Chapter Nine
The Meeting
The Next Day, Squad One Meeting Hall...
Nick, Katie and Tabitha sat in the empty places at the large table in the meeting hall of Squad One. Around the table, the other Captains and Lieutenants of the American Soul Society were seated. Raymond and Lora, being the representatives of Squad One, were seated at the top-most places. Next to them were Karin Sanders and Jared Reno, the Captain and Lieutenant, respectively, of Squad Two. For Squad Three, Tseng Colwell and Arianna Carey were seated.
Squad Four was being represented by Captain Highwind and his Lieutenant Juan Gonzalez. Next to them sat the Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Five, Gena Marino and Joanna Russo. The Sixth Squad was being represented by Ace McFly and Elena Meyers. Squad Seven's representatives, seated next to Ace and Elena, were Michael Heyman and Sharon Holden.
The Eighth Squad was represented by John Flynn and Brian Grant. Seated next to them were Squad Nine's Alan Goldberg and Jeff Rodriguez. For Squad Ten, Ian Neill and Sam Malcolm sat silently in wait for the meeting to start. Squad Eleven's Captain and Lieutenant, Aston Marchese and Evelyn Kutcher were seated next to the members of Squad Ten, Aston inspecting his katana for the twentieth time in the last minute.
Yoshino Satoshi and Butch Carter were seated as the representatives of Squad Twelve. Squad Thirteen's Captain and Lieutenant, Yusei Atlas and Jack Fudo sat patiently. Next to them sat Jewel and, in the Lieutenant's absence, Derek. Lastly around the table sat the Ishida siblings, Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Fifteen, the Quinigami-led Squad. Then, around the table stood the Captains and Lieutenants, both current and former, of the Japanese Soul Society, not to mention Ichigo.
Finally, Raymond spoke to begin the meeting. "Fellow members of the American and Japanese Soul Societies," he began. "We are here to discuss an urgent matter, according to Captain Satoshi. Captain Satoshi, if you please?"
Captain Yoshino Satoshi stood up from her seat. "Thank you, Captain-Commander Barrett," She said, nodding in thanks to Raymond. "Now, we are all gathered here today at this emergency Captains Meeting in order to address the mysterious substances that Nick Negron found in the secret lab of Sosuke Aizen. The first example of these strange substances was the Hollowfication Gas, which gave me the least amount of results, but that makes it the best thing to talk about first. Now, I tested the gas out on a few small animals by placing said animals into a small space before adding the gas to the chamber. Upon analysis of the test subjects, I noticed that the more the subject struggled, the less time it took for the gas to overcome the animal and turn it into a Hollow. But, some of them didn't struggle at all, and a couple of those turned even faster than the ones who struggled, meaning that the gas' effects are based on the level of Spiritual Pressure a person or creature has. For example, some of the chosen test subjects had a large amount of Spiritual Pressure for a small animal, while others had the normal amount or less. With this information, I have deduced that the Hollowfication Gas affects any living organism, and depending on how much Spiritual Pressure said organism has, the length of time it takes to completely turn the target is either prolonged or sped up.
"Now, as for the Hollowfication Liquid. As most of the people assembled in this room already know, every beverage in the Soul Society contains traces of Reishi. However, the Hollowfication Liquid that Aizen created is different. It contains no trace of Reishi at all. So, as a controlled experiment, I added some of this liquid onto a slide of pure Soul Society water. The results were that Hollowfication Liquid bonded with the Reishi particles in the water, making it impossible to tell if it was even there. From this data, we can assume that the Hollowfication Liquid is immune to all ways of Spiritual Pressure tracking methods. I have also found that, when added to a sample of Soul Reaper blood, the Reishi particles in the bloodstream are instantly attacked, and converted, into Hollow Reishi, literally turning a Soul Reaper into a Hollow from the inside out, unless intervention by the Visoreds is given. The Liquid, when added straight to a Soul Reapers' bloodstream, also had the same quirks as the gas, the rate of change varying depending on the level of said Soul Reapers' Spiritual Pressure.
