With the previous chapter, this story hit 100 reviews. This is an exciting milestone, because out of the more than 40 stories I've done, only three others have more reviews, and then that's only because they're been posted on the site longer. I really hope you guys will continue to stick with me as this story continues, because this story is only just starting to come into its own and really get started!
My personal situation is also improving (I'll be starting a new job soon, and a better one to boot!). And with any luck, this good fortune will also translate to my creative output. As I stated in the last chapter, I was a little worried about how the photo-collection idea would be received. So I was pleased with the positive response to it. I also want to thank taity and darkmachines, as well as "Guest" and "v", for their feedback and reviews.
I'd likely to address the issue of "continuity"... The short answer is that this story takes place in a divergent timeline, the fact that the Winter War played out differently has already changed things. I haven't played the video games or watched the films, so they're out. Some characters and future plot details from the manga will be touched on (but not necessarily in the same way). As for the "Filler" arcs, some material might show up.
TO FORGE A
BETTER TOMORROW
Chapter XXII:
"Synchronicity of Beauty, Part 2"
Soul Society, the Ukitake Estate...
Unohana placed a hand on Jushiro's arm. "The artistic intent of the collection is to capture images of people- of lovers- in candid moments, both alone and together," she explained. "In order to share with others how they see each other... as lovers." The serene woman continued. "Jushiro... I really think it would be a good experience- for us- if we took part in the project." She finished.
Jushiro was at a loss, as if he'd been suddenly transfixed by the gaze of her dark eyes and the contact of her hand touching upon his arm. "Retsu, you- you're serious?" He finally responded, after managing to collect his thoughts enough to formulate a response. "Pu- putting aside the simple idea of this, for the a moment, how could you possibly think that I, of all people, would be suitable for this?"
She smiled gently in response to the question. "You're being far too hard on yourself." Retsu replied calmly, while looking into his dark brown eyes with her own. "To begin with, I have always- from the moment that we first met during our academy days, right up to this very moment- found you to be an extremely handsome and desirable man." She declared resolutely.
"A-again," he managed. "Retsu, you're hardly unbiased in this matter..." The white-haired man replied in a further effort to dissuade the smiling woman seated before him. "Especially, when considering how long we've been together now." The Captain of the Thirteenth reasoned.
The serene woman calmly shook her head. "To start, the fact that you're hair turned prematurely white doesn't make you look old. Rather, it makes you look elegant." Unohana commented softly, as she ran her hand slowly through his long snow-white main. "Besides, personally, I think it makes for a rather nice contrast to my own dark hair- don't you think so?" Unohana asked gently.
"Yes, well that may be true, but..."
"And it's ideal for black-and-white imagery," she continued. "I know that, because I've been thinking about this a great deal since I talked with Ayayasegawa-san." Retsu paused. "But then, it's not as if that's the only attractive thing about you... Because there's there's also the rest of your body."
He began to falter. "Re- Retsu, I-"
"You know, Jushiro," she practically purred. "I hear a lot of things in passing, some surprising things... Really, you'd be shocked to know what the younger Shinigami like to talk about." The woman went on, fixing him with an intent gaze, silencing anything that he might have been about to say. "Especially the young women." The Captain of the Fourth continued. "Now, I can't really go into specifics. But your name regularly comes up in their discussion... about who they wouldn't mind sleeping with."
"W-wait." Jushiro interjected, placing his hands on the woman's shoulders and meeting her smiling face with his serious expression. "You're telling me that they actually say that?"
"Of course." The medic-specialist replied coolly. "Everyone's tastes vary, and not all young women are attracted to the same type of man." Unohana explained. "Some of them would prefer a more distinguish and elegant sort of man, though I hardly blame them." She offered. "While some women even prefer a more rough and rugged sort of man... not unlike someone we both know."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Division Two HQ...
