BLEACH fanfiction - part 5

During my time in the real world, I realise Aizen's experiments finally caught up with me. I pay a little visit to the vizards to ask for their help as I feel like I'm turning into a hollow even though my shinigami powers are gone.

I tell them I have very few memories of my time there but I'm sure that whatever he did to me finally kicked in. They decide to train me just like they did with Ichigo just in case I'm right. Turns out, I am. Except I'm like an incredibly better version than they are. I'm stronger, faster, and much more in touch with my dark side. On top of everything, I feel hungry when I'm around them and realise I can eat them in order to absorb their powers just like hollows do. I'm like a version 2.0 of what they are. Somehow they manage to keep me under control and I gain full power of my new skills thanks to their training.

I train with Hiyori at first then with Shinji a lot. Little by little, after training with each of them, I find myself training with Kensei a lot. 

He has a style of combat that suits me and I feel connected to him more than the others somehow (little do I know why since he hasn’t told me yet he used to be the captain of the 9^th squad just like I was). I find my place with them and create a deep bond with all of them. I spend most of my free time training with them or hanging out and I learn more and more about them and their past. Kensei and I even become inseparable. The tie I have now with them has become as strong if not even stronger than the one I had with my friends in Gotei 13.

Everything is going great until one day I lose complete control of the hollow inside me and start attacking them to swallow them whole. They fight back for a while but it's getting dangerous for them. Before they get to their last resort and imprison me until I regain consciousness (if I can), Kensei calls my name just when I'm about to eat the mask of his former vice-captain. His voice gets through me. By calling my name softly over and over, he finally reaches my soul not completely absorbed by the hollow. I open my human eyes just in time and stop myself from eating her.

Shinji seems intrigued by what just happened. He tells me I may have actually been released on purpose at Hueco Mundo to be sent here to eat them all because they are a threat to Aizen and his plans but it looks like I have a trigger to turn back.

His theory is that, even though I was released intentionally, it was just too early as Aizen's plan was for me to turn at Las Noches for the first time under his observation so he could be the first one to talk to me making his voice a trigger. That way, it would turn whatever he would say to me into an order I couldn't refuse to obey. Since Kensei was the one I was training with when I actually turned fully for the first time, it makes sense that he's now the one in possession of this trigger. He then smiles with his usual smirk.
“It's either that or you've fallen in love with him.”
I'm blushing so hard it feels like my face is on fire. He seems to have seen right through me before I could even realise what I was feeling. I know Shinji is teasing me but he's telling the truth and I’m not sure I’m ready to hear it, let alone talk about it. I get lost in deep, troubling feelings. And just as I thought I had a handle on my inner hollow, I turn back into the unstoppable monster I just was. 

Testing his theory, Shinji asks Kensei to tell me to stop but since I'm now aware of his power over me, I decide to take a desperate measure. I pierce my rib cage with my right hand and take my own heart out leaving a black hole just like a real hollow. Kensei's words still reach me like Aizen's would but the fact I don't feel anything for him any more gives me a certain free will whether to follow the order or not. The others panic seeing I'm uncontrollable.

Losing my humanity that way creates a connection in my brain and makes me remember the way Aizen tortured me in order to get control of my hollow self.
He was using his illusion power to make me believe I was witnessing terrible tortures on the people I loved. He would make me watch them die over and over and over again in horrible scenarios. He needed me to turn and if I didn't, he would cut, burn, shoot, or kill Kenpachi, Yachiru, Yumichika or Ikkaku. Under the flow of my tears, I repeated:
“I can’t!” I would repeat between my tears. “I would if I could but I can’t control it. Please stop!”
“I'll stop when you turn.”

Aizen always had that calm, peaceful face even when he was smiling like a sadistic monster.
“I can't. I told you I can't. Please let them go! Stop hurting them. They have nothing to do with this.”
“Turn and they'll be free.”
“I CAN'T!!!”
“So I can't release them... Then after they die, I’ll kill them some more.”

