Chapter Thirty Nine:
Ichigo growled as Rukia was forced to take the lead through the Garganta, the reishi pathways instantly solidifying and becoming more stable beneath her controlled reiatsu. His own had been rugged, crumbly and almost deadly, Chad had fallen twice, surviving only thanks to Ishida's quick thinking and reflexes.
Relief from the black void came quickly as the tearing mouth-like rip soon opened in front of them, if he squinted Ichigo was sure he could already make out the shifting waves of crisp white sand and emptiness. His stomach was tying itself in angry, anxious knots as they grew closer and closer. He sucked in a breath, freezing on the very lip of the Garganta as he watched Rukia, Renji, Orihime, Ishida and Chad break free into the world beyond.
He leapt after them, bringing up the rear of the group. Ichigo heard the Garganta snap shut behind him, but he couldn't bring himself to look. He couldn't do very much at all in fact. His entire body had seized up, muscles protesting, bones aching, head spinning. He hit the sand with a soft thump, fingers digging into the soft ground, eyes wide.
There was an instant restlessness deep inside his chest, a squirming sensation not dissimilar to nervous fluttering. But it left him gasping for breath as he watched black inky swirls trickling into his vision without permission.
"Your coexistence with Shiro-san is not perfect, you are not synchronised... From the moment you set foot in Hueco Mundo he will start to get stronger..."
Urahara's words jolted through him, his teeth clenching tightly as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shake off the frigid fingers trailing up his spine. His ears were ringing, nostrils burning, throat tightening. Every sense was on fire.
"Ichigo?" Rukia's voice was concerned as she rested a hand on his shoulder.
He flinched at the contact, sucking in a deep breath as he forced himself to sit back on his haunches, slowly opening his eyes to meet her violet ones, "I-I'm alright." He said quietly, glad that the blackness had withdrawn for the time being.
"So this... Is Hueco Mundo..." Renji had his hands on his hips, looking around the expansive wasteland.
Ichigo lurched to his feet and licked his lips, ignoring the looks of worry he was receiving from Rukia, Orihime and Ishida as he walked to his redheaded friend's side, "Yeah... And somewhere in this Hell-hole is Aizen's palace, and Byakuya's prison."
"What do we know about his hideout?" Their Quincy companion asked.
"Las Noches..." Ichigo said softly, "I remember Aizen talking about it a few times... It's a palace, one huge palace. He... Planned to create a home for his subordinates, where they could be safe, where they could grow strong."
"Something... Like that?" Orihime lifted a hand and pointed with her index finger.
Ichigo followed her gesture until his eyes came to rest on the humongous white building in the distance, he felt his breath hitch at the sight of it, "Yes... That's it. That's... Las Noches..."
"You're sure?" Renji asked gruffly.
"Definitely. Don't ask me how I know... I just do." The strawberry haired Shinigami winced, rolling his shoulders as a tingle rippled across his skin, "We should move, the sooner we get there the better."
"True." Ishida slipped an arm around his wife's waist, "I can carry Orihime while using Hirenkyaku, but I won't be able to take Sado as well."
"I can carry him." The redheaded Fukutaichou nodded to the larger man, gesturing for him to come closer.
Ichigo murmured his thanks and as a unit they began a quick approach in the direction of the white palace. It was unbelievable how big it was, no matter how long they seemed to travel for the place never seemed to get any bigger.
What didn't help their progress, was when they were suddenly attacked. There was no warning before several low level Hollows seemed to spring from beneath their very feet, all claws and teeth and tails trying to snatch at the fresh source of food with greedy hands, greedy talons. Rukia was quick off the mark, Zanpakutō drawn and already cleaving flesh from bone. Ichigo and Renji were next, taking the time to clear the way as quickly as possible.
Their journey fell into an uneasy pattern of moving across the sand, being attacked by Hollows, defeating them and moving again. It was like a never-ending loop. Ichigo could feel himself getting slower, his movements sluggish, his legs heavy and it was nothing to do with the struggle to make progress.