Culturally and 'ethnically', the majority of the denizens of the Seireitei were both identified- as well as self-identified- as Japanese. However, there existed recognized 'ethnic minorities' among the souls that populated the realm: primarily those of Euro-Asian and South Pacific descent, with some link- be it of geographical, cultural historical nature- to the Japanese.
Hence the fact that the Captain of the Stealth Division was visibly not of Japanese lineage, a fact that further reflected in the linguistic formation of her name: 'Soifon'. Yet this was not her given name, but rather the name she had awarded herself after graduating and becoming a full-fledged Shinigami. Aside from Yuroichi and a few select others, both her given name and family names were unknown.
In reality, she was 'born' into the Seireitei as Zhang Suifeng. And all of this would come to have some baring on matters in the not-too-distant future..
Soifon was presently in her office, looking over some very particular paperwork... Chiefly, the dossiers of the top potential candidates to become her new Lieutenant. She'd put off the task for more than eight months, a fact that now said a great deal more now in retrospect than she would ever have knowingly admitted to in the past- that she did, in fact, miss her late previous Lieutenant Marechiyo Ōmaeda.
She wasn't a monster! Even if a number of men- both the ones serving directly under her and those who knew of her by only reputation- might claim she was!
Soifon paused over one of the dossiers and began to scrutinize it in more detail. The first thing that had caught the eye of the slender woman was the name on it: Zhao Shengqi. This alone surprised her, as she recognized the character used in the family name as Mandarin- meaning that it was spoken with the same 'rolling' "J-Y" pronunciation as her own family name- "JYang" and "JYao", respectively.
She made a mental note to be sure and follow up on the man, as aside from all that, both his mission performance records and his aptitude ratings were duly impressive.
In the meantime, she knew that Ggio would be awaiting her in the Division's courtyard. Soifon smiled at this thought. Over time, since he'd pulled her from the rubble, the feline-like Arrancar had become a constant presence, and she took comfort in this- knowing that he was there for her.
Soifon paused, reaching up to touch the growing hair behind her neck. It was already nearing the base, and her long braids would soon be close to reaching the ground. She then looked to where her Captain's haori was hanging on the wall. The Captain realized she had changed, that she wasn't the same person she was less than a year ago. She briefly wondered how Ggio could have effected her so drastically, but quickly realized that 'how' wasn't important- it was the result that mattered.
The anger and bitterness and mistrust that had defined and drive her as a person and a leader for over a century was gone. Upon reflection, she realized that holding in those emotions as she did had been like weighted shackles, but now she was finally free of them after so long...
Perhaps Ggio had simply been the person she needed, who could help her to move on with her life and find some closure, and she felt that that alone was explanation enough... Because she was finally free to be happy, and she had someone in her life to enjoy that happiness with.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Division Eleven HQ...
Isane slid the door open and stepped into the room. "Yumichika, I-"
The silver-haired woman instantly fell silent at the sight of the two people now before, seated across a table from each other, in the improvised studio. Both turned their gaze toward her.
"Ne-san?" Kiyone inquired, a calm look on her face. While Yumichika just smiled her way.
"Kiyone," Isane began cautiously. "What's going on- what are you doing here?"
Kiyone, the younger of the two Kotetsu sisters, was in many ways very much the mirror opposite of her older sister, Isane. Unlike her sibling, Kiyone was "small" in comparison, being both shorter and with a far more modest build. Her temperament also stood in contrast to her sister, with her being the far more vivacious and outgoing of the siblings- prone to acts of impulse.
He violet eyes were wide with excite as she smiled. Her sandy blond hair had grown out slightly, nearly reaching the starched white collar of the shirt she wore beneath her black kimono- the effect making the traditional garment look more akin to a western blazer. As usual, the young woman sported the pair of white gloves on her hands that she always seemed to wear when on duty.
"When me an' Sentaro heard about this project that Ayasegawa-san was planning, well, we both agreed that it would be a lot a fun." Kiyone explained to her sister.
"Wait," Isane began, her expression stark. "You and Sentaro?" She asked frantically. "Since when? I mean- The two you... You've been rivals for ages!"
