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Chapter 53 - Where Findor dispenses very good elf'n'safety advice (that's Health, Safety and Environment for non-Brits), Ulquiorra has some bright realisations, and Stark pretends he is in a good mood.


'Master Schiffer, you're looking at me so intently that I have the feeling you're minded to invite me into Hueco Mundo for a bit of a friendly spar,' Stark said, with unexpected good humour, and despite the fact that Ulquiorra was not looking at him; it was not that he felt amused, either. It was simply that he knew it would irk the Cuarta. 'What about you, Ukitake?' he added, turning towards his other companion – this time, his voice had carried no trace of amusement. 'Care for a breath of Hueco Mundo fresh air?'

Without waiting for a response from either, he shot a Cero, pulverizing a lonely, shrieking and hopping Hollow before it had even come close to the edge of the Garganta they'd been standing on; neither of his companions would have answered anyway, and the target practice was a bit of fun, spurring on his next brilliant suggestion.

'How about an archery, Kido and respectively lance throwing contest?' the Primera further prodded. 'First to a hundred Hollow at three hundred paces wins tea with Aizen-sama?'

'You are disrespectful,' Ulquiorra finally yielded.

'How about closing the Garganta and going home, then?' Stark snarled.

'That is not what Aizen-sama ordered,' Ulquiorra dryly and predictably answered, making the Primera's shoulders slump.

'I give up on you,' Stark sighed. Not caring for the Cuarta's frozen glare, he drifted away from the edge of the spectral gateway, to sit on the roof of the nearest shabby cottage. 'A round of tutti1, Findor?' he asked, peering at his second in command through the badly patched roof, and thinking that the Fraccion had probably grown roots in the three hours he'd been hiding, in position, on the derelict porch of the hut.

The entirety of the 13th, as well as some forty of Ulquiorra's own underlings were similarly hidden throughout the small deserted area of Rukongai's 78th district; they'd made very quick work of the few demonic manifestations and tens of minor Hollow that had caused the initial alert, but the Garganta the invaders had come through had remained unexplainably open once the inflow had slowed to a trickle, then completely stopped.

'I did not think bringing playing cards to the combat field would be exacta, Stark-sama,' Findor whispered, in a very serious tone.

'That was sarcasm, my good man,' Stark chuckled. The Fraccion looked chastised. 'It's alright, you'll catch it next time,' the Primera winked. 'Since it looks like we will be here, meditating on the meaning of life until something fitting the Cuarta's deployment of forces comes through that portal, I have a feeling I'll give you plenty of opportunities to practice.'

'I agree,' Ukitake shyly intervened. 'It would perhaps be wiser to either investigate further or seal the gateway now that the attack seems to have ceased; it is fortunate that bigger entities have not come through already…'

'Desist with the meaningless banter,' Ulquiorra dryly said. 'This is an Omniskido-led operation, and you are under my direct authority.'

'I said nothing to the contrary,' Stark shrugged, but stretched, making his shoulders crack loudly – and probably making himself the target of burning envy from the a hundred and fifty Shinigami and Arrancar who were freezing behind fences and bushes throughout the quarter. He then yawned, and lay back with his hands crossed under his head. 'Ukitake,' he coldly ordered. 'wake me up if something comes out of that Garganta and bites master Schiffer's head off. I'll wake up and cheer on my own if something comes and bites your head off.'

The Shinigami swallowed the public humiliation, and looked down.

'And that, master Carias,' Stark said through gritted teeth, but only speaking loud enough for Findor to hear him, 'was not sarcasm.'

The Cuarta stared at him lengthily, but did not argue further.

'Your behavior is noted,' he simply said, turning away; before he fully faced into the Garganta, however, his glance passed over Ukitake and stopped to measure him for a few seconds – there was nothing to be read in the Cuarta's expression, yet the Shinigami had the odd impression that Ulquiorra was either reading his thoughts or gazing inside his chest. Ukitake knew he must have been looking half dead, for winter was fast approaching, and the air was freezing and humid at the same time. 'You may sit, if you wish, Ukitake Jushiro,' Ulquiorra unexpectedly said.

