Hello readers, great to be back… at least long enough to give you all the next chapter for this story. Sadly, no changes in regards to personal life, still busy as hell with work and family matters, so still hard-pressed for time to write. For the first five weeks after the last chapter, didn't get a single word written at all, and was only able to manage a few paragraphs at a time here and there since then. But, I was able to get this one done in a reasonable time, I guess.
Some good news at least, my family, at least so far, has managed to avoid this Covid virus, not a single person sick from it. So there's at least that blessing to count on. I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays since the last chapter, and that you all have a better year than the last one. Let's face it, 2020 was the worst year of my life and many others. It was very taxing, to say the least. Hopefully 2021 will be better for us and this Covid crap dies down.
No reviews since the last chapter, and still haven't heard from Spades since March. Hope you're doing alright buddy. Miss your reviews and ratings. Toss me a PM if you can, least let me know you're still around somewhere.
Nothing else to say at the moment, so lets head on to the next 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 49
(Change in Plans)
Squad 12 Communications Department, Present
Grey eyes stared emotionlessly into the night sky, looking upon the large, full shape of the cream-colored moon high above; the celestial orb shined brightly as it neared the midway point in the sky as midnight approached. Unlike the one in the world of the living, that was blemished with the multiple craters of asteroid impacts over the several millennia, the moon in the Soul Society was one of pure perfection, even though it went through the same phases as its living world counterpart.
The cold and emotionless Captain of Squad 6 found the action of watching the celestial body one of the very few, and seldomly exploited, enjoyments in his daily life. In fact, it was his second-most favorite activity, rivaled only by his morning swordsmanship exercises. It brought him a sense of calm and serenity from the monotony of daily life as a Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads.
Not that he wasn't normally calm and collected when performing his duties as Captain, he would never dare to allow his emotions to get in the way of what he felt needed to be done. But it did give him the chance to reflect on past events and ponder how he could better improve himself.
He was broken from his peaceful musings when his senses detected that he was no longer alone, but made no attempt to turn and face the newcomer. He kept his gaze firmly locked on the moon above as a small, shadowy figure stepped forward, coming to a stop next to the building beside him. The figure's feet, up to its knees, were illuminated by the lunar light, the rest remaining hidden in the shadows.
"I take it you were called as well, Captain Kuchiki?" a gruff, feminine voice inquired.
Byakuya's expression didn't change, nor did he face her as he hummed once in his throat. "It would seem that the Captain of Squad 12 has discovered something of great import. Enough that he has not only summoned you, but myself as well, Captain Suí-Fēng." he returned.
The small and petite Captain of Squad 2 stepped forward more, her body now fully exposed to the light as she crossed her arms. "I knew the bastard was fast, but I have to admit that this was a little too fast. It hasn't even been a full day since letting that bastard back inside his hole." she commented.
The male Captain turned his head and eyes just enough to glance at her. "And you are sure it was wise to allow the man to return to the building?" he questioned.
She narrowed her eyes in a low growl. "Of course I'm not. That fool is definitely up to something, but no matter what I try, I just can't pin down what it is. But after several weeks of nothing on my end, he was able to find a key conspirator in our mists without us ever knowing. As much as I hate that bastard, I can't deny that he's actually getting results." she admitted in a snarl.
Byakuya turned back to the moon in a low hum. "Perhaps. However, it would have been best if you had informed the rest of us of your intentions of allowing the man to return to his department."
Suí-Fēng scoffed through her teeth. "What? And let it leak out that we are onto the others?" she snarked.
He turned and narrowed his eyes questioningly. "Are you saying you suspect one of the Captains are a part of this treachery?"
The female Captain narrowed hers back. "Do not misinterpret my words, Captain Kuchiki. These traitors are no mere fools. And as we have seen, they seem to have a habit of learning things long before it becomes known to even some of the Captains. However, that does not mean we can simply ignore the possibility that one of the remaining Captains can be a traitor as well."
Byakuya turned his questioning gaze from her and back to the moon, mentally admitting that the short Captain had a point. "I suppose you may be correct in that assumption. However, I do not believe now would be the time to ponder on such matters. I believe our current focus should be on what the Captain of Squad 12 has discovered." he proposed.
Suí-Fēng nodded and uncrossed her arms. "Right. Let's go." she accepted, turning to leave for the main doors a short distance away.
The Squad 6 Captain stared at the moon for a moment longer before turning and following his shorter peer inside the building. It took them only minutes to navigate the wide halls of the building before they came to stand before the primary communications center. As if they were being expected, as they should be, the doors slid open with an audible hiss and low scrape of metal, revealing the large, open room filled with a single, massive computer terminal.
The single occupant in the room, at least the only one that could be seen, made no acknowledgement as the two Captains entered the room. As they came to a stop just inside the sliding door, the metallic surface sliding shut behind them, a long, black-clad figure appeared before them in a flash of shunpo, bowing on its hand and knee.
"Report." Suí-Fēng demanded in a quiet hiss.
The being, a female, made no attempt to rise as she answered. "Captain, he has remained at the terminal ever since arriving, and from what we have seen, has made no actions that would raise cause for suspicion." the woman responded.
Suí-Fēng raised her gaze to the back of the Squad 12 Captain, his focus solely on the task he was working on. "I see. And he has not left once?" she asked further.
The woman shook her head once. "No, Captain."
The female Captain hummed to herself and nodded again. "Very well. You are relieved for now. Take the others with you and send the next watch upon your return to the grounds." she instructed.
The woman nodded once firmly. "Yes, Captain." she answered, vanishing in a whisp, along with the other hidden figures in the room.
Mayuri scoffed through his teeth when the last black-clad figure vanished from the shadows. "Good grief. Honestly, your watch dogs were starting to become more than a nuisance. And what kept you? I had sent for you quite a long time ago, yet you only now appear?" he questioned, not turning from his console.
Byakuya kept his emotionless mask as he answered the vexing scientist. "I am not at your beck and call, Captain Kurotsuchi. Now, tell us what is so important that you require both of our presence." he said in his calm voice.
"Tsk, you speak as if I wish for your presence in the first place, Captain of Squad 6." he snarked as he continued to type on the massive keyboard. "I chose you because what I have to show you requires the use of two Captains, and the severity of the situation limits my choices. Captain Unohana is busy with her own duties, complaining about that brute Zaraki's treatment of his men; Captain Komamura is, frankly, unfit for a task such as this; and I dare not trust that bloodthirsty brute of Squad 11 to handle this matter. That, sadly, leaves me with only the two of you" he corrected.
Suí-Fēng raised a skeptical brow. "And what about Captains Kyōraku and Ukitake?" she asked.
The pair heard the scientist laugh under his breath before turning around enough to glance at them over his shoulder. "Once you see what I have discovered, that question will answer itself." he responded with a sinister, gleeful smile.
Byakuya and Suí-Fēng sideglanced each other for a moment in suspicion before turning back to Mayuri. "Then perhaps you should start explaining, Captain Kurotsuchi." the noble pressed calmly.
Mayuri laughed again and stepped to the side, holding out a hand towards the monitor. "Why don't you come see for yourselves?" he offered, his smile only growing wider.
The pair shared another glance at each other, then stepped forward, joining the deranged scientist at the terminal. Coming to a stop, they noticed that they were looking at a record of sorts, though most of the entries were in unfamiliar characters. The few entries they could make out seemed to be names and locations, along with timestamps.
"What is it that we are supposed to see?" Byakuya asked.
The scientist turned back to the monitor. "These are the logs of all uses of the senkaimon to the world of the living. Anytime anyone crosses through the dangai, whether it be going to or from the Soul Society, it is automatically recorded in these records. " he answered. He then turned towards them and raised a finger. "I was initially looking for any entries pertaining to Aizen and his cohorts, but I was unable to find anything of use."
Suí-Fēng gave him a suspicious glare. "And you're sure that they have not been altered in any way?"
