Hello readers, glad to be back again. Hope you all had a good couple of weeks while I was away. Thankfully, I managed to find a bit of time to get a whole chapter and a half written down. School's been alright for the most part, just a few difficult bits here and there. But other than all that, not too much else has happened while I was away.
We did get a review about a week ago, so I'll give that a quick response and let you all move on to why you're really here, lol.
Raidentensho: Hey Raiden, thanks for the review and I'm glad you like the story so far. Being honest here, but originally, when I wrote that part about the triple incantation, I thought I might have gone a bit overboard with the concept. But, it seems that you and the other readers thought it was a good idea for the most part. As for the incantation spells, the ones you mentioned do seem like a good combination for the most part, and it's possible I may do another triple spell in the near future.
Alright, let's move on to the story.
(I DO NOT OWN BLEACH; ITS CHARACTORS, NAMES, LOCATIONS, OR STORY! THAT HONOR BELONGS SOLELY TO TITE KUBO AND HIS TEAM! ONLY THE OC, AND RANDOM NAMES NOT MENTIONED IN THE BOOKS OR ANIME ARE MY OWN!)
Chapter 41
(The Archives)
Las Noches Tunnels, Day 3, Late Morning
"Two thousand, one-hundred and sixty-seven steps, and the we have a passage to the right…" Timothy mumbled, writing it down on one sheet of paper and drawing the addition on another that had a sketched representation of the tunnel system his group had discovered so far.
Ichigo scoffed lightly and glanced back towards the past passage. "Jeez, just how big is this damn place?" he moaned.
Nel, who was guarding the rear, glanced at him. "Las Noches is about 50 kilometers in diameter, meaning that its overall size is nearly two-thousand kilometers. If you compare it to Karakura Town, Las Noches is at least ten times the size." She informed.
Both men turned to her in absolute shock. "Bullshit! There's no flipping way this place is that big!" Timothy asserted.
Timothy glanced over his shoulder with a raised brow. "You don't pay much attention to things around you, do you? You mean to tell me that you ran after us for several hours and not once even noticed that, with how far you ran, Las Noches didn't seem to get much bigger to you?" he questioned in disbelief.
The teen turned back and growled. "Shut up! I knew it was big, you bastard! I just didn't think it would be 'that' big!" he defended.
Nel gave them both a firm glare. "I swear, if you two start arguing again, I'll 'let' Gamuza come out and deal with you." She threatened.
Timothy flinched in fear and quickly returned to the front. "I didn't even do anything. He's the one crying like a baby here." He mumbled.
Ichigo growled again with a balled fist. "Why I outta…"
I harsh slap to the side of his head from Nel silenced him. "I will not warn you again, Ichigo."
He held his head and glared back. "Will you cut that out?! He's the one being an asshole!"
She sighed heavily and shook her head before rubbing her temples. "Why do I have to put up with you t…"
A sudden, harsh, but very brief flash of pain passed through her chest, where she dropped her free hand to it and clutched her shirt; the half-formed cero in her other hand flickering and nearly going out. She let out a slight hiss as she did, and that, along with the fading light, caused both men to stop and turn to her.
Timothy's eyes went wide, where he quickly strode to her and rested a hand on her shoulder in worry. "Nel? You alright?" he asked.
Just as quickly as it came, the pain left her, and she instantly felt the same as she did before. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly and smiled at him.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Tim. I'm…not really sure what that was." She responded.
Timothy looked her over front and back, checking for any wounds, or anything that could have caused her discomfort. Upon seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he scratched his head in confusion.
"Well, you're not hurt or anything it looks like. Did it feel like you were hit by something?" Ichigo questioned.
She shook her head. "No, it just…happened. And then, just like that, it was gone. I don't feel anything now."
He narrowed his eyes at her in worry. "Are you sure you're ok?" he pressed.
She scoffed lightly. "Yes, Tim, I'm fine. Whatever it was, it's gone now. Let's keep going." She said kindly.
The Lieutenant watch her for a moment, but ended up sighing with a nod. "Alright. But you tell me the moment it happens again, ok? Please?" he pleaded.
Nel rested her own hand on his shoulder. "I will. Let's go."
Both men nodded and the group continued on their way. As they walked, Nel rested her hand back over her chest where she felt the pain, right over where her hollow hole was located. She dropped her head a bit and called out mentally.
"Gamuza…what was that? Did you feel anything?" she asked.
The hollow spirit took a moment to reply. "I don't think now is the best time to discuss this, Nelliel. It's better if you wait until you stop again so we can talk about this face-to-face." She advised in a low tone.
Nel swallowed lightly. "I'm guessing that, whatever that was, it's bad…right?"
The spirit sighed. "Like I said, we'll discuss this later. For now, focus on you mission or whatever."
The Arrancar sighed in defeat. "Alright."
She raised her head back up to see that neither of the men noticed her talking to Gamuza. She was a bit glad for that, because she knew Timothy was still quite worried deep inside, and the last thing they needed right now was for him to start worrying about her more.
She clutched her shirt tighter and took a deep breath. 'Whatever that was, I hope it's not that bad.'
With Renji's Group
The two soul reapers and two teens stood quietly at the point where their path suddenly split off into three different tunnels. Rukia leaned against the wall with crossed arms, Chad standing next to her, and Renji was keeping watch while Uryū studied his self-made map with chin in hand.
After five minutes of waiting, the red-headed Lieutenant was starting to get a bit impatient. He sighed lowly and turned to face the young Quincy, his free hand on his hip.
"Well, you figure out which one to take?" he asked.
Uryū lifted his eyes to the man with a low growl of annoyance. "I'm plotting things out, so don't lose your temper, Renji. It may seem simple to you, but drawing out a map and planning our next move is actually quite difficult." He pointed out.
Renji waved him off. "Alright, sorry for asking. But still, I don't like the idea of us just waiting here with two, possibly more, enemies down here with us."
Chad then spoke up. "He does have a point, Uryū. It's not really a good idea to stay in one spot for too long." He defended in his low voice.
The Quincy nodded. "I'm not saying I disagree, Chad, but I have a hunch that I'm debating on of whether or not we should look into."
Rukia raised her head to him. "What are you thinking?" she inquired.
Uryū dropped his gaze back down to his map and hummed in thought. "We've already established that the main tunnel system that splits from the main room must run along the length of the outer walls of Las Noches. My hunch is that all of the side passages we encountered must be interconnected at some point. My guess…" He stopped to point towards the left tunnel. "…is that if we take the left passage, we should end up in the same area that Ichigo and the others are exploring."
Renji rose a brow. "So what, we go left and see if we can meet up with em?"
The teen looked at his watch. "We still have another thirty minutes before we should start heading back." He said, then lowered his hand. "I think we should go left and see what we can find. Once we get back, we can cross-reference our map with Tim's and see if there might be a point where the paths in our maps may cross."
Rukia nodded. "Good idea. Let's do it. Although, I'm a bit surprised we haven't found a single exit heading up to the surface yet. How far in do you think we are, Uryū?"
The teen glanced over his shoulder a bit. "From the point where we turned off the main path, and taking the few turns we have made into consideration, I estimate we've walked for nearly three kilometers towards the center."
Renji blanched. "And considering how big the place looked from outside, that's not far at all." He moaned.
Rukia sighed heavily and lifted herself from the wall. "Well, we won't get any farther just standing here. Let's take the left path and see if Uryū's hunch is right." She instructed. The team all nodded as Uryū put his map away, but the look on his face made Rukia worry a bit. "Something wrong, Uryū?"
The teen rolled his eyes to the side. "We haven't seen, nor felt either of our 'guests' for a while. And I have the feeling that that will not be the only time we'll come across them."
"Well, either they've given up, or they're coming up with a plan to deal with us. But I agree; I don't think we've seen the last of em." Renji added.
Rukia shook her head. "Me neither. Just keep your ears open, and hopefully we won't have any problems." She said, then started walking into the tunnel.
The men nodded and followed closely behind her with Uryū taking up the rear.
Department of Research and Development, Communications Department
Two fully black-clad members of the Stealth Force, a male and female, stood rigidly on either side of the medium-sized, double doors that led into Squad 12's communications department; with only the passing patrols of their fellow force members as company.
