Merry Christmas and Happy New Year my faithful readers!

A/N: This chapter is a little dark... no pun intended.

trial of darkness

With Grimmjow and Wabisuke trailing after him, Ichigo walked through Himura headed to the Doctor's clinic. He felt incredibly nervous as the isolated graveyard at the head of town grew closer and closer with each step he took. Things were about to get very serious very quickly. When Doctor Crownwell's clinic came into his view, he swallowed a bit of saliva, but headed right up to the front door and pulled a bobby pin from his hair.

Before he could pick the lock, Grimmjow came up behind him and pulled him out of the way. "This visit ain't gonna be as nice as the last one." He said, then kicked the door in.

Ichigo shook his head disapprovingly as the large pieces of split wood flew inside the clinic.

"That's one way to go about it." Wabisuke said, then walked inside after Grimmjow entered.

The trio came into the library, then Wabisuke stood back as Ichigo walked over to the bookshelf and pulled it out.

"Here's the Reiatsu barrier." the orange-head said once it was visible to them.

"You should be good at breaking that, since you broke Aizen's barrier." Grimmjow commented almost spitefully. He was jealous that Ichigo was able to accomplish such a feat. For years he'd been unable to do that. It made him wonder just what was so important that he was able to get through it.

"Haha, very funny." Ichigo spat back.

Wabisuke shook his head at the two, then turned his attention back to the task at hand. He knew this barrier was imbued with an immensely powerful triple lacing that the two clowns with him would never be able to get through on their own. After lifting his hand and touching the barrier, much to Ichigo and Grimmjow's surprise, the barrier shattered in a vibrant dispersal of colors.

Eyes full of awe, Ichigo stared at the spirit copy, "That was pretty cool." he breathed out.

"I simply disrupted the barrier and overloaded it with my own Reiatsu." Wabisuke said as he opened the door that was protected by the barrier. "Let's get going. There's some dark presence coming from within the bowels of this place."

"R-right!"

…

The moment he stepped into the dark, cave-like hallway, Grimmjow smelled something foul—something that reminded him of the rotting carcass of a scorpion out in the desert.

It took Ichigo and Wabisuke a bit longer to pick up the scent, and the moment he did, Ichigo brought his hand up to his nose. He jumped when the stairs ended and he stepped in a liquid that was on the level ground. Grimmjow bumped into him and agitatedly told him not to suddenly stop.

"What is this? I can't see anything down here…" Ichigo said. It was truly dark. The only light source was a dim red light coming from a far end of what seemed like a tunnel.

"Keep walking or get left behind, Kurosaki." Grimmjow commented as he passed the shorter man.

Wabisuke turned and looked over his shoulder, "If I were Katen or her partner I'd be able to move around freely in here. Unfortunately, I'm just as in the dark as you both are."

Ichigo put his hand over his nose again and prayed they weren't surrounded by a bunch of ravenous cretins or anything, then started walking again. He tripped though, falling up against Grimmjow's backside. This led to an argument that Wabisuke was not interested in hearing, so the spirit copy started walking at a faster pace to reach the end of the tunnel.

"Get off already…" Grimmjow said, then pushed Ichigo off and started walking again.

Ichigo looked behind him for a second, even though he couldn't see past the tip of his nose thanks to the darkness, "H-hey… don't leave me alone here!" he said, then hurried after Grimmjow. "What is this we're walking in? It stinks pretty bad…"

"Smells like blood." Grimmjow answered.

"Blood?!" Ichigo nearly shrieked, then grabbed hold of Grimmjow's arm.

"It's not just blood, baka. There's water mixed in too. And do you mind letting go of me?"

"Grimmjow, you might not know this about me… but I don't like blood…"

"Hey, I said get off!"

"Hurry down this way, you buffoons!" Wabisuke called from the place where the red light was coming from.

Doing just that, Ichigo sped up and stopped at Wabisuke's side. When he turned, the sight caused him to look away and immediately lose the contents of his stomach. Grimmjow came up after taking his time to get to where the other two were, but when he did reach them, he squinted in disgust.

