Author's Note:

Happy election day, everyone! If you haven't voted yet, go vote; if you have, thank you. Whoever wins this election has the potential to change the world... I just hope they don't start World War 3 while they're at it.

So, if you, like me, are going to be staying up late tonight and watching with bated breath to see who wins, here's a chapter to enjoy while you wait.

And, of course, a shoutout to all my lovely reviewers: Kimikozumi, Junichiblue, SoulMore, RSK1066, honeyMellon, and LittleFoxDemon!

Chapter 13: Into the Desert

Urahara sighed and tapped his cane on the ground. "Ichigo…"

"Just do it!" Ichigo interrupted, fists clenched at his sides.

Urahara lifted his eyebrows, shooting a quelling look at the teenager. "Rushing in without all the information is foolish," he admonished. "Besides, if my theories are correct, your sisters are perfectly safe for another…" He checked his watch. "…four hours. Given that, it'd be prudent to make a solid plan."

"You'd better be right," Ichigo grumbled.

Grimmjow cast a skeptical glance at the substitute shinigami. Ichigo's hands clenched and unclenched convulsively, as though eager to grasp the hilt of his zanpakuto; his weight shifted restlessly from side to side. The espada couldn't blame him – had it been cubs from his pack who had been kidnapped, he'd be just as impatient. In fact, I'm surprised he isn't arguing more. Considering the reckless way that he'd charged in to rescue Orihime, Grimmjow would have expected him to immediately leap into action.

He's growing up, Pantera observed, peering through Grimmjow's eyes. Remember how hotheaded he was when you rammed your hand through that female shinigami? He's gotten more sensible since then, it seems. Her tone held a faint trace of surprise.

Grimmjow bared his teeth in a grin. Bet you his patience doesn't last ten minutes.

Pantera's presence shifted behind his eyes before she snorted. I'm not taking that bet, she declared, and he laughed.

Ichigo glanced over, a silent question in his eyes, and Grimmjow shook his head. Ichigo rolled his eyes. "You know, you could take us to Hueco Mundo," he murmured, stepping closer to Grimmjow. Pantera snickered.

Grimmjow glanced over at Urahara, who he suspected was perfectly able to listen to two conversations at once, and scowled. "Not without him stopping me," he pointed out. Though the former captain knelt next to Marrok, busy questioning him, Grimmjow had no illusions about the privacy of their current conversation.

Ichigo's lips thinned. "Fuck. Fine." He strode towards Urahara. "Hat and Clogs, what the hell is going on?"

Urahara rocked back on his heels and looked up at Ichigo. "Ask Marrok." Despite Ichigo's furious reiatsu swirling around them, the former captain's spirit energy remained as placid as a lake on a still day. Grimmjow had to admire that level of control – it was a bit scary, actually. Despite his best efforts, his own spirit energy surged around him in response to Ichigo's temper, edging him with a halo of blue to those with the eyes to see it.

If you don't get it under control, you're going to squish that arrancar, Pantera pointed out acerbically.

Grimmjow glanced over at Marrok and scowled. His zanpakuto was right – the injured arrancar gasped for air as the remnants of his own reiatsu flickered around him – but he didn't like to admit that. Fine. The blue fire haloing him subsided as he took a deep breath, pulling his energy back under his skin.

Marrok smiled faintly. "Thanks."

"I didn't do it for you," Grimmjow snapped.

Orihime opened her mouth to reply, spreading her hands peaceably, but Ichigo beat her to it. "Play nice," he ordered. Then, without waiting for Grimmjow's answer, he turned to Marrok. "Why did your friends take my family?"

"So much for being nice," Grimmjow muttered sardonically. The teen's voice held a hefty dose of anger; he had practically growled the last few words. His control over his reiatsu, never good to begin with, was clearly hanging by a thread.

Somehow, though, he kept a tenuous grasp on his temper as Marrok took a deep breath. "I…" He hesitated. "Do not know for sure. But…" As Ichigo's face reddened with anger, Marrok slowly raised his head. "They are either bait or sacrifice."

"Sacrifice?" Ichigo growled, one hand coming up to grip Zangetsu's hilt as he took a step closer to Marrok. "What do you mean, sacrifice?"

