"What'd you mean they got away?" King yelled, throwing his desk lamp across the room into his mirror. Shiro stood still as he let his brother throw his fit, better to let the study take the blunt of the rage. The albino himself was already covered in bandages and band-aids.

"They didn't all get away," Shiro spoke in a soothing voice, "There's the one ya got, and the older one Kensei got—I think he was their leader or something. Kurotsuchi also filleted the smart one… They'll be scattered by now."

Clenching his fist, Ichigo sat down to try to calm himself before looking his brother over, "What the hell happened to you anyway? Where were you?"

"Getting my ass beat by the Espada," Shiro stuck his tongue out, "I barely managed to catch up to you."

King rested his head on the desk with a heavy sigh, "And now it seems the FBI has finally decided to help Kaien. They must have something solid on us. We can't let them find the Espada. Send Gin."

"Ya sure ya wanna do that? We could just send some more goons," Shiro tried his best to hide his grin. Ichigo remained silent. Turning to leave, Shiro purred, "I'll let him know."

The moment he closed the doors behind him, he had to cover his face to hide the sadistic joy that twisted across his lips. He couldn't believe everything was going so well, other than the bruises, everything was happening as planned.

"Hello~" Gin mewled from just out of Shiro's peripheral.

The albino jumped, "Shit! Don't do that, ya creep!"

"Sorry~ I thought ya saw me," Gin chuckled, crossing his arms before leaning off his spot on the wall, "So y'all want me to go hunt my ol' buddies?"

"Eavesdropping are we?" Shiro playfully scolded.

"No, no, it's just that King's making so much noise, I couldn't sleep," Gin held his hands up innocently.

Grinning, Shiro let out a small snicker before asking, "Will yer previous affiliations with yer buddies be a problem?"

"Is it ever?" He purred as he turned to leave.

Shiro knew there was no reason to doubt Gin. The assassin had no loyalties, just a list of people who owe him money. Giving the silver-haired killer a few minutes to actually leave, the albino wandered aimlessly down the hall. As he passed one room, he found himself stepping back for a double take.

"Shiro, come join me. We need to talk," Byakuya sat his book down.

"Jeez, is King having a slumber party or something?" Shiro mumbled, taking a seat on the couch across from the other. With a slight pout, he waited for the politician to explain.

"How many Espada are left?" Byakuya asked.

"Eh, a few," Shiro yawned, slouching in his seat, careful about his bruises.

"A number would be nice," Byakuya stared cooly.

"Five, not counting their friends and stuff," Shiro hissed nonchalantly.

"That's half, plus allies," Byakuya's eye contact never broke, "That's a bit more than a few. An uncomfortable bit more than a few."

Leaning forward threateningly, Shiro blurted out, "Hey! I don't see ya bustin' yer ass! I'm doing all the work, dick."

Without batting an eye, Kuchiki responded calmly, "I'm just making sure you remember the risk you're taking here, the consequences of failing to deliver, and of course, our little arrangement. I especially wouldn't want you to forget that."

The albino grit his teeth. The corrupt politician was right, but the condescending tone was a bit much. He wanted to just slit the guy's throat and be done with it. He wanted to torture, then kill, then bury him—anything to get rid of him.

But he needed him.

"Don't worry yer pretty lil face," Shiro grinned wickedly, "No one's gonna find out."

"It doesn't look like he's been by," One of the goons searching through Neliel's apartment sighed.

"Ya wanna wait to see if he comes?" The other seemed uninterested.

"Nah, if he hasn't come by now, he's long gone," The first stated, leading out the door and to the elevator. Both were more relieved than anything else as the doors closed and they descended.

After a moment or two, Nnoitra crept out from around the corner and made his way to the apartment door. The goons had closed and re-locked the door so no one would be the wiser.

Worried that Neliel might have been home, he played with the idea of breaking in. There was this moment where he wondered if it was even a good idea to have come at all—the Family didn't seem too keen on involving her. But then, they could always come back. The Espada's nostrils flared as his mind went back and forth.

"What're you doing here?" Neliel asked coldly, making Nnoitra spin. She looked mildly annoyed, holding a bag of groceries.

"I was just checking on ya," Nnoitra replied, off guard at first but managed to slur into his normal demeanor.

"Oh hell, now what kind of shit have you pulled?" Neliel pushed past the other, unlocking and opening her door to step into her apartment. Nnoitra followed, closing the door behind him. It looked like no one had been there. She continued while setting her groceries down, "Your constant getting into trouble and checking up on me are what some would call a trend."

"This is pretty serious," Nnoitra stated, only slightly defensive.

"Shoes," She said randomly.

"Say what?" he replied in confusion.

"Your boots are still on," Neliel sighed while putting her groceries up.

"Oh, yeah yeah, ya hippie," Nnoitra absently removed his boots. In response to his pet name, Nel picked a flower out of her vase and put in her hair, smiling at the Espada. He rolled his eye, trying not to grin. He noticed she was barefoot; he didn't remember her taking her shoes off, but then it wouldn't have surprised him if she went out without them to begin with.

