Low III: Subterraneans

Like a sapling…

"Well, well," Grimmjow said with a smirk, "look who decided to actually show up."

Ulquiorra Schiffer walked calmly up to the table near the back of the bar, every patron in the building giving the Arrancar a wide berth as he moved. The Captain-commander's newly-appointed lieutenant sat in a vacant chair and looked around the round table at the small gathering of Shinigami present. Captains Hisagi and Madarame were at the other end of the table, pointing at each other and yelling over their drinks as Lieutenant Ayasegawa looked on with a smile. Captain Kira and the twelfth squad's Lieutenant Kurotsuchi were sitting to his left, absorbed in their own conversation.

Grimmjow and Captain Soi Fon were at his right.

"I never thought you'd actually show," Grimmjow continued, "Ulquiorra."

Grimmjow knew that Ulquiorra had been having a rough year. The massive loads of paperwork that belabored the first division were starting to put a damper on his already depressing comrade. The vacant look on his face was beginning to turn into something more forlorn and it was almost enough to make Grimmjow want to spit.

Not to mention the fact that Ulquiorra hardly had any time to visit the real world anymore.

"Captain Unohana insisted that I take you up on your offer," Ulquiorra said calmly, "and despite my insistence on finishing up my reports, she gave me the evening off."

"Well it's about goddamned time you got out of the house," Grimmjow said, sliding his arm from around Soi Fon's shoulders as he leaned forward. "I swear this place'll be the fuckin' death of you. Imagine: Ulquiorra Schiffer, Aizen Sousuke's golden boy, brought to his knees by too much paperwork."

"You're only protecting your own pride, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra responded. "You would hate to see my demise at the hands of an inanimate object; it would surely make you furious that a stack of papers could kill me whereas you never could."

"See?" Grimmjow said, turning towards Soi Fon, "there's that sense of humor he likes to hide."

"Yes," Soi said with a roll of her eyes as she stood. "He's quite amusing. What can I get you from the bar, Lieutenant Schiffer?"

"Nothing, Captain Soi Fon. I am quite—"

"The hell he is," Grimmjow interrupted loudly. "Get him something. Anything. I'll force him to drink it."

Soi Fon chuckled and walked away. Ulquiorra turned towards Grimmjow, his emerald eyes narrowing slightly.

"You're drunk already."

"Well if you'd shown up when I'd told you to," Grimmjow countered as he finished the rest of the beer in his glass, "you'd be drunk, too."

"Ulquiorra!" Hisagi called out as he stood from the other end of the table. "I thought that Ol' Unohana was gonna have you working until you died of exhaustion! Let me get you something to drink."

"No thank you, Captain Hisagi. Captain Soi Fon is already at the bar on my behalf."

"Is she?" Hisagi slurred, sliding his eyes off towards the main hall. "Well how come nobody told me she was goin' up there?" He stumbled slightly as he got out from around his chair and left for the bar.

"I can only assume," Ulquiorra said, turning his attention back to his fellow Arrancar, "that the rest of the group has been here longer than you?"

"What was your first clue?"

Ulquiorra didn't say anything, opting to turn his head to the side and watch the other customers mingle. Grimmjow's eyebrows tightened. He could tell that Ulquiorra was uncomfortable. Whereas Grimmjow's more outgoing nature had allowed him to attain some sort of companionship out of the Shinigami, Ulquiorra's preference for silence and solitude left him all but alienated from the majority of Soul Society.

Which was the reason Grimmjow had asked Ulquiorra to come out that night.

"Okay okay," Hisagi called out as he and Soi Fon came back to the table, each of them carrying drinks in their hands. "We come bearing gifts. Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, here you go…"

The captain of the ninth division placed two beers in front of the Arrancar and continued his way around the table. Soi Fon followed him, helping pass out drinks.

"Alcohol," Ulquiorra said, looking at his beer. "Such a debilitating substance."

"Shut up and drink it," Grimmjow said, lifting his glass, his face a rare but genuine smile. "I wasn't kidding when I said I'd make you drink it."

… that has just been born …

"Ulquiorra," Grimmjow said as he stepped into the room.

"Grimmjow."

