As is by now the custom, I'd like to begin by expressing my thanks to a few people. Chiefly, I'd like to say thanks to RG-Guest, darkmachines, and... Oh my God, to gorguts5! It's so great to hear from you again after all this time! As far as I'm concerned, they're 'legit' when it comes to reviewers, as they go back to my first UlquiHime story from 2011-2012!
And, I'd like to say thanks to whoever posted their review anonymously under the title of "Guest". Also, I'm working again, but the schedule is pretty killer in terms of hours. Still, it's good to be back in the saddle again, and it's still my intent that this story wrap up this year.
First off, to respond to darkmachines... I had planned to address the issue of some of Ggio's fellow Fraccions still being alive (particularly Charlotte), but then I'm not sure how that point slipped through the cracks in the storytelling, especially since I'd planned to reveal that they weren't all dead. I guess I spent so much time and energy on Grimmjow's Fraccions, that I simply forgot about the late Barragon's henchmen...
TO FORGE A
BETTER TOMORROW
Chapter LXVIII:
"Threads, Part 1"
Soul Society...
Division Twelve HQ...
Szayel and Nemu, along with two other technicians from the Division, stepped out of the large elevator, into the sub-level beneath main facility.
The bespectacled Arrancar was content to follow the purple-haired woman, as she lead him down the long corridor, illuminated by fluorescent lights overhead. The group eventually arrived at a particularly sturdy-looking metal door, the word "MORGUE" visible on the smoothed silver surface.
The Espada noted that it felt cool to the touch. He looked to Nemu, the two exchanging a glance, at which point the Lieutenant nodded and produced a key-card from her kimono. Without comment, she slid the sleek black and silver object down through the reader- eliciting a beeping sound.
Szayel smiled, watching as a small light lit up green on the reader. This, in turn, was followed by the sound of the door's inner mechanisms moving, as the multiple bolts holding it in place receded.
He gripped the handle and pulled the door open. "Which one of the unit is it stored in?" Szayel asked as they stepped inside the room, his breath faintly visible as he spoke.
"Unit two-fourteen." Nemu replied, her own breath similarly visible as they made their way over to it.
"Allow me." Szayel offered, typing a code into keypad on the metal hatch. There was a faint hissing sound as the seals on the hatch released and he gripped the handle and drew it down, before the 'shelf' slid out in a swift fluid motion- laden with a large black body bag.
"Nemu, would you see to that the equipment is ready?" He asked of the woman.
She nodded. "Of course, Szayel-sama." Nemu then left the room.
"Excellent." He replied. "And now," Szayel began, looking to the technicians. "The body is going to need to be transferred to Examination." The Arrancar continued. "Would the two of you be so kind as to see to moving this onto the gurney for transfer?" He asked, still smiling.
Both of the technicians nodded and promptly picked up the ends of the body bad, with which they then proceeded to deposit onto a nearby gurney as instructed.
With that, they wheeled the body out of the morgue and into the room next to it. The two technicians then picked up the stretcher part of the gurney and placed it down onto the examination table.
Szayel removed his labcoat-style Captain's haori and hung it up, revealing the modified version of his old Las Noches uniform (black rather than white) in its entirety.
"You two," Szayel addressed the two technicians. "You're dismissed," he continued. "Thank you both for your assistance, you can now return to your regular duties."
With that, he turned to 'slab' where the body bag was waiting. Reaching for the zipper, Szayel drew it partially down. The Arrancar then parted the opening and looked inside.
"What?" Came his puzzled remark, a surprised look on his face. Szayel then closed it back up, looking up from the body-bag, an unreadable look on his face.
"Szayel-sama?" Nemu inquired, a curious look on her face. "Is something wrong?"
"That depends..." Szayel replied cryptically. "Nemu my dear, tell me, are you absolutely certain that this is the body of the individual who attacked you earlier today?"
"Of course, Szayel-sama." The female Shinigami answered. "I personally checked to make sure, prior to your return." Nemu went on to explain. "Why do you ask?"
