Hey, guys, how've you been?!
… *crickets*
Yeah, I know. It's been two months. But I'm not going to go making excuses, because I find that annoying, and I think you do too. Rest assured, though, this fic is my baby and I will see it through to the end.
I'll leave everything else for the bottom note. Now read.
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warmthwarmthwarmth
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The Hogyoku pulsed in his chest. It was awake. Awake, and more... more one with him than he ever thought possible. And he could feel the power that it had. It was so much more than just reiatsu, and breaking down the barriers between hollows and shinigami. It was a piece of the essence of the world itself. It was a God's Heart.
It was making him a god.
Like it had made that girl a god.
Now he understood everything. Now he knew secrets that no one before him had known - even that vile being that presumed to rule them all. The shinigami had handed him a blessing, not a curse, when they locked him in the deepest depths of the Reikai and left him there in a space without time.
In his heart, he could feel the faint string that bound him to his most faithful companion, also sealed in a prison. That was something he had to fix at the first opportunity. He should be able to do so, soon. He didn't mind his own prison - enjoyed it, actually, which was unexpected - but the other part of his soul wasn't enjoying his.
The divine power that the Hogyoku had granted him with didn't come with instructions. It was instinctual - and it had everything to do with his heart. That was why, as powerful and advanced as hollows were, they would never have this kind of access to the universe.
Unless, of course, the Hogyoku showed them the way, too.
He didn't know exactly how it happened. He doubted the girl did, either. It was something that just couldn't be put into words, because words were a human creation.
He twisted the fabric of the universe. It folded into a new shape, a new being now part of the design, one that wasn't originally supposed to be there. One that shouldn't have been able to exist. But it did.
He reached out to it with his mind. It was neither male nor female, though he supposed it could take the form of either. It didn't think in words, or even pictures, as most sentient creatures did. Instead, it drifted in sensations, in the essence of things rather than mortal concepts. Even he couldn't truly live like that, though he had been close to it for some time, before his visitor had stirred the Hogyoku and reminded himself of the world.
This was his first creation - the first being that had come to life by his power, that was truly alive and truly free of that thing. And it would help him free more, so many more. First, his old companion.
Zanpaku-tou were manifestations of the influence of that thing's power in shinigami souls. They could not be entirely separated from their true creator, though they could be wielded by whichever soul had the potential to call on them. That was the reason that zanpaku-tou existed beyond their wielders. Though they may return for a while to whatever state they were in when they were not part of a shinigami, they could reappear decades or even centuries later. In the Great Noble Houses, some zanpaku-tou were passed down through the generations - Kuchiki Byakuya's Senbonzakura had once belonged to his great-grandfather. And Hitsugaya Toshiro's Hyorinmaru had been wielded by the very first Soutaichou. The lesser zanpaku-tou were also "reincarnated", but less notice was taken of them.
His own Kyoka Suigetsu, now imprisoned somewhere in the zanpaku-tou's world, had not appeared for centuries until he had been born. And now, he felt Kyoka Suigetsu's absence like a yawning hole inside of him. So, he could not do anything until he had released him. That was the purpose of his first creation - a spirit unconnected to the Reiou, which could enter that zanpaku-tou's realm.
But after his companion was back, he could focus on other things. Like those extraordinary humans.
Ishida Uryu. The Last Qunicy. Even that madman, Kurotsuchi, did not know the true nature of the Quincy. But now, he, Aizen, was the only one that did.
Inoue Orihime. The only other being that had bonded with a Hogyoku, even if she had no idea what she really was.
And Kurosaki Ichigo. Born from a shinigami and a human, the barriers between shinigami and hollow already cracked inside of him, he was the only natural Vizard to exist. The only one that had been born without the interference of the Hogyoku. And the only shinigami besides those pathetic servants that had achieved the Itari/Shuukyoku. His sisters had potential as well. For a moment, he regretted killing them. It would be just another thing for them to resent him because of when he got free.
Those three were something special. They were needed in the world. When he was free, he would... not serve them (he still had far too much pride for that), but perhaps assist them. The Hogyoku demanded it of him, and who was he to deny it anything? Before its creation, he was nothing but an insignificant splinter of the universe, regardless of his magnificent reiatsu. And after its birth, he was master of the most powerful thing to exist since the damn Reiou.
He felt Jiyuu Ame, his first creation, become restless in his soul. Jiyuu Ame did not belong there, unlike Kyoka Suigetsu. He let Jiyuu Ame go, rushing away into the zanpaku-tou realm. This might ring warning bells, but Aizen didn't care. In fact, he would welcome that ringing.
He was coming for the abomination. He wanted him to know that, and be afraid.
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Ulquiorra liked this world. It looked like Hueco Mundo, his home for centuries. Millenia, even. And it was warmer than that world. The sand was softer, the light of the crescent moon softer.
And of course, he didn't have to hunt and fight and survive.
He watched the shinigami Aaroniero had enjoyed impersonating swing Kodokunatsuki around in a circle. The Quincy master and the human mother watched, smiling at the giggles from both of them. Eventually, Shiba Kaien clumsily set Kodokunatsuki down and they stumbled around, dizzy and laughing. Gleefully, Kaien tumbled onto the little zanpaku-tou spirit, claiming an accident.
