The Fallen Series: Part I - Victory Falls

by Seth's Kiss

Canon Divergent: 'They made the biggest mistake of their lives. They forgot Aizen always had a back-up plan, with it usually being far worse than the first'. DARK Fic. Rated M (violence, horror, torture, non-con), also has MxM, MxF, FxF and many unstable pairings (for now). Warnings in each chapter for safety. Proceed with caution. BEING EDITED: Chapters may vanish till completion.

4. Part One: Chapter 2

The Fallen Series (a Bleach Fanfiction) by Seth's Kiss:

A/N: VERY IMPORTANT: Tetsuya Kuchiki doesn't belong to me...nor does he really belong to Tite Kubo apparently. I'd really like to thank Lilly, one of my readers, for making me question myself (and a friend of mine) about it: according to my friend, Testuya's an O.C from the Wikia page: The Untold Stories of Bleach, which is reserved for Fanfiction (I checked). Another thing, according to the article, Tetsuya belongs to a certain Jet. And now, I have no bloody idea who Tetsuya actually belongs to anymore (Jet or SpunkyOne or even Tite Kubo, because I distinctly remember reading somewhere that Tetsuya was a playable Bleach character, otherwise I wouldn't have put him in the story)...but I am sure of this: while I was right about Tetsuya not belonging to me, I was very wrong about whom he belonged to and I profusely apologize for the mix-up. So, to whomever Tetsuya does belong to, go all the credits and the little polite message of me borrowing the character for a few scenes...please? I don't want to re-write the whole thing and Tetsuya, despite not being a real Bleach character, is the most handsome Kuchiki there is, true story... Oh God, this is so embarrassing (whines)... I'm so sorry and hope that the readers and Tetsuya's real owner may find it in their hearts to forgive me (I swear that I will feature him just barely as one of the side-characters that's all).

Moral of all this: always do your research and get your facts straight before writing...Yep, definitely not making that mistake again.

To Lilly: Hello again and thank you for your review! I am truly happy to hear - well, in this case it would be read…bad humour, sorry - from you again! And no need to worry about me taking anything badly: the reason writers, of any kind, need a critic, or in our cases, a review (-er), is to be able to see the ups and downs of what we've wrote. So, personally, I'm quite open and up for what any reader has to say, don't worry. You seem honest and polite enough, sure of your opinions whilst staying quite encouraging, I don't see why I should be bothered (smiles). As for the explanations (which were totally out of it if you read above...I'm sorry and truly grateful you've pointed it out), no problem and any time: I take the time to answer to reviews…despite not really having much time on my side lately (sighs)… I'm also glad that the 'tense atmosphere' woven within the interactions between Aizen and Kuchiki Clan interest you (it was one of the things that mostly motivated this whole fic to be honest). Now…concerning Gin, how can I put this…? Can my first argument be that, as a writer (and even as a reader), I focus on emotions? I mean, emotions can be immensely complicated and I am not saying that I excel in portraying them…not all the time anyway. But there is this one thing: the more emotions a character has, the more I might understand them or even may relate to them…which is logical if you think about it, but it's also because, as a person shadows their emotions, what can you see in them? Answer: Nothing much, if not simply just nothing at all… Sorry, getting a little personal here (coughs). So…um…I get Gin (and possibly other characters I guess) is out of character and I deeply apologize for that: it's a momentary lapse of control from his part anyway, so don't worry. Thing is, I needed someone, anyone, to snap and I actually hesitated for a long time between Gin and Shinji, the latter being a lot more emotional than the former but that hadn't really been by Aizen's side long enough to know him (well, the version of Aizen that'll be portrayed here), so I ended up choosing Gin… And I agree with you about Gin's true ambition (that I will unfortunately not take into consideration for this fic: it'll botch up my plot if I do, sorry) and that Gin isn't afraid of dying but that would only concern him: he values Rangiku's life (seen when he takes her away from Aizen and fakes her death during the war) and to a certain extent, I wouldn't say care, but at least has a soft spot for the Shinigami, wounding but not killing any (during the Winter War, just as he betrayed the immortal, Gin had told Aizen that he was 'sick of it when the poor Shinigami were cutting through air trying to get rid of you' (the translation may be inaccurate: I did watch it in French)…so I kind of took that as a hint…I might be horribly wrong, but I like the thought). So Gin isn't worrying about him specifically dying - he's worried about the others and that without him, Aizen will go after Rangiku - and when he said 'we're all going to die', that was just a figure of speech anyway (I don't really want to spoil anything now so I'll leave it at that...). Lastly, the conversation between Aizen and Gin…I have absolutely no argument for that: it just flowed out. I will admit that I wrote down that part quite angrily and my anger may or may not have taken toll on that scene… Since I can't really afford to re-write the chapter (like I said, not enough time), as I promised, I'll try to keep the characters in character for the upcoming chapters. Like I mentioned before, this is my first fic and I did state that I was prone to making characters O.O.C (my prime concern to be sincere, is getting Ichigo (I actually waited this long to write him because I was afraid of getting him wrong), Grimmjow, Aizen, Orihime, Rukia, Yumichika, Ikkaku, Shinji and Byakuya right or at least close enough, as for the others, I hope to eventually learn how to get them right)…which is why I need reviews, which I honestly thank you by the way and I encourage to write more (make your reviews as long as you want and need)! I guess my response was longer than your review so no need to fret about it (laughs)! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and that I'll find a review from you that I could answer in the next chapter! Lots of Love (it makes the world go round...or so they say)!

P.S: I forgot to mention something in the previous chapter: the Espada Luisenbarne Veneno (this one is my though) has three Fracción (one of them being Fleur) in case the fact that I introduced Escarlata and Apatico briefly like that was confusing. Sorry…

Also, I'd like to deeply apologize for being a month late: truthfully, it wasn't expected. The thing is I didn't have a writer's block; I had a writer's overload instead, if that expression even exists: see, I watched so much anime and read so many fics concerning them that I had an excess of imagination...I had to sort it out and note it down...A lot of work (might even make fics out of them, who knows). Sorry again... I certainly do apologize a lot...Hm.

Rating for this chapter: The ante is going up a little. There are many insinuations of non-con torture (if I can call it that) in this chapter: it's not that graphic, I think (...not yet at least, the more graphic scenes shall come later on in the fic) but it's there (it happens in a conversation between Aizen and Orihime and no, it doesn't happen to Orihime though she does 'play a major part' in it). I wouldn't be able to state if the scene is graphic or not (my goal is to make it mid-way) as it's my first time writing a scene like this, so all I can say is to proceed with caution, especially for this scene. Also, be wary of any scene with Lisa: her words are madeto be perverted. Thank you for reading: On with the chapter.

Part One: Victory Falls:

Chapter 2: The Arrancar's Caveat:

Blue eyes impossibly wide, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques didn't dare gulp…not with the jagged blade nestled comfortably upon his jugular.

No. Way. In hell…was this happening to him again. He had had his fun with Nnoitra, gracing him in the end with quite the nasty mark on the side of his neck, so thank you very much, but he had enough scars as it was...and not just in a literal sense...

The other Arrancars, still a little shaken by the ghastly imposing reiatsu of the sole Shinigami, now gasped and raged, drew their weapons and stood ready to defend him however a raised hand from the feline Arrancar signalling them to stay put, made them immediately halt in their movements, whilst Kenpachi Zaraki stared down at his prey with a wide grin: "I'm Zaraki Kenpachi from the 11th Division...So, any last words, Espada?"

Upon being referred to by that appellation, Grimmjow's eyebrow twitched irately as he tightly grinned back: "First off, I was an Espada. I don't hold that title any longer..."

"My bad then..." stated the 11th Division's captain offhandedly, sounding all but apologetic "Anything else you wanna say?"

As the blade drew closer to his neck, the blue-haired Arrancar replied just as nonchalantly: "We ain't here to do harm and we don't want trouble."

"Too late for that..." grinned Kenpachi as he shifted his blade to the unmoving Arrancar's forehead and leaning the tip into the skin and slicing upwards, inflicting a small but deep cut.

"Wait!" cried out Cirucci in horror as she eyed the rivulets of blood trailing down Grimmjow's face and dripping to the floor "If you're Zaraki Kenpachi, shouldn't you be asking him to fight you instead of outright killing him?"

"I would have...except he doesn't wanna fight. So why bother?"

The Arrancars, having been told to stay put, were dying to come to Grimmjow's aid but, heeding to his command, could only watch on in dismay as the titanic Shinigami raised his zanpaktou again.

A dainty hand abruptly caught his wrist in a firm grip before he could strike, allowing the Arrancars to breathe.

"Wait" ordered the young white-haired captain calmly, not at all intimidated by the man four times his size as his lieutenant stood beside them, having halted Kenpachi's attack on her captain's orders "If he isn't willing to fight, I'd rather question him."

"Tch" uttered the 11th Division's captain through clenched teeth as he grumpily sheathed his zanpaktou and moved away, visibly annoyed "Whatever."

As the other scouting Shinigami appeared on the rooftop, certain amongst them slowly began distinguishing the faces of the Arrancars they had faced or witnessed facing the others during the war: Coyote Stark and his Fracción - or other half - Lilynette; Tia Hallibel and her three Fracción: Mila Rose, Sun-Sung and Appacci; Findor Carrias and Abirama Redder, two of the Segundo Espada's six Fracción, were recognized by those were present during the hostilities, whilst Eduardo Leones, Illfort Grantz, and Luppi Antenor were familiar to those who had been in Karakura Town when the Arrancars had first begun to appear. The three that weren't known to them however were the blue-haired male, the cyan-haired female standing in front of him trying to heal the former's head wound and the purple-haired female who had wrapped herself in Abirama's protective embrace as soon as the Shinigami had arrived. Though all dressed in beige coloured tattered rags worn over skin that was visibly battered and bruised here and there, the Arrancars otherwise seemed rather fit but distinctively exhausted.

Having healed Grimmjow's forehead, Nelliel stared at the Shinigami in silence for a moment before she squeaked and hid behind the blue-haired, whilst the members of the three Divisions present who could only stare back at her dumbfounded, whilst taking in the number of Arrancars before them.

'Just how many survived?' wondered a bewildered Captain Muguruma before he frowned as he counted exactly fourteen, drawing his zanpaktou for good measure 'This is far more than we thought...'

The young 10th Division's Captain looked over the Arrancars, before addressing the blue-haired one directly as, from what he had observed, the Arrancar in question appeared to exude a certain leadership upon the others: "Tell me, Espada..."

"Not Espada..." seethed Grimmjow furiously while Nelliel softly patted on his shoulder, seemingly as to calm him down "None of us here are...Not anymore."

Noting the exasperation, Toshiro hesitated before suggesting: "Arrancar, then?"

"Look Cap', we no longer follow that bloody bastard Aiz..." the feline Arrancar sighed deeply aggravated, before lifting an eyebrow at the other "You are a captain, right?"

"Yes, I am" stressed out the young captain with a miffed expression, especially when he heard a certain little blonde menace snicker at him, before he glared at the blue-haired as if daring him to question his height...or age.

Grimmjow didn't however as he just stated coolly: "Call us what you want, I don't care. As long as it ain't Espada..."

"Fine by me..." confirmed Toshiro solemnly, inwardly glad that this...'former-Espada' had the decency to not mention the unmentionable "So tell us, why are you here? What is your purpose?"

The feline Arrancar just stared at the young white-haired captain impassively, before he takes hold of his zanpaktou, sheathe and all, causing everyone to tense. However, their expressions quickly morphed from apprehension to total astonishment as the blue-haired let it clang unceremoniously to the ground at his feet, as he stated straightforwardly: "I said it before: I ain't here for trouble. I'm here to speak to Kurosaki Ichigo...But apparently, you're wary of us...And you should be. So if it makes you feel any better" he brings his hands together in front of him, uttering in complete seriousness "You're free to shackle me down."

"Grimmjow-sama!" cried out most of the other Arrancars appalled at his decision while the other few just stared at him in shock. Nelliel, Tia and Stark seemed to be the only to be a little less stunned by his words, just shaking their heads at him before glancing over to see that the Shinigami appeared to be just as gobsmacked.

"Grimmjow-sama, you can't be serious!" shouted out Illfort in sheer disbelief, yet when he witnessed the steadfastness within Grimmjow's stern eyes, he hastily drew his sword and stood defensively in front of the feline Arrancar "Approach him Shinigami and you die!"

Kensei's eyes narrowed slightly at the threat, his hand straightening its hold over his zanpaktou, while the men under his orders imitated his movement, but were once again taken aback when the blue-haired clamped his hand over the blonde's mouth, taking him by surprise, and drew him closer to speak in his ear: "We aren't here to fight, Illfort. Chill, would ya?"

His Fracción looked sideways with wide eyes into the unwavering blue ones staring straight back, before sighing in defeat and lifting his hand to grasp at the strong muscled arm of the hand silencing him while nodding his understanding begrudgingly, prompting Grimmjow to let the blonde Arrancar go.

The Shinigami could only stare in awe as all the Arrancars followed the blue-haired's lead, each of them setting their respective zanpaktou, whether blades or other, to the ground at their feet.

"Tch...Why are we even listening to him?" muttered angrily the petite Arrancar with pale greenish blonde locks and a sole dark pink eye visible, the other hidden under her helmet-like mask.

"Stop complaining, Lilynette, and just do as you're told: it'll be less troublesome" yawned lazily Stark as he set his blade down.

"I wasn't askin' you, Stark!" barked back Lilynette fiercely as she instantly kicked him.

Mashiro blinked as her eyes darted between the two Arrancars before leaning near Kensei to whisper: "Don't they remind you of Shinji-chan and Hiyori-chan?"

While the 9th Division captain guffawed, Hiyori seethed aloud: "LIKE HELL!"

"Happy? We're defenceless now!" piped up the young female Arrancar with dark blue hair and mismatched eyes, one pale blue and the other pale brown both glaring at the feline Arrancar who just bared his teeth at her warningly.

"Appacci, shut it" growled an imposing Amazonian tanned female Arrancar with long bushy dark brown hair and bright green eyes "He knows what he's doing."

"As much as it pains me to admit it" the third of Tia's Fracción sighed, her sleeve covering her mouth, as her pale cerise eyes flitted towards the other two from beneath the bangs of her dark olive green hair "Mila Rose is right...for once. A prodigy, really..."

"Shut it, Sun-Sung!" yelled both Mila Rose and Appacci vehemently with sharp glares.

"Uh..." hesitated Toshiro with astonished expression as he took in the blue-haired's words and actions "Bounding you won't be necessary. Just...answer our questions for now. So...what are your real intentions? Grimmjow, was it?"

Said Arrancar nodded to confirm his name before he repeated calmly himself: "I have to talk to Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Yeah, you've said that already" pointed out Shuuhei with a bewildered frown.

Snarling in annoyance, Grimmjow stared at the Shinigami defiantly: "Better get used to it: it'll be the only thing you'll hear from me. I have nothing to say to you Shinigami."

"Right..." voiced Hiyori sceptically as she crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows "Because... you have to talk to him. Now why's that?"

"It concerns me" retorted the blue-haired steadfastly, giving the Shinigami the impression that the Arrancar really had absolutely nothing to tell them in person "Let's just say there's something he imperatively needs to know about Aizen."

"What about him?" perked up Toshiro with wide eyes, knowing that anything concerning that monster was worth hearing "Listen, if it's about Aizen, you can tell us and then..."

"I'm only talking to Kurosaki, Shinigami" cut off the feline Arrancar firmly, eyes narrowing before he turned his head away obstinately "So don't waste your breath."

"He's really starting to get on my fuckin' nerves" seethed Ikkaku with an angry grin and multiple veins throbbing viciously upon his bare forehead, while Yumichika simply patted him on the back sympathetically.

"So...what do we do?" inquired Mashiro with an air of uncharacteristic concentration on her face, before looking towards the three Division leaders questioningly "Captains?"

Holding Grimmjow's unwavering gaze for a moment, the 10th Division's captain nodded his head as he came to a decision: "We're taking them back with us to the Seireitei. We'll interrogate them there."

"HA?!" exclaimed together Kensei, Shuuhei, Mashiro, Hiyori, Ikkaku and Yumichika in total terrified horror, fearing the young captain had abruptly lost his mind.

Even his own lieutenant seemed to be also regarding him with uncertainty as she tried to reason with him: "Whoa, captain! Hold it. Not a good idea. For so many reasons! First one being, what if that's exactly what they're waiting for? Remember: there's a strong possibility that they'd want to liberate Aizen."

Not at all liking what he heard about him of all people being here to 'save' that bastard, the feline Arrancar growled with low guttural tone: "I'd have to die before that ever happens."

"Huh?" uttered half of the Shinigami as they turned their focus on him and particularly the heavy laced aura of utter hatred surrounding the blue-haired.

Grimmjow stated in a voice so incredibly cold, it was if he actually had ice upon his tongue: "That fuckin' bastard can rot in hell for all I care. If I had to choose between freeing him and dying, I'd gladly accept death with wide open arms..."

"Does...?" stuttered a stunned Yumichika, slowly breaking the silence of collective awe whilst shuddering at the sheer determination set within the Arrancars' eyes "Does this sentiment apply to everyone here?"

"Most definitely..." declared Tia with a firm tone, her Fracción nodding at her words to show their agreement, whereas Stark merely shrugged nonchalantly which earned him another kick from his impish Fracción. The other Arrancars present also manifested their consistency to the blue-haired's declaration.

"In my case, it'd be more or less..." Cirucci sighed drastically as she stared wistfully at her chipped purple painted nails "I wouldn't choose death a second option. Oh well, males and their dramatic overstatements."

"Quiet, Cirucci..." muttered Luppi as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, earning a cold glare from the female purple-haired Arrancar which he casually ignored.

The Shinigami glanced at each other, almost as if trying to assert if the situation they were in was genuine, before Rangiku stated jokingly as to ease up the serious mood: "So...General excursion back to the Seireitei then?"

A sudden shrill ripping sound filled the air as a Garganta abruptly opened up from right above their heads.

"Oh no..." whispered Appacci nervously with a sweat upon her brow, her eyes not leaving the tearing within the sky as she addressed the others "They decided to follow us?"

"I hope not" responded Abirama just as quietly, as he instantly began to strategically map out their possible escape routes should they face the slightest difficulties in combat.

"Relax. It's just Ggio" revealed Grimmjow as he too stared upwards before wearing a worried frown as he uttered his next words "Though there seems to be a problem."