"Tsk…" he scoffed. "Since I alone bear the authorization to alter them, I can assure you that they are quite accurate. From what I can discover, Aizen, nor any of those aligned with him that we know of, have used the dangai for any reason. The only entries that are not of concern are those that have been authorized for standard duties. It is assumed that they have been resorting to using a garganta to move freely without observation."
Byakuya nodded once. "That would be wise on his part. So then, if you have not found anything of interest regarding his method of travel, why have you called for us?" he asked.
Mayuri chuckled darkly in amusement. "Well, it was during my investigation that I just so happened to stumble upon a very interesting entry." he said, pressing a key.
The pair watched as the list scrolled down rapidly, finally coming to a stop as two entries were highlighted. Byakuya raised an interested brow while Suí-Fēng narrowed her eyes in a low growl upon seeing who the entry belonged to.
"What is this? I don't recall that fool being given permission to go to the world of the living." she hissed under her breath.
"I do not believe he was. And if the times are correct, considering past events, I find the visit to be quite suspicious." the Squad 6 Captain stated.
Suí-Fēng nodded and glared at the scientist. "It explains why Captains Kyōraku and Ukitake could not be called in for this."
Byakuya nodded once. "Indeed."
Kurotsuchi turned to face them fully. "It would appear that someone is up to something naughty. I suggest the two of you handle this matter yourselves. As interesting as this is, I am quite far too busy to deal with this myself." he said with a dismissive wave.
She turned her glare towards the noble as she turned to leave. "I will go question him." she stated as she began to walk away.
"That would be ill advised, Captain Suí-Fēng." he answered, making her stop and turn back to him.
"And why is that?" she questioned.
Byakuya turned around and gave her a calm look. "This is a matter that requires extreme diligence, and the correct approach. I do not insult your abilities when I say that you are not suited for this kind of situation. Approaching him using your methods would only cause further damage to the stability of the Seireitei. It is best if I deal with this personally, while you remain here in case assistance is required." he advised.
She growled in her throat at him, but nodded, admitting that he was right. "Fine. Just make sure you deal with him alone."
The noble huffed under his breath as he walked by her. "It would be foolish to do otherwise." he responded as he left the room.
Palace of the Tres Espada, With Rukia
A whisp and a pair of buzzes sounded out in close succession of each other as Rukia, Apacci, and Sung-Sun appeared out of nowhere. Taking a moment, the short soul reaper glanced around at her surroundings, noticing that the two Arrancar females before here had led her to a large, open room.
On the floor around them, in the center of the room, a large, white circle roughly fifty feet in diameter was drawn out. Along one of the walls, there stood multiple wooden dummies with red dots on their chests, likely for target practice.
The short woman could instantly tell that they were in some sort of training area, giving the three warriors plenty of space for their conflict. Rukia was actually impressed with the area's size and layout, shown by the amazed look on her face.
"Impressive." she mumbled to herself.
Apacci scoffed, hearing the woman's comment, and looked around as well. "Yeah, it ain't too shabby. Lets us get our blood going when we want to. Until Aizen fucked things up by saying we couldn't train until 'further notice', or whatever." she scowled.
Sung-Sun sighed at her partner's grumbling. "You'll find that each of the Espadas' palaces all contain a training area of some sort. Some are larger than others, while some are quite small. Our Lady Harribel's palace has the second largest of them all. Only Lord Nnoitra's training area is larger, and for a good reason." she informed the shorter woman.
"Hm." Rukia hummed in understanding, turning back to the two Arrancars. "So, I guess you led me here because of how big the area is?" she questioned.
"Not quite." Sung-Sun said, looking at one of the walls. "While having the training area indoors is quite beneficial, I'm sure you can imagine the repercussions if the one training manages to destroy the training area."
Rukia frowned the moment the image came to her mind. "On second thought… maybe it wasn't one of the brightest ideas." she sweat dropped.
Sung-Sun turned her gaze back and nodded. "I heard there have been a few… incidents… in the past; though, this was long before Lady Harribel and ourselves came to be here. We came to find out that the solution implemented was to infuse the walls, floor, and ceiling with a special type of stone that was found in some of the older structures of Las Noches. We call it 'piedra reflectante', or in your language, reflecting stone."
Apacci grinned and nodded. "The stuff works like a charm, too. We can get as rough as we want, hell, even hit the walls with our strongest ceros, and they won't even get a scratch. Only the physical shit'll do anything." she stated with her chest puffed out in pride.
Rukia narrowed her eyes a bit at the woman. 'Just like the walls in the tunnels. Which means…'
"If I'm not mistaken, it also prevents people outside the room from detecting those 'inside', right?" she questioned.
Sung-Sun raised a brow in surprise. "Oh? So you know of it?" she asked in return.
Rukia nodded once. "I've come across it before… recently." she admitted.
"... I see." Sung-Sun mumbled.
Apacci scoffed and waved them both off with a hand. "Doesn't matter. Point is, we can get as serious as we want here. We've been bored as shit lately, so try not to be a wuss and give us a good fight." she said, resting a hand on the hilt of her zanpakutō.
Rukia tightened her grip on her own weapon and nodded. "You two wanted a fight, so you're going to get one. Just because there's two of you and only me, it doesn't mean that you're guaranteed to win."
Sung-Sun nodded back. "That is true. However, it does mean that the odds are not in your favor, Rukia." she corrected.
The soul reaper huffed. "The odds don't matter in a fight, only skill. A person with better skills than his opponent will always have the upper hand."
The green-haired Arrancar smirked and nodded again. "That is also true. Well then, why don't we see these skills for ourselves, Apacci?" she asked her companion.
Apacci's grin grew more malicious. "Hell yeah." she conformed, drawing her zanpakutō. "Let's see what this bitch has got."
Rukia huffed again at the hotheaded Arrancar. "If time were on my side, I'd take it and take this slowly. But, seeing that it isn't, I'll have to be a bit more forceful with you two." she said as she held her zanpakutō before her. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki."
The two fracción watched as the short woman spun her blade around in a circle. Their brows both raised up in interest as a long, pure white tassel began to form from the bottom of the sword's hilt, while the guard and blade turned to a pure white as well.
When Rukia's blade made a complete circle, the air around them began to freeze as the abilities of the soul reaper's zanpakutō began to take effect. Goosebumps began to form on Apacci's skin as it reacted to the sudden change in temperature, but the woman only grinned more when she felt the increase of the woman's power as well.
"Well well, guess ya got some power in that tiny body of yours afterall." she sneered.
Rukia's expression was unchanged as she turned her gaze to Apacci. "Some no mai…" she mumbled, vanishing a second later and reappearing right behind Apacci.
"What?!" she blurted out as she turned around.
"Tsukishiro." the soul reaper finished, twisting her body around as the tip of her blade drew an icy circle around her and Apacci.
Upon making a full twist around, the ground within the circle below them began to glow a bright white, the temperature around Apacci suddenly plummeting even more than it already had.
Apacci looked down at the ground and her eyes went wide when she noticed that her feet were now frozen to the ground. What was worse, was that the ice around her feet was climbing up her legs.
"The fuck…?!" Apacci yelled, but was silenced when the bright glow beneigh her flashed even brighter, blinding her.
Rukia, knowing her abilities, flashed back to where she was prior and out of range of her attack. She watched as the bright light began to slowly fade. When the light was gone, she saw that Apacci was now encased in a solid pillar of ice, expanding to the full diameter of the circle she drew and reaching up to the ceiling.
"Too slow." she mocked the frozen woman, turning to the other.
Sung-Sun had an expression of indifference as she glanced at her frozen comrade. "Interesting. So, I take it that means your zanpakutō's abilities revolve around ice?" she asked, turning back to Rukia.
Rukia narrowed her eyes and glanced at Apacci's frozen form for a moment before turning back. "You don't seem worried about your partner. You do realize that all I have to do is touch that pillar once and your friend is dead, right?" she questioned.
The remaining Arrancar raised a brow back. "Oh? Do you mean like this?" she returned.
