In hindsight, he should have trusted his guts. His instincts, the quiet voice in the back of his mind that told him to wait, to rearrange, to talk this over with one certain mad scientist, to not rush right in just this fucking once.

But he hadnt even looked back. Pushed all thoughts about reinforcements in form of his friends, human or shinigami or anyone for that matter, aside. Not thinking about this whole thing twice. He just went ahead, like always. Thats who he was and how he worked. Never looking back, always walking forward, because, really, that had been the only direction for him since he had been nine years old.

Not that he regreted it. There wasnt any use, crying over spilled milk or however that saying went... He hadnt had time to sulk about his fucked up live for quiet a long time now. Had been forced to suck it up, like always. Except, this really wasnt like all the other times. This was not something he had seen coming at all.

Well, maybe he had. Just like the Arrancars instinct had screamed to get someone, anyone, because some shit was about to hit Huceo Mundos fan yet again, Ichigos instincts had nagged at him, hovered over him like a gray cloud.

That fateful, annoyingly peaceful evening in Karakura Town, Ichigo laid on his bed. Deciding to enjoy one of the few warm nights left before autumn would eventually catch up and the wind would become sharp and snappy. Closing his eyes only for a few seconds, or so he remembered it at least, he felt the air shift as well as a certain kind of pressure, dark and oppressing. So he was forced to open them yet again. Sighing, he got up to greet the Arrancar standing in front of him with a cocked eyebrow.

Silence followed.

" 's there something I can help you with?" he slurred, still feeling kind of drowsy.

His only answer was a glare from teal coloured, narrowed eyes. Letting his jaw rest on his palm, Ichigo tried to supress a jawn, and failed. Grimmjow crossed his arms and started to pace back and forth, completly ignoring the hybrid. Now Ichigo was a lot of things, but not stupid, no matter what the others tended to say. He picked up how tense the other male was, how mechanical he moved. Something was wrong, wasnt as it was supposed to be. He sat straight, eyes focused.

"What happened?"

The Arrancar finally stopped his pacing in order to look at Ichigo. Looking at him as thought he needed to cofirm something. Whatever it was that the man searched for, he found it. Gimmjow let a quiet growl escape his throat. Besides being partially Hollow himselfe, Ichigo knew enough about the other to identify this as a concerned sound. And that gave him a unsettling feeling. Grimmjow wasnt someone to be concerned about anything.

"We, might need your help.", he said, managing to give the word we a certain sound, making it weight on Ichigos shoulders. Huh. Did he just mishear?

"Help?"

Grimmjows jaw tightened.

"From me?"

The growl sounded pissed this time.

"I said we might Shinigami, dont get me wrong here. It's not me who's actually asking for any sort of help, got that?"

Ichigo might have used this to throw some nice insults at the Arrancar but he felt the pressure resting on Grimmjow. Something was not right after all, it felt wrong... So instead of flinging some imature comments at him he waited for Grimmjow to start talking.

And Grimmjow, now having Ichigos full attention, spoke.

"We need you to come to Huceo Mundo, something..", he paused, searching for words that sounded right. "Something is not quiet right over there." He returned Ichigos slightly annoyed, questioningly look. "It's not something you can describe. You need to see... feel, for yourselfe."

Grimmjow hadnt even given him names, this was serious. Ichigo had no ambitions to leave the realm of the living anytime soon thou.

"Try me."

That earned him a exasperate sigh. "Godamnit Kurosaki, stop being a pain in the ass, lets just get it over with." In Grimmjow terms, that was still pretty polite, what kind of terrifying stuff happened in Huceo Mundo that made Grimmjow go to this length to get Ichigos help ?

Feeling the beginning of a bad headache, Ichigo got up. Mulling over the possibility to take a detour and show up at Urahara's first. He didnt know why he wanted to, maybe to inform, maybe to discuss (because no matter how annoying and mad, Urahara was a fucking genius) or only for Ichigo to know there was some back up just in case, someone who knew where he was. Because he got this feeling. This kind of foresaken feeling as if he was a sacrifice running right into the beasts mouth.

But he was ripped from his thoughts just as Grimmjow ripped the air appart, opening a path into the darkness. The Arrancar threw him this special kind of look over his shoulders. This look he only ever got to see on the faces of the few people who crushed theire pride and finally asked for his help.

This was bad. He really should get his ass moving, preferably in the opposite direction. Despite his thoughts he sliped his hands in his pockets, grasping the badge he knew so well.

"Okay."

No, this is not fucking okay!

He still left his body and draped it on the bed.

"Let's get going."

Grimmjow only nodded and went ahead. Ichigo didnt look back when he went through the Garganta.

He had to squint his amber eyes when he stepped into the vastness that was Huceo Mundo. Bright, he thought. Wasnt it supposed to be kinda dim around here, without Aizens fake sun and all that?

Besides the harsh moonlight stinging in his eyes, he managed to make out the forms of five others, seemingly waiting for them to arrive. Grimmjow shot him another look. One that got Ichigo really thinking how deep in shit the Arrancars must be to call for his help. No need for useless formalitys then.

"So," Ichigo asked the obvious leader of the group. A woman he didnt remember ever fighting against. And since Grimmjow had to accept her as defacto leader Ichigo probably wouldnt have wanted to anyway. "Whats the big deal?"

