Though the threat of Aizen loomed over the entirety of the Kurosaki household (with the exception Yuzu, who was thrilled to be able to cook for so many people) that night was a peaceful one for Ichigo and company as they settled in and prepared for bed. Kamisaigaiku would take up residence of the couch, and Rukia, much to Yuzu's spluttering disapproval, would bunk with Ichigo.
After finishing in the shower, Ichigo dressed himself slowly, taking in the overall shape of his body. It was leaner than he recalled, but not in a particularly good way. His spirit form was stronger than ever, rippling with muscle and tanned skin and battle scars. His human form, however, was not quite as imposing as it used to be. He looked peaky, skinnier, and his hair was getting too long. All in all, he looked like the kind of guy he would cross the street to avoid.
'Kon probably didn't do any sort of exercising when he was in my body,' Ichigo thought glumly as he pulled his shirt over his head and flexed his shoulder. He winced, both from the pain, and from the irony that the injures of his soul form would be inflicted upon his physical form, but not any of the good qualities.
"Whatever," he grumbled, pulling his shirt on over his head. It wasn't like he cared, right? When all was said and done, he probably wouldn't have a body left to come back to. Not if the Lethal Getsuga worked as he'd been made to understand it by Tensa Zangetsu.
He gave a sigh and turned out the light, tracing the all too familiar path from the bathroom to his room, but upon opening the door, he found himself faced with something entirely new.
In his bed lay Rukia, the woman who was now technically his wife. She was facing him, her elbow on the pillow as she propped her head up.
"Come here," she patted the bed, "let's get some sleep."
A painful smile pulled at Ichigo's lips. A week or two ago, he'd have given almost anything for such a scenario to play out. The only thing that gave him pause now was the fact that Aizen was still out there, his vengeance unfulfilled, though whether he knew it or not remained a mystery.
But he put that aside and slid beneath the covers next to Rukia, who immediately clamped onto him like a parasite. Instead of stealing his life, however, she only took his body heat.
"How are you always so damned cold?!" asked Ichigo as she stuck her freezing fingers under his shirt.
"I don't know," she replied, her eyes already closed as she grinned to herself.
That smile didn't last though, and soon Rukia's eyes were open once more, boring into Ichigo, who had put his hands behind his head and was staring at the ceiling.
"Are you still thinking about Kisuke?" she plied.
"How'd you know?"
"Because I am too. It all happened so fast… it's like I haven't even had a moment to process it until now," Rukia told him.
"I know what you mean," he agreed. "Kisuke always seemed so permanent. He always had a backup plan, and a backup for the backup plan. And now suddenly he's gone. I can't even imagine how Yoruichi must be feeling."
"Nor can I," Rukia admitted, "but it makes me glad to still have you."
Her hand searched for his beneath the covers, and when they met, their fingers laced together. They stared into each other's eyes for a few fluttering heartbeats, tension heavy in the air until Ichigo broke eye contact. He grew red in the face and hot under the collar as inappropriate thoughts ran through his mind. If the two of them stared into each other's eyes any longer, they might just end up-
"G'night!" Ichigo said suddenly, flipping around and turning his back to Rukia.
She pressed an ice cold hand to the small of his back, and laughed when Ichigo gave a muffled start.
"Goodnight," she told him sweetly.
Morning dawned bright and early in Karakura town, and the sun began to melt away at what little snow had fallen the night before.
That was when Neliel awoke, and to her horror, found herself staring at four bloodied, wounded arrancars. Their bandages and sutures had been torn away, and their flesh had been devoured. Their ribs had been cracked open, and their organs had been sorted through and sampled, each with large, bite shaped marks. Blood had soaked into bright white sheets and dried overnight, becoming a dark, reddish brown stain.
'Grimmjow,' Neliel thought. He looked almost undisturbed, but just as pale and lifeless as the others. The only difference was that she could still detect his spirit energy, however faint. The spiritual pressures of the Tres Bestia, on the other hand….
The turqiouse haired arrancar stood from her chair, only to have her legs fall out from underneath her. She crawled to Grimmjow and pulled away his bedsheets.
The former sixth espada was breathing, but only just. His brow was furrowed, his jaw clenched, every muscle in his unconscious body was tense. And then Nel noticed what was wrong. Grimmjow's right leg was gone, leaving nothing but a bloody stump that appeared to have been gnawed and clawed by some feral predator.
