Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Negative Space ❯ Surprise, Surprise ( Chapter 7 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Negative Space

Surprise, Surprise

The moon was going to be especially vibrant tonight. Basking in the rising glow I stretched out across one of the raised portions of my rock, trying my best to absorb the remaining heat from the recently departed sun. I wasn't cold blooded or anything, but the hot rock felt wonderful on my back. Healing wasn't exactly a science and I had been doing it ever since I had enough consciousness to actually think, but sometimes I couldn't completely heal everything away. Stiff muscles were one of my common ailments after healing a truly detrimental injury. Sometimes things just didn't align right.

The stiffness I was feeling wasn't exactly from a wound, but rather the missing sections of my spine. It felt the same as a badly healing wound after a while, even though it was only present in my resurreccion. If Grimmjow and his people left us alone for another week or two, I'd consider returning them to my body just so I could feel good in my own skin again.

Letting out a satisfied sigh as I found a nice and hot spot to press against, I let my arms flop out to my sides. I was in this spot because it got the most sun and was always hottest, but I would have been on top of my rock even if I wasn't stiff. Raacharg had been gone for two days now. It wasn't exactly out of the norm, but what was out of the norm was the fact that I couldn't sense him. That piece of me that I had given him, the piece that made him mine, was something that I could always feel if we were in the same vicinity. It was hard to put a measure of distance on something in Hueco Mundo, but if I had to compare it to something, an area as big as Karakura Town was about a far as my sense for him went.

Raacharg had gone further away than normal. That alone was odd, but to have been gone so long? That was even more concerning. Menos Forest was on the edge of my senses, and that was normally where he ran off to when he went hunting. I trusted him to come back in one piece, but there was that nagging worry eating away at me.

There was always that dipshit Numeros prowling around too. After Grimmjow had dealt whatever punishment out a few days ago, I didn't think the Arrancar would risk going after us for a while. I really hoped he would never come around again, but I think getting his ass kicked had really ticked him off. He'd be back one day, and if it wasn't at Grimmjow's order I'd stake him and hang him up like I was Dracula impaling an enemy.

Okay, I wouldn't really do that. Been there, done that, bathed in the blood of my victims and dismembered them before I ate them. It was only fun the first few times. After that, it was just a pain to clean up.

I let out a rough sigh. This was boring…

"Alright, Raacharg," I said to the empty air. I sat up, my back protesting as I did so. My eyes found the entrance to my staircase and I pondered getting changed before I headed out. Yes, yes, I was going to go find my furry companion. Either he was being an idiot, or he might actually be in some trouble. After the other day, I didn't want to expect those shit-biscuits over in Los Noches, but the possibility was there. Grimmjow's confidence in his ability to control his people did nothing to make me feel better. He was an arrogant ass hat, and it made him blind with hubris.

I stood and glanced down at myself, debating if my attire was really acceptable for the impending search I was going on. I had donned a fresh sheath that held my zanpakuto to my right thigh with the blade pointed down so my hilt was readily accessible at my hip. The sheath was held up by a belt that ran through the loops of the jean shorts I was wearing. Above that I had donned one of my usual tank tops and had tucked the bottom hem into my belt. I always wore tight clothes so they wouldn't get shredded by my armor, but why I liked tank tops when I was so paranoid about my number showing was beyond me. To compensate for it I had slipped on an a light and airy blue blouse that went over my tank top and sheath. To finish it off, I was wearing a pair of shoes that were named after a cat of some sort. Pumba's or whatever. It was a rather sporty look, which meant it would be good for running.

This would be fine for a quick jog to find Raacharg. Hopefully.

I didn't bother preparing myself any further before I took off in a decent paced sonido. I didn't go as fast as I might have wanted to, but that was because it took concentration to keep my senses open. They were horrible to begin with, but searching for Raacharg and the part of me within him was easier than just keeping myself open to feelings. Normally I couldn't really do much else if I was feeling for spiritual pressures. I was a one trick at a time sort of pony.

I moved away from my rock and out into the sandy desert. I had to be at least several miles out before I turned and circled, enacting a sort of search pattern that would allow me to catch every inch of the surface of Hueco Mundo. With the moon risen just enough to not be blinding on the horizon, I ran through the air instead of on the ground, finding the benefit of a birds eye worth the extra energy. If he was on the surface, I'd find him.

I must have gone on running for an hour or two, searching for Raacharg. I had even gone so far as to stop just outside Las Noches to make sure a Numeros hadn't absconded with my furry companion. I had run across any place he could have possibly been, searched the other white rocks that protruded from Hueco Mundo's dunes and even some of the old outposts that we had made in the desert hundreds of years ago. I scared the snot out of some hollows on the surface with my quick appearing and disappearing as I stopped occasionally to spread my senses, but it mattered little as I continued searching.

Raacharg was going to be in so much trouble if he just wandered back to my rock after all this time. I was quickly becoming convinced that he had ran into some trouble and that was why he hadn't come back. I couldn't be sure, but if he really was fine and just being a bum I was going to beat his ass into next Tuesday. He would deserve it for making me worry like this.

