Grimmjow let out a relieved sigh as he peeked through a window, seeing Piri tied up to a chair; Starrk was beside him and ready to move at any moment.
He couldn't see anyone inside the small apartment aside from Piri but Grimmjow was weary; he knew that Ulquiorra could be anywhere in the room and he had the sneaking suspicion that he was lurking about somewhere out of sight.
"Anyone in there?" Starrk asked quietly, glancing at Grimmjow who simply shook his head; even though Piri looked alright it had been a week since she was taken and he was worried about her, he just wanted to get in, grab her and then get out.
"Just Piri…she's slumped though…I think she's sleeping…" Grimmjow muttered, moving and standing up, brushing his pants off slowly; in all honesty, Grimmjow thought she had been knocked unconscious but he was hoping she had just fallen asleep, it would make him feel so much better if that was what happened.
"You sure no one's in there? Urahara said the place always had Ulquiorra here" Starrk muttered as Grimmjow nodded slowly, walking to the front door; it would be stupid to go through the back, there'd be some sort of trap, Ulquiorra wasn't stupid and this just screamed out trap.
"I don't give a fuck what Urahara said about Ulquiorra, I give a fuck that Piri is in there, unconscious and we're this close…" Grimmjow paused, turning back to Starrk, holding his finger and thumb apart by a hair's width to demonstrate his point.
"To saving her and bringing her home, you really wanna hesitate now? Of all times?!" Grimmjow demanded, causing Starrk to sigh and shake his head, he knew that Grimmjow was right and he had watched Grimmjow do everything he could to find her, he couldn't turn back now of all times, it was a crucial moment.
"No, no I don't…come on, lets grab her and go" Starrk muttered while the two of them moved quickly, forcing their way into the practically abandoned apartment; when they searched the room, they found nothing and it unsettled Grimmjow on many different levels.
"Anything over there?" Starrk called, turning to face Grimmjow who shook his head and ran over to Piri, kneeling in front of her and moving his hand to her cheek, tilting her head up; enabling him to see the bruises on her once flawless face, small cuts littering her lips and cheeks.
"Fuck…Grimmjow…is she okay?" Starrk asked as Grimmjow shook his head, brushing his thumb against her pale lips gently, studying her face closely; the important thing was he could clearly see her breathing which meant she was alive.
"She's not in good shape…he's been beating the shit out of her…fuck! This is why we can't have people with us Starrk, this is the exact fucking reason!" Grimmjow snarled, standing and running his hands through his hair; wishing with his entire being that Ulquiorra could be there for him to beat the shit out of.
"Grimmjow, it wasn't…she wouldn't blame us" Starrk muttered quietly, watching him with sad eyes, he knew how attached Grimmjow had started to become to her, it was obvious.
"So what? I blame us! We stayed to keep her safe and look at what happened…look at her Starrk, she's been put through hell because of us" He muttered, a defeated tone building in his voice; Grimmjow despised the fact that he was unable to protect her.
"…Let's just get her home for now" Starrk suggested quietly, watching as Grimmjow nodded and moved to Piri, kneeling beside her again and moving to untie her; his hands freezing and his blood running cold as he noticed her torn shirt.
"Something wrong…?" Starrk frowned, watching Grimmjow as he clenched his fists, staring at the bloody number carved into Piri's pale, left breast; it was the number four, Ulquiorra's rank in the gang; a message to the two of them.
"That…fucking…asshole, I'll rip his fucking arms off and beat him to death with them!" Grimmjow roared, standing up and moving, slamming his fist into the wall; ignoring the severe pain that formed in his probably broken hand.
"Grimmjow, what the fuck?!" Starrk demanded, staring at him in shock while Grimmjow used his good hand to point to Piri, fury burning brightly in his eyes; when Starrk looked at where he was pointing, his blood ran cold, he knew what that number meant…it was obvious what Ulquiorra had done now, why he wasn't there waiting for them.
"Fuck…" Starrk trailed off, moving quickly and untying Piri, catching her against his chest when she fell towards the ground; an almost inaudible groan leaving her lips.
"He marked her…he fucking marked her, I'll kill him, I won't regret it either, he's going to scream and suffer more than he ever fucking imagined possible!" Grimmjow shouted, releasing his pent up anger as Starrk lifted Piri into his arms, cradling her close to his body; he needed Grimmjow calm but he had to figure out how to calm him down first.
"…Grimmy…" Piri groaned, causing both men to look at her quickly, Starrk could instantly see that she was still unconscious but Grimmjow didn't seem to care, he moved to them quickly and took her out of Starrk's arms, holding her close to his chest; an air of protection about him, nothing was getting to her again any time soon, that much was obvious.
"Grimmjow…she's still as-" Starrk was cut off almost instantly by the dark and pained look in his eyes; it reminded him of when Grimmjow's parents had died.
"I know…but she called for me" He muttered quietly, his voice almost inaudible as he pressed his lips to the side of her head, walking out of the building slowly.
"To Urahara's place then?" Starrk asked quietly, following after Grimmjow who could only nod in agreement, wanting nothing more than to hold Piri and get her fixed up so that she wouldn't be in anymore pain; he wanted to take away her pain and he was going to do it, even if he had to owe that bastard a favour or two to do it.
