Las Noches was quiet as it always was. The desert of bone deadened all noise from traveling very far. It could drive one mad if alone for too long. Hueco Mundo in comparison was a beehive and anticipation, the walls nearly vibrating with how many hollows were waiting. All ten Espada waiting in quiet calmness in an open pavilion, the place Aizen-sama had specifically said he would appear at.

The sky above was bright blue with the false sun, the air buzzing quite literally with new hollows with wings that have gathered together here. The population of hollows in such closeness made the desert sand useless to absorb the sounds of all the wailing, screaming, laughing, and growls from all the weaker arrancars. Thousands and thousands of arrancars waiting for the grand entrance of their leader. It was like a football stadium filled to capacity.

And down on the field was the ten espada, relaxed but also anticipating.

Aizen was coming back with Gin and Tousen.

They were returning with the Lady of the Castle.

Most of the arrancars never meet or even seen the mysterious Comandante but they had all heard stories. As time passed, the more hooting, hollering echoed in the castle. The Espada who knew better, kept quiet.

Finally, there was a tear between the realities. The arrancar screams turned louder in hysteria. The tear ripped open and Aizen stepped out wearing his white uniform, hair swept back and eyes as cold as his heart. Gin and Tousen stepped out behind him wearing their white uniforms and looking unchanged. And then she appeared.

Comandante Agito Diabolos.

Obviously now, that the title has changed seeing as she wear a white gown of pure starlight, black lace curling over her arms and chest. A crown upon her head glittering for everyone to see. But she was no passive Reina. Upon arrival to Hueco Mundo, she frowned to see so many arrancar in one place. An army of masses. With her sharp eyes she looked around the pavilion, trying to see the strong and the weak. What she saw displeased her.

"Permission for immediate correction of army insubordination?" Reina Diabolos asked of the King. Aizen turned to look at her with his all too knowing smile.

"They're your subjects, my Reina. Do as you would please." With that, Aizen, Gin, and Tousen left the pavilion to head off to the Espada meeting room where they would later convine. Agito looked towards the thousands surrounding her and the ten Espada she had personally trained.

"I see there's a bit of a rebellious streak with the new recruits," she said to her ten, "Only five-hundred will survive. Let the bodies feed the buzzards."

She turned on her heel and left knowing full and well that her ten Espada would follow her orders knowing exactly what she wanted. As the doors of Hueco Mundo closed behind her, Agito smiled to hear the panicked, in pain, enraged screams of over a thousand arrancars fighting, killing, and eating each other.

There was something nice about being back.

...

The Espada meeting room was cold and dark despite the fact that everything was white. In the middle was a large oval table with fourteen high chairs. It had taken a while since the initiate massacre of useless arrancar, but all ten Espada were in their seats with clean uniforms. At the head f the table sat Aizen, relaxed but poised. To his right hand was his chosen Queen, Agito. To his left was Gin, smiling as coyly as always. Tousen sat beside him.

The Espada had no assigned seats but there was a general agreement to avoid sitting next to someone you disliked. Nnorita didn't sit next to Harribel. Grimmjow didn't sit next to Baraggan. The usual.

"Now," Aizen said, starting the meeting, "Where to begin?

"The declaration of war against Soul Society was a success. We have completed all that we needed to complete in that word which includes to retrieval of the Hougyoku." Aizen casually placed an octagonal box on the table and flipped open the lid to reveal a jewel the size of a large marble. The Hougyoku was a very powerful artifact, if in fact the most powerful. It had the power to grant wishes, no matter what type. The gem glittered it's miasma in the unnatural white lighting of the room, catching the eye of a few Espada in want of power, knowledge, and curiosity.

"What the hell are we gonna do with that?" asked Nnorita. Aizen smiled indulgently at his mantis creation even though he disrupted his speech.

