22 hours remaining
The Garganta closed behind the group as they stepped out into the shelter of trees, darkness covering them from sight. In the lead was the golden haired espada, flanked by Urahara and Renji. Behind her, Grimmjow was kept in the middle of their group, the fully healed arrancar child back in his arms. Ichigo, behind him, kept Orihime close, Uryu and Chad next to him as well, forming a rear-guard.
"Why did you bring us here?" Renji demanded, knowing how far the Menos forest was from the palace.
"Because," Halibel intoned behind her mask, "if this is a trap, then they would have expected us to come out close to the palace. Grimmjow managed to stay hidden here for several days, it will give us a chance to scope out the movements of the Vandenreich before we make our move."
"They poisoned Grimmjow before!" Nel piped up and they looked back at the two kept safely in their middle. "He told Nel before she saved him."
"Yes," Grimmjow concurred, "it was some sort of gas. It killed everything but me."
"Well, as long as they don't know we're here, they won't use it." Urahara concluded but gave a glance at the humans. Anything that had killed gillion that quickly would no doubt also kill them. "But keep ready, Orihime, just in case." The girl nodded. Her powers could be an asset in several ways on this mission.
"There are too many of us." Halibel instructed. "Only one or two of us should gather the intel."
"Yes, I agree." Kisuke nodded. "You and I?"
She nodded. No one could protest, they were both very powerful, calm and had great control over their spiritual pressure, not to mention Halibel knew the layout of the land better than any soul reaper. They had the stealth and knowledge required to do the job.
"What about us, then?" Ichigo asked.
"You will follow at a slower pace. Move carefully toward the palace but do not stir up any trouble or make your presence known in any way. Once we have what we need, we will return to you." Halibel answered but they all waited for Urahara's nod before agreeing.
"Okay." Ichigo said reluctantly. "Be careful."
"Yes." Halibel moved closer to Grimmjow. "Defend yourself if you must, Grimmjow. Do not let them hurt you again."
"Okay."
"Don't worry," Nel added, "Nel will tell Grimmjow what to do until he is better and remembers for himself!"
It was hard to tell Halibel's expression with her mask and collar covering much of her face, but her eyes showed that she accepted the child's declaration. "Good. Now we must go."
They watched the pair leave, and then followed their instructions and moved forward. They would use the Menos forest for cover for as long as possible, Grimmjow, now, their only guide.
20 hours remaining
"Should they really be gone this long?" Chad asked as they trudge through the stone outcroppings behind Grimmjow and Nel. The girl now trailed at his feet, one hand locked around his leg and Orihime right behind, doing what she could to heal up his injuries from the beating he'd taken without letting her spiritual pressure give them away. They were taking a less direct route to the palace, but Grimmjow had said it was the only way that did not leave them totally exposed so they had agreed to take this direction though the desert.
"They may be waiting for an opportunity to get close." Renji answered, but his voice also edged with concern. Grimmjow slowed, causing Orihime to nearly bump into him when he stopped completely.
"You think they might be caught?" he looked to Renji.
"No, Grimmjow," Ichigo warned from the back of the group. Even though Halibel wasn't there any longer, it still seemed best to dilute the amount of their souls that touched him.
"If you think they are, we need to act now," Grimmjow insisted. "We can't let them-"
"Shh, Grimmjow." Orihime reached out a comforting hand. "Remember, it took days for you to..." She didn't know how to finish- how could she be telling him this, of course he knew.
"We stick to the plan." Uryu put an end to it. "How close are we?"
"A couple of miles." Grimmjow answered, seeming to calm down. "There isn't much cover beyond here."
It was true, the rocks they'd been moving through were more sparse now, they were already quite exposed. And before them Las Noches loomed, in that strange optical illusion of never getting closer. But it was large as life and trusting to what Grimmjow said, it was not far now.
"Nel..." the girl looked up to him expectantly, "You shouldn't be here."
"Wh...what?" The girl exclaimed in indignation. "How can Grimmjow say that after everything he and Nel have been through?"
"Because of what we've been through." He answered bluntly. "I remember that the King tried to kill you last time. I might not be able to protect you this time."
"Grimmjow is worried about Nel?"
"I already told you, I don't feel anything like that Nel, I just remember that you were my ally."
"Friend."
"What?"
"Grimmjow is Nel's friend."
He considered her. "Okay."
The child was stunned into the silence. The others watched on, expecting her to break into a joyous smile, but instead her large eyes filled up with tears and then she was howling with sobs. Orihime quickly tried to quiet her down—they were still trying to maintain their cover, but the girl knotted her fingers in Grimmjow's pant leg and would not be drawn away from him.
"Nel," Ichigo said, daring to get closer in an attempt to get her to quiet. "What's wrong?"
"Nel thought Grimmjow remembered because he saved her before!" She hicupped out. "But he's still sick! He never would say we were friends!" Ichigo did manage to draw her against him and muffle her cried into his chest. Grimmjow watched on, his eyes unreadable.
