Summary:Grimmjow was Numero 12. He was the twelfth arrancar created by the Hogyaku and so has been in Las Noches long before others.
A hollow monster
The path to become a Vasto Lorde was hard, years upon years of eating others hollows and living with the fear of being bitten and halt the development forever. Grimmjow remembered barely being a Gillian, a sea of screaming voices, a blur of existence until one day he woke up as an Adjuchas surrounded by white sand.
The problem with having conscience again, was hunger, but it wasn't a hunger of food but something else. Without the voices he felt alone...hollow, and the need to fill the emptiness with others energies was as strong as gravity, but Grimmjow wasn't a fool and knew the way to success in the savage world of Hueco Mundo was having a pack. The chances of defeating/eating a more powerful enemy increased that way, and for some reason having followers eased the void on his person enough that sometimes he forgot the hunger and was content with spending lazy time over the rocks.
But even when hunger was let to rest, he always remembered his goal: becoming a Vasto Lorde and making himself the king of all. After all, the strongest rules over all, and in a place so big as Hueco Mundo there were a lot of hollows waiting for their King to come. Someone to give meaning to their existences. That would be him.
He had formed a very strong group, counting him they were six Adjuchas, with those numbers and strength they were never the prey and always the hunters. A less man would have taken years to succeed, instead of that Grimmjow became a Vasto Lorde in just a decade.
Even in a place with eternal night, days and years could be counted if one were smart enough. It was a shift from cold to heat for the days, and four different seasons that had their own cycle in Hueco Mundo, for example in "autumn" there was a lot of Sand Storms that trashed the world for months.
He had noticed that detail back in his lesser hollows days, of course, after becoming a Gillian the memories of how, when and why were forgotten and it become a thing he just knew.
It was just on one of those stormy days, two years after his transformation, that everything changed.
Yylford was being a jerk, missing the blood and flesh on his teeth, he had decided to pick a fight against Edrad. The sandstorm outside the cave crawled the wind and more or less it had become one of those days that Grimmjow wished to crack open someone's skull.
He was a Vasto Lorde at least, but it was impossible to navigate outside their refugee with the sand storm, his kingdom had to wait until the climate changed. Smashing Yylford against the wall would have to do.
"What's the deal, Grimmjow?" The Adjuchas snarled at his Lord, a small bleeding crack on his arm. His leader answered with another smack on the head.
Yylford finally closed his mouth and went to his corner and let Grimmjow alone with his fury. The Vasto Lorde wanted to fight someone but his men were not challenge to him.
A strange aroma arrived to him, even with his mask, his senses were superior to almost every other hollow and so he was the only one to notice it even at that distance.
He focused and he could sense three men, their smell was alluring and the taste that formed in his mouth was a give away: Soul Reapers. It was enough to make him lick the long fangs of his mask.
Even the weakest of the Soul Reaper had a special flavor, one that was always tasty and melted just right on the mouth. More than once, Soul Reapers had made their way to Hueco Mundo and become an appetizer for Grimmjow.
Soft meat had arrived at his door and he would take advantage of that.
He waited them inside, calming down his pack and feeling every second drag slowly, almost making him want to tore apart someone of his pack but before his thirst grew bigger than him, the soul reapers arrived.
"Good day" a man clad in black and with a white haori said upon entering the cave, at his side two men dressed almost the same walked a few steps behind. One was a black man and the other was so white that his hair was silver. But Grimmjow knew the true danger was the soft looking man, the one with glasses and cordial words "My name is Sosuke Aizen"
The smile of the man widened. The name didn't ring any bells in Grimmjow head, but very few Hollows cared about Soul Society affairs, the only soul reapers that Hollows cared about were the scouters.
The brown haired soul reaper wasn't a scouter.
The power of the Soul Reaper raised and his spiritual pressure was enough to make Grimmjow's pack have difficulties to stand tall...Grimmjow looked at the happy face of the Soul Reaper; lips curled up, eyes condescending and standing confident in front of Grimmjow.
"Grimmjow Jeagerjaques" the hollow said and in a jump he headed to the Soul Reaper neck.
