This one is later than I thought it would be, but at least it's only been a week since the last chapter. Maybe I will end up making Sunday the day to update.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Chapter Five
Escape
Karakura, Japan
Uryu knew Holly was trying to concentrate, but all she had managed so far was to look constipated. "Are you sure there's reishi in the air?"
"Of course. If you can learn to use it here then using the same amount of effort while in Hueco Mundo will result in making your attacks stronger," he didn't mention that the Hollows would be stronger for the same reasons, she probably figured that out on her own.
"Well, I'm getting nothing so far." She sounded as impatient as he felt.
"Maybe it would be easier if you didn't have magic in your system."
She looked at him like he was crazy. "The People are born with magic. We have it all our lives. If anything that should make this easier."
Butler, who had been watching silently, spoke up, "Maybe that's the problem. Quincys are taught to take it from outside themselves, but you're used to already having it inside you. If you were drained then trying to fill the absence might do the trick."
Holly shot a glare at the large man. Obviously she didn't like the idea of being vulnerable without her magic. Good, one more reason for her to master this technique. Well, they probably didn't have time for her to really master it, but if she learned the basics, at least, that might be enough. She sighed, "Fine we might as well try it. Do either of you have something sharp I can use? A thumbtack or a needle is best."
Uryu reached into a pocket of his cape and pulled out his small portable sewing kit. He opened it and pulled out a needle, offering it to her. She eyed his clothes suspiciously as she took it. "Did you make that get up yourself?"
Uryu pushed his glasses back so that they caught the light, "Of course, I wear the this uniform with the pride of the Quincy!"
Holly stuck the needle into her left index finger and left it there as blue sparks danced around it. "I don't care how many Quincy techniques you teach me, you are never getting me into one of those."
Uryu wasn't sure how to respond to that. He was used to being made fun of for the fact that he was a guy who sewed and was better at making clothes for girls than boys, but only Kurosaki had ever dared directly insult the Quincy uniform. When he said something stupid Uryu just yelled at him, usually getting close enough to his face to make them both uncomfortable. He couldn't bring himself to use that method on a girl who was half his height, even if she did claim to be decades older than him.
When the sparks stopped Holly pulled the needle out of her finger and wiped the dot of blood away with her thumb as she handed it back to him. He pulled his first aid kit from another pocket in his cape and cleaned the needle with an alcohol wipe before returning it to his sewing kit. "Would you like a bandage?" he asked.
Holly held up her finger, he could barely tell where the needle had been, "I know I'm short, but do I really look five years old to you?" She had a point, despite her size her figure was obviously adult. He returned the first aid kit to its pocket. "Are you ready to try again?" she nodded. "You know what it should feel like. You just need to find it in the air instead of in you."
"You make it sound so easy," she muttered, but she closed her eyes. She held out her left hand, ready to form a bow there. He could feel her reaching out, searching. "I think I've got something," she said finally.
"Good. Now just focus on what you want it to do," she probably knew that already, it was getting reishi out of the air she didn't know how to do. Sparks started showing up around her hand. Slowly they came together to form the shape of a bow. She opened her eyes.
"I did it!" she cried triumphantly with a grin.
Uryu nodded, smiling, "Now we just have to work on your speed and aim."
Holly smiled again and drew back the bow, slowly forming an arrow as she did. She nodded to Butler who picked up a rock and threw it high into the air. She fired the arrow, hitting the rock just before it started to fall. "I don't think aim is going to be a problem."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Las Noches, Hueco Mundo
The food trolley was in the middle of the room, right in front of the door. Artemis stood behind it, gripping the handles, ready. Orihime was pressed against the wall by the door, hardly daring to breath.
The door opened and the masked person who brought and removed the trolley walked in. Artemis shoved the trolley with all his strength. It ran right into the masked man and pinned him to the wall on the other side of the hall.
Orihime sprung out the door and ran down the hall with no hesitation, going the opposite direction from where the mad scientist had taken her. Artemis was right behind her.
