Not as much to say this time around... TBH, it's not so much about a lack of interest, but me being more tired than anything else. All of that said, I'd like to take a moment to just thank RG-Guest and everyone else for their feedback and for your continued support. I expect that this chapter will elicit some interesting responses from the readers, and I'm very much looking forward to what you guys will think of this.
TO FORGE A
BETTER TOMORROW
Chapter LXII:
"The Nth Configuration"
Celestial Realm, the Archives...
Both Captain Szayel Grantz and the former Captain Kisuke Urahara were busy looking over numerous documents. Thankfully, the two of them had been able to refined the parameters of their searches...
Still, the results could only be narrowed down so far, so the work was still slow-going for the Arrancar and the ex-Shinigami as they doggedly poured over the contents of the multitude of their findings. And yet, despite the herculean scope of their endeavor, one thing they were thankful for was the fact that the nature of the Archive made the documents comprehensible to them.
And ye, even with the benefit of that, it was a daunting task. "My god..." Urahara spoke, with a look of exasperation on his face. "This place, it's like the Great Library of Alexandria."
Szayel looked to him, nodding. "Indeed." He replied, adjusting his glasses. "Except I'd have to say, that this place is to the Great Library of Alexandria, as that place was to the Serapeum."
"It's rather fitting, I suppose," Urahara continued, looking around. "This place, it really is more or less what Ptolemy was aiming for... The ultimate repository of knowledge."
Urahara paused, taking notice of something in the writing... He was looking over a document written in ancient Latin. And at first, it seemed like some kind of 'error' in the spelling of a word. But as he looked more closely, the letters was written slightly different.
Going back and checking the previous pages, he found that there were multiple instances of this, as well as yet more in the following pages. Putting these seemingly unrelated letters together, the scruffy-faced man realized something as he looked over the text...
TI. Vi AL. Ii SN. Iv Zr. Ii MO.
"Ti... Could that the chemical label for Titanium?" He mused to himself. "But what about the others..." The pale-blonde-haired man continued. "Wait..." Urahara continued, turning to a nearby laptop.
The Periodic Table appeared. "Al... Aluminum? Then, Sn... Tin." He read aloud to himself as he looked over the diagram. "And the others... Zr for Zirconium, and Mo for Molybdenum."
Turning toward his 'partner in crime', he called out "Szayel, quick, come take a look at this."
Looking up from the document that he'd been reviewing, the golden-eyed Espada adjusted his glasses, before nodding and getting up from where he was seated.
Once there, the other man had gone on to explain his discovery to the pink-haired Arrancar, as well as his reasoning behind how he'd come to such a conclusion.
"But what's 'Vi' stand for, and why's it with Aluminum?" Urahara mused. "Wait, both 'Ii' and 'Iv' don't stand for anything on the Table either... so what, then?" He continued.
"What if they're not meant to be letters, but actually numbers?" Szayel offered.
"Of course," Urahara declared. "They must be Roman Numerals." The man concluded enthusiastically, before jotting it down accordingly. "Then, when read together..."
"It's VAl, a composite of vanadium and aluminum." Szayel started.
"And IiSn is composite of iodine and tin." Urahara continued, looking to his friend. "It's 1 as in 'mono', I1Sn... as in iodized tin. And 'IiMO', that's it, it's iodized molybdenum."
"Put all of it, together, it looks to be the chemical formula for a specific Titanium alloy," Szayel spoke, before moving to type it into the laptop. "And they're the amounts of the composite elements."
"This is certainly a discovery." The Arrancar remarked. "But what now?" Szayel asked, looking back to the other man. "If this is part of something bigger, if there are in fact more these little 'clues' hidden within other texts... How do they connect, how do they all interrelate?"
Urahara nodded as he continued. "Indeed, that's the really question." Szayel resumed. "After all, we're looking at thousands of years of documents, written in dozens of languages."
"True." The former Captain nodded. "Could either one of us hope to find the similarities between such disparate languages as Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, or- hell- Sanskrit?"
"This would be a daunting, if not impossible, task for you or I." The Arrancar reasoned. "However... my dear Nemu's unique bio-synthetic nature might be more amenable to such an undertaking." Szayel continued coolly, a slight smile visible in his features.
Urahara arched a brow. "I assume you have something in mind?"
"It might be possible for her to extrapolate some kind of algorithm, by using the computational systems of her own mind." The Espada continued, rubbing his chin. "A sorting program, capable of locating, documenting, and cross-referencing such instances." He finished, a thoughtful look on his face.