He could hear it. High pitched, feminine, ethereal. A voice. A voice, singing to him like a lullaby reaching into his head, into his Soul. For every Hollow he cleaved in two the voice grew louder. It made him feel like he was wading through waist high water, drowning in mist and fog that just seemed to get more and more dense, thicker and heavier until he could barely see his own hands in front of his face. His chest was so tight he could barely suck in a breath, the stabbing pain reaching like knives around his organs.
The deep burn of fangs burying into his forearm roused him with a hiss of pain, his face contorting as he lurched, shaking the limb from side to side as he tried to fling the bat looking Hollow off him. Ichigo released a gasp of relief as Ishida speared the creature with an arrow, and the strawberry stumbled as he watched it's body disintegrate at his feet.
Blood was running down his fingers, dripping crimson on the snowy sand, his face felt hot as sweat glistened on his skin, dampening his hair. He fell, groaning when he felt strong arms stop him hitting the floor. His eyes were squeezed shut, but he could smell Renji's unique scent with ease.
"Ichigo? Ichigo can you hear me?" The redhead's voice was loud and worried, "What's wrong with him?!"
"Let me see to his wound!" Orihime's cool fingers wrapped around his wrist and pushed his sleeve back, but he could feel the hesitation in her movements, "I... It's gone... I don't understand..."
"It's Shiro." He croaked, gulping back saliva as it pooled around the edges of his mouth, forcing his eyes open despite the inky blackness swirling in the corners of his vision.
"Your Hollow?" Rukia crouched down in front of him, her eyes widening immediately when she saw his, "This is why Urahara-san wanted to talk to you. Hueco Mundo... It's the Hollow world, it's... It's calling to him, isn't it?"
Ichigo nodded reluctantly, finding his feet as he carefully pulled away from his best friend's supportive touch, he ran a hand down his face and flinched as that inane singing seemed to drown everything else out for a moment, "He's just... Acclimatising... It'll settle down."
"Liar." The woman scolded, although her expression softened, "Does it hurt?"
The strawberry stared at her for a moment, "With every breath."
"Why didn't you say something?" Renji growled, "You need to start relying on us!"
"You can't help with this..." He said quietly, "Shiro... As long as we're here he's going to get stronger, he's not trying to force his way out he's being pulled. It's painful for him too."
The Fukutaichou glanced at him, frown slowly disappearing, "We might not be able to stop him coming out, but we can try and help you stay level headed, Ichigo. You're not alone."
"Save your strength, let us do the fighting for now." Rukia patted his arm comfortingly.
Ichigo wanted to argue, he didn't want to sit back and let them risk themselves. But he knew saying as much would only incur their anger. He muttered a solemn 'thank you' before they began moving towards Las Noches again.
They were attacked several more times, by low level Hollows and Adjuchas. True to their word, his friends worked together to make sure he didn't have to join the fight, but Ichigo felt overflowing guilt all the same whenever he saw one of them take a hit. Even if Orihime was able to heal it almost as soon as the fight was over, he hated seeing them get hurt because of him.
Through the seductive pitch of music he felt flowing through him, Ichigo could hear Shiro. He was faint, muttering apologies. He could tell that the albino was desperately trying to remain in control, if he squinted hard enough he was sure he could see Zangetsu holding him back, or maybe comforting him. He felt bad for them both. And worse for himself.
It could have been hours, or it could have been days when they finally reached the outer wall of the palace and yet they were still a good distance away from what looked like an entrance. They'd paused to rest only a handful of times, not daring to sleep in case they were discovered.
And now, still a distance from the wall but definitely close enough that they knew they would soon be able to break in, Ichigo glanced left and right for an entrance. A hidden door, an open door, a window. Anything.
A sharp, abrupt tingle made the hairs on the back of Ichigo's neck stand on end. The strawberry glanced to his left, feeling movement.
"Get back." He said suddenly.
His friends barely had the chance to react before the sand around them erupted and shifted, moving and growing to take shape. A towering form rising above them. Chestnut eyes rose with it, watching as a chest, head and arms became noticeable features, his gaze lingered on the huge Hollow hole in the middle of the chest as well as the bone-like bracelets around the wrists.
