On A Dark Path, He Walks

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM! Plus, the site puts up a disclaimer for us now! How exciting. Even they know we don't own the characters. Wh00t.

Warnings: Yaoi. Angst, emo-ness, a general emotional pit of despair. Depressing themes. This is considered a 'dark-fic' by most of my readers. Please keep that in mind. Slight OOC-ness on Gin's behalf.

Notes: Whoa. Ok. Chapter 11. Yay. Sorry for the lack of quick updates. My desktop computer bit the big one virus-wise and I've had to resort to the laptop. It's a wonderful, brand new machine, but the keyboard's a low profile one and I have long, manicured fingernails. They're a hindrance because they slip and hit other buttons. -screams- This fic's only got like one more chapter to go and after much consideration and feedback, I'm trying hard to get it out as quickly as possible to finish this bad boy off.

P.S. I love you all.

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Though he had lain on the floor for more hours than he could consciously remember, and his mind was a blank ever since traveling to Soul Society and passing out during his bankai, Byakuya gritted his teeth and pushed himself to his feet, his vision returning after a brief moment of nausea. To his left lay Renji, the redhead's kimono soaked with blood along his right hand side, no doubt from the kick Ulquiorra had given to him earlier, though Byakuya was ignorant to the fact.

He grimaced as he stepped to the broken swordsman and crouched over his chilled but living form, not sad by any means because a fighter struck down in battle was noble, especially to the younger shinigami, who after serving in the eleventh division, actually believed those words. Shuffling behind him caught Byakuya's attention and he turned slowly to see the silver haired third squad captain watching them, the blank stare on his face more frightening than any the nobleman had seen before.

"You were left alive by Aizen, Kuchiki-san." He cast his eyes downwards and squeezed his fist a little bit tighter, Kira's adjutant badge held tightly within. "Neither of you would have been safe, had he not stepped in."

The dark haired captain glared slightly at the younger man and shuffled back up to his feet, carrying Renji with him, holding the fukutaichou against his chest protectively.

"Whose side are you on, Ichimaru? No more games."

To the Hueco Mundo resident, the sixth division captain was hardly injured anymore, his rapid healing due to being a high energized shinigami aiding his recovery, the bloodied bandages on his arms falling slightly, showing pink, healthy skin underneath. He shook the wrappings off and shifted Renji into his arms, scooping him up and turning away from the other when he failed to get a response from him.

"Kuchiki-san. Wait."

The strength of Gin's reiatsu was waning and Byakuya could feel it, knowing that the younger shinigami wasn't ill, at least not physically. Something seemed to indicate to him that the forever smiling captain was suffering mentally, a breakdown that threatened to consume him.

"What do you want, Ichimaru? I've got no patience for you right now. I've got to get Renji back to Soul Society before Aizen comes back for us."

Ichimaru's voice had a desperate tone that tugged at the cold but inwardly caring captain's heart and he turned to face him a second time, angry at the man's betrayal and subsequent exodus into the hollow world.

"Take me with you. There's nothing left here for me to stay for."

He opened his hand and showed the Kuchiki heir the crumpled badge, his hand trembling.

"Not even my darling Izuru..."

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When Ulquiorra returned to the throne room, after cleaning up Grimmjow's broken corpse and disposing it in the lower caverns below the palace, he stared at the empty space, immediately turning on his heel and running for the main gates, not calling out until he saw the brunet leader standing astride his great army.

Besides mention of the shinigami escaping, he had to mention to the elder man about the odd box in the caverns, a large crate that had been sealed with ofuda and spirit energy. he declined to say anything once apprehending the other though, deeming the information unnecessary during such a hectic time.

"Aizen-sama! The captives! They're gone!"

Normally calm brown eyes flared with anger and Sousuke growled as he shoved the Espada on either side of himself aside.
"Follow me, Ulquiorra."

"Aizen-sama?"

"It's Gin. He's helping them."