The green-haired woman reached over towards the pillar of ice, exposing a hand from her sleeve, and gave the pillar a flick of her finger. Rukia's eyes widened in shock as the pillar began to crack in numerous places, before shattering into several thousands of pieces. She wasn't shocked about the pillar breaking, but rather that the woman had just carelessly, and intentionally, killed her partner.
"What the hell did you do that for?!" she demanded.
"Heh…" a familiar voice scoffed, making Rukia gasp when she recognized it.
The soul reaper snapped her head back to where the pillar of ice was just seconds before. "No way…" she breathed out.
Sure enough, when the last bits of ice fell to the ground from the air, Apacci's smirking form stood right where she was when Rukia had launched the attack. The freed woman looked at the bits of ice on her shoulder, and without a care, brushed them off.
"Talk about weak." she mocked, finishing her brushing and looking back to Rukia. "Was that supposed to be an attack, or just a little chill?" she inquired with a raised brow.
Rukia blinked in shock at one of her dances being excused as nothing more than a 'chill'. "That can't be…" the woman whispered to herself.
Apacci gave a toothy grin. "Was that the best ya got, bitch? Kinda pathetic. How about I show ya what 'I' can do." she sneered. The woman raised her hand and pointed a finger at Rukia, a mass of crimson energy gathering at the tip and making Rukia's eyes widen in horror. "Cero."
"Tsugi no mai…" Rukia chanted, quickly stabbing the tip of her blade into the ground before her four times and entering a stance, pointing the tip of the blade at Apacci. "Hakuren!" she yelled, just as the trademark hollow attack was about to hit her.
A beam of ice and snow shot forward in the direction her blade was pointing, her attack and the cero crashing into each other, quickly becoming a fight of power. The two forces pushed against each other, seemingly equal in power, with neither gaining ground over the other.
Rukia scoffed to herself as she put more power into her attack, glad to see that it was having an effect and pushing the cero back. But her eyes widened with a gasp when she suddenly detected someone was behind her, readying an attack of their own
"Cero." Sung-Sun quietly said, her own finger pointed at the soul reaper's exposed back.
The fracción's beam of condensed pink energy shot forth with a low ripping sound, and it was reflex alone, honed by her years of training, that saved Rukia from an untimely death. The short woman flashed away a short distance in a low crouch, a hand on the floor as she stared wide-eyed at the Arrancar's impressive speed.
Unfortunately, she had no chance to recover from her shock as Apacci buzzed in front of her, sword raised high. "Too slow, soul reaper." she mocked with a grin as she swung down.
In response, Rukia leaned back as she swung up, catching the Arrancar woman's blade with her own. The grinding sound of metal on metal reached their ears as Apacci leaned forward towards the smaller woman's face in a sneer.
"This the best you got? Talk about weak." Apacci mocked, pressing against Rukia harder.
Rukia gritted her teeth as she fought back against the force. "You haven't seen anything yet." she hissed back.
Apacci's grin grew wider. "Then quit playing around and get serious." she demanded.
With a twist of her blade, she forced the shorter woman's own away and spun on her heel to give Rukia a kick in her side. The soul reaper was sent flying across the floor several feet before she pressed a hand to the floor and flipped herself back onto her feet, her heels digging in and dragging across the floor as she came to a stop.
Before she could move to re-engage, Rukia's senses detected the sudden danger and she quickly raised her blade over her head just as another attack came down on her head. The force of the hit forced her lower to the ground and she had to press the palm of her free hand to the back of her blade near the tip to stave off the attack.
"You have good reflexes, clearly you are not a novice." Sung-Sun commented from behind her as she applied more force with her now drawn weapon.
Glancing over her shoulder, Rukia noticed that the woman's zanpakutō was nothing like what she was used to seeing. Rather than a standard katana-like sword, the Arrancar's weapon was a three-pronged sai, her blade now caught between two of the tines.
Sung-Sun narrowed her eyes a bit in a dangerous stare. "But you are still no match for us." she stated further.
As she spoke, she twisted her wrist, fully locking Rukia's blade in her own and swiftly flung her arm up, ripping the pure-white blade from Rukia's grip. The zanpakutō flew free of the sai's prongs and through the air before landing and sliding on the floor several feet away, well beyond Rukia's grasp.
Rukia scoffed through her gritted teeth as she glared at the woman towering over her. "Damn!" she hissed under her breath.
To her surprise, Sung-Sun didn't follow up her attack with another. Instead, she vanished in a buzz, reappearing a short distance away, holding her weapon at her side while concealing her lower face with her free hand. Rukia turned her gaze back to her, until she heard a scraping sound to her right. Turning, she saw, to her confusion, Apacci kicking her zanpakutō back over to her. The white weapon slid across the floor and came to a stop right next to her dominant hand.
"Pick it back up, bitch. You ain't getting off that easy." the multi-color eyed woman sneered. "I've been itching for a fight for forever, and there ain't no way I'm gonna let you get defeated that damn easily."
Rukia narrowed her eyes, instantly suspicious of the woman's actions. Nevertheless, she picked up her weapon and got back to her feet, holding her weapon in front of her defensively. "What game are you two playing?" she questioned.
Sung-Sun shook her head. "It is no game, Rukia. It's just as my partner here just said. Though I am not one for violence, I must admit that things around here have become quite dull lately, and it has been a fair amount of time since we have last had a decent fight."
"Yeah." Apacci confirmed, giving her a smirk. "So quite fucking around and really fight us." she taunted.
The soul reaper narrowed her eyes further as she thought the situation over. At first, she had hoped to use surprise to defeat one of them, then focus on the other. Obviously, her attack had no effect on the Arrancar, and now they both knew of two of her dances. She was clearly at a disadvantage, and though it would be a stain on her pride as a warrior, she knew she had to flee. Unfortunately, it was also obvious that that was not an option. The two women would likely easily catch her, and it was just as likely that they would do so in a much less advantageous setting. She had no choice but to stay and fight.
But it was now evident that trying to match them in power, at least when it was two-to-one, was foolish. She would have to use her wit and cunning to win the fight. Sparing a quick glance towards Apacci, she knew that the multi-color eyed woman was brash, and obviously quite the hothead, but she was also fast and relentless in her attacks. Turning back towards Sung-Sun, the green-haired woman was essentially the exact opposite. She was much calmer, and planned her attacks out more thoroughly, but she was not as aggressive as her counterpart.
She quickly realized her error in her initial attack. It should have been Sung-Sun she encased first. If, by some miracle, she had managed to defeat her, she could have played on Apacci's short temper to her advantage, eventually defeating her as well. Sadly, that was not the case.
"You gonna just stand there all day, or what?" Apacci taunted again, gaining Rukia's ire.
"I never said you had to just stand there, you know. You could have attacked me at any time." she mocked.
Sung-Sun raised a brow and turned to her partner. "She does have a point, Apacci." she commented.
A vein throbbed on Apacci's forehead before she snapped her gaze to her. "Shut up, Sung-Sun! Who's fucking side you on?!" she yelled, shaking a fist at her.
Rukia blinked and turned to Sung-Sun. "How do you put up with her?" she asked.
Sung-Sun rolled her eyes to her. "Years of practice." she answered and turned back to the other woman. "Many years."
Apacci took a step towards her partner in rising fury. "What was that?!" she growled.
Rukia blinked again and turned back to Apacci. "I'm starting to feel sorry for you."
Apacci snapped around and jabbed a finger out to her. "You shut the fuck up, bitch! No one asked you!"
The soul reaper rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Geez, your temper is worse than Ichigo's." she mumbled.
The raging Arrancar raised her fist up again, her face turning red. "What was that, you bitch?! Wanna come say that to my face?!"
Rukia sighed heavily and shook her head. "Nothing. Let's just get back to our fight." she mumbled.
Sung-Sun nodded once firmly. "I agree." she concluded, vanishing in a buzz of sonído.
