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"Did he succeed?" Aizen asked as Ulquiorra returned with Ichigo. He had been waiting in his quarters, where a long table had been erected, covered in many delicious foods.

"Yes, Aizen-sama. He did exactly as you told him to. Grimmjow made it easy for him. Do you wish to see?" Ulquiorra asked, hand moving up to his eye. Aizen smiled.

"Perhaps later."

"Tch." Ichimaru muttered from his place at the table, making Aizen chuckle.

"Come now Ichigo, sit down and eat." Ichigo didn't need telling twice. He sat down a few spaces away from Ichimaru and dug straight in to a plate of cooked meat, not caring what it came from.

"Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra began, "I have been wondering. You said you would be almost completely satisfied if he succeeded…"

"Well there still remains the final test." Aizen said with a smile. "He has yet to kill a comrade." Ichigo didn't flinch, didn't look up from his meal, but something flashed in his eyes that went unnoticed by the others. Something akin to fear. "Would you do that for me, Ichigo?" Ichigo looked up at Aizen apologetically.

"I'm sorry Aizen-sama, I can't."

"Why is that?" Ichigo motioned to his armlet.

"I don't have the power sir, or my sword." Aizen chuckled.

"Quite right. But if you prove yourself then maybe you can get those things back." Ichigo simply nodded in thanks and returned to his food. "You really have done a marvellous job, Ulquiorra."

"Thank you Aizen-sama." He said with a bow.

Grimmjow roared in fury, firing cero after cero at the walls of his quarters. How could he have been so stupid?! How could he have trusted what Ichigo had said even after seeing how broken he was?! He started pounding at the wall with his bare fists, punching so hard and so fast that they began to bleed as the wall cracked beneath them.

"Stupid. Fucking. Bastards!" he yelled, thumping at the wall. He jumped back and released another cero, turning the wall into dust. Nnoitra was luckily not in his room to realise that his wall had been demolished, and Grimmjow didn't wait to see his reaction. He kicked the door to his room right off its hinges and stormed down the corridor, looking for something, anything to take his mind off what had just happened.

But no matter how far he went, he still had the dull ache in his backside and the much more painful, throbbing ache in his heart. He knew it wasn't Ichigo's fault. He'd been tortured so much in the past nine days that he probably didn't even fully realise who he was or what was happening. All he knew was that he'd be punished if he didn't follow orders, and rewarded if he did. But Grimmjow couldn't shake the feeling that he'd been completely and utterly betrayed by the only person he'd ever grown attached to. Betrayed, used, and thrown away to die.

"Good morning Grimmjow-sama!" a small white haired Arrancar chirped at him. Seconds later, the Arrancar was a smoking pair of legs. Grimmjow stormed straight out of Las Noches and into Hueco Mundo, looking for Hollow to vent on. He refused to be upset over this. He was angry. That was all. He'd never let Ichigo upset him.

"Gin."

"Mm?" Ichimaru looked up at his former captain inquisitively. Aizen had his eyes locked on Ichigo, who was still eating a few seats away.

"I want you to take Ichigo to the Human world." Ichimaru's smile faded completely, and his eyes widened.

"Sousuke…"

"You'll be fine. You can take as many Espada with you as you like. But I want you there to witness Ichigo's final test."

"Why can' Ulquiorra go? Then you can witness it for yaself." Ichimaru muttered.

"Ulquiorra will be going. But I want you to go too. Although I trust Ulquiorra, I still feel a little apprehensive about sending Ichigo to the human world with only Arrancar."

"You swore I'd never have to-"

"Gin, I allow you to get away with talking to me in a way that most other people would be killed for. But I will not have you arguing with me on this." Ichimaru scowled, averting his eyes.

"Fine." Aizen smiled.

"Ichigo." The red head turned his blank eyes to look at Aizen. "I think you're ready for your final test. I want you to go with the human world, and kill someone you used to hold dear. It doesn't have to be a Shinigami, as there may not be any in the area, but I know you had many friends there. Kill one of them for me, and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams." Ichigo barely paused to think about it for two seconds.