"I knew she was something special," Urahara started. "But this, what you're saying... it's incredible."
"Nemu is the ultimate synthesis of technology and humanity." Szayel replied. "She's a living, thinking computer, the perfect adaptive organism- the intellectual capacity of a super computer, tempered by the free will and self-determination of a living being- she's the best of both, with none of the weaknesses."
"Well, that's certainly a relief." The Shopkeeper replied, looking to him. "It's going to be quite an undertaking... What we're facing is countless thousands and thousands of documents, spanning several millennias worth of history; taken from dozens of cultures and civilizations, spread across the world, in countless languages- to say nothing of the various pictographic and ideographic systems."
Szayel nodded, smiling. "True, though, it is at least a start."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Soul Realm, Rukongai- West Quadrant...
"We've been working on both refining the production and application of our black powder for use in weaponry, in all kinds of ways." Kukaku Shiba explained. "Everything from simple explosives to more advanced pieces, like rockets and other projectiles." Kukaku Shiba explained.
The busty woman was clad in her tight revealing red top- exposing the valley of her ample cleavage- and a simple white skirt that hugged her full hips, wearing a pair of wooden sandals, with her feet and ankles wrapped neatly. Her messy black hair spilling down her back, out of her sloppy head-wrap.
The only major difference in her outward appearance was the presence of her right arm- having been restored to her by Orihime Inoue- the hand resting on her hip. The short blade that she'd previously had strapped to her prosthetic was now fixed to belt fixed to her waste.
Yoruichi grinned at the news. "I'm glad, though, I must say, is there any particular reason- aside from simply letting me know progress is your goings on- for me calling out here personally?"
The Shihoin Noblewoman and the the head if the Shiba clan, both from ancient houses- who's prestige had fallen to one degree or another- were standing in the latter's residence.
"Oh, I assure you, Yoruichi, there is!" Kukaku countered, gesturing her to follow her- with her right hand no less- as she then led her to a nearby table, and pulled the sheet covering it. "And you'll soon understand why coming here wasn't a waste of your time- here, look."
At the prompting the other woman, the shape-shifter looked down at what lay on the table...
It was less than a meter long, and looked like some kind of strange hybrid between a smaller cannon and an Edo-era Japanese matchlock rifle. The iron barrel itself was rather stout in length, only about 45 centimeters long, and about 15 at the widest parts, with an aperture of 13 for the mouth.
"What is it?" The golden-eyed woman asked, looking to the busty clan leader.
There was a twinkle in the Shiba woman's steely blue-gray eyes, followed by an almost maniacal grin from the the unorthodox woman. "It's our version of the Bo-hiya fire rocket," Kukaku stated excitedly to her friend. "It's a portable 'fire-slinger', it launches an incendiary projectile- that explodes on impact and then engulfs the target- or targets- in fire."
With that, Yoruichi picked up the weapon and looked it over. Holding it in her hands, taking in the feel of the wood against her palms and the coolness of the metal, she couldn't help but smile. "Nice."
"I know, right?" Kukaku replied with a wild grin. "And this is just the start!"
"What do you mean?" Yoruichi asked incredulously.
"That Hollow, y'know, the one who runs your R&D Division, it turns out that he's got a bit a hard-on for weaponry, of all kinds!" The woman replied bluntly. "So, when he learned of the work we're doing here, he had one of his minions personally deliver this to us!" She went on excitedly, before pulling a slip of paper from her cleavage and holding it up for the other woman to see.
"That's a formula... Bur for what, wait," Yoruichi's golden eyes went wide. "Don't tell me, that's...?"
Kukaku nodded eagerly. "You got it, sweetheart!" She replied. "It's been lost for two thousand years, and then, that magnificent sonovabitch finds it- Greek Fire!"
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Soul Society, Division Eleven HQ...
Two Months Earlier...
"I realize it must be strange," Isane started, uneasily. "I mean, having me here, when this really should be Yumichika doing this right now, but..." The tall woman hesitated.
"It's alright, I understand." Yoko Watase, the Fourth Seat of the Division replied. "The truth is, the way he's been acting since... since Ikaku died," the woman paused. "It has me worried too."
"I'm glad I'm not the only one." The female Lieutenant replied. "I was honestly starting to worry, recently, that maybe I was seeing something that no one else was- that I was chasing after shadows that only I could see." Isane admitted. "Still, I think you should have this."
