Disclaimer- Blahblahblah, don't own Bleach.

Chapter 17

A Fool's Dream

Sayomi's heels clicked quietly against the marble floors as she gracefully stalked through the pristine white halls of Las Noches. One week had past since she had arrived and so far nothing of any real import had happened. She had made plenty of enemies and very few friends in the short time span, but for the most part she was left to her own devices and not bothered by any of the Arrancar. She had visited Orihime on an almost daily basis which had quickly made her and Ulquiorra real enemies. The man was coldhearted and about as movable as a mountain. He treated Orihime like an insect that had to be kept alive only to later be fed upon. It angered Sayomi and she had no problem saying just what she thought of the black haired Arrancar. She would then usually end up being scolded by Aizen or on two occasions her brother though his scoldings were little more than chuckles and a shake of his head as he told her that the mopey kid was stronger than he looked and she should be careful.

Orihime herself was quiet and withdrawn. She had resigned herself to her fate to help Aizen without question because of her feelings of inadequacy. She felt she was too weak and only burdened Ichigo and the others. Their lives had been threatened which was why she had come willingly, but Sayomi knew that she also felt she could somehow use her ability to revert the Hogyoku to nothing more than a useless stone and make all of the fighting stop.

It was an overly optimistic hope, but it kept the girl going. Sayomi figured that if she could guess what Orihime was thinking then Aizen likely had as well, but he wasn't doing anything to stop this train of thought. Instead, he had shown Orihime the very thing itself, led her right to it. Orihime had thought it was some sort of taunt, a "look at what I have" sort of thing, but Sayomi knew better. If Aizen knew what Orihime was thinking of doing, if he willingly showed her the Hogyoku, it meant one thing. That what she was planning wouldn't work the way she hoped and would ultimately benefit Him. Sayomi hadn't voiced this opinion yet, but the defiant tint to the girl's once bright eyes was the only sign that she was still alive and hadn't given up. She didn't want to take that away from her.

Not once had Orihime questioned Sayomi about why she was also in Hueco Muendo. The red head had made a comment to her once, while she had been playing with Wonderweiss, a young, newly awakened Arrancar that had taken a liking to her. Sayomi had been making little flurries of snowflakes swirl around the boy, who despite his teenage appearance, was very childlike in nature. The blond boy would try to catch the snowflakes on his tongue or try to grasp them out of the air only to look into his hands with a frown to see they had already melted. Orihime had watched silently from the couch.

"You have the same look in your eyes that Ichigo gets sometimes. That look that he always gets when he thinks he's doing what's best for everyone. He's so stubborn sometimes," she had said.

Sayomi had blinked in confusion, letting the flurries of snow stop abruptly as she turned to look curiously at Orihime. Before she could respond or ask what she had meant Wonderweiss, who had been jumping around to get the snow, suddenly landed in her lap having fallen over when the snow had disappeared. She let out an 'umph' and looked down at the young boy sprawled across her and the floor before sighing and shaking her head as she patted his head.

"I'm pretty stubborn too," had been her reply as she had left with Wonderweiss.

Shaking of her thoughts, Sayomi nonchalantly pushed the doors that led into the outer chamber of Grimmjow and his fraccion's rooms open. Walked through the room she grinned tauntingly at the few Arrancar there. By now they knew better than to stop her, but they glared hatefully at her as she walked knowing that they'd hear about their idiocy later. Tossing open another set of doors, that she made sure closed behind her, she walked to the large messy bed in the center of the room, grabbed a handful of white sheets and pulled them from Grimmjow's sleeping body.

"Get up, kitten, I'm bored," she said blandly as the sheets fell to the floor.

"Like I give a shit," he grumbled as he pulled a fluffy pillow over his head and rolled on to his side.

Sayomi quirked a brow at him, he was shirtless and in the usual white hakama that were sitting precariously low on his very toned waist.

"Entertain me," she said as she sat down on the edge of the bed, making sure that the whole bed jolted as she did so.

"It's too early for your crap. Go away," Grimmjow growled.

"But I like bugging you. It's my only source of entertainment."

Sayomi squeaked when she was grabbed from behind, a strong arm wrapping around her hips to lift her up before dropping her on to the bed on her back. She glared up at Grimmjow, who was know straddling her waist and had managed to pin her arms above her head.

"I can think of a few ways to entertain you," he taunted with a grin.

"And I can think of quite a few to kill you," she replied sweetly with an innocent smile.

"Like you could," he snorted.

"Try me."

"I'd love to."

"Pervert," Sayomi grumbled as she turned her head away stubbornly.

"Thought you were going to kill me?" Grimmjow said as he leaned over her, their chests pressing together as he whispered in her ear before flicking his tongue lightly over her neck.

