To begin, I'd like to thank RG-Guest and Bumi for their reviews of the last chapter.
To address some of RG-Guest's points: First, I thought it was clear, but (as you'll see) Orihime and Ulquiorra didn't know about Ichigo. She was unconscious after being dropped off, and left with Ulquiorra after waking up. As for one of your other points... I definitely plan on getting back to the members of the Ukitake Household (Jushiro, Retsu, Stark, Lillynette, etc.), and the Shiba family (who I'm always happy to see).
TO FORGE A
BETTER TOMORROW
Chapter LVII:
"Moving Forward, Part 1"
The Living Realm, Karakura City...
Late 2013 (Winter Trimester)...
Orihime was moving about the apartment, doing some tidying up while listening to the sound of the finches in the nearby birdcage. The redheaded woman wore a bright smile on her face, thanks- in no small part due to the rather passionate tryst she and Ulquiorra had the previous evening...
The young woman blushed, as she recalled the details, which Orihime strongly suspected she would vividly remember for quite some time, if not forever!
And it wasn't just the love making (which in of itself was great!)- no, the impact was deeper. Looking up at him, into those inhuman eyes of his, and the fierce and animalistic passion within them still gave her chills. Honestly, just thinking about the events of the previous night made her feel giddy. However, the pleasant line of thought was interrupted by the sound of her cellphone ringing.
Blushing, and suddenly pulled out of her internal musings, Orihime snapped back into reality as she turned toward the origin point of the melody, to the nearby kitchen...
Picking up the phone, the buxom woman instantly saw a familiar name in the caller ID displayed on the phone's screen. "Tatsuki, hello." Orihime began cautiously.
"Orihime, we need to talk." Her friend spoke, in an oddly subdued tone, over the phone.
Orihime was immediately concerned by the somber tone of the other woman. "Listen, Tatsuki, if this is about me and Ulquiorra leaving Urahara-san's shop without telling you-"
"It's not about that." She cut in, her tone still grave, though more insistent. "Listen, Orihime... There's a lot of things we need to talk about... And, and well, I'd prefer to speak with you in person."
"Tatsuki, what's going on?" Orihime countered, growing concerned.
"Just- Just come by the shop." The sporty girl replied, in a tired voice. "A bunch of the others are here as well, and..." Tatsuki paused, still on the line. "...And make sure Ulquiorra will be there."
For Ulquiorra to be involved in whatever was going on, the buxom redhead couldn't help but think to herself that things really must have be serious...
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"How could this have happened?!" Isshin Kurosaki exclaimed. "I mean, he seemed like he was finally doing better lately..." The tall burly man went on, his hands against his cheeks in exasperation, brushing against the layer of dark stubble that covered his face.
Kisuke Urahara shook his head. "All I can say... is that I'm sorry, Isshin." He offered the man, feeling utterly impotent as he stood in the shop, before the overwrought father.
"You were there..." Isshin spoke up, looking to him. "You were there, when it happened, you saw them take my son." He continued, turning to face him. "They did something to him- they must have!- there's no other explanation for what happened. They must have some kind of hold over him."
The Shopkeeper watched as his fellow former Shinigami tried to make sense of it all, and could only shake his head in the face of the disaster they found themselves in.
"Ease off, Kurosaki." Yoruichi cautioned. The dark-skinned former Shinigami had just come out of the back of the shop, where Tessai still was, along with Jinta and Ururu.
"Isshin." Urahara started emphatically, his gray eyes meeting his brown ones. "That's just it, Isshin. I don't believe that they were manipulating Ichigo... at least, not in the traditional sense."
"What are you saying?" The other man countered. "That Ichigo actually chose to go with these people, to leave his friends and family behind for people he barely knows?" Isshin asked angrily.
"As painful as it might be," Urahara began. "We have to consider the possibility that Ichigo may have made the choice- for whatever reasons- to willingly go with them."
"But WHY?" Isshin fired back, in a pained voice.
