(Sorry for the wait, but Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all you guys. Here's the next chapter, hope you like :3 )
Kurotsuchi's team had already begun packing for the day and were heading back to the Research building when Ichigo returned to the cliff for Rukia's zanpakuto. He walked around slowly, looking for it, uninterested by the Captain's going-ons and discoveries. Though, his search would inevitably lead him to be in rather close proximity, being at least within earshot of Kurotsuchi and Nemu.
"This creature doesn't appear to be dead at all." Kurotsuchi muttered to himself, "Even as immobile as it is, there's no guarantee it's actually been killed."
"Might it be possible that it's not actually alive?"
"I wouldn't be where I am if fI hadn't already surmised that much." Mayuri growled, sending the peon who'd spoken away again. Ichigo ignored them, thinking he'd rather leave the fight on a good note; that'd it had been defeated without question. He continued surveying the ground for Rukia's weapon, looking back and forth for a long while without luck. Taking a break from the hunt, he took a seat a few dozen yards from the Executioner's scaffold, looking up at it in reminiscence. So many things had happened, leading up to that moment.
"I'm sure there's a way around Aizen's power...and it had to have worn off since he got taken out of Soul Society." He said to himself, looking on in thought. "Sealing the Hougyoku in a gigai was a clever idea, but stupid at the same time...if any one thing happened, Aizen's plan could've been thrown off entirely. Rukia may not know all the details about what happened back then...I need to talk to someone who does. That one kid...Hitsugaya..."
A small raise in voices by the downed fel beast caught Ichigo's attention, as did his added notice in the wraith's ethereal body resonating...pulsating...reverberating. Its body seemed to resound with a mute noise, one that could only be felt, as it so low that human ears couldn't pick it up. It made him feel a little drowsy and swimmy in the head, but it passed soon after, and he stood up to see if he could find out what had happened. He snuck within earshot of the Captain and listened closely.
"Strange and peculiar." Kurotsuchi said to himself, paying no mind to how many of his assistants were complaining of headaches and nosebleeds, "Very interesting indeed."
"That's all he's gonna say about it?" Ichigo grumbled to himself, having hoped for something more, "You're not even going to guess out loud what it might've been? How frustrating." He started walking away idly, taking up his search again. He wouldn't admit it, but deep down, the sooner he found the sword, the sooner he could show Rukia the massive Christmas celebration. It was probably one of the few holidays he himself enjoyed.
"So there really isn't even any good reason to worry about it anymore." Shunsui said to the other Captains, "That's good to know."
They were assembled in the wooden Captain's dojo, a large fire burning behind Ukitake. There was a small bit of hushed chatter between those gathered but it was cut off again.
"Don't relax just yet." Kurotsuchi interjected, "The beast isn't moving, but that doesn't mean it's dead, or that it's incapable of doing anything else."
"Has it?" Ukitake asked, covering a short cough.
"There was a brief resonance from the wraith's corpse earlier in the day. Nothing has come of it yet, but it shouldn't take my saying so for those gathered here to understand...what it did today may not cause a reaction for a period of time." He explained, "Knowlege of creatures from the other side is limited. There have only been two noted occurances of such a thing ever surfacing before."
All eyes were on him, demanding elaboration.
"As we are all aware, Soul Society has existed for many thousands of years, predating every one of us and even those living in Midian. There are countless untold stories and legends. Ancient records from many thousands of years ago describe how a strange beast appeared to the founders of Rukongai. They, too, were unable to defeat it in the beginning. They decided to use the beast's endless desire to cause suffering to their advantage and would, on more than one occasion, lure it to where they found Hollows, using it to kill them without causing casualties of their own. This is where the Shinigami created shunpo, and used it to escape the creature's wrath soon after it started attacking the Hollows. It would wander aimlessly in the farthest forests and mountains until they drew it back out again. Because of it, Hollows stopped coming directly to Soul Society to feed on souls...they started going to the living world."
"Hollows could do that back then? Regular ones?" SoiFon inquired.
"They have always been able to, but some abilities have been lost over the ages. Many were awakened again when they started becoming Arrancar, even before Aizen manipulated them. Now, only the Gillian class Menos can open portals."
"Normal Hollows can only return to Hueco Mundo on their own, they can't willingly go from there to anywhere else without help from a Menos Grande." Hitsugaya interrupted, "Most, if not all Hollows seen in the living world these days, actually are born there. They devour the souls of those closest to them in life and then mindlessly assimilate everything else they come across. Being slain by a Shinigami will send them to Soul Society, but only if their mask is broken in the process. If the Hollow is killed in any other way, it will reform in Hueco Mundo, having the potential to become stronger. A Hollow's mask should always be destroyed."