One of those patrols were just walking up as the male tried, but failed, to hold back a yawn. The female turned her head to glare at him in disbelief.
The pair may have been up for nearly thirty-six hours now, and he may have been a somewhat new addition to the force, but to openly show such signs of fatigue like he was, was just completely unprofessional. They both knew that if the Captain found out, he would be in a world of hurt.
"Ren! You know better than that!" she berated harshly.
Ren flinched under her stare. "Forgive me."
The patrol then came to a stop next to the woman. "Take it easy on him, Keiko. He's only been with us for a couple years and hasn't gotten used to long duties yet." One of the patrol members said calmly.
Keiko gave him a look of disbelief. "Then maybe you'd like to be the one to tell the Captain about one of her members showing weakness? All of us know what she's likely to do to Ren if she found out." she challenged.
The man shook his head slowly. "Just give him a break, alright? Anyway, anything to report?"
Ren and Keiko shook their heads. "Nothing, sir. It's been quiet all night?" Ren reported.
The man nodded. "Alright. Ren, why don't you switch out with Tomoki here so you can stretch your legs a bit. It'll help wake you up a bit."
Keiko sighed in defeat. "You say that he's not used to it, yet here you are preventing him from doing so." She moaned.
The conversation was interrupted by the sounds of light footsteps. The entire group turned to see none other than Mayuri Kurotsuchi walking towards them, his usual, malicious grin plastered on his face.
The patrol leader turned to face him fully and raised a hand to stop him. "I am sorry, Captain Kurotsuchi, but you know you cannot be here, under the orders of Head Captain Yamamomo. I must ask that you leave." He instructed politely.
The crazed scientist stopped and tilted his head, his grin growing wider. "Oh? It would seem that the four of you are the fortunate ones to becomes my first test subjects for my newest experiment. How delightful!" he said, now with a smile.
The patrol leader narrowed his gaze dangerously, not likely what the man was implying. Almost in full sync, the four stealth force members twisted their bodies into a ready position and placed their hands on the hilts of their zanpakutōs.
"Captain Kurotsuchi, by order of the Head Captain, you will leave this building. If you do not do so, then we will have to detain you." The leader warned in a firm tone.
The Captain chuckled darkly. "Oh? Well we can't have that now, can we? No, in fact, I have need of your assistance. Afterall, you're the ones who will be escorting me while I conduct my other experiments." He corrected, raising his arm up level.
The stealth force members all drew their blades and prepared to attack. "Arrest him!" the leader instructed loudly, charging forward at the Captain, followed by his comrades.
Mayuri chuckled again and flipped a small slide on the cylindrical device in his raised hand. The entire vicinity was quickly covered in a gruesome, yellowish gas that swiftly overcame all four of the force members.
All four started coughing and hacking loudly as their lungs filled with the strange gas. The coughing only lasted for roughly ten seconds before the gas started to dissipate and they were able to breath clean air again.
But something wasn't right. Once the hallway was free of all the gas, all four of the stealth force members stood ridged with slightly slumped shoulders, a hollow and blank look on their eyes and faces.
Mayuri chuckled once more and swiftly pocketed the device in his hand. "Now then, please return your swords." He instructed. Amazingly, all four of the loyal Stealth Force members did as told; sheathing their zanpakutōs and turning to face him fully. "Amazing, isn't it? This new drug, that I only recently converted into the form you just witnessed, stops the brain's capability to process and implement the individual's ability to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. Not only that, but the drug also impedes the brain's ability to transfer any information gathered or observed into one's long-term memory."
He paused to raise a finger up. "In other words, you are incapable of making your own decisions. And while you may remember your actions for the moment, the memory of those actions will be lost after a short time." He clarified, then dropped his hand. "But do not worry; the effects of this drug are not permanent. In fact, once the drug has fully worn off, it would be as it had never happened; all a part of a memory that doesn't exist. Now then…" The Captain started walking towards the door. "…the four of you are to 'escort' me to my office, where I can complete the task the Head Captain 'assigned' me."
The four stealth force members all bowed. "Yes, Captain Kurotsuchi." They answered in unison, quickly falling in behind him as his 'escorts'.
The communications room had nearly two dozen Stealth Force members sorting through numerous files and looking through computer databases; most of whom who turned to face the group as they entered with looks of confusion.
One of the men, a slightly broad-built officer, left the computer terminal he was inspecting and stepped up to the patrol leader.
"Hiro, why is Captain Kurotsuchi here?" he questioned.
Hiro gave a quick and respectful bow. "Captain Kurotsuchi has been given a task from the Head Captain, and we have been instructed to escort him." He answered in a somewhat dull tone.
The officer looked at the scientist. "And what is this task, Captain?"
Mayuri rolled his eyes with a scoff. "That is none of your affair, nor do I feel the need to inform you of such delicate matters. Now be gone." He said with a dismissing wave of his hand. "I've more important things to do than to have meaningless conversations with illiterate barbarians."
The officer narrowed his eyes at the man before looking back at Hiro. "Has this been cleared with Captain Suí-Fēng?" he asked.
The Captain scoffed heavily. "Of course it has, you moron. Why else would there be four of your squad members here to escort me? Really, and you call yourself an officer of the 13 Court Guard Squads?"
The officer glared at him without a sound. Afterall, the scientist did have a point. But the thing that bothered him was why his Captain would assign the two door guards, and two members from the patrol for this, when there were other members she could have assigned.
He finally sighed and nodded. "Very well. Finish what you were assigned to do quickly, and then you must leave, Captain Kurotsuchi."
Mayuri rolled his eyes in disgust. "I will take what time I need to complete my task, and you would do well to resist any temptations to disturb me. Now leave me be." He said dismissively.
The officer glared at Hiro. "Do not let him out of your sight. Understood?"
Hiro bowed swiftly. "Yes sir." he answered, then rose.
The officer returned to the computer he was working on, allowing the group to continue on unimpeded. Walking into his personal office for that building, Mayuri stopped and glanced at his 'escorts'.
"Make yourselves useful and make sure no one enters." He ordered.
All four bowed to him swiftly. "Yes, Captain." Hiro responded.
The four members all rose and stepped just outside the office to stand guard while Mayuri continued on to his desk. Sliding a small compartment open to reveal a same-sized keypad, the Captain entered a numerical code into the device.
A second compartment at the back of the desk then opened and a standard-sized computer monitor and keyboard raised itself; the screen turning on to the main screen. Mayuri flexed his fingers tightly, hearing audible pops as he did so.
"Now then, let us see what you and your cohorts have been up to under my nose, Sōsuke Aizen." He said to himself as he began pressing multiple series of keys in rapid succession.
With Timothy's Group, 4 Hours Later
Nel sat against the wall, her legs crossed, in a meditative pose while Timothy sat next to her, his arms crossed and head dropped as he slept with Ichigo standing to the side keeping watch. She could hear the light, and even breathing of Timothy, and the occasional grunts of agitation from Ichigo.
She slowly allowed herself to be pulled into her inner world as the world around her faded away. When she opened her eyes again, she was once again standing in a familiar field with the small lake nearby and large, snowcapped mountains in the distance.
"It's about time you got here." A just as familiar voice spoke out.
Nel turned her body to face her hollow spirit fully, seeing her with crossed arms and a somewhat calm look on her face. She made to move towards the spirit, but froze when she remembered why she was there in the first place.
The woman tilted her head a bit. "Ok, so…what was that that happened earlier, Gamuza? That horrible pain I felt? It felt like I had been stabbed by something." She asked, raising a hand to her chest.
The spirit took a deep breath. "That was your spiritual pressure fighting against you; or rather, fighting against that collar the shop bastard made for you." She answered.
Nel rose a brow. "What do you mean? I thought the collar was supposed to dissipate my spiritual pressure."
Gamuza nodded. "And it is, or at least the best that it can. It's a little difficult to explain, but your own spiritual pressure is fighting the collar. The pain you felt earlier was a brief, and massive buildup of your pressure trying to overcome it at once. Seeing as it was too much at one time for the collar to dissipate, your soul was suddenly placed under a great amount of stress while the collar fought to release it all. Thankfully, it was able to do so, but not without certain consequences."
