No one moved or spoke for minutes. Grimmjow and Aizen were staring coldly at each other, seemingly ignoring their surroundings. The vampires and ghouls surrounding Grimmjow and Orihime didn't move even an inch, waiting for instructions from their master.

"You do realise you are no match for me, right?" Aizen asked in a mildly amused tone.

Grimmjow's smirk widened a fraction.

"But you won't kill me if you know what's good for you."

"I'm afraid you think too highly of yourself. Your pure-blood status may make you valuable but if you turn against me I won't hesitate to kill you."

The teal haired man's smile faded slowly, his eyes hardening and flaring up with pure hatred. Aizen didn't seem fazed at all; if anything the show of emotion only made him more complacent.

"I offer an exchange." He began calmly. "You hand over Inoue Orihime and I release the hunter."

"Denied."

A click sounded from behind Aizen as Nel cocked her gun, gripping it with both hands to reduce the shaking caused by all the blood loss and exhaustion. She panted lightly, her eyes filled with determination as she aimed at the back of Aizen's head. The vampire slowly looked over his shoulder, his eyes reflecting condescension as he measured her battered body still lying on the ground.

"Do you wish to die that badly?" he asked, his previously amused tone turning all but ice cold. "This is your only chance to get out of here in one piece."

"I do not wish to get out of here in one piece without Orihime." Nel retorted dryly, causing a small, humourless smirk to creep over Aizen's lips. He turned back toward Grimmjow, who had teleported next to Orihime while he had been distracted, not paying attention to the gun still aimed at him.

"This is all? Is this really the best the hunters are capable of? Sending a weakened hunter and a reluctant vampire to a rescue mission? I may have overestimated your group. As things are now I believe I could crush your organization with ease."

Nel gritted her teeth, her fingers twitching with the effort to hold herself back. She knew Aizen was just taunting them; it was clear as day that he was baiting them but she couldn't help it. As soon as the next degrading word left the vampire lord's mouth she pulled the trigger.

She gasped loudly, as if waking from a nightmare, when thick, viscous blood splashed across her neck and face, its smell and taste strong in her nostrils and mouth.

She was frozen to the spot, not moving an inch. The silence surrounding her was dead, almost like she had gone deaf and the world around her perfectly still.

The first sound penetrating the dreadful tranquillity was a cold chuckle and a low thud. She looked up to see the unmistakable silhouette of Aizen looming over her, the strong light of the moon highlighting his outlines.

"It's going to take more to kill the Continent's strongest vampire." He whispered in a chilling tone. Nel's wide eyes shifted to the heap lying between her and Aizen, noticing the pale skin and dark wings.

"A ghoul's strongest and most useful trait is their blind loyalty." He continued in a hushed tone, as if talking to a child. "They become a living shield without even being asked." He crouched down in front of her, his long, slender fingers absently caressing the dead creature's hair, thus staining his hand with the blood gushing from the ghoul's cervical artery. His expression showed no emotion and his eyes remained cold. He glanced up at her then to the other ghouls and vampires surrounding them.

"She is yours."

Her head whipped to the side as they closed on around her. From the corner of her eyes, she could see that Aizen stepped back and turned away, his long coat swishing around him, before he was blocked from view by a lowly vampire. That reminded her of Orihime and how the pure blood was probably going to kill Grimmjow and then drain the girl right on the spot.

Without thinking, she forced herself off of the ground, willing her shaky legs to move. She reached inside her jacket and pulled out her second gun, shooting at whoever stood in her way. She wasn't sure whether it would be wise to aim at Aizen or if it would be just a waste of time. Either way, all she could see was him marching toward Orihime and Grimmjow, and while the teal haired vampire seemed to take up a protective stance in front of the girl, the look in his eyes and his grin told her he was more interested in finally facing Aizen rather than actually protecting the girl.

"Killing him is not your job!" she shouted, hoping to catch his attention. His icy blue eyes shifted to her for a moment, his bloodthirsty grin fading. He looked back at Aizen, his scowl darkening in annoyance seeing that confident smirk on his face. He growled low in his throat and grabbed Orihime by the wrist, teleporting away from sight.