"Maybe she shouldn't come." Renji finally spoke, rather concerned about the stability of the child in a situation that was already plenty volatile.
"Where else could she go?" Ichigo countered. "The choices are simply to abandon her or bring her toward danger with us. At least this way she is where we can do something to protect her if needed."
"Well, you keep her then, Grimmjow isn't doing her any good."
"Renji..." Orihime shot Grimmjow a worried look but he didn't seem to take offence.
"We have to keep moving, in any case." Uryu said. Ichigo nodded and stood with Nel but at that moment they felt two forces headed their way. Kisuke and Halibel dropped down right before them.
Grimmjow lurched back, struck with their combined spirits but only turned to see Las Noches and with that hint of his soul fresh in his mind and seeing the palace he was overwhelmed. Whatever news the pair had brought with them would have to wait because they watched Grimmjow fall into a rock and lean forward, bracing his hands on his knees and fight just to breath.
"What's happening?" Urahara asked.
"It just started." Ichigo supplied.
"I'm okay..." Grimmjow huffed out but it was less than convincing as he began panting, almost hyperventilating.
"Pantera is definitely coming back." Kisuke nearly whispered but Halibel jumped on his words.
"What? You know this?"
"You were right. You saw it in Nel and he found it in you and Ichigo as well. In that fight back there, the magnitude of all that power you released, and Nel, it must have stuck. He may find it painful, disorienting, and it may only be the smallest of steps, but I think the seed of his soul has been sewn."
"He'll come back then." She breathed, "He'll recover."
"I think it very likely."
Even though Grimmjow was now grabbing his head and Orhime trying to get him to sit down, it was a wave of relief to them all in such a high stress situation. But it was short lived when the two delivered their news.
"Battle preparations are all but done." Kisuke began. "We did not see the Vandenreich leader, but his lieutenants are busy getting everyone organized for departure to Soul Society. We got as close as we dared, but we could find nothing out about Rukia from outside. We will have to go in. Halibel has told me of the control room. That's were we go."
"We did that." Nel spoke up, pulling away from Ichigo an inch or two. "Grimmjow and Nel broke in there the first time to save Halibel."
"What?" Halibel had never been exactly clear as to how Grimmjow had found her.
"Yes," Grimmjow was now sitting next to Orihime, head back against a rock, exposing his adams apple and the remainder of the burn along his neck. "I broke into the tower, got to the control room. They left an opening that I could trace on the screens, I fell for it, got caught."
"Still, what other options are there?" Ichigo asked.
"That was not the only control room the soul reaper traitors used." Halibel informed. "But there is no reason to think the other one will be any less dangerous."
"Then we keep our guard up." Kisuke said, "But it will be the best way to get a handle on the situation."
"Alright, then everyone stay close." Halibel glanced sideways at Grimmjow. "Come here." She told him. He rose with a hand from Orihime, clearly still unsettled by the feelings swirling inside him but he still obeyed her. "Don't lose it, on me, okay?" She told him.
He just nodded. Ichigo kept Nel and stepped away from them, Orihime joining him and they were ready to move.
"Okay," Urahara began, "We all knew the risks in coming here. We need save Rukia, but we are also the last chance of stopping this threat before it strikes Soul Society and possibly the world of the living. So nobody get captured or die."
There was collective agreement, nervousness replaced by the sheer responsibility now resting on them, but no matter how determined, there was no way for them to know if they would ever come out of that palace once they went in.
Dark eyes followed the movements of the group that had just entered the palace on the many monitors before him. His mouth was set firm in a thin line, and his subordinates glanced nervously between the screens and their master, not sure whether he was pleased or furious.
"They are as stupid as I thought. How...disappointing." He sighed softly. "You know your orders. Don't forget, Kurosaki's bankai is still intact, do not underestimate him. Take care of him and the others, I will deal with the espada myself."
"I don't like this." Uryu whispered from where he kept watch in the corridor. "They obviously left this open for us."
"Well, then let's see what they wanted us to see." Urahara moved past him to check out the monitors of the secondary control room. Halibel was already flicking through them, Ichigo stood with his sword at the ready, also feeling this was very much a trap. Grimmjow had Nel back in his arms, and stood behind Halibel, watching as well.
"No..." Halibel stopped and Nel cried out when Grimmjow's arms suddenly tightened painfully around her.
In the blue glow of the screens pure horror danced in both mature espadas' eyes.
"Yammy..." Grimmjow managed.
"What are they doing to him?" Urahara asked, but the truth was apparent not just by the reaction in Grimmjow's body now, but by the scars on his arms and neck. Yammy was chained in a room, on a long table, hands extended upward and tied tight two a long blade between them. "That is what they did to you, isn't it, Grimmjow?"
But the other was unresponsive. He took a step back, Halibel turned and tried to catch him, but his eyes were so wild, so full of pain and fear and...desperation, and she knew that the trap was sprung. Grimmjow was gone before any of them had a chance to stop him.
"Find your friend." Halibel instructed, leaving the horrific image on the monitor behind. "I'm going after him."