Saying that, Yoko watched as the silver-haired woman held up an Asauchi. "Wait, that, is that-?" The tattooed woman spoke, looking over the weapon in question.
"Yes," Isane answered fervently, all while looking the other woman in the eyes. "This... This sword is what's left of Ikaku Madarame's Zanpakuto, the remains of Hozukimaru."
"Are... are you sure?" The other woman asked, taken aback by the unexpected overture by the silver-haired woman. "I mean, w- what about Yumichika-san?"
However, in spite of her protests, Isane only shook her head. "Truthfully, I don't know you as much as I'd like, but... I'd like to think of you as someone I could some day come to think of as a friend."
"I..." Yoko started, a sudden and pointed pang in her heart. "Lieutenant- no, I mean Kotetsu-san," she corrected herself after a moment. "I'd like to think of you as a friend too."
The silver-haired woman smiled. "You don't know what that means to me, to hear you say that." She replied warmly. "All of that said," the Lieutenant continued, taking her hand in hers. "The men we've known," Isane gave a bashful smile. "Yumichika and Ikaku-san, the two of them were close, and so I think that you should have this." She finished, before placing the weapon into her hands.
Gazing down at it, her fingers wrapping around the sheath, then back to her. "Kotetsu-san... Why?"
"Please, just 'Isane' is more than fine." Isane began, a sincere look in her eyes. "But to your question... The unfortunate truth is that Yumichika is no longer in the state of mind to appreciate this."
The Present...
Yoko Watase sat on her bunk in her quarters, in the Officers' Barracks of the Eleventh.
The tattooed, dark-haired woman was presently holding what had once been Hozukimaru in her hands, an intense look in her eyes as they scanned the length of the weapon. Reflecting on recent events, her fists tightened and her dark eyes snapped shut, as she uttered a silent curse.
"Somehow..." She murmured to herself, looking to the sky- through the window, before returning to the sword presently in her hands. "No matter what it takes, Ikaku- no, not just him, but also Yumichika-san and myself- somehow... we will be avenged." She declared resolutely.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Division Two HQ...
"Soifon, I have to ask..." Ggio started. "What is it about me that you like?"
"What?" Soifon responded in disbelief, looking up from her documents, to the nearby Arrancar, seated as he was in her office. "Why do you ask, now, of all times?!"
"Well, the truth is," the feline-like Arrancar began. "That I'd like to think that it wasn't just a case of me wearing you down, that that you just opened up to me out of a sense of pity..."
"Ggio," the slender woman began, exhaling. "If I'm being perfectly honest with you... the truth is, that it's a combination of factors." Soifon went on. "One of those being the fact that you were a 'wildcard' in my life... Truthfully, most men would be too frightened of me to ever dare to approach me, least of all in the way that you did- which, I mean, with such honesty and forthrightness."
"Aside from that..." The dark-haired woman continued, relaxing in her chair. "If you and I are being totally candid with each other, I'm not used to being the focus of someone's desires." The Captain went on to admit. "The fact your attracted to me, sets you apart everyone else."
Ggio seemed to consider this point for a moment. "Then it was just a matter of chance?"
"No." The slender female replied, shaking her head. "Ggio, for whatever reason, there was just... something about you- something intrinsic to who you are, as a person- that touched me, on a deeper level than anything else I'd experienced in very long time."
"Soifon...?" He started, moving in close by her.
"If you're asking me to put it into words, then I have to let you down, because there's no simple way to explain what's happened with the two of us." The Shinigami answered honestly. "Aside from, the fact I have no regrets about the two of us." Soifon offered him. "Ggio, the fact that I'm pregnant, as well as the fact that we're going to be parents... At the end of the day, none of that matters."
"The only thing that truly matters is that you were able to cut through all of the ice that had so long encased my heart." The lithe female remarked, taking his hand in hers and holding it against her chest as she looked into his eyes. "Your genuine feelings melted that ice, which in turn freed me up from decades of self doubt and regret." The Black-Ops Leader explained, as she drew him in close.
"No matter what else, you are the most important person in my life." She finished, before leaning in to plant a kiss upon his lips, then drawing back from the smallish Arrancar.
Ggio, for his part, blushed. "Soifon, I... I just want to be worthy of you, to know- deep down in my heart- that I've actually earned the grace of the position that fate has bestowed upon me, to know that I am actually good enough to be a worthy father to our children."