It was beyond ridiculous, hollows following a Soul Reaper and pledging loyalty like weak humans. But that was what happened, Aizen offered power in exchange of a vow and Grimmjow became an Arrancar that one day felt powerful enough to face a Captain heads on and without any fancy trick. But that wasn't either a road in the park or a sudden switch in power.
No, the first decade was truly a maddening experience:
His first days as an Arrancar was a hell ride, a constant ache in his chest and a hot inferno feeling crawling on his skin and face. The inferno muted in the third day, but he didn't raise until two weeks later.
After removing his mask he could not move an inch for a week and there was a constant metallic taste on his mouth. Next week went and he could barely open his eyes without a migraine tormenting him.
When he woke up and his head didn't made the world spin, he finally decided to ask for his pack to slender pink haired man that was at his bed side, monitoring some square device. The slender hollow looked straight at Grimmjow.
"Interesting, two weeks and already talking. Lord Aizen will appreciate this development" the stranger said with a crazy smile that made his golden irises glint with malice.
"Where is my pack?!" Grimmjow snarled, headache be damned, he would wipe the smug of that girly face if the other didn't answer.
"Those Gillians?"
"Adjuchas, idiot!" now he was mad, this piece of meat was not only ugly but stupid and Grimmjow was going to put a hole through his chest.
The slender hand of the mad man took the one of Grimmjow with an iron grip and those golden crazed eyes stared at him with amusement "My, my. Do you really believe you can defeat an Espada? Know well, I'm Szayazel Aporro Granz, Quinta Espada. Doesn't ring any bells? Let me tell you, Espadas are above any other Hollow and the only reason why you are still in one piece is because Lord Aizen ordered so. But he only gave you one chance, next time you will end up as part of MY experiments"
The grip lessened as the man licked his lips and Grimmjow had to dig his nails in the bedsheets to contain himself. This was madness, someone humiliating him and he couldn't do anything about it! Aizen had offered him powers but at his weakened state he was as strong as a normal Hollow.
He felt cold at the realization, he had become weaker. All those years, probably centuries, gone because he had trusted a soul reaper.
More like he was forced to comply to the jerk commands, it was dying or following. Grimmjow cursed his choice for just a second before deciding that no, the only one to blame and try to rip apart was Aizen.
"Your Gillian's are fine" Szayazel said after some minutes, scrawling something in a clipboard "The Numero 11 is still asleep and the next one is programmed for the procedure in two weeks"
"Numero 11? What kind of bullshit is that?!" He said as he laughed, it was something stupid to hear and he couldn't even get mad about the sheer level of stupidity.
"Lord Aizen likes order. We are numbered according to the date we undergo the Hogyaku arrancarization treatment. Myself was zero-four. Remember to tell that to your gillians, maybe you all will learn one or two things. Beast" the pink haired man eyes shined with enough wickeness to make Grimmjow skin crawl and then the crazy guy, without saying another word, went out of the small room.
"So, you are the new guy!" A nice looking woman entered the room without asking permission "I'm the Primera Espada, Bella Bailarina, everyone calls me Bel except our Lord"
"Primera? Are you the first numero?" Grimmjow watched the woman again, feminine curves, white skin and wavy white blond hair in a ponytail, the remnants of her mask hiding her right eye, forehead and part of her hair. She didn't look that much of a threat.
"Mister Doce, you are wrong. I'm not a numero, I'm a natural Arrancar. A lot of the Espadas are Natural Arrancars, a lot of us are Adjuchas that couldn't evolve enough to become Vasto Lordes but were strong to rip out our masks with our own hands...But our power can't go further, it seems" she said with a lot of sadness in her voice "I hope you work hard to live up to Lord Aizen expectations!"
"Aizen? The Soul Reaper!"
The hand of the woman was at Grimmjow neck in less than a blink, and once again Grimmjow dammed Aizen lies, he was weaker than before if someone as this girl could disappear of his senses with that much ease.
"Don't dare to talk again of Lord Aizen that way!" She breathed at his face, one pink eye judging every movement. Espadas were crazy, Grimmjow knew that at least, they attacked from nowhere. As crazy as their Lord.
