It was familiar. Leaves cast in grey shadow of colourless trees. Damp earth and the creeping chill that came with lying on it too long. And tiny fingers clenched tight in his shirt, her steady breathing washed over the damp patch of her drool on his arm.
"Nel?" She didn't wake up, he just let her sleep as his mind fought to piece back together how he had returned to this damn forest. He shifted slightly and felt pain all over his body, spreading cold deep inside and burning along his flesh. Had it all been a dream? Was he really still lying here under the leaves in the Menos forest after being poisoned? Had he only imagined the dread king taking away his soul, rescuing Halibel and meeting up with the soul reapers and humans?
"Nel?" He shook her slightly, a bit more desperate now. "Nel, wake up."
She stirred, forgetting the danger and yawned as if they were back in the shop or at the Kurosaki Clinic. "Mmm, Nel wants ice-cream." She murmured.
Ice cream. That was definitely not from Hueco Mundo, so it wasn't all a dream. But then, how were they back here?"
"Grimmjow?" An orange halo of hair leaned over him and awkwardly lowered himself next to him. He seemed to be struggling with one leg and Grimmjow remember the break. If he was still hurt, and Ichigo still limping, then their plan must have failed.
"What's going on?"
"Orihime's powers haven't come back as quickly as we hoped. But she was able to heal us both a bit." He indicated his lack of cast and Grimmjow also noted that he was in his Soul Reaper form. "She concentrated on the stab wound." Ichigo nodded to Grimmjow's torso. Though the fabric was still torn and stained through with blood, he was surprised to see how much it was healed over when he still felt this terrible.
"It's your soul." Ichigo read his thoughts. "You've been unconscious for two days. Rukia and I both saw how the blows to Pantera were hurting you. When Orihime went to heal you, she said it was like you were wounded deep inside, but she didn't know how to fix it."
A frown settled over Grimmjow, he didn't offer his own thoughts but Ichigo prompted. "You returned with him from your last trip to Hueco Mundo. You fought with him then, what did it feel like?"
"Not like this. It felt..good. I was winning. I felt the satisfaction of the kill more than I ever felt it before but I thought it was just because we were reunited."
"But maybe it's because of your new connection to Pantera? What he feels, you feel, and not just sentiment but physical pain. A zanpakuto can't bleed when it's hit, but you can."
"It's all just speculation." Grimmjow sighed and braced a hand on the ground, pushing himself up and letting Nel slide to his lap. Ichigo tried to stop him but he shoved his hand aside and sat. He wasn't going any farther and he knew it, but he just needed to right himself, let the blood flow downward. He sat just letting the pain of moving pass for several moments.
"But something's up. Just like those scars." Ichigo continued.
The scars and injuries Grimmjow had received in those days before Nel returned his soul to him had not healed like every other wound Orihime had treated. For some reason, they could not be erased, and so he bore the permanent reminder of what he'd suffered as well as a slight limp that had never left once his leg had fully healed. "And that's not all. You're spiritual pressure is different, I can't even feel it."
"You can't feel anyone's, moron."
"Okay, bad example, but Urahara and Rukia say it's really difficult to sense even when they know where you are. What's that all about?"
"I don't know!"
"Evolution." The quiet voice startled them both. Rukia still had yellow discolouration around her neck. Grimmjow just now saw where Orihime was asleep nearby and he was startled yet again when he noticed another figure hunched just past her, keeping watch. Isshin. He didn't question that now, however, he wanted to hear what Rukia had to say.
"I've been thinking about it." She went on. "What is Shikai? What is Bankai? When Ichigo reached a certain level, we couldn't feel his spiritual pressure either. It was something entirely different. Aizen didn't even understand it. So maybe, somehow, when you reunited with Pantera, you evolved or transformed in some way. Maybe that's why you can't use your Resurrection anymore. Maybe you've just...surpassed all of that."
"I don't know that I'd call feeling the blows I block a great step in evolution."