The shinigami could be more like a child than the zanpaku-tou.
The human woman looked over to him, like she often did. All of the beings who resided in the onna's soul welcomed him as one of them - a fact that confused him, as he was, after all, a hollow and previously their enemy - but she was the most... comfortable.
Perhaps it had something to do with this "heart".
She walked over to him, her hair as vivid as the human-shinigami's. She was like him, too - foolishly kind, in his mind. And yet iron-willed. The Quincy master let her go, watching her for a moment before turning back to the two "children", who were now play-wrestling on the sand.
(The sight brought back a slightly shameful memory of the first time Kaien had jumped on him. He had tossed the shinigami into the marble wall surrounding the empty building in this world, breaking several of the shinigami's ribs and his shoulder blade. Thankfully, wounds healed almost instantly in this world, and no grudge was held. In fact, the shinigami had clapped him on the shoulder and laughed, "Good one, Tiny!". Ulquiorra almost threw him again.)
"Are you enjoying watching them?" the human woman said, her hands on her knees to support her as she leaned down and smiled at him.
He nodded silently. Contrary to what the shinigami boy had believed, generally he was not a talkative person. The woman frowned slightly and sat next to him, her knees propped up in front of her.
"What's bothering you, Ulquiorra-kun?"
His emerald eyes widened slightly in surprise. She was always like this - able to tell everything just by looking at him. And it wasn't just him - she always knew what was on any of their minds. Just like her son, she was frighteningly perceptive. Though she seemed to be aware of herself as well, which was more than he could say for the shinigami boy.
She smiled at him, that tender smile that was so much like the onna's. "Come on," she encouraged. "Tell me."
"Do I have a heart?"
The question rose to his lips unbidden, but it was a perfect summary of his scattered, half-formed thoughts. He knew "heart" existed, and he remembered the moments before his death, when he discovered the onna's for himself, but he did not know if he had one. Hollows weren't supposed to have "heart".
The mother-human smiled. "Do you want one?" she asked, cocking her head and letting her hair tumble down over her shoulder.
Ulquiorra looked down, to where his fingers were idly tracing patterns on the sand. He had thought about it, for a long time. He remembered back to before his death, to his fights against the shinigami boy. He remembered scorning him for his "heart", which caused him to take blows meant for his friends and chase Inoue Orihime into the center of Las Noches. The "heart" that seemed to make those humans - and the shinigami that had been so affected by those same humans - so weak. And then he remembered the beast that Kurosaki Ichigo had turned into, a creature whose heart was hidden away - a hollow - and nearly shuddered at it. And he remembered that the only reason that beast had appeared was because the onna's "heart" had called out to his own dying one.
And he remembered that the only reason Kurosaki Ichigo had survived until then was the "heart" that drove his will to live, his "will to protect".
And he thought that, perhaps life without "heart" wasn't really life.
"...Yes," he said eventually.
The mother smiled. "Then you have one," she said. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Our Hinadori-chan has been a very good influence on you."
For the first time in his existence, Ulquiorra blushed.
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He fucking hates this.
Being locked away, existing as a phantom.
He can feel it, not like his moronic King. The roaring, surging force sealed away by the flower-girl. It's there, just out of reach. And he can't do a thing about it, not with his King pretending to be this weakling.
At least it isn't raining every other second. At least the blazing, unbearable sun is gone.
Darkness is so much more... intimate. Right.
And the moon is beautiful.
Of course, King doesn't seem to notice that. He doesn't really look at the world.
He watches King lay on the tinted glass windows of the skyscrapers. His eyes are unfocused, staring into nowhere.
The hollow hates thinking so goddamn much. He is a creature of instinct, of sensation, of moments, not this introspection shit. He does, he doesn't plan.
King just doesn't get it.
And so he doesn't notice things. He just expects them because they're supposed to make sense that way.
Well maybe he hadn't noticed, but the world doesn't make sense. It doesn't give a shit about rules and the way things are supposed to happen.
You'd think humans, the most freaking unpredictable things in existence, would have figured that out by now.
Or shinigami. Whatever. Close enough.
He wants to just stomp on King, lying there vulnerable like that. He knows that if he weren't this fucking ghost-creature right now, King would never relax like this. He wants to drag King to his feet and throw his weak ass off the skyscraper.
But he can't. And that's the most frustrating thing of all.
Kurotsuki, this new Zangetsu, eyes him sharply. At this this one isn't the apathetic, boring old man Zangetsu was. The stupid beard - why the hell do those stupid things even exist? - is gone, and the spirit's face in younger. His feet are bare. His hair is bloodred. (The hollow loves that color.) But still, he is looked down upon by the other part of King's soul.
He bares his teeth at the zanpaku-tou. Slave. At least the hollow has the respect of his King. At least the hollow has the guts to rebel.
Zanpaku-tou are nothing more than bits of that defiled so-called king with no real thoughts of their own. Maybe one or two exceptions.
Kurotsuki turns his head away, used to the hollow's behavior.
It infuriates him, to be dismissed like that.
"Hey, King."
King hums quietly, not a real acknowledgement, just a noncommittal response to placate his hollow. That infuriates the hollow, too, to have his King ignore him.
"Tch. You're so tame. It's pathetic. And boring."
