Chapter Forty Five:
The slam of the door closing and being locked was far from comforting as Byakuya was hurled into the room, the force of which made him fall. Landing hard on his hands and knees, the noble growled as he turned onto his back and glared up at his new keeper. Grimmjow was leaning back against the door, eyes closed as he released a pent up breath, he seemed to relax, a lot of the tension from his strongly muscled shoulders seeping away in the privacy of his own room.
"Man I hate those meetin's." Came a gruff snort as blue eyes snapped open and appraised the disgruntled pile of nobility on his floor.
"Mandatory?" Byakuya asked with a scowl as he picked himself up, brushing down the material of his white shihakusho.
"What do you think?" Grimmjow's spat response maintained all of its usual lustre, but his eyes were tired, "Of course they are."
Standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, the noble glanced around, he was surprised to find that there was a distinct lack of white adornment in the room, replaced instead by shades of forest green and brown. The only thing that bore the usual attire of Las Noches was the two of them, in their uniforms.
His eyes were slowly drawn by the sight of fur disappearing into an adjacent room and he raised a questioning eyebrow in the direction of the Espada who was following after it.
"I told ya in Szayel's lab... I ain't a dog." The blue haired male smirked widely, gesturing for him to follow.
Byakuya hesitated for a moment but strode across the room, peeking around the door frame curiously, his eyes widened for a moment and he almost snorted, lifting a hand quickly to cover his mouth as it quirked into a surprised smile at the sight that greeted him.
There must have been six furry bodies in the room, various sizes and colours curled up in different spots. It took a moment for it to click, and then, when he watched Grimmjow crouch and tickle a specific spot behind the ears of one of the balls a soft face popped up, and the feline stretched widely. Byakuya's mouth almost fell open.
"Cats?" He breathed, his gaze flicking back to Grimmjow, "You're a cat?"
"Catch on quick don't you." The sarcastic response was lessened by undertones of affection as the man made his rounds, petting each feline in turn.
It was only when the pure white cat that was sat in the very middle of the room began padding towards one of the many food dishes that the noble noticed the distinctive Hollow hole going through its spine to its belly.
Curiosity sparking, he dared to edge further into the room, sinking to the floor as one of the others, a pale grey one with amber eyes, approached him. He held a hand out and watched as it was sniffed and then licked, apparently confirming its own thoughts the grey creature then trotted away to get water.
"I had no idea that Hollows could take on the forms of animals like this." He murmured, "I thought that kind of transformation happened to Adjuchas."
"Well, that's half right." Shrugging, the Espada glanced over at him, "Hueco Mundo ain't dead, you know? There's life here, even if it's different to Soul Society, or the World of the Living. Smaller Hollows, they can survive off the reishi in the air. These guys are a bit bigger, so I feed 'em souls from lesser Hollows. They can't go out to hunt, Nnoitra or Ulquiorra would likely entertain ideas of hurtin' 'em to get back at me."
"I get the feeling you are not the big happy family Aizen pretends you are." Byakuya leaned back against the wall, despite Grimmjow apparently being willing to share something important with him, their spat from the laboratory hadn't been forgotten, he wouldn't be showing any weak spots to the man.
The Sexta almost laughed, shaking his head as he ran a hand down his face, "You're jokin' right? If it wasn't for those Shinigami bastards lingerin' around every corner we'd have torn each other apart by now. This many powerful Hollow's ain't meant to be cooped up together."
"I can believe it." He muttered, "I recall the carnage you caused in Division Eleven the day Aizen finally made his move."
"Kenpachi was a good fight." It was a simple statement, but the man entertained a grim smile, "But... I ain't the worst around here."
"Indeed, I believe Nnoitra would give you a run for your money."
"Nnoitra?" Grimmjow scoffed, "He's violent and vicious yeah but..."
"But what?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow, he remembered how the blue haired Arrancar had clammed up in the laboratory earlier.
Rubbing his chin the man puffed out a breath, "... Ulquiorra... Ulquiorra's the worst of us. You probably wouldn't believe it from how he normally behaves but he's got a cruel streak like nothin' I've ever seen."
"Oh I'd be willing to believe it after his treatment towards me when he was my... Custodian." The noble tutted, reaching up to rub his cheek as he recalled the strike from the Cuatro only a short while ago.
