To start with, I have to once again apologize for the speed of the updates not improving, despite how many times I've remarked on the various factors that would enable me to do so. It's starting to feel like I can't catch a break. First off, I was forced to go several days without a medication that I literally need to be able to do my job and write this story. I have ADHD, and without the medicine, I can't properly focus on anything.
And then, there's the fact that just as it looks like I've got things worked out... I get to find out that I've lost my tech support job (which I was very good at) because the execs at the top felt otherwise- that I had failed to observe their unending list of pedantic regulations. I'll give you a hint about who I'm talking about- the company's name rhymes with the word "Bapple"!
So here I am, with all the bitching out of the way... I do also want to take a moment to thank Crestfallen Ogress, RG-Guest, and "Guest" for their feedback on the last update I posted. To 'Ogress', I'm hoping to finish the story sometime this year. As for RG-Guest, I understand your comment that the 'slice of life' scenes being a sharp contrast to more plot-heavy ones. The truth is, that this third "Book" (or "Season") is in some ways the most complicated for me as it contains a lot of plot threads- involving a lot of characters, including my OCs.
One of the main points of "Book 1" was wrapping up the major loose ends regarding the elements from the series, chiefly the threat of the Wandreich. By comparison, "Book 2" was all about establishing the new status quo (or 'tone' if you like) and expanding upon and exploring both the characters and all the various dynamics, as well as finalizing the threat posed by the Brethren and Oken Anomaly. As for "Book 3", while it is about the culmination of everything, it's important to remember that regular life goes on- life Soifon's pregnancy and Yumichika dealing with his PTSD.
TO FORGE A
BETTER TOMORROW
Chapter LXVI: "Illumination"
"I won't live in this fiction!" Orihime declared, her consciousness suddenly snapping back to reality.
"I must say, Miss Inoue, that you possess a particularly strong will- one might even go so far as to say dangerously so." Dario offered with a disarming smile. "Normally, people would be content to remain in the dreams-cape for hours, if not days, even." The hooded man went on. "But not you, on no, you're made of sterner stuff than most people."
"You." She spoke angrily, glaring daggers at Dario. "Using the figure of my dead brother... and all just to manipulate me in your sick game... You really are cruel." Her tone wavering as she spoke.
"Cruel?" Dario repeated, aghast. "How can you can say that?"
"None of what I offered you was a lie, not really," the scruffy-faced man spoke. "I didn't craft that life, no, all of that, it was you." Dario elaborated. "The only thing I did was to offer you the framework, to make of it whatever you wished... All the little details and subtleties, they came entirely from you."
"W-wait!" Orihime responded. "You're telling me... That I created that dream world?"
"I gave you the chance to experience a life where your beloved brother was alive, in which you could live out a happy life with the benefit of your cherished sibling and your lover at your side, one set in a world- without pain and suffering- where you and your friends could truly be happy and content."
"Now, tell me," Dario continued, looking her in the eyes. "Miss Inoue, knowing everything that I've told you, truthfully: can you honestly dismiss what I showed you as 'wrong'?"
From the periphery, Pierce made a frustrated sound. "What's he doing yammering on with her?"
Jinx glared angrily at him. "Shut up!" She snapped tersely. "If you had any real common sense, then you might be able to realize just how far out of your league you truly are at the moment."
Pierce gave an angry look, and appeared as if he were about to respond, just to seemingly back down from their little exchange, at least for the moment...
Meanwhile, at the same as this, Dario awaited Orihime's reply. "You and the others, you seem to know quite a lot about me," she started. "But I think in the end, I'd still have to say you people don't know me nearly as well as you seem to think you do." The redhead went on.
"Really now?" Ozzy asked countered, arching a brow. "And how so is that, exactly?"
"That's all it was, just a dream." Orihime countered. "I've come too far and fought too hard, to just run from my waking life, no matter how painful it might be sometimes."
Dario sighed, tucking his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "I must say, well put young lady," he proclaimed with a smile. "Then, with all that in mind, all that's left for me to say is that I am sorry that you didn't enjoy the dream that I gave you."
He gave a look she hadn't seen from him before. Rather than his usual unreadable mask that he wore, was something much different, more raw, almost a look of bemusement. "You know, Orihime, I'm not what you'd call a 'good person', I've done things... unfortunate, but necessary things."
"There was always something about you, something... I just can't put a name to it, but then, perhaps that's what makes you so... intriguing. And, perhaps, I think, on a deeper and more personal level, that's one of the things that drew Ulquiorra to you." Dario offered her, his tone becoming more unguarded as he continued. "I mean, after all, he's no saint, and- like me- he's done his share of things that he almost certainly doesn't wish to speak of, and would simply like to put behind him at the moment."
"Why... why are you telling me all this?" Orihime inquired, a tentative look on her face.
