A/N: So, this story idea came up while I was writing the Grimmjow chapter for Reincarnation Roulette. Enjoy :)
For the record, this became far longer than I intended.
Published: 9/14/2016
Warnings: Manga Spoilers for Shingeki no Kyogin/Attack on Titan. Also, Violence. However… Considering the fandoms this is posted in, that shouldn't trouble any of you at all.
Parallels
Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, at times, pondered about the years where he had lived, back when he had been human. That… That was so long ago. Grimmjow didn't like to think of those times but, sometimes, it just happened. Grimmjow did not want to remember. He wanted to forget. He wanted the memories gone. Remembering was painful. Remembering hurt, burned at him, made him feel weak. Not that Grimmjow would ever admit it if asked, of course.
Him, the almighty powerful Sexta Espada, scared of a few memories? HA! Impossible. There was nothing in this world that Grimmjow feared, there was nothing that frightened him, there was absolutely nothing in this damned world that would shake him at night. The mere concept of memories causing him to wake in the night with a scream on his lips was a lie? Ha! Impossible!
Yes, Grimmjow had nothing to fear.
There was nothing to be concerned about.
Grimmjow felt no anxity. This wasn't a lie he told himself just so he could sleep at night. No, what Grimmjow felt definitely was not fear. What he felt… It was rage. He felt hatred. He could feel it, burning in his chest, aching to destroy, destroy, destroy!
Each night, when the memories forced Grimmjow awake, when the flashes shattered whatever semblance of sleep Grimmjow had managed to attain, it wasn't fear that would wake him.
Instead, all that filled him was blind fury and complete and utter rage.
Kill… Kill… Kill THEM ALL.
He can hear the screaming all around him.
Blood. So much blood.
Blood.
Blood.
Deep red and flowing.
Blood.
Mom… No, Mom!
An arm wrapped around his waist and he screamed. No, no, no! MOM!
Grimmjow forgets sometimes that he was never alone in Las Noches. He was not the only member of… What was it they did again? Kill giants? It was hard to remember. Yes, Grimmjow would wake shaking from tremors, but…
It had been so long.
The memory can only retain so much. And, looking back? Grimmjow sometimes wondered how old he truly was. It took centuries for Hollows to evolve. Each stage took more time than the last. Truth be told, Grimmjow was likely older than Aizen himself. Or was he? Time didn't exist properly within Hueco Mundo.
Still, as Grimmjow's eyes meet green, part of him remembers.
He is not alone in this place.
After all, the Captain was here too.
Grimmjow let himself smirk slightly. Ha! He was still taller. Not that he'd say anything, of course. Ulquiorra could still tear him to shreds just like he had when they were both human. Then again, that had been so long ago that the concept of humanity had been lost to them. Sometimes, when Grimmjow allowed himself to think it, when he allowed himself a moment of hope, he would whisper to himself, "Do you remember, Captain Levi?"
"But, I-"
"Eren, trust us!"
"Trust in us!"
"We're you're friends. Don't you trust us, kid?"
Eren hesitated. Several tense moments passed. Then, he nodded just once. That was all it took. He trusted them. He believed in them. He had faith.
He tossed aside his fear, he tossed aside his doubt, and just believed. These were Captain Levi's handpicked squad. There was no one better out there, save for the Captain himself. What could possibly go wrong?
The Female Titan snarls.
And Eren?
All he can do is roar in rage as she tears them to shreds. Faith? Trust in one's comrades? Screw that!
This girl…
Grimmjow trembles.
In a heartbeat, he's stabbed her.
He can hear Kurosaki's gasp. For a moment, Grimmjow hesitates. This woman has taken someone from him. She's taken one of his comrades, one of the few people Grimmjow has allowed around himself in so long.
Then, Grimmjow remembers.
Comrades die.
Allies die.
Everyone falls eventually.
He chuckles to himself.
Why did he ever consider it would be different in this life than it had in the first?
He doesn't have much time to think after than. He's fending off a pissed off Soul Reaper after that. Not that Kurosaki gives him much trouble. This, stop Aizen? Ha! Ulquiorra was right. Of course, the Captain was right.