Grimmjow's molars began to painfully grind against one another. The two of them stood apart from each other as sunlight poured in through the balcony of Aizen's former throne room, silhouetting Grimmjow in the doorway. Ulquiorra stood calmly at the other end of the hall, his hands in his pockets, his eyes closed.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Grimmjow hissed through his teeth.

"A foolish question," Ulquiorra responded. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"It looks like you're fuckin' us all over."

"Is that so? Perhaps looks aren't what they seem."

"Don't play that bullshit on me," Grimmjow yelled, ripping his zanpakuto out of its scabbard, "Ulquiorra!"

The two of them stood their grounds, Ulquiorra calm and motionless, Grimmjow practically trembling in anger.

"Don't look so mad, Grimmjow," the other Arrancar said calmly, his emerald eyes opening. "I'm simply giving you what you've always wanted…"

Ulquiorra slid his own blade out and slowly pointed its tip across the room.

"…A chance to finally be defeated by my hand."

Grimmjow roared and rushed forward, his arm slashing outward as he approached Ulquiorra. The two blades crashed against each other, Ulquiorra sliding back on his heels slightly. His eyes showed no surprise at the strength of Grimmjow's strike. He had completely expected his fellow Arrancar to have improved his skills during their time in Soul Society.

Ulquiorra planted his feet and stopped Grimmjow from pushing him back any further. The green-eyed hollow shoved his katana forward, pushing Grimmjow back and up into the air. Ulquiorra darted forward to attack, his blade now slinging outwards against Grimmjow's. The taller Arrancar slapped the blade aside with his bare hand, his palm striking flat against the side of Ulquiorra's zanpakuto.

Grimmjow immediately began to force Ulquiorra back, his blade lashing out, strike after strike. Ulquiorra was forced to dodge the slashes until he regained control of his right arm once more. He was quickly blocking each attack easily, his body retreating so that he could place some distance between the two of them and prepare for a counter-attack.

Grimmjow quickly threw his hand forward, a gigantic cero blasting at Ulquiorra. The smaller Arrancar flipped his body backwards, his coattails flying upwards as the horn on his mask barely rose above the beam of crimson energy. Grimmjow's attack blasted through the far wall, and Ulquiorra retaliated with his own cero, the green wave roaring downwards from his fingertip. Grimmjow brought his arm up, his zanpakuto catching onto the blast before he tossed it aside with a flick of his arm. He rushed forward again, once more slashing wildly at Ulquiorra.

While Grimmjow's strength had only marginally increased, his speed had practically doubled since his tenure in Aizen's army. It was no surprise – after all, he was affiliated with a squadron that prided itself on agility and stealth. Under Soi Fon's tutelage, anyone could learn to move as fast as lightning. And Grimmjow Jaggerjaques was already that fast before he even came to Soul Society; he was now a deadly blur of white and blue.

Unfortunately for him, Ulquiorra was still faster.

The green-eyed Espada suddenly dropped down towards the floor, Grimmjow's blade zipping over the tip of his mask as he fell. He slammed into the ground and snatched up his discarded scabbard. Grimmjow plummeted head-first towards him, the tip of his blade pointing directly at his opponent's forehead. Ulquiorra threw his left hand upwards, the length of Grimmjow's zanpakuto sliding into the sheath that he held.

Grimmjow's eyes widened as his sword locked into place within Ulquiorra's scabbard, the force of their collision creating a small crater beneath his opponent. The shorter Arrancar suddenly yanked him downwards, pulling their bodies closer together. With a flash of movement, Ulquiorra's blade was rammed through Grimmjow's stomach. The blue-eyed Hollow looked on in shock as blood trickled from his lips, his teeth grinding against each other. Ulquiorra twisted the blade inside of his body.

And then Grimmjow was gone, leaving only his vest impaled upon Ulquiorra's blade as his opponent's zanpakuto was torn from the smaller Arrancar's grip. His eyes widened in surprise.

Damn.