 
All the pain from this terrible memory just comes back and I lose control of my anger. At this moment, I feel Aizen's reiatsu in the real world. I leave with all my rage and decide to make him pay for turning me into this monster. When I get there, the fight has already started. One of the 4 pillars is down. The captains are fighting the Espada. I take the opportunity no one is looking in the ring of fire where Aizen is locked to get in and confront him. Little did I know I had a backup switch and Aizen's voice can still control me even though he wasn't there for my first transformation. Actually, the fact that I ripped my own heart out gives him free access to my powers and the fact I'm no longer a shinigami makes me a lethal weapon. He laughs at my stupidity. Then he tells me to start the white Web prison process.
 
When he did his experiments on me, Aizen managed to extract my bankai and turn it into a trans-dimensional prison where I can lock souls up wherever they are just the way I'd use my bankai on them. He multiplied this process so I can get up to 6 people in at the same time. They can't get out or use their reiatsu until I'm dead (or until Aizen tells me to stop...). If they try to free themselves and somehow succeed, I die. Also, he ordered me not to kill myself and put Tousen (who I thought I killed but it was actually just one of Aizen's illusions) in charge of my protection. The souls I lock up are decided, depending on their connection with me.
As soon as the order is out, I get the 6 of the strongest people I love the most locked in my bankai. Each of them separately in their own cell of nothingness. A fraction of my subconscious stays with them mainly to explain what's going on but also make sure they're not trying to escape. I decide to take this opportunity to have a one on one chat with the people I love most.  That also means these guys are out of the fight for the time being... I make up my mind. I'll say my goodbyes to all those who are the dearest to me then kill myself.
 

I find myself alone with my 2 best friends, each of them in their own separate bubble, they can’t see each other but I can see both of them separately but simultaneously. I explain the situation and tell them about my plan. In order to let them be part of the fight asap, I have to kill myself. 
Yumichika looks puzzled.
“I thought you couldn't do that.”
“Aizen may be smart,” I smile, “but I'm just a first experiment he didn't have the time to complete.”
 
“You're going to give up?” asks Ikkaku.
“I'm not.” I contradict. “Dying is the way I'll win this fight.”
 
Yumichika looks gloomy.
“Isn't there another option?”
“I've been through all the options and trust me, this is the way I'll win. This is the way we all win.”
 
Ikkaku stops me.
“What does Kenpachi has to say about that?”
“Pretty much the same thing I told you guys. This is my last fight. I'm going to die but I'm not losing. I'm dying with a laugh. This is my big triumph.”
 
When they finally accept my decision, we take the very limited time we have left to say our goodbyes.
 
 

I sit down on the emptiness of the bubble cell. Yumichika lies down next to me, his head resting on my lap. We talk about everything we won't be able to discuss any longer after this. I braid his hair on the side creating a hairstyle I know he'll keep afterward. Then we start talking seriously about his power.
“You should at least come clean to Ikkaku! You know he would never judge you and he will always accept you the way you are.”
He sighs.
“This is the way for you to reach the real beauty your potential is thriving for.” I say with a smile.
He looks up and I wink at him. He offers me a gentle laugh and closes his eyes. I finish his new hairstyle in silence. Then I feel it's almost time. We get up and I say goodbye. He holds me tight. Without even looking, I can feel his smile fading away.
“Don’t frown,” I say, “or your beautiful face will wrinkle.”
He laughs again and looks fondly at me. I remind him not to look down on his own power and promise him that, whenever he'll smile, I'll smile right by his side. I kiss his cheek softly and slowly disappear.
 
 

Ikkaku and I sit face to face and discuss my plan, the battle against Aizen, the fights we just witnessed, etc... I tell him off for not using his bankai by pride against the arrancar.
“ Your mission was to protect the pillar and by not using your full power you put everyone else in danger!”
“I know, I screwed up…”
“Look, I know what your pride means to you, believe me, but there are some battles within yourself you shouldn't be afraid to back down from. You’re strong enough to work this out and sometimes pride isn't what it looks like.”
He gets up. Noticing he seems upset about something else, I get up to and face him, forcing him to stop. I ask him what's troubling him. He thinks for a minute and starts blushing.
“I’m going to miss the crap out of you…”
I laugh but stop suddenly when he hugs me. Shocked by his gesture, I open my eyes wide but embrace the moment and hug him back. He steps back after a few seconds and looks deep into my eyes.
 “I’m proud of having fought by your side.”
“You have no idea how much I understand!” I smile, my eyes filling up with tears. “Always remember that whenever you'll fight, I'll always be fighting with you.”
Then I slowly disappear.
 