He gave an unreadable look at this, before turning to address her. "Because," he started in somber tone even as he looked into her brilliant green eyes. "The body of the individual inside this bag doesn't look anything like Yumichika Ayasegawa." Szayel replied simply.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Division Four, Medical Center...
Mila Rose, clad in her modified Shinigami outfit and sporting her Instructor's Badge, was seated at a table in the Division members' mess hall. In contrast to the dark-skinned leonine woman, was the fair-skinned, blonde-haired figure of Kyoko beside her, now a full-fledged member of the Fourth.
And seated across from them, was the elegant form of fellow Tres Bestias, Sungsun Cyan, the slender female Arrancar similarly dressed in her own modified uniform- complete with the green sash around her waist indicative of her status as a Medic in the Division's Auxiliary Corp.
"Were either of you around when things went down?" Mila asked of the other women.
Kyoko shook her head. "No, I'm still on supervised duties at the moment."
Sungsun smirked slightly. "Well, I wasn't there personally when it happened," she revealed, brushing her hand through her drab-green hair. "But Hanataro was there when everything happened." The female Arrancar went on to say. "Apparently, as I understand, it was all quite the scene." She continued slyly, as she went on to relate the retelling of Szayel's dramatic arrival...
"As soon as the Octavio burst through the front doors, looking only slightly worse for ware, with the unconscious Ayasegawa draped over his shoulder and calling for a gurney," she paused. "Well, needless to say, it was a matter of secants before Reception was filled with all sorts of people."
"Poor Ayasegawa-san..." Kyoko lamented sadly.
Mila wasted no time, having noted the disheartened tone and look in her partner's eyes, she placed a hand upon the smaller woman's delicate shoulders. "Go on, Sungsun." She prompted.
The Arrancar nodded. "Now, as I'm sure you both can imagine, seeing Ayasegawa- normally so pretty and perfumed- in such a sorry condition, was terribly disconcerting for everyone present on the scene," Sungsun resumed in a steady tone. "No one more so than his mate... Apparently, Lieutenant Isane was rendered downright frantic the very moment she laid eyes upon him."
"Mate?" Kyoko repeated with a start. "Goodness, I- I had no idea," she went on. "I mean, Kotetsu-san and Ayasegawa-san... I never-" The slender blonde Shinigami blushed, unable to finish the statement.
"As opposed to you and me?" Mila Rose asked the Shinigami, her voice low and her smile coy, all the while as she idly played with a strand of the other woman's long wavy blonde hair.
Kyoko's bright blue eyes went wide, her blush darkening, before the powerful female drew her over to her to plant a playful kiss upon her soft pink lips. The smaller female Soul Reaper gasped, then moaned into the exotic woman's waiting mouth as they shared a hungry kiss between them.
Sungsun watched with a sly smile, until Mila Rose at last finally released the flustered woman, before resuming the conversation, as if nothing had happened. "So, you hear anything else?"
The green-haired woman grinned at the gall of her fellow Arrancar. "To be honest, from the sound of things, it was rather admiral." She offered. "The Lieutenant was acting as protective and possessive of her mate as any decent Arrancar would were they in her place."
"What does she mean?" Kyoko asked, trying to stay composed as Mila ruffled her hair.
"An Arrancar seeks that which they desire, doing so with an unshakable determination." Mila Rose responded almost sweetly, pausing to look to the female Shinigami beside her.
"And they defend that which precious to them with a dogged tenacity." Sungsun finished with as casual wave of her palm, her sleeve sliding off of her manicured hand.
"Speaking of which," Mila Rose resumed with a big grin. "Why haven't you straddled and ridden that impressionable young Third-Seat Officer by now?" The powerful woman asked. "Surely it would be no trouble for you to have him begging you for more?" She inquired, even as Kyoko flushed scarlet.
"You mean Yamada-san?" Sungsun replied after a moment. "I'd never be so bold..." She went on, while reclining in her seat. "Especially, as the female half of the Primera Espada has all but staked a formal claim over him."
