Hey everyone, glad to see you all again. Hope everyone had a good Valentines Day, for those who celebrate it. It's been a bit busy over here, dealing with family members getting sick one at a time, me being the third one to fall victim. Luckily, it was just a mild stomach bug that's been going around and something worse like the flu, which has also been going around badly this year. Fingers crossed we don't fall victim to that nightmare.
Sadly, school's been rough this semester. Took one of my history midterms, and… well, let's just say I didn't do that good. It's still early enough in the semester thought I might be able to recover from that, fingers also crossed for that.
Got a couple of reviews, and we get to see the return of Spades… along with his two months' worth of questions… I swear the guy is trying to destroy my mind. Just kidding, Spades.
Adreamodadream: Hey friend, thanks for the review. Glad you liked the story so far, and it tickles me that of all the stories you've read that mine is in your top-10 list. Means a lot dude. Hope the story continues to entertain you.
Baumbarth: Hey, welcome friend. Well, you've got to look at it from the media point of view. Naruto, Pokémon, One Piece, just to name a few, are still highly popular since they are 'still' putting out episodes and comics. Bleach, on the other hand, has basically fallen out of popularity because the series has concluded, about 4 or 5 years ago now. With nothing 'new' coming to play in the Bleach world, many people have found it to start being dull, and have, by now, seen the anime or manga multiple times. So, it's understandable that Bleach fanfictions don't get that much attention anymore. But hey, just being honest here when I say it don't really bother me. I'm not writing this story for reviews (though they are appreciated), or to write the best story out there; I'm doing it more as a side hobby and to give readers something to enjoy.
Okay… time to melt my brain with all of Spades's 14 questions. But first, welcome back, bro. Missed ya… I guess, lol. Thanks for the average of 8 ratings for the chapters we missed ya on. A low rating or two, due to drawing things out a bit, but I kinda expected that, seeing that this a one of those points in the story where not much really happens, but is necessary for the plot. So, on to questions…
1: Sorry bro, can't tell ya, no spoilers.
2: Well, as mentioned above, not terrible, but not exactly where I would like them to be. Short answer, I'll manage. Thanks for the concern.
3: Truthfully, when I first started writing this story, oh about a tad over two years ago now, I was floating around with the idea of hinting a Uryū/Orihime pairing, and 'almost' went with it. But, in the end, I decided against it. The feelings between them are simply as really close friends.
4: That's a good one, cause he gives off the vibe that he would prefer Crown Royal, a Canadian Whiskey. To me, I think that's what he'd go with.
5: I think we can all essentially guess how that would go, but since you asked, Grimmjow would likely chase after every skirt around him while causing a ruckus, and Ulquiorra would just sit and enjoy the solitude while ignoring him. 'Maybe' go as far as keeping the guy out of serious trouble.
6: It's a spoiler, but I can't have you doubting me on this one. Yes, Tim, and in effect, Kit, will have another round with Grimmjow.
7: Judging by his size… probably a lot. Maybe… five or six in quick succession?
8: Easily, sitting down and visiting with others. He just doesn't seem like the kind of person that would open up to others.
9: If by 'moment' you mean a fight against an opponent, then yes, they will. And soon.
INTERMISSION: Took an hour to clear my head at this point…
10: Nope, and seeing as Kit's abilities revolve around fire, it would have been a very poor choice on my end to have 'Johnny' with fire-type abilities as well. Nah, I got something else in store for our 'long' awaited spirit.
11: Can I skip the rest as well?
12: … Can I have another intermission?
12.5: 'Still in intermission'
13: 'Still in intermission'
'Real' 13: I'm back, for the most part. Oh, that's easy. In the forest below the dunes, there are 6.57 times 10508 (wouldn't fit on the calculator) grains of sand, and 2.1 times the number in the forest on the dunes. Put them together and you get… way to much fucking sand… and 38 thousandths.
Okay, throbbing headache now, so I'm gonna go lay down and plot the many ways to kill Spades while you all enjoy the chapter.
(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 85
(Personal Issues)
Las Noches Tunnels, Day 4, 5 a.m.
Rukia, her turn on guard while the group rested until Timothy's returned, turned to glance down at a snoozing Renji, giving his side a soft tap with her foot to nudge him awake.
"Renji, get up. I think someone's coming." She whispered.
The Lieutenant swiftly jumped to his feet, turning around to shake Uryū and Chad awake as well, while Rukia kept a firm guard on the passage. Within seconds, all four of them were wide awake and standing at the ready as shallow footsteps echoed through the halls.
It was only a moment later when a small, violet-colored glow illuminated the distance, where Renji charged up his 'kidō light' and filled their area with its dull, red glow.
"Ichigo?" Rukia called out.
"…Rukia?" the reply came.
Renji's group visibly relaxed with exhales as Ichigo's group slowly came into view. "At least you guys aren't late this time." Renji commented dryly.
Timothy scoffed. "Oh, be quiet, dumbass." He returned with a grin.
The group came to a stop in the room and Rukia noticed a serious look on Ichigo's face. "Something happen, Ichigo?" she asked.
The teen nodded firmly. "We think we might have found Orihime, or at least where she is." He informed.
Wide eyes stared back at him in shock. "Seriously?! How, and where is she?!" Uryū demanded.
Ichigo turned his head towards Nel, who still had a gloomy look on her face. "One of Nel's old friends…kinda…told us." He answered, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
Heads snapped over to her in mixed emotions of shock and anger. "What?" the Quincy challenged.
The woman shirked at his tone, but nodded. "Hey…" Timothy called out, getting Uryū's attention. "Don't go berating her, alright. The girl was one of Nel's closest friends, and she said she trusted her. And considering what happened, I have to admit that I kinda trust the girl as well." He defended.
Renji narrowed his eyes a bit. "What do you mean? What happened?" he demanded.
Ichigo sighed and answered. "Well, we were looking around the Primera Espada's room for his diary. You know, to see if the guy wrote anything down about Orihime?"
Timothy rolled his eyes. "You mean after you got over your shock about the guy's 'Big Bird' pillow?" he mumbled.
The teen scowled at him while Uryū rose a skeptical brow. "You're kidding."
Ichigo turned to his schoolmate with a fallen face. "Sadly…he's not."
Rukia tilted her head in wonder. "His…diary?"
The substitute nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, apparently the guy keeps a diary for some reason. Whatever. But anyway, we managed to find the damn thing, but that's when the Espada came back to his room."
Timothy jumped in. "Me and Ichigo managed to hop up into the rafters, but Nel was stuck having to hide in the guy's ridiculous pillow collection. It was going fine, until the guy's fracción, the girl we mentioned, found her."
Nel shrunk her head in a bit as the others glanced her way. "She…She didn't tell Stark about me. She just…stared at me, then asked if we were here for Orihime. I told her yes, and that's when she told me where to find her."
Ichigo took over. "Going by what the girl said, they're keeping Orihime in the Quatro's Palace."
Renji lifted his head a bit. "Isn't the Quatro that depressed-looking Espada that stopped Tim and Grimmjow's fight back in Karakura Town?" he asked.
Nel nodded. "Yes, his name is Ulquiorra."
Timothy turned back to the group. "Anyway, after the girl told Nel about Orihime, she covered Nel back up and pulled the Espada out of the room, allowing us to get away."
Uryū glared at the Arrancar in fury. "And why the hell would she do that? Sounds to me like this is all a trap, and you're a part of it, Arrancar." He accused.
Nel turned to him in shock with a gasp while Timothy glared right back. "Now hold on, Uryū! In case you've forgotten, it was 'Nel' who helped us get here earlier, 'and' found us a way into Las Noches, 'without' being detected! Instead of outright accusing her, why don't you try asking her the reason why that girl let her go!"
The teen glared right back. "I don't have a need to ask her the reasons. It's quite simple; she is an Arrancar, and Arrancar are the enemy, the same as you."
Timothy blinked in confusion. "The hell you talking about?! What makes you think I'm an enemy?!"
Uryū narrowed his eyes. "Isn't it obvious? I'm a Quincy, soul reapers are my enemy, just not an enemy I actively try to destroy. Honestly, I've grown a bit tired of having to explain this fact over and over."
The Lieutenant threw his hands up. "I don't fucking know what a damn 'Quincy' is; nor do I really care, for that matter. You're just another idiot if you base another's alliance specifically off of their race!"