I came to a stop at the final section of desert that he could possibly be and let out a frustrated huff. He wasn't here.

I turned my gaze on the entrance to Menos Forest and frowned. That was his normal hunting ground, but this close to it I should have felt him anywhere within its depths. Then again, I hadn't actually been down there in ages. Had it gotten bigger? I had no idea.

I stretched my back and neck before I turned myself and shot into the darkness that was Menos Forest. Nothing down here could actually hurt me, but I still didn't like the place. It was creepy and full of Gillians. Sure, I could order them around if I really wanted to, but if it was all the same I would have just preferred to not deal with them at all.

I shot through Menos Forest as quickly as I could, stopping periodically to glance around and spread my senses. Menos Forest had indeed grown in the several hundred years between my last visit and now. No wonder Raacharg came here to hunt so often.

On one particular stop I felt something odd when I spread my senses. That had been only a few second before a cero shot at me from the darkness. I had reacted quickly, firing off a bala that collided with the oncoming attack before it could hit me. I narrowed my eyes as two more came my way, but this time I dodged them. I had been standing on one of the large roots that came from the crystallized trees, but ended up on the actual floor with my movement. I glanced around as my instincts kicked in and waited for whoever it was to appear. They were moving with sonido, so they had to be an Arrancar of some flavor.

A female figure abruptly appeared in front of me. A cero was in her palm as she thrust her hand forward like she was aiming for my face. I reacted, my hand going up as I called another bala to cancel her cero out before it could do any damage to me. Another cero manifested on the top of my finger and I fired, the beam tiny and potent as it passed through the fabric of her skirt. She dodged back, and I was pretty sure I hadn't hit anything.

"What the fuck do you want?" I demanded as I adjusted the collar of my shirt. This outfit really wasn't meant to fight in. I was going to tear the damn thing and it would be all my fault. I needed to start thinking more about what I wore on the days that I left the house. Running, good to go. Fighting, no-go.

"You're getting in my way, and I need you to disappear," the Numeros said slowly. "The Espada don't need to be wasting their time on a person like you."

"That sounds like a personal problem," I snipped. She must have followed me from Las Noches. I hadn't been suppressing myself, like an idiot.

"It's about to be your problem," she replied just as snarkily.

"I'm just here to find my Fracciones," I said, hating myself for using that sort of word to refer to Raacharg. "I'm in no mood to deal with some wanna be Numeros. Just go about your way, and I'll get back to what I was doing."

"I think you misunderstand me," she growled as claws elongated from her bone covered knuckles. No, claws weren't exactly what they looked like. They were more like saw blades in the aspect of the sharp teeth that protruded from the edges.

"No, I think you misunderstand me. I was an Espada," I said as I reached behind myself and gripped my zanpakuto's hilt. "I will kill you with hardly any effort. You do realize that, right?"

"No, I suppose I don't," she said mockingly. "I was made with the Hogyoku, and as such I am far greater than any of you relics."

"You think so? You really believe that?" I asked with mocking disbelief.

"Of course," she said with a shrug. "You are an antique. It's time that you were permanently retired."

I rolled my eyes. Really? This chicky clearly didn't know what I was capable of. Somehow she knew who I was, which meant word of my existence was spreading. Antique… Arrancar these days didn't appreciate anything.

Well, here was the good ol' college try.

I started to pull my zanpakuto from its sheath, but stopped myself before it was completely out. I really wouldn't need my zanpakuto, would I? This Numeros couldn't possibly be that problematic. If it had been Luien I would have used my resurreccion on him out of spite, but this chick really wasn't worth it.

Before I could really consider my options further she moved and the blades protruding from her knuckles shot at me. I dodged them with little effort, slipping into my sonido. More blades came at me, following my path like she was tracking me with her senses. She probably was, but it didn't matter to me as I sped up and suppressed myself.

Her blades stopped following me like I thought they would and I grinned to myself. Turning my body my feet slammed into the side of one of the trees and I launched off of it at her. She turned as I came at her, and I saw the blade that flew at me just in time to turn my body. It caught my sleeve as it passed me and tore the fabric from my arm. I ignored it, and spun to set myself up for a glorious roundhouse kick.

She dodged me just as I was about to connect with her and two blades slammed into my back, sinking into my body until they hit my ribs. I ignored them as I hit the ground running. My feet slammed into the ground and I sprang up like I had used a springboard to launch into the air. My body arched, using my momentum to soar up and over her as she continued to fire her blades at me. One slammed into the back of my leg while another sank in my upper back and I spun with the force, using it to flip over. My heel connected with the bony armor over her arm and it cracked under the force of my blow along with the limb it had been sheltering.

Her body flew across the area to slam into one of the trees. The blades that had sunk into my body burned like they weren't just metal, but I kept myself from getting distracted as I ran after her. I could heal the damage later. I needed to kill her before this escalated any further and I was forced to release my resurreccion. This little twat wasn't worth that much effort.