"Because, I can offer you some clarity now, and that's no small matter, I assure you. Everyone, on all sides, they keep talking about how special you are..." He paused, smiling earnestly. "But simply calling you 'special' is inadequate to explaining what it is that make you worthy of that moniker."
Orihime gave a quizzical look. "You mean... Negation, or are referring to my 'other' powers?"
"Oh yes, but here's one more factor that you didn't mention." Dario replied, his green eyes widening, a pleased grin on his face. "Orihime, you- you are the quintessential woman, with the ability to so deeply enter into the hearts of those of us who wonder- lost in the darkness of regret of past misdeeds- that you engender feelings and desires long thought lost." He gestured to his chest, to his 'heart'.
"You fill the dark void with life and light, you pull the irredeemable out of the grip of the darkness of our own wickedness, you drive out the rot of disillusionment, and you replace the profound emptiness with a special kind of hope that nourishes the drive to become something more- something better."
The fiery-haired young woman was taken aback at the frankness of his remarks, finding herself unable to come up with any kind of suitable response to any of it.
Then, Dario clapped his hands, and his posture shifted again, his usual mask returning. "But what now, we're still faced with the matter of what we are to do with you?" The man continued, while taking out a cigarette and lighting it. "After all, we came all this way," he added calmly, before blowing out a puff of smoke. "So to just go back now..." He trailed off, still smiling, wordlessly shaking his head.
At the same time as this, the various other Brethren present were in the middle of exchanging confused looks amongst themselves. "Dario, what now?" Jinx asked uneasily.
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure." The man in question responded. "I've never encountered someone able to break free of my powers before." Dario added with a smirk. "That ads an unfortunate wrinkle to the mission. We don't want to hurt her, and yet, we also can't risk provoking her or her powers."
"Fuck it!" Pierce exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I didn't come here just so we would stand around jerking each other off with all this talking." He proclaimed angrily, much to annoyance and/or amusement of many of the others at his crassness.
"Dario, I know you're tight with the boss," Pierce went on. "And maybe you're fine just continuing on with this bullshit therapy session you two are having," the man stated, growing increasingly frustrated as he continued. "Well, I'm not! I came to get her ass back to base!"
Dario regarded him with a neutral look. "Mr. Piece," he started flatly. "I would advise that you step back and take a moment to ponder the wisdom of doing that, if I were you." He replied, his tone civil, but with a ominous undercurrent. "Lest you do something you might later regret."
However, the menace was lost of the other man. "Fine, go ahead and keep trying it your way, but in the mean time, if she doesn't want to play ball with us," he continued on, all wile advancing towards her at a brisk pace. "Then it looks like we're just gonna have to do this this the hard way!"
"Please, if you'd only just wait a mo-" Dario started to say, just as Pierce unceremoniously brushed past him and reached out to grab hold of Orihime by the slender wrist.
"Moron!" Jinx spat under her breath.
The next thing everyone knew, the golden aura surrounding the young woman flared up- seemingly in reaction to the contact- and Pierce's eyes widened. Dario squinted, the hooded man having to shield his eyes when the glow turned into a blinding flash, which engulfed Pierce completely.
And then, he was gone!
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Soul Society...
Division Four, Medical Center...
Szayel Grantz strode in through the wide entryway to the reception area of the Fourth, Yumichika in his arms, and deposited the battered man onto a waiting gurney.
"Oh my god, Yumi!" A nearby voice exclaimed frantically.
The bespectacled Arrancar turned to watch as the tall, silver-haired figure of Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu appeared and rushed over the side of the fallen figure.
The purple-haired Shinigami looked over to the woman. "...Isane?" He started weakly. "Is that really you, Isane, is all this actually happening?" Yumichika asked in a strained voice, trying to sit up. "Am I dreaming? I... I can't tell any more... if I'm imagining things or not." He rambled on.
Tears filled her eyes and she threw her arms around his battered form. "All of this is real, Yumichika!" Isane proclaimed as she embraced his lane out form. "Including me, I promise."
"Captain Grantz." A calm voice spoke. "What is the status of you and your team?"
The Espada turned to the gently smiling figure of Retsu Ukitake. "Unharmed, all of us, thankfully." He replied, addressing the dark-haired woman. "The rest of my team is back at the Twelfth, but I thought it important to see to it that Officer Ayasegawa be delivered here first, before debriefing."
The woman nodded. "I imagine you must have quite a tale to tell." Retsu remarked, receiving a polite nod from the pink-haired Arrancar. "I'll see to that Ayasegawa-san is properly looked after, and that he receives all necessary treatment while he's here." She added.
"Yes, of course." Szayel replied. "Just as I'm sure as long as he's here, under your care, that Captain Muguruma won't come looking for him any time soon." He added.
