Overture IV
"A room without books is like a body without a soul."
-Cicero
He had simply vanished.
"Don't worry. This shadow only hides the chosen ones…"
Those had been the Arrancar's final words before he had disappeared into some sort of dark reishi. Whatever he had used to escape with Ichigo had immediately known that it was not the Garganta, which had been the signature method of travel in Aizen's former army.
He returned to his body, discarded upon the ground unceremoniously due to him not possessing a mod soul at the time of being confronted by Ebern. Now once again in his mortal form he made his way back home. His friends would need to be informed of the Arrancar, and he removed his cell phone in order to do so as he walked up the steps to his room.
This was unnecessary as he found Chad, Orihime, Uryū, as well as the two Shinigami representatives, already gathered without him having to ask. He stopped in the doorway, looking at them with surprise.
"How did you all get in here?"
Orihime, who looked to have once more brought the left over pieces of bread from her place of work, smiled up at him. "Your sisters let us in, they told us you went on a walk and you wouldn't mind if we waited for you up here."
Ichigo felt his eye twitch. "Is that so?"
He then became aware of the younger male Shinigami staring at him silently with a large eyed gaze.
"What?"
"Y-you're that guy from the other night."
"Yeah…?"
"N-nothing, you just w-were really good at handling those Hollows…"
"I've had practice."
Yuki nodded at his words, the gesture rather awkward. Ichigo, wanting to avoid any more of such displays, decided to promptly join his friends on the floor in their informal sitting circle. He then began a brief retelling of his exchange with the suspicious Arrancar to them, speaking of their struggle as well as the odd behavior the man had exhibited before and during their fight. Finishing, he spoke of the usage of the Quincy bow by the individual.
"…then he just vanished using something that wasn't the Garganta."
Chad had little to comment except for an almost uninterested sounding "Huh", and Orihime acted typically by asking, "Where you injured?" It was good to know they believed in him to deal with a lone Arrancar. Then again he was there looking rather unscathed and almost casually telling them about it. To the girl's question he responded that he hadn't, and then looked to his dark haired friend who now stared at the piece of bread he had been going to consume.
"Uryū?"
Two somewhat interested eyes moved to him. "Do you know where he came from?"
Ichigo shook his head. "I thought at first Hueco Mundo because I assumed he was on some sort of crazy mission to avenge Aizen or something like that. Though when I asked him, he didn't answer except to say to tell me that he wasn't an Arrancar. He didn't say anything else after that except the standard combat mocking."
"...I'll look into it."
Puzzled by the response, but knowing that he'd have a hard time relating on the nature of the Quincy, Ichigo respectfully moved on. "There was also something else. During the fight he tried to use some sort of ability which didn't work. It had something to do with-"
He was interrupted by the sound of humming or rather what appeared to be a recording of it. The soul reaper, Yuki pulled out a Denreishinki, a device with the appearance of a phone that was used by the Shinigami to communicate with Soul Society.
Its apparent ringtone caused Shino to stare at it oddly. "Wait a sec, that sounds like…"
Yuki, despite the look he was receiving from his partner, answered swiftly and began to converse with the caller. His face slowly turned grim as whoever was on the other end spoke to him.
"I-I'm sorry Kurosaki, but we've been ordered to return to base urgently… for a funeral."
"Five days…?"
He was tempted to look up, but after the display of power from his Majesty moments earlier, Ebern kept his eye downward.
"Yes sir!" Luders struggled to respond, his voice indicating that his open wound was taking its toll. "It's the necessary time required for Soul Society and us to prepare for the battle-"
"It's the future."
He looked up confused, his missing right arm spilling more blood onto the floor, and Ebern, kneeling nearby, felt himself shiver.
The two Arrancars had always held a general dislike between them, and avoided each other's company during their time in the Wandenreich. To this degree they had avoided conflicting for the most part. However, upon returning from their respected assignments, they had gotten into an exchange of insults that had resulted in them both receiving a verbal reprimand from his Majesty about the behavior.
Luders had received a physical rebuking along with it.
"Two days ago when you went to inspect the angle to be used to break into the frontier, you had already said that at this rate, in the near future, Soul Society would lose its balance of souls with the human world."
The other Arrancar didn't speak a response.
"Didn't you?" Yhwach asked before giving an inquisitive look. "Luders Friegen, are you perhaps… a prophet?"
"What…?"
"Answer, I just asked you… whether you are a prophet or not?"
"…no… I'm not."
"Then why are you talking about the future? I want to hear about now."
There was a flash of energy, and Luders' body fell back, the upper half of his torso now missing. Blood sprayed onto Ebern, causing him to flinch and let out a horrified whimper.