"You don't know the half of it." The Sexta hesitated and seemed to consider his next words with extreme care, "Ulquiorra marks his prey. His victims. Makes sure everyone knows they belong to him, that way no one dares steal them from him."
"Marks them? What... Like a brand?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Somethin' like that except... It's with his reiatsu." Grimmjow stared at him, eyes narrowing, "Harribel and Starrk... They made you promise them somethin' right? They asked you to stay as far away from Ulquiorra as possible... And not to be around Szayel alone."
"How did you...Wait..." Byakuya paused, "It... It was you? You are the reason Aizen agreed to let Szayel keep me in the laboratory, you are the reason Harribel and Starrk started visiting me. Why?"
Seeming to tense for a moment, the Sexta sighed, "Ulquiorra and I have a long... Ugly history. I know what he's like. That day, when I saw you in the hallway with him on your way to see Aizen... I knew he was up to his old tricks again. I told you, he marks his prey with his reiatsu. He has a habit of doing it in a similar place to where his Hollow hole is."
The raven haired Shinigami watched as Grimmjow gestured to the area just beneath the mid-point of his clavicles. He immediately recalled Ulquiorra touching him in that exact spot just before taking him to see Aizen. The bastard had marked him? Branded him as his prey?
"Szayel noticed immediately, just like I did. He contacted me while you were cleaning yourself up in his bathroom. I knew Ulquiorra would kill you if you stayed in his 'care' much longer, so I requested an audience with Aizen... Convinced him to let you stick with Szayel for a while." Grimmjow rubbed his forehead, "Barragan wouldn't do anythin' but I know Harribel and Starrk have morals so I went to them after and told them too... They agreed to start makin' visits to the lab. Figured it would put Ulquiorra off comin' after you."
"I thought..." He shook his head in disbelief, "I thought they were visiting because of Szayel! I started noticing these little... Marks... I thought he was experimenting on me in my sleep!"
The Sexta laughed loudly at that, "I know he's deranged but... Szayel was tryin' to help in his own sick way. Those nicks and cuts... They're Szayel's way of markin' you. He was basically tryin' to put Ulquiorra off as well."
Byakuya let out a long breath and rubbed his face with his hands, "Then... Why did Harribel and Starrk also ask me not to remain alone in Szayel's company?"
"Well, he grew attached. You must have seen his face when we walked into the meetin' together. How he reacted when Aizen passed you into my care." He shrugged, "You're up to speed on everythin' now. While you're stayin' here I'll work on removing Ulquiorra's reiatsu from you, it'll be uncomfortable but I'm sure you'd prefer not to bare his mark."
"Can I assume that... Today in the laboratory, when you bit me-"
"Yeah I was markin' you as well." Grimmjow rolled his shoulders restlessly, "Sorry about the gropes. Can never be sure if Ulquiorra's watchin', wanted it to be believable. He's got almost unlimited access to the cameras across the palace."
Rubbing his shoulder, he could still feel the indents of teeth in his skin, but somehow the sting was gone now he knew the real reason for the mark, "You have my gratitude. For informing me of what has really been going on, and... For everything else. But I have to ask... Why would you go so far for me? A Shinigami?"
"Don't go gettin' soft on me or anythin'... It's a simple case that... I know what Ulquiorra's like." There was a gruffness to Grimmjow's tone that hadn't been there before, a far away look in his eyes that made him seem much more human, "Pretty crazy how he's been behavin' recently anyway... We were all under orders not to harm you beyond the rough stuff it took to get you here. That's why Ulquiorra was punished for lettin' you get in such a state."
"He doesn't seem like the sort of person to disobey a direct order."
"Normally he wouldn't." The Sexta fell silent for a long moment, a frown forming on his face, "Hmph. Actually, thinkin' back... He's done nothin' but disobey Aizen's orders ever since he was sent to the World of the Living to assassinate you."
Blinking, Byakuya cast his mind back, he knew what Grimmjow was referring to of course, he would never forget the first time he'd allowed himself to trust Ichigo. The attack on the pair of them by Ulquiorra and Yammy wasn't something he would block out either.
"You were relaying information back to the Espada the entire time you were in Division Three, weren't you?" He asked, hugging one of his knees up to his chest.
"Of course." The blue haired Espada stilled suddenly, his expression changing from its usual aggressive smirk to something resembling repugnance, "But that's..."
"What is it?" The noble asked, immediately tensing at the radical difference.
