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.

15. Part One: Chapter 10

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

A/N: Hello! Wow, I honestly cannot believe that Part One of this fic has been going on for a full year! A year: it feels like such a feat…sort of. Other than that, being an Autumn-Winter person, I am dying due to the horrid heat: it's agonizing! I'd give anything to be lost in the mountains right now instead of being stuck here with 38°+ (sobs pathetically)... (Clears throat before bowing down reverently) Thank you to all and everyone who have followed this fic until this chapter! I would like to deeply thank from the very bottom of my heart:

beffypoo, WhiteW12-0, cassidymystery, AnsemMesna, NaZa-Fan x Konchichi, kayray20, HisakawaKasumi, PedroJLife, ChizomenoHime, LucyAlexandra, Daelwen, Enjali, andzia16118, bellwish, Rize Shirosaki, Saniwa, Shinnie, haeuni, emberosia116, wickedgamesf, Y-T3cH, Lombax901, heikadashie, boomingmaster, Roza Negra, xXOceaxChanXx, Speedyquader, Rosalix Archangel, Sir Fabulous III, mischi2610, 14brendale, My-Feral-Heart, Eepee, RedQueen55, Darkness9825 and pinkbaby177 for following from the beginning to the end of Part One;

beffypoo, blutvene, NaZa-Fan x Konchichi, Daelwen, andzia16118, ladyrossi, heikadashie, Silvermist023, Princess Spara, WhiteW12-0, boomingmaster, Roza Negra, Speedyquader, Rosalix Archangel, xXOceaxChanXx, mischi2610, Lady Rin06, 14brendale, Eepee, Lady Nature, Zoe Jane Yaxley, Cheyhuahua, Jaqualine Betz, RosemaryBetz, Star2001, BloodySpade000, pinkbaby177 and Purple lion butterfly for adding this fic to their favourites;

And to Every Other Guest, named or not, for taking their time to review (and a very special thanks to Enjali especially, who reviewed each chapter since they started reading, and also to Speedyquader for their very helpful and supportive advice).

To All of you, THANK YOU so much! I deeply apologize for all the waiting, the cliff-hangers, the tardy and very most likely bizarre and dark updates you guys had to read, as well as having to put up with my incessant blabbermouth (I'm usually not this eloquent in real life, true story). To those who enjoyed the first part of this fic, thank you! I'm glad you liked it because it was my first time writing anything like this at all, so thanks a million! To those who didn't, well...Sorry? I guess... My excuse? Uh...To be continued, signed Seth's Kiss. Anyhow, here's the last chapter of Part One, do enjoy!

To Guest 1: Thank you for your review! And dou itemashte (I believe that is one of the ways we can say 'You're welcome' in Japanese, right?) to you! I'm SO happy you like it; it makes me feel so grand better! I hope you'll keep on enjoying this fic! Bye-bye!

To Orion13: Hello Orion13! Hope you're doing ok! No worries about being late (and besides you're not that late), what matters is that you did review, so thank you so much for that ;) And I wish you very good luck on your thesis. Hope you'll ace it. Now, about the fic: Yep, Ichigo was a little too complaint, I just hope he didn't come out as meek, but like you said, it's mostly due to inexperience, and there's that senseless but solid trust he harbours towards Grimmjow, I guess. If the perpetrator had been Aizen, I believe Ichigo would have reacted very differently. As for Byakuya, well, I may feel faintly sensitive to his plight, but due to him being my least favourite amongst the trio of main characters in this fic (as in Ichi, Grimm and Bya-Bya), I don't feel that sorry for him. It's easier for me to hurt further than usual a character I dislike rather than one I like… Jealousy can be deadly, and there is a discord amongst Aizen's allies, which may or may not be flagrant and that will be played with later on. The more unexpected things are for you dear readers, the better I feel, 'cause if you guess it all, reading just eventually gets way boring... I find it interesting that you're the first and only one so far to point out on Manter's eerie obsession with Yumichika: this too will be explored in depth in later chapters. Thank you so much for your review, and for caring! Really, I'm touched. Truth is, I'm a very frail person with a heart problem: too much stress or strain isn't good for me. Other than that, I'm ok :) Sort of… Anyways, please do enjoy the update and I hope to hear from you again soon! Bye!

Rating for this chapter: This chapter is reasonably safe, though it may contain emotional hurt.

Part One: Victory Falls:

Chapter 10: One Last Time:

Chuckling sinisterly, Aizen smirked loftily due to the impact his words were causing his dear captives: shaking visibly with their eyes lowered, as anger and despair ran through them, not daring to look up in case their captive chose to interpret their raging emotions as insolence.

To say that he was just satisfied was an absurd understatement. Aizen was thrilled, ecstatic. Knowing that everything was going his way, exactly like he planned for it, like he wanted it, was just sheer bliss. And in a mere matter of time now, breaking these three - well, one of them wasn't quite included, given that that one was already moulded to his liking - would become a circadian pleasure for him.

Not only that, but now that he had his hands on the Kuchiki noble, a rather deadly dilemma that had been troubling him for decades, was now becoming even less likely to happen...

Dark brown eyes then flitted over just as enraged blue ones, filled with immeasurable hatred and hostility, rose to meet his, leading the child of chaos to sigh inwardly, as he was led to recall a minor but rather significant detail. There was one thing that needed to be taken care of, and it had to be dealt with, now, without delay.

"Grimmjow" called out the immortal evenly as he motioned for the blue-haired to follow him whilst opening the door with a wave of his other hand "A word."

There was no real need for Aizen to insist any further than that, for not a minute later they both stood in the white hall, the door closed again as they stayed staring unblinkingly at each other in silence, one doing so with limitless loathing and the other with undying amusement.

"No biting remark?" goaded the immortal after a moment, smirking scathingly at the other.

"Depends" retorted the former Arrancar, baring his teeth with a low growl, as if threatening to actually bite "Do you want me to fuckin' give you one?"

The child of chaos merely chuckled in response, as always entertained by his feline's resentful impudence, before he sobered and spoke up with lethal intensity: "There's something I'd like to make clear, my beloved. From now on, in no way are you to be an anchor to either of those two. I have said nothing until presently, notably concerning the Shinigami Substitute, but this simply cannot continue. My future plans concerning those two will in no way be hindered by whatever allegiance it is that you have established with or for them. Have I been clear?"

Grimmjow had known that this was coming. Hell, he'd been expecting it well before now. The other had told him exactly the same thing when he had noticed that, upon caging the feline, that the latter had developed a semblance of familial relationship with his herd. And upon threatening him with that thinly, fragile, nigh impossible to have bond, Grimmjow had decreed to the members of his herd that detachment was their best and only solution. And so, that's what they all had done, and still did.

They had kept a certain familiarity amongst each other - until that one time the Hogyoku had conditioned them to the immortal's liking, that is - but when something, anything at all, occurred to one of them, the others would simply smother, deep down, any reaction. It wasn't quite indifference, but rather a sort of objectivity. An apathetic, crude, malicious objectivity, but still, quite a mandatory one.

But, in this case, his current predicament, was very, if not completely, different for the feline.

Though he had tried time and again to maintain a separate notion between the concepts of loyalty and sympathy, the former Arrancar wasn't able to dissociate one from the other when it came to Kurosaki Ichigo. He had mediated long and hard on what may be the actual reason, coming up with many possibilities that were either preposterous or unconvincing.

Either way, he knew fully well, without any doubt, that 'objectivity', in the kid's case, would not be an answer he could live with.

"The pureblood's not really my fuckin' concern, so whatever" stated Grimmjow nonchalantly, before his tone hardened firmly, resolutely, dauntingly "Can't really say the same for the kid."

Aizen's eyes widened but a fraction before it was gone the next second, leaving room instead for a fair presence of intolerance upon his features: "Are you defying me, Grimmjow?"

"I've always defied you. Don't fuckin' act like this is something new."

And that, was no lie. The blue-haired's insubordination was a trait that Aizen never really managed to completely crush, so he just grew used to it, eventually coming to grow fond of it.

The actual reason for the other's current act of rebelliousness, though, wasn't something he had foreseen, nor did it accommodate him in the least.

Given his fickle personality, the immortal had believed that former Arrancar's protectiveness over Ichigo was temporary, passing. Aizen had plans for the boy, not as important as the ones he held for the pureblood, but still. However, should the feline interfere, choosing to shield him - and it was not something Grimmjow would ever do halfway - they just couldn't happen.

If he ever wanted them to see the light of day, he'd have to find a way for the blue-haired to drop the shielding part on his own accord.

Tricky, but feasible. Manipulation was a forte of his after all.

"True. You do it incessantly although you're in no position to" remarked the immortal after a moment in a patronizing tone, before he considered the other and one of his eyebrows then slowly arched upwards, a sly smile to his lips "That boy truly is important to you, isn't he?"

Noting that the child of chaos no longer bought his feigned indifference towards the orange-haired, the blue-haired chose to express annoyance instead, snarling quietly as he spoke past clenched teeth: "We've been through this already, Aizen. I owe him, a lot, and since I failed repaying him in full - fuckin' thanks to you - I'm doing whatever I can to make us even."

"Knowing you like I do, I would have agreed that it resumed to just that. Only you displayed a certain level of affection towards the boy prior that I wasn't aware you had," pointed out the immortal wickedly as he tapped his fingers lightly against the feline's lips, hinting to all the kisses that had been exchanged with the teen, smirking when the other growled lowly in response "Your growing obsession for him really does drive you to extreme lengths, doesn't it?"

"So does yours" barked back Grimmjow as he vividly pulled back, subtly smug when he saw the other's expression tighten slightly, apparently striking a nerve, though he wasn't quite sure which one he had managed to hit exactly.

"In any case, I'm going to pretend that I believe you," drawled out Aizen evenly, acting as if the feline hadn't spoken at all, before remaining in brief silence as he pondered "Alright then, I'll relent."

Blue eyes immediately narrowed with heavy suspicion: "What's the catch?"

The child of chaos raised his eyebrows at that, wearing manufactured innocence: "Must there be one?"

"There's always one with you" deadpanned the former Arrancar easily, leading the other to promptly drop his façade and chuckle, the tone of it a prelude to wicked malevolence.

Slowly nearing the other until they stood face to face, noses touching - for the blue-haired defiantly hadn't pulled back this time - Aizen breathed out with velvet wickedness: "I - only I - will not lay a finger on him, sparing him of any of my turpitude, but that will not go for anyone else, given where we are heading. And anything that he does, not in compliance with his orders, you will pay for it. In full. And dearly."

Grimmjow, yet again, didn't budge a fraction as the other closed the distance that separated them and stole a kiss, making it invasive, violent. There was no love behind it, no affection, not even lust. It was merely a sadistic show of power, to go in tandem with his words. A solid proof that there was nothing concrete to counter them.

Unhurriedly pulling away a little, the immortal spoke against the feline's lips, taunting him: "How does that sound? I think it's perfect, since you are so intent on repaying him, hm?"

"Fuckin' beast" seethed the other within a tightened whisper, filled to the brim with hatred. The 'catch' that the child of chaos had put forward was just plain awful, through and through.

If Grimmjow refused it, Aizen would have direct access to Ichigo, no checkpoints needed. But it also remained the case if he accepted, for what would be the teen's reaction when he found out what was going on behind the scenes? He wouldn't stand for it, and might even demand a change in the rules, a change that Aizen would undeniably shape to his every single benefit.

Once again, everything was only to the immortal's advantage and no one else's.

"Me? A beast? Hilarious that I should hear that from a feline" countered Aizen smoothly with a smirk, before he fully pulled away "Go back in now, my beloved. I'll be leaving ahead of you. The three of you will be escorted on later."

Slowly taking in the information he had just been given, the blue-haired questioned tensely: "You...You're really taking us - them - there? That place?"

