Your usual guard was nowhere to be seen. Nnoitra, tall, spindly and sinister, leaned against the closest wall. His smile was a sharp blade, ready to cut you to pieces. There was a rushing noise in your ears, like wind or electrical static. You stared at a spot on the wall as certain discrepancies and doubts clicked into place, Nnoitra's nasty words the last piece of the puzzle.

'He's got more interesting toys to play with now, pet-sama.'

You tasted something sour in the back of your throat. Bile. Nnoitra laughed in disgust as you staggered from the room to be violently sick. You cleaned your mouth and face with a little of the precious water, not caring what you wasted. Spitting out a mouthful, as though it could wash out the taste, you turned to the lanky Espada in the doorway.

'Where is he, Gilga?' You didn't feel like sparing the Quinto Espada any courtesy. Not now.

'Sitting atop his mighty throne.' Nnoitra sneered down at you. 'Are you going to go and scream at him? I think I'll come and watch.'

You ignored his glee. You had to see Sosuke. Had to know the truth. Endless white halls with white floors; it was only muscle memory that brought you back to the throne room, followed by your lanky, grinning shadow. Your mind was in no state to lead you. The throne was a monolith in the cavernous room. And there, seated at his ease, Sosuke.

He was in discussion with Gin Ichimaru, that smirking, slithering snake of a man who made chills run down your spine. You'd always despised each other, which only made your stomach drop further when his smile widened at the sight of you. Whatever made Gin happy only made you less so. You tore your eyes away from him and looked up at Sosuke.

He looked back. Cool. Impassive. Superior. Anxiety twisted in your stomach until you thought you might vomit again. You swallowed, mouth dry, tongue heavy.

'Is it true?' you asked, voice shamefully thin and weak in that echoing chamber. 'You have someone else?' You loathed the way your voice cracked on the last word. All around, nothing but sneering faces. A small part of your mind, long supressed before now, screamed at you to run. Run. Nnoitra and Gin were the first of the wolves that would hound you now. 'Well, Sosuke?'

Aizen leaned forward, chin braced on his hand. His reiatsu swarmed around you like a cloud of electricity. In the past, exciting. Now, smothering, threatening to crush you. 'You will address me as 'Aizen-sama'.'

'A-Aizen-sama,' you bit out, hands curling into fists at your sides. You were no fool. Petty displays of defiance would probably get you killed. 'Is it true,' you tried again, 'that you have another…' Idiot. Lovesick moron. Walking fuck-toy.Your brain provided scathing suggestions, for the thing you now saw you were. His toy. His plaything to be discarded as soon as he grew tired. You bit your tongue and spat out the last word. 'Woman.'

'I do,' he said calmly. Reasonably. As though you were discussing the fucking weather. Not that Hueco Mundo had anything but cold, moonless nights. 'Surely you didn't presume I would be satisfied with you forever?' He said it as though it was the most understandable thing in the world.

You had presumed. You'd thought that every word panted in your ear, during the nights you'd spent in a naked tangle of limbs with him, was true. You thought he had brought you from Soul Society because he needed you. You'd been, in other words, a colossal fucking idiot. And, oh, didn't you know it now. 'I…I…' You didn't even know the end of that sentence.

Your veins ran ice-cold with fear, even as your eyes stung with hurt and humiliation. You were walking on thin, thin ice; without Aizen's favour, you were just a stray shinigami here. Practicality won out over jealousy. 'So, you're just going to have both of us?' you asked, your voice rough from the tightness of your throat.

That bastard.

He smiled at you as though he could read the bitter thoughts straight from your mind. His eyes were dark and deep with amusement, and pitiless. 'I could, I suppose.' He looked to Gin. 'What do you think? A king can have many concubines.'

Gin gave an offhand shrug, sweeping his long fingers in your direction. 'Is it worth dealing with twice the hassle of their emotions?'

Aizen hummed in thought. His mouth turned up in a supersilicious smile. 'you make a good point. But that leaves the question of what to do with her.'

Nnoitra's bracelets jingled as he loomed up behind you. Warm breath purled against the back of your neck as he spoke. 'I'll take her if you don't want her, Aizen-sama.'

Aizen chuckled. 'I didn't know you were so eager to lap up my leftovers, Nnoitra. But, I think not. I can't be seen to be showing favourites among my loyal followers.' Every word he spoke was laced with delicate sarcasm.