"What the fuck is that?" Renji breathed.
"A guard." Ishida murmured, bow already pointing at the massive form.
"Runuganga. He works for Aizen, protects against intruders." Shiro's voice suddenly seemed loud inside Ichigo's head, blotting out the siren call of the sands for at least a brief moment.
"How do you know that?"
"I know shit. This ain't an adversary any of ya can beat, rumour is he can manipulate sand itself, and he's got multiple bodies. Destroy one and he just comes back with another."
"Then how do we get past him?" He scowled.
Ichigo's body tensed, clamping his teeth shut as the urge to retch washed over him, the black film which had obediently been lingering at the edges of his vision suddenly shot in front of his eyes, the world spinning for the briefest of moments as he felt a subtle shift inside his Inner World. He knew Shiro had taken control, at least in part, not enough to trigger his usual transformation but enough that his eyes now looked like his Hollow form's.
"Runuganga, Guardian of the White Sands, Protector of Las Noches!" Ichigo's body was walking him forwards, squeezing between his friends until he was stood in front of them, his voice wasn't entirely normal, it had Shiro's silvery tones but not so strongly that it blotted out his personality.
"Ichigo, what are you doing?" Rukia hissed.
"I was just informed, only moments ago by Las Noches, that we had intruders. I would never have thought that those intruders would be associated to you... Kurosaki-sama. Unforgivable... I ought to turn you all into desert sand." The Hollow's voice was loud, gruff and made Ichigo think of an old man.
'Wait... He called me Kurosaki-sama... He knows me? How...' Ichigo realised with a shudder.
"If they're with me... They ain't intruders, are they Runuganga?" He folded his arms, or rather, Shiro folded his arms for him, "Are ya gonna let us past, or are ya gonna make things difficult?"
The large Hollow lifted one of his enormous fists, the fingers clenched tightly, "How impudent... I should swallow you all at once and crush you into the sand..."
Feeling a sudden surge in his reiatsu, Ichigo watched as tendrils of black and red seeped out from beneath his feet and began spiralling up around him like angry serpents, whipping and snapping outwards without warning, "Don't make me ask ya again. Are ya gonna let us past... Or are ya gonna make things difficult? Ru-nu-gan-ga?"
He watched as the vast creature before them leaned back slightly, teeth gnashing uncertainly as his eyes narrowed only a fraction. Ichigo could almost smell the fear in the air. How did Shiro have this much effect without even being fully in control?
"P-Pass, Kurosaki-sama. I shall face my punishment from Aizen-sama directly, for disobeying his orders."
The Guardian of the White Sands recoiled as Ichigo took a teasing step towards him, his body sinking back beneath the dusty ground without warning. Almost immediately, the strawberry sucked in a gasp for breath, feeling Shiro relinquish his stranglehold.
"What the fuck was that?!" Renji demanded, shaking him by the shoulders.
"I-I don't know." He gulped, wiping his face as he blinked away the remaining black residue, "Shiro just... Did it."
"Just 'did it'?! Are you mad?!" The redhead barked, "He could have gone berserk!"
"Never mind that," Ishida nudged his glasses up his nose, "How did that Hollow know your name? Why did he refer to you so highly? Kurosaki?"
"I don't know." He breathed, "Maybe he was told to expect me?"
"He was afraid of you." Rukia said quietly.
"No, he wasn't." Ichigo muttered, looking away unhappily, "He was afraid of Shiro."
"Is there anyway that... Perhaps your Hollow hasn't been telling you everything? Maybe he knows more than he's letting on." She looked sympathetic, but there was quiet accusation in her eyes as well.
Ichigo felt his fingers twitch, the siren call from the sands sneaking back up on him the longer they stood around talking, "I don't know." He said bluntly and pointed at Las Noches, "But whatever is going on doesn't change the fact that we need to get in there. And I, for one, am done waiting."
Fingers clenched around the hilt of Zangetsu, he felt the bandages loosen on command as he stalked forwards.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Ishida rushed after him, "What are you doing? Kurosaki!"