As if on cue, a figure appeared and jumped out of the black hole before it closed behind him, revealing it to truly be Ggio who landed swiftly upon the rooftop then fell to his knees, completely out of breath, as if he had ran a marathon...which seemed to have been mortifyingly exhausting with the extra weight upon his hands...

"Soifon-taichou?!" cried out Yumichika suddenly in absolute horror as he recognized the unmoving figure Ggio was gingerly carrying close to his heaving chest with both of his arms.

Though the 11th Division's the Seat had instantly recognized her, the others had a hard time achieving the same...for the 2nd Division's captain was a complete mess: she was missing her Haori and the rest of her uniform was in tatters and ripped all over, her body holding various bruise, scratches and burn marks, blood dripping from various wounds all over her body, some quite distressingly deep. She was barely conscious, her eyes mid-closed and hazy, her breathing shallow and her frame shaking due to vague delirium undoubtedly caused by her current state.

"Ggio, did you get back there in time to...?" inquired Findor softly, before going immediately silent as the young black-haired feline Arrancar shook his head.

"Po and Narduc are dead" he whispered sadly before locking rueful eyes with the cyan-haired female within the group whose eyes instantaneously began to water at his next words "So are Pesche and Dondochakka. I'm sorry Nelliel."

Sinking to her knees and hiding her face within her trembling hands, Nelliel sobbed the loss of her faithful friends quite profusely.

The blue-haired Arrancar was quick to kneel beside her and set a hand on her head before he questioned Ggio as he pointed his chin in the direction of Soifon: "And what happened to her?"

When the younger of the two male feline Arrancars spoke up again, Grimmjow had to grimace in distaste: "Veneno happened. When he found out that she was one of the Shinigami responsible for Lord Barragan's death, well...as you can see, he didn't take it quite well."

As the Shinigami began to overcome their initial blow in the teeth, Rangiku snapped out of it first and began to rush forward: "Soifon-taichou!"

"No wait! Stay back!" warned Ggio vehemently as shaking his head wildly, before regarding the halted Shinigami with wide panicked eyes "We've been poisoned! The same will happen to you if get too close!"

"You too?" asked Findor incredulously as he and Abirama stared sceptically at Ggio "That doesn't sound like you: you might be reckless, but you're far too alert to get poisoned that easily."

Lowering his eyes, the black-haired feline Arrancar abruptly appeared slightly embarrassed: "Yeah, uh...Actually, Veneno poisoned her and...I got contaminated as soon as I took a hold of her."

"Ah. Now it makes sense..." nodded Abirama before turning towards the inconsolable sobbing female Arrancar "Nelliel? Can you cry later and heal them...like right now? Or do you want Ggio to die too?"

"Hey!" hissed Cirucci as she threw him a horribly dark glare when Nelliel wept harder "She just lost her best friends. Don't be insensitive!"

"Yeah: a beetle and a bubblehead. Such a loss...Ouch!" cried out the male bird-like Arrancar as he doubled over and sank to the floor from an elbow sharply jabbed in his ribs by the now sour purple-haired female, livid and fuming.

"What of the others in the Hueco Mundo?" uttered abruptly Yachiru from her perch upon Kenpachi's shoulders, having remained silent and merely observing until now.

She wore a rather uncharacteristic worried frown as her voice wobbled just barely: "There were other Shinigami who went there."

Ggio met the little pink-haired's stare as he shifted for Nelliel who had approached to heal both him and Soifon, though her eyes were still filled with tears.

Not able to keep up looking at the girl for he knew his words would be painful, the black-haired feline spoke up in a whisper: "Sorry. I only got to save her. Anyone else is dead as we speak."

Clutching at Kenpachi's Haori, Yachiru distinctly paled as her eyes went wide: "Then Nemu-chan...She's dead?"

When Ggio, still with lowered eyes could only nod, the 11tth Division's captain, sensing his little girl's distress, grounded out menacingly: "How can you be sure, huh? Do you even know who she's talking about?"

Before the black-haired feline could answer, Nelliel whispered from beneath a curtain of dark cyan hair: "If Veneno was there...then no one's left. No one" she then shifted one of her hands from healing Soifon to point at the captain in question with it "This lady is very lucky to be alive. Lucky that Ggio-chan got to her time."

Shuddering at the thought of losing another captain when they had recently lost one - ah no, two now: the female Arrancar's words meant that Kurotsuchi Mayuri didn't make it either - as well as half two divisions and their respective lieutenants, Rangiku turned to face her captain with an ashen face: "We have to go back. To tell the others."

Toshiro regarded her calmly for a moment, appearing completely unperturbed when it was far from the case. On the inside, he felt a cold chill - at least, colder than he usually felt - pulling at his dread, no longer casually repressed. He too realized the very grave situation this was becoming and the extremely serious disadvantage they were in: nearly two full divisions, with lieutenant and captain completely taken out with only one survivor? As easily as if they were mere ants? Terrifying...

Addressing Grimmjow directly, the young 10th Division's captain asked as serenely as he could: "Arrancar, tell us, how many Espada are we dealing with exactly?"

When the blue-haired feline simply regarded him with a raised eyebrow, Toshiro blinked before he muttered under his breath: "Right. You have nothing to say to us."

"Poison's gone" announced abruptly Nelliel in a tired voice as she withdrew her hands and wiped at her brow "She'll be fine: I focused mostly on getting rid of it. Her injuries however..."

The cyan-haired female trailed off as a wave of fatigue washed over her which Grimmjow noticed and led him to hold out a shoulder for her to lean on, patting her head again as he murmured softly: "You did good, kid. Rest now."

As she heeded to his gentle command, the Shinigami could only eye them in stunned awe: were these...beings really Arrancar? Were they the same ones they'd faced not too long ago?

"Taichou?" called out the 10th Division's lieutenant with a concerned frown marring her features as she took in Soifon's still bleeding wounds despite her now slightly coloured skin and even breath "Your orders?"

All eyes turned to him, even Kensei's and Kenpachi's: Toshiro was given lead of the mission after all. The young white captain sighed as he rubbed at the back of his neck: "Soifon-taichou still needs medical attention, so we have to go back to the Seireitei. Anything else will be dealt with later. Let's go."

"And the Arrancars?" asked Shuuhei as he turned towards his captain, still slightly anxious about these enemies of theirs that seemingly had an unexpected agenda of their own. Like many others present, he didn't quite trust them...not fully anyways.

"Our priority is the 2nd Division's captain" replied Kensei unwaveringly as he sheathed his zanpkatou, apparently to be on the same wavelength as the 10th Division's captain "So for now, they come with us. Then and there, we'll put up their fate for debate."

In the Seireitei, near the 11th Division's barracks:

Misaki was excited. Actually, she hadn't felt like that in awhile. Not this kind of excitement anyway.

She had felt exhilaration when she first set foot in the Soul Society, then the Seireitei, then the 11th Division's barracks, with Ayasegawa Yumichika by her side. She was thrilled when her basic yet sharp martial art skills quickly earned the approval of the Divison's captain and granted her the 6th Seat. She was even more enthusiastic when the lieutenant was eager to call her 'big sister Misa-Misa', because they were the only two girls of the Division.

That was all incredibly electrifying, true...but going out on a date with a cute, kind boy... That was enthralling.

Rikichi was a very kind and lovable boy, seeming to like her as much as she was fond of him. Though her past trauma was still lingering, it had receded to the point where she felt that she had to move on...however, she wasn't too keen on shouting on the roofs what had happened to her. She needed time...but that didn't mean that she was going to deprive herself...

She didn't want to seem too eager not too reticent, so she decided to keep her Division's uniform, pull her long pale blonde hair in a neat ponytail and apply just a little cherry-coloured lipstick...Which was exactly what she was doing when Ikkaku passed by her open room and caught sight of her, before he grinned at her as he leant against the doorframe: "Well, well. Someone's looking pretty today."

The young girl whirled around to face him with a timid though not uncomfortable smile: the tone was light, teasing, so it didn't make her feel awkward at all. She had quickly grown accustomed to her new environment and had an especially close bond with the four strongest of the Division, Yumichika and Ikkaku the most. They didn't treat her as something frail or broken, but that didn't keep them from looking out for her...like big brothers would, as they were the only two who knew exactly what had transpired to her...

"Thank you" beamed Misaki happily, before she felt the need to inform him "I...I've got a date."

"I know: Yumi told me" the 3rd Seat nodded with a smirk before he spoke seriously "Though...Are you sure about this?"

Though she lowered her eyes, she didn't lose her smile: "Yeah. Since I've been here, Ayasegawa-senpaï managed to quell my fears and I feel better, even if I haven't completely forgotten about it. But I...I've decided that I'll be strong and that I won't let it destroy my future...or my love life."

Regaining his smirk, Ikkaku stated smoothly: "Good to hear, kid."

"Besides, the boy I'm dating is an angel. Nothing at all to do with those..."

"...Fuckin' moronic twisted bastards...?" finished the bare-headed man, grinning when he saw her eyes go wide: a thing he and Yumichika had learned rather quickly was that, though she wasn't specifically averse to it, she just couldn't bring herself to use coarse language.

"Uh..." she hesitated with a slight blush of embarrassment "I wasn't quite going to word like that but...if you want."

"Who is he anyway?" questioned suddenly Ikkaku, a little curious because though the 5th Seat had told him about the date, he hadn't mentioned who it was she was going out with.

Blushing again, though not all for the same reason, Misaki stated dreamily: "Rikichi-kun."

"Ah, yeah: the kid from the 6th Division."

Frowning, she tilted her head to the side in confusion: "He's the lieutenant of the 7th Division, Madarame-senpaï."

Eyebrow twitching, the 3rd Seat insisted: "I know what I'm saying, kid. He used to be 6th Division. He's recently been promoted."

"Oh, I didn't know."

"Now you do. Remember, I was here before you."

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry" giggled Misaki at the other's petty irritation: she had noticed that he was quick to wind up.

Giving herself one last look over, she moved to the door and, before heading to leave the Division, she turned to the 3rd Seat: "Since you know so much, is it ok if I ask you something about Ayasegawa-senpaï?"

Though he seemed pretty nonchalant on the outside as he shrugged, inside his heart sank straight down to the very bottom of his stomach: "Sure."

"Was he from the 4th Division before?"

Of all her questions, he hadn't been expecting that one: "Uh...no...Where did that come from?"

"Well..." began Misaki hesitantly, wondering how to word it clearly "No offence, but he is very different from you all. I...I find him very soothing and gentle, his advice very therapeutic, his words kind... and if I carry on, I won't stop..."

A strange glint flashed in eyes before it was gone, leading her to wonder what she it was and if she had really seen it. Before she could speculate about it any further, Ikkaku looked away with an almost wistful smile as he spoke up: "You know...Rare are those who notice that. Most people stay fixated on his narcissism or his beauty, both at times, never quite distinguishing him as anything else."

Her eyes widened: "You too find him beautiful?"

"Of course I do" confirmed Ikkaku with raised eyebrows and a scoff "It's obvious, isn't it?"

"Ah, yes. Yes, it is. But he had told me that very few pointed it out."

"True. Like I said, not everyone sees him for whom he truly is."

Gazing at his expression for awhile and seeing a hint of fondness, she whispered quietly: "Madarame-senpaï, are you...? Are you and Ayasegawa-senpaï...together? A couple, I mean?"

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Ikkaku loudly, staring at her with wide eyes for a moment before he realized that he didn't answer her question "NO, WE'RE NOT! WHY THE FUCK IS EVERYONE SO CONVINCED OF THAT?"

"I...uh...I don't mind...I mean, if you are..." she struggled sincerely, thinking that his fierce denial was because their relationship would be seen as odd to her.

"We" began the 3rd Seat through clenched teeth as punctuated each word with a meaningful pause "Are. Not. A. Fuckin'. Couple...DAMNIT!"

"Uh-huh" uttered Misaki in a tone that just screamed scepticism before she started to walk away and waved at him with a smile "I'll see you later then."

"Yeah" sighed the 3rd Seat, waving back before calling out to her in a sever tone "And fuckin' cool it, huh? We don't need a repeat of what happened years ago when the 11th Division's 3rd and 5th Seats received congratulations from the entire fuckin' Seireitei for being the best couple of the year... Damn that Matsumoto..."

As Misaki left giggling sweetly, Ikkaku let out a breath he hadn't noticed he had been holding. The girl was an adorable, naive little thing and her inquisitiveness was nothing but innocent. But damn did Ikkaku feel one edge every time she would ask anything at all about Yumichika. It was simple curiosity for she looked up to that man and just wanted to know him better, because she dared not ask Yumichika in person: he just exuded that kind of 'don't ask me any personal questions' aura...Because, though it may not seem like it, Yumichika has had a rather dark, haunting life in the past, well before becoming a Shinigami along with Ikkaku, well before even meeting Ikkaku himself. A past no one knew of and it was to be kept that way. Only two knew of Yumichika's story and Ikkaku was one of them - the other promising to never ever mention it. And no way in hell would anyone else, anyone at all, learn about it...

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Byakuya frowned as he read through his paperwork. He was in his office, after convincing everyone he met - and had tried to stop him - that his duties as Division captain were not being attended to...and he was right: his desk was overflowing with work.

What he couldn't possibly comprehend however was why he still had unfiled reports that dated...from months...before the war. His mind could only think of one plausible explanation: Renji. Had been. Slacking. Greatly.

Sighing as he rubbed at a pressure point upon his forehead, trying to ease an upcoming headache, the noble attempted to convince himself to not get irritated with his lieutenant. After all, he was usually committed to his duties and dedicated to battle as a good soldier. True, he was stubborn, rash, boisterous...and the list was unbearably long... Yet Renji always stayed strongly devoted to both him and his sister. Was that an excuse enough? Long ago, he would have said no without a second thought. But as it was, Byakuya could only feel grateful for having such a loyal subordinate on his side...Loyal people were nowadays so hard to find...

A sudden timid knock interrupted the deep thoughts of the 6th Division's captain who shifted his eyes to the door and called out: "Enter."

Out of all of those he had expected to see enter his office, he would have never guessed it to be Inoue Orihime, with a rueful expression upon her dim, downcast features.

As she muttered an apology for disturbing him and asked permission to sit down which he absentmindedly gave, Byakuya eyed her watchfully: She had been completely out of sorts since...Well, he hadn't really had any specific contact with her to truly know her but according to Rukia and the others, those who did know her, Orihime had changed...A lot. And Byakuya had to admit that it was true.

When Kurosaki Ichigo had caused an uproar to save Rukia's life, he remembered her being a very bubbly and cheery girl, albeit a little timid, notably when around the orange-haired rebel, whom he assumed she had feelings for. Following the latter assumption, one would suppose that her current state would be caused by depression and an accumulated stress issued from worrying over the teen's life, causing her to be very sensitive...and it would make perfect sense.

But her withdrawal and disconnectedness were not normal. On the contrary, as Rukia had said, she has always enjoyed the company of her friends and was a very sociable and open person; so her being constantly withdrawn and so...detached from her surroundings when she was with her friends, was something that confused and worried those who she was dear to. And when confronted about it, she would just smile and insist that she was fine...Quite Doubtful...

To top it all, after her recent little outburst, she had simply disappeared and even blocked her reiatsu so she wouldn't be located, much to her friends' great anxiety, reached after searching without finding her.

Even Gin had also expressed his concern, hoping that they weren't dealing with the repercussions of Aizen's darkest and cruel manipulations, because he otherwise couldn't imagine any other reason for her behaviour...and neither could anyone, as a matter of a fact...

Clearing his throat and pushing his musings aside, Byakuya decided to tread carefully in order not to upset her while trying to understand why she chose to come see him: "What can I do for you, Inoue Orihime?"

Refusing to look at him, she hunched her shoulders up further as if attempting to hide within them, quietly muttered something that went utterly unheard by the noble so he asked: "What was that?"

"I'm sorry..." she repeated softly before she sighed upon seeing the surprise and confusion on the Kuchiki's face "For before. When I got upset and all...I didn't mean to."

Realization came to him, but because of the absurdity of this conversation, he wanted to be sure: "And...Why exactly are you apologizing to me?"

"Because..." paused the girl as she tilted her head and arched her eyebrows "I screamed...at you?"

"It is forgotten" stated the noble simply as he lowered his eyes to his unusually messy desk: he wasn't that stingy to hold a grudge for something so insignificant...well, not always at least.

Orihime blinked at his response before uncertainty manifested itself within her features: "Just like that?"

It was Byakuya's turn to raise his eyebrows: "What else were you expecting?"

Straightening up and pulling nervously at her sleeves, she looked away as she began to natter...incessantly: "See, I...I was afraid you'd get mad at me and by getting mad at me, you'd hate me. And by hating me and deciding I was totally evil and insulting for mouthing you off, you would take it out on me. But because I wasn't here - I mean, I kind of left to clear my head - then you'd settle for my friends. But because they didn't directly do anything to you then you'd have to find another way. And in the end, because of all that, you'd throw Kurosaki-kun, his family and my friends out of the manor, probably even kicking them back to Karakura Town...which would only be gratifying for you, because you don't like Kurosaki-kun anyway. So...it'll be like two birds, one stone. However I would just like to say though it's ok for you to be mad at me, getting mad at anyone else isn't fair and..."

"Can you please stop talking for just one minute?!" interrupted Byakuya in an exasperated tone, staring at the human girl with wide eyes as she fell silent...which he was immensely thankful for: he thought she never was going to stop and she had just started.

Taking in the utter silence for a moment, the noble sighed before he spoke up: "I may be unkind by others' standards, Inoue Orihime. That doesn't mean I'm heartless. True, I do not get along with Kurosaki Ichigo but I would never 'throw him' or 'kick him out' for something trivial like that. And that goes for your friends also. If I truly thought that way and acted upon every time someone spoke their minds, I would have done so with that boy long ago."

Orihime had the decency to look quite embarrassed: "Yeah...I guess. It's just...I've been under a lot of pressure lately."

The 6th Division's captain merely nodded at that: "We've realized that."

The orange-haired carried on though distractedly, having not heard him: "Although I didn't stay very long in Las Noches, it feels like I spent months there... Aizen-sa..." her eyes widened briefly as she hastily corrected herself, but Byakuya heard her, frowning at her little lapse "Aizen is an awfully horrible and evil person. What he is capable of... Anyway, you should be very careful Kuchiki-san. And also especially wary of anything that seems...weird to you..."