King sighs, finally hearing him. "Aw, shove it, Hakuma. I'm enjoying the peace for once."
Hakuma. That name. He...Loves that name.
He has a name.
A name.
His name. A gift from King.
King gave him an existence.
He exists.
It's beautiful.
But he doesn't want to let King know that every time he hears his name, his heart squeezes tight and he can't breathe for a moment.
Yes, he has a heart.
And it belongs to King.
And it can hurt so bad.
But when he hears "Hakuma", it hurts so good.
He can't let King know.
So he says, "Fuck peace. I wanna fight."
King snorts, rolling onto his side to look at him, Hakuma, who flickers like the image on an old TV. "You can't fight, Hakuma, Inoue sealed you away, remember?"
Oh yes, he remembers. He bares his teeth again. He doesn't hate the healer (though her big bouncing boobs kind of sicken him). Her candy-floss sweetheart love for King made him loathe her, at first, but then she went to Hueco Mundo. Then she grew up. So now he respects her, tentatively. He just wishes she were more selfish.
Then King wouldn't be pretending to be a weakling, and Hakuma (he loves that name) wouldn't be made of static.
Same goes for the archer. Damn thing just had to go and fall for King like the healer girl, and now he's just bending over backwards for King.
And the duncehead still doesn't notice.
Apparently his perceptive abilities don't apply when it has to do with how other people feel about him.
God. He isn't even sure King has figured out the healer-girl loves him.
Then again, if he did realize it, Hakuma would want to kill them, so maybe it's a good thing King is so hopeless.
But he's getting away from himself. "Then you go out and fight something. Or better yet, give up this idiotic experiment and let me out."
King half-grins, used to Hakuma's whining by now. At least the hollow can whine. Before that fight, in the human world, their first real fight since the healer-girl sealed them, Hakuma couldn't even pull his little bits of static together this much.
"Sorry, but I'm enjoying this 'idiotic experiment'," King shoots back. He rolls back over to look at the sky again, linking his fingers together under his head.
He hates it. Hakuma hates this dullness. Most of these so-called shinigami students are pathetic, brainless little weaklings who can barely hold a katana, much less call out a zanpaku-tou. And none of them could hope to handle Hakuma.
It's deplorable.
"Stop lying to yourself." The double meaning of that statement is not lost on Hakuma. "You want to fight as much as I do. You want to tear into your enemies, to feel their bones crunch under your feet, to hear their screams of fury and anguish -"
"Enough, Hakuma."
King's teeth are gritted, his fists clenched. The hollow gives in, reluctantly, if only because of that name added onto the demand.
He spins away, sick of this. He hears King sigh and relax again, and he grinds his teeth, raging silently at everything and everyone.
He wants to stalk away, to scream and rage and destroy, but he doesn't. He holds it in, and he doesn't really know why, but he feels like he has to, even though he feels like he's tearing apart inside and ready to burst.
Violently.
Messily.
Then he hears King stand up. Only the rustling of fabric alerts him, because King has gotten so damn quiet since he started really training.
He turns around to see King standing there in his dark blue yukata, ruffling his waist-long jet black hair, looking like he has just gotten out of bed. They lock eyes, and Hakuma's mouth goes dry.
King is tired. He can see it. But what is so jolting is the intensity of the stare, like King is trying to look right through him and see all of that tearing, bursting pressure inside.
It's stunning.
Hakuma can't help but think that the sight is beautiful, even.
After a moment, King turns away and lets out a breath - not quite a sigh, but close enough for the hollow's throat to clog up and his body to freeze in place. He can't help but feel like he's somehow disappointed King. Like he somehow failed some test. When King starts to walk away, he snaps out of his petrified state and practically runs over to him.
"What're ya doing now?"
King glances sidelong at him, continuing to walk down the skyscraper, away from the vertical night sky. His glaze is serious now, but in a sort of detached way, like he doesn't care all that much about why his hollow is asking this.
It brings Hakuma's anger boiling to the surface again.
He hates being seen as some kind of insignificant pet.
"Well, seeing as I'm kind of stuck in here for a while because of this ceremony thing, I figured I'd be productive, rather than just lazing around the whole time. I've already spent a lot of time with you, way more than any of the other students have with their zanpaku-tou, so it's not like I need to focus on just you.
"I'm going to explore, instead."
The words actually make the hollow halt in surprise. King had never considered learning more about the world itself before.
Irrational jealousy flares inside him. He starts walking again, trailing several steps behind King.
Before anything else has the chance to happen, though, before they reach the lush green gardens that cover the vertical "ground" that Hakuma has tried to enter so many times but has been repelled by some awful force, there is a spike in the reiatsu of the spirit behind them, and then it just vanishes.
They whirl around at the same time, long hair whipping around behind them.
The spirit isn't on his damn perch.
He isn't anywhere.
"Kurotsuki?!"
King runs past him, rushing toward the top of the skyscraper.
Hakuma can practically feel the concern on the air.
Spitefully, he wonders if King would be that panicked if Hakuma were to disappear.
He guesses he wouldn't.
He reluctantly walks over to the edge of the building too, because even if he doesn't really like Kurotsuki, doesn't like him at all (though he's better than the old man), the stuck-up prick is still a part of King's soul, like Hakuma is.
