The Lengths One Will Go
By: Kuroi Atropos
Disclaimer: Kubo Tite owns Bleach. I am a lowly, broke fan.
Warnings: Mayuri worst case scenario, enough said. Really, though, this thing is going to be long and it gets a little… gruesome, in parts.
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Chapter Two
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Ichigo stood stock still in front of the gigantic red doors that lead to the Taichou's meeting hall. He didn't know how long he'd waited (hours maybe?) but he wouldn't move until that meeting got out and he could see the old bastard.
He'd been lead to the right Hall by Renji, Yachiru, Ikkaku and Yumichika. The two Fukutaichous had intercepted word of his arrival by Sandal Hat's portal and met him out in the Rukongai to see what chaos he would bring this time. Yachiru, believing he wanted to play with her Ken-chan, went on and on so excitedly he couldn't explain to Renji's worried scowl the real reason he had come.
Then Ikkaku and Yumichika had arrived and the Peacock proved his worth by somehow managing to get the little girl to quiet down. "Ishida's gone missing, looks like it's the same deal as Inoue." Renji had frozen, eyes meeting Ichigo's with a nod. The red head was in.
"We're with you this time." Ikkaku had said smirking madly, Yumichika nodding in agreement.
"YAAYYY!!! LET'S GET KEN-CHAN TO BEAT THE BAD GUYS UP TOOOOO!!!!!"
Ichigo had liked that there was a Taichou's meeting, and wanted to fling open the doors and start shouting, but Renji and Yumichika and had convinced him what a BAD idea that was. So they waited, Yumichika and Orihime doing their best to distract Yachiru from bursting into the meeting to get Kenpachi right away, Ikkaku sitting cross-legged against a wall with his Zanpaktou laid across his lap and Chad leaning against the same wall a few feet down. Renji constantly ducked in and out, letting Ichigo know Rukia was on her way from the Rukongai while Shuuhei, Kira and Rangiku tracked down and questioned everyone who might have noticed any portals or strange energy readings in the area. So far they couldn't seem to find anything.
When he came back the final time he had Hanataru with him and the 4th Squad member was laden down with a giant, whipped cream covered dessert that Renji quickly scooped up double handed to present to Yachiru. She gave a squeal and dug in making little contented noises. Yumichika and Orihime both looked at him with relief pouring from their eyes.
He just shrugged and moved over to stand by Ichigo's side. "You know, glaring at the doors won't get them to open any faster."
"Shut up, Baka," he gave the door a quick break and glared at the red head instead.
"They've already sensed you; you're shit at controlling your Reiatsu. I can guarantee that several Taichous are pushing the meeting to go as fast as Yamamoto-Sotaichou will let it."
"With him as leader I'm surprised Soul Society's still running," Ichigo scowled at the door again. It had better open soon if it knew what was good for it.
"Don't say things about stuff you don't get Ichigo. The Sotaichou is-"
"He's a ratty old bastard whose head is stuck up his over righteous ass!"
"Humph." He could see that Renji really wanted to retort, but knew well enough that it wouldn't help. Ichigo would never forgive the old man for leaving Inoue-san in Hueco Mundo or for having the gall to order him not to help someone important to him. That combined with what he'd been willing to do to Rukia…
With nearly perfect timing the doors to the meeting room swung open. Before Renji could blink Ichigo's Zanpaktou was out, blocking Kenpachi's.
"So you've finally come to die, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
"Get over it ya nut job!" Ichigo braced and threw the battle hungry Taichou back ten feet.
"KEN-CHAN!! WE GET TO GO MASH THE WHITEY HOLLOWS!!"
All the Taichous who'd been watching in various states of amusement, terror, and/or disgust froze.
Renji moved well out of the way as Orihime and Chad came to flank Ichigo, the girl's fists clenching so hard they shook.
"What is this Substitute-Shinigami Kurosaki?" The Sotaichou's Fukutaichou asked, moving forward a step.
"They… they took Ishida-san. No one can find him. They took him just like they took me," Inoue said before Ichigo could say anything, the young girl stepping forward to face the old man.
The quiet turned into absolute silence, and Ichigo tensed as Byakuya's eyes landed on Renji who just nodded, silently telling his Taichou that he and Rukia would be going.
The Sotaichou stood slowly from the hall's only chair, "explain further."
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Nemu stared down from the observation window as her Lord peeled back another layer of the young Quincy's spirit.
Something… hurt, somewhere in her chest.
