A/N: Hello everyone! Happy New Year and for my Latino followers Happy Three Wise Men Day! Sorry I been a little quiet but I'm starting college soon and things have been really hectic. I do have some bittersweet news that we're getting near the end of this fic. I'm thinking we'll be done by March or April if I can write at a fast pace, but I'm almost certain I can finish before summer ends. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and thank you for reading!
©Bleach and its characters don't belong to me, they belong to Tite Kubo and Shounen Jump. Only Anna Maria, Choco, Jeanne, and the Fujiwara clan belong to me.
Chapter 29: Brief Bliss
It was harder to run than she expected. Orihime knew Nemu specialized in hand-to-hand combat, and that she was quite fast. That being said, this hollow seemed to be faster.
Orihime shielded Nemu when necessary, the shinigami adapted to this style of fighting easily and could land a few attacks on the hollow, but it wasn't enough to kill it.
"Nemu-san, should I try to cut it down too?"
"Yes. The more the better."
Orihime nodded, getting ready to attack. Nemu would lead the target into position, after she attacked the hollow would be weak enough for Nemu to use her zanpakuto.
It was scary, to see such a gigantic hollow charging at her full speed. 'It doesn't matter, I've faced worse, and I'm still here.'
She got ready and waited for Nemu's signal. Once Nemu raised her hand, she knew what to do.
"Koten Zanshun, I reject!
Nemu jumped out of the way just in time. The yellow glow consumed the hollow, leaving only a mangled husk. He was quickly dispatched.
"That took less time than expected. Thank you for assistance, Inoue-san."
"You're welcome. I'm happy I could help. Um, Nemu-san, do you know who sent the hollow?"
"From the sample I've taken, it seems this is not an artificial hollow. That discards Anna, activity on the area has been low as of late, so a big hollow showing up isn't unusual. In any case, I'll tell the others to keep an eye out."
"Gotcha."
They arrived at school in the nick of time, luckily Nemu was in her class, so they could rush there together.
Lunch break came by fast. It was amusing to see her human friends interacting with Nemu. Special mention went to Michiru who told her she was pretty. Nemu was still blushing from that compliment.
"Hey Inoue, is it true you and Ulquiorra will be taking over the bakery?" Rio asked her.
"Yes, Miss Chiyo wanted it to be remodeled after she passed, so we'll likely reopen in a couple of weeks. Ulquiorra is there right now."
"Well then, we'll have to go there more often. Miss Chiyo will be sorely missed, but we know you'll both do great as the new owners."
"Thanks, everyone. I appreciate the support."
"Hey! I just got a great idea! You could offer some treats during the back to school concert. That could be a good advertisement."
"That's perfect! Thanks, Mahona. I'll call Ulquiorra right now!"
She walked away from the group and quickly dialed Ulquiorra's number.
"Hello, my dear."
Orihime chuckled. "Hello, handsome. How's everything back at the bakery?"
"Everything is going well. Azuka-san said that we can reopen during the Valentine's festivities. She'll be moving away in May, so we have three months to get the reigns of management."
"Alright. That's fair. I'll go there when school's over."
"Speaking of school, is everything alright? There was a hollow near the path you take but the presence is gone."
"Everything's under control. Nemu and I took care of it. Although we do need to talk to the others."
"Yes, I also have some news."
"From your tone, I don't think they're very good news. Aren't they?"
"I'm afraid not."
"That's it. Keep moving, after you're done with the push-ups we'll do laps."
Chad nodded, obeying Ichigo's commands. His friend had agreed to help him train his hollow powers until his fullbring recovered.
"I still don't get it. You don't have a hollow like Kurosaki used to. Maybe his training wouldn't work on you." Uryu told him.
"It's worth a shot at least. The only one who knew how to handle each specific fullbring was Ginjo, and you know we can't speak to him now."
Despite the things he had done, Chad still missed the fullbringer leader. Their time as allies was short but he felt like they all bonded. Which made their betrayal all the more hurtful.
"Speaking of Ginjo... Why do you think he got involved with us? Do you think it was just a distraction?" Ishida asked.
"I don't know. I think that was just half of it. As a distraction, training went fine, but aside from that, he had no business telling us what happened to him, or to the rest of the fullbringers.
I think we weren't Kugo's primary target, he needed us out of the way, but not dead. His target is the Soul Society. They're the ones responsible for Mitsuru's and Hibiki's deaths. We were just pawns that needed to be kept away."