"Ggio... It's not a matter of being 'good enough'..." Soifon answered softly. "It was never an issue of you wearing me down..." She stated. "The plain and simple truth is that... you've always been the only person to go this deep into my heart, the one I want to go on this journey with."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The Living Realm...
Karakura City, Business District...
A rather interesting 'meeting' was presently unfolding inside Shop Urahara, between none other than Yoruichi Shihoin and fellow business proprietor Ikumi Unagiya.
"First off, Urahara-san isn't here," Yoruichi began. "He's away on... business, elsewhere."
"That's hardly surprising." Ikumi replied. "After all, as I've been learning, it seems that Kisuke Urahara has a hand in a lot of things, not to mention a finger on the pulse of what's happening."
"So then, what exactly is it that brings you here, today?" The dusky-skinned woman asked.
The two ladies were seated across from each other a table tucked away in the back of the shop-proper, while Ururu was currently handling the front counter.
"Lot's of things," the fair-skinned woman began. "But to start with, I'm more than a bit curious about what you and your friends- the ones elsewhere- are planning to do with me." Ikumi continued, with a sly look on her face. "After all, I don't imagine they're the sort to like loose-ends."
Yoruichi chuckled in response. "To be honest, our friends don't know anything about you." She replied with a glint in her striking golden eyes. "For one thing, we've been rather busy with other matters. And secondly, we're not obligated to report back to them over every little thing."
This seemed to somewhat mollify the other woman, at least to a degree. "Well, that's certainly a relief." Ikumi replied, as she relaxed a bit in her chair. "Though, I can't help wondering what happens now...?" She confessed, looking across the table to the woman across from her. "How exactly do I get on with the rest of my life- that is, in the face of knowing what I know?"
"You'll manage." The exotic woman replied. "The others- Orihime, Arisawa-san, Yasutora-san, Ishida-san, and all of the others- they've managed, in one way or another." Yoruichi offered. "And so will you, Unagiya-san, now that you've become a part of the Club."
The woman smiled at this. "There's no need to be so formal," she replied. "Call me Ikumi."
"Alright then." The other woman answered back. "Then call please call me Yoruichi."
"You know," Ikumi replied after a moment with a smile. "There's just something about you, I can't help but note that my instincts tell me that I'm going to like you."
The cat-like woman smiled. "Well, you're instincts sound to be very well attuned, to me."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi frantically typed away at a keyboard- her fingers moving with inhuman speed- typing into the keyboard as endless lines of code, white text against the black background of the screen- formed on the monitor of the computer that it was connected to.
"Incredible." Urahara commented out loud, watching as she wordlessly rotated in her chair to another laptop, before typing into it. "She's really doing it... It's, well, it's incredible!" He continued. "Looking at her work... you've achieved something truly great in nurturing her."
Szayel smiled proudly in response. "Indeed, my dear sweet 'butterfly' is nothing short of amazing." The Arrancar replied, while still smiling wildly. "Right now, before our very eyes, she's generating the lines of raw code that will serve as the foundation of the eventual sorting algorithm."
Hovering around her, he continued. "Just think about it, thank about what she's doing... Magnitudes beyond anything either you or I could imagine." Szayel went on. "And it's not because she's just some kind of living computer... No, this is possible because of the unique nature of who and what she is."
"Like you said," Urahara replied with a smile. "All the resources of a computer, with the adaptability of a living, thinking, and feeling being." The man recalled, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Precisely!" The Arrancar replied enthusiastically. Urahara could only watch as the other man spoke to him, looking to the former Shinigami with a broad smile.
He stepped back from her, looking to the other man. "When I look at her, I can't help but be filled with a sense of awe." The Espada revealed. "And, Kisuke, my friend... I can't help but feel a degree of pride, both in Nemu and in myself." He continued. "Her, for what she's been able to accomplish... And also in myself, for the fact that I was able to see that she was only scratching at her true potential."
Urahara nodded. "Well, Szayel... Your vision certainly goes further than that of your predecessor," the Soul offered him with a smile. "And, it would seem, in more ways than one."
The pink-haired Hollow's smile widened. "Mayuri wasn't intelligent enough to realize what a jewel he had right in front of him." Szayel replied in a low tone. "If he'd properly utilized Nemu's abilities, then, he might very well would have been running Soul Society."