The immortal didn't respond as he opened the door again, gesturing for the other to get in. Complying begrudgingly, the feline walked on in, restless, and, just before the door locked on itself again, Grimmjow heard the child of chaos address him, only him, with a viciously elated smile, blatantly hidden in his quiet tone: "Why ask when you already know the answer?"

000000000000000000000000000000000000

Hinamori was depressed. And it had nothing to do with her abruptly having a change of heart.

Right after their triumph, she had been expecting to spend quality time with their victor, only Aizen had been rather absent. Or maybe he was just being distant, and Hinamori was left wondering if it was because she had done something wrong. She then assumed that, no, she may not be the cause and that she had to be reasonable as Aizen had many things to consider.

Afterwards, she overheard rumours that her cousin was planning to leave both the Seireitei and the Hueco Mundo for an undetermined period of time, bequeathing all power over their newly conquered world to her uncle, in addition to his most trusted Espada taking over Las Noches during in his absence.

Here, she was highly troubled, yet determined to know what her future husband's plans were.

And so, on those thoughts, Hinamori let herself in Las Noches - after using the Octavo's gems to teleport there - before searching for the immortal and losing herself in the halls as she went.

About to call upon one of the Espada to be her guide after taking yet another turn to no avail, the young female Aizen found herself standing right in front of the Witch of Lust, and a cold chill ran down the long of her spine. She just did not know what to make out of this...woman.

"Manter" greeted Hinamori plainly with a curt nod, resolute to show none of her nervousness.

Yet, Manter effortlessly felt it anyway, beaming with broad eccentricity as she bowed low in response to the other's greeting: "Hinamori-sama."

Utterly mute for a moment due to the other's smile, the female Aizen tried to get her petrified tongue to function: "I heard that Aizen-sama was heading for the Human World."

"You heard correctly" was the witch's unelaborated reply as she walked off indolently, much to the other's inconvenience who hurriedly followed.

"Why?" inquired Hinamori pryingly, curiosity taking over as she desired to know what were the reasons that would push her cousin to want to go there now of all times.

"That, my dear girl, you should ask him yourself. And, perhaps, convince him that he would be better off staying here in the end" the witch added as an afterthought, before she let out a long, weary sigh, a hand to her lips "Oh, how I worry for that child."

Brief silence instilled itself as the child of chaos eyed the other with judging scrutiny, before she asked in a near accusing tone: "You love Aizen-sama, don't you?"

"More than life itself, honey," confessed Manter openly, mismatched eyes softening as she privately reminisced on the past, fingers tapping her chin delicately "I did raise him after all."

"That I know," commented Hinamori with a subtle roll of her eyes, before realization hit her "Oh! Then, you..."

"He is like a son to me," revealed the witch sweetly, laughing lightly at the other's obvious embarrassment "Do not feel threatened by me, Hinamori-sama. I will not be the one to steal him from you."

"Oh, dear me. I'm sincerely sorry," mumbled the female Aizen, feeling terribly guilty, and yet not at all registering what Manter had insinuated "I feel like a fool."

"Do not. Jealousy is a true sign of devotion. Leaves me with the growing impression that you are, indeed, a good bride for Aizen-sama" complimented the Witch of Lust with a striking smile, right before her mind formulated in a contradicting whisper 'But not the perfect one'.

A deep blush brightened the other's features, as she was quite pleased with herself to receive such a praise: "That is truly kind of you. Thank you."

"Not at all. Also, I-"

The witch cut herself off as she abruptly halted in her steps, an unseen but brutal whiplash assaulting her, causing her head to snap backwards and drawing a sharp pained gasp from her. Startled, Hinamori watched the other with wide eyes as Manter's shaking hands flew up to her face, pressing the tips of her fingers to her temples as if an actual living, walking migraine had attacked her.

"Manter? Are you alright?"

Wide blown mismatched eyes remained unfocused for quite a while, and, when they became lucid again, the Witch of Lust uttered quietly: "Please forgive me. I must go."

And, without another word, she suddenly ran off, dashing at alarming speed down the white corridors, hastily directing herself to where the lord of Las Noches was presently located.

Without knocking, the witch burst into the room, catching the immortal putting on a cloak as he was readying himself to leave, before she addressed him with a clear tremble to her tensed tone: "You have changed your mind about something, Aizen-sama. Whatever it is, do not."

"Hello to you too, Manter" teased the child of chaos with a smile, not taking in her distress just yet, given that she stood behind him "Must you always be this uncanny when you address someone? How about a greeting for once, hm?"

Turning around just as his cousin breathlessly joined the two of them, the witch's state was then fully registered by the other when she didn't reply, or move, or even blink, staring at him with wide eyes filled with terror and utter horror, as if the one she was looking at was dead.

Correction: As if, he already was dead.

Realizing that this was serious, a faint frown crossed his features as he inquired her gently, curious as to what was troubling his surrogate mother now: "Manter, what is this about?"

"I do not know" she admitted with a desperate shake of her head, before she pointed at him in a mildly accusing tone "This is a decision you made. Or are making, I am not sure."

Brown eyebrows rose: "A decision? Ah, yes. I see. You do remember about Doll, don't you?"

The witch's eyes widened, darting over to the female Aizen beside her, before staring at the other as if he had gone mad. He was mentioning her in front of Hinamori? How very daring.

Ignoring the inquisitive stare the brown-haired girl cast her, Manter focused on replying the other: "Of course."

"And do you recall of our condition?"

It wasn't hard to forget really. Actually, it was impossible to forget.

The never-ending strife between the immortal and the doll - though mostly and majorly on the latter's end, despite it having been originated by the former - was a violent feud and unhealthy union, both verbal and carnal, of chaotic and hectic emotions that had been going as long as the witch can remember. And for a very long time, Manter had feared how it would all be brought to an end, for the doll was unpredictable and had been rendered utterly unhinged, as well as being entirely unafraid of repercussions.

And then, an armistice was initiated. An oath, which one had been highly reluctant to uphold, while the other had been ready to do anything to sustain it. Eventually, however, this vow saw the light. One that had been actively in play for more than over a hundred years.

"I do" nodded the dark brown-haired witch, wondering where Aizen was going with this and why would it have anything to do with the foreboding feeling that assaulted her previously.

The immortal's response to that thought came straight after, and it wasn't one she had been prepared to hear: "I was thinking of revoking it."

Breath hitching, Manter paled significantly, bewildered by how easily and willingly Aizen put himself in jeopardy.

No wonder what she felt was of such an alarming magnitude. Doll, will not like this one bit...

"I do not question your choices in life, Aizen-sama, but this is unwise. Highly so. Doll is not someone with whom you can renegotiate. Especially given the nature of the condition. It will only end badly."

"True, but I'm quite firm about this."

Jaw set in faint irritation at the other's obduracy, the Witch of Lust attempted once more to reason the child of chaos: "Aizen-sama. What is looming above your path was already dark as it was with your actions. It has just become even darker with this decision, amongst a few others. Is it really worth it?"

"I will not die, Manter. That much, I can assure you" he declared with irrevocability, before readjusting his white cloak "Now, excuse me, but I must leave. I'm actually quite late-"

"Hold on a minute" interjected the female Aizen abruptly with wide panicked eyes "What're you talking about? Why would you die at all, Aizen-sama? You're immortal now. And who's this 'Doll' you speak of?"

After exchanging glances with the witch, who could only roll her eyes at him due to his indiscretion, the child of chaos spoke up smoothly: "Don't worry, Hinamori. It's none of your concern."

"I'd say it is," she corrected fixedly, with a hysteric raise in her tone "And I do worry, Aizen-sama. You can't ask me not to."

Smiling with a tenderness that did not suit him, the immortal walked over to her and traced his thumb softly over her cheek as he held her gaze: "I may have been a little insensitive towards you, so I apologize. Know that I wholeheartedly appreciate how much you care."

Relaxing at his words, her gaze softened as she blushed prettily under his touch: "Thank you, Aizen-sama."

Leaning in and placing a kiss upon her forehead, the child of chaos then spoke up smoothly: "But, my sweet girl, I ask you not to question my decisions. Do you understand, Hinamori?"

Aizen's gentle gesture and soothing voice, both empowered by a subtle influence which had a hypnotic effect upon her and instantly had her go lax, despite not truly grasping what the other had just said, before she murmured compliantly: "As you wish, Aizen-sama."

Dark brown eyes darkening in amusement went totally unseen, before he pulled back and smiled charmingly at her: "Wonderful. Now, be a sweet girl for me, go back on the field and give a hand to my father. He'll need you more than I will. Also, from now on, take Loly and Menoly wherever you go. I leave them entirely at your disposal."

As she nodded submissively, he smirked and then whispered one last furtive command right within her ear: "One last thing, sweetheart. Patiently await my return. No need to come to the Human World, alright?"

"By your command, Aizen-sama" uttered Hinamori reverently with a deep bow, before she excused herself and left the room, not once dwelling on the fact that the other had pushed his thoughts imperceptibly into her mind.

A particular, last resort privilege the Aizen had when their silver tongues no longer had effect.

Shaking his head at his cousin's gullibility, the child of chaos turned his attention towards one of the only two women that mattered to him in his life. And no, Hinamori wasn't concerned...

"Manter?" called out the immortal gently, earning an exasperated glare from the witch as she focused her agitated attention on him.

"You are putting your life in danger. On your own. Consciously" she stressed out vigorously "I also vividly express my distress. And righteously so."

"I understand it, and I more than thank you for it" uttered Aizen gratefully, before declaring decisively "But it remains my life, Manter. And I'm more than able to keep it. Besides, you were the one to express relief when I told you that I was going indeed there."

She vividly shook her head in contradiction at that: "That no longer remains a relief as you keep altering your decisions. Doing so, changes everything, every single time. Nothing stays set the same forever, and this you know."

"I am very much aware, yes," he confirmed knowingly, before he smiled at her gently "You will accompany me, won't you? I'll be more than safe with you by my side."

"I wish to believe in your self-assurance, I really do. But my visions remain stronger than your words" she confessed in all honesty, before she quite noticeably shivered although it was short-lived "And Doll, do you not dread her wrath? It is worse than that of blazing fire, notably when pushed in the wrong direction. Even I cannot possibly save you from it, forI am powerless before her."

The Witch of Lust was quite tempted to add 'just as you are', only they both knew well that Aizen's inability to bring any deadly damage to Doll had nothing at all to do with incapacity.

"I would not worry that much about Doll, Manter. I've rather easily extinguished that temper of hers," he said casually, before his next words were spoken tautly, an ounce of unexpected regret to them "Just as I subdued her in the end."

"That is the very problem here present. She is not subdued. Not the way you imagine her to be" denied Manter warningly "She will do everything it takes to break free from you, truce be truly and utterly damned, just like she has become."

"She won't" stated the child of chaos confidently, entire posture rigid "I'll make sure of that."

Manter noticed, that though the immortal spoke with confidence, his whole demeanour lacked its usual arrogance, like he was already quite acutely aware that this was something he was going to have to fight for with far more effort than for all he has had to deal with in the past. The witch sighed inwardly with dread: that girl would be the death of Aizen. And he knew it...

"Still" she attempted, adamant in finding some miracle way to shield the other "To make sure that your fate stays somewhat stable, it would be best to balance it."

A dark brown eyebrow slowly quirked upwards under the gesture of an inquiry: "Such as?"

"By doing the opposite of something you have already decided, no matter its cost" elaborated Manter, before she slowly repeated the alternative "Either that, or you choose to release Doll."

The other's reply was immediate: "I'm not letting Doll go, Manter. I'm never letting her go."