Still wondering why Orihime would call the other Aizen-sama, a feat she had already done before more than once, Byakuya's eyes widened as he his mind registered that she had just warned him: she too knew something...

In hopes of finally getting answers, even if a few, the noble chose his next questions carefully: "What is he capable of, Inoue Orihime?"

"The worst..." she whispered softly, hiding her eyes beneath her bangs as a tremor took over her body, causing her to shake so hard that it was visible to Byakuya from his seat.

Seeing her like that only made him even more curious just as he was perplexed: "Care to elaborate on that?"

Lifting terrified eyes to meet his dead on, she shook her vehemently: "I...I can't."

"Why not?" he asked with a frown, now completely mystified: why was she so reluctant? Gin was also very unwilling to reveal in depth what the other has done and was able to do. And this had both applied to himself and the Espada: though it was stated that they were harmed, nothing more about it was said. Was Aizen truly that capable of horrors? He understood the man was wicked, but to what degree exactly did his wickedness extend? Surely, it couldn't exceed all the horrific he has already accomplished such as manipulation, murder and torture...right?

The human girl pleadingly looked at Byakuya, willing him to stop asking her questions, to stop seeking answers in general, but upon seeing that he was patiently waiting for an answer with steadfast determination upon his features, she sighed as she got up and neared his desk, making him raise an eyebrow.

As she reached the table, she deftly leaned over it so she could whisper as quietly as she could directly in the surprised noble's ear: "He could hear."

The young Kuchiki leader's eyes widened as drew back in order to witness sheer fear in the girl's own eyes. He was going to ask who she was talking about but he instantly stopped himself from doing so as she shook her head quickly with wide eyes, a clear warning beseeching his silence which he reluctantly yet cautiously relented to, bewilderment still tightly gripping at him.

Relieved that he wouldn't voice anything else, she bowed at him, reverently and gratefully, before she straightened up and headed towards the door. Tucking a few locks of hair behind an ear, she said quietly: "I...I should go now. Thank you for your time."

"Wait" called out the 6th Division's captain as he stood from his desk and rounded it, halting the girl in her departure "You...Is there something you want to tell me, Inoue Orihime?"

Eyes briefly doubling in size, she regarded him at first lividly, startling him as he once again got to witness her angry, before she collected herself and stated in an uncharacteristically hostile voice: "I apologized once, Kuchiki-san. Please: Don't make me do it again."

Suddenly and without warning, Orihime ran out of the office, then out of the division as fast as she could, and by the time Byakuya snapped out of his initial stupor and followed, she was gone, not even a trace of her presence could be felt, just like before she had reappeared...and the noble was now even more baffled than ever...

Shifting small sapphire gems between her fingers before clutching them in her hand and holding it against her chest, Orihime sighed sadly as she leaned against a random tree in the middle of a forest within the Rukongai, far from the Seireitei.

The sapphire gems were a gift which she had come to cherish: they allowed her to teleport anywhere she wanted, as long as, prior to that, similar gems were left behind in various places she could then transport herself to. It could also shield, or rather shade, her spiritual essence, when she didn't want to be found.

However, no matter how hard she ran or she tried to hide, Orihime felt trapped in a mass of secrets and lies she wanted no part of. She wanted to scream and shout out loud what she saw, what she knew, what she was made to do, what she did, what she was to do - and could not stop - what she could, maybe, prevent by telling everyone...but no, she could only remain silent. For those she loved, for the one she loved, she wouldn't... Couldn't say anything...

Sighing again as she slid down to sit on the ground, Orihime's thoughts drifted back to one of those horrible memories her stay at Las Noches had given her, those she wished so hard she could somehow forget...

"Orihime, my dear...Come. Come on in."

Although his voice may have been uttered in a gentle tone, his words remained a command.

Leaving the entrance that was closed behind her, Orihime approached him, hesitantly, slowly, warily, keeping her eyes lowered, too afraid of what she would see if she dared to raise them...for she could hear the soft, ragged, shallow breath of a certain Arrancar currently...in a 'session' with the lord of Las Noches within this personal chamber of his...so she didn't wish to disgrace the Arrancar further by casting a glance nor did she desire for herself to be more scarred than she already was. She had barely set foot in this world and she had seen things she had never even believed to be possible...

As she continued to move forward, she inwardly screamed to herself: 'Why...am I here again?'

Having reached a foot from where the lord was lounged upon the large divan in a dimly lit corner of the room, Aizen gestured invitingly towards one of the chairs nearby with a smile: "Have a seat."

Though she let puzzlement flood her features, for she had been under the impression that she had been summoned for healing, Orihime knew better than to question him so she was quick to comply, however, as he began to speak, in his low deadly alluring voice, she could not bring herself to focus on any of Aizen's words...and he was quick to notice, letting out a dark chuckle that instantly drew her attention, locking wide expressive grey eyes with his own calm apathetic brown ones.

Shifting into a seated position, the lord of Las Noches wordlessly drew closer to the Arrancar, bound and on his knees near the edge of the divan, head hung low, nearly touching the floor. Aizen's subordinate had his hands tightly tied behind his unclothed back, bound together at his wrists by thin yet solid rope and had a gag wedged painful in his mouth, between his teeth, keeping his usually loud mouth silent.

Aizen regarded Orihime for a moment and then, when he was sure that she'd keep her gaze on him, on them, he moved one of his hands to rest upon the Arrancar's back, earning a startled flinch from her in response, whilst the male at his feet however, forced himself not to react at all.

Keeping his eyes on her and smirking at the young girl's reaction, Aizen allowed his fingers to dance upon the exposed tanned skin, tracing the bound male's taut muscles before setting the back of a sole finger to rest on the Arrancar's spine and letting it trail, slowly, devastatingly slowly, downwards, shamelessly inching lower, lower, over the bound hands...and then lower...until, past the brim of the male's lower uniform, Aizen's hand disappeared completely, roaming around uncomfortably down there: an intrusion, a violation for the Arrancar who, despite that, resolutely resisted against squirming...

Not able to keep on looking, Orihime looked away, tears of shame, which were both altruistic and personal, threatening to fall free. It was far too horrifyingly ghastly for her...as it was for Aizen's victim. Though she knew that it would cause the lord of the Espada to question her actions, for this wasn't the first time she has had to witness Aizen doing such things, she just couldn't look.

Seeing her turn her head, Aizen raised an eyebrow as he questioned with false innocence: "Does his presence disturb you?"

"Um..." stammered Orihime in a shaky voice, trying to come up with a plausible excuse while still keeping her gaze away.

"And here I thought you had gotten over it..." sighed the brown-haired lord as he closed his eyes, sounding almost disappointed...in her.

A brief yet hurting flash of what Aizen was insinuating flooded her mind causing her to straighten up rigidly, before she vividly bit her lip, as she tried not scream in remembrance: "Not quite..."

"You poor thing..." uttered Aizen indifferently in a low voice, as he eyed the small drops of blood dripping from her lip: she had bit herself too hard.

"Aizen-sama?" stuttered Orihime hesitantly in a small voice, trying to figure out the best way for her to express her next words "Is it alright if you...? Could you...? Um...Can he be excused?"

The Arrancar in question let out a sudden strangled noise, a muffled sound that nearly rang out as a protest: whether it was because of Aizen's touches or her own words, she didn't know.

Aizen simply smiled dangerously as he leaned against his free hand, all the while not stopping the invasive movements of the other hand: "No, he can't. I'm not yet finished with him."

"Then...is it ok if...I come back when you do finish, Aizen-sama?" she suggested edgily as she shifted to stand before stating quietly "I'm quite uncomfortable as it is."

Aizen's tone to his next words made her stop dead in her tracks: "Your discomfort is meaningless to me, little girl. I'm not finished with you either."

"Yes, Aizen-sama" uttered the girl hurriedly with a curt nod as she immediately sat back down, keeping her gaze to the ground "My apologies, Aizen-sama."

"Orihime" voiced the lord of Las Noches in a warning tone which compelled her to meet his deadly gaze "Don't mistake my leniency for kindness. This second and last time I will be telling you this. And I usually don't give a second warning."

Knowing and believing that the other's intimidating threat was far from being mere words, her voice was now but a fearful whisper: "Yes, Aizen-sama."

"Good" he praised with a dark smile, before he instantaneously resumed his usual forged polite pleasantness for his next words. It was intensely frightful to see Aizen shift between good and evil so easily, especially when he was only the latter in truth...

As he continued his uninvited ministrations upon the Arrancar who was trying to remain as unresponsive and as quiet as he could in order to spare Orihime's attention, Aizen restarted the actual conversation he had initially brought the human girl for: "Now then, as I was meaning to say, there are a few things you need to know about my plans. I had mentioned to you my predictions for the upcoming battle, do you recall?"

"Yes, I do, Aizen-sama."

"Excellent. Now, you should know that, after all that I have foresaw eventually takes place, the Kuchiki hold a key role in my plans afterwards. Well, I say the family but I'm namely interested in Kuchiki Byakuya."

"Interested...in Kuchiki-san?" repeated Orihime slowly as she titled her head in confusion.

"Indeed."

When Aizen didn't add anything else to that simple reply, the orange-haired girl politely questioned: "May I ask why?"

"Of course, my dear...I wouldn't tell you all of this if I didn't know that I could trust you."

"Thank you, Aizen-sama" thanked the girl automatically in a flat tone and with a minuscule forged smile of her own, for she was well aware that Aizen didn't trust anyone, hence she was absolutely no exception, his earlier threat being a perfect example "So...why Kuchiki-san specifically?"

"Isn't it obvious? Ah...Of course not. As a human, you wouldn't know of the hierarchy or the history in the Seireitei, would you?"

When she slowly shook her head, Aizen gave her a smile that could have been believed to be conceding yet condescending at the same time: "Fine then. We'll start simple. What do you know of the Kuchiki clan?"

"That...um...they're of nobility? Nobles?" stated Orihime hesitantly with a contemplative expression as she tried to recall Rukia's words "There are three or four noble clans, I think, the Kuchiki being one of them."

"That's it. However, the Kuchiki aren't just one of the four noble clans, they the uppermost of the four. They have another appellation due to that, though rarely heard in conversations."

"What are they also called, Aizen-sama?"

"The Purebloods..."

"I see..."uttered the human girl with a faint frown as she vaguely pieced together what Aizen was telling her with what she had already learnt.

Seeing the dawning of understanding upon her face, he inquired in a voice far too gentle to be real: "And what do you make of all this, my dear?"

"Ah. So, um..." uttered the orange-haired girl, eyes wide at the tone of the seated lord, before moving her eyes away as deliberation clouded her mind again "If I understand correctly, Aizen-sama wants to...overthrow the Kuchiki Clan because they're the highest ranked, not only amongst the four clans, but in the entire Soul Society? Because, by doing so, would perhaps put the Shinigami in a delicate, even no-win, situation, especially if threatened, for the Kuchiki hold an important position in the Seireitei, regardless of their rank..."

"Overthrow..." echoed Aizen softly as he raised his eyebrows and musingly shifted his gaze sideways "Interesting theory, Orihime, and almost accurate. I must sincerely congratulate you on that. I do intend to bring destruction to the entire Seireitei, involving the Gotei, the nobles and everyone else. As for the Kuchiki, it's more of a personal affair."

"And..." continued the human girl gradually, waiting for the other's permission to actually do "Since it's personal, Kuchiki-san gets implicated since he is the current clan leader and you'll go after him first...no?"

At those words, Aizen her graced her with unreadable smile, whilst she remained unaware of his thoughts: her friends seemed to think that she was an utter disaster ditz of an airhead, full of naivety, often if not always lost in her own odd thoughts. Oh, how wrong they were: it was girls like her that proved to be the most perilous when pushed or forced the wrong way...

"That is one of my reasons, yes" finally replied the brown-haired lord, his subtle touches, which hadn't stopped all the while, now becoming so increasingly painful for the Arrancar that he involuntarily let out a stifled whimper, drawing Orihime's horrified attention once again, having momentarily managed to overlook his presence.

"One of your reasons, Aizen-sama?" pressed on Orihime insistently with a hint of desperation, trying hard to drown out the escalating, vehemently repressed sounds emanating from the Arrancar at Aizen's feet.

Unfortunately for the two of them, the lord of the Espada was done talking: "Oh yes. There's far more than one single reason for me to go after Byakuya."

Threading his unoccupied hand within the locks of the one beneath him and tugging harshly without any warning, causing the Arrancar's head to jerk upwards forcefully, though in silence, as he was compelled to follow until he was seated upwards on his knees, his head tilted backwards at an uncomfortable angle, almost leaving his neck fully vulnerable. Though his eyes were clenched shut, mortification was engraved all over his features whilst his body, nude from head to abdomen, was glistening with sweat though he shuddered with goose-bumps, as he tried to remain as composed as he could and block out Aizen's touches, whereas Orihime once again looked away, wishing she was somewhere else, anywhere else but here...

The lord of Las Noches then voiced, in an eerily serene tone, words that made the other two occupants of the dim room both blanch drastically: "Now then, I think our lovely companion has waited long enough. Care to be a dear and give him a hand, Orihime?"

The Arrancar's instantly snapped his eyes wide open at that, his appalled gaze falling upon the girl in front of him, her pale face filled with consternation and a look of utter surrender, before he slightly shifted his head to throw the darkest of glares he could muster towards his tormentor, who merely gave a sinister smile while twisting his fingers sharply in retaliation.

The Arrancar would have screamed in agony at the sudden movement if not for his pride, so he vividly clenched his teeth around the gag and reduced the sound to a low grunt of pain as he breathed out through his nose and lowered his head a little- Aizen still had a vice grip on his hair after all - and letting his bangs fall over his eyes, a gesture he hoped the other would view as submission...a submission they both knew to be temporary. Yeah, like hell he'll forever bow to Aizen...or anyone else for that matter...

Gentle yet trembling fingers then touched one of his shoulders, nearly recoiling away at the smouldering warmth emanating from his exposed skin.

The Arrancar lifted his gaze from beneath his bangs to lock his eyes upon the young human girl, shaking from head to toe and still refusing to look him directly in the eye, for she feared what she would see within them if she did: it was Aizen's firm conviction that eyes, holding a diversity of unfathomable emotions, were both the door and key to one's soul...and Orihime was scared that his belief would become her nightmare, should she similarly start witnessing what he could see.

As the young girl slowly began to let her fingers wander without any rational intention, the Arrancar, in spite of the events, had to regard her with slight curiosity: she had yielded to Aizen's demand a lot quicker this time and without protest whatsoever. She had come to the instant realization that in order to survive, obeying was her sole salvation, something he and many of the other Arrancars had to learn the hard way: she was more careful than she let on...

Trying to ignore Aizen being there, Orihime tried to focus on her task at hand, attempting to convince herself that what she was doing was necessary. Necessary for whom? Certainly not for her. She knew exactly whom her disobedience would be taken out on and didn't dare risk it...or come to witness it.

However, even though this wasn't her first time doing this since she arrived to Las Noches and fell under Aizen's absolute reign, becoming a victim - a puppet - to his utter control, she felt just as terrified and uneasy as the first he had given her a similar order...carried out on the very same Arrancar, oddly enough.

After all, he was the first man...uh, male she has ever touched and apparently Aizen wanted it kept that way: another thing he was quite adamant about was that she remained untouched, untainted, violently severing those who tried to get their hands on her. And why that was stayed utterly unknown to her, just like many things were about Aizen...

The Arrancar had closed his eyes, not yet relaxed - hell no, not with Aizen around - but delving into the orange-haired girl's cautious feathery caress, however refused to become aroused by it. He couldn't allow himself to enjoy this...not while the human girl wasn't...

Her touches were far too inexperienced, hesitant, careful...having a certain soothing effect on the Arrancar, as opposed to Aizen's more calculated, merciless, overwhelming touches...just like he was as a person...Correction: just like the monster he was.

While Aizen continued his atrocious actions on his end, the young human girl gently traced the Arrancar's face with one hand - the dampness of bangs and forehead, the arch of his eyebrows and his fluttering eyelashes, the bridge of his nose, the frame of his dry lips, the curve of his powerful jaw on one side and the structure of his Arrancar jaw mask on the other - whereas the other trailed upon the muscled outlines of his chest, then abdomen, purposely avoiding his hollow hole - she still couldn't stomach its existence - then came to a halt, hovering shakily over the rim of his trousers. This time, she didn't need to glance towards anyone for guidance: she knew what was expected of her - she had been told to give a hand after all. She just couldn't help but hope she was going to wake up from this lurid picture before she had to do it...Yeah, no such luck, apparently.

Softly placing her face in the crook of the Arrancar's neck as to hide her shame from Aizen's watchful gaze, Orihime let out a quiet wobbly breath against the Arrancar's skin, causing him to shiver at the feeling and his breath to hitch instantly afterwards as she slowly slipped her trembling hand in and down, reaching what it was she needed to help with...

The Arrancar shuddered and clenched his eyes closed, burying his face under the curtain of the girl's hair, slightly startling her morbid focus with his gentle gesture done in order to salvage away his dignity from the brown-haired's hawk-like gaze, unintentionally imitating Orihime's former action. Not like he had much dignity left anyway...Just look upon what he'd been reduced to...

As his growing neglect was finally being attended to by slow, uncertain, fearful strokes, he forced himself to remain quiet as Aizen chose the very same moment to increase the pain he was inflicting upon him tenfold, setting the Arrancar's insides on fire. Caught between pleasure and pain, innocence and evil, this was the most perfect way to describe his situation.

She at last chanced a glance towards the Arrancar's face, before empathetically regretting having done so: eyes tightly closing his soul to the world, he was pale due to the pain yet had a faint blush due to the pleasure, his entire body wrecked by tremors and spasms due to the agony, his skin covered in sweat while he breathed out with difficulty, raggedly between his gagged mouth and his nose...

She wished she could find away to take him away from all this but knew she was in no position to do so. The only possible power she had and aid she could offer was bringing the Arrancar's torture to an end, by coaxing him to a climax. So she doubled her efforts...well she tried to: her inexperience made it rather tricky, for both of them...and Aizen seemed to delight at their predicament.

A shiver ran through her spine as Orihime caught sight of the Las Noches' lord dark sadistic smirk in the corner of her eye as a particular move from his part caused the Arrancar to suddenly choke on his restricted breath.