My fist slammed into her gut, and the tree behind her gave just a little with the force. Blood spat from her mouth as I landed another punch and followed it with my knee. I pounded into her relentlessly, feeling her bones give under my assault. I was only a dozen or so blows into my onslaught when I hit her jaw and my foot continued through into the tree behind. Wood cracked and splintered and I jumped back, heaving in air in needy gulps as the tree gave, sliding off it's base.

Light streamed in from the crack in the sky that the falling tree had created, and I darted further back as it came down in a rain of broken branches, sand and rocks.

I turned my back on the noisy mess that was falling and let my eyes wander over the now illuminated area. Had I overdone it? Maybe a little, but it was worth it. Even with that stupid Numeros dead I could feel the burn from her blades in my body. She must have coated them with something nasty. Most Numeros loved to brag about how awesome their power was. Clearly I had killed her before she could go on her rant and tell me how her abilities worked.

I wanted to slap myself for being over eager.

I stretched my leg out behind me so I could look at the blade that protruded from the back of my thigh. The movement made my back cry out, but I had to do something about these before I could continue looking for my companion. Blood was flowing easily down my leg, staining my skin red as it trickled clear down to my socks. An anticoagulant maybe? That could be problematic.

My hand wrapped around the serrated blade and I gripped it firmly despite how it bit into my hand. I gave it a good yank and a pained cry escaped my lips before I could stop it. A stream of nonsensical curses followed as I stopped pulling. It was like the blade was gripping my bone. It hurt like a damned hot poker with barbed hooks on the end.

Not that I knew how that would feel, but I could just imagine it better than these damn serrated edges.

I let out a huff and adjusted my stance. This was going to hurt, but it had to be done. One big pull… Fuck me.

I ripped the blade from my body, taking with it the flesh that it had grabbed onto. I screamed, the sound a long, dragging screech that I knew had to be echoing throughout Menos forest. I fell to my knees as I dropped the blade so I could clasp my hand over the gushing wound. I let my reiatsu flood through my body, forcing the healing process to kick in. Normally it was almost instantaneous but now it felt slow, most likely inhibited by whatever had been coating the blade. If it had been her own reiatsu fueling it, I would have easily overpowered it. Unfortunately for me, it must have been something her body naturally made. Fucking cheater. I hated cheaters. This sort of shit was supposed to be tied to their reiatsu.

It took time and way more energy than it should have to heal the wound. The several blades still sticking out from my back weren't helping things any. I couldn't target just one wound to heal, it was like a repair all function, but I couldn't heal the wounds on my back with the blades still there. It just burned worse as I waited for my leg to heal.

When it was finally scabbed over, I shut off the flow of my reiatsu and sagged with the drain my entire body was feeling. I couldn't do that for five more wounds, not here. It would leave me completely defenseless, and that was assuming I could get the blades out of my back. I wouldn't be any good to Raacharg if I couldn't even defend myself.

Cursing quietly to myself I got back on my feet and slipped into my sonido, aiming for the hole I had created in the surface. I missed it on the first try, finding my leg weak and having to compensate with my other on the second try. When I finally made it to the surface my steps faltered on the sand and I rolled down the dune I had emerged on top of. I couldn't seem to stop myself as I rolled and my back lit on fire with the movement. It felt like I had snapped some of the blades in my back, but I didn't have the energy to reach back and check. It just hurt. Like, really hurt.

The sand was still hot despite the onset of darkness, but it did nothing to motivate me to move. I couldn't just lay here all night, but I sure didn't have the energy to run all the way back to my home. Just a few minutes couldn't hurt… right?

No. Knowing me I would pass out for hours instead of minutes if I let myself. I needed to get up. I needed to move and get back home. I could pass out there until I had healed enough to pull these damn blades out. Raacharg was in deep shit if he wasn't back when I got there. It had been two days, but still it was possible. Maybe he just over ate or something.

Who was I trying to kid? He had to be in some sort of trouble. There was just no way he would up and leave like that unless it was against his will.

Urging myself to get up, I pushed off my good leg and darted forward with my sonido. I made it over the next dune before my leg gave out again and I crashed into the one beyond. I repeated this process over and over, heading towards the beacon that was my residual spirit energy embedded in the vertebrae of my resurreccion.

By the time I finally landed on my rock I was exhausted and I had broken the blades that were stuck in my body. My leg was just about as useful as a well cooked pasta noodle when it came to taking my weight, making getting to the staired entrance more of a pathetic crawl than a dignified crawl… if there was a difference.

"Raacharg," I half shouted down the stairs. "Get your furry ass up here."

There was no reply, but that didn't mean he wasn't here. I couldn't go down stairs or I would succumb to the weakness that blood loss had caused me. The moment I had pressed my vertebrae into the walls, my home had become a place of weakness, and right now my reiatsu was probably the only thing keeping me from passing out,

"Raacharg," I called again as I leaned against the wall and let my eyes slide closed. "I need you, Raacharg."