"I am rather aware," sighed Manter wearily, a knowing, wistful smile to her lips, before she sobered as she recalled something that she had yet to mention to the immortal "Another thing before you go on ahead. Amidst what I see and what I am seeing, I saw Kuchiki Byakuya. Not that I care about that man in the least, but the blur of an image I saw was rather...disturbing."

Here, despite the other raising his eyebrows with interest, he didn't seem surprised: "Do tell."

"There was something, I know not what, tainting him" she paused meditatively, before she amended her statement "No. That was not quite it. He was already tainted. This, this was gnawing at him, overtaking him. A darkness. A sin. However, I did not see how it ended. Still, it was quite vivid, and very powerful" mismatched blue eyes locked with dark brown ones, searching them curiously "I have an outrageous inkling, Aizen-sama, but I would rather hear it from you. What do you intend to do to Kuchiki Byakuya, beyond the humiliation you have readied for him? What of the other two?"

"Grimmjow and Ichigo?" said the child of chaos with an arched eyebrow, before smiling sinisterly "I now have a well-founded hold over my beloved feline thanks to the boy being in play, something that hadn't ever been possible in the past. Grimmjow never cared this much for anyone before - except perhaps Orihime to a certain extent - and I'm merely exhorting that fact to its fullest. As for dear Byakuya..."

The smirk Aizen then wore, along with the dark laugh accompanying it, was unsettling beyond any compare for anyone else who would have heard it: "I simply going to have him revert to what his origins once were, well before the Pureblood reign dawned."

Manter's eyes went impossibly wide upon hearing that, before she slowly reflected the other's expression, her asphyxiating anxiety evaporating into thin air: "How brilliantly befitting. Not only that, Aizen-sama, but I do believe that you have just saved yourself from what was awaiting you."

000000000000000000000000000000000000

Grimmjow was quiet. Very quiet. And it was unsettling Ichigo and even Byakuya to no end. They were both very aware that the cause was Aizen, but neither could determine the reason. After attempting to repeatedly inquire him upon it, they eventually gave up on pestering him - since he didn't even acknowledge them, lost somewhere in the midst of his silent thoughts - and began focusing on what was coming for them.

Awhile after Aizen had left, the door reopened again, revealing Ulquiorra, as unperturbed as usual, who informed them that he'd be the one to escort them for their invisible goodbye tour.

It didn't even cross their minds to resist or defy. What good would it do anyway? The child of chaos had been clear: they weren't the ones who'd pay for any transgression made on their part.

Oddly enough, the first to get up and walk out without hesitance had been Grimmjow, not uttering a single word. Whether the Espada had caught onto why, he hadn't commented on it, not even looking in the blue-haired's direction, instead keeping his stare upon the other two who were slightly less sure about how to proceed.

Then, Byakuya had wordlessly followed, a faint limp still present within his walk, leading Ichigo to cringe, before he had glanced at the dark-haired Espada awkwardly, as the teen had stood, but not yet to move towards the door.

The orange-haired teenager had been wondering if the other was actually aware of what had transpired between the three of them within that very room. And that mere thought disturbed him to no end.

"Move, Kurosaki Ichigo" had said Ulquiorra, without a single chink in his flat expression "You merely have a day. Better not waste any moment of it."

Presently, the four of them stood within the Seiretei, which had changed yet again since they had last seen it.

Emerging from the ruins, slow but steady constructions were progressively giving birth to the new face of the Shinigami's original home world, being totally reshaped to the Aizen's liking at an alarming rate. But what was truly perturbing to witness was that the remaining male survivors of the Gotei 13 - now gone and burnt to ashes - had all been reduced to workers, to slaves. There they were, forced to partake in the renovation, with their wrists shackled with seki cuffs, skin dripping with sweat due to overexertion, backs exposed to the sharp lick of whips of the Rukongai's people when they slowed down or sparked defiance.

In short, it was ugly. Very ugly.

And no words were able to measure the horror the invisible trio felt, but their expressions easily translated it for them, especially the usually inexpressive Kuchiki.

His wide grey eyes then darted around, searching for his family members, only for panic to prick painfully at him when he didn't catch sight of them.

As if guessing what was on the noble's mind, Ulquiorra spoke up: "If you're seeking those of your clan, Kuchiki Byakuya, they're not here."

This information startled the one concerned, causing his distraught mind to come up with terrifying scenarios: "Why? Where are they?"

"Aizen-sama simply deemed it unnecessary to have them participate in these labours. As for where they are, they now would be residing within the Aizen Mansion."

"The Aizen Mansion?" repeated the Kuchiki slowly with unconcealed surprise "No such place exists, in or out of the Seireitei."

A pale hand then pointed in a given direction for clarification, which the dark-haired noble followed: "It'd be that mansion, there."

Irked, Byakuya rectified the other in a low, taut tone of voice: "That is the Kuchiki Mansion."

The Cuatro's next words caused a cold chill to descend the Kuchiki's spine: "It used to be."

"This is not fair, damn it!" exploded the Shinigami Substitute all of a sudden, swiftly drawing three pairs of wide eyes upon his furious features, as he stood rigid with rage, his inner sense of altruism taking over, no longer able to keep quiet.

"Kurosaki Ichigo" uttered the noble softly through faintly parted lips as he stared at the other.

"What's Aizen's deal anyway? He's won, right?! What more must he do - must he take - for him to be satisfied?! If he ever is! Not only that, but he's been taking out I-really-don't-know-what on Byakuya, more than the rest of us! Can't he just leave him and his family alone?!" exclaimed the teen vividly, causing the others to go silent for a moment, but none for the same reason. Byakuya was quiet for he was fairly aware of the immortal's grudge towards his clan; Grimmjow because he knew far more than what the former believed to know; and Ulquiorra just didn't care, but courteously let the orange-haired teenager finish his rant.

"It is none of my concern, Kurosaki," articulated the Espada tonelessly, prior to stating quite accurately, but still rather coldly "Neither is it yours."

"It might not be my concern, but I-!" Ichigo began to retort irately, before he then cut himself off when a hand gently rested itself upon his arm "Byakuya?"

"Thank you, truly" voiced the noble, his tone heartfelt, before he shook his head "But don't."

Agitated, the young teenager was about to protest when a loud, pained gasp, followed by a soft thud, was heard near to where they stood, drawing their attention and leading them to see Renji, collapsed on the sandy ground, eyes tightly closed, breathing hard, horribly exhausted.

Though the other captives were too far away to be aware, the redhead falling also drew notice from one of those supervising, leading him to march over, along with his whip twirling as he barked bellicosely: "Get back to work."

"At least let me breathe," panted out the lieutenant erratically, truly not able to move an inch.

Only the other, quite literally, did not care: "Get back to work now."

Much to the horror of those who stood witness and were unable to do anything due to them being immaterial as well as invisible, the man brandished his whip, ready to strike wickedly at Renji's bare back, when somebody suddenly screamed out: "NO!"

And, coming out of nowhere, Rukia Kuchiki came running and hurriedly flung herself over her defenceless childhood friend, in hopes of protecting him, while glaring murderously at the man who in turn narrowed his eyes at her.

"Move" he grounded out menacingly, not once lowering his arm.

Much to everyone's horror, notably Byakuya's, Rukia only tightened her hold, jutting out her chin defiantly: "I refuse."

The red-haired's lethargy seem to alleviate somewhat because he too realized what position his friend had threw herself in: "Rukia! Move away!"

The raven-haired girl was irrefutably resolute: "No."

"Then ready yourself, bitch" sneered the man nastily, bearing broken, yellowed teeth as he let his whip lash out, aiming it straight for the petite lieutenant's face, in an attempt to scar her.

Only, the hit never landed upon her. It remained halted in mid-air and wrapped around the hilt of a zanpaktou's sheathe, while the blade in itself, Tobiume, laid right upon the man's jugular.

Petrified, the man shook awfully as he locked his wide eyes with Hinamori's incensed ones, which truly appeared to be on fire as she seethed in an eerily low tone: "Draw her blood, and I will slowly, painfully, burn you to crisp, tissue layer by tissue layer."

Gulping at the threat, the man backed away fearfully before pathetically falling to his knees: "I implore your forgiveness, Hinamori-sama!"

"Get out of my sight" she hissed intimidatingly, her quietly articulated words instantaneously heeded to by the other who didn't hesitate a single second to do as he was told, running of as fast as his legs allowed him to.

Pursing her lips in displeasure, Hinamori then turned her focus on the two kneeling shinigami, Renji, who was glaring at her, and Rukia who, rather stunned, inquired softly: "Why?"

The female Aizen stared at her in silence before she averted her gaze and addressed those from the small audience that had gathered to witness the commotion: "Leave them for a while. No work can be done with overstrained labourers."

As the bystanders quickly carried out Hinamori's order and backed away whilst she left, the petite Kuchiki hoisted her childhood along with her and helped him to the side, before setting him down and checking him over.

Once that was done, she promptly went to fetch a pail of water along with a small cloth from nearby, before returning and using the latter to dab at Renji's face and wounds, whispering curiously: "What do you think she is up to?"

The other's expression hardened, and it wasn't out of discomfort: "I stopped asking myself that question a while ago."

"Harsh" she whistled as she carried on her ministrations, despite being rather clumsy at them.

The red-haired arched a tattooed eyebrow at her remark: "In case you didn't notice, Rukia, she hasn't exactly been tender with any of us. Your brother the least."

"I know, but..." she attempted to protest, although she too doubted that defending Hinamori was supposed to make sense anymore.

"Rukia."

"Ok, ok. Fine. You're right anyways" she mumbled unconvincingly under her breath, before she continued tending to him, a calm yet stiff silence instilled itself between the two, while, unbeknownst to them, the invisible quartet watched on.

After no less than a minute, the stillness became uncomfortable for Renji, so he decided to initiate small talk: "So, how are things? With everyone else, I mean. Being here, I don't get to talk to anyone much. Too beat by the end of the day to do so."

"It's better that way. To not be able to see or talk to the others, I mean," she murmured with a frown, while pausing in her motions "Things aren't pretty, really."

"Whoa, that bad?"

"Yeah" breathed out the petite Kuchiki shakily as she leaned her forehead into her palm, her eyes heavy with stress and tension. She then, with great effort, informed the other of what she knew.

Only the surviving men dealt with reconstructions, receiving harsh and unrelenting treatment, while the women were kept behind the scenes, tending to minor tasks, such as taking care of the workers when they were too tired or too injured. Rations were given to them at minimal, enough to keep them functioning for work, powering down by the end of the day, totally drained, sometimes the effect taking a nastier toll upon those whose reiatsu wasn't originally that potent. The remaining members from the Kuchiki and the Shinhoin clans had been locked up in their respective mansions, cut off from everyone else, the only exceptions being Yoruichi, who refused to be treated any differently hence worked with the others, and Rukia herself, who often managed to find a way to escape. Amidst her escapades, she had briefly seen both Urahara Kisuke and Ichimaru Gin - despite her not holding the latter to heart - viciously being tortured by Aizen himself, out of mere spite in the latter's case. For the former, however, it was more of an interrogation: there was something that that man knew which the immortal wanted, but as to what it was, neither disclosed that information. Last but certainly not least, their own hands had buried, much to the upmost and unreserved horror of many, the countless casualties of this despicably horrid war.

"Holy shit" exhaled the red-haired, unreservedly aghast "It didn't think it was this- Rukia?"

Renji was about to qualify their predicament as depressing. But that was not as depressing as witnessing his friend, usually all correct and composed, with tears freely streaming down her face, holding an expression that appeared to be so far, far away, like she was not here, gone.

While Ichigo bit his lip and Byakuya's heart shattered to bits amidst the horror that touched them, Renji felt horrible, lost at first over what to do, before he impulsively wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against his chest as he tried to comfort her: "Hey, hey, it's ok."

She shook her head at his words, her voice but a whisper: "No, it's not."