"That makes sense. I think I made it worse by trying to reason with him. Dude's traumatized by what happened to his sister."
"Can you blame him? I mean, we all know you'd snuff the sun out if something happened to Yuzu and Karin."
Ichigo nodded. "Yeah...In hindsight it was dumb of me to try and argue against him, I just hoped it would be enough to keep him on our side. I guess it was hopeless from the beginning, he was never on our side."
Chad understood. He would've done the same had he been able. "He chose his path, we must be diligent in choosing our own."
Just as he was finished with his exercising, Chad saw Ulquiorra, Orihime, and Nemu heading their way.
"Thank goodness we found you! There's something we must discuss." Orihime spoke in between breaths.
"I saw Shizuka's brother near the bakery. I think he's keeping an eye on her."
That immediately alarmed him. "Are you sure?"
"From what Ulquiorra has described and the presence of a Grand Fisher it's is logical to assume that Asami Fujiwara is in fact here in Karakura."
"Wait Nemu, did you just say Grand Fisher?" Ichigo asked.
"Yes. Orihime-san and I dispatched one this morning."
The redhead sighed. "Damn. I didn't even realize it. Sorry, we couldn't assist you."
"It's is fine. It's my duty to fight the hollows alongside Shizuka-san. Besides, Inoue was of great help."
Orihime smiled, slightly embarrassed by the compliment. "Thanks, Nemu."
It was good to see his friend finally get some appreciation as a fighter. Chad was worried about this new development. As far as he knew, Shizuka hadn't spoken to her sibling since the fight they had a while ago.
"We should warn her. I have a bad feeling about this."
"Not a single hollow insight. This is strange." Riruka mentioned.
"Tell me about it. I wonder how the others did back in school. The first days are always tough to get through."
As if in cue she heard Nemu come in. Shizuka was surprised to see Chad as well.
"Hey, guys! How was school?"
They didn't look happy. Nemu's neutral expression had a hint of worry, and Chad wasn't usually this serious.
"What's wrong?"
"We think your brother is here in Karakura."
She almost blacked out. This whole mission was supposed to keep her away from Asami, but now he was here in her sanctuary.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes. Ulquiorra's description perfectly matches Asami. You might need to keep an eye out."
"Ok. Ok, I will." Shizuka managed to say. "Let's just get something to eat."
The color had left her face and she felt her mind blurring out the scenery. Riruka noticed and went over to help keep her upright. She whispered a soft thanks to her pink-haired friend, who smiled in response.
Despite enjoying dinner Shizuka couldn't hide the anxiety that was now taking hold. Thankfully, her friends there to try and cheer her up.
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. The school is having a new semester concert. You girls should all come."
Truly Chad knew how much she liked music, Shizuka smiled warmly. "That sounds fun! Will your band be playing?"
"Yes. I'm nervous since we've never played live before, but the guys already signed up. I don't want to let them down."
"You'll do great, don't worry. Besides if all of this ends well, Kugo might still keep his offer of letting you play in the club."
"You think he'll still want to see us. After all that's happened?" Chad asked, disbelief was laced in his voice.
"Yes. I think so." Riruka answered. "Regardless of what happens, Kugo's going to come back to Naruki, and I'm certain he'll want to see us all again."
Shizuka wasn't sure what would happen but she did want to see them again. Kugo, Aizen and especially Anna. 'I know that it was up to you, nobody would have to go through this.'
After dinner was over and Chad had left the girls all decided to lounge around the living room.
"Are you ok? I mean, with what we learned." Riruka sat beside her, gently touching her shoulder.
"I'll be ok. Asami snooping around isn't the biggest of our problems right now.
I'm more worried that I couldn't sense that Grand Fisher this morning. Are you sure it was a natural hollow, Nemu-san?"
"Yes, I am positive. Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless it was modified so that you wouldn't be able to sense it."
"Ulquiorra, c'mon it's not like I saved the universe." Orihime laughed as Ulquiorra brought her a freshly baked cake.
"Maybe so, but I still think you deserve a celebration. You and Nemu took down a high-level hollow on your own. It's impressive that you've come so far. I've always known you had strength in you."
"Stop Ulquiorra, I'm going to cry." She told him in between giggles. "Alright, let's celebrate, but next time I'll be the one throwing you a party."
"Very well. I look forward to it."