"Did none of you hear what Runuganga said?!" He barked, "He was told by Las Noches that there were intruders. They know we're here. There's no use tip toeing around anymore."
"Ichigo?" Renji was on his other side, "What do you mean?"
"I am not taking the long way around to try and find an entrance for us to politely knock on!" He growled, lifting Zangetsu over his head, "The longer I stay out here the more danger we're in from Shiro being pulled to the surface properly. I won't let that happen."
"Ichigo don't be an-"
"GETSUGA TENSHOU!"
Byakuya sucked in a small breath as he flicked through the science notes Szayel had given him, something to 'take his mind off things' apparently. And while the pink haired Espada truly had a mind to rival Kurotsuchi's, he couldn't care less about his less than ethical experiments or their results.
Since first arriving in the man's laboratory he had healed well, he had been fed far better and allowed to sleep on the comfort of a bed. Apparently, a convincing argument had been made to have him remain in the laboratory in order to prevent Ulquiorra neglecting him again, and for some reason Aizen had agreed to it.
While the nobleman had to admit, he had flourished under Szayel's care, he was far from content with the arrangement. He knew he was under constant surveillance from the scientist, and he also knew it wasn't strictly professional. There had been touches, lingering and just a little too friendly, ill concealed attempts at flattery and flirtation, and the increasing number of tiny nicks on his arms and chest which he had no memory of causing.
Given the Octavo Espada's occupation, and his clear lack of sanity, Byakuya had quickly come to acknowledge that he had become a lab rat while he slept.
The only positive thing to come from his current place of residence, aside from feeling a lot stronger than he had done since his capture, was that he was in a prime location to see the comings and goings of many of the other Hollows living within Las Noches. While apparently not welcome in the laboratory by its owner, the pink haired man could do little to dissuade the occasional sweep of visitors he received.
The guests varied from Números, Arrancar who were given a two digit number relating to the order of their rebirth; Fracción, Arrancar who served as subordinates to the Espada and were hand picked by them; and the Espada themselves.
Some of the Arrancar showed an interest in Byakuya's presence, others showed sympathy towards him, others seemed annoyed at having another Shinigami in their home, and some were utterly indifferent towards him.
It was of no interest to him what anyone thought, his own personal curiosity started with their hierarchy, differing personalities and appearances, but ended when he came to realise just how many Arrancar were present. Every day seemed to show a new face he couldn't recognise. It was worrying. He feared for Soul Society's chances of success and survival if it truly did come to war.
At the very least he had discovered a great deal about the Espada themselves. Ranking from one to ten in number of the strongest to the weakest. He was somewhat glad to know Szayel was on the lower end of the scale, not that he was foolish enough to think that meant the pink haired Hollow would be an easy kill for anyone.
Aside from Szayel, who had proven to be one of the only friendly faces around – Byakuya used the term loosely – he found himself grateful for the more recent visits of two of the other Espada. Two of the most sane and communicative Hollows he had ever met.
Tier Harribel had paid a visit to Szayel only hours after the nobleman had taken refuge in the laboratory, apparently to check up on some results concerning her Fracción who had been injured in a scrap with Grimmjow's subordinates. When confirmation had been given that they were all fine, she had turned to leave only to meet Byakuya's interested gaze and strike up the shortest conversation of his life.
She had introduced herself as the Tres Espada, calmly apologising for the treatment he had received from Ulquiorra before stating that she was pleased to see he was on the mend, and then she left. He found her taciturn nature and level-headedness a breath of fresh air after Ulquiorra's stoicism and Szayel's madness.
She had returned hours later with a pair of fingerless tekkō for him, after discovering his own had been lost. The Tres Espada had then taken it upon herself to right the crooked alignment of his kenseikan after he told her he was unable to use his left arm. Byakuya didn't trust her, not entirely at least, but she was far removed from the mildly horrific set of circumstances he currently found himself to be in, and he felt at least a little safe in her presence.
Harribel was beautiful. Both refined and strong, something he could relate to with ease. Her olive skin and aqua eyes reminded him on the Kuchiki Estate, the koi ponds in particular. While her messy braided blond hair somehow reminded him of Ichigo's rebellious locks. She never showed the lower half of her face, and he assumed that was the location of the remnants of her Hollow mask.
