Once again many thanks to Persephonae. She was willing to perform life saving surgery on this chapter. I think she rebuilt t Bionic Man style. To all of you out there who have reviewed. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You make my day each and everytime one of you posts a review. Even if it's something as simple as "good job" it leaves me feeling pumped up. Please continue to leave me feedback. It's helps me stay motivated to write this story. And AWWWAAAAYY we go.
Chapter Seven - The Hidden Fortress
I see an assortment of emotions cross her face. First is shock, followed quickly by anger. Then, her face settles into a look of determination.
"Well, then. Let's go wake her up." She rises to her feet and turns toward the door. Before she takes the first step, she crumples like a puppet with its strings cut, falling onto the couch.
When I rush to her side, I'm relieved to find out that she's only fainted. Apparently, Yoruichi hasn't recovered as much energy as we had believed. I probably should have seen it coming: she spent the last nine months in captivity being constantly drained of reiatsu; after her escape, she opened a portal between the worlds and shape changed; then, she was injured in an attack after making it to this world. When you think of everything that she's been through, it's a wonder she stayed awake long enough to finish telling us what happened to her.
I arrange her in a more comfortable position on the couch and cover her with a blanket. Chad re-enters the den at about the same time as I finish.
"Is something wrong with Yoruichi?" he inquires.
"No buddy, I think she just tried to do too much too soon, and used up all of her energy. On a good note, before she fainted, it seemed like she had a plan to wake Orihime." I pray her idea works. I think all of us are due for some good luck for a change.
"That is very good news, Ichigo," he says, but he doesn't seem as excited as I would expect. "When do you think we will make the attempt?" I suddenly realize the reason he's so unenthusiastic: it's not that he doesn't believe we can wake Orihime, it's that he's afraid to get his hopes up about his arms being restored.
"I don't know, Chad, but I doubt it will be before tomorrow. I don't think that any of us have the strength to go today." I yawn as I finish my statement.
"I understand. Perhaps we should all turn in early today, and see what tomorrow brings us."
"That sounds like a great plan. Do you want me to fix you something to eat first?" He frowns at this, and I remember he was just vomiting a few minutes ago.
"I'm sorry, Chad, I wasn't thinking."
He shakes his head. "No need to apologize, Ichigo. It has been a morning of unexpected discoveries. I doubt any of us are truly at our best right now. I'll see you in the morning." With that, he turns and retreats into his bedroom.
I take a look at the clock; it's barely noon. Still, I am exhausted. I set out my blankets and pillow on the floor next to the couch. I lie down and, within seconds of my head hitting the pillow, I'm asleep.
I'm the first one to wake up on Saturday morning. Today is the sixth day since I fought the hollow and rescued Yoruichi. Sometime tomorrow afternoon, they will pull the plug on Orihime. But, after last night's discussion, I'm sure that we won't let that happen! I go into the kitchen to fix breakfast for the three of us. Whatever we need to accomplish today will be easier to do, if we have a decent meal first.
For some reason things look brighter today, so I go all out with breakfast. I make eggs, bacon, sausage, oatmeal, potato wedges, and toast--in other words, anything I can. In the process, I nearly empty both the fridge and pantry so I'll need to go to the grocery store soon. That thought brings my mood down for a second. Our funds are low right now.
Even though the swelling on my right hand went away three days ago, I still am unable to go into work. With two people in need of care, I have to stay home. But, as I said, my mood only plummeted for a second. I refuse to let worries over money, or anything else, get me down today.
Yoruichi enters the kitchen as I finish dividing breakfast onto three plates. She leans against the door casing. "Good morning, Yoruichi-san," I greet her.
"Good morning, Ichigo. Is there anything I can do to help you?" I give her an appraising look. Although she still seems weaker than I'm accustomed to, she doesn't look like she'll pass out anytime soon.
"Sure, could you help me carry these plates to the table?" She nods, and picks up a plate in each hand. As she walks to the table, her stride is steady and even. Even through the fabric of the robe, the sway of her hips is mesmerizing. Despite having just woken up, and being dressed in poorly-fitted clothing, she still manages to look good. What is it that is so fascinating about this woman? I shake my head to clear those unnerving thoughts, and follow her to the table with the last plate and a pitcher of juice.
"Chad should be here in just a minute." I tell her as I take a seat at the table. She glances at her overflowing plate, and then at me.
"Couldn't decide what to fix? You know, Ichigo, indecisiveness is a sign of a feeble mind." She says with a teasing grin.
"No, I've just seen you eat before. I figured that it would take at least this much for the first course." I shoot back, with a smile of my own.