The small arrancar stared again before hopping into action, trailing at the lord's heels as they headed for the inner sanctum, bypassing the throne room itself and following the corridor instead, the scent of decay and blood giving them a good idea where the trio had disappeared to. From the outside of the grand building came shouts of battle, various screams and hollers preceding the gurgling, bloody roars of broken bodies as they were cut down like timber.

The former fifth squad captain smiled as he turned the final corner before the corridor ended, the smile immediately fading as he saw the double doors at the end, both of them swung open to the darkness of the Hueco Mundo daytime. The ground was marked by their footprints, showing that they had gone around the outer gate.
Aizen left his little subordinate where he stood and flash stepped to where the shinigami were arriving, drawing his zanpakutou and blinding them with its shikai, seventeen of them falling to their knees as images of their loved ones bloodied and bruised showed before their eyes. Smirking, the man passed them and caught sight of his fleeing captives, again taking to the fast movements to make it to the tear that lead to Soul Society.

Unmasking his reiatsu, he watched as Byakuya and Gin stopped in their tracks, the short haired captain carrying his comrades' zanpakutou while the noble Kuchiki heir cradled his lover's prone but living form, both of them looking back, Byakuya with hatred in his eyes, Gin with fear, a small twitch making him look past the elder man at the palace, feeling something that set his nerves on edge.

"Is this what it's come down to, Gin? You'll betray me for your sickly whore? Do you know what lies in wait for you in Soul Society?" He smirked and then immediately dropped the tiny smile, his face offering only sourness. "Death."

From his right hand side, the silver haired shinigami could see arrancar troops approaching and he turned away from his former captain hesitantly.
"They won't kill me if I return of my own free will, Sousuke. Not even Kuchiki-san hates me that much and I've done so much for him to loathe me for..."

Byakuya moved ahead again, shouldering past his Soul Society comrades and hurried through the wide opening, not even looking back at Ichimaru, his goal finished now that he had Renji in his arms and was safely returning to his home.

Aizen moved ahead to snatch his lover's sleeve but wasn't fast enough, ending up with air in his hand as the younger man dodged and started to run towards the tear. Startlingly enough, the Espada leader didn't follow. He simply stood amongst the fallen shinigami and gathering arrancar.

"They won't love you, Ginyanote!"

He silenced himself as Ulquiorra caught up to him, standing at attention behind him with his head bowed, his chest heaving somewhat from the effort it had taken to travel the long distance, not to mention that he had stopped to battle his share of shinigami as they had come up to him, his cloak spattered with blood.

"Report, Ulquiorra."

The boy lifted his head and leveled his emerald stare on the proud leader.
"The shinigami have been subdued for the time being, but more are arriving by the minute. It seems the Gotei 13 have gathered the entirety of Seireitei."

Aizen gritted his teeth, not outnumbered and not beaten by any means, but his plans had certainly come to a standstill. Without Ichimaru, his army was short a very important element.

"Ichimaru is gone, Ulquiorra. Tell the Espada and take the offense next to Yammi and Wonderwyce."

The boy's curious look and hesitation to move angered the elder man but he tolerated it for the moment.
"I'm going back inside. I'm certain that this situation will correct itself."

"Hai, Aizen-sama."

The little arrancar hurried off, drawing his zanpakutou and taking his place beside the other short Espada, the little blond turning to smile at him before toying with the ribbon that trailed from his own sword's hilt.

"S'kinda fun, ne Ulquiorra-kun?"

"...I suppose so."

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Because time moved much more slowly in Hueco Mundo, only moments had gone by while scant hours had passed in Soul Society, the sun again rising as Seireitei woke to a new day, its residents very few in number due to the amount of shinigami being deployed to the hollow world. It made it very easy for Ukitake to maneuver his way back to the Soukyou grounds and hide himself as he made plans to return to his lover.

It was nearly impossible due to the amount of bodies hovering in and around the artificially created tear in the sky and sadly, he hunkered down in the dense tree-lined battleground, biding his time for the moment. Not even his beloved third seats had come to see what had become of him, their combined reiatsu missing as the long haired captain assumed them to be with their peers in the other world, fighting to return order he had undoubtedly aided in destroying.