The scruffy blonde didn't respond right away. "Perhaps, because he genuinely believed that they could offer him something that he was missing..." Urahara went on. "Think about it, he was lost emotionally, frustrated by what he perceived as his own powerlessness, and he felt isolated."
"So, when they offered him something- strength, clarity, or whatever else- it wouldn't be unreasonable to think that he saw it as a new possibility, and hence why he accepted their offer." Urahara elaborated to the distraught father. "Ichigo was looking- desperately, I'd guess- for guidance, and in the end, that troubled young man ultimately found it in them."
"But... why not come to us?" Isshin replied, his early ire ebbing away.
"Possibly because something in what they offered Ichigo appealed to him." The blonde ex-shinigami replied, adjusting the brim of his hat. "And, possibly because he felt like he couldn't turn to us."
Isshin looked visibly confused. "What do you mean?"
"You, me, Yoruichi, the Vizard, the other Shinigami... we placed the burden of all our hopes and our expectations on him." He reasoned. "Worse, we enabled him to explore powers that he wasn't ready for, or properly understood... Because he was the weapon we needed." Urahara explained.
"And yet, regardless of the circumstances, thrusting him into a world he'd never known before was a careless, short-sided act on our part... Which he payed the price for." Urahara added. "Frankly, were I in his place, I wouldn't put much stock in any of us, would you?"
Isshin was stumped, unable to come up with a response.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"What, oh my god!" Orihime gave a horrified look, covering her mouth, nearly dropping the jacket she was about to set aside as she took a step back. "He went with them?"
Yoruichi nodded. "That's what Kisuke said." The dusky-skinned woman answered. "These Brethren, after hearing the story, it seemed like they had a pretty good line on Kurosaki, especially the one who called himself Darkwood." The Shinigami revealed. "Ichigo seemed pretty familiar with him."
"Darkwood..." Uryu Ishida started. "Does anyone know anything about this man? That is, beyond what Urahara-san was able to gather during his brief run-in with him?"
"No." Tatsuki replied dejectedly. "Outside of seeing him in passing at school, he's stayed pretty distant from the rest of us." She went on to lament. "In fact, the last time I can think of that we interacted with him at all, was back when we tracked him down to that store he was working at."
Uryu seemed to perk up at this. "That shop... I remember, It's run by the strange woman, the one who tied him up and wound up 'hiring' him to work there."
"Well, she's spent a lot more time around him, so she might know something..." Tatsuki mused.
"It wouldn't hurt to investigate." Uryu replied. "Urahara-san should have her information in his files, so when gets back, we can ask him to find her address, like he did the last time."
As this was going on, Orihime turned to look at Ulquiorra, who'd been silent the whole time.
He was glaring at a nearby wall, his arms folded across his chest. At first, it look as if he was simply staring emotionlessly at nothing. However, Orihime knew him better than anyone. And, as she glanced to him, she knew there was something more behind those green eyes of his.
She couldn't help but wonder "What is he thinking?"
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Soul Society...
To say that the motion to appoint Tia Halibell as an Honorary Officer had come as a 'surprise', was frankly an understatement. The fact that the suggestion had been put forth by her predecessor Nelliel-Tu Obberschank had only served to add further flavor to the moment.
However, perhaps most shocking of all (or not, depending) was the fact that upon hearing it, aside from the initial chatter it elicited, the nomination had met with little resistance.
After all, it was no a secret that the (current) Tercera Espada was regarded as quite a popular woman within Soul Society. For starters, as the unofficial 'Den Mother' of the Female Dorms, she had garnered a great deal of admiration and respect amongst the female Cadets. Then, there was the fact that she had the respect of many of the rank-and-file Shinigami, having regularly assisted on security sweeps.
The fact that it was Nelliel who nominated her was more of mystery. While the former Tercera had no known issues with her Successor, she also had no past history with with the other female Arrancar that would lend credence to any sort of motive for supporting as she had done...
Never the less, while Kensei had at first been taken aback by the suggestion, the white-haired Vizard appeared amicable to the idea. After all, it made sense, having an incredibly powerful ally in reserve, to call on in case of emergency, especially one with experience and knowledge of their system.