Ulquiorra didn't have time to block the strike as Grimmjow suddenly reappeared in front of him, his Pantera screaming downwards against Ulquiorra's chest. Ulquiorra flew backwards as blood spilled from his fresh wound, the crimson liquid falling thickly upon the floor in front of him. He slid to a stop and struggled for breath as he looked at Grimmjow. The former Sexta Espada stood defiantly, his bare chest heaving as he breathed. Ulquiorra snapped his arm downwards, Grimmjow's vest tearing into halves as it fell from the blade onto the ground.

"So," he said, straightening himself. "I see you've mastered the Molting Cicada technique?"

"Tch," Grimmjow scoffed as he looked at Ulquiorra, "You know Soi Fon wouldn't let me live without knowing how to do it."

They stared at each other from across the room, Ulquiorra's calm eyes rivaling Grimmjow's enraged ones. A soft wind blew in from the hole that Grimmjow's cero had blown through the wall, sending his tattered vest tumbling across the white tiles of the floor. Their eyes met, clashing, causing an almost palpable tension to fill the room.

"I see," Ulquiorra said, bringing his blade up to his face. "It's finally come to this?"

"I guess so," Grimmjow responded as he leveled his own zanpakuto along his waist, his fingertips touching the steel.

"Bind."

"Grind."

Grimmjow growled as he waited for Ulquiorra to release.

"Murciélago."

"Pantera!"

… memories struggle from the underground…

"Oi, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow called, his breath appearing in the winter night's air. "What hell're you doing out here?"

Ulquiorra turned his head slightly to look at Grimmjow as he slipped out from the door of the bar. He turned his face back up to the sky, his green eyes focusing on the waxing moon above him. He had been drinking all night with Grimmjow and felt as though he was no longer himself. He felt far too… talkative. He needed some air. He needed to be alone.

Grimmjow wasn't gonna let that happen.

"Come on inside," Grimmjow began again, "Ikkaku's about to pick a fight with some drunk bum."

"I'm sure Captain Madarame will come out victorious," Ulquiorra said. "There's no need for me to witness it first-hand."

"Jeez," Grimmjow said as he came to stand alongside Ulquiorra. "If I knew you were gonna be such a fuckin' downer tonight, I wouldn't have invited you out."

"Perhaps you shouldn't have."

Grimmjow's eyebrows tightened as he looked at Ulquiorra.

"Well fuck you too, then. Fuck me for tryin' to make you feel better about whatever shit you're goin' through."

He turned and began to walk back into the bar. Ulquiorra almost let him go, but his voice betrayed him as his fellow Arrancar reached the doorway.

"Grimmjow," he said softly, his companion stopping. "Wait."

Grimmjow turned his head, a sky-blue eye looking over his shoulder. Ulquiorra turned away from the moonlight. Soi Fon came outside then, her eyes squinted in confusion. She looked between the two of them for a moment before focusing on Grimmjow.

"Is everything alright out here?"

"Yeah," Grimmjow replied shortly, looking from her to Ulquiorra. "I was just telling Ulquiorra that he needs to come back inside."

She shot them both a look. "Ok then. Lieutenant," she looked at Ulquiorra, a rare smile gracing her lips, "I believe that the next round is yours."

Ulquiorra said nothing as Soi Fon kissed Grimmjow and went back inside. Grimmjow watched her go before turning back to Ulquiorra. The other Arrancar said nothing for a few moments. A cold wind started blowing across the porch that the two of them were sharing. Ulquiorra's coattails fluttered noiselessly as he turned back to sky, his green eyes the color of fresh grass as they reflected the moon.

"Ulquiorra," Grimmjow started as he walked forward, his legs wobbling drunkenly as he approached his cold comrade. He reached the edge of the patio, his arm resting against a fence post.

"I…" Ulquiorra began, his speech slowing as he struggled for words. "How do you do it, Grimmjow?"

"Eh?"

"Fit in the way you do?"

"Pff," Grimmjow laughed. "Ulquiorra, you sound like a depressed teenager."

"Grimmjow."

Ulquiorra stood silently, only a slight wobble in his stance betraying his façade of sobriety. He looked at Grimmjow in silence for a moment longer before he turned away again, his eyes lifting up to the sky. Grimmjow sighed and looked upwards. He didn't feel like prying into Ulquiorra's business; it was extremely uncomfortable to even be talking to the stoic Arrancar about any sort of personal issue. Having a heart-to-heart with him was almost painful.

