Ichigo had been given a reply from Yoruichi's mysterious contact the following morning. In an odd comparison to the instructions he'd given Rukia three years ago, he made his way along a thin ledge above a dirty waterway that ran out from the palace, as the letter had told him. As he rounded a corner, a metal grate loomed in front. He paused for a second, not knowing how to get past, but quickly spotted the hole in the grate, and quietly slid through. He continued walking along the ledge on the other side, a stone which had been enchanted to glow held in one hand. Yoruichi had given it to him, saying that he'd have more use for it than she would.
Ichigo slowed down as the warm yellow light of a torch appeared ahead. There was a single torch on the wall, and stuck to the wall underneath it was a small note.
Aizen will be in the corridor directly above at midday. Be there before that, there are some good places to hide. Make sure you leave before one hour past midday. Watch out for the black and white knight.
He'd started his journey at the ninth hour, and he'd been traveling for roughly two hours. That would mean he had a bit under an hour to wait. Ichigo sat down on the walkway, staring into the dark and listening to the flow of the water. He'd find out what Aizen was up to, sooner or later.
Urahara, the palace's most powerful mage, walked along the white corridors toward Aizen's solar. He'd been thinking about confronting the lord for weeks now, and although it was still as dangerous as ever, perhaps now was the best time. He stopped at the doors the Aizen's chambers, steeling himself, and knocked on them quickly. A guard opened the door from the inside, gesturing for Urahara to come in.
Aizen himself sat at a dark wooden desk in the center of the room. It was strewn with papers, although the rest of the room put even the maids to shame, given how organised it was. The books were perfectly ordered in some system that Aizen had devised himself, and the decor was expensive and spotless. Aizen looked up as Urahara walked in, smiling kindly. The man looked like someone who could be your friendly uncle, the one who gave everyone treats and was good for a hug. His glasses gave him a scholarly feel, and although the scholar air was correct, any friendliness he appeared to have was a complete lie. All the servants knew him as pretty much a ruthless killer. He'd fire any servant who got in his way, and some of the rumours were terrifying. In public, the lord wore a mask of smiles and cheer, but Urahara hadn't been called the Master of Whisperers for nothing.
"Why, Urahara. What brings you to my humble office on a beautiful day like this?" Aizen asked, his voice calm and collected. The mage turned, and after dismissing the guards from the room, turned back, his eyes narrow.
"Cut the act, Aizen. I know who you are and what you're doing."
Aizen smiled, but not in any way kindly or comfortingly, and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. "And what exactly do you know?"
Urahara stood his ground, summing up everything he knew in his head. "I know that you're a manipulative parasite and you've wormed your way to the top of this country's government by eliminating anyone who stood in your way. I know that you keep some sort of creature in a cave in the Karakura mountain range, and that you kidnap girls to keep it subdued. And... I know that by keeping it alive but subdued, you've gained immortality. Which, as you should know as a scholar, is the taboo of mankind."
Aizen looked down, taking off his glasses as if to clean them. "Every single word of that is true, although I do dislike the word parasite. I think 'opportunistic' is better." He looked up then, and without the glasses, you could see the pure evil and deadly intelligence in his eyes. "So, Lord Mage, what are you going to do about it?"
The mage paused. Aizen actually had a good point. He may have thought about what he was going to say, but forgot about think about what he'd actually do. "The only thing I can do. Make you leave the palace and give up office, now and here." Urahara held one hand out, and a flame appeared in his palm, dancing and throwing light around the room.
The other man, sighed, standing up. He shot a glance at Urahara's hand, and the flame guttered out. "Anything you do is useless, Kisuke. Ponder this for a second- not only am I immortal, but the creature gives me great power."
Urahara paled, understanding the depth of Aizen's plotting. Was it really possible he could have a dragon?
Aizen called for the guards to re-enter the room, and they stormed over to the speechless mage, forcing his arms behind his back and his knees to the ground.
"It is a double edged sword, Lord Mage." The title was patronising, almost an accusation now. "Release it, and you know what happens. Killing it is impossible. Leave it, and I stay." Aizen paused. "Guards, this man tried to attack me and is accusing me of treason." He walked to the doors, opening them and stepping out. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to be at. Take him to the cells." And with that, Lord Aizen strode out into the corridor, very pleased with himself.
Ichigo stood in a small alcove, pressing himself against the wall and straining his hearing to listen to the footsteps of people walking past. He'd already made the mistake of jumping out at the first person who walked past, resulting in a rather terrified old butler. Thankfully, it wasn't a busy corridor, so he could tell when Aizen approached, the slightly heavier footsteps echoing. He waited until the Lord had walked just past his hiding place, and then stepped out, holding the point of his sword to Aizen's back. Much to his surprise, though, the man sighed.