The Arrancar woman reappeared at Rukia's front, her sai-like weapon held at her side and back in an effort to stab at her. The noblewoman twisted her blade around and caught the jab with her blade between the tines, the long, middle tine stopping once inches from the woman's chest.
Learning from her past mistake, Rukia turned her body, twisting her blade in the lock and allowing it to slide free from the tines. The loss of the opposing force on Sung-Sun's weapon caused her to lurch forward a bit as the soul reaper brought her zanpakutō around and down on her. But Rukia was forced to abandon the attack when Apacci was quick to follow up on her partner's attack with her own from behind.
Drawing in a knee, Rukia let her body fall to the side and into a side roll as the Arrancar's attack hit the stone floor. Recovering from her roll into a crouch, Rukia had little time to react as Sung-Sun was once again in front of her with another stab attack. Again, Rukia rolled to the side, the Arrancar's attack barely missing by a hair.
But what Sung-Sun did not expect was for Rukia to twist her hold on her weapon midroll, the movement causing the long, ribbon-like, white tassel of her weapon to wrap itself around the woman's wrist, quickly going taut. Sung-Sun's eyes momentarily went wide as her arm was pulled to the side, followed quickly by the rest of her body and down to the floor.
Recovering into another crouch, Rukia leaped from her position and into the air above Sung-Sun, poising her blade to stab down on her. Sung-Sun managed to recover enough to roll out of the way, but found it unnecessary as Apacci appeared on the soul reaper's flank, giving her a heavy kick in her side and sending her back down to the ground. Her partner's attack gave Sung-Sun enough time to quickly unwrap the tassel from her wrist, briefly rubbing it from the soreness it caused as she stood back up. Apacci buzzed in next to her, resting her blade on her shoulder while setting her free hand on her hip with a breathy scoff.
"God, is this seriously the best you've got, bitch? A common hollow fights better than this." she mocked in annoyance.
Rukia grunted as she pushed herself back up to her feet, wiping away more blood from her lips with the back of her hand while staring at the woman with a low growl. 'Damn it, these two are no pushovers. I almost had the quiet one, if it were not for her friend.' she mused to herself.
Squaring her shoulders, Rukia got back into a combat position, holding her zanpakutō with both hands before her. "That's funny, I could say the same about the two of you." she taunted.
Apacci scoffed again and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Funny how you say that when you're the one getting her ass kicked."
Rukia scowled with narrowed eyes. "You haven't seen anything yet, so don't talk to me like you've won, Arrancar." she hissed.
Sung-Sun raised a brow in question. "So you have said before, yet you have yet to show us this stronger power you have, Rukia." she commented.
"I'm on a mission, and I can't afford to waste what power I have trying to defeat the two of you. If I want to have any chance of succeeding my mission, I'll have to find a way to defeat the both of you without going all out." Rukia returned.
Apacci snorted in amusement while Sung-Sun nodded in understanding. "That is a wise decision, however, with the way you are currently fighting, it is unlikely that you will leave here alive to continue this mission. If you wish to have any chance of defeating us, then I am afraid you have no choice but to fight at full strength."
Her partner gave her a stern glare. "Quit yapping like she even has a chance, Sung-Sun. You and I both know she can't beat us."
Sung-Sun returned her glare with a curious one. "Would you rather she simply gives up than give you a decent fight?" she challenged in a whisper.
Apacci growled and turned away from her. "Fine, guess you've got a point. Bitch." she grumbled.
Sung-Sun smirked behind her sleeve in victory and returned to Rukia. "As I was saying, you have two choices, Rukia: you can fight us like you are doing now and die; or, you can put all your effort into this and have a chance at winning. Either way, it is very unlikely you will win."
Though the noblewoman hated to admit it, the Arrancar had a point. As much as she wanted to conserve energy for future fights, her chances of defeating the two women before her were close to nonexistent at the current level of power she was fighting with. And while she was fairly good with kidō, at least to the upper-sixties level, she doubted her hadō spells would be effective enough to deal considerable damage. Her bakudō spells might do to keep one of them at bay, but only for a few seconds, at best.
Other than that, she only had one other ability that had any chance of defeating her opponents. During the last few days at Urahara's shop before leaving for Hueco Mundo, she trained extensively with Sode no Shirayuki to better improve her reserves of power and her sword skills, and it had paid off for the most part. But that was not what she gained the most from the few days of harsh training with her zanpakutō spirit.
She had learned something else as well. Something new.
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Rukia had no choice but to relent to the Arrancar women's words. Closing her eyes, she let her blade slowly lower down to where the tip nearly touched the floor.
"Guess I have no choice." she whispered to herself.
With a flick of her wrist, Rukia reversed the grip of her zanpakutō, now holding it in her primary hand with the blade pointing up and behind her. Drawing her arm back and shifting her feet, she rested the length of the blade along the back of her arm, all the way to her upper back with the tip sitting between her shoulder blades.
The two Arrancars were slightly confused about the woman's sudden change in stance at first, until they noticed something odd happening behind her. Following the length of the long, ribbon-like tassel of her weapon, Sung-Sun raised a brow in interest when she saw the ground begin to literally freeze along the span of the tassel a few inches from the edges. They also noticed that the air around them was starting to get even colder than it was previously, the air they exhaled turning to mist the moment it left their mouths.
"I didn't want to use this attack so early, and against someone I shouldn't have any problems defeating, but you are right; if I want to have a chance at beating you and continuing my mission, then I have to use it." Rukia said in a misty whisper before opening her eyes and raising her narrowed gaze to the two women.
Sung-Sun narrowed her eyes as well while Apacci grinned in earnest. "Alright, about damn time." she remarked.
"Shi no mai… Injushiro."
Palace of the Quatro Espada, With Chad, Present
Dust and debris flew into the air when a powerful burst of energy hit the wall, leaving a small impact crater on the surface. It was followed shortly afterwards by another burst of energy a few feet away, filling the area with more dust and bits of stone. But the obscuration did little to hinder the person responsible for the damage as Chad continued to assault his opponent. The human teen let out a battle cry as he threw his armored fist forward, releasing a third burst of energy.
The woman before him skipped to the side, dodging the attack easily and allowing it to pass her harmlessly. Recovering quickly, she let out her own war cry as she charged forward at the recovering man. Chad made no effort to dodge himself, keeping his position while flexing his large arm and holding his forearm up to defend himself as she attacked. The woman's blade struck the strange, black armor that covered his entire arm. Her blade slid across the surface to the side, and she was forced to hop back again as he moved to deliver a punch with his free hand.
Landing in her previous position, Mila Rose held up the open palm of her free hand, rapidly charging and releasing an orange-colored cero. Chad was the one forced to move this time, his strange armor unable to absorb the entirety of the attack in one go. But he had little time to react when she fired another cero in his direction again. Acting instinctively, the large teen punched the air again, releasing another burst of energy at the incoming attack. Both forces collided in midair, exploding outwards in all directions.
But neither of the two beings relented in their attacks, Mila Rose once again closing the distance and making another attempt at a swipe to the teen's chest. As before, Chad presented his arm to her and stopped her blade again. He grunted in his throat from the hit as he was pushed back a few inches, their faces brought close to each other as they pushed against each other.
"Not bad, Chad. Looks like those muscles of yours are not just for show." the female complemented.
"Hn… you're strong as well, Mila Rose." he replied in his low, baritone voice.
The woman grinned in amusement and glanced down at his arm. "Gotta say, this arm of yours surprises me. Never thought a human like you had this kind of power. Kinda reminds me of a hollow's power."
The teen nodded once. "I've been thinking the same thing lately. I'd rather use this power to defend others than attack, but it seems I was left with no other choice." he stated, pushing back against her harder.
They broke away and Mila Rose hopped back again, holding her zanpakutō at her side. "It's admirable, Chad, but sometimes attacking instead of defending is necessary."
"I agree, though I still don't like it. But if attacking is what I must do to defeat you and save Orihime, then I will." he returned, throwing a fist forward and launching another burst of energy.
