Grimmjow yawned, adjusting himself as he drank in the sun's rays.

Before he'd come to Soul Society, he'd never have dreamed he would be such a sun worshipper. The shinigami had created an artificial sun over Los Noches that rose and fell every day, to make themselves feel more at home. But it hadn't done anything for him. The sun in Soul Society felt kinder, gentler. It made his bones feel warm, an extremely pleasant sensation. Was the sun here different or was it just that his hierro was less?

Something tickled him and Grimmjow wrinkled his nose, baring his fangs with a sleepy grumble. He was dozing right on the edge of sleep, enjoying the colorful dreams, and he didn't want to wake up. But the tickle came again and he snorted it away before opening his eyes. He blinked, focusing on… what?

"Fucking hell." Grimmjow muttered as he saw the cat toy hanging on the end of a string. The feathers had been tickling his nose. "Did someone drop you on your head as a baby, soul reaper?" He asked as he sat up, glaring at a grinning Renji.

"I just wanted to wake you." He said cheerfully as he dropped the stick, sitting down beside the annoyed Espada. Grimmjow frowned, adjusting his yukata. It was a simple, masculine type, light grey with dark green edging. The belt was a matching green. "I was wondering. I know you have a lot of steady sex, but would you like some more?"

"Huh?" For a moment, Grimmjow was taken aback by that blunt proposition. Renji was staring at him with warmth and a kind of aggressiveness. Grimmjow blinked and wondered if he'd asked someone about how to approach a hollow for intimacy. Honestly, this was pretty sexy. "I'd love to, but we'd have to ask Ichigo first." He said slowly and saw Renji grimace. "Sorry, but… I couldn't hurt him that way." He wasn't even worried about Kurosaki's hollow so much as the teen himself. Ichigo loved him. He'd accepted Byakuya, but just adding Renji without even asking would hurt him cruelly.

"He'll freak." Renji predicted gloomily and Grimmjow scratched his ear. That was pretty likely. "But honestly, I'd love to have a threesome with him. I'm gay." He said with a slight blush and Grimmjow nodded. He wasn't too surprised, really. He'd been getting that vibe from Renji.

"I'll ask him." He decided. This was too interesting an offer to pass up. Although if Ichigo vetoed it, well, he supposed he would get by. Renji would be disappointed but hardly heartbroken. They barely knew each other.

Vaguely, as he hunted down Ichigo, Grimmjow thought about how they would do this. He had a few ideas that turned him on… he finally found the teen working in his room. He was writing on a paper?

"What are you up to?" He asked, looking over his shoulder curiously. Ichigo glanced at him with a smile, then transferred it to Renji for a moment. His friend grinned back.

"Oh, I picked up some teaching texts from Unohana. My ambition in the Living World was to be a doctor." He explained and Grimmjow flicked his ears. It had never occurred to him to wonder what Ichigo had planned to do in the Living World. Or rather, he'd sort of assumed Ichigo was a soldier, just like he had been.

"You'll need to learn kido if you're going to do that here." Renji put in and Ichigo grimaced. Grimmjow laughed. He already knew the kid was a byword for failure at kido.

"Well, we had a proposition for you. How do you feel about a threesome?" He asked with studied casualness and Ichigo's eyes went wide before he shot an accusing look at Renji. The red haired shinigami rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit sheepish. "He's into us both, not just me, so tell your hollow to calm down." He added, seeing that Ichigo's eyes were bleeding to gold. That was a sure sign that he was pissed. That pulled him back, though, and Ichigo blinked before giving Renji a disbelieving look.

"You're into guys? Really?" He asked wonderingly and Renji shrugged before nodding. "…That explains why you and Rukia never…"

"Rukia? God, Ichigo! We grew up together. Even if I wasn't gay that would feel like incest." He protested and Grimmjow cracked up. Ichigo bit his lip, clearly thinking about it. There was even some debate going on with his hollow, from the way his eyes kept going back and forth.

"…I don't know." Ichigo said quietly and his eyes settled into warm brown as he looked at Grimmjow. "You mean a lot to me, Grimm." There was a quiet pain in his voice and Grimmjow bit his lip before gently cupping his cheek in one big hand.

"I know. That's why I asked." He said quietly, hoping Ichigo would understand. Consideration for others wasn't something that came naturally to him and it never had. His wife had needed to slap him over the head with it a few times. The teen blinked, then smiled slightly.

"That's true. You asked…" Ichigo glanced at Renji again. He was looking uncomfortable at the emotions he'd helped cause. "Yes." He said decisively and Grimmjow grinned as Renji blinked. "I've always been curious about your tattoos. I want to see." He added and Grimmjow laughed.