A growl rumbled in Sayomi's chest as she fought back the shiver that threatened to run down her spine. The next thing he did was to nip at ear and then at the overly sensitive spot at the curve of her neck. She couldn't hold back the soft gasp that escaped her lips as he bit her again in the same spot.

"Enjoying yourself?" he breathed in her ear.

Sayomi growled again, pushing against Grimmjow and forcing him off of her body. When he flopped onto his back, grinning at her arrogantly, she smirked and quickly pinned him down in the same position he had had her in.

"Maybe I've changed my mind," she purred, running a finger from his navel to his chest, slowly leaning closer to him in the process.

Her hair fell over her shoulders as she kissed the base of his neck, flickering her tongue over the skin before trailing kisses up his neck to his ear. Bringing her hands to either side of his chest she raked her nails over the skin, not enough to hurt or leave much of a mark, but she smirked against his skin when his head tilted back slightly and a groan escaped his lips. Placing her lips next to his ear she softly whispered, "You may never have met a woman you couldn't get, but that was before I came along. Now you've met one you can't get and she can play the same games as you."

Grimmjow growled when Sayomi met his eyes with an arrogant grin and hopped off of him and the bed.

"What the hell," Grimmjow shouted.

"What?" Sayomi asked innocently as she straightened her clothes casually.

"You were playing with me."

"Like you weren't playing with me?" She shot back blandly. "Women are nothing but things you use to pass the time. I am not that kind of woman. You want me? Then seduce me," she said with a seductive smirk of her own and a wink as she turned to leave.

"Stupid bitch," Grimmjow grumbled before throwing himself back into his pillows.

'Seduce you?' Fuyukaze asked incredulously.

'What? You don't approve, Fuyu?'

'No, I don't.'

'Well don't worry about it. I don't plan on being seduced.'

'Good, he doesn't deserve you. Even if you two do have a lot in common,' Fuyukaze added airily.

Sayomi scowled. 'Fuyu,' she growled.

'Are you trying to deny that you can be arrogant, self centered, stubborn, ru-'

'That's enough out of you, you flamboyant jerk,' Sayomi snapped.

'Still don't like hearing the truth,' Fuyukaze sighed.

'You seem awfully moody, Fuyukaze, is there a reason?'

'You mean aside from being stuck in Hueco Muendo with nothing to do even though there are plenty of Hollows around?'

'Was that sarcasm, Fuyu? How rare for you to display such a childish emotion,' Sayomi replied.

'Sayomi-sama, you're being difficult again,' Fuyukaze complained shortly.

'Usually. Anyways, it is fairly boring here. I'm actually starting to miss the living world. I didn't think that was possible.'

Her inner conversation stopped abruptly when she pushed the door to her rooms open only to see Ulquiorra standing in the living area, his face as stonily blank as usual though she thought there was a hint of annoyance in his green eyes when he looked at her.

"Where were you?" He asked.

"What business is it of yours?" She countered coolly.

The pale man eyed her for a moment before continuing. You're to come with me," he informed her, moving past her and into the hall.

It was obvious he expected her to follow, but she didn't, she stayed where she was and watched his back until he stopped and turned to look at her again. "And just where am I going?"

"To Aizen-sama, he's called all of the Espada together and you're to meet them."

She hoped her slight cringe went unnoticed, but she doubted it. The idea of meeting with a room full of very powerful Arrancar who hadn't made their dislike of her appearance among them a secret, didn't sound like a particularly fun activity. "Well, if it's for Aizen-sama I suppose we shouldn't keep him waiting," she replied as she began to walk behind Ulquiorra.

"You want me to do what?" Sayomi asked Aizen skeptically, a thin snow white brow arching upwards.

She was gathered in a meeting room with the ten Espada, Aizen, Gin and Tousen. She had been sitting on the arm of Grimmjow's chair, one of her feet on the table and her other crossed over it in a way that looked awkward, but was actually quite comfortable. The blue haired Espada was scowling at her, ignoring most of what Aizen said.

"I think you heard me perfectly well, Sayomi. You need to prove to us that we can trust you," Aizen replied smoothly.

Sayomi lifted a white brow, but otherwise remained impassive. "And why should I care whether or not they trust me?"

"As stubborn as ever," Aizen replied with a small smirk.

"What did you expect? What you're asking me to do is insane. There are several high ranking soul reapers in Karakura right now, how am I supposed to deal with them?"

"You won't have to because you won't be going alone. Grimmjow and a few others will accompany you to keep them busy while you deal with Urahara," Aizen replied.

"Fine, but I still don't like this. I don't have a quarrel with that idiot, but at least it should be fun to kick his ass. As long as he doesn't run away first. He's always been good at that," Sayomi stated crossly.

"Good, you're all dismissed. Grimmjow, Sayomi choose two others to go with you and leave immediately," Aizen ordered as he rose regally from his seat.