"What are you really thinking?" Grimmjow asked finally, breaking through the taboo barrier. "I know you don't really give a fuck about making friends and 'fitting in'."

"Oh?" Ulquiorra said, turning his head slightly. "And how would you know this?"

"Because I fuckin' know you."

"I see."

More silence. Grimmjow growled and pushed forward. The pale bastard obviously wanted to talk about something, and the sooner Grimmjow got it out of him the sooner he could go back inside and grab another beer.

"It's about her, isn't it?" Grimmjow said. "Orihime."

Ulquiorra's eyes quickly slid to Grimmjow, but he remained silent. It was not a reaction that went unnoticed. Grimmjow smirked.

"You don't see her much, do ya?"

"Not at all."

"Well shit. If Unohana gave you the night off, you shouldn't have fuckin' come out with us."

"Orihime was busy this evening. She's just begun her studies at a University."

"You talked to her?"

Ulquiorra sighed. "Why do you think it took me so long to get here? I went to visit her first. She said that she was too busy to see me and…" he trailed off. "The only opportunity we've had to see one another in almost four months and she's… too busy."

Grimmjow said nothing. He couldn't find any words that would help his fellow Arrancar. With a sigh, he lifted his hand up and rubbed the back of his neck. It was a subconscious gesture, and he hoped that Ulquiorra wouldn't take it as him being uncomfortable. Because he most certainly was.

"You and Captain Soi Fon," Ulquiorra began before Grimmjow barked out a laugh.

"Don't even ask about that," he said. "That just sorta happened. We just work and I couldn't fuckin' tell you how or why."

"I see."

"Come back inside," Grimmjow said, slapping Ulquiorra on the back as he turned and left. "Buy your round of drinks and if you still wanna talk about it, I'll be here for ya. I'll always be here for ya. But please, inside. I'll be here for ya inside."

Ulquiorra stood still for a moment before the faintest of smiles played across his lips.

"Yeah. Thanks."

… and fight for the sunlight.

Grimmjow crashed through the wall of another pillar, sunlight pouring in from the fissure his body had created. He leapt to his feet, ignoring the blood that leaked from the large slash that tore its way across his chest. Ulquiorra buzzed into view, his black wingspan drenching the room in shadow.

Grimmjow wasted no time in attacking, snapping his elbow forward and firing out a quintet of small missiles. Ulquiorra twisted his body out of the way, but left himself open to a second attack. Grimmjow took this opportunity and flung himself forward, his claws raking four deep grooves into Ulquiorra's flesh.

The winged Arrancar darted backwards, allowing Grimmjow to rush out into the open and sling kick after kick after punch at his adversary. Ulquiorra easily blocked the strikes, his green eyes looking for any opening within the berserk tornado that was Grimmjow Jaggerjaques. He couldn't see anything beyond the white and black of his feet and fists. Ulquiorra had landed two strikes against his opponent, but they were lucky at best; Grimmjow not only seemed un-phased by the attacks, but he appeared to have learned how Ulquiorra could break through his protection. He was combining both a rapid-fire offense and an impenetrable defense into a flurry of movement and Ulquiorra was having trouble figuring out how to get inside again.

Grimmjow spun and kicked, hooking the clawed heel of his right leg up near Ulquiorra's head. The black-haired Arrancar dodged narrowly, his cheek gaining a thin cut from one of the four talons on his opponent's foot. Ulquiorra smirked inwardly; Grimmjow had clearly intended for that strike to connect and the missed kick left his back wide open. Wordlessly, Ulquiorra opened his left palm and summoned another lance of lightning. He swiftly gripped it and swung both towards his opponent's exposed body. Even if Grimmjow could regain his posture in time to evade the attack, Ulquiorra now held an extra blade. His opponent's defenses were as good as shattered.

Ulquiorra's breath caught in his throat as Grimmjow completed his revolution, a fully charged cero in his palm. Ulquiorra immediately moved to cross both of his blades of light over his face in an attempt to block the strike, but Grimmjow was too close. Ulquiorra could see nothing but red over his opponent's maniacal smirk.

