Five weeks later.

It took everything Grimmjow had not to bang his head off the couch arm just so he wouldn't have to listen to their endless conversations of social ladders and politics mixed in with only tidbits of information on the war. It was like listening to psychotic high school girls all day.

"What about you, what do you think Grimmie?"
"Don't call me that!" he barked without looking up at Liltotto. The little girl gave him the creeps and annoyed him the most.

"Ah come on," Candice coaxed. "Do you think Bambietta ever has any real fun with those guys before she kills them?"

He dropped the book he'd been trying to read and finally looked up to the posy of women who, for whatever reason, always seemed to choose Candice's quarters for their gab sessions.

"I think she's sick in the head like the rest of you lot."

"Hey, that's not very nice!"

"There's a fucking war on and all you girls talk about is which of the subordinates you want to fuck or what hairstyles you should pick next! It's driving me crazy!"

"Ah, you really should let him go out a bit more, Candy, he's starting to get cranky," Giselle commented.

"I do but he keeps coming back all beat up. He gets picked on," she said as if talking about a child. He went rigid with anger but she came to his side and sat with him, hugging one arm and resting her head on his shoulder. "Sorry I can't help myself."

His back molars were still tightly clenched. "It's a joke. Those assholes wouldn't know what hit them if I had my powers," he muttered.

"I know," she conceded. "It's a shame having those powers sealed—imagine what it would be like in bed if you were at full strength."

The girls all giggled. Grimmjow rolled his eyes and let his head fall back on the couch. They loved to poke fun of him. He was used to their strange personalities now and knew better than to show it when he got pissed off.

"It's not fair," Meninas said in her usual low tones. "Why don't we bring back more prisoners like him?"

"Well there is that boy," Giselle mused. "He has nothing to do but sit around in his cell all day..."

"He's not to be touched," Candice snapped suddenly. When Bambietta—their ringleader—wasn't around, they all deferred to Candice as she was the next most powerful. "Kurosaki is off limits, you all know that."

"I don't see why that would interfere..." they continued to complain but their words were lost to Grimmjow. He hadn't heard mention of the teen in weeks. He preferred it that way.

"Well, we'll leave you two to play," Giselle said, standing from her armchair. She gave them a jealous look and she and the other three left. When they were gone, Candice shifted around, settling in Grimmjow's lap with her back against the arm of the couch. She pressed her lips to his. When she pulled back from the lacklustre kiss, she surveyed his eyes.

"Why does he bother you so much?"
"Who?"

"You know who." Seeing that he was not in the mood, she settled back and rested her head on the arm of the couch and watched him from where she lay. His eyes were dead ahead, on the dark window where the city stretched below them.

"What happened between the two of you, before I met you?"

"I've already told you."

"You've barely told me anything."

"What does it matter?"

She drew a hand up and stroked his cheek, bringing his eyes back down to her. "It matters."

He sighed. She did too. This wasn't the first time he'd gotten like this—melancholic was the best way to describe it.

They had long gotten past the last traces of his resistance and rebellion—not because he was broken, but because he couldn't see the point. He had nowhere to go if he somehow managed to escape here. The Soul Reapers had held him captive, so they were hardly allies—not that the Zero squad would be inclined to spare his life. And despite their efforts, the Vandenreich still ruled over the Rukongai. He couldn't even go there. His homeworld was the battlefield for this war, there was no turning there.

So he'd accepted his captivity. And that, for him, was worse than endless days of torture. At least if they were trying to break him, he could fight, he could hold onto who he was. But like this, he was nothing, he couldn't even pretend his life with Candice wasn't comfortable.

"I know," she said after a while, having come to know him quite well since they'd first met in that bar. He didn't have to explain any of this to her. She was also a warrior. She knew what it would do to her to be tamed like this.

"You could join us, you know, Grimmjow. Fight on our side."

"You know I won't. Besides, why haven't you guys decimated the soul reapers yet?"

Candice knew he was diverting but she let him.

"Those damn zero squad guys are tougher than we thought. And they had alot more soldiers up there than we knew about."

