Thanks for the support and the interest so far! Here's chapter two! And I just realised the title...is probably not the best title and a bit misleading? But hell if I can decide on another xD


Song: saeed – Infected Mushroom


Though Orihime had lost track of the days, it was on the twenty fourth day of her imprisonment that Las Noches went to hell.

Soul Society had arrived, deciding to strike Aizen rather than sit back and wait. The assault was spearheaded by Ichigo and the rest of her friends, all eager to save her, finally with a green light and backup.

It was on that day that Orihime did not receive any visitors, not even her green-eyed keeper.

Yet, her door opened.

She sat up and stared at the hall outside.

'Go Master! Go Master!' the voice cheered.

It had been her only constant source of conversation. By now, she had learned that it was not the voice of insanity and she knew it was not her Shun Shun Rikka. But she knew it was a voice of something physical within Las Noches, something that had reached out to her malleable human mind. She rose to her feet and staggered uncertainly to the door, hesitating before stepping outside into the cold white hall.

'Right! Right!'

She turned right and started to walk, following the voice. She turned a corner, and was met by a figure in white. Her heart hammered, though her face remained passive.

'Snake! Snake!'

Gin Ichimaru barred her path, smile unfaltering.

"How'd ya get outta yo' room, Princess?" he hummed. "Never mind! Whatcha lookin' for?"

Her throat felt tight. "I...I don't know."

Gin tilted his head. "Ya don't know? Not ya friends? Not the way out?" She shook her head numbly. His grin widened. "I know. Ya lookin' for answers. Ya lookin' for it." He folded his arms and sighed dramatically. "I can tell ya right now, ya won't find it. It's with him."

Orihime blinked, not consciously sure what the traitor was referring to, but knowing they were thinking on the same thing.

"...Who's winning?" she asked. He hummed thoughtfully.

"It's a bit of a tie, actually. I'm sure if I was helpin, though, it wouldn't be. And he's just watching." She thought.

"...Where...is Grimmjow?" Gin seemed surprised by the question.

"Him? I reckon he's on his way ta fight Ichigo. Why'd ya ask?"

Orihime lowered her head, smiling at the floor.

"We've a promise to keep. I think it needs to happen before anything." She looked up at him.

"...Could you take me to him?"

Gin's smile eased into something that might have been more genuine.

"Course I can, Princess."


Gin was fast, even as he carried her under one arm, and they reached the Sexta in no time. Though Grimmjow had reached his destination - the orange haired substitute - he had been beaten to the punch, and now watched and waited for his turn to draw blood. The flaring reiatsu of Ichigo and Ulquiorra clashing violently in battle was enough to make the ground tremble. The Quatro had been prepared; waiting, it seemed. Grimmjow was displeased that his prey had been poached.

"I see ya didn't get the fight ya been wantin'." Gin greeted, Shunpoing up behind him on the red pillar. Grimmjow snarled and tilted his head, but whatever remark he was going to make fell away upon spying Orihime being carried around, willingly, so it seemed, by the Ex-Captain. "Here ya go, Princess!" he sung, setting Orihime down. She steadied herelf and stood tall, walking toward the edge and halting beside the Sexta, watching the fight. Ichigo, though donning his Hollow mask, was barely keeping up with the released Ulquiorra. Grimmjow watched her suspiciously.

"What're you doing out of your room?" he asked slowly.

Ichigo was sent flying across the artificial sky, and though she didn't like it, the sight didn't bring her as much distress as it once would have.

"I've outlived my usefulness."

Grimmjow stared at her with widening eyes as the sound of steel clashing with energy rang out below.

"You're fucking joking." he blurted, looking back at Gin. "She's joking, right?"

Gin shrugged.

"I dunno what she's sayin'. Looks like she could be plenty useful in this fight!"

"What the- then why the fuck did you bring her to me if you don't know what's going on!?" he shouted, bewildered.

Gin shrugged again.

"I jus' found Princess in the halls. She asked me to bring her to ya."

Grimmjow stared in disbelief. "Do you just do what anyone says!?"

Gin's smile widened. "Princess is a special case, kitty."

The Sexta directed his stare to the auburn haired human, and she in turn was looking at him, though her eyes were bleak and dulled. "You're fucking insane." he hissed.