 

After I explain where he is and what’s going on, Hisagi sits. I sit too, my back against his.
“I'm so sorry you’re about to lose another captain. But I know you can make it through this difficult situation.”
I mention his tattoo and tell him I met someone with the same on their chest.
“Who was it?”

He sounds very interested so I tell him the whole story of what happened to me, how I became a hollow and how I heard the Vizards also became hollows before me.
“Kensei and the others trained me and I developed a deep relationship with them.”
Hisagi seems fascinated by my story. He tells me his tattoo comes from Kensei as he admired him.
“I always admired him after he saved me when I was a kid.”

As we both reminisce, we start feeling nostalgic and I tell him I don't want to feel sad for my last moment with him so I change the subject and start talking about his power.
“As my last advise to you as your captain, please make peace with your zanpakutou and start embracing your full strength. The only way for you to control it, is to understand it and accept it the way it is.”
 I hold his hand in mine.
“Whenever you feel uncertain, remember that I'll be right by your side to give you the confidence you need to believe in yourself and in your zanpakutou.” I kiss his forehead and dematerialize. 
 
 

After discussing the plan of my death in order to win this fight and take back their place in that battle against Aizen, Kenpachi turns his back at me. I know he's just avoiding to meet my eyes until I go. I get close to him and raise my hand to his back but I let go before I even touched him. I tell him I know what he's doing and I respect him and his decision but I remind him this is the last moment we'll ever going to see each other. I tell him no one is around to see or hear us. I ask him to carefully consider what he's going to do and say because if he doesn't do it right, he'll regret it forever and this will haunt him.
He suddenly turns around and holds me tight with all the passion he usually puts in a fight. I'm a bit surprised he actually listened to me for once but glad he came to his senses and I hug him back. When he lets go of me, he looks at me in such a tender way, I barely recognise him.
“I’m proud of you,” he says. “I’m proud I had the chance to be your captain and your friend. I’m proud you gave me the chance to share a part of your life with me. I’m proud of your last fight and the way you leave this world with a laugh.”
“ I'm happy with the way it ends for me,” I tell him. “I'm happy I got to say goodbye to the ones I love most and I'm relieved you gave me a proper goodbye. I feel lucky I was able to share my life with the man I respect and admire like a god.
We stare at each other in silence for a while.
“Please remember that whenever you will hold your zanpakutou, I'll turn my eyes towards you and watch your fights. Please make sure to keep an eye on the others for me. And since I can’t ask her in person, make sure you ask Yachiru to keep taking good care of you.
Then I start to disappear. Before I'm completely gone, I see him smile at me so I smile back and vanish.
 
 

Kensei looks around him, trying to figure out what’s going on.
“Where am I?”
“In my bankai.” I answer.
“Interesting!” He smiles.
Once again, I explain the situation.
“At least I’m stuck here with you.” he says and winks at me.
I blush and smile.
“And it looks like you’re back to your normal self.” He adds.
“Yeah, looks like my hollow form is on the outside, trapped by Aizen’s leach.”
“That’s a relief!”
I smile again then start feeling guilty.
“Look, I’m sorry about ripping my heart out earlier. I think the hollow inside me heard when Shinji pointed out that your voice was the trigger because I had feelings for you. It probably thought it would free me from your grip and looks like it did.
Kensei doesn’t answer. He looks sad and that’s an emotion I have never seen on his face. I decide to tell him my plan to free everyone in my bankai by dying. Again, he doesn’t say anything. When I’m about to ask him what he’s thinking, he runs towards me so quickly, I don’t have time to gasp when he hugs me. He holds me so tightly, pressing my head against his chest. He runs his hand through my hair and kisses the top of my head.
- I’m going to miss you, he whispers.
I had no idea he was the emotional type but his words warm my heart and I hug him back, enjoying this moment until I slowly fade from his tight grip.
 