"It… they have…" A fit of coughing interrupted him. When he was able to breathe again, he continued, "They have a book, a spellbook from Las Noches…"

Orihime blanched. "Wait, what? You mean…" She turned to Urahara, chocolate eyes wide with fear. "I thought you had taken everything dangerous out of there!" Her fingers tangled in her skirt as she stared at the former captain, fear scent rising off her body.

Urahara waved his fan nonchalantly, not quite meeting her eyes. "Well, Kurotsuchi got there first," he demurred. "And, while we did our best to excavate as much as possible, there were large sections that had been reduced to rubble, and the denizens of the desert did not take kindly to our presence." He offered them all a sheepish smile. "Still, I truly did think that we'd gotten everything of importance."

Orihime's hands clenched in her skirt as she inhaled sharply. Grimmjow could hear the way her heart fluttered in her chest – in another time and place, it would have made him hungry. But then she let the air out slowly, and palpably calmed down. "Do you know what's in the book?" She glanced between Marrok and Urahara, a mixture of emotions playing across her face. When Urahara shook his head, she hunched her shoulders. "See, Ulquiorra told me a bit about some of Aizen's experiments." Though she faltered briefly over the fourth espada's name, she quickly went on. "He was doing some horrible stuff in those labs – mostly with Szayelaporro's help. Ulquiorra said they had half a dozen labs scattered around. He wasn't satisfied with just creating new arrancar; he wanted to make them practically invincible. Ulquiorra said that some of the results were, well, monstrous." As all eyes settled on her, she blushed. "That's all I know, I'm afraid."

"Yes…" The harsh croak came from Marrok. "Arietta found one of those labs, underneath a pile of blasted rubble." A dull flush spread over Ichigo's face as Marrok continued, "She can read, at least a bit; she found a book." His voice cracked on the last word, and he paused to take several panting breaths. Orihime hurried to his side, golden glow surrounding her fingers, but he waved her off. "I'll be fine." His gaze drifted back to Ichigo. "It told her how to absorb power from others."

"I thought arrancar could already do that," Ichigo interrupted.

Marrok swung his heavy head up and down once in affirmation. "But not as this ritual did. We…" He sighed. "Eating other hollows helps us get stronger, to a point. But after that, it is useless." A trace of sorrow drifted across his face.

Grimmjow snorted impatiently. "We eat others, we get stronger. But your evolution stops at some point, and then you don't really need to eat much – it's fun, sure, but not that necessary unless you use a lot of energy." That had been what had happened to his fraccion, back when they were all adjuchas together – their evolution had slowed to a stop. He'd been skeptical then, knowing in his bones that he could keep growing stronger, but time had proven to him that his fraccion, at least, had reached their limits. And, judging by Marrok's expression, I'm guessing he reached his, and didn't like it.

Urahara's eyes narrowed. "So this ritual that you mentioned… it allows hollows to evolve past their natural final state?"

Marrok's shoulder lifted in a partial shrug. "That's what Arietta said. I never saw it myself."

"Uh-huh…" Grimmjow muttered skeptically. What self-respecting arrancar would take another hollow's word on something as important as this? Mistrust was bred into their flesh, and honed to a keen edge by Aizen's so-called training. Accepting another hollow's words as truth was foolhardy.

And what would you do, if presented with a book of spells? Pantera inquired, an odd gentleness to her tone.

Grimmjow opened his mouth, then hastily closed it. Ah… right. He really should have paid more attention to Gin's lessons. A book of spells would be so much ink on a page to him, worse than useless. But seriously, how was I supposed to know that reading would be useful someday? It's so boring! Pantera snorted.

Marrok sighed. "She wanted help, but she was the only one who could do the ritual, she said. She needed us to help her capture a sacrifice – the stronger, the better." His shoulders slumped, and his muzzle drooped towards his chest. "She said we'd all share the power. But…" A sharp cough racked his body, and he spat blood onto the rooftop. "…she didn't say anything about cubs..."

