DISCLAIMER - see chapter one
"You still can't see him?" Miaka asked incredulously as she handed Orihime a steaming cup of tea across the breakfast bar in her house. It had been two days since Ulquiorra had been injured, and as far as Miaka knew he was still unconscious. She had called the hospital a few times to see how he was, but she had been told he couldn't have visitors. Being his girlfriend, Miaka had assumed that Orihime would have more sway.
"He's still very unstable…" Orihime supplied weakly, though she couldn't tell Miaka the real reason. When Orihime had turned up at the hospital to see Ulquiorra it was Urahara who had turned her away. It wasn't safe for anyone to be in the room with him; he was drawing in an enormous amount of spiritual energy; so far Ryuken and his Human staff had been unaffected, but soon after Hanataro's collapse Urahara himself had begun to feel the strain. Someone with a great deal of power, like Orihime, was bound to be affected.
"That's no excuse to shut you out! What harm could you do by holding his hand?" The brunette replied as she sat beside Orihime, secretly wondering why the redhead had chosen to come and see her, of all people. Just a few days ago she had put Ulquiorra and Orihime's relationship on the rocks; she may not have done it herself, but she did feel responsible.
"It's just in case something happens, so I'm not in the way." Orihime replied, secretly hoping that Miaka would stop asking questions about the hospital; Orihime wasn't good at telling lies.
"I must admit, I was surprised to find you when I opened the door this morning! I take it you're not going into school today?" Miaka asked as casually as she could; of course she's not going into school! Her boyfriend is in a coma and one of her friends dropped down dead! The brunette thought reproachfully, the expression apparently showing on her face,
"It's alright! I know what you mean…The truth is…It's hard to explain, but I know that you really care about Ulquiorra, so it seemed…right, that I come and talk to you." Orihime replied, slightly embarrassed by her confession. Tatsuki was having a hard time dealing with Chizuru's death; while Orihime had been in Hueco Mundo, or off with Ichigo fighting Hollow, Tatsuki's main friend had been Chizuru. Orihime didn't want to seem insensitive by crying to the sporty teen over Ulquiorra while Tatsuki was dealing with her own grief.
"Well, I'm glad you did…Ulquiorra is the only person I really see outside school, aside from Tsukasa…It gets a little lonely with Tsukasa at work, and I didn't feel like going into school today. If I went in I'd just sit there and worry; I'd get no work done at all!" Miaka replied, still wearing her pyjamas. She hadn't even felt like dancing that morning, though Tsukasa had been nothing but understanding. He had stayed and made her breakfast, keeping her company until he had to leave for work, and then Orihime had called round. We'll have to catch up on that dance practice later…
"I thought you were one of the most popular girls in class!" Orihime exclaimed, Miaka laughing out loud, the first laugh she had let out since seeing Chizuru dead and Ulquiorra comatose,
"They're not friends; not really…I'm just the ringleader because I'm loud; at least I was…Since I met Ulquiorra I've hardly spoken to anyone else in class!" Miaka confessed, though she didn't feel guilty about it. The girls of the class used her as much as she used them; they flocked to her because of her confidence, and she kept them close because she wanted to blend in.
"I can understand that." Orihime replied, recalling numerous occasions she passed up spending time with Tatsuki, not to mention Ichigo and Rukia, to spend time with Ulquiorra; not that it was his fault. She wanted to spend time with him, and really get to know him.
"You know, we should do something when Ulquiorra gets out of the hospital." Miaka said decisively, Orihime nodding her agreement. She hadn't actually gone out anywhere properly with Ulquiorra since Christmas, and whatever they did would give her the chance to get to know Miaka a little better. "We could go into town; catch a movie or something." The brunette added, again receiving Orihime's approval.
"Have you calmed down?" Urahara asked as he entered the shop, where Toshiro had left the blonde Vizard the night before. Shinji looked up from the table, where he was sitting with Yoruichi, both slowly drinking freshly made tea. As he looked at their faces Urahara was unsure which one of them he was really asking. Yoruichi had the same expression of cold fury.
"A bit." Shinji replied, his response not convincing Urahara at all, though secretly the shopkeeper felt the same. It was never nice to see your family hurt, and Ulquiorra had become part of the Urahara household, and a strange household it was with its many extensions. Shinji was one of them. He had always been good friends with Shinji, and had come to see him as a sort of brother over the years.