The Arrancar began to sweat. "What do you mean by that, Gamuza? Did…Did something happen? Is my…condition worse?" she asked in worry.
The spirit sighed and shook her head. "Fortunately, the collar did exactly what the fool said it would. It managed to filter out the 'human' portions of your spiritual pressure and release it, keeping your hollow portions within you. Because of this, there has been no change in your situation since your last visit. And what I meant by 'consequences', is that the sudden burst of spiritual pressure put a lot of strain on the collar and damaged it. Feel for yourself."
Nel did as told, raising her hand up to the collar and running her finger around it. Her eyes slightly widened as she felt that, where it was once very smooth, like a leather belt, it was now rough and slightly worn out.
As she pulled her hand away and looked down at it, she saw that it was also singed a bit and flaking, seeing the small flakes gathered on the tips of her fingers. She raised her head to her partner in worry.
"Is there any way I can slow this down even further?" she asked.
Gamuza shook her head slowly. "This is not something you can control, Nelliel. This is the actions of your soul itself. Again, to put it the best way I can, your soul is 'you', your personality, just who you are in general. But your actions and thoughts are a part of your consciousness, and have no say over what the soul does. I hate to admit it, but you would get a lot more from that Kisuke guy than me. He'd probably be better at explaining all of it as well. All I can say right now, is that your soul is fighting for this stupid change to happen, but the collar is, thankfully, preventing it…at least for now. That was why you felt that sudden burst of pain, and I would guess that it will happen again. Don't bother asking when, cause I have no fucking idea. Your guess is as good as mine at this point."
The woman sighed heavily, but nodded. "And what about you? Have you noticed any changes with yourself? Our power?"
The spirit shrugged a shoulder. "I did a few tests earlier after your little incident, but I didn't notice anything. And you can quit fooling with your mask, it's still the same as last time." She barked, causing Nel to flinch and dropped her hand from her mask in embarrassment.
"Sorry. I'm just…I'm just worried about this, Gamuza." She admitted.
Gamuza sighed before stepping forward and resting an armored hand on the Arrancar's shoulder. "I know, Nelliel. So am I. You need to push and get this little rescue thing done as soon as you can. As you know, spirit energy is much more condensed in Hueco Mundo than in the human world; meaning that your 'progression' will be slightly accelerated. I'm guessing Kisuke had about that when he gave you that collar. Get this mission done quickly, and leave Hueco Mundo. The scientist only gave you a week with that collar, and you've already burned three days. You do not have the luxury of time here, Nel." She warned.
Nel nodded. "I understand."
The spirit dropped her hand and rested them both on her hips. "Good. Now, you should get going. Tim is trying to wake you up." She informed.
The woman nodded once more and turned to leave, but suddenly froze and glanced at Gamuza with a raised brow. "Did…you just call Tim by his name?"
Gamuza raised a brow back. "What?"
Nel turned back to her fully. "Tim…you called him 'Tim'."
The spirit shot her a glare. "What the hell are you talking about? I called him by the name I 'always' call him by: 'brat'." She assured.
The woman pointed accusingly at the spirit. "No, you didn't! You called him by name! You called him 'Tim'!" she asserted.
Gamuza scoffed and waved her off. "You've lost it, Nelliel. I'll never call that brat by name. He is a useless brat to me, so that is how I'll always call him." She defended with firmly crossed arms.
A hint of a smile found its way to Nel's face. "Ok, Gamuza, if you say so."
The spirit glared dangerously at her. "Get out!" she hissed.
Nel chuckled with a shake of the head. "Alright. But please, let me know if you notice anything."
Gamuza moaned in annoyance. "Yeah yeah, just go!"
The Arrancar laughed aloud as she faded away, only to open her eyes back in the real world. She suddenly felt her shoulder being nudged, so she turned to see Timothy with his hand on her shoulder.
She smiled lightly at him. "Hey. Have a good rest?" she asked.
He nodded and smiled back. "Yeah, about as good as we can get here. You must have really been tired, cause I've been trying to wake you for like five minutes. You ok?"
The woman nodded and turned around to see that Renji's group was back and talking with Ichigo. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just talking with Gamuza again. When did they get back?" she asked, gesturing towards the others.
Timothy lifted himself up from the floor and stretched his arms out. "Bout ten minutes ago. Just thought I'd give ya a little extra time to doze."
She smiled sweetly. "Thanks. We should probably head over there and see what they found."
After giving her a hand up, Timothy and Nel strode over to the group, gaining their attention. "Morning, sunshine." Renji teased Nel.
Her face dropped. "Oh, be quiet, Renji. So, did you guys find anything?"
Uryū nodded. "Actually, we believe we may have found an exit to the surface. A side passage with a set of stairs leading up." He informed.
Timothy rose a brow. "Really? We did too. Did you guys see where it led to?"
The group shook their heads. "Didn't have time. But we plan to check it out once we leave here again." Renji responded.
"Yeah, same for us." Ichigo returned.
The Quincy glanced at Timothy. "Care to pull your map out, Tim? There's something I want to check."
The Lieutenant nodded, pulling the sheet out and handing it over. The teen pulled his out and studied the two for a brief moment before raising a brow.
"Interesting." He mumbled.
Timothy and Renji stepped closer to look over the teen's shoulder at the maps. "Whatcha got?" Timothy asked.
The Quincy shifted his hands and used one to point at a particular location. "See this area here…" he started, then shifted to the other map. "…and this area here?" he finished, getting nods. "Well, I believe that these two passages may in fact be the same passage."
Renji furrowed his brows. "So you think you were right, that these tunnels are connected to each other?"
The teen nodded. "These are both drawn using straight lines, but the tunnels actually bend very slightly. I believe, if you were to do so with these diagrams, we might find that this passage here is the same as this. Where was it that you found the possible exit, Tim?"
The Lieutenant reached over and pointed with his finger. "Roughly around here. Yours?" he returned.
Uryū did the same. "We found ours here." He added, then glanced over to Nel. "Nel, do you have an idea of where these sets of stairs might lead?"
She walked over, glancing at the maps for a moment, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I really don't know. But, judging by the side of Las Noches we came to, those two look like they may lead to the first and sixth palaces, for the Primera and Sexta Espadas and their fracción. The second, fourth, and eighth are on the far side, with the main palace, where the throne room is located, in between. The third, seventh, and tenth are on the east side, while the fifth and ninth are to the west." She informed as she pointed each side out on the map.
Timothy nodded with a sigh. "Well, we all know who the Sexta Espada is, but who was the Primera again?"
The woman gave him solemn look. "Coyote Stark. A word of warning to everyone, do not let his calm and stoic demeaner fool you. He is the Primera for a good reason. I had fought him twice, and both times he defeated me while I was in my Resurrección form, and he was not. If you see him, do not fight him." She warned lowly.
Everyone nodded as Uryū gave Timothy his map back. "Well, I suggest we all go to those two passages and see if they really are connected. It takes a little over an hour to get there, so keep going until either we meet up, or two hours have passed. Afterwards, both teams should look into those stairs and find out where they lead to."
Renji nodded. "Agreed. If those stairs do lead to the palaces, try to get a look around if you can, but don't expose yourselves. The less time Aizen is aware we're here, the better our chances."
Ichigo tilted his head a bit. "How much time we got left to save Orihime?"
Rukia raised her hands and started counting off with her fingers. "Well, we left four days ahead of schedule, and the Head Captain gave us two days from the time we were 'supposed' to arrive, so that's six days to use. We're on day three now, so we've got three days until we have to leave." She answered.
Timothy grinned at the teen. "Weeellll…that's 'if' we leave when we're supposed to."
The short woman glared at him. "What are you getting at?"
The man rolled his eyes. "Come on, you really think I give two shits what the Head Captain says? If you guys wanna head back, by all means, go right ahead. But I'm staying here until Orihime is safe. Period. Besides, it's not like he's gonna come all the way out here just for a newbie Lieutenant, right?"
Ichigo crossed his arms firmly. "And I'm with him. I not leaving until we save her, and that's final." He added.
Renji gave Timothy a look of disbelief. "Do you make it your daily goal to piss off the Head Captain?" he deadpanned.
