"Bound By Destiny"
Chapter 4- "Council of War"
By- Tiny
Aizen watched with a mixture of wonder and surprise as Ulquiorra replayed the events that had transpired in the human world, right down to his and Yammy's retreat back to their own world. The room was amazed with the power of the shinigami and the mysterious Hakudo user that had attacked Yammy, made even more stunned by the sudden appearance of Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi. Yammy was one of Aizen's most powerful Arrancar and yet they had just watched him get tossed around between the two fighters like a rag doll, something that did not bode well.
Gin seemed amused as ever, watching the events play out before him with his ever present smirk in place as he stroked his chin, his red eyes actually partially visible whenever something of particular interest caught his gaze. Tosen merely stood and 'watched' what was taking place with no real interest, as he couldn't really see what was happening and relied on Gin to inform him. After what seemed like an eternity, the information ceased and Ulquiorra reopened his left eye, standing back at ease while his fellows digested what they had just witnessed.
"Your mission was to test the abilities of this Kurosaki Ichigo and, if he failed to impress you, to kill him," a younger looking, blue-haired Arrancar spoke up, "You failed to even come into contact with Kurosaki, and nearly got Yammy killed in the process! Your mission was a total disaster!"
"I must agree with Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, you did not fulfill your mission's parameters," Aizen mused, stroking his own hair, "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"I have no excuses, Aizen-sama," the pale Arrancar answered, "Yammy and I were given a mission and we failed to execute it properly. We will therefore take any punishment you deem deserving of such failure."
"I say he should be killed, his head lobbed off and put on a stake!" a shark-like Arrancar cackled, "Then maybe we could extract his power for our own use!"
"You'd enjoy that too much, D-Roy, and it's too easy," Grimmjow chuckled, rubbing his eyes, "I think that he should be stripped of his rank; sent to stay in Tres Cifras with others like him."
"There will be no punishment," Aizen interjected, rising from his throne, "Ulquiorra and Yammy, while they did not complete their mission, have gathered sufficient data on our foes."
The room grew silent at Aizen's words, the weaker Arrancar visibly stunned at their leader's words and some of the stronger one's as well, with Grimmjow being the most shocked. The blue-haired creature was at a loss for words, his teeth grinding against one another in frustration, his hand fingering the hilt of his sword as though ready to leap and strike the others himself. The rest of the seemingly higher ranking Arrancar remained still and emotionless, not daring to speak out in revolt for fear of Aizen or one of the other two ex-shinigami striking them down.
"For now, we will wait for another opportunity to present itself in assessing Kurosaki's talents, led this time by Kaname or Gin," Aizen spoke, rising from his throne and stepping off the podium, "You are all dismissed."
"But Aizen-sama..."
"I said you're dismissed!" Aizen snapped, his spiritual pressure smothering the room, "Do not question me again, Grimmjow...or there'll be hell to pay."
Grimmjow did not speak again while Aizen or any of his direct subordinates were in the room, waiting until they were out of the room before firing a cero right through the entrance of the room. The blue-haired Arrancar was pissed, furious that his 'father' had once again let Ulquiorra slide with another failure without punishing him, once again showing that god damned favoritism of his. It was all the young Arrancar could do right now not to rush out there and challenge Ulquiorra to a fight, proving both to Aizen and himself who was right.
"No, no need to beat up on Ulquiorra, not when Kurosaki is out there waiting," Grimmjow mused, twirling his sword, "But first, to find some help..."
Ichigo woke up flat on his back and wrapped with bandages all around, Ganju lying across the room in slightly better shape but still asleep, a small trickle of drool sliding down the side of his face. It was slightly amusing to see, but knowing what had put them in this condition wasn't funny, in fact it was downright depressing that both Ganju and himself had been beaten down by an old man. To make matters worse and even more insulting to both their skills, Isshin had taken them both out without ever having to release his zanpakuto.
"Oh, your awake now," a soft, feminine voice spoke, "I was so worried when Isshin-san brought you here, Ichigo."
Ichigo rose his body slightly to peek over towards the source of the voice, his brown eyes a little wide when he saw Orihime leaning over him, her auburn hair hanging down over her smiling face. The scent of fresh roses rose up from around her and caused Ichigo to feel slightly more relaxed, though a bit embarrassed about the fact that her cleavage was right in his face. While this wouldn't bother most men, especially not the perverts that Ichigo knew, it made Ichigo rather uncomfortable, as they had known each other since they were kids and he found it unnerving.
Scurrying to a more comfortable position as quickly as possible before he got accused of being a pervert, Ichigo already feeling a tightened sensation somewhere he wasn't used to. Orihime didn't seem to notice, innocent minded as she was, but simply continued to smile as Ichigo cringed with pain, failing to realize just how injured he really was. Ganju was also starting to fidget around a bit, though he wasn't in quite as much pain as Ichigo was and thus managed to get up on his feet and stretch a bit before looking around the room.
"Where the hell are we?" Ganju moaned, rubbing his neck, "This definitely isn't your house, Ichigo."
"This is a room in Urahara's shop, probably just behind the store displays," Ichigo grumbled, "I recognize it from when I was last here, but what are we doing here instead of at the clinic? And why are you here, Orihime?"
"I'm not sure, after the stuff that went on yesterday Urahara-san called us all here to discuss the future," Orihime shrugged, "Even Tatsuki came, so this must be something big going down."
