A/N: Hello lovelies! I will admit, I am slightly disappointed by the reaction to chapter 35, BUT this one is twice as long as usual to make up for my absence, and I hope you enjoy it…

-MS

An Empire Begins to Crumble

"Rock-a-bye baby, in the tree top… when the wind blows, the cradle will rock… when the bough breaks, the cradle will fall… down will come baby, cradle and all,"

The nursery rhyme was sung quietly in the empty apartment. She was scared to make too much noise at night; the neighbors got angry, and sometimes they yelled at her… she usually cried then, and they stopped, but it made her afraid all the same.

She was more frightened of the silence, though. When she trailed off at the end of the song the silence seemed to eat at her, gnawing away shreds of reality and filling her ears with a high ringing. Usually he was home by now. Usually he was here to hold her and tell her it was okay.

She would wait though… she was good at waiting.

She was a good girl.

"You are my sun-shine… my only sun-shine… you make me happy when skies are gray… you'll never know dear, how much I love you…" Neliel felt inexplicable tears in her eyes and they choked her voice as she sang the last line into the night, "Please don't take my sunshine away…"

…..

"Woman!" Ulquiorra called sharply, quickly locking the door to the flat behind him as he went, "Woman, answer if you are here!"

"I'm in the back!" Orihime's voice was muffled, and seemed far away, but he could hear her movements in the back bedroom as she shifted things in the closet. He went after her, taking long strides to close the distance more quickly.

She turned to him with a smile, beginning to welcome him home, but stopped at the look on his face. Though he was usually pale he now seemed bloodless, furious and… apprehensive. There was no fear in his verdant eyes, but there was a thin form of anxiety, urgency that hadn't been there before.

"What's wrong?" the red-headed woman asked, grabbing the man's cold hand to try and illicit a quick response, "Has something happened?"

Ulquiorra simply stared at her for a moment before pulling his hand away and stalking out of the room. He couldn't bear to stand still, couldn't bear to look at her sweet face and think that it might become drawn with agony once more because of him.

"Don't go to work tomorrow. Pack your things and be ready to leave on short notice if I come to get you. If I don't contact you in the next three days, leave on your own."

"Wait, Ulquiorra!" Orihime cried after him, stopping him at the door, "Please, what-"

His emerald green gaze was almost too full to read despite the lack of expression on his face and his voice grated with unwonted intensity.

"I love you, woman. Be ready."

For what? He didn't say.

The bat flew into the night, knowing that as he went blood dripped from the dog's teeth.

…..

Szayel flicked blood from the end of his scalpel and curled his lip in an ill-tempered snarl, thoughts blitzing through his brain and working almost visibly behind the metal rims of his glasses.

Aizen was moving… but, like a current of water he shifted with deceiving slowness on the surface; once you broke the surface, the illusion disappeared and you were swept away by a slip-stream so fast and cold it took your breath away. By the time you noticed, you had been fooled it was too late.

Tread carefully, carefully…

Did Aizen know about his interaction with Giovanni? Did Gin? Did Tousen?

Did Ulquiorra?

Szayel narrowed his pale yellow eyes. He didn't think Ulquiorra would tell- based on his reaction and on Grimmjow's those two were more likely to be the leaks in the organization.

Either way, he had read somewhere that the safest way to escape a rip-current was to swim either with or perpendicular to it.

He supposed if Aizen was going to move, he might as well go with the flow and hope he didn't get dashed to pieces along the way.

….

"So you found the leak," Tousen intoned softly, "And justice has been thus returned to its normal path… all humans have wickedness in their hearts and all deserve justice, but betrayal is a black offense indeed."

"Found the leak?" Aizen repeated vaguely, "No, no… I was just doing a bit of spring cleaning with Grimmjow. He's not the one. Even if he was part of the leak, he was too stupid to do something like that on his own; the leak wasn't big, just small enough to slip through the cracks for bit. Cunning."

"There are others?" Gin asked with a lazy grin on his face, spinning in a desk chair with his legs pulled up to his chest.

"Oh most definitely," Aizen replied, pressing his fingertips together, "The only question is, how to smoke them out?"