King, the moron that he is, is leaning over the side of the building, calling the zanpaku-tou's name. He won't get anywhere with that, besides maybe plummeting through the forest of skyscrapers.
"Hey. He's gone, idiot. He didn't fall, so get your head back up here and think before the blood all rushing to your brain makes ya pass out and fall yerself."
King doesn't seem to hear him, because he doesn't even throw an annoyed command for silence to the hollow.
The anger returns. He's fine with King hating him.
But he would not allow being ignored.
Not thinking, he steps forward and slams his foot into King's side.
Or would, anyway.
If he didn't just pass straight through.
God-fucking-dammit.
The sensation - and the sight - of his staticy foot passing through King's midsection freaks him out. Badly.
He yanks his leg back, staring with wide eyes at it. It's the first time he's tried to touch King since the healer chick sealed him away.
He's just found another thing to hate.
Even though it wasn't all that unpleasant of a feeling.
At least that seemed to get King's fucking attention. He looks up at Hakuma with somewhat panicky eyes.
"You ain't gonna find him down there," the hollow says with as much derision as he can scowls at him.
"Well, then, where do think he is?" he snaps, his concern becoming anger. He stands up, moving away from the edge a bit. Finally.
"How the fuck should I know?" Hakuma snaps right back. "But right now, he's not even in yer stupid, messed-up world."
King frowns, his eyes flicking up as he thinks. "You know, you aren't much help. I bet Akito would have come up with a dozen theories already."
HATE.
(Tearing silky black hair.)
FURY.
(Gouging pretty pale skin.)
ENVY.
(Snapping delicate thin fingers.)
(Biting thin lips until they run perfect red.)
(Crushing oh-so-fragile bones beneath mottled purple and blue and green.)
(Forcing, coaxing soft cries from a raw, marked throat.)
(Oh, dear little Snow White, how lovely you would look.)
The snarl that rips from his throat at the mere mention of the pretty little princess's name would have had even that would-be god trembling in his boots. If it were a different time, and he had not already been boiling, he could have ignored the passing comment.
But right now, he is too controlled by his emotions, which are never tame when they arrive.
Windows shatter on one of the nearby skyscrapers, and King flinches.
It is satisfying, to know that he still has some measure of influence on this place.
It calms him slightly.
"What the hell, Hakuma?! Why did you do that?!"
He glares at his King. "Go ask your fucking loverboy if you wanna know so bad," he snarls.
"Huh?"
It gives him some satisfaction to see that King is confused. "What loverboy?"
Hakuma snorts. "Forget it."
He can see King is about to say something, but the damn slave appears again in a swirl of black smoke.
"Kurotsuki," King says, surprised, startled out of whatever he was going to say.
The slave nods to King. "I am sorry for disappearing so suddenly, Ichigo," he says in that regal voice. "I was summoned to the zanpaku-tou realm without warning."
King frowns. "Is everything alright?" he asks, sounding truly concerned. Hakuma turns away, not interested in the affairs of those slaves. He sits down cross-legged on one of the window panes, combing his fingers through his waist-long white hair. He has always loved that he is like a negative of King, identical in all but coloring.
King's startled voice draws his attention back, though. "Aizen's zanpaku-tou did what?!"
Hakuma frowns. He admits that he is somewhat interested in Aizen Sosuke. He isn't like the rest of those pansy shinigami, and he is willing to bet neither is his zanpaku-tou. He isn't sure if King realizes it, but Hakuma had gotten the feeling that Aizen never meant to kill King.
He does swear to himself, though, that if the bastard ever lays a hand on King, he will rip him to shreds. He didn't like the way Aizen looked at them.
Kurotsuki, the asshole, is still as infuriatingly calm as always. "Kyoka Suigetsu has escaped," he states. "He had assistance, of a kind we have never encountered before, even with all of our years. We suspect the Hogyoku is to blame, and that means Aizen is stirring."
King rubs his forehead. "I can't believe this," he mutters. "That bastard just doesn't give up."
Hakuma throws his head back and laughs, causing both sets of brown eyes to turn to him. "Well, the same could be said for you," he points out, and revels in the irritated look that flashes across King's face.
"You ain't got nothin' to worry about," he tells the pair confidently. "Aizen ain't lookin' for revenge or anything. Trust me. I might not know exactly what's goin' on in the guy's head, but I can understand that much. He ain't gonna hurt your pretty little friends, either."
The skeptical look they both give him is amusing.
King sighs, scratching the back of his head. "Well, I can't say I really get it, but I guess there's nothing I can really do about it. Besides," he says, turning to look at the starry night sky, "I don't want to give up what I have right now for no purpose. I'm not saying it's insignificant," he assures, looking at Kurotsuki, "but for now, let's just leave it be."
Kurotsuki nods. "Very well. I agree that there would be no use to doing anything that would reveal who you are to the Gotei 13, anyway."
Hakuma snorts. "You talk too much," he says, turning away from them again.
Surprisingly, he can feel King's smile on him. "Yeah, well, I could say the same for you," he echoes, taking a seat next to his horse.
Hakuma doesn't bother to respond. He doesn't want to disturb King, not while his in this sudden, rare good mood.
They sit in silence, not thinking about Aizen and wars and battles.
Hakuma decides he likes this sort of quiet.
Not that he'll ever let anyone know, of course.