She smiled slightly. "...Maybe a little."

"I'm serious. They're here, they're right fucking here, at our door, and you want this now!?"

Orihime didn't break her stare.

"It's exactly because of that. I can't explain it. It needs to happen, now."

"You can't just- Do you even know what you've brought her to, you creepy bastard!?" Grimmjow barked, turning on Gin. The white haired shinigami shrugged.

"I don't have a clue." Grimmjow was overwhelmed by the sheer ridiculousness of it all. "But, I can guess." Gin added, looking at Orihime, his grin becoming wide amd genuine, pearly white teeth peeking through the gap between his lips. "He don't give anyone else's smarts much credit. He never thought you'd figure it out, Princess."

Orihime looked at Gin curiously.

"You won't stop this?"

Gin shook his head. "Makes my job easier! Now, Grimmjow, don't go disappointin' the lady. A promise is a promise, and ya oughta keep it! I guess I better get ready!" He Shunpo'd away immediately.

Grimmjow was lost. "What the fuck is going on!?"

Orihime glanced at the battle. Ulquiorra was getting bored, sluggish; toying with Ichigo. Maybe, just maybe, he sensed something amiss.

"I need to die. We agreed that you would be the one to kill me when the time came."

"I didn't mean I'd be the one to slit your throat because you felt suicidal!" he barked.

"That's not it. I need to die, Grimmjow. This is the only chance you'll get to spill my blood." she urged, looking him in the eye.

He was angry. Angry and frustrated and ready to tear some limbs off of something. First, his fight with the strawberry had been stolen, and now he was being asked to murder someone he wasn't particularly keen on murdering at the moment. His lip curled up in a snarl. "Fine! You want to die? I'll kill you. I'll make it ugly, because I'm really fucking pissed off right now!"

Orihime smiled brightly. "Whatever you like."

'Hurry Master! Hurry Master! The Maker is getting impatient!' the voice cried out urgently.

Grimmjow growled, unsheathed Pantera and grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around and holding her against him so her back pressed to his abdomen. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"You're abso-fucking-lutely insane. Might've been fun if you stuck around." Orihime smiled to herself, watching as he held Pantera in front of her. The blade glinted and she saw her eyes, mirrored in the steel with his. "See ya, Princess." Grimmjow stood tall, grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back.

The last thing Orihime saw was his scowling face, backed by an artificial sunny sky, before the blade touched her throat and was dragged across her jugular.

Blood burst from her neck in a brilliant spray of red, coating the sword blade and spewing into the air, gushing down her neck and into her white garments. Her flame of reiatsu suddenly snuffed out.

The battle below ceased.

Several screams echoed through the open expanse of indoor desert, calling her name in a panic, but none as loud as the human boy who suddenly saw her in Grimmjow's arms, blood spurting from her neck. Even his opponent, the Quatro Espada, seemed to be in a strange state of shock.

Suddenly Las Noches quaked.

There was a terrible, almighty, wordless bellow of rage.

"The Master! The Master!"

A voice – many voices, speaking as once - rippled through the structure.

"GRIMMJOW!"

A furious scream, unmistakably Aizen's, thundered over Las Noches, and Grimmjow suddenly found himself clutching Orihime's corpse in a panic, his left arm wrapped around her waist and holding her close.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"

Reiatsu, furious, untempered and crushing, rushed toward them.

Then, suddenly, it stopped. It vanished.

And a new one took its place.

Raw, undiluted power hurried across the complex. No malice, no emotion, nothing but strength.

Grimmjow braced himself as it suddenly reached him, though he couldn't see anything approach.

The corpse in his arms giggled.

He looked down sharply.

Orihime Inoue stared back, smiling brightly. The slice across her neck was gone, though her blood still stained her clothes and his blade. She patted his hand and pried herself free, standing on her own feet before looking at him.

"Thank you, Grimmjow!"

He couldn't speak.

Orihime looked to the side, and suddenly Gin appeared a second later. His clothes were heavily stained with blood and his Zanpakuto was in his hands, blood dripping fresh from the blade. But dragged behind him like a limp sack of potatoes, was Aizen himself. Gin was grinning widely.

"Welcome back, Princess." She smiled gently at him.