Again, there was no chance to stop her.
"Dammit!" Ichigo swore but Urahara's hand shot out and he indicated a screen. "No time to argue." They could see a dark form slumped to the ground, in a cell somewhere. Blood caked her black cloaked body, the slight shaking of her small frame was the only indication she was still alive.
"Rukia!" Renji exclaimed.
"Go." Urhara instructed. "I am staying here. It is all a trap, we know that. But we also cannot forsake each other. I will keep touch on the soul pager and tell you what I can from here."
"You'll be okay on your own?" The lieutenant asked.
"Yes, now be careful."
"You came."
Grimmjow didn't even remember leaving the others. He just knew he was here, in this horrible room, full of the noxious scent of something much worse than death. He could see it: what the Vandenreich lord had watched happen to him all those long days. Yammy was so small, so thin, compared to the giant he had always been. Grimmjow knew that his physical form was a reflection of his spiritual pressure. They must have depleted him so much that this was all that was left. His arms were coated in blood, but it had only been a day since Grimmjow had escaped and yet Yammy's soul was torn in so many places.
"I took all I could of his power without killing him." The king explained to the shaking figure. "This is all that is left, and as you can see, his soul was already so weakened that what took three weeks to do to you, Grimmjow, is taking mere hours in him."
"Yammy..." Grimmjow ignored the monster king, everything fixated on the horror before him, on the same torture he himself had endured and now, despite the barriers Orihime had created in his mind to keep him stable, those memories were threatening to break loose and consume him. "YAMMY!" He jumped up on the table and ran to a man he detested but would die right now to save because no one should endure this. But before he could reach him he was hit by a force. He struck the table hard and rolled off. The king grabbed a fistful of blue hair and pulled him up before slamming the side of his face against the surface of the table.
"This is my victory Grimmjow, but you may witness it as well." His face pressed into fresh blood, and beneath it, he could still feel the crust of his own. Nel had fallen somewhere in the king's attack, she scrambled back to the table, but she too, felt what was about to happen.
The room seemed to explode. Not a stone cracked, nor a chair tipped, but a spirit broke.
Chains clattered to the table, the man that had been held by them fell to his knees, and all that was left of one of the most powerful zanpakutos in the universe was a shimmering mist that rushed away as if caught in a wind.
The king released Grimmjow. The sixth fell back to the floor, where he sat and saw his failure, saw that he had forsaken his ally to this fate. And he remembered the moment it happened to him. He remembered breaking. And so he just sat there, frozen in agony, when the door burst open and Halibel screamed something out, and the king bent low to Yammy, and smiled,
"You are reborn, Yammy. Go, kill your former allies."
Urahara Kisuke didn't notice how his own hand shot to his heart when he witnessed on the monitors the fall of the zero espada. He did notice, however, that every being in the palace faltered, every creature, sympathetic or not, could not deny the repulsiveness of what their king had done, could not hide the reeling of their own souls from such a cruel and unnatural torture done to another.
Ichigo's voice cracked on the soul pager, asking what had happened, was everyone still alright, but he didn't respond, because the broken being was rising, body still covered in his own blood, but turning to Grimmjow with the cold intent to kill in his eyes. Halibel was clearly still in shock at what had just happened, and it took her a moment before she reacted. Yammy jumped off the table, straddling Grimmjow who was as of yet unmoving, just watching him in horror. He got a fist around the sixth's neck before Halibel intervened.
"Yammy, snap out of it!"
She knocked into him, pushing him back easily. It was an unfair fight, Yammy was swordless and already severely weakened. But he was unrelenting, and just like Grimmjow, would follow orders even if they killed him.
"Grimmjow get up." Halibel ordered him, intending to get them all out of here at once but the king was not going to allow that.
Urahara watched on the screen as the shadow lord moved faster than either the cameras could catch or his own eyes could follow and he had the female espada around the neck. Nel finally reacted to everything that was happening, and, seeming to understand that Halibel was their only chance, jumped past that swirling cape of shadow and latched herself onto the king's arm to try to free the other third.
"Ichigo..." Kisuke finally raised the pager, "have you got Rukia yet?" He couldn't tear eyes away to check on them.
"No, it's so confusing in this place, why?"
"The espada are in trouble."
"..." There was only static, it was clear Ichigo was torn. He hadn't really had a chance to figure out if he trusted Halibel and Grimmjow yet, but they did have Nel with them. He wanted to run to their aid but he equally needed to find Rukia.
A second voice came over the radio. "I'll go." Renji said, never wanting to admit that Ichigo had the better chance of saving Rukia.
"Wait..." Urahara was watching the battle with no sound or no sense of spiritual pressure but something exploded across all of Las Noches and he watched one of the figures on the screen fall limp.
"What was that?" Ichigo demanded.
"Urahara!" Renji's voice seconded, "Who was that?"
"...that... was the death of an espada."
There you are folks! I really appreciate the reviews and those who are keeping up with this story!
Thanks!
Riza