When several minutes had passed my head fell back to rest against the wall and I let out a long sigh. "Raacharg. If I find out you were sleeping here the whole time I swear I will eat you. You better get your ass up here."

Silence continued to greet me and I sat there waiting for him. He had to be down there. He was always there for me. He had to be.

My eyes slid open as a cold gust of air wafted past me and my body shivered. I blinked up at the stars that were just beyond the roof of the stairway, not understanding why I was basked in the soft light of Hueco Mundo's moon. I must have fallen unconscious, but if it had been hours, then Raacharg really wasn't here. I had to find him, but as I started to move I was instantly reminded of the blades that were stuck in my back. My eyes dropped to the stairs at my left and I caught sight of the blood that had ran down several steps, pooling at each horizontal surface until it had grown large enough to slide down to the next. I sure was bleeding a lot.

That wasn't good.

I lifted my arm to reach for one of the blades in my back. My shoulder blade protested and stopped as a searing pain roared through my bones. Damn, those blades were just in the wrong spots.

I tried again, attempting to shift my arm differently, but every time my shoulder blade was stopped by the metal in its way. I tried my other arm, but it was the wrong angle. Most of the blades were stuck in the left side of my back, preventing me from reaching them with my right hand. I was screwed if I didn't find someone to pull these damn things out. Raacharg could have done it, but I was alone.

A rough laugh passed my lips. Go figure that I would have nothing once more. Apparently twenty years of it hadn't been punishment enough. I hoped that Aizen was rotting in hell somewhere. That would have made everything I suffered worth it if he was there, dying over and over again.

I rolled away from the wall I had been leaning against and got to my hands and knees. I needed to get these things out of me, and I couldn't do it alone. The only person I knew that wouldn't want to kill me was that jackass who wanted me to serve him.

I didn't know who the other fake Espada were nor what their temperaments were, but just like Grimmjow they would most likely want something in return. At least with Grimmjow I could offer him the one thing he wanted from me. How could he tell me no? I would give him me, in exchange for helping me get Raacharg back.

It was pathetic that I was willing to go so far as to tie myself to him, but the price that Grimmjow was asking for was acceptable. Raacharg had given me the ability to feel again. He was out there somewhere and he was probably in trouble. I had to go to him, to save him from whatever trouble he had to be in, but I had to be strong enough to do it first. Serving some ass hat for a few years, or even a few hundred years, was acceptable to have my companion back.

"Did you at least kill her?"

My entire body went rigid at the sound of that voice. He wasn't supposed to come here. I wasn't ready to confront him. I hadn't thought through even half of my witty comebacks yet!

"Of course." I threw my head back so I could look up at Grimmjow and met his azure eyes with my own golden glare.

"Good, she was damned annoying," Grimmjow growled as he stood motionlessly watching me from a few feet away. I didn't bother trying to take in more of him as I turned my gaze to my hands. I needed to get up. I couldn't abase myself before him like this.

"Was she one of yours?" I asked, trying to keep him talking as I worked to get to my feet. My leg was still a useless limb, but once I managed to get my foot under me I locked my knee back, forcing it to take my weight.

"Yes and no," he responded. "She wanted to work for me, but wasn't good enough. Even those who aren't my fracciones were at least someone else's. She was just a runt."

"Well, that's comforting," I remarked as reached out and used the wall of my stairs to keep me vertical. Settling my good side against the wall, I lifted my head so I could look at him again. He was standing in a deceivingly neutral posture with his hands tucked into his pants pockets and his feet spread to shoulder width. If I had to guess, he had come here expecting another fight, just to find me rolling around in a puddle of my own blood. Awesome.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

He stepped toward me, his hands leaving his pockets as he moved. "I was going to send Luien, but I figured you would kill him after your last encounter. Seeing you like this though, he might have tried to kill you instead."

I blinked at him as he stopped just outside of my arm's reach. "Even like this I can still use my resurreccion."

"I'm well aware," he said with a slight laugh. "You taught me that the hard way."

A wave of dizziness overtook me for a moment and I bowed my head, closing my eyes to help the world stop spinning. My wounds were bleeding too much. I never would have made it across the desert to Los Noches as I was. That didn't mean that I was happy that Grimmjow decided to waltz on over, but it was a small relief.

"You never said why you decided to come here in the first place," I said, not bothering to look up at him.

"It doesn't matter now," he replied easily. "You are clearly in no condition to do anything about it."

"About what?"

"You can't pull those blades from your back, can you?" He asked, completely avoiding my question.

I opened my eyes for a moment so I could glare at him, but had to drop it when the world tilted on its side. I tried to discard my sense for up and down, but ended up giving in and clutching at the wall. I wanted to fall to my knees. My legs were trying to give out on me, but I had locked them back to prevent myself from falling. I knew it wasn't helping, but it kept me vertical. Standing in front of this ass hat, even if it took everything I had, was far better than rolling around on the ground.