Rukia shrugged. "It's just a theory, but I don't think the Grimmjow we knew before all of this could have destroyed the Midnight Squadron on his own like that. And the Quincies can't feed off your energy, that's a definite improvement."
"You're right there." Grimmjow shifted his hand, it was clearly taking everything for him just to stay upright. "But enough about all that. What's happened in two days?"
"Well, my father found us." Ichigo said.
"Great, if he can find us, so can the Dawn, so why haven't they come?"
"Isshin is shielding out spiritual pressure." Rukia supplied. "He has been in touch with Urahara and Halibel. They found a lead they did not want to let slip away."
"What?" He watched Ichigo's face darken. "What it is?"
"They've been watching Uryu."
"But he was taken."
"And now he's back." Ichigo's voice was bitter. "Apparently he has joined the Vandenreich."
Grimmjow's stomach churned. He remembered vividly what it had taken for himself to be so changed. But Uryu was human, his soul was not like Grimmjow's couldn't exist in a form that the King could break like his. So how had they done it?
"What do you mean joined?"
"I mean Halibel watched Lothure bow before him as he declared himself Commander of the Dawn with the King's blessing."
"He what?"
"Exactly. He's more powerful than any of them. And he has every intention of leading a full scale assault against Soul Society."
"When?"
"We don't know. But we have to guess that the King will want him to prove himself first." Grimmjow could not mistake the terrible dread building in Ichigo's voice and so he asked his next question almost hesitantly, thinking of the last two unaccounted members of their resistance.
"Prove himself how?"
"By killing his former allies. Starting with the two he already has."
"Chad and Renji."
"They will be executed once the King has gotten what information he wants from them."
"Halibel and Kisuke, what are they planning?"
"I don't know..." Ichigo's hand tightened around the hilt of Zangetsu.
"And Chad and Renji? Where are they being held?"
"He has them in Las Noches."
"Dammit." It made sense, but the palace had become impenetrable since their last escape. Then another thought hit him and he had Ichigo by the shoulder. "He'll do to Renji what he did to me."
"I know." Brown eyes watched the turmoil at those memories, Ichigo's own chest tightened at the thought. "Grimmjow, do you know of any other way in there?"
"I would have already told you. Where are the Dawn now? Are they at the palace?"
"Yes."
"Then we only have one choice. There's only one person we have to defeat in order to stop this."
"You can't mean-"
"If the next attack on Soul Society hinges on him proving his worth, then it's Uryu we need to stop. You're more powerful than him Ichigo."
"You want me to kill my friend?"
"No." Ichigo instantly regretted saying that when he saw the flash in Grimmjow's eyes and the espada turned his gaze away, one hand sliding protectively over Nel's sleeping form. "That's not what I meant." He still hadn't let go of the guilt of killing Yammy. "Just stop him. Defeat him in battle or snap him out of it, either will make him useless to the King and leave the Dawn without a commander. How powerful could the kid have gotten in five weeks?"
"Powerful enough to scare Halibel and Kisuke enough not to try taking him themselves." Rukia said darkly.
"No way he's more powerful than the lot of us. We combine strength and go for it. If we can't stop him, it's pretty much over anyway, right? So why not throw everything at him?"
The two soul reapers took time to consider it all. The Vandenreich had taken Uryu from them, now Chad and Renji. If they didn't go forward with this plan, those three would definitely be lost to them. Grimmjow had a way of simplifying things, Ichigo couldn't really argue and every second they hesitated, Renji and Chad were suffering more.
"Alright, I agree, but it kind of isn't up to me." Ichigo glanced back at Orihime. "We have to chose carefully what we ask her to heal."
"You first. We don't know for sure what's going on with me." Grimmjow said.
"Okay."
"I agree as well." Rukia nodded. "Should we wake her?"
They all nodded. Rukia approached Isshin and Orihime. The elder Kurosaki had been listening, but he left it to his son to make the decision and he seemed to have no problem with their plan. The only flaw Grimmjow saw was when Isshin rose to join them and he saw the dark stain through one shoulder.
