Sorry if this came in a little too long. I had to work with something so I had not much time to write. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Again, I'm sorry for making you guys wait.

XIV. Shackles of Fate

The few shinigami present near the arrancar and the newly-labeled traitor watched as the Gillian-class menos pulled the two up to the heavens, the high-ranking arrancar holding the boy by his collar. Ulquiorra looked down upon the eighth's captain, who in turn looked up to them with a serious look on his face. The arrancar shifted his gaze down to the new ex-captain he was with, and then up to the heavens to the dimensional rip made by the menos.

I can see now what you want with him, Aizen-sama. He is indeed very special. With what I saw, I know just enough to believe what great potential he has. If we don't take care of him properly, he might become a monster someday. I know now that you are the key to winning this war, Hitsugaya. Your konpaku is indeed very interesting, though I doubt that anyone will ever be able to analyze you completely.

The two vanished into the darkness of the hole that has just closed. Kyoraku sheathed his two zanpakuto and dismissed his dark expression with a deep sigh, the thoughts of what happened still being digested into his deep mind. His thoughts were broken when a female voice called out to those present there, steps approaching them.

"Kyoraku-taichou! Komamura-taichou! Zaraki-taichou!" called out the familiar voice of the fourth's lieutenant. She approached the scene of the heated skirmish with her captain just behind her.

"What happened here, Kyoraku-taichou?" queried the soft, motherly voice of Unohana.

"Tough battle, I guess…" he shrugged off. "Aizen's guys."

"I felt a very familiar reiatsu just now… but I guess I was wrong. Maybe I'm just imagining – "

"You're not imagining 'em. It was Toushiro-kun's reiatsu…" his voice trailed off.

"Hitsugaya-taichou's? Where is he then?" she was already puzzled. Isane immediately proceeded to healing those wounded

"He… he was the one responsible for this."

"He is?"

"There were two of 'em, he and the fourth Espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer, though the arrancar never did anything besides watch the boy do these things. He just alerted us with his reiatsu and the boy did the rest. Turned out that he gained hollow powers like that of the vaizards, except that he works for Sosuke-kun."

"I see… then, what do you think is the case with him, Kyoraku-taichou?" she queried him with a serious glint in her eyes.

"He isn't a real traitor. I know he just couldn't be. Though Yama-jii wouldn't probably view things this way, I think that Sosuke-kun's using something to drive him into doing these things; maybe that lieutenant from the fifth, uh… " he paused and thought for a while. "Ah, yes, Hinamori Momo. That would explain why the girl's missing too. Must be using that girl to drive him into service. I could say that his hollow transformation was not really a hollowification, though. His inner hollow just took control until we came here. It's not like that ryoka boy Kurosaki, who just dons on his mask."

"I see."

She turned her back on the eight's captain and proceeded to healing the wounded as well. She made her way to the tenth's lieutenant and drew her zanpakuto. She heard her mumble things while she lay there bloodied.

"Taichou…"

Ulquiorra was dragging the boy along the halls of Las Noches. He was still amazed as to what the boy had displayed.

A gran rey cero compressed to the size of a bala, reiatsu that has no limits to its growth, speed even faster than that of Shihouin Yoruichi's flash steps… this boy is a monster. He is and will become even more powerful.

He continued walking down the long dark hall when he passed by the same arrancar that gave the boy his garments, the pink-haired genius. "Back again, Ulquiorra?"

"This boy's first mission is done. Aizen-sama's expectations as well as assumptions were indeed fulfilled. He must now be taken back to him for further analysis as well as to report what I have seen."

"He told me to tell you to take that boy to my laboratory for analysis. Just drop him there before you go to Aizen-sama for your report."

He simply nodded in reply, and dragged the by along towards the room where they were supposed to go. Szayel's thoughts were bugged by much thought concerning the boy.

Still, this boy's konpaku cannot be fully analyzed by any equipment we have here. I wonder just what he could show in the future.