Orihime frowned, then rested a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Alright, that's enough talking for right now. You're clearly not healed enough." Despite the fear-scent that Grimmjow could still detect rising from her body, her posture and voice were free of tension.

"I'm…" The word came out half-choked, and Marrok sighed. "Fine." As Orihime's power enveloped him again, the lines of pain etched on his face eased perceptibly.

"So, what's this ritual supposed to do, exactly?" Ichigo demanded.

Orihime lifted her eyebrows at him. "You can ask more questions in a few minutes," she reprimanded. Grimmjow hid a smile at the way Ichigo immediately backed down at her admonishing look. She didn't even bother staring him down, returning her attention to her patient as soon as she finished her sentence. Girl's got spirit, gotta give her that.

Urahara chuckled. "Very well. But I believe I can provide at least a partial answer." He rested his hands on his cane. "You see, Sosuke…" A wry smile darted across his face. "Well, he never had much of an imagination. He was a brilliant tactician, but his creativity was a bit lacking. Ironic, really, considering his possession of the Hogyoku, but there you have it." He bowed his head, tone growing serious. "That was our saving grace in the Winter War, truth be told. Had he not been so sure of his overwhelming power, had he thought to consider other paths to victory, we could easily have fallen." The former captain shook his head and resumed a cheerful expression. "But that's Sosuke for you. Everything was about power for him."

"Get to the point," Grimmjow growled. Did all shinigami talk this much? It was enough to drive a self-respecting arrancar insane.

Urahara flapped a hand at him. "I'm getting there! Anyway, I can almost guarantee that this ritual is nothing more than a fancy attempt at power transference. As Grimmjow explained, there's a limit to how much power an ordinary hollow can absorb. Furthermore, they don't absorb all of the power of the creatures that they eat – if my experiments are correct, they absorb, at maximum, approximately thirty percent. And," He held up a finger, "much of that dissipates over time. This is why hollow power growth is not exponential. In fact, at the higher levels, it appears to exponentially slow."

Grimmjow snarled low in his throat. "Is this important?" he demanded. The former captain was undeniably brilliant, but he took far too long to explain anything. The constant tangents into scientific theory might have been interesting if they had had more time, but right now Grimmjow had less than no patience for them.

Urahara sighed. "Yes, it is, but I'll cut to the chase. To make a long story short, I suspect that this ritual allows a hollow to absorb power from anyone – human, hollow, or shinigami – and keep it indefinitely. This, of necessity, involves the sacrifice of the power donor; in all likelihood it is done in a rather gruesome fashion."

Ichigo paled, and Grimmjow couldn't blame him. "So…" The teen took a shaky breath. "Why'd you say that they'd be safe for another four hours?" If his voice shook slightly on the last words, no one acknowledged it.

Urahara dipped his head down. "Kido rituals of this kind are tied to the natural flows of the world. In this case, to moonrise and moonset. Either would be a suitable time to perform it, but moonrise is sooner, so I suspect these arrancar will choose it if they can."

"How sure are you?" Ichigo demanded, taking a step closer to his mentor.

The former captain offered him a reassuring smile. "Quite sure. You have time, Ichigo, don't worry. Plus, I doubt that they will sacrifice your sisters – as humans, they simply don't have much power. They will want the biggest prey that they can find." Ichigo blanched at the captain's clinical tone, though he nodded reluctantly in agreement.

Grimmjow snorted. "So, me or Ichigo." Now things were starting to fall into place – this must be why the trio had wanted to capture him alive. The ritual would be useless if he bled out before they could perform it; they would need a living body if they wanted power.

"You." The croaked comment, almost inaudible, came from Marrok. Orihime gave him a scolding look and pushed his shoulders back down, but he didn't stop talking. "Arietta insisted… had to be you."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "Fuck, of course she did. Bitch." She probably wanted revenge on him for defeating her. He bared his teeth. She should be grateful I let her live at all.

Urahara tapped his closed fan against his palm. "Now, why would she be so fixated on Grimmjow?" he mused, directing the question to no one in particular. "If she wanted vengeance," he glanced over at Grimmjow, clearly recalling what Grimmjow had told him about the female arrancar, "it would make more sense for her to gain as much power as possible and then seek you out. Why come after you now, before getting stronger?"