The woman leaped out of the way easily, then charged forward again with a swing of her sword. The blade struck the surface of his arm again, but this time she followed it up with a kick to his flank. Chad only grunted from the force of the hit, once again surprised with how strong he had become recently.
Ever since his easy demise against the Captain of Squad 8 back in the soul society, the muscular teen spent every spare second he had training to improve himself, not only his physical strength, but his spirit energy as well with the few occasional tips from Urahara. After seeing the end result of Ichigo's useless attack against Aizen and how effortlessly the orange-haired substitute was defeated, Chad knew that if he wanted to have any chance of standing next to his brother in battle, he needed to get stronger. A lot stronger.
And so, every day after school and on the weekends, the teen took a cab to the wooded outskirts of the city where he could train his powers without causing unnecessary damage to nearby buildings and without anyone's knowledge. Obviously, the past month of heavy training had paid off. He had no doubts; had he fought against Mila Rose at the level he was at when he and his friends went to the Soul Society to rescue Rukia, he wouldn't have lasted more than a few seconds. The woman was obviously nowhere near the level of power that the Squad 8 Captain had, but she was still very strong.
Sliding across the floor on his feet, he came to a stop and spared a brief glance at his armored arm to see she had managed to cut into it. Not bad, just a small cut that was barely a half inch deep, but considering how tough his arm was, the woman's strength was impressive. But then again, this was an Arrancar he was dealing with.
Mila Rose scoffed lightly and planted a hand on her hip. "Can't say I'm all that impressed with your determination, Chad. Sure, you got strength and all, but it's obvious you're holding back. Doing that in a place like this is only going to get you killed." she stated firmly.
The teen nodded once with a hum. "I know that it's unlikely you will be the only one of your power I will face, Mila Rose, so it would be smart not to use all my power on just you." he countered.
Mila Rose nodding back. "Yeah, I'll give you that one. But still, if you want to have any chance of beating me, then you're going to have to put a lot more effort into it, Chad. At this rate, all you're going to manage is getting yourself killed. I've been holding back a bit myself, letting you get into the fight at your own pace, but my patience is starting to wear out. If you don't start taking this fight seriously and show me your true strength, then that courtesy goes out the window and I'll defeat you quickly." she warned.
"We don't want to fight you and your friends, Mila Rose; all we want is Orihime back. Personally, I'd rather not have to raise my fist against anyone if it can be helped."
She scoffed and flicked her wrist at him. "Well, sorry to tell you this, Chad, but life doesn't always work out that way, and surely not in this case."
He hummed in sadness. "I know."
"Then stop holding back, hoping that this'll all work out for you, cause it won't. I could've killed you easily by now, but I held back so I could see your strength for myself. But now your hesitance is annoying me, and I don't like being annoyed. I get enough of that from Apacci and Sung-Sun, and I don't need it from a human. So, are you going to fight for real, or are you going to continue testing my patience?" she snapped in growing anger.
Chad stared at her silently for a moment before sighing. "There's no way we can resolve this peacefully?"
"Not a chance. If you want to save your friend, then you've got no choice but to fight with all your might, Chad."
He sighed again and got back into a boxer's stance. "That's too bad. You seem like a nice person, Mila Rose, so I hope you won't hold this against me."
The woman waved him off. "I only hold grudges against those who annoy me, like Apacci and Sung-Sun. Now, you ready to fight for real this time?" she questioned, getting into her own stance again.
"Hn." he breathed with a nod.
Mila Rose smirked and nodded back before vanishing in sonído. She reappeared less than a few feet in front of him with her blade held high to cut down. The teen blocked the attack with his forearm, stopping the blade, and thrusted his free fist forward. Mila Rose broke off from him and leaped back to dodge, charging right back in a second later.
Blocking with his arm again, Chad swept a leg under hers and dropped her to the floor. The woman had just enough time to kick her feet on the ground, pushing her back in a back roll, as he fired a burst of his energy where she lay with his armored fist. The attack hit the ground in a small explosion, the dust broken through by Mila Rose as she charged yet again in a flurry of swipes.
Chad alternated between blocking and dodging the woman's swipes and occasional punches before catching her outstretched wrist. Turning his body, he flung her like a sack towards the wall. A midair adjustment of her body allowed her to plant her feet against the vertical surface, stopping in a crouch. Kicking off, she propelled herself forward again with her blade hold out to stab at him.
He jumped to the side to dodge, the woman landing where he was standing prior and turning to face him before charging and releasing a cero. Not having enough time to counter, Chad was forced to dodge again, Mila Rose expecting his movements and already leaping towards him. He flinched in mild fear before raising his arm to block, her blade once again breaking the tough skin and cutting down deeply.
Thankfully, it wasn't enough to liberate him of the limb. Grabbing the stopped blade with his unarmored hand, the sharp edge cutting into his fingers, he pulled the blade from his arm and swiftly fired another burst of energy into the woman's stomach. She grunted from the hit as it forced her back a few yards, her feet dragging against the ground before coming to a stop. She wrapped an arm around her midriff and growled in annoyance as she stood back up.
That one she actually felt a bit, it was possible it might even leave a bruise. She couldn't understand how a living human could possess so much strength and power, but then she really didn't care. She had been bored as hell for years, her daily arguments with Apacci and Sung-Sun, sometimes resulting in fights with the former, being the only thing to keep her mind occupied. But now that she had an opponent that she didn't know every single strength and weakness about, she was glad for the change, even if said opponent was a human.
Rubbing her stomach with her arm, she grinned at the teen and chuckled. "There we go. That's a little better. Now keep on coming with that. I've been waiting a long time for a good fight, and it looks like you'll give me one. I don't know how you came to have so much power for a human, but it doesn't really matter. Strength is strength, no matter who or what has it. So, show me your true strength, Chad, and give me the fight I've been dying for for the past several years." she said, flexing her blade around tauntingly.
Chad nodded with a hum and increased his stance. "I'm ready now, Mila Rose. I will do what I must to defeat you." he assured.
She nodded back firmly. "Same here, Chad." she returned, charging forward.
With Timothy's Team
"Holy shit! These guys just don't stop!" Timothy fretted before vanishing from his spot to avoid another attack, reappearing behind his aggressor to cut him down.
The lower-class Arrancar yelled out in a painful death-cry as he fell to the floor, quickly replaced by yet another of his companions. Swinging his blade, Timothy sent one of his fireballs at the newcomer, forcing the Arrancar to stop and duck to avoid it. It gave Timothy the time he needed to deliver a deathblow to that one as well, giving him enough time to glance around at his teammates' conditions.
Ichigo grunted as he blocked an attack with the broadside of his cleaver-like zanpakutō, pressing his palm against the opposite side to hold off his own attacker. "Yeah, no shit! These guys are freaking everywhere!" he responded, pressing back against the Arrancar with enough force to push him back and allowing the teen to punch him in the chin, sending him to the floor out cold. "It's like we kicked a nest of hornets or something!" he continued, turning towards his next opponent.
To Timothy's right, Nel punched a female Arrancar on the stomach, making her lurch forward in reflex, and gave the back of her neck a swift chop, knocking her out on the floor. She followed her attack with a quick air kick to another Arrancar, a male, in the side of his head, sending him into the wall to take him out as well.
She recovered and turned to dodge a sword swipe, just missing losing an arm with ease. "I don't think there's any doubt, Tim, Orihime has to be here somewhere with this many guards around." she commented, punching her attacker twice to force him back with a grunt.
Ichigo scoffed and cut down his opponent, recovering into a low guard. "Doesn't make any difference if these guys won't let us breathe, let alone find her. Seriously, just where the hell are these guys coming from?" he said, blocking a sword strike. Timothy suddenly appeared behind the Arrancar attacking the teen and rammed the butt of his sword against the back of the Arrancar's skull, dropping him instantly. "Thanks." the teen said, turning to the next person, the same as Timothy.