And so, after a perfunctory deliberation, it came to pass that the bronze-skinned Espada would later be presented with a special badge from the Captain of the Ninth Division.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Elsewhere in Soul Society...
Unfortunately, for others, things weren't quite so optimistic... Isane Kotetsu had learned this, first-hand, when Yumichika had been delivered to the Fourth, seemingly in a catatonic state.
The silver-haired Lieutenant had been the Division's Acting-Captain for almost three months, the last month of so after the successful birth of her Captain's son, Kiyoshiro-chan. While the tall woman had never harbored notions of ambition, she found the mantle of leadership to be not unrewarding.
Sure, it was challenging work at times, but that was only to be expected. She'd served under her (now) Captain Ukitake for some time now (more years than she cared to count), and so she realized that what made running the healing Division seem so effortless for the older woman was less to do with some secret technique, and more to do with her naturally steady, serene nature.
Still, when it came to learning that her lover was unresponsive in the wake of a traumatic experience, the easily flustered woman suddenly found herself silently wishing that she also possessed some of that same unshakable serenity in her in the face of this news.
At first she'd been confused, but after learning of what had happened in the Living Realm- particularly the death of his friend Ikaku Madarame- the Lieutenant understood why the purple-haired man would have retreated into his own mind, if only to escape the pain that came with reality...
"How long?"
Those had been the first words he'd spoken, seated in his chair in the exam room. When prompted to elaborate, Yumichika had coldly replied by saying "How long have I been out for?"
The unsettling lack of emotion in his voice had caught Isane off guard. "...A day, at the most." She'd eventually managed to say in response, watching as he slowly rose to his feet.
It might have been foolish of her to see to him personally, but she simply couldn't be objective when it came to Yumichika. He was the first person who'd been willing to put in the work required to pierce the wall of nervousness that had surrounded her, and he was the first person who genuinely made her feel attractive- even desirable- rather than the awkward mess she perceived in herself.
"Ichigo Kurosaki," The attractive man had started, looking over a report. "He joined the enemy..." At this, the sudden blinking of his eyes betrayed his obvious inner turmoil. "Then... he's a traitor."
And there it was, the ugly truth that everyone was desperately trying to avoid ...
She'd tried to offer some perspective on the matter, to assert that perhaps there was something more, but his only response was to coldly rebuff her. "He sided with the people who killed Ikaku." Yumichika replied in an icy tone. "As far as I'm concerned, that as good as makes him an enemy."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Pulling him by the sleeve, Orihime wordlessly lead the raven-haired Arrancar off to the other end of the room, until they were well out of earshot of the others...
"Ulquiorra." She spoke, looking into his eyes. "What's wrong?"
He didn't respond at first, but eventually met her gaze. "I- I never believed in concept like fate, the idea that events in my future were somehow predestined." Ulquiorra replied. "But then, I happened to be the one assigned to you- the one person capable of driving me mad." He asserted. "And yet, at the same time, you filled me with a longing that I had no name for at the time."
Orihime said nothing, listening intently as he went on. "Because of you, I discovered what it meant to desire something." The Espada continued. "And in the process, I discovered what it meant to fear, fear of the idea that I could lose something that had become... so precious to me."
Ulquiorra had taken her hands in his as he spoke the last part, kissing them. "Ulquiorra..." The young woman started, not sure what to say as Ulquiorra gazed at her.
"I... I would have killed Kurosaki, just to prove that I alone was worthy of you." Ulquiorra revealed, still holding her hands. "I know that you once harbored feelings for him... And that is why I didn't kill him after you revived me, because I know that it would hurt you- that it would hurt your heart." He continued softly. "And your pain and sadness is my pain and sadness."
The fiery-haired girl felt her pulse race as he went on. "Even now, I struggle to reconcile my Hollow urges with what I know is best- for both of us." The Arrancar revealed. "When I look at you, my blood sings to me, it tells me that I cannot exist without you... And it reminds me that I would do anything to ensure our future together... Even if it meant I had to prick your heart in the short term."