Covering his mouth, Urahara chuckled. "I hope that you're not planning a coup, hmm?"
"My dear fellow, please perish the thought." Szayel replied suavely. "You may rest assured, my friend, that I've worked far too hard to earn the trust of my colleagues, only then simply go blowing it away in some kind of ill-thought act of subterfuge and betrayal."
"That's a great relief." Urahara replied. "Still, the real question we should be asking now, is what do all of these seemingly unrelated formulas and schematics amount to?" He reasoned.
"Yes, now that is the question." The Arrancar beside him replied. "It's all theories... But, perhaps, the key is all of this isn't in how they function in the individual, but rather, it's in how they work together in concert with each other." He reasoned confidently. "Possibly, once we understand enough of them, they then might form the building blocks of something larger."
"So you say," Urahara began. "But what, exactly, is it that they form?"
"What can I say?" Szayel responded. "Other, than to only begin to hypothesize as towards the true meaning of it all." He remarked, folding his arms. "Still... When I consider it all, I can only think that they're part of some kind of larger plan- that they're an aspect of some kind of greater system."
Urahara nodded, brushing a hand through his hair. "I hope you're right."
With that, silence fell between them, the two men simply watching as the woman seated before them typed at the computer with inhuman dexterity and speed. "I can't believe it!" Urahara finally spoke up, breaking the silence. "Something just occurred to me..." He added, looking to Szayel.
"And what would that be?" The Arrancar replied.
"As an evolved Hollow, you're effectively a compound entity, a gestalt, if you will." Urahara pointed out as he addressed the other man. "Years back, when Ulquiorra moved to the Living Realm, I had him take an skills and aptitude test... His score in linguistics was impossible- it was perfect."
Szayel gave a quizzical look. "Tell me," he started. "What, pray tell, exactly are you getting at?"
"Ulquiorra doesn't read languages, at least not in any sense that either a human or a soul would," the former Shinigami elaborated. "Rather, he perceives language intuitively." He went on. "Don't you see, it makes sense that you would be able to understand this multitude of languages... but not me."
"Well, I haven't been actively extending any such faculties to you." Szayel replied, tucking his hands into his pockets. "However, if I were to hazard a guess... Well, I'd have to say that it's the Archive itself that's enabling you to to understand all these different languages."
Urahara took his hat off, brushing a hand through his hair. "Incredible... We- we really do have access to everything- every word, every thought- ever known."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"Seeing as you're here, you must really care about Ichigo." Yoruichi observed.
Ikumi looked as if she were about to protest the assertion, but only blushed. "It's not what you think." She started. "Well, not exactly." The woman amended. "You see, I haven't exactly had the best history with men, I mean, my son's father abandoned me as soon as he learned I was pregnant."
"And how old where you when this happened?" The shape-shifting female inquired after a moment, a genuinely sympathetic tone as she asked the question.
Ikumi hesitated at first. "I wasn't... quite eighteen at the time." She answered. "He baled on me, and my parents weren't much help either- they wanted me to give up Kaoru."
Yoruichi nodded. "We'd like to think that our own parents would understand the maternal instinct when it comes to having a child." She replied. "But no one can understand another's point of view."
"Hearing you talk..." Ikumi started. "You speak with a voice far older than you look."
"As a woman, and a parent, I think you'll understand when I say I've seen things." The noblewoman and former-Shinigami replied. "Experience tends to age us faster than time ever could."
She nodded in response. "Experience has taught me not to place my trust in men..." The mother and business woman replied. "But Ichigo was different... He- he was the first man to really and truly stick out his neck for me." Ikumi added, tapping a finger against the tabletop. "And... More than anything else, he risked his life to save my son... my darling Kaoru."
"Of course." Yoruichi replied in a knowing tone. "And as a mother- who loves her son- you're feeling grateful towards the man that entered your life and saved your child?"
"It's more than that." Ikumi replied at length, not meeting her gaze. "Yoruichi... Have- have you ever been able to really rely upon someone- I mean, someone in your life, that you could depend on?"
Yoruichi couldn't help but smile, before nodding. "The man that you know as nothing more than just a bumbling Shopkeeper... Kisuke Urahara." The woman replied. "Years ago, far more than I would care to admit to," she continued, looking about the room. "I cast my lot in with him, that fool... and, for good or for ill, I've never looked back." She answered.
"I suppose... I must seem like quite the fool in your eyes?" Ikumi asked, meeting her gaze.