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Engel Lanze was laughing.
On her knees, one hand on her stomach and the other clapped over her mouth, her eyes squeezed shut and tearing at the corners, she was giggling. It wasn't a happy sound; in fact, it scared Akito. Engel Lanze always held onto her icy composure, demanding the same of Akito, so that he would not show any weakness to the enemies that always surrounded him during the time he pretended to be one of them. But now, like this, she was letting everything go, as far from composed and dignified as she could get.
She sank down, sitting back on her feet. Ignoring the tears in her eyes, she placed her hands on her thighs, and Akito could see her fight for her fingers to stay still, instead of letting them clench in the fabric beneath them.
Letting out a long breath, she stood smoothly, brushing herself off. In moments, she became the icy woman Akito was used to. But her frigid blue eyes were storming, alive in a way they hadn't been before this bizarre occurrence.
They had been hateful and beaten down.
Now they were hateful and thirsting for vengeance.
She fixed her gaze on Akito, how flinched involuntarily. Scornfully, she said "Stop cowering like those pathetic shinigami. Where is your pride as a Quincy?" Every word of it was in her native tongue, an open act of defiance towards the Japanese shinigami. She lifted her arms, the long ragged sleeves of her undyed tunic falling down to her shoulders, her hands splayed open as if to grasp the gray sky above them. The thick clouds were roiling with her anger and satisfaction and lust for more vengeance.
"The King will fall!" she shouted, distant rumbles of thunder met her words. Akito watched as she laughed again, a single triumphant "HA!".
Engel Lanze lowered her arms, and the clouds calmed. "But not just yet," she said in a calmer voice. "Not now. We must be patient." She walked over to him, regal, and stopped a few feet away so she wouldn't have to crane her neck up to look him in the eye.
"I'm going to tell you something, Uryu, while no one is paying attention to us. Remember it, because in the future it may be important." She was still speaking in German, a language that very few shinigami would nodded. His zanpaku-tou was centuries older than him and so much wiser. She had told him things about the Quincy that had been lost for centuries. And she hated shinigami as much as he did - in fact, her hatred ran much deeper than his mere two decades of hating. He knew that she had had so many more years and so many more reasons to hate.
"Tell me," he said, in the same language.
"Hueco Mundo has a peculiar effect on shinigami - or rather, their zanpaku-tou. Hollows are creatures with the extraordinary ability to tear through barriers, the best example of which is the space called the garganta. Their world exists inside a rip in the fabric of the universe, and because of that it is out of reach of the Reiou. So, when a zanpaku-tou fights in Hueco Mundo, something strange happens to it."
She looked intently at him, as if to burn the information into his mind. "Remember, Uryu, to only trust those zanpaku-tou who have fought in Huceo Mundo."
He nodded, burying the words in his memory until they would be needed. "I understand," he said, deciding not to ask why this was so important. He had an idea, anyway, and even if they were alone, he felt like it was too dangerous to voice out loud.
His zanpaku-tou smiled, the earlier madness all but gone from her face. "Good. Now I'm going to show you why I am telling you this. And, Uryu -" her face turned serious, her gaze not moving from his as she put a hand out to the side, parallel to the ground with the knuckles pointing up "- trust me."
Mist began to swirl beneath her hand, more and more appearing until a column reached the ground. A human form began to take shape from it, the mist drawing together until there was a child standing under Engel Lanze's hand. There was no way to tell if it was a boy or girl, but it was beautiful, breathtaking, even. The child moved, and Uryu noticed that, though it looked solid, it wasn't quite all the way there - like it was made of mist that reflected the light in just the right way to give its form color and detail. It wore a boy's yukata that seemed to be made from wispy white clouds, and Uryu decided to refer to it as a "he" until he was contradicted.
But his eyes were the most amazing thing about him. They shone in his face, like two miniature stars. Looking into them was like looking into a furnace.
"Who is this?" Uryu asked, astonished at the appearance of another being in his inner world. He had never thought it was possible for a part of another soul to leave their world and enter another. He knew this was not part of his own soul just by looking; it wasn't even the reiatsu, so much as a feeling of wrongness to the boy.
The boy nodded respectfully, though Uryu had the strange sensation that he was only humoring the Quincy, that the boy was much older, wiser and more powerful than him, even more so than Engel Lanze. He had a small smile on his face, one that spoke of nothing but pleasantness yet had his hackles raised. "Hello, Ishida Uryu-san. Or would you prefer Hatojiki Akito-san?"
In an old habit, he touched his middle finger to the bridge of his nose, adjusting glasses that were no longer there. "I suppose you should call me by my real name," he said respectfully, "seeing as you know it...?"
"Oh, I'm very sorry. I am Kyoka Suigetsu. I am very pleased to meet you."
Uryu's eyes widened, recognizing the name immediately, even though he'd heard it probably all of three times. He narrowed them just as quickly, and opened his mouth - to say what, he didn't know - but the look in the zanpaku-tou spirit's star-eyes stopped him. This was a millennia-old manifestation of power that could most likely strike him down in seconds. Very few shinigami even came close to the true potential of their spirit companions, meaning that the zanpaku-tou were enormously more powerful than their wielders. They could only use their power through a shinigami, however - in the physical world, at least. But in the mind-spaces, the inner worlds and zanpaku-tou realm, they had no restraints.
