a/n: porting this over from ao3 because i like this one. Though I prefer ao3 for their tagging and organisational system these days. So more of my newer fics will go over there now.

But this. Have I finished Without a Trace? No. Should I be starting a new story? No. Am I going to anyway? Yes. But yeah, so I watched Centaurworld and the Nowhere King pushes all my horror-creepy-animal-skull-black-tar imagery loving buttons. So of course I had to write another nightmare hollow story :) So just relax and enjoy the horror and Aizen losing his shit when Gin is threatened. And maybe leave a review if you can. Or kudos over on ao3.


Quiet, crawl to the in-between
Silent, secretive feeling
Of fearsome hatred that reaches the skies

You will bring joy to the Nowhere King
When he sees the light leaving your eyes

- The Nowhere King's Lullaby

...

The Nowhere King

Gin followed Sousuke obediently down the street in the human world, their jobs done for now. The hollows had been dispatched and the lingering souls had been moved on from this plane of existence. Now it was time to go home, where a hot bath, a hot mug of tea, and a comfortable bed awaited them.

Sousuke paused at the place where they'd entered this world, and reached out, opening the portal home with a flick of his wrist. The gate opening with a bright light shining within. The door home.

"Shall we?" Sousuke asked, casting a smile his way. Gin couldn't help but return it.

"Yep. Let's go home."

Sousuke stepped through first into the empty space, the rift between worlds, and Gin followed him. Though that wasn't saying much; Gin would've followed him anywhere. To the edge of the world, even. Where the skies ended. This was nothing in comparison.

Gin squinted against the brightness of the void, and looked around. "This... doesn't look like the way we came in," he said carefully.

He watched his partner nod. "It's always different on the way back."

"It's so white."

Aizen smiled. "Why do you think our Hell Butterflies are black?" he asked. "Come on, let's move,"

He walked forwards, his Hell Butterfly fluttering ahead of him, leading the way. "Don't linger. There are worse things here than the 'cleaners'."

Gin blinked, curiosity piqued, but nonetheless he fell into step beside Sousuke.

"Worse things?"

"Yes."

"Like what?"

Sousuke gave him a mischievous smirk. "Like the Nowhere King."

Gin frowned. "Aint that just a folk tale?"

"They do say those stories have a grain of truth in them," Sousuke countered. "Someone had to come up with the story somehow. Why not from experience?"

Gin shivered, grateful Aizen wasn't looking his way in that moment. Of course he'd heard the story. And what Rukon kid hadn't grown up singing the song of the Nowhere King? The words eerie and haunting, filling the listener with a sense of dread.

Dreamless sleep follows the Nowhere King...

He shook the memories away. This was still a job until they were back on home soil. He needed to focus.

He blamed Sousuke for winding him up. Of course there wasn't a Nowhere King. That was just a children's bedtime story. Behave of the Nowhere King will get you. That sort of thing.

Still... it was very eerie here. Too vast. Too empty. Too quiet. Gin couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. The hairs on his arms and the back of his neck standing on end. A prickling urge to keep looking over his shoulder dogging him every step. Making him wish he had half of Aizen's confidence. Maybe then he wouldn't be so paranoid something was going to jump out at them from behind.

But it seemed his worries had been baseless. Because soon enough they were approaching the portal to the other side. The emtry point into the twelfth divisions laboratory. Where they came in.

Nearly there, Gin thought. Just a few more feet.

Gin stopped mid-step, something warm and wet dripping onto his head from above and rolling down his forehead. He stood, frozen, and hesitantly lifted his fingertips to brush off the sticky, wet substance that'd landed on him. Pulling them away to find them covered in what looked like thick, black tar.

He looked up and realised what was happening a few seconds ahead of Sousuke, and his eyes shot wide open.

"Gin?" Sousuke called when he realised his partner had stopped moving. Following his horrfied gaze upwards until he saw what held Gin's attention so fast.

Above them hung a great black creature of sorts. Made entirely of tar, with the body of a spider crossed with a deer. Several legs on a thick body, with a long, insect-like tail.

And for a head, an elk skull, bare and exposed. Eyes glowing green as it eyes them hungrily.

"Oh shit," Aizen cursed, and the creature lunged.

"Look out!" Gin cried, flash stepping close and shoving Sousuke bodily through the portal and out of the things reach.

Unfortunately, that left Gin right in its path.

Aizen barely had time to scramble to his feet and run back to the portal, arm outstretched, calling to Gin. But it closed between them, leaving Gin trapped in the world between worlds.

. . .

Sousuke got to the wall just as it closed.

"Shit!" he growled, fist banging the grey wall where the portal had been. "Shit, shit, shit, shit! Gin!"

He grit his teeth and fought back the tears that were forming. "Why? Why did you sacrifice yourself? Why did you save me?" he dragged in another jagged breath. "I was supposed to protect you."

He closed his eyes for a moment to recompose himself as best he could. Which wasn't very much, considering his other half was trapped in the rift between worlds with some eldritch Horrow from the Place of Nightmares. But still, for Gin's sake he had to try. He couldn't get Gin out of there if he was a goddamn mess.

He whirled round, scanning for someone who could help. The twelfth knew and operated these portals. They would be able to open it again. Spying one of the lab technicians, Akon, nearby, he marched over.

"You!" he called, nearly making the boy leap out of his skin. "Open the portal. My lieutenant is trapped in there."

He's hoped his authority as a captain would have some weight, but the boy just shook his head and clutched his clipboard.

"I-I'm afrais I can't do that, Captain Aizen," he stammered, hesitant yet firm. "There's a class 8 hollow in there. It's too risky to open it now.

Sousuke curled his lips into a snarl. Too risky? Too risky?! Risky was leaving Gin stuck in there to get eaten alive by that fucking goop monster. This fool would soon find out what real risk was when he held the fucker at knifepoint and threatened to gut him and everyone else here like fish if they didn't get his Gin out of that void.

He grabbed the scientist by the labcoat and yanked him so they were inches away from his face. "Open the fucking portal now!"

Akon held his hands up in an appeasing gesture and stammered a reply.

"Okay! Okay! J-just calm down, alright. D-don't do anything rash..."

"Open the portal and I won't have to," Aizen growled out through gritted teeth. "I know what's in there, and you don't want to see it. And I don't want Gin to get eaten by it."

He released Akon from his grip and the young man hurried over to the control panel and began frantically typing. Soon, the portal reopened. It wasn't even halfway open before Sousuke darted to it.

"Keep it open," he ordered. "If you don't, I'll come back as another abomination and kill you myself."

Akon nodded, and Aizen darted through.