"You know, you two have really ruined the nice day I was having." Although confused, Ichigo forced Aizen to spin around, using the point of his sword to move the man.
"I don't know who else you're talking about," Ichigo said, "But I just want answers."
Lord Aizen nodded, smiling enigmatically. The teenager took that as an invitation to continue. "What is a Diva?" He asked scathingly. This man was dangerous, he could feel it.
"You're asking the wrong kinds of questions, boy. I'm sure there are more pressing matters than a long explanation." Aizen said, his voice smooth and almost hypnotising.
"Then where do these Divas go?" Ichigo growled out. The Lord, still at sword point, nodded once.
"Now that's a better question. They go to a cave in the Karakura mountains."
The orange-haired boy narrowed his eyes a little. "And where is thi-" He was cut off by another sword hitting his outstretched one, catching him off-guard and knocking it away from Aizen. Ichigo spun his head, looking for the attacker, and there stood a man in white armour, his black hair and black cloak a stark contrast. He didn't bother to wait for Ichigo to get his sword up, simply swinging at him, incredibly fast. Ichigo barely managed to block, and the force of the attack pushed him backwards, but it did give him a chance to regain his stance, which gave him a much better chance. This knight was a very good swordsman, but he was better. They exchanged blows, steel ringing as they sought to injure the other man.
"Why did you attack Lord Aizen?" The knight asked, no emotion in his voice.
"Because I need to find someone." Ichigo replied, making himself focus harder to compensate for talking.
The knight furrowed his brow, that much Ichigo could see. "And why do you need to find this person?"
Ichigo was speechless for a second, and could find no reply. He hadn't really known why he was going to find Rukia the day he'd set out- he just had to. "She's my world, and I can't just let my world go!"
The other man suddenly stopped attacking, and Ichigo could see pain in his eyes, which had the glazed-over look one got when reliving an old memory. "Why did you stop, Ulquiorra? Kill him!" Yelled Aizen from a way back.
Ulquiorra looked up at Ichigo, and for a second he expected the knight to just attack him again. But instead, in the blink of an eye, he had his sword up to Aizen's throat.
For the first time, the Lord seemed genuinely surprised. "I remember," Ulquiorra said, anger clear in his voice, "I remember everything. I remember her." Aizen was about to reply when tens of guards ran into the corridor, surrounding Ichigo and Ulquiorra.
Just a little earlier, Yoruichi stood several floors below Ichigo, hiding in a corner. The corridor she was in was, unfortunately, one of the better-guarded in the palace. The woman poked her head around a corner, looking at her destination. A wooden door, reinforced with metal, was at the end of the corridor, and around it stood five or so soldiers, talking quietly and insulting each other. She sighed, moving back into the deep shadows. She could take three head on, but five would be a little more of a challenge. However, Yoruichi had always been resourceful, and this was just yet another time to prove it.
Although she'd changed from a dress into pants and a top, the shirt had a crossover neckline, which she grabbed and gently started pulling. After a minute or two of adjusting, the neckline of the shirt dipped right between her breasts, which were barely covered. Yoruichi stood up, and after a second, walked out into the corridor. Intentionally swinging her hips more than usual and trying to look as blatantly sexual as possible, she strolled up to the door.
"The Lord Mage sent me to have a little fun with you boys. You work so hard..." Yoruichi said, letting a bit of false innocence seep into her words. It was easy to see the lust on their faces- they were payed little, so they probably could never afford a high-end prostitute like her. It was a minute or two later, when one had his hands all over her chest and another was trying to get his hands down her pants when one soldier, sitting back and just watching, said, "Hey, wait a minute. Isn't the Lord Mage in one of the cells?"
Yoruichi pouted. "Damn. I was so sure it would work for a little longer." She then grinned and, grabbing the wrist of the one fondling her chest, twisted it up so she could duck underneath and flipped him over her back into the other interested one. Both sprawled on the ground, but she didn't pause to think about them. The others charged at her, but their movements were clumsy, so she easily dodged past, ending up behind them. One she kicked as hard as she could in the back of the knees, and she heard something crack as he fell over, howling. The two others turned, running back at her, and she bent back, flipping her legs over her body one at a time, hitting both soldiers in the head with her feet, and they slumped to the floor.
Yoruichi stood back, looking at her work. Five guards lay on the floor, either unconscious or groaning in pain. She bent down and grabbed the ring of keys from a belt, unlocking the door and slipping inside. Momentarily, she considered fixing her shirt, but eventually decided against it. Who knew if there might be more guards to get out of the way? She walked past the cells, peering through the gloom into each one, looking for her old friend.