Renji stepped forward and rested a hand on each of their shoulders. "Alright, that's enough. Uryū, I believe we've already discussed this. And Tim, you do have to admit that something like a random fracción just up and telling you where to find their hostage is, is kinda fishy."
Uryū rolled his eyes to the man. "No, 'you' discussed this; I merely chose not to agree with you." He corrected, then looked back to Nel. "And as for you, I don't really care if you are helping us, or leading us into a trap; it's the same result either way. You are an Arrancar, and my enemy. The only reason you haven't found an arrow in your back is because Orihime considers you a friend. And should something happen to her, you can consider that courtesy out the window."
Ichigo growled lowly. "Hey, what the hell is wrong with you, you bastard?! Nel's risking her neck just like the rest of us! I never figured you to be that damn cold!"
The Quincy eyed him closely. "Think of me how you want, but it won't change a thing, Ichigo."
Timothy took two steps toward the teen, nearly nose-to-nose, and glared, getting his attention. "You're right, we can't change how you view others. That's all on you, and you're entitled to your own opinions. However, I will say this; you even so much a 'look' at Nel the wrong way, and I'll give you a one-way ticket to hell." he warned.
Uryū pressed his glasses up his nose with a snide huff. "As if you'd be able to defeat me. You're more than welcome to try, of course." He challenged.
Rukia stepped forward and quickly pushed the two away from each other. "Knock it off! Both of you! Tim, you're supposed to be a Lieutenant, and here you are trying to pick a fight with a human! What the hell is wrong with you?! And Uryū, even you can't be that blind to not see that Nel's not evil like others think! I get why you hate hollows so damn much, but this is ridiculous! Both of you need to swallow your damn pride so that we can focus on rescuing Orihime!" she yelled, her voice echoing through the halls.
"She's right, you two. Fighting each other isn't gonna do anything for us except get us killed. So why don't you two just drop the subject and move on?" Renji enforced with crossed arms.
"How do you know we can trust the girl you mentioned, Nel?" Chad asked in his calm, low voice.
The woman glanced pitifully at him. "Because…Lilynette would never do anything that would bring me harm. We think of each other as sisters, and would do anything for each other. She didn't have to tell us about Orihime, but she did anyway, by her own choice."
Uryū glared at her. "That still doesn't prove that this isn't all a trap, Arrancar." He pointed.
Her face fell even more as she looked to him. "A trap for what, Uryū? Even if Tim, Ichigo, and I all fought Stark together, we 'still' wouldn't be a match for him. All Lilynette had to do was tell him we were there, and none of us would have left the room. So why would she send us to Ulquiorra's palace to die, if Stark could have killed us then and there?"
Timothy turned to Uryū. "She's got a point, 'Quincy'." He mocked, earning a hateful glare from the teen. "Even if it was a trap, why the hell would she try to send us from the strongest Espada's palace, to the 'fourth' strongest Espada's? Got an answer for that one?"
Rukia snapped to him. "Tim! Stop it, right now!"
He looked down at her. "Hell no! The asshole wants to be a racist bastard, and I can't stand people like that! Just what the hell did she do to you?!" he asked, now turned back to the teen. "Last time I checked, she's risking her life to save 'your' friend! She fought to save 'your' town! Or did you forget that?! If this is how Quincy normally act, it's no wonder I've never heard of you! You're not even worth mentioning! Hell, you probably can't even fight worth a damn!"
Uryū manifested his bow at his side with a furious stare. "If you think that's the case, then by all means, try your luck."
Timothy's hand dropped down to the hilt of his zanpakutō. "I'd be happy to. A little word of warning for ya though, I stood up to Kenpachi Zaraki, and nearly defeated him. So don't even begin to think that I'm just another 'soul reaper', Quincy." He seethed.
"Tim! Stop it! This is fucking stupid, and you know it!" Kitsune yelled in his head.
"Bakudō #61, Rikujōkōrō!" Rukia chanted loudly.
Both Quincy, and soul reaper were instantly pinned in place, each by six yellow blades of energy. Uryū tried to lift his bow to attack, while Timothy fought to draw his zanpakutō. Both men rolled their eyes to the small woman, holding her hands in a solid formation to keep the spell firmly in place.
"This is ridiculous! What the hell is wrong with you two?!" Renji growled, slapping both of them on the backs of their heads harshly. "You two are supposed to be working 'together' to save Orihime, yet here you are trying to 'kill' each other!"
Sweat began rolling down Rukia's forehead as she fought to keep the two kidōs holding Timothy and Uryū in place. It was proving to be quite a challenge, not only because they were both high-level kidōs, but also because the two men she was restraining were powerful enough to break free if they really tried.
Timothy gave the woman a warning look as cracks began to form on the restraining blades of the kidō. "Rukia, let me go, right now." He demanded in a firm voice.
She clenched her teeth tightly, putting even more power into the spells. "Not until…you two morons…grow up!" she strained out.
"For once, I agree with him, Kuchiki. Drop your kidō." Uryū enforced.
She shook her head and nearly gasped aloud when the cracks in the kidō holding Timothy became more and more pronounced. She furrowed her brows and began uttering an after-chant to reinforce her kidō.
The progression of the cracks slowly came to a near-halt as the power of the kidō more than doubled, but it was clear to everyone that it wouldn't last for much longer as Timothy increased his effort to break free, the same as Uryū.
Timothy's knuckles had already turned white at this point, clutching the hilt of his zanpakutō in a death grip. Uryū's bow-arm was flinching tightly as he continued to struggle to bring it up for a shot at the Lieutenant.
Rukia grew weak in the knees as the power she was feeding into the kidō drained her, and she was nearly about to collapse in exhaustion, until Timothy suddenly stopped fighting the kidō and relaxed.
Everyone turned to see that, while his eyes were open, they were hollow and dead to the world. They could tell right there that, had the kidō not been restricting his movements at that point, his body would have likely fell to the floor in a heap.
"What the…?" Ichigo spoke in confusion.
Renji figured it out and crossed his arms with a grunt. "Looks like Kit dragged his ass into his inner world to give him a piece of her mind. You can let him go, Ruks. I doubt he'll be in any condition to keep going after she's done with him."
The woman did as instructed, cutting the power to the kidō holding the comatose Lieutenant. The yellow blades of energy surrounding his body shattered, and his limp body fell towards the floor, but not before Ichigo quickly reached out and caught him, gently laying his body down on the ground.
Renji took this time to step in front of the, still struggling, Quincy and give him a commanding look. "It's over, Uryū. You need to calm the hell down and forget about all this. Nel's here to help us rescue Orihime, and nothing you say or do can change that. So you might as well accept her being here. Got it?"
Thankfully, Uryū was quick to respond, instantly stopping his struggle and letting his muscles relax. Renji waited for a moment longer to make sure that the teen had truly given up before turning to Rukia and giving a brief nod.
She relaxed herself and allowed the second kidō to break apart, falling to her knees and breathing rapidly. Chad stepped over and knelt down next to her, placing a large hand onto her back and rubbing it to relax her more.
"You ok, Ruks?" Renji asked.
To winded to speak, the woman could only nod in answer, where Chad turn to him. "She should be fine. She just needs a little rest." He informed.
The Lieutenant nodded back and turned towards Nel. "Hey Nel, mind dragging dumbass's body over to the far wall and keeping an eye on him till he wakes up?"
The woman didn't give an answer, choosing to simply do as asked and lifting Timothy's unconscious body to carry it to where Renji indicated. The red-headed Lieutenant turned back to Uryū and sighed, speaking to him in a low voice.
"Seriously, Uryū, I get why you can't stand hollows or Arrancars, but even this is going too far. Tim's not innocent in this either, but did you really have to resort to fighting each other? You can't fool us, Uryū; you might say that we're 'just soul reapers', but we all know you consider us friends and trust us. Why can't you do the same for Nel?" he scolded.
Uryū dematerialized his bow and crossed his arms. "You know damn well why, Renji. Like you said, we've already discussed this, and nothing you say will make me change my opinion of that monster."
Rukia lifted her head to the teen, her breathing back under control enough to speak. "Do you think it was…her fault that she became…what she is, Uryū?" she asked in-between breaths.
Chad helped her back to her feet and gave his friend a calm look. "It's not really her fault she is what she is, Uryū." He stated calmly.