"Really, Isane?" Kiyone countered. "You say all that like it should have any kind of impact on our lives outside of our Division Duties." The young woman replied. "We're all adults here, more than capable of keeping our personal lives separate from our professional lives."
Isane's face flushed a dark crimson at this, an expression of shock and disbelief overtaking her features, while Kiyone was all smiles. "B-but you and Kotsubaki-san... Since when?"
The blond grinned deviously at her silver-haired sister. "You really wanna go there, ne-san?" She asked the taller woman. "I mean, I could ask the same thing about you and Ayasegawa-san, hm?"
Yumichika had to stifle his sudden urge to grin in the face of the situation. Honestly, he'd been thrilled when Isane's own sister had approached him about taking part in the project. That she'd brought up the prospect of involving someone- and her boyfriend/rival, no less!- had only sweetened the deal as far as he was concerned. Though, considering how protective Isane was of Kiyone, he was a bit surprised to learn she'd been ignorant of such an important development in the younger sibling's personal life.
The silver-haired Lieutenant's blush darkened. "Fine, fine, I get it." Isane frantically responded, waving her hands frantically. "But why this?" She asked. "What on earth made you want to take part in this?"
Kiyone only smiled cheerfully in response to her sister's unease. "Come on, sis," the shorted of the two sisters entreated. "You can be so uptight sometimes. When I heard about this, I talked with Sentaro, and we both thought it be a lot of fun to take part in." She explained.
The sandy-haired Shinigami went on. "Just imagine it, Isane, it all sounds so risque and avaunt guard- just thinking about it, I can't wait!" She declared with a bright smile.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Somewhere near Northern Gateway...
"Thanks again, Yuroichi-san." Orihime offered the dusky-skinned woman with a smile. Ulquiorra had simply maintained his usual look of disinterest the two women talked.
"Don't mention it, Inoue-san." She replied with a smile. "Kisuke had mentioned to me that the two of you were due to come present your status updates to the Gotei Council. And since he knew I would be coming anyway, he asked me if I could ferry you guys over." Yuroichi explained.
"Really, Yuroichi-san?" Orihime inquired with genuine interest. "And what exactly are you doing here in Soul Society?" The young redhead asked the dark-skinned beauty.
Yuroichi grinned. "Well, with everything that's happened- including finalizing the formal peace treaty with the Arrancar- it just seemed like something needed to be done to celebrate the occasion. So I went to talk with Kukaku Shiba and her people about making some proper high-grade fireworks to celebrate all that's happened since the end of the war." She revealed. "It would be great if you could come watch them along with everyone else- since you a part of all this as well."
"Really?" She replied. "Oh wow, that would be wonderful!" Orihime exclaimed happily, snaking her arm around Ulquiorra's in her excited state. "We'd love to go!"
In that moment, Ulquiorra opted not to contest the cheerful declaration by the smiling young human woman beside him, made on behalf of both of them.
The three of them were approaching a cart, laden with a wooden crates. They spotted none other than Kukaku Shiba as she finished closing up one of the crates. The buxom woman- clad in her head-wrap and cloak- with her contrasting arms visible as she finished with the crate, turned to regard them.
Orihime advanced swiftly ahead of Yuroichi and Ulquiorra, intending to exchange greetings with the rough-and-tumble Shiba woman, when there was a sudden flare from her Shun Shun Rikka...
Followed by a instantaneous flash of bright light, and then both women being knocked to the ground by the blast wave unleashed as Kukaku's prosthetic limp exploded!
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Division Twelve HQ...
Szayel fluidly rotated in his chair, away from the computer, the palms of his gloved hands resting on the ends of the padded arms of the cushy piece of office furniture. The glow from the fluorescent lights overhead briefly bounces off of the lenses of his mask, as he smiled up at Nemu.