A shoulder shrug came as his response. "He started it by being the grumpy old man he is." He commented, getting a snicker from Ichigo.
"At least I'm not the only one who thinks that." The teen added.
Rukia sighed in exasperation. "Both of you are absolute idiots." She moaned.
Timothy shrugged again. "You've got your opinion, I've got mine. But whatever. We should get going. So, we're heading to see if that passage is connected then check out the stairs?" he asked toward Uryū.
The Quincy nodded. "Yes, but like Renji said, try to remain hidden if you do find yourself in one of the palaces." He reminded.
Everyone nodded. "Alright, see you guys in a bit." Timothy said with a wave, then led his group down their tunnel as Renji did the same with their own.
Central 46, Forbidden Archives, Present
After returning a very dusty book to its place on the shelf, Shunsui let out a low sigh of boredom before reaching for another. Tilting it back only a bit for a glance at the cover, he then pushed it back and moved on to the next.
"Hanging in there, Jūshirō?" he asked.
His friend was searching through the shelf across from his and down a few yards. "Yes, I'm fine, Shunsui. The open air earlier helped a bit. Thank you."
Shunsui nodded with a hum as he glanced at another book. "At least this place ain't as big as the other. Though, with only two of us down here, it's not like it matters much."
"Yes, you do have a point. And we cannot ask for additional help, as not even we are supposed to be down here."
The Squad 8 Captain chuckled. "What, don't you find this the least bit exciting, Jūshirō?"
The white-haired man smiled sheepishly at his friend. "Yes, well, our ideas of 'exciting' are not always the same, my friend. The Head Captain was quite upset with our late-night visit. To be honest, I'm amazed he took it as well as he did."
Shunsui gave a low laugh. "Yeah, I guess you're right. You think he's still upset with us?" The man waited for a reply, but none came. He turned to his friend to see him staring intently into the book in his hands. "You got something there, Jūshirō?"
"Perhaps…you may want to come have a look, Shunsui." The man answered.
The kimono-clad Captain folded his arms into his sleeves and stepped over to his friend. "What's this?"
Jūshirō glanced back to him. "It's a documentary written by Ōetsu Nimaiya." He answer with worry in his voice.
Shunsui raised his brows in surprise. "The zanpakutō creator? From Squad 0?"
The 13th Captain nodded firmly. "Yes, and I'm detecting small amounts of Aizen's spiritual pressure on it. I believe he may have read this."
His friend looked back down at the book. "What's it about exactly?"
Jūshirō turned back as well. "It details the origin of the zanpakutō, and how zanpakutō spirits are created. This was written before Yamamoto was the Head Captain, nearly two-thousand years ago. According to the administrative notes, it was presented before the Soul King by his request, then sealed here after the formation of the 13 Court Guard Squads and Central 46."
Shunsui sighed heavily. "You think this is what Aizen used to learn how to turn the Lieutenant's wife into a zanpakutō spirit?"
"I would have to say so, Shunsui. This also goes into detail how zanpakutō spirits go through their transformations from the form they possess when they are created, to the time they attain their true forms; including how the spirit binds itself to its master's soul."
His friend nodded. "Do you think they might have something down here about that hollowfication stuff old Kisuke was looking into?"
Jūshirō shook his head. "I doubt it. Hollowfication was something that Kisuke himself came up with, and was never heard of before then. And all of his notes on the matter are upstairs in the restricted area."
Shunsui nodded. "Well, we still have to find out what it is that Aizen's up to; what his real goal is."
"Yes, I agree. I'll set this aside so we may view it later." Jūshirō informed, closing the book with a dull thud.
Las Noches Tunnels, With Timothy's Group, 1 Hour Later
"How much longer do you think we should keep going, Tim?" Ichigo asked.
The Lieutenant scratched the stubble on his cheek with a low hum. "I'd give it…bout another ten to fifteen minutes. If we don't run into them by then, we'll turn around and take a look at those stairs. Sound good, Nel?" he asked he turned his head to face her.
Nel nodded. "That should be fine." She answered, but didn't seem fully engrossed in the conversation.
Timothy noticed and raised a brow. "You alright?"
She lowered her head a bit and turned her eyes to the side. "Truthfully, I'm a bit concerned about those two beings down here with us. It's been quite a while since we've seen or felt them. If they are hollows, then they should have been trying to attack us by now."
Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, they could have just given up you know. Even the most mindless hollows are smart enough to know not to attack someone who's easily several times stronger than them." He pointed out.
The woman sighed. "That's true, but still, I just have the feeling that they are still somewhere nearby, watching us." She admitted.
"Well, whether they are or aren't, we'll still keep an open eye out. Hopefully we won't be down here mu…" Timothy instantly stopped and snapped his head back to the front, quickly moving his hand to rest on the hilt of his zanpakutō.
Noticing his actions, Ichigo and Nel followed suit with Ichigo coming to stand next to him while Nel maintained her watch to their rear. The teen turned his eyes to the Lieutenant with a curious expression.
"You see something?" he whispered.
"Heard." Timothy replied, keeping a firm stare into the distance.
All three remained deathly quiet, where Nel and Ichigo could now hear something very faint in the distance, and steadily getting louder. A few minutes passed, and the sounds were now loud enough for them to determine that they were actually voices.
"Think that's Uryū and the others?" the teen asked.
Timothy narrowed his eyes. "If it was, where's their light source? Those voices are close enough that we should see something by now. And the voices echoing off the walls is making it hard to determine if they're familiar or not."
Nel glanced over her shoulder to him. "It sounds like there's more than one." She added.
He nodded. "Nel…kill your light." He instructed, with the woman doing as such and leaving the group in total darkness.
The instant she did, the voices stopped and left them in silence as well. Timothy tightened the grip on his zanpakutō as he struggled to hear anything, but then suddenly jumped when Ichigo bellowed out.
"Alright, who the hell are you?! Quit skulking around and show yourselves!" he shouted.
Timothy shot him a furious glare. "You moron! If they didn't know we were here before, they sure as fuck do now!" he hissed.
"Identify yourselves!" a voice shot back.
Thankfully, they were close enough for Timothy to figure out it was. "The biggest idiot in the world, who the hell do you think it was, Rukia?!" he answered with a roll of the eyes.
Ichigo glared back at him. "Shut up!"
"…Tim? Ichigo?" the woman inquired.
The teen scoffed as he released his zanpakutō. "Well duh, you midget." He mocked.
"Nel, can you give us some light again, please?" Timothy asked.
The woman nodded and charged another half-cero in her off hand, lighting the passage and allowing the group to see the faint figures of Rukia and the others. Timothy sighed in relief as he walked forward to them.
"Jeez, you guys scared the shit out of us. Didn't your mother ever tell ya it's not nice to sneak up on others?" The lieutenant teased.
The short woman rolled her eyes. "No, she told me to beat morons like you into a pulp."
Timothy snorted in amusement as he held a hand out to her, which she took. "Well, either way, what took ya guys so long? To be honest, we were about to turn around and look at those stairs."
Renji gave him a serious look. "We ran into one of our little friends about thirty minutes ago." He informed.
The blonde Lieutenant's eyes widened a bit. "You get him?"
Uryū shook his head. "I sensed him following us about ten minutes after we left the main room, and we were waiting for the right moment to act. When we finally did, he took off and we couldn't keep up. What about you, did you run into your friend as well?"
Timothy's group shook their heads. "Nope. Not since that last time. Well, I guess that confirms that they're still interested, Ichigo. Anyway, at least now we know your hunch was right about the passage being connected. You run into any other paths that split off?"
Rukia nodded. "Yeah, one that runs further into the center, about a couple hundred meters back. So, I'm guessing the plan now is to check out the stairs?"
Uryū hummed in acknowledgment. "Yes, and just as a reminder, if they do lead into one of the palaces, check around if you can, but stay hidden. If you are spotted, make sure they do not see you going back into the tunnels. The last thing we need is for them to follow us down here or close the exit off period." He advised.
Timothy nodded back. "Agreed, but I think it would be a good idea if we meet back up here instead of the large room."
"I agree." Renji confirmed. "Alright, we'll meet back up here in two hours. We all know where both stairways are, so if one group doesn't come back, the other should check into it."
