CHAPTER 15: WE MEET AGAIN

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach...

Onward...

XOXOXO

"Where are they?" Aizen growled as he made a slow circle in the cavernous, yet empty space. "You told me that they would be here."

The pink-haired sorcerer scowled as he too turned in place and surveyed the location. He shook his head, clearly baffled by what he saw. Aizen was already short on patience, and this setback was sorely irking him. He really wanted to return to Las Noches and continue breaking in his Elorian prince. However, the news of survivors of the fall of the clans had sent his blood pressure sky rocketing.

"I don't understand," Szayel muttered. "I saw them with my own eyes. They were here."

Aizen absently brushed aside the lock of hair that hung over his forehead. He thought about snorting and ridding himself of the sorcerer once and for all, but decided otherwise. So far in his endeavors, Szayel had proven himself useful in one way or another. Aizen was also positive that the efforts were done purposely. A niggling though kept worming its way into his mind that the sorcerer had something up his sleeve that he had yet to reveal. The notion kept Aizen on his toes, his awareness at an all-time high.

"Yes, well, as you can see, they are no longer here. The question is: where did they go?" He paused and grinned at a fretting Szayel, unable to keep himself from rubbing salt in the sorcerer's wound. "If they were even here to begin with."

The poisonous look he received, only further confirmed within his mind that the sorcerer held ill intentions towards him. As quick as the look had appeared, it vanished the same. Szayel folded his hands behind his back and gave a benign smile.

"I can assure you, Aizen Sir, that the survivors were here. If one only concentrated hard enough, one would be able to detect the residual reiatsu they left behind."

The fairy's following smile made Aizen long to remove that pink head from the neck it was attached to. The syrupy sweet words were soaked with sarcasm. Aizen resisted the urge to lash out carelessly; instead, he returned the sorcerer's grin and heated stare. There was an obvious lack of love lost between the two.

"Aizen Sir, if I may?" Tousen asked as he stepped forward. Glad for the interruption, Aizen faced his faithful right hand and nodded. "There is a more pressing matter to be dealt with. The palace guards have alerted me that intruders have infiltrated the grounds."

Aizen felt rage tingling in his veins, even as he smiled and nodded. Why was his power continuously put to the test? It always took a grotesque display of force in order to win submission. Yet, his inner sadist couldn't help but to feel utter excitement at the opportunity to spill more blood.

"Intruders, you say?"

Tousen nodded, his body taut with anticipation. Aizen sighed as he strode past Szayel, whose mustard-hued eyes never left Aizen's form. Once again, there was much work to be done: an Elorian prince needed to be stained with his lust, and a group of worthless intruders needed to be taught a lesson.

Oh, how he looked forward to it.

XOXOXO

Toshiro couldn't keep his eyes off of the tall, snowy-haired fairy conversing with Urahara. He couldn't ignore the glaring coincidence that kept smacking him around. So far, he'd seen hundreds of fairies, but only one shared his hair color. And how could he look past the fact that his own mother had had hair the color of spun onyx? That alone let him know that he'd inherited his father's tresses. There was no other possible explanation.

He crept behind a boulder, trying to remain anonymous in his staring, but also trying to get closer to the tall, almost regal-looking fairy. Was this his father? Was this the Jyuushiro his mother had told him about? If it was, how could he approach him? What would he say? He was beyond intimidated. Besides, the fairy was deep in conversation with the King and prince of Eieren, and the scientist and his nephew. How could he just walk over and interrupt what appeared to be incredibly important? He was so caught up in his worried thoughts and misgivings when a deep voice scared him half to death.

"There's no need to hide."

Toshiro whirled around and came face-to-face with the tall, white-haired fairy. His head whipped back to where the imposing figure had just been standing, only to find him gone. When had he moved? Toshiro was baffled, but sheepishly faced him again.

"I-Im sorry. I didn't want to intrude."

"You have her eyes," the man said softly.

Toshiro almost choked up. "Y-you know my mother?"

The fairy smiled. "Of course. She never told me she was pregnant, but I'd guessed from her hasty departure during the fall of the clans. Otherwise, I'm sure she would have stayed."

"S-so you are my father."

"Yes. It's nice to finally meet you. What is your name?"

Toshiro wiped his eyes, embarrassed that he was even crying to begin with. "T-Toshiro."

"I'm J-"

"Jyuushiro. My mother told me."

