We're back baby! I know its been forever, but I finally got around to finishing this. Thank you all for the reviews and the suggestions. Thank you lilarin for beta-ing the second part of this first chapter.

This story is a direct continuation of my other story Conquest. I recommend reading Conquest first or you will find yourself utterly confused.

Same deal with the bold writing. Anything in bold is a flash forward.

Bequest: A legacy or inheritance

Chapter 1

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Swords clashed in the eerie silence of the desert cast in eternal darkness. Two beings, equal in strength and resolve, met steel to steel in the most intimate of ways.

"Somehow I knew it would come down to this sooner or later. I've only been his replacement all these years, isn't that right?" Grimmjow spat, sending his opponent a few steps back with a flourish of Pantera.

"Where have you hidden them, Grimmjow?" there was a deadly threat in Ulquiorra's voice as he easily blocked Pantera with Murcielago.

"You'll never find them, not in a million years. I'll make sure of it!" growled Grimmjow.

"You cannot keep my own children from me! They are mine! Born from my very own flesh!"

"I can and I will! I warned you! I knew this day would come and I warned you that you would have to choose! It's us or him, Ulquiorra!"

"There will be no choice. I want both. I want all! Even you, though I know now that keeping you is impossible."

"Either you come back to me, or I kill you where you stand," Grimmjow issued the ultimatum.

"You can try, Grimmjow. You can try..."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Sol regarded this man warily, still uncertain of what he was capable of. Luz hung at his hip, undrawn, but ready in case of an attack on his person. Eiji remained at the door, feigning bravery, fully prepared to bolt if the situation called for it. Sol forgave him his fear, of course. His job had only been to get Sol into Seireitei, nothing more. A sword may be on his back but he was no warrior. He was simply a guide.

"You are Aizen Souske. I've heard a great many things about you," Sol began. He cleared his throat to keep his voice from wavering.

"None of them good, I presume. The Shinigami see me as a traitor and a villain. The Hueco Mundo once regarded me as their king and savior, but a world of savage beasts can only let a foreigner sit their throne for so long. My defeat was inevitable."

"I didn't come all this way to praise or condemn you," Sol answered, raising his head and gathering his courage, "I am not here to judge your actions...call you hero or traitor. All I want from you is the truth. I will make my own judgments when you are through explaining."

"Smart boy," Aizen praised, lifting his eyebrows slightly, "But how do you know that I will be the one to tell you the truth. What if my words are merely another fabrication?"

"I've heard what the Hollows and Shinigami have said. I want to hear the story from your mouth before I decide which story, be it truth or fabrication, suits me best."

At this Aizen smiled, "Those who plan to become writers of history have no use for the truth. The truth is what they want it to be. Do you plan to make history, boy?"

"I do," Sol answered, stepping forward until he was closer to the man than he was comfortable, "And for that I need your help."

"Very well. What is it that you would like to know?"

"My parents once served you when you sat the Hueco Mundo's throne. What was their relationship?"

"One of bitter hatred, I'm afraid. One always trying to best the other," Aizen replied softly, perhaps knowing that his words would be damaging.

"Then, how is it that I came to be?" Sol asked. There was no point in beating around the bush. It was best to get it over with.

"I ordered it, of course. Your parents would never have willingly taken each other as mates had I not decreed it. It is important for you to note, however, that I only required that Ulquiorra bear a child. It was his decision to make Grimmjow your sire."

"So they did have feelings for one another?" Sol retorted, determined to wring a straight answer from this man.

"Not in the slightest. They did what needed to be done. Nothing more...at least that I am aware of."

"Why?" Sol asked, hurt straining his voice, "Why did you give the order in the first place? Why force two people to mate if they did not love each other?"

"It was merely an experiment," Aizen answered calmly, "I'd spent half my years exploring the boundaries between Shinigami and Hollow. You were the next logical step. A pure arrancar. One not subject to hollow instincts of killing and self-evolution. You must have felt it by now...the differences between you and them."

Sol did. It was so painfully obvious that he was different. Aizen ignored his silence and continued, "And of course it was interesting to watch Ulquiorra's feelings toward you turn from indifference to acceptance and finally to a point where he placed your safety above even my direct orders."