"What are you doing, Miss Primera Espada" a soft girly voice asked from the door, unseen from Grimmjow view "Mister Szayazel wants him recovered before the Quince cirugy"
"Roca, my dear" Bella laughed and moved out, releasing Grimmjow finally before turning her back at him, the stupid woman believed herself so high as to give him her back. And he felt sickened at knowing that he couldn't do anything now, thanks to Stupid Aizen with his Stupid Fake Lies. "I was giving him ground rules. It's my duty as the Primera to keep things in order until our Lord returns"
"I see. Then I let everything at your judgement, my lady" the unknown woman steps echoed at the hall before the silence settled in Grimmjow's room.
"Very well, Doce... I know your kind, you will never be loyal to our Lord, but engrave this in your empty head, if I ever catch you bad mouthing Lord Aizen, I will kill you... and your friends" Bella didn't even face Grimmjow as she spoke the last sentence so he raised his middle finger in a sign of defiance. He would kill that woman after breaking Aizen head.
Circucci, the Tercera Espada, was much more funny that the rest of the people on the lair. Lord Aizen base of operations was on a maze of caves conditioned to work and look as rooms. It was crowded even with the small number of 38 beings: Ten arrancars and eighteen hollows that were just annoying servants or food if anyone got hungry.
According to Circucci, it was practically unnecessary to eat hollows, evolution that way was unnecessary for arrancarized Adjuchas and Vasto Lordes, and Lord Aizen provided more "civilized" food for his army. Some pills and some lame reishi bars.
"I hate that shit!" He said, without saying if he was talking about the lame food or Aizen.
"Me too" she said without losing a beat, but her eyes scanned the place in search of Bella. Everyone feared the crazy Primera and the madmen that was the Quinta. There were only six espadas at the at that moment, the others arrancars too weak to aim such a high rank. Exception Grimmjow, he would take one of those seats in less that a blink of an eye. Or so he believed.
"How long until Shawlong wakes the fuk up?" He asked her to change theme, one that wouldn't have them hanged up.
"Uhm, is he still alive? The two before him didn't survive that long"
Grimmjow realized, again, that he really despised Aizen now, hiding information, the damn bastard. He had said nothing about dying in that stupid ritual with that lame small purple ball!
"I would ask Szayazel if you want. Or perhaps ask Lord Aizen when he returns. After all, he would help the next one in two days" she grinned and shaked her head "You better do something about your powers, the first Vasto Lorde to have his mask arrancarized should be more powerful than a menos. At this rate, your guts would be splattered"
"Stupid woman! Ya know nothing of my powers!"
She stuck out her tongue and gave him her most cheeky smile.
"Uh, afraid? Don't worry pal, I will make a grave with your rest, put your bones in the shape of a cat and bury you with sand because even dead you might want to take a piss"
He liked Circucci, but perhaps he liked her better death as everyone in that dammed place.
She squinted her eyes and looked at the wall, her dark black buckles bouncing a little with the movement. Unlike him, she was fine in enclosed spaces and would occupy her time fixing the small details in the lair, probably she was checking the wall to see how to make the place more home-like.
She had even put a paint in the infirmary the same day he was good enough to walk. Shawlong would appreciate the green and purple image of a sea much more than Grimmjow, that was for sure.
"Where do you get those toys, like the one in your room and the infirmary?" He asked, trying to sound casual, but he was really curious about all those things, bringing things from the real world was always hard, not unheard of, but he didn't think Circucci had the patience to do the deed.
"I asked Lord Aizen" she said, her eyes widened in terror and got near to Grimmjow, her mouth whispering in his ear send a small shiver to his core, he wasn't human but he felt long forgotten primitive impulses on his skin again "I was lucky.. Be careful...that man, he is dangerous"
Grimmjow knew that, he had a pretty good idea of what to expect from the Soul Reaper, that even voice and condescending eyes were a constant nightmare that he was, at the moment, unable to rip off. But Aizen had no space on his mind at that moment.
Something had changed with the proximity of her skin. And she noticed inmediatly.
Circucci looked at him and smiled seductively, Grimmjow was grateful for the first time about his much more human-like form. And looking at her, he knew she felt the same.
"Brother?" Grimmjow asked again. Four months after arriving at that hole, finally all his pack was fine, awake and arrancarized, every single one of them weaker than before and being nothing but servants to the Espadas.