The attractive woman stood before him, her arms folded neatly across her waist, over the white obi that held her black hip-length kimono in place. Her perfect features were framed neatly by tapered forelocks on both sides, with uniformly blunt-cut bangs stopping just above her delicate eyebrows.
Physically speaking, Nemu was a perfect construct, total indistinguishable to everyone but those in the know regarding her genesis. Her pearlescent skin was flawless and smooth, with the curves and lines of her body sloping perfectly: creating nicely rounded breasts- to say nothing of her posterior!- as well as full hips and long elegant legs, which were nicely showcased by her modified outfit at all times.
Szayel had to admit that Nemu's legs truly were stunning, and were certainly deserving of the utmost attention and praise. Alas, the obvious flaw in her became apparent when observing how she purported herself while in the presence of others...
The Octavio Espada placed much of, if not all, the blame for this fault firmly upon the shoulders of the ego-maniacal psychopath who created her. The bastard Mayuri had done little-to-nothing to encourage any personal growth or the development of a healthy and functional sense of self in her. As a result of the emotional neglect that she'd been subject to for countless centuries, after more than eight months, Nemu- as an individual- was only now showing signs of starting to emerge...
"Really now?" Szayel began. "What an amusing notion..." The Arrancar remarked with a thoughtful smile, resting his head against his gloved fist as he relaxed in the high back of the chair, one leg hitched over the other. After a moment, he straitened himself up unfolded his legs, as he wordlessly beckoned for her to come forward and assume her 'usual' place in his lap.
Nemu nodded and wasted no time as she settled into the Espada's lap. The promptness wasn't derived from a sense of obedience, but rather from having grown accustomed to this position. The scientifically minded Arrancar would regularly offer her his lap to sit in as she gave her reports. However, while the arrangement offered a certain tactile benefit for the two. His true intention behind this was to create an atmosphere between them in which she could feel totally comfortable- so that she might feel she was free to voice her own thoughts and feelings, and not receive a negative reprisal for it.
He moved one hand to her back, while the other rested on her delicate knee. "I must admit, I was a bit surprised when you first brought this up." Szayel remarked. "But then, my dear Nemu, it's always been my intent that you should become more proactive." The pink-haired Arrancar continued. "With that in mind, I'm much more interested in how you feel about the idea of being photographed for this project."
She appeared to consider his statement for a moment. "Szayel-sama, would you be upset if I wished to participate as one of the subjects?" Nemu asked, her tone steady and even.
The Espada grinned wildly. Normally, that would have been a loaded question... But from Nemu, it was more about her 'testing the waters', so to speak, in regard to her own desires. While Hollows were prone to possessiveness- usually in regard to shielding ones mate- Szayel was not nearly so covetous of her as to restrict her in any way, and he was fully confident that green-eyed woman understood that he trusted her. She was still learning about herself, and he was there as a guide when she needed- until when she was at last ready to unfurl her wings. And what beautiful wings she would have.
He shook his head. "Not at all, my dear."
She gave a single nod in response. "I am glad for that." Nemu spoke. "I... I feel that this is something I... that I want to explore." She proclaimed, her tone becoming steady and confident. "Thank you." She spoke softly, as she leaned in to plant a kiss on his lips.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Back near the North Gate...
To refer to what had happened as an "explosion" was perhaps not adequate to properly explaining the sudden rapid chain of events that had transpired in that moment.
It wouldn't be until much later, upon reflection, that those who had witnessed the event would think to give words to the event: describing Orihime and Kukaku being totally engulfed in the blinding halo of light originating from the older woman's right arm as the artificial limb was consumed with a blinding radiance that hurt the eyes of everyone around. In fact, the flash of light was so bright that some would even liken it to trying to look directly at the sun, if only for a split secant.
