Unwanted Soul

Chapter Fourteen

The dark feelings growing inside Grimmjow were unavoidable. Little by little, Shuren's plan, to have a vessel so strong that could take a place among the demons, was coming true. However, he didn't expect the powers to advance so swiftly within the ex-Espada. Shuren knew the creature was strong, but it seemed that, as soon as he made a connection with the human, his powers began to evolve. The demon was exhausted from giving what power he had left to Grimmjow. His time in Hell was coming to an end. He must fully control the blue creature, in order to combine their powers. He had to move quickly!

"Soon, my crimson angel… I will see you soon"'

XXX

Grimmjow's mind took him on another trip into the past. One that felt even more realistic than before. The first scene that appeared was in the misty forest from before. There were two bodies pressed together under the moonlight. One pushed the other against the trunk of a tree. The sounds of pleasure made his hair stand on end. That sensation felt so real that he wished it was him fucking, until he realized who it was. Emerald eyes looked directly at him, as if he was actually there. Shuren smiled devilishly before everything vanished. Then suddenly Grimmjow felt like he was being yanked; sent into another world. As quickly the rough sensation began; it stopped. His body then felt light as air, as if someone or something was carrying him.

Another scene began to play, but this one was in the last level of Hell. This was the same place where he once was chained as punishment for attacking a guardian. Two silhouettes appeared in front of him. At first, it was hard for Grimmjow to hear what the figures were saying, until he moved closer.

"Why are you doing this to me? Am I not part of you?"

The skinless creature spoke with a trembling voice.

"You are a mistake; something that should not exist in the first place."

"You should understand that without me, you are incomplete; that you are more vulnerable. You know what will happen to you if-"

"Silence!"

Shuren destroyed the chains that kept the creature at bay.

"Get out, before I make you disappear."

"You can't do that, Shuren!"

The creature shouted the name and continued pleading; trying to make some type of bargain.

"Accept me and I will follow your orders. Reject me and I'll-"

He didn't or rather, he couldn't finish the sentence. Before it's body could completely regenerate, black smoke surrounded it, making it disappear; just as Shuren had promised.

Grimmjow was left wanting to know what happened next, but an uneasy feeling made him wake up. Unfortunately, he completely forgot everything about the visions. These dreams were sometimes out of his control, but little by little he understood the truth behind them and the demon that still refused to reveal his true intentions.

XXX

Ichigo stood in front of his house and knew he was not alone. He felt the presence of the one who invaded his dreams. Before leaving the small apartment, Ichigo glanced at the sleeping ex-Espada. He looked so human, as if he always was. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but Ichigo had a feeling that wasn't true. His eyes wandered away from Grimmjow, as he was feeling doubt in his heart, as if the voice of his subconscious was telling him not to trust Grimmjow. Then he turned his gaze back toward the sleeping man; lifted his hand and slowly brushed away blue locks from his face, but felt something weird. Then fixed on those parted lips that kissed him more than once, he tried to touch them with his fingertips. However, this time he was actually shocked. It felt like something was preventing them from having any physical contact. He was disappointed that their parting did not go as he had hoped. Unsure about what to do, he left.

Ichigo realized that it was probably not a good idea to go to his house, but he did know where he could go. He began to walk, this time, to a place where he knew that if anything were to happen there'd be others who could help him. When he arrived at his destination, someone was already waiting for him at the door.

"This is rare for you to visit me at this hour, Kurosaki-san."

"Yeah, I know. I was wondering if I can use your basement, Urahara-San."

"Well, I'm not going to question your motives but I'll tell you this…"

The shopkeeper lowered the fan that covered his face, exposing a serious look.

"Be careful, Ichigo."

Without looking directly at the shopkeeper eyes, the teenager barely bowed his head as he walked forward passing the doorway.

"Don't worry; I know what I'm doing."

He whispered those words as if he was trying to convince himself. He didn't know what he was doing or what to expect, but he didn't care. He was driven by the anxiety of not wanting to be alone; by the thoughts of relying on others, if something were to happen in Karakura town and especially by the thought of being saved by the one who was once his enemy.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked, as soon as he walked down the stairs.

He didn't want to wait any longer, not even for the stranger to appear.

"I am part of the one who resides inside your blue haired friend."

"What do you mean? Like possessed?"

"Not exactly, you must first understand about my existence, then, you can understand the truth."