"No idea," the fox sighed, "Sorry,"

There was silence in the room for a time, neither of the lower-ranking individuals wanting to break the wrecked train of thought that ran in their master's head. Aizen was mad, it was true, but genius for all that.

"I see," the dark haired man said at last, running his fingers through his locks to push them away from his face.

"Hm?" the silver haired man in the room lilted curiously, stopping his revolutions to stretch his legs.

"Grimmjow had a woman- Neliel Tu Odershwank no less. He likely told her a lot, and as damaged as she is she most likely retained much of what he said somewhere in that empty head of hers. It's simply a matter of drawing it out…" Aizen mused before looking up, "Call Aaroniero and tell him to come see me. I have a bit of work for him to do."

….

"My head hurts, Stark," Lilinette complained, rubbing at where her older brother had placed a butterfly stitch, "That fucking Grimmjow, hitting a girl…"

"Language," Stark reprimanded mildly, completely lacking conviction.

"Oh shut up…" the younger blonde replied coolly as they strode through the dark streets. Her short shirt was slightly bloodstained, but she didn't seem to mind it at all; her knife was tucked back away, and in her hand she carried- or rather, dragged- Grimmjow's bullet-pierced, red-soaked jacket. She had peeled it from the man's corpse before dumping it behind a building as both a proof and a trophy, "Anyways, I think we're almost there, yeah?"

"Almost," Stark answered as they turned a corner, "This building at the end might be it, actually. I'm pretty sure it is,"

"I damn well hope so," Lilinette half-heartedly snapped, "You only worked with this guy for what, like six years?"

"Seven,"

"Well then," the girl huffed, throwing the jacket over her shoulder as they approached the apartment complex, "Anyways, you think it's okay to go to this woman before Aizen?"

"It should be," Stark yawned, "After all, we're just doing our duty- it's only polite to alert Nel to her tragedy so she doesn't spend too much time waiting around and wasting time. She's an old coworker too,"

"If you say so,"

"I do say so,"

The two came entered the elevator in the apartment lobby, Stark wincing at the loud ding made when the car came to the desired floor. It was late, and most of the lights in the apartments were off; of the few that were on, one room obviously contained a bad couple's quarrel, one seemed to hold a group of baboons (which were probably rowdy girls at a slumber party) and one was seemingly quiet… if you listened closely you could hear singing that sounded like nursery rhymes.

"Here it is," the oldest of the pair announced, stopping at this door; he knocked, languidly like his personality. There was a moment of the deepest silence from behind the door, and then the sounds of desperately scrambling feet.

"He's home," the two outside heard the words through relieved, choked sobs, "He's home, he's home…"

The sound of a lock being drawn back… the door flung open… in there doorway was a tall, shapely woman with long green hair and a scar on her forehead, her gaze strangely vacant but her smile as bright as ever. He was wearing nothing but an old green nightshirt that barely came below her hips and a pair of panties.

Her tearful beam slipped as she saw who was at the door.

"Who…" she whispered, a glittering flash of recognition jolting in her eyes, "I know you…"

"Hello, Nel," Stark greeted easily, "S'been a while. Wish I didn't have to come to chat on a night like this."

"Stark," Nel gasped, blood draining from her face. She tried to shut the door, spotting the tell-tale mark under the man's jacket that revealed where he had his guns to those who knew where to look. Stark stuck his booted foot out and stopped the door from closing with a sigh.

"Come on Nel, don't be that way. I'm not Nnoitra, so I'm not going to hurt you… hell, that guy's dead. I just wanted to talk to you," he coaxed, his voice soft and almost remorseful, almost hurt.

"No!" the woman cried, her voice almost a scream, "No, no I don't want to! You hurt people! And-"

Stark pushed open the door, hard, sending Neliel sprawling in the hallway. When she looked up it was with the dewy, terrified eyes of a sheep looking into the jaws of a wolf.

"And I'm scared," she finished in muted, tear-stained tones.