She once again tried to block out his presence, moving her position slightly so she no longer had him in her eyesight, before she pressed herself closer to the Arrancar and shifted her hand at a better angle to go faster, up and down, then back up and down again, and again...

When she picked up this steady, swift rhythm and began to nibble gently at his neck, the Arrancar nearly groaned out in frustration: he didn't want to enjoy this. How could he? Neither of the two were willing parties as this was done against both their wills. Yet he also understood her sudden vivid commitment. After all, the lord of the Espada wouldn't let them leave until he was done with them. Though the Arrancar still resolutely forbade himself from surrendering to the sensations of pleasure, fighting against it with all his might, vehemently ignoring the pain the denial caused...

All of a sudden, Aizen leaned forward, brushing his lips against the Arrancar's ear, his breath hot against it, causing the Arrancar to flinch and open his eyes in surprise, instantly locking them with Aizen's, who eyed him intently as he whispered oppressively: "Is it just me...or are you holding back?"

Had the Arrancar not been gagged he would have cursed quite loudly: Aizen was onto him. Not good.

"Now, now, my beloved..." whispered the lord even quieter than before, his words only meant for his tortured subordinate "We wouldn't want our dear princess to have to use her mouth to hurry things along, now would we?"

While a cold chill clutched at his soul, the Arrancar threw the lord a dark vicious glare which only made the latter chuckle in sick dark amusement for the message conveyed by his subordinate was crystal clear: Don't you fuckin' dare.

Still chuckling, Aizen ordered huskily with a raised eyebrow as if daring the Arrancar to defy him: "Then you'd better start reacting."

The Arrancar growled quietly in retaliation but obeyed his master all the same, closing his eyes and letting himself fall for the human girl's touches, gradually responding to them, hardening...

As the suffocating atmosphere in the room began to grow, Orihime's gaze fluttered towards Aizen as she saw him near his face to the Arrancar's, taking in his expression with horrified curiosity: though he maintained his calm demeanour with closed eyes and wasn't even breaking a single sweat upon his perfectly defined features - what could she say, evil had the gall to look gorgeous - his face held a distinct hint, despite its wickedness, of ruthless enjoyment, of sadistic pleasure.

Not stopping her ministrations just like Aizen was doing on his end, her eyes were drawn to his expression, fixated upon it, mesmerized yet mortified, unable to look away, though she did try...yet in vain. It was just that...seeing Aizen with a near humane visage was far too surreal to cast her stare away.

Orihime was quickly yet harshly brought back to the reality of the situation when the Arrancar let out a soft, barely audible moan as he found his release, sending a climax painting his surroundings and, due to their proximity, she too was on the receiving end and shared the outcome, having her flushed face tainted by the sticky white fluid, though she strongly resisted wiping it away when she noticed Aizen scrutinizing her like a predator.

"Innocence is all utterly more captivating when tainted" breathed out huskily the brown-haired lord with a dark satisfied smile, his eyes darker than usual, filled with malice and lust.

Relief flooded the Arrancar's features as the lord of the Espada finally withdrew his hand, making Orihime cringe in horror as her eyes doubled in size at what she saw: Aizen's fingers were coated in blood.

Ridding the Arrancar of the gag with his other hand, the lord ushered a whispered command: "My beloved. Do clean her up."

The Arrancar scowled at nothing in particular as he worked his jaw trying to lessen the numbing sensation within it, before he neared his face to the orange-haired's girl own and began darting his tongue over her soft skin, cleaning off the mess he was partly responsible of.

As she remained rigid, forcing herself to keep stock still, the Arrancar ran his tongue hurriedly, messily, trying to wipe it all off and end it as quickly as possible...

Unfortunately, as usual, Aizen had other plans: "Why the rush? Take your time. Work slow..."

Gritting his teeth as to prevent himself from downright insulting his master, the Arrancar reluctantly did as he was told, slowing his actions.

Whereas Orihime had previously carried out Aizen's order from upwards then downwards, the Arrancar found himself doing the opposite upon her quivering form: he started with her neck, then her chin, carefully and purposely avoiding her lisp - that was far too intimate for either of them - before moving to her cheeks, doing so more languidly than he would have wanted, forcefully complying with the lord's command.

He had almost finished, ridding her of the last of the remnants, when tears abruptly, uncontrollably gushed out, spilling down the cheeks he had only just cleaned. Pausing only briefly, the Arrancar then licked them away as well, causing her to blink her wide eyes at him.

Darting his own eyes to hers, they finally looked each other in the eye since the whole ordeal had started...and they both saw a painful ocean of emotions drowning respectively in grey and blue, both, ironically, viewed as melancholic colours.

She saw humiliation. He saw shame.

She saw anger. He saw sadness.

She saw hatred. He saw fear.

She saw destruction. He saw despair...

When she abruptly averted her eyes darted away, her breath suddenly hitched quite loudly in her throat, leading the Arrancar followed suit, trying to pinpoint her sudden distress, before his expression darkened with loathing.

Subtly yet quite undoubtedly, laid beneath the lord of the Espada's uniform, was a faint bulge. The sadistic bastard had apparently very much enjoyed the show.

At Orihime's growing horror and start of hyperventilation for she was no longer naive to not understand what she was seeing, Aizen just chuckled softly, reaching out to pat her head, speaking with deceptive gentleness: "Another time perhaps. You may now leave. Both of you."

Neither needed to be told twice: the Arrancar was the first on his feet as soon as the bonds on his wrists came undone, storming as hurriedly and painlessly as he could towards the exit, not once looking back, with Orihime tumbling to get up as she unsteadily followed his footsteps.

She quickly hurried after him, eager to escape the oppressing room, as well as the dangerous man within it, and it was only when they were in the hall and the door was shut behind them, did she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding as her frantic heartbeat began to gradually calm down again.

She then came to the awareness that her mouth had gone completely dry and she no longer had a single drop of saliva in her mouth. She had been more scared than she initially realized. The Arrancar, she barely gotten used to. But Aizen...she could only shudder at the thought...

Glancing towards the quiet Arrancar with lowered eyes, Orihime slowly handed out his jacket - which she took a hold of on their way out - with a shaky hand as she whispered softly: "Here. You...You left this behind."

He locked eyes with her briefly before they went back to the floor again, yet he still nodded towards her and outstretched his hand to retrieve the clothing, accidently brushing his fingers against her skin, causing her to instantly withdraw her hand, dropping the jacket, and to jolt back as if she had been burnt, her face now a blazing red, her eyes wide and alarmed.

The Arrancar regarded her with an air of rare sympathy and as he slowly bent to pick up the clothing, he was swift to shake his head as she began to apologize, his quiet hoarse voice croaking slightly as he spoke: "It's ok. No harm done."

She remained silent as he started to walk away but was quick to wince at the obvious pain he was in: he could barely walk, limping and leaning against the wall for support.

"Wait" she called out inaudibly, yet audibly enough for him to halt in his heavily pained steps "Let me heal you. I mean...if you want..."

His back still facing her, the Arrancar refused immediately though not at all unkindly: "No, don't. He'll know."

"Oh..." uttered the human girl, feeling useless all over again "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing" snarled the other softly, this time sounding annoyed at her ceaseless apologies, before he eyed her carefully over his shoulder "You ok?"

Orihime was about to lie, smile and say that yes, she was, but she ended up shaking her head instead as she confessed in a hushed whisper while she wrapped herself in her frail arms, seeking a protection she was in no position to offer herself: "I wish I could...somehow... just disappear."

The Arrancar fully turned around to face her, a pensive look upon his face: "You know...It's not impossible. Follow me."

Tagging along with the Arrancar led Orihime to his quarters, making her slightly nervous: she had never been here before.

Opening the door to his silent, lone room and letting himself inside, he slowly made his way to a set of drawers, kneeling down carefully and specifically searching for something.

Curiosity taking over, she moved in to stand beside him and peer at his rummaging, right at the moment he found what he was looking for.

Taking out a small cubic box, he turned towards her and handed it upwards to her: "Here."

"Are you...? What's in there?" the human girl hesitated nervously, quickly hiding her hands behind her back, deeply confusing the Arrancar with her reaction: she seemed embarrassed and horrified at the same time.

"Take a look and you'll know" he stated with a shrug, before sighing irritably when she remained stock still "Why the hell are you hesitating?"

Face beetroot red, she stammered awkwardly: "You...are not proposing to me, are you?"

It was his turn to have his cheeks turn bright pink: "Ha?! What the heck are you on about?!"

"Um..."

"Another human thing?" asked the Arrancar as he quirked an eyebrow: just when he thought that he was beginning to get used to humans, they always found a way to get even weirder...

When she nodded sheepishly and briefly explained what she had thought, he sighed loudly, the blush a little darker, as he shoved to box towards her "Just take the fuckin' the box."

"Ok..." murmured the orange-haired girl softly, hurriedly complying with his demand as to avoid further awkwardness, grasping at the box and opening it. Inside was a multitude of beautifully shining small sapphire gems.

"Oh! They're beautiful!" exclaimed Orihime in wonder, gently taking one and examining it closely "What are they?"

"Teleportation gems" explained the Arrancar as he straightened up gingerly whilst watching her closely, slightly amused by her childish awe "One of Szayel's inventions that Ill...That a Fracción of mine snagged from his lab, awhile ago...I've been using them in secret ever since... I can't anymore though."

"Why not?" frowned the human girl in confusion, but when she saw the ire upon his features, she made an instant connection "Aizen-sama?"

"Who the fuck else?" huffed the Arrancar as he ran a hand through his hair "Anyway, you can have them if you want. Try to avoid getting caught though."

"Oh thank you!" she beamed happily, clutching the box tightly against her chest before she rushed out of the room...coming back seconds later with adorable puzzlement on her face "So...um...How do they work?"

He almost laughed but was quick to restrain himself as he began to explain: "Leave them anywhere you want to disappear to or come back to and, as long as you always have one or more on you, you can teleport there. Just focus on the gem that you left in that specific place and you'll be taken there."

Understanding dawned upon her face as she nodded as if she now held all the wisdom of the entire universe: "Oh! I get it: it's kind of - or not really - like leaving behind breadcrumbs!"

Again, the Arrancar sank into confusion: "Breadcrumbs?"

"Just..." smiled Orihime sweetly with wide eyes "Another human thing?"

The Arrancar's lips quirked into a light smile as he shook his head before he stretched a little: "You'll tell me about it then for another time. I need to crash, kid."

"Oh, yes" uttered the human girl ruefully, for he had managed to get her to momentarily forget the prior disconcerting events "Of course. Sorry."

He sighed before repeating for the umpteenth time as he leaned against his doorframe: "Don't...Apologize."

"But I really meant it!" insisted Orihime vehemently before she stared down at the box with a soft smile "Besides, you're the only one here who's been kind to me. So thank you, Grimmjow-sama."

She briefly saw the Sexta Espada's eyebrows fly upwards in baffled surprise, before she walked away, though not without hearing him mutter under his breath: "If you think I'm kind, then you have a really fuckin' weird perception of things, kid."

Suddenly, a familiar reiatsu drew Orihime abruptly from her dark memories, causing her eyes to go wide as she stared in the direction she had felt it: it was coming from within the Seireitei.

000000000000000000000000000000000000

As Mashiro, Kensei and Hiyori went on an 'excursion' to Karakura Town, it basically meant that left Hachigen, Love, Lisa, Rose and Shinji back in the Seireitei.

The former four were currently waiting for the blonde to join them so they could hang out for awhile, just between them Vizards. Since they had set foot back here, they rarely saw each other, with the exception of Kensei, Mashiro, Lisa, Shinji and Rose as they were part of the Gotei, easily passing by each other for whatever reason. The other three however, despite being fully occupied, felt a little left out...though Hiyori would never admit it out loud. And that's the main reason Shinji had convinced her to go to Karakura, because though he had opened up a position for her in the 5th division as one of his lieutenants, she still felt out of place, preferring to wander around the Rukongai instead...

As for Hachigen and Love, they each frequently visited the Kido Corps and the 7th Division respectively to feel more at home...yet it just wasn't really the same as in the past because they all, the eight of them, still felt like outsiders. They could feel the apprehensive stares and watchful gazes, as well as hear the hushed gossip and worried whispers: they were feared, they were still feared...and it was beginning to unsettle them.

The only sense of normalcy they had was that those close to them, the ones they knew well, didn't act any differently towards them, like nothing ever happened, like nothing was wrong with them: Kyoraku, Jushiro, Unohana, Yoruichi, Kisuke, Isshin and even some of Ichigo's friends were some of those who were fully acceptant of their presence, amongst other people...

Amongst the eight Vizards, Mashiro had been the most optimistic, stating that they shouldn't care what others thought as long as they did what was right and most of all what they wanted. They had all regarded her in awe when she had said that, Kensei being the most baffled, but when she reverted to giving them a live tantrum when she realized that there were no more dangos on the plates before them, they all sweat-dropped: nope, Mashiro and wisdom did so not go together. Still, her words did make a certain sense and for now they were going to stick to that...

As stated before, four of the Vizards were waiting for Shinji to join them, not far from the Senkaimon: they were supposed to eat lunch at one of their favourite restaurants back in Karakura...but Shinji was late, very late. And they...were hungry. Well, at least Love was rather vocal about it.

"Where the hell is he?" seethed Love irately as his stomach rumbled loudly "I get that he's captain but come on! I'm dying here!"

"He's maybe in the middle of sexing-up some random chick from his division" commented Lisa nonchalantly, as if what she was saying was completely normal "Like: 'oh, Hirako-taichou ~! It has always been my fantasy to be taken by my beloved captain on their desk, just like kinky office sex, you know~? Do you have what it takes, Hi-ra-ko-tai-chou ~?'"

Blushing dark scarlet as she imitated her own version of a horny subordinate, the three male Vizards stared at her in utter morbid silence before Rose cleared his throat and laughed nervously: "Lisa-san, I really don't think that was appropriate."

"Of course not: I am talking about sex. There's nothing appropriate in that."

"Um...I mean, as his friends, it is inappropriate to talk like that about Shin..."

A sudden sound of shunpo and Shinji stood beside them, sighing sheepishly: "I'm late."

"We know!" whined Love, trying to utterly forget his prior embarrassment "Let's go now."

They began to head towards the Senkaimon when another shunpo resounded beside them. Turning to look, their eyes fell on Ichimaru Gin, causing them all to bristle with the exception of Shinji who walked towards him and gritted out: "What now?"

The silver-haired man just smiled mirthfully as he handed out a stack of papers: "I believe you forgot this."

Staring at the paper as if it was offending his entire being, the blonde snarled: "Uh, no. I didn't forget them, I deliberately left them."

"Don't go blamin' me or anythin'. I just brought them to you like I was told to."

"Like ya were told? Wow" whistled Shinji mockingly as he finally took hold of the papers "Goin' Samaritan on us, Ichimaru?"

"Maybe" snickered the silver-haired with an enigmatic glint in his eyes before he waved and turned away "Later then, Hirako-taichou."

"Yep" sighed the blonde with an absentminded wave as he eyed the paperwork with dismay.

Tilting his head in the direction Gin had just left by shunpo, Love called out to the blonde: "Uh...Shinji?"

"Hm?" hummed the person in question absentmindedly as he still continued to stare at the paperwork warily: it was exactly what he always dreaded the most as captain. It took far too much of his lazy-time.

"Since when are you two all buddy-buddy?"

"We're not" replied simply the blonde with a frown, absentmindedly staring at the sky above.

"You've forgiven him then?" suggested Lisa with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms "Or you decided that he'd eventually be a good lay."

"Hell no" deadpanned Shinji through clenched teeth, his eyebrows flying upwards, while he shuddered in revulsion: Lisa really, really had to stopreading porn. It was dangerous for their health...though not hers apparently.

"Then what are you doing?" wondered Rose aloud, sounding both curious and exasperated.

The 5th Division's captain merely stared at his friends before shrugging offhandedly: "I'm just bein' reasonable."

The other Vizards present glanced at each other before they all uttered incredulously in one voice: "Uh-huh."

"Because that definitely sounds like you" nodded Lisa mordantly as she rolled her eyes and sighed.

Shinji's lips then quirked upwards as an amused glint twinkled in his eyes: "And because Hiyori beat the crap out of him for revenge and was very happy in the end."

"Ah, I see" nodded Love, before he realized what the other had said "Wait...Seriously?!"

"Yeah" asserted the blonde with wide eyes stunned eyes of his own "He let her, you know? Didn't even dodge or move a muscle all the while."

"And..." hesitated Hachigen with a disapproving frown "You did nothing to help?"

"Oh no" grinned Shinji widely as he playfully wagged a finger at his friends "It was such a good show. Besides, it's nice not bein' on the receivin' end for once, know what I mean?"

The others just chuckled or shook their heads at him, having nothing to say: for the latter reason, it was so Shinji-like, what could they say?

Love was about to remind them that they needed to leave or at they would eat even later than what they had initially planned, when yet another set of two shunpo noises resounded and someone called out for Shinji's attention. The brown star-haired Vizard face palmed as his stomach cried famine: at this rate, they were never going to eat.

"Hirako-san" greeted Jushiro cheerfully with a polite smile and nod towards the others before he gestured the young girl at his side "Meet Hinamori Momo: she's the lieutenant of the 5th Division."

"Hello, Hirako-taichou" saluted the 5th Division's lieutenant with a polite bow, a slight nervous smile upon her face. She had every right to be nervous: she knew nothing of this new captain. What if he was like Aizen? What if he was worse? What if Aizen was still a good person, deep inside and was faking it all? So many questions had erupted at her recent recovery and that would simply not leave her be...

"Hi, Hinamori-chan" nodded Shinji gently, not missing the way she smiled "Feelin' better?"

"Yes, very. Thank you" she replied compliantly, her response almost robotic, rehearsed.

The blonde frowned faintly, having heard here and there of this girl and who Aizen was to her...and what he did to her. He really didn't want her to put him in the same bowl as that bastard: "Ok then...Uh...Ya know Kyoraku, right?"

Not expecting that, she took a while to answer: "Um...yes? Yes, I do."

"Good" beamed Shinji as he handed over his papers which she hesitantly, gingerly took from him "'Cause I'm the same type of lazy bastard. I do my work if I'm pushed to do it but I'll fight and die for the division no matter the enemy or reason. What do ya think? Too corny?"

Blinking in awe at the blonde's straightforward honesty, the young brown-haired felt her apprehension dissolve as she clutched the paper work against her chest, a warm smile steadily grew on her softened features: "I think you'll do just fine."

