What Sets Us Apart
Chapter Four - Revival Complete
Author's Note: Midterms coming. Sorry for the delay! Yes, I'm trying to make up with the lost chapters that should be up here by now!
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He lay there bleeding. His face quite pale, his eyes widened in terror. Never had he seen so much blood spill. "…T-This…can't be happening." He replied in a horrid voice, he gazed at the soldiers dead bodies. Mother--Unohana-san…Is SHE ALRIGHT!? He thought anxiously and tried getting up, but he was too weak.
"Don't get up you twerp. You'll hurt yourself!" A woman's voice gently but annoyingly boomed in the hallway. He turned his head around and found Karin leaning against the doorway. "Sheesh. You stubborn idiot." She replied while rolling her eyes. He could hear her gasps. Heavy. Slow.
"Kurosaki-sama are you alright!?" Inori whispered and tried sitting up. He could feel the powerful stings on his left side as he wobbled to and fro. His aunt let out a grunt notifying him that she was perfectly fine. "W-What about your sister?" He asked in frustration.
"She's fine."
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Grimmjaw laughed at Ulquiorra who seemed quite displeased with his triumph. He tragically hoped for that man's life to end. But at least he had given him the missing ingredient. "Hurry up with the ritual dumbass!" The man grumbled after his laugh died out. Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and poured the blood onto the ashes. He closed his eyes.
"I'd like everyone…to close their eyes as well." The man replied quietly. "If you don't…you'll most likely die." He smiled answering some of the questions the men had. They did as he said.
A blue light surrounded around the area. The room was pitch black so it was kind of frightening to see how much energy that light had. Ulquiorra smiled as he felt the familiar warmth light upon his face. His heart fluttered and he grinned.
His hand smothered against the black ashes. The blood was mucky and stuck onto his fingers. He opened his eyes, only a little, and spelt out the ashes' name. Ichigo Kurosaki. Then upon that, he took his hands and performed a healing art of some sort. Something he had learned from his master. "Thanks for teaching me this...master" Ulquiorra replied smiling bitterly.
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Everything was a mess. Blood was on the floor and many people were injured. Thankfully no one was killed. Karin helped Yuzu up while Inori stood up himself. He patted his clothes and stared at his aunts who seemed to be calling for his mother.
Unohana came in a hurry, she had already helped the rest of the injured soldiers and it was time for her to check on the nobility. "Are you guys alright?" The woman replied calmly and took out her box of medicine. She opened it and it revealed quite a few things. First she took out a small wet cloth and rubbed it on Yuzu's scraped elbow. After that she rubbed cream upon it and did a small heal chant. Next she wrapped it in a small bandage.
Inori, who hadn't spoken to her for quite some time just stared at his mother's ability. No wonder the kingdom needed her so much. She was quite the doctor to have. "Are you alright, Inori-kun?" Unohana asked and walked towards him with a bandage and a tube of cream. He nodded slowly but backed away from her. "Seriously. Please don't be like this right now." She sighed and grabbed gently onto his arm.
It was painful. He had not been injured like Yuzu, but it was the first time he had experienced physical pain. He had scraped his knees and was shoved against a concrete wall. His back ached like a million nails forcefully thrust into his flesh. "S-Stop it!" He growled, struggling from the woman's grasp. Unohana kept a firm hold on him. "It hurts!" Inori complained and wriggled.
Karin snorted. "You're such an insolent brat." She grumbled while staring at his struggling figure. Inori glared at her. "Nothing like your father." She added. His eyes widened.
Unohana could sense he was angry. He knew nothing of his father, yet hearing something like that made him furious. "…Karin-sama…please, don't be harsh on Inori-chan…he's experienced through a lot in one night." The doctor replied quietly and wrapped up the child's body with some bandages. The woman sighed as he tensed up a little more. "Now I want you to-"
"I DON'T NEED YOU TO BE TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!" Inori shouted and quickly stood up. Unohana stared at him. Clearly he was disappointed, and did not want to do anything right now.
The doctor closed her medical kit and stood up silently. There were no words she could tell him, to comfort him. Karin grunted and helped Yuzu up. The two quickly passed by to see what else had been damaged inside the castle. Unohana quickly left. Inori was all alone.
"Dammit!" The boy shouted in frustration. He kicked a fallen vase, and it shattered into pieces. Why am I so stupid?…Mo-Unohana-san…I'm sorry…He cried miserably and slumped against the wall.
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Grimmjaw and the rest had to admit that Ulquiorra was quite powerful. Being able to revive the long departed was such a difficult task. Amidst the black clouds that formulated during the revival, a shadow slowly crept up. "Good job." Grimmjaw replied in a surprise. Yet he did not look so appreciated. Ulquiorra just produced a small grin.
"The hell am I, you bastards?" A voice asked and stepped through the dim light. He was surrounded by unusual men. They stared at him with interest and delighted expressions.
"Welcome…welcome back home!" Ulquiorra replied smoothly and smiled. The man scratched his head and gazed at the stony walls and the strange furnishings. A frown escaped from his thin lips.
"The hell. This isn't my home, asshole."
"Fuck you! You should respect us for having you-" Grimmjaw shouted in anger, but Ulquiorra quickly stopped him.
"I apologize. However, we need you…" The man whispered and bowed down. He forced the other men to bow down as well.
"Whatever." The man grumbled and crossed his arms. Ulquiorra seemed pleased at his idiotic response.
"Welcome back… Kurosaki-sama."
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"…With such a horrible day, I asked the chef to cook us a feast." Karin replied a little cheerfully. Inori couldn't understand how she got over the traumatic experience so quickly. Maybe it was her childhood? He sighed and slouched down as the dishes were being served.
"Sire…would you like some juice?" A waitress asked as she passed a goblet filled with orange liquid. He stared at the woman and nodded.
"…Thank you." He replied softly. "…I-I love juice." He smiled brightly and managed to drink the whole glass.
Karin and Yuzu smiled. "Heh. Like your mother." The replied simultaneously and laughed. Inori couldn't understand why they were so cheerful. But, he should at least enjoy the meal while it lasted.
After a few hours, Yoruichi entered the room with Urahara. She seemed quite upset and irritated. "…Some of Kisuke's men found some evidence of who broke inside the kingdom." She replied angrily and a bag of blood dangled between her fingertips.
"How do you know it belongs to that person?" Karin asked still chewing on a piece of chicken. Urahara stepped up with a smile.
"Unohana-san collected small samples of everyone's DNA during the time she was fixing up your wounds. She also took some samples from items that held blood in them. And found this sample to be the only different one." Urahara smiled charmingly. Yet he had no part in the discovery. Yoruichi sighed and forced Urahara to place the sample before their majesty.
Karin stared at it a little suspiciously and carefully picked it up. She looked disgusted.
"Yes. The blood is of slightly different color…however Unohana-san said it wasn't rare to have these types of colored blood." Yoruichi replied quietly.
"She seems to know a lot…" Karin replied smoothly and placed the bag back down. Inori gazed at the sample with interest. Yuzu was looking away, too grossed out to see the liquid. "…Does she know anything else?" The queen added.
"…No." Yoruichi replied regretfully.
"I see."
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Ulquiorra stared at Ichigo who seemed quite cheerful. They were walking down the path towards the Kurosaki kingdom. "…We're almost there." The man smiled quietly. Ichigo grunted, but he couldn't help but smile. "Just remember our plans." He whispered as they reached the gates.
"Yeah, yeah." The man grumbled. "…Just let me see her." He whispered in a terrible excitement. His heart ached. He needed to see her. Just once. Or forever. "Rukia…"