"You'll get to see everything." He purred before kissing Ichigo and pulling him towards the bed. This was going to be good. He'd make sure of it.

The yukata fell away and Grimmjow glanced down at his belly. He liked the way it looked. Despite his masculine frame, it seemed natural. But it limited his options for this. He'd enjoy being taken by both of them, but his belly would be too much in the way. Well, he would start with Ichigo. Renji could figure out what he was doing as they went on.

The teen was already sitting on the bed and Grimmjow pushed him back a bit before undoing his obi and pulling away the hakama. Grinning wickedly, he explored Ichigo's muscles, enjoying the feel of his rippling abdomen under his hands. He nibbled his way across sensitive thighs, enjoying the way his lover trembled. A hand slid through his hair, gripping the long blue strands as he continued his attentions, teasingly avoiding the main event.

"Ah, Grimmjow, come on!" Ichigo groaned and Grimmjow glanced up, seeing his eyes were a honey gold and glazed with pleasure. Smiling happily at the reaction, he responded by taking the teen in his mouth. The moan that followed was a pleasure to his ears. Then he played his 'making tongue cold' trick and heard Ichigo yelp, his whole body stiffening for a moment as he thrust powerfully into the sudden, wicked sensation. Fortunately, Grimmjow had a hand on his belly to hold him back.

He was so wrapped up in what he was doing that he didn't notice what Renji was up to. He did notice, though, when Ichigo made a startled yelp. Glancing up he blinked, then let go of Kurosaki's cock with a small pop. Was Renji… preparing him? Grimmjow blinked at the startling sight of the redhead behind Ichigo, an arm around his chest and his other hand doing something evil out of sight. The look on Ichi's face though… Grimmjow licked his lips and went back down on his cock.

"You won't regret saying yes, I promise." Renji said and the warm, lustful tone gave Grimmjow an immediate wet spot. This was sexy as hell and the subject of most of his magazines. He heard Ichigo whimper something incoherent and just concentrated on distracting him from the mild pain. "Grimm, straddle his lap." Grimmjow pulled back, breathing heavily and grinned as he saw what Renji intended to do. Cinnamon brown eyes met blue, and he moved up Ichigo's panting, heaving body, gripping his cock and lowering himself onto it just as Renji eased inside.

"Nnnn…" Ichigo moaned, tossing his head back and Grimmjow marveled at how undone he was by this. There was nothing but pleasure there, animal lust. His eyes opened and the sclera were black, the hollow inside rising to the surface. Or merging with him? Grimmjow couldn't be sure. "Oh god move." Ichigo moaned and Renji took the invitation as Grimmjow laughed and began his ride.

Being filled by Kurosaki was a familiar thing, wonderful but familiar. Seeing someone else take him at the same time, though, was beyond anything Grimmjow could ever have dreamed of. Renji was gripping Ichigo's hips, pulling him back as Grimmjow pushed down, matching every motion with a skill an acrobat would envy. From the sounds Ichigo was making, he didn't know if he should move back or try to press forward, tormented on both sides by his two lovers. Grimmjow rested his hands on that hard, sweaty chest and leaned forward, kissing Ichigo as they moved together. Kurosaki groaned and reached up, gripping his hair and taking control of the kiss. The only thing he could control, caught between them like this.

"You are both so sexy…" Renji groaned and Grimmjow glanced over Ichigo's shoulder at him. The ponytail had fallen away, and long red hair was flowing over the pillows. Growling in feral joy at the pleasure, Grimmjow speeded his rhythm, forcing the other two to follow his lead. His insides were feeling wonderful, so heavily filled and tightening with intense pleasure. "Don't cum too soon, arrancar." Renji sounded breathless and Grimmjow sneered.

"I'm… technical female… shinigami… Ever heard of multiple… orgasms…?" He gasped out before groaning as Ichigo hit his g-spot. "Oh FUCK!" It was all getting to be too much. Too much pleasure, too much visual stimulation in front of him. Seeing two men fuck each other as they fucked him… it was a fantasy he'd never imagined could become real.

That thought brought him over the edge, his insides clamping down hard as he screamed, a catlike wail that would have woken the neighbors if it hadn't been for the kido shields around his rooms. Ichigo jerked, his eyes going wide as he felt that tight clutch around his aching member. He gripped Grimmjow's hips, pulling him as tight to himself as he could before he spent himself. Grimmjow could feel the spurts of heat in his core, see the look on Ichigo's face as the intense pleasure rolled over him.

Renji's gasp of pleasure followed a split second later, as Ichigo tightened involuntarily around him. A quick series of powerful thrusts and he came too, finishing the moment with a cry of ecstasy. Grimmjow panted, feeling almost exhausted as he gazed down at his two partners.