'When I say so,' Stark had growled in response. The Cuarta had blinked and turned away, and, for a few minutes, all was quiet. In a corner of his mind, Ukitake was half expecting he would actually hear Stark snore soon; it was not the case, for the Primera was, in fact, neither sleepy, nor bored.

He was worried and annoyed.

It was clear to both the Primera and the Cuarta that the Garganta could not have remained open on its own for such a long time; a powerful entity, either Hollow or of the other type, was keeping it open. Ukitake must have guessed the same as well.

Logic, Stark's thoughts had then followed, might have indicated that if the thing which was sustaining the Garganta had been Hollow, it would have come through by now – unless, of course, there was a new Vasto Lorde on the other side with a particularly cunning hunting method. Yet, that was doubtful: bits of it had come through as well, not many, and not powerful enough to have resisted a hypothetical Vasto Lorde.

No, the Primera thought, another Vasto Lorde would have been too much good luck.

The more likely possibility was that some form of hell manifestation had lodged itself on the other side of the spiritual gateway, and was probably having the most copious meal of its new existence, as more and more Hollow were drawn to opening. And that it was growing.

He bitterly recalled that when the first of the demon gates had opened on Earth, the entity had been had not been quite sure of what to do with itself, or how to employ the normal gateways – he also remembered it learned very fast, however; some action against it had been taken in the human world, but he had the dreary feeling that if it had actually learnt to cross into Hueco Mundo, as it seemed to have done, the human world was merely a distraction.

The only good fortune was that Aizen's own actions had emptied the desert of its more powerful denizens, but in the long term, that did not matter either: whether hell directly consumed human souls in the human world, or simply waited for the deluge of those who'd died darkly, it was growing.

While Ulquiorra, being the fair guy that he was, was patiently waiting for it to become bold enough to actually send a significant manifestation through the Garganta they were all sheepishly staring at.

Who knows? Stark thought to himself, once more yawning. Maybe he actually finds this entertaining.

Or, the Primera considered, suddenly grinning cruelly to himself, Ulquiorra was hoping to save face, since he'd mobilized an entire division to fight twenty demons and fifty minor Hollow, while according to rumor and New Central meeting minutes, the 3rd and the diminished 8th were holding back hundreds in the human world. Still, there had been a random confused Adjucha amid the Hollow here, he reminded himself, feeling the pleasant, all but forgotten taste of raw energy along the fangs of his mask.

The show of force the Cuarta had produced was nonetheless as impressive as it was moot.

'Heaven,' he said, to no one in particular. 'It is so…heavenly.' He felt sadness stirring in Ukitake's reiatsu, and felt inwardly pleased at the barb.

The rows and rows of empty houses which surrounded them were as far from anyone's idea of Heaven as only Hueco Mundo could be, merely a vast sea of randomly constructed wooden shacks, so frail and bare that some had actually crumbled when the various Shinigami and Arrancar had taken their designated positions on porches and roofs. They were built in such a hap-hazard manner, that there was not even an identifiable lane in between them, with piles of rotten garbage strewn from place to place in the knee deep mud. Stark couldn't even recall if he'd seen a well anywhere close – there was only a murky river, which was now additionally littered with the carcasses of a few Hollow too large for its waters to carry off.

'This area has been evacuated,' Ulquiorra suddenly said; the Primera was so surprised that he actually sat up. 'And not by Sereitei,' the Cuarta added.

Stark frowned and looked around, suddenly finding that Ulquiorra's observation was very correct, and berating himself for not taking notice of it himself – the entire area was empty; not only no plusses, but not a chicken or a pig in sight. If these people had fled in panic at the invasion, something might have been left behind, yet…

'For a moment I had actually thought you'd had the foresight to take whatever plusses lived here out of the way of our grand operation, master Schiffer,' Stark answered, in half irony; Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder, and actually lifted the right corner of his lips into what resembled a smirk.

