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Chapter 8
=DA=
Part 5
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Las Noches
Hueco Mundo
The world of the Hollows had huge ass palaces, complete with large bathrooms and where you could take a soothing long soak in a bathtub. Somehow, that simple fact came as more surprising than everything else that happened to Masaki since she found herself naked in front of two men and a woman, even more surprising that the pink haired creep who was apparently a super evolved form of Hollow, didn't want to eat, or ravage her, not necessary in that order, just poke, prod and experiment on her, which wasn't necessary better.
At least now she had reassurances that her little Ichigo had survived their encounter with that Hollow, who was currently stuck into glass vat being experimented on, serves the bastard right! All Masaki wanted at that moment when she saw that particular abomination was to call on her powers and tear him to many tiny pieces with her own hands, or at least shoot him full of arrows. Sadly, or fortunately, her powers failed to materialize, not even a tingle of their familiar presence remained. The fact that she was starkless without any equipment might have been at least partially responsible for that.
Instead, all Masaki had at that point was sheer, nearly uncontrollable rage. It took the man responsible for her resurrection, Captain Aizen, as he introduced himself, telling her about what little he knew about her son, to redirect her rage. Masaki still felt it simmering like poison just under her skin, patiently waiting to be unleashed. Now it had new target, who was currently out of reach, her husband's so called friend, Kisuke Urahara, who apparently dared sent her little boy on a suicide mission to Soul Society of all places. Truth to be told, Masaki was infuriated at Isshin too, who as far as Aizen knew, had failed to say anything to Ichigo about the Spirit World and was more than a little responsible for the mess her little boy now found himself into.
And what a mess that was… Masaki's train of thought faltered at that. The woman she met in that lab, another potentially rogue Shinigami Captain, their chief medical officer no less, Retsu Unohana, explained in great detail what she knew second hand about Ichigo's exploits in Soul Society and what that meant for him. Masaki was afraid for her son, yet right now there was little she could do to help him. She was infuriatingly powerless and she had the nagging suspicion that Aizen and his people didn't bring her back to life just of the goodness of their heart. That was certainly true about the pink haired freak, the Shinigami themselves were harder to read. They certainly looked pleasantly surprised, ecstatic even that whatever they did, worked. They treated her well enough, promptly offered her clothes and explanations, even a large suite complete with this very nice and bubbly and hopefully relaxing bath… She was still little more than a powerless prisoner in a place crawling with Hollows. Aizen did promise to get her to the world of the living, preferably Karakura town and her home, if at all practical. Yet, he claimed that doing so safely, without Soul Society detecting them and dispatching forces to deal with any such incursion would take some doing.
Masaki couldn't really read the man at that point and while he sounded sincere, not to mention that his claim was plausible as well, she had no way of determine if it was true or a steaming pile of bullshit. All she could really do at that moment was soak in the bathtub and try very hard not to think that until very recently she had been a part of the Hollow that ate her, the same Hollow who had a grudge to pick with her little Ichigo and boasted about what he would do to her son and little girls if he get the chance, which was the only reason why Aizen suspected that the so called Grand Fisher had eaten her in the first place. Apparently that particular Hollow had a big mouth and loved to rant at everyone in the general vicinity, someone not lost to the current ruler of Hueco Mundo.
Yeah, that. For all intents and purposes Aizen ruled the Hollow World and wasn't that one more mind-fuck, Masaki didn't know how the handle…
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Aizen's quarters
Las Noches
Hueco Mundo
I sat on the edge of my king sized bed, while Retsu walked around me, palms glowing with Kaido she used to determine if I managed to hurt myself while aiding Yuriko perform a Miracle, with capital 'M'.
"Your control is still gone to hell. You might have to train it up again, or wait until your soul fully stabilizes. Until then, you can expect random spikes Spiritual Pressure, likely when under stress, or periods when its harder to properly focus your Spiritual Power. Obviously, that would effect your combat capabilities and might make Kido blow up in your face as if you were an Academy student." Retsu explained. "Otherwise, you're disturbingly fine considering what you went through over the past twenty four hours or so."
"I'm awesome like that, Retsu."
"Awesomely crazy you meant. How did you do it? While purifying souls by destroying Hollows is what we do as Shinigami, actually forcing one out, creating a body for it on the fly and binding said soul to the body, in practice resurrecting it," Unohana shook her head in wonder. "What you did is supposed to be impossible, you know that!" She glared at me accusingly.