"The same thing could happen to you, Chad, Ichigo, and even Orihime with the state she's currently in. So, let me ask you this: if one of them, one of your friends, were to become a hollow, would you look on them the same as you look at Nel? Would you treat them as nothing more than an enemy to be destroyed?" Renji questioned firmly.
"Of course not, because they wouldn't go around killing and devouring innocent souls." The teen assured.
Renji rose a brow. "Oh? So, you think each and every single hollow currently in existence came from an evil soul? I refuse to believe you think that, Uryū."
Ichigo stepped up to his friend and nodded with hands on his hips. "Yeah. If you think back, Orihime's own 'brother', who was one of the kindest souls I've ever seen, became a hollow himself. He didn't have a choice in the matter either, just like Nel didn't. And when he did become a hollow, he went after his own 'sister', you idiot."
Uryū pushed his glasses up. "That just proves hollows, even the ones born from a good soul, are mindless creatures, bent on devouring others."
The substitute threw his arm out, yelling back at him. "That bullshit! Sora did go after her, 'at first', but he eventually came to his senses and purified 'himself' to protect his sister! That proves that, while hollows are hostile at first, it doesn't mean they can't turn around and become good beings! Nel might have been a typical hollow at one point, but she's not like that anymore!"
The Quincy eyed his friend closely, taking a quick breath to calm down further. "I already told you, nothing you say will change my opinion of the woman. But that doesn't mean I'll outright attack her. As long as she stays out of my way and doesn't cause any harm to any of us or others, I'll ignore her. So it would be best you make sure she understands to keep her distance from me, Ichigo, cause the moment that I believe she intends to harm us, I'll end her, quickly." He assured, then turned and walked to the far wall adjacent from where Nel was sitting down with Timothy's, still unconscious, head resting in her lap.
The woman was stroking a hand through the man's hair gently, the other clasping his on his chest. Her gaze was turned towards the man's, now closed, eyes with a few wet streaks from tears running down her face.
Unknown to the others, her far better hearing allowed her to hear every word that was said. As much as she was grateful for her friends' defense of her, the Quincy's words still hurt her deep inside.
Her grip on Timothy's hand tightened slightly as she continued to stroke his head. 'Am I really a monster…like Uryū said? I'm not mindless…but is that enough to prove that I'm not just another evil being?'
She moved her stroking hand to cup the man's cheek. "Please…don't be too hard on him, Kit. He was…He was just…looking out for me. You can't blame him for all of it." She whispered to the unconscious person in her lap.
Timothy's Inner World
Moeru Kitsune, still able to hear everything around Timothy's body, listened to the distraught Arrancar's words, where she rolled her eyes with a scoff and turned back to the prone form of her partner.
"Yeah, can't promise you that one, Nel. You can hate me later, but right now, that idiot needs to have his head put back in order." She mumbled.
A hand on her hip and zanpakutō in the other, she strode forward purposely towards her partner while 'Johnny' sat next to the, now fully restored, cathedral a short distance away, watching the entire ordeal with a fierce glare in his eye.
The spirit turned to his 'roommate'. "I would…rather not…kill him…so I will… leave it all…to you."
Kitsune rolled her eyes to him and shrugged her shoulders as she passed by. "Eh, your loss." She said dismissively, not stopping her stride as her foxtail twitched and waved furiously behind her and her pointy ears flat down against her skull.
Timothy raised his head with a grunt of pain and looked up at Kitsune's approaching form with a single eye. He grunted once more as he pushed himself to get up to a knelling position.
The instant the Lieutenant was pulled forcefully into his inner world, he was assaulted mercilessly by Kitsune by a kick to the gut, followed closely by a rapid series of jabs and swings by a materialized Shikai version of his zanpakutō in her hands.
The second he was able, he attempted to draw his own zanpakutō, but Kitsune remedied that by instantly willing it away from him, the blade and hilt turning to dust in his hand and blowing away with the wind.
"Don't even think about it." She had told him, and continued her relentless assault on the now unarmed man.
The beatdown continued nonstop up to this point, the spirit not once giving her partner a second to breath. As she observed his condition more intently, she noticed that he had multiple cuts and slashes across his body, and judging by how his right arm looked, it was pretty much useless.
"Just what the hell is wrong with you, Tim, trying to attack your own ally? Not only that, a 'kid'?! You've done some stupid things in the past, but holy shit, this is 'easily' the worst you've ever done." She scolded.
Timothy grit his teeth with a low growl at her. "Are you blind, Kit?! He was obviously a threat to Nel! And do you honestly think I would kill that brat?! The worst I would ever do is give him a few cuts to make him back down!" he defended.
He watched the spirit walk closer and closer, but then vanish into one of her many flames spread throughout the area. He didn't have the time to consider turning around to where he knew she would appear, her foot planting itself into his back with force and sending him flying forwards several feet.
"That doesn't matter, you fucking idiot!" she retorted as she set her foot down. "He had already said by that point that he wouldn't attack her because she's Orihime's friend! And do you really think Renji and the others would let him?! Once again, you let your stupid temper get the best of you, and honestly, I'm done with it! It don't matter 'who' it is, if anyone says the wrong thing to you, you go off the deep-end! What's happened to you, Tim? In the past, 'you' were the one to keep 'me' in check. What's changed since then?"
Rolling onto his side, Timothy pushed himself up onto his good arm, his back in agony from the hit. He raised his blurry vision to her and shook his head.
"Because I refuse to lose again!" he yelled back.
Kitsune spread her arms out wide. "Lose what, Tim?! What could you have possibly lost by ignoring the kid and walking away?!"
"Everything!"
Her eyes widened a bit as she dropped her arms. "What are you talking about, Tim?"
Timothy balled his fist, clutching dirt and grass in his grip as he did. "I'm tired of losing everything, Kit. Every time I sit back and ignore something, I lose something else. I lost Hetoku. Lost Junya. Lost 'you'! And now I'm at risk of losing Nel; all because that 'Quincy' is a racist bastard, who refuses to see that 'not everyone' is evil! And I'm also at risk of losing Orihime! An innocent, teenage girl! I'm done with letting my inaction cause me to lose everyone close to me!"
Silence followed as Kitsune just stood there looking at him, her face now fallen in realization. "What happened with Junya and Hetoku wasn't your fault, Tim. You know that and we've already settled that matter. And you 'tried' to save me, and we both know there was 'nothing' you could have done. Aizen would have killed you, and 'still' have done what he wanted. None of this is your fault, Tim. Why can't you realize that? Why can't you just accept that not everything can be stopped because you want it to?"
His head dropped a bit as tears came to his eyes. "Because I don't want to give up. I don't want to stop fighting if there is even the slightest chance I can save someone I care about. I could have done 'something' to stop what happened to you; to keep Hetoku from going on that stupid mission; to help keep Junya and that other squad member safe. I could have kept a better eye on Orihime, or noticed that she wasn't acting right before she was taken. I could have done anything."
Kitsune dematerialized her zanpakutō with a sigh and calmly walked over to him, kneeling down and wrapping her arms around his neck with her head on his shoulder.
"No, Tim, you couldn't have. We 'all' missed the signs with Orihime. We 'all' failed to take the fact that she was at risk into consideration. And what could you have done to stop Hetoku from going on his mission? Nothing, Tim. No matter what you would have said or done, even if you 'did' know the risks behind it, he would have still gone because it was his job. And what could you have done against that Adjuchas without my abilities? Using them was only making that thing stronger, so you stopped using them to avoid that. There was nothing you could have done to help him in that condition, and you know it. Please stop thinking that you can save everyone, because you simply can't. No one can." She comforted.
"She speaks…the truth…Tim." 'Johnny' spoke up. The partners turned to see him walking up coming to a stop in front of them. "What happened…to your friends…was fate…And fate…is a force…that no one…can fight…If fate…determines that…Nel should fall…then she…will fall…The same…to you…or any other."
Tears fell down Timothy's cheeks at the thought of losing Nel. "I can't…I can't lose her. She's all I have left." He said weakly.
Kitsune released her held and held his cheeks in her hands. "No, Tim, she's not. You've me and 'Johnny' here as well. You've got Renji, Rukia, Ichigo, even Yoruichi and Kisuke. You've got so many friends. I understand how you feel about Nel, trust me, cause I felt the same way about you in the past, remember? But do you think she would like it if you were to attack Uryū over her? Nel's a hollow, Tim; she is 'always' going to be treated differently, even if the soul society accepted her. You can't save her from everything, and I doubt she would want you to try that hard anyway. 'Johnny' and I will fight with you to protect her, Tim; we always will, and so would the others. But you have to understand that there are some things you simply can't change."