Sayomi nodded and looked to Grimmjow with a smile, Grimmjow grunted, rolled his eyes and elbowed Sayomi off the arm of his chair.

"So grouchy, little kitten, did you not sleep well?" Sayomi asked sweetly, a small innocent smile on her lips and a devious glint in her eyes.

Grimmjow growled at her as he shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked past her.

"You two spend quite a bit of time together, Sayomi, I hope Grimmjow is behaving."

Sayomi scowled, her lip twitching at the sound of the voice. She smoothed her face and turned to face Aizen with a smile.

"He's a perfect gentleman."

"Now that don't sound a thing like our lil Grimmy," Gin said from Aizen's left.

"You're right, Gin, it doesn't. Maybe Sayomi here has finally taught him some manners," Aizen replied with a small smile.

Sayomi snorted to cover the small shiver the smile elicited. "I could sooner teach a dog to fly than teach that egomaniac manners."

"When you have returned I'd like to speak with you. Privately," Aizen informed her, watching her closely.

"Of course," she complied easily, but she hadn't failed to notice that Gin had cocked his head slightly and his grin had wavered for an instant.

"I should let you prepare to go. Be careful."

"Later, little sis," Gin piped up as he turned to follow Aizen and Kaname from the room.

'I don't like this, Fuyukaze,' Sayomi said in her mind to the man that she could feel openly frowning.

'I don't either. At least you weren't ordered to kill him.'

'While that's true, that's also what bothers me. Why only figure out what he's doing? Soul Society would find out and alter their plans, meaning what I find would be useless. I'm not sure, but I think he wants Soul Society to know I'm alive and well and on his side, he wants the home and the people I cared so much about to know I'm a traitor. He's basically putting my head on a chopping block... Hopefully, no one actually cuts it off.'

'.. Your game is getting riskier, little one,' Fuyukaze said, his voice sighing through her mind much as a chill breeze would twist through a forest just before a storm.

Looking down at her hands she flexed her fingers a few times before curling them into fists. 'If I'm a traitor to both places I have ever called home, where will I go? If no one will accept me but him, I will have no choice but to stay here. He's trying to trap me here.'

'This is proving to be more than you bargained for,' Fuyukaze said grimly.

"Yes, it is," Sayomi quietly said aloud, before reverting back to thinking. 'I hadn't bargained on Aizen wanting me for anything more than a useful soldier, an example of the power he's able to create. It's a little late to do anything about that now though, I started this game and for the time being I have no choice but to play it even if the rules are changing.' Frowning, she made her way out of the room to find Grimmjow and two male Arrancar she had seen but never bothered to speak with waiting for her. "Ready?" She asked, ignoring both of the Arrancar beside him, they didn't seem to mind.

"What do you think?" Grimmjow sneered.

"Good, lets go."

"It's been a week since they've taken both Sayomi and that human girl. They haven't made a single move since then... What should we do?" Lisa asked.

All of the eight remaining Vizard were gathered in the space that was used as a living room, they all looked a bit more serious than usual and the air was tense.

"What can we do? We have to wait, we don't have much choice," Love replied.

"Who said we had to do anything?" Kensei snorted.

"What's been with you, Kensei? You don't seem ta care that yer little princess is gone," Hiyori observed.

"I'm not as naïve as the rest of you," he retorted.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean you over sized jerk?" Hiyori shouted.

"Quiet down, Hiyori," Shinji groaned, twisting a finger in his ear as he grimaced. "He means what we're all thinking, but won't say."

"And just what is that?" Kensei asked.

"That Sayomi wanted to go."

Everyone went quiet, it had been something they had all thought of as a possibility. It was no secret that she wanted to kill her brother. Combined with her actions over the past several weeks and the fact that she was in the complete opposite direction of the store at the time the Arrancar had invaded did little to help anyone think otherwise. The only thing that made them question whether it had been her intention or not was the way Shinji described her confrontation with the one Arrancar who had wounded her. He had said she had been taken completely by surprise, the look on her face had been real and not an act.

"So what do we do?" Love asked soberly.

"Leave it alone," Kensei said brusquely. "There's no doubt in my mind that she had this planned."

"Even so, did she plan only on being taken there or does she plan on joining with Aizen," Rose questioned.

"We'll find out soon enough," Shinji replied seconds before several strong spirit energies entered the area, pressing down against them enough to make them gasp in surprise and adjusting their own reiatsu accordingly.

"Remember why you're here," Sayomi turned to say to the three men who were standing behind her as they exited the blackness that made up the Garganta and stepped into the clear bright blue sky above Karakura town. Under normal circumstances she would be seen in such an inconspicuous place, but Aizen had asked one of the Espada, Szayel Aporro Grantz, the resident pink haired oddball scientist in Hueco Muendo, to make a bracelet for her to wear that would make her invisible to all but Soul Reapers and any type of Hollow. The bracelet was just a plain silver bangle that was currently on her left wrist, dangling there as she focused on Grimmjow and ignored the other two nameless Arrancar behind him.