He had waited barely an hour before the line of shinigami returning from Hueco Mundo diminished and he made his move, running as fast as he could muster, ignoring the sharp, constant pain in his side before deciding upon his shunpo. He had only taken two steps with it before he reappeared in plain sight, unseen by anyone, other than the staring forms he had stopped for.

It was Gin who stared the most noticeably, his eyes open for a change, red orbs gazing upon the man he still loved and had so eagerly betrayed because of Aizen's influence. Byakuya however, seemed nonplussed by the elder man's arrival and simply shifted Renji to his feet and gave him a little shake, the redhead having moaned continuously on the short trip about nothing in particular. What mattered to the Kuchiki heir, was that his lover had regained consciousness.

Ukitake hesitated to approach the younger shinigami but did finally move after a brief moment of doubt, setting a deep gaze upon the other, his mouth drawn into a tight line.

"I was coming back to you, Gin. Regardless of Aizen's hatred for me."

The third squad taichou blinked and chuckled softly, losing most of his apprehension as if it had never existed in the first place.

"Maa, we were on our way home, Jyuu-kun. Kuchiki-san and Abarai-kun need to rest and I was sorta tired of being with Sousuke..."

His words were believable for the most part but the last little bit worried the white haired captain.
"Did you leave him, Gin? Will be come for you?"

Ichimaru nodded to the first question and shook his head for the second. "He's probably gonna stay to guard the palace as the others arrive. There were so many of them already cut down by the Espada though. It won't take long before someone crumbles."

It was then that the elder man noticed that Gin's cargo was less than what he should have had with him, two swords in his hands, along with his own zanpakutou which hung at his side, and a worn looking adjutant badge held tightly in his left hand.

"Gin, where is Kira-kun? You haven't left him behind, have you? He's not safe with Aizen!"

A look of sadness crossed the fox-like shinigami's face and Ukitake realized his mistake immediately, silencing himself and taking the other male by the hand. The swords lay on the ground and after turning to Byakuya and getting only a scowl in return, he started off towards the tear, dragging the somewhat unwilling Ichimaru behind him.

"A...ano, Jyuushiro? What're you doing? I'm not going back there!"

"You are, but you're going with me by your side, Gin. If Aizen has done to Kira-kun what your sad eyes tell me he has, there's nothing to stop me from confronting him." He coughed lightly and wiped his hand with the back of his sleeves, smearing the haori's material a deep crimson. "Even if it frightens me to see his face again."

"But Jyuu-kun..."

He wouldn't take no for an answer. Hefting the smaller man into the wide vortex, he jumped in after him, taking advantage while the coast was clear of both enemies and fellow shinigami, knowing that at the moment, both sides would be hunting for the two of them, effectively leaving the other two shinigami on their own.

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They had purposely lain in wait, to see what the escaping thirteenth division captain would do, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto finally making themselves seen as the light haired pair disappeared through the portal, he to Byakuya's side and she to Renji's. In his pained state, the normally rough fukutaichou only groaned as the woman wound her arm around his waist and held across his chest with the other, keeping him upright until she was told to do otherwise.

The child prodigy however, stood at odds with the towering nobleman.

"Why did you let them escape, Kuchiki-taichou? Ichimaru is a wanted criminal and Ukitake broke out of his cell late last night." He closed his eyes slightly, a glaring look the elder man was hardly ready to tolerate. "They'll go back to Aizen and cause even more dam-"

"They won't."

The boy blinked. "What do you mean, they won't? They're on his side! Even Ukitake is a traitor!"

Byakuya shook his head and went to aid Matsumoto with his groaning lover, wanting to get him to the fourth division headquarters to be looked at, the wounds on his wrists and forearms looking worse than they had less than a few minutes before.
"Ichimaru has defected. Ukitake is loyal to him and him alone. He'll never go with Aizen's wishes because of what happened between them in the past. He'll never forgive him."

Toushiro knew what the elder man referred to, the death of the thirteenth squad's vice captain still fresh in his mind and no doubt still lingering in Ukitake's consciousness even more often.

"Aa. It's still no excuse for allowing Ichimaru to escape. He's dangerous, Kuchiki-san."