Grimmjow spat on the rooftop. "Cause she's an idiot," he snarled. "Too stupid to realize that I did her a favor by letting her live." Stupid bitch.

"No, I don't think that's it," Urahara murmured, studying his fan like it could provide all the answers. Then he frowned. "What's the power structure like in Hueco Mundo now that Aizen is gone?"

Grimmjow shrugged. "Well, most of the espada are dead, and good riddance." He spat again on the rooftop. "Starrk's still around, but he doesn't do anything, just mopes in his tower in Las Noches. Harribel is probably the strongest after him, and she's been assembling a new band of female arrancar." It galled him to admit that anyone was stronger than him, but both Starrk and Harribel had been vasto lordes before becoming arrancar – their power easily outmatched his.

Urahara's eyes widened in surprise briefly, then narrowed. "Interesting…" he murmured.

Grimmjow wrinkled his nose like he'd smelled something foul. "Does it matter?" After Starrk and Harribel, he was easily the strongest of the remaining arrancar – Barragan was ash, Ulquiorra had dissolved into dust, and Nnoitra had bled out in the sands.

You're forgetting Nel, Pantera pointed out.

Whatever, Grimmjow muttered back. She's not a proper arrancar anyway, she doesn't count. Sure, she had beaten him, but that had just been luck, nothing more.

If you think you truly believe that, you're fooling yourself, Pantera snorted acerbically.

Grimmjow ignored her. "So, does it matter or not?" he repeated.

After a long pause, Urahara sighed. "I suppose not," he conceded, playing with his fan.

"What are you thinking, Hat and Clogs?" Ichigo asked suspiciously, eyes narrowed. "And don't tell me nothing. I know you too well; you're clearly thinking something."

Urahara's teeth flashed in a brief smile. "Only that it's odd for Arietta to focus on Grimmjow to the exclusion of everything else. It would have been far smarter for her to find lesser prey first, increase her strength that way, and then come after him. After all, he was the sixth-ranked espada, while she was just an arrancar. Surely she must have known that she couldn't face him."

Orihime glanced up from Marrok at that. "How do you know she didn't?" she asked practically.

Grimmjow nodded slowly. "She did seem way stronger than she should have been," he told Urahara, frowning.

Urahara's eyebrows drew together as he nodded. "That would make sense," he murmured, eyes pensive. Then he smiled. "But I suppose it's not actually important right now, so long as you're cognizant of her increased strength."

"Okay, so if it's not important, can we get going?" Ichigo demanded. "My sisters are out there, Hat and Clogs!" He was practically vibrating with impatience, shifting his weight from foot to foot as though about to leap into flight.

Urahara shrugged. "I don't see a reason why not. I assume the two of you will be going?" Ichigo nodded, while Grimmjow bit back a snarky remark in favor of a curt nod.

Neither of them noticed Orihime standing up and smoothing down her skirt until she spoke. "I'm coming too," she announced, propping her hands on her hips. Her dark eyes blazed as she stared steadily at both of them, lips pressed into a firm line.

"Orihime, you can't, it's too dangerous," Ichigo began, unwisely in Grimmjow's opinion. He could feel the determination radiating from Orihime, and there was nothing yielding about it – she wasn't going to back down on this.

Orihime thrust her chin out and glared at Ichigo. "Too dangerous? I know perfectly well that it's dangerous, but I'm still going. If it's that dangerous, you'll need a healer." She tapped the pins on her chest. "If you really think I'm going to let you go out there alone, you're crazy."

"I won't be alone!" Ichigo protested. "I'll be with Grimmjow!"

Orihime lifted her eyebrow. "And what'll he do if you get hurt?" She folded her arms across her chest. "Neither of you are healers, and the last time you went to Hueco Mundo you ended up mostly dead half a dozen times." Her eyes darkened. "I was useless then. I'm not going to be useless now." Her hands clenched into fists as her spirit energy flared. It tasted of old pain and frustration overlaid on a solid core of resolve, with just a hint of fear.