They kept running until they came to an intersection. Orihime only hesitated a moment before picking a direction at random. They kept on like that, not really knowing where they were going. Suddenly Orihime grabbed Artemis' hand pulling him against the wall next to her. A moment later he heard footsteps. He heard Orihime whispering, "Don't see us" over and over like a mantra. He closed his eyes as if he could will himself to be invisible. He heard the footsteps grow closer until they were right in front of them, then fade away as they passed until they were inaudible. Artemis opened his eyes and looked at his companion. She looked as surprised as he was. "Whoever that was should have seen us," he whispered.
She nodded, "We should keep going," they started out again, a bit more cautiously. Eventually Artemis realized they were heading down whenever possible. That made sense in a way. The door out wouldn't be on the top floor, but it wouldn't be in the basement either, and they didn't know what floor they had been on to begin with.
They kept going until the hall opened out into a large room. They ran across it, but stopped short when they came to the wall, there were no doors to be seen. Orihime slapped the wall in frustration. A low rumbling started and the wall opened onto a desert landscape. Without stopping to question the odds they ran into the night.
Fueled by adrenaline, they didn't know how long they ran before collapsing onto the white sand. The sky was black apart from the pale light of the same crescent moon they had seen from the window.
After he caught his breath Artemis sat up to look back at where they had come from. It was massive. The center of the building was a dome surrounded by walls in which ten towers were set. He couldn't even tell how far they were from it, there was nothing to compare it to but the sparse, small, dead trees scattered across the desert.
Orihime sat up next o him. A few strands of sunset hair had come loose during the rush and Artemis found himself wondering how long it was. "What now?" she whispered.
"I suppose we keep moving with that building to our backs and hope that sooner or later we meet someone who can tell us where we are and where we should go." It wasn't much of a plan he knew, but he hadn't expected to find nothing but desert when they got out. He should have known Koboi would need somewhere remote to hide. He stood and offered a hand to help Orihime to her feet. As she let him help her up he said "We should find shelter before the sun comes up. It will be easier to travel at night through a desert, and we will need cover during the day to hide from the sun and Koboi." Orihime nodded and they walked into the desert together.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Conference room, Las Noches, Hueco Mundo
"They escaped! Through the front door! You're all useless!" Koboi screeched at the collection of Arrancars seated around the table.
"I just want to point out that keeping them here was not my responsibility," Granz said, pushing his glasses up.
"Shut up! I didn't give you permission to speak!"
"Koboi-sama, perhaps we can find them," Nel volunteered.
"After you failed to get the Shun Shun Rikka? As if I could trust you with something so much more important!"
"There ain't gonna be any Shinigami this time," Grimmjow pointed out, shooting an accusing glare at Ulquiorra.
"Whatever, I just want them back!" Koboi stormed out of the room.
Granz started for the door as well, "To think you three were higher ranked than me under Aizen. Try not to screw this one up."
Nel waited until the door had closed and Granz's spirit energy faded down the hall. She stood and walked around the table to look Ulquiorra in the eye. "What did you do?"
"Granz was going to start his experiments. I delayed him."
"By telling him we didn't get the Shun Shun Rikka. Where are they?"
"Probably out in the desert considering I dropped them in the prisoner's room and they were gone when we found it empty."
"Damn it, Schiffer! You can't keep acting on your own like that, you're going to get all three of us caught!"
"I thought cussin' at him was my job," Grimmjow muttered. It kind of took the fun out of it if Nel was doing it too.
"Well we can't keep failing every mission she sends us on!"
"Maybe you should stop volunteering us for them then," the blue-haired Arrancar retorted.
Nel sighed and sank into a chair. "We don't have much choice. If anyone else catches them…" she didn't have to finish the sentence.
"How'd I get myself into this?" Grimmjow grumbled.
"We never asked you to help," Ulquiorra pointed out.
"I didn't ask either of you for help. We're all in this mess because we wanted to be," Nel added
"What the hell were we thinking?" Grimmjow griped again.
"That we all owe that girl our lives." Nel stood, "Now let's go find her."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Do you think the escape made sense? I know the front door was conviniently unguarded, but I figured Koboi is arrogant enough not to think it was necesary to guard anything. She was probably also counting on Artemis not having any information about where he is. Anyway, let me know what you think.
Thanks and prayer,
RAHbooks.