The room they'd come into was a laboratory of sorts. Skin of many different shades and textures lined the walls, neatly pinned to them like they were important. But the thing that had made Ichigo throw up was the experimentation tables. There were creatures covered in blood lying on them, dead from what it seemed.

"These… used to be people…" Wabisuke said after he walked over to one of the corpses and looked down at it.

"It certainly isn't human anymore." Grimmjow remarked, noting how the rotted and reddish skin on the body had been expanded somehow and also how bones jutted out from many different points. The face was distorted, looking as though this person had turned into some hateful monster before they bit the dust.

Ichigo groaned once he was sure his stomach was emptied. "This is… how horrible…"

"Kurosaki, you're a medic, right? You should be used to seeing corpses. Why're you getting so sick?"

Holding his stomach, that felt as if it was melting inside of him, Ichigo struggled, but stood to his full height, "These aren't exactly reminiscent of humans, you know... Ugghhh…" he groaned.

Grimmjow got closer to one of the bodies and noticed how the bones were primarily extending from the back of the forearm, "What kind of sick and twisted shit happened down here…?" he asked.

"Darkness is a prevalent part of the world, as are you humans. It is understandable that some of the ancients of this world ended up corrupted and hateful, and thus wound up spreading their darkness as the generations passed. What you're seeing here is only result of a tiny part of the darkness that exists within a human soul…" Wabisuke said, his cold words echoing in the dark room.

Ichigo looked at him in dismay for his bleak outlook. Did he really think humans were that bad? Did he really think that, given the choice, humans would turn away the righteous alternative to a situation?

Ignoring Wabisuke completely, Grimmjow saw something over in the corner and walked over to them. "These are…"

"Villagers who were infected with the Wood Malady." A calm voice came to finish his sentence.

Ichigo felt his body tense up and he and Wabisuke turned in surprise, but Grimmjow's keen senses had let him know someone was coming into the room before it happened. By way of a newly-revealed staircase, the good doctor came down the stairs in an almost leisurely fashion. Though the look on his face was one of unrepentant haughtiness.

A smirk found its way across Grimmjow's face as he turned his cerulean eyes to the old man, "You've been quite a busy old man, haven't you?"

"I know it seems wicked, but my intentions in my actions were true and noble."

"What have you done here?!" Wabisuke shouted.

"Don't seem so upset. I was only trying to do what the man you serve has done to you, Espada." The doctor responded looking at Grimmjow.

"What?" Grimmjow squinted.

While looking at one of the distorted corpses on the table, the doctor began speaking, "It's called Project Skifenia. It's a very ambitious project in which researchers obtain living cells from a being known as a Skifenian, and implants those cells onto an Earthian. By doing this, we long to allow for our race to conquer the skies, the way the Skifenian had during their reign."

"Conquer the skies?" Ichigo asked.

"Taking flight, of course. Skifenians had this ability because they could grow wings at the blink of an eye from their arms and backs. That was due to their advanced bone structure and control over it. By injecting Earthians with their cells, we hoped to achieve that same evolution."

Grimmjow lowered his eyebrows, "Aizen was doing that… to more people than just…"

"Of course! It was necessary for his research, which I so gladly came upon one day when I visited the desert kingdom, Los Noches. And that is what you Espada are. Earthians who have successfully absorbed the Skifenian cells and did not perish from the overwhelming DNA they contain… unlike the subjects you see here in this room who failed to overtake the cells' accelerated multiplication process. That prominent mask on your face is proof that you're a successful experiment. Though, I have not yet achieved what your king has… what was it he injected you with? Come, come. Tell me so I too can succeed in this endeavor."

Ichigo turned and stared at Grimmjow for a moment. That's where the bone-like mask on his face came from? "But… what about the hole…?" he asked.

"I assume it is just a minor setback in the evolutionary stage. While this one appears to have successfully absorbed the cells, Aizen never reported any of his subjects being able to take flight without the use of a spirit animal. If I heard right, one of the Espada has a bat as a spirit animal. That should allow him to fly once he Resurrects. Oh there is so much I'd like to know about you Espada!"