Kukkapuro jumped onto her lap, excitedly wagging his tail. Orihime snuggled him and whispered a 'thank you'. The pup had also been a supportive friend these past few months, and she was glad to see he'd made progress too.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Ulquiorra petting Choco, since the other puppy wanted attention too, he was smiling.
What once was a rare occurrence became mundane for them over time, but still Orihime loved his smile. It was living proof that he was happy and safe.
"Woman? Is something wrong?"
She hadn't noticed Ulquiorra caught her staring. "No, not all. I was just thinking of how lucky I am to see you smiling every day."
The reaction was immediate. Ulquiorra blushed profusely and looked away. "You always say things like that."
Orihime walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I mean it. It's my favorite part of the day."
He smiled again, it was always as beautiful as the first time.
"I'm starting to think you're both related," Chizuru muttered.
Ulquiorra rolled his eyes. The group was talking before the concert began, and to their surprise Chizuru had come in with a date, a girl with black hair, pale skin, and a neutral expression.
"Just because we look slightly alike doesn't mean we're related, besides Chizuru-san, I technically died 500 years ago."
"Right. I keep forgetting that." Chizuru chuckled. "You've really become more open, Schiffer. At first, I thought it was because of Hime-chan, but it's clear you've put in your fair share of work too. I'm proud."
"Thank you, that means a lot." The pink-haired girl smiled at him. They hadn't spent much time together, but still, he enjoyed her hyper company.
"You're welcome. Now let's go get our girlfriends before the concert starts." Chizuru playfully walked towards her girlfriend. "Kyoko-chan! Orihime-chan! We're getting lonely here!"
The girls just laughed at Chizuru's antics and motioned for them both to come over.
The show was about to start. Ulquiorra felt Orihime holding his hand, he returned the gesture.
Soon the music began playing. Chad's band would be the last one to perform until then he'd wait patiently with Orihime and his friends.
Ulquiorra noticed Orihime was standing on her tippy toes, trying to get a better look at the stage.
"Do you want me to lift you up?" he asked her.
"Are you sure? I'm a little heavy.
"Don't be ridiculous, woman. I enjoy carrying you."
He lifted her up to his shoulder, Orihime was startled at first, but when she found her balance, she calmed down.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
It was calming to have her slight weight on his shoulder, and her hands on his hair. The starlight and music made the scene come together. Tonight Ulquiorra decided not to think about his enemies or the coming battles, he would just enjoy the calm as long as he had it.
"I think Chad's band is about to perform," Orihime told him.
Ulquiorra let her down softly as they waited for their friend to appear onstage.
But he didn't come.
He hadn't experienced an anxiety attack since the day his grandfather passed away. Why was it happening it now? It's not like he didn't rehearse, his bandmates were all very supportive, his friend's girlfriends had seen them perform and absolutely loved it. Then why was this taking such a toll on him now?!
Chad could feel Ichigo trying to calm him down. Tatsuki brought him a bottle of water. "We could cancel the performance. I'll tell the band."
"No, Tatsuki! They've wanted to perform for such a long time, we can't cancel!"
"Dude, you're not in the condition to perform. I'll just tell Tanaka-san to play an instrumental piece with the others. Is that better than canceling?"
Chad nodded. "Yes. Tell them that."
He felt guilty for not being able to perform, especially since his bandmates were counting on him, still, he didn't feel like he could step on that stage with the large crowd looking on.
"Thank the stars we found you!"
Shizuka and Orihime came into the classroom. Both girls looked worried.
"The band's out looking for you."
"Tell them not to bother. I can't perform. They'd be better off playing an instrumental piece."
"Wait, what?! You've been wanting to perform live for quite a while now! Sado-kun, do you really want to pass it up?"
"No Inoue, but I don't want to freeze in front of all those people. It's best if I don't do it at all."
"But we'll all be cheering you on, you've been here for all of us, let us be here for you."
He saw Shizuka place her hand on Orihime's shoulder. "Orihime-chan, go back with the others, Ichigo and Tatsuki, tell the band we'll be there in five minutes."
The group was skeptical but did as they were told. Shizuka sat beside him, not saying anything at first.
"You know I can't perform like this. It would be a disaster."
"I know, it's the panic of performing for the first time.
When I first started working for Ginjo, it was as a bartender. Unless I did tricks to get a better tip it wasn't much of a performance. Then the DJ had to move away, and we were in desperate need of a replacement.
