dream. Everyone just go to bed."
Grimmjow closed the door behind him, closing them both off from everyone outside. He sighed to himself, walking towards his bathroom. He carefully set Harley on the ground. "Take a shower," he ordered. "I'll get you some clothes."
Harley nodded mutely as Grimmjow shut the door. The human peeled off her wet clothing before stepping into the shower. She turned the water ice cold, not wanting to feel warmth. Her body cooled down and soon shut off the water. Quickly drying off her body, Harley stepped into the clothes Grimmjow had placed on the sink. It was one of his white pants and a shirt. They were too big for her, but Harley managed. She stepped out of the bathroom to find Grimmjow sitting on the edge of his bed.
"Sorry," she whispered shyly once seeing the bags under his eyes.
"Mine are nothing compared to yours," he said. He reached out, lightly pulling Harley towards him until her legs hit the mattress. "You're sleeping here tonight, and every night after until these nightmares go away, got it?" Harley nodded. "I'm not about to leave you in a room alone like that again."
"I'm sorry I hit you..."
Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "Just get to bed."
Harley climbed on the mattress, lying down on her side. She breathed deeply as Grimmjow lie next to her, propped up on one elbow. He looked down at her relaxing form, waiting until she was completely asleep. "Grimmjow..." she murmured.
"Hmm?"
"Thanks..."
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"Very nice training today, Owl," Gin said. "You're getting better."
"Thanks!" she exclaimed happily, smiling at the man.
"You're in high spirits today... actually you've been in a good mood for a while now. Why is that?"
"I've been sleeping a lot better."
Ever since Harley had started sleeping in Grimmjow's room the nightmares were getting fewer and fewer. Occasionally they would start up, but the Espada would wake her before they became too out of control.
"I'd say that you've gotten stronger," Gin said as they walked through the halls towards the meeting room. "You might even be able to go up against an Espada."
"No, no... I don't think I could. I'm only a human with some special powers."
"I'm telling yah, yah could, Owl. You've even been fighting Tia from time to time."
"But she always wins."
"You can start from the bottom and work up."
"I don't know..."
"Think about it."
They both entered the meeting room and Harley went to stand by Grimmjow's side. "How was training?" he asked.
"It went well."
Everyone else entered and the meeting started.
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Harley walked around Las Noches. The Fraccións had been dismissed, but the Espada had to stay behind. Grimmjow had instructed her to meet her at the training grounds so he could test her power once more before the day was up. As she grew closer, she couldn't help but feel as if she was being followed. She shrugged it off, saying she was paranoid, calming her nerves so she didn't blow anything up.
Then something came down on her head and Harley passed out.
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Grimmjow walked from the meeting room, wanting to get the hell out. He had been forced to stay behind because Gin and Aizen had suggested that Harley should try for a position as an Espada. He was shocked, wondering how had she become so powerful in the last few days. It had all started after that one night when he told her that she was to stay in his room to sleep.
"She's been powerful this entire time," he muttered to himself.
Something flew out of the shadows, surprising the man. It slammed into his side, cutting the flesh. Grimmjow fell to the ground and passed out.
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When Harley awoke, she found herself outside of Las Noches lying in the desert. Quickly pushing to her feet, Harley
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