"We need to start looking for an escape route. We can't fight these assholes off forever." the Lieutenant advised.
Ichigo struggled as he blocked yet another attack, pushing back against a female Arrancar with a feline-like mask. "Where?! These guys have us freaking cornered!"
"The fuck if I know, you idiot! Anywhere is better than here right now!" Timothy raged in a side-glance, fighting off what, by now, had to be his tenth Arrancar.
"Boys!" Nel yelled, knocking out another Arrancar with a punch and kick combo. "If you two start fighting each other now, I am going to beat the both of you! Now, stop arguing so we can figure something out!"
"He started it!" the two males accused simultaneously, pointing towards each other.
"I did not!" Ichigo yelled, punching the female in her mask.
"The fuck you didn't!" Timothy returned, cutting his own opponent down.
"I didn't start shit!" the teen raged, shaking a fist at the Lieutenant.
"You did!"
"Both of you shut the hell up!" Nel demanded, getting caught in the chin with a fist before returning the gesture twofold. "I am sick…" She started, giving her next opponent a kick to his shin, making him yelp and hop on his good foot. "... and tired…" she continued, giving the same Arrancar another kick to his neck, sending him onto his back. "... of you two idiots…" She turned and delivered a haymaker to the next Arrancar, sending him down as well. "... fighting like…" She gave the male a kick to his head, knocking him out and swiftly dodged a sword swipe from the previous one who had now recovered. "... little children!" she finished, giving the Arrancar a hard punch to his gut.
Hopping up, she twisted her body midair and gave him two back-to-back kicks to the side of his head, sending him flying straight into Timothy and sending them both to the ground. Upon landing on her feet, she dodged a punch meant for her head. Grabbing the assailant's outstretched forearm, she turned her body and flung the Arrancar over her shoulder, and straight into Ichigo, sending the teen down as well.
"Now…" she continued, standing back straight and dodging another attack. "Stop fighting and work together! It will not be long before one of the Espada comes looking for us." she warned.
Timothy tossed the unconscious Arrancar off of him and stood back up, glaring at the former Espada. "What the fuck, Nel?! What was that for?!" he yelled.
"Yeah!" Ichigo followed, recovering as well in time to block an attack.
"For fighting like babies! Now shut up and figure out a way to get us out of here!" the woman returned, dodging to the side.
"And just where the hell do we go, Nel? These guys'll just follow us no matter where we go." the teen argued, defeating another opponent.
"Can't you just use a garganta to get us out of here, Nel?" Timothy asked, defeating his own opponent as well.
"I can't, Tim. Remember? They will know I'm here with you if I do."
Ichigo grunted as he failed to dodge an attack, his opponent's blade cutting shallowly into his upper arm. "I don't think that really matters now, Nel. We'd be stupid to think they don't know you're here by now." he pointed out.
"I agree, Nel. At this point, our element of surprise is long gone. Now we've gotta improvise." Timothy added, helping Ichigo with his opponent.
Nel was then forced to draw her sword when she was unable to dodge in time, bracing her palm against the blade to hold off her attacker. "It doesn't matter anyway, Tim. I won't have enough time to open one and close it after we're inside before they follow us through it. And besides, I don't know my way around Ulquiorra's palace that well, so I have no idea where we'll end up." she warned.
"I don't care where the hell we end up! Anywhere is better than here at the moment. If we can give you time, can you open one?" Ichigo questioned as he was forced against a wall.
Nel blocked a sword strike and swiftly cut down her attacker. "I can try, but I still think it's a bad idea."
"Do it! We've gotta get outta here!" Timothy demanded. "Ichigo, help me cover Nel!" he yelled.
The teen nodded and, as much as he disliked it, rammed his knee up and straight into his opponent's crouch, his male opponent. The Arrancar yelped in great pain, dropping to his knees instantly and grabbing his sensitive area with his free hand, giving Ichigo the chance to slip free and join Timothy next to Nel.
The two males doubled their efforts to pry the two Arrancars off of Nel and keep the others at bay, giving Nel the chance to quickly turn and flick her wrist in the air. At the tip of her finger, the air ripped open, revealing the black abyss of the garganta.
"Go!" Timothy yelled, shifting over to cover Ichigo. "I'll hold em till you're inside!"
Nel looked at him with worry, but nodded and quickly hopped inside the dark portal, followed closely by Ichigo. Timothy continued to fight off the number of lesser Arrancars, slowly inching his way back towards the garganta. Once he was only a few feet away, he pushed his opponent down and aimed the open palm of his free hand towards the ground.
"Hadō 31, Shakkahō!" he chanted.
A fireball erupted from his hand and crashed into the floor, creating a small explosion in front of him and filling the area with dust. The proximity of the explosion to himself did hurt, so it wasn't exactly the brightest of ideas on his part, but it did give him the few seconds he needed to jump into the garganta and allow Nel to close it behind him.
Nel sighed in massive relief, finally able to relax after nearly an hour straight fighting the endless horde. A hiss of pain drew her attention to see Timothy lying on the pathway made of spirit energy through the darkness. The man was clutching his side and gritting his teeth, seemingly in great pain. Nel gasped and quickly dropped to her knees beside him, gently rolling him onto his back.
"Tim?" she asked in worry.
Even through his pain, Timothy managed a weak smile at the woman and shook his head. "I'll be fine." he said, hissing again. "One of the bastards just managed to nick me pretty good before I got through. I'll heal up in minutes." he assured.
Not convinced, Nel gently forced his hand away from his side and flinched when she saw the deep gash on his right side, just under his ribcage. "No, you're not, Tim. We need to stop the bleeding." she said.
Drawing her zanpakutō out a foot, she nicked the long sleeve of her modified Espada uniform, now black in color, before sheathing it again. With an audible rip, she tore a four-inch wide section off and folded it neatly into a small pad. Raising his hand, she tucked it under and set his hand back down, pressing it into his wound and eliciting another hiss of pain from him.
She flinched again in sorrow for causing him more pain, but she knew it had to be done. "Sorry. Just… keep holding it there until it stops. Okay?" she said in a soothing voice.
Timothy recovered and smiled warmly. "It's fine. I'll be good as new shortly. You know we soul reapers heal pretty quickly." he reassured.
Ichigo scoffed and grinned at him. "Jeeze, Tim, if you wanted a battle scar, all you had to do was ask and I woulda given you one." he teased.
The Lieutenant snorted and rolled his eyes. "Fuck off, carrot top. The only 'scar' you could ever give me is a tickle." he retorted.
A vein pulsed on the teen's head with a growl. "What was that?" he snarled.
Nel sighed and slapped a hand to her forehead, shaking it. "You two are absolutely hopeless. Come on, Ichigo, I'm going to need your help with him."
The teen sighed and nodded and set his zanpakutō onto his back, 'sheathing' it, before kneeling down on the opposite side of the Lieutenant. "Got it. Ready?" he asked, getting a nod. "Alright, up we go." he said, pulling the man's arm onto his shoulder as Nel did the same with his other.
The two hauled Timothy back to his feet, thankfully able to ignore the pained hiss through Timothy's teeth. Seeing as how she was on his left side, Nel reached an arm around behind him and held the improvised bandage to his side, holding him to her in the process.
"Sorry." she said again.
He managed a weak chuckle and gave her a sly smile through his gritted teeth. "Some stealth mission this turned out to be. The whole damn place probably knows we're here now." he joked.
Nel managed a smile and chuckled back. "Well, what did you expect? It was inevitable with how much you two argue all the time." she returned in a teasing, yet reprimanding tone.
Both men snorted and gave each other a brief glare, as if accusing each other, before turning away. Reaching down, Timothy forced his hand under hers on his side and held the bandage to himself tighter, fighting the urge to hiss again. He expected Nel to drop her hand, but she instead only placed it back over top of his and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. He matched her gaze and the woman smiled lovingly at him before turning back to the front.
"We need to get moving. I didn't take us far, so we should reach the end in a few minutes." she said calmly.