"You're… you're using the townspeople for your experiments…? Knowing full well they trust you?!" Ichigo interrupted.

"Ah, yes! Yes! Allow me to explain. The Wood Malady is a defense mechanism the trees in this area emit to protect themselves from humans. It was my doing that that ability came about because I injected them with Skifenian cells to see what reaction that would bring about. Not to mention a few forest creatures I tampered with… But that's beside the point. I used the trees' evolution to my advantage to obtain a few test subjects. Most failed, but to keep the people's trust, I had to actually cure some of the inflicted."

Nearly shaking that someone could so cold-heartedly take advantage of innocent people, Ichigo closed his eyes. "Doctor…"

"When they came to me, I took the ones I thought were fit enough to handle the involuntary implantation of Skifenian cells. I kept them alive here, just barely, with the antidote to the malady. Then when they failed to fully accept the injection, I had to let them die to preserve my standing as the "good doctor" in the town."

"Why would you do something like this?! What is your goal in toying with human life like this?!" Ichigo shouted.

The doctor cleared his throat. "We want to soar in the skies. Aizen knew there was no safety in injecting ourselves with the cells, and I soon realized that at seeing his notes on their reproductive ability. So it was obvious that experimenting on other humans was the path to take. I left and vowed to report my progress to him once he caught me looking over his research. We were ultimately going to use it on ourselves when it was perfected, so we could reach the intergalactic library that exists high above the clouds where humans cannot reach."

"The library you speak of rotted away with the fall of the Skifenian kingdom decades ago!" Wabisuke shouted angrily.

"You're wrong! That library, and the kingdom do still exist! They're high up in the sky, and I'll never stop experimenting until I reach it!" the doctor replied, equally as loud. He watched as Grimmjow walked around the room and observed the other failed subjects and then smirked, "It must be hard to see your fallen brethren. But be glad that you did not perish when you were given with the cells. If I'm not mistaken, Aizen injected you when you were just a child. You must have been quite a powerful child to withstand the mutation, and then even thrive from it."

"Akako… her family… the villagers… THEY ALL BELIEVE IN YOU!" Ichigo suddenly shouted. "How could you call yourself a human being when you trample all over their hopes and betray them like this?! You can honestly wear a smile around town while you're committing these atrocities just beneath their feet?!"

"I can. And that, my boy, is because I know that someday, I'll transcend human limits and become a Skifenian." The doctor replied composedly.

"You never intend to stop, do you?" Wabisuke asked with a tinge of horror in his eyes.

"This Espada here with us is proof that our research is flourishing! I'll never stop until I reach the library-"

Grimmjow raised his hand and fired a Cero through the old man's stomach. "I've heard enough of your bullshit." He said as his hand steamed.

Ichigo, shocked at Grimmjow's actions, ran over to stand in front of him. "What the hell was that about?!" he asked, then firmly grabbed the taller man's arm.

"Let go of me, Kurosaki! That bastard deserved death and you know it!"

"No he didn't! We could have gotten him some help! We could have… saved him!"

Wabisuke rattled his chains loudly and effectively got both men's attention, "It was impossible to save him. He was too far gone… too absorbed in the desires for his own gain that he would take innocent lives to achieve them." He said.

"…" Ichigo turned and stared down at Grimmjow's chest, feeling like this was all too much. He couldn't stay in this place much longer. He jumped and looked down when a hand grabbed hold of his ankle.

It was the doctor.

"You're still alive?" Grimmjow asked, ready to change that.

"The Skifenian cells won't let me die so easily!" the old man shouted as blood leaked from his mouth and stomach.

Ichigo took a step back when the doctor stood up and his wound started closing. It vaguely reminded him of Inoue's powers.

"I… I still have… I still have THEM!" Crownwell shouted, then lifted his hand as if meaning to put it into his mouth to whistle. He was too slow though, because Grimmjow quickly performed an Iai strike on him.

Ichigo's jaw dropped when the old man fell to the ground in two pieces. Taking a step back, he stared at Grimmjow and felt himself start shivering all over. This Grimmjow… This Grimmjow was the same one from the day they'd first met. The same man who would have easily killed a child who was in need had done that to an old man who was also in need. If only he could have talked to the doctor, then this outcome wouldn't have occurred.