"You…"

Hitsugaya clenched his fists and snarled at the smiling figure of his inner hollow. The inversion seemed unfazed, and kept his smiling yet sadistic aura with him.

"I just did what you had to but could not do, Toushiro."

"Bastard…"

"That's not a way to thank someone for doin' you a favor, is it?"

He drew his two zanpakuto out of their respective sheaths, and started raising his reiatsu.

"Sit upon the frozen skies, Hyourinmaru! Rise from the depths of hell, Gogyou Enjin!" Hyourinmaru's blade transformed into a blue version of itself, while Gogyou Enjin transformed into a pure red blade. The blades started spewing forth their respective energies; flames erupted from Gogyou Enjin while cold blue swirled around Hyourinmaru. His inner hollow still remained undaunted, as if the impressive reiatsu that Hitsugaya was blasting around him was nothing. The boy charged towards him, and swung down the two zanpakuto on his enemy. He merely blocked the two with a bare arm, and the energies from the two strayed themselves away from him. Hitsugaya's eyes widened in shock. His hollow brushed off the attack and landed a solid punch on the boy's face, and sent him crashing away from him.

He scoffed at the slightly weakened figure of the ex-captain. "The hell?! Was that it? You're so pathetic! You can't even wound me even though you could use your twins at the same time! You have that double shikai capability comparable enough to fight against several ban kai, yet you can't even wound me! You're such a weakling, Toushiro! You don't even know Gogyou Enjin that much yet! If you think that because you've learned Gogyou Enjin's name and grown in terms of your reiatsu you could already beat me, then guess again, asshole. You're light years away from me to begin with."

Hitsugaya felt like he was struck down with that statement. He slowly rose, and assumed his stance once more. He was about to charge at his opponent again when his hollow spoke.

"Tell me, then, Toushiro. Have you subjugated Gogyou Enjin already?" His eyes widened. "See? Don't even dream of beating me if you haven't learned your new zanpakuto's ban kai yet." The inner hollow looked up to the skies and grinned. "Seems like their calling out there to you. Tch. I'll get you the next time I could."

Ulquiorra entered Aizen's throne room, and upon approaching the person seated just before him, bowed in respect.

"I have returned, Aizen-sama."

"Welcome back, Ulquiorra. Show me what you have seen."

"Hai."

He took out his eyeball and crushed it, turning it into a powder-like substance that filled the air. The powerful arrancar leader breathed it in, and within moments he saw, felt, and heard everything that the cuatro Espada experienced.

"I see. So that's why you left?"

"Hai. By my estimates, it would really appear that the boy's half-masked hollow form can easily take out all of those shinigami present there. Hadn't it been for his true self resurfacing, he would have decimated the whole of Soul Society by himself."

"That will be all."

"Hai."

He bowed once again and excused himself from the leader's presence. Aizen pondered even more now that he learned something new about the boy.

Light but sure steps were heard treading the halls of Las Noches. Out from the blurred corners slowly came the familiar figure of the cuatro Espada, whose mind was still boggled by the amazing feats displayed by the newest member of Aizen's ranks. He walked the dark halls with his mind flying somewhere else, only to be disturbed by the very tall figure that blocked his way. He wore an eye patch and his other eye was accented in a snake-like manner. He wore a wide smile which revealed his upper teeth, and had long, black hair. He stood in the way of Ulquiorra's path, and the Espada stopped just right in front of the large blockage.

"Well, well, how's it going, Ulquiorra?"

"Move out of my way, Nnoitra."

"Eh? What're you talkin' about? I was just gonna ask you how's it going with that brat. Is that so bad? Heard you just came in from Soul Society to go with that kid. Must be a bore, eh? At least with pet-sama, you had such a tasty job."

"That boy is still up for further analysis. Seeing you here standing before me would even practically tell me that you owe the boy some gratitude."