 
“You have got to be kidding me!” I say when I realise who is standing right in front of me.
“What’s happening?” asks Grimmjow when he understands he’s stuck in my bankai with me.
“What on earth are you doing here?” I ask, refusing to admit the reason for his presence in the web.
“Beats me!”
I roll my eyes and explain the situation once more.
“No idea why you of all people showed up!”
“Come on, you have to admit you and I had some good time back in Hueco Mundo!”
He winks at me with a grin. I want to slap his perfectly shaped face but I just smile instead.
“Anyway, now I guess you’ll just have to wait until I die do be released.”
“That’s kind of a bummer,” he says to my surprise. “I was hoping we'd get to fight side by side again.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
“I guess I’ll make the best of this little time we have left…”
He steps forward me. I step back. I don’t know what he means by that and what he’s planning on doing.
“Relax, I’m not going to bite you!”
He moves again to come closer then hugs me. Shocked by his behavior, I just stand there, unable to do anything.
“But you know, I have a feeling we’ll see each other again somehow. I have the feeling you’ll need me again!”
“Shut up!” I laugh, hugging him back.
He moves back and punches my shoulder gently.

Before I know it, I disappear as my physical body is dying in the real world.

BLEACH fanfiction - part 4

Once I get back, my wound worsened by the trans-dimensional trip, I fall down. I am brought to the 4th squad barrack and I get looked after by Unohana taichou. When I open my eyes after a long and deep sleep, Yamamoto and his lieutenant are in the room where I sleep alone. 

“You were warned,” the old captain says, “I have to punish you for your insubordination. From now on, you are no longer a shinigami, and this until further notice. As soon as you are fully healed, you will have to live in the real world again, but this time as a human.” 

I sigh. His tone makes me think I am never coming back to soul society. It’s not like it’s a surprise but I start regretting my foolishness. Was killing Tousen worth my status as a shinigami?

As soon as Yamamoto is gone, everyone in the 9th division comes over to my room to say hi. I explain the situation, telling them I am no longer their captain and Hisagi will now be in charge until I get back. I don’t tell them I probably never will because I can see they like having me as their captain and thinking I will come back gives them hope. They promise me they will never replace me and will patiently wait for my return. I offer them a proud and touched smile even though my heart brakes for them a little. They spend some time on my bedside then they all go back to their normal life, leaving Hisagi behind. Once we’re alone and after catching up a little on my health and real situation, he asks me what happened in Hueco Mundo. I understand what he’s really asking me.

“I killed him,” I simply say, refereeing to the one who hurt him when he left because he respected and admired him so much.

 I can see he’s torn between relief and sadness. I’m sure he would have preferred if I had changed Tousen’s mind and brought him back with me but I think that what I did was right and the best option for everyone. Tired by my fragile state and this conversation, I close my eyes while Hisagi is watching over me, sitting right by my futon.

After a few days in the 4th squad barrack, I am almost fully healed. When Unohana comes over to check up on me, she tells me I’m ready to leave. The others aren’t back from Hueco Mundo yet and I am hoping to wait here until they are. I ask her if she can pretend I’m not ready yet so I can say my goodbyes but she refuses. That bitch! We never liked each other anyway… She tells me she gives me an extra night then I’ll have to leave tomorrow first thing.

Before the sun goes down, Hisagi comes over for the last time. With butterflies in my stomach, I give him my last orders so he can become the taichou the 9th squad need. We decide to spend some time together to chat and drink sake until we both fall asleep. 

In the middle of the night, a big noise wakes me up. I get up, look around me and see Hisagi sleeping on the floor. I smile then hear the noise again. It sounds like someone is coughing. I get out of my room and walk along the hallway up to the last door. I open it and see Ukitake sitting on a futon, coughing his lungs off. He looks up to see who’s there and smiles when he realises it’s me. I think to myself if he’s here and not in his own house, something must be really wrong. He starts coughing again. I get to the table, put some tea in a cup for him, and bring it to him.

  He drinks it quickly and thanks me. I sit next to him and ask him how he’s feeling. He sounds pretty negative about his health which isn’t like him so I’m assuming it’s really bad. But he keeps his eternal warming smile on. He’s so strong despite his terrible health, I decide to stop complaining about my own problems. We spend the rest of the night chatting. I realise it’s my last night, my last chance to reveal everything I learned and know about Aizen so I let him know everything Gotei 13 needs to know to fight the guy. Everything I saw at Las Noches, the enemy resources, Aizen’s plans… I tell Ukitake everything that can help the shinigami destroy Aizen and his arrancars. When I’m done, I get up to leave him alone and rest.

“It was a pleasure meeting you and being your fellow captain,” he says before I reach the door.

