Chapter 4: Heart to Heart

Byakuya opened his eyes and found himself looking at a scraggly toddler hollow with a broken mask on her head. She smiled at him, but her eyes were watering and her cheeks appeared to be filled with something…

"What…?" he began, then was stopped as the small girl's mouth opened wide and expelled something warm, wet and slimy onto his bared shoulder, chest and abdomen.

He tried to sit up, but the child began to frantically wave her arms to stop him.

"What…what are you…d-doing?" he said, his teeth chattering slightly as the disgusting liquid dribbled down his body and began to sink beneath his skin and cool.

"Nel makes saliva to fix your wounds," the girl said, wide-eyed.

As much as his stomach quailed, he was curious.

"Your…itthat…has healing powers?" he asked, staring.

Nel nodded.

It heals the cuts and the poison in them," she explained.

"You can cure poison?" he asked quickly.

The girl nodded.

"Some poisons I can cure, like the one in your cuts. Some I can't."

Byakuya's eyes grew intense.

"May I send a sample of that fluid to some friends? You see, my sister has been poisoned and I am trying to find a cure for that poison."

"Nel doesn't mind, but Nel wonders why the pretty shinigami looks here for that," Nel said, frowning.

"I am looking here because this is where my sister and her friends were when they were somehow poisoned. I have to find where and how they were poisoned…and I must find a way to cure it."

The girl tilted her head to the side.

"Does Nel know your sister?" the girl asked, "We don't see so many shinigamis here, especially now that Aizen Sousuke went to prison."

"She was here before that. Her name is Rukia."

Nel's eyes went wide.

"Nel knows Rukia! Nel does! She came with Ichigo! They are Nel's friends too! Rukia is poisoned? That's terrible! It makes Nel sad! It makes Nel cry!" she said, her eyes filling with tears.

Byakuya watched in stunned silence as the mouth that had expelled the healing saliva opened wide again and loosed a howl of despair. The sound rang in his ears and send pain like shards of glass through his head.

"Oh…" he groaned, covering his ears, "Oh…child…don't cry. I'm here to find a cure."

Nel stopped the horrid sound, but froze with her mouth open and tears running down her face.

"Pretty Shinigami will find a cure?" she said, wide-eyed, "Can Nel help?"

"Oh…um…" Byakuya stammered, trying to untie his tongue, "well, it's dangerous. I have to search Las Noches and there are many dangerous hollows there. I wouldn't want you to be hurt as I was…"

"Please take Nel? Please? Please?" she went on, sending fresh bolts of pain through his head, "Nel won't be hurt by hollows. Nel knows how to stay out of the way! Please take Nel? Please?"

"Well…I…"

"Better plan to take her along, Shin," Grimmjow said from the doorway, "unless you like suffering from headaches. She is actually a lot more powerful than she looks…and she does know how to stay out of the way…right Nel?"

"That's right! Nel is good at hiding! Once Dondokchakka and Pesche and Bawabawa took a whole week to find Nel! It made them cry and cry, like this…"

"Wait…wait…" Byakuya gasped, "I know how you mean. And if Grimmjow says that it is all right, then you can go. Just…be careful. I lost many friends there when we were attacked."

Nel's eyes went wide again.

"You were with the boy who likes Renji-san?" Nel asked, "He said he was looking for another shinigami…was he looking for you?"

"You…saw Rikichi?" Byakuya said, an eye darting to Grimmjow, "What happened to him? Where did he go? I saw him carried off by a female hollow with legs like a horse."

Nel giggled.

"Pretty Shin is funny! He doesn't know it was Nel's other form!"

"It's her resurreccion…her more powerful form. She saved your friend."

"You have my gratitude for that," Byakuya said, meeting her eyes warmly, "but where is Rikichi now?"

"Nel sent him back to his world. He said he would be back for the other shinigami. So you don't have to worry about Rikichi-san. He is safe."

"That is a relief," Byakuya sighed, leaning back against the pillows, his eyes drooping wearily.

"Oh, Pretty Shin needs to sleep now. Do your wounds hurt anymore? If they do, then Nel can heal them again."

"Actually…they do not feel so bad at all now. Your power has taken much of the pain away…arigato."

"Nel," said Grimmjow, "Why don't you go and find Dondochakka and Pesche and see if they found anything interesting today."

Nel nodded and disappeared. Grimmjow stood with his arms crossed and his back against the wall.

"So…" he said in a low voice, "you look a lot better. We should be able to go back to my place tomorrow."

"What about searching Las Noches?" Byakuya asked, "I was near to getting into Gin's secret lab. I must get inside to…"

"Don't you listen?" Grimmjow said tersely, "We're going back to my place. You aren't in any shape to be running around the fortress. Just lie there and get some rest for now. Do you want Nel to bring you some tea?"

"Oh…no…I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stay awake to drink it."