"That was… amazing…" Ichigo sounded drugged, lying against Renji in a boneless, exhausted way. Renji laughed as Grimmjow sighed before carefully disengaging himself, pulling away from the limp shinigami. A trail of cum slid down his thigh, oozing from his damp folds, but he didn't care. It felt good, proof of what he'd just experienced.

"You were amazing." Renji murmured into his ear, nuzzling Ichigo's hair as Grimmjow settled down at the foot of the bed, curling up like a very large cat. "Mmm… sec…" Renji lifted Ichigo's hips, making the teen whimper as he gently pulled away. "That gets uncomfortable after a while, take my word for it."

"Mmm." Ichigo mumbled something that might have been agreement as he settled on his side. Renji spooned up beside him before glancing down at Grimmjow with a wicked grin.

"Did you say something about multiple orgasms?" He asked casually as Grimmjow's eyes went wide. Was he serious? Then the shinigami abandoned his place beside Ichigo and Grimmjow finally got a good look at his tattoos. He was a bit stunned to see they were on his cock, too. But then, they'd been created by his zanpakuto. He hadn't needed to actually get needles stuck in there. "Was that just a boast, or can you do it arrancar?" That got his competitive spirit up and Grimmjow narrowed his eyes.

"Try me, shinigami." He growled then yelped as he ended up flat on his back, Renji on top of him. Strong hands spread muscular thighs and the redhead tilted his head as he realized how much the pregnant belly was in the way. "I know a position… it's called the arch." Grimmjow told him. "Grip my thighs and hold me up a bit." This position meant he would have to take most of his own weight on his arms. It required strength, but he had plenty of that. Shoving his arms behind himself, his body made an arch with Renji between his legs, holding his thighs. "Yes, like that." He purred, then groaned in pleasure as a big, thick erection penetrated him. He had no idea how Renji had got it up again so quickly but he wasn't going to complain. It felt excellent.

Neither of them noticed that a head had lifted, and a half-mask of white bone had formed on Ichigo's face. The hollow grinned as he watched, a hand dipping under the blankets to find his neglected member. He was still a little sore from the riding he'd had but that wasn't going to stop him from enjoying himself.

This kind of show didn't happen everyday.

Soi-fon pushed a few sushi rolls around her plate, surreptitiously watching her lord and master.

They were having a private meal in Barragan's rooms. None of his fraccion were there, which likely meant that sex would not be required. That was something of a relief. She had been born to a very minor house, long time clients of the Shihoin clan. Despite her power, Soi-fon had always anticipated being able to choose her own mate, if she ever decided she wanted one. If she'd actually been born into the Shihoin clan this might have been easier. High nobles often didn't even meet their spouses until the betrothal was announced.

But it was pointless to consider that. Instead, she wondered what Barragan was thinking. He had his face in his hand and looked like he was dozing off, but she knew better. He often appeared to be sleeping, but it was nothing but a façade. He could and would take care of any threat with blinding speed.

Soi-fon glanced around the rooms, wondering a bit, as she always did, about Barragan's taste. The suite was comfortable enough, but almost completely undecorated. The furnishings had all come with the rooms and there was nothing to betray her master's personality. He had hired a painter, though, and they were working on something together. Soi-fon had no idea what. She'd asked, but Barragan had told her that it would be a surprise to everyone.

Finally unable to reign in her curiosity, Soi fon carefully reached out to her collar. She'd discovered she could do this during a meeting, when she'd been dying to find out what was on his mind. She had to be careful not to alert him – he'd noticed during that meeting, and had not been amused – but if she was careful, she could get an idea of what he was thinking and feeling.

This time, she received a confused impression of a world of phantoms and shadows, where surface impressions had to be discarded because they inevitably lied. Blinking, she saw his eyes were just a touch open and he was eyeing her narrowly.

"You disturbed my concentration." He rumbled and her mouth went dry. She bowed her head obediently.

"My apologies, Barragan-sama. I only wish to serve you better." Soi fon said humbly and felt a great relief as he waved it away with a grunt.

"I was going to speak soon anyway. Hmm. I wonder if we have missed something." He said and she blinked, wondering exactly what he meant. "These disturbances… I feel there is something behind them. A pattern is forming, but I cannot see what lies beneath." His tone was almost dreamy as he traced a pattern on the table with his finger. His food and drink were still untouched. "There are several possibilities, but I do not think any of them are likely. So I am left with the unknown."