Orihime threw her arms up, shielding her eyes as she staggered back, landing unceremoniously on her backside with a slight yelp. At the same time, Kukaku recoiled from the flash of light, and sent toppling backwards as the heel of one of her geta sandals snagged on the uneven pavement. The Shiba matriarch became tangled up in her cloak as she pivoted on her heel in a flurry of movement and fell haphazardly onto the ground. Under slightly different circumstances, she might have been more concerned with the unflattering position she'd landed in- with her right side pressed uncomfortably against the ground, and her left knee bent in such a way that exposed her underwear for all to see...
However, none of this fell under the purview of what could be considered "normal".
As the woman groaned into the ground, Orihime gave a mortified expression as she spotted the bits of metal and assorted mechanisms scattered about. "Oh no, Kukaku-san, your prosthetic!"
The woman's groans intensified as she appeared to register her situation. "Shit... My whole right side is on pins and needles." The leggy, buxom woman said with a grunt. "Wait..." Kukaku blinked her eyes a few times, clearing her head. "No way... No fucking way!" She cursed, eyes wide.
Kukaku ripped her cape off- revealing an intact, flesh and blood right arm!
It felt numb, but the dullness was rapidly fading, replaced by a throbbing sensation as she clenched and unclenched her fist, then began frantically prodding and groping the soft flesh of her forearm and bicep as he flexed her arm at the elbow. "My arm... My arm!" Kukaku exclaimed.
Ulquiorra slowed to a halt next to Orihime, the two watching silently as Yuroichi knelt beside the other woman and looked her over. Kukaku held her newly restored right arm against her bosom, with the left arm over it protectively, as if she feared that it might vanish as suddenly as it had appeared.
Wordlessly, Orihime watched as Yuroichi smiled affectionately at the Shiba woman, even as Kukaku's eyes teared up as words failed her. Ulquiorra offered her his hand, helping the sunset-haired girl to her feet, his gaze shifting subtly back and forth between Orihime and her line of sight.
"The arm, she'd lost it ages ago, long before I'd met her..." Orihime started. "I- I remade it, somehow, without even having any kind of frame of reference." She went on. "How? W-wait, I remember, Nelliel told me that my powers had even greater potential." The young woman continued, more to herself than those around her, recalling what the female Arrancar had said to her that day when she used her powers of Negation to restore the former Tercera to her old self.
"What do you mean?" Ulquiorra asked.
Orihime turned to look at him. "It's like you said- Negation is the power to reject fate." She remarked, her words undercut with nervous energy. "And Nelliel told me that I'd only just begun to realize the full potential of what I can do with my abilities." She recounted. "The power to alter fate... to change it, for the better. Yes, for the better." The redhead added with an uncharacteristic degree of certainty.
The intent look on her face, Ulquiorra noted, was filled with a resolve that he'd rarely previously seen from her. The first instance he could recall was the time when she'd defiantly looked him in the eyes as she'd slapped him- lashing out as her anger for him finally came to a peak- back when their relationship bed been a purely adversarial one. The other instance he could recall such an expression from her was when she'd intervened to save him with the powers of her Shun Shun Rikka.
Her warm brown eyes had bored into him as she looked at him with that very resolve, as both she and her powers enveloped Ulquiorra. That same resolve had also been reflected in the intensity with which Orihime had claimed his lips with hers in a heated kiss...
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Division Four HQ...
"I can't believe that you went behind my back, to Arachne!" Renji exclaimed, his face flushed slightly red with irritation as he spoke. "Ever since you told her about this ridiculous photo collection of yours, she's practically been on me non-stop about it!" The crimson-haired man exclaimed.
Isane and Yumichika had been among those present when the Lieutenant had abruptly stormed into the unused storage room they'd converted for use. The former had been in the process of applying makeup to the latter's face, when the tattooed Soul Reaper interrupted them. A few others were also present, but he was too upset at the moment to properly make notice of them or register who they were.
Yumichika exchanged a glance with Isane. "Really, Lieutenant? If the rumors I keep hearing about the nocturnal racket you two make in your quarters- and on an almost nightly basis, I might ad- are true, I have to say that's hardly a change from the norm." The 3rd Seat countered, with a devious smile.