"Fine then. I'll be back in the morning," Grimmjow said, turning away.

"Wait," Byakuya said, stopping him, "Where are you going?"

"Out. I'll be back in the morning."

Without another word, he disappeared. Byakuya leaned back against the pillows, his body still aching and his mind pondering the hollow's change in behavior.

He began to feel his heart beating. Being that he is a hollow, it has to have been a shock to him. Perhaps he just needs time…

He reached out with his senses and was immediately sorry as his head throbbed and his stomach pitched at the outlay of power. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but couldn't get past how close he had been to finding his answers before being injured.

"Nel was wondering if Pretty Shin would like to talk alone," said a voice from his darkened doorway.

"What would you like to talk about, child?" he asked softly.

"Nel wonders if something she remembers is right. Nel remembers sitting on a sand dune and watching the shinigamis fight with Yammy…and there was a pretty shinigami with decorations in his hair. He looked like you. He was one of the taichous."

Byakuya met her eyes silently.

"Are you going to kill Grimmjow?" she asked in a trembling voice.

Byakuya sighed.

"No," he said softly, "That is not why I was sent."

"But Nel thinks you aren't only here to help Rukia."

"No," he admitted, "I have another mission…but I do not want Grimmjow to know. He would misunderstand. He would be angry."

Nel giggled.

"Grimmjow is always angry," she said, smiling sadly, "Nel thinks that he's not happy being a hollow. But he was scared."

"He was…scared?" Byakuya repeated questioningly.

"He thought that Pretty Shin was going to die. He was pacing and growling and yelling at Dondochakka and Pesche until they ran away crying. Then he got quiet and he told Nel something. He told Nel that his heart started to beat again…and he remembered that a very long time ago, before he was a hollow, he was a shinigami. But something awful happened to him and he became like us. He doesn't remember because it was so long ago. But when his heart started to beat, he remembered being in the Rukongai of Soul Society. I think it made him sad to remember."

"I'm sorry," Byakuya whispered, "I feel as though that was my fault. He was with me when his heart started to beat and I wonder if it happened because of me…something I did. I don't know what it was, but…I'm worried for him."

"Pretty Shin…loves Grimmjow?"

"I…I…" Byakuya stammered, looking down at his hands, "I'm not sure. I do know that I don't want anything bad to happen to him. I wonder where he went."

"He went to the fortress to watch others challenge The Beast."

"Who is that?" Byakuya asked.

Nel moved closer and climbed onto the bed next to him.

"The Beast is a big, smelly, mean hollow that no one can seem to kill. He kills lots of other hollows and some hollows call him their master. But he is always angry and he kills everyone who comes near him. They say that the new king will be the one who kills him."

"Does Grimmjow plan to fight him?"

Nel laughed.

"No, of course not! Grimmjow hates being a hollow! He wouldn't want to be king. He wanted Nel to be queen, but Nel won't kill The Beast. Nel hates killing!"

"Grimmjow believes that your powers are strong enough that you could kill The Beast?"

"Nel was third Espada a long time ago, but didn't like it. Nel and her friends went away from Las Noches because Nel doesn't like to kill."

"But one who rules this place must sometimes kill to keep the peace…to keep order. Do you understand?"

"Nel understands," the little hollow said, nuzzling closer to him, "Nel just hates fighting and hurting."

Byakuya loosed a soft sigh and wrapped an arm around her.

"I do too."

She stared up at him in amazement.

"But Pretty Shin is even more powerful than Nel! Pretty Shin and the mean shinigami beat Yammy and Pretty Shin is a taichou!"

"But that doesn't mean that I enjoy fighting. I think that the most respectable defenders of our lands are the ones who hate fighting…the ones who love peace and order, but who lift their swords, hurt, kill, or die, because if they don't, worse things will happen. And those powers that we are given are there to help us defend what is important to us. So yes, I hate fighting, but I will fight to protect what is important."

He paused for a moment, looking down at her.

"I think that you already know this, Nel…but sometimes understanding is not enough. Sometimes we must learn from experience. Sometimes it is the only way."

"Pretty Shin is very wise, Nel thinks."

She cuddled up against him and closed her eyes.

"Nel is sleepy. Does Pretty Shin know any stories?"

Byakuya smiled.

"Perhaps."

"Will you tell Nel a story?"

Byakuya nodded.

"What kind of story?" he asked.

She opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by the arrival of a hell butterfly. Byakuya caught his breath softly, realizing it was an emergency message.