He swallowed, and replied. "It is a... pleasure to meet you, as well. May I ask, to what do I owe this honor?"
The shinigami smiled again, a true (if somewhat patronizing) smile this time. It seemed that Uryu had passed some sort of test, and he allowed a small breath to escape him.
"Unfortunately, I am something of a fugitive at the moment. My dear companion, ah, 'broke me out', as you would say, and I was helped out by some unexpected allies. Engel Lanze-chan agreed, albeit somewhat apprehensively - not that I blame her - to provide me with a safe haven for the time being. That is, of course, if you would agree to this situation, of course."
Every word was polite and courteous. It seemed like Kyoka Suigetsu was perfectly willing to let Uryu decide for himself. But he could feel a sort of draw in the zanpaku-tou's words, encouraging him to agree. And even though he was aware of it, it still affected him. It wasn't long before he nodded hesitantly.
"Fine. I suppose I could give you a chance. But I do have a few questions."
Kyoka Suigetsu's smile turned knowing. "My partner bears no ill will to you or your nakama. In fact, he is rather... impressed." Now that was interesting, though Uryu wasn't so sure it was good for them, because being "impressed" meant that he was also "interested", and that was something to be very wary of when it came to Aizen Sousuke.
"Fine. As far as I'm concerned, he was the Soul Society's enemy, not mine. Still, you'll have to forgive me for being cautious."
"Oh no, I can understand. Is there anything else you were wondering about?"
"Actually, yes." He looked at Engel Lanze, then back to the intimidating boy. "You aren't part of my soul, even though you're residing in it. How is that possible?"
It was Engel Lanze's turn to smile now. "Quincy are very special beings. Very special beings, who are... connected to everything more than any other kind of being. That is why they can take in reishi and reiatsu to use as weapons. Of course, that means they can take in other things, as well."
Kyoka Suigetsu looked up at her, amused. "Even the Quincy zanpaku-tou has that infamous Quincy pride," he mused, shaking his head slightly before fixing his star-eyes back on Uryu. "As she explained, you can take me in by means of a similar method you use to take in reishi or reiatsu. Though I suppose it is somewhat more complicated of a process, and was almost certainly aided by the influence of the Hogyoku."
"Hmm." Looking around his inner world, he opened his mouth to tell the new addition to his soul to make himself at home, when the boy spoke and said perhaps the most surprising him he had since he'd arrived.
"Also, with practice, I believe you could use my Kanzen Saimen."
Uryu nearly swallowed his tongue. "Uh... what?" he got out, his face red from both lack of oxygen and embarrassment at his inelegance.
It was obvious the spirit had timed that purposefully from the tiny grin on his lips. "Well, you're offering me asylum. The least I could do is be helpful." His own zanpaku-tou was obviously joining to be no help at all with the new roommate, because she was grinning as well.
Knowing that he couldn't exactly accuse Kyoka Suigetsu of sabotage right there without looking like a simpleton - something which he was not and would never be, though he couldn't say the same for a certain previously redheaded shinigami - he forcibly relaxed himself and nodded. "Thank you, then.
Both zanpaku-tou - who seemed to quickly be becoming partners in crime, he noticed - smiled at him yet again. The worries and questions about the events in the zanpaku-tou realm and his zanpaku-tou's sanity were pushed aside by the suddenly overwhelming thought;
Kami I wish the Soul Society had Aspirin.
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Gintora was nothing short of pissed. She had been summoned without warning, subjected to the presence of all of the zanpaku-tou, pulled into a conspiracy she wanted no part in, and now she had two cubs destroying her home.
"ENOUGH!" she bellowed. She coiled her muscled and leapt up to the two battling cubs, impacting with the pale one's chest and knocking her flat in her back in midair. Pressing a paw on that one's ribcage, she turned to the darker one and roared, a shockwave slamming into the cub and sending her flying backwards.
"Get off me, you crazy beast!" the pale cub snarled, pushing at her huge paw. As a warning, Gintora let her claws extend slightly and dig into the cub's chest. "Ow! Damn cat!"
"Oh, shut up, Youshi, it's your own damn fault."
The darker cub was standing up unsteadily, using her sword to lever herself. Gintora growled lowly, removing her paw and sitting back on her haunches, her tail lashing angrily. "Both of you are getting on my nerves," she said. "It is one thing when you are truly challenging the balance of power. But at the moment, I will not allow this petty squabbling to go on."
The darker cub frowned. "What's got your pants in a twist?" she asked. "Figuratively speaking, of course."
The pale cub stood up, sneering at her king. "You're an imbecile, Karin-chan, who doesn't know a thing about the world. Obviously it has to do with the kitty-cat's disappearance earlier."
"Oh, I really, really hate you!" The dark cub charged the pale one, her growled words starting soft but coming to a shout by the end. Infuriated by the lack of respect shown to her, Gintora roared again, this time sending both cubs flying back. They didn't land on the relatively soft cushioning that the air provided this time; instead, they were thrown down into the jungle below, crashing through the branches of the mighty trees.
"Ah, fuck!"
"You damn cat!"
Gintora finally relaxed, satisfied.
