Chapter 4

Asshole.

It's because of that one word—and the resulting giggle fit that left me breathless—that I now find myself being dragged along by a very unpleased Ulquiorra. His eyes are narrowed again and I can feel my wrist threatening to give under his harsh grip. I can already see the bruises forming too.

The others trail after us, a cautious air about them as we go one in silence. They're worried about bringing Ulquiorra's attention onto themselves. I don't blame them. Ulquiorra can be scary when he wants to be so the others stay a few paces behind us.

Except Wonderweiss.

He walks next to me, hand once again clutching mine as he babbles happily. And it's the happily part that throws me off. From what I know, or more like assumed, this isn't how Wonderweiss is supposed to act. He should be more like Ulquiorra, void of emotions and uncaring.

Not happily gurgling as we make our way through a garganta.

And isn't that something?

I'm currently being dragged through a garganta by a very peeved Ulquiorra.

It's weird, I'll give you that. That garganta that is, though Ulquiorra showing his emotions is too. It's so dark; we're surrounded by an inky blackness, yet I can see everyone clearly. There are no dark shadows or blurry images. I can make out the turquoise tuff of hair and Grimmjow's scowl as clear as day even though he's once again at the very back of the group.

Though more than weird, it's kind of scary—terrifying really.

We're walking on a trail—a white somethingthat only appears as Ulquiorra goes. It forms seconds before his next step and since I'm being dragged behind him it means I'm right there with him, on the edge.

One misstep, one stumble is all it would take to find myself going overboard.

What would happen if I fell?

Needless to say that thought alone has me straining my arm as far as it'll go. I desperately try to stay as far away from the edge as I can with Ulquiorra vise like grip on my arm. Though straining to get way only seems to be angering him more.

Well, it's not my fault I'm scared of heights.

In a desperate effort to pretend I'm not on the on the edge of what could possibly be a very large fall I find myself turning away. I'm walking sideways, head turned towards the back while Ulquiorra drags me forward by one hand and Wonderwise clutches the other.

It's a bit tricky to walk like this without tripping over and I'm actually shuffling more than anything but I refuse to walk as close to the edge as Ulquiorra seems to want me to. The others wear a look of amused confusion as the watch me shuffle along but I don't comment on it because my gaze is drawn to Grimmjow's scowling face.

It's his default expression, at least I would think it is and, as I watch him scowl at anything and everything, an important question comes to mind.

Is it worth it?

Is it really worth going through the hell I'm a hundred percent positive I will have to go through just to save them? Is it worth the blood, sweat, and tears that will likely follow? They're basically a group of murders—monsters that devour the souls of innocents. Sure it's to sustain themselves but murder is murder and that's what they're doing.

But then again, it's their only choice.

That's all they know. They haven't been taught anything else. For all that Aizen praises himself for having returned some semblance of humanity to the soulless creatures that roam Hueco Mundo he hadn't bothered to teach them how to be human.

He never bothered to instill human manners and beliefs.

Sure they walk like humans and talk like human but they're not. They're monsters in human skin; sick vile creatures that walk around in a human suit. Had Aizen made the effort, though, I'm sure that wouldn't be the case.

Look at the Vizards.

Once healthy, pure souls turned—twisted into something resembling the monster they once hunted. Now they're nothing more than half-breeds. Wielding the mask and using the power they once sought to destroy and yet the live a peaceful existence.

I sure the same could have been said about the Espadas if someone had cared enough to try.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts as Ulquiorra let's go of me. Once given the chance, I eagerly scramble away from the edge—taking Wonderweiss with me as he doesn't seem to want to let go anytime soon—and don't stop till I once again find myself standing next to Grimmjow. Grimmjow, who looks at me like I've gone batshit insane for thinking I'm safer next to him.

That's because I have.

Nothing is said for a long while, though Yammy and Luppi do glance curiously between Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and me for a bit longer than necessary. I don't get why they do it so I just bite my lip as I stand nervously next to Grimmjow, waiting for someone to do something.

"I'll be leaving her in your care," Ulquiorra suddenly says as he turns back to face the front. I don't know who he's talking to and, apparently, neither do the guys as they all share confused looks. Ulquiorra, for his part, walks off without another word.