"And that's as good as a formal declaration from the First." Mila Rose responded with a smile.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"Are we recording?"
"Yes." Nemu replied simply, her face covered by a surgical mask and dressed in a pair of scrubs.
"Good." Szayel answered back, his face similarly hidden behind a mask and his form concealed by white medical scrubs and an apron. "Then let us begin..." He continued.
"This is Szayel Grantz, Captain of the Twelfth Division," he started. "I am joined by Lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi, who will be assisting me in this procedure." The bespectacled Espada added.
The now lifeless body was laid out on the examination table.
"To begin with... The subject appears to possess some form of shape-shifting ability." The pink-haired Arrancar continued in a steady tone. "This is notable, as he assumed the physical form of a Soul- in this case, Yumichika Ayasegawa- only to revert, in death, to that of a living human."
Nemu remained silent as he went on. "As of now, it remains unclear as to the extent of how much of this metamorphosis was physical and how much was perceptual." Szayel added. "To this end, I will be performing a full examination and forensic biopsy on the subject." He explained, as the overhead lights came on. "The subject is a typical human, of average height and build, and looks to be somewhere in their mid twenties to thirties... No outward abnormal features."
"Nemu, the saw, if you would." The Arrancar prompted, receiving a bowed instrument with a serrated edge and handled on either side. "Thank you." He replied simply, before pressing the saw into the flesh of the sternum, resulting in a liquid sound as he began to move, followed by a scratching- then cracking sound- as he the pink-haired man continued. "I've completed the first cut..."
The purple-haired Lieutenant quietly watched as her Captain finished making a full "Y" incision across the torso, parting and opening up the soft tissue and exposing the rib cage and organs. With this process complete, Szayel returned the bloody saw to Nemu, who set it down.
"Please hand me the rib-cutters, my dear Nemu." The bespectacled Espada instructed the woman in a cordial tone, who nodded and dutifully handed the instrument into his waiting gloved hand.
The Hollow nodded, thanking her as he brought down the scissors-like instrument...
Several minutes progress later, he broke the silence. "Nemu, what's the recording status?"
The woman nodded and looked to the display on the control interface to the sound system, before turning back to the him. "We've been recording for just over an hour and a half," Nemu explained in a calm steady voice. "We can continue to record onto the current hard-drive for just under another hour, before the system automatically switches over to the secondary hard-drive."
"So far, it appears that the subject possesses a normal set of organs: heart, lungs, stomach, kidneys, liver, and intestinal tract..." Szayel remarked in a clinical tone, for the benefit of the recording system, as he prodded and looked over the organs. "There are no visible abnormalities to speak of."
His white latex gloves now stained red, he looked to Nemu. "At this point, I'll need the vibrating saw in order to continue with the examination." Szayel stated.
Nemu nodded her head, then reached down and picked up an electronic surgical instrument, featuring an unusual-looking blade at the top-end of it. "Thank you," he spoke. "Now, if you would, would you please assist me in prepping the cranium." He instructed, pulling the surgical mask over his face.
With that, he hooked a finger on the trigger, pulling down, prompting the instrument to whir to life...
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Yumichika Ayasegawa stirred in his hospital bed, visibly confused... until the beleaguered Shinigami spotted the familiar- and comforting- figure Isane Kotetsu, over to his side.
"Wah... I- Isane?" Yumichika spoke up weakly. "I-is that you?" He asked, straining even while in his prone, bedridden circumstances, with an IV line fixed to his arm, instantly gaining the nearby tall woman's attention as he looked to her. "W-what I mean is... Is this really real?"
The silver-haired woman took his hand in hers. "Yumi..." Isane began softly, only pausing to place a kiss on his knuckles. "I promise you," she started sincerly, while resting his head against bosom. "As sure as my own heart beat- this feeling- this is real."
The battered man sighed in response to this, as if mollified for the the moment. "I... I just don't know any more." The violet-haired Shinigami admitted, while not looking her in the eyes. "The truth is... that I've had a hard time remembering things..." Yumichika continued. "They did things to me..."