"Liar." Urahara retorted as he sat down and helped himself to a cup, seeing Ururu hovering in the background shyly, his hazel eyes softening as he turned to the small ebony haired girl. She looked so vulnerable, as she always did, particularly when she was troubled as she was now. "Ulquiorra's still not well, I'm afraid he won't be home tonight." He said gently, the small girl looking disappointed as she padded back into the kitchen.
"Did ya start on that Gigai yet?" Shinji asked, Urahara looking troubled as he stared at the dark green liquid in his cup. He knew what Shinji meant. To enable Ryuken to released that poor girl's body to Toshiro he needed a fake to hand to her parents or guardian, whenever they came forward. He was working from a photograph Orihime had given him, though it wasn't ideal since it was a group picture,
"The main body is set, I just need to add facial features." The shopkeeper replied mournfully, guilt eating away at him. He wasn't good at deception at the best of times, but handing over a Gigai to a grieving Human who had lost her daughter in circumstances that were the responsibility of his kind was just sickening on many levels. The Humans would have no idea that they were grieving over a doll, and that their real daughter's body was being poked, prodded and dissected in another world.
"Ya have ta hurry; the longer the body sits there the more likely some of the residual energy will burn away." Shinji replied insensitively, though due to his lack of interaction with Humans the shopkeeper couldn't blame him. The Vizard had been cast out by the Shinigami, and weren't any closer to Hollow, and they kept out of the way of Humanity, perhaps through fear of more rejection. They were only just building bridges with Shinigami; they had been taken off the assassination list at least, not that anyone could have killed them. The only ones who had a chance were himself, Yoruichi and possibly Byakuya.
"I know…" Urahara replied simply, feeling Yoruichi's comforting touch on his leg beneath the table, his hazel eyes turning to her with warmth and gratitude.
"As soon as Kurotsuchi's finished with the body we'll make sure she has a proper burial." Yoruichi assured, though it wasn't the same as returning her to her own land. They couldn't risk Humans noticing anything strange about their behaviour, so the body would by buried in Seireitei, there are worse places to be buried mind.
"How was Ulquiorra really?" Shinji asked, knowing that he wouldn't have outlined the details with the young girl in the room. He was always so protective of the two children he kept living with him in the shop, even now the Vizard noticed Urahara's hazel eyes shifting to the kitchen door to make sure they weren't being watched.
"To be honest I'm not sure; Hanataro is still sleeping off whatever drain he suffered at Ulquiorra's hands…I'm not sure why he's drawing in energy; recovery perhaps?" He suggested, looking to Shinji for the answer, after all a Vizard was just an Arrancar but in reverse. Shinji was once pure Shinigami before he was turned by Aizen and became half Hollow; Ulquiorra had once been Hollow, but the Hougyoku had made him half Shinigami.
"Interesting thought; it happens sometimes, but I've never heard of it on this scale." Shinji replied thoughtfully, unsure what could have happened to Ulquiorra. The ex-Espada was strong, extraordinarily strong in comparison to Shinigami and Hollow alike, but somehow this Arrancar had gotten the better of him. There were few signs of battle in the school, so what the hell did she do?
"Perhaps Yamamoto will have more luck with the Arrancar…" Urahara sighed as he sat back against the wall, quietly worried about what would happen. Ulquiorra had the Hougyoku buried in his chest; if he was vulnerable then so was his ability to protect it, and the Hougyoku wouldn't do his health any good while he was so weak. Unfortunately the Hougyoku cannot simply by removed…not until there are no other options; it would be too risky in his current state; he could try to absorb the power within the Hougyoku…unless he's already doing that? No…I doubt that…
"I'd like a crack at her myself!" Shinji retorted, his dark amber eyes thinning to slits at the thought of what he'd like to do to her.
"Shinji." Urahara said in warning, the Vizard swiftly getting a grip on his Hollow nature. It was one of the permanent downsides of being a Vizard; the continual fight for dominance with the Hollow within. Shinji was usually unaffected by his Hollow side, but at times like this, when he was emotionally pressed, his Hollow did its best to assert itself.
"I know what you mean Shinji." Yoruichi said, something that surprised Urahara. Yoruichi was hot-headed at times, but she had never been particularly bitter or vengeful, though her family has never been involved before, and she's probably the closest thing Ulquiorra has to a mother figure…
"Hopefully his energy drain will die down by itself…I'm not sure what to do if it doesn't." Urahara stated plainly, though he wasn't a medic, "I may ask Unohana for her advice." He added, Yoruichi nodding her agreement. Medically speaking, there was no one better to examine Ulquiorra; Hanataro was a good medic, but he was still a long way off from attaining Unohana's skill.