"Hmph." After that noncomittal response, she turns back to her plate. "Where's the silverware?" she asks.
"We don't use silverware at the table." I tell her softly. At first she just looks at me, but then I see the comprehension dawn in her eyes. She nods once and begins eating.
Chad comes in and takes his seat with a quiet, "Good morning, everyone." I wonder if he heard the last part of our conversation. From the way she's meekly staring at her plate, I can tell that Yoruichi is wondering the same thing.
"Ah, good morning, Chad," I reply.
"Good morning, Sado-kun," Yoruichi greets him.
As Yoruichi and I continue eating breakfast, and Chad begins to eat his, I notice that Yoruichi is sneaking covert glances at how Chad leans down so that he can eat directly off of his plate. Even though she is being very discrete in her glances, I think she's starting to make Chad uncomfortable. So I try and distract everyone.
"Yoruichi?" I begin.
"Yes, Ichigo?" As she looks at me, she suggestively licks a piece of egg off of her fingers. For some reason, I suddenly have difficulty swallowing.
"Ah, well, uh," I stammer.
"Go on, I won't bite," she tells me with one of her trademark feline grins. Chad is bent over his plate, but I think I hear a distinct snort of laughter from his direction. Traitor, I think, I'll get you for that later.
"Yesterday, before you fell asleep, you seemed to have a plan for what to do about Orihime?" What I intended to be a statement, comes out as a question.
"Yes, Ichigo, I do have an idea about what we can do for Inoue. First, though, I will need to get some things from Kisuke's." She gives her attention to the last few bites of food on her plate.
"But, Urahara-san's store has been destroyed. I don't think there will be anything there we can use," Chad tells her. He has a bread crumb stuck to his eyebrow. I have trained myself not to stare or laugh at Chad while he's eating--things get really messy for him. But, I am both shocked and impressed by Yoruichi's actions. Without even pausing her explanation, she reaches over to Chad and wipes away the crumb with her thumb. Chad looks like he is unsure whether to be embarrassed, irritated, or thankful for this treatment.
"Yes, Chad, you told me last night that the Shoten was destroyed. Fortunately for us, Kisuke is more than a little paranoid. He has bolt holes and storage facilities stashed all over, and even under, Karakura. He keeps food, money, clothing, and a whole range of useful things in each of them. Almost all are shielded, so that anyone outside of them have no idea they're there. Now that I am starting to regain my powers, I think all of us should plan on moving into one of these hideouts, so that if Soul Society tries looking for me, I'll be untraceable."
I rise quickly to my feet as that news sinks in. Yoruichi seems to guess the direction of my thoughts, because her tone is soothing as she continues, "Don't worry, Ichigo. I am quite an expert at hiding my reiatsu, and I doubt I had enough spirit energy during my recovery to set off any of their sensors. Even now, I may not have enough power to be detected. It's just wise for us to take all of the precautions we can."
I nod my head in agreement. After all, if they knew she was here, we would already have troops attacking us.
"Are you boys finished with breakfast?" She looks at both Chad and I; we nod in reply. "Then, let's get going." She rises to her feet, and heads through the kitchen toward the door. Chad quickly follows her. I'm the last one to leave the apartment. As I close the door, I cast a guilty glance through the kitchen and into the dining area, where the dirty plates remain on the table. Although, I suppose, neatness is justifiably low on our list of priorities right now.
Everyone we pass stares at our little group. It makes me extremely glad that very few people are out on the street this early, though I have to admit, we do make an unusual procession. In the lead, we have a dark-skinned woman with purple hair wearing ill-fitting men's clothing followed by an extremely tall young man with no arms. Bringing up the rear is a second young man with bright orange hair and a developing scowl. It's hard to know what kind of ideas our appearances are giving people. But, based on their looks, and immediate aversion of their eyes, I believe the general consensus is that we are either escapees from a circus or that we are coming from a very kinky sexual rendezvous.
We set off in the direction of the Uryuu hospital. After walk for about ten minutes, and are only a few blocks away from the safe zone that surrounds the hospital, Yoruichi turns off the street and leads us down an alley. The alley itself is very narrow, maybe only ten or twelve feet wide. In addition to that, the alley is almost completely filled with trash and other discards of human civilization.
"Oi, Yoruichi! Where the hell are you leading us? Is this storage place inside a dumpster?" I ask as I avoid stepping in a smelly pile of something.
She just glances over her shoulder at me and grins, "Patience, Ichigo. Haven't you heard that 'good things come to those who wait'?"
Once we get to the back wall of the alley, Yoruichi places her hand against the wall. She presses several different bricks in a rapid, and very complicated, series of movements. She pauses before pressing several more bricks.
