I do not own Bleach.
~Hueco Mondo: Stark's room~
Heartless slowly opened her eyes. Her head was pounding. "Grimmjow. I'm going to kill you." She slowly sat up her body ached as much as her head hurt. 'What the hell did he do after I blacked out?'
"You're awake. That's good." Heartless looked up to see Stark walking into the room. "You blacked out after Grimmjow pushed you against the wall. I brought you here shortly after that to rest. He never laid a hand on you." He added the last part while heartless looked over her outfit to make sure nothing was out of place.
"How long was I out?" Heartless was satisfied that nothing was amiss. She tried to stand up, but soon found out her legs were unable to support her weight.
Stark caught her easily. "Careful. You've been out for almost three hours." He sat her back down on the couch.
"Did that stupid Grimmjow run off to the World of the Living?" She had guessed that was the reason why Grimmjow wanted her help. 'Idiot. After Ulquiorra came back we can now travel there using Gargantas.'
"Yes, but Tosen-sama brought him back. He was mostly unhurt, but the other five he took with him didn't make it back." He was surprised that the shinigami were powerful enough to take down those five.
Heartless smirked at the news. "Looks like Tosen-sama beat me to him. I was hoping to punish Grimmjow myself. Stupid bas-" she was interrupted by the door slamming against the wall.
"What are you two doing in here that requires the door to be shut!" Lilynette stomped into the room. "Heartless, Aizen-sama requests your presence."
Heartless sighed. 'Looks like I can still punish Grimmjow for getting me in trouble with Aizen.' She stood up, slowly this time, and staggered to the door. "I'll see you both later. Thank you for your help, Stark." She left the room with out looking at the Arrancar.
By the time she got to the end of the hallway she could walk normally, but she still had a headache. 'This is going to get annoying.' She knocked on the meeting room door and waited for a reply.
"Enter." She heard Aizen speak from the other side of the door. She opened it to see him, Gin, and Tosen standing on the raised platform. "Here I thought it would be just you. Guess I was wrong." She stood in the spotlight in front of the platform.
"Where have you been? I haven't seen you since the report meeting." Aizen looked at the Arrancar.
"Sorry about that. I got into an argument with Grimmjow. Got a headache from the idiot and he knocked me out. Stark and Lilynette can confirm that." Heartless relaxed a little. She wasn't going to get yelled at.
"I see. We are going to perform a test." Aizen lounged on his throne.
"What type of test are we talking about? And I imagine your not just going to be running a test, but also something else." Heartless had learned to expect a lot from Aizen. "How can I be if service, Aizen-sama?"
"Nothing much. Just leave this room and act as though you don't want anyone to know you were here, but make sure however is watching sees you. I have already taken care of the rest." Heartless made a confused face at the man, but bowed and did as he said.
"Must be trying to figure out who is with him, and who is not? Let's see what comes out of this." Heartless smiled as she continued down the hall.
~World of the Living: Urahara's shop~
Kyoya walked through the Senkaimon gate into a large open space. "Wow. It's been a while since I've been down here!" Kyoya stretched as he laughed. He had never been here, in this time at least.
"You've been here before? I would assume you had, since you knew it was underground." A blond man with a green striped hat was pointing his cane at Kyoya's throat. "Kyoraku Kyoya. It's been a while." Urahara smiled at the shinigami.
"That it has, Urahara-san. How has life been for you? Is Yorichi-san here?" Kyoya relaxed as he realized the shopkeeper wasn't going to kill him.
"Why? Don't think I'm enough of a challenge?" Urahara had practiced hand-to-hand fighting with Kyoya before he had become 12th squad Taichou.
"I was hoping to practice with my Bankai. And yours isn't good for that, if my memories serve me well." Kyoya had seen Urahara's Bankai in his own time. It terrified him.
"You could just wait for another Arrancar attack. Then you'll probably have to use it." Kyoya turned to see Yorichi walking towards them. "I'm heading out, Kisuke." With a wave Yorichi was gone.
"As fast as ever. Where's everyone else?" Kyoya began walking towards the ladder that lead to the shop.
"Various places. Need a place to stay?" Urahara was slightly surprised Kyoya knew how to get out of the training grounds.
"Nope. I've got that covered. I haven't really met Ichigo-kun, so I can pull off the lie that my parents know his. I'm sure Isshin will be surprised to see me." Kyoya caught the shopkeepers hand that he was going to put on his shoulder. "I already know. Ichigo can't know about his father being a shinigami. I'll also try to keep Toshiro-kun and the others from finding out as well."
Urahara was shocked when Kyoya had caught his hand. He didn't get the impression from Kyoya's Reiatsu that the Taichou was faster than him. "Your Reiatsu is deceptive. Your sister may have been good at lying through her teeth and making them believable, but you have the same habits without speaking a lie. Scary." Kisuke pulled his hand from Kyoya's grasp and continued walking.