The blast forced him backwards violently and he struggled to regain control of his body. Both of them knew that the attack was nowhere near fatal, but they also equally knew that Ulquiorra was going to be completely open to an attack from any angle. The red of the cero cleared and Ulquiorra immediately blocked above his head, the spear in his right hand blindly protecting himself from an attack that hadn't come yet. The gambit paid off as Grimmjow's foot crashed into his weapon. Ulquiorra immediately slashed out with his left lance, aiming directly for Grimmjow's gut.

Grimmjow wasn't there.

Shit, Ulquiorra thought as he realized his target had vanished. He's fast.

A foot slammed into his back, sending him plummeting towards the ground. He plowed into the sand below and immediately leapt up and away, narrowly avoiding another kick that would have crushed his skull. He flew upwards as Grimmjow looked at him from the crater in the dunes below him. Ulquiorra immediately hurled both of his lances downwards, each of them connecting into the ground with a massive explosion. Grimmjow appeared above the blasts almost immediately, his white body buzzing into existence a few inches in front of Ulquiorra's extended index finger. His blue eyes widened in surprise as a swirl of shadow sizzled at his chest.

"Cero Oscuras."

The black cero roared forward and tore against Grimmjow's body. The attack had been too close for him to block, much less avoid; he had no choice but to take the strike directly to his chest. He flew back in agony as the dark wave ripped at his face and chest, his resurrección burning away from his flesh. The blast seemed to last for aeons before blowing past him as gravity took over, his body spiraling towards the ground limply.

He hit the sand with a thud, his limbs trembling slightly as Pantera resealed itself within his hand. He immediately struggled to rise, jabbing the tip of his zanpakuto into the ground and forcing himself up from his back.

Ulquiorra appeared before him with a buzz, immediately slamming a fresh light spear through his left shoulder. Grimmjow growled in rage and pain and frustration as the lance pinned him back against the desert floor. Ulquiorra looked down at him with emotionless eyes, his green orbs completely calm in the face of Grimmjow's fury.

"You should never have raised your blade against me, Grimmjow."

"Fuck off," Grimmjow spat as blood bespeckled his lips and chin. "You think this is enough to kill me?"

Grimmjow slashed upwards with his zanpakuto, causing Ulquiorra to leap back and tear the spear from his shoulder. Grimmjow gritted his teeth against the blazing explosion of pain as he forced himself to his feet.

"Kill you?" Ulquiorra inquired as Grimmjow wobbled in front of him. "If killing you was my goal, you'd already be dead Grimmjow."

"The fuck you talkin' about?" Grimmjow spat.

Ulquiorra suddenly lashed out at an invisible enemy to his left, his movements cutting off their conversation. He quickly spun around and slashed again behind him, but he once more sliced into the vacant air. A third attempt yielded a similar result, the green-eyed Arrancar looking as though he was swatting at a fly that wasn't there. A moment of stillness passed when a trio of black butterflies suddenly blossomed upon his chest, each one mere inches away from the other.

"So," Soi Fon said as she appeared between the two Arrancar with a whisper, "it looks as though it's my turn to save your ass, Grimmjow."

"Tch," he replied with a smirk. "I was just about to turn it around on him, Soi."

She smiled, but she didn't take her eyes off of Ulquiorra. "I'm sure you were."

"Captain Soi Fon," Ulquiorra said calmly, "it seems as though the legends of your speed are all quite justified. Had you faced a lesser opponent, you would surely be the victor by now."

"You call that speed?" Soi Fon shot back. "You haven't seen anything yet."

She was suddenly in behind him, Suzumebachi glinting in the sunlight of Las Noches as it plunged into the flesh of his back. Ulquiorra spun around and lashed out at her, simultaneously creating another lance in his open hand. He quickly slashed this second blade downwards in front of him, his weapon crashing into Soi Fon's guarded wrist as she attempted to connect with one of the pre-existing homonka on his chest. She quickly leapt upwards to place some distance between them. His weapon's reach was almost three times as long as hers; it would be suicide to remain close to him.