"There's no reason for you to be scared," Lilinette lilted, "We didn't come for you. We just came to return this. Unfortunately, this is all you get. I'm afraid the rest is pretty badly cut up… We didn't want him to be too easily recognized, you know,"

The girl held out the bloody, bullet-riddled jacket, the light from the hallway shinning through the holes and shimmering wetly off the red patches in the fabric. Nel could only stare for a moment, lunging forward with a horrible, grief-stricken wail and tearing the jacket from Lilinette's hand. The blonde grinned savagely as Nel pressed the blood-stiffened fabric to her face, screaming denials to it. Stark tugged on his sibling's sleeve, jerking his head toward the door to indicate that they should leave.

"Wolf takes cat," the girl whispered, following her brother out of the apartment. Nel fell silent, and her eyes gleamed with horrible clarity for a moment as she looked up.

"Ram gores wolf," she snarled at Lilinette's back. The blonde glanced back, fear creeping into her eyes as she caught sight of Nel's fury-masked, blood-streaked face in the last second before the door closed.

…..

"You called?" Aaroniero asked nervously as he closed the door to Aizen's office behind him. He licked his lips, his tongue darting like a lizard and his eyes flicked around the room to avoid looking directly at his master. He hadn't done anything wrong, but… Aizen could be temperamental.

"Yes," the dark haired genius at the desk confirmed, "If you weren't told, it's because I have a job for you.

"W-what is it?" the schizophrenic man wondered, one eye twitching. He wasn't sure if that was the drugs or his own reaction to fear.

"I need you to find Neliel Tu Odershwank and find out what she knows about the leak in the Espada… by any means. Feel free to use Tier or Szayel if things need to get a bit more… messy."

"But Neliel hasn't been in the Espada for years, how would she-"

"Don't ask questions," Aizen cut in smoothly, eyes dangerous, "I didn't keep you around so you could ask stupid questions. Get out of my sight and go find the woman."

"Yes sir," Aaroniero answered, feeling Niero's hatred creeping up under his skin.

"Oh, Aaroniero?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Don't disappoint me this time,"

The man in the doorway couldn't bring himself to answer his master's smile, only nodding solemnly, his fear lending him control.

He couldn't afford to fail.

…..

Ulquiorra was practically running through the streets of town trying to reach one place, just one place in time, and for a second he wished he could fly. It was a foolish thought- he was a bat, yes, but that was only a name, because of how much he saw and heard, how much he knew…

And what did he know now?

Grimmjow was dead. There had been no doubt that the man would die, not since Ulquiorra heard that Aizen had set Stark on him… there had been nothing that the green-eyed man could have done, though. By the time he had heard the news, Stark and Grimmjow had already met once in the alley and were on the verge of meeting a second time. By the time he had spoken to Orihime the man had already been dead.

What to do now then? He had warned the woman, but there was one other woman he had to take care of.

Ulquiorra picked up his hurried pace, his dark woolen jacket flapping around his knees and contrasting sharply with his pale, almost ashy skin. He was close, close… and there! There was the building, his destination…

The man did start up a light jog at this point, pulling open the doors to the lobby with haste and stepping into the elevator as soon as it opened. He took a moment of respite as the elevator car rumbled beneath his feet, giving an irritatingly cheery ding as it reached the desired floor.

Ulquiorra stepped out and stalked down the hall of the apartment building, stopping at the fifth door down; he brought his fist down to bang it on the door. He had to talk to Grimmjow's woman, tell her to forget whatever she still knew and to move forward if she could, for her safety and his, and Orihime's… but the door swung in at his lightest touch.

Lying in the hallway was the holster for a handgun, a box of ammunition, and a white rag streaked with blood.

Ulquiorra cursed under his breath and slammed his fist against the doorframe.

Too damn late.

….

Aaroniero watched Tier stalk forward ahead of him on dark, supple limbs, her short blonde hair ruffling in the cold night breeze. It was getting past night, actually… technically it was very early morning, and very, very cold. Due to the chill, Tier had forgone her usual mode of dress, instead preferring jeans, a long coat, and a scarf that covered the lower half of her face. Aaroniero himself was garbed in a thin down jacket and tennis shoes, unused gloves sticking out of his back pocket.

"Tier," the man called, "Do you know where you're going?"