It puzzled her. She had taken no injuries and had just had a full physical so she knew it wasn't a problem with her physiology.
It was disorienting to feel something that all logic argued she should not be feeling.
She also felt a strange pull towards the room. Perhaps it was related? But why, it wasn't like this was any different from the other procedures she had witnessed, even if the subject had been one of the few people who had ever been pleasant to her.
A black butterfly fluttered down to hover over her shoulder and she held up a hand for it to land on.
The message that came through made her close her eyes. The Quincy's disappearance from the living world had been noticed, it was suspected that the Arrancar were at fault.
Not the 12th Squad.
Not… her.
Nemu had been good at covering her tracks, taken the cups so that no one would be able to find any traces of the paralytic, used one of her Lord's inventions to wipe all traces of her Reiatsu from the room.
She had done what she had been created to do. Follow her Lord's orders. She had exploited the small amount of trust that the young Quincy felt for her. Never had she felt this pang in her chest that was almost like… well, she wasn't sure. It had no physical cause and she had no emotional precedent to judge it by.
She fulfilled her purpose so well not even a trace of her own portal to the living world remained, and the Sotaichou was in an uproar that their sensors had missed the possible appearance of Arrancar. He didn't care what vital experiment the Taichou was in that caused him to miss the Taichou's meeting, he was to appear before the Sotaichou to answer for the failure of their warning system right NOW.
Nemu left the observation room taking the steps that lead down to the surgery theatre. Her seals had never been as precise as she made her way through the various decontamination rooms leading to her Lord and the young Quincy. Nemu wanted to avoid bringing in anything that would damage the Quincy further.
Damage him further then what has already been done?
Nemu tried to squash the voice in the back of her mind, but wasn't quite able to.
"Mayuri-sama, the Sotaichou demands your presence."
"Tell him I am busy."
"The message says he does not care. The Quincy's disappearance has been discovered and his friends believe it to be Arrancar. The Sotaichou demands to know how another intrusion into the Human World by the Arrancar has been missed."
"As if I need to explain myself to those fools! If there was no trace of Arrancar detected, it was because there was no Arrancar! My sensors wouldn't miss a thing!" The Taichou yanked his gloves off and dropped them to the floor, before turning to leave. "Foolish girl, make damn sure that they don't screw my subject up and watch the dosage or he'll ruin my results."
"Yes, Mayuri–sama," she gave a slight bow as he stormed off, not even bothering to take off his blood spattered over robe.
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The Taichou that had threatened to dissect her showed up covered in blood, and Orihime shrieked instinctively.
Kurosaki-kun spun at her cry, but Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka had already launched into the air between her and the newcomer.
"What is the meaning of this, young lady?" Demanded the Sotaichou.
She knew that all the eyes in the room were on the tableau they presented, and had to choke back her fear to speak. "I, I'm sorry… He startled me."
Everyone in the room looked at her, disbelief written on many of their faces. She silently called her Shun Shun Rika back. Baigon and Hinagiku landed on her shoulders and she felt their small hands rubbing comforting circles against her school uniform's white shirt as Lily hovered between Orihime and where Kurotsuchi-Taichou would walk to reach the Sotaichou. She could feel the prongs of her hair pins that were Tsubaki practically buzzing with rage and it took a moment of concentrated will power to keep him from manifesting.
She made sure to shift closer to Ichigo as the strange Taichou moved further into the room. Kurosaki-kun, if just by her reaction, had narrowed his brown eyes at the Taichou and seemed ready to pull Zangetsu at the slightest provocation. Orihime smiled unnoticed up at him in an attempt to calm him down, what this man had done to Ishida and threatened to do to her back then weren't as important as finding their missing friend now. She could be silent for his sake; she wouldn't let this man cause Ishida any more pain by making them wait longer than they had to.
Those oddly colored eyes in that painted face stayed on her as the 12th Squad Taichou approached the Sotaichou. She could almost see the exact moment when Lily's fluttering wings caught his eye and that intense focus shifted to the small Rikka, Orihime's breath caught, unsure on whether or not to call Lily back. Then the Taichou's hand snapped forward and literally extended to snag Lily out of the air.
"Let her go!" Orihime called out. Baigon and Hinagiku shot forward from her shoulders to hover over her head, and she could practically hear Tsubaki begging to be called forward.
