Sorry this is late! My dad had to stay home from work last week and I didn't get a chance to get on the computer while he was off. I decided to go ahead and post it now rather than skipping a week and hopefully I will be able to post the next chapter on time. I wish I could tell you this won't happen again, but it probably will, my dad has to have some check ups the last week of September/fisrt week of October and I probably won't be able to post anything then. However since I know ahead of time I might post an extra chapter the week before. Or I will just do the same thing as this time and post it when I get a chance. Anyway, I hope this was worth waiting for.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Chapter Four
Allies
Karakura, Japan
Holly and Butler looked around at the shelves of candy. There was no one else in sight. Holly walked up to one of the nearby shelves; it was stocked with boxes of chocolate shaped like a blob with arms and legs which appeared to be smiling. The box was labeled Ambassador Seaweed. "No wonder the place looks so bad."
"Excuse me, can I help you?" a voice asked.
Holly looked up and realized why the kids outside had not been frightened. The man who had stepped in from the back of the store was at least as tall as Butler.
"It has been a long time, Butler-san," the man said as he bowed.
Butler and Holly bowed in return, "Hello Tessai-san, this is my friend, Short Holly. We are here to see Urahara-san on urgent business."
Tessai frowned, "The boss is busy right now. What exactly do you need him for?"
Butler hesitated, he may have worked with these people before, but that had been a fairly straight forward job and this was anything but. Impatient Holly spoke up instead, "We need to get to Hueco Mundo to rescue our friend, Fowl Artemis, from an Arrancar, so if you can't help us just say so and we'll find another way."
Tessai nodded, "In that case, come with me." They followed him to the back of the store where he opened a trap door. All three climbed down the ladder, Tessai first, Holly last. When her feet touched the ground the elf turned around to see a desert landscape complete with mesas and a blue sky. If there were walls she couldn't see them. "Is this the part where I'm supposed to say 'it's bigger on the inside'?"
A blond man with a cane wearing a white and green striped hat, dark green shirt and pants, and a black coat with a white diamond pattern along the bottom was standing some distance away. He was talking to a boy who was wearing a white suit with a cape and a blue cross on the front. His dark hair was cut longer in the front than the back, swept to the right, and glasses sat in front of his dark blue eyes.
"All I'm saying is you shouldn't go alone. You know how dangerous it is." The blond man was saying.
"I can't tell Kurosaki! If he gets involved the Shinigami could find out what we're doing. You know what they would do if they found out she was involved again!" the boy answered.
"Hey, boss, we might have a solution over here!" Tessai called.
The blond man turned towards them. He smiled and waved when he saw Butler. "Hello, Butler-san! It's been a long time!" he squinted at Holly a moment, "When did you start hanging out with Elves?"
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Las Noches, Hueco Mundo
If Orihime had ever been so frightened before she couldn't remember. The strange pink-haired man dragged her through labyrinthine halls that were all the same plain white as the room she and Artemis had been in. Even if she managed to get away from him—and his iron-hard grip on her arm made that seem unlikely—she doubted she would be able to make it back to Artemis, let alone find a way out of this place.
Eventually they arrived at what could only have been a lab. There were counters and tables covered with surgical instruments, microscopes, vials, beakers, sample jars both filled and empty, and computers. He dragged her to an empty table. She took advantage of the moment he stopped to stomp on his foot and drive her elbow into his stomach as hard as she could, but he easily swung her up onto the table and quickly strapped her down despite her struggles. He pulled over a tray covered with scalpels, scissors and other instruments obviously meant for cutting. It was conspicuously missing any form of anesthetic.
"It's a shame you don't have your powers at the moment, but perhaps I can bring them out."
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Orihime cried, vainly straining against the straps that held her down.
"Oh, I'm sure you don't, but that doesn't matter. All you have to do is sit still. And try not to scream, it is rather irritating when a subject makes so much noise." He started to unbutton her blouse and she almost wished he was doing it for the reasons most men would, at least that she could understand. At least that she could survive. He picked up a scalpel and began lowering it towards her chest with a wide grin, and an eager glint in his eyes, clearly excited to to get started. He was going to dissect her! She wanted to yell for help, but knew there was no point, the only person in this place who cared was locked in a room far away. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the cut.
She heard the door open, and someone walk in. She opened her eyes in surprise, hardly daring to breathe the scalpel was so close to her skin. "What are you doing here? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?" the scientist demanded, turning to see who had dared to invade his lab.
"You said she was useless to you without the Shun Shun Rikka," a cold monotone voice answered. Orihime thought she recognized it, but the straps wouldn't allow her to turn and see who spoke.
"I was under the impression that you, Nel, and Grimmjow were going to correct that."
"I came to inform you that our mission was unsuccessful."
"Do you really expect me to believe that?"
"The Shinigami do not make a habit of allowing Arrancars in and out of the Soul Society as we please. Since the war with Aizen they have devised more effective means of keeping us out."
There was that name again, sending shivers through her even with the real danger she was already in. How could it disturb her so much when she didn't even know who he was?
"In any case you have not finished your own task. Your curiosity can wait until that is done. Retrieving what you need will be simple once Koboi's plans are complete."
Her captor seemed to consider his options for a moment. "Fine. You take her back, I have other things to do." He tossed the scalpel back onto the tray and undid the straps before walking to one of the other counters.
Orihime sat up and quickly buttoned her blouse again before she slid off the table and faced the man by the door. For a moment she thought those green eyes were familiar, but he turned and walked out clearly expecting her to follow him before she could be sure. He silently led her back down what she assumed were the same hallways without touching her. In fact he kept his hands in his pockets, which seemed like a contradiction to his ramrod-straight posture.