He snorted. If she was scared now, she'd fall apart in Hueco Mundo. "Ichigo's right. You should stay behind," he told her. They didn't need to be dragging a helpless girl around with them; they'd have enough trouble protecting the hostages after they rescued them.

Some of his thoughts must have been evident on his face, for Orihime narrowed her eyes. "I'm not helpless and I don't need your protection," she told him flatly. "I can take care of myself." She tapped her pins with one finger and a shimmering golden shield sprang into existence in front of her. Grimmjow jerked backwards, startled, and she nodded. "Nothing can get through this – I've been practicing. I can protect myself." When Ichigo opened his mouth to argue further, she added, "Plus, I can protect your sisters while you fight. Do you really want to leave them vulnerable while you're distracted by your opponents?"

"She's right," Urahara murmured, tipping his hat down so it shaded his eyes. "That shield is basically impermeable now; even Benihime can't pierce it." He offered the fact casually, as though it was of little importance, but Ichigo's eyes widened.

"Really?" He shook his head. "Still… Orihime, it'll be…"

"Dangerous?" she interrupted. He flushed, and she grinned. "You said that already." Her expression softened. "Ichigo, think about it. What if your sisters are injured? What if your father is injured? Wouldn't it be better to have a healer there immediately? Your sisters are only human – they can't survive the kinds of injuries that you can."

"Neither can you," Ichigo muttered, sounding defeated.

Orihime smiled. "That's why I have my shields! Trust me, I'm not planning on getting into any combat. I know my offensive powers are fairly weak in comparison to yours; I don't need to play the hero. But you need me there."

Grimmjow made a face. "We won't wait for you if you fall behind," he warned. "Hueco Mundo is no place for weaklings." Her reiatsu still smelled faintly of fear – did they really have to bring her? She was just going to be a liability.

Orihime took a deep breath, then pressed her lips together. "Grimmjow, I am not a fucking damsel in distress. Stop treating me like one." Ichigo, who had squeaked at her use of the f-word, spluttered incoherently, while Urahara hid a grin behind his fan.

Grimmjow chuckled. "Well, keep that attitude up, and maybe you'll do okay there," he allowed.

Ichigo threw his hands in the air. "I clearly don't get a say in this, do I?"

Orihime smiled sweetly at him. "Now you're getting it." She turned to Urahara. "Can you please open a portal to Hueco Mundo?"

Grimmjow half expected the former captain to challenge her decision. After all, her only experience with Hueco Mundo had been as a prisoner in Las Noches – she'd never traversed the deadly sands or fought her way through the desert guardians. She was no fighter; she didn't even have any weapons on her. But Urahara simply smiled at her. "I could," he acknowledged, "but we do have an arrancar here with us." He turned to Grimmjow. "Would you do the honors?"

As Grimmjow blinked in surprise, Pantera hummed her approval. I like this shinigami, she told him, lashing her tail back and forth. He is sensible.

He's a conniving bastard, Grimmjow muttered mentally, but it wasn't entirely an insult. The former captain was almost as tricky as a hollow. If he reminded Grimmjow a little too much of Aizen – and he did – Grimmjow didn't get the same sense of arrogant disdain for the world from him. Aizen would never have trusted an espada to open a garganta for him, for instance; he always had to be in control of everything. Urahara, on the other hand, evinced no signs of trepidation when asking Grimmjow to create the garganta, though he must have known that Grimmjow could easily dump the entire group into the most dangerous places in Hueco Mundo had he been so inclined.

That trust shook Grimmjow, but he was determined not to show it, so he nodded and raised Pantera. Then he paused. "Wait, where are we going? And who all is coming?"

Urahara leaned on his cane. "I'm too old to go on pleasure jaunts to Hueco Mundo," he informed them all, eyes twinkling. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on Marrok, make sure he keeps healing properly."

"Too old my ass," Ichigo muttered. "You just don't want to leave that damn experiment of yours." Despite his words, the substitute shinigami didn't sound too annoyed or surprised.

Urahara tipped his hat up and gave the teen an innocent look. "What? It's at a very delicate stage right now!" He flipped his fan open. "Just promise you'll bring that book back for me to study."

Ichigo flapped a hand at him. "Sure, sure, whatever."