"Master! Master! The Maker is dead!" the strange cacophony sang.

Orihime turned her stare to Aizen's body and Gin, seeing her interest, dropped it at her feet. There was a large, ungodly hole in his chest, almost like it had been blown open. His heart, lungs, ribs and anything else that should have been there were simply gone.

Grimmjow stared in shock, clutching the hilt of Pantera for dear life, confused beyond understanding.

More voices rose up all over Las Noches, screaming in fear, screaming "Lord Aizen!".

The singular chorus of voices replied. "Lord Aizen! Lord Aizen! Lord Aizen is dead! The Maker is dead! The Master is free!"

Gin's smile faltered, and he suddenly toppled to his side. Orihime watched him fall, seeing more blood rise and stain his clothes from beneath. Slowly a large slash made itself apparent across his chest, running from his left shoulder down to his right hip.

"Snake! Snake! Snake is dying! Does Master want to save Snake? Surely someone will cry if Snake dies!"

The voice spoke, much closer instead of spanning over the complex.

Orihime stared at the dying man, and somewhere, far off in Las Noches, she thought she heard a familiar woman's voice screaming his name.

Orihime walked toward Gin and stood over him. He looked at her weakly, barely prying open his eyes.

"...She needs you. Are you sure you want to leave her alone, to wallow and grieve? It won't end well for her." Orihime said softly. Gin's smile faded.

"...I don't...deserve..."

"Neither does she. She's spent so long without her friend. You can make it up to her, in time."

His eyes shut. "...Your call...Princess."

Orihime voiced no summons as a burning orange dome enveloped the dying man.

"Make it up to her." she pressed, voice firm. A slow smile crawled onto his face, but he said no more and lay still as his fatal injury healed.

The dome ebbed away after only several seconds.

"Master is stronger now! Master is stronger now! Master can change the world!" Orihime smiled.

"...'Master' does not want to change the world." she whispered.

It was sudden, Grimmjow's laugh, and it grew into a frantic maelstrom as he pressed his palm to his forehead.

"W-What the fuck is going on?!" he laughed, still not quite registering the dead body in front of him. Orihime's brow creased sympathetically.

"The war is over. Aizen is dead." she said, trying to keep it simple.

He shook his head and slowly sank to his knees. "But I- You- I slit your goddamn throat! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!?"

There was a gentle flap of wings and a gust of wind. Orihime looked toward the source and found Ulquiorra, standing on the edge of the pillar, wings folding in. He looked at Aizen's corpse, then at Orihime.

"She has become God." Orihime bowed her head modestly. "It would seem Lord Aizen had a very valid reason for wanting you to go unharmed, and it would seem," he looked at the shaken Sexta "that your wanton disregard of rules facilitated this shift of power, Grimmjow."

Orihime waved her hands frantically. "Oh no no! We had a prior agreement!"

Ulquiorra looked slightly perturbed. "When was this agreement founded?"

She tapped her chin. "When I cut my finger."

Ulquiorra blinked. "I was gone for four minutes."

Orihime smiled meekly and offered only a sheepish laugh before speaking.

"I think we should let everyone know what's going on. The war's over, so we don't need to fight anymore."

"Orihime!" She looked around to see Ichigo Shunpo onto the pillar behind her, joining them, ready to go for another fight if need be, despite his tattered clothes and countless bruises. "Orihi...me...What the hell!?"

His words failed him upon seeing Aizen, dead with a gaping hole in his chest. She smiled serenely; an eerie sight with the blood down her front.

"It's alright Ichigo. The war's over. He's dead."

"But...But I saw you...Grimmjow- He cut your throat! I don't understand..."

"Join the fucking club!" rasped Grimmjow, still on his knees, trying to wrap his head around what had just transpired. Orihime inhaled deeply.

"I think...I should explain it to you three. Gin kind of knows already." She clasped her hands and began.

"A few days after I first arrived...I started hearing a voice. I dismissed it at first because it was just a whisper...but after a couple of days I could hear it clearly...It wasn't until the last week or so that I figured out it was the Hogyoku. It was speaking to me. It called me 'Master' and...Aizen 'Maker'. I think Aizen knew that it had a connection to me, which is why he didn't want me to get hurt; in case it activated to save my life, instead of giving its power to him."