Grimmjow considers killing Kurosaki then and there, but… But… That fire. That fire, burning in Kurosaki's eyes. A flash hits Grimmjow.
There's a blonde boy, pleading with him. His family is back, around him. But, it's fake. It's all fake. The blonde boy pleads and Grimmjow turns and he feels the fire explode around him, the rage, the will to go on.
The same fire in the Soul Reaper's eyes.
So, Grimmjow hesitates and gets a scar across his chest for his troubles. Psh. Typical Shinigami. Losing the arm, however, is far more infuriating.
Thomas was dead.
Thomas was dead.
Thomas was dead, and Eren saw red.
That cost him. It cost him more than he dared to admit. His rage blinded him. Someone he cared for was gone, and that was all that mattered. Except, it wasn't that simple, was it? Eren fucked up. He fucked up bad. Now, it was just him and Armin. Armin, who had always been helpless. Armin, who had been with him from the start. Armin, who was about to be eaten.
Eren doesn't know how he's done it.
There's blood everywhere. He's missing something. An arm? A leg? At this point, Eren isn't sure anymore. Does it matter? He failed. Titan slayer? HA! But… But… If there's one thing Eren can do, one thing at all…
Armin screams as Eren pulls him out of the Titan's mouth. It's all Eren can do to keep the Titan from chewing him to bits.
"I… I refuse to die like this, do you understand?!" Eren hisses. He can't see Armin's face. His eyes, instead, are locked on the vivid red of the giant tongue he's crouching on. Slowly, Eren lifts his arm. "Armin, listen. We're still going to the outside world," eyes lock, "the things you told me about… I have to see them. I have to."
Armin is crying. He always cries.
Then, he leaps. He cried out Eren's name, but Eren can't think of why. Then, the teeth come down and Eren's in too much pain over losing arm to think much more.
The more Grimmjow fights Ichigo, the more he sees himself.
Wasn't he like that, once upon a time?
Hadn't he once fought in the same way? Ferociously, endless, without end. However… There were differences, too. Ichigo enjoyed their fights. Grimmjow could tell. That thrill in his eyes. He wanted blood. He wanted to destroy, just like Grimmjow. He wanted to kill.
Except…
Ichigo didn't fight for the same reasons.
Hatred was always what had driven Grimmjow. Hatred and a sense of righteousness. Most children don't go off on their own and execute a kidnapper for a stranger, after all. Hatred was always what filled Grimmjow. It was his motivation. His core. But Ichigo… Ichigo…
He fought for his friends.
He fought for his family.
He fought for those he loved.
Grimmjow almost laughed. He'd had all of that, once. Then, two people he'd learn to admire and care for took it all away. If there was anything Grimmjow would never forgive, it was Reiner and Berthold worming their way into his heart like a pair of affectionate big brothers.
He wouldn't think about Annie. She'd been worse.
Eren couldn't believe it.
He didn't want to believe it.
This had to be a lie. It was a lie, right? This was all a lie. It was a lie. Lie, lie, lie, had to be a fucking lie, a nightmare! Nightmare! His whole life was one big fucking nightmare, but this had to be one too. How else do you explain it? How else does it make sense?
Because… Because…
He can here Mikasa question him.
She isn't wrong. Not that Eren would ever admit that.
But, Annie? Annie is… Annie is…
By the time Eren succeeds in transforming, he's lost all sense of reason. He doesn't want to think. He doesn't want to feel. All he wants is to destroy.
Kurosaki is here, in Hueco Mundo.
Ha!
Still, Grimmjow protects the girl, Orihime. She healed him, which Grimmjow can appreciate. But, that isn't all that there is too it. Ichigo reminds Grimmjow of himself, of who he used to be, what he used to fight for. She's important to him.
So, Grimmjow will keep her safe.
Not that he'd ever admit it.
No, Grimmjow doesn't care if she lives or dies.
But… Kurosaki. For some reason, Grimmjow cares. Maybe it's the challenge. Maybe it's the rush. Maybe it's the spark in the kid's eyes. Probably the spark, actually. Grimmjow remembers when he had it too.
Remembering isn't so hard now. It almost comes natural. Grimmjow remembers.
He really wished he hadn't.