"Ah, that makes this easier, then, no? Why don't you take a walk with me. We can get know one another, and I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

For the life of him, Toshiro couldn't think of one. He may have had tons beforehand, but being confronted by his actual father was enough to steal any coherent thought. He smiled and nodded, allowing the taller fairy to usher him away from his hiding spot.

XOXOXO

Ichigo watched as Gin opened up what he called "La Garganta" with wide eyes. This was exactly what he'd seen when that evil fairy had come and snatched away Grimmjow. It was funny how something that appeared to be so simple could do so much. He didn't care, though. As long as it led him to his lover, he would follow it into Hell. He grimaced at the pitch black space before sticking his head into it.

"Hello?" he called.

His voice echoed back at him before he pulled away from the void. He turned to his father, and then to Urahara, who was watching him with a gaze full of amusement.

"Did anyone answer?" he asked coyly.

Ichigo scowled at him and shook his head. That was when Isshin stepped forward and gripped the sword at his side. Everyone had changed into formal Faery gear, which looked good on the rest of them, but Ichigo felt awkward in his own. He felt like Robin Hood in the black, form-fitting pants and black, sleeveless top. The black boots were even weirder. They felt hard as steel to the touch, but fit his feet like a soft, leather glove. His sword was strapped to his back, and he was ready to face whatever he might encounter. Knowing that he was risking his life didn't change his headfirst approach, either. He was going to save Grimmjow, come Hell or high water.

"So...this is it, huh?" he asked.

"Be brave, my son," Isshin stated with a hand on Ichigo's shoulder.

Ichigo snorted. "You don't have to tell me that."

With that, he leaped into the void, not knowing what to expect. Once he was inside, however, the darkness seemed to swallow him up.

"Jeez, someone should turn on a light or somethin'," he grumbled. He turned back to the opening and waited for the others to climb through. Once they were all gathered around, he shifted in place. "Now what?"

Gin's airy voice floated up to him. "Jus' be patient."

After a second or two of complete darkness, the void split apart, revealing an open landscape filled with white sand a few pitiful-looking trees. They had no leaves, and the branches looked like twigs with claws. Where the hell were they?

"What is this place? It's creepy," he said with a shudder.

Nothing seemed to move, not even the air around them. Not only that, but it was dark, the only light emitting from a crescent moon. Ichigo sniffed and was astounded to smell things he couldn't even identify. Everything seemed enhanced.

"This is Las Noches," Gin answered. "Aizen created a land of desolation and a grand palace for himself. His servants are his prisoners, and there are only a handful who follow him willingly."

"Sounds like a great guy," Ichigo muttered as he adjusted his sword strap. "Well, no sense standing around. Where to, Oz?"

Gin shot him a blank look, while Shiro cackled from behind. "We go to the white structure directly ahead. I'm sure that is where Aizen is holding the prince hostage."

Ichigo huffed as he stared into the distance at the pale building looming on the horizon. "Alrighty. Off we go."

The walk was silent, each left to his own thoughts. Ichigo especially. He was worried sick about Grimmjow, hoping that that asshole fairy hadn't hurt him too badly. The fact that he'd been hurt at all was enough to have Ichigo's strength swirling around him viciously, as if the black aura was biting the still air. He couldn't wait to get his hands on this Aizen guy. He had another thing coming if he thought he was going to get away with taking Grimmjow and damned near killing Nnoitra. Ichigo still couldn't get the sight of all of that blood out of his head. Poor Shinji. Ichigo couldn't imagine being in his best friend's shoes.

After what felt like hours of walking, they finally approached the enormous structure. It seemed to stretch towards the sky for days. Ichigo shook his head and snorted.

"You think he's overcompensating for something?"

Shiro cackled again, this time slapping his leg in amusement. "King, yer on a roll taday."

Ichigo wanted to find humor in the situation, but his thoughts had gone back to Grimmjow. A familiar presence blanketed his senses, and he bent over at the waist, gasping for air. He inhaled through his nose and almost keeled over in shock.

Grimm.

He could literally feel Grimmjow somewhere in the building. That had never happened to him before. He turned to his father, who was watching him warily.

"Are you alright, my son?"

"I-I...I can feel him. He's here. I know it."

Isshin nodded. "You have an intimate bond with the prince."

Ichigo blushed furiously as he peered at his father. "What are you talking about?"

"Now is not the time time to play dumb, Ichigo. We can only detect another's presence so acutely after a romantic relationship has been established."

"What he's tryin' ta say, King, is once ya've had sex with somebody ya got feelins for, you'll be able ta sense that person. 'Specially now that yer natural instincts have been unblocked," Shiro drawled with a smirk.

