"Hmm? Nel? Come on, I need sleep."
The tugging at his leg was insistent, but her words still jumbled in the grogginess of sleep.
"Nel, I just got back, please. Go see Halibel if you need something."
Still he couldn't quite make out her words, but the desperation in her voice was enough to make him roll over on the bed. It was much harder than it should have been, even after a long few days in Hueco Mundo. The night seemed so much darker too, her face was barely a shadow to his eyes that should be able to penetrate this darkness.
"Nel, what is it? We're safe here in the world of the living. Ichigo, Halibel and I are all here to keep you safe."
"No, Grimmjow."
Her voice sounded so strained, he squinted to see her.
"Nel?"
"Grimmjow!" Though her voice was shrill it lacked the harshness and clarity it normally had.
"What's wrong? What's going on?" He tried to reach for her but his right arm didn't move.
"Grimmjow needs to get up!"
He tried. He tried to see past the dark, hear past the fog, push against the bed but nothing was working.
"Grimmjow please!"
"NEL!"
He lurched off the smooth rock beneath him, failing to sit and falling back painfully. The thunder clouds above draped over them, flickering inconstantly like a florescent light on its last legs. And there, to his side, was her broken face, tears streaming down in hysteria.
"Nel, what happened?"
"Is Grimmjow really awake?" Her fingers dug deep into his ribs where she hovered over him.
"Did I pass out?"
"Nel doesn't know. Grimmjow just started talking to Halibel and then he fell down and he wouldn't answer Nel!"
"Oh..." his eyes closed. He felt her head press closer into his chest, her mask shaking against him as she sobbed on.
"Nel was so scared."
He couldn't raise his arm to comfort her, it was dead. He felt nothing below his shoulder, and he wished to the thunderous heavens he couldn't feel that either. He cracked his eyes open and turned his head just enough to take a look at the wound and instantly regretted it. Nel looked up when she felt his stomach dip beneath her head before contracting tightly and he gagged harshly. There was nothing left in him to come up but the dry heaves were painful and left him gasping, hot tears falling back into his hair line. He couldn't even stomach seeing such a wound, how was he supposed to keep moving with the pain wearing him down?
"Grimmjow?" She seemed to understand he wasn't moving anytime soon, maybe he never would again. "Is Halibel dead?"
"Yes."
This brought more tears. He watched her cry for their lost companion. He himself hadn't even had the chance to really absorb that reality. His reaction had been to go on a bloody rampage, and he'd followed that blood lust even here, even with such wounds, and now they would die. He'd lost Halibel, and he'd condemned Nel to death as well.
"She could have done it." he whispered, like he often did with Nel, talking more to himself than her. "She was stronger, she could have gotten out of here, found the King, ended this."
"Nel doesn't want her to be gone. She made Grimmjow happy."
His eyes shut again, but his lids failed to keep the tears from trailing out. Nel settled against him once more, her slight weight, her presence, the only comfort she could give.
"Nel doesn't want Grimmjow to go either, but if he needs to sleep, she will keep watch for him."
"...thanks."
There was quiet. The world beyond their uneven breaths, the sniff of the child, the throbbing pain in his body was lost to them. Their whole reality was contained in the closeness of their bodies, the mutual breaking of their hearts.
Until they heard it.
The horrible wail, both hollow deep and piercingly, humanly sharp echoed off every corner, every flat wall and floor until it echoed off into the cloud laden sky above. The second cry seemed to reverberate straight through them, leaving traces of the pure pain and despair that filled the utterance. With the third, Grimmjow was sitting, despite every pain, the very lack of strength in him, and his good arm held Nel close to his chest. He tried to follow the sound as it bounced off the walls like refracted light, but it was impossible to tell where it was coming from in this twisted maze. Forward, backward, down one of the many side tunnels- it could not be tracked, the only thing Grimmjow knew, the thing that screamed from his instincts, was that whatever made that noise had sensed them, it was coming for them, and staying put was not a choice.
"Pantera..." Grimmjow slid his hand from Nel's back to the handle of his silent blade. He had no power here, he was just fortunate he still had the steel of his blade. As before, he used it to push himself up, Nel steadfastly as his ankles.
He may not have much left, but he would at least face the thing that killed him like a man.
"So they stole you Bankai?" Urahara asked the haggard group around him. "And they need to keep you alive in order to continue using it?"
"Yes, that is an accurate summation." Byakuya nodded from where he sat next to his much larger companion, Captain Komamura.
"Each of us were terribly wounded during the fight. We all thought we were dead before we woke up down here." Byakuya continued.
"No doubt Soul Society thinks the same." A sharp voice came out of the dark. Soifon had not been so quick to greet Urahara with open arms and remained against a further wall.
"Captain Soifon thinks that this way Soul Society won't try to rescue them." Renji added from his Captain's other side. He was certainly worse for wear, but Urahara had been extremely relieved to find him and Chad alive down here, though saddened to learned that Renji's bankai had also been stolen.