Every nodded at that. "Got it. See you guys in two." Ichigo stated with a dismissing wave.
"Try not to go overboard, Ichigo." Rukia teased with a smirk.
The teen scoffed. "Whatever, midget. At least you're small enough they won't see you without a microscope." He shot back, earning a snicker from Timothy and Renji.
"What was that?!" she asked with a fist held up.
Nel sighed heavily. "Come on guys, we should get going before one of us kills the other."
Timothy chuckled at that. "Alright alright. Let's go, Ichigo. See you guys later." He said with a wave, then led his group back towards the stairway.
Department of Research and Development, Communications Department
Mayuri, still tapping numerous commands into his computer, growled inwardly at his inability to find anything of use. Originally, he had planned to be finished within the hour and return to his lab while having the four Stealth Force members, still under the effects of his gas, return to their own duties as if nothing had happened.
Sadly, that was not to be. More than five hours after starting, the angered scientist had been unable to find anything, which irked him to no ends. Afterall, those few members that had been working for Aizen were lowly beings, not even officer material. Yet somehow, they were able to successfully hide their actions from the intelligent Captain.
His low growl morphed into a snarl as his anger threatened to boil over. "This is absurd!" he hissed lowly. "To think that such incompetent fools were able to hide anything from me! It's outrageous! It would seem that Aizen is far more clever than I thought."
The Captain knew that the information was somewhere, seeing that if anything had been deleted from the system, he would have received a notification on the computer in his primary lab asking for confirmation of deletion.
But no such confirmation was received, meaning that the information he was looking for was still somewhere in the files. The only problem was finding out where.
Finally, after looking through what must have been the millionth file, the Squad 12 Captain found what he was looking for.
"Finally! Now, let's see what you were up to…" he said lowly and continued pressing random keys.
Bits of information flashed by the screen as the Captain quickly glance through the file; finding typed notes, audio files from communications, and a few video files as well, all labeled with times and dates. To confirm his suspicions, he chose an audio file from the night the Arrancar attacked Karakura Town.
The sound was fuzzy at first, but finally cleaned itself up to where he could make out Lieutenant Matsumoto's hurried voice.
"This is Lieutenant Matsumoto, how much longer on that authorization?" the recording played.
The response followed shortly afterward. "We are still trying to acquire authorization for your limiter release, Lieutenant Matsumoto; but as it stands for the moment, the release of your limiter is denied. We're doing everything we can to get the authorization for you as fast as possible. Please stand by."
Mayuri rose a brow as he instantly recognized the voice. "Interesting."
He closed the file and loaded the video file with the same date and time. Once it loaded up and started playing, it took less than a second for the Captain to see it was the security footage of the primary communications room, where the limiter release request would have gone to.
Two of the individuals in the video were ones that the Stealth Force had already captured, but the third one really peaked his interest. He paused the video and zoomed in on the face of the third person, a wicked grin forming on the Captain's face.
"Very interesting. So, this is what you've been up to, Aizen." He spoke with a chuckle. "I wonder what else your little puppet has been working on for you."
Closing the video, he browsed through the other files one-by-one, until he came upon what looked to be a command prompt. Opening the file, he saw that it was a shutdown order with a timer to reactivate the targeted system after a certain amount of time.
The command targeted the video observation systems that looked over the world of the living. More specifically, the part of the system that focused on a very specific area of Karakura Town; the area where Orihime Inoue's apartment was located.
Looking at the time stamp of when the system was shut down and restarted, he was able to determine that the observation devices shut down at the same time the Arrancar arrived, and went back online a few minutes after they left.
"Well now, it would appear things are starting to make sense for once. Let's move on."
Closing the file, he moved on to the next and noticed that it was another shutdown order. Opening it, he saw the timestamps for shutdown and restart took place for most of that same day, starting that morning and ending right as the Arrancar appeared.
"So, that was how you were able to appear without any warning. My my, how ultimately irritating this is. Though I suppose I should complement you on your attempt to fool me, as feeble as it was. I believe it's time I take matters into my own hands." He commented.
Entering a few commands into the computer, sending copies of everything he found over to his primary office in the research department, he closed everything down and returned to monitor to its hidden state.
Turning around to leave, he quickly noticed one of the drugged stealth force members swaying a bit, telling him that the effects of the gas were starting to wear off.
"Oh? It would appear that your training in resisting poisons has allowed you to become more resistant to my drug. The effects should have lasted at least another few hours. But, it's of no consequence, afterall. A few more modifications and the drug should be just right." He observed, then walked up to the group. "I'm finished here. You can escort me out and return to your duties." He instructed.
The swaying member shook his head for a second to clear it and nodded. "Yes Captain."
Squad 5 Headquarters, Present
Hinata sat at her temporary desk looking over one of the squad's financial forms, small bags under her eyes and her hair in slight disarray. She was very tired, and every few minutes had to stifle a yawn.
Tetsuzaemon was in no better shape. In fact, if one who didn't know how the man normally wore his shihakusho were to walk in at that moment, he or she could swear the Lieutenant was about to drop dead any second.
Both her and Tetsuzaemon started early that morning after stopping late last night, and both were now feeling it. They were on their fifth pot of tea to help give them energy, with the pot empty once again. Hinata was reminded of this when she walked over to fill her cup for the dozenth time, only to discover it was all gone.
She let out a depressive sigh as she set the pot back down, turning and walking into the small kitchen to make more.
"God I'm so fucking tired." She moaned.
Tetsuzaemon nodded with a grunt in affirmation. "You're not the only one, Hinata. How much more you got over there?"
The woman set the kettle down and lit the burner. "I just finished the last one. You need to hand me the next set so I can get started on it." She answered in a weak voice.
The man sighed in relaxation. "There ain't no more, we're finally caught up." He informed.
Hinata poked her head out from the kitchen with eyes widened. "Bullshit! Seriously?!" she asked in shock.
The man nodded as he slumped in his seat. "Just gotta look through it myself, and we'll be done with it."
She threw her hands into the air. "Thank. Fucking. God! Thank you!" she nearly shouted to the ceiling.
Tetsuzaemon lifted his head to her. "No, thank you, Hinata. Without your help, I would have had to call Shūhei and Izuru over here again."
She flicked her hand at him and returned to the kitchen. "Pft, whatever, Tetsuzaemon. I was just doing what the hell I was told. Next time I see Tim, I'm gonna strangle his ass for talking me into this shit. I'd give anything to never see another piece of paperwork again."
The Lieutenant sighed heavily. "I mean it, Hinata. Your help was a godsend, and you've worked your ass off."
Hinata gave a low chuckle. "Well, contrary to what some people might say, I'm no slouch. Sure, I'd greatly prefer to just sit around and do nothing most of the time, but if I'm told to get something done, I get it done."
He nodded in agreeance. "Turn that stove off, Hinata." He instructed.
She poked her head out again. "What for? I'm tired as shit, and we still have the evening paperwork to take care of before we head out for tonight."
He tossed a hand at her. "Cause you're done for the night. Take the rest of the day off and get some rest. The evening paperwork can wait until tomorrow."
Hinata rose a brow at him. "Yeah…no thanks. As much as I 'really' want to take you up on that offer, we're caught up, and I want to 'stay' that way. Letting the evening paperwork sit until morning is just gonna undo everything we worked our asses off for almost two weeks now. Besides, there's usually not that much of it, so let's just get it done and out of the fucking way."
Tetsuzaemon shrugged his shoulders. "Your choice. By the way, how's your friend, Sano, doing?"
She gave a small smile. "A lot better now. She still gets into a depressive mood every once in a while, but she's doing really good. Kenta and Issei have been helping her to keep her mind off it and try to be there to comfort her whenever she gets depressed again."
"That's good. Which reminds me, I spoke with the Captain earlier today and he said that Squads 8 and 13 are sending a few members each to help bolster out numbers."
The woman moaned in relief. "Thank God. Like the rest of the squad, Kenta, Issei, and Yuka are running themselves ragged with how short we are. You know the exact numbers?"
"Two from the 8th, and three from the 13th. They'll be sent to us in a couple days, so we'll need to set up some rooms for them." He answered.