"So are the wounds Renji has suffered. I'm taking him to see Unohana and I'm hoping you won't interfere. I'm not your enemy, Hitsugaya."

The young shinigami sighed and nodded his understanding, waving his endowed comrade from the two and watching as she reluctantly gave the redhead over to his captain, giving a curt nod to something Byakuya said to her and moving to her own taichou's side as they disappeared, the sixth division captain's shunpo impressive, even in his tired and distraught state.

"Hitsugaya-taichou?"

"We're going to wait here for them to return, Matsumoto."

"But, Taichou! We're able to get them ourselves! Why can't we go and at least be useful to the others?"

He sighed again, upset that the decision had come down to this, his mind telling him to go after the light haired pair so he could follow them to Aizen, but his heart telling him to believe in the nobleman's words, to trust in the silver haired man he had loathed for so long. Not even his occasional chat with the thirteenth squad leader made him think of Ukitake as a friend, but as comrades went, he still had a hard time believing that the elder man was a traitor.

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The moment Ukitake arrived back in Hueco Mundo, he felt that something was off.

They were able to pass through the gate without trouble and even made it to the palace without any confrontation, though the shinigami standing around were in battle stances. Each one had a grim look on their face, one that closely resembled the look on Hinamori's face the day she had found her beloved captain impaled upon a Seireitei building wall. It was no doubt the work of Aizen's zanpakutou.

Beside him, Gin stepped aimlessly through the inner corridor, obviously not wanting to be where he was, his reiatsu leaking immensely, giving off hints of fear along with its turbulent waves of power. To the elder shinigami, it stank of fright. He was unsure if he had ever seen the younger swordsman in such an horrid state. The hold on his right arm was no weak sign either. If Gin wasn't careful, he'd bruise the other's tender skin.

"Jyuushiro..." His first name used by Ichimaru only when the younger man was upset. "I don't wanna be here. Sousuke's mad at me and he let me go for a reason! We're only gonna be making him madder by coming back!"

Ukitake wrenched his arm from the other's hold once letting go of his hand and turned to stare him down, again coughing lightly into his sleeve and ignoring the mark it left, his light attacks coming more frequently the more his body was agitated.
"Can't you feel it, Gin? This reiatsu that doesn't match Aizen's, nor any of his Espada or arrancar?"

He blinked. "...no. What's it from? A hollow?"

He took Ichimaru's hand and started to drag him again, ignoring the irritating pleas and whispered fears that made it to his ears. Gin couldn't be that blinded by his grief could he?

"No, it's not a hollow's energy. I'm surprised you don't notice it. It's subtle, but it's there. Unmistakably there."

His descriptions and subtleties were lost on the absolute frightened third captain, his fear of the powerful Espada leader never having been so strong, more so now that he knew what sort of terrible man Aizen could actually be.
In his pocket where he had tucked it, he tugged out his toy's badge again, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger as if using it as a protection charm, turning his head each time the elder shinigami looked at him disapprovingly.

"He wouldn't want you worrying over him, Gin."

"He's mine to worry over, Jyuushiro. Even if he is gone. I can worry all I want. Besides, he's not here to make me feel bad about it."

The man's words struck Ukitake with something akin to acceptance, blind faith obviously not leading him if he thought the boy was actually gone. No, Ichimaru didn't *think* Kira was dead. He *knew* it. Aizen wasn't the type of man to say he had done something if he hadn't.

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In his private rooms, the doors locked and the lights dimmed, Aizen Sousuke smiled, his closet doors thrown open and his lean form resting back on the firm bed he had once shared with Ichimaru. He was hardly in the mood for relaxation but felt the need to enjoy and appreciate the sight before him nonetheless, his eyes half lidded and opening slightly further as he chuckled softly. To the supposedly dead Kira Izuru, the man looked absolutely demonic in his joy.

"You'll tire yourself out too much by struggling, little one. How would it feel to be eaten alive by those creatures?"