Nel breathed a sigh of relief. At least they would be safe now, she thought and focused back ahead at the approaching ghouls and vampires. She, on the other hand, was in serious trouble now. Her ammo was not infinite but there were definitely more enemies than she could handle at once. She clenched her teeth as she fired the last bullet of the magazine, moving quickly to change it. A lowly vampire used that chance to attack her, his fangs especially prominent to Nel as he got dangerously close to her.

A sickening crack was heard and the lifeless body fell right in front of her feet, the vampire's head and neck twisted in an unnatural angle.

"You thought I'd let you have all the fun?"

She sighed and lifted her gun again, her eyes scanning the clearing and the ruins.

"This is not 'fun'. I hate fighting." She admitted, risking a sideways glance at Grimmjow. "Where did you leave Orihime?" she asked to change the subject.

"Not so far away so we gotta hurry." Even if he'd said that Nel could tell his eyes were searching for Aizen so he could settle things with him.

"You'll have plenty of opportunity for that later. Let's go."

"Fine." He spat, put an arm around her waist and the next moment Nel found herself sucked in whirling darkness, the wind swishing around her, the quick, chaotic motion making her dizzy.

She instinctively gasped for air when the world stopped rushing by around her and her feet were set on firm ground again. She quickly freed herself from the vampire's grasp when she noticed Orihime crouching next to an old pillar.

"Are you alright?"

The auburn haired woman nodded her head.

"I just want this to end already. What about you?"

"We are both fine." Nel reassured her and took her by the hand, pulling her up.

"You two should get going. They're coming." Grimmjow cut in, looking down at a smaller group of figures hurrying toward their hiding place.

"You are not thinking of staying behind and fighting them, are you?" Nel asked warily, her brows furrowing.

"Somebody has to hold them up and you're in no shape to do that. It's only the adrenaline holding you up."

"We could just-"

"Look, I can't teleport with both of you at once. Whoever is left behind will be torn to pieces. Didn't you just say you don't like fighting? Well, guess what, I like fighting. Love it actually."

"I fail to see how that is relevant now."

"I'm saying let's share the trouble into two. I'll take care of the fighting part for you and you take care of everything else. Get the chick outta here and let your friends know what's going on."

Without waiting for her to say anything, he teleported away, leaving Nel to stare at the spot he had been standing at. She muttered something under her breath and grabbed Orihime by her wrist, drawing her after herself, away from where the enemy was approaching.

"Can you feel the vampires' aura, Orihime?" she asked to get her thoughts off of Grimmjow and how angry she was at him.

The younger woman nodded as they ran at the fastest pace they could, loudly gasping for breath.

"Only faintly but yes, I can. I developed an ability to feel them after I've met so many supernatural beings thanks to Ichigo. I think this pure being thing has something to do with it as well."

"Yes, that's definitely one of the reasons you are more sensitive to them than a normal human." Nel panted and let go of the other's hand so they could move more easily among the ruins of the old church. "Isn't it tiring, though? I know it gives me a headache if I have my senses extended for a longer period of time."

"I don't really need to extend anything to feel them." The auburn haired woman answered. "It's a constant thing for me and I can't simply turn it off."

"Then your abilities are either different or more matured than a regular hunter's." Nel replied, gulping down air. She felt more and more weary and she was afraid her legs would simply give away under her if she tried to take another step, let alone run any further.

They jumped over the remains of a wall and ran through a clearing before reaching the unpaved road that led to the mansion. They stopped for a moment, trying to catch their breath.

"We are in the open, Nel. Anyone could discover us." Orihime noted and leaned her hands on her knees, still panting.

"You are right. I think we should go find my motorbike and…" she fell silent for a moment and her eyes widened a fraction as she noticed something.

"Is something the… matter…?" Orihime jumped back slightly as a tall figure appeared between them out of thin air.

Nel opened her mouth to say something but she was silenced quickly.

"We don't have time for explanations. Stark and the others are coming too but it might take them some time to get here."