She nodded. "Well, if you want my opinion, put em up in the officers' quarters."
Now he rose a brow. "Why?"
The woman sighed. "Think about it, Tetsuzaemon; they're coming over here to help us, where they are sure to face being discriminated against, and the least we could do is make staying here as comfortable as possible. Besides, with how many empty officers' quarters we have right now, it's not like it's gonna hurt anything, right?"
The man sighed heavily and rubbed his temples as he thought it over. The woman did have a point. Currently, they were short nearly twenty higher and lower ranked officers, so that was nearly twenty high quality rooms to at least make the assisting members more comfortable, seeing as how they volunteered to help.
He sighed once more and nodded. "Alright, when you come in in the morning, that's what I want you to take care of first. Might as well put your friends up in a few of those rooms too while you're at it."
She nodded back and returned to the kitchen when she heard the kettle whistling. "I'll get it done. Thanks, Tetsuzaemon."
"Yeah yeah." He responded. A knock then came on the office door, causing him to sigh. "Come in."
The large doors opened, and the two officers watched as Shūhei walked in. "Hey, Tetsuzaemon, Ogawa." He greeted as he closed the door.
They both nodded while Hinata smiled. "Hey, Shūhei. What brings you here?" Tetsuzaemon asked.
The Squad 9 Lieutenant walked up to the desk and took a seat in front of him. "Not much. Just came by to see if you needed a hand; but by the looks of things, you seem to be doing alright."
Tetsuzaemon nodded as he slumped back in his seat. "Yeah, just got a few more things to sign and the evening stuff. Hinata's making some tea right now, want some?"
The man shrugged a shoulder. "Sure, why not."
Hinata nodded at him and grabbed a third cup, setting in on the tray and bring it out to set down on the desk before pouring for everyone. Handing Shūhei his cup first, the man thanked her with a nod in return.
Tetsuzaemon then turned back to Shūhei. "So, anything interesting happening at 9?"
"Not really, the usual stuff: paperwork, training, more paperwork, it goes on and on. Same thing with Izuru. We've been so busy that we haven't spoken since that night we carried you two back to the barracks.
Hinata glanced at him after pouring her tea. "Before I forget…" She opened. "I wanted to thank you and Izuru for helping me and Tetsuzaemon back to the barracks the other night. With how lost I can get while drunk like that, I'd be lucky if I even found the Seireitei."
He waved her off gently. "No big deal, we all look out for each other. Ikkaku's the one you gotta watch out for. Guy picks a fight with anything that breathes, and sometimes with things that don't." he joked.
She shook her head with a sigh. "I don't think I wanna know." She admitted as she sat down next to him.
"No…you don't." Tetsuzaemon affirmed, Shūhei shaking his head as well.
"Last time that happened, he tried to fight with a fountain." Shūhei stated.
Tetsuzaemon slapped a hand to his head. "Why did you have to mention that one?" he moaned.
Hinata sweatdropped. "I'm afraid for my sanity, but I just have to know; how you can have a fight with a fountain?"
"The fountain was, as he said, 'in his way'. So, he tried to tear it apart." Tetsuzaemon answered.
"…Couldn't he have…I don't know…gone 'around' it?" she asked in confusion.
"Drunkenness and common sense are the two things that do not exist together when it comes to Ikkaku, Hinata. That was the worst twenty minutes of my life, until he finally 'lost'." Shūhei said.
The woman sighed and began rubbing her temples. "Ok…I give up…how do you lose to a fountain?"
"He fell in and hit his head." The two men spoke in unison. "Knocked his ass clean out, so that we could pick the retard up and carry him back." Tetsuzaemon added.
Something then dawned on her, where she raised her head to her superior. "Wait a minute…isn't Ikkaku in the world of the living with Tim?" she asked.
Both men nodded. "Yup. He's Durn's problem now." Tetsuzaemon answered with a grin.
Her face dropped. "That is if Tim doesn't kill him first."
Shūhei chuckled at that. "Now that I'd love to see. Talk about a fight from hell. I heard about the guy's teleporting abilities. Ikkaku would probably blow his top before they even crossed blades."
Tetsuzaemon nodded in agreeance. "I'd be a good fight, that's for sure. You heard anything about the team in the world of the living lately?"
Hinata glanced at the Squad 9 Lieutenant in hope for some new information regarding her friend. "Nah, ever since those guys got arrested at Squad 12, there's been no word at all regarding them. The Head Captain's really the only one who talks to em now. But if I do hear anything, I'll pass it on to you guys."
The woman smiled warmly. "Thanks, Shūhei. Tim's a good friend, and I worry a bit about him."
Shūhei nodded back. "No problem. Guess I should be heading back since you don't really need me." He said as he stood.
"Yeah, Hinata's pulled her weight for now. Can't promise it'll be the same next week, though." Tetsuzaemon teased.
She glared at him with a snarl. "Bite me!"
The man rose a brow. "Is that a request, or a demand?" he returned with Shūhei snorting while trying to hold back a laugh.
A memory of her waking up on top of Tetsuzaemon that morning after a drinking session suddenly came to her mind, causing her to blush a bit in embarrassment. The man must have noticed, cause he was now giving her a knowing grin.
"Something wrong, Hinata?" he pressed.
She let out a low growl with bared teeth. "Asshole."
Both men were now laughing at the woman as she turned away with a face red in anger and embarrassment. Then finally, after a long few seconds of laughing, Shūhei gave them a last wave.
"Well, I'm heading back to the 9th. Stay outta trouble you two. Later." He said, then turned and left the office.
Once the door closed, Hinata rolled her eyes to the Lieutenant, giving him an evil glare. "One of these days, I'm going to kill you, Tetsuzaemon." She seethed.
The man snorted as he picked up a form. "Ha, in your dreams, Hinata. Why don't you go find out what's taking that fool so long to get back with the evening forms?"
She bared her teeth and growled as she stood. "Stupid, lazy-ass bastard." She mumbled.
He raised his gaze to her with a raised brow. "You say something, Ogawa?" he questioned.
The woman stopped as she reached the door. "Yeah, I did. But I doubt you're old enough for such language. Immature brat." She mocked, then left.
It was only after the door closed a second time that the man left the chuckle he was holding back out with a shake of the head. "You're something else, Hinata." He commented, then signed the form in front of him.
Central 46, Forbidden Archives
Dust fell from the air as Shunsui ran his hand along the dusty spines of numerous books along the shelf while he walked. He came to a stop at the end and folded his arms in his sleeves as he glanced at his friend.
"Still going through that one?" he asked the white-haired man.
Jūshirō gave a slight nod with a hum. "The knowledge in here is very interesting, but at the same time, quite troublesome. Nimaiya goes very in-depth about the creation of a zanpakutō, and how they form their bonds with a soul reaper once they have been partnered. Frankly, it worry's me."
Shunsui tilted his hat down a bit with a small grin. "You mean the fact that Aizen was interested in it, or are you referring to that kid's wife-turned-zanpakutō?"
His friend lowered the book a little to look at him. "Both I'm afraid. If what Head Captain Yamamoto said about the young Lieutenant is true, then I fear what else Aizen may have been up to with this knowledge. Just what is it that Aizen intends to do by turning innocent beings into zanpakutō spirits?" he wondered.
The Squad 8 Captain shrugged a shoulder with a sigh. "Who knows. For all we know, he could be trying to acquire a second zanpakutō to go with Kyōka Suigetsu. Then again, he could be trying to give his subordinates zanpakutō-like abilities."
Jūshirō's eyes widened a bit at the second remark. "Is that even possible?" he asked in worry.
"It 'shouldn't' be, but then again, look at the Lieutenant's wife. She was somehow converted from a human soul into a zanpakutō spirit; something else that shouldn't be possible. Honestly, with something like the Hōgyoku involved, I'd venture a guess that anything is possible for Aizen right now. Hell, he could probably turn us all into plants for all we know, right?" he said jokingly.
His friend sweat dropped at that. "Maybe…that's thinking a little too much into this, Shunsui."
The stoic man chuckled warmly. "Alright alright. I'm just pulling your leg, old friend. But seriously, I think we can all agree that a lot of the things we originally thought impossible may just be possible now." He warned.
