CH 4: Acid Trip

"So...let me get this straight..." Hichigo said quietly, pacing around the room slowly. From the couch Grimmjow watched him, his limbs trying to get out of their paralyzed state. Though, now that he thought about it, they would spasm again sooner or later. For now, he took over the two person couch, his arm slung over the back. The other supported his head, his elbow situated comfortably on the couch arm. His expression was blank, but his eyes reflected the same monotone anger Ichigo had seen in their last few battles together. I guess you could it say it was his default expression. "If I take King to the...what was it again?"

"The East Wing."

"Right...the East Wing of Las Noches and I convince him to let me take over, you'll have one of your followers help me separate from him forever?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Grimmjow said, his tone flat and unenthusiastic. He glanced upwards at the window, the rain showing no sign of stopping. Inwardly sighing, he looked back at the Hollow. Hichigo nodded at his confirmation, stroking his chin in thought.

"Will you hurt him?"

"No, I'll meet up with him and give him a bouquet of flowers." Grimmjow said sarcastically, earning a glare from Hichigo. "Of course I'm going to hurt him. I won't kill him, but I'll beat the shit out of him for a little bit. It's just enough so you'll have a chance to take over." The Hollow grimaced slightly.

"What would the separation process be like, exactly?" Grimmjow shrugged.

"I don't know. But from previous experience as a witness, it's very painful. But that's to be expected of Aporro."

"Aporro?"

"Yeah, he's the guy that'll be separating you from Kurosaki. He's a bit off, but then again, so are you." Hichigo rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"We'll you're not exactly perfect yourself. If King was much weaker, I could have killed you that day in Karakura Town. But of course, King doesn't let me do that."

"Why not?"

"Because he insists on being friends with every single person he meets. It's ridiculous, really. Well okay, there was that one time with that Bount. He called me just when he was about to die, so I had to kill the Spider bitch to save his stupid-" Hichigo's sentence was cut off when a sudden wave hit them. He froze as the building shook momentarily, looking up as some of the plaster fell down to the floor. Grimmjow made a move to get up from the couch, when he suddenly went ridged, his throat tightening. Gritting his teeth, his whole body suddenly went into a painful spasm, his senses temporarily going haywire. As soon as the wave disappeared so did the pain, leaving the Espada breathing heavily and his body shaking all over as it tried to relax again.

"What the...hell was that?" he asked, wincing as his voice would not go higher than a hoarse whisper. Hichigo glanced at him, finally walking towards the limp Espada and showing no signs he was as affected by the event.

"Come on, we have to go now." Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Grimmjow's wrist, hauling him to his feet. Keeping his grip firm, he used Shunpo and brought the two of them to another building. The rain had considerably grown, wind whipping around them. In front of them stood Zangetsu, precariously balanced at the top of a pole. "Hey, Old Man." Hichigo said, letting go of the heaving Grimmjow and allowing the man to fall to his knees in a sick mess. Grimmjow had used Sonido before many times, but this one felt like being kicked in the stomach to the point where he felt like upchucking his innards. Holding his abdomen, he leaned forward until his forehead touched the ground, ignoring the slight odd stare from the other two. "He has to leave now. That energy fluctuation was not supposed to happen for another few hours." Zangetsu nodded, jumping down from the pole.

"What's his state?" Hichigo looked back at the Espada who had, during their conversation, fallen to the ground on his side and curled up into a fetal position. His face had relaxed more than usual, anger no longer showing.

"Not good."

"Then sit him up. I'll take him back." Nodding, Hichigo approached Grimmjow's still form from behind. Crouching down, he stuck his hands through the Espada's armpits, lifting him up in a sitting position. Wrapping his arms around his chest to get a better grip, he kept the limp Grimmjow still.

"There ya go." Hichigo said casually, resting his chin on the Espada's neck, Grimmjow's head resting the opposite side. He tried to break from the Hollow's grip, the warmth on his back from Hichigo's chest more than uncomfortable, but he was too tired and in pain to lift up his arms.

"Let...go..." he muttered, his eyelids sagging. Ignoring his request, Hichigo held tight, waiting for Zangetsu.

"This might tingle a little bit." Zangetsu said, not sure if the Espada heard him at all. Crouching down to his level, he lay his palm flat on Grimmjow's heaving chest. Suddenly, his hand began to glow a light blue color, eventually turning a bright white. Without missing a beat, he pressed down, his hand slowly sinking through Grimmjow. Grunting, the Espada began to struggle, his breathing pattern interrupted with the bony hand now fully engulfed under his skin. He shivered as he felt Zangetsu's hand move from within, his fingers searching for something. Hichigo tightened his grip on him as he continued to struggle, watching intently as Zangetsu continued to prod. After a few moments the Elder Spirit smiled, finding what he wanted. He then pulled his hand out slowly, grasping a golden thread. It was very thin, though it seemed to resist his tugging as if it were attached to something from inside of Grimmjow. Hichigo raised an eyebrow at the thin strand.

"What the hell is that?"

"This is the Hollow's connection to an inner world." he said casually, spinning the thread between his fingers. "Or what I like to call a Hollow's Thread. These are created when a Hollow occupies the body of a Soul Reaper, or in this case is forced into one. You have one as well, though not as thin."

"Does it do anything?"

"It keeps your being intact from the outside threats, such as fluctuating reiatsu similar to the one you two experienced moments ago. You are not affected by them as much he is, because you are supposed to be here. Like I said before, his Hollow Thread is very thin due to inexperience in an inner world. It's thin and easily breakable. Yours would be more like a ribbon; strong and extremely long lasting considering it would be so much more longer. If it is broken by reiatsu, the Hollow would be wasted away. If another being, such as myself were to break it, the Hollow would simply be drawn out of the inner world and back to their original placement before having entered." Grimmjow was soon pale, his eyes locked onto the thread coming from his chest cavity. Zangetsu looked at him, his other hand pinching the middle of the thread.

"Don't worry, you'll be better in no time." He pulled the middle of the string in one direction, severing it immediately. A sudden odd tingling sensation washed over the Espada, forcing him to suck in a tight breath. Closing his eyes, he felt the Hollow's breath near his ear, his body numb.

"Don't forget about our deal, Arrancar." he whispered, letting go of Grimmjow. Barely catching his words, Grimmjow could no longer feel what was around him, nor the pain he had been experiencing. Keeping his eyes tightly closed, he waited for the cold embrace of unconsciousness to consume him once more.