AN: Yeah...I'm falling behind aren't I? Oopse!!
Awakening
"Ughhh!" I feel my lungs fill with air. My neck still soar but resting against something smooth. Something soft.
I glance around to see where I am. A big dark room. I'm laying in a bed, a red satin sheet covered bed. I feel the think silky covering over my cold body. I try to move but feel a shot of pain run up my legs. The pain I feel now is more like, like a swelling, like a soreness. Nothing compared to last night. I stare up at the celling. Or more like i attempt to. There's a net of thin red pulled open around the bed, a canopy.
I stare at it's dark red color as I think on what I know.
I'm in Hueca Mundo. I don't know how I know that but since the night's rest many things have become clearer. Almost as if all my brain needed was a night to settle everything that was, 're-cramed?' in to it.
I think on everything I can.
Hueco Mundo is a place where Hallows live, their enemies, the Shinigami, live in a place called...soul society. Then there's Earth. A place where mortals live. From the definition of mortal I am not quite sure if I am one, from the definition of a Shinigami I am not sure if I fit their either, and from the definition of hollow. That just makes me wonder. They are all possibilities but...
I brought my hand over my forehead, it twinged as i moved it but i delt with it.
...what am I? Which am I?
--
"Where's Ichigo?? Where's my son?!"
Urahara stood with his arms folded in his sleeves as he looked away from the scene behind him. One of his dearest friends was yelling, screaming practically at the five shinigami captains and the four shinigami who had come back with him and the kids.
Everyone but Urahara had been surprised to see Mr. Kurasaki.
Orihime was asleep in a bed upstairs recovering so she was safe from knowing what was going on at the moment. So was Chad, who had been severely injured, worse than many of the others, in his fight with the arrankar.
Ishida was so surprised to see Mr. Kurasaki in the training room that he himself sat down and rubbed his temples.
Rukia didn't know what to think, Renji didn't know who he was so he didn't care, until he started yelling. Then he wondered who the loud old man was. That's when Rukia told him
"That's Mr. Kurasaki."
"Kurasaki? That name sounds really familiar."
"It should! It's Ichigo's last name!!" Rukia all but screamed.
"...Oh." Renji looked at the old man, still not being able to see the resemblance but now understanding why he was yelling. "Wait...why the hell is here then? Isn't he a human?"
"No. He isn't."
Rukia and Renji both looked behind them towards Urahara.
"He's an ex-shinigami." he said, not looking at them.
"An...an ex-shinigami?" the two echoed.
"How...how is that possible?" Rukia asked him.
Urahara continued to look at the dirt ground below his feet.
"Do not ask me." he said. "It is not for me to tell."
"Does Ichigo know?" Renji asked, his eyes still filled with shock.
"No. And you wont tell him."
They both fell silent. Renji looked to the ground.
"We couldn't." He paused. "Not even if we wanted."
The three fell silent for a moment as Isshin's voice carried over the training area as he yelled at the captains again.
"Where, Is, My, Son! Where's my boy!!"
The whole area fell silent. After a few minutes passed by the fourth squad captain, Unohana Retsu, approached Ishida.
"Your injured. You need rest." she said, all knowing she was trying to get rid of the poor boy (for his own sake).
Ishida looked up at her his face reflected his inner turmoil. Ichigo gone, someone he considered on a subconscious level to be a good friend, and the day's events had confused him beyond comprehension.
"Y-y, sure." he managed as she helped him up.
"Isane," Unohana said turning to her vice captain, "will you see that this young boy is escorted home?"
"Yes ma'am." the gray haired woman said as she approached the two. Ishida stood up and let him self be led by the vice captain.
"Oh and Isane,"
Isane stopped, Ishida leaning against her arm.
"Make sure the other two get home as well?"
"Yes." With that Isane disappeared.
Unohana turned back to the group of shinigami, the only ones left now. She glanced at Isshin before turning to the captain of Division 1.