Timothy stared at her, then to 'Johnny', earning a nod from him, before turning back to her and receiving one from her as well. Turning his head from her grasp, he scoffed gently.
"Since when did the stupid fox become such a philosopher?" he mocked in a mumble.
The spirit scowled and flicked his ear with a claw, watching as he hissed in pain and turned back to her. She crossed her arms firmly and glared dangerously.
"I am not a stupid fox, dummy!" she asserted.
He scoffed once more and grinned, getting one in return. "Whatever, vixen. You done beating me up, yet? I haven't wrote my will yet."
She raised her head and hummed in thought. "Well, Nel did ask me to go easy on you, and I guess I still owe her for stealing her ice cream, so yeah, I guess we can consider the matter closed. At least until you get into another one of your 'oh-pity-me' moods."
He flinched. "I do not have an 'oh-pity-me' mood!" he defended.
She rolled her eyes down to him and raised a brow, while 'Johnny' gave him a deadpanned look. "Really?" she asked in disbelief. "Do I need to remind you why Yoruichi kicked your ass for nearly an hour in Kisuke's basement? Or, do I need to ask 'her' to remind you?"
The man flinched once again, this time in fear, before shaking his head vigorously. "Nope! That's ok! I don't need a reminder!" he assured.
"Good. Now that we're all done here, you should get back. Everyone's waiting for you to wake up to discuss how to rescue Orihime. Just remember what 'Johnny' and I told you, Tim. And you 'will' apologize to Uryū for trying to attack him, or I 'will' tell Yoruichi exactly what happened and why. And I doubt I need to tell you how she would respond to that, right?" she ordered.
Another headshake. "Nope! No need to do that! I'll apologize! Promise!"
The spirit smiled sweetly. "Great! Be sure to tell Nel 'hi' for me, ok?"
He didn't get a chance to respond before the spirits threw him from his inner world and back to reality.
Las Noches Tunnels
Nel's head snapped down to Timothy's when she felt his body stop its twitching from his beatdown. She mentally sighed with closed eyes when she realized that, whatever Kitsune was doing to him, it was finally over.
'Thank God, she didn't kill him.'
A soft moan from the man brought her gaze back to him to see his eyes slowly opening. She smiled warmly at him and rubbed his cheek with her hand.
"Hey, you ok?" she asked in a soft voice.
He blinked a few times to clear his vision. "Not really." He moaned in response.
Her smile grew in understanding. "Kit really gave it to you, huh?"
Another blink. "You could say that." He said, then slowly started raising his head and body from her lap. "Miss anything?"
Nel held a hand against his back to help support him and shook her head. "No, everyone was just waiting for you to come back. We can wait a few more minutes until you feel better, if you want." She offered.
Holding a hand to his head, he shook it slowly. "No, we've wasted enough time because of me acting like the idiot. We should just get back to discussing what we're gonna do and get moving."
She stood up and grabbed his upper arm to help him to his feet. "You sure?"
Once he was standing straight, he gave her a gentle pat on the hand and sighed. "Yeah, I'm sure." She nodded and turned to go back to the group, but her gripped her hand tightly, causing her to stop and look at him. "Nel…I'm sorry about what happened. I just…I didn't like the way he was talking about you like you were just another enemy to be killed."
Smile growing further, she placed her free hand over top of his. "It's ok, Tim. Thank you for looking out for me, but I assure you that I'll be fine. His words hurt, but they can't do anything besides that. Just…Just ignore him and let him feel how he wants to feel. If he wants to be that way, then it's his loss, not yours or mine. Ok?"
He gave her hand a final, gentle squeeze before lifting and kissing the top of it, he nodded. "Yeah. Let's get back with the others."
She nodded back and they separated to return to the group. Renji turned to see them approaching and raised a curious brow.
"Kit finally knock some sense into ya?" he asked.
Timothy held his arm, the one Kitsune had rendered useless earlier, and nodded. "Yeah, she gave me the beating I deserved." He admitted.
The man turned to see Uryū standing a short distance away with Chad right next to him. He took a deep breath and calmly walked over to him. He saw the Quincy visibly flinch in preparation to defend, but Timothy help a surrendering hand up.
"Easy, I just…wanted to talk with ya." He assured.
Uryū narrowed his eyes. "About what? I already said it several times, and I'll say it once more; nothing you say will change my view of the woman."
Timothy sighed heavily and shook his head. "Yeah, I figured that much. But…what I really wanted to do is…well, apologize…for what I said…and…trying to go after you. You've got your opinions, and I've got mine. And it was wrong for me to hate on you for it. So look…can we just let it go and keep to ourselves until we're outta here? Just…avoid Nel and I won't jump down your throat, ok?" he pleaded.
All eyes were on Uryū now as he contemplated the man's words. But after a short moment, he finally nodded.
"I agree. I'm not gonna apologize for what I said about the woman, but I will agree to avoid saying anything further, as long as it doesn't involve the safety of the group. And that does not mean I trust her, I'm just holding you responsible if something happens. We came here to save Orihime, so let's focus on that instead of going after each other." He offered.
Timothy let out a relaxed breath and nodded, holding up a hand to him. "Truce then?"
Uryū nodded and took the man's hand, giving it a shake. "I accept your apology, but that doesn't make us friends." He clarified.
The Lieutenant shrugged a shoulder. "Allies against a common foe, then." He said, earning an accepting nod.
"Allies." The Quincy confirmed, letting the man's hand go.
Renji audibly sighed in relief. "Finally. Now that that's taken care of, we need to figure out what we're gonna do next. You said that fracción told you Orihime was in the Quatro's palace, right Nel?"
The Arrancar nodded. "Yes, and it would make sense for him to be the one to keep an eye on her. He's the Espada Aizen puts the most trust in and can expect to do his job without fail, or without doing anything he's not supposed to. I would guess that they would put her in a room somewhere near his, towards the top of the palace."
The Lieutenant nodded. "Ok, so, how are we going to get there then? We can't exactly head up top and run out in the open."
"We should keep to the tunnels, use them to gain access the same way we did with the last two." Timothy advised, pulling out his map-sketch.
Uryū did the same as well, holding his up next to Timothy's. "We've already confirmed that the long hallways must run in a circle around the perimeter of Las Noches, and that the two exits we've found so far correspond to Nel's layout of the palaces. Seeing as that's the case, where would the Quatro's palace be in relationship to our map?" he asked the woman.
She leaned closer and studied it for a moment, then pointed a finger down to the top of the sheet. "It should be somewhere around here. It'll take a while to get there, especially since the tunnels likely don't lead straight to it."
The teen checked his watch, seeing it was just past six in the morning. "We only have two days left before we're expected to return, and it will likely take a day to figure out the route to the palace and find the way inside. That leaves roughly a day to find and rescue Orihime."
Timothy glanced at him. "No offense, but counting down the days is kinda pointless by now. We've all pretty much agreed unanimously that we're staying here until we get here, right?"
Everyone nodded in agreeance. "Yeah, we don't plan to head back without her, either. Either we rescue her and leave all together, or we don't leave at all." He asserted.
Uryū gave a hint of a grin. "Then it appears we're all in agreeance. So how do you suggest we go about finding the route to the Quatro's palace? You think we should split up like last time?"
Timothy scratched the stubble on his chin with a hum. "Unlike before, we've got a general idea of where we need to go. But like Nel said, the tunnels probably won't have a straight line there. I'm thinking we should stick together for now, at least until we get to the general area where the exit should be, then perhaps split off to find it. It might also be a good idea to understand the layout of the nearby passages just for an emergency, should someone follow us back inside." He offered.
Rukia tilted her head. "Sounds like a good plan to me. I know you're not gonna like hearing this Nel, but Uryū did have a point earlier. We'll search the palace for any signs of Orihime, but we do still have to take into an account that your friend may have been leading us into a trap or lied to you. Most of us trust you, but it would be foolish to trust someone who is 'still' working for Aizen. I'm sure you can understand, right?"
Nel sighed with a nod. "I do. I really don't think she would lie to me like that, but I can't ignore the possibility that she might."
