Special thanks to ulquihime7980 and NamelessFangirl for their reviews. As of posing this, I'm almost halfway through chapter 12, so I'll hopefully be able to stay ahead of my internal deadlines and get a chapter posted every week.
Published 1/19/14
Edited 3/11/14: Fixed a few minor grammatical mistakes, added more detail and extended the dialogue in a few scenes. Also, I removed a continuity error that NovaAlexandra was nice enough to point out in her reviews.
TO FORGE A
BETTER TOMORROW
Chapter II:
"Bedlam, Part 2"
Renji watched as Orihime hugged Ulquiorra.
In truth, he was far less concerned with the bat-winged Arrancar, and more so with the pink-haired one now standing among them. They'd been fighting the bespectacled monster, and for a moment it had seemed as if they'd succeeded in killing him. He recalled how Mayuri Kurotsuchi had walked over and picked the dolls that Szayel had made of him and Ishida. After a moment, he tossed the one of him to Nemu and regarded the other for a moment...
The Past...
"To think that Hollow, that so-called 'scientist', would be means of delivering the last living Quincy specimen into my hands..." Mayuri mused aloud. "Yes, I believe that we are done here." He then turned to Nemu. "Be a dear and terminate the Lieutenant," The captain instructed, taking a syringe from his coat and sticking Ishida in the neck with it. "I have plans for this one, and I don't intend on leaving any pesky witnesses." He explained as he drew his Zanpakuto.
"Now for those two fools..." He began, looking towards the nearby prone forms of Dondachaka and Pesche in the rubble. "Well, what are waiting for, you dull-witted cretin?" He snapped at Nemu when he noticed her hesitating at following his orders.
"But Mayuriu-sama, I-" She faltered, apprehension coloring her words. "Your instructions, they are in direct conflict with our oaths as Shinigami."
Mayuri smiled dangerously, re-sheathing his sword. "I don't recall creating you with the ability to question my orders." He remarked as he approached her, thrusting his hand out of grip her roughly by the throat, below her jaw. "It would seem that you've developed... a fault." He observed, still holding her in place, her flesh dipping under the tips of his fingers. "After all, now that I think about, you're overdue to dismantling and inspection."
"Father...?" Nemu replied uncertainly.
"Well, it wouldn't do to have you getting any foolish ideas, such as that you're anything other than a construct that I created." He reasoned. "But don't worry, once I've gotten you back to the lab, it'll be simple to correct these pesky notions of 'self' and 'free will'." He finished coldly.
With that, he cast her aside. "I created you to fulfill a task, you are an instrument, and now you have developed a fault that must be corrected." Mayuri explained darkly. "Your name, your position within my Division, even your sense of loyalty... Nothing more than artifice." He continued as Nemu rubbed her throat, a look of confusion on her face. "You may think you're alive, my dear, but the truth is that you're simply going through the motions." He explained as he picked up the Renji doll.
He paused, chuckling to himself. "You see, it's all just a pantomime- a farce perpetuated to give you a sense of purpose." The painted man declared. "Do you see now? You're not real, and the fact that you even think you are is but a further testament to my brilliance." Mayuri boasted, basking in the glow of his own self-praise. "And lest you doubt my assertion, I will be plain- you are not alive, and you will never be anything more than an imitation- because you have no soul."
"You, you heartless monster!" Renji exclaimed, followed by a cry of pain when Mayuri tightened his grip around the doll. "F-forget the Hollows... You're the empty one... Better part of a century hunting those things... Only for the real monster to be right in front of me!" He screamed, even as the Captain's hand constricted tighter around the doll, the pressure on his longs making it hard to breath.
"Hmph, everyone's a critic..." Mayuri countered dismissively.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
After taking charge of the triage center, Hanataro Yamada was busy overseeing the numerous Medical Corps treating the wounded while personally tending to the more sever cases. At first, he'd just rolled up his sleeves, but as time went on, he discarded his black kimono- leaving him in his white under-liner coat and his black hakama trousers as he treated the injured.