Levi is forced to make a choice.
Eren knows what he wants. He knows what Mikasa wants. He also knows what would be best, what would be in the interest of humanity. What needs to be done. However, Eren can't think of that, can't think of any of that. For a moment, he no longer cares, and why should he? The humans hate him. The humans view him as a monster. Even some of his fellow Survey Corps members hate him.
Eren doesn't even register that he's differentiated himself from humanity.
Even transforming that first time hadn't caused him to differentiate himself. So what if Eren could turn into a giant badass machine of destruction? All the better to kill Titans.
Eren wants Armin to live.
Is that so bad?
When Armin's survival means the death of Erwin Smith… Well, maybe, just maybe, it is that bad.
"Sorry, Levi." Grimmjow notices Ulquiorra's eyes widen. Then, Grimmjow grins one last time. "Sorry, Captain." he amends.
Ulquiorra glares.
"Jaegar-" is all he manages to snap out before he's trapped. Gone. Oh, he'll be back. Grimmjow winces. He and Levi might have eventually gotten along and, other than Armin and Mikasa, there was no one Eren loved more, but Levi had also beat the everliving shit out of him the first time they met. Necessary, sure, but still.
Grimmjow turns towards Kurosaki, towards Orihime, and he smirks.
"Now, Shinigami. Where were we?"
Eren stabs. He stabs, he stabs, he stabs, he stabs. This bastard… This bastard was going to sell a little girl. So, Eren stabs. Pieces of shit trash like this bastard don't deserve to live. With that single action, he gains Mikasa's devotion.
He saved her.
He risked himself for her.
A stranger who had nothing to gain and everything to lose came for her. It breaks Mikasa's shock. She snarls when the second man lifts Eren by the throat.
Fight. Fight, and live.
Nnoitra betrayed him.
Of course, that fucking misogynist betrayed him.
Grimmjow watches as the little girl transforms. Huh. Silently, he wonders if she's related to Annie. If so, regardless of Kurosaki's apparent like, he's gonna execute little green head.
That bitch Orihime doesn't bother helping him. No one even looks his way. Of course they don't.
Who cares about a fallen Arrancar?
Then, a shadow falls over Grimmjow.
He looks up into the face of Retsu Unohana. Her eyes are cold. There's a fury in them, but it's unlike Grimmjow's, unlike Ichigo's. This aura… It reminds him… It reminds him of…
"Eren."
Grimmjow blinks.
"Mi… Mikasa?"
There's an explosion of spiritual energy. Across Las Noches, heads turn. Even Aizen himself spits out his tea. Ulquiorra, pondering what punishment he will unleash on the shit head when he get's free, turns his head in surprise.
Nnoitra actually freezes, for once.
Slowly, his head turns as pure killing intent strikes him.
Unohana takes a step forward.
"You hurt Eren," she draws her sword, eyes cold and dangerous. "I'm going to break you."
Nnoitra doesn't stand a chance and Grimmjow actually laughs. Nnoitra, the misogynist, the one who hated woman most of all, who looked at them with disdain, who couldn't stand them, torn to pieces by one. Such beautiful irony.
Eren wakes up to a startling sight.
Why… Why are all those cannons pointed at them?
Why are Armin and Mikasa standing guard?
Why is Mikasa pointed a sword?
And what the hell was that useless douche of a commander doing?
Why the fuck was that idiot Weilman accusing Eren of being a Titan? Of all the asinine things… That bastard hadn't even fought! He'd hid away! And now, there he stood, accusing Eren of literal insanity after Eren had survived getting two limbs chomped off and being eaten alive-
Holy shit, how was he alive?
In the end, it didn't matter.
The order was given.
The cannon fired.
And Eren acted instinctively.
Fuck the world. Fuck everyone else. Fuck everything. He wasn't losing Armin and Mikasa. He refused. Anything but them.
"Mikasa- Mikasa, stop!" Grimmjow tried to fend her off. Keyword being tried.
"Shut up, Eren! How in the hell did you manage to get so many wounds?" then, she had the audacity to poke him.
"OW! That hurts, you bitch!"
Grimmjow probably deserved the smack that earned him.
