AN:I updated! Yah! Enjoy and leave me a lovely message.

Note: The Worlds will become better to understand as we proceed with the story so be patient and I would be more than happy to answer questions if you have any! And yes, Starrk is the boss in the group. =)

Four

Ichigo tugged consciously at the pink lace garment on his upper body and frowned. The garment was short and revealed a bit too much skin for his liking. He glanced over at the blue haired Adonis on the horse next to him. Grimmjow was glowering at nothing in particular as they rode through the trees silently, a blade of grass between his teeth. The small monkey with the pink tutu had perched itself on Ichigo's shoulder and he gave up trying to dislodge it. The prince hesitated as he took a sidelong glance at the man named Kenpachi. Ichigo had to admit it was humid in the forest but the man was being a bit too exaggerating by stripping off his shirt and riding bareback. His eyes trailed over the crisscrossing of scars and winced.

"Gah, can't we go any faster?!" Grimmjow finally snapped and kicked his horse. The horse whinnied in annoyance and bucked at its master. Bright blue eyes flashed impatiently as he tossed the blade of grass at Starrk's back. The black haired male turned around at the younger man's gesture and smiled in amusement.

"Don't worry; I'm sure we'll make it there by nightfall. Kisuke probably already knows we're coming."

Ichigo frowned and kicked his own horse as their pace quickened. By nightfall, the four of them plus the small monkey now nestled in Ichigo's knapsack was all inside the small city. Ichigo wondered briefly why the streets looked so empty at night as he followed Grimmjow. The teal haired man led the horse silently through the empty streets. His other hand, the one not wrapped around the reins of the horse was against the long dagger at his side. Kenpachi still looked at ease while Starrk's shoulders were visibly tense. Ichigo peered into the darkness and his eyes widened when they landed on the dark shapes crouched in the shadows. Red eyes watched them unblinkingly and the prince stifled a shiver. Starrk led them to a small alleyway and Ichigo blinked when he suddenly disappeared from sight.

"What---?!" a hand clamped over his mouth and Ichigo stiffened when a hard body pressed against his back and pushed him forward. In the corner of his eye, the man saw Kenpachi lead his horse after them. The cool rush of invisible fabric against his face made Ichigo blink and when he opened his eyes; they were facing a golden haired man. He was dressed in an over exaggerated emerald green gown with wide golden sleeves and an assortment of trinkets. Ichigo's eyes lingered on the large gemstone that resembled a cat's-eye in the middle of his chest. The thin male smiled as he snapped a fan over his face and sauntered over to them. Bright greened eyes studied him intently before the man moved off.

"What of the latest mission, Starrk?" his fingers trailed over the black table cloth on the round table in the middle of the room. Ichigo roughly shoved Grimmjow off him and opened his mouth to speak.

"Where are we? And what the heck are those things out there?" he snapped and glared around at the silent men. The blond responded by throwing his head back and laughing.

"I take it that you've never been out of your palace, princess?" Ichigo stiffened when he came closer, their eyes met and he shivered at the knowing look. "I'm surprised, Grimmjow. How on earth did she manage to get past your inspection?"

The orange haired prince gasped in shock as a pale gloved hand shot out and twisted his left wrist up and drew back the sleeve. Grimmjow shifted and took a sharp breath when he saw the dark tattoo of the royal family crest.

"So that's why you were so eager to hear about the prince." His words were a deep growl and Ichigo felt his heart lurch as the man took a step toward him, his hand drawing out the dagger at his waist.

"Now, now, Grimmjow. Stay calm. Let's hear what Kisuke has to say first." Starrk's hand gently tightened around Grimmjow's left shoulder and the man hesitated before stepping back. The two men trained their eyes on him and the blond smiled as he released Ichigo's wrist.

"Hmm, correct me if I'm wrong, princess. You are here to find out the locations of your siblings. The only reason you haven't tried to kill them in their sleep is that you think they hold valuable information. " Ichigo opened his mouth to argue but the man pressed a finger against his lip and shook his head. "Now, you want to offer twice the ransom gold for their release?"

Bright amber eyes widened as the blond winked at him slowly. "Correct, princess?"

Ichigo forced himself to nod and Grimmjow snorted loudly. "As much as we'd like to take the offer, we can't. God knows where they are now."