Dordonni, the Cuarta Espada, was specially bossy, always ordering everyone to clean up the place or to hunt, because eating fellow lackeys of Aizen was forbidden since Arroniero, the second in charge, made a mess with one of the hollows a month ago. Still, the scientists was much worse.
And talking about the madman..
"Yes, Szayazel..is..my little brother" Yylford answered evenly, his human features arranged in something that Grimmjow recalled as disdain, he continued with annoyance this time "It's strange, last time I didn't feel as shitty...we should have not trusted that scum Reaper!"
"It's too late now" Shawlong said, his calm voice soothing everyone to remain calm "Now, what do we do, my lord?"
At the same time his servant said that, the pressure of Aizen arrived to the lair, Grimmjow grinned. The King of the World was him, and Aizen was just another body to step over, it was just a matter of time. After all, what is a King without subjects? Aizen had no one, not Grimmjow or his pack, so the game was loaded in Grimmjow favor, it was just a matter of waiting.
Every Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde worth their weight knew about Barragan, the old immovable King of Las Noches, he existed even before time they said. Kings from other lands had tried to overtake the old Hollow's land and all had failed, his army and himself keeping the same ground as always when others retreated or had their land overtaken.
Hollows were human once, their greed was to be expected, so wars between factions were always there, Grimmjow was strong as an Adjuchas, so he always survived those feuds even when he lacked a complete army.
"We will build a castle here" Aizen said as he walked on the floor of Las Noches, the eternal moon illuminating his deadly face "This will be our Kingdom"
The small committee composed of six arrancares, two Adjuchas, five hollows and two soul reapers was all that was needed to submit the forces that were crawling on the ruins. Grimmjow didn't saw any sign of Barragan, and wondered mildly if the old King had ever existed.
Days later, Grimmjow and company were doing the manual labor of building a wall, Aizen had given them instructions that Bel was eager to follow, so alongside an strange old soul Reaper that no one had seen before, he was an odd fellow with cranky attitude and a loud voice, but knew about masonry, and that was more than any other could say.
Iddolad was strangely good in understanding what the old soul Reaper wanted, as in second nature he learned what to do, and become the second in charge of the building of the tall wall, hollows that were around the place following orders if they wanted to survive and not being eaten in the afternoon were eager to please.
In fact, the low level hollows were competing against each other. Reserves were low in the new fortress, the big chunk of Aizen forces still back on the lair...but maths weren't adding. He had counted the people on the base and in Las Noches, but knew that they were already in the numero 24. So he had at least eight arrancares that were in neither place.
"A bone for your toughs" Bel said as she loomed over his seated form.
"Where are the rest of the Arrancar? They aren't here or back in the lair!" He said as he stood up, taking advantage of his taller frame to look down at Bel.
"Our Lord has more than one basement. We aren't to be in the same place, and much less have unknown hollows gathering Intel about who our Lord is. Adjuchas are strong, but sometimes..Wild" Bel winked at Grimmjow before continuing her info dump "An Arrancar would never forget the orders of our Lord. Destroy unwanted enemies"
Grimmjow wanted to laugh at that. There was no such thing as wanted enemies. A enemy was an enemy. Instead of laughing out loud he chuckled a little, but Bel didn't mind, she was more amused at something else.
"Looking at your happy mood and how much free time you have, it makes me think" her smile widened "...go for the stacks of rock that are in the warehouse, and then go to the well, we need all the water you can carry this day. Don't take any other break, understood?"
He grinned at that. Damm Bel, he would have fantasized to cut her throat long ago, but her voice was too melodic and she was too funny and bloody to want death. Just that morning she had destroyed a hollow in four parts to give everyone their share of food. Making Bel a puddle of blood needed to wait until they had Aizen's human like food or Szayazel's strange riatsu pills, meanwhile he would enjoy the normal violence of the breakfast.
That night he slept with all his muscles aching. That kind of thing didn't happen when he was a Vasto Lorde, another thing to add for the moment he had Aizen at his mercy, bleeding and screaming his lungs out.
It was his turn to take care of the gate, Aizen away the iron grip of Bel ruled above all. They were building a castle in the middle of Las Noches, only four edifications inside that had to be protected. One was for Aizen, other belonged to Szayazel, the third for Bel and the fourth for the rest of them.