The air in Nel's lungs froze as she stared at the people she had sworn to protect and care for, three of whom were dead, and the last of which was quickly fading. It took a moment for her to remember what to do, and then another for her to summon the will to do so.
"Help," she whispered, her voice failing her, "Someone… someone HELP! HELP, PLEASE!"
"I just don't get what the big deal is," Ichigo rolled his eyes, "Rukia and I are married now, what's your problem?! Is it because we shared a bed last night?"
Everyone was seated at the table, save Karin, who ate her breakfast at the counter with her morning soda.
"That's not it at all, though I still don't approve!" Yuzu said loudly, jabbing a finger at her brother as she stood from her place at the table, "I wasn't even invited! I'm your sister, darn it! I could have been the ringbearer or the flower girl, or the maid of honor! Instead I get this crap dropped on me over breakfast!"
"Oh geez, Yuzu said crap," Karin noted bemusedly, "you'd better get ready Ichigo, she's pretty pissed off if she's almost using cuss words."
"I did say crap!" Yuzu exclaimed. "Because this… this… JERK didn't even invite me to his wedding! You're just… you're a butthead Ichigo!"
"Wow, that's a lot of profanity from you, Yuzu," Ichigo noted as he pointed a fork at her plate, which was still full of food, "but shouldn't you eat your breakfast? It'll get cold."
Yuzu mumbled something under her breath that sounded like some combination of the words 'stupid' and 'brother,' but she took her seat and ate all the same. It took a lot to press Yuzu's buttons like that, but after being left alone for so long, and then finding out Ichigo was married seemed to have pushed every button she had at once.
"I'm sorry," muttered Ichigo after a few moments of tense silence, "I wasn't expecting this either. And then with Urahara… I just had other things to worry about. I promise, if it were up to me, you and dad would've been there."
"Oh, yeah. I forgot… Mr. Urahara…" Yuzu's eyes turned to the floor, and she looked guilty for a moment.
Rukia, whom had taken over cooking so Yuzu could eat, smiled to herself as she scrambled eggs and buttered toast. Even with the death of a close friend, the Kurosaki family was as boisterous as ever.
'The more things change, the more they stay the same,' she thought to herself.
The ringing of the phone from the living room caught everyone by surprise. Karin, being the closest, slid off her stool and grabbed the phone off the hook. She answered as politely as she possibly could at seven thirty in the morning.
"Kurosaki residence, why are you calling so early?"
The blood drained from Karin's face, and she carried the phone with her into the kitchen. Ichigo was the first to notice her. When he frowned in askance, Karin simply shook her head, gesturing that he take the phone.
As soon as he did, Karin went to the fridge and pulled out another soda, downing it in a way that reminded Ichigo of Commander Kyoraku drinking sake- as if trying to forget something.
"Karin?" Yuzu asked. "What's wrong? Who was that?"
Ichigo put the phone to his ear.
"This is Ichigo, what's going on?"
A deep voice grumbled from over the connection. "Ichigo, this is Tessai. Come to the shop as soon as you can. There's been an attack."
Seeing as they couldn't just burst out of their physical forms without unveiling their spiritual pressures, Ichigo, Rukia, and Karin had to shower, dress, and then hurry through the bright but chilly morning to get to Urahara's shop. Even just standing outside in the front yard, Ichigo could sense something was amiss.
There were lingering traces of an unfamiliar spiritual pressure about the area. Without using his powers, though, he couldn't tell who it belonged to, or where it had gone. All he knew was that it did not feel human. For a moment, Ichigo considered calling Uryu, who was a tracking expert, but given that they all had to keep their powers under control, it would do no good.
Tessai opened the door and ushered the three of them into the shop. He motioned for Ichigo and Rukia to go into the back where the arrancars had been healing. When Karin made to step by him, he put an arm across the doorway.
"You may want to hang back if you don't have a strong stomach," he warned her.
Karin watched as her brother and Rukia stepped into the sunlit back room, neither of them even pausing to see if she was still with them.
"I'll be fine," she decided, following after her sibling and his wife.
Tessai brought up the rear, and closed the door behind them. No sooner had the door closed did Karin realize she'd made a huge mistake, and put a hand to her mouth.
