Well. The chapter's short and I'm really not sure I'm too happy with it...but it's as good as it's going to get and I'm sick of looking at it so try to enjoy

Arms comfortably folded over his chest, the leader and master of all within the walls of the extensive building stood gracefully within the lab. The cool air of the lab didn't register as he watched his scientist and the soldier trained as such scan through columns of genetic information as it flashed across the screens.

Aizen waited quietly as the two discussed and pointed out certain proteins and the patterns they formed. So deep in what they were doing, in gathering the information their master had demanded, the two hadn't heard the hiss of the glass doors as he entered, nor the click as they shut and locked behind him.

After a moment, the pink haired soldier looked up from what he was doing and finally realized they were being watched. He straightened, gaining Mayuri's attention as well. Octava, unbound while he worked in the lab, bowed slightly before straightening once more, his intelligent eyes hovering over his master. Mayuri barely nodded but being the head scientist and of a higher rank than the soldier at his side, he addressed the powerful man in their lab.

"What can we do for you, Aizen-sama?" The strange scientist asked, though his voice dripped with a tone that suggested he knew what the man was there for and was ever amused by it. His superiority complex would have gotten on Aizen's nerves long ago had the unique and eccentric scientist not been so good at what he did.

"Were you able to retrieve what I asked for?" Aizen unfolded his arms and slowly wondered toward the far end of the lab, nearing the back wall and the containment cell located there. He grabbed a manila folder on his way passed Mayuri and Octava, it's contents filled with details about a certain guest of theirs.

"We did, Sir." Mayuri swiveled in his chair, keeping his master in his line of sight. "As is expected of him, Octava did well in retrieving the sample. We started analyzing and developing the same day he returned from collecting Sexta and the civilian."

"Will you need to retrieve another sample from him?" Aizen asked, peering through the thick bars and glass of the containment cell; a small cage like room that could be closed off and fed with it's own supply of oxygen. It was kept separate from the rest of the lab in every way in the off chance that something should go horribly wrong and would put the rest of the facility in danger.

His fingers danced along the edge of the folder, but the subject within the cell was not the same as the one they spoke of.

"No Sir. The first sample should be sufficient and he will stay none the wiser." When Aizen said nothing, just continued to stare at the shackled figure laying prone inside the containment cell as he slowly opened their guest's chart, Octava picked up where his colleague left off.

"Mr. Kurosaki was rather distracted during our re-capture of Sexta. I'm positive he doesn't even remember the small prick of a needle."

Aizen turned from the cell to look back at his scientists, quickly glancing down at the papers in his hands. It seemed that, judging from what they had found so far, Mr. Ichigo Kurosaki would make a perfect candidate, both in attitude and in his genetic composition.

However, since the orange haired man wasn't hand selected by Aizen himself, but rather indirectly by one of his soldiers, the powerful man had his reasons to hesitate. He also knew the civilian had family somewhere, though his digging showed they lived in a different country. "Good. I haven't decided what to do with him just yet, but it seems a waste to throw out a perfectly good body and after coming into contact with the soldiers, he can't possibly be released. Continue developing and running simulations. I want to know his potentials before we do anything."

"Of course, Aizen-sama."

"I presume the wipe went well. Is he ready?" The brunette asked, shifting their conversation to another, possibly more pressing topic. Both scientists knew who he spoke of.

"He is, Sir." Mayuri stood from his chair, clicking a few buttons on his keyboard and bringing up a different set of data. The steady pulse of the containment cell's occupant ticked in the corner, brain wave activity listed near by. Everything medically needed to keep tabs on their patient pulsed and showed strong signs but it was something else entirely that kept everyone's attention.

Aizen stepped up to the screen, glancing over the display. A projection of how the Resurrection serum would continue to effect Sexta and his developing strengths had been charted out on the screen after the computer had been updated with the soldier's new stats and ran it's simulations. Aizen liked what he saw and he liked the calculations his scientists produced. If they were even near correct with their estimates and findings, this could be one of their most powerful weapons yet. "Wake him."

The two scientists bowed and crossed the lab. A series of numbers opened the pressure lock of the containment cell and allowed the even colder air to escape into the main lab, billowing as a low puff of fog to dissipate along the floor as the thick glass frosted over.

The man within remained still in his unnatural unconsciousness, his only motion the slow rise and fall of his muscled chest. Stripped of his clothing, he lay bare against a metal table, the air cool enough to frost over parts of the cot that weren't warmed by his body. His thickly corded arms rested at his sides, his legs stretched out straight. Heavy straps bound him to the table, keeping his limbs in place and another wrapped around his abdomen. His hot breath puffed in the air above him, showing his steady, sleep heavy breaths and the corded, well honed muscle of his body stayed relaxed under the few binds keeping him in place.

