I just wanted to say thank you to those that are still reading!

And thank you to my new beta, Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo :D

"Your eyes portray nothing to me... What is it that you're thinking?" Grimmjow asked.

Byakuya inhaled and exhaled slowly, the strength he had to keep calm was wearing thin on his nerves. A growl sounded from beside him and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Disobedience is one thing I will not stand. Answer the question or there will be consequences."

"I'm thinking," he began, taking a deep breath before continuing, "that you're going to die if you do this."

Grimmjow thought about that for a moment and, with a malicious grin, reached up to move a body-length mirror over Byakuya. He leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"I think not. And if ever there was someone walking in my footsteps to kill me, I would simply stick out a leg and trip them. There's not much to it."

The hidden meaning had Byakuya's skin crawling and he cracked an eye open, only to see his naked form in a large mirror that hovered over him. His breath hitched in his throat.

"Do you like it? I figured you'd love looking at yourself, with your petty, stuck-up narcissistic ways. Why don't we start with something small, like..." he trailed off, reaching over to the small portable lab table and running his fingers over the various instruments. He settled on the scalpel.

Byakuya dared a glance at what the man had chosen, his eyes widening at the surgical tool.

"Don't be such a pussy, Kuchiki. This is only the beginning of what I have planned for you."

Byakuya searched his mind for something, anything, that he could use to change this psycho's mind. There was only one option and he mentally slapped himself for even thinking such a thing. But...it was his only hope and if it failed, he was as good as dead.

"I-I have a request! A trade."

With an arched eyebrow, Grimmjow pulled the scalpel away from his face.

"Go on. Better be fucking good, and if I don't like the offer...your torture will be worse than hell itself."

The raven swallowed, the lump in his throat making it hard. What if he made a mistake? No... Of course, he wouldn't resist.

"I'll give you...my body, for sexual purposes. Surely, you'd like that?"

"Hmm..." Grimmjow feigned a look of interest, if only to raise the man's spirits... Only to crush them down and ruin him. Psychological torture was always just as good as physical and he never failed to use it at least once on his victims.

"Sorry, Kuchiki, but I'm not into necrophilia," he said with a grin, loving the shocked expression on his victim's face. "Besides," his face grew dark with murderous intent, "I don't touch dirty animals that lay their paws on what's mine. You're nothing but filth. Dirt. Mud. The epitome of waste. Now, let's see how much you like turning into a pathetic heap of blood and nothingness on the cold stone floor."

Grimmjow drove his fingers into his stomach below the ribcage, the blood curdling scream that rang throughout the room sent delicious chills down his spine. The internal organs were moved around, causing severe pain and enough damage that could kill a man if not careful. Pulling his hand away, he chuckled at Byakuya's distorted face, how he cringed at the pain that was being dealt.

He raised the scalpel and ran a finger across the small blade, watching the minute amount of blood that appeared on his finger and dripped down.

Perfect.

With precision, he brought the scalpel down and, starting at the corner of Byakuya's mouth, made a line up to his earlobe. He saw the blood from the corner of his eye and panicked, begging for him to stop. Grimmjow just smiled.

"You're lucky this blade isn't dull, it would hurt ten times more. Besides," he began, cutting another line on the other side, "you look like you're having so much fun with that smile of yours."

Tears streaked down the raven's face and mixed with the blood, whimpering when the salty liquid flowed into the deep wounds on his face.

Grimmjow placed the scalpel back onto the lab table. He would use it again later. Instead, he picked up two needles, each five inches in length.

"How's your hearing? Pretty sharp, eh?" Grimmjow slid the needle into Byakuya's ear canal, piercing his eardrum. When he forced it farther in, he was delighted to hear the begging once again. Clear liquid and blood began to drip out of his ear at a quick pace. He repeated this on the other side.

"P-please, anything, anything but this!" Byakuya whined, his heart pounding in his chest as more tears streamed down his face. If this was only the beginning, he wouldn't live throughout the whole torture. It was unbearable, even for him.

"Do you like walking? I'm sure you do, that's why I'm taking the liberty to change that."

Eyes followed his movements, widening at the sight of a sledge hammer. He shook his head fervently, his limbs struggling to free themselves from the restraints. The hammer was raised into the air and he screwed his eyes shut, preparing himself.

Seconds passed. Nothing.

He opened his eyes to see Grimmjow still holding the hammer in the air, the grin on his face telling him he made a mistake.

He was waiting for him to open his eyes.

The hammer came down as Byakuya watched. It struck his knee, crushing the kneecap with sheer force. Byakuya screamed, and this time, he didn't stop. He wanted to die, he wanted this man to kill him right then and there. There was no way he wanted to live through this, just let him die!

"Yes! Scream, Kuchiki, I enjoy the sounds of pain!" He brought the hammer down on his other knee and relished in the beautiful sounds. Ahh, those sounds, the only sound better than the sound of pain was the sound of his berry moaning beneath him. Oh, he would have his Ichigo.

"Look at yourself in the mirror! Do you see that?" he asked maniacally, watching the man look up and begin crying at the sight. Inside he was calm, he knew exactly what he was doing and, because of this, he was perfectly sane. The only time he would reveal this side of him was when someone said, did, or touched something of his.