"For this experiment, I used the blood of the young Kairi Negron, Nick Negron Jr., the young Riku Ichimaru, and a first year student from our Academy. Riku's test results were that of anyone who had spent as much time around Hollow Spiritual Pressure as his father had, so Riku's blood was almost completely unaffected. The liquid did, however, boost the level of Spiritual Pressure in Riku's bloodstream. Next, with Kairi's sample," Katie squeezed Nick's hand, Nick reacting by pulling her close to him to comfort her. "I found that it gave the little one's power an immense boost. Before I introduced the Hollowfication liquid, Kairi's levels of Spiritual Pressure were measured as just above that of a Lieutenants'. How a child that is not even a year old can have such immense power already, I cannot be sure, but-"
"Excuse me, Captain Satoshi," Ichigo interrupted. "But, Kairi is the child of the next Spirit King and Queen," Yoshino's face twisted into a look of shock. "Or did you forget that, since Tabitha Negron is my cousin, it's only fitting that her son and his girlfriend just happen to be the next in line for the throne?"
"N-no, I didn't forget about that. But, even at such a young age, Mitsukai-"
"Had the same level of Spiritual Pressure. Urahara did have to create a Spiritual Pressure-suppressing blanket for her in order for my daughter not to make even Kenpachi faint in a matter of seconds. Now, get on with the explanation, please." Ichigo stated.
"Yes of course. As I was saying, Kairi's levels were just above those of a Lieutenant's before the introduction of the Hollowfication liquid. After the liquid was added, however, her level was brought to that as being measured as about five times that of a normal Captain, making her three times more powerful as Aizen had been, with the Spiritual Pressure as powerful as being twice as much as a normal Captains' (I'm sorry if this is sounding confusing. I had this planned out to be done much more smoothly). Now, onto the results of the academy student. When added to their blood, it instantly was effected by the liquid, but it went very slowly because of their beginner status in the Soul Society. But, the true revelations, however, came with the test results from Nick Negron Jr.
"Before the liquid was added, Nick's Spiritual Pressure was off the charts already. So, I widened the chart enough to give his levels some spare room to grow. Then, after the Hollowfication liquid was added to Nick's blood, the program on the Twelfth Squad's computers that I use for measuring a persons' levels of Spiritual Pressure actually crashed the entire computer system. Of course, the liquid had no adverse effects on the blood, due to the cells already having been mutated. But, it then made his power skyrocket and my computers all crash. I don't mind it, though, since all the files are backed up, but that's not the point. The point is this: After a persons' cells have mutated due to the Hollowfication liquid, the cells can no longer be affected by said substance. Other than that, anyone else could be in danger if these substances are spread, even if only by accident, and we would have a nearly-incurable epidemic threatening us all. Are there any questions?"
Nick raised his hand. "Yes, I have one," Captain Satoshi nodded towards him. "If it only boosts the power of anything that has either been affected by a Hollow's Reiatsu, then why hasn't there been any tests on any of the Ex-Espada? Or, even Captain Soi Fon, since she is around one of the said Ex-Espada for more than two-thirds of every day?"
"Actually," Ichigo said before Yoshino could respond. "Nick has a point. There should be a test done with at least one of the Ex-Espada. I nominate Ulquiorra, only because his two-face routine scares the crap out of me. Plus, if it turns him back into an Arrancar, then we can put him through the Rehabilitation treatment, if he would consent to it this time, instead of us being dicks and forcing it upon him. How does that sound, Ulquiorra?" He turned his head towards the entrance, which opened to reveal said Former Espada.
"I believe that would be good, but what if it does not turn me back into the Arrancar I used to be?"
"Well, let's just hope that it at least takes away that split personality thing with you, then." Ichigo stated simply.
"I agree with Kurosaki." Byakuya said, his stoic voice not showing any emotion at all, as usual.
Ichigo just stared at his wife's brother. "Can't you just call me Ichigo, you emotionless bastard! We have known each other for years, and yet you still treat me like I'm a nobody. You do remember I'm the Spirit King alongside your sister?"
Byakuya's eye twitched. "That is because you do not have the name of a noble family."
Ichigo sneered at his brother-in-law. "You fucking bastard! I am part of a noble family, but no one except Old Man Yamamoto knew about the fact that my father was the son of the previous Spirit King, whose lineage is usually unknown. But, the main line continues with Mitsukai, no matter how dangerous she get's when she uses her Hollow powers. Unfortunately for her, the next in line for the Spirit Throne is Nick."
Yoshino nodded. "Alright. Ulquiorra, could I ask you to report to the Squad Twelve laboratories tomorrow afternoon? We won't have the computers in the labs running until later tonight."
Ulquiorra nodded. "Of course. Now, I shall take my leave." He bowed before leaving the room.
Yoshino turned back to the rest of the assembled peoples. "Are there ay more questions?" No one made any motions meaning that they had one. "Fair enough. I have nothing more to say, so I guess the meeting has technically come to an end. Captain Barrett?"
