Lesser Evil- Chapter 21

By: Raicheru

Aizen paused outside the door to Ichigo's room holding a white uniform in his hands. He reflected that it might have been a mistake to use Kyoga Suigetsu to make Ulquiorra look like Grimmjow when he retrieved him. There could have been potential in using the former Sexta espada as leverage to get the boy to do what he wanted. But from what he'd seen, Ichigo's righteous anger was quite a thing to behold. Making him feel betrayed by his lover would work just as well. Better to have him stripped of all support with Aizen's offer lying in wait as his last option. It would be so much more destructive to the Soul Society's morale if Ichigo joined him by his own choice rather than by coercion.

Pushing the door open, he stopped when he saw the interior of the room. The blanket was bunched up in the corner, and the rest of the space was strewn with scraps of torn black fabric. A curled bundle lay wrapped in a sheet on the bed. The scent of sex was thinly veiled by a masking layer of soap. Aizen's expression didn't change, but those who had spent any time with him since he'd come to Las Noches would have noticed the change. His anger was always quiet. This was not supposed to have happened. Ulquiorra was supposed to instill feelings of betrayal in the boy, not traumatize him.

Aizen frowned as he thought about it. This was totally uncharacteristic of his usually controlled Cuarta espada. What would have driven him to do this? Did this human boy have that much of a hold on two of his best warriors? He would met out the consequences later. Right now, it appeared that he needed to do some damage control. Glancing down at Ichigo, he sighed. The sound made the figure on the bed flinch. This could make things a little more difficult. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he reached out and placed hand on a tense shoulder.

"My deepest apologies. It seems my espada got carried away." The reply was muffled and quiet, but having recently heard it so often from Grimmjow, it was easy to tell what he said.

"Go fuck yourself." Aizen almost let his mouth quirk up in a smile. It appeared the two shared more than just a bed these last weeks.

"The offer I made the last time you were here is still open." Ichigo shifted to glare at him out of the corner of his eye.

"You can't be serious."

"Indeed, I am." Before Ichigo could repeat the earlier suggestion, Aizen continued. "Think about it. You were arrested by the Soul Society, and now they think you've joined me anyway." When Ichigo frowned, he elaborated. "You think they didn't have you under observation of some sort? From what they saw, you went willingly with one of my arrancar. What are they supposed to think?" Aizen was surprised that he took no joy in the pained expression that crossed Ichigo's face. But it would serve his purposes.

"Why should I trust you at all?"

"Give me your hands."

"What? No." Aizen merely tilted his head and waited. The moment stretched into minutes as they watched each other. If only to get the other man to stop staring, Ichigo pulled his hands cautiously from the folds of the sheet and held them out. He nearly snatched them back when they were grasped in a strong grip. With a few mumbled words from Aizen and a small tightening of his fingers in the right places, the cuffs opened and fell to the mattress. All of the pressure held within Ichigo was suddenly released and he was thrown back against the bed with the force of it. He didn't even have the breath to scream. His back arched and he closed his eyes as a massive wave of raietsu radiated out from his body to wash over the entirety of Hueco Mundo.

All over Las Noches, arrancar looked up from what they were doing. No one had ever felt such an explosion of spiritual pressure, let alone this deep in their own territory. Smaller hollows cringed away while the stronger ones narrowed their eyes at the implied challenge. Szayel looked up from his latest project, the corner of his mouth quirking up. Hallibel's fraccion shivered and stayed shut in their rooms. Ulquiorra showed no outward reaction, but he glanced in the direction of the blast. In the room where it originated, Aizen quickly pulled a mask of indifference over his own features before he let his surprise show. That had been quite impressive. Having this one on his side could just win him the war.

Ichigo lay panting on the bed, his chest heaving with the aftermath of that much pressure being released at once. Without saying anything else, Aizen picked Zangetsu up off the floor and placed it on the bed next to the pile of clean clothing. Closing the door behind him, he left Ichigo alone. He watched him leave as his breathing returned to normal. That had hurt a little. Grasping his zanpakuto's familiar grip in his hands, he looked down at the uniform. Great. Another one. With his shihakusho in tatters, he really didn't have a choice. The memory of how it came to be in pieces threatened to overwhelm him and he pushed it away. Not now. Can't deal with it now.