It was simply the best kind of revenge and he had no ounce of shame in expressing such-almost psychotic-pleasure.

Byakuya looked away from his reflection; that horrible...disgusting reflection that was himself.

"You're gonna love this next part," he said and grabbed a piece of glass that was on the table. "Do you see this?"

Byakuya looked at the piece of glass before glancing up the the psychopath, the look in his eyes telling him that he needed to give an answer. With a small nod, he squeaked out a small "Yes."

That seemed to satisfy the other, but he didn't dare breath out in relief.

"Open your mouth," he commanded and shoved the glass into his mouth. "Don't spit it out." Grimmjow glared down at the man before picking up the scalpel once more.

"Pick a spot, would you?" he asked, grinning when Byakuya arched an eyebrow.

He was being given a choice?

He relaxed slightly and thought... What would be less painful? It was only an incision... Right?

He wiggled his arm to show where he wanted it and closed his eyes, waiting for the next step.

"If you say so, Kuchiki."

He cut a circle on his forearm, focusing his attention on what he was doing. He inhaled the scent of blood that wafted towards his nose. What a delicious smell. He could almost...taste it.

The circle was complete and glanced up at the raven when he heard a large exhale.

"What, you thought I was done?" he asked and shook his head with a smirk. "How stupid can you be?" He ripped the circle of flesh away from his body, exposing blood and muscle beneath. Byakuya felt like he was going to faint, the sight of his own muscles and blood making him dizzy.

Grimmjow grabbed a small container that had no label on it and poured the white crystals onto the wound, filling it until there was no muscle left to see, only the solute that soaked up the blood. The burn was evident, and the next thing he knew, he was biting down on the glass that had been placed in his mouth.

"Salt does wonders, doesn't it? Do you feel that? The burning sensation of the salt in a wound? What would happen if it was compressed against the muscles?" He pressed the circle of skin against the salted wound and grabbed a nail gun. "Let's not waste time with sewing your skin back on. We'll do it the easy...painful way."

Grimmjow pulled the trigger on the nail gun and listened to the pathetic screams that once seemed so beautiful. The nail was embedded in the center of the red circle, piercing the table on the other side. Not once has he ever wanted to rush torturing his victims, but this time was different. He couldn't stand the thought of not knowing what his Ichi was doing, waiting for him in random places; watching him and waiting for him. He was use to spending his day's following the teen, then going about with his own unusual schedule. Right now, he should be outside his house, waiting to see who he brings home next.

If he was going to see the berry again soon, he was going to have to finish this.

He looked into Byakuya's eyes with dark intent, staring down at him until he had the other squirming. In a low, deep voice, he said, "Eat it."

Byakuya looked at him like he had asked him to kill his own sister. No, he wouldn't eat the glass, there was no way in hell.

The glass fell from his mouth, clattering against the stone floor below, and suddenly he feared what the consequence would be. Grimmjow's face distorted with fury and he picked up the glass.

"You WILL eat this glass, and I will make fucking DAMN sure you do!"

He grabbed Byakuya's jaw tight and shoved the glass into his mouth, making sure it was all the way in before he slammed his jaw shut. Byakuya winced when his tongue was split by his teeth.

"Chew it. Or I will crush it for you and shove it down your throat!"

This was how he was going to die; a painful, slow, agonizing death.

With as much strength as he could muster, he used his jaws to their full extent and, with a crunch, the glass shattered in his mouth. Shards scraped against his gums and shredded his tongue. Blood filled his mouth and he had to refrain from coughing everything up.

A satisfied smile spread across Grimmjow's face and he nodded his approval.

"Now, swallow. Don't miss anything."

Byakuya nodded, his gag reflex kept him from swallowing the sharp pieces at first, but he managed to gulp down the glass. He was through trying to be a man and he cried, each shard tearing up his insides as it went down. He looked at Grimmjow and was confused when all he saw was disgust. One sentence from him had Byakuya thanking Kami for mercy.

"I'm through with you."

Grimmjow grabbed a knife and drove it down into Byakuya's stomach. Before pulling it out, he made sure he tore the flesh across so he could have easy entry. Blood, blood, blood, it was all red. The room was red, all red in death. Crimson ecstasy as Grimmjow reached into his stomach and pulled out his intestines, pulling them apart like they were simply knotted string. Blood was splattered against his face, his hair, his clothes. The screams, the cries, it all made Grimmjow laugh maniacally as he ripped the intestines apart, liquids and fluids of all kinds pouring onto the floor at his feet. This was pleasure that only those who dared could feel.

It was unreal.

He reached in again and tore out each and every last organ, the heart saved for last. The heart, no longer beating, lay in his hands. The brightest blood... The purest part of any human.

Nothing is pure...

He squeezed the heart in his hands, the flesh of the heart tearing and falling through his fingers.

Funny how he could so easily play with life itself, then take it away...just like that.

"Such a pathetic creature," he whispered towards Byakuya, who lay dead, his eyes clouded over with blood still flowing from the mouth. He turned towards the door he had entered from and left to clean himself up.

No one touched his Ichigo.

-...-

I LOVE blood and gore in all its glory, but sometimes I have a more difficult time writing bloody scenes than yaoi scenes, so please forgive me if this isn't to your liking for all you fans of gore!