"This fight will not be mine." Isshin wheezed out in response to shocked eyes. "Nor Orihime's. We will meet up with Urahara and Halibel but when the battle begins it will be no place for Orihme or Nel. I will keep them safe."
"Will you go back to the world of the living?" Ichigo asked.
"No son, I don't think any of us should go back while the Dawn hunt us. We can't endanger Karakura like that."
"I agree."
"Alright then." Orihime was now set to try again. "Ichigo."
The healing went better than the last few attempts. Orihime was not really conscious of the source of her power, but she had been trying very hard to draw from the strength around her. Every time she seemed to be getting better at it and now she was able to put Ichigo back together once and for all.
He stood with ease and relief. Sighing out, he watched her turn her glow on Grimmjow. Sweat formed on her brow, but she didn't stop. She wouldn't, not if it meant giving her friends a fighting chance, a hope to save Renji, Chad and Uryu.
"How's that?" She asked, half out of breath when she withdrew from Grimmjow. He was still stiff and sore but he was able to get up and there was no mark to speak of where he'd been stabbed or where the long cut had run down one side of him. Nel, now fully awake, jumped up onto his shoulder with glee to have him back in good health.
"You should still be careful." Orihime stood with a hand from Ichigo. "I could feel the damage inside of you, Grimmjow, unlike anything I've ever felt, it must be from your connection with Pantera. Just be aware of that."
"I will. Thank you, Orihime." She nodded and looked to Isshin.
"You've already strained yourself." He protested. "Worry about me later, when we're settled. Right now, we need to meet up with Urahara and Halibel."
Ichigo took hold of Orihime and then looked to Rukia. She was very adept at identifying spiritual pressures. She closed her eyes and focused deeply for a few moments.
"There, I've got them. Follow me."
They moved in a tight group, Ichigo carried Orihime with him, Nel with Grimmjow as always and, Isshin bringing up the rear. It took a few hours to get from the Menos forest to where Halibel and Urahara were stationed in the rocky outcroppings they'd crossed months earlier when they'd first come to rescue Rukia.
They at once knew something was wrong. Halibel's white coat was laying discarded in the sand, fresh crimson on one side. She was sitting with her back to them against a rock and made no effort to address them when they arrived. Blood oozed out between her fingers where they were held against her shoulder. Kisuke was not far from her, positioned watching the reconstruction of part of a wall Ichigo and Isshin had blasted through last week only to be repelled. But upon their arrival, Urahara hopped down from his post to meet them.
"Halibel!" Grimmjow at once moved toward her but a quick hand caught him. He looked to the shopkeeper.
"She needs space."
"Why? What happened?"
"It seems the Vandenreich have had a presence in Hueco Mundo longer than we thought."
"What does that mean?" Ichigo asked.
"Halibel ran into an old ally she thought was long dead."
That was enough for Grimmjow, he shirked out of Urahara's grasp and went straight to the source. No one followed, and Grimmjow knelt before the third espada just out of ear shot of the others while Kisuke continued to explain to them. All hope faded from Grimmjow when he saw her state. It wasn't the deep cut running through the outside of her bicep, it was that terrible look in her eyes, a pain he knew far too well.
"Nel, go to Ichigo." He instructed and felt her jump form his shoulder, knowing when to actually listen to him. "Halibel..."
He reached out to her but she flinched and he drew his hand back. So many times she'd given him comfort and now he didn't know what to do for her.
"It was Mila Rose." She said, her voice void of anything and her gaze fixed far away. "I barely recognized her after everything they did to her."
"Like me?"
But she shook her head. "He must have experimented on her...on all of them maybe. She didn't have the scars like you but...her eyes were just dead, her bone mask was broken. She was disfigured. She had a different weapon. She attacked without a thought, without hesitation. She never stopped. I couldn't...I tried not to hurt her but she just kept attacking."
"It's not your fault."
"I killed her Grimmjow."
