Part 2- The Man of Ivory

Goliath bravely stands before his clan, ready to attack if necessary, but the male that used to be encased in ivory marble pays them no attention. Instead, his saddened eyes of a blue never seen before gaze down upon the slender form of the female he sheltered. Gently, so much so they could almost mistake him for a completely different creature, the evolved gargoyle brushes snow from a smooth ivory cheek. His wings have yet to mend, but it doesn't matter. The Manhattan clan watches in complete awe as those teal wings turn white and fall as snowflakes to the ground, leaving the powerfully built male to appear human in every way… save for the sharp canines he hides well. Demona is looking for that sleek tail she saw, though she comes up with nothing. This male, so cat-like when a statue, appears so human now that he's been woken.

"Ichigo," he whispers. "It'll be okay, you'll be fine. I'll find someone that can… there has to be someone to help… anyone."

"… I can."

He jumps at the unfamiliar voice, his features returning in a heartbeat as he swings his entire body around to face his would-be attack. Sharp claws ready to tear and maim as he bears his fangs with a hiss, wings spread wide in warning as a tail curls around them both tightly. This new creature hunkers down low, using his body and wings to shield the female still frozen in time… in a shell of both ivory and onyx marble.

"Who are you!" the larger male snaps. "What are you doing here!"

"My name is Goliath," the leader of the clan says calmly. "This is my clan. We're from Manhattan, but we grew tired of the feuding there and came to find a more peaceful home. This place was supposed to be promising."

"… For you maybe… not for us."

"What's your name?" Angela asks excitedly. "I'm Angela! Goliath is my father, and that's my mother, Demona."

"My name is Grimmjow," he answers stiffly. "Grimmjow Jaegerjaques."

"… What an odd name."

"Angela," Demona hisses. "That was rude."

"Sorry," the younger female blushes brightly. "I didn't mean to be."

The male they now know as Grimmjow is slowly relaxing, but his hunched figure refuses to move from above the slender female. Broadway steps closer, though very slowly, and takes in the many injuries upon the female. It's not as many as the male, so he assumes Grimmjow took most of the hits for them.

"She looks really bad, but she should be okay," he offers. "You protected her well."

"… Thank you," Grimmjow murmurs quietly.

"What happened?" Demona asks.

"I don't want to speak of it out here," the teal haired gargoyle sighs. "Let me get him inside, and then I'll tell you."

They're shocked when he easily lifts the ivory marble statue off the ground, carrying it as though it weighs nothing. Now that the snow is gone, they can see onyx marble in the eyes and scattered throughout the clothes. Apparently, these types wear more traditional Japanese clothing… the hakama and, in the female's case, a shihakusho. The old mansion, long forgotten by the outside world, is far more in repair within. It surprises the Manhattan clan, though no one voices it save one. Brooklyn is the second-in-command, an impetuous youth with a more beak-like nose and mouth. His hair is long and white, his skin a dark orange, and his figure is thin more than muscled.

"You'd think a place this nice on the inside would look better on the outside," he huffs. "You need to fire your exterior decorator."

"This mansion is the only place they can't find us," Grimmjow sighs as he sets the female on a mass of cushions in what is likely to be the sitting room. "I don't know who made it, but the inside is in a time of it's own… It's a stilled time. This is where the evolution process took place, where our breeds were made to save the species."

"What do you mean?" Angela inquires curiously. "I thought evolution just happened over time."

"… Not here. Here there were experiments and testing… and many deaths. A group of older gargoyles employed the help of some very brilliant humans… who eventually fell to their own experiments. One is the leader of the Espada clan, my clan. One is the leader of the Visoreds, though no one has ever heard from them since. And the last is a member of the Shinigami clan, Ichi's clan. The only surviving elder gargoyle of the ones that employed the humans, is the leader of that clan."

The group sits around the sitting room, gazing around the area curiously as they listen to Grimmjow's smooth baritone. His eyes are at half-mast as he recalls the story the Manhattan clan has missed throughout their slumber, one hand absently stroking over ivory spikes as he sits beside the still form of his female.

"This place was created by the Visored leader, he was the most brilliant of the three and the one that made the evolution possible," he offers. "Each of them had their own idea on what the perfect gargoyle would be. Yamamoto wanted them to be practically human, so they could live the lives they were denied for so long. Though they were all in agreement with that, they differed in what abilities they should have and how they should look."

"A gargoyle is supposed to look like a gargoyle," Hudson scoffs. "This evolution is nothing but an experiment gone wrong."

"Hudson," Goliath warns. "He is being nice enough to share with us things we have missed, so please be a little nicer."

"He's probably right," Grimmjow shrugs. "There aren't that many of us. In the Shinigami clan, they've managed to reproduce just fine… but they were made to be just a hair's breath from human. They look just like them, aren't able to grow wings like me, and have none of the features a gargoyle should. They have their strength, speed, and senses… but they're basically a twisted human. There were thirteen major ones, but Aizen and the Visored leader left when their own gargoyles were threatened…"

"What do you mean by that?" Broadway wonders.

"Yamamoto decided only the Shinigami clan was good enough to carry the title 'evolved gargoyles', so he ordered the destruction of the other two clans. The Visored leader left with his two best friends, taking his own clan into hiding. Aizen and his second and follower left to join the Espada, hoping to bring Yamamoto down. That's when the war began. Unfortunately, the Espada have limits on reproduction and their numbers are small. There are only ten major Espada thanks to the war, only one is a female. That's why this war has been at a standstill."

"So… What happened to you and your female?" Angela asks excitedly.

"… They tried to kill us," Grimmjow says sadly. "Because we're in love."

The group can only sit and stare in complete shock. Grimmjow begins his story after that, recalling everything he can from the moment he met his love.