'That is not the remit of the Omnitskido, and Aizen-sama did not order it,' the Curata dryly answered. He made a brief hand gesture, making one of his subordinates leave cover and approach him, then set knee to the ground. 'Check if this is true for other sections,' he ordered; the man vanished.

'People have been known to flee the path of Hollow invasions,' Ukitake said.

'In my direct recollection of Hollow invasions, Ukitake Jushiro,' Ulquiorra evenly responded, making the Shinigami grow even paler, 'when we open the path of a colony to the human world or Rukongai, we don't actually leave the prey time to load up their livestock.'

Stark actually chuckled.

'The benefits of having a diverse team eh, Ukitake?' he said, enjoying the mixture of surprise, sorrow and anger in the Shinigami's eyes. 'You always learn something new.'

He actually hoisted himself up to get a better look, and sent out a weak pequisa wave; Ulquiorra sensed it and spun about, probably wondering why the other had done him the unexpected favour.

'You're right,' Stark said. 'The plus concentration starts almost mile from here, towards Sereitei and near the border of the 77th.'

'Sense further, east and west, along this circumference.' Ulquiorra said.

'I don't know if it's in the remit of the 13th or if Aizen-sama ordered it,' Stark returned, feeling displeased by the direct order. 'Fine, fine, let it not be said I am uncooperative,' he mumbled. 'Findor, pesquisa incoming warning,' he added, finding a way of stealing Ulquiorra's victory – the Fraccion materialized on the roof that Stark had barely left, and dutifully bellowed:

'Attention, 13th Division! The Monsignor Primera Espada Stark-sama will send a pesquisa wave! Please stand away from all unsafe buildings, loose building materials, large tree branches, companions with large horns, or anything else you believe might become dislodged and fall on your head! Do not employ Sonido or Shumpo! Employ best judgment! Disregard this announcement if you have a naturally thick skull! Good luck to all!'

For a sweet, precious moment, Stark thought Ulquiorra might actually gawk, and Ukitake might actually faint.

'Well done, Findor,' Stark said. 'Barragan may have found him, but I trained him,' he added, giving the Cuarta an unsolicited, and by the look in Ulquiorra's eyes, horrifyingly offensive wink – then pushed out his reiatsu without further warning.

The wave caused even Ulquiorra and Ukitake to cover their eyes, and swept over the entire area with the force of a silent explosion; a few shabby buildings were indeed leveled, and a pained yelp some hundred feet away announced that someone had not been wise enough or fast enough to heed Findor's warning – its front, so concentrated that it was visible quickly vanished into the horizon, only to return at equal speed, and such force that Ukitake actually felt his eardrums were about to burst.

'No, nothing,' Stark said, with a shrug. Twenty yards away, another wooden shed surrendered to the sway the wave had caused in the half-rotten planks of its walls, and loudly collapsed. 'This outer district is empty for five miles both east and west of us. And no, I did not sense anything moving inside the Garganta either. Just in case you were curious.'

The Cuarta was not. He simply stared intently ahead, then turned his head left and right with all but mechanical motions. 'A complete evacuation of the 78th 's outer ring,' he noted.

Without warning, he spun around and waved his hand, causing the Garganta to blink closed – drawing a barely disguised general sigh of relief from the troop behind him, and thoroughly surprising Stark.

'Are we giving up on heroic deeds for the evening, Cuarta?' he asked, arching an eyebrow.

'Some of us do not know what the words mean,' Ulquiorra stung in return. 'I see no wisdom in continuing here, and I will not move into Hueco Mundo without orders; that is outside my responsibilities anyway. Aizen-sama may see fit to send you, once he has been informed, but that remains to be seen.'

'Besides,' Ulquiorra followed, taking a step forward and coming to stand by Stark's side without looking up at him, 'the fact that this area has indeed been emptied must be brought to New Central's attention at once.'

'I hate to quote him,' Stark said, indicating Ukitake with a nod, 'but people do flee natural disasters.'