She had thought she could handle blood and gore. She had gotten injured a plethora of times playing football, and one of her teammates had even been tackled so hard his leg had been bent sideways at the knee. But this… this was a wake up call she never expected.
The carnage was gruesome, animalistic, and horrifying. When Karin looked at her brother, she saw his nose slightly wrinkled from the overpowering stench of deteriorating flesh and coppery blood. Otherwise, he showed no signs of discomfort. Even Rukia seemed to be able to handle it, though she looked incredibly sad.
On the floor in front of Ichigo and Rukia, kneeling beside Grimmjow, were Orihime and Neliel.
"I'm sorry," the redheaded woman muttered, "but this is the best I can do for him right now. The others are… they're gone."
Orihime stood from her administrations before realizing Ichigo and Rukia were right behind her. Her eyes flickered to the couple, both of whom had an arm around each other for comfort.
"Hey Orihime," Rukia said quietly, noticing how the high school girl refused to meet her eye. "Is there anything we can do to help?"
Orihime shook her head wordlessly, and then stalked off to stand at the window, one of which was open. She stared out at the cool, bright morning, not looking at anything in particular, but there was only cold, quiet darkness behind her eyes.
"I sense Grimmjow is still alive," Rukia knelt next to the wounded arrancar, "but what about-"
Neliel shook her head. Three bloodied sheets had been used to cover three bodies, though from the misshapen looked of them, they had been ravaged beyond repair or recognition.
"Who did this?" growled Ichigo, his fists balled with rage. "Was it Aizen?"
"If he knew any of you were here, he would have left the arrancars alone and sent an assassin to the Kurosaki Clinic," Tessai said. "So no, I think we can safely say that this is not Aizen's work. Something else is afoot."
"It was an arrancar," Neliel said quietly from the floor. "No one else would dare attack such powerful enemies. No base hollow could have done this, either."
"I thought most of the arrancars were either enslaved or executed by the Sternritter," Ichigo fingered the combat pass in his pocket, thinking hard.
"Most," Neliel replied. "But not all."
"Unless there are still remnants of those arrancars who are loyal to Yhwach." Rukia observed.
"But then again, they would have targeted Ichigo, given he helped to slay Yhwach," reasoned Tessai.
Neliel stood from the floor, turning away from the bodies of her comrades. "No arrancar would willingly serve a Quincy. Tessai is correct. This was the work of an arrancar… but one who is not bound to Aizen, or the Sternritter. I would guess that this one occurred naturally, though why it lives in the world of the living is beyond me."
"Wait a sec, I thought arrancars were created by Aizen," Ichigo said.
"No," Neliel told him. "They have existed ever since hollows first preyed upon one another. Normally, they wouldn't pose much of a threat, even to a standard soul reaper. The strongest arrancars were created by Aizen, though there are some exceptions. It would also make sense for them to attack while we slept and were vulnerable. Clearly, they seek to grow even more powerful, and this was an ample opportunity."
"You shouldn't talk like that," Ichigo said, noting the dark expression on Nel's face. "Ignoring the fact that these guys were your friends only does them a disservice. Pretending it doesn't hurt tarnishes their memory."
Neliel shot Ichigo an angry glare that fell away almost instantly, replaced by a look of pure sorrow. Without another word, she left the room. Then they all heard the front door of the shop open and close, and her spiritual pressure grew further and further away.
Ichigo received a sharp elbow in his side, courtesy of Rukia. "You can't tell people how to grieve, you fool. How many times do I have to drill this into that thick skull of yours?"
"I was just telling her the truth," Ichigo rubbed at the spot she had struck, certain he felt a bruise forming. "If she really wants to get closure, she should find the bastard that did this and send them back to Hueco Mundo the old fashioned way."
Tessai smoothed out his mustache, "Ichigo has a point. Finding this arrancar should be our top priority. Whoever they are, they now know that you all escaped the Soul Society. If Aizen were to come into contact with this rogue arrancar, you would all be targeted again."
"So we can hunt this hollow down?" prompted Ichigo, pushing his fist into his palm and cracking his knuckles.
Tessai shook his head. "No, we will watch and wait. If this mystery arrancar returns for Grimmjow, we will be ready. For the time being, you should return home and reach out to your friends. If I'm not mistaken, you all have orders to review."
"You mean the ones from Old Man Kyoraku?" Ichigo asked. "I don't think we've even opened them yet."
