Thanks to Antex- The Legendary Zoroark for reviewing.

I'm sure you've all been waiting for what will happen. You'll see what I mean.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Chapter 36: Escape

It was night time. Nnoitra was still pacing back and forth, nervous because his younger brother was captured by Aizen, and he had no idea what was happening.

Luppi and Ylfordt were also nervous, and Tesla made sure that he was quiet and that he stayed out of the tall Arrancar's way.

Nnoitra had tried to open a garganta, hoping that he would be able to go after them, but for some reason it didn't work. Leva seemed to know why, but she wasn't sharing.

And he made sure that he stayed out of the way of Kivara, who was still lingering there. She had already snapped at his five times because he could not settle down, and once had almost scorched him to get him to shut up.

"We can't do anything else," Luppi said. "Let's just get to sleep and hope that things would turn out alright."

Nnoitra sneered, but he didn't stop the other three from turning in for the night. He knew that Luppi was also worried about Yumichika, and Ylfordt was worried about Szayelapporro. He just wished he knew what was happening. He wished that he could be stronger…

His eye widened. He remembered something important. Something about him being part Void. And he also recalled that they could get stronger without really trying.

And so, with that thought in mind, he left the room, hoping to find Leva, and if he finds Kivara, then he'll just have to convince her, however hard it might be.

Hopefully, her aggression could count in his favour.

…

They had waited until it was late in the night. Most of Las Noches were asleep. And hopefully they wouldn't run into any others that were still awake.

Gin and Grimmjow made their way towards the prisoners' room, neither saying a word. Gin's eyes were closed again, but there was no smile on his face.

Both of them had noticed that the scorpions were avoiding them, as though they were actively giving them space. Gin explained that it was because the pests were because of the Diablos of Lust. And since, from that moment, they were helping out the allies of the Diablos, the bugs have no reason to attack them.

Grimmjow thought back. He remembered that when the cockroaches first appeared, they stayed away from Nnoitra. Could he have been an ally of the Diablos from the start? He also heard the least amount of complaints from Ylfordt regarding the bugs.

He also recalled another Arrancar having no problem with the bugs.

Grimmjow's eyes widened. The bugs also avoided Ulquiorra. Could he be on the side of the Diablos as well?

He didn't chase the thought, however. It might just be a coincidence. It just couldn't be possible for Ulquiorra, the one person that was completely dead inside, to decide to betray his precious Lord Aizen.

Then again, he didn't think that Gin would be the one that helped him in his mission to betray Aizen.

…

Ulquiorra shifted. He knew that someone was thinking about him for some strange reason. He didn't really care.

He sighed, before he took in a deep breath. He allowed his mind and his soul to connect deep within, to before he was an Arrancar, before he was a Hollow.

He tapped into the part of him that, even after several millennia, after being completely reborn, remained a Void.

…

Yumichika sat cross-legged on the bed, but Szayelapporro knew that the other was far away, inside his own mind. Yumichika had mentioned trying to ask his inner Hollow about tapping into the powers of a Void.

The scientist sighed, dreading the day ahead. If he agreed to what Aizen said, then he would be dragging more of the Sinners out. Who knew what kind of effect it would have? And if he denied Aizen, then his brother would be put in danger.

He sighed. No matter what his choice was, he would end up losing. And then there's Yumichika.

Aizen wants him to become a part of his army, but Szayelapporro knew that he wouldn't want to do anything like that. He also knew that Aizen would employ all his tactics to convince the Soul Reaper to assist him.

And then there's the very real possibility that if it becomes clear that Yumichika will not be moved, then Aizen would kill him.

'If the Diablos are here, then hurry it up. We don't have a lot of time left.'

…

Yumichika stood in front of his Void half, Ruri'iro right behind him.

"Is it true?" Yumichika asked. "What that Espada said?"

"Yes," the Void said. "Voids are unaffected by anything that would repress the spiritual pressure. We're too different from anything else that exists in this day and age."

"And how do I access that?"

"All you need to do is summon our mask. That would immediately let you gain access to the Void inside. And after that… episode, you'll be able to use our cero as well."

"Just don't leave without me," Ruri'iro said.

…

They had arrived in front of the door behind which the prisoners were. Or, so Gin had said. Grimmjow was still a little wary of the former captain.

"You ready?" Gin whispered.

Grimmjow nodded his head, right before the door was unlocked and opened.

…

Yumichika and Szayelapporro jumped when they heard the door opened. They were somewhat surprised to see Gin and Grimmjow there.

"What are you doing here?" Szayelapporro asked suspiciously.

"Getting you out of here," Gin said, taking from his uniform two familiar items.

"Ruri'iro," Yumichika whispered.

"La Lujoriosa," Szayelapporro said.

Gin handed the Zanpakuto over to their rightful masters, and they both happily strapped them to their waists.

"Why are you helping?" Szayelapporro asked, eyes fixed on Grimmjow.