"Hollows do not love," Aizen said bluntly, "They cannot. Love is something beyond their comprehension, as is all higher emotions. They live in their own little worlds of eating, fucking and killing. That is all. But you...are something else entirely, aren't you? You are destined for more," brown eyes gazed up and down Sol appreciatively as if admiring a specimen of his own creation. After a few minutes while neither of them spoke Aizen finally let out a sigh, "I'm afraid, little hollow, that you were very foolish to come here tonight. It is a pity that you seem to have inherited Grimmjow's intellect rather than Ulquiorra's. All the way here you did not notice that you were being led right into a trap."

"What-" began Sol, confused. He was cut off by the slamming of a door. He turned around and saw Eiji staring at him sadly through the grate. There was the click of a lock "Eiji..." Sol's eyes darkened with realization, "I trusted you!"

"I'm sorry, Sol," Eiji whispered in a horrified voice, "They forced me. I didn't know what else to do." Something shoved the boy aside.

"Sleep, Arrancar," said a new voice outside the door. Purple mist filled the cell and Sol's vision began to spin, he was able to get one last look at Aizen's pitying gaze before the blackness took him.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

The world as she knew it was a dark place, but not an unhappy one. Her parents were occupied at the moment, involved in a dispute that was beyond her understanding. In the commotion, she watched her brother flash her a mischievous smile and disappear into the shadows. He was going to try and run away again, like he did every chance he got. He couldn't run on two legs like their parents. Neither of them had mastered that yet. But sometimes he could get quite far. It was a game for him. He liked the attention even if at the end he knew he would be punished. He was stronger, faster and smarter than she was. He was always winning when they wrestled. But today her curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to follow after him.

The sand was warm beneath her paws when she crawled from the safety of their home and into the open, desert air. At once, her black, feline ears perked up at the strange noises that the outside world had to offer. She followed her brother excitedly, wondering what sort of adventure he would lead her on.

After a while, she began to tire. The world beyond the nest was so stimulating and bright, but she was hungry and sleepy and gradually lost interest in her brother's quest. In fact, she lost sight of her brother all together. She didn't know where she was or how to get back, and she didn't notice the crevice in the ground until it was too late.

She fell and fell and fell for a long time until her claws managed to snag onto something. She was caught by white, spidery tree branches before being dropped again into sand. She wasn't hurt, but it didn't matter. This new place was dark and scary and it didn't look or smell like anything she was used to. She did the only thing she knew how to do in such a situation. She began to cry for her parents.

Usually her cries were responded to rather quickly, so it came as a shock to her when she found herself crying for far longer than normal. Her mews were swallowed up by the hush of the dead forest and she cried and cried but no one answered.

All of the sudden there was someone singing. It was a beautiful but eerie melody and not at all comforting to the frightened child. However, she stopped to listen when eyes appeared all around her in the darkness.

"Hmmm. This is what's disturbing the peace?" a silky voice whispered. There was movement in the darkness. A masked figure crept from the shadows. It was not one of her parents, she realized immediately.

"This little rat was making quite the ruckus. It'll draw the Menos with it's squalls. Is it stupid?" another smooth voice asked. A second, masked creature emerged. It was not one of her parents either.

"Not stupid, Celeste. Young," a third voice corrected, "She's only a cub." The third, masked being ventured close to her.

"Cub, is it? It's the King's cub then. The only cubs in the Hueco Mundo belong to the King. We should return it to it's nest and get rewarded," reasoned the first.

"What reward could possibly be better than the King's own daughter?" countered the second, "There isn't a tastier morsel on the planet, I'd wager."

"You think we can cross the King and live? No, no we'd best leave the child to her fate," said the third.

"King Grimmjow's been good to us. We ought to return the favor," said the first stubbornly.

"Aye, the King has been good to us. But what of his mate?" growled the second, "The King lies with someone who's slaughtered our kin. I'll not be forgiving that so easy."

"I agree, Celeste, but that is why I propose leaving her for the Menos instead. It gives the King no reason to be cross with us, but gives his wretched mate something to cry over. Lets leave," the third insisted.

"That's a good idea," a new, lower voice commented. A man emerged from the trees with his sword drawn. "I think you'd best be on your way now."

Her eyes grew wide. Her parents had swords like that, but he was not one of them. The atmosphere grew tense for a moment. Silent assessments and threats were made before the three masked creatures slinked back into the darkness, leaving her alone with the strange man. He picked her up and she attempted to wriggle free but his grip on her was tight.