"You're right. You're absolutely right" Renji hastened to say, seeing no point in lying either, before he sighed deeply and went on "It's not. The Aizen have thoroughly taken over. We've lost captains, lieutenants and soldiers in hefty amounts. The rest of us are now prisoners at their mercy, with no clue to how things will end" he paused as he felt her lean further in his embrace, seeking comfort when a thought occurred to him suddenly "And if Kuchiki-taichou saw us right now, he'd have my head."

The unprompted comment was so out of place that the petite Kuchiki couldn't help but laugh quietly, before she snorted: "That's not funny."

Smiling in slight triumph, Renji asked cheekily: "Then why did you laugh?"

"Because you're an idiot, that's why" reasoned Rukia teasingly, causing her friend to chuckle in turn, before she sighed and wiped at her tears "God, I shouldn't be acting like this."

"Well, it's true that it's unlike you" worded the red-haired carefully as he rested his chin upon her dark glossy locks "But I'd be more worried if you didn't shed a tear or two with all that's happened."

The dark-haired girl hummed quietly in agreement, prior to another quiet instant falling over them, only this time it was pleasant and quite relaxing.

Upon seeing that his sister was in good hands, Byakuya himself addressed the Cuatro Espada and declared that they could move on. The truth was that he couldn't quite bear the thought of having to deal with more than what he was currently enduring, and he had been effected rather swiftly by Rukia's hopelessness. It wasn't like he could be there for her, to comfort or soothe her, not that he would be any good at it: heart-to-hearts weren't really his strong point. So, the faster he was gone, the less he'd have to self-reproach himself.

Besides, she wasn't utterly alone. Renji was there for her, and that the noble was grateful for.

Ulquiorra stared at the other silently for a moment, diligently analysing the latter's contained expression as if searching for a chink, before inquiring him evenly: "Is there no else of your kin you wish to see?"

Here, the Kuchiki noble hesitated. Did he want to see the rest of his family?

Truth to be told, he was as concerned for them as he had been for Rukia. But...

Three things were holding him back: One, he was not quite ready to see his cousins knowing that one would never be there again, and didn't quite believe he ever will. Two, he had not really gotten over the fact that his grandfather's past actions had, in a way, beget to most of this, nor could he accept that his father could have ever been easily won over by the immortal. And three, though he wouldn't be seen, he could not bear to face them, for he saw his defeat, his failure, his capture, whatever that was to come while within Aizen's hands, as an utter and torrid disgrace, towards them, towards their name, in addition to it being one for himself.

Features hardening, Byakuya breathed out quietly as he raised his head a tad higher, before responding to the Espada and rendering the other two accompanying them stunned: "No."

"No?" echoed the orange-haired teen incredulously, both eyebrows raised, not understanding where the noble's refusal was coming from "Byakuya, you may never get to see them again."

Cold grey eyes, a tad darker than what they usually were, glared directly within flabbergasted brown ones: "My answer still remains 'no'."

000000000000000000000000000000000000

Cautiously monitoring her surroundings, Matsumoto Rangiku made her way amidst the still existing but quite scarce debris, just after eclipsing from the guards watching over her and the other female shinigami, and she was currently directing herself to where she overheard her childhood friend was being held. She had to see him. If only to know whether he lived or not.

Advancing just a little further, she caught sight of him and her heart shattered at what she saw.

Out there, in the middle of the ruins, right in the centre of a plain exposed to the unrelenting, scorching heat, viciously attached to a pillar, knelt Gin, head hung low, not moving an inch.

Halting in her steps for a moment as the unfair image before her settled in, she then rushed over, apprehension coursing through her veins, before throwing herself on her knees as soon as she reached his side and hastily checking him over, only without touching him, out of fear of causing further damage to any injuries he may already have.

To be mild about it, he was in a rather dreadful state.

Skin cracked and burnt by the sun, cut and bruised by the torture of a few days back, pallid lips dried up and completely parched, dark blackened rims beneath his closed eyes, breathe near non-existent... He looked like death.

As she inhaled sharply in horror, the silver-haired man stirred, eyes gradually fluttering open, allowing an incredible amount of relief to fill Rangiku as she exhaled shakily.

As their eyes met, the golden blonde-haired woman inquired worriedly: "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, well, I've been through worse" grimaced the other, speaking in a hoarse near inaudible tone, for any louder would lead him to cough violently, before he gazed at her tiredly "You?"

"I'm still alive," she stated dryly, causing her friend to chuckle before an onslaught of coughs tore through him, prompting Rangiku to shove the goblet in the pail of water - both which she had brought along with her - and hurriedly got it to his quivering lips "Here."

Gulping down avidly, the silver-haired man was gradually brought back to life after his friend repeated the process, cup after cup, until his thirst was quenched, a feat he was most grateful for: "Thanks, Ran-chan, but you shouldn't be doin' this. You'll be killed if you get caught."

"You're not dying on me again, Gin" the golden blonde whispered firmly as she rested her forehead upon his shoulder, wincing at the burning fever emanating from his skin, before they both remained together in comfortable silence, until she then broke it softly: "Gin?"

"Hm?"

Pulling back a little and pausing in order to collect her thoughts, she then asked prudently: "What was Aizen talking about before, prior to you freaking the hell out?"

Here, he really, truly did not wish to answer.

And she could tell, for she was quick to decisively state in addition as he looked away, fleeing her: "Gin. I deserve to know."

Yes. Yes, she did. But God, he didn't want her to. Only, he knew that he owed her the truth.

"Remember when I told you, that I accepted to do anythin' Aizen told me to do, just to keep you safe?" he questioned quietly to which she nodded eagerly, encouraging him to carry on.

He then locked eyes with her and whispered contritely, yet with entire honesty: "I meant it."

Profound guilt was painted all over her friend's features and it instantly set Rangiku on edge, fearing the magnitude of the other's deed: "What did you do, Gin?"

"What I did, you no longer remember," admitted the silver-haired man cryptically, once again no longer able to hold her gaze "Aizen took that memory away from you."

"What did you do?" she repeated slowly, only this time firmer, only slightly so, mindful of the other's condition, while still dreading the reply, one the other was, rather evidently, purposely delaying.

The silver-haired took a while to respond, looking for the best way to present his reply, the fever making his guarded tongue more loquacious: "You had a friend, a good friend, a very close friend - closer than I ever was - one I harmed, terribly, and then gave up to Aizen...so he wouldn't take you instead."

"Gin, I..." hesitated Rangiku with a frown, completely confounded and not able to draw a sense of meaning from his words "I don't understand. A close friend? You were and are my only friend."

Her frown deepened further when he wearily shook his head in contradiction: "No, I wasn't. You two were together long before I met either of you."

"I don't remember anyone else but you," she persisted insistently, before another oddity arose to her attention "And besides, why would Aizen want to take me at all? Take me where?"

After an elongated moment of silence, the silver-haired forwarded this instead of answering: "If I drew a picture and put you, - and let's say - Ayasegawa Yumichika, Madarame Ikkaku, Kurosaki Ichigo and Inoue Orihime in it, what would you say?"

Furrowing her brow with hesitance as she quite notably noticed the deviation their talk had taken, Rangiku uttered slowly: "First of all, I'd ask: how does this have anything to do with what we were saying? Then, I'd say: you're putting together people, that get along - sort of - but that...just... Why?"

"Exactly" nodded Gin with a slight smile "You have absolutely nothin' in common, nothin' at all but one subtle, single thing. You draw people, without realizin' it. They gravitate towards you, and no matter how selfish, or stingy, or stubborn, or severe your personality may be, rare are those who are repulsed by you. You all have an allure, and Aizen hunts for that in people, despite how scarce you actually are."

Digesting what she had just been told, an information inferring that she amidst a handful of others stood out, the golden blonde-haired woman spoke steadily: "So, Aizen was about to get me, but you didn't let him, and sold out my friend - who I don't even recall - to him instead?"

"Yes."

Jawing dropping faintly in horror, she stared hard at her childhood friend: "How could you?"

"I merely sought to protect you, Rangiku" said the silver-haired man quietly, though with his head hung low, it was clear that even he knew that it didn't justify his deed.

"By neglecting someone else?!" she cried out crossly, aware of the other's shame and seeing no need to reprimand her friend further...especially considering that his just revealed exploit wasn't exactly pertaining to the horror Gin had shown when the immortal had threatened to divulge what he knew on the matter. Her childhood friend hadn't told her everything, holding onto a detail far more horrifying, but knowing him, if she pushed, he would shut her out...

After a moment of silence, she ran a hand through her hair and glanced searchingly at the other: "Was...Was that person like me?"

When the other nodded wordlessly, the golden blonde woman felt a spark of fascination ignite her curiosity further: "And...Where is 'my friend' now?"

"Where Aizen takes them all," said Gin in but a whisper, his mouth going dry again, only this time, the cause wasn't dehydration "Débauche (1)."

Before she could even get to ask him what he meant by that, a loud, panicked voice called out to her: "MASTUMOTO! COME OVER QUICK! WE NEED HELP!"

Startled, Rangiku glanced over her shoulder with widened crystal blue eyes, before locking them upon the figure running towards her: "Hisagi?"

Panting, the one in question quickly reached her, urgently informing her after a brief breather: "Madarame got into a fight, with the guards from the Rukongai. And it's pretty bad."

"What?!" exclaimed the golden blonde in shock, wondering what had set the other off like that and really not wanting to be in the middle of whatever this was, before nodding once in direction the male lieutenant had come from "Well, stop him!"

Shaking his head vividly with exasperation, Shuuhei told her pressingly: "That's the problem: he's not listening to us! Any of us!"

"And what of Ayasegawa?" she reminded smoothly, knowing that whatever the cause of this sudden brawl, Ikkaku would always listen to Yumichika if the latter attempted to reason him.

Only, she didn't quite anticipate her colleague's response, sharing his alarm upon hearing it: "He's precisely why Madarame's fighting in the first place!"

000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Say it again" seethed out Ikkaku murderously, shaking with uncontrollable rage as his narrowed eyes burned with ire "I FUCKIN' DARE YOU TO SAY IT AGAIN!"

"Sure thing, baldy" sneered one of the Rukongai men, arching an eyebrow suggestively "That Kujaku of yours, is nothing but a fuckin' whore."

"RAH!" yelled the 3rd Seat with fury, charging at the other like an enraged bull, for once not set off by the insult directed at his state of baldness.

Tackling the man down, Ikkaku viciously delivered punch after punch, seeing red, no longer thinking coherently, with only one thing blaring loudly in his head: Yumichika was in danger.

As he focused all his wrath upon his grounded victim, he didn't have the time to react or even evade the others present who came to their comrade's rescue, dragging Ikkaku off and away, before he then became the brunt of their retaliation, raining down on him with brutal violence.

"NO! Leave him alone!" called out the golden blonde woman as she eventually arrived, along with Shuuhei, and rushed forward, swiftly grabbing at one of the men before he could strike with his whip "Don't do this!"

Attention deviating to her, the man eyed her from head to toe, before smirking lecherously: "I won't if you suck me off, bitch."

Once she had registered what the other had told her, her jaw dropped, utterly aghast: "Wha-?"

"Fuck you!" shouted Shuuhei lividly, hastily charging and throwing an angry punch right in the jaw of the man who had slighted the golden blonde.

"Hisagi!" cried out Rangiku as the man crashed down to the floor, dreading the repercussions her shinigami colleague, along with Ikkaku, would endure should the Aizen hear of this, after they had quite explicitly warned the captives that defiance would not be tolerated.

"Oh, here we go," sighed Toshiro wearily, for he too had come to see what was happening as he was near the commotion, before he boldly moved forward through the brawl, pulling both Ikkaku and Shuuhei out from it by their sashes "That's enough! Cut it out! What do you think you're doing?!"