"Genryuusai-sensei," she gave a small bow.
"I understand." Genryuusai said before she could finish. "You have much work to attend to and I thank you for taking care of them first. You may leave."
Unohana gave another small bow.
"Thank you Genryuusai-sensei."
She disappeared just as her vice captain had done. Leaving four captains and three shinigami.
Renji, Rukia and Yachiru were the three shinigami. Rukia stood beside Renji, the two only a few feet from Urahara (but farther from the yelling Isshin). Yachiru sat on Kenpachi's shoulder, as always.
Kenpachi (11th squad's captain) gave a huff. He was getting sick of this, he'd much rather have been the one yelling. To his right Byakuya (sixth divisions captain) gave him a look of annoyance and to his left Hitsugaya (Division 10's captain) gave him an equally annoyed look, though his was more in agreement with Kenpachi (he didn't know why the heck he was waisting his time here when he could have been reorganizing his division. He was apsolutely peeved that Unohana got to leave and not him).
"Hitsugaya," Genryuusai said, he had noticed the white haired captains agravation "you may return to you are no longer needed here."
Hitsugaya flushed a bit, knowing that Genryuusai had read through to his annoyance at having to stay.
"Thank you sensei." he said with a quick bow before he disappeared, he was eager to get out of there (out of embarrassment and glee at not having to stay any longer).
"Isshin," Genryuusai said so soft that everyone, including Urahara looked at him. "I above all am truly sorry about this."
Kenpachi and Byakuya were shocked but did a fairly good job at showing un-like Renji and Rukia. They both stood gaping at him.
"The soul sociaty had agreed that you could have a life on Earth after all you did for us. I do not know how your son was able to access so much spiritual energy while alive, I know for a fact your daughters can not, and in truth," he paused all eyes were on him, the only ones that truly mattered though were the ones that were burning with furry at every word. "I know not why Aizen wanted him."
This caught Isshin off guard.
"Ai-Aizen wanted my son? For what?"
"Didn't you hear the man?" Kenpachi interrupted. "He doesn't kn..."
"Hush!" Byakuya snapped at him.
Genryuusai looked at the dirt covered floor.
"This room still holds traces of his spiritual power. No doubt from when you had him regain his shinigami powers, Urahara."
Isshin glanced at Urahara. He had already known of this. Urahara had shared with him the unnaturalness of his son's transformation, or regaining, of his shinigami self.
"Aizen asked for him." Urahara said solemnly. "I know not why. I know not how he knew that Ichigo would sacrifice anything for friends, for family. He could have wanted him for the exact reason mentioned. He's a wild card. Unpredictable, strong, adaptable."
"Adaptable?" this word bugged Isshin for some reason. "What are you saying Urahara?"
"I'm saying that Aizen may have wanted your son, Ichigo, because no one truly knows why he holds so much power. Why him? We've all wondered it. How can he hold so much power? At such a young age, and to still be mortal at that? What makes him run? I know that Mayuri, Division twelves captain, and the pink haired arrankar would love to find out what makes him tick. We've all wondered it. Then again this is just a hypothesis. Aizen, as Genryuusai-sensei has told us, also mentioned something about Grimjow. This could have something to do with that. Or it could be a completely different reason all together."
Rukia and Renji stood there, not understanding any of this.
"What reason would Aizen need to take Ichigo?" Renji imputed. "He's strong! He's a threat to them. I know when we considered him, and his friends, ryoki we did everything to stop them. When they went up against Ichigo it was kill or be killed! I know I went against him. He's probably the strongest apponent I've ever gone against, along with captain Byakuya. You know why? He doesn't fight to kill."
They all looked at Renji. For once he was speaking sense.
"We fought against him to kill! He, not even once, fought to kill. Not even against the arrankar."
Isshin and the other's pondered this. Byakuya was surprised at his vice captains out burst of, a some what, logical comment.