The other Espada who had struck up conversation with him was something of an enigma. Unbelievably laid back, almost borderline lazy with how tired he seemed no matter the time of day. Wavy brown hair and blue-grey eyes barely distracted from the reluctant good looks of the man.
He had introduced himself as Coyote Starrk, and Byakuya had been taken aback to learn he was the Primera Espada, the strongest of them all. In their initial conversation, Starrk had seemed disinterested in his position of power, preferring to delegate to the Segunda and Tres instead of dealing with things himself. He seemed like an odd fit for Aizen's troupe, but Byakuya was under no illusions as to how powerful the Primera was.
Starrk had also offered his apologies for Ulquiorra's rough treatment, and had assured him that the Cuatro had been punished for his neglect.
Starrk had returned several times after that, never at the same time as Harribel, but he mostly curled up on the bed beside Byakuya's and fell asleep. His presence seemed to deter Szayel from getting too close, which the noble began to suspect was the idea. Perhaps the Primera Espada, too, had noticed the nicks and marks on his skin and knew the cause. Either way, he was grateful.
Even now, as Byakuya finished reading and slid from his bed, the strongest Espada was curled up asleep not far from him. The nobleman sighed deeply as he paced the laboratory restlessly, it was impossible to keep track of time. He no longer knew how many days it had been since his initial kidnap, but he knew he missed Soul Society, he missed Ichigo and he missed the comfort of Senbonzakura at his side.
Closing his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose in an effort to calm the aching of his heart. If he thought too much about it he would simply drive himself to distraction. There was still an abundance of relief in his heart, knowing there had been no reported sightings of Ichigo in Hueco Mundo. He was glad that the hotheaded youth wasn't foolish enough to mount some kind of rescue mission.
"You seem restless, Byakuya-san." Szayel's voice reached his ears.
"Perhaps a little." He murmured, lifting his gaze to the whiskey eyes staring at him, "I will be fine once I have quietened the discord in my mind."
"Meditation may help you ignore the issue, but it certainly won't cure it. But... I know something which might." The scientist's long fingers wrapped around one of his wrists and pulled him closer.
Byakuya fought not to recoil as he felt warm breath over his face, "And what might that be, if I dare ask?"
"Always so suspicious." The man crooned, guiding him across the room towards the command consoles on the far side, sliding behind him, Szayel pushed Byakuya forwards just a little, chin resting on his shoulder, "Mm, you might be stronger now I've fed you up a bit, but I'm not sure you'd be able to fight me while wearing those shackles... Interesting isn't it? How a little bit of metal can change things so much."
"Szayel-san, kindly unhand me this instant." He growled out, feeling the Octavo grind against him not so subtly.
"I'm only playing, you bring something of an unexpected excitement to my laboratory." A teasing tug on his sash made Byakuya flinch, "You recall, I had to leave earlier, there was an Espada meeting. Quite unusual in the middle of the day..."
"What of it?" He muttered.
"I thought you might like a sneaky peak at what's been spotted on the cameras~" Szayel spoke in a sing-song tone, tapping at numerous buttons before one of the screens flickered into life.
Squinting at the poor quality of the image, Byakuya saw nothing for several long moments, but then he was sure his heart dropped into his belly at the sight of brilliant orange hair, "No..."
"Szayel!" Harribel's voice was unusually angry and the Octava leapt away from the nobleman like a scolded cat, "What do you think you're doing?"
"I really should insist on a lock." Szayel hissed, eyes narrowed as he glared in the direction of the blonde woman, "No matter... I merely thought our guest deserved to know what's been going on."
"You didn't... You showed him!" She stormed forwards until she was at Byakuya's side, her eyes narrowing as she saw the camera feed, "You... Get out of my sight."
Byakuya knew he should have been surprised when Szayel slinked away without so much as an argument, but his eyes were entirely focused on the group moving across the sands. Ichigo and Renji stood out like sore thumbs because of their hair, but he knew Rukia would never have let them make the journey alone and as soon as he saw her demure form he felt his body shake.
