Title: Playing with the Devil Chapter 8
Author: Ansela Jonla
Fandom: Bleach
Rating: PG this chapter, 18 overall
Warnings:
Summary: Mayuri's decision to experiment on a Vizard sets in motion a chain of events that will once again rock the Gotei Thirteen. Traps, discoveries and pain.
Word Count: 1312
Notes: Master list of chapters can be found here. This is most definitely AU, from where Ichigo and Unohana left Hueco Mundo and returned to FKT.

Kira and Shuuhei cautiously approached what looked like yet another hidden lab, the entrance disguised as a cave in the side of the lone hill. They'd been sent – partly due to the fact that they were the nearest Lieutenants, and partly because Kira was carrying a medical kit that he would no doubt need - to reinforce Madarame, who'd been ordered to pursue Kurotsuchi Nemu. There'd been no contact from the Third Seat for over half an hour, his last communication cut off in a burst of static.

"Something's interfering with my comms, senpai," Kira muttered, fiddling with his earpiece. "I don't like this. It feels like a trap."

"Trap or not, we have our orders," Shuuhei responded. A flicker of movement caught his eye, and he started to draw his zanpakutou, before pausing and smiling briefly. "Hinamori-kun, it's not wise to sneak up on anyone right now."

"Sorry, senpai. I've been scouting the area and thought it best if I wasn't detected." Hinamori shook her head as she joined them. "This is the only entrance I could find. There are several sets of footprints leading in and out. Most of them are small, possibly Kurotsuchi Nemu's, but there's one bigger set that only goes in."

"Madarame, huh?" Shuuhei sighed. "I hope he's not bitten off more than he can chew this time."

The three Lieutenants moved towards the entrance in silence, alert for any possible guardians that Madarame had missed or that had moved into position since his passing. Nothing stirred as they entered the dark, cave-like corridor, their footsteps echoing around the rocky walls.

There was only one path in, footsteps in the dust showing that someone had been by that place recently. Recessed lights set into the walls lit the corridor, allowing them to see where they were going. Hinamori muttered about it being a trap, echoing Kira's earlier misgivings. Apart from the footprints on the floor, there was no sign that Madarame had passed through there.

The passage eventually opened up into a massive cavern, the ceiling out of reach of the dim lighting that ringed the lower half. Stairs led down to the cavern floor, leading to the human-sized passage from the outside, and several others set around the edge, which were all placed halfway up the walls, connected by a thin ledge that ringed the cavern. Other passages at ground level, blocked off with thick-barred gates, were much larger. Restraints in the floor were similarly sized, making the small bank of computers and storage units set against one wall look like children's toys. The floor was lined with grated drains under each set of restraints, yet there were still bloodstains of varying ages staining the white floor. One of the gates was open.

"I really don't like the look of this," Shuuhei said. The three of them ignored the stairs, jumping from the entrance and landing lightly on the cavern floor. Up close, it was clear that some of the blood stains were a lot fresher than the others.

"Madarame's been here," Kira said, carefully following the trail of blood to the open gate. He paused before the gaping tunnel mouth, peering into the unlit blackness. "He went in here."

"Pursuing something? Or dragged off?" Hinamori frowned into the darkness, her fingers tapping at Tobiume's hilt. "No, it doesn't matter. Either way, we have to follow him."

o0o

Renji resisted the urge to snarl at their current guide to hurry up and open the door at the back of the lab already. There was no point in snapping at people just because Kurotsuchi's freaky labs weirded him out and made him all jumpy.

He didn't know why this lab in particular was making him extra jumpy. It wasn't like there were bits of bodies lying around, or even a whole person strapped to a table like there had been in one of them.

Rikichi seemed spooked as well, even though he was trying to hide it. He'd been by Renji's side since they woke up, like a loyal hound waiting for his master's commands. Not that Renji was going to complain about that. He could have worse people than Rikichi treating him like he was the king of the world.

The door hissed open eventually and Renji slid in carefully. Nothing moved and he waved the squad in after him. The room looked almost like a scientist's version of a forge, all sterile and with computers and instruments all around the walls and tables.

Most of the stuff was clustered around a table near the centre of the room, and Renji wandered over to it. There were pieces of black metal scattered over the surface, some with sensors or something attached to them. Renji started to get a sick feeling in his stomach when he saw how much of the metal there was and how some it was shaped.

The sight of the red-link sash and the piece of metal with cloth tailing off hit him like a punch to the gut.

Zabimaru screamed in anger, and Renji's vision washed out in red. Most of the squad backed out of the room or pressed up against the nearest wall as his reiatsu flared out angrily. Renji stood staring at the shattered pieces of Zangetsu, fighting against the rage that told him to charge into Rukongai, track Kurotsuchi down and start smashing until the bastard was dead.

Movement from the back of the lab, where none of his squad had got to, caught Renji's eye and he turned towards it. A small creature, shaped somewhat like an oversized frog, was crouched on one of the other tables. A Hollow mask covered its face and Renji snarled in anger, drawing Zabimaru as it jumped for him.

No, not for him. It leapt onto the table and grabbed one of the pieces of Zangetsu before jumping away again. It barely touched the floor before going airborne again, heading for the door into the main lab, which would lead it to outside. Renji wasn't going to let that happen. He wouldn't let one of Kurotsuchi's freakjobs take him a piece of Zangetsu.

The mini-Hollow jumped again, aiming for the door and freedom. Before Renji could move to intercept it a sword swung up, neatly slicing the beast in half as it leapt straight onto the blade. The piece of Zangetsu fell to the floor as Rikichi smiled sheepishly at Renji.

"Sorry, Abarai-fukutaichou-dono."

"What you apologising for? I wasn't in position to stop it." Renji carefully picked up the piece of metal and placed it back on the table with the rest, just as Zaraki and Byakuya swept in to investigate.

o0o

A building shattered in pain and he screamed as it fell. He sat in the eye of the cyclone that was destroying the world with wind and rain. His arms wrapped around himself, he stared blankly at the crumbling world around him.

"Hurt us, king."

The voices were familiar to him, but he didn't know why. He just knew that they were. They weren't like the pain that was destroying him. They felt safe and dangerous all at the same time. Not dangerous to him though. They wouldn't hurt him.

The pain was going away again. He wasn't happy. It would come back. It always would.

He didn't want it to. He screamed again, feeling something respond to the noise. That sometimes made the pain stay so new pain couldn't come. It didn't stop leaving.

"Not the same. Different."

"Her. It's her."

He listened to the voices. They weren't the pain. They were safe.

"Protect her."

"Find us, king. Use us."

He wouldn't let the painmakers hurt her. He had to protect her. He had to help her.

The cyclone tore at him as he stood, the winds whipping his black rags around him. He didn't care. He had to stop the painmakers from hurting her. From hurting him. He took a deep breath and screamed once more, the loudest scream he'd ever made.