Isane looked to him, holding his hand as he went on. The once immaculately kept officer now looked terrible: he had dark circles under his eyes, minor cuts and visible bruising on/and around his lip, with further discoloration from bruising on his cheekbones and along his jaw. Worse yet, the Lieutenant had noted the tell-tale scars on his wrists and arms- little puckered circles, indications of injections.
"Yumi, I..." Isane began. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
It was clear to the woman that the Brethren had really put him through the ringer, given his current poor condition- not just physically, but also emotionally and mentally. Even now, as he lay there, safe and protected under the sheets of his bed, he still looked so uneasy. Whatever he'd been through must have left him so damaged and unsure of anything, that now he seemed afraid that the same people who'd kidnapped and tortured him would just sudden swoop in and abduct him again.
To be honest, seeing him like this- bereft of the vitality and flair that defined him- it was requiring all of the woman's self-control not to break down into tears. After all, the last thing someone who'd been put through a horribly traumatizing experience needed was for the person who was supposed to be there to support them in their time of need to be the one crying!
"You're the last person who should be apologizing right now." He spoke, casting his gaze away from her once more and towards the window. "I mean, after all, if I hadn't driven you away, hadn't fucking pushed you away the way i did... Then- then the truth is that perhaps none of this might have ever happened." Yumichika continued feebly, an audible quaver in his voice.
"What are you saying?" Isane asked, confused.
"Just think about it." Yumichika answered back brusquely. "After Ikaku died, it was you who tried to talk to me about what had happened." He continued, his tone bitter. "But no, I wouldn't listen, all that I cared about was my own personal vendetta, when it should have been about how the people around me were being effected," the Shinigami paused, fighting back a sob.
"You, Yoko-san, and everyone else... All of you should have been my world in that moment." He continued. "But no, instead, all I was thinking about was how angry I was, I put my own shitty selfish rage ahead of everything else."
"I know what's on everyone's mind right now, what's on yours." The violet-haired man continued, his tone becoming bitter now. "What happened to me? What did they do to me?" Yumichika added after a moment, still not yet willing to look her in the eyes. "I mean, it's a perfectly reasonable question- hell, I'd like to know the answer to that myself, that is as long as we're at it!"
Now, the female female Soul Reaper was even more confused. "Yumichika, that sounds like..." Isane paused, leaning in. "A- are you talking about what they did to you?"
"Yes!" Yumichika sniped back, turning back to Isane, anger in his eyes and tone. "And I take it when you say 'what they put me through'," he continued in a biting tone, sitting up in bed. "What you really mean is 'drugging me'- how they broke me?!" The man asked, all while he glared at the tall woman.
"They fucked me up so badly that everything that happened in the aftermath of the attack on the city, up till the moment I was rescued," he paused momentarily. "It's all a goddamned blur!"
It was at this moment, that Yumichika- fueled by confusion and a sense of impotent rage in the face of the tragedy that had befallen him- at last fully broke down. The moment this happened, Isane thrust her arms around him, holding him in her arms as he began to weep.
"W-what's w-wrong with me?!" The man sobbed. "I- I feel angry, but also weak and powerless..." He continued frantically, clinging to her. "I still feel the fear and the sting of their needles..." Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he spoke, soaking Isane's shoulder. "Why, it doesn't make any sense- I'm free of them now, so why am I still frightened?"
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The Living Realm...
Darkwood was sitting in a plush black leather armchair, a lit fire crackling in the hearth nearby as he quietly read a book, only stopping when he heard footsteps. Marking his place and closing the book, he set it down on a short table and got to his feat just as Dario entered the room.
Taking in the sight of him, a faintly dejected expression visible on the hooded man's face, Darkwood took a deep breath. "I assume, from the fact that young Orihime Inoue isn't with you, that thing's didn't work out as we would have hoped they would?" He inquired.
The bearded man was dressed in his usual attire: black trousers and shoes, a matching waistcoat over a white button-up shirt (with no tie), beneath a black three-quarter length jacket.