Renji's face went as red as his crimson main. Though what really got at him was the fact that he'd been so absolutely verbally trounced by Yumichika- who presently had his hair held back in place with clips, and looked to be in the process of having a lavish treatment of women's makeup applied to his face. He even had a towel laid neatly across his chest. And if all this was bad enough, the effect was made even worse by the fact that he appeared to be wearing a woman's kimono!
It had only been a few days since Isane had agreed, with some lingering reluctance, to participate in the project, so she could more than understand why Renji would be reluctant about it. However, when he'd entered the room and begun shouting at them- well, mainly shouting at Yumichika, but that was rather beside the point. No, she was more surprised by the extent of how upset he had seemed over the very idea that one of them had approached Arachne about taking part...
Yumichika reached up to remove the towel from his neck and stepped out of the chair. The kimono was very loose around his shoulders, falling slightly and pooling around his upper arms. Renji observed that there was no hair visible on his chest- not even a hint of its removal.
"You know something," Yumichika began. "I just don't get you sometimes, Lieutenant. You're involved with a gorgeous woman, who happens to find you very attractive." He continued coolly. "So much, that she wants to show you off." He commented. "In my mind, I think that says a lot."
"What do you mean?" He replied.
"Given your situation, I think a strapping fellow yourself should be able to appreciate how lucky you are to have someone like Arachne in your life." Yumichika continued smoothly. "When a real man has a beautiful woman in his life, he should want to show her off to those around him, and show off the fact that they're together." He smiled at Isane as he spoke. "It's obvious, Lieutenant Abarai, that Arachne is not ashamed of being with you..." The purple-haired man paused.
"So then," he resumed. "Are you ashamed of being with her?"
"No! Of course not!" Renji snapped back, furious. "Arachne is amazing, she's everything that I could possibly hope for..." He elaborated, his tone easing. "She's strong, sexy, confident, caring..."
"But she's an Arrancar." Yumichika stated pointedly.
"So what?!" Renji fired back angrily. "I couldn't give a damn about that!" He added, Yumichika and Isane listening intently as he continued. "Being with her has changed everything, the way I look at the word around me, all the things I would have other wise taken for granted..."
In his mind, Renji flashed back to the morning after their first night together. He'd woken up alone, only to then then find her standing on the enclosed patio. She was so transfixed, watching as the sun rose, that she'd failed to register his arrival at her side.
"Arachne?" He'd asked her softly, brushing a hand against her arm.
"I've never seen anything like it..." She replied, not looking away. "To finally see it with my own eyes... The morning so, it's all so... so beautiful." She finished, with tears in her eyes.
"You were saying?" The 3rd Seat of the Eleventh asked, smiling once more.
Renji smiled thoughtfully at his own admission. "That... I'm crazy about Arachne, she's the best." He finished, struck by a sense of ease in that moment of clarity.
Yumichika and Isane shared a smile. "Then I don't see any real problem."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The Shinigami Women's Association...
Momo Hinamori regarded her fellow Lieutenant, Nanao Ise, for a moment, before she burst out into a fit of laughter, nearly falling off of the cushion she'd been seated on. The bespectacled woman across from her gave a look of indignation in reaction the girl's outburst, her face flushed red.
"Lieutenant Hinamori," Nanao began indignantly, still blushing, as she tried to fix the smaller woman with a stern gaze. "I hardly find what happened to me as anything to laugh about." She continued, to no avail, as the brown-haired girl attempted and instantly failed to quell her laughing. "And certainly not to the extent that you're indulging yourself!" The Lieutenant of the Eighth Division protested.
Earlier, as the members of the SWA were wrapping things up, when none other than Captain Unohana had approached Nanao, to ask for her opinion on a rather unusual matter...
The female Captain, her long dark hair in its distinctive braid and her usual serene smiling face, had moved to occupy the seat beside her, and for input regarding Captain Shunsui's suitability for inclusion in the "couples' photo-project". Nanao's cheeks flushed crimson, but she was quick to reply- saying she didn't understand why she would have approached her about this.