It was a shame Circucci was back at the lair, but Aizen had a lot of those small fortes segregated in different places of Hueco Mundo and their old Head Quarter needed at least two Espada protecting it in case one of the lesser fortes required help. Circucci had lived in Las Noches four years ago, helping in the construction of an underground basement. She had not arrived alone, an Adjuchas by the name of Zommari made his first appearance on the Kingdom, but after two years, the two had returned to the old headquarter.
Time had really gone by. The building of the surrounding wall had taken four whole years in being finished, but after that, Aizen could bring more things from Soul Society to Hueco Mundo, the place safe enough to held them. He had even created an underground farm with incredible easiness a few months ago.
For much he hated Aizen and fantasized to step over those square glasses and then kill him, Grimmjow respected the Soul Reaper command, very few of them had died under his ten years rule. Hunger and fear to being eaten long forgotten at some point in those years. Well, except low level hollows, still prey and food for the growing up army needed to defend the place. Hollows had tried invading after the first edification was built five years ago, but failed at the hands of the Pikaro.
The Pikaro were a bunch of short sized adjuchas that worked as a unit, probably all were at one point part of the same Gillian. They were the leftovers of Barragan, but never tried anything to defy Aizen. It was strange how they reacted with violence against the second invasion. Aizen had removed their masks after that display of loyalty, letting childish faces and small bodies to form.
Grimmjow had been there, Aizen's eyes had widen and his forever smug smile had dissipated once the first small hand reached for his black drove. The small ball at his hand shinning purple was almost dropped but he regained his normal demeanour and keep doing the arrancatification for each one of them with clinical precision.
Szayazel found that as the most competent route, letting the process to normal devices and having the Pikaro follow the normal painful path of a month to recover was risky, after all, without Aizen, they lacked hands and space to ensure the Pikaro had the proper evolution.
One time the brother of Yyford told them that if Aizen put enough riatsu when making the arrancatification he would end the process in less than an hour. Considering that the almost fifty kids were running around the place just a day after the treatment, Grimmjow had to consider Aizen as some kind of riatsu freak.
Even then, he would defeat the bastard and have that brown hair tinted in blood and Szayazel eating his own corpse, scratch the last part, Szayazel probably ate his corpse already, he was enough crazy as to do that.
Grimmjow was musing about that when a monstrous riatsu appeared in front of the Third Gate. He used sonido to arrive to it, hoping he wasn't late. Bel would kill him if something happened to her precious wall.
"I want to talk with the Usurper trash!" A Vasto Lorde screamed from the other side of the gate. Wild orange hair and the mask with features of a Lion, his building strong and Grimmjow knew he couldn't defeat this man even in his better old days. He was stronger that Bel if riatsu was enough to go. "I want to join his ridiculous army!"
His instinct screamed that the Hollow was dangerous but Aizen had ordered that any application to join his army should be heard of, so he let the Hollow inside and lead him to Bel and the Segunda Espada, Aaroniero, were there during the talking in case that the strange Hollow tried anything.
The strange Hollow swore loyalty to Aizen and helped as any other in the build of the different places.
"Lord Aizen returns tomorrow" Bel sang as she sparred against Grimmjow, he launched a cero at her face and she ducked, the explosion send sand around them and both coughed for a while. "Can't believe that! Now I do have to dodge your cero's, Doce. You have improved"
Bel smiled at him before sending a cero to his torso and he had to sacrifice his hands for protection. It would hurt at least four hours, but he would survive, Bel was training him, not killing him.
Women were sentimental creatures, falling easily in love and being fools of others wims. Bel was the strongest Arrancar, a hard worker and the most loyal of Aizen followers. That would be her downfall, loving a sick man that would kill her when she was deemed as useless. She trained Grimmjow at Aizen orders even if meant she would lose her rank. He was getting better, she was not, so it was just a matter of time until she was outclassed.
"Yesterday a Vasto Lorde send a messenger" Bel sheathed her sword and elaborated "His name was Nel, I think. He said would arrive sometime in the next three months, so he would not see our Lord when he arrives...We better stock our reserves again, even Vasto Lordes would lost their mind if hunger attacks, and if he comes we need everything to be safe"
"Wasn't Nel a chick?" Grimmjow decided to ignore the veiled proposition of him going into hunting. He liked to hunt, but only if it was for himself. And hollows were kind of unnecessary when pills of riatsu and human food served and tasted better respectively.