A buzz of sonído sounded behind her, and she turned her head to find Ulquiorra poised to strike at her unprotected backside. Before she could complete her turn, however, Ulquiorra vanished again as Grimmjow's zanpakuto narrowly missed his neck. The shorter Arrancar reappeared a short distance away from the two of them, his wings snapping open menacingly over the desert skyline.

"Give it up, Ulquiorra," Soi Fon said calmly. "You know that you can't take on both of us."

"Is that so?"

Before either of them could reply, Ulquiorra's body released an opaque wall of reiatsu that forced them back along their heels. Several of the nearby towers shattered like crystals, their ruby exteriors crumpling under the immense wave of pressure. Grimmjow couldn't tell if this surge of power had cast the entire dome into darkness or if it had momentarily blinded him. He was afraid it was the latter.

"What… the hell?" Grimmjow heard Soi Fon hiss through a clenched jaw.

As his vision slowly returned, he was faced with a monster he could barely identify as Ulquiorra Schiffer.

"Resurrección," Ulquiorra said calmly, "Segunda Etapa."

Soi Fon suddenly vanished from his peripheral vision as Ulquiorra disappeared from in front of him. Grimmjow looked behind him to see her flying alongside their enemy, her right hand moving at an insane speed as she struggled to block his strikes. Grimmjow buzzed towards them, appearing next to the two of them. He slashed downwards at Ulquiorra's shoulder, causing the other Arrancar to abort his attacks on Soi Fon to avoid losing his arm. He turned and threw a speared hand at Grimmjow at the same time he threw out a kick behind him to catch Soi Fon in the chest.

She fell backwards for a moment before vanishing, reappearing almost immediately next to Ulquiorra. Her targets on his chest were still there, but she could barely see them beneath the black that oozed out from his hollow-hole. He quickly ignited a lance, this one visibly more powerful than any he'd created before. He spun it around him, using it like a bo-staff to both block and strike. Grimmjow was forced to abandon an attack to save his body from being bifurcated by the lightning rod, both he and Soi Fon retreating slightly as Ulquiorra stood between them.

"Ulquiorra," Grimmjow said through labored breaths, "You bastard."

"Does my second form surprise you?" Ulquiorra asked calmly. "Surely it isn't my secrecy about it? Or is this jealousy I hear in your voice?"

"Surrender," Soi Fon snapped, stopping Grimmjow from responding to the taunt. "We're too fast for you to handle, Ulquiorra. You're just barely keeping the both of us away from you as it is."

"Captain Soi Fon," Ulquiorra said, turning his head slightly to make eye-contact with her. "I am surprised that you,of all people, haven't noticed that I am holding myself back."

Soi stood silent for a moment.

"I thought you were," she responded finally. "But I don't understand why."

"As I said before, it is not my intention to kill either of you."

"Eh?" Grimmjow spat from the other direction. "Then just what the fuck is your intention?"

Ulquiorra closed his eyes slowly. "To force you to join our army of Espada."

"You must be fucking insane," Soi Fon hissed immediately, "if you think we'll be joining you."

"Captain Soi Fon," Ulquiorra said flippantly, his cold green eyes opening and flicking over to her in a condescending manner. "I was not talking to you."

Soi Fon immediately rushed forward, her golden weapon aimed directly at one of the homonka upon Ulquiorra's flesh, her teeth bared like an enraged wolf. He swiftly slashed upwards at her with his lance, the burning spear slipping through her body, causing it to disappear. It was quickly replaced by another illusion. Ulquiorra attempted to attack this spectre as well, before his vision expanded and he saw that he was surrounded by high-speed clones of both Grimmjow and Soi Fon.

Ulquiorra looked at the two of them expressionlessly as they surrounded him, the sound of their high-speed movements creating a low din that filled his ears. Ulquiorra's eyes flicked back and forth between each of them, his green irises moving at lightning speed as he tried to discern which of these apparitions were fakes and which were genuine.

They suddenly bolted forward to attack, ten illusions rushing at him from all angles.

The attack stopped as quickly as it had begun. Grimmjow was dangling helplessly as Ulquiorra's whip-like tail wrapped itself around his throat. Soi Fon's right wrist and zanpakuto were both gripped within Ulquiorra's left fist. The two of them made eye contact for a brief moment, her eyebrows twisting and knotting in rage as she glared at his emotionless face. With a growl, she threw her fist forward, her entire left arm surrounded in the energy of shunkou as it screamed towards his face.