How could they be so foolish? How could they be so stupid?!
"Byakuya-san?" Harribel's voice was soft, concerned as she rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Is this real?" He demanded.
"Yes." It was Starrk that spoke, no trace of tiredness in his voice as he slumped against the console on the raven haired Shinigami's other side, "It's been verified."
"Three Shinigami with Taichou class reiatsu, two Humans and a Quincy..." The Tres whispered, "One of the Shinigami is distinguishable by his flaming orange hair, and a sword the same size as his body."
Groaning, Byakuya dropped his head into his hand, all thoughts of hiding his weaknesses gone as he felt his heart pounding painfully, "Ichigo..."
"Yes." She nodded once, "Aizen-sama was... Elated to discover his presence. It would appear it was his plan all along when he had you brought here."
"You don't sound impressed." He muttered.
"I... Dislike deception." She admitted, "We have heard and seen a great deal of Ichigo Kurosaki both from Aizen-sama, and from Grimmjow. We know he is strong, personally I fear for the safety of my subordinates. I don't wish for them to come to harm."
"Some of the Espada are less than pleased to know he betrayed Aizen-sama, I fear they may try to attack him to garner favour," Starrk rumbled, "Though... I suspect such actions would be received poorly."
Biting his tongue to refrain from swearing aloud, Byakuya sucked in a breath, "He shouldn't have come... None of them should..."
Starrk stared at him for a long moment, "The boy is strong. People with that level of raw power are not born, they are made, forged in the heat of battle. Forced to adapt and grow to save themselves, or save those important to them. I can understand why he would captivate Aizen-sama so much. He will likely grow stronger with each passing minute he remains here."
"Yes, but he isn't the only one who will get stronger." He huffed, considering Aizen's words.
"The Hollow within him concerns you?" Harribel asked.
"Not as much as it used to, they work in harmony for the most part. But... This place will effect him. I fear the results of that." His heart was truly troubled.
The two Espada shared a long look before Harribel straightened her back and folded her arms under her ample bosom, "For what it may be worth... I shall forbid my Fracción from attempting to intercept the group. While I can do little about the Fracción of the other Espada, Starrk has at least a little authority over them."
"Mm." Starrk closed his eyes, "I will do my best to prevent an all out hunt. You need have no fear from myself, nor my Fracción. Neither of us care for combat."
"You... Would do that?" He looked at the pair with surprise, "Why?"
"Because..." The blonde hesitated, "I despise needless violence, and I would not see my Fracción come to harm."
"I on the other hand... Am simply lazy." The brunet laughed.
Byakuya released a breath he hadn't realised he was holding and bowed his head to them both, "You have my most esteemed gratitude for your offer. Thank you."
"However..." Harribel's tone turned low and dangerous, "You must give us your word on something."
"A promise?" He raised an eyebrow, "I fail to see what I could possibly promise either of you."
The blonde woman hesitated, "Give us your word that you will remain as far away from Ulquiorra as possible, and as much as is possible... Do not remain alone with Szayel."
Byakuya frowned at the request. It would be an easy one to agree to where it not for the bizarre look of concern in her eyes, "While I have no desire to spend any time at all with my former 'keeper' and I find my current accommodation growing less comfortable by the second, I find myself curious about why you would ask such a thing."
"We can't say." Starrk rumbled softly, "At least not yet. Simply, try to believe me when I say... Harribel and I are doing our best to look after you while you're kept here. I know it is an almost impossible ask but... I must ask anyway that you try to trust us."
"In the meantime, we will try and have Aizen-sama agree to moving you somewhere safer. While Szayel was the perfect candidate to deal with your injuries and frailty, you are well again now. You need to be somewhere... Different." The Tres Espada let out a sigh, glancing towards Szayel's office.
He liked to think that his training hadn't dulled over the years, he had always been a fairly capable judge of character. He wanted to believe the two Espada before him were genuine. Everything suggested as much.
The nobleman let out a small breath and spoke quietly, "Then... I give you my word I will stay away from Ulquiorra, and be cautious around Szayel."