The woman across from her shook her head. "No, not at all." Yoruichi replied. "In the end, when you peel back everything else, we're only, er, human." She offered her. "It's the same for how we live our lives, we can't fight who we're drawn to... any more than we can hope to change the weather."
There was a sound of a bell in the distance, indicating that someone else had arrived in the shop.
Ikumi watched, following the other woman's gaze as she looked towards the doorway to the room they were sitting in, just in time to watch as a familiar figure appeared.
"Hello again, Kurosaki-san." The woman offered with an odd smile.
He seemed surprised at first, but nodded. "Yes, hello, Unagiya-san." Isshin replied after a moment, before he then turned towards Yoruichi. "Karin-chan found some things in my son's journal, things that, well, that I wasn't really sure what to make of..." The man revealed.
The businesswoman perked up as the woman across from her prompted him. "Well then, seeing as you went to the trouble of coming here, you might as well go ahead tell us."
The father glanced over to Ikumi, unsure, Yoruichi following his gaze. "Don't worry, Isshin," the dark-skinned started. "We've been talking, and I doubt that she'll be causing us any complications."
Another moment passed, after which he relented. "Where to start... Well, a few passing references to a mysterious black cat he saw- first in our neighborhood." Isshin revealed. "He almost thought it was you for a moment, of course... Because, he felt it was watching him."
Yoruichi straightened up her seat. "You said he saw it more than once?"
He nodded. "Later on, he saw a black cat- just like it." Isshin went on. "When he asked this Darkwood about it, the man just referred to it as a 'fellow traveler'."
"But that's not even the weirdest part." The bearded man admitted. "He wrote about another cat," he paused to collect his thoughts. "This particular one, he saw in a vision that he experienced during one of their 'training' sessions... Again, it was a black cat, except this one spoke."
Yoruichi arched a brow. "What did it say?" She asked eagerly.
"All kinds of things... Including things Ichigo wouldn't know about." Isshin answered, moving in to take a seat at the table. "According to what he wrote down, it was cultured and intelligent- it talked to him about things like art and philosophy, it even chastised him for not knowing as Descartes."
It was at this point that Ikumi spoke up. "I'm guessing that western philosophy isn't a common subject for an average second year student in high school?" She asked.
"No." Isshin replied, shaking his head "And I doubt that Ichigo was studying Cartesian Doubt in his spare time." He continued pointedly, his tone serious as he went on. "Just as how I know that my son wasn't reading up on the astronomer Carl Sagan, or the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge either."
"Coleridge?" Ikumi repeated, a confused look on her face.
Isshin rested his hands on his hips. "Something about a 'miracle of rare device', or something."
"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan, a stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
through caverns measureless to man." Yoruichi spoke, gaining their attention. "Where blossomed many a incense-bearing tree; And forests ancient as the hills, in sunny spots of greenery."
Looking to them, Yoruichi just smiled and went on."And Kubla heard from far Ancestral voices prophesying war." She continued. "Where was heard the mingled measure From the fountain and the caves. It was a miracle of rare device, A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!"
"What was that?" Isshin asked her with a wide-eyed look.
"Oh, just what I could remember of the poem Xanadu offhand." She replied. "So, if he's meeting with otherworldly creatures not of his own making... then, perhaps others should know of this."
"Wait, there's one more thing..." Isshin spoke up. "Ichigo, he, he also saw... Aizen."
Ikumi noted the look of concern on the woman's face. "Aizen?! Well then, that settles it!"
"Who's this 'Aizen' you just mentioned?" The woman asked.
"Oh, he's just an old friend of ours." She replied darkly, with a smile.
"Yes, a friend... one who also just happens to be a deadly enemy." Isshin chimed in, his tone grave.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The Gotei Council...
"Again, thank you all for coming on such short notice." Szayel began. "I realize that our past makes it difficult for you to trust me outright, though I hope that all of you- my fellow Captains- can appreciate what I am about to tell you." He explained to the assembled Captains.
"I realize that, for some of you, just asking for your patience is a great deal... And yet, while my work in the Archives moves slowly, there has been progress." The Arrancar continued. "And it is because of that, that I hope you'll understand why I requested that only essential personnel attend this gathering."
Before the Captain of the Twelfth, was seated the Commanders of the other Divisions- including the Captains of the Twelve active Divisions, as well as Lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe as the representative of the First- comprised of nine Shinigami, three Vizards, and one Espada.