Grimmjow turned to Wabisuke. "You could have easily stopped this a long time ago if you'd confronted this freak when you were first suspicious of him."

"…I know that, but you must also understand that there was no doctor to treat the ill until he came along. The malady didn't happen as often as other natural illnesses did, so he did some good. At least now the villagers might have a chance…"

Standing still while staring at Grimmjow, Ichigo still couldn't figure out if the Arrancar had acted in sympathy for the dead, or if he just wanted to take a life to fulfill his bloodlust.

"Tch…" Grimmjow smacked his lips at Wabisuke, then closed his eyes as if he was dismissing the entire ordeal.

Wabisuke closed his eyes as well, lamenting what had transpired and only able to call the loss of such a gifted doctor a misfortune. "You two are now witnessing the darkness of this world. This world of ours is very influential on you humans, and unfortunately that influence isn't always a positive one. Take greed for knowledge or money for example. The things you all do to each other in pursuit of those things are unspeakable… Even your religions, something meant to be benevolent in their aims, have led to unnecessary wars when their ultimate goals are to unite people and teach you to be compassionate towards one another—teach you all to live wholly and peacefully, not kill those who do not share a similar belief as you do. There is so much darkness in this cursed world we call home, but it resonates even better within your mortal souls. And for you all, I'm afraid there is no escaping that. Ever." The spirit paused before continuing, "Let's return to the village. Though this place is only strengthening my point, I don't want to linger here any longer."

…

The walk back through the tunnel and then to the village was a silent one. No one said anything due to how preoccupied their minds were with what had just happened. Ichigo was still trying figure out why Grimmjow had just killed the doctor while also contemplating what Wabisuke had said. Grimmjow was less interested in Wabisuke's words, but they still had come up in his mind on the walk. Wabisuke concerned himself with helping the villagers as best he could now that their doctor was dead.

When they got back into the village, the spirit copy turned to the men following him. "What will you do now? Will you continue on this daunting journey to collect the other crystals of the world, or will you let your determination falter here, now that you have seen the corruption that exists within it?" he asked.

Ichigo looked out to the villagers who were going about their lives for a moment before he pulled the crystal he was given by Akako out to look down at it. There is a symbol across the front of it, but he can only assume it means 'darkness'. "We-"

"We're going to keep going." Grimmjow interrupted, which caused Ichigo to look at him confusedly.

"Grimmjow…"

Said man rolled his eyes and then squinted down at Ichigo, "I want my arm back! I don't care about the darkness of the world, or how long this damned journey takes! Nothing intimidates me in the face of my aspirations. As long as I get my arm back, I can reach my ambitions. Don't you give up on me now." He said, then calmly and nonchalantly put his hand into his pocket.

"Right." Turning to Wabisuke, Ichigo gave a look of confidence to the spirit copy. "We're going to keep going. I promised him I'd help him, and I want to bring my friend home as well. I don't care what the means, I'm going to accomplish those goals."

Wabisuke nodded, "Well, that's fine. You have my permission to take the Crystal of Darkness with you. It will return when the time is right. For now, I suppose I'll keep guarding the temple as if it is still there… and also bury the bodies the doctor had kept beneath the town. …Oh… by the way," he started, looking at Ichigo curiously, "if you came from the forest, shouldn't you have… well… never mind. I don't know much about Katen or Suigetsu to know if it's worth asking."

"Wabisuke-san."

"Hm?"

Ichigo took a second to look up to the sky at the sun coming out from behind the white clouds before speaking, "I'm going to shine some light on this world of ours. I promise." he said confidently.

Wabisuke stood staring at Ichigo for a few seconds as the wind blew gently and the auburn and ginger leaves danced freely in it. There was something about this boy… something inside that he could see was very different from average people. He was such a determined fellow. After shaking his head, Wabisuke picked up his stone tablet and then turned and headed off on his way. "Can't wait to see it, kid. Good luck in your travels." He said over his shoulder.