"There were... complications." The other man replied, shifting his posture.
"Dario." Darkwood began with effort, looking toward the other man. "I gave you instructions that the young lady should be brought to us without incident." He started. "And yet... Somehow, in spite of that, in spite of my explicit instructions ended up happening." The man recounted. "Dario, you are my most trusted confidante, and with Crowley gone, you're even more essential than ever."
"Tell me then, my friend," the black-clad man went on. "I cannot help but ask, knowing all of this, how exactly is it then that things could have possibly gone so wrong?"
Dario shook his head. "You don't understand." The man responded. "Miss Inoue's supernatural powers manifested again when the one of the others tried to capture her by force... Except, this time, with fatal consequences." The man explained. "She's much stronger than we gave her credit for."
Darkwood seemed to regard him for a moment, before nodding. "Yes, I heard about that unfortunate little event." The brown-haired man replied solemnly. "Something happened to Mr. Pierce... I want to know more about what befell him, and the moments leading up to it."
The man in the hoodie took a deep breath. "The truth is that wasn't the first unexpected event, she was somehow able to break free of my powers." Dario went on. "After that happened..." He continued with his account. "Well, that was when things started to take a turn for the worse..."
"What happened?" Darkwood prompted after a moment.
He didn't respond at first, instead taking out a cigarette and lighting it. "Pierce, he got impatient, and he tried to just take her by force." Dario resumed. "Before I even had a chance to tell him to back off, he'd already grabbed the girl by the arm... That was the the fatal mistake."
"Something happened when he touched her..." Dario continued hesitantly. "There was... some kind of reaction from her powers." He revealed to the other man. "It happened in the blink of an eye- a flash of light and a flare up of her power- and then... then he was gone."
"Gone?" Darkwood again prompted, eyebrows raised and looking him in the eyes. "Dario, what happened?"
"I've never seen anything like it." He started. "The girl, she didn't kill Pierce, not really..." Dario finally replied, lowering his cigarette, his hand shaking as he met his gaze. "There was nothing left, no trace of the man... She didn't kill him, no, it was more like he was erased from existence."
This appeared to give the bearded man pause. "Erased, you say?" Darkwood repeated.
The man nodded. "Like I said, one moment he was there," the man reiterated. "And the next moment, he was gone- vanished- without a trace." Dario continued, taking a drag. "Darkwood, this girl frightens me... I'm convinced we're provoking a force we don't understand- we are playing with fire!"
The brown-eyed man sighed, but nodded. "Agreed." Darkwood replied. "The stakes right now are too high to continue taking risks." He admitted. "Still, I can't help but think that there's something more to the continuing emergence of the young woman's powers."
Dario let out of a puff of smoke. "What are you saying?"
"That she's a 'piece', one of many in a much larger game that's being played, even now as we speak." Darkwood answered, looking to the fireplace. "The Shinigami might not be aware of our movements, but we'd be fools to think that our actions are going completely unnoticed."
"But if not the Shinigami, then who?" Dario responded. "No, you can't mean...?" He trailed off.
He nodded, looking back to him. "I can't be certain about it, but I have my theories..." The man answered cryptically. "But if true, then I don't think that the involvement is limited to the good Miss Inoue." Darkwood continued in a steady tone. "I also have serious doubts as to whether Soul Society alone could have made to the connection between the energy readings and us- let alone to me!"
He watched as Darkwood had gestured to his shoulder as he spoke the last bit, alluding to the injury that he'd suffered from Kisuke Urahara. "Wait," the man started. "You're saying someone or something is feeding them information?" Dario asked, taking another drag.
"No, not directly." Darkwood countered, shaking his head. "If we're dealing with what I think we are... They can't give information outright, as it would violate their non-intervention edicts." He went on, not bothering to elaborate on the last bit. "No, if they've sent someone, then the most they can do is provide piecemeal assistance to Soul Society and its allies- point them the right direction, feed them clues, help them to make the logical connections between existing facts."