"Did he mean Grimmjow?" Yammy asks once Ulquiorra finally disappears from sight. Everyone turns to him as once, thinking on it too. "Or did he mean me?"

"No," Luppi says, standing tall and proud as he straightens his outfit. "He obviously meant me. That ex-Espada isn't in the condition to look after anyone after all."

"I'm not looking after it," Grimmjow growls, completely ignoring Luppi. At this point begin called 'it' no longer offends me so I ignore it with a roll of my eyes. I'm a girl, god dammit. "One of you is."

"Blah!" Wonderweiss babbles and I giggle. I have no idea what he's trying to say but seeing his face scrunched up in ager is so cute. "Nngh wa na!"

"Wait! Don't I get a say in this?" I ask after I realize that if someone is going to have to take care of me it might be better if I choose them. Four pairs of curious eyes turn my way at those words and I shrink in on myself as I realize my mistake.

These guys are competitive.

"Of course!" Luppi yells as he moves to my side. "You'll choose me, right?"

He throws an arm over my shoulders without another word. Though he doesn't do it gently. It almost has me collapsing and I probably would have if Wonderweiss hadn't ripped him off me while babbling a mile a minute.

"Shut up kid. She won't choose you because you can't protect her."

Tears appear in Wonderweiss' eyes instantly, his lower lip begins to wobble and I can't stop myself. I throw my arms around him. We're about the same height but he curls into my side with a sniffle anyways as I cuddle him close.

"And I thought Ulquiorra was the Asshole," I mumble to myself as I glare at Luppi who glares right back. "I'll take Wonderweiss over any of you, any day."

"You can't choose him!" he yells as he rips Wonderweiss from my grip. He's not that much taller than Wonderweiss but he uses those few inches he has on Wonderweiss to his advantage. He dangles the poor boy by the back of his shirt even as he struggles to get back to my side.

"Leave him alone!" I shout and I would have move towards him if Grimmjow hadn't gripped the back of my shirt to stop me. "Let me go, you—"

"I'm taking them into my care," Grimmjow says as he cuts me off and I look up to him in shock. Hell, everyone does, even Wonderweiss' angry babbling stops.

"You?" Luppi asks, a doubtful tone to his voice as he looks Grimmjow over from head to toe. "What are you going to do with only one arm? You couldn't even protect—"

"Let the kid go."

The tension is thick. There's a glare on Luppi's face and a darker one on Grimmjow's, while Yammy stands back—obviously unwilling to get involved. We're all waiting to see what Luppi will do and if this will mean a fight. While Grimmjow may be arm-less, he's still strong and Luppi's clearly hesitant to see just how strong he is.

"Fine."

Wonderweiss barely manages to keep his balance as Luppi suddenly lets him go and shoves him forward. He stumbles but I manage to catch him before he can fall and Grimmjow pulls us both behind him not too long after wards.

Weird...he's protecting us...?

"We better get going before we miss our chance," Yammy says once the situation has diffused somewhat.

Grimmjow scoffs but grabs my arm and drags me away with Wonderweiss still clinging on to me. We continue on after that in silence, the tension thick around us, but no one moves to break it.

Why did he protect us?

It confuses me. I mean, I understand why he might protect Wonderweiss, the kid is an Arrancar. But that Grimmjow would put himself in harm's way because of me has me wondering just how fucked up my imagination can get.

Grimmjow wouldn't protect me, I'm a human and Grimmjow hates all things human.

"My mind's version of him is so 'Out of Character'," I mumble to myself as we continue to walk. Yammy and Luppi trail behind us while Grimmjow—"Grimmjow!"

"What no—?"

"Let go, let go, let go!" I yell as I frantically try to remove his hand from my wrist because it's the same. I'm in the same position as before. Right on the edge and this time I don't keep quiet as I struggle against his hold. "Please, please, please let go. Let go!"

"What's wrong with you?" Grimmjow growls, grips still tight on my arm and I yelp as he tugs me forward. Wonderweiss—arms wrapped around my waist—comes with me, making me stumble into the brute as his added weight slams into me.

It's like a domino effect then—a small one but the results are devastating. As Wonderweiss crashes into me, I crash into Grimmjow, who loses his footing and down, down, down we go. It happens so fast that the scream gets stuck in my throat and I cling onto Grimmjow as we fall.