A very light ringing sound filled the area, causing the two men to turn and see a small black insect, a hell butterfly, flying towards the Squad 8 Captain. The man raised a hand up and allowed it to land on the tip of his outstretched finger so it could play its message.
"Captain, you need to come back to the library; I think we may have found something that you should take a look at." The message played.
Shunsui sighed with a small grin. "Well, I guess we'll have to hold on to that thought for now." He said.
Jūshirō rested his book down on the table. "Is something wrong, Shunsui?" he asked.
The man chuckled and waved him off. "Nah, little Nanao thinks she might have found something for us to look at. That, or she's trying to lure me away to show her true feelings for me." He joked as he started to leave.
The white-haired man shook his head slowly with a distraught face. "Do you really think it's wise to antagonize the poor girl so much, Shunsui? You do remember who it was that taught her much of what she knows, right?"
His friend stopped in his tracks before dropping his head a bit. "Of course I do, Jūshirō." He answered, then turned over his shoulder with a grim look on his face. "You honestly think I could forget about my little Lisa? Hell, if I 'did' forget about her, she'd likely jump out from the grave and kill me, then you for allowing it to happen."
Jūshirō rose to his feet slowly. "We don't know that she is dead, Shunsui. All we know is that Shinji and the others simply vanished from Central 46 custody during Kisuke's trial. There is still the chance that they are all alive somewhere." He comforted.
Shunsui stared at his friend for a moment, but soon sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right, old buddy. Anyway, you coming along, or you staying here?"
The Squad 13 Captain shook his head. "There is something I want to look into at the moment. You can tell me what you find out when you come back." He answered and took a seat.
Shunsui nodded. "Alright. I'll try to come back with less slaps and bruises than last time." He joked, then turned and left.
Jūshirō sighed heavily. "When are you ever going to learn your lesson, my friend?"
Central 46, Restricted Archives, 10 Minutes Later
Nanao scoured through the file that was passed to her from Kiyone only moments ago. After reading the first few lines and noticing that it contained important information, she had sent her Captain a message by hell butterfly to come take a look.
She was so focused on what she was reading, that a hand resting itself on her shoulder startled her and caused her to let out a small squeak of surprise. The Lieutenant instinctively turned around with her hands posed to launch a kidō, but froze when she saw it was her Captain, now holding up a calming hand.
"Whoa there, little Nanao; you sure are jumpy tonight. Is this how you normally are when I'm not around?" he teased with a smile.
Nanao looked at him in shock before gritting her teeth in a growl. "Damn it, Captain! Are you 'trying' to kill me?!" she yelled.
The man chuckled as he lowered his hand. "You're already dead, my little Nanao. What, would you miss me that much if you 'did' die a second time?" he baited.
The woman growled louder with clenched fists. "I don't have time for your games, Captain! I asked you here on an important matter!"
He held up both hands this time. "Alright, calm down. I'm just messing with ya, Nanao." He said as he folded his hands again. "So, what did you find out?"
Her serious face returned in an instant as she led him back to the console. "To be honest, I'm not exactly sure, Captain. But whatever this is, it has a high amount of Aizen's spiritual pressure surrounding it. He obviously spent a fair amount of time reading this file." She informed as she brought the screen back to the beginning of the file.
The man read it over, shifted the lines up the screen as he did. He spent the next few minutes looking the document over line-by-line, until his hand suddenly froze in place and his eyes widened a bit.
"Well, this isn't good." He commented, then glanced at his Lieutenant. "I need you to send a message to Jūshirō; tell him to meet me at the Head Captain's office." He instructed and quickly turned to leave.
"Yes Captain." She answered and went to go about her orders.
Squad 1 Headquarters
Head Captain Yamamoto was sitting peacefully behind his desk, looking on as his Lieutenant, Sasakibe, pointed out various notes of interest among the 3rd squad's paperwork; getting final approvals before they were to be taken away to be filed.
The pair were working on the last bit of the forms when Yamamoto stopped listening and raised his gaze to the large double doors of the office. "I hope this is important, Shunsui." He called out.
It was only a few seconds later when one of the doors opened and the stoic Captain of Squad 8 strolled in in a casual manner, waving a hand at his superior with a teasing smile on his face. That smile alone was more than enough to cause the old Captain to moan in annoyance.
"Well, afternoon to you, old man Yama." He greeted.
Yamamoto opened his eyes a bit to stare at the man as he approached. "I do not have time for your games, Shunsui. State your business, and make it quick." He demanded.
Shunsui waved him off gently. "Now don't be like that, Head Captain. It's much too nice out to be in such a foul mood, wouldn't you agree?"
The old man gave a deep growl at him. "If you have nothing of importance to discuss, then leave."
The younger Captain sighed heavily. "Now don't be so quick to count me out, old man Yama. I never said that I didn't have something to speak with you about. Although…" The man paused to give Sasakibe a kind smile. "It is a bit stuffy in here." He hinted.
As he had hoped, the Head Captain instantly caught on, turning to his Lieutenant. "Leave us." He instructed.
Chōjirō gave the man a low bow. "Yes sir." he responded, then swiftly left the office.
Yamamoto turned back to his younger subordinate. "Now, what is it you wish to discuss, Shunsui?" he asked in a serious manner. But Shunsui was stopped before he began by a knock on the office door, making the older man moan again. "Enter."
The doors opened once more, where Jūshirō walked in and appeared to be slightly out of breath. The white-haired man walked up to stand next to his long-time friend and Shunsui glanced at him with a concerned look on his face.
"You doing alright, Jūshirō?" he asked.
The man nodded with a hand pressed to his chest. "Yes, just a little winded. It's been a while since I've moved with such speed. Judging by Nanao's message, it sounded as if you had found something very important, enough to come see the Head Captain so soon, so I came as fast as I could." He informed.
Yamamoto looked at his ailing subordinate. "You may take a seat, Jūshirō. I would prefer you not exert yourself too much."
Jūshirō smiled warmly, yet timidly at the man. "Please, I will be fine, Head Captain." He assured, then turned back to his friend. "So, what was it that you found, Shunsui?"
The Head Captain nodded slightly. "Yes, what is it that you believe to be so important?" he pressed.
Shunsui's face fell into seriousness. "I think I might have found what it is that Aizen's been after." He said in a low voice.
Yamamoto furrowed his brows while Jūshirō raised his a bit in curiosity. "Oh? And just what is it that you have found out?" the old man questioned.
The Squad 8 Captain tilted his hat back and gave a serious stare at the man. "It seems that our old friend Aizen has been looking into the Royal Realm; more specifically, the Ōken." He informed.
Jūshirō's were now wide with shock as Yamamoto opened his to glare at Shunsui. "What?! Shunsui…this is no time for joking!"
The Head Captain continued his stare. "You are sure of this?" he demanded.
Shunsui nodded in response. "I'm afraid so, old man Yama. My Lieutenant found a file containing information regarding the Ōken with quite a substantial amount of Aizen's spiritual pressure all over it. Considering the circumstances, I think it's safe to say that the Ōken is what Aizen's after."
Yamamoto closed his eyes and hummed in thought as Jūshirō looked at his master. "But what good will it do him? There are no Ōken ever kept outside of the Royal Realm, so how would Aizen be able to get ahold of one of them?" he asked.
The Head Captain hummed once more, then turned to the white-haired man. "He cannot. The few Ōken in existence are under close observation by the Royal Guard. However…" He paused to take a long breath. "There is another method by which he may 'create' one; through sacrifice."
Jūshirō nearly took a step back in horror, but Shunsui merely rose a brow. "Sorry Head Captain, but what do you mean by 'sacrifice'?" Shunsui asked in confusion.
"Exactly how I had said. The Ōken are tools of tremendous power, enough that it will allow the individual bearing one to enter the Royal Realm. They are created, and guarded by, the members of the Royal Guard as needed. Only they have the capability to create them freely. However, if enough spiritual power is gathered and condensed into a physical object, one may be able to create their own Ōken and enter the Royal Realm." The old man enlightened.
The white-haired Captain of Squad 13 began sweating. "But Head Captain, where would Aizen be able to acquire such vast amount of power, and what is it that he would have to sacrifice?" he asked hesitantly.