"Tch, so troublesome. I just wanted a look," Kurotsuchi flicked Lily back into the air where Baigon and Hinagiku caught her. They flew her back to Orihime, who quickly checked her over before allowing the Rikka to jump out of her hands. The three Shun Shun Rika formed a shield again before Orihime was even really conscious of her desire to call it and Mayuri only laughed, "My offer still stands, but its terms won't last forever."
"That is enough!" The Sotaichou Fukutaichou's voice called out.
No, it wasn't, Orihime thought, and she knew in her heart that Ishida-san would forgive her for this. She just had to figure out how to say what she had to say. In the end her words came out louder then she'd meant. "I won't be an experiment and neither will they!" She inched closer to Ichigo and her shield, backed by her determination, grew larger.
Kurosaki-kun quickly stepped protectively between her and the gruesome clown before them. Only Abarai-kun's tight clench on his arm kept him from breaking Shinigami law (again) by drawing his Zanpaktou in Seireitei, and she wanted to cry out. Sado-kun's large presence joined Ichigo and nearly blocked her view of the blood soaked 12th Squad Taichou. First Ishida-san, now Kurosaki-kun and Sado-kun. She hated that she hid behind them, but this monster wasn't one she knew how to deal with. They shouldn't have to risk their lives for her!
"Stupid girl. I'm in the middle of something else interesting, not that I wouldn't mind figuring out how you work in due time."
"You won't get near Orihime!" Kurosaki-kun growled out.
"Please, I hardly need another primary experiment until this one is completed! Stop being fools and have that impudent twit call off her little toy before I swat it down." The man glared at them imperiously and Orihime could feel the tension in the room rising. There was some disgust mixed in, but people were moving as if used to seeing Kurotsuchi-Taichou covered in blood. "Though," the man lightly touched a clean, white finger to his lips as if in thought, "if it hadn't been for the Quincy brat I'd have already had you spread out on my table and then we'd have never had the trouble of your powers possibly falling into Aizen's hands now would we? They'd be safely under my control."
Abarai-kun was joined by Matsumoto-san (when had she arrived?) and a vaguely familiar black haired young man with a 69 and bar tattooed on his face in holding back her friends. She felt the strained atmosphere almost snap, and the battle that the two wanted to start to protect her played before her eyes along with the injuries they would take, and she didn't know if she could stand it. This monster, the things Ishida had told her…
"I-Ishida-san should have killed you when he had the chance."
Kurosaki-kun and Sado-kun spun around to face her, eyes wide. Matsumoto-san and Abarai-kun were gapping a little at her as well, but she couldn't help it as images of Shinigami bodies blown apart from the inside pushed to the forefront of her mind. She wouldn't back down, she was stronger, she'd survived Hueco Mundo on her own before her friends came for her, and she could fight him even if she couldn't win. She would be strong on her own.
"Stupid girl there's no way he could have killed me."
And that made her furious. Ishida, he was so much better than this monster that killed his own people and she would fight this battle for her friend if it killed her. Truthfully, that was the most likely response to what she was saying, but Ishida-san would have died for her. "He could have! He told me about it when I thanked him for protecting me from you! Even barely trained and half dead like he was he still could have done more than just beat you! He just didn't want to make your daughter see her family die in front of her eyes like he had to watch his Grandfather die because of you!!"
She was getting tired of the painted man mostly just standing there indifferently. Ichigo had gone kind of limp in Matsumoto-san and Abarai-kun's grasps still staring at her in utter shock, and the black haired Shinigami barely had to hold onto Sado-kun. She couldn't meet either of their eyes. She couldn't believe, oh God, they'd fight for her and because of what he'd done to Ishida and how could she…
"I REJECT!!!" Her shield spun and Orihime took the path it had cleared for her out the room before anyone could intervene.
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"Inoue!" Ichigo moved to go after his friend before Rangiku caught his shoulder.
"I'll take care of her. I promise." She glanced at her Taichou for a moment, not really needing Toshiro's nod to know it was okay for her to go after the distraught girl.
Rangiku didn't bother looking to Renji or Shuuhei, she knew they would keep the two Ryouka from doing anything too stupid. She easily overcame Orihime with Shunpo and gently caught the girl's arm as she ran blindly. Tears were welling in big gray eyes and they fell as the auburn girl realized who had come after her. Small hands clenched in Rangiku's scarf, and the Shinigami pulled Orihime into a hug. They stood there for a moment in the hall, and she glared over auburn hair at any Shinigami who dared gape at them.