"Now what the fuck are you talkin' about? I haven't even met the little bastard yet, so how in the name of hell is he gonna do somethin' for me?"

"Then how do you think have you been able to come back here?"

"If you mean about bein' brought back to life, then it's 'cause Aizen-sama was kind enough to – "

"Aizen-sama was able to bring back the deceased Espada using some data that he gathered in his research regarding that boy's konpaku."

His snake-like eyes widened, and then burst into giggles. "I never knew you had that funny bone in you, Ulquiorra. How could such – "

"I'm not fooling around, Nnoitra. That boy's konpaku has yet to be analyzed for more of its peculiar properties. I wouldn't take him lightly if I were you. Given that he knows how to reign over his abilities, he could take you apart in a split second if he wishes to."

"That's fuckin' ridiculous! Don't go braggin' about you bein' the fourth, 'cause I'm not gonna buy it. There's nothing in existence that can break this body of mine, 'cause I'm the strongest."

He moved past the large, lanky figure that stood before him in his straight composure. He heaved a deep sigh before speaking again, not even bothering to face the lower-ranking Espada.

"I have no time to explain every little detail to someone who has no composure and has a very little brain to deal with it. Just a word of warning: never hope of ever engaging him in the battlefield."

Without another word, he left the fifth Espada there standing, still grumbling and mouthing curses under his breath. He stood up straight and proceeded to walk down the way opposite that of the fourth's.

"Not to take the little bastard lightly, eh? Ha! I would rip that piece of shit's ass into two!"

Hitsugaya opened his blue-green eyes and caught the vision of a dark world around him. He sat up on the bed that he figured out he lied on for the time that he had been out. He clutched his head as he remembered well the events that have transpired before he woke up. Flashes of bloodied shinigami, especially the figure of his bloodied vice, trailed his memories, and he felt as if he was watching them through his own eyes yet could not hold on the reins of his body, as if it was following something else. He remembered all too well the screams of agony that he heard from those shinigami he took down, those that he was forced to fight. Once more, he heard that ominous voice from the back of his head speak to him in his mind.

Don't fret too much about those things, Toushiro. After all, we're gonna be together for such a long time, so get used to it! I'll snap the heads of your friends and drown everything in their blood until there's nothing left anymore!

That all-too-familiar lunatic laughter rang in his head, and he clutched it even tighter hoping that it would all go away. But it didn't. He gritted his teeth in a mixed chaotic mess of anger and guilt. He opened his eyes and remembered something that he felt he should check upon. After checking his zanpakuto, he immediately ran out of the room and took a look around in order to figure out just where he was in Las Noches. Using shunpo, he disappeared immediately to go to where he felt like he needed to be.

"Don't worry, chick. It's not gonna hurt that much…"

Hinamori could not move. It was as if some primal, instinctive fear was upon her, and every muscle in her body just tensed. Her body wasn't doing what her mind was telling it to be doing, and all she could recognize was a faint light coming from outside the dank cell she was trapped in with quite a lecherous and powerful monster, so to speak. She felt his hand going all over her, and his warm breath still crawling up on her skin. She felt his hand now slightly tugging the collar of her robes, slowly revealing her white skin underneath. She was totally powerless at that moment. And all that she could do was to weep and hope that she could reach out. She was looking out to the faint light that was coming in through the opening of the cell when a shadow blocked its rays.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Grimmjow Jaggerjack?"

He instantly stopped what he was gorging in and looked outside towards the small and familiar figure standing at the door. He felt the presence's familiar reiatsu blasting in on him, as if it was shouting at him to go down and bow. He let go of the girl and immediately fixed his composure, stretching his garments a little bit as if removing its wrinkles.

"Nothin' much. I was just talking with your girlfriend here when I brought in her grub."

"Nothing, huh?"

He felt the visitor's reiatsu grow even more frightening, as if it was smothering him. The figure entered, walking past a startled Grimmjow and kneeled down to check on the quite-abused figure of the female just behind him.