"And to heighten the panic and chaos." Kisuke guessed. "But as far as you know, it is still safe? Soul Society has not been taken?"
"As far as we know." Byakuya agreed. "We have been here a long time, much has transpired since then, but none have joined us here. It seems that despite our failures, our comrades were able to learn from our mistakes."
"That is good news indeed, but after all this time, I would have liked to have learned more."
The clank of chains brought their attention just beside them, to the figure so slim and cast in shadows he barely stood out from the wall he was chained to.
"We do know something."
"Captian Hitsugaya," Byakuya warned but Kisuke felt the tension and looked to the captain who had been nearly silent since his arrival.
"Captain Kuchki, do you really mean to spare feelings in this situation?"
"What is it? What happened?" Kisuke insisted. Renji also seemed a bit alarmed, he hadn't been here long and clearly also had not been told this news.
"Before my own battle ended, we were informed that squads three and twelve were all but completely annihilated."
Urahara tensed, his gaze shifting to the other captains to verify the truth in this, but it was clear they too knew.
"What?" Renji gasped. "What do you mean? That's not possible."
"It is." Soifon confirmed darkly.
"But...everyone? Kira...?"
"Is dead." His captain affirmed, though with less detachment than the others. Renji looked his captain straight on, the shock settling slowly about the news of his old friend. "It is a terrible loss." Byakuya added.
"...yes sir." Chad put a hand on his shoulder.
"But it would seem both captains survived." Komomora said, "at least on that day. Kurotsuchi was not with his squad, and Otoribashi survived his encounter."
"They didn't take his bankai?" Urahara questioned.
"They couldn't." his eyes shot to Soifon in the dark.
"Couldn't?" Urahara caught the glint in her eye, "You know why don't you?"
"I couldn't be sure until you told us about Kurosaki."
"Their bankais cannot be taken, because they are Visoreds?"
"So it would seem."
"Well, then that is something at least. No doubt that has helped to keep them at bay and like I told you earlier, the King must be hurt if he wanted Orihime so bad. There is still hope, Ichigo could stop him."
"Let us hope he learned something about our powers from the times we fought him." Toshiro sighed, leaning his head back against the wall, "Because it's our Bankais that will be standing between him and the King."
"Are you still cold?" Ichigo looked down at the shaking white clad girl who had reluctantly curled against him where they lay.
After many failed escape attempts, Ichigo had finally relented to stop, at least long enough to catch his breath, only to find Rukia as cold as ice. His powers kept him protected from the cold air and heat-sucking stone beneath them, but she was as naked as a new born in this place so he'd half convinced, half forced her to let him keep her warm. They lay side by side, his arms around her, gentle yet strong, and what had at first felt awkward now felt comforting in this bleak place.
In all these weeks of fighting and surviving, here, trapped in a cell and laying in each other's arms, it was the first chance they'd had to be friends again. Her face was pressed into his chest, his heart still thrummed from his earlier efforts to escape and she could smell the dampness of sweat, feel the crisp of dried blood all over him. He was still badly wounded despite everything. He'd taken a near fatal hit in his stomach, and though Zangetsu had an incredible power to hold him together, he still needed time. The wound had stopped bleeding already, which was really a miracle and only due to Ichigo's enormous spiritual pressure, but that didn't mean he wasn't still in pain and still very weak.
"Rukia?"
"Sorry." She whispered up to him. "Yes, but this feels better." She answered his question.
"What were you thinking about?"
"You actually."
"What?" she felt him shift to look down at her and the situation threatened to resume it's previous awkwardness.
"That battle with Uryu was terrible, Ichigo. I was just thinking how amazing it is that you're even still moving."
"Oh." he relaxed again. "I guess. But it's still not enough."
"It doesn't have to be you, you know. Who saves everyone. It shouldn't be up to you."
"But it is, in the end. It always is, whether I want it to or not. We were the last resistance, and now look at us. If we don't escape, I think that's it, Rukia, I think the world might actually end."
"Don't be so damned arrogant." her tone was familiar, that scolding voice he hated so much but yet somehow made him smile now, at the end of it all.
"Yeah, well, I think I have an excuse now, to be a little full of myself."
She remembered everything with Aizen, everything before that even, and she too, smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that."
"But you were always with me, Rukia. You always fought just as hard, even harder in a way, because sometimes your choice to fight put you against Soul Society."
"You must always fight with your heart, Ichigo. I am loyal to Soul Society, but since I met you, I seemed unable to ignore what my heart wants."
"That's good."
"In some ways."
There was silence for several long heartbeats, then she pulled back her head to look up at him. "Do you love Orihime?"
"Wh-what?"
"It's a simple question."
"Why are you asking this, now of all times?"
"When else can I ask you, Ichigo? You just said, this might very well be the end of the world. So if it is, if you see her knowing that, will you tell her how you feel?"
