Nnoitra glanced at Yylfordt and sighed. The poor thing was muttering curses and trying to escape again. "Give up already. You can't-"

A loud clunk tore his attention away from Yylfordt to Szayel who rocked back in his chair; bringing the front legs off the ground and slammed them into the floor with a clunk.

"Damn…" Findorr watched him do it again. "He's determined."

"Yeah…" Nnoitra wasn't sure if he should tell Szayel to stop destroying his pretty lips, but it would be in vain as they were already covered in blood. "Maybe this plan is backfiring on us…"

"I agree." Telsa spoke from where he was tended to the fire like a good Fraccion should. (Cindertelsa, anyone?) "It has been a while."

"And I don't want Szayel tied up in duct taple this long." Nnoitra told the two of them. "And I don't think Yylfordt should be either, as even three hours in tape as I have discovered, leaves you horribly stiff."

Findorr glanced at the captives before saying, "How are we going to keep Szayel from killing Yylfordt once we let them go?"

"No idea." Nnoitra admitted, "but we have to take the risk."

"Fine. I'll untie Yylfordt first with Telsa's help and then, you get Szayel."

"Deal." Nnoitra gestured to Telsa and he scampered over to aid Findorr who was already cutting through the duct tape with a new pair of IKEA scissors. "Now, what are we doing for the night? We don't have-"

Ulquiorra appeared in the doorway and much to Nnoitra's shock, he looked… scared.

"What-"

"Come." The First Espada pointed towards the backdoor of the mansion. "Now."

Nnoitra gave his superior a confused look.

"Now!" Ulquiorra's voice actually became ever so slightly louder.

"You two, take care of them." Nnoitra ordered and rushed out of the sitting room with Ulquiorra leading the way to the back door. Once they were outside, Nnoitra's eye laid itself on a sight he thought he would never see.

Or ever wanted to see.

The Second Espada stared at the picture before him, a chill creeping into the back of his mind.

Grimmjow was sitting in the mess of a garden, holding a blood covered Tia in his arms, reassuring words escaping his lips to comfort her. O

She lost. Tia lost. She is stronger than I am and t-

"Help Grimmjow get her into the house, I already found a room upstairs."

Nnoitra turned to see Ulquiorra standing next to him with his emotionless mask over his face yet again.

"Yes. Anything, Ulquiorra." He muttered and headed over to Grimmjow who proceeded to tell Tia they were going to pick her up and move her inside. Once she was aware of the plan, Nnoitra bent down and carefully helped put her in the Panther's arms. "You got her?"

Grimmjow nodded and Nnoitra made his way over to the door leading inside and opened it wide. "Now be careful with the-"

Both of them winced as Tia's feet hit the wooden door frame, leaving a dent.

"Now, where is the stairs?" Grimmjow whispered once, knowing loud sounds were the last thing Tia needed. Nnoitra pointed straight ahead and the two soon came to the living room where Szayel was just released from the last piece of tape.

"What is going on here?" The Fourth Espada shoved Findorr away and rushed over. Only to stop short short the instance he realized what he was staring at. "…What happened?"

"Tell you later, Szayel." Grimmjow turned and stepped on the first of the stairway when a hand grabbed his arm.

"Don't."

He glanced behind him to see frightened amber eyes staring up at him. "What?"

"Don't. Go. Up. The. Damn. Steps."

"Why no-"

"Listen to me, Grimmjow." Szayel said. "People have died on that staircase. I know you are headed for one of the bedrooms, but people have died in there as well. So, if you want her to live, I wouldn't push your luck in my house."

Grimmjow took his foot off the steps and backed away. Szayel was right. There was no room to test fate in a time like this. "Then, do you have anything soft that isn't a bed?"

Szayel paused and closed his eyes to think. Is there anything?

'Maybe a fainting couch in the other sitting room.'

But this sitting room is-

Ceion moved all of it to the one by the kitchen as this sitting room was yours. I mean mine. So, he cleared it out. You just have to go back to the back door and take a left and you are in the other sitting room.'

And what did Yylfordt do with this sitting room?!

'It has doors. He closed it off after cleaning it out.'

"I do have another couch." Szayel told Grimmjow who was too worried to even think of the long pause. "I'll get it. Come, Nnoitra. Findorr, I don't really care right now, so Yylfordt can go rot."

Findorr gave Telsa a look. Rotting was betting than fighting, no?

"Come with me, Nnoitra." Szayel marched down the hallway and took a left when he came to the back door and sure enough there was a small hallway under the dreaded steps that lead into another smaller sitting room.

