A/N: This is the chapter where we begin to make the inevitable shift. Like Arturo, you've been looking through Cordelia's rose-colored lenses… It's time for you to see the truth of things. Also, this is a re-write. This chapter started out with a completely different structure and I ended up shifting it around a lot and adding new things.

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Tale of a Traitor

Chapter Fourteen: Rakukantekina Kyōkan

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Something changed when Cordelia left, and I realized something. The entire time the two of us had been in Las Noches, I had mostly relied on her interpretations of these people, their motives and their drives. With Cordelia's way of seeing things, we had allies, friends, as she called them. However, once she left Las Noches, the rose-colored lenses she'd placed over my eyes lifted.

Without Cordelia, the entire atmosphere shifted. That permeating sense of home and belonging that followed her faded and the cold, harsh reality returned. Resentment came with every glare, but I still was stronger than they were. They could do nothing to get rid of me, or overthrow me from my informal place of power.

It had been a fool's mission, anyways, a pointless one that even I had begun to question. No, it wasn't a fool's mission… it was the plan of a madwoman. The Espada had every reason to be suspicious of us, of her. They had no intention of assisting her. They probably only went along with her plan so they could dump her in Seireitei and forget about her. After her suggestion to break out Aizen Sousuke, any support she had among them had gone and she became just another power-hungry Shinigami to them. Even Szayel, whom she had been fairly close with, reacted with distrust and disdain. Desmarias and even Magdalena seemed no longer to want anything to do with her. They had washed their hands of her, and had no plans to see her ever again.

However, without their support and loyalty, I knew it was unlikely that I'd be able to get her back.

That was why I decided to corner Coyote Starrk. "I do not appreciate this, Starrk," I hissed.

The former Espada crossed his arms. "You're the one who brought her here. Something's not right with her. We won't support a madwoman."

My hand went immediately to my Zanpakuto. "So you're betraying her? Is that how it is?"

Starrk's eyes narrowed. "Pardon me if I have issues trusting another insane Soul Reaper, really, Plateado."

Anger hit me, and it hit me harder than it has in months. Fine, then, if they would not assist me, then I'd… I'd… Whatever had come over me, I'd indulge it and fulfill it. If I killed every single one of them then perhaps I'd be strong enough to get her back on my own. "Perhaps it is not the Soul Reaper you should be afraid of," I retorted as I pulled out my Zanpakuto.

The Primera didn't go for his, but rather lifted his hands in an attempt to placate me. "Settle down," he said, "Whatever was affecting us must still be affecting you. Calm down and wait a while before doing anything rash."

He had a reasonable argument, but I wasn't listening to reason.

I don't remember the ensuing fights very well. Starrk had been right, there was something affecting me, but of course, I didn't care. I didn't manage to kill anyone, because more had arrived to help Starrk and it took a fully released Ulquiorra and a particularly pissed-off Halibel to detain me and throw me out into the sands, injured and bleeding. They wouldn't be able to kill me, not with their limited amount of firepower. All they could do was get rid of me.

Once I picked myself up, I knew I would no longer be welcome in Las Noches. I walked, I walked through the desert until I had come near collapse. I walked until I did collapse, my own blood staining the sands beneath me and I wondered why I would've done the things I did. Why attack them for such a reason that should've been discussed instead of fought out?

They mentioned an effect. Did Cordelia have some power she'd been keeping from me? What hadn't she ever told me about?

She'd once mentioned a Bankai.

I never knew what it did.

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I ran, catching up to Captain Kira. "Sir, pardon my manner of speech, but are you insane?" I exclaimed, nearing complete panic.

The captain, who had been conversing with Soifon-taichou, stopped and gave me a strange look. "Are you referring to my decision to allow Lieutenant Yumekanau her temporary leave?" he asked, his expression blank.

"Yes," I said, "She should be here, where she's safe!"

Kira-taichou exchanged an uneasy look with Soifon. "Chikafuki-san, there's something you don't know."

… What? I looked between the two of them, not understanding what he meant.

Soifon sighed and shifted her weight to one foot. "It's good for all of us that she be absent for an undetermined amount of time," she informed him, "With her gone, we can assess the conditions of her disappearance without bias and judge whether or not a trial is necessary."

I blinked. "I don't understand. Couldn't you do that even if she was here? This makes no sense!"

Soifon took in a deep breath. "I'm not authorized to explain it to you further," she said, and turned to walk away.

Izuru grabbed her shoulder. "Soifon. The boy deserves to know."

The woman glared at him, and the captain held her gaze for a good moment before she turned and looked back to me. "Any emotion you have or need to protect or care for Yumekanau Aozora is false. Wipe it from your mind completely."

I froze. Her words hit something, a barrier of warmth that suddenly went ice cold. "Are you lying to me? Is that it? Do you want her all to yourself?"

… Wait. What had I just said?

Soifon's eyes widened and she grabbed my shoulders, seemingly ready to shake me. "What if I do?" she shouted, her voice harsh and I was sure she was ready to rip out my guts, but I almost wanted to do the same to her.

Izuru didn't waste a moment. He took a step forward and slapped her, the resounding clap sounded across the courtyard. Soifon rubbed her cheek and looked at him in shock, until the expression faded into veiled embarrassment. She cleared her throat. "Yumekanau Aozora's Bankai is a unique one that we have no record of other than her. Once she achieved it, it remained active. Sure, she could seal it and she could return her sword to its normal state, but the effects of it would still linger," she looked off to the side. "I learned that the hard way."

"What does it do?" I asked.