His face was absolutely on fire. This was not the way he'd wanted his old man to find about him and Grimmjow. Well, shit. The cat was out of the bag now.

"S-so...does that mean he can sense me, too?" he asked as he straightened himself.

The abrupt sensation wasn't so bad now. In fact, it hummed through his body, but it didn't hinder his breathing anymore.

"It's possible," Isshin grunted as he averted his eyes.

Ichigo frowned at that, but before he could ask what was on his mind, Urahara stepped forward. "It all depends on the state that Grimmjow-kun is in, Kurosaki-kun. Pain dulls the senses."

That put a fire under his ass. He stalked towards the first door he saw, hands drawn into tight fists. He didn't care if he had to knock down every last wall in this place: he was going to find Grimmjow. As he approached the door, a hairless being in a long, white robe strode in his direction.

"Who are you?" the creature barked. Ichigo frowned. It wasn't a fairy, but it wasn't human, either. "Why are you here?"

"Ha! I think the better question here is what the fuck are you?"

The creature's face was a mottled gray, and it had a large, bulbous nose that took up half its face. The rest was eaten up by its lopsided mouth that was filled with brown, rotting teeth. Its eyes were dark and beady, and good grief, did it reek.

"P.U., bro!" Ichigo snapped as he held his nose. "They don't have showers around here?"

"Do you insult me?" it barked, spit flying from its mouth.

"Oh, my God, you're disgusting," Ichigo mumbled, feeling like he was about to be sick all over the place.

The creature's face crumpled with rage as it reached for the sword it carried at its side. "I'll show you disgusting, you filth!"

Before the creature's sword even left its scabbard, the creature was sliced in two. Ichigo's eyebrows hid beneath his bangs. Shiro nonchalantly sheathed his sword and turned to Ichigo with a shrug.

"He was gettin' on mah nerves."

A dark viscous fluid flowed around the creatures body for a few moments before it disintegrated into the air. Well, that was different.

"What was that all about?" he asked, facing Gin, who seemed to know a lot about this place. "And what the hell was that thing?"

"That was a troll. Aizen employs all manners of creatures to do his dirty work so that he won't have to. And all beings in Faery disintegrate when they pass on."

Ichigo poked out his lip, impressed. "Cool."

Now that the troll had been dealt with, they were free to move forward to the door. Ichigo hoped they had a little more time before they were found out. It'd be great to have Grimmjow in his arms before he beheaded Aizen. Gin pushed against the door gently before his head disappeared inside. He pulled back and turned to the rest of the group, his face calm.

"There are two guards down the hall once we enter. We need to-"

Byakuya interrupted as he unsheathed his sword. "Leave it to me."

Gin moved away from the door, allowing Byakuya to slip past him. It seemed like merely seconds had ticked by before the dark-haired man swung open the door. Ichigo stepped inside first, curious as a cat. He looked over Byakuya's shoulder, and his eyebrows automatically raised. The two guards Gin had warned them of were lying on the floor in pools of black blood, their bodies slowly disintegrating.

"Well, damn. I didn't even hear 'em scream or anything," Ichigo mumbled.

"They did not see me coming."

"Yeah, no shit. So! That's three down and...how many to go?"

Gin shook his head. "Aizen has hundreds of servants at his disposal."

"Aww, maaannn. That kinda sucks."

Shiro chuckled as he made his way down the hall towards the two fallen guards. "Don' worry, King. Ya still got me."

Ichigo almost snorted until he remembered how quickly Shiro had taken out that first guard. Maybe he was right about that. The group moved through the halls silently, every guard falling to its death before it could even realize what was going on. Until they ran into the pink-haired creep that had been at the apartment with Aizen.

Ichigo pulled up short, his lips curling into a snarl. He wanted to kill everyone that'd had a hand in that incident, but before he could draw his sword, Gin stepped forward. His eyes were open, and the irises were blood red.

"I'll take this one, your highness. Find the prince."

Ichigo wanted to protest, but Urahara placed a hand on his shoulder. "Leave it. You alone can find Grimmjow by his aura. Can you still feel it?"

Ichigo went quiet as he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Grimmjow's scent and presence thrummed through him. When he opened his eyes, he pointed past the pink-haired fairy. "He's that way."

"Let's go. Gin, be careful, if you would, please," Urahara stated. His voice was playful, but his eyes were serious as a grave.

"Yes, Uncle."

