Eheheh I couldn't resist another early update. Okay so now back to more seriousness... I had to have a sort of "vacation" by doing the last two chaps, but now I'm back to the main storyline. Be forewarned, I have a BIG thing coming up. *grins* Not telling what it is yet tho~!
cheeky half-demon: O.o uh, what is rickrolled?
Wolfsredfalcon: I'm glad you enjoyed it. And I had to do a "I choose you!" part XD I couldn't resist.
***Chapter 35
Hara didn't wake up until the sunlight was streaming across the room, meaning it was probably mid afternoon. She sat up and stretched with a huge yawn before turning to Grimmjow who had his head buried under a pillow.
"Grimm?" he groaned and pulled the pillow tighter over his head; Hara smiled, "Hangover?"
"…mmmhm…" he growled.
Hara patted his back gently, "That's what happens when you drink too much."
"Shut up," he snapped and she laughed softly in reply before sliding off the bed.
"Well, it looks like I'm going to have to make the 'Super Hara Hangover Cure-All!'" Grimmjow pulled the pillow even tighter over his ears.
"Too…loud…" he growled in a muffled voice. Hara smiled before she shut the door, I need to go shopping for food later… hopefully Orihime has the ingredients I need…
Hara knocked on the door, "Hime-chan, are you there?" But no one answered. Hara bounced on one foot with her arms around her waist impatiently, "Hime-?".
"She's at school today," said Hitsugaya from the stairway window.
"Ehh?!" Hara went over to him, "Firstly that sucks! And secondly…" she stared at him, "Why is it that you like perching in windows? Are you part bird or something?" Hitsugaya blinked at her before his eyebrows contracted and he glared at her.
"No," he said before leaping up and out of sight.
Hara shook her head, "You need to loosen up there, Toshiro…always so serious~!" she sang.
"Urusai!" he snapped back, "And it's Hitsugaya-taicho!"Hara grinned and turned and waltzed down the hall, humming happily.
"Looks like I have to run to the store…" she muttered to herself.
~~FFW an Hour~
Hara blended the ingredients together in the bathroom, that way the sound of the blender wouldn't bother Grimmjow too much. When she was finished she poured the contents into a cup and walked into the bedroom.
Pulling the covers off of him she said, "Grimmjow, drink this, it'll make you feel better."
He growled and with one hand pulled at the blankets, covering himself again.
"Go…away…" he growled. Hara sat on his back where she tugged at the pillow.
"Come on, get up!"
Grimmjow put both hands on the pillow and held it down, "No," he snarled, "Let me sleep!"
"Fine then…" she sniffed, and slid off his back. "I went to all that trouble and you tell me to go away…" her voice was thick with sadness, she even went as far as to sound as if she were going to cry and hid her face in her hands.
Grimmjow's face appeared from under the pillow, "Oi!" he snarled, "Don't cry!"
Hara let her shoulders shake as she pretended to sob, her hair hiding her mischievous expression.
Grimmjow slid off the bed and grabbed for the cup frantically, "Here, see? I'll drink it-" he chugged down the liquid and nearly choked, "Gah what the hell is this crap-"
Hara let out a yowl and turned away from him.
"You're so mean!" she wailed. Grimmjow wiped his mouth on his arm and went over to her.
He plopped down onto his knees and put his hands on her shoulders, "Aw come on; I drank it, didn't I? Don't cry…I-" his eyes narrowed as he pulled her hands away.
"You're so gullible," laughed Hara, her face red with suppressed laughter.
Grimmjow blinked, "You…weren't crying…"
She expected him to yell or get angry, but all he did was stand up and walk away without a word. Suddenly Hara felt bad; she got to her feet and reached out to grab his hand, "Grimm… I didn't mean to-" he spun around and crashed his lips against hers, before pulling back with a triumphant grin,
"Gotcha," he laughed. Hara scowled and threw herself at him, sending the both of them crashing on the bed, their lips touching.
"Feeling better?" she asked, her fingers running through his hair.
"Much," he purred, before putting his arms around her and pulling her downwards. Just as they began to kiss, a loud boom resounded through the building, followed by some dust falling from the ceiling.
Hara almost fell of Grimmjow as the both of them jumped in surprise.
"What the-"
"-hell?!" they said in unison.
Hara scrambled to the door, while Grimmjow followed, pulling on a shirt at the same time. The door to Orihime's room was open, so Hara ran inside.
"What the hell are you doing to Hime's room?" she said, staring at the odd, giant television that was sitting against the wall. Hitsugaya and Matsumoto looked up from the wires they were connecting.
"Uh-" began Matsumoto, but at the same moment more footsteps were heard.
"Uwaah! Cool!" cried Orihime as she peered into the room from behind Grimmjow. Suddenly she blinked, "Wait…It's certainly not! What is this, Toshiro-kun?!"