As the dark-haired lieutenant lowered his eyes in apology to the young captain, the man from the 11th Division merely glared venomously towards his attackers: "I don't need to fuckin' think. As for what I'm doing, I'm gonna pummel these bastards' faces right into the ground, till there's nothing left."

"Don't," warned the young white-haired, holding tightly onto the 3rd Seat's arm just in case "You'll pay for it."

Narrowed black eyes darted over to Toshiro's concerned ones: "Does it look like I care?"

Noting that the other really didn't give a damn, the young captain questioned him carefully: "What led to this, Madarame? Why would you even consider attacking them?"

Prying his arm free, Ikkaku spat angrily: "They fuckin' insulted Yumichika."

Turquoise eyes went wide with surprise upon hearing that: "How?"

Though his posture didn't relax nor did his rage recede, the bald man seemed to deflate a little, features suddenly appearing very tired: "Pretty much the way they did with Mastumoto. Only worse. Not something new, unfortunately."

He was about to ask the 3rd Seat to elaborate on that, but before he could, a voice rose all of a sudden from the crowd: "And what is going on here?"

Hairs stood and chills ran down everyone's spine as they all looked fearfully in the direction of the one who had addressed them, a few of the Rukongai stammering terribly as they caught sight of the witch, Yumichika standing at her side with his eyes lowered: "M-Manter-sama!"

Today, the Witch of Lust was wearing an entire ensemble of luscious gold: a gilded bodice-like armour with a deep low-cut opening revealing her cleavage, golden bracelets and bangles travelling from her wrists to her shoulders, and others from her ankles to her thighs, these latter series hiding beneath a long and trailing, flared near transparent, yellowish skirt.

Golden make-up clashing with dark brown hair coiffed up, as usual, in an elaborate hairstyle, held golden ornaments which chimed against each other upon a slight tilt of her head, as she considered those from the Rukongai who had sworn allegiance to the children of chaos.

Cowering before her cold, unrelenting gaze, like that of a viper's, the Aizen's watchdogs (2) trembled and backed away, while one of them, the one who started this whole mess, was swift to shift the blame away from himself as he shakily pointed at Ikkaku: "He-He started it!"

"What? No! That's a lie!" protested Shuuhei vehemently, alarmed as everyone else should the witch decide to lock penance unjustly onto their friend, because of the other's lies.

"Did he now?" drawled out Manter leisurely with a smile, completely ignoring the shinigami, before arching her eyebrows inquiringly "Start what exactly?"

Gulping heavily, the one who had spoken wet his lips gone dry, before he carried on talking rashly, lying as he breathed: "H-He just went on about hitting me, for no reason at all!"

"That's NOT true!" shouted the dark-haired lieutenant, along with Rangiku and Toshiro, staunchly coming in their fellow shinigami's defence.

"Silence" hissed out the witch in a dark, imposing tone, narrowed eyes flashing dangerously, immediately causing the shinigami to go quiet while Yumichika flinched and shivered at her tone, before she slowly shifted back her attention the man in front of her, wearing a deadly smile "Might I ask you, if I appear to be an imbecile of some sorts?"

It took a while for the man to comprehend what he had just been asked, and he did, he stayed incapable of answering, staring at her with double-sized eyes, leading her to chuckle lethally.

"I know...of Madarame-kun," she said as she moved towards the quivering man, frozen where he stood, with her taking long, lazy steps, until they were face-to-face, her ethereal features even further dangerous up close, her whisper poison "He will attack if instigated, more so if it is for Kujaku-sama's sake."

The man could no longer speak, and, any words that did leave his lips, which were veering to a pallid blue, were utterly incoherent: "Uh... I-I... Beu..."

"Be gone" murmured Manter gently as she exhaled slowly, her sickly sweet breath invading the man and causing him to suddenly gag and choke as his hands wildly flew up to his neck, scratching at it as if he were attempting to claw something out, spit and blood drooling from his gaping mouth, his eyes bulging out, before, mere seconds later, he fell to the ground, dead.

As the Aizen's watchdogs and the shinigami - with the exception of Ikkaku and Yumichikia - looked on in utter horror, the Witch of Lust, thoroughly calm as though she hadn't just robbed a man of his life, then spoke up in a forbidding tone: "Moreover, the next ingenious mind who speaks ill of Kujaku-sama, or does ill to Kujaku-sama, will bear a worsened fate."

"Y-Yes, Manter-sama!" stammered out the Aizen's watchdogs hurriedly, bowing down low.

Shooing them away with a graceful wave of her hand, the witch then turned her full attention the11th Division's 3rd Seat, her features dark, malevolent, filled with barely contained hate: "As for you, Madarame-kun... I would have long taken Kujaku-sama away from your side, if he had not convinced me otherwise. However, pull another stunt such as this, and you shall never see or hear from him, ever again."

Pale wisteria flickering towards Ikkaku, Yumichika was instantly on edge when he saw his friend's eyes narrow lividly at the witch, knowing that he was witnessing a prelude to disaster.

"What was I supposed to do, Wych?! Let him spout shit on Yumi?! Fuck y-!"

The 3rd Seat didn't get to finish his insult as the witch swiftly caught hold of his tongue in a menacing grip, before nearing her face to his and hissing out in warning: "Mind your tongue, lowlife. You owe me respect."

Backhanding her hand away fiercely, he contradicted her with a snarl: "I owe you nothing."

Dark brown eyes rose scornfully whilst her mismatched eyes shone with condescension: "Oh? That is not how I recall it. You would not be breathing had I not brought you back to life."

Scowling venomously at the witch, the 3rd Seat shook his head slow, his tone firm, furious: "Yumichika saved me, not you."

"Of course, he did" taunted Manter mockingly, her every uttered word scalding Yumichika and scathing Ikkaku "The one on whom you pushed your coarse existence so much, that he became hell-bent on bringing you back no matter the cost. Now look at him: trapped in a form that never was and never will be his."

It wasn't easy to comprehend what the Witch of Lust was implying, nevertheless, this was an appalling art that she mastered to perfection...and had also taught to excellence to no other than her beloved protégé Aizen Sosuke himself. Only they used it freely, for no else dared to.

Savouring the sight of the two friends being plagued by malign memories, she carried on ruthlessly: "Do you think that standing up for your friend now will help you repent for the loss of his freedom? He cannot protect you forever. I will end you, Madarame-kun."

"Yeah, yeah, heard that threat before," countered the 3rd Seat offensively, before he smirked mirthlessly and arched an eyebrow at her "I know you want to kill me. What's stopping you?"

Here, the Witch of Lust found herself grimacing in annoyance as she begrudgingly admitted with a sigh: "Kujaku-sama, fortunately enough for you."

"He's name is Yumichika."

"That is not the name of the form he wears, remember?" reminded the witch maliciously, leading Yumichika to shut his eyes closed and turn his head away slightly, while the 3rd Seat grit his teeth before straightening up with determination and pointing in the witch's direction.

"I'll free Yumichika from you, Wych. I swear that I will, no matter how long it fuckin' takes," vowed Ikkaku resolutely, causing his friend to stare at him in hushed awe and apprehension.

Manter, conversely, remained utterly unmoved: "That remains to be seen. Just keep to your work, and you should be fine. Have I been clear?"

As Ikkaku narrowed his eyes angrily and began muttering rather crude expletives, the 5th Seat quickly moved forward to grab his friend's arm as to keep him silent, before bowing his head in the witch's direction, voice quiet, compliant: "Yes, Manter-sama. We understand."

"Always an impeccable example, Kujaku-sama" she cooed fondly, much to the Yumichika's great discomfort, before she glanced at the 3rd Seat "Best learn from him, Madarame-kun."

Smirking as he glowered, her mismatched eyes then slowly shifted over to the other three shinigami present, quietly assisting to the entire exchange but not knowing what to make of it, before Manter stressed out with a firm tone of command, her voice both chilling and burning: "Now get back to work."

Whereas the nervously shinigami complied with the witch's demand - though Ikkaku had to be pulled along by his friend - and Manter walked away, Ichigo and the others, who had arrived around when the fighting had begun, way at the beginning, were still reeling with tense trepidation. No concrete words could describe how terrifying the Witch of Lust was...

"Whoa" uttered the teenager quietly, before he shivered and wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt at comfort "Scary."

"No shit" agreed the feline with a grimace "That witch freaks the fuckin' hell out of me."

"Idem" concurred the Kuchiki noble with a nod, brow deeply furrowed as he stared off in the direction the witch had left.

"Though, what was that about?" inquired the Shinigami Substitute curiously after a moment, wondering like everyone else why would Yumichika and Ikkaku be involved with a witch of all people.

"No idea" admitted the dark-haired shinigami captain, features pensive "What I do understand however is that there is some sort of agreement that took place involving those three."

"No shit, Sherlock" snorted the former Arrancar cynically, rolling his eyes to top it off "Any of us could have fuckin' guessed that."

Annoyed grey eyes locked onto tepid blue ones: "I was answering Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Yeah, well, even he ain't that fuckin' stupid," remarked Grimmjow under his breath, before pausing quite lengthily "He can be quite fuckin' dense though."

"As well as ill-mannered, meddling and rather stubborn."

"You're fuckin' stubborn too, Kuchiki" pointed out the feline with a slightly amused smirk.

"Not as much as Kurosaki Ichigo is" countered the noble defensively, not really appreciating that the former Arrancar had noticed that particular bit about him.

"Hey, guys? Don't talk about me when I'm right here," muttered the teen with a deep frown, a little vexed, leading the other two to glance at him, before they both raised an eyebrow each at him.

"Would you rather we talk behind your back?" questioned Byakuya in a matter-of-fact tone.

"And then act all fuckin' chummy when you're around like a bunch of bloody hypocrites?" grinned Grimmjow playfully, knowing that both he and the noble had just bluntly stated the obvious, one the teenager would undeniably agree to.

And bingo, two points for each: "Uh... Good point" mumbled the orange-haired teen, before scowling and adding immediately after "When you put it like just did, I mean."

Watching wordlessly from the side-lines as the unusual trio chuckled, smiled or shook their heads in faint amusement at their gentle banter, Ulquiorra truly did not wish to be the one to break the relaxed pace they were in, but not seeing any other way, he addressed them: "Your day is almost over. You should hurry and visit whomever else you still wish to see."

"Already? Damn" mumbled Ichigo with a frown, before then jabbing a thumb in the feline's direction "Is it ok for Grimmjow to see Nel and the others before we go to Karaku-?"

"No need" cut off the former Arrancar inflexibly, his features unnervingly impassive, earning a shocked expression from the teen, bothered beyond compare by the feline's demeanour.

First Byakuya, now Grimmjow? What was wrong with those two?

Ignoring Ichigo and not letting him the time to question him, Grimmjow addressed the Cuatro Espada: "Ulquiorra. Take us to Karakura."

At first the other didn't respond, merely arching his eyebrows an imperceptible fraction, as if checking that Grimmjow wouldn't rethink his decision, to which the feline promptly replied with a low threatening snarl, leading Ulquiorra to nod with relent: "Alright. Let us go then."

000000000000000000000000000000000000

While Kensei was out on the other side of the renovation plane with Mashiro in his company, Shinji was stuck pushing carts filled to the brim with gravel, all while Lisa attended to him. And he never, ever, thought he'd be admitting to this but, God, he'd rather have Hiyori with him. But, alas, the Aizen's watchdogs had her taking care of Kisuke Urahara instead, treating his wounds and injuries after every torture session the immortal would inflict on him, a feat now overtaken by Koga as the other had left heck knows where.

Back to Shinji, he'd take a beating or an assault of insults from that little blonde menace any day, rather than listen to his present company spouting nonstop shit about...well, Lisa is Lisa.