Unohana maintained her smile, replying "there's no need to be shy." To the woman's horror, she went on to further comment on the point, informing her "there are a number of women who find rugged men like Shunsui-san very appealing." She'd said. "Even the younger women, but then, when you're your age, I suppose there's something to said for the appeal of an older man. And given the nature of your circumstances with the Captain, I'm sure you can appreciate this."
Nanao had been mortified by the entire exchange, and it hardly helped that Lieutenant Hinamori had been present when the Captain had approached her, such that she was able to bare witness to the entire embarrassing ordeal... And now firmly in the grip of a gale of laughter.
"Please, I'm so sorry Ise-san," she said, girlish laughter punctuating the words. "I don't mean to keep on laughing like this, but-" Momo tried to continue, but too overcome. "It's just... you're always so serious, and I've never seen you blush that hard- even your ears were red!" She exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes as she 'pleaded' with her. "Oh! My ribs hurt..." The girl groaned with a smile. "I never thought I'd actually see someone being a 'tsundere' in real life!"
"I am not a 'tsundere'!" Nanao protested.
"Aw, but you were so cute!" Momo countered. "It's alright, Ise-san, you don't need to feel embarrassed about liking someone... I mean, you and Captain Kyoraku, it's so sweet!"
Nanao grabbed her book and stormed out of the meeting room.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Ulquiorra watched, silently and with a certain degree of morbid fascination, at the woman before him and the six small figures floating in the air exchanged greetings.
Following the 'incident' with Kukaku Shiba's arm, Orihime had informed him that an urgent meeting between herself and her fairies was required. And so, the sunset-haired young woman had wasted no time as she called forth the creatures that personified her powers. Her Shun Shun Rikka vanished in a flash of light as they all materialized before her- with five of them looking quite pleased to see her, while the sixth looked to be somewhere between disinterested and mildly annoyed.
"First, I just want to say that I'm not upset," Orihime reassured them. "What happened was wonderful. Kukaku-san has her lost arm back... So, no matter what else, this is a good thing." She continued as she gave them her preamble. "But with that being said, I am confused... So, can you guys tell me just what exactly happened on your end?" The redhead asked them.
Tsubaki huffed, arms folded in a posture of disinterest, while the trio of Lily, Baigon, and Hinagiku all looked expectantly to Ayame and Shuno. "Is something wrong?" The blonde fairy asked. "You called on us to perform Soten Kisshun, and so we answered- just like always." Shuno, always eager to serve as the spokesman for the sextet, replied matter-of-factly with a cheerful smile.
"But I didn't cast Soten Kisshun." Orihime replied, now even more confused.
"We did hear you, Orihime." Ayame replied softly, from under the shade of the massive robe that served almost as a parasol for the little fairy. She then glanced toward the blonde fairy floating beside her, and received a swift nod of agreement from Shuno.
The others briefly exchanged confused looks between themselves, both the trifecta that formed Santen Kisshun and the lone force behind Koten Zanshun, all were at a loss.
After a moment, Shuno seemed to come to some conclusion. "Please, can you remember exactly what you were thinking about when it happened?" She inquired.
She thought on the matter for a moment. "Well, I was walking alongside Ulquiorra and Yuroichi-san, when I saw Kukaku-san." Orihime recalled. "She was loading crates of fireworks onto a cart, and I..." she paused, hesitating for a moment. "...I saw her prosthetic, and I remember thinking how sad it was that she'd lost a- a part of herself." The young woman recounted. "And then it happened..."
All six of the fairies exchanged serious looks with each other, before nodding, as if they'd all reached consensus between them. "You felt empathetic toward her." Ayame stated.
Shuno nodded. "You've always been a very empathetic person." She reasoned. "So what we must have heard was your unconscious desire... A desire to help." The fairy offered with a soft smile.