"MAYDAY!" called out abruptly a rather panicky looking Shinigami as he passed by them running as fast as he could, screaming at the top of his lungs as he threw away a Hell Butterfly in the air "MAYDAY!"

Jushiro and the others could only stare in stunned silence as Rose blinked: "What was that?"

Lisa shook her head before her attention was drawn to the butterfly fluttering towards them. Reaching out her hand towards it and letting it rest on her fingers, she relayed the message it had brought: "This is a message for all the Gotei 13 members and is of the upmost importance. Due to certain circumstances, Captains Muguruma, Zaraki and Hitsugaya are promptly returning from the Human World. With them, the Arrancars that were said to have set foot in Karakura Town and a drastically wounded Captain Soifon. All available Shinigami are to head to the Senkaimon to come to their aid."

Locking wide eyes with each other, Shinji and the others rush to the Senkaimon, for they were the closest after all, and, seconds later, those announced by the Hell Butterflies arrive through.

The first ones to appear were the 10th Division, closely followed by the 11th Division who were maintaining a tight eye on the Arrancars accompanying them.

The last ones to exit the Senkaimon were the 9th Division, with both lieutenants making way for their captain and the injured captain he was carrying.

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Momo as her hands flew upwards to cover her mouth in horror as she saw the state Soifon was in "Is she alright?!"

"I don't know yet" shouted Kensei over his shoulder as he hurriedly rushed by them "Ask me that question again after her visit to the 4th Division."

The 13th Division's captain frowned in concern and bewilderment as he watched on with the others: "Why was Soifon with them? I thought she was stationed in the Hueco Mundo with Kurotsuchi."

"Apparently not" muttered Rose with worry, biting his lower lip as they witness the Shihoin princess hastily appear with Isane and Iemura in her company. Whereas the two 4th Division's members began to take in the damage, Yoruichi carefully, gingerly took hold of Soifon from Kensei before instantly rushing her away towards the 4th Division, running wild with a concerned expression upon her pretty tanned features all the way.

"What's going on, Ukitake-taichou?" asked Rukia promptly arriving by shunpo beside her captain, several other Gotei members appearing all around them.

"Didn't you receive a message?" blinked the 5th Division's lieutenant as she tilted her head.

"No. I just ran by someone telling me to come here. Other than that..." said the petite Kuchiki, shaking her head before her eyes flew wide open in shock "Are those...who I think they are?"

"Yes..." confirmed Nanao as readjusted her glasses "They're the Arrancars that were roaming within Karakura. Brought in apparently."

"Brought in?" Rikichi echoed in a worried whisper "Why didn't they just kill them?"

"For an excellent reason I suppose" reasoned Shunsui as he stroked his chin thoughtfully "I overheard that the decision came from Hitsugaya-taichou and it was then upheld by Muguruma-taichou, so it has to be good if Zaraki-taichou didn't stand up to their resolve."

"And who the heck is that?" enquired Izuru curiously, staring at the bright blue-haired Arrancar, standing out due to his certain violent regal aura "He wasn't there during the battle."

"That would be the 6th Espada" replied Rukia aloud so the other Shinigami present could hear "Grimmjow Jeagerjaques. We encountered him back in Karakura Town, and then Ichigo defeated him in the Hueco Mundo..."

"Espada?" repeated the 3rd Division's lieutenant in a stunned voice, before grumbling "I thought we got rid of them all."

"I agree" nodded Love whilst frowning in confusion before pointing towards Stark and Lilynette "Those over there were dealt with. They died. Why are they still up and about?"

"Why are they here at all?" whispered Hinamori in a small voice as she hid behind Shinji, mentally screaming at the fact that there was yet other Arrancars to deal with, with this one appearing to be particularly intimidating "Do you think they came to help out Aizen-taichou?"

"No, I really doubt that" whispered Orihime softly, appearing out of nowhere and looking at them from beside Rukia, as her words caught the attention of the Shinigami assembled there.

"Where were you?! We've been looking for you everywhere!" cried out the petite Kuchiki reproachfully, though she was rather relieved to see that her friend was alright.

The orange-haired girl was about to apologize when her breath hitched and her eyes flew wide open as Grimmjow chose that very moment to lock eyes with her, leading Orihime to quickly avert her gaze. She still couldn't look him in the eye...not without feeling shame...and guilt.

The brief exchange however didn't go unnoticed to a few present that could only look on in confusion or in suspicion. Just when those concerned were about to voice their thoughts, the feline Arrancar spoke up with a frown, drawing their attention: "Are you sure Kurosaki's here? I can't sense him...Actually I can...Just barely though. What's wrong with him?"

"He's dying..." whispered abruptly a pained voice belonging to someone who had just arrived.

"Urahara?!" stammered Rukia in sheer horror as she stared with wide disbelieving eyes at the eccentric shopkeeper who was wearing an alarmingly bleak expression.

The sandy blonde man struggled with his words: "A comatose state can last for a very long time without any real dramatic repercussions whatsoever...However, Ichigo-kun's condition is a little...different: his entire presence is diminishing with every passing day. The longer he stays like this, the closer he is...to never waking up...ever again."

"NO!" screamed Nelliel heartbreakingly, startling the Shinigami present as they stared at her with her hands clutched to her chest as she sank to the ground, sincere tears crashing down "Itsugo can't die! I don't want him to!"

As Tia knelt down to take the sobbing female in her arms, Nelliel locked panicked pleading eyes with Grimmjow's even empathic ones: "Please...Please...Save Itsugo."

Wordlessly nodding at her, he then heaved a sigh before addressing Kisuke: "What happened? Is he hurt or something?"

"In a way..." replied the sandy blonde slowly, slightly cautious of the apparent concern from the two Arrancars "He's been out cold since the war and, no matter what we've tried, he still won't wake up."

Frowning faintly, the blue-haired remains ponderingly silent for awhile before stating: "Take me to him. I might be able to do something."

While most present stared at the Arrancar in astonishment, it was Kisuke's response, hesitant yet unwavering, that made them completely flabbergasted: "Alright. I can do that. A moment though."

For while the Arrancar didn't seem to be a threat and appeared sincere in wanting to aid Ichigo, he wanted to be sure wasn't mistaking the other's benevolence for a subtle duplicity...

Nearing Orihime, he asked her in a low quiet voice: "Can he be trusted, Inoue-san?"

Her response was instant and steadfast: "More than you think."

The Kuchiki Mansion, the room occupied by Kurosaki Ichigo:

"Kurosaki lost his powers?!" exclaimed Grimmjow wide eyed, jaw dropping, completely flabbergasted by what he had just sensed.

While the Arrancars - who oddly enough, consented to without so much a single compliant, which wasn't the case of those who had befriended Nelliel: Uryuu, Chad, Rukia, Renji and Orihime had vehemently voiced quite loudly against it - had been taken to detainment cells within the 6th Division's barracks for the time being, Grimmjow was escorted by Kisuke, Shinji - who had convinced the other Vizards to go on without him or they would starve - Gin, Renji, Byakuya, Rukia and Orihime, to the Shinigami kid who was still back in the Kuchiki Manor. There, they found Ichigo's father and sisters, Chad and the others near his bedside, along with captain Unohana, who was insistently trying to find a way to solve the teen's case.

As for the Arrancar though, as soon as he stepped through the door, he knew that something was off and when he then pinpointed it...he had a hard time believing it.

"This seems to surprise you..." indicated Kisuke with a pondering expression "Despite us not needing to tell you."

"I just felt it at the moment...but I really wasn't expecting that" admitted the blue-haired with a distraught look in his eyes before he questioned worriedly "Can...Can he get them back?"

"Not exactly..." sighed the sandy blonde man as he crossed his arms and stared ruefully in Ichigo's direction "Given the amount of times he has put his life on the line, losing his powers and losing his life multiple times, it makes it far too risky. There's a slight chance he could succeed in retrieving them once wakes up - if he ever wakes up - but it doesn't have a hundred percent rate of keeping him alive. In fact it could kill him and this time for good."

"I see..." whispered Grimmjow absentmindedly before his attention flitted back towards the teen.

"He was probably the only one who still stood a chance against Aizen..." voiced Renji before he halted his words as the sandy blonde began shaking his head.

"Well, barely" corrected Kisuke in a quiet voice "Ichigo-kun went through with increasing his powers to be able to triumph over Aizen before the latter transcended to immortality. He didn't make it though. He was however able to weaken Aizen long enough for him to be sealed... Yet that still doesn't mean that it's over..."

"Are you sure that he lost them?" inquired suddenly the feline Arrancar, his eyes narrowed in concentration and kneeled near the orange-haired teen's bedside, before closing his eyes briefly and letting a hand hover over Ichigo's form.

"Why do you persist on asking that?" wondered Karin aloud, fixing Grimmjow with a scrutinizing tear-filled glare, watching his every move and ready to jump in her brother's defence at the slightest threat.

"It's true that their presence feels weak...but it doesn't look like his powers are gone" informed the Arrancar, slowly causing everyone to stare at him with wide astounded eyes "More like they're contained or something...A force...Argh...I can't pin it down."

"You...can sense that so easily?" stated Unohana in sheer awe, for it had taken her and Kisuke awhile to come to that realization themselves.

The blue-haired Arrancar merely shrugged and rolled his eyes with a grimace: "One the perks of my aspect of death: I can sense destructive forces, powers, abilities and so on, as well as their magnitude and presence. Kurosaki's powers are definitely still there, just not quite in reach."

"That isn't very clear" deadpanned the 4th Division's captain with a shake of her head.

"Or reassuring for that matter" muttered Kisuke with a huff as he lowered his hat to dim his eyesight.

"There's something else...Another force...More powerful, suffocating. It's preventing him from waking up, forcing to remain in this coma-like state..." struggled the Arrancar as he tried to focus, before his lips twisted into a nasty snarl as his hand suddenly jolted "Heh...I know this reiatsu: It belongs to that fuc..." his eyes flitting to Ichigo's twin sisters, he cleared his throat before hastily correcting himself "To Aizen."

"What?!" cried out Rukia just as shocked as everyone else in the room "When? How did...?!"

"It doesn't matter. It's killing him" snapped Grimmjow in a rush before he reconsidered his words "Well no, not exactly. It's annihilating his mind and inner world. Slowly but it is, until he'll be nothing but an empty shell... The force diminishing his powers is ironically slowing down the other force from completely obliterating him."

"So...they weren't cast by the same person?" uttered Byakuya with a frown, as he tried to grasp the surreal aspect of the situation: someone capable of rivalling Aizen's power...who? Not only that but where would suppressing Kurosaki Ichigo's powers fit in all this?

"No, it doesn't look like it. Anyway, it seems like Aizen didn't want the possibility of anyone standing in his way" established Grimmjow with a shake of his head, before looking at the other occupants within the room "Didn't you try healing him? Don't you have a healing division or something like that?"

"We did try" confirmed Unohana with a frown, feeling a little insulted by the way the Arrancar was wording things, as if they didn't give their all to help the teen "It was in vain."

"So...No one was able to heal him, is that it?"

"That's it" asserted Kisuke whilst wondering why Grimmjow was being so relentless...until he caught the Arrancar staring sceptically at Orihime...who was looking anywhere but at the blue-haired that had stood up and moved to now stand right in front of her.

Noting the girl's disquiet anxiety, the feline Arrancar decided to play it soft: "Not even you?"

Gulping nervously, Orihime began to speak with clattering teeth: "No...I...I wasn't able to."

"You sure?" asked the blue-haired as he crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows "Did you even try?"

That question however seemed to irk her, making her momentarily forget her unease as she stated vehemently: "Yes. I did."

When Grimmjow's response was to remain silent and to continue to eye her dubiously, she exploded with a shout: "WHAT?!"

He questioned her again, this time in an even more doubtful tone: "You are telling me that you weren't able to heal him?"

She blinked at his persistence before stating in an equally disbelieving pitch of voice: "Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because we're talking about you and him..." replied the feline Arrancar calmly, gesturing towards each of them with his chin "Isn't this more of a 'don't heal him or else' thing?"

Instantly understanding the other's implications, as in who he was talking about, she rebuffed them firmly: "I would never refrain from healing him, no matter what Ai..."

"Yet you did" pointed out the blue-haired bluntly, fixing her with an unreadable expression.

"Don't say that!" exclaimed Orihime with wide eyes, not liking the accusing tone underlining the blue-haired's words "I just...I...I can't heal him. I can't risk it."

"Risk what?" questioned Grimmjow worriedly whilst frowning: what was she on about now?

Biting her lip at yet another slip of tongue on her part, she muttered: "It doesn't concern you."

"But it concerns you, doesn't it? Or at least him..." the feline Arrancar paused, trying to collect his thoughts "And how does this concern Aizen?"

Orihime's expression darkened as she clenched her teeth through parted lips and breathed heavily through her nose, her next response smoothly ignoring the last question: "Kurosaki-kun lost far too much spiritual power that day. If I fully reject his current condition, there's a chance that I might put him back in the same situation that caused...this. And then we'll be stuck in an unending cycle."

"Then don't reject it fully" shrugged the Arrancar simply, as if it was the most obvious solution in the world to her dilemma.

"It doesn't work that way" she grounded out in sheer frustration, setting a shaky hand over her eyes "My powers don't reject half-way. It's everything or nothing."

Gazing at her with awareness, something seemed to click in his head: "That's what you're afraid of then. Rejecting this state...and restoring his abilities. Do you want to see him vulnerable like this?"

For the first time in awhile, Orihime glared straight within the blue-haired's eyes, exposing to him an irrepressible fury: "Don't speak for me. You don't know anything."

"Yet you're not denying what I just asked" countered the feline Arrancar firmly, while he tried to comprehend why his assumption was apparently so spot-on "Answer me: do you want him powerless? No, wait. Better yet: Does Aizen want him powerless?"

"Inoue?" stuttered Rukia disbelievingly, staring wide-eyed at the human girl. The petite Shinigami had a hard time believing what she was hearing: was the Arrancar saying that Ichigo hasn't awakened yet because Orihime didn't actually do anything to heal him? It didn't make any sense. She would never do such a thing: she loved him, would do anything for him. So...why did the orange-haired girl look so guilty?

Lips turned white as they tightened and eyebrows drawn in a deep frown, Orihime vehemently shook her head as she wrapped her arms around herself protectively and looked away, refusing to reply, to answer him, to answer them or to face all the stares upon her.

"Inoue-san" whispered Uryuu sympathetically as he reached out and set a reassuring hand upon the girl's shoulder, only to have her violently slap his hand away, rendering him with a shocked expression.

Regarding him shakily, fear and pain now replacing that ire that previously was in her eyes, Orihime screamed at the tops of her lungs: "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

While many present gawked at her in surprise, Gin went rigid as he felt himself go cold: a reaction that fierce towards a simple gesture of comfort from a close friend was not a good sign. He knew of Aizen's methods, though he sincerely had hoped that he hadn't used them on her. Right now, he was beginning to doubt that she had been spared from them...

Grimmjow silently gazed at Orihime's trembling form, taking in the traumatic strain clouding her once happy naive childlike eyes before he wordlessly strode over to where she stood and, firmly taking a hold of her, wrapped her in a warm embrace, stunning everyone present into absolute silence.

As she was just as taken aback by the blue-haired's unexpected gesture, she remained stiff at first before she began thrashing intensely while he just tightened his hold: "LET ME GO! DO YOU HEAR ME?! UNHAND ME! LET me..."

Rukia, Chad, Shijni and a few others had moved forward to intervene at the orange-haired girl's growing distress but where once again astonished when Orihime's screams died out and she buried her face in the Arrancar's chest, sobbing ceaselessly...and Grimmjow letting her.

Setting a hand on her head to smooth out her hair in a soothing gesture, he whispered softly: "It's ok. Let it all out."

And she did, crying even harder as she hid herself even deeper against him, hands clutching at the fabric of his clothes as if she were clinging on a lifeline.

The others' present could only watch on in complete bewilderment as her sobs gradually died, leading the blue-haired to pull back slightly and eye her cautiously: "Feeling better?"

Tearful eyes lowered, Orihime sniffed and bit her lower lip before shaking her head: "No."

"Good" stated Grimmjow with an understanding nod, causing everyone else to sweat-drop "Gonna help me wake your sleeping beauty up?"

A small smile flickered on her face before she nodded slowly, questioning quietly as she watched the blue-haired kneel back next to the orange-haired teen: "What are you going to do?"

"Fight Aizen's influence" replied the Arrancar, his brow furrowed in deliberation "For that, I need to get in the kid's inner world first."

Upon setting a hand upon the orange-haired teen's forehead, a vivid image painfully assaulted the blue-haired's mind, causing him to immediately withdraw his hand and wince.

"Are you alright?" asked Kisuke in concern while Orihime set her hand upon the Arrancar's shuddering shoulder.

"No. Shit that hurt" gritted out Grimmjow as he exhaled deeply before he stood up again "Apparently, I won't be getting in the easy way."

"Ano...?" called out the puzzled orange-haired girl as her eyes followed the Arrancar who turned to face the Shinigami.

"Just one question" he began steadily while not keeping his eyes off the orange-haired teen's comatose form "When fighting that bastard, did Kurosaki directly come in contact with him?"

"What kind of question is that?" deadpanned Shinji with raised eyebrows, not even bothering to conceal his surprise "How else was he supposed to fight him then?"

After being asked for a more detailed explication from Unohana, the feline Arrancar clarified further: "I just wanna know if he touched or if he was touched by Aizen."

Not really understanding the question, Kisuke still answered the other: "Yes, I suppose..."

Grimmjow just hummed to himself before suddenly materializing his zanpaktou from thin air and positioning himself to release his Resurrección, his nails positioned over the blade.

While the others' eyes widened in disbelief at the unexpected action from the Arrancar, Rukia tried to reach out to stop him, but despite being rather fast...she just wasn't fast enough...

"Grind, Pantera!"

After a blinding blue light and a waft of smoke, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques stood in all his Resurrección glory, making the room's occupants either stare at him in apprehension...or awe.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" screamed Rukia furiously, her blade already drawn and pointed at the Arrancar's chest, casting him a glare that dared him to try anything.

Sighing impatiently, the feline Arrancar stared down at her: "Don't get your bloody knickers in a twist. As you saw, I can't get in easily so I needed full power."