"W- what are you saying...?" Orihime asked, visibly concerned, a slight tremble in her voice.
He brought up her hands, kissing her knuckles once more. "If there is such a thing as fate, then it has seen fit to place me once again at odds with Ichigo Kurosaki." Ulquiorra replied resolutely, looking into her soft brown eyes. "If Ichigo Kurosaki is indeed our enemy..."
He paused, intensity visible in his green eyes. "Then I will kill him- for us."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
As soon as Szayel stepped foot onto the grounds of the Twelfth, through the parameter, he felt as if a massive burden had been lifted off of him...
Walking inside the central structure, toward the elevator that lead to the upper levels, with the intent of arriving at his personal quarters. The sleek metal doors slid shut behind him, the Octavio only passively aware of the fact that his mate and Lieutenant was in the confined chamber with him.
Sighing, the pink-haired Espada rubbed the bridge of his slender nose...
Suddenly, he felt a familiar warmth pressed against him. He instantly realized that Nemu had wrapped her arms around his slender frame in a comforting embrace. The Arrancar couldn't help but smile, as he felt the residual warmth radiating from the woman, seeping into his tired muscles. It was amazing how such a simple gesture could put him at ease, but Nemu was a special case. She was totally unique, and completely lovely, being both pleasing to the eyes and brilliant.
"How well you know me, my darling Nemu." He remarked, still in the woman's embrace as he turned to plant a kiss upon her soft lips. "Truly, my beautiful butterfly, I'll always wonder what I did to deserve to have such as a perfect creature as you in my life." Szayel added suavely.
Szayel was rewarded by the sight of the usually stoic woman blushing faintly, averting her green eyes from his golden ones, for fear of embarrassment. "You're too kind, Szayel-sama."
"Not at all, my dear Nemu." Szayel replied, as the doors slid open. "I have matters to attend to, so until then, feel free to make yourself comfortable- perhaps change into something more comfortable- while I take care of a few last-minute things in the Division."
She nodded as the two of them entered his office, the purple-haired woman excusing herself through the door to the side of the room, while the Arrancar took his seat behind his desk. Relaxing, he started to look over the backlog of documents that had been forwarded to him.
While casually skimming through them, one in particular caught his eye. Straightening himself out, his golden eyes wide as he intently looked over the contents of the file in his white-gloved hand, before he finally reached over to press a button on the nearby intercom.
"Captain Grantz?" The voice asked, through the speaker.
"I'd like to have a message sent to the Fourth." He started. "This a priority message, so I'm authorizing it to be sent directly to the Division's Acting Commander." Szayel added.
"I have sensitive need-to-know information for the Lieutenant, so please inform Kotetsu-san that I need to speak with her directly." Szayel went on. "As such, further inform the Lieutenant I will be personally paying her a visit, and to set aside sufficient time to speak with me."
"Yes sir." The voice answered, somewhat hesitantly. "I'll see to it immediately."
"Thank you, that will be all." Szayel responded.
With that done, the Octavio folded his hands across his lap, wordlessly reaching up and adjusting his glasses. He couldn't help but think that tomorrow was going to be an active day for him.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
As much as Orihime had been troubled by the blunt declaration from Ulquiorra, the young woman had been even more disturbed the subsequent revelation regarding Ikaku...
She wasn't exactly 'close' with the bald-headed Shinigami, but the redhead was familiar with both him and his friendship with Abarai-san, that she was left feeling upset. And so, when Yoruichi-san asked her if she could try and use her powers to 'revive' him, Orihime had readily agreed...
...Only to fail when she tried casting Negation upon him!
The brown-eyed girl was at a loss as to what to say or do next, when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "It's not your fault, Orihime-san." Urahara offered. "I had a suspicion that this might not work out..." The former Shinigami admitted.
"What do you mean, Urahara-san?" Orihime asked, confusion visible on her face.