"And what about the soldiers who weren't in the Seireitei when it exploded? Are any of them left?"

"More than I'd care to admit."

"Huh, you guys think you're so powerful but you ain't."

She sat up sharply, barely stopping herself from striking him.
"Do not speak of the Vandenreich like that."

"You're only upset because you know it's true."

"Grimmjow!" She grabbed his bone mask and forced his face around to look her in the eyes. "You are still a prisoner. I should have you beaten for saying that."

"Do it then."
She glared at him but let him go.

"If you go saying things like that to anyone but me, you'll be punished severely."

"Why? I'm a prisoner, not one of those mindless servants out there." He was referring to the masses of men and women who didn't appear to have much power themselves but served the Vandenreich without question.

"And if you go around reminding people you're a prisoner they'll toss you in a cell, or worse, send you back to Purgatory."

He took in what she said and let out a long sigh, indicating he understood.

"Come on. Let's go for a walk before bed."

She pulled him up from the couch and they went out into the main hall. Other rooms lined the long hall. Everything here was immaculately clean, mostly white marble, cold and beautiful. They went through the tall glass doors at the end and out onto the walkway. The area where they were was almost entirely surrounded in outdoor stairs and walkways. From here they had a full view of the city lights far below. An electric car ran through the masses of lit buildings. Grimmjow heard the drone of other vehicles but he hadn't been down there so he still wasn't sure how advanced they were.

They walked around the massive structure of the main palace. The exercise helped Grimmjow burn off his pent up energy. When they returned Candice pushed him on the bed and began unbuttoning her top.

"Feel better?" she asked when he pulled his own shirt off and gripped her around the hips as she straddled him.

"Not yet."

She smiled and leaned in. "Well then, I'll see what I can do."

Grimmjow sauntered down the halls, a smirk on his face. He winked at one of the young soldiers, pissing the guy off completely. Grimmjow loved taunting them with the fact he go laid more than them even if he was a prisoner.

He was headed out on errands for Candice. Since she was off fighting most days, she gave him a list of chores. He couldn't exactly refuse—not just because he was a prisoner—but because he also wanted the sheets cleaned, the fresh towels and drinking water. He also didn't mind having an excuse to get out and about.

He dropped off their laundry and headed back the way he came but stopped short when he saw Bambietta. She hadn't seen him and he ducked back around the corner before she did. She had already tried to lure him back to her room once. He didn't relish fending her off for a second time so he took a different hallway, one he'd never taken before.

He quickly realized he probably wasn't supposed to go this way, but he was curious and not one to shy away from risk. He was pretty sure he was moving deeper into the centre of the building. There were no windows along these walls. There also weren't many soldiers.

He saw the first sign of a guarded area. He knew where he was now—he was where he would be if it weren't for Candice. He wasn't sure why there were no guards—but then it occurred to him he was in the center of the Vandenreich palace—why would they need any guards when the building was full of practically invincible soldiers? So he pushed through the heavy iron door without meeting resistance.

He was met with a long row of cells. He stared through the bars of the nearest one, grey and dark and far too familiar. He saw Purgatory and Soul Society all at once.

Maybe he didn't want to take the risk of ending up in here after all. He started to turn back but then he caught the pale face down the hall, in the single larger cell at the end, white and bright, unlike the others.

He was frozen for a moment. He'd known he was here, but somehow he'd made himself forget about Ichigo Kurosaki. He stared at him across the length of the hall.

Ichigo stared right back.

"Shit." He couldn't just walk away now. It would look cowardly. He closed the distance one slow step at a time.

He stopped before the cell door with a long sigh, eye to eye with his former cellmate.

"Kid."

"Grimmjow." The boy looked exhausted, his face drawn, eyes hollow.

"They torturing you?"

Ichigo shook his head no.

"Then what?"

"My power." He seemed too tired even to complete a sentence.

"They're taking it?" A nod. "How?"

"My zanpakuto."

"Huh."