"But why?" Dario countered, before blowing out a narrow puff of smoke. "Why on Earth, why bother with such levels of obfuscation at all, why not just help directly?"
"Because they're afraid." Darkwood fired back. "Fear of a future they can't foresee, fear of an outcome in which they're not in control of." He continued. "And right now, they're facing a lot of unknowns, and that- more than anything else- is what truly troubles them."
Darkwood paused. "You see, the truth is, that they're not quite as omnipotent as they'd want everyone else to believe them to be." He added with a slight smile. "What they don't want others to know is that they have their own weaknesses and limits, just like anyone else."
"But in the meantime, what about Soul Society?" The scruffy man asked.
"I'd hoped to limit the damages as much as possible." Darkwood began. "However... I now fear that we're going to have to start taking more drastic measures- no matter how distasteful- if there's to be any hope that we're going to complete the Great Work entrusted to our Sacred Brotherhood."
Dario nodded in agreement. "We can't afford to lose track of that." He spoke. "It is a founding keystone of the Brethren, and what we are all working toward- unity, perfect unity."
"Believe me," Darkwood started. "It's not something I would forget... And it's also something that must be impressed upon all members of the Brethren- including our latest addition."
"Then, you mean Ichigo?" Dario asked.
"Yes." Darkwood answered simply. "And now, I think it's time I spoke with him..."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Shop Urahara, Sub-Levels...
Orihime Inoue was deep in her thoughts, seated within the hidden sections of Kisuke Urahara's base of operations, as she mulled over recent events...
"Orihime?" Ulquiorra inquired cautiously, once more in his Gigai.
The redhead looked to the disguised Arrancar. "Ulquiorra... What is it?"
"Orihime," he resumed in a low tone, adjust the collar of his shirt. "I think it's time we returned home." The raven-haired man stated. "After all, the finches will be waiting for us."
"Oh, yes, of course." She replied, rising to her feet. The young woman seemed to be ready to leave, but suddenly halted when she felt his hand upon her shoulder.
"Wait," he spoke cautiously, as their eyes met. "You seem troubled," the dark-haired man began, in an uncertain tone, unused to being the one to offer comfort. "Do... do want to talk about it?"
The brown-eyed girl hesitated, then nodded. "I've been thinking, a lot, about everything that happened today, including... when one of the Brethren tried to capture me by force." Orihime explained. "As soon as he grabbed hold of my wrist... something happened."
Noticing her hesitation, he prompted her. "Orihime," Ulquiorra started warmly. "You can talk to me."
"Right." She replied, slipping her hand around his own. "To be honest, no matter how I look at it, for all intents and purposes, I keep coming back the fact that... I killed that man."
This time, the green-eyed male nodded. "I can't help but be curious about one point: is it simply the act of taking a life, or the fact that you killed a human that is troubling you?"
"What are you asking?" Orihime fired back. "This isn't a matter of degrees, it's about taking a life!"
Ulquiorra smiled at hearing this response from the fiery-haired woman. "I wonder if Kurosaki would have ever pondered such a distinction?" The Arrancar thought silently to himself.
"To hear you open up to me, to utter such self-doubts..." Ulquiorra offered. "That's one of the things that makes you different from so many other, the fact that you're questioning your own actions."
"At first, I thought these powers of mine were a force for good, but now," Orihime paused, looking him directly in the eyes. "What happened today... Ulquiorra, have I been wrong this whole time?"
The Cuatro Espada placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "I'm hardly the person to speak to matters of ethics or morality," he started as he addressed her. "But what I can say with some certainty is that there's nothing that could ever be viewed as somehow evil or antithetical about you or your amazing powers, certainly not in the face of everything we're dealing with."
Her lip trembled. "Ulquiorra...?"
With that, the gigai-clad Hollow leaned and planted a brief but passionate kiss upon her soft lips and leaving her breathless as he drew back. "Like I said earlier, our finches are awaiting us back home."
Orihime didn't respond at first, before nodding. "Yes... You're right." The redheaded youth managed with a smile, getting to her feat. "Ulqui-kun, Hime-chan, and the others... they need us."