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warmthwarmthwarmth
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So. There you go. I wrote this chapter entirely in the characters' inner worlds. I find that concept really interesting, so I wanted to explore it a little. You'll see I changed Ichigo's and Ishida's a bit, and Orihime's has changed too, though you don't see it here.
See, I think the zanpaku-tou are separate from the shinigami's souls. There are hints of this – for example, Kira says Hyorinmaru "only shows up once in several generation", and while the Soutaichou is old, I don't think he's old enoughto have existed when the shinigami first started using zanpaku-tou, and his zanpaku-tou is supposedly the oldest. Also, Tousen takes his zanpaku-tou from his dead friend's hands, and it works for him just fine. So the zanpaku-tou are more like independent spirits that the shinigami can call on, if the zanpaku-tou allows it. That will be important later on.
But the inner worlds are a different story. They're unique, truly a part of the shinigami's soul and, I think, a representation of their heart. So it makes sense that they would change along with the hearts of their creators. The harsh sun in Ichigo's inner world has turned into a more relaxed, comfortable night, and the ceiling in Ishida's inner world has disappeared to reveal a sky, though it is still cloudy at the moment.
And while we're on the subject of zanpaku-tou and inner worlds, how do you like my version of Shiro/Hichigo/Ogichi/Hakuma? I was going through my English/Japanese dictionary, looking for words that would fit. I wanted something to do with "white", since Ichigo isn't that creative, but not something with "shiro", the independent word for white. And "haku" is the way you say "white" when it's in a compound word. And this one leapt out at me – Hakuma means "white demon". Isn't it fucking perfect?! *ahem* So yeah, I decided to use that after only a little bit of consideration.
And at the end, there, I snuck in a little bit with Karin and her inner world. Gintora means "silver tiger", and I decided a while ago that her power was all going to be tiger-based. Remember her hair? It's streaked with orange, sort of like tiger stripes. She didn't dye those – they were a side effect of her power. Personally, I think Renji's tattoos are like that, and maybe things like the other odd-colored hairs. The lion is commonly thought of as the King of the Jungle, but tigers are actually a lot more powerful. So I thought Karin would be like the Queen of the Jungle.
And her inner hollow is there as well. Her name is Youshi, which means "early death". I wanted Youshi to be different from Hakuma, and not have all of the inner hollows the same sort of cut-out character. So she's more like Hyori, I think.
And I put in a little bit of Ulquiorra. I like him a lot. Not like the obsession I have with Ichigo, Grimmjow, and Ishida, but I think he's a neat character and has a lot of potential. He'll show up again, as will the other souls inside of Orihime.
Geez, I've started the last four paragraphs with the word "and".
Anyway, for my last topic. Ishida, Engel Lanze, and Kyoka Suigetsu. Gawd, I think he's my favorite OC (cuz we never actually see him in the series). I think I would go all Momo on him if I actually met him. Yes, he is going to be in Ishida's inner world for a while. I was considering Orihime, seeing as she's already got a boatload of souls in there, but I thought, well, Kyoka isn't actually a soul, first of all, and he isn't dead, and Orihime never healed Aizen, so their souls never got a chance to touch, which is why those other four are in her soul.
(She never healed Ulquiorra, either, but he's important to her, and that's what matters. That's how Kaien, Masaki, and Souken are there – she never healed them, but she's healed Rukia, Ichigo, and Ishida. I hope that's a clear enough explanation…)
Also, for those of you who are worried about Ishida going around hypnotizing everyone with Kyoka's powers, don't. He isn't going to be. That would be like an ace-in-the-hole thing.
Sorry to the people who were excited about that.
Remember – if you have any questions, any at all, ask, please. I adore getting asked questions. And explaining things. Which you probably know from the length of my author's notes. Though I can't promise I will answer everything, because I don't want to spoil anything, I will try to answer as best as I can.
Arigato! See ya next time!
And I promise I will do my best to ensure that it isn't as along of a wait!
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Review Replies:
La terrible La – Yes, Byakuya is awesome. He heard about the fight, and when he heard that one of the fighters was a member of the Shiba family who looked just like Kaien, he got suspicious. Especially once he heard that he had two otsuki (retainers/companions), a man and a woman. Let's think, who were the ones who matched that profile and had been hiding out somewhere in the Rukongai for years? Now, his job is going to be keeping the other smart cookies in the Gotei 13 from realizing the exact same thing. And thank you. I'm always happy to leave people speechless ^-^. I loved thinking up a unique way for Ishida to fight. I'm going to have fun with the battle scenes, I think. The only problem is coming up with a way for them not to be repetitive.