The woman gave no verbal answer, only glancing over her shoulder and nodding. Aaroniero had no idea where the bitch thought she was headed; all he'd said was that he wanted her to help him get something from Neliel, and she had taken off like a bat out of hell- and he had followed, because shit, he needed her.

"Grimmjows' home," the blonde replied at last, her husky voice low and muffled by her scarf. Aaroniero raised his eyebrows, mildly surprised by his temporary partner's initiative.

The two rounded a corner in the downtown, and Aaroniero watched as Tier bumped into a man shorter than she, almost knocking him backward onto his ass.

"Come on Tier," he complained, "Don't go knocking people around until I give the word, yeah?"

The blonde didn't answer him, instead nodding at the man she had almost bowled over and holding out a hand to help him to his feet. Upon closer inspection it proved to be none other than Ulquiorra Schiffer.

"What are you doing out here so late?" Aaroniero asked, slightly confused.

"I had business to attend to," Ulquiorra replied frigidly before stalking away, "As do you, most likely,"

Aaroniero narrowed his eyes at the other man's back.

"Tier," he said, losing feeling in his body as Niero climbed to the surface of his consciousness, "Grab him."

The blonde complied, reaching forward and taking Ulquiorra by his upper arm. The pale man stopped, glaring from his emerald eyes.

"We're looking for someone, Bat. If anyone knows where she is, it's you… and you just happened to come across our path while we were heading to her supposed place of residence…. What do you know about Neliel Tu Odershwank?"

"She was a coworker whose head Nnoitra crushed in; she lost most of her mental capability and fell into disuse before being taken in under Grimmjow Jaggerjaques," Ulquiorra answered tonelessly.

"That wasn't anything I didn't already know," Aaroniero snarled, "I want to know where she is, Schiffer."

"I am not aware of that at this time,"

Aaroniero had a sudden flash of hatred and clarity concerning the man who stood before him; everything seemed to click into place, and for once the schizophrenic man appreciated the cruel, calculating part of him that was Niero. Aaro on his own never would have understood, but together with his other half…

"Of course not," he said slowly, "Well, call us if you find out where she is… because she's not home, is she?"

Ulquiorra was silent for a long moment seeming to weigh the chances that Aaroniero would see through his lie; eventually he decided that the simple truth would suffice.

"No, she's not,"

"I didn't think so," Aaroniero sneered, turning away, "Goodbye then, Schiffer. You know where to call us at if you find any new info,"

Tier nodded at Ulquiorra one more time before also spinning on her heel and following after her partner.

….

Nel's head felt clearer than it had in ages; she wondered if that was part of the shock, or if she had gone so crazy that it felt normal. She figured it was probably the latter- after all, would a sane woman be wandering the wharfs in a tattered pajama top with a gun in her hand and murder in her heart? She thought not… although most sane women hadn't had their significant other cruelly torn away from them in a brutal killing.

The green haired woman breathed deeply of the salt air that surrounded her. It was cold, freezing actually, but she couldn't really feel it. The other people she had seen in the near-empty and now sleeping city had been dressed in coats and pants, but here she was, legs, arms and feet bare.

The waves were muttering, roaring, pulsing against the retaining wall under the docks, hushing her as she added her own salt tears to the water below; there was no need to hush her, really… her tears were silent.

Nel closed her eyes for a moment, and in the waves she could almost hear him, her Grimmjow.

It's alright now. I'm here… it's okay, Nel.

The woman remembered when she had first met him- the leader of a small gang who had the pride of a king though he was of small beginnings. Just a vicious teen with a rebellious streak as wide as the Atlantic, backed by a Spaniard called Findorr, a young pickpocket named Di Roy who spoke only French, and Szayel's brother.

Aizen had only let him and his cohorts join because of Yylfordt's connection to Szayel, and because the organization had still be relatively small. Grimmjow had had no special skills, but he could fight and he knew his way around.

Oh how quickly Aizen broke ties to those who became detriments to him, Nel thought. First her, and then Grimmjow- Grimmjow had saved her, but she had not been able to do the same for him.