"Hey, Yoruichi, are we going to get going any time today?" In the next second, a section of the alley wall to our left sinks back into itself, sliding aside to reveal a small room. Both Chad and I have identical looks of amazement. We're still standing there with our mouths hanging open in surprise when Yoruichi walks into the room, turns around, and with a mocking expression, says, "Well boys, are we going to get going any time today?"
Chad and I step into the room, and the wall instantly seals itself behind us.
"Um, Yoruichi-san, where are we going?" Chad asks. The words are barely out of his mouth when the room we're in begins to fall at an insane rate of speed. We descend for what seems like forever, but in actuality is probably only fifteen seconds. Then the room, which I guess is actually an elevator car, begins to slow down. Once we come to a complete stop, the wall behind us opens, revealing a broad hallway stretching perhaps two hundred feet in front of us. Along the left wall are four doors, spaced approximately every fifty feet. On the right are ten or twelve doors at irregular intervals. At the very end of the hallway is a huge double door.
Yoruichi strides ahead at a very quick pace. After a second, Chad and I follow her. We haven't taken more than two steps, when suddenly huge steel bars come crashing from the ceiling to surround and enclose Chad and me. Red lights begin flashing up and down the hallway, a siren blares so loudly that I can barely think. More frightening, however, is the fact that numerous nozzles, barrels, and ominous-looking devices drop from the ceiling all around us. A loud, artificial-sounding voice begins broadcasting a recorded message.
"Danger! Danger! Unauthorized presence detected. Intruders will be terminated in five seconds. Four…three…two…," the voice continues.
Yoruichi comes to our rescue, "Override! Yoruichi gamma gamma alpha flash seven."
"Hold code accepted. Please enter countersign," responds, what I'm guessing is, the defensive system. None of the weapons pointing at us go away, and the red lights are still flashing, but at least the siren turns off.
Yoruichi mumbles under her breath, "I really hate this part!"
"Countersign not recognized. One more wrong attempt will result in termination," the system continues.
"Urahara, by the wisdom of the builder, from the power of his hand, inside his great defenses, we present wish to stand," Yoruichi growls out, obviously embarrassed at the ridiculous words that just came out of her mouth.
"Voicecode recognized. Welcome, Shihoin Yoruichi. Please provide identities and access levels of intruders." What the heck is this thing? At first, I thought it might just be an automated recording, but more and more it sounds almost like some kind of artificial intelligence.
"Kurosaki Ichigo and Yasutora Sado. Grant full access and level II permission," Yoruichi responds. In an aside to us, she says, "If I wasn't so appreciative of these hiding places, I would kill Kisuke for making me use his ridiculous access codes."
The computer spoke up again. "Identities and access levels registered. Kurosaki Ichigo, please submit a vocal sample for analysis."
"Uh, wha? Yoruichi what does this stupid thing want? And make it point those guns the hell away from us!" I practically scream at her, I blame my fear and nervousness for the volume level of my voice.
"Voiceprint accepted. Yasutora Sado. Please submit a vocal sample for analysis." I'm really starting to hate this damn machine.
Chad responds in a calm, clear voice "Hello my name is Chad. Who are you?"
"Additional phonemes required. Please repeat the following words: bug, friend, dervish." Chad looks confused for a second before comprehension dawns, and he repeats the words.
"Thank you. Access granted, standing down from alert mode. This unit is the On-site Computerized Director, identification number 655413. You may refer to me as 'OCD'. Please notify me of any requirements." With that, both the cage walls and the weapons retract into the ceiling, and the lights in the hall return to normal.
"Well Sado-kun, I think the computer likes you," Yoruichi announces into the silence. This causes Chad and I to turn our attention back to her.
"Yoruichi-sama, what just happened?" Chad asks hesitantly. He sweeps the ceiling above us, and the walls to either side, with an uneasy glance.
Yoruichi begins walking down the hallway again; Chad and I closely follow her, neither one of us want to be left alone with the unknown dangers of this supposed 'safe house'. As she walks, Yoruichi begins to explain, "What you just heard was the voice of the oversight and defense system of this storage facility. Urahara has one in all his different bolt holes. They monitor the amount of supplies on hand, manage the environmental controls, maintain the alarm systems, and, when necessary, appropriately welcome uninvited guests. If OCD hadn't recognized me as an authorized user, the elevator we rode to this level would have accelerated until it reached the bottom of the shaft several hundred feet below where we are now. And then it would've exploded."