"Do we plan to split up once we start looking through the palace?" Chad asked, bringing the topic back up.
"Gonna have to. Otherwise it would take a couple days to search the whole place if Orihime isn't near the Espada's room." Rukia answered.
"Might even have to split up further into three teams, worst comes to worst." Timothy added.
Ichigo started scratching the top of his head in worry. "What the hell are we gonna do if we run into that Ulquiorra guy? Kisuke looked like he was having a hard time with him the first time he showed up." He wondered.
Timothy eyed him. "Run like hell. That guy gives me the creeps. And besides, I don't know about you, but… I kinda get the feeling that Kisuke wasn't really trying to fight the guy that hard. Knowing him, he was likely just screwing around with him. But hey, that's just me."
Ichigo's face fell into a deadpan stare. "You know… that honestly wouldn't surprise me." He admitted.
Nel gave the teen a warning glance. "If you do run into Ulquiorra, do not fight him alone, fight him together. If you want my opinion, I think his placement as the Quatro Espada was a great underestimation of his abilities. I can't say I know enough about Baraggan and Harribel to compare him with, but I can say that he is likely to be similar in power to Stark."
Timothy shrugged. "I can't really say. Like I said, Kisuke didn't look like he was really trying, but then again, neither did that Ulquiorra guy."
Renji sighed and planted a hand on his hip. "Well, we've got our plan, so are we all ready to get going?" he asked.
Everyone nodded as Timothy held a hand out towards the tunnel. "Lead the way, oh fearless leader." He teased with a grin.
Ichigo snickered. "Yeah, him with his soul reaper's version of a flashlight."
Both men were snickering now as Renji scowled. "Whatever. Let's go."
Nel looked at them with a fallen face, where Rukia nudged her arm. "Hey, at least they're not arguing, right?"
The taller woman rolled her eyes to the smaller. "For now." She mumbled in return, then followed the group as they moved on.
Squad 5 Headquarters, 2 Hours Later
"Oooohhh…Goooood."
Hinata moaned loudly in depression as she rubbed her eyes roughly with the heels of her palms, trying to clear the drowsiness from her vision. Her eyes were bloodshot, on the verge of solid red, while large bags rested under them from a severe lack of sleep.
Dropping one hand down onto her borrowed desk and using the other to cover both eyes from the morning light, she took a long, deep breath, letting it out slowly, in order to find any way to chase the exhaustion away.
"Damn bitch." She mumbled lowly. "Just 'had' to keep running her damn mouth, didn't she?" she complained aloud.
With a loud sigh she brought her hand down to grab her teacup, bringing it to her lips, only to pause and look down inside it in annoyance to see that it was, once again, empty. Growling lightly, she reached over to the clay pot to refill her cup.
It was empty as well.
Setting the pot back down on the desk with a light thud, her growling grew louder as she swiftly lifted herself up from her seat and proceeding towards the kitchen to make more. Once she had the boiling pot filled and placed on the burner, she leaned against the counter with a dropped head.
"This is not going to be a good day, is it?" she whispered before taking another deep breath.
"Something wrong, Ogawa?" a stern voice asked.
The woman turned her head to see Tetsuzaemon standing in the doorway, looking at her in determination with a small stack of paperwork stuffed under his arm. She narrowed angry eyes at him, causing him to raise a brow in question, before turning back to the burner.
"No…everything's fine, Lieutenant." She growled through her teeth.
The man snorted and turned to walk away. "That's a load of shit if I've ever heard it. The hell's got you so riled up, Ogawa?" he demanded.
Her eyes snapped to him in anger. "I said I'm fine, asshole! I just didn't get any freaking sleep last night cause Yuka doesn't know how to shut her mouth." She defended.
She heard him toss the pile of papers on the desk and the ruffling of fabric as he took a seat at his desk.
"Is that all?" he mocked, then snorted again. "Who woulda thought that a little lack of sleep would cause Hinata Ogawa to lose it?"
She stormed over to the doorway and held a fist up at him with bared teeth. "Shut up! I'm tired and 'not' in the mood, Lieutenant! So unless you wanna 'wear' your tea instead of drinking it, I'd advise you keep quiet!" she threatened, then returned to the kitchen.
He huffed at that as he grabbed the first form. "Seriously, Ogawa, what's going on? You were just fine yesterday, and now you're all pissy. I doubt a lack of sleep is the sole cause, so what's 'really' wrong with you?" he pressed.
Hinata rolled her eyes and dropped her head with a moan. "Nothing, I said I'm fine, so please stop asking." She pleaded.
He eyed the doorway for a moment in skepticism, but let the matter drop and returned to his work. It was a moment later when Hinata walked back to her desk to retrieve the empty pot, walking right back into the kitchen.
"What time did you get into the office this morning, Ogawa? A lot of these signatures are from before sunrise." He asked as he flipped through the forms he took from her desk.
The woman moaned again as she started filling the teapot. "About three or four hours ago. Couldn't sleep worth a damn, and Yuka was getting pissed off with all the tossing and turning I was doing. I didn't want to hear her bitching and I had nowhere else to go, so I came in to get a jump on the morning work to make use of my torture."
The pot filled, she returned the kettle back to the burner and reached into the cupboard for the tea leaves.
"You're an idiot, Ogawa, but I guess I can't harp on ya too much, seeing as how you got all the late-night and more than half the morning stuff done." He relented.
She sighed in sadness with a dropped face. "Please, just stop, Lieutenant. Not even one of our verbal wars is gonna help me right now. All I wanna do is just find somewhere to pass the fuck out." She whined, putting the tealeaves away and putting the lid on the teapot.
"Well, once you're done with the rest of the morning work, use the couch to get some rest." He offered.
Hinata shook her head as she entered the office with a spare cup. "No thanks. According to Yuka, I snore louder than a hollow's roar, and the last thing I need is for you to start yelling at me to shut up. And I can't go back to the room cause it's stuffy as hell during the day, even this late in the year." She warned as she poured a cup for him.
"Thanks." He said as he accepted the drink from her.
The woman nodded weakly and returned to her desk to refill her own before sitting back down and grabbing another form.
"I wonder how Tim is doing. Haven't heard anything about him lately, and to be honest, I'm a bit worried about him." She thought aloud.
Tetsuzaemon scoffed. "I wouldn't worry about that idiot. It's probably a good thing we haven't heard anything, seeing as the only news we'd likely get is what kind of trouble the guy's gotten into."
The woman gave a snort with a roll of the eyes. "Ain't that the truth. I honestly have no idea whose temper is worse; his or mine. It takes longer to set Tim off from what I've seen, but it's become far more explosive and physical ever since Hetoku passed."
The man eyed her closely. "I've seen the idiot's temper, and while I agree he's harder to 'set off', I can also easily say that yours is the worst between you two."
She frowned at him. "Gee, thanks." She droned.
Silence fell upon the two officers, neither speaking, nor making comments to each other. After nearly an hour of saying nothing, Hinata lowered the form she was working on and sighed before glancing at the shaded man.
"Li…Lieutenant?" she opened.
The man didn't look at her as he answered. "Yeah, what?"
Hinata took a deep breath to clear her head and pick her words out carefully. 'Just ask him. It's nothing special, or anything like that. Just forget what that idiot, Yuka, said to you. It's just a simple question.'
Taking a second to clear her throat, she started slowly. "Um…Lieutenant…You uh…You really looked out for me that night we went out. You made sure that I was taken care of, and…and I thank you for it. Like… 'really' thank you for it. Uh…" She choked on her words for a moment and the man looked up at her.
"I told you not to worry about it, Ogawa. It's done and over with." He assured.
The woman shook her head quickly. "No, it's not. I got real…I bitched at you about how we woke up and didn't think everything through, especially when you looked out for me. So I uh…I kinda…wanted to make it up to you."
Tetsuzaemon rolled his eyes. "Will you just spit it out, Ogawa? We ain't got all day, you know."
Hinata pulled her head in a bit under his words, but nodded. "Well I…I wanted to…to offer you dinner one night." She finally said, but quickly held a finger up to him. "But just as a thank you, we already agreed there was nothing between us!" she asserted.
He tilted his head a bit. "Never said there was, Ogawa. And you don't have to worry about paying me back or anything like that. How many times do I gotta tell ya we're good?"