"What the fuck are ya lookin' at me for?" He grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning back to stare back at her insolently.

"You're the one who likes to go off on your own and it ends up causing more trouble than necessary. Remember that while you're here you're here to provide me with an opportunity to get the candy idiot to tell me what he's up to. I can't do my job if you don't do yours and keep the few Soul Reapers and various other people who might interfere away from me. Now," Sayomi said, sticking her right arm out to her side. "Breathe, Fuyukaze. With that being said," she continued as the decorative blue sheath of Fuyukaze formed in her hand and a sharp, cold wind stirred around her. "We should start with the three behind me, just don't kill them please."

"What three be-"

Grimmjow never finished his question when Sayomi unsheathed Fuyukaze in a swift, fluid movement, pivoting on her heel to block the blade of Hiyori's sword from trying to take her head off. She pushed the small blond away from her easily, sending her skidding through the air. She stopped a few feet in front of Shinji and Kensei who were eying the four white clad people carefully, and quite angrily in Kensei's case.

"What did I tell you?" Kensei growled as he narrowed his eyes at Sayomi in her white uniform. "She's with them now. The kidnapping was a fake."

"Yeah, yeah," Shinji sighed, adjusting the gray cap on his blond head. "But I still think there's more to this than that."

"Who the hell are these freaks?" Grimmjow asked, stepping up behind Sayomi, his eyes glinting almost happily at the idea of a fight.

"Old friends," Sayomi replied monotonously. "So do me a favor and don't kill them."

Grimmjow smirked, leaning down to put his mouth by Sayomi's ear. "And what do I get in return?"

With a twitch, her eyes narrowed. Sayomi turned her head just enough to glare at Grimmjow. "Fine, you can kill the girl, but the other two stay alive, got it?"

"Throw in a kiss and you have a deal," he answered, his smirk growing at the annoyance that was plain in Sayomi's icy eyes.

Sayomi shrugged nonchalantly after a moment. "Sure." Turning her attention back to the three people in front of her she said, "Well, it was nice of you to come and say hello, but I have an appointment with someone. So if you'll excuse me I'll leave you to play with Kitten here and his little friends."

"Would you stop calling me that?" Grimmjow snapped.

"No, it's cute. Plus it wasn't part of the deal," Sayomi replied with a wicked wink.

"Stop ignoring us like we ain't even here," Hiyori shouted as she charged at them.

"Have fun, kitten," Sayomi sang, winking at Grimmjow when he growled and raised his hand as if to hit her before flashing off towards Urahara's. She let a low growl slip through her throat as she took a glance over her shoulder to see that Kensei was following her. She figured Shinji and Hiyori were keeping her three escorts busy, but she didn't think it would take long before they retreated. They couldn't risk drawing too much attention to themselves and at the moment Ichigo and two other Soul Reapers were headed towards the fight. She easily recognized Rangiku's spirit energy and the one with her was vaguely familiar, it took her a moment, but she pegged the reiatsu as belonging to the white haired boy that had been with Rangiku when she had seen her at the school. "Dammit," she cursed, landing on a nearby building and coming to a halt.

The sounds of Kensei's heavy black combat boots hitting the concrete of the roof was carried on the wind like an ominous clap of thunder. He stood facing Sayomi's barely clothed back as she stared vacantly off into the distance, her snow white hair dancing behind her in the light breeze that was sweeping over the roof.

"It means so much to you to kill your brother that you would betray the people who care about you and would have done anything to help you?" He asked calmly.

"I didn't want to betray anyone, Kensei, but I didn't have many options. In order to accomplish my goal I needed to be where he was, and now I am," she replied, still facing away from him.

"Why are you here?"

"I need to talk with Urahara," she answered shortly.

"Why?"

"Because I was ordered to."

"So you take orders from Aizen now?" Kensei growled.

"I don't have much choice if I want to gain their trust, do I?"

"And just how far are you willing to go to do that, Sayomi?"

She turned to face him, her expression was controlled, calm, but there was a sadness in her eyes that took her a moment longer to school into blank pools. "As far as I have to. Aizen is not to be taken lightly, but if I can get his trust I can end this and there won't have to be a war or needless bloodshed. I don't expect you to ever forgive me, but at least understand that I am doing what I feel is right."

"You always feel that what you're doing is right, you're a woman for crying out loud," he snapped testily. "This time though, you're wrong, Sayomi. Helping the ones who betrayed us, the ones who were responsible for what happened to us a hundred years ago just to get your revenge, is not right. We were your friends, Sayomi, your only friends and you betrayed us. How does it feel to know you have no one left?"