Grimmjow watched the exchange with bemusement. Was the former captain seriously going to trust him to guide the group through Hueco Mundo on his own? Sure, Ichigo could more than take care of himself, but Orihime was basically a hostage situation waiting to happen. What the hell is he thinking? No self-respecting hollow would think that this was a good idea… Shinigami were endlessly confusing.

However, he still didn't have an answer to his first question, so he repeated it. "Where are we going?" This time, he looked straight at Marrok, whose head was nodding back and forth as though he was staying awake by sheer willpower alone.

The battered arrancar coughed and spat, then sighed. "You know the crystal forest, the edge near the salt flats?" When Grimmjow nodded, Marrok grimaced. "There's a spire of rock near there. That's…" He coughed again. "That's where Arietta wanted to do it."

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes. The description sounded familiar – too familiar, in fact. He knew Hueco Mundo fairly well, but this place in particular struck a chord in his memory. Had something memorable happened there? It was nowhere near his former den or the hunting grounds of his pack, so it couldn't be related to that; nor was it near Las Noches. Pantera, do you remember that place? he asked silently.

She shook her head, sending a ripple down her fur. I don't think so, though I might recognize it when we get there, she told him.

Grimmjow sighed. Guess it doesn't matter. He spun to face the group. "I can get us there," he informed them, "but I don't know who claims that territory now, so when we get there we gotta be quiet. No noise, as little reiatsu showing as possible."

Orihime swallowed hard. "Won't they notice us as soon as the garganta opens, anyway?" she asked softly.

Grimmjow lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug. "That's a chance we have to take. I'll open the garganta in the crystal forest, so we aren't too close, but if they're paying attention they might still sense it." She paled, and he fixed her with a gimlet stare. "There's still time to back out," he informed her coolly. "We don't need any liabilities on this mission."

She folded her arms across her chest. "I'm going." Stubbornness flashed in her dark eyes, overwhelming any hint of nervousness.

"Fine. On your own head be it," Grimmjow muttered. He wasn't foolish enough to start the argument again, especially when he had a sneaking suspicion that the result would be an even-more-humiliating defeat. But if she gets herself hurt by trying to play the hero, that's her own damn fault.

Grimmjow glanced over at Ichigo and made a face. Unfortunately, she's not going to be the one who gets hurt – we will, when we have to protect her. Damn it. He shook his head. "That shield of yours had better be as powerful as you say it is," he growled. "As soon as we get into Hueco Mundo, put it up and keep it up."

Orihime nodded, a solemn look on her face. "I will."

Grimmjow studied her face for a moment, taking in her wide brown eyes and gentle, smiling mouth. She wore the same expression she'd had when he had ordered her to heal Ichigo after Ulquiorra ripped his heart out. He sighed. "You'd better." She nodded again, and he made a face. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

When the blackness of the garganta began to lighten, Ichigo expected to see rolling sand dunes stretching as far as the eye could see, but a far stranger sight met his eye. Instead of gentle, wind-sculpted dunes, the portal opened up into a shimmering crystalline forest. Strange, spiky trees that glittered in the moonlight surrounded them, branches interlocking to cast dappled patterns across the sandy ground. Ichigo reached out to touch one of the twigs and drew back with a hiss, staring at the blood welling up from his finger.

Grimmjow snorted. "I wouldn't feed the forest my blood if I were you," he informed the teen dryly. "You might not like what happens."

Ichigo glanced over at the espada, eyes widening. "Wait, you mean…" He trailed off. What the hell did Grimmjow mean?

Grimmjow barked a harsh laugh. "The forest has guardians, just like the dunes do, and they hunger for fresh blood. Don't wake them."

Ichigo stuck his finger in his mouth and made a face. "You could have warned us," he grumbled. "I wasn't expecting a forest, alright?" He hadn't even known that Hueco Mundo had forests; he had thought that it was one massive, never-ending desert. That was certainly what he'd encountered when rescuing Orihime, and none of the shinigami had ever mentioned otherwise. Do any of them even know that this exists?