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry? You're sorry, Grimmjow?" those furious green eyes finally turned to him. "Where's that rage of yous, Grimmjow? Where's your blood lust? That's what I need right now, not you feeling sorry, I need Grimmjow Jaggerjaques, I need you to get angry!"
"Why, Halibel?"
"WHY? Because I want to rip the Vandenreich to shreds! I want you and me to tear a bloody path through the Dawn straight to the gates to their world and up to the King's throne. I want to break him into dust for everything he's done to us!"
"We can't."
He was unprepared for her attack and fell back in the dry dirt, her hands knotting in his collar as she straddled him. He could flip her off of him, but he just lay there for the moment, letting her scream down at him.
"WHY NOT?"
"Because he has Renji and Chad. And now Uryu-"
"Screw the humans!" She screeched, and Grimmjow was aware of the group watching them, definitely hearing the conversation now that it was taking place at much higher decibels. "Let them save themselves! You and I already know what's going to happen. Their going to end up killing Uryu, just like you had to kill Yammy and I had to kill Mila Rose. Do you really want to see that happen again? And for what? Renji and Chad will be dead as soon as they're of no use, the King will win again!"
"Halibel! Calm down!"
His head slammed back in her anger. "Don't you fucking tell me to calm down! I thought you would understand. You of all people." She rolled off of him, as if disgusted, and began to march away. He got back up, rubbing his head and chased after.
"Stay the hell away from me."
"Halibel, I know you're upset but we've been through so much. Why are you acting like this now?"
"Because we've lost Grimmjow. The Vandenreich have been plotting this for longer than we even knew, they've held control of Hueco Mundo for months. The little bit we have left is about to be taken away. These humans will break when they have to turn on their own, when they lose their own. They can't handle that pain and they will be taken, tortured and killed by the Vandenreich. So before that happens, I want to leave. And I want to leave a bloody mark on the enemy or die trying."
"Okay."
This got her to stop. "What?"
"I said okay. Ichigo is going to fight Uryu. While he's doing that, you and I can go for it. We'll hack our way through Dawn's Calvary to the centre of Las Noches and make them take us to the King. But on our way, maybe we can save Renji and Chad. And maybe Ichigo will be able to save Uryu. Maybe we'll find a way to the king. Maybe we can win this after all."
"Since when did the god of destruction become an optimist?"
"Since he came back." Halibel did not react in surprise when he hauled out Pantera. She of course, had noted him the moment she saw Grimmjow.
"Pantera has finally been restored."
"Yes."
"And that is your hope that we can win?"
"No Halibel, it's a promise. Pantera won't rest or let me rest until we've gotten our revenge. Don't think I've gone soft, Third, I still operate on one thing only. But I'm not the god of sacrifice like you— my vengeance includes my survival, and yours and everyone who's stood with us. But trust me, my vengeance will be Pantera through the King's heart."
"Alright." She consented. "Then I agree."
"Good."
He turned back to the rest of the group. No one mentioned Halibel's words against the humans. She had been a loyal and invaluable ally and none of them had seen her have any sort of emotional reaction to date, so it was simply put down to that and they moved on.
The final plans were made. Grimmjow and Halibel would go for Renji and Chad, everyone else, for Uryu. They all took a moment to prepare themselves, Kisuke bound up Halibel's wound and she put her jacket back on. Grimmjow moved over to Ichigo as he readjusted Zangetsu on his hip.
"Hey, are you okay with this? I mean, back there I said I'd go at Uryu with you."
"No, Halibel is right. When we attack Uryu there's a good chance we'll risk Renji and Chad. I'll feel better knowing you're going after them. You are going after them right? You're not just saying that so you can go off and get revenge."
"I'm doing both, kid, but yeah, I'll do what I can for them and forget what Halibel said, she will try as hard as anyone to save them."
"Okay good. But what was all that about sacrifice and destruction?"