"I skimmed through them," admitted Rukia, "but it's best if we all go over them together."
That was when a small voice behind them spoke, "Can we go now?"
Ichigo had all but forgotten his sister was there with them. Karin was leaning against the wall, trying her best to look casual, but the way she kept her eyes forcefully above ground level let Ichigo know how uncomfortable she was.
"Yeah, we should go," Rukia decided. "Are you coming Orihime?"
"Not yet. You guys can go on ahead."
Rukia turned a critical eye to the high school girl, noting the dark, sunken rings beneath her dull eyes, and the way her hair and state of dress seemed rather uncaring. Her normally curvaceous figure was slimmer than Rukia recalled, and her soul seemed more reserved than normal. If Rukia didn't know any better, Orihime Inoue might have been slowly wasting away before her very eyes.
"Well, take care. We'll see you later."
"Yeah," Orihime said. "Later."
Ichigo itched absently at the eyepatch he wore, only to have his hand swatted away by Rukia, who took one last cursory glance back at Orihime before leading the way out of the store.
As soon as the door to the shop slid home, Orihime slumped over the window sill, as if she'd been hanging by strings that had been cut.
"You seem agitated, Inoue," Tessai noted sharply. "Is there anything I can do to help? Perhaps some tea to calm your nerves?
Orihime smiled as best she could, gripping the window frame as she tried not to look at the three corpses lying on the floor. What truly scared her wasn't death, or blood, but the fact that she was so swallowed up in her own self-pity that she could not feel anything for the deceased. In fact, she didn't feel much of anything. It was as if her emotions were totally numb.
"I'm fine, Tessai," she lied. "I'm… I'm just tired."
"Then you should go home and get some rest while you can, my dear. I do not know how much time you will have to do so. Sooner or later, this arrancar will pop up again."
Orihime nodded. Chances were, the arrancar wouldn't be targeting her, and if by some miracle it did, she wasn't sure she had the will to try and fight it.
"Yeah, I'll go home and rest. Good bye, Tessai."
As soon as Ichigo opened the door to the Kurosaki clinic, he heard the sounds of a great commotion. The crash of glass shattering and people yelling sent adrenaline coursing through his veins, and with a glance at each other, he and Rukia rushed into the house. They entered the living room, and found, to their astonishment, that Isshin had returned home.
At the moment, he was shielding his daughter, Yuzu, from Kamisaigaiku, who had drawn his zanpakuto.
"Stand down and step away from the girl you recreant beast," Kamisaigaiku commanded, "only a man without honor would take a young woman as a hostage!"
"Wait," Yuzu cried, trying to get around her dad, only to be pushed behind him once again.
"Are you kidding me?! That's my line!" Isshin shouted. "What sort of nutjob breaks into another man's house and pretends to be the good guy?!"
"I will not allow you to harm that young woman," the nobleman levelled his zanpakuto at Isshin, "prepare to feel my wrath you vile monster! I'll make sure your soul is removed from the cycle of reincarnation!"
Isshin launched himself at the Hideyoshi, who in turned lunged forth, both of them bellowing a fierce battle cry that was sure to alert the neighbors and get the cops called.
"SHUT UP!" Rukia and Ichigo shouted in unison, each of them bringing their fists down on the heads of the instigators.
"Ichigo!" Yuzu cried, "thank goodness! Daddy got home and thought Kamisaigaiku had broken in!"
"And I suppose Kamisaigaiku thought dad was the intruder," Ichigo pinched the bridge of his nose.
At once, Isshin was on his feet, a massive welt protruding from the top of his head where Ichigo had struck him. His eyes were watering, and his nose was runny, "THERE'S SOME ASSHOLE IN MY HOUSE, DOING GOD KNOWS WHAT TO MY SWEET, INNOCENT DAUGHTER, AND YOU HIT ME?!"
"Kamisaigaiku isn't the one who always used to look up his daughter's skirt!" Ichigo shouted in retaliation. "So between the two of you, you're the only one I have to worry about!"
"I… I'm the creep?" Isshin hung his head. "But then… who's this guy?"
As Ichigo told his father about the 'witness protection relocation program,' Kamisaigaiku leaned over to Karin.
"Did he really look up his own daughter's skirt?"
Karin nodded. "Yeah, dad has always been a perv."