In a movement as fast as lightning, Ulquiorra sliced upwards with his weapon, severing Soi Fon's arm directly below the shoulder. Her eyes widened in surprise as her limb flew away from her body, blood spilling out from around the red muscle and white bone. She watched it flail limply through the air for a few seconds before the uncontrolled shunkou energy caused it to explode and vanish completely.

Only then could she find her voice and scream.

Ulquiorra quickly tossed her at the ground, her small body slamming into the sand. Grimmjow roared behind him and sliced the demonic Hollow's tail in half, freeing himself from the stronger Arrancar's grip. Before he could even descend towards Soi Fon, Ulquiorra was in front of him. With a quick jab, Grimmjow Jaggerjaques fell backwards as a lighting lance stuck out of his chest. His eyes were wide as he dropped; he couldn't believe that the two of them had been defeated so soundly.

He hit the floor and Ulquiorra was immediately upon him, a black-taloned foot resting square on his chest, pinning him to the sand. The green-eyed Arrancar reached down and plucked the lance from his flesh, eliciting a groan of anguish from him.

"Now, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said calmly, slowly. "Let's make a deal."

Grimmjow roared and spun on his back, taking Ulquiorra by surprise. He lashed out with his katana,completely severing the foot that had been resting on his chest a moment ago. Ulquiorra darted upwards, his hellish wings flapping for a moment before he immediately dived back towards the sand, his lost limb already regenerating. He was not aiming for Grimmjow, however. He instead landed upon Soi Fon, his clawed hand reaching down and gripping her neck before lifting her up effortlessly. He dangled her in the air, her left shoulder gushing with blood.

Grimmjow stopped moving instantly.

"You fuckin' put her down," he hissed. "Right fucking now!"

"Then let's make a deal," Ulquiorra repeated as he tapped the air next to him, a gargantatearing open at his touch. "You throw down your sword and I let her live."

"Fuck you!" Grimmjow spat, the slightest bit of hesitation bubbling up in his voice.

"Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said sternly. "You must certainly know that right now, eliminating her would be as simple as drawing in a breath. Think carefully before you answer me again. Throw down your sword."

Grimmjow was frozen in his tracks. He could hardly think, he could hardly breathe. There she was – the woman he loved, the woman who had given him a new life – dangling helplessly in the claws of this demon Arrancar before him. His body was numb, his skin prickling as though every inch of him had fallen asleep.

Her silver eyes flickered up at him from beneath her dirt and sweat-soaked hair, silently pleading for him to ignore her and fight. He knew that was her command from a single look; he could read her eyes better than most people could read a book. He knew her like he knew himself. He loved her. His chest ached just to see her like this, his stomach was slowly twisting itself into knots over and over again inside of him. She was going to die unless he did something.

Silently, slowly, Pantera slipped from his hand and into the white sand below his feet.

No! He could see her eyes screaming at him. Grimmjow! No!

"A prudent decision," Ulquiorra said as Grimmjow sank to his knees. The green-eyed Arrancar placed Soi Fon within the gaping black maw beside him, a white pathway forming under her feet. She stood motionless as Ulquiorra turned away, her missing arm dripping blood as her eyes leaked a torrent of silent and angry tears.

Grimmjow looked up and saw her eyes, filled with pain, as the teeth of the portal closed. His own eyes pressed shut as he slumped forward in utter defeat, his heart racing inside his chest as it heaved up and down for air, his face pressed against the hot desert floor.

"Come, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said calmly from somewhere above him.

"We have work to do."

author's note

i tried to give soi fon her "big damn hero" moment, but... as much as i love her, it needed to go down this way. and before any of you ask, yes i know what i'm doing and no she's not going to die.

anyhoo, hopefully the next chapter will be out soonish. maybe even by week's end. we'll see how this crazy weather affects my schedule.

reviews are, as always, appreciated. as my good friend and midnight-beta jazzpha says: "Motivation doesn't grow on trees, fuckers."

until next time!

jta~!

david bowie - subterraneans