Ichigo glanced at her and raised a brow. "And where was it that you took us, Nel?" he asked.
"To my old room, in the Quinto Espada's palace. It was the only place I could think of so quickly, so… I'm sorry it's so far away." she said in sadness.
"Don't be." Timothy countered, getting her attention. "We were beyond swarmed back there, it was only a matter of time before they finally got us, or one of the Espada found us." he pointed out.
Ichigo nodded firmly. "Yeah. Hate to say it, but he's right. Those guys were small fry, but there were just so many of them. I think the only ones who could've fought that endless horde off would be Kisuke and Yoruichi." he commented.
Timothy's face instantly fell. "And Kenpachi." he grumbled.
The teen flinched and dropped his head. "Oh… yeah… him too. There is something seriously wrong with that guy."
"That! We can agree on. That guy's a fucking fruit-loop. And his power…"
Both men instantly shivered in horror. "Yeeeaaahh… That guy's a demon in soul reaper clothes."
Nel looked at the teen with a raised brow. "Is this Kenpachi guy really that strong?" she asked.
The men shivered again and Timothy gave her a pitiful expression. "That is putting it very lightly, Nel. The guy's a fucking beast. Prey to God you never have to fight him. He will own you. From what I've been told, he got his Captain's position by killing the previous Captain in combat. He's a bloodthirsty brute, who only really cares about finding a good fight."
"Yeah." Ichigo nodded crestfallen. "And ever since I beat the guy, he's had it out for me for a rematch." he moaned.
Both of them snapped their gazes to him instantly. "Wait, you fought against him, and won?!" the Lieutenant asked in shock.
Ichigo started rubbing the back of his head shyly. "Well… not exactly. It was more of a tie. We… kinda both lost the fight. Least that's what that pink-haired midget that rides his shoulder says."
Timothy sighed heavily. "Yachiru." he mumbled, getting a nod. "Let me guess… she give you a nickname too?" he inquired.
The teen moaned and nodded again. "Yeah. I think it was Icchi, or something like that."
The Lieutenant raised a brow at that. "'Icchi?' That's it?"
Ichigo glared at him in annoyance. "Oh yeah? Sounds like she gave you one too. So what does that little annoyance call ya?"
Timothy's head dropped. "... Zippy." he mumbled.
Nel snorted, trying to hold back a laugh, but Ichigo failed miserably. The teen held his sides as he laughed loudly and uncontrollably. "'Zippy'?! Oh Kami, that's the funniest thing ever! I've gotta give the little brat credit for that one!" he roared, dropping his head back in his laughter.
"Shut up." Timothy moaned in embarrassment.
Nel chuckled and leaned her head into his shoulder, holding him a little tighter. "You have to admit, Tim, it does kinda fit. You do 'zip' around everywhere, you know." she pointed out.
'She's got a point, Tim. Although, if she ever calls me that, I'll roast her.' Kitsune stated with a grin.
'Tsk, yeah, I'm sure you would.' he returned, ignoring her.
"What about you, Nel? I'm sure the little devil would probably call you 'lollipop' or something cause of your hair." he returned with a smirk.
The woman blinked in confusion. "'Lollipop'? What's that?"
Ichigo stopped laughing as both men gave her curious looks. "You've never heard of a lollipop, Nel?" Ichigo asked and the woman shook her head.
"Kisuke sells them in his 'candy store', yet you've never had, or even heard of one?" Timothy questioned.
Nel raised her head with a hum of thought for a moment. "Oh!" she breathed out and turned back to them. "Are you talking about that candy that's on a stick?" she asked and they nodded in unison. She then raised a brow herself. "Okay, so… why would this Yachiru call me 'lollipop'? And what does my hair color have to do with candy?" she wondered, clueless.
Ichigo slapped his forehead while Timothy sighed in defeat, both shaking their heads. "Nevermind. So, how much further?" Timothy asked.
Still confused, Nel let the matter go and sighed. "It's just up ahead. Once we're there, we can rest up for a little while you heal up, Tim. You can use that healing kidō, right?"
He shrugged. "A little. I had a tendency to not get hit in a fight, so I've never really had the need to practice. I know enough to help myself heal a little faster, but that's it."
She nodded and turned to the orange-haired teen. "Can you use healing kidō, Ichigo?" she inquired.
Timothy turned and gave the teen a sly smirk. "He can't use kidō. He sucks that way." he teased.
He instantly yelped in pain as Nel squeezed his injury tighter, giving him a warning glare and making the said teen snicker. That is, until her gaze snapped to his, making him shut up instantly and turn away, although the gleeful smirk remained.
"What did you do that for, Nel?" Timothy asked through pained tears.
Her gaze went back to him and he, too, shut up, earning a nod of approval from the woman before her smile returned. "It's okay then, we'll just have to make do with your natural healing and skills. Besides, we all need the rest after all that fighting."
Timothy sighed and shook his head. "I agree that we need at least a little rest, Nel, but we can't stay for long. An hour at most, healed or not. We've got to get back to looking for Orihime." he said, Ichigo nodding firmly.
"Yeah, I don't even like the idea we're not going to be in the same building as her now. Are you gonna be able to use a garganta to get us back, Nel?" he asked.
The woman frowned a bit but nodded. "I think so. I can at least get us to the building on the outside, but I might be able to remember a place that we can get to inside. Sorry."
Timothy shook his head gently. "No, it's fine, Nel. You at least managed to save our asses back there, so at least we can still look for Orihime, even if we have to find a way back into the building. Let's just worry about getting to your room for now, then we can make up a new plan. Sound good?" he proposed and the two nodded.
"Yeah, sounds like the only thing we can do right now. But… I'm a little worried." the teen admitted.
"About?" Nel asked.
But Timothy was quick to jump in. "You're talking about how we've yet to see any of the Espada, aren't you?" he inquired.
Ichigo nodded and gave them both a serious expression. "I just feel that something's not right. If Orihime's so important that Aizen wanted her captured, don't ya think they woulda had at least one of the Espada guarding her? And if not, wouldn't he send one once they found out we're here for her?"
"And yet we haven't seen any." Timothy finished, getting a nod. "Yeah, that is weird as hell. Got any ideas, Nel?" he asked, turning to her.
The woman shook her head sadly. "No, sorry." she answered, dropping her head. "Do you… Do you think that… maybe we've been led into a trap?" she asked.
The two men glanced at each other and the teen shrugged. "It's possible. That bastard, Aizen, is smart, so it wouldn't surprise me."
"I agree. We'll have to keep that in mind when we come up with our next plan." The Lieutenant said with a nod.
"We're here." Nel announced.
Both males turned to see the air before them open up as the portal's exit led them into a large room with white walls, just like the rest of the buildings. Stepping into the room, the garganta closing behind them, the two soul reapers looked around to see a few pieces of furniture around the room, including a large bed. Turning them, Nel guided Timothy over to the said bed and gently laid him down on top of it.
"Here you go, Tim, just rest up a bit." she said kindly, sitting down next to him.
Finding a sofa-like chair, Ichigo plopped down with a relaxed sigh and slid down until his body was nearly flat in it. "Oh wow, this is like… really comfy, Nel." he said in amazement.
The woman giggled and shrugged. "Thanks, I guess."
Timothy gave her a worried look. "Do we have to worry about them knowing we're here, Nel? I mean, we did just use your garganta to get here." he asked.
She sighed and shrugged again. "I can't say. Each Espada's personal chambers has a barrier around it, so that none but themselves can enter by a garganta, nor can it be detected. But this is Aizen, so… I wouldn't doubt that he knows. So, we can't let our guard down, even here. If they do come for us, we'll at least have enough time to leave the way we came before they get here." she admitted.
Timothy nodded and relaxed his head against the smooth pillows. "It'll have to do for now. I should be back up and ready to go in an hour. Can't believe I let that ass get a swipe at me like that."