To amuse himself and to keep the blond fukutaichou's reiatsu at a minimum, he had set upon him a collection of creatures he had created himself in the past, something similar to Zaraki Kenpachi's spirit energy eating monster that he wore behind his eye patch.
They gnawed painlessly on the boy's lower legs, sucking the life out of his toes, ankles and calves. He squirmed as one latched onto the soft skin at the back of his knee and lowered his head as a blush crept over the bridge of his nose.

"What have we here? Is this harsh treatment something you enjoy, Kira-kun? Has Gin been so hard on you that even being punished and tormented is arousing?"

He laughed out loud, the palace thankfully empty of prying ears, moving to stand and approaching the wide closet, one hand cupping the boy's chin while the other gently grazed his cheek in a somewhat loving caress. The boy couldn't begin to think of an attack strategy due to his weakened state and beside that, Aizen had taken his zanpakutou from him long ago.

"He thinks you're dead, Kira-kun. I gave him your badge and told him how pathetically you had died. He'll never come back now."

One of the creatures hissed threateningly and suckled harder at the boy's left ankle, earning a groan from the defiantly staring Izuru. Aizen hadn't missed the animals display and looked the boy in the eye, noticing the glare he had put on and aware of the spike in reiatsu the fukutaichou had emitted.

"You don't like when I talk badly of him? He's a pawn, like you are. Nothing I can't easily replace."

The blond was left again then, given three more binding arts to permanently seal him in the dark space until Aizen returned again, the boy's reiatsu almost nil again, to the point of nothing, unless someone was looking for it specifically. The fifth captain was sure of it, unless the boy continued to spike as he had just done.
It was an anomaly he wasn't sure he favoured, especially considering the work he would have to go to, to keep him under wraps. Tousen had been easy to work with. His body folded without question. The same way it had folded into the large crate Ulquiorra had mistakenly found in the caverns.

If good fortune was on his side, the shinigami would be wiped out and his army could attempt a mass exodus into Soul Society to carry out the last part of his plan. He settled into the high back chair in the corner of the bedroom and rested his chin on his uplifted hands, frowning and cocking an eyebrow at the stench of fear that wafted into his room, unheard of in Hueco Mundo due to fear being unneeded and discouraged amongst his followers.

He got to his feet and opened the double doors, looking out into the sitting room, catching sight of a pair of men standing on the soft, silken carpet, Ichimaru's lounging pillows tossed aside to give them room. The brunet frowned more deeply and moved into the pale light that shone in through the high windows, not needing even that little bit to see who his visitors were. The silver sheen and fear coated reiatsu belonging to his lover and the red and white energy of the sickly captain mingling in with it.

"Have you come to watch my army invade Soul Society from the good side of the fence?" He asked them both. "Or is there something else you wish to discuss with me?"

Gin made as if to speak and Ukitake silenced him with a hand on his shoulder, stepping up a few inches to demand the defector's attention, knowing that what he had to say would come as a complete shock to the younger, now more easily upset shinigami.

"We're here for the boy, Aizen. Give him to us. I know he's still alive."

The Espada leader snorted and started to laugh. "You've got some nerve, Ukitake. Hasn't Gin told you? I've disposed of him already."

Ichimaru shuddered as the words fell from his lover's mouth again, his hands trembling as he again started to stroke the leather patch, willing himself to either pass out or wake from this terrifying nightmare, hardly even hearing Ukitake as he spoke words that suggested Kira may still live.

"I can sense his reiatsu, Aizen. Don't be a fool."

The flare from the former fifth taichou sent both men back a foot, Ichimaru crying out as if he had been struck and Jyuushiro standing his ground with a dark look. The betrayer advanced on them, not drawing his zanpakutou but holding his hand out to use his kidou, dashing for Gin first and gaining a holler from Ukitake telling the younger shinigami to dodge, the call falling on deaf ears as the silver haired captain stayed where he was.

"Gin, move! He'll kill you!"

Aizen was silent in his attack, so focused on his lover's face that he was blind to the slight movement below his line of sight, Ichimaru's whispered words almost reaching his ears too late as he suddenly, desperately willed himself to shift off to the side.

"...ikorose, Shinsou..."