"Thank you, Captain Satoshi. I now declare this Captains Meeting adjourned." At this, everyone seated rose out of their seats and filed out of the room.
Later That Day, Spirit Lake...
Nick had decided to take Katie to the Spirit Lake located in the forest outside the American Soul Society's' Rukon Districts to take her mind off of what Captain Satoshi had said earlier about Kairi and, in relation, Isabella. Katie had her feet in the water, lightly swinging back and forth underneath the surface. Nick, on the other hand, was trying (and failing miserably) to walk on the surface of the lake, making Katie smile at his antics. "What are you trying to prove, Nick?"
"I'm trying to prove that walking on water is not something only a Zanpaku-to Spirit can do. I know I can walk on water, I just have to figure out the right method."
"Isn't it all based on your control over your Spiritual Pressure?"
Nick stared at her. "Umm, yeah... I knew that."
"Right," Katie rolled her eyes. "Then walk on the water already. I know you're just trying to cheer me up because of what was said at the meeting, but I'm okay now, I promise. Just stop trying to cheer me up and have some fun at your own expense."
"Alright, alright," Nick agreed, putting his hands up in surrender. "Here I go."
Nick began stepping onto the water, his feet staying on the surface due to him making transparent platforms of Spiritual Pressure onto the waters' surface as well. When he reached the middle of the lake, Katie noticed that her boyfriend was beginning to struggle with his steps. Finally, after only a couple more steps, Nick fell into the water, his head falling onto a platform that hadn't yet dissipated. "Oww!" He shouted as his head broke the waters' surface.
Katie began laughing. "Oh, so you think it's funny, do you?" Nick smirked, Flash Stepping from the water and reappearing on top of Katie, who had fallen over from the impact of Nick's body coming into contact with hers. "How about now?" He smiled at her.
Rolling her eyes again, Katie smiled back at Nick. "No, this isn't funny," Nick noticed a small mischievous glint in her eyes. "This is perfect." She said, kissing him.
When their lips parted, Nick noticed that Katie had repositioned herself on top of him, her head now just resting on his chest. "Do you want to go back now?" He asked, moving a stray strand of hair from his girlfriend's face.
Katie nodded. "Yeah, but let's take the long way. No Flash Step, either. I just want to take a walk around the Soul Society for a while, maybe go get something to eat before we head back to the Visored base. What do you think of that?"
"Sounds good to me. Let's go." Nick helped Katie get up from the soft ground and took her arm in his, the couple beginning to walk back to the Visored base.
Even Later...
Nick and Katie arrived at the Visored base late. Opening the door carefully, Nick looked around for the upcoming attack from his mother. When none came, he entered the base with Katie right behind him. Making their way up the stairs to the door to their apartment-like quarters, Nick stopped briefly outside their door. "What's wrong, Nick?"
Nick turned to Katie, putting a finger in front of his mouth. "Be quiet. Sakura and the twins are sleeping." Katie nodded as Nick opened the door silently, both teenagers sneaking into the room with as much skill as Gin Ichimaru. Crawling into their Queen-sized bed, Nick turned to Katie one last time and kissed. "I love you. Goodnight, Katie."
"Night, Nicky. Sleep well, alright?" Nodding his head, Nick and Katie fell silent, allowing the feeling of unconsciousness overtake them both.
A/N: Chapter nine is finally done. Man, that GI Joe story was on such a roll, that I just couldn't continue writing this chapter while I was preoccupied with it. Of course, this is done, now, and that's all that counts. Also, most of this chapter was really talking, but I needed to write that all out, even if the rough draft of what they would say seemed to be a lot smoother than the dialogue in this chapter itself. But, I still added that small cute part near the end, so not all is lost. Hopefully, I can get to the true enemies of this story soon. FYI, the enemies I'm making for this story will also play an integral antagonistic part in the next story in this series. Who are these guys? The new Espada mentioned by Nick's Inner Hollow Nikolai in chapter Seven, of course! But, again, I don't know when they'll first make their true appearance, because I have to think about names and everything. If anyone has any ideas, put them in a review. Also, I'll take Zanpaku-to names for the new Espada as well, so don't hesitate to put those imaginations in gear, people! Lol.
Next Time: I don't know. Anyone who has followed this series since the beginning, or just find it fun, I'm open to ideas. I will give everyone until October 3rd, because Stargate Universe premieres on the 2nd, and the rest of the time will be taken up by writing the GI Joe story. Goodbye, folks, and see you next time (whenever that may be) on Bleach: Dawn of Amaterasu.