"Stop being a giant baby! Now, sit still so I can heal you! Obviously, you aren't a Titan Shifter anymore so you can't regenerate anymore!"
Grimmjow turned his head and mumbled into the sand.
Unohana blinked.
"What was that?"
Grimmjow glared up at her.
"I can heal! I just… Need sunlight." he confessed. Still being at least part Titan was not fun. Not fun at all. On the other hand, Grimmjow wondered for a second… There had been one ability he had used while a Titan Shifter. Could it have transferred to this body as well?
"You two know each other?"
Ah. Grimmjow had forgotten their audience. He tilted his head to look straight at Kurosaki.
"Yeah, in a past lif- owe, woman! What the fuck!" why was she pulling on his hair? What had his hair ever done to her?
"What is this, Eren? Why is your hair dyed blue!"
"It's not dyed you psychotic super soldier! I was just blessed with bad ass hair this time around!" Grimmjow sneered.
Unohana rolled her eyes. Then, before Grimmjow could continue on about the apparent awesomeness of his hair, she continued on.
"And what is this obsession with Kurosaki I hear about? Why on Earth do you keep attacking him?"
Grimmjow shrugged.
"It's fun. Like those spars I used to have with Annie. And hey, look. I keep the kid on his toes!" Grimmjow smirked.
"... I beat you." Ichigo deadpanned.
Grimmjow glared.
"Once, you little shit. For the record, Annie had more wins but I still beat her in the end!"
"... Like I just beat you?"
Grimmjow seethed. He was going to wipe that smug grin off that orange haired bastard's face! Seriously, this was like putting up with Jean all over again.
"You aren't going to treat him like Annie, are you?" Unohana interrupted.
Grimmjow turned his head to stare at her.
"The hell? No! What's that even suppose to mean!"
"... The Barracks weren't very large, Eren." Uh oh. She couldn't mean… Nope, nope, not happening. Nope. When he didn't respond, Unohana continued, "And I used to bodygaurd you when you weren't aware-"
"You mean stalk- ow! I'm wounded, Mikasa!"
"Then don't interrupt," Unohana cruely informed him, ignoring the way Ichigo and Orihime backed away slowly from her. "Anyways, I would bodyguard you all the time. Even when you weren't aware, you see. And, well…" her eyes met his. "Those 'sparring' matches usually ended up with both of you rolling around naked." ignoring Grimmjow's blush, Unohana tiled her head. "Come to think about it, your later fights were the same-"
"SHUT UP!"
He was not red in the face. Nope. Not at all. Stupid sisters and their stupid stalking habits and their stupid overprotective nature!
"Grimmjow and I aren't like that!" Ichigo declared.
Grimmjow nodded his approval
"Yeah. What the berry said."
Ichigo glared. Oh, he didn't like that nickname? Grimmjow smirked. Another way to annoy that little shit was fine in his game.
There was no time to glare, though, because at that moment a presence that matched even Mikasa's made itself known. Ichigo spun, only to be backhanded. Stark then turned, grabbed Orihime's arm, and spoke.
"Sorry about this."
Then, they were gone.
The first time Eren met Levi was in a courtroom surrounded by several fear driven morons who wanted him executed. They finally had a chance against the Titans and they were going to kill him?
Eren wasn't sure what made him angrier. The fear or the stupidity.
Then, Levi beat the ever living shit out of him.
Funny, how in the end Levi would be one of the few people Eren would ever truly open up to. Reiner turned. Berthold turned. Annie was a monster. Sometimes, Eren thought Levi just might be a monster too. That was okay. Eren was a monster now. Who can possibly understand a monster better than another monster?
Eren remembered the fall of Levi's squad. It was his fault. Levi never blamed him though. He remembered Annie tearing through Stohess because Eren failed to transform in time. Levi never blamed him. He remembered when he was captured not once, but twice. Levi never blames him. Eren remembered when he was overpowered in Shiganshina. Levi hadn't blamed him then either.
Levi had never blamed Eren.
Instead, he had been a constant comfort, one of the few comforts Eren ever allowed himself. Levi mattered to Eren. He was his friend. A mentor. Family, at this point, really. Slowly, the remains of the Survey Corp became the same, but Levi had been the first. And, just maybe… Eren mattered to Levi too.