"No," I finally answered. "I can't remove them on my own."

"And your Fracciones isn't here to aid you."

"No," I said through clenched teeth. "I was looking for him when this happened. I need to get back out there, but with these blades in my back I cannot heal myself."

I heard his footfalls as he moved, but I didn't realize he was coming closer until his big hand closed over my shoulder. "If you were my Fracciones, I would help you. I protect those that are mine when they're worth it."

"I am far more than just any Numeros," I growled. "Calling me a damn Fracciones would be an insult."

"You're right," he replied, his voice soft. "Then just serve me. Come when I call, follow my orders and I will help you find your Adjucha."

I wanted to rock away from him, but I was only able to lean my weight further into the wall. This was what I had been willing to do, so why was I still fighting it? Raacharg was worth this. Hesitating was just stupid, but still the uncertainty of serving yet another master was eating away at my resolve. It didn't make sense why he wanted me. My true form would steal away the power of anyone who was nearby. Fighting beside someone was a concept that I just couldn't abide by.

"What do you want from me?" I asked in a small voice.

"I am the king," he replied with a voice smooth and as rich as dark chocolate. "What do kings want most? Power, Isabellia. I want your power for myself."

"Why?" I asked as I risked looking up at him again. "Why do you even want someone like me? A being who makes everyone around her weak? Helpless?"

"A king is only as strong as the army behind him. My army can't be full of pawns. My fracciones are my knights, bishops and rooks while those others who serve me are my pawns. I doubt you would accept being my queen, but a jester perhaps."

"Chess and cards?" I asked doubtfully. "There is no way someone like you is into games of strategy."

"Surprise, surprise."

I wanted to shake my head, but stopped myself knowing it would just make me dizzy. "You aren't worried that my power will affect you and your people when I use it? Stripping them of everything that makes them desirable to you?"

"No." His grip on my shoulder strengthened with that single word. I had to wonder for a moment if it was because I was swaying, or he was trying to make a point. I couldn't tell. Was he really serious? This man who was far too violent for his own good was actually planning? Had he planned this entire thing? Had I so severely underestimated him? I couldn't believe it, but clearly I had misjudged him in some way or I wouldn't have been in this position. I was having trouble thinking. The pain, the blood loss, his body being so close to mine, touching me. If I had been in my right mind I might have had better questions for him, been able to challenge his reasoning. Maybe…

Slowly, I dropped my head. This guy was just too much… "Help me find Raacharg and save him from whatever trouble he is in, and I will be yours."

"As you wish."

I couldn't explain why I let his touch slide across my body, nor why I allowed him to pull me away from the wall, but I did. I didn't resist him when he pulled me against his chest, his arm wrapping around my smaller frame as his hand slid down my back. He knelt, going down to one knee as his arm kept me cradled against him. My forehead rested against the side of his neck with the change in position and I was abruptly washed in the strong scent of moist, rich soil and vegetation like I had fallen into the arms of the earth. It was the most exotic thing I had experienced in eons. If I hadn't been as weak as I was, I would have pressed closer to him to explore that scent. Whatever he was, it was something so foreign to a being like me who had lived for thousands of years in the parched lands of Hueco Mundo.

I knew his eyes were gauging the blades that protruded from my body when I felt his hand close over the one in my lower back, drawing my mind away from his delicious scent with the warning thrill of adrenaline that shot through me. In one powerful and violent tug he ripped the blade from my body, tearing away with it the flesh and bone it had taken hold of. Pain shot clear down to my toes and I screamed as my hands automatically tried to push myself away from him. He held me to him until my struggle ceased, but I barely noticed his hold on me with the stars of nerve pain shooting across my vision.

"You're not really going to pass out on me, are you?" He asked when my fit of pain ceased and my body ragdolled, going completely slack in his arms.

It took me a minute to answer, but after several mental attempts to respond I was finally able to mumble out, "no. That just really, really hurt."

"I'll bet," he responded as I felt him jerk and the sound of clinking metal rang. Tink, tink, tink… He must have tossed the blade aside. "Is that couch I ruined still down there?"

"It's Raacharg's couch," I corrected him with barely audible words. "But you shouldn't take me down there. It's… It's part of my Negative Space. I won't be able to heal."

"I'll take care of it," he mused. His grip around me shifted and I felt him lift my body. The sensation of being moved of my own free will was so foreign that if I had the energy I would have struggled against him. As it was, I could do little more than keep my head from falling back and my limbs from bonelessly sprawling away from my body.

His steps made my body ache, but it barely phased me after the pain from my back, almost like I was numb. I didn't want to be numb though. I wanted to feel things, so I focused on his hands. His grip on the outside of my thigh keeping me securely in his arms while his other precariously held my waist just below the blades. If he hadn't been insanely strong I was sure his grip would have been different, but as it was he was carefully avoiding the broken blades. It was funny to think that a week ago he had stolen my zanpakuto and I had almost killed him for it. Now here he was, carrying me down into the heart of my rock as I bled all over him.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs I felt him move to set me down and I shifted. I felt the fabric of Raacharg's couch under my hand and I guided myself to lay down on my side. I couldn't quite let myself roll completely onto my stomach because I really didn't trust him enough to be completely defenseless in his presence.

