Author's note: The plot begins to thicken here, and it is EPIC. (Epicness not guaranteed. In clinical trials, epicness was achieved in roughly 73% of cases. Epicness should not be taken by people with heart conditions, or people who are experiencing or may experience epic fail. Side effects may include headache, fever, dizziness, loss of breath, and the desire to shout random Japanese phrases at the top of your lungs. Talk to your doctor to find out if epicness is right for you). Isn't it time you made epicness a part your life?
On a more serious note, summerrayah's review of February 8th brings up a point I would like to address. Harribel may not be as loyal to Aizen as I have portrayed her – in fact, in Bleach canon, I suspect she isn't. However, this story began diverging from canon the moment Orihime healed Ulquiorra, and it will continue to do so right up to the very end; the characters will, I hope, start out recognizable, but they may develop in ways that make them almost unrecognizable. I don't plan on such developments happening, but as long as they are plausible and help the story, I won't try to avoid them, either.
Regarding Harribel specifically, I see her as someone who, sheer power notwithstanding, knows exactly how precarious is her position in the Espadas when surrounded by the likes of Nnoitra and Yammy and Szayelaporro, and who consequently has learned to seize opportunities when they arise. With Ulquiorra's defection, someone else will have to fill the role of Aizen's most loyal Espada, if only by default – and, Harribel thinks, why not me? Not to say that her offer was a false one; she would have gladly killed Ulquiorra if ordered to, but she decided that showing a little initiative on the matter couldn't hurt, as long as she didn't go behind Aizen's back – or over his head. (In Soviet Hueco Mundo, shark jumps you). Whether or not I have changed anyone's mind on this point, thinking about it has helped me clarify some matters for myself, and I appreciate summerrayah's bringing it to my attention.
Disclaimer: Bleach was created by Kubo Tite and is published in Shonen Jump. Studio Pierrot is responsible for the anime adaptation, and Viz Media for the official English release. No copyright infringement is intended or should be inferred.
Chapter 3
There was the uproar Ulquiorra expected. He knew every one of their faces and names from Lord Aizen's mission briefings, but this was the first time he had heard most of the assembled Shinigami speak. Even though only six of the thirteen – or ten – captains were there, they still managed to make an impressive noise, and that was before taking their lieutenants into account. Finally, Yamamoto silenced them by pounding his cane against the reiatsu platform under his feet.
"Captain Kyoraku is right. We have a decision to make, and you are not some rabble of whelps, fresh out of the Academy. You are Captain-class Shinigami of the Gotei 13, and you will act like it." The Shinigami looked at each other, evidently hesitant to speak first after such a pointed rebuke. Finally, the captain with the straw hat, Kyoraku Shunsui of the Eighth Division, spoke up.
"Well, since I'm the one who raised this matter, guess I should be the one to speak my mind first." His face was half-hidden by his ridiculous hat, but his voice was strong and his words clear. "I don't like fighting if I don't have to, and this Hollow has just saved us from a very nasty fight. I say we give him a chance."
"I'm with Kyoraku," Ukitake said. "While it would be a mistake to trust him, it would be a greater mistake to turn away any help we can get against Aizen, especially if it weakens Aizen's forces at the same time."
Soi Fon, Captain of the Second Division, who was missing her left arm, glared silently at Ulquiorra, as did Hitsugaya. Finally, a lupine-looking captain, Komamura Sajin of the Seventh Division, broke the silence.
"You cannot seriously be considering this. Soul Society aligning itself with a Hollow? It goes against everything we stand for! What's next – every one of us becoming part Hollow?"
"And why not?" said a new voice from behind Ulquiorra. Everyone turned to see a group of eight eccentrically-dressed zanpakutou-wielding individuals. Their leader, a blond man with a pageboy haircut and a grin that looked a great deal like Nnoitra's, shrugged his shoulders. "Ya oughta try it some time, Captain Komamura. Might loosen ya up a bit."
"Hirako Shinji," Yamamoto said. A simple name, nothing more, though the somber, sonorous tones he used made it sound like a death sentence. "So you were indeed hiding yourselves in the human world. What brings your group here?"
Hirako shook his head sadly, but his smile didn't falter. "Well, High Captain-san, ta tell the truth... ya hurt our feelings. When we heard you were havin' a shindig with all yer friends from Hueco Mundo, we couldn't wait ta get our invite... only it never came. So we thought we'd show up anyway – maybe the hell butterfly got lost on its way ta us, y'know? But when we get here, whadda we find but a lil' ol' barrier, tryin' ta keep us out?" He inclined his head so his eyes were just barely concealed under the brim of his cap. "If I didn't know better, I'd think ya didn't want us here."
