"Talk, asshole!"

The bruised Averstruz's face hit the ground hard. His body aching from both the poison in his veins and the beating he was still currently recieving from Grimmjow, he had little strength left to pick himself up. The Espada had arrived back at the forest with Nel in tow and immediately ordered the Tres Bestias to, as politely as he could, 'Move your stupid asses and run'. With the Exequias on the hunt for them, the captive Averstruz had no choice but to be dragged along with them. They still planned on interrogating him without Halibel there. The prisoner would have preferred it had been Tia asking the questions rather than Grimmjow.

Tia's absence devastated the Tres Bestias. When they had finally gained distance from their hunters and found shelter in a rocky cave, Appaci was frantic. Never had a Fraccion dared walk up to an Espada before and grab them by the neck and threaten to kill them before. Luckily for Appacci, Mila Rose was brave enough to put herself between the two to stop her teammate from dying, Sung-Sun opting to hold onto the infant Nel for the time being. The defeated Espada had fallen asleep, her body working overtime to regain reiatsu.

Enraged by Apacci's boldness, Grimmjow then proceeded to pummel their prisoner without remorse. The women intervening to say that he needed to be questioned did little to soften the kicks and punches.

"If *cough* you would stop hitting me!" Averstruz rasped, dragging himself away with one arm, "I'd have a chance to speak!"

Grimmjow gripped hold of his collar and slammed him up against the wall. He glared at the Tres Bestias. "You have one minute to ask him shit before I get bored and go further."

Sung-Sun knew he wasn't lying, and wasted no time getting to what mattered most. "What is your plan for Hueco Mundo? What do the Quincy and Rudbornn want?"

The captive spit out a broken, bloody tooth. "With Hueco Mundo? Not a thing. It's a stepping stone, just like last time. He sent me to the World of the Living to bait you out in searching for me as a distraction to take Las Noches. He can't access the Soul Society's systems any other way. BG9 wants something from the Soul Society, but I don't know what."

"Oh, come on!" Apacci said, "You're working for this guy and don't even know what his master plan is? I call bull."

"Say what you want, woman! This was the only chance I had to be free!"

"Of what?" Sung-Sun pushed him on.

"Of the Espada!" Averstruz spat, glaring at Grimmjow, "Rudbornn came to me years ago and said if I went into hiding and helped him keep BG9 a secret he would guarantee your deaths! Ever since the Espada and Aizen were around I was forgotten! I was a natural-born Arrancar, unlike you science-experiments! I was the strongest in my territory, and then everything went to hell when you lot took over! Aizen saw no potential in me and dismissed me! My whole life was ruined!"

Mila Rose gave him a nasty look. "You think your life is the only hard one? We were just puppets to Aizen. We nearly died for him… And you're mad that he didn't think your strings weren't good enough to pull?"

"My glory lies in the past, woman. As does everything else of mine. If I can't bring justice to those who wronged me myself, I'll follow whoever else can do so just to be happy for once. Your deaths will bring me joy."

Without warning, Grimmjow started to laugh heartily. His grip loosened just slightly on Averstruz, and put the prisoner off-guard. "You hear this guy? Sob story of the century! Grow a spine, god-damn it"

"H-how dare you ridicule me! I demand respect!"

"No," Grimmjow's chuckling ceased, replaced with a cold glare, "You're a coward. If you're as strong as you think you are, you'd work to make yourself better instead of riding someone else's ass. I can sense your reiatsu, and even ignoring the poison in you it's pathetic. Barely even Gillian level… You wanna know what I think about your dumb story? I think you're a liar."

The Espada's hand shifted up to Averstruz's neck. The captive clawed at Grimmjow's hand, desperately trying to free himself as his fingers tightened more and more.

"Ack! Stop!" Averstruz pleaded through shortening breath, "Can't… breathe!"

"And liars bore me."

A sickening snap followed. Averstruz went limp, his one arm falling down and dangling weakly. Grimmjow tossed his body into the shadows and sat down on a rock behind him, pleased with himself. Unfortunately, he was the only one satisfied right now.

"What the hell, Grimmjow!" Appaci cursed loudly, "We still had more to ask!"

Hushing her team mate, Sung-Sun pulled Nel closer into her robe. "He could still have been useful, you know."

