So I finally decided to break the climax into two chapters. It's short but I thought it's better to be presented in two short parts than one mega chapter (which I find confusing sometimes). Therefore this is really the penultimate chapter. Aizen's getting what he deserves and boy I had fun writing this. You'll also get a peek into 'THE PLAN'- finally!

So without further ado I'll let you get on with the chapter. As usual, read and review. :)

Chapter 24- The Beginning of the End

Orihime was chewing her fingernails as she was growing steadily paler. Grimmjow cast a look at her as though he wanted to tell her to calm down but somehow the words got lost somewhere in his system and all he ended up doing was opening his mouth and closing it several times. He really didn't know what to say to her. He tried to think what he would be going through, on the brink of events that could possibly lead to his tormentor of ten years getting what was coming to him and found himself drawing blank. He couldn't imagine what it was like to suffer any kind of abuse for ten consecutive years. He had seen a lot of things in his life, many horrors, but this delicate looking girl standing next him had lived a life that was a living nightmare. He couldn't imagine what it had done to her, physically as well as emotionally. On some level he understood the fifth Espada's reaction. The truth was too terrible to accept and Nnoitra's brain refused to process it therefore he was looking at restoring the mental peace that had been rudely shattered. Grimmjow wished he could do something to restore his own mental peace as well and he hoped he could do so today.

Outside the room, Nnoitra sat, his face sans the perpetual toothy smile that was his trademark. To say he was in two minds would be an understatement. His instincts told him to believe Ulquiorra and Ms Inoue, but he just couldn't believe it. Lord Aizen had always been so polite, so soft spoken, how could he have had such a horrible side to him? It just was not possible. But he couldn't deny the obvious signs of abuse that he had seen on Ms Inoue's back. A part of him still believed that it was someone else who was responsible for it, despite the convincing arguments that Ulquiorra and Grimmjow had provided. He had decided to go with his instincts, they were never wrong, however he fervently wished that this one time, they were wrong.

Unable to stay at one place, with her nerves driving her crazy, Orihime started pacing around the room. She wished that somehow this wait was done with and she knew what was happening, one way or the other. Suddenly the door to the room was thrown open and Ulquiorra came into focus, with Nnoitra standing behind him, looking confused.

"We have a problem." Ulquiorra said, "He's heading to Ms Inoue's room instead."

"Shit!" Grimmjow muttered. "We don't have any cameras there, how are we going to expose him?"

"We have to go there, come on." Ulquiora said as the four of them ran out of Haruki's room. On the way to her own room, Orihime turned to Nnoitra and asked for the nth time,

"Haruki will be safe, right?"

"She's at Nnoitra's quarters, with his subordinate keeping an eye on her." Grimmjow reassured her yet again, "Don't worry. Let's handle this now."

The four of them ran at top speed to her room, and were just in time to catch a glimpse of Aizen entering her room. The four ran and stopped outside her room. Silently Nnoitra pointed at the window and the rest of them settled below it as Grimmjow slowly pried it open for them to see inside.

Aizen walked in Orihime's room, fully expecting to see the Fourth Espada and his step-daughter to be lying in each other's arms, having a steamy make out session. Instead he found an empty room. He looked around the pale yellow colored room taking in the three windows, two of which looked to the garden and one which opened to the corridor. The room was dominated by a double bed, a couch bed lay parallel to the bed under one of the windows looking out to the garden. On the other side of the bed was a closet whose door was also a full length mirror, one side of which was the door to the bathroom and the on the other side was a study table and chair which was under the window that looked out to the corridor. No where in the room could he see signs of the two anywhere.

"Princess?" he said in a sing song voice as he cocked his head to his side, "Where are you?"

He walked over to the bathroom, flung open the door and peered inside, "Doll? You are hiding from daddy? You don't want to give him his 'welcome home' treat?"