Lowering her zanpaktou, the petite Shinigami cleared her throat awkwardly: "Then you're not going to harm him?"

Baring his teeth and looking even more menacing while doing so under this form, Grimmjow snarled as his tail flickered irritably: "I already made myself clear. I have to talk to the kid and it won't work with him dead, right?"

"Ah...Yeah, I guess" stammered the young Kuchiki before smiling sheepishly "Sorry."

Brushing off her apology with a light shrug, Grimmjow stooped down beside the seated Orihime and the bedded Ichigo, before locking his eyes with the former while uttering calmly: "Tell me and I'll follow."

Their faces were inches apart...He was close. Far too close. And he understood that instantly because the orange-haired remained rigidly silent and it was until he backed away a little that she was able to speak again...though she did falter in her words, leading Grimmjow to curse Aizen with every word he knew: "I...Um...Ok. I'm guessing that there is more than just one barrier since there are two different forces at play, right?"

When he nodded and told her there were at least three, she took the information in before continuing: "Alright then. If you channel your reiatsu through me, I might be able to get you in by rejecting the first, so you can then destroy the second. I don't have the strength to reject more than one, so you'll be on your own for the other one. Also, if you get hurt, I won't be able to heal you, so be careful, ok?"

"Done" asserted the blue-haired Arrancar firmly, determination set upon his defined features, while his mind was racing as he caught onto the girl's discreet yet rather blatant lie: she had the strength for all the barriers, but said she could only deal with one. Not only that but she also pointedly ignored the third's existence, the one negating Kurosaki's powers...

Anxious blue eyes flickered to the tension upon her features: 'Orihime, what are you hiding?'

"Wait" called Kisuke abruptly for their attention "Mind telling us what you two are up to?"

"There's...something in his mind forcing him to stay in this state" explained Orihime quickly before casting a pleading gaze towards Grimmjow, who in turn respectfully stayed silent.

"Something?" echoed Gin as he frowned in confusion, his eyes flitting between her and the blue-haired with slight suspicion having not missed their exchange, before focusing on the Arrancar "I thought you said it was Aizen's doin'."

Nodding, the Arrancar ended up clarifying it further: "Yeah, well to be more specific it's Aizen's zanpaktou: Kyoka Suigetsu."

"HA?!" exclaimed everyone in the room...who knew what a zanpaktou was that is; the others were just confused but dared not interrupt for it sounded far too serious...They were right...

"That's impossible" whispered Kisuke, eyes wide in stunned disbelief "I saw his zanpkatou shatter to bits after his battle with Ichigo-kun. It was destroyed."

Grimmjow regarded him with a raised eyebrow as he tried to make sense of the situation if what the blonde was saying was true: "Then...Aizen must have embedded it - or hell do I know what he did exactly - during their battle, by coming in contact with the kid. It would make even more sense if this happened due to the Hogyoku... Anyway, his zanpaktou causes illusions, right? Kurosaki is currently caught in one, that's eating away at his soul..."

"Is that what you saw just now?" asked Kisuke, utterly bewildered by what he was hearing.

He nodded once before finally refocusing on the orange-haired girl, eyeing her as he spoke up gently: "Lead the way."

Licking her lips nervously, she blinked with determination set in her eyes as she placed a hand gently upon each side of his face. Closing her eyes and letting out a shuddering breath, she concentrates on the thought of rejecting the first barrier...feeling it waver under her power.

After awhile, she then nodded prompting Grimmjow sit next to her and set a firm hand upon her shoulder, closing his eyes as well.

At first, nothing happened but then, after a moment, Grimmjow's form slumped forward a little and his head hung down low.

"What...?" uttered Uryuu, puzzlement written all over his face, which he shared with the majority of the room's other occupants.

"He's bypassed the first barrier" notified Kisuke nervously, hoping that the Arrancar really knew what he was doing "He must now be in Ichigo-kun's inner world."

Grimmjow took in his surroundings with an arched eyebrow before he frowned grimly: Kurosaki Ichigo's world was deteriorating...Fast...

The sky above was grey, filled with dark clouds, and the surrounding skyscrapers which seemed to compose the inner world were breaking up, piece by piece, flitting away to bits and dust, before falling into the dark abyss that had eaten up the once paved ground below.

The Arrancar closed his eyes trying to pinpoint the teen's location. As Ichigo's presence was suffocated, weak and getter even weaker, it took him awhile, but his awareness was suddenly pulled in a direction and he was fast to follow: he didn't have much time, so he had to act now.

Jumping from disintegrating rooftop to disintegrating rooftop using sonido, scarcely taking in the fact that the further he moved forward the worse the surroundings appeared, when eventually the blue-haired found himself standing near where Kurosaki Ichigo was.

Confined within a large transparent glass-like orb, the teen floated in the centre of it, his skin pale, his lips blue and his face twisted in pain.

Reaching out for the sphere, a sudden rush of devastating reiatsu sent Grimmjow flying backwards and crashing to the floor of the roof, gasping for breath at the brutal impact.

Slowly shifting to sit up, the blue-haired's eyes widened briefly before they narrowed to slits: "Kyoka Suigetsu, I'm guessing."

Standing upon the orb, though it had not been upon it before, the being that incarnated Aizen's zanpaktou was eyeing him with mirth and conceit, wearing a smile that was terribly close to the owner's...though that wasn't the only disturbing similarity.

The being looked exactly like him: same expression, same features, same hairstyle, same lethalness. The only differences resided in the skin - it was noticeably paler, almost white - the hair colour - it shone of a pale lilac radiance - the eye colour - it held a chilling silvery ashen glow - and the dress code. The zanpaktou was way more eccentric and flamboyant than Aizen could ever be: he wore a long white coat with shiny black buttons on the sides instead of the front, leaving two openings that revealed tight-fitted black leather pants and black high-heeled leather boots. The coat's sleeves stopped at its elbows revealing black fingerless leather gloves, which in turn revealed long dark purple nails. As for the collar of the coat, it was of large purple amethyst feathers curling around the being's shoulders and neck, which were also covered in black leather. A single multi-purple hued butterfly earring rested upon his entire left ear, making it look more like an Arrancar bone fragment more than anything...

The zanpaktou's lips curved into an eerie smile as it stared down at Grimmjow with malice: "Hello there, Aizen-sama's dear beloved."

The other occupants of the room watched on, most apprehensive and worried, at the two unmoving individuals beside Ichigo.

Suddenly, Orihime whimpered quietly, whether it was in pain or fear wasn't quite clear, but almost a few seconds later, a large gash sliced its way across Grimmjow's chest, drawing a large amount of blood.

Whilst the Kurosaki twins screamed, Keigo gasped in horror: "What was...?"

"A manifestation of an inner world's battle" explained Isshin with a worried frown as he wrapped his daughters in his arms.

"This..." began Tatsuki incredulously, as she stared at the Shinigami who didn't seem to be that perturbed "...is supposed to be normal?"

"It happens" spoke up Rukia softly in hopes of reassuring her "Not often, but it can happen."

"Let's just hope it'll turn it out in Blue's favour" whispered Shinji uneasily as he rubbed at his temples.

"Why wouldn't it?" inquired the petite 13tj Division's lieutenant with a blink, not expecting possibility of this idea falling short...not after their many failures.

"It's not impossible, but it stays very risky..." replied Byakuya in a cautious tone "The Arrancar is on an unknown battlefield to him. He doesn't have the advantage."

"Neither does Aizen's zanpaktou" pointed out the Quincy observantly, keeping up with the situation despite its complexity for him.

The Kuchiki noble could only agree: "True, but apparently Kyoka Suigetsu been in there for awhile. So..."

"We can only wish Blue all the best..." stated Shinji with a grimace that suggested that the Arrancar was going to really need it "Because if he fails, he'll die in Ichigo's mind."

Grimmjow cried out in agony as he came crashing down onto the very top of one of the many crumbling skyscrapers further away from the teen's confinement, the Arrancar's battered form rolling nonstop until he laid motionless on the very edge, threatening to fall at the wrong movement of his own, the slightest push of the other.

Kyoka Suigetsu swiftly landed nearby, looking down condescendingly and cooing almost dotingly at the Arrancar: "Well, well. Is that really all you've got, my beloved Grimmjow? I'm very, very disappointed."

The blue-haired feline inwardly cringed at the zanpaktou's tone of voice and its eerie likeness to a certain someone he specifically disliked, loathed. Outwardly, Grimmjow hissed hatefully as he shifted to rise back up with great difficulty: "You sound too much like that fucker Aizen...and that's getting on my friggin' nerves."

The being simply laughed in amusement as it strode gracefully, high heels clicking as it danced with deft steps around the wounded Arrancar...just like a predator circling, stalking its prey: "People are quick to forget that zanpaktou are originally a manifestation of a, usually, repressed side of one's soul. You could say that Aizen-sama and I are one."

The blue-haired shifted to dryly grin at the other, stating sarcastically: "Except that you're queerer."

"You wound me" the zanpaktou sighed, now wearing an expression of mock hurt which didn't faze Grimmjow at all. He knew it was feigned: Aizen has done the exact the same thing more than once.

"Nah, I haven't...yet!" yelled out the Arrancar getting to his feet and charging like a wild cannonball, his claws drawn, fangs bared, ready to sink them both in the infuriating being before him.

Kyoka Suigetsu smiled indulgently as it swiftly, effortlessly, dodged every furious, rapid attack of the blue-haired's assault before blocking both of Grimmjow's hands, preventing one from striking it in the face and halting the other from clawing at its side.

The zanpaktou then pulled the feline Arrancar slightly towards it, in order to lean directly in Grimmjow's face and whisper tenderly against his lips: "You never defeated Aizen-sama, so don't imagine that you can take me down. I may not be him: I still remain a part of him."

"Watch me then" growled the Arrancar heatedly before he suddenly drew his legs upwards, using the zanpaktou's firm grip on his hands as a support, and kicked the zanpaktou's chest...hard.

Taking the other aback, the unexpected hit managed to free his hands so he instantly took the opportunity to summersault backwards and away, this time using Kyoka Suigetu's chest as a support, until he was a fair distance from the zanpaktou, crouching in a defensive position.

Instead of being offended, the being just chuckled with a highly amused glint in its ashen eyes as it brushed at its uniform with the back of its hand: "Ah...Your tenacious resolve is admirable, as always. Tell me, though, why are you fighting for him?"

His tail flickering angrily, Grimmjow frowned as he regarded the other defiantly: "See, I would have told you, but since you wouldn't understand, I won't bother."

"Hm...Admitting that I won't, it still begs the question. Why are you fighting so hard to free this boy?" pondered Kyoka Suigetsu aloud as it began walking again, halting in front of the pale purple orb imprisoning Ichigo and eyeing the teen thoughtfully "Does he appeal to you?"

Grimmjow's eyes instantly narrowed into angered slits, his voice a menacing snarl: "Don't fuckin' start."

Acting as if it hadn't heard him or simply decided to ignore him, the zanpaktou set its pale hand upon the surface exactly beside Ichigo's face, tracing the outlines of the teen's features through the bubble: "He is quite gorgeous in his uniqueness...something you two have in common. You do know that Aizen-sama has plans for you...Both of you...you and at least four other people, that is."

The blue-haired Arrancar didn't know if he had to feel disgusted or terrified or both: Aizen's 'plans' usually didn't involve anything good...No, far from that...

He would know: he has endured quite a lot himself at Aizen's hands. He'd be damned if he'd let anyone go through the same... Not this kid or anyone else the immortal had in mind. Not if he could find a way to prevent it.

"Yeah" seethed Grimmjow through clenched teeth, his eyes laced with nothing but sheer hatred as he readied himself to attack once more "I had a fuckin' feeling Aizen would."

Unohana was crouched beside Grimmjow, expression taut in concentration as she tried to maintain the Arrancar's reiatsu to a constant state as it had suddenly began decreasing rather rapidly: he was in quite a state after all and that being so, despite dismissing his first injury. Blood gushed from his parted lips and gashes had formed themselves all over his being: upon his face, back, chest, arms and legs, were all-sized wounds, some deeper than others.

Though not being able to heal his injuries until he returned, the 4th Division's captain had managed to keep Grimmjow 'with' them for now...but he had to hurry things along, because she couldn't keep this up for much longer. It was as if his entire soul was being drained, swallowed up by the inner world...and everyone else in the room could only watch and hope...

Breaths shallow, vision blurred, body heavy, Grimmjow was beyond exhausted, utterly worn out - though thankful that someone on the outside was giving him a helping hand - while he remained upon his quivering hands and knees, almost as if prostrating himself in a reverential, submissive bow to the zanpaktou that was just as vile as its master.

"Give up, Grimmjow" whispered Kyoka Suigetsu in a deceivingly gentle tone, trying to get the other to give in with sweet words, to yield to its offered temptation whilst it let a heel dig painfully into one of the Arrancar's hands "Aizen-sama would hate to lose you, you know? And I'd hate to be responsible for his loss."

"Like I care..." spat the Arrancar vehemently, blood dripping from his mouth just as it was from his every wound as he ripped his hand away from the other, scrapping his skin along the way "I'm...I'm not...stopping...'til he's free."

"What's the point though?" the zanpaktou sighed as it gazed down at the other whom quirked an eyebrow at the being's question.

"What do you mean?" hissed the blue-haired Arrancar as he glared at Aizen...uh, Kyoka Suigetsu. Argh, they looked too much alike!

"Let me enlighten you" smirked the being whilst talking in an unrepresentatively pleasant tone "The boy, as he is now, is powerless, harmless, useless... If you do free him, you'll be condemning him... In other words, either way, whether you fail or succeed, your persistence is hopeless: the former gets you killed, the latter gets him in a terribly unfortunate...position..."

"Bloody zanpaktou..." Grimmjow snarled viciously, not at all liking the connotation, whilst shakily moving to stand up again "Just like Aizen, you talk to fuckin' much!"

Kyoka Suigetsu simply smiled in response, that bloody irritating, unnerving smile that looked so much like Aizen's...before the zanpaktou rushed at the Arrancar, lashing out at him without mercy. Grimmjow retaliated as much as he could but he was gradually losing ground.

Gasping, Unohana's eyes went wide: "The Arrancar's not going to make it."

"Damn it!" shouted Kisuke in panic as he ran to her side and tried to see what he could do, casting a glance at Orihime before his eyes doubled in size.

All the colours had drained from her face and her entire form was shaking with spasms, while her breath was very irregular, causing the sandy blonde to eye her overanxiously: since when had she been like this? He had noticed until now...no else had either apparently, as they were now all staring at her as if she was about to collapse.

"The Arrancar's reiatsu is stable" announced the 4th Division's captain suddenly, stunning Kisuke who swirled to stare at her disbelievingly.

"You just said that he wasn't going to make it!" he shouted out, earning a look from her that seemed to say: 'I know what I said'.

"I think..." began Unohana hesitantly, her eyes slowly moving over to the orange-haired girl "I think it was Inoue-san who..."

Still in shock, Kisuke's eyes then narrowed as he gritted his teeth: "The Arrancar really needs to hurry...Otherwise we'll be losing more than two people..."

Suddenly slumping forward a little, Orihime coughed violently before straightening up instantly afterwards and, clenching her teeth and eyes tightly, she let out a shaky breath: "Kurosaki-kun..."

Grimmjow's eyes snapped open as he felt Orihime's spiritual energy waver in favour of strengthening his and instantly responded by embedding his claws in the being's chest and, locking hold, threw the zanpaktou with all his might crashing into a building nearby...

The Arrancar then forced himself to walk towards the teen, knowing that time was running out...for everyone. He had almost reached the bubble, when Kyoka Suigetsu reappeared and dragged Grimmjow to the ground, with a vicious grip and refused to let him get back up.

Breathless, exhausted, desperate, the feline Arrancar began to bellow out at the top of his voice, in hopes of at least waking up Ichigo: "KUROSAKI! WAKE UP! COME ON, KID! YOU GONNA LET THIS BASTARD LOCK HERE FOREVER, HUH?! SINCE WHEN DO YOU EVER GIVE UP, HUH?! GET THE FUCK UP AND FIGHT, KUROSAKI!"

All of a sudden Ichigo's eyes flew open from inside the orb, causing a horrified expression to fall upon Kyoka Suigetsu's otherwise impeccably perfect features while Grimmjow smirked as he whispered through clenched bloodied teeth: "Sure took your damn fuckin' time."

Locking wide panicked and befuddled eyes with the blue-haired, the teen began to struggle to get out but the bubble tightened its hold as the zanpaktou extended its hand to do so, uttering viciously: "Oh no, you don't. You are not leaving."

"No, he isn't" stated the blue-haired in a whisper before snarling aloud "But you sure as hell are!"

As soon as the Arrancar finished his sentence, the orb shattered to pieces, assaulted by an onslaught of combined efforts from Orihime, Grimmjow and Ichigo's reiatsu, leading Kyoka Suigetsu to let out an inhuman piercing scream as it also found itself expelled by the surge of power.

Wincing at the sound, Grimmjow then focused on the teen a few feet away, who was laid barely conscious, in a heap on the roof that was finally starting to disintegrate. The Arrancar had one thing left to do: get to Ichigo before the inner world was no more...

Forcefully ignoring his agony, Grimmjow moved to sonido to the teen but half-way through collapsed to the floor, gritting his teeth: he was at his limit.

Looking towards the teen and seeing that they were at an arm's length, the blue-haired Arrancar locked eyes with the other as he called out encouragingly: "Reach out! Hurry! Come on, kid! You can fuckin' do it! Just reach out and it all be over! COME ON!"

Ichigo breathed out with difficulty as he stretched out his hand as far as he could, his fingers barely inches from brushing against Grimmjow's own extended hand, while the entire inner world continued to collapse around them, falling down to ashes and dust...down to darkness...

When a fit of wheezy coughs rose in the otherwise quiet room as the teen jerked into a sitting position, brown eyes struggling to stay open, no one could believe what they were seeing at first nor did anyone dare to move.

But when he calmed down and managed to clear his eyesight to take in his surroundings, Yuzu and Karin were the first to throw themselves at him, tears of relief flowing freely as they cried out his loudly, shortly followed by Keigo and Mizuiro.

Tatsuki, Chad, Uryuu, Renji, Rukia and Chizuru clustered around the hugging group, too self-conscious to hug their friend but glad all the same to be near him.

Smiling softly, Kisuke, Shinji and Isshin let out relieved sighs, the latter's eyes shining with discreet tears that he quickly reigned in.