"This is…a communication device for seritei, isn't it?" muttered Hara as she examined it. Grimmjow watched from the door with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Yes," said Hitsugaya, "I am about to speak with General Commander-san…" he turned to look at Hara, "Are you going to stay and let them see you?"
Well… she thought, they'd find out about us sooner or later…
Hara nodded, "Might as well…" she turned to Grimmjow, "What about you Grimm?"
He nodded.
"If you're goin' to do it, I'll do it too." That way they can't do anything to you without me at your back, he added silently. Hara grinned at him and went to stand beside him against the far wall, her arms over her chest too.
"This is tenth division Captain Hitsugaya," said Toshiro as he touched the screen.
"Yes. We'll patch you through immediately," replied a distant sounding voice.
There was a static hiss before an outline of a person appeared. A few patches of light flashed across the screen and suddenly the General Commander himself stood in the center of it.
"The…head captain?" asked Orihime.
"As expected," he said in a deep voice, "you finished the job rather quickly. This time the emergency line has been prepared for a sole purpose; and that purpose only: to confirm the true goal of Aizen Sosuke."
"Aizen's true motive?" muttered Hitsugaya.
Yamamoto nodded.
"Indeed."
"Uh," interrupted Orihime, "It sounds like an important issue so…I'll leave you guys to it," She began to walk away.
"Wait," said Yamamoto, "This issue has also to do with you humans, so stay and listen to this."
"…Yes," replied Orihime.
"It's been a month since Aizen's disappearance. I know that the investigation of the headquarters for the fifth squad where he spent his daily life. Also the Central 46, Seijoutyou Kyorin and the Great Spirit Library are continuing. There is considerable hardship for this investigation. It's due to the fact that the majority is being done in the off limit bound area… Even for the Captain levels, there are few that know what is inside."
"You can spare us the introductions, Commander-san," interjected Hitsugaya, "Please, the main point."
"Yes of course," replied the Commander General. "Ukitake, who is head of the investigation of the Great Spirit Library, has discovered a mysterious trace in that gallery. There are records containing only material on the Hougyoku and locked up research data. But, two days before Aizen's disappearance, only once, were there documents unrelated to the Hougyoku that were attached to those records."
"And that is…?"
Yamamoto's face went grim, "The Ou-Ken."
A gasp went through the room, coming from Hara, Hitsugaya, and Matsumoto.
"Ou-ken? What is that?" asked Orihime.
"It's the key of the royal family, its name is exactly what it means," said Hara, stepping out of the shadows.
Yamamoto's eyes went wide as he stared at her.
"Hara Ayumi? You are alive?"
Hara smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes,
"Yes. But before you interrogate me; please continue your conversation with the others, I will be more than happy to explain my presence."
Yamamoto nodded.
"What do you mean, royal family? I mean, does that mean there's a king or something?" asked Orihime.
"Even in soul society there are such things as royal families," whispered Matsumoto, "Even if he is called king, there's no actuality to his existence, since he allows for the Chamber 46 to take care of all soul society's business, and never intervenes. In truth, neither Taicho nor I have actually seen him in real life before."
"So," continued Yamamoto, "The king is called the "Spirit King", who is a representative symbol as well as an existing figure of soul society. The royal palace moreover, is within a separate dimension that exists within the core of the seritei and is protected by the royal family special duty force. The Ou-Ken is the key to open the space to the royal palace."
"So that means…Aizen…that king…" stammered Orihime.
"He's going to kill him, right?" asked Hara.
"Precisely, that is his plan. But the problem is not there…"
"…the book that Aizen read was not one that would direct him to where the Ou-Ken would be…" muttered Toshiro in a part statement, part question.
"Indeed," replied Yamamoto, "For generations, the whereabouts of the Ou-Ken has been passed down through the General Commanders only by the speaking tradition. Hence forth, there exists no books to which will point him to the location. What he looked at were the documents that displayed the time when the OU-Ken was being made. What he knows is the "Method of Resurrection of the Ou-Ken".
"Namely," said Matsumoto, "That means there is a problem with the resurrection of the Ou-Ken?"
"Negative, it is not an act of creation. The problem is the "ingredients."
Yamamoto went on to explain how the Ou-ken needed a million souls and a mile of soul enriched land, namely Karakura town. If Aizen succeeded in using Karakura, then it and its people would be wiped off the face of the earth.
Orihime fell to her knees, while Hara back up into Grimmjow, her eyes horrified.
"So…that's what he's doing!" she whispered. Grimmjow shrugged; he didn't know Aizen's real plans himself; espada were nothing more than his elite soldiers, and if anyone where to know what was going on, it would be Ulquiorra or Barragan; the two whom he most trusted out of the arrancar.
"Is there…stop…is there a way to stop him?" stammered Orihime.
"Even without the Ou-Ken, we will stop them," said Yamamoto, "For that reason does the 13 Guard Squads Exist." He went on to explain that she needn't worry yet, they still had plenty of time because the Hougyoku wouldn't be fully awakened until winter. He asked her to tell Ichigo that strength was needed in the human world; to which she ran off immediately to tell him.