"You know her?"
"No. But I know she is. My gut tells me it!" He grinned when she looked at his hole "Jealous already?"
Bel face reddened, probably thinking about Aizen with another woman, why was she afraid of that he didn't knew. As far as Grimmjow was concerned the Soul Reaper was on the other side of the fence, that smooth voice couldn't belong to a man that liked women, and then there was that weak Hollow girl that tried to seduce Aizen four years ago without success.
Aizen's army was growing big, already in numero 39. Only four of them were dead as far as he knew, one at the hands of another, the killer sentenced to death at Tousen hands. The other two failed during their missions of searching more Vasto Lordes. Probably killed and eaten already.
Bel shrugged and then kicked Grimmjow "If you want to be king, better train harder! The sixth spot is open, you know! But you still fail to take it!"
"Sixth? I aim for the first!" He lunged at her and began to attack her merciless, he was going to be king even if she laughed at it with her bell like voice.
One day one is sparring with your superior, next day said superior is having her arms ripped out by a monster.
He should have saw the signals, when Aizen arrived that morning, with his calm collected expression more fake than ever and without any of his soul reapers lackeys, the signals that the man wasn't feeling well were there, bright as the sun in the real world. But Grimmjow was too mad at him, to focused in the anger he felt when Bel bowed to Aizen, as if he was a merciful God.
Because of that, he didn't accompany Aizen in the arrancarrization process as he liked to do and the Soul Reaper didn't notice he was marching alone. Or perhaps he did.
Grimmjow ran when he smelt Bel blood far away and the taste of a promised death. He arrived at the scene, the normal room of always, before pristine white, stained red.
Aizen was gripping the purple ball, his eyes were vacant and the glasses laid a few feet away from him, broken. Not as broken as Bel. One of her arms was on the floor and the rest of her was being chewed in the mouth of the orange haired Vasto Lorde of before. No, he was an Arrancar.
That kind of riatsu was that of an Arrancar, one that had already done his release and could even destroy with his riatsu small hollows.
Grimmjow released his form too, unable to understand fully why the other was already this strong after so little time, his riatsu two times stronger than before and everything going to hell.
"Take Lord Aizen out!"Bel screamed, her other hand trying to keep the mouth of the big Vasto Lorde open and not tearing her apart "Please!"
He did. He took Aizen and made a sonido to run away at the same time that Bel released her form and the sound of bells broke the walls of the place.
Aizen dropped the ball once Grimmjow let him on the floor again, his lips were dry and his breath too soft for a soul Reaper. Maybe a step behind death.
Grimmjow tried to grab the small ball, but when his fingers were an inch away he felt his soul being sucked, thousands of voices whispering in his ears and it was too much, he couldn't stand it and got away from that thing.
A monster, Aizen was a monster if he could touch that stupid thing at all. Bel was fighting, dying, because she loved a monster. That was so pitiful and he wanted to smack her back to her senses.
He left Aizen there, unblinking and lost, and went to save Bel. He arrived to see her disintegrate, her white blond hair waving at unseen wind, her back was just like the first day they meet, a reminder of how weak he was.
At the end, it wasn't him that avenged Bel, Arroniero helped him to stall the monster until Aizen defeated it with a single swing of his sword. The particles of the monster and the ones of Bel went outside Las Noches the same day without leaving any trace.
Nel was indeed a woman, his two servants low level Adjuchas that knew zero of good manners. Grimmjow knew good manners that's why he was proficient in breaking those untacit rules with style.
Somewhere she managed to land in the Primera position, the new untrained girl took everything away from Bel in just two days. He couldn't hate her, but as heck he didn't follow any of her orders. She lacked her predecessor merciless grip and never took advantage of her position. Weakling.
As the word spread of the new ruler of Las Noches natural arrancares arrived, strong Adjuchas asked to be interviewed and rumors of Vasto Lordes arrived faster.
Three years after Bel death, Arroniero, Gin and Aizen arrived with another Vasto Lorde, one completely white, it was an emotionless pit, the hollowness most empty if that was even possible. He became the Segunda Espada in less than a month, Grimmjow trained harder and harder.