"Cruel," she muttered to the sea, wiping her face free of tears, "Too cruel,"

She was done waiting around though… now that she had regained her volition her thoughts were only of death and vengeance. Before her run-in with Nnoitra she had felt no hatred, only done what she was told… she had to have done so for her survival. Now it was quite the opposite. Fury was all she felt, and it kept out the cold better than a shot of the finest whiskey.

She was done with tears, done with pity, and sure as hell done with Aizen. She'd go for him soon enough.

She thought such things, but she stood standing on the wharf.

The sea was so beautiful, so blue…. She could afford to wait.

…

Aaroniero and Tier found themselves only a few blocks away from the wharf- the air reeked of salt and fish and wet sand, and the man leading the chase found that for some reason he abhorred it, though Tier seemed to positively relish in the disgusting smell. He guessed that her dark skin might be the result of many trips to the coast.

The pair had followed the trail of mutterings from the early-morning folks who had seen the woman they were after. Most had avoided her, as she seemed disoriented and was clothed in only a shirt, carrying her gun in plain view.

That sounded quite like Neliel Tu Odershwank.

Aaroniero turned to Tier and gestured silently with his hand for her to be ready, even as he drew his own weapon. There may, or may not have been a need for it, but based on the fact that Neliel had been reported to be carrying a weapon of her own, Aaroniero couldn't imagine that the crazy bitch would be exactly cooperative.

The pair came to the edge of the storage buildings and looked out at the docks , the roiling waves throwing white foam into the air, and there, standing with her back to them was their quarry.

Creeping forward silently, the two waited until they were nearly upon the woman to make their presence known.

"Long time no see, Neliel," Aaroniero grinning savagely as he pressed the tip of his long knife against the small of the addressed woman's back.

"Yes, it does seem that I've been getting that a lot tonight," she replied calmly, "A pity none of you could make time after work to pay me a visit."

"Yeah, yeah," the man waved her words aside, "None of us liked your holier-than-thou attitude anyway."

"I'm not surprised, especially not if it's coming from a mentally sick bastard like you," Nel replied, her words cutting but tone smooth.

"Shut up, whore," Aaroniero ground out, pressing his blade closer until he felt the smooth parting of flesh, twisting the knife. If it hurt her, Nel gave no reaction, "You're just as crazy as I am thanks to Nnoitra. Just drop your gun and turn around like a good girl."

"I don't think so," Neliel answered coldly, twisting around and stomping on Aaroniero's foot before stepping in around his blade arm and pushing him back, "I worked with you people- I never qualified as a 'good girl'… but now that you've killed Grimmjow…"

Seeing the fear and anger in Aaroniero's eyes as she pressed her gun against his body made Nel think that she might enjoy what she was doing quite a bit.

… I really have gone crazy this time, she finished in her head.

…

Ulquiorra had followed Aaroniero and Tier from a distance ever since they had stopped him outside of Grimmjow's apartment; if they found Nel, he'd have to do something about it, and since he wasn't inclined to kill the woman to keep her quiet, he'd have to get rid of her pursuers.

However, being as it was that Aaroniero was a master of following people himself, there was a certain amount of caution that had to be taken if Ulquiorra was to go unnoticed. He had tracked them from far back, turning corners only as they did to avoid being seen…. Unfortunately this left the green-eyed man a bit behind the times as far as Nel's encounter with the Aaroniero and Tier. By the time he arrived at the wharf, things had gotten ugly between the three.

Nel was backed against the water, bleeding from a shallow gouge in her bare thigh and from a cut across her ribs that had split her shirt to expose her pale stomach, but she stood defiant, her gun held ready.

Approaching her from the landward end of the dock was Aaroniero, closely followed by Tier, the former bleeding from what was an apparent broken nose and swinging his blade in a wild rage.

"You filthy bitch!" Aaroniero was screaming, "Look what you did to my face! I'll eat you alive!"

Ulquiorra watched as Nel raised her gun and fired at the incoming man, laughing as she did so; he saw Aaroniero's body jerk heavily as the bullet struck him in the chest. The wound was apparently not instantly fatal, as the man staggered, and then stood, though sagging.

"What I did to your face? Your face was fucked up to begin with!" Nel shrieked back wildly, "If anything I did you a favor! Now people might think your looks are due to an accident!"