Sasakibe Chojiro, the Lieutenant of the First Division, flash-stepped a few paces behind Hirako and went to one knee before Yamamoto. "My humblest apologies. I let them pass before I realized that Aizen and his forces had retreated."
"I see," Yamamoto replied, turning his attention to the new arrival. "It appears your efforts will not be required."
"Well, now, that's where we differ." Hirako turned to Ulquiorra, laying a hand on the hilt of his zanpakutou. "We may have missed the main event, but it seems we're still in time for the side show."
"I know you," Ulquiorra answered. "Aizen occasionally spoke of his first experiments in joining Hollows and Shinigami. You call yourselves 'the Visored,' because you think of your Hollow natures as something that can be removed as easily as a visor."
"Well, well... seems ya've heard of us. You're wrong about one thing, though. We don't think of our Hollow natures as something that can be removed. We just learned how ta control 'em." Hirako's smile broadened in a way that Ulquiorra did not like. "And we don't take kindly ta people who haven't."
This is bad, Orihime thought. Once again, she had to step in and calm things down before Ulquiorra could get into a fight that could very well get him killed.
"Hirako-san!" she called, stepping forward and waving her hand at him. He looked at her in surprise, as if just noticing she was there.
"Well, if it isn't my first love," he said with a bow. The short, pigtailed girl standing beside him kicked him in the shins, and he grabbed his leg in pain. "Ow ow ow... what was that for?"
"Dumbass," the girl growled at him. "Don't just go sayin' things like that ta every girl ya meet! I'll shave yer head, and then you'll really be a baldy!"
"Such harsh words from my first love," Hirako-san whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear, before straightening up. "What brings yer smilin' face here, Orihime-chan?"
"Well..." she paused, grasping around for the right words, "Ulquiorra-kun brought me here!" She nodded toward the former Espada, who didn't react. Hirako-san raised an eyebrow. "You see, after Kurosaki-kun defeated him, he had no place left in Hueco Mundo, and while I was a prisoner there, he was my keeper, and he became really interested in humans and wants to learn more about us and I know he seems cold and cruel but he's really nice if you get to know him and... and..." Hirako-san gaped at her wide-eyed, and she trailed off and looked down, blushing. How in the world could she defend Ulquiorra-kun if all she could do was babble like this? She gathered her resolve and looked up at Hirako-san with an expression both firm and plaintive. "I believe in him, and I believe he deserves a chance to prove he can be a good person."
Shinji stood silently, and his smile slowly crept back onto his face. "Well, well... one of Aizen's servants, gaining the trust of our dear Orihime-chan?" He turned to Ulquiorra-kun. "What did you say to her, I wonder?"
"She is right here," Ulquiorra-kun answered. "She can speak for herself." Orihime blushed again at his words, and Hirako-san, seeing her embarrassment, shook his head.
"Well, no need to go pryin' around in a lady's personal life, eh? If Orihime-chan believes in ya, that's enough fer me to give you a chance. Besides..." he said, glancing at Yamamoto-san, "we know a thing or two about not havin' a place in the world."
"Ah," said yet another new voice, "such compassion! You truly are a credit to your kind, Hirako-san." The assembled crowd turned to find Urahara Kisuke-san and Shihouin Yoruichi-san. Urahara-san looked around and fanned himself, smiling broadly. "My, my... for an empty town, this place sure is lively!"
"Urahara-san... what brings you here?" Hirako-san asked.
"The same as you, I'm sure. I heard Aizen was going to be here, and..." He hid his eyes beneath the brim of his hat. "I couldn't wait to get his autograph."
"I thought you of all people would know better than to speak so lightly of Aizen, Urahara Kisuke," Ulquiorra intoned.
Urahara turned his attention to Ulquiorra, and his smile, though it remained, was somewhat diminished. "And I thought you of all people would know better than to turn against him, Number Four-san."
"Tch... just how long was that guy standing there?" Kurosaki muttered.
"I have seen the power of the substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, for myself. I now have reason to believe that Aizen will lose his war with Soul Society," Ulquiorra responded. "I have no wish to be on the losing side."
"Hey, old man!" yelled a voice from below. Yamamoto and the rest of the crowd looked down to see Zaraki Kenpachi, Captain of the Eleventh Division, with a pink-haired blob that could only be his lieutenant, Kusajishi Yachiru, riding on his shoulder, and flanking them were the captains and lieutenants of the Fourth, Sixth, and Twelfth Divisions. "If this Hollow wants to join us, I say we make him fight for the privilege!"