"Aaroniero had this ability to connect to the minds of the Espada, it was one of his duties to allow constant communication between us all. I used it perpetually in Soul Society to relay any updates of Aizen's plans."
"What of it?" Steel eyes narrowed.
Grimmjow hesitated, scowl deepening as he looked towards his house guest, "I met Kurosaki... A few times in fact. The Espada all knew what he looked like. Ulquiorra... Knew what he looked like."
Byakuya was already two steps ahead by the time he finished speaking, his face paling somewhat, "So, when he was sent to assassinate me in Karakura town and attacked Ichigo instead... It wasn't an accident at all. He knew exactly what he was doing, exactly who he was attacking. He was trying to kill him on purpose! But... Why? Why would he betray a direct order like that?"
"I've never known him be like that." Grimmjow rubbed his temples as if trying to ward off a headache, "He's an ass kisser at the best of times..."
"When I was snatched from Soul Society," the noble began, "Ulquiorra used Ichigo to force me to surrender. He was choking the life out of him... He said he'd kill him unless I surrendered."
Azure eyes flashed to steel ones and the Espada was on his feet, throwing a disgruntled cat halfway across the room, "Aizen would never have authorised that. Getting Kurosaki here was his goal. That's why you were taken to begin with! What was that bastard thinkin'?"
Byakuya rose to his feet as well, taking a cautious step towards the blue haired man, "Does Aizen know the full story? Has someone been covering for Ulquiorra?"
"The only person capable of covering for Ulquiorra is Szayel. Ulquiorra's got this... Ability to replay events that have recently happened. It shows his feelin's too. But, Szayel wouldn't knowingly help him with this... So I'm bettin' he's been stealin' from the laboratory. Maybe something to allow him to limit what his ability shows. Or at the very least limit what he... What he feels..."
The way Grimmjow trailed off made Byakuya's stomach sink lower if possible. Initially, he had believed the Espada to be nothing more than brutal strength and blood thirsty, but it appeared there was keen intelligence hidden beneath the surface, an acute ability to assess information and calculate answers.
"Fuck... That can't be right." The man himself broke the noble's revere, "I think... I think Ulquiorra is jealous of Kurosaki. The attention Aizen gives him, the lengths he's willin' to go to in order to bring him back to our side, the care, the power he gave him... He's fuckin' jealous!"
"He'd go as far as to kill someone through jealousy?" Byakuya scoffed in disbelief, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.
"Wars have been fought over far less." Grimmjow's sharp eyes caught him off guard, "Aizen's posted him to watch Kurosaki's progress... With no idea he's sent an assassin instead of a guard."
"He's going to try again." The noble realised with a sickening lurch of his belly, "We have to do something! We have to stop him!"
"Stop him? Stop him?! Are you insane?!" There was a fresh edge to the Arrancar's voice, something Byakuya couldn't identify, "There is nothing I can do against him. He's too... Too strong."
"Then I'll go!" He snapped.
Grimmjow grabbed him without warning, his grip bone breaking, "Listen to me. He will break you in half for fun and won't think twice about it. He will kill you."
"I will not leave Ichigo to face that monster alone!" Byakuya tried to pull away, hissing when the Espada's grasp only tightened.
"You can't stop him, Kuchiki." Azure eyes were intense, almost pleading, "He will kill you both."
Biting his tongue, the nobleman let out a sharp breath, "Then we go to someone capable of stopping him."
Grimmjow groaned quietly, "You mean Aizen."
Byakuya looked at him, the chill in his own gaze putting Grimmjow's to shame, "You can silence that venom on your tongue, I don't desire to have Aizen anywhere near Ichigo, let alone to ask that man for help." Dropping his gaze to the bangles on his wrists he released a rare snarl, "But you are correct, I can't do anything to protect him while I'm like this."
The Sexta Espada huffed in frustration, his grasp on the Shinigami's arms lessening, "Fine. But I'm only doin' it because I wanna get one over on Ulquiorra."
"Any reason is satisfactory at the moment." He muttered, quietening the squawk of surprise he had almost released as he was dragged into a stomach flipping Sonido.
He didn't trust Grimmjow. He could never trust someone that intent on destruction and the next time they could battle a powerful opponent, but at the very least he was intent on keeping Ichigo alive even if it was only for his own gain. The enemy of his enemy could be his friend. At least for the time being.