"It actually makes me feel a lot better knowing that," she replied softly, turning around and pointing a finger at him. "Makes it easier to do this, bakudo nine, Geki." There was a blinding flash of red light that engulfed Kensei making him unable to move from his spot. "For what it's worth I don't plan on being a problem to you all for long."

Kensei growled at her, he couldn't even move to try and struggle, he was completely paralyzed as he watched her turn and flash step away.

She made it to the Urahara Shoten quickly and wasn't surprised to see the blond shopkeeper leaning against the wall of his shop. His hat was covering his eyes and his arms were folded over his chest. It was easy to see that he was in a serious mood as he pushed himself away from the wall without a word and walked into the shop, leaving the door open behind him. Casting a quick glance around herself Sayomi flashed after the blond. She found him sitting at his round table, a cup of steaming hot tea in front of him and another on the opposite side of the table. Taking the seat opposite Urahara and setting Fuyukaze in her lap, her hands folded primly over the sheath, she raised her blue eyes to look at Urahara. His eyes were shadowed by his hat, his hands were folded in his lap and at first glance it would almost appear as if the man were meditating.

"I take it you know why I'm here?" Sayomi asked coolly.

"I have an idea, but I never thought you of all people would willingly go to Aizen's side."

"We do what we must."

"Yes, we do, don't we," he replied with a faint smile. "It's strange though, sending you to find out what I'm up to. You already have an idea, don't you? You knew the night that Ichigo and the others came back that I was given orders from Soul Society."

"You're right. I have an idea, but I figured Aizen doesn't need to know that. As for sending me here, it makes perfect sense and I'm sure you know why."

"Aizen has always had a strange fascination with you, you just never seemed to notice. You were quite taken with Byakuya long before he met you after all. By sending you to do some dirty work for him, he's ensuring that you are not only trustworthy, but that your status as a traitor to Soul Society is noticed as well as the fact that you are still alive. You're putting yourself into a tight corner, Sayomi, that's a little unlike you. You usually think things through so well."

"It seems I failed to take into account that Aizen is a creepy, manipulative bastard," she retorted. "But that's what I figured too, it's just hard to tell with that man. I'm being trapped in a game I started, I'm not too happy about that, but I'll have to deal with it. I need to earn his trust and to do that I need you to spill what you know willingly or I'll have to force it out of you."

He sighed, taking a sip of his tea before standing from the table. "In that case, lets go downstairs. Shall we?"

"With pleasure. I've always wanted to kick your ass, but you always managed to get out of sparring with me," Sayomi replied with a dark smile.

Chuckling, Urahara led her to the trap door that led to the underground room. "Well, you can be quite scary sometimes. Can you blame me?"

Sayomi opened her mouth to reply, but cocked her head to the side as if listening for something. "Looks like you got lucky, Kisuke."

"Huh?" He grunted in confusion, blinking at her back and rubbing at his head.

She strapped Fuyukaze to her back, the hilt over her left shoulder, before taking off from the shop and leaving a few snowflakes drifting idly in her wake. When she reappeared she was crouched in the sky, Fuyukaze gripped in both hands and held above her head, blocking a blow from Grimmjow's sword that would have landed on a wounded, but still quite feisty busty woman wearing a very familiar pink scarf. A quick glance around was enough for her to get a handle on the situation. The two other Arrancar were fighting with the short white haired boy who, judging by the haori he wore, was the captain of the Tenth Division. Ichigo was just a little to the right, it appeared that he had been fighting Grimmjow and he was pretty torn up at the moment. She figured that Rangiku must have stepped in to try and help him.

"What the hell?" Grimmjow growled angrily at her.

"What did I say about killing?" Sayomi asked coldly, locking her light blue eyes with Grimmjow's darker ones. "I said, not to do it, right?"

"Only about the other two," he grumbled, scratching his head and looking away. "And they all took off before these ones showed up."

"S-Sayomi?" The red head that she had just protected stuttered out in confusion.

Sighing, Sayomi turned her head to face the woman. "It's been awhile, Rangiku. Hey, Ichigo," she said as she glanced at the orange haired teen that was staring up at her with wide, confused amber eyes.

"Why are you... What the hell is going on, Sayomi?" Ichigo shouted angrily, his eyes narrowing and his fist tightening its loose grasp on the hilt of his zanpakuto.

"That's enough," Sayomi demanded over her shoulder, directing her comment to the two Arrancar fighting the captain.

When they stopped and joined her and Grimmjow the white haired captain blinked at her. "Who are you?" He asked, his voice demanding that she answer.

She ignored him entirely "We're leaving," she said to Grimmjow, sheathing her zanpakuto as she turned her back to the surprised Rangiku, and completely ignoring the disgruntled glare she was getting from the captain.

"Did you get what we came here for?" Grimmjow asked.