Well, it was a bit late for that now. If this wasn't letting my guard down then I didn't know what was.

The couch sank as Grimmjow sat on the edge beside my hip, causing me to roll into him. He didn't push me away though, something I found odd but didn't have the motivation to fix. Instead, his hand slid under my hip and lifted, scooting me further onto the couch and causing my body to roll further forward until I was resting against him again.

"Give me your back," he said as he rested a hand on my side and applied pressure, trying to coax me to roll onto my front.

I opened my eyes just a slit so I could watch him without the spinning world making me nauseous.

"Is that a warning glare?" He asked in an amused tone.

"Yes," I grumbled. "Giving you my back implies that I trust you."

"Do you want these out or not?" He asked as he tapped on one of the blade with his finger, making me flinch.

I watched him for a moment, searching his expression for any clues as to his deception. There was nothing there to give me pause. In fact, he looked pretty stinking smug, like a cat that had just eaten the mouse, or for him the lion that had just taken down the gazelle. I shouldn't have expected any different, he had gotten what he wanted after all… jerk.

I closed my eyes and rolled forward, trapping my hands beneath me as I surrendered to his strength. He took hold of another blade, his grip shifting the metal just enough to make me tense. "Try not to pass out on me."

I had wanted to challenge his words with some sort of a witty comeback, but I couldn't do it. Staying conscious when I was so weak and the pain so great was like asking a pancake not to brown on a skillet. I just couldn't hold on as the pain consumed me.

When I woke it was with a slow blink that put the world into fuzzy focus. I was still lying across Raacharg's couch, allowing me to see my lounger in terrible definition and the pillars that stood behind it with their slightly wavering curtains. Well, that wavering was probably just my imagination.

I felt something wet press painfully to the wounds across my back and stiffened.

"Relax," Grimmjow murmured in a soothing tone I didn't know he was capable of. Even with his voice being so close it took me a long moment to realize it was him tending to my back.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice coming out rough.

"Cleaning out the acid that lingered in your wounds."

Acid? What? I struggled to grasp what he was talking about and shifted, rolling onto my side just enough to allow me to look back at him. It was then that my completely exposed upper body registered as my breasts shifted on the leather that was sticky with my blood. He'd torn my shirt off while I had been out. Why, might you ask? I had no idea.

"I'm assuming you have a good reason for stripping me," I said flatly. I wasn't embarrassed by my own nudity, but the fact that he'd done it while I was unconscious bothered me. At least I was still lying on my stomach, keeping my lady bits from freely showing. If he had taken a peek, it was way too late to get mad about it now.

"Your shirt was ruined anyway," he said, not exactly answering my implied question as he continued dabbing at the wounds on my back.

"That doesn't mean you get to strip someone while they're unconscious," I grumbled back.

"Even an Espada cannot lose as much blood as you have and still function," he said, vaguely gesturing at the floor beside the couch and drawing my eyes to the top of a small pile of very red fabric. "I needed to see your wounds to stop the bleeding."

"I just need to get out of here and sleep," I answered as I settled back down and buried my face into the cushion. I didn't have the energy to argue with him, nor the motivation.

"Can you heal yourself?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"Not here," I answered. Without looking I vaguely gestured at the wall where I knew one of my vertebrae was stuck in a slot. "Like I said before you took me down here, I can't heal because this place is part of my Negative Space."

"Is it really now?"

I slowly blinked before I turned my head so my cheek was resting on the cushion. It was difficult to focus on the far wall, but I tried anyway. After a moment I gave up and let my eyes slide shut. "Did you figure out how I did it?"

"The bones in your wall," he said, partially answering me.

I let out a huff that was supposed to be a laugh. "What did you do with them?"

"They're in a pile over there. I didn't know if destroying them would negatively impact you or not."

I shifted so I could actually look back at him. The movement hurt my back, telling me that the wounds I had sustained hadn't healed at all. I ignored the pain though as I met his azure gaze. For some reason, words fell from my mouth that I normally wouldn't have expressed to someone. "Your cronie had some nasty shit on her blades that made it hard as hell to heal, and with the blades still in my back I had to waste a lot of energy just to get myself out of Menos Forest. I used most of my reiatsu just to heal my leg earlier, or I would have still be down there."

"It still isn't healed all the way," he commented as his hand rested on the back of my thigh, covering where the scabbed wound was and making me jump. It was rather high up on my leg, and feeling his hand so close to the curve of my butt made me anxious.

"No it's not," I growled out. "And just because I agreed to serve you, doesn't mean you get to be so familiar with me."

I could almost hear the grin on his smug face as he said, "we'll see."