"Yes, Aizen-sama."

Grimmjow next saw Ichigo the next day, eating breakfast in the canteen. He was strangely on his own, and even more strangely eating raw Hollow meat. Part of Grimmjow wanted to throttle the red head, but he still felt so attached to the boy, and he knew that after so much torture, Ichigo was only doing what he'd been told to. He hadn't done it to hurt Grimmjow. The Espada scowled. He hated it when logic won over instincts. He moved through the canteen, scowling at the whispers and jeers that followed him. So word had gotten around. Again.

"Oi." He snapped, sitting down opposite Ichigo with his own plate of meat. "I thought you hated Hollow meat."

"I'm glad just to be able to eat." Ichigo said, teeth sinking into the dark meat. Grimmjow sighed. So Ulquiorra used starvation. But that couldn't have been the only method.

"Ichigo… what happened to your neck?" he asked. Ichigo paused in his eating, and looked pained, as if reliving something horrifying.

"I… resisted…" he muttered.

"Resisted what?"

"I can't tell you. Ulquiorra-sama forbade it." Grimmjow sighed, feeling an annoyingly painful pang in his heart.

"What has Ulquiorra ordered you to do today?"

"To eat here, and then report back to him in his room for instructions on my final test."

"Final test?"

"I'm going to the human world to kill one of my friends." Ichigo muttered. He opened his mouth to say something else, but no sound came out, as if he were struggling with something.

"How do you feel about that?" Grimmjow prompted. Ichigo gave him a look that was bordering on grateful. It seemed the red head couldn't even express his feelings without someone telling him he could.

"Awful… I don't want to do it…"

"Then don't." Grimmjow muttered. "Why don't you esca-"

"I feel sick. I don't want to do it. I feel like I'm drowning in my own mind. I can't get out. It's a sea… a sea and I'm drowning…" Grimmjow's eyes widened. Ichigo's voice was becoming hysterical. " I cant breathe in here…Oh god, HELP ME!" Ichigo screamed, hands clutching at his hair, pulling out great clumps. Grimmjow jumped to his feet, unsure of what to do.

"Ichigo, stop it!"

"It's burning… everything's burning… oh god there's so much blood…. Is it mine? Is that all mine? What is that?!" Ichigo cried, eyes darting back and forth. He looked up at Grimmjow and the Espada was taken aback. The lights in Ichigo's eyes were back. "HELP ME!" Ichigo cried, lunging across the table at Grimmjow. He grabbed on to the front of Grimmjow's jacket, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "Please… it hurts… don't let him back in… the door… keep the door shut… please!"

"Calm down." Grimmjow muttered shakily. "Just relax."

"Ichigo." They both froze at Ulquiorra's voice. Grimmjow watched in despair as Ichigo's eyes dulled once more, hands slipping away from his jacket. The red head hopped off the table and knelt on the floor in front of Ulquiorra.

"Ulquiorra-sama, I'm sorry." Ichigo muttered, head hung low. The smaller Espada fixed Grimmjow with a calculating look.

"You asked him how he felt, didn't you?" Grimmjow scowled at him. "I'd advise you not to do that again. It affects him." He said, turning to leave. Ichigo followed, four steps behind, without a backward glance. For a while, Grimmjow stood perfectly still, Arrancar all around him staring at him, nearly as shocked as he was at what had just happened. Underneath those dulled eyes… Ichigo was still there. He was in pain, he was being subdued, but he was still there. He was too strong for Ulquiorra after all. His spirit couldn't be completely broken; Ulquiorra had merely put a cover over it. Grimmjow scowled, mind set.

Ichigo had asked for his help. He was going to get it.

"There was an incident concerning Grimmjow earlier. Kurosaki had a momentary lapse of mind, but only because of Grimmjow's prying." Ulquiorra said. Aizen nodded, head resting on his hand in thought.

"Do you believe he's still ready for the final test?"

"He is, Aizen-sama. The effect Grimmjow had on him was very minimal."