Sayomi shot him an annoyed glare before shaking her head and looking away. "No."

"Then what the-"

"I said we're going," Sayomi repeated forcefully, she had been a captain once and she knew how to get people to listen to her commands. This was no exception, she shot Grimmjow a challenging look, but he clenched his teeth while shoving his hands in his pockets and looking away.

"Sayomi, I thought you were dead... What happened to you? Why are you helping them?" Rangiku questioned, confused and unsettled.

Sayomi turned back around and offered an apologetic smile. "It's a long story, Rangiku, but I'll tell you this much; Soul Society betrayed me before I ever betrayed them."

"Wait! What the hell is going on! You were taken by them! How come you're helping them? And where is Orihime?" Ichigo demanded taking several steps towards Sayomi.

"Orihime is fine. As long as she is useful Aizen won't harm her, but I have no reason to answer any of your other questions," Sayomi replied blandly. "My business in Hueco Muendo doesn't concern you, so it's best if you just stay out of my way and behave like a good little Soul Reaper."

Balling his hands into fists at his sides, Ichigo ran forward in an attempt to grab Sayomi's arm. He didn't get far when his hand was caught in Grimmjow's fist and he was sent reeling backward as a fist connected with his cheek.

"I could have handled that," Sayomi pointed out stubbornly.

"You're welcome," Grimmjow grunted.

"We're leaving, now," she said forcefully.

"Yeah, yeah, stop your bitching," he muttered, raising a hand to slice through the air in front of the four of their group.

"Back so soon?" Aizen inquired airily as Sayomi was led into a large white room.

The room was bare except for the large couch in its center that faced the wide, open balcony that looked over the continuous night that shrouded Hueco Muendo in a never ending darkness.

"Yes, I wasn't able to get the information you had asked for, I got a little sidetracked. I know Urahara was asked to do something, but I don't know what," Sayomi replied, standing before the single couch that Aizen was sitting on.

"So you failed? I had expected as much."

"You didn't believe I was capable of such a simple task? What a rude thing to say," Sayomi said blandly, tweaking a brow up in offense and crossing her arms arrogantly over her chest.

"That's not what I meant at all, Sayomi. I didn't expect you to accomplish your task because you lied to me, didn't you?" He asked smoothly, a smirk pulling the right side of his lips upward.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, trying a lot harder than she would have thought just to keep from shivering at the look she was receiving and keeping her face blank.

"Why don't you have seat?" Aizen offered, smiling a deviously warm smile while patting the spot right beside him.

"I'd rather stand."

Aizen chuckled. "You don't trust me. That hurts my feelings, but that's alright. I don't trust you either."

It took a lot of effort to not shift her eyes from Aizen's challenging and dark stare, there was something predatory in those brown eyes as they stared at her and it unnerved her. "I haven't earned your trust yet, so I don't expect you to trust me. Is there someway to make up for my failure?"

"Determined little thing, aren't you? Why are you trying so hard to win my trust, you want to kill your brother and you've had plenty of opportunities, so why haven't you taken any of them?"

She could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she silently cursed herself for having under estimated the man that was smirking at her like a rabid wolf. Forcing a laugh, she smiled lopsidedly. "If you knew that I lied and was only here to try and kill my dear big brother, then why go through the trouble of testing me and letting me wander around here freely?"

"What do you think is happening in Soul Society right now?" He asked.

"I don't know and I can't say I really care."

"You should care since it's highly likely that the order for your capture is being given to the remaining captains."

Aizen raised a brow when Sayomi openly laughed at his statement. "I'm afraid I'm not as optimistic as you are, I doubt that I'll be wanted alive as captured implies. It's more likely that my death sentence is being handed down and I also know that there will be one captain who will take it upon himself to be the deliverer of that sentence."

"It seems your list of allies is growing thin, Sayomi," Aizen commented.

"Which is exactly what you wanted, I just don't know why."

"See, this is why I like you, you're smart. I do have a question though, if you knew that sending you to the living world was a trap, why go?"

"You asked me to," she replied simply. "I would have been disobeying direct orders if I hadn't."

"But your allegiance doesn't lie with me," Aizen stated.

"Does it matter where my allegiance lies? I have nowhere to go, I have betrayed everyone who ever cared about me and I am an enemy to the only place I have ever considered to be my home. If I hadn't done as you had asked it would have caused me too much trouble. I came here knowing full well what it meant when I did so. I may not share the same goals as you, but what choice do I have but to obey you while I'm here. Especially now that I don't have any place to go, but here. If I leave I'll be killed by either the Soul Reapers I have detested for so long, or by the people who I betrayed to come here."

"Nicely said, but you haven't betrayed everyone who cares about you. You still have Gin and myself, ah, but you want to kill your brother I almost forgot. If you do that, what will you do then?"