I drew my hands under my shoulders and prepared myself for the coming pain. This was going to hurt me a lot more than it would hurt him, but it would so be worth it. Kicking him in the back of the head would so be worth every moment of pain I suffered for it.

"Nope," he said just as I started to push myself up. His hand came down on the center of my lower back and with more than just his body weight he thrust me back down onto the couch. I held back the pained cry that wanted to slip out and turned it into swearing that even Deadpool would have been impressed with.

"You stay down until you can heal yourself," he ordered. His hand didn't move with his words, instead his weight seemed to grow. It didn't hurt any worse than him already holding me down, but it gave me the feeling that he was far too close for comfort.

"I can't until I've had a chance to regain the energy I lost earlier," I explained in a slow and clearly angry voice. "Healing takes more energy than a gran rey cero. Its taxing to the point where even I can only heal a would-be fatal wound half a dozen times with any quickness before I'm running on empty. After healing what I could of my leg, I have nothing left to force myself to heal now."

"Then take your time and don't do it so quickly."

This guy understood nothing…. Ugh.

"My body will heal on its own, but whatever was on those blades will make it take longer."

I felt his hot breath on the back of my neck and struggled to suppress the involuntary shudder that ran through my body. Only that big hand of his was touching me, but I knew the rest of him was close. If I hadn't been so weak I would have thrust my head back to catch him in the nose… or I might have tried to get him to actually press along my body. I wasn't exactly sure which one would have been more predominate in the moment.

"What if I had another Caja Negacion?" He asked in a low and awfully tempting tone.

The witty retort I had been preparing froze in my throat. I had to swallow hard before I could talk again. "Every Espada was only granted two of them, or they were supposed to be. Why would you knowingly waste your last one on me?"

"Maybe I have more, maybe I don't. Either way, I want you to actually want to be my subordinate. If doing this for you will get you closer to that point, then it will be worth it."

I slowly turned my head until I could see his face from the very corner of my eye. He was so close that I could still feel his hot breath as it ghosted over my cheek, but it also allowed me to see those azure eyes of his closer than I ever had before. I had never seen a patient look on his face. I didn't know if that exactly was his expression or not, but it sure looked like it to me. Was he really being serious?

"You once said your Fracciones and the others under you weren't the people you would have chosen to serve you. They were just the leftovers and someone had to take them," I recalled as I rolled just a bit further onto my side. "Is the only reason you were after me because of power, or because you got to make a choice?"

The corner of his mouth twitched like he was fighting a grin. "A little bit of both, I think."

I watched his expression for a moment, waiting for some hidden emotion to show. He appeared to be sincere, but… I let out a sigh and rolled forward, giving him my back. "Do as you wish. You are the master here after all."

"You were pretty damn desperate to go after your dog earlier, so much so that you agreed to serve me if I helped you." His weight shifted off of me and I heard fabric rustle. "Think of this as step one of me fulfilling your request."

I couldn't believe this guy. He was really wasting another one of his gifts from Aizen on me. Idiot. Raacharg was important to me and I needed to go after him, but wasting such a tool just for the sake of speed seemed stupid.

I felt the Caja Negacion pass into my chest and just as the banners of darkness formed I called out to the power, pulling them to my body. The shock of my own power rushing into me had me up on my hands and knees with the strain of absorbing it all into myself. My eyes slid closed and my breathing became labored as I forced the incoming energy into my body to help me heal instead of replenishing my pool of spirit energy. Healing was more important than having power right now.

A pained groan slipped out of my mouth as I felt the angry wounds on my back begin to mend. Whatever it was that had been on those blades wasn't as bad as it had been with my leg, so closing them wasn't nearly as taxing. I spared a moment to wonder just what Grimmjow had been doing while I was unconscious, but let the thought slip away. It really didn't matter. I agreed to serve him, so it wasn't like he was really a threat to me now. Just a creeper.

It took me a few minutes to actually heal the injuries I had sustained and a few more to process my still incoming reiatsu. Unlike the last time he had used my own tool on me I wasn't trying to process it as quick as I could so it took a lot longer, but the benefit of actually feeling the energy return instead of forcing myself into action was worth it.

When I was finally done I slowly sat back, resting my butt on my heels. Grimmjow shifted away from me when I started rotating my shoulder, allowing me the room I needed to stretch and make sure everything had healed the way I wanted it to. I was pretty sure whatever had been on the blade was still in my system, but it only reflected in my extremely stiff muscles and mildly aching joints. I wasn't hurt any more, but it would take time to completely recover.

"I had no idea you were comfortable with being so exposed," he commented in a light and teasing tone.

I turned my attention to him, realizing in that moment that I really was topless in front of him and he had full view of my breasts. Well, that was unfortunate, but too late to do anything about it now. I didn't bother trying to cover myself up and instead accepted it as. When it was just Raacharg and I, I didn't care if I was fully clothed or not.