When they got to the room he pressed a panel on the wall to open the door. As she stepped in she saw that the trolley was gone. Artemis had been sitting on the couch, but stood when he saw her. After the door closed behind her he asked, "Are you all right?" All the terror of the last few minutes caught up to her at once and she started sobbing uncontrollably. Without another word Artemis took her hand, guided her to the couch and sat next to her. He didn't ask any more questions, he just held her hand and let her cry. For the first time she could remember someone was there for her.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Karakura, Japan
When Urahara Kisuke asked you to start from the beginning he really meant the beginning. The blond man wasn't satisfied until they had told him the whole story of their adventures with Artemis from when they began to the current situation. The teenage boy, Ishida Uryu, listened without a word. Finally Urahara seemed to have all the information he wanted.
"Here's the problem: if I just open a Garganta and send you through right this minute you're gonna die," he announced frankly.
"What do you expect us to do?" Holly demanded.
"Calm down, he knows what he's doing," Butler tried to reassure her, but the strain in his voice wasn't very convincing.
Urahara lifted a folded fan as if her were holding up a finger, "I didn't say I wouldn't help. First though, Butler-san, I'm afraid you won't be able to go at all. Even if you were in top physical condition your spirit energy is that of an average human. You could never survive in Hueco Mundo."
Butler struggled not to raise his voice. "Protecting Artemis is my responsibility. I cannot stay here and trust just anyone to save him!"
"Ah, but you won't, you'll be trusting your pretty little friend here," he pointed the fan at Holly.
"Fine then, let's go," Holly said before Butler could object.
Urahara rapped her on the head with his fan. "Hold your horses. I didn't say you could go right now."
"Why not?" Holly snapped, rubbing the top of her head.
"You're running low on magic, and you can't complete the Ritual there. Even if you were running hot, you don't know how many Hollows or Arrancars you'll have to fight to get to your friend, not to mention getting him out. You won't do him any good if you run out of magic before you even get to the rescuing bit."
"I've made it out of plenty of tight situations when I was running low."
"Are you willing to risk your friend's life on your luck?" Holly was silent. She knew their luck had to be running out, but she didn't know what else to do. Seeing she wasn't going to answer Urahara started talking again, "Fortunately magic isn't all that different from reiatsu. In fact Quincy like Ishida-san here are descendants of humans and fairies who…" he made a show of opening the fan to hide his mouth and whispered "interbred."
Holly glanced at the teenager. She knew fairies and humans had lived together over ten thousand years ago, but she had never thought about the possibility of them having children together, let alone descendants that were still alive. "Interesting bit of trivia, but what difference does it make?"
"Quincy create bows and arrows made of reishi by drawing it from the environment around them. This is easier in places like Hueco Mundo and Soul Society where everything is made of reishi. The Quincy's origins indicate that it's possible for a fairy to learn that skill. If you train with Ishida-san to accomplish that, you might stand a chance of saving your friend."
Holly considered, it was likely that Koboi would keep Artemis alive knowing she would come for him. If that wasn't her plan he was dead already and it wouldn't make a difference. Either way Koboi wouldn't expect her to show up with a power such as Urahara described. She looked at the Quincy, "Would you be willing to help me learn?"
"A friend of mine was also taken by an Arrancar. Urahara-san is refusing to open a Garganta for me to go after her on my own. The sooner you learn, the sooner I can save her."
Holly turned back to Butler, "What do you think?" she asked as if she had not already made up her mind.
"I think it sounds like Artemis' best chance."
Holly nodded, and then turned to Ishida, "So, when do we get started?"
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Las Noches, Hueco Mundo
When Orihime had calmed down she explained what had happened to Artemis. Even he shuddered at the thought of what could have happened to her. "What do you think these Shun Shun Rikka are?" he asked.
"I don't know, and I don't want to know. I'm just glad they didn't have them."
"They seem determined to get them. I wish I knew what Koboi is planning."
"We can't do anything about it from here anyway."
Artemis nodded understanding her point, but he was nowhere near ready to just sit back and accept their fate, not after what they had tried to do to Orihime.
"What did he mean when he called you 'Elf bait'?" Orihime asked.
He sighed; it was starting to look like he would have to tell her everything. "They want to use me to trap my friend Holly Short."
"She's an elf?" She sounded completely serious.
"Yes. She's helped me defeat Koboi before. There have been other enemies as well, but none of them keep coming back like she does."
Orihime nodded, either she was completely accepting him at his word or she thought he was so crazy it would be dangerous to argue with him. "Will she come looking for you?"
"Yes. Koboi probably left something behind to let her know where to look. She'll want us both to know she won."
"You've beaten her before though, so you friend will know what to do."
"Not exactly. I'm the one who usually comes up with the plans. Holly prefers action, without a plan she's likely to charge right in." He stood and something caught his eye by the door. "What is that?"
Orihime stood to see, walked to the door and scooped something up. She turned to Artemis and opened her outstretched hand so he could see. Two hairpins, obviously made for a child with the shape of blue six-petaled flowers on one end. "If the door had a lock we could pick it," she said, fastening them onto her collar.
Artemis suddenly realized an advantage he had over looked. Orihime had seen the other side of the door. "It doesn't lock?"
"Not that I can tell, but I think it only opens from the outside. There's a panel on the wall."
"Is there a guard?"
"No. What are you thinking?"
Artemis started pacing around the room playing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in his head as he planned. "I'm thinking we're going to get out of here."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
So, Artemis likes to play music in his head when he's playing and it's usually something classical and I wanted to use that. Originally Beethoven's Ninth was a place holder until I could think of somthing appropriate, for some reason it was the first thing that came to mind. Then my sister reminded me it was "Ode to Joy" she thought it was funny and it makes some sense since they will be happy when they escape so I ended up keeping it. Anyway, escape is the next chapter, so stick around!
Thanks and prayer,
RAHbooks.