"But, Yoruichi, anyone who came here looking for Urahara would probably be either hollows or Shinigami, wouldn't they?" Chad asks. The look of nervousness on his face has deepened.
"Good question," She gives an approving nod of her head in his direction, "And yes, most people who came here looking for trouble would be in a spirit body, or at least wouldn't be hurt much by that level of physical assault. For that reason, both the elevator car and the shaft are made of Seki Seki stone. It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to exit the elevator if the doors didn't open. And the explosion triggered when the car hit the bottom of the shaft has the equivalent destructive power of ten ceros. Even if it didn't destroy the intruders completely, it would definitely slow them down. And all of Kisuke's places have multiple entrances and exits.
"If, by some chance, someone made it to this level, they would be greeted as you guys were, no matter where they appeared. If they had no one to vouch for them, they would've been terminated." It's almost with a sense of pride that she tells us all of this. I can't help but wonder if she was Urahara's inspiration for some of the more evil portions of his defenses.
"Yoruichi, you knew about all of this! Why didn't you warn us?!" I demand. She just looks at me over her shoulder with a predatory grin.
By this time we are at the end of the hallway. Yoruichi stops and faces the last door on the left. All of the doors in the hallway appear to be traditional Japanese paper screens, but I doubt they are as flimsy as they look. Yoruichi places her palm flat against the middle of the door. A pale blue circle appears around her hand. After a moment, it turns green and the door opens. My hunch about the durability of the doors is proven true when the door slides open. As the side of the door is revealed, its cross section is at least a foot thick and it appears to be made of some strange metallic substance. If all of the doors and walls in this place are of similar construction, then this is not a storage facility, it's a bloody fortress!
The room in front of us is initially dark. However, as soon as Yoruichi steps across the threshold, a series of lights begin to turn on. The space that is revealed is immense! Even though the room is only about fifty feet wide, it's at least forty feet tall and it goes on for three hundred or four hundred feet. This space is divided by three rows of shelves. Each shelf stretches nearly to the ceiling, and they appear to run the full length of the room. It appears there is a cross aisle every forty to fifty feet. And to allow easier access, each shelf has a rolling ladder every ten to fifteen feet.
"Yoruichi, what is this place? Where are we?" I don't even try to act unimpressed. Next to me, Chad gazes around, his eyes wide with astonishment. When our eyes meet for a second, he shrugs at me, and then goes back to staring in awe.
"This is one of Kisuke's emergency storage facilities. I've explained that to you before. At least try and keep up," she openly mocks. I can tell it's not malicious, though, and her flip, sarcastic attitude does a great deal to help restore my confidence, even if it does make the vein in my forehead throb. "As to where we are…we're approximately five hundred feet directly below the alley we entered from."
Chad regains some of his equilibrium, and he's the next one to ask Yoruichi a question, "Yoruichi-sama, what are we here to get?"
"First, I'm going to get myself a change of clothes. They should be on the third aisle, fifth rack in. After that, I'm going to pick up a few items I'll need to help Orihime. After I get those items, it'll take me the rest of the day to make preparations. I'll need to be left alone during that time."
"How will you find anything in here? This place is huge!" I chime in. After all, I can't let Chad have all the good questions.
"Kisuke arranges all of his facilities on the exact same layout, and if by some chance I get turned around, I can just ask the OCD.
"What should we do?" I ask.
"If you want, you can get us some money in case we need to buy something when we leave here. One bundle should be sufficient…OCD? Where is the cash located?"
The voice of the computer responds to her "Paper currency is located on Aisle One, Row C, Shelf Eight."
"Okay Ichigo, you and Chad should get one of those, and then you can do whatever you want for the rest of the day. The aisles are numbered one through four, from left to right. The rows are alphabetized starting closest to the hallway door. The shelves are numbered from floor to ceiling. Once you go back into the hallway, take a right and the middle door on the left wall leads to the kitchen. The kitchen has a well stocked walk-in pantry and freezer. To the left of the kitchen are bedrooms. And to the right of the kitchen is an entertainment room. Amuse yourselves however you like: eat, watch TV, sleep, or you can explore the facility. I will be in the room directly across from this one; please don't disturb me." With that, she sets off toward where the clothing is stored.
"Hey, Yoruichi, hang on," I call after, but she doesn't acknowledge that she hears me. Instead, she just keeps walking. I turn to Chad, "So, buddy, I guess it's just you and me."
Just then, I hear Yoruichi's voice call back to us, "If the computer doesn't automatically open a door for you, don't try to enter that room. You won't like what happens if you do."
"Uh, Chaddo, maybe we should get that money and then go to the kitchen." I say to him with an uncertain look. He nods emphatically.