"You're Ylfordt's brother," Grimmjow said. "It's always been the one thing that kept me from smashing your face in."

"Aw, I'm touched," Szayelapporro responded sarcastically.

"If you're finished," Yumichika said, "I would rather like to leave this place."

"Unfortunately, we have a bit of a problem," Gin said. "Aizen made sure that no garganta could be opened within the walls of Las Noches. We need to get out."

Szayelapporro groaned. He knew perfectly well how large the fortress was.

But what other choice do they have? And so the four made their way silently through the corridors, hoping that they would not be discovered.

…

"Do you think they'd be able to make it?" Nagina asked.

"Nope," Zaya said, completely calm. "They are bound to run into someone."

"Should we help?"

"Maybe."

…

Atrocitus shivered, bunched up in several blankets. He didn't know why, but he was cold. It was like his entire body was frozen.

Wrok had been spiteful and had let a fireball loose near him. They all stared in surprise as the fireball did nothing. Wrok had tried heightening the temperature, but it did nothing.

When Gweedix had mentioned a certain blonde Diablos that played with him, he thought back to the Diablos that he himself had faced. If one of them could do something that takes a while to take effect, torturing as it ran its course, then who's to say that another wouldn't be able to do something as well?

And no matter what they did, he only became colder.

After spending a few decades in Hell, cold had become a foreign prospect to them.

…

The corners of Zeron's mouth twitched, and Titania, who was with him, since all the others were asleep, noticed this, and knew that it was his version of a smirk.

"Zer," she said, drawing his attention, "what exactly did you do to your opponent?"

He chuckled lightly.

"Frozen Heart," he said. "By now, he should be experiencing extreme cold. No matter how hot his surroundings are, he will eventually die of hypothermia."

"Oh," she said, shrugging. "Why didn't you use Living Decay?"

"It would take too long."

…

While Atrocitus was frozen seemingly from the inside, the other Sinners had other problems to deal with.

It would seem that the scorpions' sting caused their entire bodies to itch, burn and freeze at the same time. Almost all of them were stung, with the exception of Atrocitus and Wrok.

"The same one Gweedix was fighting," Adesto huffed. "I am seriously getting annoyed."

"I don't care what people say about us," Delgato said. "But that girl is evil."

…

Nagina chuckled, having a few of her little pets eavesdrop on the conversation of the Sinners.

…

Aizen was watching the monitors. Ever since the betrayal of Szayelapporro and Nnoitra, he thought it wise to keep watch.

He frowned when it became clear that two new traitors had made themselves known.

He'll just have to do something about it.

He called the Sinners, as well as the Espada that, as far as he knew, were still loyal to him. He would cut them off, and if there were any other traitors, he would flush them out.

…

Ulquiorra frowned.

He had gotten the message from Aizen, and he had a feeling he knew what it was about.

And he knew the Diablos would get them out of that situation.

…

Zaya sighed, walking down the hall. She looked back towards Nagina.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

"Nah," Nagina said. "I've already made myself known. It's your turn to shine."

Zaya nodded, and disappeared down the hall. Nagina sighed, seeing the older Diablos entering Shadowspeed. Being the fastest, she could easily make out when someone else entered Shadowspeed.

The truth was, she knew how Zaya can be. Unpredictable. And she didn't want to be anywhere near that when it happened.

And she knew Zaya knew her true reason. After all, when it came to the mind, Zaya was the very best.

…

Nnoitra managed to find Leva soon enough. She was just outside the shop, Kivara unfortunately with her. The two immediately trained their attentions on him.

"What do you want?" Kivara asked.

"I need to know something important," Nnoitra said. "You guys told me that I'm part Void. And I remember you saying Voids can get stronger without trying."

Leva sighed.

"You want to know if it's possible for you to get stronger by allowing the Void inside to feed on emotions, like we do," Leva stated.

"I guess," Nnoitra said.

"It's not as simple as you think," Kivara said. "You feed to sustain yourself. And if you happen to be around those that have an abundance of said emotion, then anything extra gets added to your spiritual pressure."

"You've probably experienced how different emotions can make the spirit change," Leva said.

"And you should also know that it's tricky," Kivara said. "Emotions are fleeting, and you barely get enough."

"Then there's the matter of finding out what kind of emotion you feed from. And to do that, you need to figure it out on your own. And you'll know it when you find it."

"And how do I even do that? I've never felt something close to what you described."

"You need to do soul searching, kind of literally," Leva said. "Think of it in the same way you managed to figure out how your Zanpakuto works."

Nnoitra frowned, thinking back to the time after he first became an Arrancar. About finding out all of his abilities, all the secrets the new power brought…

His eye widened when he remembered one instance when he could feel something flowing into him from the others. It was brief, and it had scared him back then, so he buried it.

If that's what he needed to find, then it was time to dig it up.

He muttered a 'thanks' before he returned inside, prepared to do something he hated. Meditation.

He failed to notice the two Diablos exchanging knowing smirks.

…

Zaya smirked.