You felt your insides turn to stone. Not even the relief of being spared Nnoitra's attentions could stop the arctic shock locking you into place. You struggled to breathe. Everything was so white and distant and cold. The walls, the floor, your former lover. Moving like a robot, like the toy he made you, you bowed at the waist, turned around, and left the throne room.

No-one tried to stop you.

'Bye-bye!' Gin called cheerfully at your retreating back.

It took until the end of the hall for the panic to set in. You were running. Your footfalls echoed off the bare walls, your heartbeat echoed off the dessicated hollow of your chest. You were breathing acid, your lungs burning by the time you skidded to a halt in a distant hall. You spun on your toes, checking that Nnoitra's reiatsu wasn't close by. Nor Syazel's. Nor any of the others who might have heard about your sudden fall from favour.

You were a walking target.

You needed someone who would leap at the chance to piss Aizen off. Someone who might trade your life for the information you held. You swiped a rough hand across your face. It was too soon to give in to tears. You had to survive first.

You closed your eyes and felt out blindly for that wild blue reiatsu. It flared like a sapphire flame just beyond your current location. Running, running, you strained toward it. It flared with alertness as your laboured breath no doubt reached his keen hearing.

You slammed to a stop against a broad back. He didn't bother to move, just allowed his body to act as your brake. You bounced off him and fell back to the floor, horribly winded.

He turned, his face crashing into a scowl. 'What do you want?' he snarled. He made no move to grab you. As far as he knew, you were still Aizen's little pet. 'Watch where the fuck you're going.'

'Grimmjow-' you rasped, sucking in great gulps of air. Months of idleness hadn't helped your fitness any. That had to change.

'What?' he demanded, shoving his hands in his pockets, possibly to avoid strangling you.

You struggled to your feet. He didn't offer a hand to help, of course. 'I…I need help.'

He gave you a perfect expression of disbelief. 'And what the fuck does that have to do with me,_-chan?' The disrespect was nothing new. In fact, now it was refreshing.

'I need to get out of Hueco Mundo. Now.' You barely kept the panic out of your voice. You could feel the predators of this realm breathing down your neck. Grimmjow might be one of the worst, but he hated Aizen more than he hated you. Hate was something you could rely upon, since love was apparently about as solid as the desert sands outside. 'I know you can get me out without anyone seeing.'

He tilted his head like a curious cat. His lips peeled back from his teeth as he scented weakness. Electric blue eyes flashed, and then he had you pinned to the wall by your throat. His implacable hand held you there as he loomed close. 'Why,' he purred, 'would Aizen's little bitch be so desperate to get out of here? Is this some test from Aizen, huh? You gonna go running to him and tell him I was gonna disobey him?'

Panic and slow strangulation made your voice shrill. 'I'll tell you where Kurosaki is!'

Grimmjow's feral growl faltered. The pressure of his hand let up, just a little. He pulled back, narrowing his eyes. 'Explain.'

You let go any last shred of pride, and babbled the whole story. 'He-he's got someone else. He doesn't want me anymore. I need…I need to get out of here! Help me and I'll tell you where Ichigo Kurosaki-'

He squeezed your neck. 'All right! Shut up and let me think.'

You fell silent and concentrated on breathing. He scowled at you as he thought it over. 'You're dead meat if you stay here.'

'Yeah.' It was only a matter of time before you ended up dead or tied to Nnoitra's bed or one of Syazel's examination tables. Assuming you weren't eaten by someone, or just crushed like a paper doll by Yammy first.

Grimmjow snorted. 'He'll be pissed that you got out.'

You said nothing, not wanting to be choked again.

He sneered at you. 'It's not so much fun when you're not his little bitch, is it? You scared?' He didn't wait for an answer. 'Meet me by the gate in ten minutes. You're taking me straight to Kurosaki Ichigo, woman.' He pressed his thumb against your voicebox, hard. 'If you don't, I'll bring you right back.'

You nodded rapidly.

He let you go. You staggered away from him, coughing and rubbing your neck. He stalked away, hands in his pockets, and shot back over his shoulder, 'And don't get caught by the others. If you do, you're on your own.'

You stared at his departing back, feeling the first flicker of hope since Nnoitra's shadow had loomed over you an hour ago. You looked around you. At what had been your home, and might now become your tomb if you didn't hurry.

You ran.