And all too soon we land in a heap. We crash into something with Wonderweiss on top of me and Grimmjow under. He takes the full impact of the crash, really, and the grunt he releases makes me wince. It's also what has me knocking Wonderweiss none to gently off me so I can look the poor brute over.

A long string of curses leaves my mouth as I run my hands over the brute's chest, looking for any injuries.

"Oh thank goodness," I mumble when I find nothing but a fear inspiring scowl on his face. "Keep making that face and it'll get stuck," I tell him distractedly as I look around to see where we've landed once I'm sure he's fine. "Though I don't think you'll really car—Oh! We're here."

Four confused and curious faces stare at Grimmjow and Wonderweiss and I. We're in a big open field and I look up to find Yammy and Luppi staring at us incredulously from the garganta's opening, up in the sky. Well, at least we fell when the garganta opened and not before.

"Are...are you guys okay?"

The voice is feminine—soft, light, confused—and I turned to its owner with a bright smile. Finally! Someone who knows the correct way to act to someone potentially getting injured.

"We're fine, thank you," I tell her, smile still in place as I climb to my feet. I help Wonderweiss to his feet once I regain my balance and even go so far as to dust the kid off as I look him over too. "You're not hurt are you?"

"Nu-huh."

"You sure?"

"Uh-huh."

"Quit baby-ing him," Grimmjow growls as he gets to his feet and I shoot him an offend glare as I wrap my arms around Wonderweiss. He, once again, curls into my side so I almost miss the way he sticks his tongue out at Grimmjow. "Why you—!"

"Leave him alone," I scold as I drag him closer into my side.

"But he—"

"Doesn't know any better," I growl out and ignore Grimmjow as he huffs in annoyance but turns back to face the people watching us. "I'm sorry about dropping in so suddenly—literally," I tell the shinigami as I turn to them, because it's them. It's Yumichika and Ikkaku and Rangiku and Hitsugaya. "But I got something I need to talk to you about."

"Uh...us?" Rangiku, the apparent talker of the group asks, confusion written all over her face like the rest of her group as they stare at us. "You want to talk to us?"

"Uh-huh, I was hoping you could answer a couple of questions for me," I tell them as I pull away from Wonderweiss and usher him to stand behind Grimmjow. To safety because what I'm about to do might get me killed and I'd rather he not be in the line of fire. "You see, I'm sure you guys have already realized I'm human and who I'm "working" for—like I had much of a choice with that bastard making all the decisions himself. But that's neither here nor there. Anyways, I'm wondering if you guys know why Aizen's doing this."

"Doing? Doing what? Killing everyone? Trying to take over the world? How are we supposed to know?" Hitsugaya asks, glare on his face. He's pissed, overly so but before he can ask more or go on a full-blown rant, Ikkaku speaks.

"You didn't have a choice? Did Aizen force you to join his army? Did he threaten you? That no good, Son of a—"

"Whoa, okay calm down," I mutter to him when I see him getting angrier with every word. "That's not what I said. He didn't exactly force me but he didn't ask me if I wanted to either."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hitsugaya asks, suspicion written all over his face and it's then that I realize I won't be getting an answer from them. They're too preoccupied trying to figure out whether they should attack me or not. "Are you a hostage or are you working for Aizen?"

"Oh, I'm working for him alright," I tell them and make sure to step back a few paces as I see them reaching for their swords. "But it's to further my own plans, not his, so there's really no need to attack me."

"You're the enemy?"

"In a way, yes but, honestly? No," I tell them. They don't understand me, I can tell by the confused look on Ikkaku's and Rangiku's faces. "He has something I want, something incredibly precious to me. Something in danger of being destroyed and until I find a way to insure it's safety I will work for that tyrant."

"Something precious?" Hitsugaya asks, confused by the wording but I nod either way. His eyebrows pull together in confusion as he thinks on it for a bit. and, when his gaze darkens, I know he's come to a bad conclusion . "Are you humans really so greedy that simply the promise of material objects can get you to turn on your own kind?"

That is not what I meant at all!

"No, you stupid, pointy-haired midget," I snap before I can think about it because this Asshat just insulted me! I'm going to punch him in his scrunched up face! "It's the love of my life. He has the man I love! He has—"

"Enough of this! I came to fight not talk."