The Medics had initially been skeptical about taking orders from him, but he'd fixed them with a stern gaze and informed them that- as the ranking Officer of the 4th- he was in command and they would be following his orders for the duration of the crisis. After he'd stabilized his latest patient, he stopped to catch his breath, grabbing a bottle of water and downing the contents in a single gulp. Wiping his mouth, he sensed the arrival of an two particular spiritual auras.
He looked in time to see an a smaller humanoid Arrancar, with a mask resembling the skull of a large cat and dark hair braided into a ponytail. However, what shocked him even more was the sight of the figure cradled in his arms. "...Captain Soifon?!"
"Take it easy, kid, I found her like this." Ggio explained. "She's pretty beaten up, so I figured I'd better get her some help before she passes out from pain."
Hanataro looked to the woman still in his arms. "Captain?"
Soifon nodded after a moment. "He's telling the truth..." The captain began, tiredly. "He pulled me out of the rubble... and brought me here." The slender woman explained with effort.
With that, Ggio relinquished her to am apprehensive medic.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The Past...
"Hmph, everyone's a critic..." Mayuri countered dismissively. "But then, I suppose that no genius is ever truly appreciated in their own time." The madman reasoned arrogantly. "As to your comments, I can assure you I've heard them all before... Sentimental claptrap, that's all it is!" He scoffed.
"I know your kind of old." Mayuri remarked. "Unscientific cretins, always so sanctimonious. If allowed, you're kind would ruin everything. And for what- sentiment? Surely you're not so naive..." He continued coolly. "And so, here we are, have you nothing more to say?" He mocked the suffering Lieutenant. "Well?!"
Renji forced his gaze up to the man. "Monster," he spat."go... screw yourself!"
"Bravo, Lieutenant Abarai!" Mayuri replied sarcastically. "So this is it, the pride of the Sixth- defiant to the bitter end, eh?"
Renji was certain he was going to die of suffocation, when Mayuri's death-grip on the doll suddenly slackened as the Captain's attention was drawn away- narrowly sparing him- when he registered the sound of gentle sobbing coming from behind him.
But while the red-haired Lieutenant struggled for breath, Mayuri turned around to see Nemu, still on the ground. A hurt expression played across her features, watery "pearls" forming in the corners of her dark green eyes as she looked up at him. But the decidedly human sight of her tears only caused the Captain to star laughing maniacally at her. "Don't tell me that the doll actually thinks it has 'feelings'?!"
This proved to be the breaking point for Nemu, as tears trickled freely down her cheeks as her "father" laughed at her predicament. "Why Nemu, my darling, this truly is a day of surprises!" Mayuri exclaimed. "I congratulate you on your first genuine emotional experience!" He declared cruelly. "A pity that it should happen to be a 'broken heart' of all things. Still, I look forward to hearing your first-hand account, in fact, I-"
Mayuri's revelry ended abruptly when Nemu's back arched and her head craned back, her torso and throat convulsing as something worked its way through her body. Szayel emerged from Nemu, back in his sealed state."You?! You're dead, I-"
"Dead? 'Fraid not, but you will be!" Szayel exclaimed, holding up a doll of Mayuri- the torso splitting vertically down the middle as he pulled it in opposite directions till it ripped in half. A brilliant spray of crimson came from the wound now on his body and spilled from his open mouth as the Captain fell to the ground, blood pooling around his fallen form. The Octavio Espada threw the doll to the ground and repeatedly stepped on the remains for good measure- grinding it under his heal and exclaiming "bastard" as he went about destroying the likeness of his enemy.
The Arrancar paused for a moment, as if composing himself, then quickly turned to the now emaciated and lifeless figure of Nemu. The Espada set about tending to the withered form, prodding and cajoling various places on her body- a series of gasps and breathy moans escaping the woman's lips as he teased the pliant flesh back to life, a look of concentration of his face. Szayel stood up, running a gloved hand through his pink locks as a smug smile played across his face. "There we are, thanks to my sojourn within her, I'm confident that she's good as new." Nemu was blushing a faint pink, mild bewilderment visible on her, her entire body practically glowing as she gazed up at the Espada with a mix of confusion and admiration.