Octava flipped his pink hair from his face as he drew forth a syringe and uncapped the long needle. Plastic protector held between his teeth, he gently flicked the cartridge of the syringe to stir it's contents as he held it to the light. Leaving the restraints in place, the smaller soldier bent low over the crook of the unconscious man's arm. With practiced motions and a steady hand, the needle entered a visible vein and a clear, burning liquid was injected.

The smaller man quickly stepped back, recapping the needle as the potent injection began taking effect almost immediately. Blue brows furrowed and full lips peeled away from white, over sharp teeth as a low, rumbling groan crawled from the man's throat.

Aizen crossed his hands behind his back and waited, watching as his previously unruly soldier slowly awakened and sat up. No one commented as his progress was halted by the bindings before the man jerked one arm up, then the other, snapping the straps without any further thought. He undid the rest of the restraints himself and slowly settled his bare feet upon the cold tile floor, shivering lightly in the frigid room.

Seeming to shake himself into a more wakeful state, the soldier climbed to his feet and his full, intimidating hight. His aura alone was enough to make the small cell seem stifling and raise the temperature. He remained silent as he turned to look at his master, disregarding the other two in the room as though they were nothing. And in truth, they were nothing when faced with his strength.

"What is your purpose, Sexta?" Aizen asked the big man, a slight smile quirking the edges of his lips. His features remained impassive, his eyes cold as they studied the soldier's reactions, looking for any sign at all that the wipe hadn't been effective.

Sexta lowered to one knee, his head bowed before the man he had hated above all others. "To serve you, Aizen-sama."

••••••

It had been days since Ichigo had been allowed to see Grimmjow, days since that last so called training exercise. He had come to the conclusion that even Aizen knew what he had been doing wasn't legitimate training. The leader of the facility the orange haired man found himself in had been punishing the disobedient soldier. But the punishment must have not been sufficient, if the man's words had been anything to go by, or Grimmjow's reactions to it, for that matter.

His words in the hall had carried a finality, like he had anticipated exactly what would happen and had prepared for it. Aizen was done with the blue haired man, done with dealing with his insubordination and he had a way to put an end to it.

But that's as far as Ichigo had figured out. He didn't know what that meant. He didn't know what would happen to Grimmjow or what had likely already happened. It had been days and no one Ichigo had run into had seen nor heard anything of the bluenette. He hadn't been dragged into the training room nor Aizen's large office area, Ichigo had checked. He checked constantly. For all he knew, Grimmjow had been killed.

No longer confined to his rooms and once more allowed to roam at his will, he had spent the passed several days attempting to get back through to the hallway Aizen had been storming down before Tōsen had been ordered to lock him in his rooms. Ichigo found that he was once again only allowed to roam the areas Aizen deemed appropriate and the hallways he was looking for were still off limits. He was treated with the formalities of a guest, but that wasn't at all what he was.

Currently, Ichigo stood in the door way of the training room he had witnessed Grimmjow's powerful display in. He watched as Cuatro sparred with a soldier Ichigo had never seen, one that looked nearly as emotionless and far more lazy. The bigger soldier yawned, his shaggy brown hair falling into his face as he lethargically danced away from one of Cuatro's strikes. Neither of the two made a sound and it was the quietest fight Ichigo had ever witnessed, though guards stood by with restraints and electrified weapons in hand.

Ichigo looked about the room. No longer cracked and damaged, the glass of the ring had been fixed, presumably replaced by something stronger than what they had been using, though it was just as clear and looked nearly the same. The bodies of the hounds were long gone, the blood stains cleaned and the concrete floor unmarred. No evidence at all remained of what Ichigo had seen. The glass was replaceable. The ring could be cleaned. The hounds were expendable and new soldiers could be trained. The men Aizen kept under his thumb were nothing but tools, replaceable and expendable just like everything else.

Finally fed up with not getting answers and being unable to find out about Grimmjow's fate, Ichigo turned back toward the door. He stormed through the halls, ignoring the few guards posted in certain areas and roughly shoving one aside as he neared Aizen's personal office. The guard instantly bristled but he was unable to defy his orders and retaliate against his master's guest.

The fiery orange haired man almost wished the man would have threw his orders out the window. He would have welcomed a physical confrontation in that moment, welcomed the adrenaline and a way to blow off some steam. But that would never happen. Going against what Aizen said was like going against god himself to these people. It was unheard of. It was sin.

Ichigo threw the doors wide, satisfied when they slammed against the walls and bounced back, nearly closing behind him as he stormed in. Seated at the long table that served as his desk, Aizen let a near silent sigh escape before he looked up. He forced a pleasant smile to tilt his lips and set his pen down, grabbing up his tea before he spoke.