"I'll go and tell Ikkaku and the others," said Matsumoto before running off as well. Hitsugaya started to go with her, but Yamamoto stopped him and told him there was someone who wished to speak with him.
"In that case, I will return when you are finished Hitsugaya-taicho," said Hara, her eyes on Yamamoto. He nodded and Grimmjow and Hara left the room.
"Tch, that's the shinigami boss?" asked Grimmjow as he leaned against the wall.
"Yeah…" Hara sighed and put her fingers on her temples, "This isn't going to be fun. I'm not on Aizen's side, but I'm not completely on their side either."
"We're on our side," replied Grimmjow. Hara looked up at him in surprise, "We don't really belong with either of them… at least, I don't."
She went up to him and planted her hands on his chest where she peered into his eyes.
"What's this all of a sudden?" Hara reached up and touched the cyan marking under his eye, her finger tracing it.
"It's just that… I was thinking when we were in there… those shinigami aren't going to trust me much… Even if we defeat Aizen, do you really think they'll let me run free? I'm an arrancar, an enemy to most shinigami…" he wrapped his fingers around hers; "I don't belong in soul society, and I don't really belong in the human world either…"
Hara pulled her hand away and punched him in the arm, "Baka Grimmjow!" she said, "You belong with me!" His eyes widened in surprise, "Does it really matter what anyone else thinks?"
"Uh…not really…" he muttered as he thought about it.
Hara grinned at him, "Then what's the problem?"
He grinned.
"Nothing, not at all."
Hara chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck, her nose and his touching.
At the same moment the door opened and Hitsugaya walked out, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of them before they seemed to flash with a bit of anger and sadness which quickly disappeared. Hara pulled away sharply catching the flash of emotion and feeling curious and guilty at the same time.
"Come on," she muttered to Grimmjow before walking into the room.
Yamamoto opened an eye to stare at Hara, before moving to Grimmjow and taking in his appearance.
"You are an arrancar, are you not?" he asked, his voice monotonous. Grimmjow nodded, his eyes cold.
Hara brushed against his arm reassuringly.
"General-san," said Hara, "We-"
"Explain yourself!!" he roared, "Why have you dared to show your face when you so happily waltzed into Aizen's company?!"
Hara flinched.
"Well, you see-"
"And now you stand before me with an arrancar?! One who nearly killed Kurosaki Ichigo and could have hurt dozens more?!"
"But-"
"You are lucky if I do not imprison the both of you!" Hara had never seen Yamamoto Genryuusai so angry, but her own temper was rising.
"You will not!" she snarled, her eyes flashing silver, "Do not forget who I am!" Yamamoto opened both eyes, taking note of the silver color that was flashing in the eyes of the furious young woman. Grimmjow put his hand on Hara's shoulder to signal she needed to calm down. Hara gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, "Yes, I did go to Aizen's side! I will not deny it-"
"Then you are guilty of treason-"
"Let me finish!" she snarled, "Commander, Grimmjow and I no longer consider ourselves on Aizen's side! It doesn't matter if you do not trust me or if you banish me, but just hear us out! We can give you quite a bit of information on Las Noches!"
Yamamoto took a deep breath.
"So be it. I am sending Zaraki to fetch you. You will be interrogated and the information you claim to have-"
"Forget it," said Hara, "How stupid do you think I am? Do you think I do not know what would happen if we did what you say?" Yamamoto didn't answer, "As soon as we would set foot on seritei soil, you would capture us! And then, after you squeezed out every last drop of information we have, you'd put me up for execution and Grimmjow would be sent to Kurotsuchi for experimentation!" she crossed her arms over her chest, "I am no fool; I refuse to be taken. I will give Hitsugaya the information we have, but-"
"Do not forget who you are talking to, child!" said Yamamoto, "I am Commander General! You cannot fight against the Gotei 13-" Hara laughed.
"Oh and you're going to send them all after us then? With situations as they are, I highly doubt it!" She stomped towards the door, "I see that this conversation was useless, other than causing an argument." She opened the door, "I'm leaving. Good day, Sou-taicho-san." Grimmjow followed her, letting the door slam behind them.
Before the communication screen closed, Yamamoto sighed.
"Her host has changed, but her temperament has not."
Hara dropped against the wall, her fists clenched.
"That was stupid, I should have never…" Grimmjow watched her; Hara sighed, "I'm sorry Grimm, I shouldn't have done that."
"Eh, it doesn't matter," he said, "It's not like I'd be on good terms with them anyway." Hara smiled slightly as she stood up.
"Same here," she said, leaning against him. Grimmjow put an arm over her shoulder and grinned; Hara grinned too, "You know…we should go train a bit…" she suggested, "We don't want to get out of shape."
Grimmjow laughed.
"Alright, but where?"
"I know the perfect spot," replied Hara as she walked down the hall.