Nemu had inexplicably taken a sudden interest in the Espada. The 'Construct' had been conditioned for utter subservience to the man she had ironically called "father". And while she was now effectively free to be her own person, it was likely that she was unconsciously drawn towards the aura of danger and charisma that the Arrancar seemed to exude in her eyes.
Chad, by comparison, seemed content to simply sit back and watch the scene unfold, and with Ishida still recovering from whatever heinous crap Mayuri had shot him up with, the tall youth's presence offered them a much welcomed calming factor against the oppressive tension that currently filled the air in the silence. Nelliel, having regressed back into her child-like "Nell" form, watched restlessly, flanked by her loyal Fraccions- Dondachaka and Pesche.
The sudden spike of Spiritual Pressure drew everyone's gaze to the east, watching as three figures approached their location. In a moment of clarity, Renji stood at attention and was quick to offer a respectful bow to Byakuya Kuchiki. "Captain."
"Lieutenant Abarai." The elder Kuchiki replied calmly, giving only a simple nod of acknowledgment as he took in the scene before him. As both a Commanding Officer of the 6th and a Noble, he was expected to be the picture of calm composure and silent authority. As he looked at the scene before him, his expression giving nothing away, even as he felt a small wave of relief at the sight of Rukia.
By contrast, Captain Zaraki Kenpachi of the 11th- shirtless, his upper body sporting recently inflicted wounds and marred with dried blood- strutted forward. "We just got back from mopping up that big bastard under the dome." He declared with a menacing smile. "Unohana went off to start tending to all the injured back in the Sereitei while we came to round you guys up." He declared loudly, resting the dull side of his sword against his shoulder.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
It had taken considerable effort on Unohana's part to simply put Shunsui into a state where he could finally be considered 'critical but stable'. However, while she'd stopped the internal bleeding and repaired the damage to his organs, the numerous breaks in his bones remained. She realized that she'd likely exhaust her reiatsu reserves at this rate. The serene woman concluded, rather grimly, that she would have to resort to more direct methods of treating the breaks.
"Isane," Unohana called out in an even tone. "I need you to prepare an IV drip and a 50% morphine solution for the captain." She instructed the silver-haired woman. The dark-haired Captain then looked the slumbering form of the male half of the Primera Espada. "...Stark-san."
A moment passed, the powerful Arrancar's eyes opening. "Yes?" He asked simply, regarding the female Captain kneeling beside the battered body of her fallen comrade.
"Stark-san," She began, doing her best to remain calm in front of Nanao. "I am going to have treat the Captain's more sever injuries... and I would like your assistance."
Stark picked up on the unease behind the woman's words. A quick glance to the visibly nervous Nanao hovering nearby enforced his suspicion. He nodded. "Lilinette," Stark called, summoning his female counterpart as he stood up and turned to Nanao. "Lieutenant... Ise?" He inquired, getting a small nod from the bespectacled woman. "There are likely other Arrancar at large in the Sereitei... I am sending Lilinette with orders for them to stand down." He explained. "While the Arrancar will submit, I would... appreciate it if you accompanied her, to speak to any Shinigami that still might wish to fight us."
Understanding Stark's intention, Unohana chimed in. "Please, Nanao-san, it's important that both sides agree to stand down... Your presence would be of much help." Observing the lingering hesitation in the raven-haired woman, she continued. "I promise Shunsui-san will be all right."
That finally seemed to be enough, leaving Stark and Unohana to watch as Nanao and Lilinette departed to search the ground of Soul Society and spread word of the impromptu ceasefire.
"Thank you," Unohana offered as the Espada knelt beside her.
"Yeah," he replied evenly. "It would just be a distraction to have her hanging around." He regarded the prone man for a moment as Isane started the IV drip in his arm. "Now then, you're the Healer, so what exactly do you need my help with?" He asked calmly.
"In order to heal the Captain, I will have to... reset the breaks in his bones." She paused. "And I would like you assistance in restraining him while do this." Unohana continued. "I don't know how aware he is of what's happening right now... And it will take some time before the painkiller fully sets in, and resetting the breaks will be... quite painful."