Renji may not seem to understand much but he seemed to pick up on a lot of things that others always missed.
Isshin was sick of them making up sured comments that was just leading them in circles. All they were doing was stating their own fears or observations. He didn't care about that all he wanted was to know where his son was and where Aizen was. He had a huge piece of his mind he felt like giving that...
--
Hueco Mundo. It's set on a different time plain, as is the soul society and Earth. The time difference in all are complex to explain but it makes perfect sense in my head. Something you know but can't explain. You just know it. This is the case here. Hueco Mundo runs about two days ahead but stayes in the same time complexity as the other two realms. I know not how else to explain it if you don't already know. I wonder how long I've been out?
A door opened letting light cover over the front of the bed I lay in. I glanced down the straight way of the bed. I had discovered a lot in the time I had spent laying in the dark bed on the crimson sheeted bed. I had discovered knowledge.
I stared at the top of the canopy as a shadow stretched over the bed from the doorway. A light flickered on and I could make out what was in the room. A black carpet. A small bedside table with droares (sp?) was seen from the corner of my eye on the wall to the beds right side. The other wall lay empty. Two peaces of furniture stood alone in such a large, expanded room.
"How are you feeling?"
Rough, smooth, curiosity, maybe a hint of concern?
I lay there staring at the canopy. I had already memorized every crease made that brought it together and held it to make a point at the top but I decided to look over it again.
"...are you better from yesterday?"
Same question. Different wording.
"Son?" I felt the concern in his voice and it sent chills up my spine as he sat at the edge of the bed. I didn't see him, I was trying to hard to keep from seeing him, only focusing on the canopy above my head.
A light colored hand, colored but more a creamy white, came over my face and touched my hair tenderly. Softly.
"You don't know how happy you've made me."
I slapped his hand away, feeling more of a sting in my own hand then he felt in his.
He looked at me with his brown eyes.
Was that look on his face that of pain? Emotional anguish?
Knowing and seeing were quite different, as were knowing and truly knowing but that doesn't seem important. I felt a small lump in my throat. Guilt perhaps?
"I guess this is to be expected."
I stared at him as he looked away from me, his brown eyes sad.
Friend or foe? I really had to know now. Who was this tall man. This, this, figure. Who was he?
I thought and tried to remember but couldn't remember anything. Thoughts, hypothesizes of who he could be, why he did what he did and so on and so forth kept forming in my head. So many possibilities.
"You don't seem to be afraid."
He was glancing over at me now, from below a pair of rectangular brimmed glasses.
"Though that could easily be hidden by over cautiousness."
Yes, that was what I was being. Over cautious. But could any, regular human been any way, blame me for being so? With the words 'Re-programed' stuck in my head, with knowledge I haven't the slightest clue on learning and no memory. Only the infinite possibilities of why, who, where, hypothesize every single one of them.
Did he 're-program' me to save me from horrid memory? To tell me lies and weave a story in to me? Was I a robot that he programmed? Was he saving my life and the only way to bring me back, in the process, lost me my memory? Was the word 're-program' even meant to describe me? No answers. Infinite questions. Infinite possibilities.
"It's nice to see you again though."
Again?
"And your awake now."
Yes I am. So? Was I sleeping for a long time?
"You know, daddy really missed you."
Was he speaking in third person? Or of someone else? Daddy? I remember...something?
"I wish you'd smile. I've never seen you smile."
Daddy? What is that? Daddy?
"Father loves his son very much and..."
Father? Son? I remember him saying something about, my son? Was that it? He said something about his son last night. What did he mean by that? Why are these words so foreign? Why aren't these words found in my vocabulary?
"...parents shouldn't have to go through stuff like this. But then again I guess I'm not a normal pare..."