At first, I think he’s saying that because he knows just like I do that I’m never going to come back from my banishment. But then I realise he said these words because he feels like when I’ll come back to soul society, he won’t be there anymore. A couple of tears fall down my cheeks and I decide to stay with him until the sun rises.

When morning comes, I say goodbye and wish good luck to Ukitake then I’m escorted to the portal by Yamamoto’s squad. There, I see everyone from the 9th squad waiting for me with Hisagi by the entrance of the portal. I keep my tears to myself this time, trying to look as proud as possible then I leave with a wave.

In the real world, Isshin allows me to live with me at first but I quickly get myself a job and a place to live. It’s been months since I heard anything from soul society. Even Isshin doesn’t seem to have any news from Ichigo. 

One night, I get myself cornered in a dark alley by some junkies. I smile, and instead of running, I start a fight. I got myself in trouble so many times since I got here, I’m well known by the local police for getting into fights. Usually, I do that to help people in need but this time it looks like I’m the one in danger. I punch to the ground those ridiculously weak guys. There are still 2 left but before I can finish them, I hear a familiar voice behind me. I turn around and see Yumichika and Ikkaku watching the show. Seeing them here burst the frozen wall that built up around my heart since I moved to the real world. Ikkaku smiles when he sees I noticed them.

“Are we interrupting something?”

I swallow up my tears of joy and excitement and wink at him.

“No I'm just about done here!”

I finish up with a couple of powerful kicks and run to my two favorite shinigamis to hold them so tightly I could strangle them. I thought I was never going to see them ever again and here they are, right in front of me! This time, I let the tears falling down my cheeks.

I invite them over so we can talk privately. The need to tell me everything that has been happening since I left. On the way, they start caching me up about everything I missed. Apparently, I haven’t missed much action since they came back from Hueco Mundo, only a lot of planning for the next big battle. Before we get to my place, they tell me they have a surprise for me. Before I can ask what it is, we turn around the corner in my street and I see Kenpachi, leaning against my door. My heart skips a bit and my legs stop functioning. I can’t walk, I can’t move at all, I can barely breathe. My body is getting too heavy and I kneel in the middle of the road, tears falling down my cheeks like a little girl. My former taichou comes towards me, picks me up, and carries me to my apartment.

Once we’re all in and I get myself back together, we all sit around the table. I offer them something to drink and we continue chatting. I tell them I’m worried I am never going to be called back to soul society again. That makes me mad because it meant the world to me and I feel like I lost my purpose in life. Kenpachi tells me I should trust Yamamoto and believe in the future. He seems to think the reason I’m stuck here isn’t just a punishment but also a precaution since Aizen got me under his control. I may have been turned into some kind of spy against my will, or worst, a weapon to be used to destroy Seretei. Kenpachi tells me he’s sure they’re going to ask me to come back as soon as Aizen is gone. I really want to believe that but I have the feeling he’s wrong and my exile is final. I’m afraid I’ll never go back home, be with the ones I love the most, do the thing that gives me a purpose, and inspires me. 

After an awkward silence, Yumichika and Ikkaku decide to leave me alone with their taichou. I take this opportunity to tell Kenpachi that Urahara gave me a pill I can take to erase my memory to avoid suffering from this situation.

“Do you want to forget about your life as a shinigami? Do you want to forget about your past, about what made you who you are? Do you want to forget about all of us?”

I bite my lips. He’s getting agitated. He’s about to get super pissed. I need to pick my words carefully.

“I know it sounds terribly selfish but this situation is unbearable! What choice do I have?”

Wrong words. Kenpachi stands up, slapping the table with both hands.

“It's just another fight. You're strong enough to make it. You'll go through it like any other fights.”

“This is different. I'll have no hope to find my life like it was before. This fight is too hard!”

I can feel tears of guilt and deep sadness building up in the corner of my eyes as Kenpachi’s expression is turning from angry to frustrated.

“So you're just gonna give up?”

“What else am I supposed to do?”

“Fight!”

“I can't. Not this time... It's too much!”

“At least you'll die trying! Not giving up like a coward!”

His words are stabbing my heart deeply. But the conversation is going around in circle and there’s nothing more to add. He walks to the door without even looking back at me. He opens the door but before leaving, he turns his face slightly, just enough to show me the disappointment in his eyes then disappears, slamming the door behind him.