She dropped her hand and sighed. "You might think so, Lieutenant, but 'I' don't. I feel like I owe you for what happened, and I want to make it up to you. At the very least, let me buy you a drink or something. Please?"
The man groaned in annoyance, but finally relented. "If you really feel like making such a fuss about it, Ogawa, I'll let you buy me a drink or two later. Now, can we drop the subject and get back to work?"
Hinata nodded in acceptance and returned to her work, a small frown on her face.
'It's not a date, it's just a drink or two; just like the other night. A thank you, that's all it is. Just a thank you.' She assured herself, and set her completed form to the side.
Squad 7 Headquarters, Present
Sajin Komamura, with a hearty exhale, sat down on the plush cushion behind his desk, a cup of tea in his hand that he took a sip from. The hot liquid soothed his throat and instantly relaxed his stiff muscles.
Ever since learning about Nel, thoughts on whether or not he should go against his promise and tell the Head Captain about her weighed on his mind endlessly. He trusted his new Lieutenant, but he surely didn't trust the woman. At least not yet.
He wasn't lying to the young man when he told him that he didn't have a problem against what the woman was, but the woman, even if a former one, was still an Espada, and if there was one thing he learned very quickly about Aizen's betrayal, was that the man was very cunning and that she could be leading them into a trap.
The Captain took a deep breath, releasing it slowly, to calm his nerves, to very little effect. Defeated, he set the cup down and grabbed a form from the morning stack, giving it a quick look over before signing it and setting it to the side.
A thorough re-read of the documents wasn't really necessary, as he trusted those that filled them out. With the squad's 8th and 9th seats back from the world of the living, it allowed Minato to assume the Lieutenant's position, at least in regards to paperwork, until Timothy came back from his assignment.
It made it even better when Minato took Timothy's idea and split a few sections of the headquarters off and assigned them specific responsibilities for the paperwork. Even the furry Captain had to admit that, while perhaps not that practical when fully staffed, it was quite beneficial with the limited number of personnel they currently possessed.
Setting a signed form to the side, he reached to grab another, but his animalistic senses flared, signaling possible danger, where he very swiftly spun around to his feet in a defensive position and gripped the hilt of his zanpakutō tightly.
A dark-skinned, purple-haired, voluptuous woman with golden eyes stood only feet away from him, leaning against the wall next to the open window with crossed arms, a small smirk on her face.
The woman's eyes widened a bit in surprise and her smirk grew. "Well now, I'm surprised you noticed me so quickly, Captain Komamura. Those beastly senses of yours are quite handy it seems." She teased.
Sajin narrowed his eyes dangerously at her. "You seem quite familiar with who I am, but I'm afraid I'm not that familiar with you. Who might you be?" he questioned.
She simply shrugged a shoulder. "Well, you did come around after Kisuke and I left, so I can't say I'm that surprised you don't know of me; even though we did meet very briefly on Sōkyoku Hill after Aizen left." She taunted.
His brow rose and he relaxed a bit. "I see, so you must be Yoruichi Shihōin. You assisted in trying to prevent Aizen's escape, did you not?"
The smirk turned into a knowing smile. "You got it, fluffy. So you can relax, if I really wanted to fight you, I'm sure you know, that you wouldn't get the chance to draw your zanpakutō."
The Captain's brow twitched a bit at the name and taunt, but he did relax and lower his guard to stand fully straight.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss Shihōin. Is there something I can do for you?" he asked.
Yoruichi keep her complacent posture as she lifted a hand to inspect her nails. "Oh, not really. I just heard from a good friend of mine that you know about the friend of a mutual acquaintance of ours, so I was just curious about what your thoughts on said friend were." She said nonchalantly.
Sajin gave a low, animalistic growl from his throat. "I'm sure you are referring to Tim's… 'guest', correct?"
The woman nodded with a grin. "Yeah, that one. So…care to share your thoughts, Sajin?"
The Captain stared at her for a moment, but eventually sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. "It would seem Tim has quite the skill for acquiring the most…interesting of friends." He admitted.
This drew a good laugh from the golden-eyed woman, where she lifted herself from the wall and strode around Sajin to sit down on top of his desk, pulling her legs in and crossing them.
"Well, Kisuke and I have to agree with you on that one, Captain Komamura." She said with a nod. "If you included a particular situation regarding his zanpakutō, I'm sure we can all agree that Tim seems to have a knack for finding the odd things in life."
The furry Captain had to chuckle at that. "Yes, I would have to agree."
"So…" she paused to grow a serious face. "I'm guessing you're a bit hesitant to trust Tim's friend?" she pressed.
He turned to face her and nodded firmly. "I am, and I'm sure you can understand the reasoning for it as well."
The woman nodded just as firmly. "I do, and I'll admit I was quite hesitant to trust her myself, but once she showed that she really meant no ill will towards Tim and his friends, I opened up to her a bit more. I actually learned a few things from her as well, much to my surprise. She's quite the fighter when it comes to unarmed combat, nearly on par with even me. To be honest, the only thing that's really keeping her from being on par with me is my speed. But then, you can't really blame her, I 'am' the 'Flash Master' afterall."
Sajin nodded back. "I thank you for your words, and I will take them into consideration, miss Shihōin. However, since this is Sōsuke Aizen we are dealing with, I cannot simply trust the woman based upon the words of others. It is as the saying goes, 'actions speak louder than words'."
Yoruichi continued inspecting her nails with a smile. "True." She admitted, turning her hand around.
"Please forgive my bluntness, miss Shihōin, but besides the topic of…Tim's guest, was there something else you required?" he asked.
She shrugged a shoulder at him. "Hmmm…not really. Why, am I that much of a nuisance to you?" she teased with a sultry grin.
The man chuckled lightly. "Not really, though, while you and I have never had the pleasure of acquaintance in the past, I have heard of your…rather unusual demeaner towards others."
This surprised her, the woman giving him a somewhat shocked look. "Oh? And might I ask who it was that informed you of such…information?" she taunted.
Sajin couldn't help the grin that came to his muzzle. "Captain Unohana has spoken highly of you in the past on a few occasions." He informed.
Yoruichi laughed aloud. "Oh, I'm sure she's had a few things to say about me. I could tell you a few things about her as well, but then I'm sure she would be quite upset with me; and while I may be the 'Flash Master', not even I could keep myself away from Captain Unohana's 'kindness' for long."
The Captain chuckled along with her and nodded. "I see. Well, as much as it was an honor to finally make your acquaintance, miss Shihōin, I'm afraid I must return to my work."
She gave a pouty face to him. "Aw…you sure you don't wanna talk to me a bit longer, fluffy? Maybe even a small game of cat and dog?"
Sajin shook his head slowly. "I'm afraid not, miss Shihōin. Perhaps another time, under more accommodating circumstances."
The woman shrugged both shoulders as she stood. "Oh well, I guess it was fun while it lasted. I'll be sure to pass any information I get about Tim to you next time I'm in town."
The Captain nodded as he sat down behind his desk. "That would be most welcome, miss Shihōin. I assume you intend to visit Captain Suí-Fēng?"
"Yeah, I need to make sure my little bee has been getting into the 'right' trouble." She acknowledged.
He nodded once more as she moved to the window. "Please give her my regards."
Yoruichi rose a teasing brow over her shoulder, planting a hand on her hip. "You sure you don't wanna give her those regards in person? I'm sure she would love to spend a bit of her time with you."
The Captain's face blanched a bit. "I am afraid that doing so would not be in the best interest of my health, miss Shihōin."
She gave him a toothy grin. "Oh come on, I'm sure she would love a visit from the fluffy Captain of Squad 7."
"…I am fairly certain that she wouldn't. Good day, miss Shihōin."
The woman laughed once more before vanishing in shunpo. Sajin slowly shook his head with a sigh as he continued his work.
Squad 2 Headquarters, 10 Minutes Later
A loud, wail of pain burst through the air, accompanied by the, just as loud, slightly feministic voice of Captain Suí-Fēng. If anyone were to pass by the small and petite Captain's office, they would quickly see the squad's Lieutenant sprawled out on the floor, with the Captain's foot digging into his back.
Except for the necessary individuals who handled the squad's usual headquarters duties, the rest of the squad knew it was in their best interest to keep their distance from the obviously enraged Captain.