"How adorable," the pink-haired fairy commented as he adjusted his glasses. "To assume that you could bypass me so easily. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Come now. Do not presume to insult my abilities."

Gin's eyes closed as he grinned. "Mah, mah. I wouldn' dare." The smile disappeared and those red eyes were back. "I jus' trust mine more than I care about yours."

Ichigo watched the exchange, tense. Gin didn't have a sword, but neither did that pink-haired fairy. Then, Ichigo remembered Gin's magic and relaxed. He'd be OK. He had to be. Ichigo decided to head in the direction that he felt Grimmjow, but as he moved forward, an invisible wall was thrown up, blocking his progress. He growled under his breath, angry with the hindrance. His old man came forward, reaching for his sword, but Ichigo held up a hand. He didn't speak, he just unsheathed his sword, anger causing his strength to whip around him and the dark steel. He brought the sword over his head and sliced an arc to the ground. The magic of the wall crumbled under the power of Ichigo's birthright. He stalked through the gap and glared at the pink-haired fairy, who stared at him in calm shock.

"Don't fuck with me," Ichigo snarled before stomping away. "I'm not in the mood."

XOXOXO

His body felt like a tight knot of agony. Aizen had just left Grimmjow's quarters, and he'd been even more brutal than usual. Grimmjow's refusal to sleep with him had only made things worse. He wiped his nose and mouth on the back of his hand and winced at the abundance of blood. It dripped onto his chest, but he didn't bother to staunch the flow. Why should he? Aizen would only return and reopen every wound he'd previously created.

He was in the depths of despair. He only wanted to leave this place and possibly see Ichigo again. The optimism and strength he'd garnered before this last beating had completely left him. He had no one to help him, no one who even cared. Would he survive this? Not if he kept turning aside Aizen's advances. Yet, he refused to lie with the man. He wouldn't soil himself after experiencing such a beautiful act with the man he loved. Grimmjow hung his head, making the blood flow faster from his nose. Maybe if he died, the pain would go away. He'd see his parents again, at least. His sister would be upset and Nnoitra would be pissed, but...he couldn't take it anymore. Every shred of pride and dignity he'd owned was gone. He was a pet, a plaything. And he couldn't even hope to escape because he didn't have his birthright. His head went light from the loss of blood, but it dulled the pain, so he welcomed it. He'd decided. He wouldn't be able to see Ichigo this way, anyway, so what was the point of going on? He had no hope.

The door to his quarters crashed open, jerking his head upright in shock. Had Aizen come back to finish him off? Dust clouded his vision from the destroyed door, so he was unable to see who stood in the doorway. All he could make out was a dark silhouette, but the voice was unmistakable.

"Grimm?"

He shook his head, not believing it for an instance. Aizen had gone to new lengths with his cruelty. The figure entered the room, and Grimmjow's composure crumbled. He saw Ichigo striding towards him. He saw the orange hair and concerned brown eyes. He even smelled the familiar scent. But he couldn't believe it. He wouldn't. He shrank away from the fake Ichigo, growling.

"You cruel bastard! Take his face off! How dare you mock me this way?"

The imposter stopped in front of him and lowered himself to the bed, brown eyes wet. Fake Ichigo's bottom lip trembled as he held out both hands and framed Grimmjow's face with them.

"It's me, Grimm. It's me. I'm here."

Grimmjow stared into Fake Ichigo's eyes, anger roiling within him, but once he lowered his guard enough to feel for the imposter's presence, it hit him like a ton of rocks.

"Ichigo?" he croaked.

Ichigo nodded, a lone tear making its way down his face. "That's right. I'm here to take you home, Grimm."

He was different. Ichigo had the ears of a fairy, and power surrounded him like a cloak. He wore Faery garb, and he had a sword strapped to his back. But...his aura reached forward and wrapped itself around Grimmjow, confirming what his eyes couldn't believe. Grimmjow touched Ichigo's cheek, and the warmth seeped into his hand, inviting and familiar.

"It's really you. You came for me."

Ichigo scoffed through a chuckle. "Of course, I did. You didn't think I'd let that asshole keep you, did you? You're mine."

"But you...you wear the clothes of my people. And you have our ears. And your power is extraordinary. What happened to you?"

"I'll explain later. Right now, we gotta get you out of here."

"We?"

At that moment, Urahara, Shirosaki, Byakuya and Ichigo's father stepped into the room. They had come to rescue him, and here he thought no one cared enough to do so. He'd been ready to die. Grimmjow laughed in disbelief as he wrapped his arms around Ichigo in a tight hug.