"No, he wasn't," Grimmjow stated, "You might not think I have any kind of intuition, but I can tell when somebody doesn't know a damn thing. He was just a random punk that thought he could make it big by sucking up to those stronger than him. He was clueless to what was really going on. No different than us."

Salvaging the cloak from the corpse, Mila handed it to Sung-Sun as a blanket for Nel. "Seeing as Tia put you in charge, what next?"

"Bury the body. I'd blow him up but the Calaveras would definitely hear a cero. Got to cover our tracks while we find somewhere safe to train ourselves up to fight."

"Fight?" Appaci threw her arms up in frustration, "You said that BG9 guy stole Tia's powers! What's stopping him from doing the same to us?!"

"Not a damn thing. But I ain't gonna be a coward like the dead guy and keep running till I'm caught and slaughtered. If you want to do that, be my guest."

"Can't believe I'm saying this," Mila sighed, "But Grimmjow's right. Tia would scold us if we hid with our tail between our legs. Besides, it's not like its four against an army."

She held up her left arm, clenching her fist.

"We've still got Ayon."

Today was the day Tia discovered she hated shopping malls.

The very concept of a giant building meant solely for humans to spend their earnings and fuel meaningless consumerism baffled her. Huge crowds bumping shoulders with each other constantly was excessively annoying. This was not to mention the human men who stared at her with perversion and lust as if they had never seen a female before. Her headache was well justified.

Mr. Urahara had sent her alongside Yoruichi to meet with his Quincy informants late that afternoon. At first, it was Orihime who was going to accompany the Espada until Yoruichi volunteered herself instead. She was told the kind-hearted mom had mended many of the old wounds between them and her husband along with one other big favor; in return for that they had vowed to stay in line and cause no trouble. Still, Tia had some reservations about dealing with them again.

This wasn't the first time she had met these women.

"Well, this is the place," Yoruichi said as they walked up to a vendor. It was a restaurant built into the mall, with dim lights and TVs hanging from the walls. There was a long counter on the back wall, with bottles of many shapes decorating the shelving. Smooth jazz music could be heard playing from inside. "American style. Not a bad place for a drink or two."

"So that is why you wanted to come so badly," Tia replied, following the woman in. Why did this place have to be so crowded as well? It would be a pain to find the Quincies in here. A waitress offered to give them a table, but Yoruichi declined for them and said they were meeting someone. The two ended up sitting at the far end of the bar, Tia peering at every table behind them to spot their targets. "I don't see them in here. Are we at the right place?"

The cat woman waved her hand slightly at the bar tender, with two fingers held up. "Sure are. The older two come here often to pick up guys."

"How nice," Tia mumbled, as two drinks slid down the counter to them. She eyed the glass, then Shihouin. "I don't drink."

"You don't drink, or you've never drank?" she replied, bringing the clear liquid to her lips, "Actually, do you even need liquids? Being a Hollow and all."

"The last one."

"Well, I'm paying so either you taste it or you'll be carrying me back to Kisuke's place."

Damn this woman. She was clever.

Not one to fear tasting something new, Tia took the stout glass in hand and drank the entire thing. Yoruichi and a few nearby patrons looked on in awe as the Espada finished the vodka without even flinching.

"That… wasn't as bad as I expected it to be."

"Wait until it hits you. The Gigai will delay that for a bit, but that's gonna kick your ass when it settles."

"Doubtful… Hold on. I think I see them."

Sure enough Halibel had spotted their informants walking in, the two large strands of hair sticking up like antennae on the one were a dead giveaway. Yoruichi met eyes with the tall green-haired one, and they left the bar to join them at a large circular booth.

"How is it, ladies?" Yoruichi greeted them, sliding into the seat next to Tia. "Not up to any trouble lately, are you?"

"Define trouble," Candice Catnipp sneered, giving the shorter woman beside her the side eye. The other Quincy – the unsettling one – did a little finger-wiggle dance.

"Bambi's been naughty~!" Giselle Gewelle chimed in sing-song.

"The bastard deserved it, you two!" Bambietta Basterbine snapped back, "He went behind my back, so I made sure he couldn't ever have children. He's lucky I didn't turn his balls into bombs!"

