Author's Note: I have about few more chapters until the ending. After that, I will start on the sequel tentatively titled, "Terra Incognito." There's simply too much story here...
CHAPTER EIGHT
Ulquoirra pushed Renji into the Brig, sending Renji unto his knees. "Are these necessary?" Renji said, using his head to gesture to the reiastu neutralizing handcuffs holding his hands behind his back.
"Ask your 'friend' about his predecessor," Ulquoirra said, shoving Szayel in the cell. Szayel glared and remained silent. Ulquiorra slammed the steel door shut, locking the door.
Renji surveyed his surroundings. There was nothing but wall-to-wall sekki-sekki stone and rotating cameras. Water dripped from an unseen faucet. Renji surmised those cameras were fakes, the real bugs and cameras were probably hiding within the walls, masked by water sound.
Renji said, "Are you all right?" He walked, scrapping his already sore knees against the rough sekki-sekki stone, over to the still glaring Szayel. "Didn't you hear me?" Szayel pursed his lips and sighed. Renji rolled his eyes. "Ya know most people say 'I love you too' rather than the silent treatment. God, you are such a woman…"
Szayel said, "You deviated from the plan."
"And saved our asses, thank you very much," said Renji. "You're too rigid."
"You're too flexible," said Szayel.
Renji scoffed, sitting down next to Szayel. "You weren't complaining last night." Szayel's face slowly reddened.
"La-dee-dah," he said. Szayel broke into his victory-is-mine smile as he sat down across from Renji. Renji felt a piercing a sensation from his pocket where the mini Reiastu Emitter hid. The Emitter dug into his skin and then migrated into his blood stream and finally latched unto his spinal cord. He long to claw his skin but a minor head shake from Szayel calmed him down.
Did it hurt? said Szayel, his smug voice ringing in Renj's head. Renji blinked a few times and gave Szayel a good kick in the shin with his left leg.
Yes, you son of a whore, Renji replied to Szayel. What is this thing?
A reiastu emitter I told you, said Szayel with a quizzical look on his face.
Renji kicked him again, harder this time.
Szayel said, It's also a remote tracking device and a neural communicator. You'd better say something out loud or else they might get suspicious…
"Tell me about your predecessor," said Renji out loud.
"My predecessor was Il Forte," said Szayel. "We wanted to use the Hougyoku for ourselves for experiments on humans. We made trouble and intentionally got arrested by Ulquoirra, in order to get close to Aizen-sama and steal it. Our plan failed…"
Renji tapped his foot, recalling how he had killed Il Forte, and wondered if Szayel hated him for it. "Tell me more gossip," he said with a crooked grin.
What's our next move? Renji asked.
Follow my lead…said Szayel. "Do you why Gin is always smiling with his hands in his pockets and you can't see his pupils?" Szayel said out loud.
"He's happy," Renji ventured, glancing at the ceiling.
"Gin is constantly masturbating," Szayel whispered.
Renji chuckled, shaking his head. "Kira's gonna gauge his eyes with a chopsticks once he hears this…What about Aizen?"
"Aizen is completely and entirely illiterate," Szayel said. "He makes fraccion read the Karakura Town Times newspaper every morning." He scratched his shin with his stained shoe and turned his head to the left and then right.
Aizen will have a test to determine your true loyalties, Szayel said. Prepare for death.
Renji said. I'll survive because I can't imagine life without you.
Renji longed for him to say I-love-you back, but Szayel simply said yes....
"What's the dirt on Tousen?" Renji said.
Szayel said, "Nothing actually, which makes me think, that Tousen's secret is extremely scandalous." Szayel giggled.
Renji smiled back, continuing to ask more questions about various arrancar. Pondering upon Szayel's words, he couldn't help but feel like a virginal lamb led to slaughter.
Renji didn't fear death but embraced it as one would touch a lover.
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"Something is wrong," said Wonderwice, clicking a few buttons on the keyboard. The screen zoomed quickly, blurring momentarily and then focused upon Szayel when he scratched his shin. "He is signaling."
Ulquoirra said, leaning on Wonderwice's chair. "Replay it." Wonderwice complied. Ulquoirra frowned as it dawned on him that he'd seen it before. "It's the Granz non-verbal language. The same one Szayel used with Il Forte."
Wonderwice turned his chair in circles. "Zoom!" he said.
"The signal for sacrifice," Aizen said, his voice booming in the surveillance room. "He's going to murder Renji to redeem himself… See how he's distracting Renji with gossip?" Suddenly, the screen buzzed with static, interrupting Aizen. "Szayel, you are truly devious."
Ulquoirra said, "What are your orders, Aizen-sama?"
"Szayel will have his sacrifice and Renji will be mine," said Aizen. "Separate them until our next briefing." Ulquoirra nodded. "How is Constantine's mission going?"
"Constantine is meeting his objectives," Ulquoirra said, handing Aizen the last surveillance photo of Grimmjow, Constantine and Rukia.
"Tell him to speed up the timetable," said Aizen.
"And Captain Kuchiki?" said Ulquoirra. "He will reach Las Noches by nightfall."
Aizen smiled. "Unohana will take care of him."