"This, will complete your own Shinigami transformation," Aizen said and everyone perked up. Though the Espada were the closest hollows have ever come to being Shinigami, there was the hidden truth that they weren't perfect. They call could not unlock their resurrections. A rather unfortunate symptom of undergoing the Shinigami transformation but with the Hougyoku at hand, everyone would be able to get power up.

"Tomorrow, your transformation with begin," Aizen said, "And under the careful eye of my Reina, you will train."

"What's the use of training under that woman after we get our resurrections?" asked Yami, the tenth Espada, "We will be unbeatable."

Agito never trained Yami and greatly disliked him. He was brash, arrogant, and very stupid. Very stupid. If a bull were to possess no brain, it would be Yami.

"A blade," she said with a coldness in her voice that chilled those who knew to respect her, "Untested, untried, and dull is a rather stupid reason to die from."

"And you think you can train us?" Yami sneered out in a challenge.

"Agi-" Aizen tried to calmly stop her from reacting but it was already too late.

"Restrain him," Agito ordered and without question, Grimmjow had knocked Yami out of his seat, toppling him back and restrained him on his knees.

"Let go of me!" Yami demanded but there was no mercy to be given. Not from her.

"Ulquiorra," she said and unprompted he stood to act as her punishing force. She smiled as Yami began to demand to be released. "Next time you question me, you won't live long enough for an answer."

Ulquiorra drew out his blade and easily gutted Yami. He wasn't aiming to kill Yami, Agito didn't want that. She just wanted Yami to properly suffer. Stretching out his guts across the room should suffice.

Yami began howling in pain but with a single smack delivered by Ulquiorra's backhand he shut up because his nose and cheekbone broke. Grimmjow released Yami and both he and Ulquiorra sat down. It was rather obviously to everyone there what their display was. A declaration of allegiance. All Espada were under the command of Aizen of course but they had a favored preference as to who gave them orders. Some choose Tousen, other's Gin, most choose Aizen seeing as he is the strongest being in their presence, but few favored Agito.

Agito smiled pleasantly at Aizen.

"Please continue, Aizen-sama," she said. To those who actually knew her, they knew that she was using his honorific in scorn but it was perfectly hidden.

"Espada shall be trained by our Reina," he stated, decided to continue as if not interrupted, "Your fraccion will be trained by yourselves. The remaining Arrancars ... well they're just cannon fodder. Let them scramble for power. They will do nicely in creating a distraction for useless Shinigami.

"We shall meet at the auditorium tomorrow. Dismissed."

Everyone stood and filed out to leave. Though they were all comrades, they all had their own reasons, and motivations to take up arms. Agito left the meeting and retreated back to her rooms, her balcony open to let in the cool breeze from Las Noches' desert. Her rooms were cleaned by servant Arrancars and in perfect condition from where she left it fifteen years ago.

She knew she had much to do to appease the standard of military order Aizen undoubtedly expected of her but until her Espada were unleashed of their resurrections, any sort of training would be useless. She took out a sketchbook and notepad for her current work. In the notebook she jotted down what was needed to be done with the current army and how to fix with her absence broke. In the sketchbook she drew a simple woman's form and began tossing out ideas for a new uniform.

Though her gown was beautiful, it was impractical for everyday use.

A knock sounded against her door.

"Enter," she called out and the door slid open to reveal Grimmjow at her door. He studied her for a moment before sneering. He walked in and sat down at her balcony, keeping his back against the corner to keep all entrances, people, and area in his sight. She left him to it. If he didn't want to speak of his reasons why he was here, let him brood.

"Oi." Or not. She looked back up again to see Grimmjow starring with that frown that was stuck on his face. "You left."

"I did," she said.

"You didn't come back."

"I didn't."

"Why not?" She tilted her head in wonderment. Where was he going with this? "When Aizen, Gin, and Tousen left to Soul Society, they came back from time to time. You didn't. Why not?"

"Are you saying you missed me?" she teased, a tiny smirk curling at the edge of her mouth.