The Primera nodded sympathetically. "Fair enough. So where you wanna start, then?" Stark asked, resigning himself to his current task.
"Please hold his legs down," the woman began. "I'll start with the right leg."
Stark nodded, placing his hands on the mans ankles. Unohana then slipped one hand under his lower leg and the other on top of it. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do, Shunsui-san..." She began, only to watch as Ukitake appeared- placing his hand on his shoulders to help hold him down. "Jushiro...?"
"Don't worry, Retsu," he answered. "You're doing this for Shunsui." He added reassuringly.
Unohana nodded, saying "thank you" as she resigned herself to her task.
Retsu Unohana, Captain of the Fourth Division, pressed down in a swift motion- a harrowing "snap" signifying the broken segments of the bone slipping back into their proper position. She then moved to fix the next break. This would go on for some time...
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"And you say that Captain Kurotsuchi openly attempted to kill you, as part of some clandestine scheme to spirit away the Quincy?" Byakuya asked. "And it is your assertion that he would have succeeded, if not for the intervention of Lieutenant Kurotsuchi and... the Arrancar now amongst you?"
"Yes sir, Captain Kuchiki." Renji replied. "The late Captain Kurotsuchi nearly succeeded in killing me as part of his plan to abduct Ishida Uryuu." He explained. "If not for the emergence of Szayel, I would been keen killed and Uryuu-san taken away."
"What the hell you mean by 'emergence'?" Kenpachi interjected.
"The Lieutenant is referring to my Gabriel," Szayel spoke up. "It's a specialty of mine, I hid within the young lady's body, and emerged when I had sufficiently recovered." The Arrancar beamed with pride as he explained his powers to the two Captains. "When I emerged from her body, that man," he continued, pointing to Mayuri's corpse. "Was squeezing the doll- effectively killing your Lieutenant through full-body strangulation. Luckily, he failed to realize that I had created a doll of him... Which I then used to kill him." He explained with a confident smile.
"Yes, which brings us to the next point." Byakuya continued. "Is it your claim that after killing Captain Kurotsuchi, that you effectively surrendered yourself as a prisoner of war?" He recounted dryly.
"What can I say?" Szayel replied jovially. "My reiatsu was all but depleted, and I'm not really much of a fighter to begin with." He explained. "My primary function was as the head of the scientific division of Las Noches under the man you know as Sousuke Aizen." The Espada paused. "However, I would now like to offer my skills- such as they are- to Soul Society... I believe you have a vacancy?"
Kenpachi scoffed at that. "You got some serious balls, going after the position of the guy you just brutally murdered." He remarked. "Hah! I like you're style!"
Szayel smirked, crossing his arms and rubbing his chin. "Yes, well I happen to be very serious when it comes to science." He replied confidently.
Byakuya was quickly growing weary the exchange. "I am afraid that such matters will have to wait until we return to Soul Society and get some idea of what the situation there." He finished, eager to distance himself from the situation in the hopes of averting the headache he felt coming on.
"Lieutenant Abarai, Rukia," Byakuya began, gaining their attention. "Gather up everyone here in preparation of her departure."
Orihime looked to Ulquiorra. He was now back in his unreleased state, Murceliago sealed and once one tucked into the black sash around his waist. "Ulquiorra, do you feel up to creating a Gargantua so we can get back to Soul Society?" The redhead asked.
After a moment, he nodded. "If that is what you desire, then yes."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Halibell stood up, silently scanning the area for any trace of her three Fraccions. Her brow furrowed when she was unable to distinguish them amidst the the countless auras.
"You! What are you doing here?!"
The tall, bronze-skinned Arrancar turned around to see the familiar figure of the young white-haired Captain that she had fought earlier that day. She observed that the youthful Captain was accompanied by his curvacious blond Lieutenant- the two of them regarding her with suspicious gazes.
"My three Fraccions... They're out there, somewhere." Halibell began somberly, turning back to look out across the surrounding area.. "They all placed their trust in me, as the strongest." The powerful female explained to them. "I am responsible for them, I must find them." She then fell silent, leaving the two Shinigami to make the next move...