"Well, if I were to hypothesize," the scruffy pale-blonde started. "It may be that there has to be some kind of deeper connection the subject for it to work." Urahara mused. "It's likely there's a correlation between you're closeness with the person and effectiveness of your powers."
"That makes sense." Yoruichi commented. "There's always a catch with these things." She went on to state, resting her hands on her hips. "After all, if it was really just that simple to bring people back, then the entire spiritual balance of the realms would be imperiled."
Seeing Orihime's crestfallen expression, the dusky-skinned woman stepped in and caressed her cheek. "Don't beat yourself up, kid." Yoruichi stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "After all, don't forget, you've done a hell of lot of good."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Later that evening...
Uryu stepped through the front door of his home. He was feeling particularly tired at the moment and just wanted to go to his room, however this hope was swiftly dashed.
"Uryu." Spoke a voice from the darkness of the living room, followed by a lamp turning on.
To his unease, the source of the voice was revealed as none other than his father. The silver-haired man was seated in an armchair. His dark blue-gray jacket was hanging on a nearby stand, and as he rose up, Uryu could see that his tie was partially tucked into one of the pockets of his slacks.
"Father...?" He spoke coldly, not bothering to hide his displeasure.
His father was unshaken, hooking his thumbs into the pockets of his matching waistcoat, the same dark blue-gray as his pants and jacket. "I need to speak with you?"
"Can't it wait?" The younger Ishida replied tersely.
"No, it cannot." The elder Ishida countered. "I know you assisted the Shinigami and the Hollows during the attack on the City by the individuals known as the 'Brethren'." He remarked coolly, while retrieving his jacket from off of the nearby hat and coat stand.
At first, he'd felt irate, then surprised when his father mentioned their enemies by name.
"We'll speak in my study." Ryuken instructed, wordlessly motioning for his son to follow him as he silently turned and made his way down the hall- Uryu begrudgingly following.
Once inside, he set aside his jacket once again and occupied the plush leather-bound chair behind his lavish oak desk. "Please, have a seat." He instructed.
Again, the younger of the two Ishidas felt annoyance eating at him at once more receiving instructions from his father- delivered bluntly, to the point, in that irritatingly detached tone that Uryu had come to expect from the man. And yet, he also realized he didn't have much choice but to go along with it.
He took his seat in one of the chairs before the desk. "So then, I suppose that this is where you're going to let my know how disappointed you are with me?" Uryu started sarcastically.
"On the contrary," Ryuken answered, relaxing in his chair. "Given the circumstances, your decision to involve yourself with the Soul Reapers and their Allies was the correct one." He replied, fixing his son with a pointed look, adjusting his glasses. "We simply no longer have the time or luxury of holding on to old grudges- not if we are to survive the greater dangers in the coming days."
Uryu chuckled wryly in response to this. "Hearing you say that," he started, pausing to adjust his own pair of glasses. "Well, I must say, that's a rare admission on your part, father."
"Indeed." Ryuken countered. "In the mean time, I have some important calls to see to." He went on to say, pausing before adding "And, perhaps, as do you."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Isane was pretty sure that she had never felt as tired as she presently felt...
She was seated, resting on a cushion, behind her desk, slowly rubbing her temples. Eventually, a chime alerted her to the arrival of the Captain of the Twelfth Division.
Composing herself, it wasn't long before the doors slid open, revealing the figure of Szayel Grantz in the doorway. She motioned for him to come inside. "Captain Grantz," the woman started. "I hope you can appreciate that I've had a very long day..." She continued.
He took his seat, occupying the seat in front of her desk. "So I hope that you have a good reason for insisting on speaking to me, personally, right now." Isane added pointedly.
The Arrancar nodded. "Believe me, Lieutenant Kotetsu, I wouldn't have requested this meeting if I didn't believe it was important." He explained. "First off, I'd like to extend my condolences to you and Officer Ayasegawa." Szayel offered. "While I hadn't known Madarame-san for very long, in the brief time that we worked together, I was pleasantly surprised with how personable he was."