"How has the fighting been?" His question was answered by large boulders almost crushing him. "You really do cause a mess when you fight, Abarai-kun."
Renji looked stunned. He hadn't expected the Taichou to be there. "Sorry, Kyoraku-Taichou."
"Wow. That sounds strange." Urahara laughed a little. 'At least Shunsui isn't here. Then it would get really confusing really fast.'
"You get used to it. You seem tired Abarai. Had a hard fight?" Kyoya looked at his friend with concern.
"Not too hard of one, but yes." Abarai somehow managed to block an attack from a tanned skin man after they spoke. They both were caught up in their training and moved away from the Taichou and shopkeeper.
"Was that one of the humans that invaded Soul Society to save Kuchiki-san?" Kyoya was surprised to see the human fighting on par with a Fukutaichou.
"Yep, Sado Yasutora." Urahara was about to continue walking when a a heavy Hollow Reiatsu pulsed through the room. "Seems a battle is about to begin."
"Good thing you just got a new Taichou level shinigami to fight with." Kyoya smiled as he tapped his hand on his zanpakutou on his hip. Urahara looked at him in surprise, both twins usually wore them across their backs. "I got tall enough to wear it on my hip. Besides, it easier to draw like this."
"We should keep those two from joining the battle. These enemies need to be fought at full power." Urahara walked towards the two men.
Kyoya waited where he was for the former Taichou to return. When Urahara rejoined Kyoya they both headed off to the battle field.
~Hueco Mondo: Aizen's lab~
Heartless sat on one of the boxes scattered about the dark lab. This was where the new Arrancars were created. And a new one was being created in front of her.
The door to the lab opened and allowed Ulquiorra and Yami in. Aizen greeted them then went towards a box in the centre of the room. Aizen touched the glowing ball, the Hogyoku, and a light came from it as it shattered the box. Smoke filled the room as the new Espada sat on the floor.
"What is your name?" Aizen asked the Espada.
"Wonderweiss...Wonderweiss Margela." The Espada spoke timidly.
"Ulquiorra. Do you remember the mission I gave you a month ago?" The Espada nodded. "Good. Chose whoever you want to go with you. Feel free to take Heartless if you wish. Grimmjow, you will go as well." With orders given, Aizen walked out of the room.
Once Aizen had left Heartless breathed a sigh of frustration. "Shesh. He acts like he created me as well."
"Didn't he?" Luppi asked the brunette beside him.
"Not a chance. I Hollowfied myself. Mind you someone else started the process long ago, but I finished it. And Aizen-sama didn't start it." Heartless crossed her arms. "So, who are taking with you, Ulquiorra?"
"Yami, Luppi, and Wonderwiess." Ulquiorra opened a Garganta. "Try to stay together, and don't get killed."
The three chosen by Ulquiorra and Grimmjow walked through the Garganta. Ulquiorra closed it then opened a new one that he walked into then closed.
"See you guys at the meeting when they get back." Heartless walked out of the lab and headed for her room. She opened the door to find Stark taking a nap on her couch and Lilynette fast asleep on her bed. "What are you two doing in my room?!" Heartless let her Reiatsu loose a bit to raise the humidity of the room to the point of being unbearable.
Stark rolled off the couch trying to get away from the humidity. "Stop making it uncomfortable. I can't sleep when it's sticky like this." Stark was still half asleep and didn't notice an angry woman approaching him.
"That's the point." She tried to kick him, but he caught her leg and made her fall onto the couch.
He was leaning over her before she could try to stand up. "That's not very nice." He leaned his face closer to Heartless'.
Heartless was stunned. She didn't know what to do. She didn't care after his lips touched hers. Their kiss was sweet and gentle.
'You get him Kairi-sama.' Tsuki spoke with out thinking.
"Kya!" Heartless broke their kiss and clutched her chest in pain.
"Heart-nee-chan!" Lilynette was woken up by her scream and had pushed Stark away. "What did the pervert do?" She glared at Stark.
"I didn't do anything!" Stark looked at Heartless with worry in his eyes.
They all looked towards the door when they heard a knock. Teir Harribel was standing in the door. "The meeting is about to start." With that she turned out of the room and left.
"Let's go." Heartless stood up cautiously. She was a bit unsteady, but she could make it to the meeting.
Stark was worried for her. "You sure you can make it? I can carry you if you want?" Stark watched as she ignored his questions and walked out of her room.
"Now look what you've done?! Now she won't even talk to us. Good going!" Lilynette kicked Stark in the shin, but he didn't care. He was too worried about Heartless.
~meeting room~
Heartless stared in amazement as she entered the meeting room. There was a human girl standing in front of the raised platform. The girl looked nervously around her. Heartless moved closer to her, not knowing who she was, but she was starting to get a headache. 'Maybe this will trigger a memory?'