"Captain Hitsugaya," Unohana spoke up. "Lieutenant Ise and Stark-san's Fraccion, Lilinette, left to try and convince the scattered Arrancar and our own troops to agree to a ceasefire." The dark-haired Captain explained to him. "Please allow Halibell-san to look for her's."
Hitsugaya considered what she'd said for a moment, then nodded. "In that case, myself and Lieutenant Matsumoto will accompany her to assist in the search." He replied. "Besides, it's not just the Arrancar that could be a problem. The Shinigami will need reassurances, and we can provide that."
"We'd also better start looking for ranking Officers," Matsumoto interjected. "who can assist in spreading the news faster through Soul Society."
With that, the three departed...
Unohana then slumped down into a kneeling position, suddenly feeling spent and in need of a moment to just catch her breath and take stock of things. As she relaxed, Ukitake appeared at her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. He smiled warmly at her. "You're such an amazing woman, Retsu."
The female Captain blushed faintly at his words. She was often viewed by many, including a number of her own officers, as a "motherly" figure. Unohana wasn't bothered by the title, realizing that her calm nature and nurturing ways would lead others to see her like this. Not that she couldn't be fearsome if the situation required- after all, she could make Mayuri cower in terror with a single glare...
However, this didn't change the fact the she was still a woman. It was rare that anyone addressed her by her given name, let alone so intimately as to do so without honorifics. The gentle, white-haired Captain of the Thirteenth Division was perhaps the one person who felt comfortable enough around her to forgo formalities and speak candidly with her- not as a fellow officer, but as a woman.
She smiled softly up at him, her slender hand coming to rest on his, gripping gently in silent thanks for the comforting gesture. Pausing to look into his thoughtful brown eyes for a moment, so like the dark eyebrows that stood in contrast with his snow-white hair. "Thank you, Jushiro..." Unohana replied.
The two had known each for centuries- since their days in the academy. After they'd become captains, and she'd taken over the treatment of his condition, they'd simply grown closer. Given the familiarity that came with the arrangement, she'd become captivated by his gentle strength, earnest manor, and even his vulnerability- which only served to further her desire to embrace him. However, her desire was coupled with a longing to gently cradle him in her arms and ease his discomfort.
She recalled, fondly, when Ukitake had voiced his feelings...
He had been so nervous, his hand extended- unmoving in the air, doubt and feelings of unworthiness holding him back. She smiled warmly, taking his outstretched hand and placing it against her cheek, silently urging him to continue. He gently caressed the soft curve, before he slowly leaned forward to kiss her, relief flooding his body as her soft lips had happily yielded to his.
What followed was slow and intimate. She knew even this risked aggravating his condition, but she also realized that he needed this. He pushed himself to ensure her pleasure in the act, and for as much as he longed to become one with her, Unohana knew that he needed this- that it would help start to heal the wounds to his pride and sense of worth. For all his bouts of frailty, Ukitake had persevered, until she felt the stirrings of soft relief, the prelude to the culmination of their union!
Unohana felt her cheeks become warm at the memory, but was quick to shake it off as he sat down beside her, taking her hand and kissing it gently.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The giant maw of the Gargantua opened, and the mixed group of Shinigami, Arrancar, and Human stepped out onto the devastated remains of Soul Society.
"This does not bode well..." Byakuya mused.
Rukia appeared beside him. "Nii-sama, what's wrong?"
He looked to her for an instant. "Aside from from the structural damage, the air is thick with an unnatural reiatsu..." He remarked.
She nodded, suddenly understanding. "You're right. It's like a mixture of the three types of energy... sort of like Ichigo's... except that it's all wrong." She reasoned.
"If Aizen achieved perfect synthesis with the Orb," Ulquiorra mused. "Then this could be the remnants of his his spiritual energy... Human, Shinigami, and Hollow."
"Why are you talking in past tense?" Renji asked. "You think Aizen's dead?"
The Cuatro Espada shook his head. "No, if my hypothesis is correct, then Aizen would now effectively be immortal... However, if something caused him to loose control of the Ouken, before he had a chance to open the Gateway to the Realm of the Soul King, then..."