"You… Go to hell!" Aaroniero wheezed more than shouted the words, lunging forward to grapple with Nel. In the meantime, Tier had sat down on the side of the dock, slipping soundlessly into the water before coming up dripping behind the woman whom she hunted. Without thinking, Ulquiorra stepped from his hiding place.

"Neliel! Behind!"

As soon as the words slipped from his mouth, he wondered why. Was it some sick sense of obligation that he had toward Grimmjow? If so, it was a nasty time for his 'emotion' to show itself. Nel had turned, reeling forward toward Aaroniero; the man hadn't expected the movement, and staggered back as the woman in front of him kicked at Tier, who was pulling herself from the water with a twisted sort of grace.

While Nel was distracted with Tier, Aaroniero turned to see who had shouted, a bloody-toothed grin spreading across his face and a mad light burning in his eyes.

"Well look who it is!" the bleeding man crowed, crimson flying from his lips and bubbling at the corners of his mouth, "The rat!"

Ulquiorra said nothing, only taking the opportunity to get closer to the three on the dock. He quickly took note of the fact that there were no boats moored yet; perhaps it was too early in the season, but he wouldn't know.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice?" Aaroniero continued, "It had to be you, of course! Grimmjow was only just killed, so why would you be poking around his house? You two hated each other! You traitor!"

"If, as you say, Grimmjow was only just killed, could I not have been there on business?" Ulquiorra asked calmly, though he knew he was caught at this point. He wasn't sure how much of this Tier was hearing, but she would undoubtedly report to Aizen given the opportunity.

"Not you," the ninth of the Espada hissed malevolently, practically foaming at the mouth now, "No, not the heartless Bat… you always work alone, don't you? You're the leak. You can't lie to me anymore, because I see!"

Ulquiorra remained silent, his eyes flicking to where Nel had managed to throw Tier back into the sea; she was coming behind Aaroniero, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Oh yes," the crazed man gave a weak laugh; he seemed to be dying, though a bit too slowly for Ulquiorra's liking. They still had Tier to worry about, and the blonde had disappeared back under the dock, "I see. And if I kill you, Aizen will finally stop looking down on me… "

"No one will ever stop looking down on you, you worthless glutton," Nel snarled in his ear as she came close into to put the gun to his head, "You're pathetic, maybe even pitiable… and you'll die that way."

The gun went off, bucking in the woman's hand, and Ulquiorra didn't even flinch as Aaroniero's skull and brain went splattering across the dock and stained the churning sea pink for an instant in the dawn; the color disappeared as the sun peeked over the horizon and turned the sky and the water an almost heavenly shade of vermillion. Aaroniero's body took almost thirty second to realize it was dead before staggering forward half a step and collapsing, one arm dragging in the ocean.

"What are you doing here?" Nel asked Ulquiorra, wiping a hand across her face and only managing to smear Aaroniero's blood across her cheeks like war paint.

"I came looking for you," the green eyed man replied tonelessly, "Since I couldn't do anything to help Grimmjow, I guess I felt like maybe I should at least do something for you,"

"How sweet," the green haired woman said, her voice bitter but her eyes glittering in a way that told Ulquiorra she was probably touched, at least a little bit, "So you do have a heart after all."

"If I lacked one, would I not be a corpse?" Ulquiorra asked flatly, his eyes wandering over the water restlessly.

"Was that your attempt at a joke?" Nel wondered, raising one eyebrow to examine the humorless man before her.

"I suppose that might have been a poor-"

"Look out!" Nel cried, cutting Ulquiorra off. Tier had finally reappeared from under the dock, bobbing up and snatching Aaroniero's long-bladed knife from his stiffening hand; she pulled herself up onto the dock in one effortless, fluid movement, the weapon flashing in her hand.

Ulquiorra raised an arm defensively, unable to get any more movement in than that, although it almost certainly saved his life. As Tier landed, she brought the knife down in a long, sweeping motion that was perfectly controlled. The green-eyed man felt the flesh of his forearm split down to the bone as the blow meant for his neck connected, the blade passing cleanly through his skin; the stroke continued down, dipping from his arm to the soft tissue of his stomach.