Several minutes later when Orihime's sobs had subsided slightly, Rangiku stepped back and looked down at the girl, smiling just a little. "Come on," she said as she ruffled the girl's hair like she did her Taichou's on occasion. Where it made Toshiro glare and growl her name, it made Orihime smile, her cheeks moving up to dislodge a few drops of silver liquid. "Let's get out of the hallway." She gently led the girl to the Fukutaichous meeting room which was luckily a few doors down. Orihime settled against the wall, sliding down so her arms could wrap around her knees, and looked up at Rangiku.
"How stupid was that, Matsumoto-san? I wanted to fight that man for Ishida-san since he fought for me, but I just made things worse, because I can't beat him so Kurosaki-kun and Sado-kun and Abarai-kun and all the others will fight for me and Ishida-san, but then Ishida-san is still missing, but the all blood, and they'll fight and how could I be so stupid and selfish and we don't have the time for this!" Another sob followed her ramble and Orihime buried her face in her arms.
Rangiku knelt down and tilted Orihime's head up to meet her eyes. "Orihime, no one will blame you for shouting at Kurotsuchi-Taichou. Most of the people who saw you do it, feel exactly the same about him as you do. What we would do to that man if we could is one of the great drinking topics of Seireitei," she carefully wiped Orihime's cheeks.
"No, you, it's just…" Orihime's head tilted down and Rangiku brushed back a strand of hair that fell into the girl's eyes. "He really did threaten to turn me into an experiment! And Ishida-san - - he carried around a picture of what he did to Ishida-san's Grandfather and he just walked in there covered in blood and nobody cared! I had to stand up in Ishida-san's place."
Rangiku wasn't quite sure how to go about explaining the Kurotsuchi-Taichou situation to the girl. For as long as she could remember rumors had circulated about the strange Taichou; that he did things that were inhuman, but it could never be proven. There were also the urban legends about wandering his Squads' grounds after dark: that you disappeared and never came back. "Orihime, we don't know for a fact that he would have done anything to you, but I promise you will never be alone where he can get you. We'll protect you, I promise."
Rangiku expected the girl to at least smile but instead the tears came rushing back.
"You shouldn't have to protect me! Ishida-san lost his powers for me and Kurosaki-kun would have broken the laws and been hunted again and I should be able to fight just like they can! Be strong just like they can! How can they still care if they always have to risk their lives for me?"
Sometime while Orihime had been choking on her sobbed words she'd thrown herself forward into Rangiku's arms, clutching tightly to the older woman, face upturned so that Rangiku nearly drowned in the poor girl's stormy eyes.
"Orihime-chan, they would rather die a million painful deaths then see a hair on your head hurt. It wouldn't matter if you were stronger than them, because you stand by them, accept them. You put up with Kurosaki's attitude and still smile so beautifully for him," she lifted her hands from where they had wrapped around the younger girl to gently pinch her cheeks. "Despite how strong he is, you're not afraid of him. You still laugh and make his world brighter. You thanked Ishida, then you listened to him, you let him talk. Do you think he's really talked to anyone else about his Grandfather?" Orihime silently shook her head, more tears falling. "There, see? Those strong types, they fight and fight, and then they need someone to be there for them when the fighting is over. It doesn't matter what makes them fight: the love of it, the pride, or the desire to protect. They still need you, because you make them whole."
Rangiku thought of another woman's healing smile, and gave a little laugh. "You're just like a Unohana-Taichou in training, Orihime-chan. Do you know that even Zaraki-Taichou is terrified of her?" Orihime's eyes grew wide in disbelief before her head flew back and forth, long auburn hair flying.
"She's in charge of the medics though! Why is he scared of her!?"
Rangiku had to grin. "Because she smiles, is truly, absolutely kind. He can't fight her because of that; she would win hands down since he can't even raise a blade against her." Orihime was positively gaping. "You're the same way," Rangiku continued, "and you're just as invaluable to your friends as she is to the Gotei 13. You heal them. You take care of them. You stand beside them and never waver in your protection of their hearts as their bodies protect the world. They are strong because you are," she poked Orihime in the forehead and giggled when the girl went cross eyed following her finger.
"I-" Rangiku didn't hear Orihime's response as she jumped to her feet in response to the explosion of Reiatsu coming from down the hall. There were too many to pick out individuals, but they all raged wildly.
"Stay here!" She shouted over her shoulder at Orihime who had moved to follow her as she raced across the room, throwing open the door and ending up in the middle of an all out brawl.
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End Chapter Two
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