She didn't answer, she didn't have an answer to give, she had no idea what she was going to do after carrying out her goal of killing Gin. She turned to gaze out over the many white sand dunes that reflected the moon's bright glow, it was like looking at some alien land as she looked over the vast nothingness that made up Hueco Muendo. Her eyes widened when icy fingertips were placed on her chin, moving her head so that she was facing Aizen as he stood over her. The predatory look was in his eyes again as he stared at her as if he were waiting to devour his next meal. She tried to step back, but winced when the the hand the fingers belonged to clamped down on to her flesh.

"You could always stay here, I would be more than willing to have you by my side. You could be my queen," Aizen suggested.

"I'm not naïve enough to think that you would allow me to sit by your side as a queen. I would be nothing but your entertainment and I'm not interested in being treated like a brainless whore," Sayomi replied defiantly, she was struggling to keep her breathing normal as her eyes stayed focused on Aizen's hungry brown orbs. The coldness radiating from him, the hate as well as the sheer power was intimidating even for Sayomi who was counted as one of the strongest captains during her time as the Tenth Division's captain.

"And if I told you I had no use for a whore, that I'm looking for something more than that? Like a woman who is capable of bearing me a strong child."

"I wouldn't believe you. You don't strike me as the type of man that cares about others and their feelings. You care for yourself and your goals, and that's it. I'm not interested in anything you have to offer me." She had no idea how it was that she was still on her feet, part of her figured it had to be because of the fingers that were bruising her white skin as Aizen's grip tightened painfully on her jaw. There was a flare in his reiatsu that made Sayomi gasp in surprise as she raised her own to counter the effects and lessen the pressure that was bearing down on her like an ocean.

"I see," he said coldly, releasing her from his hold, the reiatsu fading. "I want a queen, Sayomi and I will have one. You may go."

Swallowing and bobbing her head, she turned and walked to the door. She wanted to run, but didn't want to give the brown eyes watching her the satisfaction of seeing that she was shaken at all. Even once she was out the door she kept her pace controlled, her steps even, but her eyes stared blankly at the mirror-like surface of the floors. It was one of the times she was grateful to the training she had undergone as a child in a noble household, it helped her maintain an air of detached calm even when she wasn't all that calm.

"What do you want?" She asked harshly, raising her eyes to coldly regard the blue haired Espada that was leaning against the wall, his head resting on the hard surface as he stared at the opposite wall. His hands were shoved in his pockets and one leg was raised so that one foot was casually braced against the wall.

Grimmjow's blue eyes cornered over to her briefly before he pushed himself away from the wall and began to walk away from her without a word. Not knowing what else to do and since she was headed in the same direction, Sayomi fell into step a few paces behind him. When they walked out of the hall and into one of the large rooms that branched off into different areas of Los Noches, Sayomi stifled a gasp and her eyes widened. In the long rectangular room that was surrounded by hallways and stairwells, were several of the Espada members and their Fraccion, all of them had their eyes on her, watching her hungrily as she walked behind Grimmjow. It seemed her failure was already known and they must have sensed her reiatsu flare in response to Aizen's attempt to subdue her.

She could barely help sighing in relief when they walked through the hall that led to Sayomi's room, but her relief was short lived. There was a loud screech as Sayomi dropped into a crouch, partially unsheathing Fuyukaze from his place on her back.

"It's not very nice to attack people without warning, and from behind no less," Sayomi said as she turned to look at her attacker. "Is there something that you'd like to say, Nnoitra?" She stood up, the blade of Fuyukaze scraping against the curved blade of Nnoitra's strange weapon that was two crescent shaped blades that were fused together and attached to a staff like pole. She was standing in between the curve of the outer blade, her eyes were focused on Nnoitra's right eye since his left was covered by an eye patch.

"Yeah, I got something to say," the tall, thin black haired man chortled. "I don't like women who think they can do as they please, I should teach ya a lesson in obedience."

"Do you think you could?" Sayomi asked coolly, fully drawing Fuyukaze and pushing the man away from her.

"I am the strongest Espada," he yelled brazenly. "You could never touch me."

"Is that so?" Sayomi replied, her face hardened and her eyes went blank, hiding whatever thoughts that were playing through her mind. "I'm afraid that you're wrong because it's you who will never touch me."

Nnoitra's face twisted angrily. "Tch. A little girl like you couldn't even scratch me."

"I've already proven you wrong."

Grimmjow's eyes widened, as did Nnoitra's and almost every other Arrancar's. None of them had been able to track her movements, but she was no longer standing behind Grimmjow. She was just behind Nnoitra, her back to his as a cut bloomed on the exposed portion of his chest, blood spurting into the air and raining down on the marble floor.

"You little b-"

"Now, now what's with the commotion, hm?"