"Then the Ouken would become unstable." Szayel spoke up. "And with no outlet, the built up energy would simply feed back upon itself, triggering a chain reaction, not unlike what happens to the core of a dieing star..." He theorized out loud. "Yes, the effect would be like a small supernova, which would explain the devastation of the landscape!" The Arrancar concluded.
"Looks more like a bomb went off." Renji interjected.
"You're closer than you realize, Reaper." Szayel replied darkly. "In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's the spiritual equivalent of the nuclear destruction unleashed when the humans used those charming little bombs of theirs half a century ago, during one of their more recent conflicts."
Orihime fidgeted at the allusion. "But... the radiation? If this really is like what happened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, then..." she stammered. "This strange energy, won't it make us sick?!"
"Relax," Ulquiorra urged. "It's not quite the same. The pure reiatsu lingering in the air doesn't have any inherent toxic properties." He explained. "If Aizen lost control of the Ouken, then this is likely the last time we'll ever sense his reiatsu again." The Cuatro revealed. "Aizen would have been trapped in the epicenter of the event... The Orb may ensure his immortality, but the Ouken would have fed on him, leaving him an empty shell of what he was."
"Wait, if what you're saying is true, and Ichigo was the one who stopped him, then he would have been at the heart of the explosion as well." Rukia reasoned, panic in her voice. "Oh god, something could have happened to him... we have to find him!"
"Damn, she's right!" Renji exclaimed. "Even if he exhausted himself, we should still at least be able to sense a faint signature, unless..." He paused. "Crap, if all that bad stuff you guys mentioned really happened, then he could be in pretty bad shape."
Chad, who was carrying Ishida on his shoulders, spoke up next. "This isn't good... If something's happened to him, then we need to find him quick."
"Wait." Byakuya exclaimed. "Lieutenant Abarai, I have yet to give you leave." He added calmly, fixing the tattooed Shinigami with the well-practiced gaze of a Captain. "As for you, Rukia, while you are my sister, you are still an Officer of the Gotei 13- and therefor must comport yourself in a way fitting of your Office. FURTHERMORE, you are injured." The momentary spike in his tone was enough to silence any further protest from the younger Kuchiki.
With that, he continued. "Rukia, you will remain here, with the others, while Lieutenant Abarai and myself investigate what has happened to Kurosaki." Byakuya explained. "Should anyone from one of the other divisions, especially Captain Soifon and her ilk, attempts to harm or detain Ulquiorra, Szayel, or Nelliel-Tu and her cohorts... Then it falls to you, as a senior Officer of the 13th, to remind them that they are here as our guests, and are to be regarded as such."
Kenpachi exhaled. "Ahh, I might as well come along with you," he remarked. "I need to get out there anyway and figure out if anyone from my Division survived this mess."
The others watched as the three men disappeared in a flash to search the area. Chad wordlessly set Ishida down and then took a seat beside his unconscious form.
Szayel looked up at a particular spot in the sky. He produced a small telescope from out his coat and extended it, holding it up and looking through it. "Nemu, my dear, take a look at this." He said while handing her the telescope. "Do you see that, the... distortion in the sky?"
Still looking through the telescope, she nodded. "Yes, Szayel-sama," Nemu replied in her usual calm tone, handing it back to him. "Do you think it could in some be linked to your theory regarding the destruction of the Ouken?" The green-eyed woman asked.
The Espada slipped the telescope back into his coat pocket. "Hard to say at the moment, we're dealing in a lot unknowns..." He replied. "However, if the explosion was indeed similar to a supernova, then what we're looking could be the first trace of another event." He paused. "In this case, rather than the explosion of a supernova... It could be the stellar opposite."
He turned when he felt her hand on his arm. "You're concerned, aren't you?" Szayel asked her, getting a small nod from the purple-haired woman. "Well, don't worry," he began. "Whatever it is, science will show us the way to the solution." He declared confidently.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Hitsugaya and Rangiku, along with Tia Halibell- now back in her unreleased state, scoured the remains of the Sereitei in search of the female Espada's three wayward Fraccions. Suddenly, the Female Arrancar seemed to zero in on something and turned a corner.