A figure appeared, at last, showing his true form, making the teenager move a step back. A lean, tall man with pale skin stood in front of him. He bent forward just to get a closer look at Ichigo's eyes. His height of six feet five could just about intimidate anyone, but not Ichigo. Black bandages covered the upper half of his head and neck. Tufts of white hair stood out from between the bandages that covered his head. Broken chains were visible on both wrists and coming out from under the bandages around his neck. What stood out most about the creature, besides his presence was his despairing, distant gaze.

Ichigo's usual frown appeared before he spoke.

"I'm listening."

He moved another step back. It made him uncomfortable, being so close to this new person.

"I only wanted to exist. To be accepted by him."

The tall man straightened his back, ending his eye contact with the teenager. He looked to the side as if not wanting to show the boy the sorrow that filled his uncovered purple eye.

"Are you talking about the one inside Grimmjow?"

"Shuren, his name is Shuren and he is a demon.; a very powerful demon from Hell."

This story interested Ichigo and held his curiosity. He hoped it would hold the answer to one of the questions he was so desperate to find. He also hoped to gain a better understanding about the things that were happening to Grimmjow.

"Are you the one that approached me near the storages the other night?"

"Yes, and I am sorry for my behavior. Like I said before, I'm not accustomed to humans, I am an incomplete creature. I am only a half-demon."

Ichigo looked into that one purple eye and wondered if this person, or thing, could be trusted. He decided to give him a chance and listened to what the other had to say.

"Before you continue, it would be nice to know your name, right?"

The tall man's eye opened wide. This was the first time that someone had asked him for his name or wanted to know anything about him.

"My name is Kokuto. I was created from Shuren. When a demon becomes very powerful, he has to deal with that power or he will lose control of it. The demon must participate in a ritual that makes the excess of power more controllable. During this ritual, the demon must give up his heart. All demons were once humans and when a soul goes to Hell, his mind is consumed by madness. This is the point where you must choose to either give up your humanity and become a demon or to stay human and become a Sinner."

"Wait. Give up your humanity? How?"

"When you give up your heart willingly, you lose your humanity, forever. When a soul agrees to become a demon, his heart is removed and that soul begins a trial. If the soul survives the trial, which could last years, it then becomes a demon. When you are officially a demon your human heart is locked away, somewhere, inside the King's castle. Later, depending on how powerful the demon becomes, the ritual is held at the appropriate time."

"And if the soul doesn't pass the trial, what happens then?"

At this moment, for some reason, Ichigo was thinking about Grimmjow. However, with the ex-Espada, it was a little different since he was a Hollow when he entered Hell.

"Well, I don't know if you know this, but no one ever dies in Hell, though there is one exception. Anyway, normally a soul is devoured by the Guardians and it disappears. You think this would be the end of it, but the soul is not granted the sweet mercy of death, instead it is spit back out into the bowels of Hell to continue suffering. When the soul reawakens there, their heart is returned to them. However, it might not be the same as it was before the trial., having been infected by Hell"

"However, Shuren passed the trials and became very powerful, so powerful that the King decided to make him his general. Years later he participated in the ritual, but it was not performed in the manner that was set forth. He was given his heart to attend the ritual, but seconds before the ritual began, he left Hell and chased a Sinner into The World of the Living. This escaped Sinner was his responsibility, but he should never have left without the King or the council's approval, especially while he had his heart in his possession.

"Since Shuren did not start the trial as he was supposed to, his powers went out of control and divided into two beings. I am one of those beings and Shuren is the other. After I was created he sent me into the depths of Hell, the last level; to hide my existence."

"He returned to the castle and participated in the ritual, as though nothing had happened, but something in him had changed. Shuren ignored this fact and completed the so- called ritual. Immediately after the ritual, he released me and then forced me into another dimension that was neither Hell nor The Soul Society."

"When your friend was in Hell, Shuren made him the offer to return to The World of the Living. When your friend accepted his offer, he was given Shuren's heart. As part of the pact Grimmjow was sent here to The World of the Living, with Shuren's heart in his chest. I am a part of Shuren's heart, so I also appeared in this world."

"What does all this have to do with you helping me getting my powers back? Is Shuren planning to destroy Karakura Town or make Grimmjow do it?"

At this point, Ichigo was afraid of the answer. He always wanted to believe that Grimmjow had changed, that he was a new person.

"Not exactly, he does not plan to destroy your world."

The teenager let out a sigh of relief, but it was far too soon to feel relieved.

"What Shuren plans to do will kill your friend. You see, when your friend was in Hell, he was constantly fighting; his soul disappearing, but then reappearing each time, thus never truly dying. In Hell, there is one way for a soul to disappear entirely, without any hope for return . . . this is what Shuren has planned for your friend."