"Watching that Shinigami substitute fight the wraith, and comparing it to information gathered from those Shinigami who had encountered it before he initially exiled himself, tells me that conventional Shinigami attacks cannot harm it in any way. Particle beams of the Cero and Quincy arrow variety seem to be the only thing that can even recognize the creature's presence. Examining the spiritual particles of the wraith itself are yeilding interesting results. With the right application, certain kidou may be used against it, though melee weapons alone will do nothing. It would be as useless as trying to cut water. The blade will simply pass through it with little disturbance." Kurotsuchi added, "The Shinigami substitute used his shikai ability with some success. Unfortunately, those members of the Court who don't posess a zanpakuto capable of manifesting reiatsu may be useless in the fight against a creature such as this. Zaraki Kenpachi, Abarai Renji, Ikkaku Madarame...most of the former 11th Division would be at poor odds."
"What about manipulation of the elements themselves? Fire, ice, the earth itself." Hitsugaya asked.
"The earth can contain it." Byakuya mentioned cooly, "As may ice; however, as an attack, it's unlikely. Even my senbonzakura could do little other than annoy it."
"So then we just fight it and its ilk with kidou. All of us save Kenpachi are masters of kidou at this point." The silver-haired Captain added, "Do we need to worry about another one of these creatures appearing? How did this one get here in the first place?"
"The Gates of Hell are containing devices. Things make pass into them but nothing can come out." Unohana mentioned.
Kurotsuchi shook his head, "No, that's not entirely true. Many Shinigami have attempted to chase defeated Hollows into Hell before, and all were spat right back out again. Unlike Hueco Mundo, one can't simply leap into Hell and expect to remain there. Hell is designed to harbor only those who were particularilly wicked in life. It rejects the allowance of good souls inside."
"But the wraith..."
"...There is no guarantee it's the only one of its kind, nor is it possible to verify whether it can call for aid. The only thing certain is that it can be used to manifest the Gates in a closed state if other certain conditions are met. I will need to examin it further." The Captain finished, taking a seat again.
"We need to be sure that if this thing can willingly come out of Hell, that Aizen and Gin can't somehow do the same. Obviously, they're trying right now." Shunsui said, "There's no way of knowing how sickeningly powerful or twisted they've become after being in that realm for so long. Even the fact that they were able to remain inside, despite the fact that their souls once resided in Soul Society, should be called to inquiry."
"Are you suggesting we call them out too?" Kenpachi asked, finally breaking his silence. "Kurosaki already wants to do just that. I agree. They may be the very reason the beast came to us now if it's always been here in some form."
"That's true. If it can't actually be killed, then who knows what else it's capable of." Unohana nodded, looking a bit worried.
"We should be sure to contain it again." Byakuya said, "Perfectly immortal creatures like itself may have a way of healing after a time. Aizen and Gin may continue to use it against us if they don't believe Kurosaki is already doing their bidding."
"Is he?" SoiFon asked, a hint of anger on her voice. "Should we contain him too to make sure he doesn't single-handedly allow those two betrayers back into our world? I say we burry the wraith and ignore Aizen's threats. Obviously, they're trapped in Hell so long as no one from our side tampers with the Gates."
"I agree." Said a few voices. SoiFon nodded at them.
"No, if they can threaten us now then they'll continue to do so until they're destroyed outright or their method of communication is." Kenpachi argued, shining again with a few moments of wisdom, "We should lend Kurosaki all of our support in killing them both while they may still be weak. Just because they are surrounded by evil doesn't mean they've become strong. Hell has no structure like Soul Society, not even like Los Noches. It's nothing but madness, suffering, pain and torment for those spirits who caused it to others. Aizen and Gin could have been driven insane and be weak by it. We could use this to our advantage!"
"There's no way of knowing one way or the other. It's a risk too great to take right now." Ukitake said, the room going quiet, "So long as they remain trapped, we can bury their envoy far away from the city and hopefully not hear of it again. We've gone fifteen years without hearing from them, there's no reason to believe we can't return to that."
"Then we must find out what roused their interest...or gave them the power to contact us in the first place." Hitsugaya suggested, "If Ichigo Kurosaki's return to Soul Society is in fact connected, then perhaps if he's kept out of it, nothing more will come of it."
