STOP ME WHEN YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH

Well, This Hurts

The force of Ichigo's rage is enough to shake Las Noches, the pressure even causing some walls to crack. The faster the ginger walks, the more often he puts short craters in the floor in the shape of his sandals. His fracción are walking beside him since anything behind Ichigo is fair game in terms of destruction.

"Kurosaki, wait," Uryū stumbles. He searches the inside of his shirt, and pulls out a new pair of glasses. Huh. Convenient.

"Not now, Uryū!"

"What do you think you're doing?" He demands, squinting through his glasses before putting them on.

"I'm going to have a talk with Lord Aizen."

"Via warpath? You need to calm down."

"How can I? After what they did to her - to you and everyone else? He let them hurt you!"

"Some of that was our fault," Mizuiro admits.

"I don't care! How can I blame you? After what they've done?"

"At least stop destroying everything," Tatsuki begs.

Ichigo comes to an abrupt stop. He takes gulps of air like he can't breathe. He needs to breathe. Why can't he breathe?

"Are you okay?" Inoue asks.

"Yeah," he nods stiffly. "I just need to calm down."

There are whispers in his ear again. He listens to them, and his Reiatsu disburses. Rukia is okay. Gin said so. Can he trust Gin? No, but he was being honest that much Ichigo can trust.

"What are you going to say to Aizen?" Chad asks.

"I want to know what I did wrong. Why did he attack you? Why now of all times? Why didn't he do it when we first got here?" Ichigo rambles. "We haven't done anything that would be enough to sick Gin and Tosen on you, right?"

Uryū shakes his head. "Not that I'm aware of."

"Exactly. I also want to know what happened with Rukia."

"They kinda told you already," Keigo points out.

"You really think I should trust Gin like that?"

There's a chorus of responses, most consisting of "no" and "why should you?" He sighs. Yeah, I kinda figured as much, he thinks.

"Should we come with?" Inoue questions.

The ginger hums. "Yes, you should. I need you guys to have my back on this."

"From here to the end, Kurosaki," Tatsuki grins, everyone nodding in agreeance.

"Let's do this."

They make it to the throne room. Aizen isn't here, but the Espada are; Nel included. Ichigo wonders briefly where Pesche and Dondachakka are before dismissing the thought. That's not important right now. What is important is how suspicious this gathering is.

Actually, is it suspicious for the Espada to meet in here without Aizen present? He hasn't really gotten to know any of the Espada, now that he thinks of it. He doesn't know what normal is for them. Do they usually meet up here? If Nel is here, then something must be going on, right? But nothing coup worthy. Right?

"Did I miss something?" Ichigo questions.

"Not really," Nel shakes her head. "I'm just trying to catch up. It feels like forever since I've been here."

"That's an understatement," Harrible says with a thin layer of fondness in her voice.

She sounds comfortable, Ichigo notes. In the few times they've spoken, Tier Harrible was never comfortable - only closed off and stiff. Is it the presence of a second female Espada? Ichigo can't imagine the pressure the blonde felt being the only female Espada. It must've been difficult for her.