It was odd to Tia seeing the three Sternritter out of their white uniforms, instead opting for a crop-top, tank top and sweater respectively. They looked like regular humans, aside from Candice's bright green hair. The last time Tia had seen Bambi, she had been an undead slave to the 'friend' on her right. Now that she looked quite youthful and alive, it was fairly obvious what favor Orihime did for Bambi to create peace.

"Where's Meninas and Liltotto today?" Shihouin asked Bambi to calm her temper.

"They said they don't like this place. But I think they just wanted to trash my side of the apartment."

Candice smirked, taking a drink from a waiter while slipping him a paper with her number on it. "Or some peace and quiet away from you."

"Don't test me, bitch!"

Wow. A temper to match Apacci.

Giselle leaned over Bambi and invaded Candy's personal space. "Ooh, giving yourself away to random waiter boys now? I was saving Keigo for you."

"That guy won't ever come back to our place ever again after he found out you weren't exactly telling him the truth about certain things."

"Wasn't his face adorable when he saw-

"Back on topic, ladies," Yoruichi butted in, much to Tia's relief, "We do have something important to discuss."

The Quincies calmed down, collecting themselves with drinks in hand. Sliding her cell phone into her bra, Bambietta took charge. "Apparently so. Your buddy called us up and said BG9 was alive?"

Tia nodded. "He's in Hueco Mundo now, attempting a takeover. Possibly more. We need to know everything you can tell us about him prior to his first death. History. Powers. Whatever you can."

"Just had to be that guy, huh?" Candice sighed, "The bucket head. Tin Man. Chrome-dome. He hated that last one."

"Even I thought he was creepy," Giselle added in.

"Hey, I'm talking here!" Bambi exclaimed, smacking her fist on the table. Meanwhile, Yoruichi pulled a small recording device out of her jacket and placed it on the table; it would be difficult to remember everything after a drink or two. "Geez… BG9. Not a lot of us knew where exactly he came from at first, and we still don't honestly. He was like Gremmy. One look at him and you just had to wonder, 'Is Ywhach smoking something to bring this guy in?' Of course, we didn't question him back then. Death sentence on the spot."

The Quincy took a drink, handing the reigns to Candice. "There was lots of rumors about him between all of us. He was one of the few Sternritters from the first generation alongside Lillie and Robert. Since we had parts of the Soul King working with us, some thought he was that guy's brain or at least a fraction of it. Never found that out, in the end. Either way, BG9 wasn't really BG9. The Knowledge was the being; BG9 was the empty shell powered by it. But BG9 was a lot quicker to say, so it stuck."

"So his power is The Knowledge?" Tia asked, "That is what allowed him to steal my Resurrección?"

All three Quincies looked at each other in shock.

"That's… new," Bambietta replied, "Just having Hollow reiatsu inside of us was poison during the war. It even happened to him, too. You're sure he stole it?"

"I can no longer use it, so I'd say yes."

"Damn," Candice said, "He got an upgrade."

"That is pretty much how his power works," Bambi continued, "To put it simply, if he can see it, and his body is actually capable of mimicking it, then he could 'learn' that power and take it. If you wanted to stop him, it would have to be with an ability he could somehow not control, or with something he could not understand the knowledge of."

That second one caught Tia's attention. "Something he can't understand?"

"Weird, huh?" Giselle said, "We all knew there were certain powers he for sure couldn't copy. He definitely couldn't control the old Head Captain's Bankai and Ywhach's The Almighty. Then there were the special ones like Gerard and Pernida, since they were, like, Soul King related stuff."

"But since he can apparently learn Hollow powers now," Bambi followed, "It wouldn't be wise to try and out-power him. He was tough before, and is probably a lot tougher now. But finding something he can't understand nowadays… That'd be a stretch."

"There were a couple Bankai we didn't know about," Candice said, pointing at Yoruichi, "Like yours. But once he sees it in action he can just pick it apart and use it. Doesn't even have to see all of it. Ten seconds max and your toast."

"Well, there goes that option," Yoruichi sighed, taking another drink, "Barely even have to use my Zanpakuto, and when she's just about to be useful…"

Letting her mind simmer on ideas, Tia moved on to something else. "Do you have any idea of what he might want to accomplish out of this?"