"By the Spirit King," muttered Kamisaigaiku, shaking his head at the antics of the patriarch of the Kurosaki family.
That night, dinner was an extraordinarily awkward affair, as Isshin and Kamisaigaiku shot each other suspicious glances across the table. Ichigo tried to ignore this and eat his food as quickly as possible, as he and his friends would be meeting to inspect the content of the orders they received during their run in with Byakuya.
"Take a picture," Isshin growled at the nobleman sitting on the opposite side of the table, "it'll last longer."
"No need," Kamisaigaiku replied in kind, "I'm sure the authorities will take note of your likeness when they imprison you for your perversion."
Isshin blinked. Karin leaned over and spoke in her father's ear. "He means that the cops will take your mugshot when they book you for being a creep."
Isshin's face went red with rage, and a vein popped in his forehead. Meanwhile, Hideyoshi took a large bite of his dinner and smiled at Yuzu. "This food is delicious! Excellent work Yuzu!"
"T-thanks, Mr. Kamisaigaiku."
"Oh yeah?!" Isshin shoveled as much of his food into his mouth as he could, "I think it tastes even better sweetie! Daddy loves your cooking!"
Karin frowned at her dad, who was massaging his throat to force himself to swallow the gargantuan mouthful. Unfortunately, something seemed to stick in his throat, and he began to gag and choke.
"There went my appetite," she mumbled.
"Mine too," Rukia said, looking on with something between horror and astonishment.
"I'm gonna go eat in my room," Ichigo stood quickly, only to be followed by Rukia and Karin and Yuzu, all of whom followed him up the stairs and into his bedroom.
Karin and Yuzu sat in Ichigo's bed, and Rukia sat at his desk, leaving Ichigo standing in the center of his own room, his eyebrow twitching as he watched his sisters.
"Why did you two come into my room?" he asked.
"I was following Rukia," Karin exlpained.
"I was following Karin," Yuzu chimed in happily.
"I was just trying to get away from your dad," Rukia said, "the way he eats is… not natural."
"That doesn't mean you guys get to eat in my room!" Ichigo said indignantly, "Chad, Uryu, and Orihime are supposed to be on their way here right now to go over some stuff."
"What kinda stuff?" Yuzu asked. "Anything I can help with?"
"No," Ichigo said quickly, "now would you two please go away?"
"Ichigo," Rukia said, "maybe Karin should stay. She's involved in this now, whether you wish it or not."
"But-"
Ichigo didn't even have time to rebuff Rukia when Yuzu stood up in a huff. "Fine! I'll go eat in my room, by myself! You guys can put dinner away and clean up after you're finished conspiring without me!"
"Hold on, Yuzu-" Ichigo flinched as the door slammed shut behind his sister, and she stomped off down the hall to her room.
Rukia blinked, "I didn't-"
"Don't worry about it," Ichigo fingered his dinner plate, "she's angry at me, not you. And I can't really say I blame her."
"The less she knows, the less danger she'll be in," Karin pointed out. "Isn't that right?"
Rukia spoke, and her words made Ichigo's heart sink, even though he knew she was right. "Not necessarily, but we can certainly hope so."
They finished their dinner in silence as Isshin and Kamisaigaiku began to argue once more. The sounds of their shouting reverberated through the walls and sent a jolt up Ichigo's spine.
"That's it," he muttered, throwing down his fork and stomping out the door, leaving Karin and Rukia alone together.
As soon as the door swung closed behind Ichigo, Rukia felt the atmosphere in the room change dramatically. Though they were now technically family, Rukia had not spent very much time alone with Karin, which generally served to make things awkward.
"Hey, Rukia?" The sudden query gave the soul reaper a start, and she replied in a halting manner.
"Y-Yes?"
"Do you remember what I told you? I mean, before you left?"
Rukia was silent as she recalled their prior conversation.
"I told you that if you hurt my brother, I'd have something to say about it. I said that if you hurt Ichigo-"
"You'd send me back to wherever it was I came from," Rukia finished, lowering her fork as the memory came back to her. She froze when Karin turned a hard eye to look at her, and something seemed to pass between the two of them. There was an understanding, as real and solid as a physical contract, and as binding as if it were signed in one's own blood. Rukia had hurt Ichigo, and to such a scarring degree that she knew she could never forgive herself. It was because of Rukia that Ichigo's eyes were opened to the world of spirits and hollows, and every single anguish he'd suffered since was her fault. Karin seemed to know as much, and felt similarly, judging the way she was looking at Rukia.