Ulquiorra looked down at the thick knife handle that was protruding from the slash that went from his bellybutton to where the blade had lodged in his left hip, before glancing back coldly at Tier.

"Sorry, Schiffer," she said, sounding muffled but not at all apologetic.

"Don't apologize for following orders," the man replied, his lips barely moving.

In a flash, the blonde had taken off running, and vaguely Ulquiorra could hear Nel screaming profanities, the sound of gunshots… he dropped to his knees, hot blood soaking through his dark coat and steaming in the cold dawn air. The crimson complemented the red in the sunrise, he noted dully as he pressed one pale hand to the wound. Red on white…

Oblivion pushed at the edges of his vision, but Ulquiorra refused to pass out, shoving the comforting folds of unconsciousness away. Suddenly Nel's face was before his swimming vision, her voice too loud, the colors around him too bright…. It took him a moment to realize what she was saying to him.

"-Really bad shape, you need a hospital but…"

"First the woman," Ulquiorra muttered lowly, "Then Szayel."

"What?" Nel cried, surprised, "But Szayel-"

"Can't go to a hospital. Tier will report us to Aizen, we won't have time to get in and out of a hospital before he came."

"To Szayel then, let me help you stand,"

"No; the woman first. We get her first," Ulquiorra insisted as Nel pulled his uninjured arm over her neck. He wasn't in immediate mortal danger, she saw, but he would be soon if they didn't stop the bleeding. The knife was still in him, but she was afraid to pull it out. What if it was stuck in something important?

"Fine then," Nel answered, surprised at how brittle and scared her voice sounded… like she could break at any moment. But, ever since Stark's visit she had retained her old memories… she didn't think she would shatter so easily this time, "We find Orihime first…"

"We don't have a car," Ulquiorra pointed out, "We'll get nowhere looking like this. Call her,"

"I don't have a phone!"

Nel almost dropped the cell in the water as it was passed it her, slick with blood.

She didn't so much as flinch as she pressed the object to her face. After all, what was a little more blood between friends?

….

Szayel blew a lock of pink hair out of his eyes like an annoyed diva, crossing his arms and leaning against the door of his apartment, glaring at his visitors.

"Please!" the busty red-head who had read him the riot act for not using anesthetic on Grimmjow cried, slipping under Ulquiorra's weight. The man was leaning heavily on the two women who had arrived with him, leaking blood all over the tiles, but glaring sullenly as ever nonetheless. If not for all the red everywhere, Szayel thought the wounded man might look like a pimp… the girls with him were good looking enough, God knew.

This thought made him smirk, which the red-head- what was her name? Onihime, he thought, or something like that- took to be a cruel reaction to her pleas.

"Please, Mr. Granz!" the girl was beginning to cry now, "I'd do it myself but I don't have the equipment, please, just let us stay for a little while, I promise-"

Szayel sighed heavily, standing up straight up not uncrossing his arms; he looked down his nose at the girl.

"You realize that if I let you in, I'll be harboring a fugitive and might get myself killed because of it?" he asked, his smirk disappearing. The woman only looked at him tearily, opening her mouth, and then closing it again, bowing her head in defeat.

"Of course," she rasped quietly, "I can't expect you to put yourself at risk like that… I just don't know where else to go!"

Szayel looked from the red-head, to where Ulquiorra stood barely supported, to Nel, who seemed to have recovered from her amnesia; he was surprised by that. He would have loved to split open her skull and look to see what had become of the damaged tissue… but now was not the time for that.

"Oh what the hell," the pink haired doctor sighed, "Just get in here. I'm fucked anyway… if they're hunting Ulquiorra for passing minor information, imagine what they'll do to me when they find out I treated Giovanni here and passed up a chance to kill the guy?"

"Thank you!" the girl wept, ushering Ulquiorra in as Szayel moved to the side.

"You are one sick bastard, Sap," Nel said to him, shaking her head as she walked past, a small smirk on her face, "You haven't changed a bit."

"Neither have you, Neliel," the doctor smiled a bit at her nickname for him, "Now let's have a look at the damage, shall we? And yes, hon, I will use anesthetic this time… just for you."