"I haven't even said I love her yet."
"It was sort of a rhetorical question." She smirked, "I think we both know the real answer."
"Maybe we do. But...I don't know love, not like that I mean. I love Orihime, but I guess, I just haven't figured out what that means, how I love her. After I met you, I didn't really have time to think about that stuff, I had so much Soul Reaper business to deal with. And then, after Aizen, I felt like I was alone, all my friends still had spiritual power, could see the other side. We...drifted. And now, I don't know."
"I understand."
"Why do you ask?"
"Because I've wasted more years than you've lived not telling Renji that I love him and I didn't want you to do the same."
Her abruptness at first caught him off guard, but then as he reflected on the relationship of the two Soul Reapers over the last few weeks of war, stealing quiet moments, leaning slightly closer than necessary into one another, he realized there really was no surprise.
"It's only words, Rukia, I think he knows."
"But I should say it. I want to. I want to see him one more time before it's all over."
"That ass, he should have said it to you first. But enough of this, Rukia, I don't want to sit here and talk about what we're going to do before the world ends. How about we start planning what we'll do after we save the world. And in order to do that, we'll have to get out of here."
He slid away from her, "tell me if you get too cold." He picked up his zanpakuto and she sat up, holding her knees close to her chest.
"Okay, Mr. Confidence, I guess I can stand a little cold if it means you can save the world again."
"Good." He lifted his sword high above his head and aimed it at the glowing bars for the hundredth time.
"Stop." The black blade remained above his head, and Ichigo looked around for the source of the voice. When the slim figure dropped off the ledge above and landed before them, Rukia stood and Ichigo lowered his sword.
"Uryu?"
"Ichigo, Rukia..." he looked between the two, his chest heaving and sweat slicking his hair. He was winded from his journey here. "It took me longer than I expected to get here. But I should be able to get you out before other soldiers come."
"Wait, Uryu, I don't understand, you remember who you are? And how are you healed?" Ichigo asked as the quick eyed quincy examined the spiritual structure caging them.
"Orihime escaped, found me once we crossed over. She's gone for the others."
"What, on her own?"
"It was her choice, Ichigo." he defended. "I didn't want to let her go but...well, everything is at stake right now, we had to take the risk."
"So you're really okay?"
"Yeah, but I'm.." he glanced at the many wounds on Ichigo's body and Rukia's white robes, "I'm sorry for what I did."
"It wasn't you," Rukia reassured, "and we were the ones who failed you. You got captured, and we couldn't rescue you."
"I don't blame you." Uryu was now kneeling at the base, his fingers tracing quincy spell work in the hard stone beneath him.
"Can you get us out?" Ichigo asked after several long moments.
"Yes, just hold-"
"Commander Ishida! Commander, is that you?" Uryu stiffened, his eyes met the pair for a second before the ledge above was suddenly crowded with soldiers. "Hey it is!" a voice called down, "he's not dead after all."
"Of course not." Uryu shot coldly in a perfect imitation of his brainwashed self. "I wouldn't be taken out by a shinigami substitute or his small fry companion. I don't know what you've heard but I brought the prisoners back myself just a few hours ago."
"Oh that was you." they jumped down to join them. "Security got the signal that four prisoners had come through, two shinigami, two hollow, and a Vandenreich, but we didn't know who it was."
"Who else would it be? My father already secured the girl."
"Well, actually sir..."
"What?"
"She escaped."
"What?"
The fear this single word lit in the others was astonishing to Ichigo and Rukia. They didn't really like to think what Uryu had done in his brainwashed days to warrant such intimidation.
"We're sorry, but her powers were out of control, she killed everyone."
"Wait, what?" Ichigo interrupted but Uryu shot him a death glare.
"Shut up prisoner."
"She went crazy or something and now they can't find her. But the King sent us to get these two. He said he had an unfinished experiment or something with them."
Ichigo's eyes went wide and he looked to Rukia. It seemed so long ago that the King had threatened to string him up like he had Grimmjow and break his soul, see what it did if Rukia's soul was also gone. Now, would seem to be his perfect opportunity.
"Is that so?" Uryu turned back to the prisoners and his hand twitched slightly. There was no doubting his thoughts, he would try to take this group on himself, save them, but beside him Ichigo saw Rukia shake her heard, practically imperceptibly and he couldn't even be sure he saw it, but there was something understood between the three who had fought together so long and the moment passed, Uryu turning back to the others. "Then let's not keep him waiting."
Rukia wanted him to take them, wanted him to keep up his cover and Ichigo understood. It may be suicide, but they just said they would rather plan for saving the world than for letting it end so the risk was worth it. If Uryu could take them right up to the king, then let him, and see how it all plays out.
The plan lost some ground, however, when the blue glow of the cage flared brighter and Ichigo watched Rukia fall unconscious before him.
"What did you-" but a second, much stronger wave and he felt gravity lift, the ground coming up to meet him and then the motionless dark.