The two Shinigami matched her movements, and followed her a street, overwhelmed by the rubble of collapsed walls and other structures. Halibell took hold of a large piece of rubble and tossed it aside to reveal a dusky-skinned female Arrancar with coffee-brown hair.
"Halibell-sama, you came?" The Arrancar asked weakly.
The Tercera nodded. "Of course, you're my Fraccions." She replied, a degree of gentleness in her tone as she brushed her gloved hand against her cheek. "Rose... Tell me, do you know where Sung Sun and Appacci are, are they near by?" She asked eagerly.
The muscular, dark-skinned female pulled herself from out of the rubble, then looked up to Halibell for a moment, meeting the gaze of her green eyes. "I think so, Halibell-sama... W-when the old Shinigami unleashed his aura on us..." She recounted. "The- the last thing that I remember was the three of us falling... That was just before I blacked out."
Halibell picked up Mila Rose- carrying her muscular frame with ease- and set her down nearby, her back resting against the remains of a wall. "I, I'm sorry... we weren't strong enough."
She stood up and shook her head. "No, all of you did well, there was nothing else you could have done against the crushing weight of such spirit pressure."
Hitsugaya drew his Zanpakuto and froze some of the rubble, then struck the debris with his blade to more easily clear it away. Soon, they managed to locate the the forms of the Espada's other two fallen companions- the slender figure of Sung Sun and the more athletic form of Appacci- and extricated them from the rubble. The entire time, Halibell remained calm and professional, while still displaying an almost mother-like concern for the three female Arrancar.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The two figures plummeted unceremoniously to the ground. Smoke lingered in the sky, the aftermath of the destruction of the Ouken. With the "Key" lost and his powers gone, Aizen would never breach the Gates of Heaven to claim the Throne of the Soul King...
Aizen gasped in pain. Without even his own reiatsu, the toll upon his body caused by the succession of metamorphoses catching up with him, his body on fire. "How... how could this have happened... Centuries of work... gone in the blink of an eye." He groaned, unable to even lift up his head to see the individual who had brought him down. "Damn you... Kurosaki... you destroyed my dream." He cursed, half of his face pressed into the dirt. "...I should have been a god."
Ichigo looked up, his overgrown hair hanging down around his face, and propped himself up on his elbows to look at the battered form of the would be deity. "You... a god?" He chuckled bitterly, the remnants of Mugetsu crumbling away. "...You're not fit to be a god."
(- End of Chapter II -)
Final Word Count: 5,151
The entire bit with Nemu, from Mayuri turning on her to Szayel killing him, was originally just another plot thread of the first chapter. But I quickly realized that it distracted from Ulquiorra and Orihime, and that it worked better after I moved it to this chapter- where I then had room to expand on the scene and really make it one of the major scenes of the whole chapter. Seriously, I knew I had to really build up to Mayuri's death by making him a real bastard!
But even now, when I re-read his dialogue, I have a hard time believing that I could write something so horribly cruel. This was the culmination of years of abuse, and while it meant nothing to Mayuri, it was heartbreaking for Nemu and the death of her devotion to him. I debated over whether or not she should cry, but I realized I had to do it. While Nemu is artificial, she was created to be indistinguishable from a real Shinigami- just like in Blade Runner ("More Human than Human") and if Roy Batte could cry at the end of a 4 year life, than Nemu should be capable of such human emotions after centuries.
I also wanted to prove that Hanataro could be more than just a comedy doormat for the other characters to provide cheap laughs at his expense. This isn't a goddamned sitcom, and real people don't fit neatly into lazy archetypes. Again, thanks to NovaAlexandra, who inspired me to use him. And then we have the little moments with Ukitake and Unohana...
Ladies, I'm a big fan of this pairing, but my take on it limited since I'm a guy. I get this feeling that there's something about this man- who's strong and yet sill vulnerable- that appeals to some kind of nurturing instinct.. (Tell me if I'm off base). This, and the fact that he exudes kindness, compassion, and moral certainty like Gregory Peck is why I figure Unohana would fall for him.
-Bojack727