"Yay! Ken-chan can have lots of fun with the Hollow man!" Kusajishi proclaimed.
"Ridiculous," said the Sixth Division Captain, Kuchiki Byakuya, looking down in contemplation, without even sparing a glance at Zaraki. "Allow a Hollow to fight alongside Soul Society? It would leave a stain on our honor that the Sea of Japan could not wash clean." He fixed his gaze on Ulquiorra. "The Hollow has no allies, while we have the combined might of every remaining captain of the Gotei 13. We will never have a better chance to eliminate Aizen's fourth-most-powerful slave."
"Damn right, Captain!" Kuchiki's lieutenant, the hot-headed Abarai Renji, exclaimed with a grin, one hand already on his sword. "Let's show this bastard what we're made of!"
"What an idiot," the Twelfth Division Captain, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, said calmly. The smile he directed at Ulquiorra was broad, but without a trace of warmth. "The closer he is to us when he fights, the easier he'll be to retrieve for dissection."
"Well, now," Urahara said, counting on his fingers, "that makes four votes in favor of letting Ulquiorra-san stay, and two against."
The Fourth Division Captain, Unohana Retsu, looked up at Ulquiorra with closed eyes and a warm smile. "I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt, so long as any doubt remains." She paused, and although her expression didn't change, her voice went from calm and kind to calm and dangerous. "Where Hollows are concerned, no doubt remains."
"There is no way I'm letting this reminder of Aizen pollute Karakura Town with his presence," Hitsugaya said, his voice as cold as his bankai.
"Four to four," Urahara smiled, fanning himself. Yamamoto looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't imagine you came here just to count votes."
"Are you asking for my opinion, High Captain-san?" the shopkeeper asked with overdone innocence.
"I suspect you'll offer it regardless," Yamamoto replied in a drier tone than usual. Urahara laughed.
"My, my... who knew the always-serious High Captain of the Gotei 13 had a sense of humor?" He paused, but if he was waiting for a laugh from Yamamoto, it never came. "Well, here's what I think: this defection is almost certainly a trap." Urahara smiled and covered his face with his fan. "And that's why I recommend letting it happen."
Soi Fon narrowed her eyes at Urahara. "Explain yourself, exile."
"Such harsh words!" Urahara said, feigning injury for a moment before his smile reasserted itself, more enigmatic than before. "Well, Special Forces Commander-san, you should know better than anyone else that the greatest danger of going out of your way to avoid an obvious trap..."
"...is stepping on one of the dozen traps hidden all around it," Shihouin finished. "I taught that to someone a while back – or at least I thought I did." Soi Fon reddened and looked away from her. So she had failed to heed a critical lesson from her predecessor. Ulquiorra shook his head. His defection was no trap, of course, but if this was the caliber of strategic thinking that he could expect from the Special Forces Commander, Aizen's treason suddenly made more sense.
"Can I take that as a vote in favor of letting him stay, Commander-san?" Urahara asked, with just a trace of irony. Soi Fon regained her composure and nodded firmly.
"Forgive me, Lady Yoruichi," she said. "I will better remember your lessons in the future."
Urahara looked at Yamamoto. "That just leaves you, High Captain-san."
"Am I to understand that you are volunteering to take responsibility for him?" Yamamoto responded.
"Well, I do have a tendency to collect strays," Urahara said lightly, and held his shin as Shihouin kicked him. The High Captain stared silently at Urahara for a long time, and Urahara held his gaze. Finally, he spoke, and though his answer was directed at the shopkeeper, it was addressed to all his underlings.
"Your reasoning is sound. Even if this is a trap, it would be more dangerous to try to avoid it." He turned his attention to Ulquiorra. "Until further notice, you will remain in the human world, under the supervision of Urahara Kisuke. You will surrender your zanpakutou to him, and he will provide you with a gigai in which to reside, one that will completely seal your spiritual energy and all the powers it provides." He paused to make sure he had Ulquiorra's full attention. "If you harm a single human, your life will be forfeit."
"It was not my intent to harm any humans," Ulquiorra replied. Kurosaki snorted. "Having lost to Kurosaki Ichigo, I have no place in Hueco Mundo anymore. I assume the same would be true of Soul Society." He looked around at the assembled soldiers, and took their utter silence for assent. "Perhaps I will find a place in the human world, " he concluded, and tossed his zanpakutou, along with its scabbard, to Urahara.