"What are the possibilities?" She prompted him. She really wanted to hear what was on his mind. Like it or not, Aizen was the Soul King and Tosen was his chosen representative. Soi-fon hadn't always agreed with Central 46 and honesty forced her to admit that the system had been corrupt. The deaths of several taichou and the mass murder of Karakura town had been heinous, but it was done. All she could do now was try to get things back in order.

"The first is that you and your men have missed a plot in Soul Society against us." He rumbled and she tried to keep any reaction out of her expression. She'd been doing nothing but searching for plots against them! "But that would have me assume you are incompetent or disloyal, which is not the case." At least he granted them that! "Another option is that our purges were not thorough enough and some of your men are hiding the conspirators. But I also do not believe that is the case." Another thing to be thankful for. Soi-fon really hadn't needed to get rid of too many of her men, since they tended to share her practical outlook. But there had been a few and she didn't want to add to their numbers. "Perhaps the criminal syndicates in the Rukongai were better organized and more interconnected than we anticipated. But I have read the reports on the violence between factions before Tosen stepped in to bring the Rukongai to heel. Such men might unite against an outsider, but I think it unlikely they could coordinate so well without help." Barragan paused then, looking thoughtful. "One possible enemy is the vasto lorde."

"The vasto lorde?" Soi-fon repeated, surprised. "What do you mean? Didn't Aizen sweep them up?" She'd thought he'd gotten all the vasto lorde in Hueco Mundo under his banner. Barragan snorted at the thought.

"Hah! No. Aizen accounted four vasto lorde in his ranks. Starrk, Halibel, Ulquiorra and myself." Soi-fon noted that he didn't include Yammy in those numbers. Had he been something lower before his mask was shattered? "There were at least a dozen of them living in the mountains before Aizen came to our lands."

"A dozen?" Soi-fon asked, appalled by the revelation. Soul Society had always believed that the super powerful vasto lorde were extremely rare. How could there possibly have been a dozen? Barragan shrugged.

"Hueco Mundo has existed forever and vasto lorde have no natural enemies. They rarely come into conflict with each other and once we break that final barrier our souls become stable. Unless we are exerting ourselves, the hunger for souls drops to nearly nothing." He told her and Soi-fon blinked at that. "Male vasto lorde usually find an adjuchas to mate and busy themselves with cubs. Females will sometimes seek out male vasto lorde, or very powerful adjuchas, for the same purpose. The offspring of such unions are rare but they do exist, and they are more powerful than you can dream."

"Why didn't Aizen recruit them?" Soi-fon asked, fascinated. From what Barragan was saying Aizen's army should have been at least double the strength of what he actually had. The former King of Hueco Mundo shrugged.

"They vanished. Hmm. Fetch me some paper and a pencil." Normally that order would have rankled her, but now she was too interested. Soi-fon quickly went to his desk and got him what he wanted. Barragan took the pencil and began to sketch. "This is Los Noches." He quickly wrote the kanji for it beside the dot on the map. "This is the area I controlled." He drew an irregular blob around the dot. "I tolerated no other Vasto Lorde in my territory, unless they would swear themselves to my court. That was why I sent my minions after Tier Halibel. She was newly turned and they had orders to recruit her or drive her away." He rumbled and Soi-fon nodded her understanding. "But Hueco Mundo is vast. Beyond that…" Barragan drew a series of jagged lines on the side of the map. "The mountains. I lived there for a time, before I decided I wanted to remake my kingdom. That is the home of the Vasto Lorde. But when Aizen went there to recruit them, they were gone."

"All of them?" She asked skeptically and Barragan nodded.

"Every last one. The only one Aizen caught was Starrk. The wolf was so strong he killed any adjuchas he approached, so he did not know about the mountains. Still, he was on his way to finding them when Aizen-kami found him. But he was the last Vasto Lorde that Aizen found." Barragan tapped the map outside his territory, on the other side away from the mountains. "Ulquiorra was found somewhere around here. He was newly evolved, like Halibel. But there were more, far more, and we think they went here." Barragan tapped his map beyond the mountains and wrote the kanji for 'endless wastes'. "Even by our standards, that is a desolate place with very little prey. Not needing to feed makes it possible for the Vasto Lorde to live there, but very little else does. The reishi in the air is so high it becomes almost painful in places."

"Why didn't Aizen go there?" She asked and Barragan grimaced.

"He tried. But the Vasto Lorde were elusive and it was taking too long, so he decided to make do with what he had." Barragan regarded his map thoughtfully. "The Vasto Lorde are a potential enemy. Judging from how they fled before him, they have no love for Aizen-kami. But I cannot see why they would act now, or in this way."