"Once, we Arrancar didn't bother with clothing. They were a hindrance to fighting, and the Living were always far easier to hunt when they were distracted," I said, trying to sound casual as I shifted off the couch and promptly headed for my closet. I almost stumbled when my leg tried to buckle under me despite how much power I had flushed through my body, but I quickly covered it by scooping up the pile he had made of my bloodied shirts. "You can blame the God Maker for making clothes the norm, and Aizen for those boring ass uniforms."

"Isabellia," he said, making me pause in my steps. He hadn't actually used my full name since the first time we had engaged in combat, and the surprise of it had me turning to look back at him. His gaze was steadily on me, eyes set on meeting mine rather than trailing further south like I had half expected. "I didn't come here just to pay you a visit today."

I blinked at him before I gave him my back once more and disappeared into my closet. I dropped the bloody rags in the corner along with the rest of the clothes I had ruined lately. I quickly stripped my shorts off and with them my zanpakuto and sheath before I turned to the wash basin I had set up after my last bloody excursion. "Of course you wouldn't just be making a friendly house call."

I really couldn't help the sarcasm that came out of my mouth. He just brought out the worst parts of me. No matter how much obedience he tried to demand of me, there was no way I could ever treat him like I had my previous masters. He pissed me off too much for me to blindly follow him like that.

"I heard from Kazui that your adjuchas was causing problems in the World of the Living."

I froze with a washcloth in my hand at his words. Shit balls, I was going to kill Raacharg if that orange haired demon child hadn't already. What the hell was he thinking? Messing around in the World of the Living was nuts. I thought he knew better!

I made quick work of wiping my skin clean of the still wet blood that coated me, surprisingly finding very little of it actually on my back and legs. I spared a thought to how Grimmjow had been tending to my wounds, but didn't think anything of it as I found a black sports bra and pulled it on before snatching up a denim vest that would cover my number. I quickly slipped into another pair of shorts before I transitioned my zanpakuto into another sheath that slipped on over the jacket, placing the hilt at my shoulder. Satisfied with my attire I left my close to find Grimmjow still standing by the couch where I had left him.

"I get that you didn't say anything earlier because I couldn't do anything about it," I said as I moved to him. I wanted to diffuse any animosity he might think I had about his delayed release of information. "And also, thank you for coming to share this information. I doubt you intended to find me in such a state when you arrived, but as things stand I have every intention of honoring my word when I return."

"You think I'm really going to let you go alone?" He asked as that stupid brow of his lifted in mocking amusement.

"I am not a child who needs to be hand held," I answered bitterly as my eyes narrowed into a glare. "I have been functioning on my own just fine since long before you came around."

"How did you get that scar?" He asked, changing topics. Again. I hated when he did that because I always fell for it.

"This one?" I asked as I pulled back the hem of my vest to expose my waist. The white scar that ran in a jagged line just above my left hip bone stood out against my skin, so it was no wonder he had noticed it when I was unconscious. "That orange haired demon boy did this to me the first time Raacharg decided Soul Reaper was on the menu. I was still recovering from my time in Los Noches' dungeons back then though. If it comes down to it, I won't hesitate to use my Negative Space this time."

"Kazui isn't someone you want to fuck with," he commented as he turned and started for my stairs.

"Ya think?" I commented as I followed him out. "I've avoided getting into combat with him ever since he gave me this scar. He's just like the Soul King, and I already got my ass kicked by that fruit tart. "

My comment made him stop and glance back at me over his shoulder. "Are you really as old as you say you are?"

"You never ask a woman her age," I said as I unleashed a flat glare at him. I had told him the other day, but he clearly didn't believe me.

"If I ordered you to tell me, would you?" He asked. He was testing me. I didn't like that at all.

"We're wasting time," I said dismissively as I turned away from him and slipped into my sonido. My muscles protested to the movement, feeling stiff and sore from whatever shit had been on that chicky's blade.

Reaching the top of the stairs I was abruptly greeted with Grimmjow's form in my path. I stopped just before I ran into him and glared.

"Is this how you'll act even after I've fulfilled your request?" He asked.

My gut reaction was to tell him yes, but that probably wasn't the best answer.

"My past is my own. Until we are truly master and servant, you can't make me do anything I don't want to."

"You're talking about that bond crap you mentioned the other day," he said, implying his question.

"Yes," I answered as I pushed past him. "If you want a god to serve you, then you must become one yourself."

He caught my wrist before I could get far, forcing me to turn with the force of him stopping my momentum. His eyes were narrowed at me as he asked, "what do you mean by that? I'm already an Espada, so what more do you want?"

"It's not what I want, it's what you need. If you want me to serve you in truth, then you need to bind me to you. I won't serve a master who can't really rule me. It's how we were meant to be." I let out a long sigh and yanked at my wrist. He let me go, and I used my released hand to wave open a garganta. "We can talk about it later. Knowing Raacharg is being a total idiot, I can't just sit here and argue. I need to get to him before he does something unforgivable."

"Like killing another Soul Reaper?"

"Yes, like that."