"Hali-"

"No time." The dark skinned woman said sternly. "I'll get you out of here as soon as possible. Nel, you seem to be in a worse shape than-"

"Tia, please." Nel leaned on her knees as well for a moment before steeling herself and straightening up. "The mission is to rescue Orihime. Don't confuse personal preference with duty. Could you take her away as far as possible from here?"

The pure-blood was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh and nodding.

"Fine, but stay alive till I come back for you." She muttered and pulled off her scarf from around her neck and chin. This was the first time for Orihime to see her without it and she was truly confused why she insisted on wearing it in the first place. Initially she had thought that the hunter's face was scarred or deformed somehow but now she realised she was one of the most beautiful and exotic women she had ever seen.

However, she understood it a moment later when Halibel opened her mouth, the moonlight glinting on her long and pointy fangs.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." The blond woman spoke up quickly, holding up a hand. She reached around her neck again and fumbled with something before pulling out a dark gray pearl necklace from under her garments. "Put this on. It will mask your aura so the vampires and ghouls won't be able to find you again."

Orihime hesitated a little before nodding determinedly and taking the jewellery. As soon as it was fastened around her neck she felt arms embracing her around her shoulders.

"Don't you dare get yourself killed." Halibel said, addressing her words to Nel before she and Orihime disappeared from sight.

Nel's mouth twitched a little, a smile forcing its way on her lips.

Her eyes widened and her head whipped around as a loud cry sounded from behind the mansion. Yelling and maniacal laughter followed it and for a moment she felt like she was listening to beastly hyenas wrangling for the bones. Another scream and rattling hit her ears and she readied her gun without thinking, running back to where she had come from.

As soon as she reached the fringe of the ruins and set eyes on the battle she stood rooted to the spot. At least two ghouls and four lowly vampires were trying to land a hit on the lone pure-blood in the middle of the group. He was standing on the remains of a wall, a ghoul clinging to his shoulder, the long claws digging deep into his muscles. The strong light of the full moon created dramatic, long shadows on the walls and the ground. The silhouette of huge, dark wings intercepted the battle from her for a few moments before a loud smack was heard and the pale ghoul was sent flying through the air, meeting a nearby column and breaking it in two. A choking sound came from the body before it fell limply on the ground, part of the massive pillar falling on top of it, breaking the delicate wings under its crushing weight.

Neliel stared mesmerized at the fine dust floating in the air, illuminated by the strong light. Now that she looked closer she could spot two more limp bodies lying on the ground, one in the shadows at the base of the wall Grimmjow was standing on and the other a few feet away from a pile of rocks, its chest horribly torn up, dark blood pooling around it.

Another cry was heard but this time it was angry and annoyed instead of painful. The hunter looked up to catch sight of two vampires throwing themselves at the teal haired man, one holding him in a headlock from behind while the other was aiming to tear up his throat. The pure-blood lifted his leg and kicked the approaching creature in the chest, sending him tumbling backwards from the wall. He reached for the one behind him to try and throw him over his shoulder but paused and lifted his head to look up when he felt a strong gust of wind on his face.

Another, bigger ghoul was floating above him, his large wings blocking the light from his eyes, momentarily blinding him. His tail whizzed through the air with great force, ready to split his throat open.

A loud bang echoed over the clearing and the ghoul was flung back in mid-air by the force of the gunshot. An ear-splitting shriek sounded from the creature and its body fell to the ground with a thud.

A second report of gun sounded and Grimmjow's eyes widened as the vampire holding him down threw his head back and he plunged backwards, almost pulling the pure-blood with him as well. The teal haired man quickly freed himself from the dead body's flabby hold and watched as it fell down from the wall, the thick blood slowly running down from the small gunshot in the middle of his forehead.

"Don't just stand there, we have to go!" Nel shouted, aiming at the remaining three lowly vampires who were standing a little hesitantly among the ruins. One of them gritted his teeth, shouted wordlessly and started toward them. The green haired hunter pulled the trigger instantly and another dead body fell to the ground with a low rattle.