"BG9 wasn't much of a talker," Bambi answered, "But there was that one time Liltotto heard from Bernice who heard from Cang Du that BG9 spoke about something… odd. I remember it word for word, because it was pretty weird: Once one knows all, all can be one."

Giselle wiggled their fingers like spiders. "Super spooky~!"

The creepy zombie was right. BG9 was after something, some sort of knowledge that he could only access by taking Hueco Mundo. What exactly that information was, however, wasn't important in the moment. All Tia needed was a way to kill him before he could get it.

"It might be weird, coming from us," Candice said, giving Tia and Yoruichi a small, but genuine, smile, "But we hope you can beat him. The last thing we want is more fighting right now. The time we've had free from Ywhach and all that conflict has been pretty freaking nice. Last thing we want is to lose that. Kick his ass good for us, alright?"

Tia returned the smile. Odd, how much even these people could change over time. When someone with cruel intentions is feeding you deception and orders, you can change from the person you really are.

She noticed a nearby window, the sun having set behind the clear night sky. A whole day had passed. Nel could be dead, and she might not even know it.

"It's late," Tia said, hastily standing up, "Thank you for the help. We should get-

Just as soon as she stood, Halibel felt an intense dizziness take over. Her head light as a feather, she crumpled to her knees and watched the blurry floor spinning below her.

It felt funny. And warm. And funny, again.

"Whuh… What's goin' on? I feel… not good…"

Yoruichi knelt down beside her and hoisted her up, the Sternritters laughing at the Espada's drunken state. She waved goodbye to the women as she walked Halibel out of the bar. "See? Told you it'd kick your ass."

The trip back to the Kurosaki house was embarrassing. The Queen of Hueco Mundo, with all her power, wasn't even able to walk on her own two feet, Yoruichi her crutch as they made their way down the long street. Defeated by a simple liquid.

It should have been funny, but it wasn't.

How further down would she spiral?

"Almost there," Yoruichi said, easing her around a hole in the pavement, "Just watch your step and… Are you crying?"

Tia's legs stopped in place, not budging an inch. She closed her eyes tightly, not used to the burning. "It's fine."

"Uh-uh. No you're not."

"Don't patronize me!" the Espada snapped, "You have no idea!"

The cat woman sighed. Alcohol did have a tendency to let people speak their heart more freely. Tia's head hung low, her eyes focused on the ground.

"…I'm tired of this. Ywhach. Aizen. BG9. The damn drink! I keep failing, and failing, and failing, and I always need someone to help me back up!" She tore herself away from Yoruichi, wobbly standing still.

"There's nothing wrong with others helping you," Yoruichi said calmly, "Depending on friends is a good thing."

"You still don't understand! I am a liability! My whole existence is based on me giving my life for others, and yet they keep putting themselves in danger having to save me! How could I ever call someone a friend if I don't deserve to be theirs?!"

Shihouin tried to reply, but Halibel kept going.

"I don't like feeling this way, I shouldn't! I can't stop it, just like the dreams, the panic attacks! No amount of power I could ever have will make them stop! I'm not in control of myself and that scares me! I don't want to be afraid!"

"Halibel-

Tia looked up. Her face was twisted in anguish, tears flowing freely. "Nel and the Tres Bestias think I am a completely different person than I am… Having to bottle everything inside you and live a façade of confidence. I've been doing it for years, and I don't know how much longer I can do it. If they die I won't be able to tell them I was sorry… for living a lie for them."

She crumbled to the ground, head buried in her palms as she sobbed. Yoruichi rushed to her side and knelt by her, placing an arm around her shoulders and keeping her secure as she panted heavily. She said not a word.

Minutes passed by, the only source of light the flickering street lamp above them. Tia wept for as long as she could, eventually tiring out and falling asleep on Yoruichi. She carried the sleeping Espada back to the Kurosaki clinic, lying to Orihime about Tia having passed out from one too many drinks. This night was their secret.

Walking home herself, she thought about Kisuke's plan and how Halibel would be involved. She had a strong feeling about what he was going to do, and she didn't like it. It was incredibly dangerous, something never attempted before.

In her current mental state, Tia's chances of surviving were not in her favor.