The moment the doorway of Garganta closed, it all sank in.
His brother had betrayed him.
"J…Janus?" Milo whispered into the comforting darkness around him. How he wished that his brother had snuck in at the last moment, but he knew it wasn't true. "Why…Why did you stay?!" He screamed, slamming his fist into the soft wall of the corridor. "I thought you wanted to come home! Why didn't you come?!"
Something snapped.
An explosion of red light sent Milo sliding back into the opposite wall.
Hudson frowned and after hoisting Arrogante over his shoulder, he marched off, hoping the idiot could follow.
Gabriel slowly opened his eyes to find himself staring at Connor who was sleeping in the bed next to his with Karri who had cried all of last night. After she told them the news of the divorce, they all packed, she not wanting to stay in the house and headed to a hotel. Once there, she had finally calmed Connor down and finally broke down herself, leaving Gabriel to comfort her while Connor escaped the world through the television. And even though he was starving, Gabriel couldn't find it in himself to just leave his mother all of last night, so he finally fell asleep at four in the morning after he made sure everyone was in bed and properly taken care of.
Damn it… I'm so soft…
No, Fornicaras muttered from where he was in the bed next to his other self, you have changed. It's the natural process of things. I didn't expect myself to be the same when I came up with this plan. That was the risk we both had to take.
True. It was. Now… did I fall asleep, or did I actually pass out? I can't remember.
I don't recall, to be honest, Szayel.
Okay, okay… Gabriel reached over to the nightstand, a bit concerned as a shaking hand grasped his white glasses.
Ugh… it's been too long, hasn't it, Fornicaras?
Yes, I suppose it has…it's been nearly three days since you have eaten anything at all. It is not something I tell you I am pleased with. You need to get up and find some food before we die.
Wait, we can starve?
Well, yes, everything needs food! Arrancars more than others. I swear I won't let you eat them. The sword muttered, sending Gabriel an image of Karri and Connor, we've changed too much. Since our mask has been torn from us, we can last longer than the average hollow whose span is 1-2 days… but, that does not mean we don't need food, Gabriel. Now, get up and get dressed. I don't want to revert to a mere Gilligan.
I already am up, Gabriel rubbed his eyes and glanced around the hotel room. It was a boring room like any other.
Two beds, nightstand, desk by the window and a chair. A television on top of a dresser and a small bathroom by the entrance. He didn't want to get up. Not when he was warm in bed and he felt ill from the lack of food. I just want to go back to sleep…Go back to sleep and you won't have a choice who you eat. The other downside to being a hollow is, when one begins to revert, you lose your reason. Mask or no mask. Now, get up, Gabriel and get somet-
But Aizen is out the-
Do as I say and eat. If you remember right, you brought back the others for a reason and they had better serve you.
True. I am getting up now and-guess not, Gabriel sat back down on his bed and took a deep breath, his eyes closing to keep the world from spinning. Oh, how am I going to hunt when I cannot even stand?
Instinct will take over. No need to worry.
Okay…Gabriel gripped the sword in his hand and drew it to steady himself on his feet when the phone rang. He sighed and picked it up. "Hello? Oh, hello Officer Douglas. You want my mom, don't you? Yes, I thought so. Just a moment..."
He set the phone down and crept the best he could over to the other bed, nearly falling on top of Connor who thankfully was a light sleeper.
"Shh!" Gabriel put his hand over his brother's moth as he opened it to yell. "I am just trying to wake mom up. The police want to talk to her!" He watched his words register in Connor's mind and let him go a moment later. "Can you get her up?"
Connor nodded and poked Karri who yawned a rolled over, muttering something along the lines of: 'go away kids... eat cake.'
Gabriel and Connor shared a snicker before the youngest tried again, this time telling her the police were on the phone. She sat up in bed and took the phone that Gabriel handed to her. "Um, yes?" Karri asked, trying not to yawn. "And um... what do you mean?"
"We found Lyneth and brought her into the station," Officer Douglas repeated.