"…Sh-Shiro-chan…"

He took her head up in one arm, and examined her carefully. He noted the bruise on her cheek as well as in other parts of her slightly-exposed body, some obviously from impacts and some evidences of applied pressure due to pinning her down. He brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, and was very knowledgeable of the evidence of tears that ran down her cheeks. He spoke to her in a soft, whisper-like tone, as if calming her down.

"Shh. It's alright, Hinamori. I'm here." He slowly laid her down the thin mat, and stood up. Without facing the Espada, he maintained his calm yet frightening voice and asked the suspect.

"What the hell did you do to Hinamori?"

"I already told you that."

"That's it, then?" He faced the arrancar with his brows furrowed deeply in hatred and his eyes glowing with reiatsu. His hand was holding the sheath of Gogyou Enjin that was placed on his sash with his thumb at the crossguard, as if he was about to pull it any moment. Grimmjow scoffed and walked towards the young lad. He then heard that same frightening tone at the back of his head.

He played with your girl just now, didn't he, Toushiro? Why don't you lop his head off? Surely there are lots of things that are now roaming in that little nut of yours but right now, just go ahead and finish him. Come on, you know you want to…

With those few words his world was again enveloped in darkness.

"Look, just 'cause you – "

The thumb that was just a while ago positioned on the zanpakuto's crossguard flicked it, causing the zanpakuto to be thrown out of the sheath and its hilt hit Grimmjow's jaw, which in turn caused him to crash into the cell's ceiling. Grimmjow took out his head out of the hole he formed on the ceiling, his brows furrowed and his teeth gritting.

"You little piece of shit…"

He pulled out his zanpakuto and charged towards the boy. He was about to land a hit when the target seemingly flicked his arm with a quick sword pull, and before he knew it, he stopped in his tracks and howled in agony.

"My arm! You cut my fucking arm!!! I'm gonna KILL YOU!!!!!"

All Hitsugaya heard were the crash and Grimmjow's few words and curses before he saw everything again. Everything was black and before he knew it, he was there standing before Grimmjow whose arm was already severed. Once again, he heard that voice coming with menacing laughter.

I'm coming to you, Hitsugaya! I'm gonna get so close to you before you even know it!

"That's not good, Hitsugaya-kun…"

He again felt the painful electrocution be done to him, and along with his downfall, he heard Hinamori's screams of agony as well. He looked towards her and saw her crying in desperation, clawing on the floor in hope of diverting the pain somewhere else. Finally the punishment ceased. She was breathing heavily and smoke was still rising from her body. He looked up to the two figures that stood just outside the cell, right behind Grimmjow.

"Don't be so harsh on him, Hitsugaya-kun. He was just trying to be friends with Hinamori-kun, after all, and kept her company while you were out."

Grimmjow looked behind him to see who they were. "Aizen-sama! Lieutenant Ichimaru!"

"Yo!" Gin waved at the fallen Hitsugaya. He kept his usual light mood. "I didn't know ya had a taste fer young women, Grimmjow. Oh well, all works'n the end, anyway. Maybe ya should go find someone else, ya know. Toushiro-chan wouldn't want anybody getting' close to Hinamori-chan, isn't that right?"

"Let's go now, Grimmjow."

They turned their back on the two and left. Grimmjow gave them a quick glance and scoffed before leaving. After several moments, Hitsugaya was finally able to move, and went over to the girl's fallen figure. He kneeled down and took her up in his arms, and gritted his teeth. Her gaze was fixed, as if she had lost consciousness while her eyes were kept open. He embraced her and closed his eyes, his brows furrowed in guilt.

"Hinamori… I'm sorry…"

Note: that scene where Hitsugaya flicked the zanpakuto out of its sheath and made it hit Grimmjow's jaw is reminiscent of that used by Himura Kenshin in that episode where they first "adopted" Yahiko. He used that on that gangster guy with a samurai.

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