That man shouldn't be there, those big soulless green eyes should have never look at Grimmjow as something less.
He would become an Espada and teach that empty shell who was the ruler, and then take out Aizen.
Barragan was real, and apparently and Arrancar long ago. His arrival put him in the second position, Nel in the third and Ulquiorra was the fourth in chain of command.
Why no one was the Primera Espada was a mystery so easy to understand as Aizen playing a joke in the former leader of Las Noches.
Zommari, a strong Adjuchas arrancarized, that was the Octava for some miracle, explained that Aizen knew that having the former ruler in the castle those first years would had been beyond risky, so he send Barrangan to another base. With that information Grimmjow knew he was right about Aizen don't wanting Barragan in the first spot.
With his arrival a lot of things changed.
First of all, after defeating Arroiniero, he was finally the Sexta. Aizen looked pleased or maybe he found everything ridiculous and was laughing silently. No one ever knew with Aizen, it was like trying to figure out what came first, the Hollow or the Soul Reaper, there wasn't a clear answer.
Not long after his promotion, Nel disappeared, she was scheduled to be going to another sector, so no one catch wind that something was off until Barragan send one of his servants for information and a month later everyone knew that Nel was a deserter. Grimmjow didn't took those news as a fact, neither did Aizen when he arrived and his Tercera Espada was gone and Barragan wanted to hunt her down.
The Soul Reaper had let Barragan in charge long ago. Ulquiorra, Zommari, Szayazel and strangely enough the new Septimo, Nnotoria, (and before disappearing, Nel) were too much into Aizen cause to let the old man rule freely.
"Let run a deserter?" Barragan asked in the following meeting. He despised Aizen, but he liked his ruling more, enough to feel that Nel had offended him by leaving the place.
"She doesn't matter nor is she a treat, or is she a treat to you, Segundo Espada?"
And with that everything was settled. And that same day, former scouter Nnotoira, previously the Septima was ranked as the Quinta, the Third spot remained vacant and Aarroniero moved to the Ninth spot.
How the world changed and with a total of 60 numeros, a lot of Adjuchas and a forest of Gillian's everything was looking fine. Perhaps Grimmjow was wrong, Aizen did have a Kingdom and subjects.
But did the man wanted to be King. Or more precisely, King of the Hollows?
Bel had loved Aizen, enough to have made a dance when the dictator announced that the next time he would stay at Hueco Mundo and then launch the last attack. She wasn't there, but a twin tailed girl did the deed for Bel.
Aizen eyes were evil behind those glasses. He was playing a risky game. Just because he had found the so called Queen of the Seadumes, Tier Harribel, he believed his army was strong enough to defeat the thousand of other soul reapers and because a few months ago they had recruited the White Inferno. It was ridiculous.
"Defeat all Soul Society?" Arroniero dared to ask, they didn't had a death wish, and Aizen war was looking like it.
"Just their Captains and Lieutenants. The rest are less than fodder, few seated members could even scratch the hierro" Aizen smiled kindly, murderous. "Stand with me, and we will win"
Aizen, the betrayer, he was expecting that White Inferno, the dumb blond Vasto Lorde that liked Tousen would follow his order with precision, that everyone in Las Noches would follow his plans. He was so easy to defeat, Barragan was away, so only Grimmjow could tamper his plans.
Even Ulquiorra would fail to see the betrayal.
Yylford expected the order to began the coup d'etat but Grimmjow never gave it.
He could remember Bel sing like voice, her back turning to dust and his weak attempts to avenge her, Aizen arriving and without any effort defeated the monster and he never showed any sign of care of Bel after her death. That wasn't true. Aizen was panting after the ordeal, he had spent most of the remains of his riatsu in that swing.
Aizen didn't need them, Grimmjow realized. He could have made his betrayal with only Soul reapers, instead he had chosen them, empty monsters without reason to create a new world. He had faith in them, one that no Arrancar could live up, but the man didn't know that yet.
But meanwhile, Grimmjow would have faith in Aizen strength, until the hope he had put in them was crushed when they failed at the war, then Aizen would forfeit them all, until then, he would not betray Aizen.
Love and Destruction for Aizen's sake.