Yammy's yell catches me off guard. The tension is thick once again and it seems everyone's just waiting for someone to make the first move. So I completely blame it on him that I end up jumping behind Grimmjow at the sound of it.

"There doesn't need to be a fight," I yell up at him but am ignored as Yammy and Luppi finally exit that garganta. "I was doing a mighty fine job of distracting them already," I mumble to myself and Wonderweiss nods in agreement.

"He's not in this group," Grimmjow suddenly says, pulling my attention to him, and I look at him just as he wraps an arm around my waist and throws me over his shoulder. "The guy that I want to kill isn't here."

"Wait, wait, wait! Ack!"

The world spins as my hair whips harshly around me. The wind roars in my ears but even then I manage to hear Wonderweiss' startled cry as Grimmjow races away with me on his shoulder.

"Put me down!" I yell as I pound on his back, though it only hurts me because Arrancars have extremely tough skin. Like granite and my weak human strength does nothing against it so, after a bit, I give up. "You forgot Wonderweiss, you dumbass!"

"The kid can take care of himself," Grimmjow yells back and I huff in annoyance because he has a point. Aizen might have made him that way but the kid's got enough strength to survive either way.

"Ichigo's been training, you know," I call back to him as I rest my elbows on his back and put my chin in my hands. "With the Vizards. They've been teaching him to keep his mask on for longer periods of time and he's getting pretty good. So do you still think you can take him?"

"I'll kill him."

"No, you won't," I mumble just as we come to a stop. We're in the middle of some random street. It's empty, not a car in sight so I don't bother to move as Grimmjow sets me on my feet. "And, sadly, it won't be him who'll kill you either."

"What do you know?" Grimmjow asks as his hand, big and strong, wraps around my neck. I don't tense or panic or struggle. I just stand there because his grip is loose, limp, a touch more than a grip as he waits for answer.

"Everything," I whisper, eyes locked with his so I seem them wide just the tiniest bit. I keep still even as his grip begins to tighten. "I know about Di Roy, Nakeem, Edrad, Shawlong, Yylfordt—Szayel's brother. How mad...was he...that you...you...got him...k—"

Grimmjow says nothing, shows nothing. His eyes are blank, empty as he cuts off my breathing. This is seriously the most calm kill I've ever seen. No shouting or screaming, no blood or anger. Just a girl slipping away at the hands of a brute.

It's calm, peaceful, so quiet that it doesn't clearly register in mind that this could be the end of me until Grimmjow let's go. Until the air comes rushing back so suddenly that it hurts, that I get so dizzy I collapse onto my knees, coughing all the way.

"The only reason I won't kill you is 'cause it's what Aizen wants," Grimmjow says, winding his hand into my hair and he pulling my head back to look at him. "He doesn't want you to come back to Las Noches. It's why he sent you with us."

"You...You say that like I'm supposed to care," I choke out between my coughs. I meet his gaze head on again and find it as empty and anger free as before. "Like...like if it'll hurt that...that bastard doesn't wants me around."

"Since you were asking about him I thought you might have," he says as he lets me go. "Now get up. We have to find Ichigo before Ulquiorra finishes."

"You won't win," I say as stand on shaky legs. My headache is back stronger than ever and I can't keep myself from stumbling as the world spins. Grimmjow catches me effortlessly, distractedly and helps me find my balance even though his eyes are glued to the sky.

"Seems he found us," he mumbles as his hand goes back to my throat. "No hard feels but I don't want him to think we're friends."

"I understand," I whisper with a shrug and don't fight even though he uses his grip on my neck to lift me up until my feet no longer touch the ground. Man, he's tall. "Wouldn't want him...to think you've gone soft...would we...Kitty Kat."

"Let her go, Grimmjow!"

"I've been looking for you, Shinigami," Grimmjow says as he lets me go and I once again fall to my knees in front of him.

"That's my line," Ichigo says and I turn to find him reaching for his face. He's going to unleash his mask and I can do nothing to stop this fight. Not that I really would have but still. "Let me show you how much I've changed."

"Don't get your ass beat too bad," I whisper up to Grimmjow as I finally pull myself up to my feet. I stumble to the side walk before they can actually start fighting because I don't want to get hit on accident.

"I'm going to kill you next."

"Hmm...What happened to 'I won't kill you because it's what Aizen wants?'"

"Fuck Aizen."