'That is true,' the Cuarta nodded. 'Yet this was far from a natural disaster, and but for the demonic presence, it was not unusual on the scale of past incidents reported by the 3rd; the people have not done this in the past.'

He thoughtfully looked over the deserted sea of rotting huts.

'The first combined demonic and Hollow Garganta appeared but a month ago, and no such movements of populace were noted – now, they are moving, and in a very organized manner.' He followed. 'Two questions then arise, Stark.'

'Who has the power of organization to move hundreds of people being the first,' Stark agreed. 'I think our friends in la resistence may be the answer to that one.'

Ulquiorra nodded again. 'They did not realize that the invading entities were special on the first opening, and they did not realize it in its immediate aftermath, but they somehow learnt that these invaders are not purely Hollow between then and now. Even we did not know demons would manifest again, so…The second question, then, becomes - who warned them?'

Good question, Stark acknowledged.

'Well, it would appear Sereitei's impenetrable walls are starting to seriously leak under pressure.' The Primera said. 'And that you, master Schiffer, have a problem.'

'We have a problem,' Ulquiorra evenly answered, meeting's Stark's glance for a single moment before vanishing to Sonido, swiftly taking all of the Primera's amusement with him.

Stark nodded to Findor to signal retreat, but in his turn made no haste for the walls. Annoyingly, neither did Ukitake, yet, to his credit, the Shinigami stood well away from Stark until all the others had gone, and the Primera had gotten so lost in his own thoughts that he'd all but forgotten his presence.

'We should have gone into Hueco Mundo, and at least ascertain the nature of the Garganta's cause…' Ukitake softly began, at length; Stark threw him an icy, frozen glance, cutting him off.

'I don't know if that will happen, Ukitake,' he responded. 'Maybe Aizen remembers that the last leader of Sereitei who sent forces into Hueco Mundo did not end that well – some decrepit old man by the name of Yamamoto, remember him?'

'If you did not wish for any advice on the matter,' Ukitake replied, with distinctly unwise anger in his voice, 'why did you bring me out to see this?'

'I was hoping a late autumn's evening walk would do you well,' Stark grinned – the other was visibly taken aback. 'Leave me before I get truly rude.' The Primera said, narrowing his eyes. 'And don't make any unscheduled stops; you've heard master Schiffer. It would appear we have a leak.'

'Would you truly have wanted all of these souls present if hell had fully manifested, as it has done in the human world?' the Shinigami insisted.

'No,' Stark simply responded, shoving his hands in his pockets, and managing a wide smile. 'But it does not matter; I do not want it manifesting in Hueco Mundo either. You see, the irony that deeply amuses me is that the resistance's efforts here are as futile as Schiffer's leak is irrelevant. If the attacks on the human world will continue, the mass of newly arrived souls will be forced to return to this region and within hell's reach for the same reason why they initially came.'

Stark smiled, though Lilinette, and the misery she'd grown up in rose in his thoughts, making absent heart ache.

'Souls came here because they had nowhere else to go - or do you imagine anyone lived here by choice?' he asked; Ukitake lowered his glance and shadow-stepped away.

The Primera did not enjoy the victory, for there was nothing to enjoy; he simply lowered himself onto the roof, and sat, resting his elbow on his bent knee. Ukitake was right, and he knew it – they should have killed whatever had opened the Garganta, or closed the passageway before it fed and gained additional strength, yet, judging by Ulquiorra's behavior, Aizen had had other intentions, and unlike the first time around, Stark found himself at a true loss as to what they might have been.

He can't make himself God all over again, can he? He's already done that…

We are alone, he thought. No, Stark corrected, closing his eyes, I am alone.

That night, the dream visited him for the first time; in this, he'd not be alone. He'd be just the first of many.


1Tutti - Tute, a Spanish card game in which the pourpose is getting all four kings. It would have been called tutti, by its Italian name during Stark's life.


Up next - would you believe it, an Ulquiorra chapter. Yes, you read that right, master Schiffer gets a voice and a past.