Ichigo scoffed and waved him off. "Stop worrying about, man, shit happens. Can't tell ya the number of times I've screwed up and had to be bailed out." Nel smiled, glad they were getting along, at least for the moment.
"Wonder how the others are doing. I've tried a few times, but I can't sense them, no matter where we go." Timothy commented.
Her smile fell with a sigh. "It's the walls. They're made of the same stone that was in the tunnels, so it's hard to detect spiritual pressures for anyone other than the Espada and anyone else with a decent pesquisa."
"Can't you pick em up, Nel?" Ichigo asked, raising his head.
The woman shook her head. "Earlier I could, yes. I could tell that they had their own battles on occasion, but nothing serious. After we got ambushed in that hallway, I lost track of them. And now we're too far away for me to pick them up effectively. Once we make it back to the Quatro's palace, I can try again." she said, defeated.
She felt something squeeze her hand and she turned to see Timothy smiling up at her. "It's fine, Nel. At least we know that they were alive at that point. It also tells us that our group wasn't the only ones found out."
Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, and that makes me even more worried about the Espada not showing up. If Nel can pick up the others, then she should have been able to tell if any of the Espada showed up. Which I'm guessing they didn't, right, Nel?" he asked and she shook her head.
"No, not that I can tell. In fact, I haven't detected a single one of them at all since we arrived. The closest person to one was Lilynette, if you remember, and she is only a fracción to one."
Timothy raised his head again with a brow. "Do you think she might help us? I mean, she did let you go, and tell you where Orihime was located. Is it possible she would fight with us?" he asked.
Nel dropped her head and shook it. "Like Stark, she is loyal to Aizen. The only reason she helped me was because we care for each other, but she wouldn't actively fight against Aizen. And besides, I… I don't want to get her involved, more than she already is. If Aizen finds out she helped the way she did already… he'll kill her. I don't want that. I'd rather just leave it be."
The Lieutenant nodded in understanding. "Well, some help is better than nothing. Going back to the matter of the missing Espadas, I'm really starting to think that we've been led into a trap. Since that's the case, we should consider getting the others and leaving."
Ichigo instantly snapped to his feet and raised a fist to him in fury. "Hey! Are you seriously considering just leaving Orihime to that bastard?! I thought you said that…"
"I said that we should consider leaving, not that we would, Ichigo." Timothy swiftly interrupted. "And yes, I did say that I'm not leaving until we've rescued her, but that doesn't mean we have to be stupid about it. All I'm saying is that if this is a trap, maybe we can set one of our own. Maybe trick Aizen into thinking we've given up."
Nel looked at him and shook her head with a serious look. "That won't work, Tim. Aizen is much too smart to be fooled so easily. He would know it's a trap right away." she warned.
Ichigo threw his arms out wide. "Well, what the hell do we do then? It's obvious they know we're here now, and it wouldn't surprise me if that bastard has Orihime moved to somewhere else."
Again, Nel shook her head. "I don't think so, Ichigo. Aizen is the kind of person that enjoys taunting others, forcing them to act the way he wants them to. I think he will leave Orihime where she is now, forcing us to stay in the Quatro's palace, or at least somewhere nearby it. It might also explain why we have yet to encounter any of the Espada. I think he may be testing us. I know that he has a very advanced security system that monitors all of Los Noches, so if he knows we are here now, I would assume that he is watching us now."
Timothy gave her a worried look. "Wait… so it's possible he's watching us right now?" he asked, quickly looking around for hidden cameras.
She smiled weakly and shook her head again. "No, there are no cameras or anything like that in the Espadas' personal quarters." she assured, then her smile fell. "He might have seen me use my garganta to help us escape, but I doubt he knows where we went. Though, I wouldn't put it past him to guess where we might have gone. There are only so many places that I can reopen the garganta without him noticing, my room being one of them, and with how smart he is, it wouldn't surprise me if he figured out we came here."
"Agreed." Timothy said with a nod. "So, we can conclude that Aizen knows we're here, and that he's got something up his sleeve for us. That Ulquiorra guy didn't look like someone who tolerates bullshit, and someone invading your own home is what I would call bullshit. If he hasn't gotten involved yet, after we invaded his palace, then yeah, something is definitely up. Be straight with me, Nel… do any of us stand any chance against this guy?"
She gave him a firm, deathly glare. "No, you do not. Even if all of us that came here fought him together, I still doubt we would stand a chance. It is a miracle we have not seen him yet. To be honest, I'm not sure why he is the Quatro and not the Primera Espada. He definitely seems stronger than Stark is, at least by what I can feel from him."
"Who were the other two above him again?" Ichigo asked.
"Baraggan Louisenbairn is the Segunda, and Tier Harribel is the Tres. I've seen Harribel's Resurrección a few times before, and she is quite powerful in that form. Her abilities rely on water and she uses that for her attacks primarily. Baraggan, however, I don't know anything about. I've never seen his release, so I can't tell you anything about it. All I can say is, at least from what I've heard, is that it is very deadly. We need to avoid him as much as possible as well."
Timothy raised a hand and waved her off gently. "We'll figure that out when it comes down to it. For now, I think the only thing we can do is continue looking for Orihime the same way we have been, we just have to be more on guard from now on. After we've rested up a little, we'll use Nel's garganta to get us as close to the Quatro's palace as she can, then move on. Sound good?" he proposed.
Ichigo scoffed and shrugged his shoulders. "What else can we do? Still think this is some stupid trap of that bastard's."
The Lieutenant nodded once. "Agreed. But, 'A trap is only a trap if you don't know about it. If you do know about it, it's a challenge.'" he quoted with a smirk.
"Where'd you hear that?" the teen inquired with a curious brow.
"It's a quote I once read by China Miéville. In other words, if this really is all a trap, we now know about it, so we can expect something to come of it. We'll just have to work harder to make sure the trap doesn't work the way Aizen wants, hence the challenge part."
Ichigo nodded with a hum. "Yeah, good point. Well, if you two wanna catch a nap or something, I'll keep watch. Got too much on my mind to sleep right now."
Timothy snorted and rested his head on the pillow again. "Not sure what Nel wants to do, but I'm not gonna dispute it." he commented, closing his eyes with a sigh.
Nel smiled and reached over to grasp his hand. "I think I'll keep watch as well. You rest, Tim. You need it right now. And so do you, Ichigo." she said, turning towards the teen.
He waved her off and slumped back down in the chair with a sigh. "Nah, I'm good. Just need to relax for a minute." he stated, closing his eyes as well, but keeping his senses open.
He was obviously exhausted as well, when it was barely two minutes later that his breathing evened out and his jaw went slack, opening slightly in a peaceful slumber. Nel giggled under her breath when she noticed that both men were now asleep and took a deep breath to relax as well, making sure she didn't follow their examples and remained awake. She opened her pesquisa up to the max to make sure that if anything did happen nearby, she would know about it. She gripped Timothy's hand a bit tighter, and was pleased when he gripped back in his sleep.
Things are heating up in Los Noches. Hope you all have been pleased with the conflicts between Rukia, Chad, and the Tres Bestias, plus a little action and plot development with Timothy's team. Also, it seems Captain Kurotsuchi had found something interesting in his search for more of Aizen's traitors. Wonder who this person could be that he's looking at. Mainly plot development in this chapter.
Reviews are welcome and encouraged everyone. Good, bad, somewhere in between, don't matter. Hit me up and tell me your thoughts on the story. And while I'm still here, for those who don't know yet, the continuation of the Bleach series was actually confirmed by Tite Kubo and his team, planned to start sometime in the summer, though I would expect it to possibly get pushed back to early of mid fall. I'm sure you can imagine how much I'm fidgeting in my seat just thinking about FINALLY seeing the end of the series in motion, as all the rest of you. There was a teaser of sorts in another of Tite Kubo's creations, called 'Burn the Witch' in the third episode of the anime, mentioning the Soul Society, so… I guess take it at face value on that one.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I'm gonna try my hardest to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Thanks for reading all, and have a great new year.