He asked Grimmjow as much, and the espada shook his head. "Nope, don't think so. Maybe some of the oldest captains do, but I doubt it. This is ours, and only ours." He bared his teeth.

A soft susurration of wind brushed through the trees, making them rattle against each other like dry bones, and Orihime jumped. "Um, guys, shouldn't we be going somewhere?" she asked softly, casting a nervous glance at the sky. "I think…" She gulped, and didn't finish the sentence.

Ichigo looked up in time to see a massive shadow soar in between them and the moon. It was vaguely bat-shaped, reminiscent of Ulquiorra's second resurrection, but significantly larger. He swallowed and reached up to grip the hilt of his zanpakuto. "What the hell is that?" he whispered.

Grimmjow glanced up as well, then shrugged. "No clue. I've never seen one up close." He shook his head. "Not that I want to."

Ichigo grimaced. "I hope it stays far, far away." Even at this distance, he could sense a faint tingle of malevolent spiritual pressure; he didn't want to feel that up close.

Wow, King, you're finally admitting that something might be more powerful than you? his hollow drawled sardonically. Well done.

Oh, shut up, Ichigo grumbled back. As the hollow sniggered, Ichigo glanced at Grimmjow. "So, where are we going?"

Grimmjow flung out a hand. "This way." He unsheathed Pantera and leaned forward, eyes ablaze. "You ready to run?" The challenge in his voice was unmistakable.

Ichigo grinned, blood pumping faster as his reiatsu rose in response. "Let's do this!"

They raced through the forest, darting around trees and using the branches as stepping stones when the trunks grew too close together. Much to Ichigo's surprise, Orihime kept up without complaint, using her smaller size to dart through gaps that would have slashed Grimmjow and Ichigo to ribbons. Whenever he looked back, she was right behind him, eyes shining with determination as she leapt from shadow to shadow.

Ahead of him, Grimmjow was a pale blur, practically dancing through the darkness. He brushed past the crystal branches as though they were nothing more than wooden twigs, heedless of the razor-sharp edges almost brushing his skin at every step. The sight made Ichigo's mouth grow dry, but he firmly forced his mind back to business – he could admire Grimmjow later.

If you survive, his hollow reminded him.

Ichigo grimaced. We survived worse than this, he reminded it, quickening his steps a touch. First the mission to rescue Rukia, which had seemed doomed to fail, and then the suicide mission into the heart of Las Noches itself to rescue Orihime. Compared to those, this should be a cakewalk.

So why did he have a sinking feeling that they were walking straight into a trap?

All too soon, they broke out of the cover of the trees onto a bleached white expanse of sand. The ivory color was eerily reminiscent of old bone, making Ichigo shiver; the dry breeze carried a hint of the coppery tang of blood. Dark, foreign power hung heavy in the air.

Straight ahead of them, a dark spire of rock broke the flat plane of the desert. It stretched towards the moon like an uplifted finger, an arrogant taunt aimed at the heavens far above. From their vantage point, Ichigo couldn't make out any details; it was just a black hulk.

Was that where his sisters and father were? He started forward, eyes straining to see better, and only Grimmjow's hand on his shoulder pulled him back. "Look," Grimmjow murmured, pointing to a hair-thin crack in the ground. "Watch." He reached down and scooped up a handful of sand from the forest floor, then tossed it onto the crack.

Faster than Ichigo could blink, the crack opened up and swallowed the sand, then reverted to being an innocent line. He gaped at it. "What the hell?"

"Welcome to Hueco Mundo," Grimmjow drawled, though he kept his voice quiet. "From now on, we need to stay in the air." He pushed off of the ground and landed in a crouch a foot above the deceptively flat sand. "Come on, quickly now."

They had made it halfway across without incident, and Ichigo was just beginning to relax, when reiatsu surged all around them. Ichigo screeched to a halt, nearly running into Grimmjow, who had done the same. Both of them whirled around as laughter echoed through the desert.

As the sound died away, the air cracked, and Arietta materialized in front of them. Her smile spread slowly across her face, revealing her jagged rows of teeth, and she flexed her fingers. "Shinigami boy. Sexta." She peeled her lips back off of her teeth. "Right on time. We've been expecting you."