"Ebern."
"Yes sir!"
"I don't really have a reason to praise you or blame you. You did enough to slow down Ichigo Kurosaki… Your job is done."
Swallowing, he met Yhwach's unnerving gaze which had shifted on to him.
"Y-your Majesty, did you not say my loyalty was admirable?"
"I said I would remember it, and for possessing such a trait, you can become the foundation stone to build peace."
Light filled Ebern's vision.
"You seem to be in a good mood!"
Bambietta nodded at the comment, a smile on her face. "I wish you all could have been there to see his Majesty waste that Arrancar. His power is something that isn't shown to public very often.."
"Ah, but with the invasion to Soul Society coming, Bambi-chan, I bet you we'll see then!"
To her left, the Stern Ritter 'T', Candice Catnipp, remarked sarcastically on Giselle Gewelle's cheerful exclamation. The Stern Ritter 'Z' responded with a light hearted insult, completely unhurt by the other girl's words. Bickering was common among the two, but Bambietta found that she was in too high of spirits to currently care enough to stop them. In addition to them she also walked with Liltotto Lamperd, the Stern Ritter 'G', and Meninas McAllon, the Stern Ritter 'P'.
Together, all five of them, formed something of a group of friends. Though in truth, the word 'friend' blurred in meaning sometimes.
Quite significantly if she really took the time to think about it.
These were the women that Bambietta felt that she personally led, regardless the prior statements, and she found her interactions with the other Quincy elite limited when compared to them.
Askin was an iffy example, his attitude making her constantly change her mind on whether or not she would tolerate him. Others, such as the Stern Ritter 'F' Äs Nödt, she tended to avoid. In his case though, it was because she found him to be creepy due to his obsession with the emotion of fear. Then there were people like Berenice Gabrielli, who she wouldn't waste any of her time on.
Not even with thoughts.
Liltotto leaned over to her, and whispered, "You'd better stop them before one of them begins to shoot arrows."
The youngest of them all was correct, and she looked back at the aforementioned Stern Ritter.
"Lil, Candy, shut up."
Instantly they quieted, turning their attention away from each other. They waited her next action after reaching her room. Meninas looked over and saw the freshly cleaned area of the floor and shook her head.
"Bambietta, perhaps you should try what you actually imply to those who you bring back here…"
"Oh?"
"The floor wouldn't need to be cleaned as much as it is if you did."
"I wish you wouldn't as well," Candice muttered.
Sitting herself on the table in the center of her quarters, Bambietta sighed. "Is it possible for you all to quit bringing this up? I'd appreciate it."
"Poor Bambi-chan hates her sensitive points," Giselle laughed. "And our teasing."
His captain was a hard individual to read at times.
Not that Byakuya Kuchiki's usual demeanor made it any easier, but as Renji watched him speak the eulogy, he truly felt that he could almost see emotion playing beneath the man's expressionless surface.
"Sasakibe Chōjirō was the man who swore to be a life-long vice-captain to Yamamoto Genryūsai. This was a man who used his Bankai in battle for the first time, and perished."
A short distance away from them the Captain-Commander stood with his head lowered. In front of him was the pyre intended to cremate Chōjirō's body, now in a much better state after having been cleaned up.
"Underlings such as us cannot possibly comprehend the Head Captain's grief."
Byakuya finished the eulogy and Yamamoto gave the order for the cremation to begin. The fire began steadily for a few moments before consuming the entire structure. The deceased man's body disappeared from view as the flames rose.
After several moments of reflective silence, the Captain-Commander departed alone.
"You have something on your mind, lieutenant?"
His captain had stopped ahead of him, looking back with a neutral expression.
How was he able to do that?
Despite not being able to tell what his captain was thinking, it was rather easy for the man to tell what was on his mind. With some hesitation, Renji carefully chose his words as he thought out his response. Byakuya had a tendency of being hard to converse with due to his high aristocratic attitude. Though, more accurately, it was better described as the man's very nature.
"They are the same as everyone else's, Taichou."
It seemed to be an acceptable enough answer, granting him a nod from the Kuchiki.
"You may put them to ease, Renji. The Gotei Thirteen captains will be briefed, and the information then passed down the ranks afterward so we are better prepared to face our enemy in the future."
"Do… do you really think that there will be a war, Captain? I've heard rumors that we're facing an entire army-"
"Renji," Byakuya interrupted. "Regardless of the size of the enemy force, we will carry out our duty as we always have. Aizen sought to war against Soul Society with his army of Arrancar and failed in the end. These individuals, whoever they may be, will fare no different."