The two of them shared a knowing smile. "Now then, if you will excuse me, I have urgent matters to attend to at my own Division." Szayel explained. "Good day, Captain."
"And to you." Retsu offered, before looking to her Lieutenant, hovering over their latest patient.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"What the shit man?" Hawke exclaimed frantically, even as he stumbled back from the sunset-haired young woman. "What happened to him, where in the fuck did he go?!"
Once again, the others exchanged nervous uncertain looks between them, while Orihime was left alone to bare a look of almost stupefied horror at what had just happened.
As Orihime was looking at her hands, Lenny spoke up. "Hawke. I don't think he went anywhere..." The imposing, black leather-clad man interjected. "The truth is..." He faltered, glancing between the others gathered around him. "I- I think he's gone, man!"
Ozzie paled, petrified by what he'd just witnessed. "Oh my god... The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters..."
"Sid...!" Nancy proclaimed. "Don't let this bullshit abide- do something!"
Sid looked to Ozzie. "Oh not this shit again... Seriously, you jagoff, you're not helping the situation!"
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Ozzie forged on, heedless of the scorn offered by the other man observing him. "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies..."
"I can't sense him any more." Dario commented offhandedly, even as Orihime looked on in confusion.
For her part, Orihime was feeling increasingly lost in the moment, first in the wake of having received the deeply profound assessment of her- from Dario, no less- and now, once again, as the young woman struggled to come to grips with what exactly had just happened... What had she done?
Lenny spoke up next. "What the fuck?" He replied. "Are you saying she fuckin' killed him?!"
"...Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever." Ozzie finished, nervously straightening his glasses.
Jinx shook her head. "No." She spoke up pointedly. "Can't you sense it? What he's saying... is that there's nothing left of him." The inked woman elaborated. "It's like, the girl- it's as if she erased him!" She exclaimed to the others. "She removed him from existence- she unmade him!"
Strangely, Dario only smiled at the disturbing revelation. "Why, Miss Inoue, it would seem that we've grievously underestimated you." The hooded man started. "I never would have guessed you would have had such depths to you... Honestly, in truth, I have to say, I'm impressed with you- if not, downright frightened." He continued. "But what now, what are we to do?"
The whole time, Orihime felt numb, unable to process what had just happened. In fact, it wasn't until a figure appeared in the air- Ulquiorra(!), in his Primera Resurreccion- with the boom of his Sonido, that she at last snapped out of it and looked up to see her partner overhead.
His dark wings slowly in motion, and clad in a sleeveless robe, the Espada glared at the assembly of people gathered around Orihime. His distinctive 'half helmet' Mask Fragment now looking more like a crest atop his head of black hair, with long horns projecting outwards.
"Oh shit, he's here!" Ronnie exclaimed. "It's the asshole boyfriend!"
"Yeah, and it just happens that the fucking barrier isn't stopping him!" Jinx added aggressively, while she watched as the Cuatro Espada pushed through it.
Ulquiorra drew his pale bone-white arm back, a glowing green 'lance' of reiki forming in his hand, he launched his Luz de la Luna at the people encircling his mate. As soon as the attack struck the ground, the ensuing energy blast was enough to drive them back from Orihime.
"It appears that we have yet more company." Dario observed drolly.
Everyone, including both Orihime and Ulquiorra, looked on as three more figures appeared- this time in a flash of Shunpo. At the head was Toshiro Hitsugaya, the young Captain flanked by his Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto, and by Renji Abarai from the Sixth Division.
Ulquiorra touched down beside Orihime, just as her golden 'aura' vanished. "And so," the hooded man went on. "Now, it would seem that time itself is against us."
Typical of the man, Dario only smiled and shook his head. "It looks like we're in over our heads." He calmly remarked. "So long, Miss Inoue," the man said, looking to Orihime. "For now, at least, that is." Dario added with a sly little wink, holding his hand up and snapping his finger.
Everyone was left to look on as all of the Brethren vanished in a flash of light...
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Division Twelve HQ...
Szayel turned to Nemu, his gloved hands on her cheeks. "My- my darling Butterfly." He spoke, looking into her striking green eyes, before leaning in to plant a heated kiss upon her soft lips.
The purple-haired Lieutenant was actually surprised by the intensity of the kiss. She knew that Szayel was more than capable of expressing himself. Normally, he was more calculating and controlled in how he showed affection towards her- opting to do so privately. But now, rarely was he this spontaneous!
"It's a relief to finally see you again." He continued, caressing her cheeks. "I am so proud of you, the way you handled the situation and took charge of things." Szayel spoke. "The individual disguised as Yumichika Ayasegawa- the one who attacked you- what's the status of the body?"
"Thank you, Szayel-sama." Nemu replied, smiling softly. "After the intrusion had been dealt with and the Division Secured, the body was transferred to the sub-level, and placed in cold storage."