"As some of you may know, I've been looking through the records of the Celestial Archives, and from them we've discerned numerous past accounts: describing 'Living Shadows', 'Doors' or 'Gateways' to a realm of 'Darkness', and even of the deleterious effects of this 'Darkness'."
"Further, thanks to the recent discovery of hidden data within the accounts, I now have my Lieutenant working on a system to collect and correlate all of these accounts and compile such similar data."
"And you believe that this data you speak of may hold the key to overcoming this 'Darkness'?" Captain Byakuya Kuchiki inquired in his usual calm collected tone.
"Not any one single piece." Szayel started. "However, as we gather more data, I believe that the 'key' to all of this will begin to become clearer." The Espada replied.
"But tell me, why insist on such secrecy?" Captain Sajin Komamura asked next.
"I was just getting to that..." The pink-haired Arrancar replied with a smile. "The individuals that we now know as 'The Brethren' have displayed incredible skills when it comes to both manipulation and infiltration- and that makes them very dangerous." Szayel explained to the others. "Of particular note, we should be concerned with the abilities of the man named 'Dario'."
"You're referring to the so-called 'reality-bender'?" Captain Retsu Ukitake asked. "The same one who helped to kill the Sternritter Commander Jugram Halshwach?"
"Indeed, Lady Ukitake." The Captain of the Twelfth replied. "We know so little of the true extent of his powers, such that I fear the extent of what that man could be capable of."
"Pardon me Captain Grantz," Lieutenant Sasakibe spoke. "Just what exactly is it you're driving at?"
Szayel nodded. "That such powers would make it all too easy to plant an agent within Soul Society." He offered, to the surprise of some. "Now, before you dismiss what I'm suggesting as scaremongering, consider this: if there is indeed a spy here, would they even know they were working against us?"
"And not just that," he continued. "Would it even be possible for us to know when or if we were being deceived, given his seeming ability to influence our perception?"
This seemed to give them pause. Though Kensei eventually broke the silence. "What you're suggesting, if true, would pose a very serious threat to all of Soul Society."
The bespectacled Espada held up his hand. "I'm in no way suggesting that we carry out some kind of witch-hunt." Szayel went on to reply. "What I am suggesting is that all of us practice the utmost caution when it comes to who we share sensitive information with." He finished.
"And just how many people know of what you've told us?" Byakuya asked.
"Aside from those of us gathered in this chamber," he started. "Only my Lieutenant, Nemu Kurotsuchi, and Kisuke Urahara are aware of the full extent of the operation."
Adjusting his spectacles, he continued his address. "For now, if absolutely necessary, I would suggest that you only discuss this information with your second officers."
A series of murmurs were heard, amongst the other Officers seated at the table, as they talked amongst themselves. It wasn't long before they reached a consensus, at which point they ultimately conceded to his request, agreeing to keep this news on a 'Need-to-Know' basis.
"Very well then, if you believe this is necessary, than so be it." Byakuya spoke.
Szayel nodded. "Thank you," he started. "All of you, I want to thank you for your continued trust."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"Tell me something, Ichigo," Darkwood began, while seated in the black leather-bound chair within the shadowy room. "Your reaction to to the seeming death of Dario, at your own hand... I can't help finding it interesting that your reaction should be quite so extreme."
The youth nodded. "It was... different." The orange-haired teen replied uneasily, shifting his posture in the chair he occupied across from the bearded man. "There was something about the way it unfolded." He stated. "It was... so violent and sudden." The brown-eyed young man went on.
Darkwood arched a brow. "Different?" He spoke. "How so? Tell me, Ichigo, just how exactly is what happened different? I mean, as apposed to when it comes to killing Hollows?"
Ichigo glared at him. "Isn't it obvious?!" He countered brusquely. "When it came to the Hollows, they were trying to kill me- or my friends- it was a matter of life and death." The youth explained. "My life and my soul was at risk- as well as for my friends- were just something to be consumed!"
The teen paused, chewing his knuckle. "But that day... It wasn't a battle for my soul!" Ichigo went on, looking back to Darkwood. "As far as I knew, all that was at stake was getting my ass handed to me- at worst, maybe dying- and yet, in that moment, I became all instinct, I turned into an animal!"
"And yet, be all accounts," Darkwood replied coolly. "Isn't it still the same act of taking a life?"
Ichigo glared at him. "Why are you asking me this, are you trying to piss me off?"
