This is a very quick update because I already had a lot of this chapter written. Future updates are unlikely to be so quick, sorry! I'd also like apologise for the mistakes in the first chapter. I had gone through it but missed a few things. Once I've fiddled with FF I'll swap the chapter for a better edited one.
Insert DISCLAIMER etc.
Thanks to all of those who put me on their alerts, to LoveOfMyLifeIs who reviewed (yay!) and to all those people who came and read it and left in silence. Made me feel great! *plagued by insecurity* nah, I can cope. I'm the one who knows what's going to happen so bwahahaha.
"The cause is hidden; the effect is visible to all" - Ovid.
A garganta opened in the sky over Karakura town. It was early evening, and the horizon Ulquiorra and Grimmjow stepped out towards was tinted coral. They had arrived above a wide avenue of houses and trees, and in the distance the rush of traffic hinted at a busy town centre.
There were several strong sources of reiatsu, perhaps four or five, and although Grimmjow wouldn't have minded tearing through them until he found Kurosaki, Ulquiorra sent out his pesquisa, and pointed to the east.
"There."
Grimmjow turned his head and basked in the beacon that was Kurosaki's reiatsu. Yeah, it was him alright. The taste of it was acidic and practically made his mouth water with the promise of a fight it held. He nearly shivered. Kurosaki resonated like a taut string.
Cracking his knuckles and stretching his neck, Grimmjow grinned menacingly. He was going to love this.
As Grimmjow leapt forward, Ulquiorra considered sighing as he followed the sexta. Such childish behaviour. Unfit to be Espada.
Considering the consequences should the shinigami be injured by Grimmjow being left unsupervised, Ulquiorra stepped up his pace, to find that Grimmjow had already reached their prey.
The orange haired teen was walking with a towering tanned guy, who Grimmjow sneered at. He had reiatsu but he was just a pathetic human.
Laughing insanely, he called, "KUROSAKI!" and leapt forward with a glint in his cyan eyes, throwing a wild punch.
The giant blocked the blow in front of his friend, but was thrown forcefully across the street, hitting the ground rolling.
"Chad!" yelled Ichigo.
Chad pulled himself to his feet clutching his left arm. Ichigo pulled out his shinigami badge, and his body fell away. Ichigo only just managed to block another punch.
Fucking Grimmjow Jagaerjaques!
Grimmjow didn't relent his attacks, kicking out at Ichigo who had a hard time keeping up with his defence. He had no chance to release his bankai, and was finding it difficult to counter Grimmjow's whirling attacks with just his shikai.
A round house kick connected with his torso, flinging him in a wall, which cracked outwards from the impact.
"Grimmjow." Ulquiorra held Grimmjow's fist.
Snarling, he turned to the smaller Espada pain the ass. "What?"
"Aizen-sama specifically instructed you to not damage the substitute shinigami."
"I'm just wearing him down, so he doesn't give ya any trouble!"
"That is not necessary."
Ichigo staggered away from the wall, and held his sword to go in to bankai.
Grimmjow shot forward, ripped Ichigo's sword from his hands, and grabbed his arms, twisting them behind his back. Ichigo cried out and fell to his knees. Chad ran forward to help, but Ulquiorra shot a cero from an outstretched finger. Chad blocked the cero, but was pushed back from the force.
Turning his attention once more to Ichigo, Ulquiorra spoke flatly. "Aizen-sama has instructed us to bring you to him. You will not resist, and we will not allow you to fight us."
"Like hell you won't!" Raising his reiatsu, Ichigo tried to force his captor away from him.
Grimmjow shifted his grip and slammed Ichigo chest first into a wall.
"Don't worry, Shinigami! There'll be plenty of time for that later!" Laughing, he grabbed Ichigo's collar, smacked him across the back of the head, and hoisted the teen over his shoulder.
Tearing open a garganta, Grimmjow gestured to Ichigo's human body.
"What about that?"
"I will bring it." Ulquiorra dragged the shell behind him as he stepped onto a path through to Hueco Mundo.
Chad clawed himself up onto his arms, and watched as Ichigo's orange hair disappeared into the darkness of the garganta.
Ichigo woke up groaning on a hard cold surface. Opening his eyes, he pushed himself up onto his forearms. Looking up and around, the room had a high vaulted ceiling, white pillars and a white marble floor. There was a straight-backed chair sat on a slight platform at one end, Ichigo sprawled at the centre of chamber. He sat on his own, shivering slightly.
The sound of footsteps echoed, bouncing between the walls, disorientating him to their direction.
Aizen stepped out of the darkness behind his traitor's throne, with a smile touching his lips. Ichigo scrambled to his feet, reaching for his zampakto. His hands grasped at the empty air.
The ex-captain chuckled. Resting a hand on the back of the imposing throne, Aizen studied the Kurosaki boy, who was stood in a defensive pose, glaring at the older man.
"Where's my sword, you bastard!" Ichigo demanded.
"Now, now." Aizen tutted. "There's no need to be rude, Kurosaki-san. I felt it best that you were unarmed. I wouldn't like to see you provoking someone into hurting you."