Grimmjow seemed to consider staying and finishing off the rest but when yelling hit their ears and new, stronger auras showed up near them he decided it was wiser to get the hell out of there. He had managed to repay his debt to Ichigo and even got back to Aizen a little with killing some of his people. He might have loved fighting but he recognised a suicide when he saw one and going against numerous fracción and pure-bloods, possibly Aizen himself was definitely something he considered suicide, especially in the condition he was in.

He turned and quickly teleported next to the hunter who was still standing with her gun aimed at the lowly vampires.

"Can you get us out of here?" she asked and started to back away.

"Hell yeah, just let me catch my breath a little. I'm only gonna take us to a safer spot" he replied, and before she could have responded they were standing on the unpaved road again, a relatively safe distance away from those lowly vampires. Grimmjow was panting more heavily than she had remembered and he was grimacing in pain, examining his damaged left shoulder where the ghoul's claws ripped up his skin and muscles. He clenched and unclenched his hand a couple of times then tried to lift his arm up but stopped midway and let it fall back to his side.

"This one is more serious than I thought." He grunted. "Might not work properly for a couple of days."

"Could we leave tending to our injuries when we are safe at home?" Nel asked, wanting to get as far away from that place as possible.

"Didn't think you would be one to get scared so easily."

"Please, don't try to tease me in a situation like this, Grimmjow. I'm serious."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." The vampire murmured and stepped closer again so they could disappear. The moment his healthy arm would have closed around the hunter she grabbed him by his shoulders and pulled him down to the ground. She shouted something he didn't understand as excruciating, burning pain shot through his whole body. He didn't even feel when he fell on his side, his head knocking against the hard ground. His muscles were thrown into spasms and he had to grit his teeth not to cry out in pain.

Neliel was on her feet a moment later and the gun sounded again, the umpteenth lifeless body hitting the ground that night. She stared wide eyed at her victim, not quite believing what she had just seen. A vampire, most probably a fracción had emerged from the mansion as they were speaking. Grimmjow hadn't noticed him because his back had been to the entrance and she had been too late as well. The fracción had extended his arm but she could only catch sight of the backfire as he pulled the trigger of a gun. She had never seen vampire using fire-arm before, save from Halibel who only did it to fit in among the hunters.

A groan pulled her out of her thoughts and she glanced down at Grimmjow who was attempting to sit up. She could feel other vampires nearing them so she crouched down next to the man and lifted his face to direct his attention to her. His eyes were hazy with pain but he seemed to acknowledge her presence.

"Did you get hit?" was the first question out of her mouth. She originally wanted to ask him to pull himself together and take them out of there but she couldn't bring herself to do that when she saw that he was suffering.

The vampire gulped down air and nodded before letting out a nasty course of swearwords.

"On my shoulder… the damaged one…" he forced out and slowly stood up with the help of the hunter.

"Maybe we should…" Nel started but the vampire cut in.

"Forget it, we're getting outta here now. Your friends won't arrive in time." He wobbled a little but managed to put his unhurt arm around the hunter's shoulders. "This injury's gonna slow me down, though. My insides feel like they're on fire. It hurts like a bitch."

The vortex of shadows enveloped them again and Nel had to concentrate not to give into the dizziness. The adrenaline was dying down in her system and the earlier blood loss took its toll on her. Grimmjow wasn't in the best shape either, his injury needed to be taken care of as soon as possible.

They appeared among the woods, the shouting and the noise coming from the mansion only a distant sound in the background. Nel could hear the vampire grinding his teeth and the low 'shit, shit, shit' he was chanting under his breath. After about a mile he was barely standing on his legs and he was leaning against her. She had no problem supporting his weight but she started to worry that his injury might be more serious than they originally deemed it to be.

He managed to teleport two more times before he had to stop. He let go of Nel and slumped against a nearby tree, gasping for air.

"Well, sorry babe, but this is the end of the tour. Catch a taxi or something." He said before sliding down the tree trunk and passing out.

TBC

A/N: Yes, you waited two months for this. I'm sorry.