"LEVI! ENOUGH!"
Ulquiorra freezes.
Ichigo looks like he's on the verge of collapse. The Quincy is missing a hand. Orihime is, of course, in tears.
Green eyes meet his.
"That… Is no longer my name, you shitty brat. Begone, and I'll ignore your betrayal to Lord Aizen."
Grimmjow glared.
Unohana hadn't follow him, surprisingly. Grimmjow managed to convince her to stay behind. Of course, that was based off the condition that she didn't sense Ulquiorra attacking. The second she did, well… Two Ackermans with added spiritual power like the ones they currently had would literally level all of Hueco Mundo. Hell, they might even tear a fabric in reality. Grimmjow did not want to see that, to be honest.
"What's this? You're Azien's bitch now? Well…" Grimmjow extended his arms on either side of him, barred his teeth and smiled. His eyes, though… The smile never reached them. Instead, they looked… Somewhere between broken and furious.
Ulquiorra rolled his eyes. Typical. Eren could never make up his mind about what he wanted to feel.
"Hardly. However… Aizen has a plan for the future, Grimmjow. A plan to move the world forward. A vision. I have sworn allegiance to that vision." a spear of green energy formed in his hands. Ulquiorra lifted it, pointing the javelin at Grimmjow. "I will fight for that vision, I will help him accomplish his goals no matter the cost, I-"
"AIZEN ISN'T ERWIN, LEVI!" Grimmjow thundered. The air around them rapidly cooled. Only Kurosaki didn't flinch at the Spiritual Pressure Ulquiorra was unleashing. "He's a psychopath who only thinks of himself, a monster that wants to destroy the world! And… Look at us, huh?" Grimmjow laughed. Once he started, he just couldn't stop. The hysterics shook him before he coughed out in pain. Yeah. Probably shouldn't have laughed that hard. Then, he looked back up. Hm. The humans seemed disturbed. "Look at us, Levi. We once fought to save the world. To save humanity! Yet look at us now! Groveling at the feet of a monster-"
"THEY KILLED YOU! THEY TURNED ON! THEY TURNED ON US!" it seemed Ulquiorra's calm had finally shattered. Las Noches shook. "THEY FEARED YOU! DO YOU REMEMBER, EREN, WHAT YOU WERE FORCED TO DO SO THAT WE COULD EVEN SURVIVE? We owe the humans nothing! If Aizen wants to kill them all, then so be it! I don't care for their world anymore!"
Grimmjow, Eren, he wasn't sure at this point anymore, was not to be deterred. Although, the healer looked like she was about to pass out.
"And? I never cared about them anyways! Don't sit there and pretend you did either! I remember now, Levi. They disgusted us. The world is fucking ending around us and what do they do? Hide, scamper, hoard, make the situation worse! Of course they turned on us! Why else would we overthrow the damn government? But this… Aizen… He's like the Beast, Levi. That thing is no Erwin. It's a monster!"
Ulquiorra rolled his eyes.
"We're monsters, you dumb shit."
"No. We can choose to be monsters. Or… Or, we can help take out Aizen."
Ulquiorra considered. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Orihime. That girl looked hopeful. Hmph. She actually believed there was light in a heart as shattered as his. How hillarious. There was nothing left in Levi, nothing, nothing at all. It had died with Isabel and Furlan, with Petra and the others, with Erwin. Then, he looked back at Eren. His eyes practically glowed. He hadn't always been like that. Yes, the brat had trusted him, but he'd become jaded after betrayal after betrayal. In the end, he'd only had faith in two people. It seemed Levi had been added to the list.
Levi hesitated. Then, he decided.
"I'm in."
The Titan's were closing around them.
They were everywhere. They were going to die. They were all going to die and Mikasa was… Giving him a fucking scarf. Was she serious?
Eren jerked away from her. He didn't bother looking at her face but, if he had, he was sure he'd see tears in her eyes.
Mikasa.
Always so damn sentimental.
Didn't she understand? Didn't she get it?