"Give me my sword! Unless you're a coward." Ichigo panted with anger.
Shaking his head, Aizen descended the few steps towards his new prisoner.
"I am no coward, Kurosaki-san. No, it is for your own good you are not armed. Being armed with your sword is likely to get yourself killed, and you are here and alive at my pleasure. It would not bode well if you were ungrateful."
"Let me go. What the hell do you want with me?" Ichigo stood his ground as Aizen approached.
"That is none of your concern at this moment. Nothing is required of you, and you will not be imprisoned here-"
"Then let me go!" Ichigo interrupted.
"You will be given a room, and be free to travel through the grounds. However, you are not to leave Las Noches, and you will behave. I'm sure you keen to stay out of trouble. My Espada are loyal, but sometimes they forget themselves. If you should overstep the boundaries put upon you, you alone will be responsible for the consequences. No one will help you."
Ichigo wasn't suicidal. Without his zampakto, he was practically defenceless, although he was still in his spiritual form.
"Welcome, Ichigo, to Las Noches." Aizen spread his arms wide.
He was marched from the audience chamber by the stolid Ulquiorra. Ichigo glared at the short Espada's back the whole way past seemingly endless corridors of tall white doors, until they arrived in front of a similarly unremarkable door.
Ulquiorra opened the door, and did not bother turning to check that shinigami followed him into the room.
It was as stark white as everything else in Las Noches. Ichigo was sure he'd get a migraine. Bastard Aizen probably meant that to happen.
Taking a cursory glance around the room, he saw a large western divan bed one wall, a small table positioned in front of a long sofa. A door opposite the bed probably led to the bathroom. It was illuminated by long windows, curtained with transparent netting. A small wardrobe stood beside a full length mirror in the corner.
"Your room."
Duh. Ichigo rolled his eyes.
"You are not to leave this room without permission. For now, you must stay in here until someone collects you."
So much for not being a prisoner.
"There are clothes in that wardrobe. You will wash and change into them. You will be ready for dinner in one hour."
Ulquiorra turned and walked straight out of the room closing the door with a resounding thud. Ichigo ran towards it and tried the handle. Locked. Ichigo added it to the list of things he hated about Aizen and his Espada.
His head was throbbing, and he was still covered in the sweat from his earlier fight. He explored the bathroom, turning on the taps in a large shower. The artificial light in here sparkled off tiles. A small piece of aesthetic vanity in a wasteland.
Stripping off, Ichigo relaxed under the flow of the pleasing hot water. He didn't feel anything more than anger at this time. He'd get his zampakto back, and he'd fight his way back to Karakura. Chad would have told Urahara, or someone, about his abduction, and they'd have a garganta ready.
Ignoring the obvious complexities of this plan, Ichigo stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel about his waste, drying his hair as he walked. Pulling on a pair of white hakama pants, frowning at them, he carried the top back to the bed. He sat on the edge, his head throbbing again. That asshole Grimmjow. Lying back, he closed his eyes, zoning out of himself as he relaxed. The bed was soft, and the throbbing slowly ebbed away as he slipped into sleep.
"KUROSAKI!"
Ichigo sat up with a shock, cried out in pain, and then collapsed again onto the bed, breathing heavily.
The door to his room smashed open, and in came Grimmjow Jagerjaques.
He had kicked it open after banging on it for a good 15 seconds. He was pissed off. Nobody made him wait!
He spotted the shinigami brat lying on the bed, IGNORING him. He stalked over and dragged him up by his orange hair. Kurosaki groaned again.
"What the fuck's wrong with ya? Get up!"
Pulling Ichigo off the bed onto his feet, Grimmjow shoved him a couple of feet before he collapsed, vomiting.
"Che. What are you trying to pull, shinigami? It's not gonna work whatever it is." He kicked Ichigo to prove his point.
All Ichigo could do was lie there and accept it. The back of his skull felt like someone was going at it with an axe. He shuddered a breath down, and tried to ease away the feeling of nausea.
Grimmjow stood over him, frowning.
Muttering under his breath about fucking pathetic excuse Grimmjow hoisted the boy into his arms.
"You throw up on me, and I'll punch your fuckin' face in, got it?" he snarled.
"Unngh,"
Grimmjow would take that as a yes. Goddam Ulquiorra, sending him down here like a nanny to collect Kurosaki for dinner. And now this. He looked down at the helpless shinigami in his arms, as he shivered. The moron hadn't put his top on, and Grimmjow watched the tanned chest rise and fall irregularly. Frowning again, Grimmjow used a quick sonido to get to Syazel's lab. Suppressing his own shiver of distaste, he pushed open the door, and yelled out for the octava Espada.
Aizen would have his balls if the precious shinigami was sick – blaming Grimmjow, when Ichigo was last with Ulquiorra.
"Szayel, where the fuck are ya?"
And that's the end of Chapter Two. Felt like a good place to stop writing. No intentional cliffy (it's not much of one anyway).
You know how to show me love!