"We can't deny a good soul entrance to this place.." Shunsui said, sighing in disgreement, "Forcing him to remain in purgatory will only serve to anger him over time. We already don't want his inner Hollow to regain control...forcing him to stay away from this place, from those he's befriended, it may just instigate the Hollow's return. He should be allowed to go wherever he wants, just like we can."
"So then we find out what about him caused Aizen and Gin to act. Ichigo wasn't dead, after all, just disconnected from things." Kenpachi finished, returning to his usual quiet ways.
"Could it possibly be their ties to the Hougyoku?" Ukitake suggested, "It was lost after Aizen used the King's Key, but that doesn't mean it was destroyed. If being in the living world was the only thing keeping Ichigo and Aizen from reconnecting, then returning to Soul Society might've given Aizen that opportunity. He could still have the orb, and that in and of itself could be the sole reason he's able to communicate outside of his firey prison."
"The Hougyoku's power was never fully documented." Kurotsuchi said, "I, too, have considered its role in this scenario. If Aizen has it in Hell with him then it's power may still reach us here." He nodded to himself, looking at the wooden floorboards, "In the living world, spiritual energy is incredibly disconnected from the souls that reside there. It's why no living person can see a soul, unless they are strangely sensitive. No power from Soul Society, Hueco Mundo or Hell can reach there without special circumstances taking place. Those limitations aren't so evident between our spiritual realms. Kurosaki's return might as well have been a signal flare to that man, being the only entity tied to the Hougyoku that's still alive."
"Other than the Vizard." Ukitake added.
"And Urahara Kisuke. All of whom reside in the living world."
"Kurosaki claims he was disconnected even from his zanpakuto until just recently." Kuchiki added, "Unable to converse with that spirit, yet able to weild it. Konso may have had an effect on this connection, as well as his residing in the living world until just recently."
"We'll keep a close eye on him, then." SoiFon said, "From a distance." She eyed Ukitake wryly, making sure he knew she wasn't planning anything on the side, "I'll report everything he does, his leave taking and returns. I'm already aware that he plans to leave Soul Society for a period of time as of yet undeterminned. He wishes to train Kuchiki Rukia."
Eyes cautiously went to Byakuya, but he remained motionless, not even reacting.
"Shall we stop him?"
"No, for now, let him do as he plans." Ukitake said, "He has a deep connection to Rukia, that much is obvious. Her presence roused his spirit enough to retake control from his Hollow, after all. I doubt he would ever allow harm to come to her...and if he wishes to help her get stronger, then all the power to him. We'll call this meeting to a close then. Relay what informtion you wish to your lieutenants and continue your normal duties. Captain Kurotsuchi, finish what research you can before the end of tomorrow night. We'll be relocating the thing's body and burrying it like Captain Kuchiki did before. Speaking of...Captain Kuchiki, I'd like you to stay for a moment. Everyone else, you're dismissed."
The other Captains all began to stand, slowly making their way to the double doors that let them back out into the open air. Byakuya, obviously, remained, still seated until the others were gone, then standing.
"Commander-General." He said flatly.
"Please forgive me for my orders," Ukitake said, feeling guilty for it despite being of higher rank and having the authority to do so, "But since she is a Shinigami and in my Squad, her role in this is important. I only ask that you allow her the opportunity to grow stronger. I know you don't wish her to be put in danger because of your promise, bu--.."
"Say no more." Byakuya said calmly, his eyes looking away from those looking at him, "She is your soldier. I will merely watch her from a distance."
"Trust Ichigo." Ukitake said finally, knowing that was the main source of Byakuya's unshown tension and apprehension, "Trust in him to do what he swears he will always do. Trust in Rukia's judgement."
"Very well." He answered, still inwardly dubious, but remaining cool-headed about it.
On the Executioner's Hill, Ichigo's search finally came to an end. Laying under a rift of dust, he found the lost blade, picked it up and headed back to the 4th Squad Recovery House. His movements were quick and exact, and he arrived in very little time, most of the trip spend descending through the air from that high pinnacle. It was already well past sundown and the lights were very low, everyone inside fast asleep, even Rukia. Ichigo carefully slid the door open and entered without a whisper of sound, setting the zanpakuto across a sword rack on a dresser at the end of the bed, and then took his usual seat not too far away. Instead of sleeping, he simply watched the sleeping Shinigami, thinking on what he'd heard from the research team earlier in the day until he inevitably passed out in the chair.