Isane nodded. "There's a certain perception of the members of the Eleventh Division." The Lieutenant replied thoughtfully. "Through my relationship with Ayasegawa-san, I was able to get to know some of the other members of the Division." She revealed with a slight smile. "While Yumichika is, well, pretty overtly 'atypical', Ikaku-san was as well- in his own way."
"I can certainly believe that." The Arrancar replied. "Though, while I would love to remain here and continue commiserating with you... I'm afraid that we have a more urgent matter." Szayel explained, as he produced a tan file. "Lieutenant, please take a moment to look over the contents of this," he added, sliding the file towards her. "I'm confident you'll understand afterward."
The female Officer was unsure as to how to react, but then reluctantly nodded, accepting the file that he'd offered. "Let me see..." Isane started, looking it over.
After a moment, her eyes widened as she became alert. "Wait, this is..."
She trailed off, suddenly enthralled by the contents of the document. The pink-haired Espada was left to watch silently as the silver-haired Shinigami scanned the contents of the file. The further into it she read, the wider her eyes became, until- at last- she set it down and looked to him.
"Captain Grantz," she started after a moment. "Are- Are you certain of these findings?" Isane asked, her tone suddenly becoming deadly serious. "Have you double-checked the results?"
He nodded. "Yes, as soon as I saw them." Szayel answered. "Once I had confirmed the data, I realized that both of us would need to be present to deliver the news..."
The female Shinigami seemed to take a moment to process this information, before eventually nodding in agreement. "Very well," Isane began. "I'll make the arrangements."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"How close were you and Ikaku?" Arachne asked.
"We served together in the Eleventh Division." Renji replied. "Even after I was promoted up from the Seated ranks and became the Lieutenant of the Sixth, we remained friends."
She nodded. The tattooed Shinigami and the dark-haired crimson-eyed Arrancar were in the former's private quarters, located in the Officers' Wing of the Sixth Division.
"For what it's worth," the female Hollow began. "I'm sorry." She went on to add, before moving to sit down beside him. "Living in Huecco Mundo, we had to accept death. It's a very harsh place, and until just recently, there really wasn't much hope that things would ever get better."
"When..." Renji started, looking to her. "What was happening when you started noticing that things were getting better- for you, I mean?" The scarlet-haired man asked.
"A lot of things were happening." She began. "For starters, I met you." Arachne added with a smile, causing his cheeks to flush pink. "Aside from that, there's the fact that my kind now have a chance at something more, something more than the hopeless life we'd always known."
"Renji," she continued, placing a hand on his shoulder and leaning in close. "What I'm saying is, that even the worst situations don't last forever." Arachne added. "Being with you, it's shown me a new way of living, a better way, and I wouldn't trade these last few years for anything."
He felt her soft hand on his jaw, as she gently turned his head to face her. "Thank you, Arachne."
She smiled softly, he thought perhaps a bit more gentle than the looks the Arrancar might normally have given him, before she then leaned to plant a kiss on his lips.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
It was the following day, just as they'd agreed, and so Isane now was sitting in her office, at her desk waiting for Szayel to show up. Knowing he'd be there soon, she'd put in an order for tea to be brought for the two of them to drink while they worked out any last minute details.
Sure enough, there was a polite knock at her door. "Come in." She answered.
It parted to the side in a quick fluid motion, revealing Captain Szayel Grantz, dressed in a white labcoat that looked to have been freshly cleaned and pressed. "Lieutenant." He offered with a nod.
"Captain." She replied with a nod of her own, watching as he shut the door after him.
"They'll be arriving here in just under half an hour," Isane began, taking her seat. "That should leave enough time to enjoy the tea." The female Officer added. "And for us get ready."
The Captain's Office had been modernized in the aftermath of the war: the old low-set traditional desk replaced with a contemporary western style one, cushions replaced with chairs, and so on...
Taking his seat, the bespectacled Arrancar grinned. "Thank you." Szayel replied. "However, as lovely as tea sounds, from the look of you," he went on in amiable tone. "I think you might better benefit from something- oh- perhaps a bit stronger." The Captain paused. "Just to take the edge off."