"It's alright, little cub," the man spoke to her, "I'm going to take you home."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Ulquiorra, by nature, was a cautious man. He made certain that when he and Grimmjow settled into their new home, that no Hollow, no matter who they were, was allowed within a ten mile radius of it. If Grimmjow had business with someone other than himself, he was required to leave Ulquiorra's established perimeter. Grimmjow did not see the need for such isolation...but then there was a lot that Grimmjow didn't see. His victories in battle had made him cocky, and had lulled him into a false sense of security. He could play a "king" if he wanted, but Ulquiorra had no interest in becoming his queen.

Ulquiorra was seething when he returned from his search with only one pup, and Grimmjow had the gall to turn up empty handed. Grimmjow met his cold fury defensively.

"I searched the entire territory," he told Ulquiorra, "She's been gone too long. Something must have-"

"This is your fault Grimmjow. If you'd only blocked the entrance like I instructed you-"

"FUCK! Ulquiorra everything is my fault these days! I can't do anything right can I?! Surely our cub isn't missing because arguing with me was more important than watching her!"

"It was an argument that you started," Ulquiorra hissed as he narrowed his eyes. He could argue with Grimmjow forever. He refused to accept that their pup going missing...and possibly dying...was his own fault. He'd done everything right. It was Grimmjow who was imperfect. It was Grimmjow who needed to change.

Fortunately, he wasn't given the chance to voice his thoughts. He and Grimmjow both sensed a foreign reiatsu approaching. It was Ashido. Ulquiorra was on guard at once, clutching his sleeping son closer to his body.

"Shinigami," he spat, "You have the nerve to approach my home..." he trailed off as the Shinigami turned to Grimmjow and handed him the bundle of furs he was carrying. Grimmjow pushed them aside to reveal their daughter, sleeping peacefully, and completely unharmed.

"You seem to have a problem with touching things that aren't yours," Ulquiorra said to the Shinigami, remembering all those years back when had taken Sol into his arms without Ulquiorra's permission. The man's messy red hair was hanging over his eyes but Ulquiorra did not mistake his glare.

"I saved her life."

"Yes, that's what you want us to think, isn't? That you Shinigami have only the noblest of intentions. Do you see yourself as a hero?" Ulquiorra retorted.

"Back off, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow growled at him, stepping between him and Ashido, "She's back and she's safe. Let's leave it at that. No need to bite the head off the man who did us a service."

Ulquiorra's jaw hurt as he ground his teeth together. He had the urge to bring up Grimmjow's treason, and fuel the fire with further accusations. Did Grimmjow value his unnatural friendship with this Shinigami even more than the feelings of his own mate? The thought made him fume.

"When I found her the Forest Sirens were deciding whether to leave her for the Menos, or to just eat her themselves," Ashido said acidly, "They don't much care for you, Ulquiorra."

"I reduced their number by half while working for Szayel. I don't expect any Hollow to hold me in high regards. To do so would be foolish," Ulquiorra sent Grimmjow a glare as he said this.

"Thank you, Ashido. We," he accented the last word pointedly and returned Ulquiorra's glare, "are grateful and recognize your selfless deed."

"Yes, do us another and get out," Ulquiorra added. And Grimmjow only sighed. The Shinigami left and he and Grimmjow wordlessly returned to their cave. It was a more complex shelter than anything in the past, a fair labyrinth of stone lay between them and their sleeping chamber.

"You told me that the forest clans who fought for you were all dead," Ulquiorra said in a hushed voice to Grimmjow's back as they walked.

"I said they were no longer a threat," Grimmjow corrected, "Not dead,"

"A lie then. Clearly they are a threat, wanting to eat our cub. Were you naïve enough, Grimmjow, to think that everyone who fought on your side during the war is going to adore you forever? Did you think that the Hueco Mundo that named you king, really gives a damn about you?" Ulquiorra's voice rose slightly so that it was no longer a whisper, "Have you forgotten what dimension we live in?"

Grimmjow stopped walking, and in the narrow corridor, Ulquiorra was forced to do the same.

"Yeah Ulquiorra," he hissed, "Maybe for a moment I did forget. Luckily, you're a living example of how cold and cruel we Hollow really are." After that both of them ceased talking. They both reached their sleeping chamber and laid the infants in their arms in their proper bed without a word.

In the small space, the noise of Ulquiorra drawing Murcielago was amplified.

"Meet me outside with your sword, Sexta," Ulquiorra stole a glance to their tiny pups, "And bar the door correctly this time."

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Grimmjow did as Ulquiorra asked, taking special care to seal the entrance behind him exactly as Ulquiorra had told him. He took his time, making sure that Ulquiorra had to wait nice and long before he finally joined him outside.

"Draw your sword," Ulquiorra commanded him.