All eyes shifted to see the grinning Gin walking through one of the hallways, his arms in folded in front of him as he walked.

"I was showing Nnoitra that women are not to be underestimated, especially me," Sayomi replied, sheathing Fuyukaze and turning around to walk back to where Grimmjow stood. "The next time he attacks me...I'll kill him."

"Can't say I blame ya, he's a bit too forward, ain't he? He should learn some manners before Aizen-sama finds out he has none," Gin said, grinning at Nnoitra.

"Tch," was the only reply that was given before Nnoitra stalked off, many of the other Espada and their Fraccion beginning to leave as well.

"I was hopin' to have a word with you, little sis, can you spare a few minutes for your older brother?" Gin inquired.

Sayomi's eye twitched, but she nodded stiffly. "Of course."

"Good," he replied cheerfully. "Sorry to be stealin' her from you, Grimmjow, but I'll give her back. I promise."

"Keep her as long as ya want, she's damn frustrating," Grimmjow mumbled, running his hand through his hair.

"She can be a bit stubborn, it's part of her charm," Gin smiled and ruffled Sayomi's hair.

The statement made Sayomi jolt in surprise, it brought back a lot of memories of her childhood, so much so that she scowled and swatted the hand away from her head. Smoothing her hair and spinning around with her hands on her hips, she glared at her brother. "I am not stubborn!" She snapped childishly.

She received a chuckle in reply and another pat to the head, much to her displeasure. "Come along, Sayomi, we'll have tea and play with the hallways."

Growling, she stomped off after Gin. "Stop treating me like a kid!" She shouted at him.

"But you are a kid."

"I am not!"

"You'll always be my kid sister, so you're just going to have ta deal with it."

"No way! I'm an adult, adult, dammit!"

"Could've fooled me," Gin muttered teasingly.

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Well, that is why you came here, isn't it?" Gin asked, turning to face her, his grin dropping from his face. "To kill your big brother?"

Sayomi stopped abruptly, staring in shock up at the taller man. He seemed sad, but she didn't buy it. "Yes, that's why I came here," she answered, no trace of emotion in her voice as she spoke.

Gin sighed and scratched at his head as he frowned. "To think ya used to be such a cute kid.. I'd have done anything to protect you, my baby sister, that had no one but me. I didn't want to kill you, but I didn't want you to die at the hands of someone who didn't care about you. Will you at least hear me out before you kill me? I'd like to tell you what really happened. "

"Why?" She snapped bitterly. "So you can lie to me? I don't want to hear your lies, excuses, any of it. You betrayed me! You tried to kill me! Your baby sister, Gin! So much for trying to protect me and always be there for me, you liar," she shouted, shaking with rage, her chest heaving as she clenched her fists at her sides. She was surprised by her own outburst and even more surprised when she realized that there was something warm trailing down her face. Wiping a hand over her cheek, she stared in stunned silence at the wetness she found there.

"I've never lied to you, Sayomi, not even when you were a kid. I always told you the truth, no matter how ugly it was though I will admit to leaving a few details out here and there. Come on, tea's gettin' cold," Gin told her, turning around and gesturing for her to follow. "We have some catchin' up to do."

She followed after him for lack of any other ideas. Her mind was reeling at the moment and she wanted to believe what he said so badly that it hurt. It was unexpected. For so long she had lived hating him, or at least she thought so, but now she wasn't so sure if it was hate or just resentment for having had to feel the sadness and loneliness of being betrayed by your own flesh and blood. Part of her wanted to understand, to be able to know the truth about what had happened and that part of her hoped that the reasons were enough to overpower the hate that she still harbored for her brother. She didn't want to kill him. She loved him. She wanted her big brother back, as foolish as the thought was.

Foolish thoughts were nothing new to her though. After all, she had clung to the idea of being able to reunite with Byakuya for years after leaving the Soul Society. She had clung so much to her love for him and her memory of him that it took his supposed death to make her begin to let him go, and even then she had never truly forgotten about him or stopped loving him. Even now, even after hearing he had moved on and married, after hearing him tell her she should return to the dead as if she were nothing to him and never had been, she still loved him.

She was a fool and she knew it. Kensei had once told her that she spent too much time living in the past. She hadn't really understood what he meant then, because you can't live in any time but the present. However, she thought she understood better now. She had always clung so to tightly to what had once been, to memories and dreams that she couldn't forget, that she didn't want to forget, that she hadn't really lived since leaving Soul Society. Rather than put forth the effort to live, she had instead pretended it was all something like a dream, but she never woke from the dream to return to where her heart wanted so badly to be.

She never would, but that didn't mean that one couldn't learn to take charge of their own dreams.

~A/N~

Too tired for much elaboration on anything...

Thank you to all of my lovely readers! You're the bestest!

Now if you would feed the monster it would be much appreciated. Thank you!