Something pricked the edge of his awareness and made him sit up suddenly. He tore off the sheet and got dressed immediately. He had to see. Had to know. Was it him? Really him? The slim hakama still sat low, but the jacket covered a lot more than last time. It was a lot longer too, coming nearly to his knees in the back with an open collar at the neck that felt much less restrictive. But his thoughts weren't really on the clothes. It was the tentative touch of a presence that flooded his thoughts and made him fumble as he dressed. Snatching Zangetsu up off the bed and settling him on his back, he tore out of the room noting that the door hadn't been locked. They didn't really seem to rely on standard means of confinement here.

Running until he felt a stitch in his side, he nearly ripped open the door between him and what he was looking for. Grimmjow lay sprawled on the floor of the room, his body twisted slightly in what had to be an uncomfortable position. For a heartbeat, Ichigo thought that he might be dead. But reaching out with his raietsu, he could feel the steady beat of his pulse and his slow, even breathing. Kneeling carefully at his side, Ichigo cupped Grimmjow's face with his hands. There was no response.

"Grimmjow. . ." Shaking his shoulders gently, he tried to wake him. He could feel the panic starting to build again. He needed him to be awake, to see the blue of his eyes. To hear his voice as he told him to stop apologizing. Just when he thought things were getting better, they always seemed to get worse. It took him a moment to realize how hard his was shaking the unconscious man beneath him. Ichigo pulled his hands back. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment. Probing again with his power, he could feel the slightly familiar sensation of a thick fog that hung around Grimmjow's body. Ichigo tried to push it away, but it kept filling in the gaps he made. With one huge blast, he shoved it aside like a cloud in a gale.

Grimmjow's eyes snapped open and he gasped like a sleeper awakened from a horrible nightmare. At the same time, a hollow Ichigo didn't recognize came to the door. No more surprises. No more interruptions. He couldn't deal with one more unexpected occurrence right now. Raising his hand, he lashed out instantly before he realized what he was doing. The sizzle of an energy blast exploded out from his palm and there was nothing left in the doorway but a shadowed stain. He stared and couldn't quite make sense of what he was seeing, what he had done without thinking. The events of the last month seemed to rear up suddenly and crash down on him in that one moment. He'd been so busy just pushing through it all, he hadn't taken the time to think about any of it. And all it took was one action to bring it all to a halt and force him to look.

Grimmjow startled awake out of the sleep spell Ulquiorra had placed on him. Ichigo knelt above him. Before he could say anything, a cero flashed inches above his face to crash into the door behind them. Tilting his head up slightly, he felt the withering trace of what was once was a hollow. Looking back up at Ichigo, he could see the shock on his face. Apparently, the move had surprised him just as much. Despite the rushing feeling of joy at seeing him, there was something wrong. Ichigo's eyes were wide and unfocused, his breaths coming in short gasps.

Grimmjow sat up slowly, but he didn't seem to notice. The outstretched hand started to shake slightly. A small tremor at first that continued to build until his entire body trembled. Grimmjow reached up and placed his hand on Ichigo's wrist. Brown eyes snapped in his direction as if seeing him for the first time. There was a pause as Ichigo seemed to be trying to figure out what he should be doing. And then he threw himself into Grimmjow's arms. The arrancar caught him, ignoring his own aches from lying on the floor for so long.

Pulling him more comfortably into his lap, he started to rock him back and for where they sat. He wrapped one arm around his waist while the other hand stroked his hair. He didn't really know how to comfort others, but something told him this was what he needed at the moment even if he didn't know why. Ichigo buried his face against his neck as the shaking became more pronounced. It took Grimmjow a moment to realize he was crying. He gritted his teeth even as he kept his touch gentle. It didn't matter who or what was responsible. He would kill all of them for this. Every single one.