"I'm so glad to see you. I thought I was going to perish."

"Won't be any perishing around here, hot stuff. Now, let's go. We kinda made a bit of a ruckus on the way here."

Grimmjow was overwhelmed with surprise and happiness. He was honestly too stunned to do much more than nod his head. He couldn't get over the changes in the orange-haired man. It was unnerving how powerful and commanding he seemed. Before Grimmjow could stand, Ichigo gripped his face and stared into his eyes.

"He did this to you?"

Grimmjow's pride reared its head for the first time in a long time. He brushed away Ichigo's hand and shook his head.

"It's nothing."

"Like hell it is," Ichigo growled. "I'm gonna kill him."

"Not if I get to him first," Grimmjow said before wiping his nose and mouth on the short jacket he wore. Ichigo started to climb to his feet, but Grimmjow grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him. The others in the room be damned. He'd missed Ichigo so much. When he pulled back, Ichigo's eyes were wide and his face was flushed. "I've missed this."

Ichigo's brown eyes blinked before he cleared his throat and nodded, his blush rising up over his ears. When he spoke, his voice was unusually deep and husky. "I missed you. Just you."

They shared an intimate moment before Urahara interrupted. "Ah-ah. As much as I hate to put an end to such a charming scene, I believe we have an entire army after us, Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo sighed, afterward kissing Grimmjow one last time. "Yeah, I know. Let's go."

Grimmjow tried to stand with Ichigo, but his legs gave out on him, and he ended up crumpling back to the bed in excruciating pain. He gripped his knees where Aizen had hit him repeatedly. He wouldn't be able to walk out of there as easily as the others. He looked up at Ichigo and thinned his lips.

"I can't walk right now," he mumbled, ashamed of his helplessness.

Ichigo moved to help, but his father made it first. Grimmjow's eyes grew as he looked into the solemn, dark eyes. "It'd be an honor to help you, your highness. Ichigo needs his hands free in order to deal with Aizen."

"Aizen is too strong!" Grimmjow immediately protested, afraid for Ichigo's life.

Ichigo's sire chuckled as he stooped and wrapped an arm around Grimmjow's waist, lifting him from the bed with ease. Grimmjow's eyebrows raised in shock. He was a big man, and he knew he weighed more than the average human could handle on its own, so why was this man able to heft him with such nonchalance? When he caught the dark-eyed gaze of Ichigo's father, the man winked.

"Isshin Kurosaki, crowned King of Clan Eieren, at your service."

Grimmjow's mouth dropped open as he turned to Ichigo. Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck as he grinned crookedly.

"Guess the cat's out of the bag, huh?"

Grimmjow scowled. "What cat? What bag?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and turned towards the destroyed doorway. "Never mind, Grimm. Jeez, ya gotta get with the times, man."

Grimmjow was stunned. Even after finding out that the royal family of Eieren was still alive, knowing for a fact that Ichigo was a part of it... Nnoitra had been right. He allowed his thoughts to turn to his best friend. Why wasn't he there? Had something happened to him?

They traveled the halls, Ichigo, Shirosaki and Byakuya mowing down any guards or servants that appeared before them. However, once they approached the throne room doors, ice and dread filled Grimmjow until he was trembling. He couldn't help it. It was like his body had a mind of its own. He could feel the malice leaking from behind those closed doors, and he was beginning to panic. The Eieren King tightened his hold on Grimmjow's waist.

"You're safe now. Ichigo is stronger than you think."

Grimmjow took a few deep breaths, his body slowly relaxing the longer he stared at his orange-haired lover's back. Ichigo seemed taller, and he definitely seemed stronger. The swirling black and red aura surrounding him gave Grimmjow goosebumps. The throne room doors lazily swung open, revealing Aizen seated on his throne. Grimmjow swallowed harshly as he glared up at the evil fairy, wearing a serene expression.

"Well...isn't this a pleasant surprise. You've brought me more slaves. Or more fairies to slaughter. I can't decide which one I'd like just yet."

"Lemme help you with that," Ichigo called to him as he strode into the throne room, his gait confident. "You don't need to worry about anymore slaves or fairies to kill or any of that shit...because this is where you die!"

Aizen smirked as he steepled his fingers beneath his chin. "I look forward to it."

Yay! I'm on a roll! Again, I wanna hear thoughts on the actual chapter! Thanks for reading!

Also I didn't proofread this, so please excuse any errors!