"Something like that?" Eren gave her a look of pure fire, "I'll wrap it around you as many times as you need." then, he turned towards the Smiling Titan. It took his mother. Now, it had come for the rest of Eren's loved ones. Like hell! "From now on, as many times as I need to…" Eren screamed, then swung.
The Titans around them roared.
Reiner could only watch with horrified eyes. No. Not this. Shit. The situation was just as bad as they had feared.
Eren gave a battle cry.
And the Titans? The Titans obeyed.
Aizen was not shocked when Kurosaki attacked him. He had been expecting that. What he was not expecting was for Grimmjow and Ulquiorra to back him up. Grimmjow would be child's play but Ulquiorra had unlocked the Arrancar version of Bankai and, to be blunt, in that state he could even pose a threat to Aizen himself.
Aizen lept back. Then, he smiled. With a hand wave, Gin backed down.
"What's this? Ulquiorra? Grimmjow? Treason? From Grimmjow, I expected this… But you, Ulquiorra? After all I've done for you?"
"Don't speak to him as if he owes you!" Grimmjow snapped, brandishing Pantera. Aizen raised a single eyebrow. As if that was suppose to be threatening.
"And what, exactly, do you plan? You, Grimmjow, aren't even worth the dirt beneath my feet."
Then, Aizen let his Spiritual Pressure loose. To his surprised, Grimmjow did not fall to his knees as expected. Instead, the Espada grinned and lifted his sword.
"Do you know what I was when I was alive, Aizen-sama?"
Now, this indeed shocked Aizen. Grimmjow was capable of remembering his time as a human? How utterly surprising. And fascinating. However, Aizen couldn't be bothered to care much on the eve of his victory.
"What do I care what you were as a filthy human, Arrancar?"
Grimmjow just kept grinning. Aizen rolled his eyes. Seriously. What could he possibly-
Grimmjow roared.
All too quickly, Aizen found himself fending off attack after attack from Hollows. Where had they all come from? All around him, they came in hordes. Tens, dozens, hundreds! Aizen slaughtered them all with ease. Then, the lesser Arrancars joined in, abandoning the battle and attacking him.
What was this?
No, seriously, what was this?
How had Grimmjow done this? How had he hidden this power from Aizen all this time? Not that it mattered much, no. Aizen had the Hogyoku. Aizen would soon become greater than god. An Espada with an unusual skill, a traitor who'd achieved Hollow Bankai, and an old experiment would not be enough.
He would crush them.
He would crush them all.
Armin's plan was insane. Armin's plans were always insane.
But, Armin's plan's always worked.
Through them, they had taken back Trost. They had defeated Annie. They had taken back Shiganshina. Armin's plans always worked.
However, there's this thing about war plans.
They always end up with someone dead, no matter how perfect the attack is. No matter how you fight a target, battle is battle and there will always be casualties. That's how war works. The Survey Corps knew that well, considering they had once been reduced to less than a dozen members.
War was brutal.
War meant comrades would fall.
Eren understood that.
It didn't mean he had to like it and it sure as hell didn't mean that he would accept it.
"Damn it Ulquiorra! Stay with me!"
It had all gone to shit. It always went to shit, why would now be any different?
They had fought Aizen, three on one. Of course, the battle around them hadn't ended and in the end there were only two people standing. Somehow, Aizen had managed to manipulate Eren's perception, and, well…
He set his Hollow army on the Head Captain. They'd been burned to shreds.
Aizen had seemed focused on Ulquiorra, however.
Ulquiorra, who had once been an Ackerman.
Ulquiorra, who should have been immune to mental manipulation.
Ulquiorra, who Aizen set on the Soul Society Captains.
…
Illusions, illusions, illusions! Grimmjow hated it. He hated those that manipulated the mind of others. Nothing pissed him off more. The Titan war had begun because of fuckers like Aizen who messed with the perception of those around him for shits and giggles. Grimmjow hated it! Hated, hated, hated!
However, he now accepted it… Only Kurosaki could stop Aizen. He was the only hope.
Karakura shook around them. The real one instead of an illusion.
Grimmjow, as always, was stubborn. So, they had followed after Kurosaki. Somehow, they'd arrived first. Even together, there hadn't been much hope now that Aizen had assimilated the Hogyoku and become Aizen the butterfly warrior.
"Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow shook him.
Ulquiorra smiled up at him. Ulquiorra shouldn't be smiling. He was bleeding to death. He was dying. Aizen had literally torn him to shreds, and he had done it with the power of the Hogyoku. Even Orihime would be useless in helping him.
"My name… Is Levi… Acker… Acker…" Levi choked out.
"Shh. Stop. Stop, just hold on. Mikasa will fix you! She's a super healer now, you know! Mikasa and Orihime-"
Except, Levi- Ulquiorra- was no longer listening. He was gone. He was gone, and Aizen… Aizen had… Aizen…
Grimmjow roared.
The humans backed away. Kurosaki's friends, Grimmjow recalled.
Snarling, Grimmjow stood and made his way towards the shattered mountains. He could no longer feel Aizen but that didn't matter. He'd probably be more like an insect compared to Aizen at this point, but that didn't matter.
Destroy, destroy, destroy!
He found them, Ichigo powerless and Aizen bound. That getta wearing freak was ranting but Grimmjow didn't bother to listen.
One second, Urahara had been explaining everything. The next, the Sexta Espada had appeared out of nowhere, his arm ripping into Aizen's chest. Aizen could only cackle.
"Fool, I'm immor-" Aizen's eyes widened.
What?
His arms began to shake within the bonds. Grimmjow roared into his face. The ground around them shook.
"What… What is this! What have you done!"
"Die. You want to die. That thing keeps you alive because it's what you desire, correct?" Grimmjow questioned.
Aizen said nothing. However, for the first time, there was fear in those eyes Good. That meant Grimmjow was right.
"You want to die. You want to die. DIE."
It was a battle of wills.
The Hollows had once been human. However, they had lost their will, much like Titans which made them easier to control. Grimmjow had never attempted this on a human, however. Not until now.
"No… No… OUT OF MY HEAD! JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU!"
Grimmjow barred his teeth.
"Eren Jaegar of Shiganshina! Now… DIE."
It took only a moment.
Aizen's will shattered. The Hogyoku gave one last screech. Then, Aizen began to scream as lightning arched around him. Grimmjow rapidly backed away as Aizen fell to his knees.
"You… You… By an Arrancar? An Espada? No… NO! I refuse! It can't! Not like thi-"
Aizen didn't get to finish. Instead, the Hogyoku exploded and he dropped dead then and there.
Grimmjow glared at the ashes with contempt. Then he turned to Urahara and Ichigo. "Done." with that, Grimmjow collapsed face first without another word.
When Grimmjow awoke, he was half convinced he was back in his memories. However, the blue hair tipped him off that this was no memory.
"Who the fuck chained me to the bed this time?"
"Ah, you're awake."
Grimmjow glanced up. Then, he rapidly paled.
Unohana stood before him.
"Ah… Mikasa-"
"Retsu, Eren. I haven't used that name in over a thousand years."
"Right. Why am I tied up?"
"Official? They're frightened you managed to kill an Immortal."
Shit. Seriously, again?
Wait.
"And unofficially?"
Spiritual pressure built. Shit.
"You ran without letting him patch up your wounds again, Eren."
Well. At least she wouldn't kill him. He hoped. Considering the look in her eyes, that wasn't exactly a certainty but whatever.
Eventually, Grimmjow managed to escape his adopted sister's clutches. It seemed she'd become even more overprotective over the years, if that was at all possibly. However, she typically never fought.
Although, Grimmjow heard rumors that she made Aizen's kills look like shit when she had first arrived in the Soul Society. Ha! Take that, manipulative bastard.
Grimmjow, of course, didn't stay in the Soul Society. It seemed Urahara had convinced them that it was his sealing technique, not Grimmjow, that had killed Aizen. What a good guy. Grimmjow would have to get him something.
Silently, he wondered if anyone else from his past was around.
Levi and Mikasa had been here, after all. Mikasa still was.
However…
There was one thing Grimmjow needed to do.
Ichigo jumped before spinning around.
"Grimmjow… What do you want?"
Grimmjow grinned.
"Up for a spar?"
He would search out the others eventually. However, for now, he'd pass the time beating the shit out of Ichigo Kurosaki.