"This is becoming a bad habit, Mr. Kurosaki." He said, his voice dignified and showing nothing of his annoyance or anger. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm getting sick of this. I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I quit. I'm done playing. Where's Grimmjow now? Did you torture him? Kill him?" Ichigo was fuming, his voice steadily growing louder in his outrage. He was done. Just done. Sick of waiting and sick of wondering what was going to happen, he ignored the little voice in the back of his mind that whispered to him and told him it was dangerous to speak like this to the man seated before him. "Why am I even still here? If it's not to keep him in line anymore, than why are you even letting me live?"

Ichigo broke his own, previously made rule of not asking about his fate but he couldn't care at this point. His natural need to protect others screamed for him to demand answers and he wanted answers about Grimmjow's fate. The man had only been trying to get away from these people and Ichigo had allowed him to be dragged back.

He wasn't the soldier he was trained to be. He wasn't a monster or a mindless dog to do his master's bidding and he wasn't meant to be a killer.

If Aizen was surprised by the orange haired young man's revelation that he had simply become collateral, the man didn't show it. In fact, he showed nothing at all as he took a sip of his tea. "Sexta still lives and I can assure you he is perfectly healthy. A damaged soldier would do me little good."

"I don't believe you." Ichigo spat back where he stood on the opposite side of the long table. His features were twisted into an expressive scowl, his displeasure obvious and his normally warm molten eyes hot with seething anger.

He hated the way Aizen made his men seem like they were simple property and he hated what he was doing to them. In fact, the longer he was forced to stay confined within the walls of the strange plant, the more Ichigo began hating Aizen.

"Believe what you will." Was his simple answer as Aizen went back to his work. "Have a seat. He will be reporting here soon and you can see with your own eyes, if you wish."

Brows furrowed, Ichigo remained standing as he stared at the older man, unable to believe him yet unable to convince himself Aizen was lying. The man never lied. Sure, he twisted the truth and played with his words to make them suit his needs but he had yet to blatantly lie.

The rattle of chains outside the office sounded through the parted doors and Ichigo spun to look behind him. A low rumbling had his heart in his throat, the displeased growl far too recognizable to be from anyone else. Not a moment later, a guard slipped between the doors and bowed lowed.

"Sir, Sexta is back." The guard ignored the civilian all together, his eyes trained on the floor. His body tensed as another growl from the hall reached him, the soldier's unhappiness clear.

"Of course. Bring him in." Aizen settled his pen down once more, pushing the stack of papers back and away from him as he watched the guard scramble to quickly pull the doors wide.

Ichigo backed away, edging out of the man's path and off to the side as the air thickened with tension and barely stifled fear.

Grimmjow was led into the room, his harness wrapped firmly around his torso, binding his powerful arms where they couldn't hurt anyone and his muzzle in place to further hinder him. An entourage of nervous guards followed him, their weapons at the ready, two of them holding chains that secured to the big soldier's harness like leashes. Sexta lowered his head to bring his face close to the guard that held the door as he bared his teeth through the grill of his muzzle and the man took a frightened step back.

Bare feet making not a sound, Grimmjow stalked passed Ichigo without a second glance, his blue eyes darting over him just long enough to take his measure, predatory and cunning before they panned over to his master as he deemed the civilian to be non-threatening.

Ichigo's brows rose to his hairline before furrowing all over again. The bluenette certainly looked healthy enough, he didn't limp, he didn't bleed, his white pants were clean and his body radiated with his natural aggression and confidence, yet the civilian knew something wasn't right. The fight was still in his beautiful blue gaze, but it wasn't the same. It was somehow...tame, spiritless. This was Sexta, but it wasn't Grimmjow.

The blue haired soldier pulled to a stop a mere step from the end of the table, much as he had when first he had been recaptured. Every guard in the room stiffened and readied their weapons, prepared for whatever the unruly man would do. The guards holding onto his chains planted their feet, puling their leashes tight but nothing happened.

Aizen stood from his seat and walked around the table to stand before his soldier, all too pleased with himself and his revamped super soldier.

"Still don't like the restraints, I see. I suppose some instincts just run too deep." He said, a small smile twitching at his lips before he gave his guards a command. "Remove them."

The guard that had been holding the door blanched, his eyes widening in disbelief. "What? Sir, I beg your pardon, but are you sure that's a wise idea? With his reputation..."

Aizen rose a single brow in the man's direction, his eyes taking on a cold look that spelled the man's fate. He didn't need to utter a second command and the guard scrambled forward, trembling as he began removing Sexta's heavy muzzle.