Parent? I knew that word. An ancestor, precursor, or progenitor. A source, origin, or cause. A protector a guardian. Any organism that produces or generates another. The first nuclide in a radioactive series. Being the original bean to reproduce the second bean, pertaining to an organism, cell, or complex molecular structure that generates or produces another; such as a parent cell. To...to be or act as a parent...to parent a, a...a child? Is that the word I'm looking for? Child? To parent a child, or to parent children? with both discipline and...and what?
I know what parent is so knowing what it is makes me wonder if I truly am a robot or maybe even...a clone?
"...!!"
Huh? Did he say something? (At least did he say something of importance?) I had been ignoring him in and out, catching the key words here and there. I knew what a parent was but what was a, a father? Was that the word.
"Son?"
I looked up at him from my thought. He was sitting right beside me now, his shadow over me.
"Your eyes," he ran his hand against my face, cautiously, stopping his hand against my temple. His hand felt nice and cool against my warming skin. "do they ever smile? Do you never look happy? So stern." His hand ran along my forehead. "So serious." It pushed my bangs off my forehead and let them drop again, repeating this over and over as he spoke. "Why? Is it because of your burdens?"
Burdens?
"Is it because you don't know?"
Don't know? I don't know a lot right now!
"Is it because...because of them?"
Them?
This spiked my curiosity. What did he mean by them?
"Son," his hand went down to mine and lifted it so he could examen my palm, while still speaking to me. "will you not answer your daddy?"
Silence filled the room.
Daddy? What is a daddy?
He gave a small sigh and set my wrist beside me once again.
"I'll let yo..." he began but stopped as he looked at me.
What? I thought.
"Wo-would you say daddy? Just once? Please?"
What a strange request. But what was a daddy? I tried to word this question, I was not wanting to call a person I did not know a word I did not know (for fear of it meaning something that would bind me such as some do. Such as 'I do' at an alter).
Wh...What is a daddy?
He looked at me.
Had I not worded it?
I tried again to speak.
Nothing.
Why could I not speak and yet he could? There was noise that protruded from his lips. Why not from mine? Wasn't it a natural ability? Unless one was incapable of speech from trauma, injury to the vocal cords or...or one did not know how to speak!!
Was this why I couldn't speak? I had the ability, i knew the words, but...
"Dsssaaaai."
A soft, strangled at first than almost musical sound entered the room.
The man looked at me a bit surprised.
"Ca-can you not," he seemed just as surprised as me "Can you not speak?"
No. I could not. That was apparent as more music like notes came from my dry mouth. I could think perfectly fine. I could make noise, which meant I was most likely capable of speech, but I could not speak. Just as an infant who words are still foreign to.
"You can understand me though...right?"
I nodded my head.
Was this man a fool? Shouldn't he know by now I could understand him? I tried to respond to his question. I listened to everything he said, though babies can do this and not truly understand it. But wait...he 'reprogrammed' me. Wouldn't he know if I could speak or not? Was I truly just some type of experiment? A lab rat?
"Aizen!!"
A voice. Calling from down the hall way.
"Food has been prepared as you requested."
Aizen? Was that this man's name?
"Strange..." the man before me seemed to go in to deep thought as a second shadow approached the door frame.
"Is he awake?" the man who was nearing the door way asked as a pair of pale hands came in to view along the left side of the door frame. "Grimmjow wont stop hassling me and the others. Maybe this will give him somet..."
Another tall man!! What was it with these people and being freakishly tall? I admit to envying them, slightly.
"Yes, he's awake" the first man answered softly. "He can't speak Gin." the man looked sad at this.
The other man in the door way frowned. His eyes were closed in narrow slits and his silver hair hung so it covered his forehead.
Gin?
That must be the silver haired ones name. I looked him over.
'He makes me feel even less secure on who's friend or foe.'
I know not to judge by ones exterior appearance, but when someone resembles a snake hidden in the grass so well. One can only wonder.
--
AN: Yes I know this is probably 8,000,000,000 times worse than the first chapter. I'm very very sorry! I promise the next chapter will be better!!