Whilst the others - like Kensei, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Toshiro and Yamamoto who had arrived midway through the events - either smiled or cheered at the teen's recovery, Gin and Byakuya, though they too fairly and secretly glad, remained utterly silent as they both had their eyes on Orihime, observing her and being slightly unsettled by what they saw.

Despite looking a lot better than moments before, she hadn't reacted at all: rigid and pale, exhausted and breathless, she just stared wide-eyed at Ichigo, like she was in shock...but that was it. No tears of relief, no smile, nothing. In fact, upon closer observation, she seemed to be even moreon edge, more distraught, more frightened, than ever before.

As discreetly as she could, Orihime got up hastily and inched towards the exit before locking eyes with Byakuya and Gin's, having felt their stares on her.

Within her large grey eyes was unparalleled and utter despair but before either two could reach her to ask her about it, she cast one last fleeting glance towards the orange-haired teen and, the next second, she was gone.

"You did it Ino...!" called out suddenly Rukia happily before she blinked when she didn't see her friend "Inoue?"

"Where'd she go?" gasped Chizuru dramatically, her hands grasping at her hair "She was just here!"

"She left..." stated slowly Gin as he locked eyes with Byakuya who could only stare back: they didn't know what to make out of her very strange reaction "...Lookin' rather emotional."

Though finding slightly strange, Tatsuki's gaze then flitted to the guy her best friend had a crush on before smiling softly: "Ah. Yeah, that sounds like her."

Staring at everyone with wide brown eyes, Ichigo blinked as he asked hesitantly: "Uh...Why are you acting as if I died?"

"WAH!" cried out Yuzu horrified, while she spoke in a bawling, sniffling voice "Don't say that Ichi-nii!"

Eyeing his sister ruefully, he apologized quickly as he patted her head: "Sorry, sorry. But seriously, it's been awhile. How long was I...?"

"Four more days and it would have made two very long weeks of worrying" notified Unohana with a pleasant smile...which made half those present sweat-drop: leave it to the 4th Division's captain to inform someone of something that drastic with a pleasant expression.

The orange-haired teen blanched in horror: "Wha...? I was out for more than A WEEK (1)?!"

"Emphasis on nearly, but yeah" smiled Uryuu, deeply relieved that his...rival-turned-friend-realized-to-be-in-fact-related (2) was back amongst them.

The teen was about to say something else when he realized that Grimmjow was actually there standing in the room...and his jaw dropped of its own accord.

The Grimmjow that had been left for dead back in the Hueco Mundo...was still alive...somehow... And here Ichigo thought it was all just a figment of his imagination, like what usually happened when he powered up or was in dilemma or something: his mind always had the uncanny habit of bringing up his usually old and dead foes to challenge him or help him... Not so dead in Grimmjow's case however...though injured did seem to fit quite nicely: the Arrancar's body was filled with numerous gashes, some still bleeding, that were swiftly being attended to by the 4th Division's captain.

Feeling eyes on him, the feline Arrancar darted his blue eyes to lock onto Ichigo's brown ones, but the teen couldn't find it in him to tear his stare away, whilst his mind was racing with questions: What the hell was going on? Where was he? Was the war over or not? How was Grimmjow alive? And why was he here, where here was? But more importantly, why did Grimmjow save him?

Broken out of his thoughts, his eyes flew wide upon as a tanned muscled arm was extended towards him. His surprised gaze just fixated itself upon the firm-looking yet slender fingers of the hand held out to him.

After seeing that the teen was still unmoving, Grimmjow cleared his throat calmly, getting Ichigo's attention to flit upwards to the Arrancar's expressionless face.

"So, Kurosaki Ichigo" began the blue-haired Arrancar with closed eyes, before he snapped them open again and snarled impatiently "Are you gonna stare at my hand all day or you gonna take it and get the bloody heck up?!"

Startled, Ichigo jolted up into a standing position before feeling slightly dizzy only to be caught by Renji, making Grimmjow stare at the teen incredulously before shrugging it off: "At least you seem to be standing fine."

"G...Grimmjow..." stuttered Ichigo disbelievingly, looking like he was tempted to pinch himself or reach out to touch the blue-haired just to make sure he wasn't dreaming "You...How are you alive?"

The infuriated expression that said Arrancar's face took immediately told the orange-haired teen that that was the wrong thing to ask...for some reason.

He gulped nervously as Grimmjow glared ominously at him but remained very silent as if he was trying to decide if it was better to kill him either slowly and painfully, or quickly...but also painfully.

While Ichigo fidgeted tensely as the Arrancar's blue eyes lingered on his face, Grimmjow involuntarily recalled the last words he had heard from the orange-haired teen: 'It doesn't really matter who you are, Grimmjow... You can hate me all you want, fight me all you want to, I don't mind, but right now, you aren't my main concern: I have my friends to save, so calm down... You'll just bleed to death...'

The blue-haired feline Arrancar then sighed exhaustedly as he closed his eyes, making Ichigo stare at him inquisitively.

Grimmjow cracked one back open, before closing it again as he shrugged casually and sat back down: "Long story...The short version being: I got lucky...sort of."

"Ah...?" uttered the orange-haired questioningly, hoping for a more detailed explanation, but when he was given none, he crossed his arms, sat down as well and looked away with a scowl "Well, nice to see you again, I guess."

Not registering the grudging gratitude, the feline Arrancar stated in an unyielding tone: "Look. Not to rush you or anything, but there are things I need to tell you and it really can't wait."

Noting the seriousness in the other's expression, Ichigo frowned in concern but nodded consent all the same: "Uh, sure...What's this about?"

As the blue-haired parted his lips to speak, Yamamoto jutted in firmly, earning a livid glare from the feline which was casually disregarded: "Aizen Sosuke's not done with us just yet."

"Aizen...?" started the teen at first a little disoriented before realizing "Aizen! What...Where is he?"

"In Muken, don't worry" soothed Kisuke softly as he patted the orange-haired teenager's shoulder.

"In what-ken?" repeated Ichigo as he tilted his head, blinking adorably at the foreign word.

"In Muken" corrected Byakuya patronizingly with a sigh "It's a prison for high-levelled criminals: it's inescapable."

"Are you sure about that? It being inescapable, I mean." whispered the Shinigami Substitute while eyeing the noble with raised eyebrows, causing the Kuchiki's eyes to widen: Ichigo almost seemed to be...afraid of the opposite.

"What makes you ask?" inquired Yamamoto cautiously, he too noticing the uncharacteristic unease in the orange-haired's eyes.

"It's just..." the teen hesitated with a frown before he sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck "Kyoka Suigetsu...trapped me in...rather disturbing illusions - which I will not talk about: I'm not ready for that yet" he stated intensely so nobody would question him about them before he continued "Amongst them, I would find myself conversing with Aizen... Well, I say converse, but it was more like being forced to endure his monologues. He kept gloating that 'any attempts the Shinigami would have at incarcerating me would foil lamentably'. With that being said in those exact words, I'm wondering if, well, I don't know...maybe, Aizen's gonna break free or something...eventually."

Many present seemed to be troubled by the teen's revelation, including Kisuke who once again felt the need to reassure the teen: "They were just illusions, dreams, Ichigo-kun. Aizen must have been messing with your head, that's all."

"Besides, even if it wasn't just dreams, we won't let it come to happen" asserted the Captain Commander resolutely, though he too was bothered by what he had heard.

When a scathing short bark of a laugh drew their attention, they witnessed Grimmjow, now reverted back to his natural appearance, regarding them with scornful contempt: "Then you're wasting your time. Aizen escaping will happen and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"You know..." began Shinji with a raised eyebrow as he momentarily glanced towards Gin whose expression was utterly blank "This ain't the first time we've been told that. What makes ya so sure, Blue?"

Glaring coldly at the 5th Division's captain, obviously not appreciating the nickname, the feline Arrancar held out a hand and began ticking off as he spoke: "One, obviously, no one has what it takes to face Aizen. It stings but it's the shitty truth. The only one who did no longer has the powers to do so. Two, you are largely outnumbered. We may have deserted, but there is still a hefty number of Arrancars left. Three, Aizen has connections beyond the Hueco Mundo and the Seireitei, and these connections are quite powerful and very dangerous. Now, no matter how and when Aizen and his forces decide to attack you, do you have what it takes to stop him? Are you even ready for what's going to come?"

"If we know of his plans and prevent them from taking place before they occur, then I'd say yes, we can be ready to stop him. Remember, Arrancar, we are of the Gotei 13, so we have what it at takes" responded the Kuchiki noble haughtily through clenched teeth, even quoting the Arrancar's own words for more emphasis: he had the distinct impression that their very forces were being diminished by the blue-haired's statements...and that displeased Byakuya greatly.

Locking glares with the noble, Grimmjow slowly shook his head as a mirthless smile appeared: "This overconfidence of yours will be your downfall, Shinigami, especially when facing Aizen: he just loves people like you. Bit of advice for you, since I can tell you hate him - not yet as much as I do though, but you still hate him: the only thing that will save you from him...is willpower. Anything else will just be used against you."

Brief silence weaved itself in the air, before Yamamoto questioned the blue-haired feline: "What else can you tell us, Arrancar?"

Grimmjow seethed calmly: "Well, for one, I hate repeating myself. I told you, Shinigami: I'm NOT here to talk to you. The only advice I've got for you is this: better start running while you still can. Now get the heck out. I'm not saying a word with you here."

"Who do you think you...?" began Rukia through parted lips, ready to chew out the Arrancar but the old Captain Commander's next words made her halt instantly.

"Let us leave" he stated simply as he moved towards the exit, the others present looking at each other with wide eyes before quietly complying with their superior's words.

Turning to look at the orange-haired teen from over his shoulder, Yamamoto addressed him directly: "I trust that you'll tell us afterwards."

"I can do that, yeah" declared Ichigo nonchalantly, nodding in confirmation when Grimmjow didn't speak against it.

This time addressing the Arrancar, the old commander spoke up again: "Then we'll respect your willingness to speak to Kurosaki Ichigo privately and we'll leave. All of us."

The subtle message initiated as well the departure of Ichigo's family and friends along with the present members of the Gotei 13, leaving behind only Grimmjow and Ichigo...and Shinji, along with Gin and Byakuya...

Sending them a withering glare, the Arrancar grounded out with an aggressively angry hiss: "Why're you still here?"

Cocking his eyebrow defiantly, Shinji croseed his arms: "If ya're talkin' about Aizen, we're not goin' anywhere. Deal with it."

"It's ok, Grimmjow" said Ichigo solidly, locking eyes with blue-haired "You can trust them. I do."

"Tch...Fine" grimaced the feline Arrancar as he lowered his eyes and raised a knee to set his chin upon it, before remaining dead silent.

When the silence grew deafening and uncomfortable, Ichigo cleared his throat tentatively: "Grimmjow?"

"Hold on a sec. I'm trying to find an easy way to talk you through this..." replied the blue-haired Arrancar before grimacing unnervingly "Shit. It ain't as easy as I thought."

"How about...you try simple?" hinted the orange-haired teen helpfully while Shinji drew closer and sat down: this conversation looked like it would take awhile and he would not assist it the whole way whilst standing. That didn't seem to bother either Gin or Byakuya though.

Grimmjow glanced towards the Shinigami Substitute before admitting wistfully: "That's the problem. This whole thing is far from it."

"O...k...Well, um..." hesitated Ichigo with a frown before making a suggestion "Start with Aizen then."

"He's an evil fuckin' bastard" deadpanned the blue-haired feline with a dry tone, completely letting loose of his language now that there were no kids, leading the other four males to sweat-drop at his bluntness.

The 5th Division's captain rolled his eyes: Gin had also said that Aizen was evil, but didn't explain why. Apparently, asking straight questions wouldn't get them any answers. A thought occurred to him: perhaps he could get a reaction by playing it...in an ignorant way?

"Yeah, yeah, we gathered" Shinji finally sighed jadedly as he closed his eyes "So...why do you say that?"

"You've got to me kidding me" articulated the Arrancar in complete disbelief before jabbing his finger in the teen's direction "Did his coma make you fuckin' amnesic along the way or something?!"

Raising both hands in a gesture of surrender, the blonde captain maintained his fed-up expression: "Look. From personal experience, I get that he's bad. He destroyed many lives, includin' my friends' lives, even mine, to the point we were thought to be the bad guys...But..."

"No, no, no" cut off Grimmjow with a wild expression mixing both unrestrained anger and horrified shock "Apparently you don't fuckin' get a thing. He isn't bad, he's evil. I could pass for bad any day, not Aizen. And there's no bloody 'but'! HE JUST IS!"

A little thrown off balance at the feline's words, Shinji glanced away and muttered: "You're exaggeratin' a little. He can't be that evil."

"EXA...?!" glared Grimmjow before gritting his teeth angrily to keep himself from shouting "Go through what I've been through and then tell me that I'm exaggerating. What are you: his fuckin' girlfriend?!"

While Ichigo and Byakuya raised their eyebrows and Gin snickered, the blonde smoothly ignored the jibe and gave one of his own to the Arrancar: "And just what has he done to you exactly for you to be so bitter, hm?"

The blue-haired feline smirked darkly as a dangerous glint shone in his now dimmed eyes: "The real question should be: what hasn't he done to me."

When the blonde was left speechless by the sudden change in the Arrancar's demeanour, Byakuya questioned in his colleague's stead: "What hasn't he done to you?"

"Killed me" spat out Grimmjow while baring his teeth menacingly, the same glint from before within his eye now darker than before, as if daring the others to ask what the Arrancar really meant. Safely opting against it, Shinji swallowed uncomfortably: "That...leaves us with rather endless possibilities..."

"Then now you know."

The simple statement made the blonde and black-haired captains go instantly cold as various scenarios ran wild through their minds, though the two were absolutely positive that, considering the Arrancar's words, no matter what they'd picture, they'd be still far off course. And though a vivid image quite close to actual Aizen's doings flashed before their eyes, they were quick to shake it away: no, surely not. Not Aizen...right?

Whilst Gin remained silent as he was rather painfully aware himself of what Aizen was really like, Ichigo was a little confused: "What do you...?"

"You" snapped Grimmjow with a scowl, startling the teen into silence "Don't fuckin' ask about it. Ask something else."

"Ok, ok..." placated the orange-haired with a sigh before he remembered a previous question he had wanted to ask the Arrancar "Um...Grimmjow?"

"Hm?" hummed the blue-haired feline inattentively for he was still absorbed in his dark, painful memories.

"Why...Why did you save me?" asked the teen before quickly continuing when Grimmjow regarded him with wide eyes "I mean, not that I'm not grateful...but why did you go through all that just to save me?"

Blinking repeatedly before looking away, the Arrancar whispered faintly: "Would you accept sheer stupidity as an answer?"

"No" retorted the orange-haired teen categorically with a hint of annoyance in his brown eyes. He was so not accepting that as an answer as he was positive that that was not his reason.

"Figured as much..." the blue-haired sighed with a cheerless smile before trying to reorganize his thoughts "When Aizen...when I was an Espada, I lost myself, not willingly, but I did. During our last battle, in the Hueco Mundo, you said something that woke me up, saved me."

"Saved you?" repeated Ichigo slowly, a little stunned "Saved you from what?"

"From myself" replied Grimmjow in a voice so dried out of emotions that all the males present, with the exception of Gin, could only shudder "Well, a darker side of myself that's been nurtured by Aizen's precious Hogyoku as well as his own fuckin' actions..."

"What...?" frowned Gin suddenly, not grasping what he was hearing: seemingly, this was just one of the many things he wasn't aware of...Courtesy of Aizen.

"Not all the Arrancars freely joined Aizen: some were blackmailed, others were coerced" explained the blue-haired, as he stared at nowhere in particular "Even those who had decided to follow him had either been deceived or lied to in the end, with only two exceptions... Anyway, Aizen was easily able to manipulate and influence them by playing on their aspects of death. With me, at first, he had no such luck as, while I did and still do represent Destruction, I was solely motivated by survival and nothing else. So, as he captured me, he slowly began distorting my incentives, tarnishing my reason, tainting my soul, making me go mad...until I was exactly what he wanted me to be: a being fuelled by hate, thirsting for ruin... The Hogyoku grants desires, right? Mine was to never be brought down to my knees by anyone else ever again...and destroying anyone before me was the only way to achieve that. There was a hitch though: the Hogyoku's powers over me weren't absolute. At times, my mind would become mine again and that's when Aizen would play his part. This erratic on and off control was what helped me remain partially sane and when you, Kurosaki, pointed out that your friends were more important to you than ending me...well, that was my full on wakeup call..."

Whilst Shinji and Byakuya stared at each other in silenced horror and Gin remained quiet for a rather different reason, Ichigo was the one break the silence with a much unexpected question: "You...have friends?"

Vexation coloured the Arrancar's face as he scowled at the teen: "A herd...Not exactly the same, but they're important to me all the same."

"Do I know any of them?" asked the orange-haired teen eagerly, suddenly curious to see the type of individuals the blue-haired surrounded himself with.

Resisting the urge to smile at the other's sudden childlike inquisitiveness, the Arrancar heaved a sigh: "No, you don't. Ah, actually you do. Nelliel was briefly part of it."

"Really?!" chuckled the teen before he raised an eyebrow "Is that why you threatened her but didn't hurt her back then?"

Grimmjow had to shudder at that: "I'm glad I didn't, because even if I knew who was part of my herd and who was my true enemy subconsciously, it didn't stop that I was under the Hogyoku's control. I had no power over my actions, despite knowing what I was doing...the whole time."

"Are you still under its influence?" inquired Byakuya abruptly, the whole concept unsettling him greatly...and he was sure that he wouldn't be the only one.

"No" denied the feline Arrancar before he frowned "At least, I don't think so. I had to be within the proximity of the Hogyoku or Aizen, at times even both, for it to truly and fully control me. That's why Aizen never let me wander too far nor too long from Las Noches."

"That's why in Karakura we never got to finish our battles" realized the orange-haired teen with wide eyes, remembering that both times, Grimmjow had been called away: once by Tousen Kaname and the second time, by Ulquiorra.

"You got the picture" nodded the blue-haired as he shifted to now cross his legs.

Ichigo then grimaced before his next words: "Aizen's...kind of a control freak..."

"You have no fuckin' idea" laughed the blue-haired lowly, finding the teen's choice of words very appropriate.