He watched a thoughtful smile pass over Grimmjow and he half laughed at the old memory. "Aizen designated us as the nine aspects of death. I don't know if he just based it on our personalities or if the twisted bastard did somehow find a way to infuse those traits in us when he transformed us with the Hogyoku. But I was Destruction and I think we can both agree it is a good fit. I hadn't actually thought about that for a long time until today. Halibel was Sacrifice, and if you knew her then, you'd understand that. Sacrifice and Destruction. We're all that's left of Aizen's sinners."
"Well feel free to destroy, Grimmjow, but please don't let Halibel sacrifice herself. I've never seen her like this."
"Honestly, neither have I. She was so loyal to her Fraccion, I guess I wasn't a very good leader to mine. I was just angry when they were killed, not sad. She however, was bound to them like kin. I don't think I understood any of that until I met Nel. But it doesn't matter now. Halibel is strong, she'll be fine. You just worry about Uryu, and remember, he might be brainwashed, but whatever they did cannot be the same thing they did to me. He's human, his soul is inside of him and can't be broken."
"Okay." For a second, Grimmjow glimpsed the human teen again, before all this war began, and he felt a surge of anger for how much they had all suffered. The Vandenreich would pay for everything they had done.
"Okay, let's do this."
"Nel wants to go too!" The small weight hit him, wrapping around his leg in that death grip.
"No way, it's too dangerous."
"NO! Grimmjow said he would never leave Nel!"
"You'll be with Orihime and Isshin. They'll take care of you."
"NO!" She insisted, wailing into his pant leg.
"Nel! You don't want to see what I have to do."
"Nel doesn't care."
"Okay, then, I don't want you to see what I have to do."
"Nel still doesn't care."
He gave a frustrated sigh and just felt her fingers tighten. Halibel came next to them, back to her calm coolness as usual. "She stayed with you all those weeks they had us on the run in Las Noches. And you did make use of her healing powers."
"We didn't have a choice then. Besides, you know there's no chance of her growing up anymore, so don't count on that."
"I know, Grimmjow, but she was an espada. And this very well may be the last act of the espada. So perhaps she should come."
Her grimness subdued him. He looked to the tiny figure on his leg and then to Isshin and Orihime. "I guess I'm taking this one with me," he informed the elder Kurosaki.
"Then I wish you good luck." He gave a half salute, Grimmjow nodded to the rest of the group, meeting Ichigo's gaze last. The chances that they would both survive were pretty slim. He probably wouldn't see the teen soul reaper again.
Then, without a word, the espada left. Ichigo put his hand on his dad's shoulder and gave Orihime a hug. "Stay safe."
"We will." She promised.
"Whatever happens son," Isshin said, "Don't give in to the choices the enemy makes for us. You save your friend."
"I will dad. We'll see you soon."
He stepped back with Rukia and Kisuke. Another three left. They were back to where they started, the soul reapers and espada had gone their separate ways and there was no knowing if they would ever all come back together again. Isshin put his hand over Orihime's shaking shoulders.
"Don't worry, they are all strong. We have made it this far, it will not end here."
But even as he spoke the words, the dry earth behind them crunched under the weight of a new-commer. His familiar reiatsu washed over Isshin and he never lifted his hand from the girl's shoulder.
"Mr. Isshida!" She exclaimed. He looked fine, despite the fact he'd been missing for weeks, his suit clean and crisp, not a hair out of place on his head. She tried to run forward to him, but a strong hand kept her back.
"Ryuken." Isshin pulled his zanpakuto from it's sheath. "So they have corrupted you too?"
Orihime gave him a startled look. They hadn't known for certain if Ryuken had been captured or if he had come in search of his son. But the cold smile that crossed pale features left no doubt. He raised one arm, a silver pentacle dropping out from his sleeve to dangle on his wrist.
"War, Isshin, is all in the details." Just like Uryu, a long silver bow spouted from the charm on his wrist and he drew back his other hand to aim a blazing blue arrow at them. "And I am one detail, you should not have forgotten, old friend."
Well, still waiting to see who's on the other end of that blade, ack, Kubo and the cliff hangers, but then, I guess I am guilty of that too ;) Thanks for the reviews!
Riza.