Hinamori's Apprentice

Chapter 36

"There, that should just about do it," Izuru said, letting go of the latch to the bunker door, "Nothing should be able to get in here now. We're finally safe."

"That's a relief," Momo said wearily, "Are you okay, Karin?"

"Yeah, but why were they after me?" Karin asked.

"I don't know, but for now it's over. Let's take this opportunity to rest ourselves."

Momo had just sat down on the floor when a creak echoed throughout the darkened bunker. She immediately stood up, drawing her Zanpakuto alongside Izuru.

"Momo, what-"

"Shh!" Momo hissed, straining her ears. There was absolute silence for a moment. It was eerie, and a frightful sensation came over them. Suddenly, Izuru shouted in panic.

"Momo, look out!"

What happened next occurred so quickly that Karin was unable to see it. Momo roughly grabbed Karin by the arm and threw her back. Karin fell down as she hit the wall, and when she looked up she saw the creature they had fought earlier fall from the ceiling, twin scimitars already drawn for combat. The wood floor broke and splintered as its clawed feet made impact with the ground. Its blades were already coming down upon Momo and Izuru, who were only barely able to block the first strike.

The tiny dots that served as the being's eyes looked at the two for a moment before suddenly moving faster than the eye could keep up with. In the dark room, Karin could not keep track of what was happening, but she heard the sound of metal hitting metal many times in quick succession. The two Vice-Captains were quickly overpowered. Less than a minute after it began, Momo let out a cry and fell to the ground, a deep wound on her side. Moments later, with no one to help him deflect the creature's blows, Izuru also fell, taking a vertical slash as his zanpakuto was busy blocking the beast's other sword. Momo weakly tried to get up, but the monstrous creature grabbed her zanpakuto with it its clawed foot and speared her through the ankle with it.

Its enemies thoroughly defeated, the creature turned its attention towards Karin…

Momo gasped as her eyes flew open. Her heart was beating quickly as she glanced around frantically. She wasn't in the bunker anymore; she was in a bed, surrounded on three sides by curtains. She had bandages over her stomach and lower leg, and she was wearing a light white robe. She saw people walking past, and tried to call out to them, but all she could manage was a weak moan. One of them immediately turned to approach her. As he got closer, she immediately recognized the young male Shinigami as a Fourth Division healer.

"Vice-Captain Hinamori, are you feeling well? Have you just woken up? Is there anything you need?" he asked quickly.

"Where… where am I?" Momo asked wearily, her body feeling heavy.

"You're in the Fourth Division general healing center. There are so many injuries we couldn't put you in your own hospital room, but we set up these curtains around you for privacy," the boy said.

"You're… Hanataro Yamada, right?" Momo asked, her blurry mind recognizing the boy from her past time in the Fourth Division medical center.

"Y-yes, I am! I'm honored that a Vice-Captain would recognize-"

"Let me speak to Captain Unohana," Momo interrupted him. Even with her mind blurry, she knew she had to alert the Captains about what had happened. She didn't know what had occurred after she passed out, but it couldn't be good.

"I'm sorry, but the Captains and Vice-Captains are at a meeting right now. You'll have to wait until- Hey, what are you doing?" Hanataro said in panic as Momo began sitting up and moving as if to get out of bed.

"Have to get to the meeting…" Momo mumbled semi-coherently. She winced, feeling sharp pain in her stomach where she had been cut by her enemies blade, and an even worse pain in her ankle.

"Vice-Captain, you still need to heal! Your wounds aren't life-threatening, but if you push yourself too hard, complications could emerge!" Hanataro said quickly, trying to get her to lay back down, "Vice-Captains Kira and Iba aren't attending due to injuries either, they already know of your situation. You don't have to go!"

"No! I do have to go!" Momo said sharply. As she moved, she became more and more alert. As she regained lucidity, the full implications of what had happened struck her. Both she and Izuru were defeated, which meant that… thing had taken Karin. Dread overcame her at the thought. Was she even alive? Was that creature aiming to kill or capture her? Even if kidnapping was its objective, the fact that she was in a brutal enemy's clutches was of little comfort. She thought of Ichigo and Rangiku. How would they forgive her for losing Karin? She had to get to the meeting so that she could tell the Captains what she knew. Hopefully they would somehow find a way to save Karin.

As she set her feet on the ground and tried to stand, she immediately wobbled, lack of coordination and the wound on her ankle making her unable to stand. Hanataro was somehow able to catch and steady her.

"You're not well enough to go anywhere. Your wounds aside, we've already given you painkillers that have dulled your senses. It's not safe for you to go anywhere right now!" he pleaded.