"Well, now," Urahara said, rubbing his hands together, "come along, Ulquiorra-san! We've got to get you fixed up with a gigai!" He turned around and started walking away, talking quickly and enthusiastically. "You'll get the newest model, with all the latest features – it might even suppress your hunger for souls!"
Ulquiorra, who had been following the shopkeeper, stopped. "'Might'?" Urahara turned and smiled broadly at him.
"Well, I can't be sure. You're the first Hollow I've ever hosted!" He kept walking, and Ulquiorra followed him, feeling the hostile stares on his back, and wondering whether he had just leapt headfirst out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Orihime watched Ulquiorra-kun go with a growing feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. Komamura-san was glaring at Yamamoto-san with such heat that she was surprised the air didn't ignite.
"High Captain... forgive me for speaking so boldly, but what in the world are you doing?"
"It's just as I said," Yamamoto answered. "At this point, the only thing more dangerous than letting him live would be killing him." He turned to Kurosaki-kun. "However, I doubt that was true when you decided to let him live."
"I didn't let him live!" Kurosaki-kun blurted.
"Then how did he survive?" Byakuya-san asked. Kurosaki-kun smacked himself on the forehead, but the damage was done. Of course his statement had raised more questions than it answered. Orihime stepped forward.
"It was... my doing," she said. Her voice was quiet, but the silence was thick enough to cut with a knife, and all eyes turned to her. She began shaking, but kept talking. She had to, for Kurosaki-kun's sake, and maybe for Ulquiorra-kun's as well. "Kurosaki-kun killed him – he was falling apart, turning to ash before our eyes – but I healed him."
"You healed a Hollow?" Byakuya-san asked. His voice was as cold as ever, but there was a hint of curiosity to it, as though her response were so utterly unexpected that, in spite of his anger, he was genuinely intrigued.
"I believe... that Ulquiorra-kun is a good person," she answered, "and that he just needs a chance to prove it."
Byakuya-san closed his eyes. "Ridiculous."
"Well, I wonder..." Kyoraku-san said. "We've been going on the assumption that this is a trap, but what if it's not?" He smiled at Orihime. "Orihime-chan's a good person, and if there are any mind-control kidou on her, I don't sense them. We suspected from the beginning that she didn't go to Aizen willingly, and his own words just confirmed that."
"Kyoraku-san..." Orihime said. She hadn't expected him to speak up for her.
"Tch... Nanao'd better watch out," Rangiku-san said dryly. "Captain Kyoraku's found a new favorite girl."
"So cruel," Kyoraku replied, smiling. Rangiku-san ignored him and put her arm around Orihime.
"Come on, Orihime. I don't know what's going on with you and that Hollow, but we can talk all about it over ice cream."
"D-don't say things like that, Rangiku-san! There's nothing going on!" She blushed and looked down. "I just... think he should have a chance to prove he's a good person."
Rangiku-san laughed and patted her shoulder enthusiastically. "Like I said, we can talk all about it." She turned to Toshiro-kun. "You coming, Captain?"
"No," he said, looking into the distance. "I'll be following Urahara. Even two former captains might not be enough to stop him if this does turn out to be a trap."
Orihime's face fell. She knew Toshiro-kun was always serious – too much, she thought, though she couldn't deny it was cute and funny – but she had hoped he would at least give Ulquiorra-kun a chance. Well, maybe Rangiku-san could talk to him later. As she walked away with her best friend in the Gotei 13, Orihime's mind was far away, in a humble neighborhood candy store.
Be safe, Ulquiorra-kun.
Author's note: Man, this chapter was crowded. I'm trying not to leave anyone out, but I have a new appreciation for how difficult it must be for Kubo to keep them all in mind, let alone to try and work them all into the story. Normally, the cast will be more manageable than this.
That said, partly because the cast is so large, I have some trouble keeping track of how they all address each other. Sometimes there are deliberate changes, but, at the risk of sounding like a tautological meme, deliberate changes are deliberate, designed to reveal things about a character's state of mind, or the effect she hopes to have on the person or people she's talking to, or what-have-you. If you see any outright mistaken forms of address being used consistently, however, I would appreciate it if you let me know. (The same goes for the finer points of Bleach lore and for mistakes in Spanish, which I will be doing my best to correct). Please keep such notices confined to private messages, however; that way, we can keep the review space focused more on substantial matters, and less on relatively trivial ones.