Dumping the contents of his wheelbarrow for the umpteenth time that day, Shinji breathed out heavily, hoping his next words would make the other just stop talking: "Shit. I'm beat."

"Well, it's not like you were turned into a sex slave or the like. You'd be far more tired if that was the case," reasoned Lisa in all seriousness, not at all catching the other's drift and leading him to sweat-drop profusely.

"Sure" drawled out the blonde with a roll of his eyes, before staring incredulously at the other "Can't ya cure your mind, Lisa? Or maybe, I don't know, fuckin' turn it off for just one day?"

"Not part of my plans" declared the young woman with a shake of her head, before she slowly arched an eyebrow as a thought then came to her "Sex slaves...? Coming to think of it, my guess is that's why Kuchiki-san and Ichigo have been taken aside. I mean, two young, hot-looking men like them can give one some real nasty ideas, like-"

"Don't even joke about that" spat Shinji irately, cutting her off before she got to say anything, as, this time, he was really horrified by what Lisa might have said hadn't he halted her.

Staring at him sternly with narrowed eyes, the bespectacled lieutenant worded firmly: "Shinji. I can't afford to be miserable. This is how I cope. With everything. Deal with it."

Her vexed tone lead his stiffened posture to slack as he sighed: "I know. And I know that you mean nothin' by it. But still. Just don't talk like that. Because damn it, Lisa, if ya're right..."

Lisa went quiet as she caught onto what bothered her friend within what she had been about to say: Aizen Sosuke had made it quite clear to many that he harboured an ill interest in Kuchiki Byakuya. And given what had recently been revealed on the immortal's subject - even though it was still rather vague - should that same interest be in anyway extended to Kurosaki Ichigo, whatever the noble will possibly endure, so might the kid... And Heaven knows how many - the Vizards in particular - treasured the latter and dreaded what would become of him within the other's cruel, merciless and unrelenting hands...

Lowering her eyes contritely in realization, she whispered within a near muted tone: "Sorry."

He was quick to shake his head, directing her a lopsided smile, which was swift to disappear: "Don't be. We're all on our fuckin' nerves."

"Tell me about it," she exhaled wearily, before suddenly glancing off in a given direction and then nudging at the blonde's shoulder "There's no one around for now. You should go."

Hazel eyes following where she was looking, Shinji confirmed what she was saying: a little further, Shunsui Kyoraku was on his own, moving slabs of stone from one place to another. That was his cue.

"Later then," murmured the blonde man with a nod, to which Lisa responded to with a wave, before he got to his feet and walked off towards his fellow captain, cautiously checking to see if no one amidst the Aizen's watchdogs was observing.

Shinji came closer to the other just in time to hear him huff, pausing and slumping where he stood as he protested wearily: "Phew! I'm too old for this."

Shaking his head at the other's dramatics, the blonde man grinned for the first time in a few days, before taunting: "You do not get to say that, Kyoraku-san."

Turning the meet the Vizard's gaze, the brown-haired man seemed somewhat confused: "Why not?"

"You're always complaining," replied Unohana in Shinji's stead, as she was passing by with a basket of supplies and had halted in her steps to interfere, before she arched an eyebrow "And that's unbefitting for a captain."

Dropping his puzzled expression, Shunsui cracked a mirthless smile at her: "Well, Unohana-san, given that there is no more Seireitei, no more Head Commander, no more Gotei, I can't exactly think myself as that, hm?"

The healer quietly remained impassive for a moment before her eyes narrowed reproachfully: "And you always have an answer to everything."

"You know I do" shrugged the brown-haired bearded man, before cracking his shoulders and sitting down, leaning his back against a recently rebuilt wall.

As Unohana subtly rolled her eyes at him, Shinji smirked before sobering as he spoke up with atypical seriousness: "If you have an answer to everythin', Kyoraku, mind tellin' me what your big plan is?"

Both blinking at the unexpected change of subject, the two older captains stared at him with faint frowns, before Shunsui eventually tilted his head with a bewildered expression: "Hm?"

"Oh, don't play dumb" reprimanded the blonde with an indignant huff, before he revealed in a hushed tone "I've seen you lot - you, Unohana, Urahara and Yoruichi - whisperin'. You're up to somethin', and I - we, the other Vizards and I - want in."

"We're all in," declared the black-haired woman irrefutably, whilst the brown-haired smiled small with a mostly absent expression "Only, for it to work, we must be discreet. We have very little chances to achieve this. Failure is forbidden, for it will only be fatal."

"Yeah, yeah, no need for the dramatics, I get it," muttered Shinji with a wave of his hand, inwardly more than glad that there was actually a resistance willing to form, before he arched an eyebrow inquisitively "So, when are we startin'?"

Losing the not-so-cheerful-smile mask of his, Shunsui stated solemnly: "As soon as we can. However, we'll have to, regrettably, stall a little. Like Unohana-san said, no way can we let the enemy figure anything out."

In Karakura Town:

In the middle of nowhere, out on the cold, lonely pavement, with gloom weighing down upon its teensy weensy shoulders and its face first in the ground, lied Kon the yellow lion plushie. And as dramatic and grandiose as that intro was, the little soft toy wasn't feeling any better...

Lifting its head and blinking its small black beady eyes, Kon sighed heavily as he wondered what was going on since the last time he had seen Ichigo and the others. Feeling ridiculously heroic for no actual reason, the plushie had scurried off in a very rabdom direction on its little back paws, hoping to find a way to repair the Senkaimon. Once he realized that there was absolutely no way he could do such a thing, he halted instantly in his steps and made move to head back, only he was totally and utterly lost, having no idea whatsoever where he ended up.

Kon sighed again, feeling so very lonely. If only someone could find him right now...

All of a sudden, a large shadow loomed over it, causing the plushie to feel even smaller than it already was and sweat profusely with fear: "Heh?!"

"Seems I found you before anyone else did" uttered a smooth, dark voice with boding evil derision, causing goose bumps to crawl all over the soft toy's body.

"Who the-?" stammered Kon as he glanced behind him, pausing significantly at who he saw before screaming in flagrant terror "AAAH! A-A-A-A-Aizen?!"

The immortal smirked and arched an eyebrow: "Oh, you know of me. I'm greatly flattered."

"You most welcome, oh prodigious villain" complimented the plushie with a bow, before a glint of determination shone its eye "Now...goodbye!"

Not waiting a second longer, Kon shot of like a golden - yellow? - bullet, scampering off far away as his little legs could carry him. He didn't manage to get far, however, as the child of chaos easily caught up with him, seizing him by the scruff of his neck in a tight, choking hold, before smirking in his lion face: "Why the hurry, little one?"

"B-Because you're you" wheezed out the soft toy as it struggled to breath, its tiny, triangle claws scraping inoffensively at the immortal's hand.

"Yes, I most definitely am" asserted Aizen loftily, before staring at the creature in his hold with intense scrutiny "And you, wouldn't be named 'Kon', by any chance, hm?"

The plushie went full rigid, expression as well, before shaking his head as best as it could: "Nope. Not me. My name's 'Kai' (3)."

"Ah. My mistake" accepted Aizen with a causal one-armed shrug, before his eyes narrowed with intent "Listen carefully, Mode Soul, I have a little task for you."

"Wh-What...? What if I said no?" asked Kon with weak bravado, petrified in the other's hand.

Chuckling at the powerless soft toy, the immortal's expression darkened with ill amusement as he used his free hand to clamp around the plushie's jaw and force it wide open, before threateningly letting his index and middle finger hover over the orifice: "Then I'd say you're rather...vulnerable outside of this body, don't you agree?"

000000000000000000000000000000000000

As the small touring troupe touched down in Karakura, an animated debate rose as to where to head to first, though it mostly involved Ulquiorra and Ichigo, with Grimmjow and Byakuya quietly watching on the side-lines, since they weren't exactly concerned. This was the teen's world, not theirs.

The Cuatro Espada wanted to get this over with as hastily as possible, by heading straight to Kurosaki's home while he went to gather ocular information (4) on the teen's friends and then just show it to him on their way back. Swift and simple. But that proposition was adamantly refused by the Shinigami Substitute, saying he'd rather see them all with his own eyes.

With the help of the feline intervening to back him up, the orange-haired teen finally managed to convince the bat-like Espada, and they went on their way, heading towards the Ishida Hospital first, in order to check on how Orihime was presently faring. Furthermore, Ichigo wanted to make absolutely sure that Aizen had kept his word and entirely left her be.

So, after getting lost a couple of times in the labyrinth of hospital corridors, they eventually ended up finding the space that Ichigo's classmate occupied, phasing in through the walls, just as Uryuu's father walked passed by the room's entrance.

They stood in the far corner of the room, catching sight of the young girl, dressed in a snowy white gown, sitting on the hospital bed, her back comfortably propped upon some pillows, her head turned towards the open window, the faint breeze billowing her hair.

Taking a chair and seating himself, Ryuken carefully considered the girl before him as she slowly looked away from the window, staring at him soundlessly with large grey doe eyes. To the doctor they seemed quite lucidly clear, to everyone else they seemed, finally after so long, trouble-free and tranquil. Too much even, as though she was lost on cloud nine or something.

"Good morning, young lady."

"Good morning, doctor" she replied with a smile, her voice peaceful, her demeanour relaxed.

The white-haired man smiled back: "My name is Dr. Ishida Ryuken. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine" she answered instantly, before she amended her response when the other raised a sceptical eyebrow at her as if saying 'the truth please' "I feel very tired and my head hurts."

"I see. Well, your exhaustion I unfortunately can't explain. Your head, however, X-rays show that you've had a rather nasty concussion...that has been remarkably well healed."

He glanced at her, awaiting an explanation for that fact, but instead got none, as her brow furrowed faintly before she nodded distractedly: "Oh, ok then. Will I be here long? I mean, I don't want to be rude or anything when you're going out of your way to help me, but... I'd like to go home. I'm actually feeling more homesick than sick... God, that was so lame."

Smiling inwardly at her obvious embarrassment, he spoke up in a soothing, professional doctor-like tone: "No need to fret, though it will be a little longer than you'd like, regrettably. We'll have to make sure that everything's completely in order before you venture off."

"Ok. Thank you, Dr. Ishida" she smiled in turn, before staring at the white-haired man with slight, searching scrutiny "Forgive me for prying but, are you related to Ishida Uryuu?"

"Yes, I'm his father. Now that you mention him, he was rather concerned when he heard that you had been hospitalized when I contacted him. Understandable as you two are friends."

"No, just classmates" corrected Orihime, her simple statement stunning everyone in the room "The first of my class actually. And a member of the school's Arts & Crafts' club. I thought I recognized the name. It's very nice of him to worry. Please transmit him my thanks."

Considering her in brief silence, the Quincy questioned cautiously: "Why not do it person?"

The young orange-haired girl blinked, steep confusion clear in her grey eyes: "But... Wouldn't that be weird? I mean, I know of him, but I've never actually spoken to him before. No more than a 'good morning' every now and then. I don't know. It'd be for awkward for me to thank him when I barely talk to him."

Those words, nearly had Ryuken drop his clipboard.

She was speaking as though she didn't know Uryuu or rather, she 'knew' him, but from afar. It was as if all the misadventures his son, this girl and the others went through together...never occurred. It was quite shocking and unnerving. And he wasn't the only one bothered by it.

Amidst the unseen, Grimmjow, Ichigo and even Ulquiorra were fairly disturbed by this flagrant reality. What has transpired back in the Seireitei, not too long ago, was obviously not just some nightmare. Had Orihime truly...forgotten? EVERYTHING?

Clearing his throat, the doctor offered his young patient a rare, yet reassuring smile as he spoke up gently: "I'm going to ask you a few simple questions, alright? Don't strain yourself. Just take your time and answer what you can."

Despite not understanding the reason, she was quick to nod: "Yes, sir."