"I'm letting you off for now because I love my brother," Karin said after a long silence. "But if you ever hurt him like that again, I will do everything in my power to make you pay for it."
There was so much Rukia wanted to say. She wanted to tell Karin that she only had Ichigo's best interests at heart. She wanted to tell her that she had been deceived by Aizen, and that she hated herself for what she'd done. But before she could so much as get out a single syllable, the sounds of several people coming up the stairs was heard, and then Ichigo, Uryu, and Chad piled into the room as well.
"Hey guys," Karin said to Chad and Uryu.
Chad gave Karin an upwards nod and said, "What's up?"
Uryu raised a hand in silent greeting, and immediately leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and staring at the floor.
"Where's Orihime?" Rukia plied Ichigo.
"Wouldn't answer her door," Chad said. "Uryu and I knocked for ten minutes."
"Could she be in danger?" Karin wondered.
"No," Uryu said, "She was sleeping."
"How could you tell?"
Everyone shared a look, as if there was some joke that had gone over Karin's head. She looked around at all of her brother's friends, her face growing redder and redder before Uryu pushed his glasses up his nose and told her, "It's something you can sense through a person's spiritual pressure. When you're around them for so long, you can distinguish even the most minute changes in their being."
"Over the years we've all sort of developed a certain sense for each other," Ichigo explained. "Like, I can always feel Uryu and Chad's presence, even from miles away. If they're in trouble, I can pick up on that, or if they have the situation under control, I can feel their confidence."
"It's something that will develop in you, as well," Rukia added, giving Karin a reassuring pat, "as your power grows and matures, you'll be able to sense these things in the people closest to you, and in your enemies when you fight. Sensing these changes can mean the difference between victory and defeat."
Ichigo nodded, as did Uryu and Chad. Once again, Karin was the odd man out. Any other girl might have gotten defensive, but Karin just sighed. She had long since given up on trying to understand her big brother and his weird friends.
"You guys hungry?" Ichigo asked. "Dinner hasn't been cleared up yet."
"I'm good," Chad said.
"Same here," Uryu mumbled.
Rukia set her food to the side and reached for the scroll on the bed, but Ichigo frowned at her. "What do you think you're doing?"
"What do you mean?" Rukia asked, completely unsure of what she'd done wrong.
"Aren't you gonna eat?"
"We have orders to go over-"
"The orders can wait," insisted Ichigo, "you need to eat something Rukia."
"I'm fine, Ichigo."
"Are you kidding me? Rukia, you're wasting away!"
The woman blushed. Her size had always been a bit of a tender spot. "I am not! I just- I lose weight when I'm stressed!"
"It's probably because you don't eat," Ichigo told her. He stood from his food and snatched the scroll off the bed before she could stop him. Their bodies only touched for second as he leaned over her, but Rukia felt as if Ichigo were made of lightning. Simply being near him sent jitters through her extremities.
"Finish your dinner," he told her softly, "I'll read the scroll aloud for everyone."
Rukia did not argue, but glowered at Ichigo from over her plate as she slowly began to pick away at the food Yuzu had made. Ichigo smiled to himself, and then turned his attention to the scroll. The further along he read, however, the further his face fell.
Neliel wasn't sure how long it had been since she had left Kisuke's shop. The sky was dark and starless, and tinged with orange from the countless streetlights of Karakura town as she roamed the dark and empty streets of a commercial district.
Tall buildings stood upon either side, but she paid no heed to them. She marched on quietly through the chill, following the trail of the person who had killed her comrades. There was no traffic, no cars went by. No cicadas chirped. All was silent, all was still.
Leaves blew in the wind, spiraling down the street alongside Neliel. They drew her eye as she passed, but she crunched over them quickly and continued on her way. The scent was close, now.
She turned to face an empty alleyway. The interior was dark, far darker than it should've been, even at night. The light of the world seemed lost upon this place. Neliel had never feared the dark, however. Hollows were born of the negativities of life, and were well accustomed to shadows. She stalked into the darkness, confident in the knowledge that no matter what beast may lie within, she was far more of a monster than anything in that alley.