Suí-Fēng gritted her teeth with a snarl as she twisted her planted foot even further into her Lieutenant's back, enticing another roar of pain from the overweight man. As much as she wanted to outright kill the man, sometimes it was more pleasurable to keep him alive so he could 'experience' the pain of his reprimand.
"C…Captain! F…Forgive me! I didn't… Ahhhh!" he yelled once more as she put more weight into her leg.
"Shut it, Marechiyo! I'm sick and tired of your failures! And all this howling and whining is unbecoming of a Lieutenant of the Stealth Force!" she yelled back, lifting her foot and replanting it with force.
The man howled again as he tried to pick himself up from the floor. But despite the Captain's size, she was easily stronger than she appeared, quite capable of keeping the writhing man down on the ground with little effort.
"C…Captain!" he pleaded.
She stomped yet again. "I said shut it, Marechiyo! Now I want you to get your fat ass back in that office and don't come out until every single form is done, to perfection! Am I clear?!" she demanded as she lifted her foot.
Marechiyo, finally able to move again, quickly picked himself up and ran a few feet away before turning and dropping down to the floor in a low bow, doing so multiple times as he apologized over and over.
"Yes Captain! I'll get it right away! Forgive me!" he spouted rapidly.
Suí-Fēng stomped her foot on the floor and pointed towards the man's office. "Out!" she yelled.
The Lieutenant tripped over himself numerous times as he fought to get out of the enraged woman's sight as fast as possible, running into the wall next to the door as he turned and moved before he could pay attention to his surroundings.
Eventually, the large man stumbled out of the Captain's office and his footsteps faded into the distance. A snarl still on her face, she swiftly turned to move to her desk, but froze when her vision was suddenly blacked out by something over her face.
Before her reflexes could react, a feminine voice spoke out. "Guess who, Suí-Fēng."
The Captain flinched and her cheeks started to redden. "L…Lady Yoruichi!" she choked out.
The golden-eyed woman behind her gave a fake pout, puffing her cheeks out childishly. "Aw, you're no fun, Suí-Fēng. You could at least 'pretend' you didn't know." She whined, removing her hands from the petite woman's face.
Suí-Fēng quickly turned around to face her former teacher and superior with agitation. "L…Lady Yoruichi! This isn't time for games, you know!" she said in embarrassment.
Yoruichi waved her off, walking by her and around the Captain's desk to plop down lazily, and very unladylike, onto her side on the plush cushion. Propping her head up with an arm that rested on the floor, she gazed back at her former pupil with disregard.
"Oh, lighten up, Suí-Fēng. You 'really' need to learn to relax once in a while, you know that?" she teased. "So, what did you torture your Lieutenant for this time?"
The smaller woman's face instantly dropped into a scowl. "Sometimes I just want to kill that man! He's so useless! I have to kick his ass just to make sure he gets his paperwork done. And don't even get me started when it comes to stealth training. That fool couldn't even sneak up on a rock." She hissed.
Yoruichi nodded in understanding. "So the usual I see. Well, he may be a goofball, but I'm sure he does have his uses." She reassured.
Suí-Fēng huffed with a roll of the eyes. "If you manage to find one, Lady Yoruichi, please let me know. So…if I may ask, what brings you here?" she inquired.
The taller woman rolled onto her back and lifted her midsection up in an open stretch, thrusting her flat, toned stomach and voluptuous breasts into the air uncaringly.
"Well, my little bee, things got a little boring back at the shop, so I thought I'd come and visit you for a bit." She informed, dropping back down, rolling onto her stomach, and stretching back up in a cat-like manner, now thrusting her round bottom up.
Suí-Fēng blushed a bit and grew more agitated at the woman's lack of modesty. "Lady Yoruichi, must you act in such a manner?" she deadpanned, knowing how the woman would likely respond.
Predictably, Yoruichi gave the small Captain a mock look of confusion, holding her 'pose'. "Huh? What do you mean, Suí-Fēng? I'm just stretching out a bit. You know it's important to keep your muscles loose, right?" she teased.
The Captain dropped her head in defeat. "Why do I bother?" she mumbled, then raised her head back. "But seriously, Lady Yoruichi, what is it you've come here for?" she pressed.
Yoruichi relaxed her body and sat against the wall, spreading her legs out wide and resting her arms on her raised knees, clearly doing the action on purpose to annoy the woman.
"What? I can't just come spend time with my little bee without worrying about anything?" she continued with a grin.
"As much as I would like that, Lady Yoruichi, we both know that's not normal for you. Has something happened that I should be aware of?" Suí-Fēng defended.
The golden-eyed woman crossed her legs and arms with a pout. "You're honestly no fun, Suí-Fēng. But no, nothing much from my end, and Kisuke and I haven't really heard any news from the soul society, so I wanted to see if you've heard any of the latest news."
The Captain's face instantly grew serious. Sparing a quick glance and listening around her, only hearing the faint voices of squad members in the training yards and Marechiyo's incoherent and angered mumbling, she turned back to her mentor and nodded firmly.
"There is something important, but not here." She informed, then turned to leave and stopped in the doorway. "Follow me." She said, then vanished in shunpo.
This peaked Yoruichi's curiosity, as it was very rare that her pupil would be so hesitant to say something by fearing someone might overhear. Whatever it was that the petite woman had to say, it had to be good, and it only excited the woman to hear it.
It was only a split second after the Captain left that Yoruichi vanished as well, chasing after the Squad 2 Captain.
Moving at breakneck speed, even for shunpo, it took less than five minutes for the two women to reach the opposite end of the Seireitei, both of them appearing in a secluded area at the back of Squad 9's section.
Yoruichi had an interested look on her face, while Suí-Fēng had one of hesitance, maybe even going so far as to say a bit of worry added in. This was when Yoruichi knew that, whatever it was the woman had to say, it wasn't just interesting, it was likely dangerous, and that only added to her excitement.
"Well, what is it that's got you so worked up, Suí-Fēng?" she questioned.
Suí-Fēng took another second to look, listen, and feel around her, ensuring that no one was nearby. Once she was content, she took a deep breath and turned to her former teacher with a serious glare.
"We had a Captain's meeting just a couple hours ago, and, apparently, the Head Captain's been having Captains Ukitake and Kyōraku doing some searching in the soul society's archives, and even within the forbidden section inside Central 46." She informed.
Yoruichi's brows rose to her hairline. "The Central 46 archives? Sounds like the Head Captain's pulling out all the stops now." She commented.
Suí-Fēng nodded firmly. "Yes. While they were looking around, they found a few things that Aizen was paying very close attention to. One of them revolves around the creation of zanpakutōs, and how to do it."
The taller woman gave a confused look. "I didn't know they had anything like that in there. Sounds like Aizen might be trying to create his own zanpakutōs using the Hōgyoku." She observed.
"That could be, and with Kyōka Suigetsu as powerful as it is alone, gaining the ability to make more zanpakutōs only adds to the threat."
Yoruichi nodded. "I agree. Though, it's too early to say that's what he intends to do with the information. Kisuke might have be able to make more sense with this information, and I'll let you know what he comes up with."
The smaller woman nodded back. "There was something else as well, Lady Yoruichi, and this is by far the most hazardous." Yoruichi nodded for her to continue. "It seems that Aizen was looking into the Ōken."
The former Captain's eyes widened. "You can't be serious. Aizen was looking into the soul key?!" she asked in shock.
Suí-Fēng nodded firmly. "Not only that, but he was looking into the methods of creating one."
"I don't think I need to tell you how much of a problem this is, Suí-Fēng. Did Shunsui and Jūshirō manage to find out the method Aizen intends to use?"
The woman sighed. "There's a couple methods available for Aizen to use, but Captains Ukitake and Kyōraku believe he will use the method that incorporates the sacrifice of numerous live souls within the enriched spirit zone." She informed lowly.
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes dangerously. "And I'm assuming they've already looked into where the current one is?" she pressed.
Suí-Fēng nodded slowly. "They did…and it's in Karakura Town."
The former Captain's eyes widened exponentially. "Karakura Town?! You're sure?!"
Another nod. "The Head Captain said he confirmed it himself. He's predicting that the war, at least that's what he's calling it, will be sometime in the winter, after the Hōgyoku is awakened fully. Right now, he's working with the other Captains, besides myself and Captain Komamura who were assigned to take over security of the Seireitei, to find a way to protect Karakura Town until we can defeat him. He had that bastard Kurotsuchi contact Captain Hitsugaya and have him cancel that mission to get that girl back from Hueco Mundo, but apparently the team had already left, and he has no way to contact them."