"Good then. Here we go. So, young lady, what is your name?"

"Inoue Orihime."

"How are old are you?"

"Sixteen years old."

"Where do you live?"

"Flat 503, in Karakura Town, Japan (5)."

'Alright. So far, so good,' noted Ryuken to himself 'Carrying on then.'

"What's the name of your school?"

"Karakura Gakuen."

"What are the names of your closest friends there?"

Here, manifested the beginning of a problem.

Orihime's features dimmed with a deep frown as she concentrated on the given question, her eyes focusing on the distance with uncertainty: "Um...Let's see. Well, there's Tatsuki-chan, of course. Then Chizuru-chan, Ryo-chan..."

And she went for not even half-a-minute, stating only the names of the five girls she spoke to on a daily basis. Not once did she mention the name of anyone else.

After seeing that she had stopped and that she hadn't added to those she had stated, the white-haired man inquired carefully: "Are those your only friends?"

"Yes" she answered, before tilting her head hesitantly as she reflected on it "I think."

"You think?" echoed the other incredulously, before attempting to go through this chat-gone-strange by a different path "Inoue-san, what is the last thing you remember?"

The young girl immediately frowned, clearly not expecting that question, before she thought about it: "The last thing I remember? Um... Making plans for the summer holidays while revising for the third term exams, I guess. But, that somehow feels way back."

The Shinigami Substitute was the first to pale upon hearing her say that. Of course, it felt like way back. That was nearly seven months ago (6).

The next one to recognize that her reply was terribly outdated, was the older Quincy as he inquired her again: "What of Kurosaki Ichigo? What can you tell me about him?"

Once again, just like before, everyone in the room, seen or not, witnessed the terrifyingly real and utter puzzlement plastered upon the young girl's features: "Who?"

The surprise upon the white-haired's expression was rather palpable while he gawked at her. It wasn't as though she appeared to be faking it on top of that. But how on earth could she not know about that boy? He wasn't exactly the type of person one could just willingly ignore or forget, for his existence was just as persistent as his father's. Perhaps not as annoying though. Unless, it wasn't about 'knowing' but rather 'remembering'.

Frowning in bewilderment, Ryuken altered his route of questioning once more: "Inoue-san... What does 'shinigami' mean to you?"

"Shinigami?" she repeated slowly as she took hold of a stray lock of hair and absentmindedly twirled it around her finger, doing so in a repetitive, almost mechanical motion "As in 'death gods'? Um...They're part of our culture. They're...(thinks) They're like the Japanese version of the European 'Angel of Death'. Or in our case it would be 'Angels of Death'. Plural. Or maybe we can just summarize them to being the equivalent of 'Grim Reapers', I guess. They're all the same, really."

He had watched her vigilantly as she rambled, noticing that every word she had uttered would steal away a shade of colour from her face, until, when she had finished, she was left very pale, almost appearing to be sickly, swaying a little as if she was going to pass out.

"What's the matter?" asked Ryuken gently, startling her from wherever she had briefly lost herself within her thoughts.

Staring at him with wide eyes, the young girl then frowned unhappily, uneasily: "I don't know why but...I feel...aversion...towards that word."

"The term 'shinigami'?"

The word in question earned an awful and very noticeable shiver throughout her body, before she gave the other a rickety smile: "Uh... Can we...? Could we please talk about something else? You were saying something about Karu... Kusa...um?"

The doctor saw her struggle to get the name right, a deep frown of disconcerted concentration upon her somewhat wan features, and he relented, not wanting to drag on her prior uneasiness any longer, out of fear of negative repercussions. Things were truly bad enough as they were.

"Of course" he conceded with a nod, before he shifted through his lab coat and pulled out his dark leather, criss-crossed wallet.

With that done, Ryuken drew out a family picture Isshin had quite literally imposed on him, before handing it to the girl while pointing at corner of it: "Have you ever met this boy?"

Gingerly taking hold of the photograph, Orihime curiously let her eyes roam over it, taking in every detail. There were three people on the picture, two adorable little girls that couldn't appear any more different, in addition to a young boy around her age, way far taller than her.

The white-haired Quincy watched her keep eyes riveted on the photo, absorbing every detail with fascination, her fingers idly caressing it softly, before she lifted her head and shook it regretfully: "I've never seen him before in my life."

A cold, heavy chill ran through the room as her gaze, not sensing the shift in the atmosphere, fell back to the picture, her expression now sympathetic, her small smile wistful: "Poor thing, he looks so sad."

Now, Ryuken was even further baffled: "But he's smiling."

She slowly shook her head, completely certain of what she was seeing: "No, there's... a little sadness in that smile. One that he's very good at hiding. Who is he?"

"That would be Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Oh" she uttered pointlessly, her eyes fluttering an inch wider as she fixed the photo again, but no matter how long she looked, it just didn't help. She didn't appear to recall him one bit.

"And do you know him?"

"He's the son of an utter idio- (coughs) I mean, of an acquaintance of mine" informed Ryuken while barely correcting himself, his lapse about to cause Ichigo to raise an eyebrow, before he eventually nodded in agreement "He, along with my son, goes to the same school as you do and, normally, the three of you are in the same year."

"Really?" exclaimed Orihime, dumbfounded, before she bit her lower lip ruefully "I... I don't remember him. I remember Ishida-san, also Asano-san, Kojima-san and Yasutora-san, but...not him. I'm an airhead, true, but I would have remembered a classmate's face, even if we didn't talk. Was he absent a lot?"

Her tone was hopeful, as if trusting that that was the reason for her obliviousness, but her face fell hard when the doctor shook his head: "Not always, no. Though in recent times, yes, but those were absences you, Uryuu and this other boy you just mentioned, Sado Yasutora, shared with him."

The poor young girl then asked a question that had everyone dreading the reply: "But...Why?"

Sighing deeply, the white-haired doctor approached the matter as delicately as he could: "This may be hasty, but I believe your concussion has left you with temporary amnesia."

Orihime looked utterly horrified as she repeated slowly in but a whisper: "Amnesia?"

"Temporary amnesia" amended the white-haired doctor before he elucidated it further for her "It doesn't affect all your memories but a few, and has the advantage of not lasting long. All you need is a specific trigger that won't be too brutal on your currently fragile mind."

Appearing to be absorbing this news with struggling difficulty, the girl remained in shocked silence for a while, before she slowly spoke up with uncertainty: "Perhaps if I saw him, face to face, then... Will it help me recall something about him? Anything? Because I don't quite like this."

"Understandable. Effectively, it should work. No better than someone close to you to help you remember," agreed Ryuken with a sigh, before he readjusted his glasses and lowered his eyes "There's one little problem however."

She honestly couldn't fathom what could be more problematic than her current predicament: "Which is?"

Still averting his eyes, the Quincy uttered: "That boy has been missing for over a week now."

The Shinigami Substitute in question, once the kick in the teeth that one information gave him subsided, had his jaw drop in justified horror, wide eyes darting to those accompanying him: "A WEEK?!"

"It's because you were in the Hueco Mundo" explained Ulquiorra evenly, speaking up before Grimmjow could, while Byakuya silently stayed just as stunned "In a world of perpetual darkness, you have no notion over time, may you be encircled by white sand or white walls."

"A week" repeated Ichigo quietly to himself in shock, before glancing back towards where his classmate was, eyeing her sadly while he addressed the bat-like Espada "He'll leave her alone now, right?"

The Cuatro didn't need to request clarification, as he knew exactly what the other was asking: "As long as she doesn't remember, yes. Aizen-sama will leave her be. Be assured of that. Now, let us go. You have yet to see your other friends and family and your time is almost up."

Begrudgingly complying, the orange-haired teen, as well as the blue-haired feline, took one last glance at the girl that sacrificed almost everything, in the end for absolutely nothing, before they both followed the Cuatro Espada and the Kuchiki noble as they phased out of the room.

However, none of them had felt a pair of lovely large, miserable grey eyes, watching them discreetly as they left.

000000000000000000000000000000000000

Out in the adjacent hallway, Ishida Uryuu was pacing fretfully, hands folded behind his back, a distraught frown to his features, whilst he worried himself sick over the health of his friend. Amidst that, he was also troubled over the safety of his other not-so-close-but-related-anyway friend, and the pessimist side of his mind was poisoning him, telling him that things would only get worse. He truly didn't want to believe it, but so far, none of the odds were pointing in a good direction. Even Chad, who usually held his calm in such times, was an absolute wreck.

A hand to his shoulder startled him, leading him to lock eyes with his father's, staring at him with faint reprimand. Ryuken had frequently told him to permanently keep calm and think logically, no matter what. Only here, the young Quincy truly found himself unable to apply either. There was too much on his mind to shift through it all one at the time. Just too much...

"How is she?" asked Uryuu immediately, apprehensive enough as it was since his father said nothing on his own, and that generally wasn't a good sign.

"Not doing well," admitted the white-haired man, seeing no point in lying about it "As I began speaking to her, she started off with exhibiting faint traces of amnesia. Now, however, and all of sudden, she's become fully unresponsive. Almost as if she went catatonic."

Of all he had been awaiting to hear, this was not one of them, and it was news that dismayed the young Ishida to no end: "Did you just say 'amnesia'?"

"I did. It was quite terrifying to witness, in truth. Firstly, she does not recall your friendship at all, nor with you or Yasutora. She says to know you, but that she hasn't actually spoken to you. Secondly, for someone that has been so deeply involved with those of the Unseen World, both the Shinigami and the Hollow, she doesn't remember a single thing about them. It's as if she's completed zapped off their existence, in addition to Kurosaki Ichigo's" the elder man paused as he considered what he had just observed "Or more like, given that she forgot about Kurosaki Ichigo, her knowledge of the Unseen World is gone with the mere memory of him."

"But...If what you're saying is for real, then Inoue-san lost at least six if not seven months - maybe even more - of memory (6)?!" exclaimed Uryuu, unreservedly horrified by what he was learning "Without counting the part about not remembering Kurosaki at all... Questions are how and why?"

"I don't know. I've crossed out every possibility, but I still have no idea as to what could have led to this."

Brow furrowing deeper, the younger Ishida desperately tried to come up with an alternative: "Could her memories have been wiped from her?"

"I really don't know, nor do I wish to enter absurd theories I can't possibly uphold" muttered Ryuken as he walked over to the hall's open window and gazed out inattentively, missing his son's frustrated glare "What of on your end?"

Leaning against the opposite wall, the young Quincy pinched the bridge of his nose tightly: "Last I saw her, she was in the Seireitei, acting all...weird."

"Weird?"

"Yeah, well. She was kind of glum, for the lack of a better word, and bizarrely distant," recalled the bespectacled teenager as he ran a hand through his hair, while letting out a rickety breath "And now, Kurosaki is missing - with no trace of his soul or even his body - Inoue-san has amnesia and there's no possibility whatsoever to access the Seireitei."

"Why not?"

"The Senkaimon's broken, or so I've heard," informed the son as he echoed what Rikichi and the others had told him "Words of a few runaway Shinigami."

"Shinigami? Running away? Away from what?"

Biting his lip, Uryuu uttered the fear everyone had been attempting to avoid: "They said that Aizen Sosuke got out."

The white-haired man's eyes went considerably wide upon hearing that: "And...then?"

"They don't know. They're at sea, wondering who's lost."

The eldest of the two Quincy remained silent for a while, before revealing quietly: "Certainly the Shinigami, no doubt."

The younger Ishida was aware of there was no true love from either of them towards the Shinigami, but here, the lack of support was a little demoralizing: "Is that really possible?"

"It's more than a possibility" stated the white-haired assuredly, before pausing significantly as his mind seemed to wander somewhere "Aizen Sosuke has never truly been easy to conquer."

Blinking in surprise at the way his father formulated the sentence, Uryuu questioned steadily with faint interest: "And you know this how?"