"Feh!" he cursed, "No. I was just thinking. What if ... the Reina of Hueco Mundo wasn't so keen on being Reina. What if, at any given chance, you would offer our heads on a bloody platter just to be free of us?"

"What you speak of is treason, Grimmjow," Agito stated with steel in her voice, "Careful with what you speak of."

"See," he said, "If I were to question Gin of his loyalty to Aizen, he would have cut my tongue out. You though ... you tell me to be careful. So truly, Agito, are you our Reina?"

"Your Reina?" she questioned that there was such hidden danger that Grimmjow couldn't help but stiffen. A dark, miserable presence seem to fill the room, absolutely unbearable, like the most humid of days on the blackest nights. Like dark fire. Like the world crashing down to its end. He didn't recognise it and it was a shock.

What was this reiatsu?

It was such a surprise to realise it was all coming from Agito. How? Why? Before this, Agito's reiatsu felt oppressive sure but it felt like being trapped in a house fire, flames devouring the roof above you, flames laughing at your demise. This though, this felt like being stuck in a cave and watching magma flow in, inescapable and terrifying.

"Who ever said I was yours?" she questioned. The magma was boiling, turning hotter. Grimmjow was suffocating-

There was a knock on the door.

As quickly as she unleashed her anger, she reined it back in. Not a single trace of reiatsu was left floating in her room and Grimmjow gasped for breath, nearly unseating himself from the window.

"Enter," she called and Grimmjow put himself to rights before anyone else could see his weakness.

"Reina," Ulquiorra greeted from the doorway entering the room and taking a quick look around. He wasn't surprised to see Grimmjow already there, but it was the faint touch of hot reiatsu that lingered on the stone and wood that he was really interested in.

"What news do you have for me?" asked Agito, getting right into business.

"Aizen has given his orders," he said, "No one is to touch you."

"...What." That single word was delivered with such deliberate force it was a surprise that she managed to not let her overpowering reiatsu out to burn the entirety of Hueco Mundo to the ground.

"Aizen has given orders that none should touch you," he said, "That any who do will be removed from service."

"Is that right?" she asked but it was clearly a rhetorical question. Still in her seat, she forced herself to relax but it was fooling no one. Her hands clutched at her arm chair, nails digging and scarring into the wood.

"Jealous?" Grimmjow said, "What the hell did you do in the human world, Agito? Did you seduce his sworn enemy of something?"

"Aizen is possessive," she explained, "He doesn't like anyone playing with his toys."

"Did someone play with his toy," Grimmjow teased.

"He doesn't like anyone playing with a toy he doesn't truly have." Grimmjow shut his trap and stared at Agito in shock. Never had she ever exposed to him with evidence that she truly wasn't loyal to Aizen.

"What are you going to do?" asked Ulquiorra. Agito cradled her head in his hand, nails absently tapping against her head as she schemed.

"Ulquiorra," she said, "Does Gin love me?"

"Where the hell did that question come from?" asked Grimmjow. He was nearly really apart of any strategy meetings, and he had never thought Agito manipulative enough to actually plan like a tactician.

"As someone who doesn't value strategy, answering your question will be useless," Agito dismissed. She turned back to Ulquiorra for his answer.

"Further investigation is advisable," was all he could say.

"You're right," she said, "You have never seen me alone with Gin. My plan will have to delayed."

"If asked, Gin-san would act in whatever way you need," Ulquiorra offered, "He is a maker of mischief."

"Ah, and truly I could just only ask but first I need that information. Either I work to break one heart or two." She smiled and there was nothing nice about it.

"Oh," Grimmjow said, not truly understanding but feeling a leased shiver run through him, "Welcome back, Reina."

"It's good to be back."

~~~

{Author's Note: I know it's taking a million years but life is a bitch. I'm in college right now, got a job, looking to get a motorcycle. Oh! I got tattoos. I'm very proud of them.]