The orange haired human caught sight of the brown haired Espada. "Your Kyoraku Kairi, right?"
"Was, it's Heartless now." Heartless was starting to regret getting so close to the woman. Her headache was terrible, but it seemed to be bringing back memories. "Your Inoue Orihime, right?" She just barely remembered it to be Inoue, in her memories it was Kurosaki.
Orihime stared at the Espada in disbelief. She had never met the girl before. "Yes...yes it is. Um...why am I here?"
"Because I require your skills." Aizen spoke up from his position on his throne on top of the platform. "But first I want to make sure you will be of use to us. Heal Grimmjow's arm."
Heartless looked towards the blue haired Arrancar. He was missing an arm and looked like he had gotten a good beating. The orange haired woman walked up to him and a strange glowing shield appeared over his side.
"It can't be healed." Luppi spoke up, he was covered in frost. "It's completely gone-" he stopped speaking when Grimmjow's arm began to reform under the shield.
Once it was done Grimmjow flexed his newly reformed arm. "Can you do one more spot?" He turned and pointed to a scar on his lower back with his thumb. Orihime obliged him and healed the spot, revealing a number six. "That's better." Grimmjow Sonidoed in front of Luppi and thrust his hand through the smaller Espada's chest. "6th Espada Grimmjow Jeagerjack is back!"
"Excellent." Aizen spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. "Ulquiorra, Heartless. I will leave Orihime in your hands." Heartless and the green eyed Espada bowed. "Your power is very interesting. It's not a healing ability, but more of a 'rejection of events' power."
The meeting ended shortly after that. Heartless had an arm around Orihime leading her to her room. Ulquiorra followed close behind them, but Heartless stopped him at the door. "No men allowed in while she's changing. I'll knock on the door when you can come in." With that she walked into the room with the orange haired girl and walked over to the closet. "If I had been told ahead of time you were coming I would have had more choices for you in uniform style." She pulled out all the layers of the outfit in the closet. She was grateful it was a woman's outfit.
Orihime sat on the bed with the uniform laid out beside her. She pulled her legs up and began to cry.
Heartless was startled by the girl's reaction. She timidly sat down beside the girl and gentle rubbed her back. Orihime leaned into her arms and cried on her shoulder. Heartless couldn't help but comfort her. She wasn't that heartless. 'Ha. I'm not that heartless. That's my name, idiot.' She laughed to her own mind.
Once Orihime stopped crying she got up and looked at the outfit that was on the bed. "It's not that bad." She undressed and tried to get into the uniform, but easily got lost on what to put on next.
Heartless sighed then help the girl get dressed. She backed away to see how it looked. It was much more conservative than hers. A full length skirt with no slit and a long sleeved top that covered up to the neck. It looked good on the girl.
"Thank you for your help, Heartless-san." Orihime didn't look the Espada in the eye.
"Heartless is fine, Orihime-san. If you need anything you can always call for me. Just flare your Reiatsu a bit. I'll come running. And I'm sure Ulquiorra will also help, but he's a little bit emotion deprived." The two girls laughed a bit at their little joke.
"Can you visit?" Orihime looked Heartless. To Orihime's delight, the Espada nodded. "I'm glad. Friends are always nice to have. If you want to be my friend that is?" Orihime started babbling and acting embarrassed.
"Of course I'm your friend." Heartless hugged the girl. "Just because I have hole in my chest and you're a tasty human soul, doesn't mean I don't want to be your friend." Heartless smiled at Orihime.
"Thank you, Heartless-chan." Orihime returned Heartless' smile timidly.
"We'll work on the name. I'll let you rest, you're probably tired from your trip. If your needed, me or Ulquiorra will come get you. One of us will also bring you your meals. Sleep well, Orihime." Heartless waved to the girl as she left the room, closing the door behind her. "Looks like you weren't needed today. I'll bring her meals to her, and if I can't then you will." Heartless walked by the black haired Espada leaning on the wall. "You can just keep anyone from harming her."
Ulquiorra watched Heartless as she walked away from him. He hadn't heard anything that had gone on in the room. 'She's hiding something.'
~World of the Living: Kurosaki residence~
"How's Ichigo-kun doing, Yuzu-chan?" Kyoya was getting used to the little family. He was surprised at how young Karin and Yuzu were.
Yuzu quite liked the family friend. He brought Ichigo back after having been gone for over a month. "He disappeared again! I hope he doesn't stay away for too long."
"You're just like your father." Isshin stood in the doorway and only spoke after his daughter had left the room. "I'm surprised Shunsui actually had a kid, or even two for that matter."
"Like I told you earlier. My sister and I are not from this time. In our time, our parents are happily married." Kyoya lounged on the couch he was using as a bed. "It's nice to see you're doing well, Shiba-Taichou."