Maverick14 – Yes, I bloody well am bringing Grimmjow into the story! ^-^ He's one of my favorite characters, along with my trio, and Tite Kubo never actually told us he was dead. So Yeah, I am! Along with a couple of others, who aren't dead in the canon. I more chose the squads the Karakura souls went into because of their personalities. Each squad has a different personality, and I love that concept. Also, I think Orihime is more suited to the Sanbantai (Third Squad), with its theme of "despair", and Ishida is more suited to Jubantai (Tenth Squad), with its theme of occultism and narcissism. I love the relationship of the Kurosaki family. Yes, I think Ichigo's protectiveness extends to pretty much everyone he meets (for god's sake, he protects freakin' Grimmjow), but I think that is super-multiplied when it comes to his little sisters. And Yuzu definitely has an ENORMOUS brother complex. It's obvious in the manga as well. Hmm, as for Ashido… probably in the next few chapters, I'll put him in a bit, but he won't really show up for a while. And then he'll become an important character. I have several ideas for him… heheheh *rubs hands together and cackles*. About ranks. Renji is remaining a lieutenant for now, even though he has bankai, because there's been a big influx of powerful souls in the Seireitei recently, what with the Visoreds and all of the people from Karakura. I think the only one left there is Ryuken. Ichigo and the others won't be that high of a rank just yet, though. For one thing, they wouldn't want to draw too much attention to themselves, because there are a lot of smart people in the Gotei 13 who know at least Ichigo and Orihime well. For another, they just aren't powerful enough yet, because of the seal that Orihime put on them, for exactly the reason outlined above. They will be seated officers, though, which means they will have to be careful around Renji. I hope that answered your questions! Thank you for continuing to read!
Gemini24 – Yes, Yuzu's Oukami-sama is a fullbring. I wanted to give some significance to her hairclip, because it is just an extra emphasis on her big-brother-complex, and a fullbring is something that appears in a living soul, so I had to traumatize her a bit *winces*. But I think Oukami is her deification of her brother, someone who protects her at all costs and is focused on her happiness. He's one of my favorite powers that I've created. And no, he is not a zanpaku-tou spirit. He doesn't even show up in her inner world unless she actively summons him, like Orihime's Shun-Shun Rikka don't. Yuzu's feelings aren't exactly incestuous, I think. Her obsession is more… pure. She doesn't think about that kind of thing at all. Though I suppose it has the potential to develop into that, given the right situation. Ishida kinda-sorta realizes his feelings for Ichigo. Ichigo is still a complete duncehead, though, and Ishida is too proud to actually do anything, so it'll be a while, though. Plus, at the moment, they're pretty focused on training and becoming shinigami. And his techniques are awesome. His sewing prowess is too overlooked, I think. I friggin' love Shiro! (That's pretty much how I refer to him when I'm not writing him.) His character is so underexplored. But then again, so many characters are in Bleach right? That's what fanfiction is for ^.- . And as you see, he is nowhere near as much of a dunce as Ichigo. For all of his (Ichigo's) perceptive abilities in battle and about his enemies, he sure is thickheaded when it comes to other relationships. Gawd. And yes, I do enjoy creating scary/creepy/disturbing powers, now that you mention it XD. Sado will show up… next chapter or the one after it? and I'll talk more about him. And all the others. Yes, Ichigo is often ridiculously overpowered in fanfiction. I wanted him to take it slow this time. I think Urahara would have developed new tech in the past decade, yes? And a gigai like that would be very convenient. As for Grimmjow… I think that he and the Espada above him (including Neliel) were all originally Vasto Lordes before Aizen turned them into Arrancar. We see him as an adjuchas in the manga flashback, yes, but it's not like Aizen showed up right after that. Like Shawlong said, Grimmjow was meant to become a Vasto Lorde, and I think that's what he did. He was, however, the youngest to the Vasto Lorde – that's why Aizen chose him first. Also, when the Vasto Lorde became Arrancar, I think their Vasto Lorde powers were sealed. Remember Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa? That's his Vasto Lorde form. If Stark had had one of those, he would have decimated even the Soutaichou. Remember? He made adjuchas-level hollows die just by being around them. We don't see that kind of power in him. Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa is more powerful than that. (Can you tell I've thought this over a lot? ^^'). And don't worry – I love that your reviews are long!
Reina de la Noche – Heheheh, yes indeed! *drools...* I love the image as well ^-^. And… ehheh… sorry, I didn't make Ishida the one to give Hakuma his name… but he did have a part in it so don't shoot me please! Yeah, I'm thinking of writing a couple of one-shots of moments that aren't in the story, so I'll let you know when I do that. Then you can go all gooey-eyed, okay? And for Yuzu, don't worry. It's not incest, I swear. It's in the… second? Third? chapter of the series, where Ichigo just took a bath and Yuzu was pouting because she wanted to take one with him, remember? And Ichigo says she's old enough to take a bath by herself. In Japan, there's a long tradition of communal bathing, so it isn't that strange, I guess. And I wanted to explore that sibling relationship, which is one of the most powerful relationships in the world. Ishida's hair is just about shoulder-length. I'll get to Chado, don't you worry! For zanpaku-tou, see Aizen's explanation and my explanation above ^-^. Same for how Ichigo and the others will stay under the radar of the shmart people. Eishi's zanpaku-tou is an armor – remember, the only zanpaku-tou that change the wielders' physical bodies are the Arrancars' zanpaku-tou. Kurotsuki in his shikai state is a really long sword – like Tensa Zangetsu, only not black. Karin… could probably use a Getsuga Tensho, since Isshin can use it. I'll have to think about it. And Ishida's spears are awesome ^.- . They wore student's shihakusho on their patrol. As for the long-awaited IchiIshi… you'll have to wait a little longer. But it will come, don't you worry. I promise. That you for continuing to be my fellow IchiIshi perv! I hope you enjoy!
Sammiieeoo – Thank you! It took longer than it should have, but it's here at last!
faerimagic – Heh. I live to please ^-^.