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ch7
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It didn't take long for Gin to alert the espada to gather in what appeared to be a large conference room adjacent to the destroyed throne room. The shinigami requested that Ichigo and his companions wait outside while he informed the arrancar of the recent change in leadership. After a moment, ichigo was ushered into the room to sit at the head of a long white stone table lined with ten high backed and occupied chairs.
Stark stood behind his chair on the right, looking infinitely bored, while Gin stood to the left, sharp eyes scrutinizing the orange haired man's every move.
"Gin just said you killed Aizen," one of the espada, a tall lanky fellow with a disturbing grin, hissed. "So that makes you think that your our new boss."
Ichigo groaned, leaning his face against his palm. "I'm not anyone's boss. I just wanted him dead."
"Well I don't believe a twerp like this really beat Aizen!" a blue haired man growled. "He doesn't even have any spiritual pressure!"
Stark frowned in defense of his friend, while Lilinette bared her teeth like an angry puppy. Together they pushed their own spirital pressure over the assembled hollows, causing the feminine looking one with a number six on his right hip and long white sleeves to break into a sweat, while the arrancar with an oblong mask nearly fainted.
"Stark," Ichigo said tiredly. The blue clad arrancar looked at his friend, then relented and reeled back in his power, but nor before giving the assembled espada a challenging look.
The lone female at the table eyed him appreciatively, before looking to the seated orange haired man. "So, Mugetsu-sama-"
"Please don't call me that. I'm just...Mugetsu."
She inclined her head. "Mugetsu-san, what plans do you have for us? Do you plan on continuing Aizen's crusaide against the shinigami?"
"I don't want a war with the shinigami."
An almighty cry of protest arose to meet the Ichigo's announcement.
"What? But I wanted a slaughter!" seemed to be the most common lamentation.
The old man with a crown like mask glowered at the head of the table, muttering about weak leaders causing a kingdom to fall into ruin.
A pale green eyed man said nothing, merely staring at Ichigo with a neutral intensity.
A bald dark skinned man with a ten tattoed on his shoulder wrenched his sword free with a cry and lunged. Ichigo waved away Stark's moving to defend him, and simply raised a hand.
The arrancar's blade connected solidly with the man's naked palm, sending up sparks. The room immediately silenced.
Yellow eyes scrutinized the hollow from behind the porcelain mask, whose grin seemed much more sinister than before.
"Number ten, I remember you." His hand gripped the blade, which shattered in his palm.
The metalic pieces falling to the table was defening.
"If any of you wish to challenge me or my decisions, by all means do so." With a casual flick, the tenth espada was backhanded off the table into a wall. "Just know, if you attack me, you won't win."
"So we're just meant to wait until the Shinigami eradicate us for simply existing?" the blonde woman said scornfully, breaking the silence.
"If any arrancar wish to remain in Las Noches under my protection then they may. However if they do, then they need to obey my rules; like I said, I don't want a war with the Shinigami."
"So you would not fight them?" she pressed.
"I did not say that." Ichigo's demeanor darkened. "I won't let anyone hurt my friends."
Her eyes narrowed, but she backed down, watching him speculatively.
"Well I, Barrigan, refuse to serve such a weak willed hollow as you!"
"Then leave, I don't care." Stark could just imagine the half eyed expression Ichigo had behind his mask, the long suffering one he occasionally sported when Lilinette purposely tried to break his calm.
Yellow eyes scanned the assembled espada, all who wore mixed expressions of ire, fear, and consideration (as well as one perpetually neutral face).
The tension was cut by Gin, "Well, if that's all, I've got more things to show the new boss." He made a shooing motion with his hand, much to the annoyance of the most powerful hollows in Hueco Mundo, The shinigami opened the door back into the destroyed throne room, ushering Ichigo, Stark, and Lilinette through.
He led the party across the hall to another door hidden behind the rubble of pillars. After some digging, they managed to pry open the nearly seamless hidden door.
"This is Aizen's office," Gin said grandly, his arms thrown out to add to the drama.
"This?" Stark could hear the disbelief dripping from Ichigo's voice.
"Hey, it takes a bit of paperwork to run an army!" Gin retorted.
'A bit' was a massive understatement. Every surface, save the uncomfortably stiff backed chair behind the desk, was covered with precariously stacked mountains of paper.
"I'm going to need a filing cabinet," he heard Ichigo breathe.
"What's a filing cabinet?" the silver haired former captain asked.
Ichigo groaned.
"Get me someone who knows how tis mess is supposed to be organized."
"Right-o!" Gin said much too cheerily, before practically dancing out of the cluttered room, neatly shutting the door behind him.
Ichigo sighed again and slumped against the doorway, as all the walls were covered with towers of paper. "I don't even know why I'm here."
"Do you not want to be?" Stark asked, while Lilinette watched with concern from his side. "If you're just staying here for us, we can-"
"It's not that," the young man cut him off. "I just..." his gauntlet clad hand moved to the black sword wound around his waist. "I told you about Zangetsu, didn't I?"
Stark nodded cautiously. "That was the sword spirit you killed."
"Killed?" The orange haired man reflexively tightened around the black hilt. "Yeah. I guess...I guess that is the best way to put it." He took a shuddering breath to collect himself.
"Before I met you," he said at last, "I didn't expect to live that long. He...Zangetsu...he was crying, I think because he knew... Well, it doesn't matter. But now, now, I did my task, and I'm alive, and I have nothing to go back to."
"Where were you before?"
"The...Lilinette called it the 'in between place'. I was training there with my father to defeat Aizen. We were finished, and he was about to open the way back to Karakura Town... and, I don't know, the ground shook, like the time I was chased by the cleaner. Dad said to run out through the portal, but the barrier he had erected to keep the path clear failed. There were bubbles of this goop everywhere, and I got caught in some."
He laughed humorlessly. "Sandle-Hat one told me that that goop throws whoever touches it around in time and space. I guess that's what happened to me."
Stark scratched his head. This all sounded rather far fetched, but he understood the main points. "So now you're stuck here. It threw you too far away from home."
A wistful chuckle broke the man's lips. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."
Lilinette rushed to their friend's side, arms encircling his waist. "Stop it! So what if your old home is too far away to get back to? Your new home is right here with us! We're your home! And if you don't like it here, your home will follow you wherever you go!"
Slowly, his hands loosened from the grip around the sword, before encircling the little body clinging to his. Stark could feel the phantom sensations of the hug around his own shoulders, and felt himself relax. Physical contact, after all this time, was still novel, even when experienced second hand.
"I... thank you, Lilinette," Ichigo whispered. "We don't have to leave, I know how much you like it here. I... I will like it here too." He laughed, "Just as soon as I set fire to this paperwork."
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Notes: Not much for this chapter. Ichigo just has to deal with the consequences of his actions. He will survive...probably.