"Then I order you to help me get there," Momo said, determined to get to the meeting, "Start by getting my robes and badge. I know they keep clothes nearby their owners. Go get them for me so I can go! Quickly!"

"I… I can't… You- you're supposed to be…" Hanataro stuttered as Momo gave him a firm, determined glare that clearly left no room for debate. "Y-Yes Ma'am…" he finally said, running over to fetch her robes. When he came back, he squeaked in surprise as he saw Momo beginning to remove the light robe she currently wore. He quickly threw her robes on the end of the bed and got out, closing a fourth curtain around her for privacy.

"I can't put these on by myself, come in and give me a hand," Momo called, barely managing to shake off her hospital robes thanks to her injuries.

"But… But I'm a… You're not wearing any… Let me find a female healer to-"

"There's no time!" Momo yelled. Every moment that they waited, the danger for Karin increased. She could deal with the pain from her wounds for Karin's sake, so she could certainly deal with being seen without clothes by Hanataro if it meant getting to the meeting faster. Privacy was not a concern for her at this point.

After a moment of hesitation, Hanataro came into the room, his gaze averted and his face bright red. He clumsily helped Momo put her robes on, though it was still much more efficient than if she tried to do it herself. Tying her Vice-Captain's badge to her shoulder, she shakily stood, ignoring the pain.

"Now come on, we need to get to the meeting as quickly as possible!" Momo said, praying that Karin was alright.

Karin awoke in a dark and damp stone room. Her body was numb from a drug they had injected her with after being captured. She tried to remember how she had gotten here, but everything that happened after being drugged was a blur to her. She shiverred, not just from cold, but from fear. She was in the hands of the enemy, completely at their mercy. What did they plan to do with her? Was it an attempt by somebody to use her against Ichigo? She knew that he had made some enemies, and at the very least would be a strategic target, but if they had the force to invade Seireitei, couldn't they have gotten to him without using her as a hostage? Perhaps Ichigo had nothing to do with this. But if that was the case, what did they want with her? What use could she possibly be to them?

Karin shivered again, though this time it really was from cold. She could barely see anything, but knew that she was in a stone enclosure, probably underground, judging by all of the moisture. She felt around, and came across a set of heavy iron bars. Her heart fluttered; this might be an opportunity. She stepped back a few feet, facing in the direction that she felt the bars from.

"Hado 33, Sokatsui!" she whispered. Nothing happened. It was then that Karin realized that there was a thin collar around her neck. She felt it, and recalled being told of items used to seal an individual's reiatsu. She growled to herself. There was no way she'd be able to escape this place.

The more she thought about it, the more hopeless it seemed. Even if she were somehow able to escape this cell, she'd never be able to fight her way past the enemies, and if she were able to sneak by, then what? She had no idea where she was, nor did she have any clue how to get back to Seireitei. She didn't even know if she was still in Soul Society. In frustration, she kicked the iron bars enclosing her. This was a mistake, as the bars were very heavy, Karin had a very strong kick, and her feet were uncovered.

Karin gave a yelp of pain, falling to the ground clutching her foot. The sharp pain made a few tears come to her eyes, which she promptly wiped away. The wet feeling of tears on her face made Karin's composure and attempts at rationality slip, however. More tears began to come soon after, and she hastily wiped them away, only for more to take their place as the gravity of her situation hit her with full force. She was alone now. She might never see her brother or friends again. She tried to stop the tears, but it was no use. She hated crying, it made her feel so weak and helpless. Of course, "weak and helpless" described her situation perfectly. She was alone in the enemy's captivity, unsure of what would happen to her. The faces of Ichigo, Yuzu, her father, Momo, Toushiro, and Rangiku flashed through her mind, and the fact that she might not see any of them again made it even more difficult to stop crying. She told herself to stop, to get a hold of herself, but it was no use. She cried until she was too tired to continue, at which point she collapsed onto the floor, stress making her feel pinned down and unable to move.

"What do you mean you won't send out search parties?" Ichigo yelled in anger.

"Our losses are too heavy to risk it," Yamamoto said from his large chair in the First Division meeting hall, "We cannot put more Shinigami in danger at this time."

"But we need to act fast!" Ichigo said urgently, "We need to get to Karin before something happens to her!"

"Are you suggesting we risk the lives of more Shinigami for the sake of a single individual? Put your personal feelings aside for a moment. Before we even consider the possibility of a rescue, we need to reorganize our forces and prepare ourselves for the possibility of another attack."