"I still don't see how that makes him fully evil" declared the blonde while using his fingers to put the word 'evil' between brackets "No offence."

This time, when Grimmjow eyed the other calmly, Shinji realized that he was done dissecting his life for them: "You say this because you're not aware of the extent of what he's done to me nor what he's truly capable of...But enough about me..."

"And what of Inoue?" asked Ichigo abruptly with a concerned expression, his warm brown eyes boring into the Arrancar's blank blue ones.

"What of her?" questioned the blue-haired feline evenly, though his previously enraged heart was now hammering with dread: he had to tread carefully when it came to that girl. He knew far more than he would have wanted concerning her and as such was aware of the feelings she had for this boy. Another thing he had found out upon his arrival at the Seireitei, during his scarce interactions with her, was that she hadn't said a word. Not surprising considering what happened back in Las Noches... All she had to endure and all which she would never tell...she just wouldn't...or couldn't...he really wasn't sure which, but coming to think of it, he was now sure of one thing: no one would ever hear of anything from Orihime's lips. No, definitely not...

"You had mentioned something, back in Las Noches, about me not realizing how much she had been through" recalled the teen carefully before staring at the blue-haired head on "Tell me Grimmjow, what has she been through?"

The blue-haired Arrancar went noticeably pale, regretting mentioning anything in the first place, then again, he wasn't exactly lucid or clear-headed at that time: "It's not my place to say..."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" yelled Ichigo furiously, jumping straight into his protect-my-friends-no-matter-what mode "You didn't hurt her, did you? Because if you did, I swear to God...!"

"No" affirmed the blue-haired solidly, raising both hands in a placating gesture "You have my word: I never laid a hand on her to hurt her."

Ichigo paused for Grimmjow's words seemed quite sincere but then he saw a distinct shadow haunting the Arrancar's eyes, so the teen whispered with a frown: "Then why do you look so guilty?"

Running a shaky hand through his hair, the feline Arrancar exhaled sharply as he closed his eyes: "I blame Aizen...Entirely..."

"Explain yourself, Grimmjow" demanded out the orange-haired entirely unsympathetic of the other's apparent plight now that his friend was concerned: Orihime was like a little sister to him and he'd feel terrible if anything happened to her...especially if he had unable to be there to help her.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Grimmjow spoke his next words through clenched teeth: "The kid was there...every time Aizen deemed it fit to...discipline me. She sometimes had to deal with the healing and stuff...amongst other things..."

Concern over the Arrancar kicking in again, Ichigo gasped in horror: "He would hurt you?!"

"A vague and mild truth, but yeah..." stated the blue-haired feline with a wave of his hand.

"Why would he do something like that?" asked the teen redundantly as he was still appalled.

Chuckling mirthlessly, the Arrancar shook his head: "I don't even want to begin explaining that."

As abruptly as the horrible thought struck, Ichigo lifted his head to stare on with wide dismayed eyes: "Inoue? Did he...?"

"Hurt her?" finished Grimmjow gently, instantly understanding the other's train of thought so he shook his head to reassure the teen "No...Not that I know of..."

"Grimmjow" called out suddenly Gin, drawing the Arrancar's attention "I need to know somethin'. Many Arrancars that accompanied you here were previously deceased. How are they suddenly alive?"

"They were revived" answered the blue-haired bluntly, really not wanting to deal with the silver-haired man at the moment.

"By whom?" insisted still the 3rd Division's captain with a frown, hoping for an answer.

Looking away and shrugging uncaringly, the Arrancar uttered simply: "No fuckin' clue."

"Wasn't it Inoue-san?" questioned the silver-haired man with persistence, not yet ready to let this conversation go.

While Ichigo cast the 3rd Division's captain a bewildered look, Grimmjow deadpanned vigorously: "No."

Gin's eyes widened as he stated openly: "You seem oddly sure of that."

"It wasn't her" maintained the Arrancar with a raised eyebrow, wondering why the other was pointing out the girl in the first place "Aizen amplified her powers, true, but believe me when I say that even she couldn't have done that. It was someone else...Someone far more powerful."

"Amplified her powers?" echoed Shinji inquisitively, while the others' minds reeled at the fact if it was true: Orihime's powers were already near godlike, how more amplified could they become?

"Yep" responded the Arrancar lazily, eyeing the silver-haired and briefly wondering how he wasn't aware. Then again, Aizen wasn't exactly the trusting type now was he?

"Why?" asked the blonde captain, really wanting know why the other would do that in the first place...and honestly hoping that sweet Inoue Orihime hadn't been experimented on or anything along those lines.

"Sorry, but I'm not exactly matey enough with the fuckin' bastard to know the reason" snapped Grimmjow with narrowed eyes, sounding anything but apologetic.

"Why wouldn't it be her?" questioned Gin again, his thought drifting back to the speculations made previously on the orange-haired girl's account and in his case, upheld as he was there...his only doubt stemmed from Aizen's words: so he just needed a confirmation.

"Why do you want it to be her?" growled the feline Arrancar, frustration etched upon his features.

"I was there when he..."

"It never happened" asserted firmly the blue-haired as he shook his head "I can vouch for that. That fuckin' bloody bastard must have found a way to make you believe that. Kyoka Suigetsu, maybe?"

"I beginnin' to think that's definitely what happened" sighed the silver-haired resignedly, finally letting the subject drop "Aizen's a master manipulator, after all: I should know. Still, you just said that he had amplified her powers."

"Yeah, but that still doesn't make her able to amplify others' powers" countered the Arrancar smoothly, hoping to draw their attention away from the girl: if they dwelled too much on the subject, they were bound to find out things neither she nor he would want them to know.

"Say what?" questioned simultaneously Gin, Shinji and Ichigo as they stared wide eyed at the feline Arrancar, the Kuchiki noble doing the same, except he chose to remain silent.

Subtly smirking at his success, Grimmjow began to elucidate his words for them: "Those who followed me seemed to have lost that privilege and Hallibel, her Fracción, Nelliel and I don't seem concerned because we weren't killed in the first place. But the others have all powered up to Vasto Lorde level while those who already were that have even more power than before."

"I can't...I can't believe what I'm hearin'..." struggled Shinji, sharply aware that this was terrible news: just three Vasto Lorde back during the war had managed to give both Shinigami and Vizard a hard time, so he did not dare imagine what more than that could mean for them.

"Believe it" drawled out the Arrancar indolently, feeling all of a sudden utterly exhausted and was vaguely confused by it...until he realized that he had been trekking nonstop ever since Nelliel healed him, resting just barely every now and then: it was a wonder he hadn't collapsed yet. Survival instincts had its perks...in a way.

"Are you in any way aware of Aizen Sosuke's plans, Arrancar?" inquired the noble evenly, narrowing his eyes when he saw the blue-haired feline glaring at him: apparently, they were not going to get along.

Grimmjow seethed furiously: "Do you fuckin' see me standing beside him?! I don't know what he's up to and what I do know ain't gonna be of any grand help."

"Won't hurt to hear it though..." pointed out Shinji as he scratched at his head "Whatever ya can tell us may help, ya never know..."

Playing around with his lower jaw a little, the Arrancar then licked his lips before speaking up again: "I do know this: He never was after the Oken. It was an excuse, a diversion, a cover-up...Call it what you fuckin' want. He foresaw his imprisonment - though not the way it happened - and was even counting on it. What he plans to do with it though is beyond me. Maybe to let his revived soldiers do his bidding or carry out his orders while you're focused on keeping him here. Or maybe he's planning to rip you apart from the inside...Hell do I know..."

"So you too are just as clueless." muttered Gin with a frown: they were getting nowhere, trudging dangerously upon muddled information, unverified facts and biased speculations...

Shrugging for what would be the umpteenth time, the blue-haired feline's gaze flitted to the ceiling: "Seems so."

"You say from the inside..." recalled the Kuchiki noble enquiringly "Meaning?"

At that, the Arrancar hesitated a little upon telling them for he didn't know if he'd be believed, though he then gave it up anyway: "He mentioned one time having many within the Seireitei still devoted to him. I'll let you speculate on what that means..."

"Oh shit..." exclaimed the orange-haired teen in dread "If that's true, it could be anybody."

"It could be ya" stated Shinji bitterly as he glared at the silver-haired captain who in turn cast him a wounded look.

"Oh dear..." muttered Gin, smiling sorrowfully "Here I thought we were past that."

"Hell no" grounded out the blonde heatedly "I've overlooked what ya did, not forgiven it."

"Ah" stated the silver-haired man moderately, closing his eyes.

The 5th Division's captain was about to speak up again but Byakuya beat him to it, uttering his words as steadfastly and consistently as he could: "If we start accusing one another, we'll end up in a personal bloodbath without Aizen Sosuke needing to raise a finger. What we require to do is strengthen our defences, reinforce his confinement and prevent anyone, from within the Seireitei or out of it, to come in contact with him, with the exception of his interrogators and the Gotei 13's captains. I'll forward this thought to the Head Commander. Should we follow this vigilantly, we should be fine."

Grimmjow once again barked out a mocking laugh before sneering at the noble: "You're in over your heads if you fuckin' think that you stand a chance against Aizen. No matter what you intend to do to stop him, no matter how close you are to guessing his schemes, he'll always be one step ahead."

Raising an eyebrow haughtily, the Kuchiki clan's leader countered firmly: "What is it that you suggest then, Arrancar?"

"I already told you" snarled Grimmjow meaningfully "Fuckin' run while you still can."

"That is not an option" declared the noble steadfastly with a shake of his head.

"Your loss..." scoffed the blue-haired feline uncaringly before focusing back on the teen again "Another thing, Kurosaki, though it doesn't really concern you directly, I thought you should know 'cause of you little black-haired Shinigami girlfriend."

Blanching when he saw the elder brother send him a deadly withering glare, the orange-haired spluttered out in indignation: "Rukia's not my...!"

"Whatever, kid" cut off the Arrancar impatiently with a wave of his hand, though his lips had curved into a mischievous smirk "I have no fuckin' idea why but Aizen spoke of taking down the nobles as soon as he could and he's mostly aiming for the highest of the four clans. The Kuchiki, I think. Same name as that girl so to speak. Bastard even said he was very interested in getting his hands on the clan's leader. Bya-something."

"Byakuya..." gasped Ichigo softly, while the others, including the one concerned, felt strongly uneasy at that fact: there had been hints that Aizen had somewhat expressed interest in the noble, but why would Byakuya draw Aizen's interest like that in the first place was something no one so far had come to decipher.

"Yeah, that was his name" confirmed Grimmjow with a nod before he noticed everyone staring wide-eyed at the black-haired captain in the room...and it clicked "You're him?"

Firm dark grey eyes flitted towards him as an elegant eyebrow rose: "Until further notice, I am."

Now staring him at openly as if seeing the noble for the first time or simply seeing him in a new light, the Arrancar clicked his tongue as an unexpectedly rueful expression settled on his face: "Well, pretty boy, you're definitely screwed. You should be the first to run."

Forcefully ignoring the term of endearment for now, Byakuya frowned in vague annoyance as he felt a certain pattern repeat itself: "Are you telling me to be wary of Aizen Sosuke?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Then know that I also dislike repeating myself, though I'll indulge you just this once. Like I said before: it is not an option. Not only am I a noble, I am also a Kuchiki. I will not run in the face of threats and I will stand to fight for the Seireitei until my last breath. I do not fear Aizen Sosuke" pronounced the noble in frigid anger, his face stretched out into an impassive mask, before he turned around and left promptly after that, leaving a roaring stillness in the wake of his departure.

"His words fuckin' say otherwise..." commented the Arrancar quietly to no one in particular as he watched the noble leave before refocusing on the Substitute Shinigami and speaking cautiously, positive that his next words would sting "Kurosaki. You shouldn't get involved in what's gonna come."

Grimmjow was impeccably right because the instant his words of caution left his mouth, the teen glared at him murderously, not even bothering to make his sentence sound like a question: "What was that."

Sighing at the totally expected reaction, the blue-haired heaved a sigh: "Look, I'm saying this for you own good. You don't have your powers, kid. There's nothing you can do."

"So?!" scowled Ichigo heatedly "I'm not going to sit back and let Aizen wreck the Seireitei and attack the Shinigami without doing anything to help!"

"And exactly are you going to do, hm?" countered the feline Arrancar with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow: was the kid crazy? As his mind flitted back to past events, Grimmjow had to admit that his question was rather redundant.

"I don't know! Something! I have to!" exclaimed the teen in a huff of fury, refusing to back down.

"Why? You don't owe them shit" spat the blue-haired forcefully while nodding his head towards where the Kuchiki noble had left moments ago for emphasis "And last I checked, you helped him, he never helped you."

"And you know this how?" asked the orange-haired teen with a frown: if Grimmjow was referring to what he thought he was, that was a little too far way in the past for the Arrancar to know about it.

"Aizen..." began the Arrancar with a roll of his eyes "...gave us a rather lengthy monologue depicting what he knew of your life."

Ichigo remained awkwardly silent for a moment before he shuddered in aversion: "Ok...That's freakishly creepy... Anyway, I care about everyone here - although it's not mutual with some - and I'll fight, even powerless if I have to, to protect them."

The Arrancar wordlessly maintained eye contact with the other before closing his eyes and sighing: "Suit yourself."

"Yo, Blue" spoke up Shinji in all seriousness, outright ignoring the glare he earned upon his insistence to use that appellation "Tell us about the revived Arrancars that have sided with Aizen. The more we know, the better."

Lifting a sole finger, the blue-haired declared decisively: "Before I do, I have one condition."

"Name it and we'll see what we can do..." promised the 5th Division's captain as he nodded towards Gin who returned the gesture before stating honestly "Though don't expect too much effort from my part, 'kay?

"The others and I can't go back to the Hueco Mundo" confessed the feline Arrancar steadily "And I think it's obvious as to why. That being said, we have nowhere to go and the Human world is not an option."

The 3rd Division's captain had his eyes widen slightly: "Are you asking what I think you are...?"

Nodding to confirm the other's thoughts, Grimmjow lowered his head slightly whereas his voice fell a little: "I'm asking for protection, even if it's behind bars. I'd bet it's far safer and way better than being back in that fucker's hands."

"Do...Would the other Arrancars agree?" wondered Ichigo aloud, stunned by what he was hearing.

The Arrancar gave him an unreadable look before revealing quietly: "They already have: this was their idea. I'm just their barterer. Me? I'm planning to die after this...One way or another."

To be continued…

Voila! Though, no Aizen in this chapter (well no present-time Aizen at least): fret not, next chapter will be (normally) mostly devoted to him (remember, he is being interrogated) and a part of his past will be revealed...if not all of it: I don't know yet. Also, I ask you to please review: it's hard for me to write without knowing if my fic's has faults or if it is appreciated or not...so it would be very kind of you, to spare a minute or less giving an analysis... That being said, I'd like to sincerely thank those following this story and hope to bring you the next chapter soon. So bye!

Next Chapter: Evil Rooted Origins:

(1): I may be exaggerating the time frame a little: so the fact is that Ichigo has been out cold for ten days straight (not much when you think about it but it was actually his erratic yet continuous decrease in reiatsu causing his coma that was worrying the others).

(2): The Kurosaki and the Ishida for this fic (without taking into consideration the actual manga plotline) are and will be pointed out as cousin families...just because I like the idea of Ichigo and Uryuu being cousins... This fic however doesn't nod at all towards Ichigo's Quicny heritage: I'm leaving that out...

A/N: A few words I'd like to say about Aizen. We all see him as a handsome powerful mastermind, but I'd like to add at least two things to that: I definitely see him as far more evil especially if he hadn't lost, plus EVERYTHING that was and had been in Bleach one way or another was his plan, at least majorly concerning Ichigo and I find that chilling to be honest. I say that because of all the manga villains I've encountered, I still haven't found a villain 'thinking' ahead in such an elaborate way (if there is, do tell and no: Raito Yagami, from Death Note, doesn't count)... Basically in every scene, Aizen always had a step ahead over everyone, more than once. His only short sight (which was what led to his downfall) is that he hadn't pictured Ichigo surpassing him: being on the same level, yes (that was what he had aimed for) but surpassing him and overwhelming him...so not on his agenda... Anyways, all this is to say that if the Aizen in this fic is evil to you, know that it is based an exaggerated 'what if' that inspired this fic (at least one of the inspirations I had for it) because I was all like: What would Aizen do if he ever got out? Revenge clearly...but how far would he take it?

Also, I have to admit that for Aizen's personality in this fic ('cause I really didn't want to get him wrong and I didn't want to make him too rudimentary either), I kind of merged it (to make him seem even more malevolent) with Muraki's (from Yami no Matsuei) and this is thanks to something I found when BLG (Bleach List's Girl) pointed it out in one of her writings (if you don't know her, I do recommend you check her out, especially if you want to laugh your head off: she is utterly hilarious and has her very own prompt blog on tumblr ( .com), mainly about Bleach but there's other stuff too), which really inspired me. Ironically, Muraki and Aizen are voiced by the same Seiyu. Wicked, right?

Something else, did you now (because I didn't): that 'Caveat' literally means 'Let him beware' in Latin? I think it's very fitting for whole situation, don't you? I mean Grimmjow just wants to warn Ichigo, only Ichigo, right? So 'let him beware' seems to have a better ring then a simple 'warning'... I wanted to use a different word instead of the word 'warning', so I did some research in a thesaurus and found this: Glad I did.

I know that you're getting a shipping vibe between Orihime and Grimmjow. Let me reassure you: I have no actual intention of putting them together. Like a mentioned before, I'm not shipping anyone in particular (at least not in this fic), though scenes like the ones in this chapter (and future chapters) can be viewed the way you wish it: I prefer it that way, free interpretation for everyone. Let's just say, for Hime and Grimm that they found a certain 'solace' as they were both subjected together to Aizen's malicious cruelty, so they have either a warm sibling-like relationship or a rather platonic relationship...as platonic as it can get when having been forced to perform sexually on each other (coughs). Aizen is vindictive and unkind...or maybe it's me: this is also free to your interpretation...

P.S: My posting days will, apparently if nothing goes wrong, be between the 8th and the 16th of every month; if not, it'll be the month after with, if I can, more than just one chapter...though due to how lengthy I tend to write them, I don't guarantee anything more than a chapter by month but who knows (the 3rd chapter isn't ready yet though, sorry)... I'll try to renew my profile whenever I can to keep you updated. Remember to please review. Bye!