Outside Ulquiorra scrunched his face in revulsion as Grimmjow looking confused mouthed 'Daddy?' and Nnoitra was sitting with his mouth open. Orihime had put her hands on her ears in an effort to block out the horrible voice of her nightmares. They heard a loud crash and the three Espadas peeped in the room to see what happened. Aizen had thrown the chair away and was now peering under the table.

"You better come out soon girl and I will go easy on you, otherwise you will have a tough time, I promise." He continued to look for her in the room as he said, "Where are you? Do you think you can hide from me for long? Come out, now. You have stayed away from dad for long, don't you want to show him how much you love him? Come on out, let me taste that fabulous body of yours."

Orihime curled up into a ball, eyes tight shut, hands on her ears, mouth open in a silent scream as she shivered uncontrollably. Both Ulquiorra and Grimmjow moved over to her noiselessly and put an arm around her. Nnoitra was staring at her looking as though someone had blotted out all of his blood. Suddenly he stood up, his eyes still on the crouched girl, as his hand curled up into a tight fist. Before either of the two Espadas crouched on the floor could realize what had happened, the fifth Espada walked straight into the room. The two of them exchanged a quick look. There was nothing to it, they had to back up their comrade. They made Orihime lean on the wall and bolted inside the room.

"Nnoitra?" Aizen said, looking surprised, "What are you doing here? Where is Haruki?"

Wordlessly the tall man walked over to him and punched him squarely on his nose, breaking it instantly.

"Whad da hell do dink you are doing?" Aizen muttered through a mouthful of blood.

Nnoitra didn't bother to reply as he aimed a kick between the man's legs. Aizen however had anticipated this move and jumped back just in time. Consequently all Nnoitra ended up kicking was the air. However, he wasn't the fifth Espada for nothing. He brought his leg down, spun on his heel to use the other leg to kick Aizen on his stomach, winding him and making him go down on the ground on all fours. As he was executing his last maneuver, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow burst into the room. Grimmjow held the livid Espada around the waist, stopping him from attacking Aizen anymore.

"Leave me Sexta," Nnoitra screamed, "I wanna kill this damn bastard!"

"I know, I do too," Grimmjow said as he strained to hold the taller man, "but someone else has more right than all of us."

Aizen got up from the floor, wiping blood from his face and he looked at the three Espadas standing in front of him, each looking at him angrily.

"Whad is going on?" Aizen asked.

"Take a guess." Grimmjow hissed, "Your game's up Aizen Souske."

He looked at the three of them, unsure of what had happened till his eyes fell on the fourth figure standing by the door, breathing heavily, leaning on the door frame, as if needing the support to merely stand upright.

"I see." Aizen said, spitting out the remaining blood from his mouth, "Now I get it. It's that girl isn't it? Three of my most loyal Espadas? What did you do girl, how did you get these three on your side? You have been very busy haven't you, you little slut?"

Orihime looked at him stunned, her face devoid of all color, as she shrunk further.

"YOU ARE SICK!" Grimmjow and Nnoitra screamed.

For the first time, Aizen realized that these men, who were lethal weapons when they were at his side, were very dangerous enemies. A very real chill ran down his spine as he saw murder in the eyes of the men he thought he owned.

Unknown to him, Ulquiorra had thought several steps ahead, modifying his original plan, which had been to broadcast Aizen's truth to all the Espadas. Grimmjow, who was in charge of the security of Las Noches had put a camera and mic in Haruki's room and had put a few loud speakers and a huge monitor in the Espada quarter which could be activated by a remote Grimmjow had in his pocket. But when Aizen had started to walk towards Orihime's room, Ulquiorra had to think quick and he had come up with a modified version of his original plan. As they were crouching next to the window, Ulquiorra had started a conference call on his cell phone with all the Espadas who were now all listening to the events taking place in the room. Thus, Ulquiorra stood silently, waiting for the inevitable to happen. All he had to do, was give the Espadas a location. Therefore he spoke for the first time,

"Why are you here in Orihime Inoue's room?" He asked, his voice loud enough to carry over to the phone.