The spiritual pressure she'd traced was unmistakable. The creature was there, in the alley with her, but she couldn't see it. Not even with her superior arrancar sight could she pierce the veil that the hollow who had killed her friends wore.
"I know you're there," Nel said. "Show yourself, arrancar. I am the left hand of Lord White, master of Los Noches, and I am here because you killed my friends. Show yourself, coward!"
That was when a small, hissing voice from right behind her muttered, "Gladly," and two large, glowing red eyes appeared over Neliel's shoulder, along with a spiritual pressure that was much, much more than she had bargained for.
Momo Hinamori was not often one to complain about a day in service to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. She knew that there were people in the Soul Society who had it far worse than she, but after a day like today, she was more than ready to go to bed ang get some rest.
She padded along as quietly as she could, past the sleeping members of the Fifth Division. Such was the life of a Lieutenant. She was the first awake, rising earlier than her comrades to begin the day's work, and the last to rest, normally still hard at work while the other's slept. The only upside was that by the time it was her turn in the bath house, there was plenty of hot water and guaranteed privacy.
Now, with her hair wet and tomorrow's shihakusho tucked into the crook of her arm, she was ready to retire for the day. She got to her quarters and immediately began to strip, peeling away her bathrobe to slip into her soft, comfortable pajamas when the oil lamp that she kept upon the corner table flickered to life of its own volition.
Momo turned, reflexively shielding herself, as there was someone else in the room with her.
"These are the Lieutenants Quarters! What are you doing… here…" the words died in her throat as the person sitting at the table turned the lamp down, and the brightness of it no longer obscured their features.
"Good evening, Lieutenant Hinamori," Sosuke Aizen greeted his former subordinate. Momo trembled, feeling her blood boil and then ice over the old wound in her midsection throbbed painfully. She had told herself that she hated Aizen, despised him even. But deep in her heart, she hoped there was still some good in him, and that the time they spent together- the person he had been back then- was still alive underneath the monstrous persona he had earned. And now here he was, sitting with one leg crossed over the other, his hair parted as it once was, and his old spectacles sitting upon the bridge of his nose.
"A-Aizen." It was all she could say. She didn't trust herself to say anything more; the flavor of his name was so sweet, and yet tinged with the horrible taste of blood from when he had tried to kill her. She wanted to scream for help, but her throat seemed to fail her, constricting as surely as if Aizen's fingers had clamped around her neck.
"You seem so tired, Momo," Aizen said, his voice touched with concern. "I have heard that the captains and vice-captains have been working double time. Secret meetings, classified briefings, plans being drawn up behind closed doors… is there anything you'd like to share with me, Momo?"
She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry, but tears began to flow down her face. Momo was frozen, unable to move, and completely vulnerable before the man who had tormented her mentally for so long. Being naked had nothing to do with it. As soon as Sosuke Aizen had appeared, she was totally within his grasp.
"Come now, dearest Momo. You can confide in me. It will be just like the good old days."
Author's Notes:
Guys, I fucked up. Masaki Kusosaki died in June, not fall. But you know what? Fuck it, this is fanfiction.
I'd apologize for the wait, but I'm sure you guys don't want to hear it, so I'll just say that I'm working two jobs and my schedule is rip. Also me. rip me.
During my downtime, I decided to go through and read the entirety of the Bleach manga in order to reconnect with the series while I came up with ideas. I'm already 260ish chapters in, which isn't bad considering how little time I actually have to read.
Yes, I know the chapter is short, but there were some changes that are going to have to be made, so I cut off what I could decided to post it for the three of you that still read this fic. Bon appetite, my friends.
Oh, and while I was away, they announced the Bleach anime's return. I'm not saying my awesome fic being on hold had anything to do with that but... well, who knows?
World is a fuk right now, so I hope yall are staying safe. Should have another chapter in less than three months. Probably.
Oh, and Aizen's last line is actually a reference to Legend of Korra, when Tarrlok kills himself and his brother. Fun stuff.
Here's some music to listen to while you're sad.
Disenchanted- My Chemical Romance
Into the Dark-Point North ft Kellin Quin
messed up-skele
Cinderella Man-Eminem
Monsters-All Time Low
On Accident-Nico Collins
Everybody Knows-Wildfire
Worship-Max
laying on my porch while we watch the world end-powfu
less of you- Keshi
I gotta get some rest. Peace and chicken grease.