The woman, Harribel, he remembered later, gave him a gruff once over before pointing at something behind her back. "It's not exactly something we can show you but you can certainly feel it already. Over there it's even worse."

And really, Ichigo could feel how the air felt still, the kind of opressive silence he remembered right before a bad fight started, just... longer lasting. Like nothing in Huceo Mundo dared to move, or even breath as to not interrrupt the death silence it seemed to be caught in.

They moved closer to what looked like the remains of a castle. Maybe Aizens first attempt at Las Noches? Whatever it was, the closer Ichigo got, the farther he wanted to be away from it. He wanted to ask, voice his thoughts. Tell them that he really wasnt the person who was needed here. But rather someone who was more well versed in this whole Reiatsu, Reishi balance of powers stuff. Someone more Urahara like, scientist like. But all of a sudden he felt as thou breaking this eerie silence was a good idea at all. As if this wasnt a place he should set foot in. As thought any sound would shatter a spell that should never break.

"Do you understand now?", Harribel asked in a hushed voice. Ichigo only dared to nod slowly. He felt more and more disgusted by this place, the air and even the moonlight that flooded the ground, turning everything a dazzling white. Giving him the worst headache he had since a long time.

He obviously wasnt the only one feeling like Satan, stepping into a church, because one of the four following Arrancar, one of Harribels Fraccion as he would be told later, nudged her in the side looking in the opposite direction. A silent plea in her eyes.

They turned around and went all the way back. It felt like eternety until the place was out off sight. That was when Ichigo finally dared to take a full breath. Damn, he hadnt even noticed how they all had tried to breath shallow enough to nearly suffocate.

"What the fucking hell was that?", he asked.

Grimmjow grimaced.

"It started last week, continuously growing worse." Tier explained. "We tried exploring the grounds since it's the worst over there but.."

"We couldnt even enter that fucked up place!" Grimmjow snapped. "Whatever is going on there, is hindering us to go near that site. As if the whole thing is overloaded with something, trying to press into that space!"

Ichigo felt overloaded to. This really wasnt his department, how was he supposed to help here. He didnt even know what-

- overloaded with something, trying to press into that space! -

Ichigo blinked. "Overloaded... Grimmjow!"

"What?!"

Hadnt he felt this before? A opressive kind of feeling, like something wants to push itselfe into a too tiny box. "Do you remember that time when the Vandenreich took over Seireitei?"

"You mean that stupid-" but he stopped once he remembered, looking aghast. Tia looked back and forth between them. "Oh great, just great.", he huffed

"I need to get Urahara or someone from the twelfte. They need to take a look at this. And that fast, it feels as thought that thing grows." Grimmjow in his typical fashion, tugged his katana out and thrusted it into the air usig it just like a key.

Nothing happened.

He tried again.

Nothing.

Ichigo stared at him. "Grimmjow, the hell are you doing?"

"Stabbing your invisible counterpart!" he answered sarcastic. "What does it look like retard?"

Tia who tried opening a garganta as well, too failed. "Huh?"

Grimmjow indess got really pissed. "The hell is this shit!"

But Tia remained stoic. "It looks as thought we cant send you home Kurosaki Ichigo. The space wont open a passage for us."

"Haah?! Wait, no, does that mean I'm stuck in here?"

"That means we're all stuck in here." Grimmjow added.

That was Ichigos sign to have a panic attack. "No, No! I cant stay, I need to find Urahara and tell him! What if whoever's behind this is attacking right now and nobody is prepared at all. Fuck no, thats, thats-"

Tia put her hand on his shoulder in what should be a soothing manner. But instead of calming his nerves he just got more frantic.

"So what now? What should we do now? Dont you gusy have something to contact the shinigami with?" Ichigo paced back and fourth between a ligthly confused Tia Harribel annd her three fraccions, a shivering Arrancar he didnt know and a pissed Grimmjow. "Wasnt there this one guy, that scientist one? Szasael or whatever?"Ichigo asked hopefully. But Grimmjow just scoffed. "Ya guys killed 'em. Remember?"

Not really, but Ichigos mind was already elsewhere anyway. How was he to go back home? He was needed over there after all. what if the anonym enemy was about to attack and he wasnt there to protect them? Them... Everyone, whatever. It was his duty to protect, what should he do now that he was stuck here?

"Damn. Damn!"

Grimmjow just watched Ichigo pace some more until he jawned dramatically. "Well, I'll be taking my leave then." But Ichigo reacted faster than he had anticipated. He grabbeed the arrancars collor and slammed him onto the ground. "No one leaves until we know how I will get back!", he hissed.

"Hey, hey Shinigmi it's not my duty to babysitt you. I showed you what I needed to show you now you ca take care of youreselfe cant you?!" Grimmjow jumped back on his fet and grabbed Ichigos own collar, holding his face close. "Youre a hollow youreselfe after all so open a garganta yourselfe.", he growled low.

He pushed Ichigo away and stracked in the opposide direction. Tia just watched, seemingly bored. "I shall take my lave as well then."; she said and Ichigo wanted her to wait, to stop, to help, but-

she was gone. Using sonido she was gone together with her fraccioon in a flash. going off in direction that he guessed where the forgotten ruins of las noches laid. Leaving him with a scared mess of wannabe arrancar in the dunes of Huceo Mundo.