"Actually I do." Kisuke startled the other three men by waving lightly. "You see, quite a while back, I met an old gypsy who gifted me with quite a useful map. It can help you locate them."

"Just whose side are you on?" Grimmjow growled as he followed the blond into another room.

"May I borrow your dagger, mister assassin?" he held out a hand and Grimmjow hesitantly offered the sharp object. Ichigo blinked in surprise as Kisuke's hand shot out and grabbed his. The blade pierced his palm and the man squeezed the wound. A few drops of blood landed on a piece of old parchment and Ichigo watched as spidery writing began to form over the page.

"Hmm, it would seem as if they are already a few worlds from here." bells tinkled as the pale hand pointed to three golden dots in the map. He unfolded the rest of the parchment and Ichigo's eyes scanned over the rich gold letters over the shifting dots. Large ovals revolved gently around one another and he noticed the other dot.

"Is that where I am?" he pointed and Kisuke nodded with a smile.

"They are being escorted to another world as we speak. Apparently your brother is of considerable importance." The blond paused and ran the blade along his own palm. The blood sunk into the map as another larger red dot appeared in a grey area of the map. Ichigo frowned when a small wistful smile came over Kisuke's face as the man ran his fingers over the dot. "And that's where they are being escorted to."

"That's absurd. Starrk told me those are the uncharted lands of the Gods. How can they be…" Grimmjow shook his head and turned to the older brunet who was lounging on the richly colored sofa to the side. A nod confirmed his questioning gaze and the taller man stood with a sigh.

"The question is not whether we can take you there but of the price. Rumors say no man has ever returned from those lands. How much are you willing to pay for all this, princess?" dark storm grey eyes watched Ichigo blandly and the prince wondered if Starrk had a personality disorder. The man had been so warm and joking a few minutes ago.

"Name your price and I will pay it all once we get back." Ichigo tried to keep his voice from trembling as he stared the man in the eye.

"One million kilos of solid gold."

Ichigo's mouth dropped open with a click as he stared at the mercenary in front of him. "But…that's so much gold…"

"Exactly. Only that much is worth ever setting foot between worlds again. You really haven't heard about the rumors have you? People get lost forever between intersections in between worlds and I can assure you that we're the only ones in this world who are experienced in this field. So what do you say?" the man towered over Ichigo and the prince squared his shoulders.

"As a royal princ—princess, I swear I will pay the gold no matter what." Ichigo held up his bleeding palm and Starrk reached over as he shook the hand firmly.

"It's a deal then. Now if you will excuse me, I need to prepare some things for our journey." Starrk turned to the door flap and motioned for the blond man to follow after him as Ichigo stood there hesitantly. He took several deep breaths and tried to calm the urge to cry. He stiffened as the teal haired man walked over.

"You're sure about this?" bright blue eyes peered into Ichigo's and the prince swallowed thickly before nodding slowly. Warm calloused fingers pried open his still-bleeding palm and Grimmjow hesitated before dipping his fingers in the blood. He pressed the red stained fingers to his lip and licked them. Ichigo frowned as the man drew a small bracelet of crystal bells attached together wit ha red string off his wrist. He pressed them into Ichigo's palm and closed his fingers over the prince's hand, pressing the bracelet into his palm. Ichigo winced as Grimmjow whispered a few words and uncurled his fingers again. A small faint smirk appeared on his face as he slipped the bloodied bracelet onto Ichigo's left wrist. The man help up Ichigo's thin wrist and the bells jingled with a surprising deep tone.

"Since you're sure you want to employ us, there will be danger on the road. If you're in danger, all you have to do is ring the bells and I'll be there to protect you." a warm hand trailed against Ichigo's face slowly before tilting his chin up. Their eyes met and Ichigo saw a certain form of respect shining in the blue eyes. "You're very brave to stand up to him that way…"

Ichigo's breath hitched as Grimmjow leaned closer, almost close enough for their lips to touch…

"What'd I miss?!" the loud bellow made both figures stop back and Grimmjow instinctively shoved Ichigo behind him. Kenpachi's large hand shoved the door flap open as he entered.

"Stupid house of his has too many rooms. I almost got lost trying to find the stable." He peered at Ichigo and grinned. "Why's your face so red?"

"We're going to the lands of the Gods, so get ready." Grimmjow let go of Ichigo's hand as he walked toward the door flap.

"What the hell? I thought Starrk said we were retiring?!"

"Apparently not."

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