Propping on her table, Neliel asked, "So what's up?"

"Oh, not much," Nnoitra hissed with a bit of sarcasm, "Just happen to have the whole fuckin' mafia after me."

"What'd you do?" Her voiced choked a bit, but her stare didn't move.

"Nothing," Nnoitra shrugged innocently.

"No seriously," Neliel twitched," You kill someone?"

"No, that's the thing," Nnoitra rubbed his face out of irritation, "They wanted us to, but we didn't. Then they came, killed her, and now want to kill us for some reason. I think that fuckin' albino set us up."

The Espada noticed that Neliel was shaking a bit. Tears could be seen gathering in her eyes before she turned sharply into the kitchen silently. She seemed to be looking for something.

"You okay?" Nnoitra asked, worried that she didn't believe him.

"Did you torture her?" Neliel's face couldn't be seen but it was obvious in her voice that she was sobbing.

"Torture?" He repeated, shocked by the accusation.

"Yes! Did you really torture her?" She asked again with more bite, turning around with a 9mm handgun aimed at the Espada.

"Whoa!" His hands shot up instantly, "Listen, Nel. I didn't do anything. Why would ya even think that?"

Neliel sniffled. The two stared at each other. Her crying hadn't stopped but began to settle down. Then something clicked in Nnoitra's head and the scenario made sense.

"Who did ya talk to?" He asked half desperate, half pissed, "Who? That albino bastard? Ya talk to him?"

There was another brief shake over her body, and Neliel's crying picked back up.

"What the hell did he tell ya?" Nnoitra mumbled, trying to figure out what the guy could've said to shake her up this bad. The more he thought about it, the more he started trembling himself.

"Nel, talk to me!" He yelled.

"Shiro! Shiro told me you tortured and killed King's girlfriend," Neliel spat out with a violent shake, "He said all these horrible things! He told me about how I was next… He threatened to hurt me if I didn't keep you here! He said I had to keep you here long enough for his guys to come get you, and he set up this whole elaborate plan! Okay?"

There was a pause before Nnoitra whimpered, "Ya don't believe him, do ya?"

This sent a quick, vicious shake through Neliel and with one last sniff, she stopped crying. Barely over a whisper, she answered, "No…"

After another pause, she lowered the gun and repeated herself a little louder to reassure herself, "No, of course not."

Nnoitra felt relieved, moving in closer as if to embrace her. Before he could get too close though, she outstretched a hand against his chest to halt his movement. Neliel sat the gun down and wiped away what tears remained.

"You should go," She smiled weakly, "Those guys are coming back with others."

"Quit being such a dumb bitch," Nnoitra spoke softly, gently pushing her hand to the side so he could move in closer. As he stepped closer, his hand slid up her arm. Upon reaching her, he added, "I came back for a reason."

"They're going to kill you~" Neliel hummed playfully as the Espada's other hand traced up her neck, luring her chin upward.

"The hell they will," Nnoitra grinned.

"You better quit it and run, asshole," Neliel smiled, breathing onto Nnoitra's lips.

"I'm not gonna say it, Nel," Nnoitra smirked, arms wrapping around her waist.

"Sure you are," She said confidently.

Suddenly, the door kicked in and three guys rushed at the two. Without a second thought, the Espada pushed the girl backwards and out of harm's way. All three guys went straight for him, two had knives, and one had a pistol.

One of the blades shot out after Nnoitra. With a quick deflect, he threw one off balance. The other slashed instantly, hoping to catch him off guard only to be dodged just as easily. The first was up again with a vicious slash that was stopped just in time to avoid the stab by the second. The two glanced at each other, discouraged and afraid… as well as open.

"Che, amateurs," Nnoitra's dagger was barely more than a shimmer as he pulled it out and sliced both across their stomachs simultaneously. The pair backed up, gripping their clean wounds. At that moment, the Espada's confidence vanished as he realized that the third guy had a clear shot.

Bang! Then two more bangs.

"Quit dicking around," Neliel smacked the back of Nnoitra's head, her gun still smoking. Before the Espada could respond, she moved out to the hall to double check for more guys.

"Hey, be—" Nnoitra started before Nel interrupted.

"Shut it! I swear to God if you tell me to be careful, I'm going to shoot your ass," She said deadpanned. As if on cue, a really big guy snatched the gun from her and unloaded it in one move then tossed it behind him. Before he could touch her though, Nnoitra had tackled him. After a brief tussle, the two separated just long enough for the Espada to ready his dagger and recognize the attacker as King's bodyguard Chad. He looked bigger than he remembered… Nnoitra may have the height and reach advantage but this guy was stout.

Chad gave a grunt before Nnoitra lunged. The giant managed to wrap his hand around the one holding the dagger and proceeded to squeeze with all his strength. Then came an uppercut to his stomach.

Hunched over, Nnoitra gasped for air, trying to seem unaffected. Smiling, he exhaled, "Was that your best shot?"

With one last punch, the Espada was out cold. Right when everything went black, he thought he heard Nel cry out.