"It's me, Retsu. The improbable I do for breakfast, the impossible merely takes more time and resources." I was pretty sure my words went out much less humble than I intended.
Unohana shamelessly rolled her eyes at me. "What do you intent to do with Mrs Kurosaki? I don't believe ever for a moment that you brought her back just because it would be a nice gesture, neither as a mere experiment."
"You see straight through me, don't you Retsu?"
I got myself a pointed look at that, one that wasn't particularly amused.
"Well, she was a test run. I wasn't sure that it can be done right now, but fortune favors the bold as they say. Now that it worked? Why, I do intent to reunite Mrs Kurosaki with her family and cleave them away for good from Urahara. The later granted might not be very relevant now, depending on what happens to good old Kisuke back in Soul Society. He's a slippery one however, so he might get away with another slap on the wrist and be allowed to renew his exile."
"You aren't just interested in the Kurosakis because of Isshin Shiba, are you?" Retsu looked thoughtful.
"Well, Isshin is, or at least was a Captain level Shinigami. Considering that my worst case scenario envisions an open war with Gotei 13 and the Noble Houses, having him remain neutral, or perhaps even on my side would be helpful. His son shows tremendous potential so in the long run it would be very nice to have Ichigo on friendly terms, he's going to be much less of a headache that way…" Not to mention whatever potential his sisters would have when they grew up.
"Long term planning? I can see that." Retsu allowed.
"Besides, the Shiba name still carries some weight and as I said, Mrs Kurosaki was merely a proof of concept."
"What do you know?" Retsu demanded.
"I'm pretty sure that one of my Espada used to be the Hollow who ate Kaien Shiba and after some rest and relaxation, I think about trying to bring him back too."
"Kaien Shiba…" Now Retsu actually appeared surprised. She smiled once she processed my intentions. "Now, that is an interesting development. If it works, it will turn Soul Society on its ear. You're doing it to bind Ukitake to your side, aren't you? You first got him healed and now you're about to bring back his late Lieutenant he saw like a little brother?"
"Ukitake's one of the most powerful Shinigami in existence. Even keeping him just as a neutral friendly voice in Gotei 13 will be of tremendous benefit. If he can be persuaded to see things my way, that would be even better. Then there are the Shibas, even if their Clan has fallen out of grace, Kaien might be able to turn things around, Isshin might help too depending on how he is dealt with. Having the friendly ear of a second Noble Clan is all to the good." I explained.
"Byakuya Kuchiki." Retsu stated lightly after a few seconds of silent contemplation. "Your brief meeting with him at his Division, your talk with Rukia…"
"The fact that I got the Hogyoku Kisuke Urahara put into her soul, which was draining her Shinigami powers, removed helps too." I added with a self-satisfied smile.
"How long have you been planning this?"
"Since shortly before I ended up for a check up in your division last night, Retsu. Before that, I was merely intending to get the Hogyoku in the night, cut my loses as far as Gotei 13 was concerned and retire here, leaving you all to your own devices an our government's tender mercies. My reincarnation allowed me a broader perspective and thus my current machinations."
"You still haven't told me anything about the man you really are right now, have you Sosuke?"
"I thought I showed you plenty after we arrived in Hueco Mundo."
"I want to know more, I want to see more. I want to taste the blade of a worthy opponent again, it has been too long…" Retsu moaned at that, her eyes lidded with desire, for blood, for sex, for combat, I wasn't sure, perhaps all of the above and more.
"And you'll have it once I've recovered. It will be much more fun that way." And less hazardous for my continued survival.
"What if I don't feel like waiting?" Retsu grabbed the sides of my face and our lips crashed in a hungry kiss. A moment later, she was biting my lower lip hard enough to draw blood, which she proceeded to lick with a content look in her shinning eyes.
Note to self, don't ever make her a Hollow hybrid if I could get away with. Even the Soul King wouldn't know what I would be unleashing if something like that happened.
=DA=
Part 6
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Las Noches
Hueco Mundo
Masaki eventually left the bathtub, took a shower and wrapped herself in a fluffy white tower before making her way to the bedroom, where she found a young looking girl waiting for her.
"Mrs Kurosaki? I'm Momo Hinamoiri, Captain Aizen's Lieutenant!" The Shinigami introduced herself, pride evident in the way she declared her title.
That immediately made Masaki re-assess the girl's apparent age, looks nothwinstanding, Hinamori likely was older than her late grandmother.
"Hi, I'm Masaki Kurosaki as you obviously know. Is there a reason why I find you in my bedroom?"