"Hm." Soi-fon thought about their problems for a moment. "If one of them was like you, they could do it." She said slowly. The thugs in the Rukongai respected strength and she could see them following a great and powerful hollow without any qualms. But… "Still, it does seem unlikely." Why would someone that clever and powerful act now? Barragan was right, it made no sense. He grunted.

"That leaves the unknown, and that is where you come in." He rumbled and Soi-fon looked at him questioningly. "What enemies does Soul Society have? Is this a plot against Aizen-kami, or is it a plot against all of you? I do not know the history of your people well. Enlighten me, woman. What enemies do you have?" Soi-fon grimaced, her thoughts going back to the Bounts. Barragan had a point.

"There are many possibilities. Central 46 was often very ruthless with their rulings." Soi-fon said slowly. Enemies had certainly come back to haunt them before. "I will look into it and bring you a list of suspects." That was clearly what he wanted. Barragan nodded.

"Good. In the meantime, I will practice." He rumbled before reaching for his food, finally sampling the plate of sushi. Soi-fon wondered about that. Barragan was practicing hard, seemingly dissatisfied with his level of power. But he was the Segunda Espada. How much stronger did he think he could become?

She would have to wait and see.

"Oh god, take them! For fuck's sake, I feel dirty just touching this!" Apacci almost wailed as she shoved the box at him. Grimmjow grinned wickedly as he saw how embarrassed Mila Rose looked and how Cyan seemed to be trying desperately not to laugh.

"I told you not to look in the box. You deserve what you got if you looked in the box." He said cheerfully before setting it down on the table. He was having an early morning breakfast with Renji, Ichigo and Byakuya. There was a massive time difference between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society, so Halibel's fraccion had arrived at an odd time. "RENJI!" He made a grab but didn't manage to stop the shinigami from snagging the box and flipping it open curiously.

"…What are those?" A very innocent Ichigo inquired as Renji stared and Byakuya covered his eyes. Grimmjow cursed and grabbed the box, slamming it shut. "Hey, why is my hollow laughing?" He asked crossly and Grimmjow sighed.

"He saw me use one, he damned well knows what they are. Nevermind, we can discuss it later. What did you girls find out?" He asked the fraccion and Apacci scowled as Mila Rose answered.

"Zommari isn't treating her too well. He's not starving her per se, but he seems to be ignorant of basic nutrition." She said and Apacci made an exaggerated expression of disgust. "He's not being deliberately cruel but his intimate attentions lack any kind of skill, and he's leaving her alone for weeks on end, without any arrancar or even adjuchas for company. We promised to come back as soon as we could." She said and Grimmjow could tell Rukia's plight had affected the three.

"We're going to get her papers and art supplies. She said she loves to draw." Cyan said and Grimmjow glanced over as Ichigo made a small choking sound. Something about that was funny?

"We need to be careful Zommari doesn't catch us, though, or he'll tell us to fuck off. He hates my guts." Apacci said, cleaning out her ear with one finger.

"I can't imagine why." Grimmjow said rhetorically. Zommari loved silence and seclusion. The noisy bickering of Halibel's fraccion would drive him up the wall, and Apacci in particular would make him want to commit homicide. "Well, thanks girls. I wish it was better news but it's about what I'd expected." He was just glad that Zommari clearly didn't know that Rukia was Byakuya's sister. He could be a vindictive bastard and Grimmjow didn't doubt he'd take his humiliating defeat out on Rukia if he knew.

"Yes, thank you. Would you like some tea?" Byakuya asked but the three arrancar declined.

"Thanks but we have to get back to our duties. Stupid time difference… see you all later!" Apacci waved and the fraccion quickly vanished, going back to Halibel's lair. Grimmjow glanced around the table to see Ichigo looking into his tea, quietly depressed. Renji was looking at him imploringly as Byakuya sipped his tea, his eyes remote.

"Is there anything you can do Grimm?" Ichigo asked quietly, lifting his gaze from his tea. The pain in those brown eyes hurt him and he wanted to make it go away. Grimmjow took a deep breath as he tried to think. Was there anything he could do?

"I'm not sure. I'll have to think about it." He said honestly. "Maybe… Maybe you could go to Tosen about this?" He said to Byakuya, who frowned. "I mean, the whole point of this is that we're trying to breed. If Zommari's not giving her the food she needs and stressing her out, it'll never happen. Maybe you could get him to intervene." It was possible he might, if Zommari was accidentally sabotaging Aizen's pet project. From the startled look on Byakuya's face, he hadn't thought of that.

"That is a good idea. Thank you, Grimmjow-san. I will look into it." He said after a thoughtful pause and Grimmjow smiled, feeling warmed.

It might not be much, but he'd done something to help his mates.