Yoruichi hummed in acknowledgment. "They left a bit earlier than expected and they should be close to Las Noches by now. Kisuke's gonna have a fit when he hears about the Ōken. Hopefully he'll be able to think of something to help protect Karakura Town. If he does, I'll be sure to inform you immediately. Anything else?"
Suí-Fēng shook her head. "Besides reinforcing that the other squads get as much training in before the war occurs and the usual reports, no, Lady Yoruichi." She said, then dropped her head in thought for a moment. "Actually… It may not be anything, but Kurotsuchi has been acting…odd the past couple of days."
The taller woman smirked. "Doesn't he always?" she teased.
The Captain gave her a firm stare. "More than usual. Ever since the communication department was shut down, he's been hounding myself and the Head Captain for access endlessly, coming up with all kinds of excuses to get in. But since a couple days ago, he hasn't spoken a word about it. Not a single word. Normally, I would peg it that he's given up, but this is Kurotsuchi we are talking about, and we both know he does 'not' give up on anything."
Yoruichi shrugged her shoulders. "No, he doesn't, it just means he may be trying a different approach. And that just means you've gotta be smarter than him. You know how he works, so use that to figure out what he's up to. But I honestly wouldn't worry too much about it right now. You and Komamura are gonna have your hands full enough as it is trying to guard the entire Seireitei with only two squads, while also keeping a close watch on the communications department. I can't say I envy you, my little bee." She said with a knowing grin.
Suí-Fēng growled lowly. "Add to the fact I have a worthless Lieutenant I have to work around. Don't be surprised if you find an oversized grave in the training yards next time you come by." She hissed.
Yoruichi laughed aloud and patted her pupil on the back. "Be easy with him, Suí-Fēng. At least wait until 'after' we've dealt with Aizen before sending him to the next life, alright?"
The small woman turned away. "I can't make any promises."
The former Captain chuckled and rested a hand on the smaller woman's shoulder. "Well, I've gotta be getting back to let Kisuke know what's going on. And by the way, I paid a quick visit to Komamura for a personal matter and he sends his regards."
Suí-Fēng huffed lightly. "I don't have anything against the man, as long as he does his job we'll get along, just as it is with the other Captains. I don't care too much for him, but I do respect him." She enlightened.
Yoruichi nodded in approval. "Very good. I'll try to drop by again soon, my little bee." She concluded, then vanished.
The Captain sighed after she was gone, rubbing her brows as she felt a headache approaching. Taking a deep, calming breath, the short woman vanished as well to return to her squad.
Las Noches Tunnels, 4 hours Later
The majority of the group rested along the walls of one of the small 'rooms' they came across, catching some much need sleep. Seeing how, like before, the room split off into two more tunnels, Nel, Renji, and Chad stood guard over the others.
Renji was flexing his stiff muscles and neck, Chad stood as still as a statue, and Nel leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and lightly tapped her heel against the wall. Timothy was sitting down next to her, very lightly snoring in deep sleep.
At first, he had volunteered to take watch, but Nel had insisted that she was not tired and that he should get what sleep he could. He argued at first, saying the same thing, but the small bags under his eyes sold him out on his lie and he eventually had to relent.
Unsurprisingly, he was out like a rock within seconds of sitting down and closing his eyes. The woman had to suppress a giggle, choosing to only shake her head at him. But her demeaner didn't last long.
She didn't need to really push out with her pesquisa that much to tell that the group's two stalkers were hiding nearby, just outside of viewing distance in the darkness. It was pointless to inform the others, they would only become worried and lose sleep over something that they couldn't really address at that moment.
She knew that they were there, the only question was, were 'they' aware that she knew. She spared only momentary glances into the darkness just for the appearance of keeping watch, but it honestly wasn't necessary; she could feel out further with her pesquisa than she could see with her eyes, even 'if' they could see in the darkness.
Turning her gaze to the teenage Quincy sitting across from Timothy, she noticed that he was awake, and seemed to be paying close attention to the direction the two stalkers were located.
Taking a slow breath and taking the chance, she pushed herself from the wall and stepped over to sit down next to him, earning a hateful glare from the teen.
"Did I not make it clear enough for you to keep your distance from me, Arrancar?" he questioned lowly.
She rolled her eyes to him in a side-glance. "You feel them, don't you?" she asked calmly.
The teen's demeaner changed, if only just a little, before he gave a slight nod. "They're smart, staying in the shadows. It's the same two from before. I'll admit, I'm surprised you are able to detect them with the way these walls are interfering with our senses."
Nel kept her calm look and nodded. "Their spiritual signatures are very faint, even as close as they are, but they are still close enough for my pesquisa. We will have to figure out what to do about them. The last thing we would need is for them to somehow close off the tunnels to us and trap us in the palace." She advised.
He narrowed his eyes. "And just what do you suggest? We can't exactly go chasing after them, and going by what 'you' said, they're not exactly slow either. The moment we start to go after them, they'll very likely disappear in the tunnels again, and be more hesitant to come within the range of our senses. I don't think they're aware that we know they are there right now, and chasing after them will only cause us to lose that advantage."
"I agree, but maybe we can trap them, using the tunnels against them." She proposed.
The Quincy rose a skeptical brow. "And how do you plan to do that? If we split up, they'll just do the same."
"We already know for a fact that some of these passages circle around on each other, and while we are split up, they won't know where his partner is, or the group he's following; not unless he wants to leave us to speak with his friend. All we have to do is have one group lead one of them down a specific passage, and then the other come up from behind and close the person's escape off. It's very likely that the other one may come out to help its friend escape, or try to fight and kill us." She countered.
He shook his head slowly. "I don't like it, cause it's possible that it could end up with 'us' being trapped. Not to mention it would take time, time we don't really have for finding Orihime."
The woman's face fell a bit. "I know you despise me, and that you think of me as nothing more than another monster, Uryū, but make no mistake, I care for Orihime and want to save her just as much as you do. I agree that we are very limited in the amount of time we have, but those two are a risk than none of us can afford to ignore. There is still the possibility that they are working with Aizen, as guards for the tunnels if he found out about them, which is also a possibility. If we ignore them, we could very well end up fighting from two sides; and with only seven of us, our odds of living are essentially non-existent."
Uryū took a moment to wipe his glasses off as he thought the matter through. He loathed the woman for what she was, and honestly wanted nothing to do with her; but as much as he disliked it, she did have a good point, and he would be foolish to ignore her intelligence. They stood no chance if the two stalkers got involved while they were busy with the Espada.
Letting out an exasperated breath while replacing his glasses, he nodded reluctantly. "It would seem we have no choice, then. But that also means we would have to take the time to plot out a bit of the area to work with and plan accordingly. It's obvious these two are quite intelligent, so if the first attempt to trap them doesn't work, I doubt we'll get a second chance."
"I don't think so either. I guess the most important part of the plan would be the timing. If the second group comes in too soon, the person wouldn't be trapped; and if they came too late, the second person could possibly warn his friend about the trap. You're obviously the most intelligent of our group, and Timothy's zanpakutō abilities are very reliant on his timing to work, so I think it would be best if the two of you discuss when to make the appropriate moves and the route to use." She advised carefully.
The teen narrowed his eyes. "Flattery will get you nowhere with me, but you are correct. We'll discuss this with the others once we've found the entrance to the Quatro's palace, then we can start making plans on dealing with those two."
She flinched a bit at the insult, but let the matter go and nodded. "That would probably be best. I'll discuss the matter with Tim when we get moving again, seeing as how he'll be planning this along with you, but I won't say anything to the others until we're ready."
He nodded back. "I don't see a problem with that. Now if you don't mind, I would greatly prefer to enjoy the remaining time we have for resting in peace."
Nel sighed in despair before standing up and leaving the teen to himself, knowing he was watching her movements carefully.
Sigh… headache is still here. Why Spades…why do you do this to me? You're gonna make me have amnesia or something and cause me to forget the rest of the story. Lmao. Well, not much action here, mainly just plot development. But rest assured readers, action is coming in either the next chapter, or the one after that, promise. Nothing to really put out for closing statements here, so I'm gonna head off and do some studying.
Laters all.