"Very well. You and Gin will be departing with him tomorrow morning then. I have the utmost faith in the both of you, but you know what to do if Ichigo refuses." Ulquiorra nodded, bowing before leaving the room. Aizen smiled to himself in the empty throne room. "Now Ichigo, what will you do?" there was a knock at the door.

"Excuse me, Aizen-sama but I need to report something to you." A tall, gangly Arrancar entered the room, fiddling nervously with the remains of his Hollow mask – a long sharp point that jutted out of his jaw. Aizen vaguely recognised him as one of Szayel Apporo's Fraccion.

"What is it?"

"It's Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, sir. He's gone." Aizen raised a brow.

"What do you mean 'gone'?" The Arrancar gulped.

"Gone sir. He opened up a garganta and went to the human world. Szayel Apporo-sama kept track of him as long as possible, but he disappeared from all sensors just a few minutes ago." Aizen's smile disappeared altogether. Had that loose cannon finally got himself killed? There was no other way to explain a reiatsu simply disappearing.

"Thank you. You can go." The Arrancar bowed and scuttled out, leaving Aizen alone with his thoughts. What had Grimmjow been trying to do? Who had been strong enough to take him down?

"You thinkin' of callin' off Ichigo's test?" Aizen sighed.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people, Gin." Ichimaru chuckled, arms resting on Aizen's shoulder.

"Grimmjow's missin' in the human world. Maybe even dead. You think Ichigo can stand up to whoever killed him?" Aizen was silent for a while, thinking. He stood up, moving away from Ichimaru towards a door that led straight up to his quarters.

"Come with me Gin, you can help me to think in my room." Ichimaru smirked.

The next day, Ichigo stood before Ulquiorra, Ichimaru and an Espada he had never personally met before. All he knew was that his name was Nnoitra, and he was currently pissed off because of something to do with his room's wall. So Ichigo knew to stay away from him.

"Now we'll be takin' off your armlet for this trip." Ichimaru said, "But because of this, if ya make any weird moves, you'll be killed. Understand?" Ichigo nodded dully.

"Yes Ichimaru-sama."

"Good." The Ex-captain said. He put his hand around the armlet and it immediately dropped off into his palm. Ichigo felt a rush of power returning to him, filling him up. It was almost too much for him, and he stumbled slightly, grabbing his head.

"Ngh…" he mumbled. Ulquiorra threw his sword to him, and Ichigo only just caught it before it impaled him. He gasped at the warmth he felt radiating from his sword, almost like a welcome from an old friend he hadn't seen in a while. He used Zangetsu to steady himself while his power swirled around inside him, still dizzy.

"Ready to go?" Ichimaru pressed, and Ichigo nodded despite the dizziness, following the Shinigami through Ulquiorra's garganta.

"Stay calm." Ulquiorra whispered from behind him. "Stay calm and focussed."

"Yes Ulquiorra-sama." Ichigo said, grip tightening around Zangetsu.

They emerged in the human world, hovered in the sky of Karakura town. Ichigo looked down at his old home with slightly saddened eyes. Ulquiorra noticed this and nudged him. Instantly, the red head's eyes were lifeless.

"So who are ya killin' Ichigo?" Ichimaru asked playfully. Ichigo surveyed the area critically. He couldn't feel many of his friend's reiatsu – Ishida and Chado's missing reiatsu was to be expected but where was Urahara? Ururu? Jinta? Tessai? He couldn't really call them friends but their lack of reiatsu was still strange.

"Keigo." Ichigo muttered shortly. With all of his closer friends gone, he could only choose someone from school.

"Never heard of him." Ichimaru said, shrugging. "Lead the way." Ichigo used shunpo to get down to the street beneath, choosing one that was near Keigo's house. He just wanted to get this over and done with, quickly and quietly. He felt Ichimaru, Ulquiorra and Nnoitra land behind him and he began to make his way forward down towards Keigo's house, but had to stop when a blade appeared dangerously close to his throat. A blade covered in ice. He lurched back to see Toushirou standing infront of him, with Matsumoto by his side. Looking around, he found that they were completely surrounded by Shinigami and, he noticed with a jolt, Ishida and Chado.

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