I had worked with turntables before back at the Soul Society, but those were just silly parties with my Squad. Here I had to perform for a big audience, and I wasn't too sure of what to do. But I took a breath and started the song, by the end of it, my nerves were gone and preforming was second nature.
I know this is a different situation, but you love singing and playing music, and you shouldn't miss out on it because you're a little scared. We all know you'll do great and eventually, the nerves will wear out as well."
He smiled. "I'm flattered you think so highly of me, but I just can't look at that sea of people and do things properly."
Shizuka nodded. "Not to worry my friend. I have the solution for that." From the pocket of her jeans, she took out a pair of dark sunglasses. "Rockstars look great with glasses."
Chad laughed. He didn't think of wearing sunglasses at night, but it would probably be enough to blur the faces that would be looking at him.
"Ok. I'll sing, but there's something I must ask of you."
"Sure. What is it?"
"I want you to sing with me."
Shizuka looked surprised, then she smiled. "Alright then. Let's go."
The band was waiting for them backstage, relieved that their frontman was back.
"Sorry for the wait everyone."
"Don't worry pal, we figured you just needed a breather and some good company." Tanaka winked at Shizuka who simply rolled her eyes and laughed.
"C'mon boys, we have a show to put on."
Chad grabbed his guitar and walked onstage. He noticed two microphones had been set up. 'I guess the boys knew as well.' he thought.
Once everyone else got into position he spoke. "Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay. We are Amore 'e Morte and we'll be performing for you tonight."
The crowd cheered. Shizuka's plan worked, as he could still hear them and see silhouettes but the intimidating sea of people was no longer a concern.
The first notes of the song started and he began to sing.
Everyone's around
No words are coming now
And I can't find my breath
Can we just say the rest
With no sound
And I know this isn't enough
I still don't measure up
And I'm not prepared
Sorry is never there
When you need it
And now I do want you to know I hold you up above everyone
And now I do want you to know I think you'd be good to me
And I'd be so good to you
I would
Chad looked at Shizuka, it was her turn to sing. 'I wonder if she's calm, if she knows all the words, or if she's nervous.' Nothing could've prepared him for what came.
I thought I saw a sign
Somewhere between the lines
And maybe it's me
Maybe I only see
What I want
And I still have your letter
Just got caught between
Someone I just invented
Who I really am
And who I've become
Shizuka's voice had always been melodic while speaking, but her singing voice was something ethereal. Chad almost forgot they had to sing together on the chorus again.
He took a breath, getting ready to end the song properly. Shizuka winked at him and Chad nodded. They would put on their best show yet.
And now I do want you to know I hold you up above everyone
And now I do want you to know I think you'd be good to me
And I'd be so good to you
I would
And now I do want you to know I hold you up above everyone
And now I do want you to know I think you'd be good to me
And I'd be so good to you
I'd be good to you
I'd be good to you
I'd be good to you
I'd be so good to you
As soon as they stopped singing the applause echoed in the night. Everyone seemed to love them.
"Thank you! You're a fantastic public, have a great night!"
They walked offstage and to his surprise, the whole band pulled him to a group hug.
"They loved us! This was so cool!"
Chad laughed and let his friends all happily gush over their performance.
There was one person he also wanted to talk to. Shizuka walked away and beckoned him to follow.
They got away from the crowded concert, off to the roof of the school. Shizuka tackled him into a tight hug. "You were so amazing! I'm so proud of you!"
"Thank you Shizuka, I don't think I would've been able to do this without your help."
His words caused her to blush. It was becoming more difficult to hide her feelings, still, she loved moments like this. Sometimes she wished they'd last an eternity.
"Y-you're welcome. I had fun singing with you guys."
"Well, what about joining us? You can even play turntables. The guys would probably go crazy if we had your talent on our band."
Shizuka clutched her chest, a few tears escaped her. "You mean it?"
"Of course! We all think you're talented." Chad paused for a moment, looking away. "And I would be thrilled to spend more time with you."
Shizuka smiled, softly moving his chin so he would look at her. "I'd like that too."
Everything happened so fast. She stood on her tiptoes, her hands were on Chad's shoulders, while he bent down and placed his hands on her hips. She was sure they would finally kiss.
"Now isn't this cute."
A familiar voice scared her so much she gasped. Chad was startled too.
A few feet away from them was Asami. Had it not been for his difference in height and attire, people could mistake him for her, and vice versa.
"Hello, little sister."
She swallowed hard, wishing time would turn back and she could trade the silver glare for Chad's warm lips.