She knew that things on Earth were going according to plan.

Now, it was time to nudge things in Heuco Mundo in the right direction.

…

"This way," Gin said.

They turned down a corridor before they froze.

Aizen was standing there, the Sinners behind him. They turned back to see the rest of the Espada with their Fraccion, along with Tosen.

"It would seem there's a series of betrayals," Aizen said.

His voice was calm, but it was clear that he was angry.

Szayelapporro and Yumichika could not fight, since they still had the spirit-restraining collars on. Gin moved to shield them from Aizen, and Grimmjow moved to shield them from the other Arrancar.

"Well, with your choices lately, it's not surprising," Yumichika said. "Like opening the Gates of Hell."

Several of the Arrancars shifted nervously, glancing at each other. They were unaware of the situation, and felt uncomfortable.

"And planning to do it again," Szayelapporro said. "And destroying loyal Fraccion. It's hard to stay loyal to someone that does something like that."

"Sacrifices must be made," Aizen said. "And it would seem that the Sinners are more effective than even my Espada. And it's a lot easier than trying to find Menos worthy enough to serve in my army."

"And the arrogance is all around," an unfamiliar voice said.

Everyone looked around, searching for the source of the voice. It was calm, yet playful, and it sounded rather young, but mature.

"I know that voice," Yumichika whispered, eyes widening.

They jumped when a figure appeared right in front of them, sapphire eyes trained on him, a lazy smile on her face.

"It's good to see you again, Yumichika," she said.

"Zaya!" Yumichika gasped.

"Wait," Szayelapporro said. "This is the Diablos of Pride?"

She shifted her eyes to him, her expression unchanging. Her eyes took on an amethyst hue.

"So," Aizen said, and her attention turned to him, "you're the leader of the Diablos. I was expecting someone… more intimidating."

She narrowed her eyes, but the smile seemed to widen. Many of the others shuddered in her presence.

"You will find that I am more bite than bark," she said. "In fact, I do not need bark. My bite is strong enough."

"We'll see," Aizen said, drawing his sword.

She yawned.

"Six senses, Sosuke," she said. "Kyoka Suigetsu won't work on me. Especially seeing as I can nullify any Zanpakuto."

His eyes widened, and she grinned.

"I'm not in the mood to deal with a child like you," she said.

"Why does everyone always…?" Aizen began.

"I'm ten thousand years old."

Aizen grew silent.

"Let's see," she said, turning her attention to Barragan. "Your ability to make time accelerate won't work on me. I've lived through the end of time. Twice. You have no power over me." Her attention turned to Zommari. "You also won't be able to make a puppet out of me. When it comes to the mind, I am in control." Her attention shifted to the Sinners. "I have complete power over darkness and light, so Wrok's little trick from today will be useless. I'm the only one other than Nagina that can cure her poisons, so Gweedix is weak. I have enough energy in reserve to last me another thousand years, so Lazaria can do nothing. Tosen's bankai is useless, seeing as it's impossible to use my own power against me. Oh, and by the way. As you know, I'm the Diablos of Pride. I feed on all your arrogance, vanity, selfishness… In other words, in the few minutes we've been standing here, I've gained more power. Power equal to, say, the combined Resurreccions of the first four Espada."

"You're bluffing," Adesto said. "I refuse to believe that you're so powerful."

She coldly looked at him, before her attention shifted to Atrocitus.

"You fought Zeron, am I right?" she asked. "He hit you with Frozen Heart. No matter what you do, you will die of hypothermia. Be thankful that he did not hit you with Living Decay. It's the same thing Barragan can do, but at a much slower pace. You will feel every moment as your body decays. I have yet to see someone actually die from that. They prefer to kill themselves first."

The way she said it, so calm, made everyone's blood run cold.

"So you're all a bunch of sadists," Adesto said. "Still doesn't tell me if you're strong."

She sighed.

"You probably noticed that you cannot detect our spiritual pressures," she said. "But did you know that we can choose who feels our pressures? For example," she trained her eyes on Adesto, and he instantly collapsed.

He started coughing, blood spurting from his mouth. Anyone that tried to interfere met the same fate, and soon enough they could hear multiple bones being shattered. She cocked her head to the side, looking on in curiosity. Finally, it stopped.

"Don't play with powers you don't have the faintest idea about," Zaya said. She turned towards Yumichika and the others. "I think it's high time you meet Baro."

She snapped her fingers, and a familiar door appeared. Grimmjow and Gin stared in surprise, and they allowed Yumichika and Szayelapporro to drag them through the moment the doors started to open. Before anyone else could react, the door closed, barely allowing the others to go through.

She then turned her attention back to Aizen.

"So," she said, "anything else you want to try?"

Now you also know how the Diablos can get stronger. They feed enough to sustain them, and any extra goes to their spiritual pressure. That's also why Zaya's so strong. The sin of pride is considered the deadliest sin because it's considered the cause of the other sins.

I had fun writing for Zaya. She's quite sadistic, don't you think?