"Good." The Espada replied, giving her another quick kiss. "With the remains preserved- 'on ice', so to speak- it should be suitably ready for examination." Szayel continued. "Oh, and please make sure that the proper preparations are made, as I intend to perform an exploratory biopsy."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"Oh, of course they vanished!" Toshiro exclaimed with a resigned sigh, before he silently folded his arms as he looked between those gathered around him. "By now, I'd honestly be surprised if they did anything other then just vanishing in a big showy flash of light!"
"Oh Captain, if you keep scowling like that, you'll leave lines in your forehead." Rangiku offered with a mile, prompting the young man to fix her with an annoyed look.
As the young Soul Reaper was bemoaning the situation, Ulquiorra entered into his sealed state, leaving his Zanpakuto- Murcielago- sheathed in it's saya and gripped in his hand. However, at the moment, this meant the Arrancar was out of his Gigai, now appearing as the ghostly green-eyed figure Orihime had first encountered.
"Orihime," he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you unharmed?"
"Woman, are you scared?" The past question echoed in her memory.
The young human woman suddenly found herself reliving the past... In particular, the moment when the then dying Ulquiorra, in his demonic Segunda Etapa, had reached out to her.
"Woman, come with me." Just as the past version of the Arrancar had coldly instructed her.
Next, she was recalling how he'd beckoned her, the Shinigami laying prone around her as she looked into those piercing green eyes of his, his pale hand outstretched to her.
"Orihime, are you alright?" He spoke, this time once more in the present.
She looked to him, an unsure expression on her face. Orihime then looked like she was about to say something in response, only for words to fail her in that moment.
Ulquiorra gave her a concerned look, just as Renji approached them. "Inoue-san, are you alright?" The scarlet-haired Shinigami inquired, a similar look of concern at her non-reaction.
He exchanged a brief glance with Ulquiorra, just as everyone there heard a familiar voice call out.
"Is everything alright?"
Everyone watched as Yoruichi appeared on the scene in a a burst of Shunpo. The female Shape-shifter wasted no time in approaching the others. "Ulquiorra, Captain Hitsugaya." She spoke, acknowledging the Cuatro Espada and the Captain of the Tenth Division. "Is anyone hurt?"
"I'm not sure," Ulquiorra spoke in a steady tone. "Orihime appears to be in shock?"
"I-" She started. "I'm... fine" The young woman spoke out at last, a distant look in her eyes.
"Orihime?" Rangiku started as she and Toshiro approached her.
"Captain Hitsugaya, what are you and the Lieutenants doing here?" Yoruichi asked.
"The answer to that is complicated." The snowy-haired youth replied. "A lot of things have happened, both here and in Soul Society." Hitsugaya continued. "Such that it wouldn't be appropriate to go into it at the moment." The Captain added, his tone serious. "But suffice to say, one of the end results of all the mayhem was learning that the Brethren were after Inoue-san."
"But why?" The golden-eyed woman replied, placing her hands on her hips. "This isn't the first time that they've come after her before," Yoruichi added. "Why are they so interested in her?"
"That's just it," Hitsugaya countered. "We don't know, certainly not anything specific." The young Shinigami continued as everyone listened. "It's possible that Brethren may have sensed something that was a potential threat to them in Inoue-san, likely to do with the new powers she's developing, and so by that logic: they wanted to preemptively... 'neutralize' her."
"They wanted to talk." Orihime chimed in, seeming to at last snap out of the stupor she'd been in.
"What," Rangiku started, looking to her friend. "What was that, Orihime?"
The sunset-haired girl looked at them all. "They told me they wanted to talk with me... That's why they said they'd come here- to bring me back with them so we could 'talk'."
Yoruichi sighed, shaking her head. "Right now, Kisuke is away in Soul Society, helping Szayel with his work, otherwise he'd be here to try and help deal with the situation."
"In the mean time," she continued. "I think the best place- for all of us- would be back at the shop, in the hidden facilities." Yoruichi suggested to the group. "It'll give you a chance to get me caught up on everything that's happened in the Soul Realm." The woman added. "And, secondly, it'll give Orihime a chance to collect her nerves and for us to properly look her over."
"How about it?" As she's said the last part, she'd looked to Ulquiorra.
A moment passed, before he finally nodded. "Very well then, let's go."
(- End of Chapter LXVI... -)
I'm particularly proud of dialogue between Dario and Orihime, especially with the former, as it's really the first time that this complex enigmatic character complete drops all pretenses and is completely forthright and heartfelt. In many ways, I think it really speaks to the core element of what exactly makes Orihime such a special and unique character, and what is about her that would compel someone like Ulquiorra to be drawn to her.
So, what did you guys think? Did this chapter live up to your expectations? I'd love to know what you thought of it.