We set out for 'Aisle One, Row C, Shelf Eight'. Once we get there, I find the nearest ladder, using it to climb up to Shelf Eight. The eighth shelf is about thirty feet from the floor, and when I get that high, I almost fall off the ladder in shock at what I saw: the cash was in shrink-wrapped blocks, each block containing five paper banded bundles. The banks bundle bills in groups of one hundred, so each of these blocks would have five thousand bills in them. The blocks were stacked five high, four deep, and ten wide. And that wasn't the most shocking part: all of the bills, all two hundred bundles, were hundreds! And this is only one, of who knows how many storehouses Urahara has throughout Karakura. Who would have guessed from his poor fashion sense, that old Hat and Clogs was a multi-multi-multimillionaire? At least we don't have to worry about paying the bills anymore!
After I climb down from the ladder and rejoin Chad on the floor, I ask him, "Are you ready to go to the kitchen? Or do you want to try exploring a bit first?"
"I think it might be wise for us to go to the kitchen. Get ourselves some snacks and then explore this TV room." Sometimes Chad seems to be able to cut right through the unnecessary things, and go directly to the best possible idea.
"That sounds like a plan. I mean, if this is Urahara's idea of emergency money," I give the block of money in my hand a little wave, "just think of what kind of food that he has stored here!" Chad smiles at the excitement in my voice, and without another word, we set off to find the kitchen.
We make only two mistakes as we try to find the kitchen. Both of the rooms we enter turn out to be small bedrooms, about fourteen feet wide by fifteen feet deep. Each bedroom has an identical layout: a small dresser for clothing and a thick queen-size futon mattress on a bamboo mat centered on the back wall. Each bedroom also has a row of sliding doors along one side wall, which turns out to be closet space. Inside the closets are pillows and fresh linens for the beds.
When we first entered the facility, I wasn't sure if there were ten or twelve doors on the right side of the hallway; it turns out that there are eleven. The door in the very middle of the hallway is the one that leads to the kitchen. Even with Yoruichi's directions, we're lucky that we found the kitchen on our third try. When Chad and I enter the room, we discover that it's not just a kitchen: a portion of the space is devoted to a large dining area. To our left is what appears to be a restaurant-style kitchen, complete with stainless steel appliances, multiple ovens and stove tops, as well as cutting and mixing stations. There is even a pair of giant cauldrons! In short, this room contains everything you could possibly need to feed dozens of people at a time and then clean up afterward.
To the right, divided from the kitchen by a chest-high wall, is a dining area. It is outfitted with ten tables, each with seating for ten people. On every side of the dining area, except the side facing the kitchen, there are giant LCD TVs mounted to the walls.
Chad and I make our way through the kitchen, toward the back wall. Once there, we find a pair of doors, spaced about fifteen feet apart. The door on the left is a giant piece of stainless steel; the door on the right is a common wooden door. I imagine the metal door leads to the freezer, while the wooden one leads to the pantry.
"So, Chad, which do you want to try first: pantry or freezer?" Both Chad and I have been on somewhat of a limited diet for the last several months; our lack of income keeping us from buying more than the very basics. Because of this, we both immediately come to the same conclusion.
"Freezer!"
We enter the freezer and are suddenly transported into a paradise of frozen meats, vegetables, desserts, and other delicacies from around the world. Conveniently, just inside the door is a shopping cart—just like what you would find in a grocery store. Taking hold of the cart, Chad and I set off on our adventure into this cornucopia of caloric goodness.
After making an excursion into the pantry, and discovering in the process that it was just as amazing as the freezer, we prepare our selection of gastronomic delights. Two hours later, Chad and I have finally had enough to eat, and we decide to explore the TV room that Yoruichi mentioned earlier. We exit the kitchen and turn to our left. When we get to the next door, we open it. After looking inside, we slam the door closed as quickly as possible. It's only then that I recall Yoruichi referring to it as an "entertainment" room, not a "TV" room.
Chad turns to look at me. "Ichigo," he says in a strained, high-pitched voice, "let us agree to never speak about that room, to anyone." I silently nod in agreement.
After that awkward experience, we're unwilling to risk exploring any of the other rooms. Instead, we return to the dining area; where we watch TV for the next few hours. Eventually we tire, and decide to turn in for the night. I make up the bed for Chad in one of the bedrooms we previously discovered. I then leave for my own room. I must say, it's really nice to be sleeping in a bed again. I mean, the couch was okay, but the last week on the floor hasn't been the best of experiences.
Maybe tomorrow we can find out Yoruichi's plan for helping Orihime.