The dark-haired man nodded. "Now... Let's go home."
"Yes," Orihime started. "Let's go home... where we belong."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"Nemu, please be a dear, and return the brain to the host." The pink-haired Arrancar calmly instructed the purple-haired woman standing across the exam table from him.
"Of course, Szayel-sama." She replied with a nod.
He calmly removed his mask. "I am officially declaring this autopsy as concluded." The bespectacled Espada stated out loud for the recording system. "Regarding my final summation... There are no overt deviations in the subject." He continued. "No chemical or physiological abnormalities to speak of."
"As with the internal organs," Szayel resumed. "There are no physical aberrations within the subject's organs, neurology, or brain... The body possesses no mutations of any kind."
"I've taken care of the incisions mad upon the subject." Nemu informed him.
"As such, it's my conclusion that the nature of the source of the individual's power is external." Szayel continued in a clinical tone. "Everything is typical of a normal human male. The blood, tissue, nervous system, the structure of the brain, and so on- all of them are normal of his group type."
"And now..." The bespectacled Arrancar resumed. "I have an appointment to keep."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Celestial Realm, The Archives...
Kisuke Urahara looked up as Szayel appeared. "You've been gone for quite some time," the scruffy-faced man started, moving to greet the Arrancar in his usual cordial tone. "What kept you?" He asked.
"A great deal, in fact." The golden-eyed Espada replied. "A hell of a lot's happened since I set out for the Living Realm." The Arrancar continued. "I'd think You'd best sit down, my friend... I'd advise you to put a bookmark in whatever you're looking over..." He went on. "You'll want to brace yourself, because of what I'm about to tell you- well- it's a lot to take in."
Urahara nodded accordingly, heeding his advise and saving his place as he sat back in the chair he'd been previously occupying, prior to the other man's arrival...
Taking a seat, Szayel Grantz went on to relate the entirety of recent events, including the details of everything that had happened as of late: from the revelation of the impostor within Soul Society and Szayel's discovery of the captive Yumichika, along with the latter's return to the Soul Realm, and the failed attempt by the Brethren to capture Orihime Inoue.
The whole time, Urahara was in an almost silent stupor as he listened intently.
"The fake attempted to assassinate my dearest Nemu." The Octavio continued. "Thankfully, she was more than ready for him- and dispatched the interloper with ease."
"My god..." Urahara lamented with a sigh, removing his hat and running a hand through his messy pale blonde hair. "And the corpse?" The former Shinigami inquired. "What of the remains?"
Szayel nodded and continued. "Some time between being assigned to their locker in the morgue and my arrival to check on the body... The subject had ceased to resemble Ayasegawa."
"So a shape-shifter, then?" Urahara posited.
Szayel nodded. "It would appear so." He replied. "And that, upon death, they reverted some time later."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The Ukitake Estate...
Stark was in the rear courtyard. This also was hardly surprising, rather it was the fact that the Primera was awake and standing upright that was unusual.
Even more unusual was the presence of the scruffy brown-haired Espada's visitor: None other than the tall, busty, and bronzed figure of Tia Halibell. The Tercera Espada was fully decked out in the modified Las Noches uniform she'd adopted a while ago- chiefly, a proper pair of hakama, and a long-sleeved jacket with the built-in ribbing of a corset to accommodate her large breasts.
Her distinctive spiky blonde hair was a bit longer now, with the minor addition a second small braid that hung down on the other side of her face. With the lower half of her face obscured by the high collar of her jacket, her bright green eyes- framed by golden lashes- betrayed nothing.
"So, then, Lady Halibell..." Stark started, a bit awkwardly. "What exactly brings you here?"
"A fair question, Lord Stark." Halibell replied calmly. "The truth is... That I require your opinion."
"My opinion?" He repeated, surprised. "Now, you've got my fully attention."
She nodded. "How long have we been living here, in the Soul Realm, two years?"
"Probably closer to three at this point." Stark answered. "But why do you ask?"