The older man shook his head. "No, not at all." He replied. "On the contrary, I'm simply curious about the matter of 'relative' ease in taking one sort of life, as opposed to another."
"If anything," Darkwood continued. "I think, more than anything else... What you should take away from all of this- both your experience, as well as this discussion and any future reflection- is that there is no such thing as a 'clean kill', nor an 'honorable death." He stated calmly.
The orange-haired teenager listened, transfixed as he spoke. "Rather, it's my hope that you understand that both death itself and the act of taking a life is inherently vicious, violent, and ultimately... like sin, it is as much to the detriment and diminishing of oneself, as it is to the afflicted."
Ichigo looked away for a moment, inhaling as he mulled over the remark, before looking back to the man seated across from him, his brown eyes meeting the other man's. "You speak like you have a lot of experience with this sort of thing... So, tell me, have you ever taken a life?"
Upon hearing this, Darkwood chuckled darkly. "Oh, my dear Ichigo Kurosaki," he started with a sly, knowing look. "I've seen and done things that you couldn't even begin to imagine..."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
A cup of coffee in hand, Szayel stepped into one the labs within the Twelfth Division.
Taking a sip from the steaming cup, he moved to sit down at one of the computers. Then, setting the cup down, he opened up a new window on the screen. It was a listing of reports- filed by his teams in the Living Realm, each of them an account of what they'd found.
"Let's see..." He mused under his breath, the bespectacled Arrancar began looking through the contents of some of the reports. "Hmm, I wonder..." Szayel went on, under his breath.
Minimizing the window, he opened another, this one showing an overhead map of Karakura City.
"And now to overlay the additional data..." Szayel continued, moving his mouse icon over to the input areas on the side-bar of the window. This, in-turn, was followed by numerous points of interest popping up across map of the city. "And now... to cross-reference the locations of the unusual energy spikes with the appearances of the members of the Brethren in the city..."
As he said this, multiple areas were distinguished by points of interest. "Hmm, what's this...?" Szayel commented, while casually taking a drink of coffee.
Arching a fine pink brow, he took a drink from his cup. As the Arrancar looked at the results, one thing in particular soon became clear to him. "Ah, wait, is that a... a blind spot?"
There was a particular area of the city, located within a largely abandoned part of Karakura- an area filled with empty factories and refineries, derelict since the boom started in the 1980s had ended- that was visibly devoid of both dark energy spikes and appearances from the Brethren during their recent attack. In fact, as far as he could see, there was no energy there at all- not chi, reiki, or otherwise.
Finishing off the contents of the cup, he rose to his feet. "Now, now we have something."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Nemu looked up as her Captain entered the room...
It was her own office, assigned to her by Szayel, after he'd killed Mayuri and taken over the Twelfth, reasoning that- as a Lieutenant- it was only fitting that she have one of her own.
"Szayel-sama." She spoke politely with a nod, now standing.
He returned the nod. "Nemu, my butterfly, my sweet darling," the Octavio Espada began in his usual, somewhat florid tone. "I dropped by to let you know that I will be leading an expedition into the Living Realm." Szayel revealed to the purple-haired woman. "In my stead, you will command the Division."
Nemu nodded. "O- of course, Szayel-sama." She replied, faltering only briefly to her dear partner and commander, before composing herself and speaking up. "What will you be doing?"
The Arrancar flashed her a broad smile. "I've only just discovered an irregularity within the boundaries of Karakura City." He explained. "And, given recent events, I believe it to be worth investigating."
"Depending upon how things play out," the golden-eyed Arrancar spoke. "It may be some time before you hear from me again." Szayel continued. "As such, I trust that you are fully capable of handling the regular, day-to-day affairs of the Division." He stated enthusiastically.
When the woman nodded fervently, he continued. "Nemu, my dear... Always remember that you have my full faith, as well as the respect of the members of the Twelfth... They will follow you."
Taking a moment, he leaned in to plant a reassuring kiss upon her soft pink lips, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders as he went about leaving her breathless before him and only able to merely nod as he drew back from the green-eyed female and looked to her.
"I- I'll see to the Division, Szayel-sama." Nemu replied smartly, with some effort.
"And, above all else," the pink-haired Espada stated with a smile. "Please don't forget that you have the special command codes we discussed to fall back upon if all else fails."
And so, with that, he departed...
(- End of Chapter LXII... -)