Stance going rather rigid, Ryuken appeared to realize that he was saying things he shouldn't: "I know of him."

"That's very vague," commented the raven-haired teenager accusingly, hoping his reproachful tone would encourage the other to disclose more information than that.

"How are the Kurosaki family?" inquired the elder Ishida instead as he turned around to face his son, slickly changing subjects, which was effortlessly caught onto by the other, only the latter didn't have the strength at the moment to begin an argument with his father. Ryuken had skeletons in his cupboard, fine. So did he.

"Not good" sighed Uryuu with a shake of his head, accepting to bypass the former part of their discussion "Kurosaki's sisters are mourning him constantly as if he was dead and buried. And they're not speaking to anyone. Not even to Arisawa."

"And Isshin?" inquired Ryuken in slight concern, for since the man in question had to come in the hospital's defence, the white-haired Quincy hadn't heard from him nor had he seen him.

The concern however no longer remained trivial as his son's exhausted features turned grave: "No one knows where that man is."

000000000000000000000000000000000000

Keigo halted in his steps as an odd, yet faint and near imperceptible feeling ran through him. It wasn't frightening nor uncomfortable. Instead, it felt rather familiar. Very familiar in fact...

Looking over his shoulder, his wide brown eyes darted searchingly from left to right, then from right to left, doing so repeatedly, mechanically, not really sure what he was looking for.

"Weird" mumbled the brown-haired teenager as he rubbed at the nape of his neck, before shrugging and carrying on his way home, having been sent out to run an errand by his beloved bossy sister, Mizuho.

Frowning to himself, Keigo again stopped his pace and glanced behind him. Though that odd, familiar feeling was now long gone, he couldn't help but feel like he was missing something.

'Because, damn it, it was almost as if...' thought the brown-haired teen, before his jaw then dropped when he finally put a finger on what he had sensed 'Oh my God!'

"ICHIGO!" called out Keigo loudly, as he ran back down the street, heading off randomly in that direction and disappearing...before reappearing again and dashing this time up the street... Only given that his spiritual awareness wasn't that sharp - it was already a miracle he sensed a speck of his classmate's presence - he had absolutely no freakin' idea where to start looking.

Panting out breathlessly as he ran a hand through his hair, the brown-haired teenager swore, wondering upon what to do now. Tell the others? That was a start. But what if he was wrong? If he had just imagined it? He was rather tired and stressed-out, like everyone else was... Keigo then stubbornly shook his head at that. He wouldn't take the risk if he was in fact right.

He then let out a shrill, girly-like scream when something all of a sudden latched strongly onto his wrist, his thoughts too focused to notice anything, or anyone, getting close until now.

Doubled eyes flitted over in full trepidation to see a prettily tanned hand clutching tightly onto him, and, upon turning completely, Keigo saw a tall, caramel-skinned woman, half-sitting, half-lying on the ground, clad in nothing but a long thigh-high white T-shirt, with short spiky blonde hair falling over her lowered face, as she breathed out with great difficulty.

And it didn't take long for the young brown-haired teen to realize who she was: "Y-You?"

Panting out erratically, she heavily raised her head an inch, revealing two brilliant emerald green eyes, dimmed beneath her bangs, as she rasped out: "I...I refused your help...back then. But...right now...if you're still...still offering it...it would be more than welcome..."

At the Kurosaki Clinic:

After a long storm of deleterious emotions, it was finally quiet within their brother's room, in which Karin and Yuzu had officially moved in, and had now fallen in a deep slumber, brought on by an onslaught of unending, wearing tears. And that's how Ichigo found his two sisters...

As the Shinigami Substitute and the others touched down in front of the clinic, after having roamed around and checking on each of his friends - taking in that a strong depression was something that they were all partaking in - Ichigo asked the Cuatro Espada if he could go on in alone, something that was effortlessly conceded to him. Hence, in he went, phasing through the walls due to the bracelet tightly attached to his wrist, checking each room until he found his twin sisters huddled together, fast asleep upon the bed.

Biting his lower lip as his gaze fell upon their distressed features, the orange-haired teenager neared them silently, before crouching down at their height and, after a moment of hesitation, cautiously reached out and gently touched their hair, dreading that this would be his very last time seeing them.

Exhaling deeply and closing his eyes tight whilst wondering how everything could have spiralled down so fast, gone wrong so damn easily, Ichigo startled badly when one of his sisters gently caught his hand in an unyielding grip.

Brown eyes snapping open in panic, he glanced over to the twin holding onto him, only to see that she was fast asleep, but, somehow, given her next slumber induced words, rather aware of his presence.

"Ichi-nii" whispered Yuzu with a soft sniffle, closed eyes shimmering at the lashes "Don't leave."

"Yeah" smiled the orange-haired teen sadly, as he deftly retrieved his hand before stroking his sisters' cheeks wistfully and wiping away their tears, careful not to wake them "Wish I didn't have to."

Ichigo held on for a moment before he suddenly choked on his breath and lowered his head, sobbing faintly. If, before, he had been somewhat formerly prepared and fixed to become Aizen's personal pet or whatever, now, he really, really wasn't.

He wasn't backing down or chickening out, mind you, but rather he was realizing what the deal he had made with that devil of being entailed: Ichigo was leaving everything behind him. His family, his friends, his freedom, his life...which wasn't that exclusive, but still. It was his. Used to be anyway.

Forcing himself to calm down, the orange-haired teen breathed out as he reminded himself of the most important thing of all, and this being fully and quite gladly something he'd surrender at the expense of his own ruin and despair: he was keeping those he cared about safe. And that, was truly all that mattered. All that should matter.

In an odd kind of way, Ichigo almost himself doing what Grimmjow had done for his herd. And if the other could do it - and, one day, somewhat get over it - how hard could it be? Besides, compared to the feline, he wouldn't be exactly alone. There was the former Arrancar himself and the Kuchiki noble. They weren't the best of friends, noted, but, with a little luck, they'd maybe get through all of this somehow, by being there for one another. Heavy emphasis on 'maybe' through...

Nodding with newfound resolve, the Shinigami Substitute glanced over at his sisters, taking them one last time as he smiled sadly, before he then stiffened when an all-too-familiar voice addressed him: "Kurosaki, time's up. We've gotta go-"

Phasing into the room to fetch the teen, Grimmjow froze midway in everything he was doing, his blue eyes widening as they locked onto large brown ones still not rid of tears.

Both too taken aback for words, neither could look away, like two deer caught in headlights, the orange-haired too stunned by the other seeing him this vulnerable, and the blue-haired too shocked by the fact that the other had been - or was still - crying. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind.

The spell they were under suddenly broke when the feline averted his eyes, features tightening with a semblance of contrite and guilt, before mumbling softly: "I...I'll just go and buy you a minute or two."

"No, don't leave. You can stay" called out the Shinigami Substitute quietly as the other had begun to withdraw, before turning his head and clumsily wiping his tears away "Please stay."

Hesitating, Grimmjow wordlessly glanced back to where the orange-haired teen was huddled in on himself, sitting on the floor close to his sisters, and yet, seeming so far away from them.

Ichigo yelped out in surprise when strong arms suddenly seized him, one around his waist, the other holding his head, and Grimmjow firmly captured him in a warm embrace, resting his chin upon the other's orange hair and not saying a single word.

Feeling a slight sense of déjà vu, only currently reversed, the teen blinked, still too shocked by the gesture, before he then fully relaxed into it, his face burying within the other's chest while his hands fisted the back of the former Arrancar's shirt, holding on like a lifeline to what he considered to be his only grip on reality. A reality...he could not bring himself to forget again.

Barely seconds later, the Shinigami Substitute went absolutely lax, his arms falling limply to his sides as he slumped completely within Grimmjow's hold, causing the latter to tense.

"Kurosaki?" whispered the feline with immediate concern, hand promptly pulling the orange bangs away from the teenager's face, only to see that Ichigo had passed out - or fallen asleep, the blue-haired couldn't quite tell - dealing with the aftermath of exhausting emotions, which just kept on piling up and ended up being too much for him to keep up with.

Cradling the Shinigami Substitute in his arms as he swiftly got to his feet, the former Arrancar stared at the teen's sleeping features, before acting on complete impulse and leaning in to a lick gently at Ichigo's cheek, ridding the latter of a stray tear that had stayed behind.

Realizing what he was doing, Grimmjow jerked his back faintly in disbelief, before exhaling heavily and resting his forehead against the teenager's, muttering quietly: "You're fuckin' breaking my heart, kid. So much that I'm entirely losing my fuckin' mind around you."

Straightening up and shaking his head at himself, the blue-haired feline grinned heatedly: "And I really fuckin' hate it when that Aizen bastard's right, damn it."

Containing his rage for when he'd see the immortal face-to-face, Grimmjow then made his way out of the room, phasing through the wall, not once looking back and taking Ichigo with him. And then, just like that, he was entirely gone from their lives, to Heaven knows where...

End of: Part One, Victory Falls

To be Continued in: Part Two, Dignity Falls

(1) So 'Débauche' literally stands for Debauchery in French (as in Depravity, Degeneracy, Corruption or/and Vice). As for what it is, you'll have to wait for Part Two to find that out.

(2) Instead of saying 'the men from the Rukongai' which is unbearably long and tedious, I'm just going to go on and call the 'Aizen's watchdogs', ok? That's what they mainly are anyway.

(3) Remember when Ichigo was looking for a name for Kon? Kon wanted to be called Kai, but the teenager ended up picking the plushie's current namesake.

(4) That thing Ulquiorra does where he can record all with his eyes and, by extracting them and crushing them, others can see what he saw.

(5) I didn't quite find time to get Orihime's exact address, but I do recall that her flat n° is 503. So does Ichigo.

(6) All in all, if my memory serves me right, between the first few chapters/episodes where they invaded the Seireitei to save Rukia (which appeared to be sometime before summer) and the Winter War, I'm going to go on a limb here and say that it was all around seven to eight months, according to my calculations. I might be completely wrong though...

A/N: Ta-daaaa! Gosh, I'm so excited! Oh, in case your wondering, Doll is no O.C. She is very much a full-fledged Bleach character, but as I am now bordering on the plane of an alternate universe as the chapters go forth, what you know of her, apart from her personality, won't be put into play within this fic. I'm curious to know if you can guess who she is (grins).

Another thing, someone pointed out to me that Ichigo and Byakuya (mainly the latter) were not exhibiting strain related to their forced encounter with Grimmjow. Here's my explanation: it's because it was Grimmjow, a victim like them, that they more or less sort of accepted it, for now. However, in the next part, what they will go through, notably Byakuya, will give them the nasty lingering traits one endures after traumatic experiences, both mental and physical. Truth in fact, the whole idea of the following part is seeing them attempt to hold onto each other, despite having very little in common, while steadily breaking down and breaking apart. I hope I was able to clarify it up for you lot...and if I didn't, then you'll have to wait and see... So, after this chapter, there will probably be an interlude. Then, I'll be going on a trek for inspiration to ready up Part Two, which will be a little lengthier than this one, given the details that will feature in it and the fact that it's going to take place in a different environment than the ones we're all familiar with from the Bleachverse. I wouldn't exactly call it an Alternate Universe, but the location we'll be revolving around the most is neither in the Seireitei nor the Hueco Mundo, and it won't be happening in Karakura either but rather in its proximity. So, as you can realize, it's going to be a lot of work just setting it all, as I'm going to have to write down the surroundings to give you an overview (something I didn't really have to do previously since we all know what the three worlds from Bleach look like, with the manga, anime and all). So wish me lots of luck for the next part! And if you feel generous enough to want to lend me some advice, I'm all ears! I wish you all the best, hope you enjoyed this last chapter and I really look forward to seeing you in Part Two! See ya around!