"It's not Shiba anymore, it's Kurosaki." Isshin hadn't been called that in a while. "How's everyone doing over there?"
"Toshiro is 10th squad Taichou. Matsumoto is still Fukutaichou, and Toshiro can get her to do paperwork." Kyoya knew Isshin was asking about his former squad and his friends. "Kaien is doing well to. Along with the rest of the Shiba clan. Their still scary as hell though, and stubborn."
"That's good to hear. I can sense Shiro-chan is here. It's probably best if I don't meet up with him yet. Shouldn't you be heading back to Seireitei?" Isshin knew exactly which shinigami had been sent from Soul Society. He had known most of them while he was a Taichou.
"I have a bit of free time. I'm going to go for a walk." Kyoya walked out of the house to explore the World of the living. His parents hadn't let him or his sister visit it on their own, because they couldn't fight against Hollows yet. So they had only ever been in Urahara's shop. It was a pretty interesting world. "It's so different here, yet so similar as well."
"Really. I didn't think that." Kyoya turned to try and find the source of the voice. He stopped spinning and analyzed who's it was. "Finally. You were starting to look like an idiot." Kyoya looked to the source of the voice.
Kyoya smiled at the blond man and rushed over to hug him. "Hirako-Taichou!" Before he reached the man he was forced to the ground by someone landing on his back.
"Don't be so loud, idiot!" Kyoya easily forced her off of him and looked at the blond.
"Hiyori-Fukutaichou? Is everyone that was Hollowfied here in the World of the Living?" Kyoya hadn't paid much attention to his parent's reminisces about the Vaisards.
"How do you know about the Hollowfications, Kyoya?" Shinji looked at his old subordinate.
Kyoya smirked at the two blonds. "We probably shouldn't talk about it here. Either Urahara's shop, or your warehouse would be best."
Hiyori glared at the shinigami. "What makes you think we're going to talk?" She gripped her zanpakutou.
"It's this way, or do you already know where it is?" Hirako looked at Kyoya who shrugged to say he wasn't going to answer. "Alright. Try to keep up." He flash stepped away. When he got to the warehouse he didn't even look back to see if Kyoya was there. He didn't need to, the man was right beside him. "You've gotten faster, or have you always been this fast?"
"I've gotten a bit faster, but that wasn't my top speed. Hachigen-san has gotten better at his barriers." Kyoya approached the barrier that was around the warehouse.
"Let's go in and get this over with. Everyone else is probably still downstairs." Hiyori walked into the warehouse when a doorway appeared in the barrier. Shinji and Kyoya followed her.
Kyoya was greeted by a lot of surprised faces as he walked down the stairs. "It's good all of you are doing well." He smiled at them.
"Why the hell is he here? You couldn't resist talking to one of your old subordinates. Who, by the way just lost his precious Aizen-Taichou." Kensei stared at the twin. He had seen what Kairi had done when she had lost control of her Hollow powers.
"Yes. My squad has had troubles, but I intent to get rid of them." Kyoya swallowed a soul candy and jumped out of his Gigai. "After all isn't that what all Taichous try to do for their squad?"
"Oho. Little Kyoya became a Taichou. Is it strange having two Kyoraku-Taichous?" Shinji looked at Kyoya with a smile.
"A little. It's weirder now that everyone knows he's my father." He was met by a stunned silence. "Oh that's right. You guys probably didn't hear about that." He tried to laugh off the tension that was in the room. "Anyway. This is what I wanted to show. To explain how I know about Hollowfication." He placed a hand on his face, and when he pulled it away a Hollow mask took its place. It looked very similar to a snake's head. He lifted up the mask to speak. "It's because back in my time, you taught me to control my Hollow powers and defeat my inner Hollow, Hirako-san. Although in that time you were Taichou of 5th squad again."
Shinji looked at Kyoya with curiosity. "It's interesting thinking about what you know, and that most of it will change because you are here." Shinji couldn't see how he could go back to being part of the Gotei 13. They had decided to get rid of him after he had been Hollowfied. "Anything else? Or did you just want to talk about old times?"
"I was hoping I could get some training in. I can't really practice at full strength while near the others." Kyoya smiled at the grin on Hiyori's face.
"I would be glad to bash your face in, idiot." Hiyori and Kyoya had been fighting each other a lot before Hiyori had been Hollowfied and fled to the World of the Living. "Shall we settle our little contest?"
"I was hoping you would agree. Shall I use Bankai, or will that be too much for you?" Kyoya dissipated his mask as he spoke to the blond girl.
"I'll make you have to use it." Hiyori put her mask on, then attacked.
Kyoya easily blocked it. "Bring it on, snaggletooth!" He pushed against Hiyori's blade with his Reiatsu reenforced hand. He drew his zanpakutou and followed after her, not giving her a chance to stop herself first. They lost themselves in their contest.
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