My heart aches from the pain I read on his face. I feel guilty for hurting him like I did, I feel disappointed in myself for being so weak but can I really go on in life knowing I’ll never be a part of their lives?

After a few minutes where I seem to have lost myself in deep thoughts, someone knocks on the door. I open and see Yumichika. He’s alone and looking at me, sickened by what he may have just heard.

“So it's true? You're not going to fight ?”

I can’t even answer him as I am too ashamed that I even consider this as a possibility but can’t seem to find any other way.

“Where's Ikkaku?”

“He didn't want to come. He couldn't stand to look at you.”

His words are like a poisonous spear thrown right into my heart. The pain Kenpachi planted earlier is spreading through my body. I clench my fists. Yumichika turns around to leave but stops himself before reaching the corner of the street.

“By the way, I'm disappointed too!” 

He stays there without another word. He doesn’t turn around but he’s not leaving either. I don’t know if he’s expecting an answer or some kind of goodbyes. I can’t talk, I can’t even stand. I fall on the floor, and yell:

“Just leave!”

He does as he’s told with a sigh.

 

Just then, I feel all my frustration, my pain, my rage coming out and start shouting at the sky. When I gather enough energy, I run to the river to get some fresh air in the nigh. I keep reliving the scene in my head. I can see Kenpachi’s sad face, his eyes full of disappointment and anger. I can hear Yumichika’s sharp words. Ikkaku’s absence. It hurts a little more every time. Then, little by little, Kenpachi’s words find their way inside me. I know he’s right. I can’t give up. No matter how hard, how painful it is, I’m not the kind who just gives up.

I take the little pill out of my pocket. I look at it for a while then throw it into the water. I shout again at the sky but this time with a new determination. This is my new enemy, and no matter the difficulty, no matter how long this fight will last, I’ll destroy it just like all the others.

BLEACH fanfiction - part 3

I return to soul society, leaving the others in the real world, to report to Yamamoto and take back to my function as a captain. For weeks, I juggle my trainings with Kenpachi-sama with my time with the 9th squad. I work hard side by side with my lieutenant and learn as much about my duties as I learn about every member of my squad. After long talks with Hisagi, I start hating Tousen even more for being a traitor and giving up his squad like a coward.

One day, Kenpachi-sama asks me to pause our training for a while. Since he doesn’t explain why – because he’s too lazy to even come up with a lie – I decide to find out what’s going on. When I hear he was sent with a few other captains and lieutenants to Hueco Mundo as a rescue mission, I desperately want to join them. I ask Yamamoto if I can go there too but he tells me he has his reasons for not sending me and if I disobey and go despite his warning, I’ll be severely punished (since I’m still on probation from my shinigami slayer past) and lose my powers as a shinigami. Blinded by my thirst for revenge, I decide to go anyway.


Once I’m there, I don’t even need to look for Tousen since he came to me the moment I arrived on his ground. It seems like Aizen ordered him to finish me quickly. I see him walking towards me but he’s suddenly stopped by an arrancar with blue hair who appears to be as mad at him as I am. Intrigued, I stop for a second but push the arrancar out of my way to reach the goal of my little visit. The arrancar seems surprised and a little offended but stays put and watches my fight with Tousen.

An epic zanpakutou battle begins between the former captain and me. His bankai is somehow opposite of mine so it takes us forever to go anywhere. Sometimes, he seems to be close to winning but I always manage to beat him just in time. In between short periods of actual fighting and fencing, we have discussions about his choices and the consequences on the ones he left behind.

I take this opportunity to tell him I took his place and seem to be a much better job than he ever did there, I also let him know how Hisagi and the other members feel now. Since he doesn’t seem to care, I get even angrier at him and his detached behavior and attack endlessly until we both end up on the ground, half-dead. I’m as injured as he is but my rage still intact. I find enough strength in the fury of my heart to get up with the very little energy I have left and kill him.