"Indeed it is, Inoue-san, but don't spill too many secrets," Kisuke chimed in, walking into the room suddenly, "Now that these two are awake, meet us in the dining area, we have much to discuss."
Ichigo looked like he wanted to begin the questioning right away, but didn't get a chance to do so as Kisuke strolled over into the dining hall, leaving the orange-haired shinigami to stew. Orihime didn't say anything and merely helped Ichigo to his feet as Ganju walked over into the next room, the warmth of her touch both comforting and uncomfortable for her friend. Still, Ichigo knew he didn't have the strength yet to walk over to the dining hall himself and let Orihime help him into the room, his eyes widening slightly as he entered.
He had expected Chad, Uryu, and Nemu to be there with himself, Orihime, and Ganju, but he had not expected to see Tatsuki sitting over next to Yoruichi and some black-haired kid with Kon's spiritual pressure. Kisuke was sitting at the head of the table with Tessai standing just behind him, a mysterious man with white hair to his right and Ichigo's father to his left. There was also an empty seat to Isshin's left, but that too was soon filled as the wacky spirit medium, Don Kanonji, took his own seat, dressed a bit darker and more plainly than usual.
Ichigo took his own seat between Orihime and Ganju, surveying the confused and somewhat frustrated looks on the faces of all the younger people at the table, save for Uryu and Chad. It wasn't that they knew what was going on either, but those two had a knack for staying collected in the most uneasy of situations, and this certainly qualified as there was a lingering sense of doom in the air. Kisuke, who was normally flamboyant and chatty, was being as silent as a lamb while the young folks gathered around his table, sipping on the tea he had prepared before finally clearing his throat.
"Thank you all for joining us here today, and believe me when I say I wish it could be under happier circumstances," Kisuke began, finally looking at the group, "My colleagues and I have brought you here to discuss the future, or rather what may happen if you aren't ready for what lies ahead."
"What are you talking about, old man?" Ganju spoke up, "What's going on that we need to be ready for?"
"Aizen is making his move, using the Orb of Distortion to create a new enemy which some of you have already faced: the Arrancar," Kisuke continued, both ignoring and answering Ganju at once, "These were once hollows, but by using the orb on them it has granted them shinigami-like powers, as well as increasing their natural strength by leaps and bounds! Up until recently they were all incomplete and deformed, but as you well know, things are different now."
"Different? Different how?" Ichigo asked, leaning forward in anticipation, "What're you talking about, old man?"
"He's referring to the two Arrancar that Nemu, Tatsuki, and Kon encountered in the park yesterday, two complete Arrancar," Isshin responded, keeping his voice unusually calm and even, "The one didn't seem that powerful in comparison, but his partner was able to deflect several of our best attacks with ease. We're dealing with something the likes of which we've never seen before."
"Isshin is correct, and to ready ourselves for the attacks that are sure to come in the future, the four of us are prepared to train you," Yoruichi spoke up, stroking a strand of her long hair, "We have already divided you up into groups, and each of us will take on at least two of you."
"Teams? For training?" Chad spoke up, stunning everyone, "Who's going to be training who?"
"Yoruichi already has two students, Kon and Tatsuki, who will also be apprenticing under Tessai here," Kisuke responded, "Ryuken has...reluctantly agreed to train both his son, Uryu, and Kanonji-san. I will be working with Orihime, Chad, and Ganju, as they lag behind the most and will need the most training. And finally, Ichigo and Nemu are going to be trained by Isshin-san, a slight detour from our original plan, but one we feel works out for the better."
"Why is Isshin training Nemu as well as Ichigo?" Uryu asked quietly, "I mean, I know Ichigo's his son, but why Nemu? They aren't even in the same class."
"Because unlike Ichigo, both Nemu and Isshin are able to control and focus their spiritual pressure, therefore making them more effective in combat," Kisuke responded somewhat frustrated, "Ichigo must learn to reign himself in, or he will be a sitting duck in the even of any future attacks."
"Oh..." Uryu gulped, putting her head down, "Sorry I asked..."
"Now, if there are no more questions, you may all return to your homes for the evening," Kisuke closed the briefing with, rising up and heading back into the shop, "Get your rest now, because tomorrow is when all hell breaks loose..."
High in the night sky, stretching out their senses as they waited for the meeting to disperse back at the shop, six shadowy figures lingered in the night sky, breathing a deep sigh of relief as the group split up into pairs. The six had been monitoring the meeting all night and were waiting for the massive gathering to end, so that their prey would be separate and, therefore, weaker. It would be much easier now to pick them off, one at a time and as slowly as they wished, though the leader had already claimed the shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, as his own.
The leader of the troop was none other than the same Arrancar that had defied Aizen during their meeting, his light blue hair swept back on his head as he chuckled maniacally to himself. The mice were running the maze, and now it was time for the cats to pounce and finish this resistance movement, proving to Aizen and his siblings that he was right all along. Ichigo would beg for death after Grimmjow was finished with him, though he would not recieve his reward right away, not until the Arrancar had ground ever last bit of strength from the pathetic shinigami's body.
"Spread out to whatever targets you choose, but stay away from Kurosaki and the girl, they belong to me," Grimmjow ordered his fellows, "MOVE OUT!"
Author's Notes: Another chapter down, sorry this one took so long to get out there but I've had some real bad writer's block lately. I won't be including previews for the next chapter anymore, so you'll just have to guess what comes next, though that may make things more interesting in the long run. Well, read and review until then folks!