"I brought you some more clothes, they're all like the
Arrancars', I'm afraid. Hinamori waved at the bed behind her, where there were indeed two small piles of neatly folded white outfits.
"Thank you, its certainly better than what I had before." Masaki smiled kindly. "Shinigami and Hollows working together, how did something like that came to be?"
"It's complicated." Hinamori grimaced. "Someone tried to
assassinate Captain Aizen, and while they failed, the shock caused him to remember his previous life, then things
escalated out of control. We had to round up all the Ryoka invading Soul Society, then Captain Aizen had one of them heal Captain Ukitake, she's in fact here, recovering, then there was a Captain's meeting at the First Division and…" Hinamori sighed.
"You've had a tough time lately, hadn't you?" Masaki waved at the bed. "Do seat and tell me what you can, please. I find myself very much behind the times. Those Ryoka you mentioned, would it happen that an orange haired boy was among them? Can you tell me about them and him in particular?"
"Well, all right. Captain Aizen did request that I look after you and Ms Orihime." Hinamori shrugged, sat down and began to eagerly vent at her Captain's antics and their superior's foolishness.
Masaki listened to the story while pride, worry and burning fury racing through her veins. Oh, how her little boy had grown, it was sweet and commendable that he wanted to rescue his friend, especially after that girl, Rukia Kuchiki, saved all of Masaki's children from a Hollow a few months ago. Yet, to go to such lengths, to invade Soul Society, while apparently being none the wiser about what exactly he would be facing… Oh, Ichigo… Listening to that sordid tale, Masaki figured out she really owed to Aizen for not only bringing her back, but going out of his way to make sure he captured Ichigo and his friends without actually hurting them. She knew that most people in the man's position wouldn't be so considerate towards people who invaded their home, no matter if they were children or not.
Her anger raced like liquid fire just below her skin, making Masaki feel uneasy and restless. She felt like hitting, even tearing into something to vent and she barely kept that desire in check while she continued to listen to Hinamori's tale. Was this a side effect of her resurrection, or perhaps it was older, related to whatever happened that tore her powers away just as the Grand Fisher attacked her and Ichigo? She didn't know neither was she about to ask the Shinigami. If they weren't aware that she was or at least used to be a Quincy, given the history between their people, she wasn't about to admit to her origins, even though Aizen might not hold a grudge, if the way he saved her little cousin was anything to go by.
=DA=
Fourth Division Barracks
Soul Society
There was one good consequence of Captain Unohana not being around, Byakuya Kuchiki decided. It made releasing oneself from the clutches of the Fourth Division healers much easier proposition than otherwise, much less hazardous to one's health as well. His wounds were patched up well enough, more than enough to allow him to move around if not fight at his best. That good enough, Kuchiki decided. He had enough time while under the healer's tender care to think about everything that happened, and he reached a simple, inescapable conclusion – he left his pride blind him, allowed people to use it and his duty against him, his Clan and more importantly, against his little sister, who he vowed to protect until his dying breath. A vow he utterly failed at.
Byakuya left the Fourth Division in barely restrained fury, not trusting himself to get anywhere near the dead man walking otherwise known as Kisuke Urahara and headed back to his own division. First, he was going to get his Lieutenant out of detention, where he put him for having the temerity to loose a fight against someone who apparently fought and won against Zaraki Kenpachi. Then Kuchiki would discuss the feelings and intentions Renji Abarai had towards his little sister. By the time that was done and he was hopefully in a better mental state, he was going to be ready to face Rukia, hopefully. At least he knew that she was now at the Fourth, for a check up and any necessary treatment.
It was all thanks to Sosuke Aizen, if that man hadn't lied and taken the blame for the execution orders, Rukia's head might still be heading for the chopping block… or if what he heard was true, losing her Shinigami powers for good. Byakuya didn't know how to feel about Aizen at that point. He owed the man more than he could possibly repay for doing what Kuchiki himself couldn't bring himself to do until now, for going out of his way to keep his little sister safe. Yet, Aizen went rogue, tremendously complicating things, not to mention he was responsible for Byakuya's stay at the Fourth. That Black Coffin was supremely unpleasant thing to experience and if it wasn't for Senbonzakura's Shikai, Kuchiki might have died then and there, which would have been partially his own fault. The truths revealed during that bastardized interrogation nearly broke him with the realization what he allowed people to do to his little sister while he was too self absorbed in his pride and duty.