The arrancar who is still watching us seems stunned by what I’ve just done. He comes to me and I brace myself for what’s coming. I think he will finish the job since I can barely move, let alone fight but instead, he helps me get up from the ground and introduces himself as Grimmjow, the n.6 Espada. He thanks me for killing Tousen even though he wished he had done this himself. I’m not sure I follow what was going on between those two but I couldn’t care less.
“I didn’t do that for you,” I say, exhausted but still standing. “It was personal revenge. If you had stood in the way, I would have killed you too!”
“Thanks anyway. With that pain out of my ass, I feel much better!” he answers, just before leaving me alone. “I owe you one!”
Whatever… I think once I get finally get some peace and quiet.
I fall on the ground again, too tired and in pain to keep walking.



Before I can recover, Aizen, who was watching our fight and got fascinated by my bankai, shows up and picks me up. He takes me to his quarters and locks me up in order to do some kind of experiment on me to turn me into a hollow. I spend an indefinite amount of time in there without moving from this table I’m chained on. I blackout most of the time and even though I know I’m being tortured, I can’t quite remember what Aizen was doing to me when I wake up. All I can feel is pain, deep, agonizing pain. One day, Grimmjow shows up and, without any explanation, frees me up. Quietly, we leave the torture chamber and he shows me the way to a tunnel that will lead to the exit of this terrible place. Before I go, he gives me my zanpakutou and wishes me luck. Unsure about why he did this, I feel a bit worried it may be a trap but I know there’s nothing worse than what I just left behind so I get in the tunnel and walk as quickly as I can, as far away from here as possible.



After days stuck in the caves, fighting menos grande, I start losing hope. I can’t seem to find the exit and I feel like the little energy I had left is coming to an end.

During a very intense battle against a bunch of menos grande, I feel like this is it for me. But just as I think about giving up, I find myself right in front of Grimmjow.
“What…? What are you doing here?” I ask, out of breath. “Quit following me around!”
“I’m not, I’m the one being followed. And it looks like you needed a hand here anyway.”
He looks at me with a satisfied grin. I roll my eyes and, between two strikes around, he explains he was being chased by Ichigo and co. but also by Aizen who realised he betrayed him.
I laugh out loud. What a crapy situation. But mine isn’t much better and to be honest, with his back against mine, I feel more confident fighting the menos grande. I know he’s supposed to be an enemy but right now, he’s an ally, and not a bad one of that, considering his powers and strength. With a new wave of hope and energy brought by the arrancar, I find the strength to get rid of all the menos grande around. But just as we thought we killed them all, one of them who wasn’t quite dead just yet, throws some sort of bone spear right at me. I only see it just before it gets to me and I don’t have time to move but Grimmjow, who seems to have seen it before me, jumps in front of it and takes the hit for me. Shocked, I take a few seconds to realise what just happened. When I do, I run to the menos grande, kill it off and run back to the arrancar. The spear went through his stomach and up to his back. He’s dying so I manage to hold him with his arm around my shoulder and walk towards a cave where we can be safe.
“What a pain,” I sigh.
Looking after him sounds like a bother but he did save my life… twice!
I lay him down on the ground and use my kimono to stop the blood from flowing out of the wound. I stay there, sitting next to him, watching him, hoping he’ll get better soon.
Finally, after a few hours, he wakes up. He can’t move just yet so we are stuck here for a while.
“Why don’t you go ahead and leave me behind?” He asks.
“Why did you save me from Aizen?”
He starts laughing but frowns when he realises that simple move hurts. We end up chatting like two old friends about what will happen to us after we get out of here if we manage to do so…
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to go back to soul society,” I say. “I came here against direct orders just to get my revenge on Tousen.”
He laughs again between two grimaces.
“Looks like you and I both have a problem with authority...”
I can’t help but laugh too. Despite the situation I’m in, and the fear of what’s ahead, I know I’ll do everything I can to go back and face the consequences of my violation of the code.  My face must have turned all serious because Grimmjow asks me:
“You have someone you care about who's expecting you back?”
Some images run across my eyes. I see the 9th squad and Hisagi, I see Ikkaku and Yumichika with Yachiru and Kenpachi. My heart aches. Yes, I am determined to get back and suffer any punishment if that means I get to see them all again.
“I guess I've gone soft...” I whisper, nostalgic.