Grimmjow looked up and scowled at her back. "So you used me, when you offered that deal." he growled.

She turned her head to face him.

"No...At that time, I didn't know...I was genuine. If he won the war, I fully intended to die by your hand. It would have been better than...than sticking around and being used or tormented." She forced herself to confess. It was hard to be so raw about it with Ichigo there. To his credit, he didn't have an outburst. "But today...my door was open. That was you, wasn't it, Gin?"

The man lying on the ground smiled a little more, still deciding to rest.

"I knew that I had to die, to rob Aizen of the Hogyoku without him able to do anything to stop it. What better way than to keep my word?"

Ichigo scowled at the floor, jaw clenched in silence.

"What of the Hogyoku itself? My eyes cannot see it." Ulquiorra asked.

"With Master! With Master! We are with Master now and forever!"

Ichigo flinched at the voice and looked around. "Wha-Where are all those voices coming from!?"

"...Aizen...he fed the damn thing so many souls." Gin croaked. "Trying to make it strong...all those years ago..."

"...How the fuck did he die!?" Grimmjow hissed. Gin chuckled.

"A Snake! A Snake! A Snake waited and then it bit him! Waited for a very long time! Did nasty things! Learned lots of secrets! Then it bit! Bite! Bite!" the Hogyoku sang. Ichigo, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra looked at Gin.

"You...You killed him?"

"You betrayed him?!"

Ichigo and Grimmjow spoke at the same time.

"You planned this all very carefully." Ulquiorra said slowly. Gin laughed.

"Ahh, how many years have I been waiting for this day?" he breathed, before grinning freely.

Orihime smiled at him before looking out over the desert.

"So...what now?" she asked slowly. They looked at her at the same time, expecting her to have the plan.

"Master is Queen! Master is Queen! Queen of the Worlds! Second to Soul King! Master can do what she pleases!"

Orihime laughed and shook her head. "It's too much. Too grand."

"...What will you do?" Ichigo asked shakily. She turned to face him, smiling brokenly.

"I don't know. But I can't go home. I'm not...I'm not Orihime Inoue anymore. I'm not that high school student...It wouldn't be right. No matter how much I miss my apartment, and my neighbourhood...and my friends, and everything." she confessed, wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"She's right. Can't you feel her reiatsu? It's completely different."

Ichigo scowled at Ulquiorra's words. "Not entirely but..."

Orihime laughed through her crying. "I might s-stay in Hueco Mundo! I m-mean, Soul Society isn't the most relaxing place, and there'd b-be a load of questions a-and all sorts of terrible things!" She dropped to her knees, hands over her face. "I'm already dead, right?!"

Ichigo's brow furrowed deeper. "Dammit...Orihime, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I waited so long to come and get you."

She shook her head and forced herself to smile at him.

"It's actually better this way! I mean, taking him down now; so many casualties were avoided! Imagine if he had the Hogyoku?" she blubbered before shaking her head and wiping her eyes furiously. "Enough of this! There are still people fighting! I should-"

"You rest ya little head, Princess. I'll take care of it." Gin said, pushing himself upright.

"But-!" "I'll tell em the truth, don't fret. I killed Aizen, you merged with the Hogyoku. That's all they need ta know. I'll even drop his body at the Old Man's feet." Gin assured, cutting her off.

Grimmjow scowled. "The others won't take his death lying down."

Here, Ulquiorra spoke up. "I can handle them."

"No...No. Thank you, but...they all should hear it from me..." Orihime said softly, before forcing another smile. "The company would be nice though!"


So, this was one of my first times writing Gin. I still don't know exactly what I'm doing with him, but I try to keep his drawl even though I'm always visualising him with the english dub. It...uh, makes for an interesting experience. Honestly I rather disliked him before I started writing him, but he's grown on me enough to include him in my as-yet-unpublished AU so that counts for something. I always thought he was a little more partial to Orihime because she reminded him of Rangiku to some extent.

I case it's not evident, I was totally winging this plot. It was just something I made up for kicks. I've always thought it interesting that the Hogyoku manifested such OP powers for Orihime.

Note: The song is meant to sync up so that the 'aahh' at 5:40 aligns with Grimmjow cutting her throat. That's just how I wrote it.