After hearing this, the silver-haired woman actually chuckled a bit. Isane was feeling the full strain of her responsibilities, both inward and outward, and so had no doubt that the deleterious effects upon her were more than obvious to someone as intelligent as the Captain of the Twelfth.
"That... doesn't sound half bad." She replied after a moment, sighing.
"You'd hardly be faulted for that." He offered her, his tone sympathetic. "After all, we do seem to find ourselves in... shall we say, trying times." Szayel went on to say.
Thankfully, it was at this point that a knock that a knock at the door came, followed by the entrance of what was clearly a recent addition to the Fourth Division. This was made more apparent by the unease of the young man carrying the try into the office. With a perfunctory acknowledgment of his superior, he deposited the tray on the desk and was quick to excuse himself.
Quietly, she brought the steaming cup to her lips and sipped from the vessel. The combination of the getting the tea into her system, plus being able to be open with the bespectacled Arrancar sitting before her about her concerns, helped to put her at ease, and to relax- if even just a bit.
Eventually, the intercom on her desk beeped, and she pressed the button it.
"Lieutenant Kotetsu, this is reception," the female voice started over the line. "The guests, the ones you informed me to alert you to, have just arrived, both of them."
"Very good, send them through." Isane replied, looking back to Szayel. "Well then, this is it."
He nodded, getting to his feet. "It certainly is."
For the third time, there was a knock at the door- this time, more persistent. Looking to Szayel, who silently moved to the side of the desk, Isane instructed the visitors to enter.
The door slid open, a little less fluidly this time, revealing Captain Soifon of the Second Division, as well as the former Fraccion Ggio Vega. The female Shinigami was dressed in her full attire, including her white Captain's haori, while male Arrancar was dressed in his modified Las Noches uniform.
"Please, both you, sit down." Isane offered, managing a friendly smile.
Soifon bristled at this, eager to just get on with things. Thankfully, Ggio looked to her, the two of them exchanging a glance, which was enough to get her to relent.
Szayel looked pleased by this, which only further set the slender woman on edge. "Alright, Lieutenant, what was so damned important that I had to come see you on such short notice?" Soifon asked irritably, looking to the woman. "And why the hell did you insist that Ggio accompany me?"
The taller woman took a breath, clearing her head. "Because... this involves both of you."
"What?" The leader of the Black-Ops countered. "What are you talking about?"
"Captain Soifon," Szayel stepped in. "It would be best if you not agitate yourself quite so much before we've even had a chance to address why the two of you are here."
"Why, is something wrong?" Ggio asked, clearly concerned.
"Just listen, please, both of you." The Espada offered, hands tucked behind his back.
"Captain Soifon," Isane began calmly. "There's something you need to know, regarding the results of your recent physical." She went on, with the shorter woman offering no rebuttal this time.
"It was the results of your blood-work." Szayel spoke up. "You see... Analysis revealed unusually high levels of the hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in your blood."
Both Soifon and Ggio responded to this information with looks of complete confusion, but it was the former who turned to Isane in search of clarification.
Isane took a breath. "It's a female hormone, associated with pregnancy."
"Congratulations, to both of you!" Szayel offered them, genuinely with a clap of his gloved hands.
Ggio was instantly ecstatic, his face lighting up as smiled happily. At the same time, Soifon practically turned white as a sheet, left utterly speechless by the news.
Soifon could only dumbly think one thing in that moment...
Pregnant.
She was pregnant.
(- End of Chapter LVII... -)
For those of you who (understandably) don't remember it: Soifon had a check up back in Chapter 51, which included getting her blood drawn. But the result didn't reach Szayel until last chapter because of all the insanity going on during the Brethren's attack.
Also, sorry if it might seem like a bit of a cop-out, but the truth is that (in my opinion) Orihime's powers would have removed a lot of the drama from the series because it would effectively make death irrelevant. That said, I apologize if that sounds like a cheat.