The subway train screeched to a halt and the passengers exited as the next set boarded. There was only a few though due to the time of night and the one Grimmjow picked. If the Family sent anyone after him, he wanted to see them coming. Taking one last look around, he jumped on. He saw no one but his instinct warned him that he was not alone.

"Ya know, I think I know why ya seem like King's rival," Gin chuckled, relaxed in his seat. Grimmjow turned, tense and ready to bolt and/or fight; however, the silver haired assassin made no moves toward him.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Grimmjow showed his paranoia with his weak smile.

"Yer both soooooooo much alike~" Gin chuckled, "Ya two could be brothers or something."

This comment made the Pantera grit his teeth a bit, both out of anger and excitement.

"See! That's what I mean!" Gin pointed childishly, "Yer like the only one who could replace him and still be called 'King'. It's downright hilarious."

The Espada's pride swelled at the remark. More than anything, he wanted to topple King and replace him as the "new" King. Something about duking it out over the title itself intoxicated Grimmjow. It nearly kept him from fleeing, which in reality was a smart move on his part—despite how badly he wanted to stay.

"Yeah~" Gin sighed, "Ya would've been perfect… Too bad…"

Instantly, Grimmjow ducked to the side purely off of a reflex, leaving Gin's outstretched arm and butterfly knife poised in mid-air. Backing up, down the train car, Grimmjow returned to his tensed and read stance. The over-smiling killer relaxed again, but this time in a pose that made his intentions obvious.

"How long have ya been in King's pocket, huh?" Grimmjow growled.

"Longer than ya know and shorter than ya'd think," Gin shrugged before lunging. By this point, all the rest of the passengers in that car had run off fearfully, so there was no one to trip over as Grimmjow bobbed and weaved while backing up. At this point, he could tell Gin was just messing with him.

Then came a slash, but the Pantera used his left hand to deflect the attack and counter with a powerful right hook to the face. The Espada had a nasty gash on his hand now, but Gin was disoriented enough to have to back off much to both of theirs surprise. Not wanting to lose this chance to gain momentum, Grimmjow swooped in.

He dodged a desperate thrust before delivering a solid punch to Gin's right side and was able to get another right hook in on Gin's face. With a simple duck, Grimmjow dodged a horizontal slash, this time grabbing the arm with the knife. He then proceeded to take advantage and unleashed a flurry of strong, right hooks to the assassin's exposed left torso.

Taking too much damage from the attacks, Gin made another desperate move: a headbutt.

The blow made both pause, and Grimmjow actually recovered first, giving a superior grin. But that was all Gin needed—a break from the offensive attack. Before the Espada had realized his mistake, the position of the aggressor had changed. Gin gave a left hook, followed by several elbow jabs to the other's head until his grip loosened. The assassin kneed him to finally make him let go, which gave Gin enough room to get a good kick to Grimmjow's chest, throwing him back and into a pole.

The two stared, trying to their breath.

"Jeez, yer pretty vicious," Gin's smile returned.

Grimmjow thought the same about the other but instead said, "Not bad, for a backstabber."

Gin stayed silent.

"So that's it? Nothing to say?" Grimmjow prodded, spitting blood.

Letting his head hang a bit, Gin snickered, "I can't believe I'm gonna tell ya… Ya better return the favor and kill King for me."

The Espada blinked, confused.

"Just sit," Gin closed and threw his knife to Grimmjow, "And then ya can try to kill me afterwards if ya want."

As Gin took a seat, Grimmjow debated on actually listening. There was always the possibility that Gin had another weapon, but the more he thought about it, the more the whole encounter felt strange. The assassin never took such a high profile approach.

Hesitantly, Grimmjow sat across from Gin. After a brief moment of silence, he said, "Well, speak."

"I'm not helping King. I'm helping the police. I'm their informant," Gin stated. Grimmjow couldn't help but snicker at the idea of a triple backstab. Taking note of the Espada's reaction, Gin continued, "I've been with them since before I met Aizen, helping them take down different big-named game… but once I joined y'all, I broke contact with them completely."

Gin's smile faded as he added, "But once we got involved with the Family, I got back in touch. Because of some previous work for the Family, it wasn't hard to weasel my way into their good graces."

"You sold us out," Grimmjow stated.

"I saved y'all," Gin snapped back defensively, "King was planning on having all of ya killed on the spot. I convinced him to use y'all—which wasn't easy by the way… That lunatic brother of his made sure of that…"

Grimmjow clenched his fist at the mentioning of Shiro. He didn't want to fight the albino, he just wanted him dead. While he never trusted the guy, his tricks cut too deep and too many of his friends had suffered because of it.

"He's first," Grimmjow exhaled, filled with a newfound determination.

Smiling again, Gin stood up just as the subway train stopped at the next station. He spoke as he made his way off the train, "Do whatever ya want, just make sure ya live."

Not turning to watch him leave, the Pantera simply grinned at a thought in the back of his mind: I'm not alive unless I'm fighting.

Grimmjow lit a cigarette, "Guess I'm staying."