"These years, living amongst the Shinigami, getting to know them, coming to think of some of them as comrades and even friends..." Halibell spoke intently. "This- this community, it is not something I wish to lose... This land, and these people, are all something... deer to me."
This time, it was Stark who nodded. "I understand, perhaps better than you realize." The First replied, tucking his hands into his pockets. "After living here, amongst them- surrounded by all of the noise and chaos that's endemic to life- I couldn't imagine giving it up, going back to the way things were."
"Good, it seems you do understand." Halibell responded. "Then, the only question that still remains, in my mind at least," the female Arrancar paused. "When the time comes, where will you stand?"
The male Espada seemed taken aback at first by the question. "To hear you asking me that..." Stark began hesitantly. "So you really think it'll come to that?"
"It would be unwise to assume that things will remain as they are." Halibell answered. "We must all be prepared to defend that which is precious to us... I don't know about you, but I will fight."
"And," Stark started. "I expect you'll have deduced where Lillynette and I stand on the matter."
"Lady Third?" A voice spoke up.
Both Espada turned and looked in time to see as Jushiro Ukitake appeared. "Had I known you were coming, I would have prepared a proper reception for you." The Captain stated. "At the least, we could have prepared adequate refreshments for your arrival." He added.
Halibell shook her head. "Please, there's no need to make such a fuss over me."
"Not at all." Jushiro countered warmly with a wave, giving a smile. "As the Tercera Espada, you're an honored guest- akin to fellow Captain of one of the Court Guard Division."
The golden-haired female was quiet at first, then nodded, offering a polite bow. "Captain Ukitake," she started cordially. "You honor me with your praise."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"Thinking back on things," Szayel started. "I remember something that Aizen once said, something I overheard, in regards to Orihime Inoue." The Octavio remarked.
Urahara perked up at hearing this. "He said... That hers is a power that rivals that of god himself." The Arrancar continued calmly. "And as you can imagine, he wasn't the sort of man to just lightly heap such high praise upon anyone one other than himself." Szayel added.
The former Captain was given pause at hearing this, as it echoed the words of the 'Man in White', but eventually nodded in acknowledgment. "Inoue truly is incredible..." He started. "In fact, I'd go so far as to say that, sometimes... her powers are downright frightening."
"That's true." The pink-haired Espada replied, adjusting his glasses. "It's staggering to really sit back and consider that someone so young could possess such- well, frankly- miraculous powers."
Again, Urahara adjusted his black and white striped hat. "...The power of god."
"What?" Szayel inquired.
"Oh, nothing." The pale blonde-haired man replied. "I'm just thinking back on something someone said..." The Shopkeeper explained. "I had a recent visit from our mutual friend," he continued, looking to the other man. "And he told me- well- let's just say he reminded what a special girl she is."
"Our mutual friend..." Szayel recounted in a sly tone. "I can't help but wonder if he's somehow linked to the Celestial Realm in some way...?" The Arrancar mused.
"Well, he certainly gets around." Urahara replied. "After all, he's appeared before both Orihime and Ulquiorra, and Tatsuki Arisawa claims to have seen him."
"Really, he appeared in Karakura City?" The Espada reacted. "Tell me, Kisuke, did any of them reveal anything in particular about these visitations?" He asked the other man.
The former Shinigami paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Not really... From what I heard, I got the impression that he was just as vague and mysterious with them as he was with us."
The Arrancar adjusted his spectacles. "Why am I not surprised..."
"In light of everything you've told me," Urahara began. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to excuse myself- at least for a bit- in order to check in on things in the Living Realm."
"Of course." Szayel replied with a smile. "After all, you've been slaving away in here by yourself for a while now." He continued. "Don't worry, while you're busy taking care of things, I'll be keeping myself busy looking over the findings of the algorithm." The Arrancar remarked.
"Thanks." The blonde answered, returning the smile.
"Oh," Szayel spoke up. "And don't forget to give my regards to everyone in the Living Realm."
(- End of Chapter LXVIII... -)