Ah, he probably shouldn't have tried to ask that last question. Renji inwardly cursed at his rash error. So much for his efforts in avoiding criticism.
"My apologies, Captain."
Jugram Haschwalth, stepping over the severed head of Ebern, picked up the Arrancar's dropped medallion. Several Soldats worked nearby to clean the floor of the mess from the two corpses in the room.
"What is it?"
The Quincy Emperor sat nearby, idly watching him examine the object.
"Ebern's medallion," he responded neutrally. "It appears to have been used, but… it was unable to capture Kurosaki's Bankai."
His leader, after a moment, spoke, "I see. So he requires something different after all…"
"We saw this coming, but I feel there is great value in actually having proven it."
"So, excitable fools are occasionally necessary," Yhwach mused. "Contact the Jagdarmee and tell them to bring a few imbeciles to me, alive."
"As you wish, my lord."
He turned to leave but was stopped before he could do so.
"Jugram?"
The blond male looked over at the informal addressing. "Your Majesty?"
"Inform the Stern Ritter that accompanied Luders that they performed exceptionally."
"It shall be done."
He knew what his friends would find in Hueco Mundo.
Even further, Uryū knew what could possibly happen when they did.
The thoughts were painful, but for him to interfere or hinder them would seem suspicious. If they somehow connected the presence of the Wandenreich to this, then their next conversation would be full of accusations. Uryū, despite holding his own convictions, still worried for his friends in the coming conflict. He had watched them depart with Urahara after sadly informing them that he wouldn't be able to accompany them this time to the former domain of Aizen. Their attempts to lighten the situation increased the guilt he had been feeling as he watched them go.
If only he could inform them of his actions, of how he had argued for their very lives.
When he had brought up the matter with Yhwach, the older Quincy had been amused by the words of the raven haired teenager as he strongly presented his case for his three friends.
"I will not waste your time for anyone in Soul Society, but I knew of these people before we all became involved with the Soul Reapers… Can you grant mercy to them?"
The Quincy Emperor smiled. "Alright, Uryū, I will make a special note in the Daten for those you have named. They shall be marked as to be left alive, their deaths to be avoided at high priority, just for you."
"Even Kurosaki?"
"You have my word."
His negotiations had possibly saved all their lives, but there was no way he could ensure their absolute survival. As much as he disliked it, the matter needed to be left to chance for a certain period time. Ichigo would be the most difficult, naturally wanting to defend those in Soul Society. Chad, though no different in which side he would choose, would be easier to bring down non-fatally due to his caliber of power being significantly lower. Then, finally, there was Orihime-
Inoue-san.
In truth it was her reaction of the three of his friends that he worried about the most. She cared about them all so unselfishly that she had earned Uryū's admiration.
And perhaps even more than that…
He pushed the thought aside, recalling how just before they had departed he had approached her and almost awkwardly attempted to convince her not to go with the reason that Ichigo and Chad could most likely handle it alone.
She had looked at him, his stomach doing a flip under the gaze of her brown eyes, before smiling and promising that she'd come back and tell him about what they had encountered.
"Good bye Ishida-kun!"
"…Good bye… Inoue-san."
When the truth finally came, how would they respond? Would they damn him for what he had done? Would he become a traitor in their eyes, his efforts for their lives in vain?
Agony was certainly coming for Uryū, the form he did not know or very much care to. It would hurt regardless but there was nothing further that could done for now.
Except perhaps endure through the agonizing wait until the Wandenreich contacted him again.
"…Jagdarmee One has contacted us. The 'Special War Power', Kurosaki Ichigo, has been sighted in Hueco Mundo. He is currently engaged in combat with Executive Hunting Captain, Quilge Opie."
How unlikely it was for the invasion of Soul Society to be triggered by the actions of someone on their side, a well regarded champion defenders nonetheless? It struck the Quincy Emperor as humorous, the notion almost philosophical in a twisted sort of way.
Rising from where he sat, Yhwach inquired to the man giving the update, "Shall we go then?"
"Sire, to where?"
The confusion on the man's face, and anyone else who had heard this, was something to behold. Their reaction from what the Quincy Emperor would speak next would be equally if not more entertaining.
"'To where?' Isn't it obvious? To Soul Society."
His reishi throne began to disappear as he walked towards the ledge to look upon the numerous Quincy below. "I don't know why he entered Hueco Mundo, but if he's fighting with Quilge, then he won't be able to move for some time."
They continued to remain silent and only scattered like ants in a frenzy when he spoke again, giving the much awaited order.
"Notify the Stern Ritter. The Wandenreich will now invade Soul Society."