It was easier to find him than she expected- a small fire in the palm of his hand lit up the room, throwing shadows across his face, making him look even more mysterious than usual. Yoruichi leant against the bars, dangling the ring of keys off one finger. Urahara looked up as he heard them clinking, smiling at seeing the woman.
"Of all the places you had to get yourself trapped in... I had to take down all five guards to get in here." She said slyly as he walked up to the bars.
"Yeah, well, you love me too much to leave me down here." Urahara casually remarked, trying to stealthily take the ring of keys out of her hand.
Yoruichi noticed long before he even got close, though, and stepped away, dangling the ring just out of his reach. Urahara shook his head, chuckling at her.
"Plus, I'm sure you had no trouble with that. Your charms are completely irresistible for lesser men, especially when your shirt is open like that." She looked down, seeing her chest barely covered, and grinned back up at him. Urahara stuck one hand out the bars, splayed his fingers, and quickly closed them, pulling his hand inwards. Yoruichi was helpless as an invisible force pulled her back toward the bars, and the mage's hand quickly slid around her waist, pinning her there. He quickly kissed her cheek, taking the keys with his other hand, and unlocked the cell door. The woman quickly found both his hands on her hips, his lips pressed to hers, and she snaked her hands around his neck. They'd been lovers years ago, before he'd become the Lord Mage. They stood like that for a minute or two, before she pulled away.
"As much as I'd love to be all over you right now, one, we're in a dungeon, and two, we've got a boy to help." Yoruichi said, and they ran out, hands linked.
Ichigo twisted his head around, trying to gauge how many soldiers there were. 40? Maybe more? In any case, too many for just the two of them to take on, no matter how skilled they were as swordsmen. He and Ulquiorra stood back-to-back, swords held out in front of them.
"So, remind me why you're now on my side?" Ichigo whispered to the knight. Ulquiorra shook his head. "I believe there are more pressing issues right now. Like how to get out of this... Minor problem."
He was about to reply with some smart-ass comment when a blast of air radiated from a nearby wall, showering dust and small rocks over everyone, and the guards closest were knocked away. As the air cleared, the first thing Ichigo saw was a pair of amber eyes, almost glowing. But they soon stepped out of the shadows, and to his surprise, there stood Yoruichi, with a tall, blonde man at her side.
Ulquiorra, who flicked his head back, could see Aizen almost visibly seething with rage. He felt... Victorious, yet another emotion this strange day was throwing at him.
"Come on, out this way!" They both heard Yoruichi yell, and both Ichigo and Ulquiorra ran at the hole in the wall, soldiers right behind them. The blonde man moved his hands rather dramatically, whispering under his breath, which at first Ichigo thought was just for show, but when a soldier right behind them was blasted by a fireball, he realised that the man must be a mage, and probably Yoruichi's contact as well.
Their flight from the palace was a fast one. Once they all started running, soldiers were constantly yelling at them from behind, and a few fireballs and ice spears shot just past their heads several times, presumably from Aizen or other mages. Ichigo couldn't tell where they were going, but the mage they were following seemed to know exactly which tunnels to go through or corridors to run down. It seemed like only minutes before they were out of the city, although he was so out-of-breath when they stopped that it must have been longer.
All four of them stood hunched over, trying to catch their breath, in a small cave behind a pile of rocks. It would be almost impossible to find unless you knew exactly where it was, so they were safe there for a time.
When they had all stopped panting, Yoruichi was the first one to talk. "I think some introductions, and then a story or two, are in order."
Everyone nodded, but no-one else spoke, so she sighed. "Fine, I'll go first. Yoruichi Shihoin. I own and work in the brothel on High Street. Or, I did."
The blonde man was next. "I'm Kisuke Urahara. Mage. Yoruichi and I know each-other from way back."
Ichigo decided to speak up. "Ichigo... Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm not anything special." He shrugged.
The knight was last. "I am Ulquiorra Schiffer." His speech was emotionless, and he regularly glared at Urahara. "I am a knight of Lord Aizen's."
Yoruichi, who appeared to have taken charge, nodded, looking around the motley group of four. "Ichigo, I think it's your turn again. Tell your story." He took a deep breath, trying to remember all the details which had slowly blended into his journey, which had become more like an adventure you read of in books.
"I lived in a small village in the mountains in the south. Rukia Kuchiki lived there too."
Dear god, I am the worst person at updating ever. Le shudder. Anyway, I apologise for not updating this sooner. I'm writing more right now, so probably another two chapters or so to go.
Reviews would be much appreciated 3