After a couple of days, while I’m attending to his medical needs, I realise my bankai could actually be useful to Grimmjow. I could use my abilities to absorb the particles which are stopping him from healing. So here I go, using my bankai on the guy. When I get close to his lips to absorb the bad spiritual particles, both our faces turn red. The situation looks a lot more romantic than what it’s supposed to be and we are both super uncomfortable. I get passed the embarrassment and kiss him to fix his wound. As soon as I stop my bankai, I start spitting up blood. It appears the hollow particles turned out to be a poison for my body. I can’t seem to stop coughing and end up on the floor of our cave, struggling to breathe normally.

Just at that moment, a strange shinigami arrives and attacks a freshly healed Grimmjow. Half dead, I can’t stop them and the fight between the two lasts forever but in the end, the arrancar is about to win. Just before giving the last blow, Grimmjow looks at me. I shake my head no. He stops himself from killing the shinigami and helps him stand up instead. The stranger looks surprised and asks Grimmjow why he didn’t finish him off.
“She asked me not to.” He answers.
The other doesn’t seem to understand why a member of the Espada would follow my instructions. Suddenly, his face lights up for a moment then he frowns.
“Wait... Are you two... Together ?” He asks, apparently disgusted by the idea.
Both Grimmjow and I look super embarrassed and deny it straight away before he can picture anything else.
“She just saved my life,” explains Grimmjow.
“To be fair he saved mine first,” I add.
“That’s just because you helped me!” Grimmjow replies to me directly.
“I told you, I didn't do that for you!” I yell, annoyed to have to repeat myself on the matter.
The shinigami looks at us, puzzled…
“It’s… complicated…” we both say together.
We decide to explain our situation. We tell him that we are now stuck here and would like to get out. The guy can see I’m clearly unwell, maybe even dying because of what I just did to heal my new ally. He gives me something that helps me stand up and walk but it doesn’t completely cure me. Once I’m well enough to run for it, the shinigami helps us find the exit but he decides to stay behind for now and wait for Rukia who he apparently met just before and who promised to come back for him.

I leave him behind, full of regrets, and start running to meet the others. I focus on their reiatsu to find them and follow their spiritual print for hours until we finally meet Ichigo and his friends. When he sees who’s with me, he takes his zanpakutou and attacks Grimmjow who’s more than happy to fight back. I stop them straight away. Ichigo asks me why I try to defend the arrancar.

“He saved my life,” I say.
“Here we go again !” Grimmjow sighs next to me.
I briefly explain to the group what happened to me since I arrived at Hueco Mundo. Ichigo doesn’t seem happy about keeping Grimmjow alive, let alone as a part of our group but we all have other problems so we put our differences on one side for now. Grimmjow and I follow the group to where they were heading.

On our way, we see Kenpachi fighting an Espada. They both look pretty damaged but I stop the others from intervening to let my former captain have his fun. When he finally gets rid of his enemy, he falls and I run toward him to make sure he’s ok.
“What are you doing here?” He asks me, like it’s the most important thing to talk about on the verge of death.
“I came here to kill Tousen,” I simply reply while trying to help him stand up and walk.
“Did you find him?”
“I did…”
“Did you fight him?”
“I did…”
“And?”
“Well, am I dead?”
“Thaaat’s my girl!” He smiles.
We walk together and see that the others have started fights all over with all kinds of arrancar. I  make sure Kenpachi can walk on his own and leave him to Yachiru to go help but just at that moment, I start spitting blood again. Grimmjow, who wasn’t fighting, runs to me and holds me, a worried and guilty look on his face. Kenpachi sees me and meets up to ask me what’s going on. I tell him why I’m sick and he says I should go back to soul society to get some rest since I can’t be useful here in that state anyway. I agree to avoid being a burden. I prefer not mentioning that if I go back I’ll be severely punished for disobeying direct orders from captain commander Yamamoto. I don’t want them to worry about me while they’re risking their lives here.

Since Kenpachi still has some business to attend here, only Grimmjow escorts me to the portal. No one seems to care that we are escaping. Aizen’s attention must be on the big battles right now so we manage to get to the portal quickly without any interruptions.
“Thanks,” I say to the arrancar awkwardly before getting in.
“Don’t mention it,” he answers straight away, blushing.
How adorable is he when he’s worried and embarrassed?
“And take care,” he says more seriously.
I smile. I don’t know if I’m more worried about my situation or his. Either way, we have to say goodbye and just hope for the best. I jump in the portal and run to soul society.