"We can't move this." Were Nnoitra's first words when he saw the size of the fainting couch by the window looking out into the garden. "It's too big."

"Then, how did they get it in-"

'Haven't you ever heard of delivering something and assembling it inside?'

"Damn it!" Szayel yelled. "How the hell are you smarter than me?!"

'Well, I grew up here.'

"Your life sucked. You grew up and died in the same house, you loser."

"Who are you talking to?" Nnoitra asked, bringing Szayel back to reality.

"Alair. That's who. Anyhow, we can't move this couch. He says it was brought into the house and put together. Think…1911 IKEA."

"That stinks."

Szayel gave his husband a look. "You must be really shocked… you never say something so childish. Anyhow, go tell Grimmjow to bring Tia in here."

Nnoitra was gone in an instant, leaving Szayel to sit down in one of the green sitting chairs.

'And I am not a loser. We just had a less transient life back then.'

"Well you could have done something useful…" Szayel observed, hearing the parade heading his way. "Like traveled or gone on an adventure to Africa or something?"

'I didn't want to. Deal with it. And oh, you can't reply because I hear other voices… aha.'

Not so. I can still talk to you, thi-

"Szayel!"

He looked up to see Ulquiorra towering over him. "Yes?"

"Can you do something?"

Szayel glanced around the room where Nnoitra was sitting in the chair opposite of him, Grimmjow was kneeling next to the fainting couch and the two Fracciones where trying to start a new fire in the crumbling fireplace. "Uh.. Sure? Isn't Orihime here?"

"No." Ulquiorra was so glad she were safe. "She went to Japan with Aaroniero and Rudbornn. So, it's up to you."

"I…" Szayel hated to say this or even blame Nnoitra. "But Noi didn't let me bring my sword, so it's in Los Noches."

The First Espada sighed and gave Grimmjow a look. "Fine. Do you know how to use a basic First Aid Kit?"

"Of course I do." Szayel replied, not sure if a house this old even have one. "But do you have one?"

Ulquiorra nodded and handed him the box he nabbed from the nearest corner store. "No one can see me, so I made use of the fact."

Szayel nodded and set the box down on the floor and after slowly getting on his knees, began to figure out what tools he had available to him. "Grimmjow, do you know what her injuries are?"

"I would rather not say."

"Understood. Now, if you don't mind…" Szayel crept over Grimmjow side to examine what he were up against. "And…okay… and…thank you." With this, he crept back to his medical box and began to select the cloth bandages and securing hooks.

"And excuse me again, Grimmjow as I get in here…" Szayel glanced at Tia . "Now, this is going to hurt a bit. Grimmjow, would you?"

The Third Espada gently placed his hands on Tia's shoulders to keep her from moving as Szayel examined the damage to her mask.

"What is it?" Grimmjow asked, hearing the Fourth Espada sigh heavily.

"I am going to have to place bandages on her face to make sure that the ends of mask will fuse with her skin when it heals."

"This, " Grimmjow stared jagged opening on the left side of Tia's face. "Will heal?"

"A bit." Szayel replied, having done research on the matter a good 50 years ago. "We can hope for is the sharp pieces to smooth off and her skin to grow back. It will scar, but hopefully, no more will fall off. There is no replacement for our masks and so, she will have just a little less than…oh..I'm sorry, Tia… go on…cry all you want." Szayel gestured for Telsa to bring the unused napkins from the pizza over to Tia. "I am sorry I upset you… now, rest of a while while I get this other bandage ready for use…ah, there. Now, now, can I help with that shoulder of yours?"

Tia nodded.

"Can you?"

Grimmjow reached over and with the help of Ulquiorra, slowly brought Tia up to a semi-sitting position so Szayel could use the next set of gauze and cloth bandages on her shoulder injury.

Half an hour later, Tia had been tended to the best as possible given the supplies and everyone sat where ever they could. Grimmjow sat on the floor next to Tia while Ulquiorra sat in the chair that Szayel had been sitting in and Szayel was sitting in Nnoitra's lap while the Fracciones and Yylfordt were laying on the floor, playing cards.

"So." Nnoitra began, once he felt the air in the room calm. "What happened?"

And before anyone could stop him, Ulquiorra spoke. "Nelliel Tu Odelschwank returned and removed Tia from her throne."

Author's note: Now things are bound to get dicey. The next update may be a while as I need to write a few more chapters so see where the story is going. Thanks so much for sticking around and reading! :)