Karri froze.
"R...really?!" she screamed, making everyone wince, "we will be right down! Thank you, thank you! I love you so much! I mean, oh, whatever the hell!" she slammed the phone down the receiver and if Connor wasn't so happy as well, he would have laughed at how she actually jumped out of bed and rushed to get dressed in such a cartoon fashion.
In less than five minutes, they were both ready and Gabriel could do nothing but stare at them as they finally noticed he hadn't moved.
"What are you doing just sitting there!" Karri cried, not sure what else to say, "we have to get-"
"I will stay here, if you don't mind," Gabriel offered, only to get a scowl in return.
"Gabriel..." his mother began, her mind jumping to too many conclusions. "You haven't been doing anything illegal, have you?"
He shook his head, "no. I haven't. I just am very hungry..."
"Oh, I see. Well, we can get you and Lyneth something to eat after we leave the station, how is that?"
"You can have a cracker!" Connor offered, pulling one out of his pants pocket. "It's still whole and the butter should be soft by now."
Gabriel couldn't help but make a face. How lucky it was he was an Arrancar... "um, thanks, but no thanks. I will come, but we have to walk slowly, I am feeling faint."
"Okay, okay..." Karri sighed, a new reality setting in. "Could we-oh, no we can't. That would be stupid and I guess you are going to have to come with us."
Gabriel blinked. He didn't even get an explanation. "What do you-" oh, he was hungry if he didn't catch her train of thought. It would be stupid to leave him with Connor and if Aizen found him, it would be bad and so, he was going to have to come with them...
"I get it...give me a minute..." he let out a deep breath before standing up slowly, a hand coming to assist him. "Now, to the door."
Karri nodded and slowly, but surely, they made their way to the car where she had Gabriel sit in the back and Connor in the front. Rules aside, she didn't really want Gabriel getting any ideas being so hungry he could hardly stand without seeing stars.
"Are we all buckled in?" she asked and after getting a yes, she drove out of the parking lot. It wasn't until a few blocks away did she remember that Connor knew nothing of what was going on. "And you are oddly quiet." she stated, not sure how to put it. If something odd was up, Connor was usually the first to ask, but he had been nothing but quiet.
"What is going on?" she asked a second time, hearing nothing.
Her youngest sighed and stared out the window of the passenger seat. "Mom," he began, not sure where to start. "Do you love me?"
Karri nodded. "Yes, I do. Very, very much. What makes you ask?"
"Because..." Connor sighed again, "if you did, you would make it work between you and daddy."
Karri took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. She knew Connor didn't know the whole story and how to present it to him, she had no idea; nor did Gabriel it seemed and it was fine. He had his own problems and how could Connor not think she didn't love him?
"Connor, listen here," she stated, making him roll his eyes. "Yes, this is a lecture. I love you more than I can possibly say and I think it's so sad that your father wasn't who I thought he was. And I am sorry. No, wait. I shouldn't be. He should. And please, listen to what I tell you, dear. Okay?"
He nodded.
And with that, Karri went on to explain the situation they were in. From Aizen, the Espada and what happened between her and Evan. And by the time she had, they reached the police station, prompting her to add, "and do not say a word, all right? If you keep quiet, I will get you five new Pokemon decks."
Connor raised an eyebrow.
He liked bribes.
But...
"Take me to see the new movie too?"
Karri nodded.
"With popcorn and candy?"
Karri nodded again. Who needed $200 dollars anyway?
"Okay!" he chirped, bouncing out of the car. "You got a deal!"
Author's note: Phew... he can be bribed...I honestly have been worried about how to make him keep his mouth shut. The the cracker part IS right out of Ferris Bueler's Day Off. And yes, I am still in need of a Beta Reader! Thanks for reviewing Timothy and I am doing well. :) And I am sorry about the long, long wait for the next chapter. I have been busy, but I know the next update will be very soon. Thank you everyone who has favourited and followed this story!