Grimmjow glanced down at Pantera and then back to Ulquiorra. "No," he replied.

"Then I will make you. We obviously cannot resolve our argument with words, so let us do the talking with our swords."

"I don't want to fight you," apparently this was the wrong thing to say, because Grimmjow suddenly found himself barely dodging Murcielgo's gleaming blade. He was forced to take Pantera from its sheath to meet the cold steel with his own.

"That's part of your problem, Grimmjow. Have you aged to the point where you've lost your mind? Have your teeth and claws fallen out? I can't decide if you're lazy or if you've just gone soft," Ulquiorra's eyes were green slits, glaring at him in the moonless darkness.

They exchanged some hard blows and found themselves panting after several minutes. "I don't want to do this," Grimmjow stated. His reply was a sword strike that nicked him across the cheek. "I'm not the one with a problem, Ulquiorra. What the hell has made you so damn volatile?" Ulquiorra responded with his sword. The Sixth Espada was pushed back as he defended himself against two more lethal attacks.

"Have you gone completely insane Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow finally yelled, "I don't know who you are anymore! You're living in one of your nightmares...seeing enemies where there are none. Your paranoia is completely ridiculous. You're afraid of your own damn shadow and I don't understand why," Grimmjow at last put some power behind his swordplay and forced Ulquiorra on the defensive. "What the hell are you so afraid of?" Ulquiorra's eyes were wide now and sweat trickled down his forehead. His chest heaved up and down with his heavy breathing.

"Perhaps I've decided that your bloodshed is necessary. Perhaps I've decided that you've endangered us one too many times. You're careless and foolish and it's time I remove you from the picture before you get us all killed."

Grimmjow was shocked, and highly offended, "How can you say something like that?" his voice had dropped low and deadly and his sword was swung more forcefully. It was an all-out fight now. Nothing was held back and both of them were aiming to do serious damage. "How could you think that?!" Grimmjow demanded, "After all that I've sacrificed!" with that, his sword suddenly found it's mark creating a long, deep gash across Ulquiorra's body extending from shoulder to hip.

Ulquiorra dropped his sword in shock and fell to one knee. His shirt was quickly stained with blood before his regenerative abilities worked to close the wound. But Grimmjow knew his sword had gone much deeper than skin and muscle. Ulquiorra was seriously wounded. He knew it too. His face was sent in a disgusted snarl.

"I'm leaving. And I'm taking my pups with me."

Grimmjow sonidoed in front of him and blocked Ulquiorra from entering the cave. Again, Ulquiorra lifted his sword to fight, but this time Grimmjow easily knocked it from his grip. He held Pantera's tip to Ulquiorra's throat.

"Look at you. How pathetic. I'll defend my cave and my cubs. You'll be leaving alright, but you'll go alone or Pantera will taste your blood again."

For a moment it looked like Ulquiorra might pick up Murcielago and resume the fight. Grimmjow had never seen so much anger in his mate's eyes. However, after a few tense seconds, Ulquiorra took a step back, and lifted his chin defiantly.

"I should have killed you when Aizen ordered me to," he panted, "If I'd only done as I was told that day, I'd still be the Fourth Espada, I'd still have Sol, and I wouldn't have had to suffer your idiocy ever again." He retrieved Murcielago, sheathed it, and then turned his back on Grimmjow. He began to limp away.

Grimmjow, still burning with fury, simply watched him leave. His mate's words had cut him like a knife and it had taken all his strength to restrain himself and not injure the other arrancar futher. It wasn't until long after Ulquiorra was gone from sight that Grimmjow was suddenly overwhelmed with intense loneliness and regret. He returned to the cave with his head hung, and pulled his sleeping cubs close. They were so tiny still, only a few months old. Ulquiorra could not possibly be back to full strength yet. Guilt struck him hard. He'd injured his mate when he ought to be still taking care of him. Ulquiorra had fought him in a bout of passion. His concern had been for his cubs only. He may have come off as paranoid to Grimmjow but now that he had time to calm down and think, he had to admit that perhaps Ulquiorra was only being protective, as anyone who'd birthed cubs had a right to be.

And with his own sword he nearly cut his mate to pieces. No matter who had been in the right, Grimmjow should have kept himself in check. Now his two little cubs were motherless. When the dawn came they would open their wide eyes and wonder where Ulquiorra was. They would cry for him and later wonder why he had abandoned them. Grimmjow closed his eyes to finally sleep, resolving to find Ulquiorra the next moon and bring him back home where he belonged.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

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