"What about you?" Ichigo eyed his bare arms, the skin smooth, old scars gone. He looked back to Grimmjow. "Orihime?"

"Is she here?"

A nod.

"Then yeah, probably. I was unconscious when she did it."

"Oh. So they aren't torturing you?"

"Ah, no..." Grimmjow didn't really want to elaborate on his situation either.

"Have you joined them?"

"Fuck no."

"Then why are you free?"

Grimmjow scowled and turned around, pointing to the tattoo that remained painted in his skin. Ichigo understood.

"I'm fucking helpless," he admitted bitterly.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Grimmjow."

The espada stared at him. The kid was barely standing and yet he was apologizing.

"For what?"

"I should have let you go sooner..."

"To go where?" Grimmjow suddenly grabbed the bars—even they were padded so Ichigo couldn't harm himself. "I don't have anywhere to go."

Ichigo watched him, then nodded, head falling against the bars. Grimmjow cooled down.

"Look kid, I can't do anything, for you or for me."

"They're threatening Orihime."

"So what? That's not my problem."

Ichigo's face tightened, his words barely a whisper but filled with pain. "They're going to kill all my friends with my power."

"Dammit kid I don't care!"

"Then why are you screaming?"

Grimmjow backed up from the cell. Those piercing eyes were stuck on him.

"Fuck you."

"Grimmjow after everything-"

"Nothing, Kurosaki. After everything I want nothing to do with you. This is it. We'll both live out our days here. It's done. They won."

"You've given up?"

"Yes."

Ichigo nodded, features gentle now, no anger in him, no anything, really. He seemed to sag where he stood, perhaps defeat settling on his already withered frame. "Okay then. Goodbye Grimmjow."

Grimmjow stared at him a moment longer, so docile and sad—nothing like the fierce warrior he'd been continuously conflicting with since Purgatory. Grimmjow stormed away, angry in a way he didn't understand. He rushed through hallway after hallway, back toward the main part of the building.

He was so angry he didn't see Buzzbee leaning on a wall near-by, shove off and follow after him.

"What the fuck are you doing down here?"

Grimmjow stopped when he heard his voice. He was spun around and shoved back into the wall.

"Speak prisoner!"

"Buzzbee," he greeted evenly. This Stern Ritter hated him. He knew why—he'd seen Buzzbee eyeing Candice.

"Answer me."

"You don't really care about that. You just want an excuse to shove me around."

Buzzbee's hands tightened on his collar. "Let's get to it then."

It was worse than the usual few hits. Buzzbee left him hacking on the ground. But it seemed he really was suspicious about his reasons for being down here because when he was done getting his anger out he knelt over him and grabbed his hair, shoving his face into the floor.

"You have no reason to be down this way. If Candice can't control you, she'll lose you."

"You'd love that. You're jealous ain't you?"

A shot to his kidneys made him cry out.

"Shut up you filth." He hauled him up and forced him forward, down the hall back toward the rooms. Grimmjow caught the satisfied looks on the faces of the soldiers and servants he'd taunted a few minutes ago.

He scowled and tried to jerk free from Buzzbee but the Stern Ritter shoved him face first through the door to Candice's room.

"You bastard." Grimmjow spun when he was let go but took a punch straight to the face. It floored him. He was in rough shape—a blow from a Stern Ritter in this form could be lethal. He sputtered. Buzzbee stomped down on his back.

"This is your cell. You stay here, understand?"

Grimmjow pushed against the floor but the world was spinning and he collapsed down again.

"Good, glad to see you know your place."

Grimmjow was still trying to focus when he heard the door slam shut behind him. He collapsed completely against the floor, gagging on pain and rage.

His vision swam and he gave up, knowing he was going to pass out, but just before he did, he saw that pale, sad face at the end of the long, empty corridor.

So I know everyone is mad at Grimmjow but I hope you got to see what's going on beneath the surface a little bit in this chapter. He's going to have to make a decision soon and things are going to ramp up after that so please keep reading!

Thanks for the reviews, greatly appreciated!

Riza