"But they were targeting her specifically! That means they have something planned for her. You can't ignore the fact that she clearly has a lot of value to them, and if we let them keep her it could make the situation worse for us," Ichigo said, glancing around at the assembled Captains and Vice-Captains to see if his rather shaky logic had convinced anyone.

"We… need to know more about them," Ukitake said, "We don't know where your sister has been taken, or what their motives for taking her are. If they were targeting Karin Kurosaki, the fact that she was kidnapped instead of killed means that she is likely still alive. We still have time to make a decision, and we should use it well rather than rushing into a dangerous situation."

"Before we even go that far, we must determine the enemy's identity," Komamura said, "We have no clue who they are or where they came from, so how can we confront them."

At this, Ukitake, Unohana, and Kyroraku shared a knowing glance, while Yamamoto looked down for a moment before giving a heavy sigh.

"Actually, we do know who they are. What's more, I know exactly where they are operating from," Yamamoto said.

"What? You knew? Why didn't you say something?" Ichigo yelled.

"Calm yourself!" Yamamoto roughly barked, his voice rising, "I did not tell you at the outset of this meeting because I knew you would react this way. Yes, it's true, I do know their identity and where they are. That was why I was absent during the attack. I assure you that I would not have left had the information I was confirming not been of the greatest value."

"So who exactly is it that we are up against?" Hisagi asked. Yamamoto sighed.

"None of you will know of this event. It happened a very long time ago, and is something of a tabboo subject among Soul Society historians," he said, "When I heard about the earlier encounters with this new enemy, I began to become suspicious, and the information I have now uncovered has confirmed those suspicions. There is no doubt that the organization we are dealing with is the actual 'Fourth Rising.'"

"What exactly is the 'Fourth Rising'?" Byakuya asked, his calm voice betraying a bit of curiosity, "The Kuchiki family has recorded major events as long as it has existed, and there is nothing about a 'Fourth Rising' or anything like it in the records I've read."

"That is not surprising. The events that would grant you knowledge of this group occurred long before the Kuchiki family existed. Its roots began even before I became Captain-Commander," Yamamoto said, "It was a dark time in our history, and I had hoped to not have to bring it up, but now that we know with certainty who it is we're up against, I will have to tell you…"

Karin did not know how long she had stayed still on the ground, staring blankly into the darkness. It felt like hours, but could have been days for all she knew. The lack of daylight made it impossible to know with certainty. She had tried to think of a way she could get out of here, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't come up with no way of escape. The situation truly seemed hopeless.

A situation is never completely hopeless, a voice said in her head. Karin immediately sat up, quickly glancing around.

"Denryu? Is that you?" she whispered.

Yes, the voice of her Zanpakuto said.

"But they took you away while I was unconscious! Where are you?"

I do not know. Though we were separated, do not forget that I am a part of your soul. We can nevery be completely cut off from each other. That said, I will be unable to communicate with you for long. It takes considerable strain to make contact with you from such a distance.

"Denryu, what should I do? There's no way out of here, and I don't even know where 'here' is!" Karin said in distress.

Calm yourself. Remember what you have learned in your training. They have sealed your reiatsu, but you can still practice your meditative techniques. Even while trapped, you can still hone your skills. I sense that you will need them soon.

"What do you mean?" Karin asked. Denryu paused a moment before speaking again.

Somebody is coming. Do not attack right away. Wait for the right moment. Until that time comes, do not cooperate with them, and more importantly, do not give up hope…

"Denryu, wait!" Karin said, but she received no reply. Once again, she was alone.

That would not last long however. True to Denryu's prediction, she soon heard the footsteps of someone approaching. She tensed up as dim green lights appeared just outside of her cell, giving her the first real look at the area she was trapped in. She did not have long to dwell on this however, as a soft, high pitched giggle began echoing through the underground chamber.

"So, what do you think of your accomodations?" a voice asked mockingly. Moments later, a blond haired man appeared, wearing a long jacket that went down to his ankles and dark glasses despite the dim lighting. Two of the short, troll-like beings stood just behind him.

"You're… Usagi Uzaki," Karin said, recognizing the man. Usagi laughed and clapped his hands together.

"Very good! You remembered me! How nice. I just came to check if you regained consciousness. Now that you have, I suppose we can begin…"

"Why did you take me here?" Karin asked. Usagi gave a sharp laugh, causing Karin to flinch.

"I'm afraid that I can't tell you that. In due time, you will learn your importance. Suffice to say, you are vital to my research. We'll be working with each other quite a bit from now on, so go ahead and make yourself comfortable for the time being. After all, the things I have planned for you are decidedly not comfortable."

Usagi let out a shriek of laughter again, causing Karin to back away from him until she was pressed up against the stone wall.