"Wait," Tsubaki interjected. "You're saying that she's starting to summon us on an instinctual level?" The masked fairy asked his fellow, receiving a nod.
Tsubaki drew his elbow inward, as he gave a triumphant 'fist pump'. "Hell yeah!"
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Dario rubbed his gloved hands together, kicking the sole of one of his tennis shoes against the concrete pillar he was leaning against, inside the parking garage. He stuck his hands into the pocked of his black hoody (with the vintage Misfits skull motif on the back) and withdrew a pack of cigarettes- a plastic Bic lighter held to it by a rubber band- and removed one of them from the pack. Sticking it in his mouth, he extracted the lighter from the grip of the rubber band and brought it up to the end of the cigarette.
He thumbed the flint a few times, until successfully producing a flame, which he brought over to the tip of the cigarette. The end swiftly came to life with a bright orange glow, at which point, he then slipped the lighter back under the doubled up rubber-band and returned the paired items back to one of the side pockets of his hooded sweatshirt as he used his free hand to grip the cigarette already in his mouth and took a drag off of it. He lowered it after a bit, slowly releasing the white-gray smoke from his mouth in a surprisingly elegant streams. He then turned to in time see as a small group of figures approach.
He spotted Hawk among them, with his trademark aluminum bat, and Lenny, dressed in his leather in his leather jacket and brandishing his chain. "I was beginning to wonder when the rest of you guys was finally gonna get here." Dario remarked idly to them, while taking another drag from his cigarette. He glanced back to them for a moment. "Hey, where's Slash?"
Hawk took a step forward. "He's with Pierce, they went to meet up with Sid and Nancy."
"Cool." Dario replied, taking a drag as he regarded the motley crew. "Hey Jinx."
The person he'd been addressing, a woman, smirked at this. She was lean and well-built, with piercing blue eyes and and long hair that was buzzed on the sides- dyed pink with violet streaks- with the locks on top falling mostly to the side, and the back pulled into a ponytail. Multiple metal hoops adorned the shell and lobes of her ears, along with similar piercings gracing her eyebrows, and a metal spiked stud set between her lower lip and chin. She sported black eyeliner, facial tattoos framing her eyes along the temple and upper cheekbones on either side, and detailed tattoos on her neck.
She was clad in form-fitting black leather pants (with a metal ring-studded belt), sturdy industrial boots that zipped up the side, a black leather biker vest- the adjustable laces along the side cinched up tightly, so that the sleeveless garment was drawn snugly against her upper body (including her bust)- and a pair of fingerless black gloves. Her bare arms were covered in intricate 'sleeves' of tattoos- all the way up to the shoulders- that disappeared under her vest, before emerging up the sides and back of her neck.
"Fuck, Dario," she began with a wild grin, placing her hands on her hips. "You know I'd never miss a chance to finally get to have some real fun." The woman declared.
The hooded man watched silently as a man stepped forward. He had long dark reddish-brown hair that fell down his back, and pair of round sunglasses that obscured his eyes. He was clean-shaven, and wore a full-length black trenchcoat- over an old Black Sabbath t-shirt- and a pair of dark gray complex pants, and heavy black boots and gloves. "Did I miss anything?"
Dario shook his head. "Nah, nothing's happened yet, Ozzy." He paused. "But soon enough, things are gonna honest-to-god kick off in this place... And then, it'll be a hell of time!"
(- End of Chapter XXII -)
A while back, one of the reviewers cautioned me not to lose sight of the importance of the immediate story, which helped spur me on to further develop the storyline in the living realm. As for the scenes with Kukaku, I just want to say that I had come up with the idea of her flesh and blood arm being restored before it was brought up by RG-Guest, so it was just a happy coincidence that we were both thinking the same thing.
The next update will be a special Interlude featuring some much needed UlquiHime fluff. After that, there's going to be a very special chapter that I'm pretty sure that certain long-time reviewers/acquaintances of mine are really going to enjoy...