The King's Suite came into sight quicker than he'd expected, Grimmjow's quarters couldn't have been too far away. Byakuya panted as they came to a slow walk with almost no warning, he could feel the Sexta's tension rolling off him in waves.
He couldn't help himself, breaking free from the Arrancar's grasp he shoved the large doors open and stormed inside. He saw Aizen immediately, the brunet was seated at his desk, apparently going through paperwork though the moment the doors knocked against the walls chocolate eyes met steel.
"You can't just burst in like-" Grimmjow appeared behind him, freezing as he too came under Aizen's stare, "Shit."
"I assume there is a good reason for this, Grimmjow." The brunet hadn't moved.
"Ichigo is in danger." Byakuya said sharply, taking a step forwards as the Sexta tried to grab him, "I mean serious danger."
"He is currently on the loose in Las Noches, what were you expecting?"
The nobleman hissed through his teeth as Aizen seemed to dismiss him, already returning his attention to the papers on his desk. Growling stubbornly as he stalked across the room, slamming his hands on the pale oak, Byakuya scowled defiantly.
"I'm not sure what you hope to achieve by coming in here, Byakuya, but I assure you I have only so much patience when it comes to your recent... Arrogance. Step out of line again and you will-"
"Aizen-sama," Grimmjow seemed to muster himself, interrupting the brunet boldly as he came to kneel near the raven haired Shinigami, "Kuchiki is telling you the truth. Kurosaki... He's in danger. Ulquiorra... Ulquiorra is going to try to kill him."
Aizen's brow twitched slightly, the only sign that he had heard the Sexta's words as his lips sealed in a tight line. Byakuya knew the man wasn't accustomed to being interrupted by anyone, it was a long running trait that had been prominent even when he'd been a member of the Goeti Thirteen.
Slowly sitting back, Aizen fixed them both with a stare, he seemed to appraise them perhaps judging them and then he finally spoke, "Tell me everything you know. Quickly."
Byakuya shot a grateful look at Grimmjow as he stood and moved closer, he was sure it was only because of his support that Aizen was willing to listen. This wasn't a position he wanted to be in. Relying on Aizen at a time like this... Setting his pride aside to request the help of the man he despised so much. But this was about Ichigo now. And Ichigo was the only living creature connecting them both. The only person they both cared about. He didn't have a choice.
The nobleman stared at Aizen, barely hearing Grimmjow speak over the thundering blood rushing through his ears. His heart was pumping so fast, so hard. Desperately needing the brunet to believe them, to realise the danger Ichigo was in. The risk.
He felt his blood turn to ice in his veins as those dark eyes fixed on his own again, calculating; devious; manipulative. Something unspoken passed between them, Byakuya wasn't even certain what it was but Aizen rose to his feet, elegant as ever and yet there was the faintest change in his expression. It was microscopic, almost unnoticeable, but Byakuya saw it.
"Grimmjow, I've heard enough." Aizen's voice was even, calm but his eyes never left the other Shinigami's, "Summon the Espada, immediately. Byakuya and I will go on ahead to assess the situation."
"I..." The Sexta paused, blinking as he looked between the two men, "Of course."
The Kuchiki heir heard the doors slam shut as the whirlwind of blue left the King's Suite in a similar hurry to how he'd arrived, "You believe us?"
"Regrettably." Aizen lifted his head a little, "Something has been amiss with Ulquiorra's behaviour for sometime. His excuses have been believable, if a little careless... But I know my own work."
"So I've heard before." He hissed, recalling Ichigo having said something similar once, "If anything happens to him, Aizen, I swear I will end you."
Moving around the desk silently, the brunet released the smallest of sighs as he pulled the reluctant noble into his arms, "While I am certain you would fail to even draw blood... I am confident you would die trying to avenge him."
Byakuya's temper flared, his arm drew back and snapped forwards before either of them knew what had happened, the sound of the slap almost seemed to echo around the room. Breathing heavily through his nose, the nobleman couldn't deny the feeling of pride as he watched the smallest of cuts open across the brunet's cheek.
"Your intentional desire to underestimate those around you will be your downfall, Sōsuke Aizen." He breathed.
One eyebrow raised, Aizen glanced down at him with narrowed eyes, "And your willing disregard for your own life will be yours, Byakuya Kuchiki."
As Aizen swept him from the King's Suite in a Shunpo so swift it made his head spin, the nobleman felt a pang of discomfort at the momentarily realisation that when everything else was stripped away... They weren't so different.