Kira crossed his arms as well. "Her Bankai's name is Rakukantekina Kyōkan, or 'Optimistic Empathy.' It's a defensive, passive ability that has similarities with Kanzen Saimin. It affects the minds of those surrounding her and makes them sensitive to her emotions and her thoughts, inverse what her Shikai ability does, which is to make her hypersensitive to her surroundings," he explained, "Unfortunately, ever since she achieved it, we've had to keep her under close watch. We entrusted her to Ichimaru Gin, who has experience with dangerous mind-controllers. From his reports, it appears that her Rakukantekina Kyōkan also had an effect on her, making her oblivious to problems around her and negative emotions towards her. He hasn't been much more help than that, seeing as he's been given permission to withhold as much information as he pleases," he scoffed, "As you can probably tell, that such a volatile individual spent so much time around an Arrancar is distressing."

I was silent for a long moment. "… I can't… What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying she's… mentally unwell. Not quite insane, but mentally unwell. It's likely that her encounter with the Arrancar may have pushed her over the edge."

"Kira, Soifon, hello," came a familiar, somewhat mocking voice. "I have some news."

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I felt cold, colder than ever before when I was in my inner world. The tall stalks of savannah grass wilted, the skies overcast with a threatening grey that did not prelude rain, but merely the absence of sun. I dug my hands into the hard, dried and cracking ground. I listened for the hostile voices of the ghosts of past, waited for them to begin hurling insults, to pull at my hair, to drag me through painful darkness, but instead a pair of warm, welcoming arms cradled my head, arms that I immediately recognized and nuzzled into.

The soft purr of my Zanpakuto's laughter did not feel particularly comforting, but somehow it managed to warm me to the core. "You do not need to worry about them anymore, Cordelia, I have them under tight lock and key and as long as you have me, you'll be safe from them," the humanoid form of Akatora reassured, gently rocking my head back and forth.

Opening my eyes, I looked up into her eyes, her sharp, deep pools of orange that begged one's attention… but I startled a bit at the black seeping into the whites of her eyes, the gold that crept into the amber. "Why… do you look hollowified?"

Her eyes remained unchanged as she pulled me up into her lap and continued to cradle me like a child. Her hands sunk to my navel and she rubbed at it gently. "It's this one's influence. It's strong. Its hollow nature is spreading through me and you like a cancer…" she leaned down over my shoulder and purred. "It will be more like its father than it will be like us… What do you think it will be like, Cordelia?" Akatora prompted. "Will it have a hole where its heart should be?" she mused, running a clawed finger over my clavicle. "Will it have a mask over its face?" she ran her fingers through my hair. "Hm?"

"No…" I said after a long moment, "I think it will be some sort of mixture of Shinigami and Arrancar…" there was already a mix between Shinigami and Hollow, and those were Vizards. "Maybe it will just be a Vizard."

"Perrrhaps," Akatora giggled, squeezing me in a hug. "I hope everyone will love it just like everyone loves us…" she squealed. "What I wouldn't do to make sure it had my protection…"

I opened my mouth to speak.

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My eyes shot open, and I groaned before closing them again to the midday sun. I felt… full. Sated. But lonely.

Carefully, I shifted my legs off of the cot I'd been placed on, the cry of protest from the springs of the mattress bringing me further into alertness as I stood and stumbled over to the doorway, my bare, calloused feet patting against the smooth hardwood floor. Still feeling dazed, I managed to gather that I was still in the Kurosaki Clinic. I'd have to apologize for the trouble I'd caused…

"Ah, Yumekanau-san, you're awake. You slept for almost an entire twenty-four hours, you know."

I jumped at the sound of Urahara's voice. "W-What are you doing here?" I asked nervously, turning to see him sitting in a rolling doctor's chair.

He clicked his tongue. "I got your full file from Soul Society a few hours ago and had the Kurosaki family leave for a while," he glanced up from beneath his hat and I felt a chill, "Away from your influence, Yumekanau-fukutaichou."

Unconsciously, I took a step back. "Ah…" I uttered, in a bit of shock. "Are you referring to… my ability?"

Urahara nodded. "To some extent, yes," he folded his hands beneath his chin. "I wanted to feel its pull for myself, now that I know it exists."

I remained silent, trying to read the situation. What did he want? Was this just in the pursuit of knowledge, still, or was it more than that? "What are you going to do?" I asked finally.

He tapped a pen against a clipboard. "I want you to answer some questions for me. You left some holes in this… web of lies you've caught Soul Society in, but I want the truth from you."

I tensed, bulking from the insinuations of what he was saying. "… Fine," I conceded.

Urahara clapped his hands together cheerfully. "Good. For starters, and let's face it, I've never heard a more obvious alias in my life," he said, "What's your real name?"

I resisted the urge to growl at him. "Damn you… It's Cordelia Tucker."

He clicked his tongue. "That sounds western. How western are we talking, Miss Tucker?" he asked.

A sigh escaped my mouth. "East coast United States."

"Uh-huh… And as for that child of yours," he began, absently pointing the pen in my direction without looking up, "How exactly was it conceived?"

"…?" I blinked. "… I had sex…?" Did he want me to give him a play-by-play or something? I should make a documentary. 'The Sex Life of Cordelia Tucker: My Experiences with a Territorial Arrancar,' I would call it, and with the number of nosy perverts who seemed to be interested, I was sure it would be a hit.

He shook his head. "No, no. I'm referring to the consent in the act," he clarified.

It clicked. "Oh! No, yeah, it was completely consensual!" I nearly shouted.

"Would you like to give me your reasoning, then, as to why you would consensually fraternize with the enemy?"

"Um…" I struggled for the answer to that, wondering how even to answer a question like that. "… At the time, I was bored. It's really boring in Las Noches, you know? And I'm not exactly the most chaste of persons, so I guess… I just sort of went for him?" I answered reluctantly.

Urahara raised an eyebrow. "You don't have any feelings for him?"

"I…"