This a priority one message…Byakuya, we have come to realize something important about the poisonings. The original ones who were affected by the poison are not the only cases. Since you left the Seireitei, all personnel dispatched to Hueco Mundo during that time have shown signs of poisoning. Unohana taichou, Kurotsuchi taichou, Zaraki taichou and the subordinates who were included in the mission have had to be placed in cryogenic suspension. Urahara Kisuke has been called to assist us, and has informed us that the poison is placed by exposure to Hueco Mundo. It seems to be something that is emitted into the environment and is circulated on the desert breezes during the sandstorms. He has samples and is continuing to analyze them, but he says that you must find the source of the poison and neutralize it before we can risk anyone else entering Hueco Mundo. Realize that the clock is ticking for you now. Although Urahara Kisuke says that the progress of the poison is slowed while still in Hueco Mundo, it will eventually overcome you. You must find the source of the poison before you succumb to it. Otherwise, all of the ones affected will die!"

"Oh no!" cried Nel, her eyes filling with tears, "Pretty Shin is still poisoned? Nel will stop it!"

She leaned over Byakuya and placed her hands on his chest, focusing deeply. White power flared around the two and flowed into the shinigami's body. Nel furrowed her brow and raised her power. Tears ran down her face as she focused harder.

"Nel is trying, Pretty Shin, but Nel can't stop this! It is a powerful poison that is inside Pretty Shin. It was so powerful that Nel couldn't see it until she knew it was there!"

"What's all the noise?" said Grimmjow from the doorway, "I thought I told you to let Shin sleep. He needs to if he's going to get better."

"But…but he…he…"

Nel descended into sobs. Grimmjow frowned down at her questioningly, then looked up at Byakuya.

"What's with her? Did something happen while I was gone?" the Espada asked quickly.

"Grimmjow has to help!" sobbed Nel, "Pretty Shin has the other poison in him…and if no one finds out how to stop it, then Pretty Shin is going to die!"

Nel stopped for a moment.

"The message said that everyone who came to Hueco Mundo got poisoned. That…that means Ichigo and all his friends…all of them…"

"Don't worry about it Nel," Grimmjow said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "We're going to find a cure for them."

He looked up at Byakuya.

"That's why Shin is going to rest as he's been told…because tomorrow we are going to start looking for that cure."

"Really?" said Nel, rubbing her wet eyes and gazing up at him hopefully, "We'll save them?"

"Yeah," said Grimmjow, "We aren't going to let anyone die…I promise."

Nel let out a long, shuddering sigh. Grimmjow shook his head reprovingly.

"Now scram, will you? Shin has to sleep…and so do you. You're coming with us."

"Okay!" said the girl, jumping up excitedly.

She looked down at where her tears had dropped onto Byakuya's skin.

"Nel cried on Pretty Shin," she observed.

"Not to worry," said Byakuya, patting her on the head, then watching as she scampered away, "It isn't the worst thing that's found its way onto my skin today…"

He looked up at Grimmjow.

"I don't suppose there is a place to shower?"

"What?" said Grimmjow, smirking, "This is Hueco Mundo! There aren't any sources of water."

"What about the shower in your cave?" Byakuya asked.

"It is supplied by Las Noches…and will eventually run dry. Sorry," he said, looking amused, "You're just going to have to get used to being dirty for awhile!"

"Hmm…" said Byakuya, noting his filthy skin, "It does seem that it can't be helped."

"Shut up and go to sleep, now," Grimmjow said, returning to the doorway.

"Grimmjow…"

"What?"

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"You're kidding right?" said the Espada, staring, "The last time I got next to you, my heart started beating again. I'm a hollow. Hollows don't have hearts, don't you get it? It isn't natural! And even if it was real…it probably wouldn't last."

He met Byakuya's eyes meaningfully.

"And some of us don't like being teased like that. Now shut up and go to sleep. I'll be back when it's time to leave."

He disappeared before Byakuya could answer. Sighing, he turned onto his side and looked out the small opening that was cut into the wall next to him. He stared at the stars and crescent moon until his eyes wouldn't stay open. Just as he was drifting off, another hell butterfly appeared. Urahara Kisuke's voice rose up out of it.

"Byakuya…what you described to me…that effect…I need to know everything that happened around it. I've heard of it happening, but only in very rare cases. I need to know the exact circumstances that surrounded this. Where was the hollow when this happened? To what things might he have been exposed? What was he doing just before it happened? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what you tell me. Obviously, there are things about this that should be kept quiet…especially because of Soutaichou's subdirective. Yeah, I know why you were sent there…that it wasn't just to find the cure for the poison. And I'm going to give you a warning you need to listen to. Don't get distracted. Focus on what Soutaichou sent you to do and avoid doing anything that will get in the way of that mission…understand? Because I have an inkling already about what you're going to tell me…and if it's as I suspect, then you are in danger of sabotaging your own mission. Focus, Kuchiki taichou…or you'll blow everything! And if you do, quite a few people are going to die, including your sister and you…Just thought you should hear it again. Wouldn't want you to forget what's a stake here…"

"What was that?" said Grimmjow from the doorway, "You got a message from the Seireitei?"