Standing obediently still, the soldier tilted his head to the side, his jaw flexing as the muzzle was quickly pulled away and the guard began working on the harness. A quiet rumbling trembled deep in his chest as he flexed against his heavy restraints. The aggressive action caused the man's fingers to falter, slowing his progress as he worked the locks from the straps. Grimmjow bared his teeth and snarled again, his temper simmering.

With a sharp intake of air, the guard redoubled his efforts and the impatient soldier was quickly set free, the harness pulled away. Again, every guard that had flooded into the room stiffened as Sexta pulled his thick arms in front of his body and stretched his corded muscles. But again, nothing happened.

"Sexta." Aizen spoke, his voice deceivingly calm and sounding beyond pleased. He didn't bother sparing his guest a glance, knowing exactly what he would find deep in those chocolaty eyes; shock and confusion. "I believe we have a lowly guard that dares question my authority."

The guard's eyes widened and his mouth fell open as he backed away, his hands waving before him as he stammered an apology and tried to reassure his leader he only meant the best. Panic made him stumble on his words and all the armor he wore would do him little good.

Grimmjow's features transformed into a manic, over joyed grin and his cyan eyes flickered with a cold fire in his delight. As he spun on the man, his hand shot out and snagged the guard's arm to keep him from backing up further. The rest of the guards remained motionless and silent, unwilling to help their comrade and go against Aizen's orders or the soldier he allowed to do his bidding.

Ichigo flinched as the snap of bone rang through the nearly silent room, interrupting the guard's pleas and turning them into pained screams. With a flick of his wrist, Grimmjow had snapped the man's arm at the elbow. With quick, fluid motions, he pulled the guard closer to his own body and brought his fist down, connecting with the man's forearm. Again the snap of bone was drowned out by new screaming as the guard scrambled to get away from the deadly soldier.

The civilian's eyes darted to look at Aizen as Grimmjow pounced. The man stood by and watched, studying the way Sexta moved, the way his eyes zeroed in on his target and never once strayed to the orange haired man. He was pleased with what he saw and it showed ever so slightly on his features, in his benign smile and the shimmer in his hard eyes.

Disgusted, Ichigo looked back to Grimmjow as his long finger's wrapped around the weakly struggling guard's throat. The orange haired man didn't know what Aizen had managed to do to change Grimmjow, but it sat in his gut and made him feel ill. The once proud and stubborn man, the escaped renegade that fought with everything he had simply in the hopes of leaving this behind him, was no where to be seen. Before, he had willingly thrown himself at his so called master, all teeth and rage and destruction. Now he bowed at the man's feet. He willingly and unthinkingly followed the man's commands like the good soldier he was supposed to be, like the hounds he hated.

It was clear no one would help the screaming guard as he pushed against Sexta and a pool of red slowly spread across the white tiles, soaking through his armor and smearing the soldier's hands. No one would lift a finger against Aizen's orders and no one would throw their lives away by attempting to pull the enraged soldier off the guard. But Ichigo couldn't stand by and watch, not knowing that he was at least partially responsible. It had been him that had allowed Grimmjow to be recaptured, after all. If he hadn't been holding the man back and slowing him down, who knows how far the bluenette would have managed to flee.

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo surged forward, wrapping his hands around the man's bulging upper arm and heaving with all his strength. "Stop, Grimmjow, that's enough!"

His strength was no match for Grimmjow's enhanced abilities but simply laying his hands on the man's burning skin was enough to draw attention to himself. The soldier spun, his teeth bared and fury lighting his eyes. His hand fisted in the front of Ichigo's white shirt, staining the cloth above his heart red with blood. He surged forward, pinning the civilian to the wall beside the doors.

Brown eyes wide but not with fear, Ichigo stared right back at the soldier, his hands braced against Grimmjow's chest as Sexta leaned in close. He snarled in the civilian's face, his sharp teeth threatening as his lips peeled back.

"Grimm..." Ichigo's voice barely rose above a whisper. Nothing but instinct driven rage seethed in the cool cerulean pools before Ichigo's eyes. There was none of the blue haired man's wild defiance and no recognition. Ichigo was just another person, a civilian and a creature easily destroyed.

The soldier's eyes narrowed, searching the civilian's face as his nostrils flared with his aggression. A low growl rumbling in his chest and escaping through clenched teeth, Grimmjow released the civilian as quickly and unexpectedly as he had attacked. He turned away from the young man, stepping over the mess he had made of the guard, uncaring as he left bloody footprints in his wake. Nearing his master, he bowed his head before Aizen, awaiting further orders.

Grimmjow willingly bowing to Aizen- Bet you never thought you'd see that... Thoughts?