The old man opened his eyes to him, giving the man a solemn stare. "The spiritual power used to create another Ōken, would be through the souls of the living."
Both younger Captains nearly gasped at the information, with Shunsui now having wide eyes as well. "Wait a minute! You mean to tell us that Aizen intends to sacrifice living souls to create the Ōken?!" the stoic Captain asked.
Yamamoto nodded slowly. "That is correct, Shunsui. However, the sacrifice of the souls alone would not be enough to create the Ōken with enough power to enter the Royal Realm. The power of those souls must be amplified, enough to grant the Ōken that power. The only way this is possible, is through a natural occurring instance, known as a concentrated spirit zone. This zone is where spirit energy gathers and flows far more effectively than anywhere else in the world of the living. The souls residing within the zone are responsive to it, becoming far more enriched with that energy. If Aizen is truly intending to create an Ōken and enter the Royal Realm, then he intends to sacrifice the spirit zone and all those within it."
Jūshirō managed to recover enough to breath for a moment before asking further. "And where is this spirit zone, master?"
The Head Captain hummed lowly. "I cannot say. As I said, the spirit zone is a natural occurrence, and it relocates every few centuries. Where it is currently, I am not aware. You will have to look into this yourself. While the 13 Court Guard Squads do not observe matters like this, there were those within Central 46 that did, and would have kept records regarding it. Go back to the archives, and see if you can discover where the current spiritual zone is located. Once you have, you are to inform me immediately." He instructed firmly.
Both men nodded. "I'm guessing you also want us to keep looking into this zanpakutō matter?" Shunsui asked.
The old man nodded firmly. "Yes, continue with your search on that matter as well. We may have an idea as to what Aizen intends to do, but we still have no idea on how he intends to do it. Now get going."
The two men gave swift bows and turned to leave the office. Once the door closed behind them, Yamamoto turned his head to glance out the open balcony of his office, looking on as the sun began to creep behind the tree line.
"Just what are you up to, Aizen?" he asked to the air in a low voice.
Las Noches Tunnels, 1 Hour Later
Timothy moved his finger across the hand-made map, mentally counting steps and distances and adding everything up, all while he and his group continued to walk through the darkened tunnel towards the flight of steps that, hopefully, led up to one of the palaces of Las Noches.
Ichigo led the way, Timothy in the middle, and Nel holding up their rear guard, seeing as how her vision was slightly better than the two men and would be able to see if they were being followed.
Thankfully, but also worryingly, no sight or sound had come from their unknown 'friend' ever since their brief chase the day before. This was weighing on Nel's mind heavily, and she found herself constantly peeking over her shoulder every few seconds.
Timothy noticed a while ago, but said nothing. In truth, he was just as, if not more, worried than she was. It wasn't that he was scared, because he really wasn't, but he was starting to worry that the being's hidden presence was beginning to unnerve her.
He turned his head a bit to side glance the woman, concern in his eyes. "You ok?" he asked in a low voice.
Nel sighed as she turned back to the front. "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess you could say I'm not one who enjoys being stalked like this." She said in an attempt at a joke.
The man grinned a bit. "Yeah, I get what you're saying. Personally, I find it to be more annoying than anything. But you're sure you're ok? I mean, you seem to be a lot more nervous than you should be."
She chucked once and nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry to make you worry. I never liked it the last time I was down here either, but boredom overrode my fear back then I guess."
He rose a skeptical brow at her. "Was it really that bad that you had to go wandering around a pitch-black tunnel for entertainment?" he asked.
The woman chuckled sheepishly while scratching a cheek. "Well…I guess it does sound a bit dumb, now that I think about it. But yes, it was really dull at times while I was still staying here. I really preferred reading, but there wasn't much in terms of reading material here. I think I've read almost everything at least two, maybe three times."
Timothy laughed a bit. "I guess that explains why you tried to buy the place when we went to that bookstore shortly after you came around."
She puffed her cheeks out in a pout. "It wasn't that bad." She whined.
"Yes it was." Kitsune sweatdropped in Timothy's inner world, causing her partner to snicker.
"Kit doesn't seem to agree with you on that one, Nel." He informed.
The woman growled. "Stop helping him, Kit!"
Ichigo then turned over his shoulder to them. "Did you really try to buy a whole bookstore, Nel?" he asked.
"Yes." Timothy answered.
"No!" Nel answered.
The woman pouted again with crossed arms. "Why do you have to be mean, Tim?" she mumbled.
The man held a placating hand up with a smile. "Hey, I was just messing with ya, Nel. Besides, you gotta admit that you did get a little too much at first."
She sighed and dropped her arms. "Ok, I guess I did go a little overboard. But I couldn't help it. I honestly never seen that many books at one time before, so I got a little excited. Sorry."
He waved her off gently. "Hey, it's fine. When we get back, I'll buy ya a couple more if you'd like." He offered.
Her eyes widened exponentially. "Really?" she asked with hands clasped in front of her face with a pleading look.
The man chuckled and nodded. "Yes, but only a few."
The teen ahead of them rose a brow. "Why don't you just get her one of those electronic reader things? From what Uryū told me, you can get hundreds of books, and they're pretty cheap."
Timothy and Nel both tilted their heads. "Electronic reader?" Timothy asked.
"What's that?" Nel followed.
Ichigo sighed in defeat and waved their questions off. "Nevermind, I'll show ya guys sometime when we get back." He concluded.
Turning back to the front, he happened to notice a break in the right-side wall, where he turned back to them. "Hey, I think we're here." He informed.
The two looked just as the stairs leading up became discernable, where Timothy nodded. "Looks like it." He confirmed.
The group came to a stop and peered up the passage. "So, you think this leads to one of the palaces, right Nel?" Ichigo asked.
The woman nodded. "I believe so, but I can't be a hundred percent sure which one though."
Timothy shrugged a shoulder. "Only one way to find out. But…" He stopped and looked out into the darkness behind them, keeping silent.
Nel noticed and gave him a concerned look. "Tim?"
He continued to watch the darkness as he answered. "To be honest, I'm a bit worried about our little friend down here. I don't really like the idea of heading into one of the Espada's palaces while our only escape route has yet another potential enemy lurking around." He pointed out.
Ichigo growled a bit while rubbing the back of his head. "Well, it's not like there's anything we can do about it, right? We can't exactly spend all our time chasing the guy and likely getting lost."
Timothy sighed and nodded. "I know, let's just hope ignoring him for now doesn't come back to bite us in the ass later." He concluded, then sighed once more and turned to the two. "Well, ready to climb the stairs to hell?"
Nel turned her head to the side with a fallen face. "Compared to living with Kit, this place is heaven." She mumbled.
"I heard that!" the spirit yelled in Timothy's head, causing him to hold a hand to the side of it in pain.
"Damnit, you idiot fox! You trying to make my brain explode?!" he hissed.
"You talk like you even have a brain, stupid!" she shot back, making him growl in anger.
Nel's face dropped further. "She heard me…didn't she?"
He rolled his eyes to her, still holding his head. "Really? What gave it away?" he mocked back.
Ichigo sweatdropped at watching the scene. "Uh…guys…shouldn't we be like…I don't know…saving Orihime instead of arguing?"
Timothy glared at him. "Shut it, Kurosaki." He demanded, then dropped his hand. "Whatever, let's go. And remember, we run into any trouble, just run. If we can't outright defeat him in minutes, hightail it back to the tunnels."
The teen and Arrancar both nodded. "Got it." Ichigo answered.
The Lieutenant sighed a last time and nodded back. "Alright, let's do this." He said, then began climbing the stairs.
A plot development chapter here, with a small bit of comedy mixed in with the typical banters between friends and such. Aizen's overall plan seems to be coming to light, and I can guess that a lot of you are thinking it's gonna be pretty much the same thing as the show.
Well, think again. There may be a few similarities here and there, but the end plot is gonna be a bit different than the show. Not telling!
And finally, it looks like the Hueco Mundo team is leaving the tunnels and into Las Noches. After spending the past couple of days in total darkness, I could only imagine what being in the light again would do for their moral, heh.
Thanks for reading this chapter and hope you enjoyed. Laters.
