AizenxIchigo : 40 votes
GrimmjowxIchigo: 44 votes
Author's Note: Hey, Did I mention before? If not, Thank You to everyone who voted and Reviewed… (My inbox was flooded . - Happy -) And Grimmjow won the voting … by a surprising four votes by the end of the second day… so I stopped it before it could tie again… Doesn't mean you should stop reviewing though!!! Even an "I like it" is good!
Current Setting: Las Noches Espada Meeting Room Six days after the rescue mission
The moment Ichigo stepped into the meeting room, he knew something was wrong. For one, Nel was standing behind Aizen's chair in her adult form. She was wearing a clean green robe and was bowing her head. A young female Arrancar that Ichigo briefly remembered as one of Aizen's personal servants was slightly behind her. Of the other Espada, only Halibel was there.
"A word with you, Kurosaki-kun; if you please. Loli, please prepare tea for everyone else when they arrive. I will be shortly." Aizen didn't ask for a confirmation. He was up out of his chair and walking away before Ichigo had even registered the words.
"Eh…" There really wasn't anything to say. Ichigo practically had to run after the man as he disappeared into the shadows. He missed Grimmjow's glare at the brown haired man and Uliquorra's quick glances at all three of them.
Ichigo followed Aizen into the shadows and flinched as the man turned and slowly slid an inch of his Zanpactou out of its sheath. "Yeah?"
"I would like to make you an offer. You seem to be adjusting to Hueco Mundo nicely. I would like to attempt making you an Arrancar." Ichigo's face twisted angrily. Aizen continued. "Now, before you decline so rudely I would like you to hear the terms. First, the transformation might not succeed. Either it will work and both you and the Hougyoku will be fine, or it will not and both of you will…" A slight pause. " … Not be fine. Assuming such a feat was accomplished successfully, I will allow Neliel Tu Oderschvank to stay in Las Noches peacefully as your Fraccion. Keep in mind that, if you do return to Soul Society, you will still remain a Vaizard and, as such, a possible enemy of Soul Society. At that point, my offer will no longer exist."
Aizen paused to allow Ichigo to think. On one side, he had Nel and (though he was loath to admit) Grimmjow and Uliquorra. He could stay as an Arrancar, or go back to his friends in the real world and soul society. But soul society hated Vaizards and despite not wanting to believe such, he feared what would happen if they knew. And of course there was always that small chance that the Hougyoku would not succeed in making him into an Arrancar and destroy itself. That was the most tempting of all.
"You are a guest and prisoner here as of now." Aizen's voice brought him out of his revere. "It will not be possible for you to return unless you wish to risk the lives of your Nakama." Ichigo flinched again. He'd forgotten that part of the deal. Suddenly, turning into an Arrancar didn't seem all that bad of a choice. At least he had a small chance of destroying the Hougyoku… "You have until the end of the Espada meeting. I will expect your answer then."
Aizen slipped his zanpactou back in its sheath fully and stepped out of the shadows, heading back to the Espada meeting. Ichigo remained there, mind reeling. His mind tried to convince him to say no, but there were so many benefits. So many things he could do as an Arrancar that might possibly win the war. He could destroy some of the Espada with his power increase. He could, He could…
And before the boy knew, he had been caught by the net of webs that had been slowly forming and closing in on him since the first day he'd arrived...
Soul Society, 1 day after the end of the rescue mission
To say that Renji and Rukia were nervous was an absolute understatement. They'd spent the previous day healing and in prison, carefully kept apart from each other and any people that might've helped them. Now they were finally standing in trial.
"Enter." The double doors to the captain's meeting hall opened. The two walked in, escorted by Nemu and Sasakibe, carefully chosen to show no bias.
"You, Kuchiki Rukia and Fukutaichou Abarai Renji are hearby charged with insubordination and the conscious disobeying of an order. What have you to say for yourself?" Renji stepped forward.
"We did so to save our Nakama…" The thundering of Captain Yamamoto's cane stopped him.
"Inoue Orihime was branded a traitor. You disobeyed rules to rescue a traitor?" This time it was Rukia's turn to step up.
"We were attempting to rescue our friend who has been unjustly branded a traitor when she herself was a prisoner." A few of the vice captains nodded thoughtfully. The captains showed no emotion.
"Enough. Is this the story you will go with?" The question was met with two nods. "Fine, you are both hereby banished from visiting the real world for the span of one year." Loud gasps of surprise and disapproval was heard. Renji looked ready to argue but Rukia bowed her head sadly.
"I ask that the sentence start after we have rescued Kurosaki Ichigo from Hueco Mundo."
"Denied." Rukia's head shot up.
"But…"
"Kurosaki Ichigo willingly stayed in Hueco Mundo, did he not?" Rukia nodded, abet unwillingly.
"Actually Sou-Taichou," This time, Hitsugaya Toushiro stepped forward. "From what I've heard, there was a deal involved in all this. A deal in which we received our side yet we have not consciously paid in return."
"The price for the deal was most likely Kurosaki Ichigo himself." Kuchiki Byakuya spoke monotonously. The hall erupted in protests and shouts of disbelief. By that time, all of the vice captains and captains knew what had happened. They had simply waited for the meeting to discuss it.
"Silence!" The cane pounded the ground and order was quickly restored. Rukia had turned pale and was swaying on her feet. She'd traded one of her best friends away. Just like that…
"We do not have the personnel necessary to rescue one shinigami from Las Noches."
"Eh? And somehow Ichigo had the personnel necessary to rescue one shinigami from Soul Society… Four people and a cat. No, one shinigami, two humans, a quincy, and a cat." That was Zaraki's voice, oddly controlled in this climate. "Somehow he had enough personnel to destroy three Privaron, defeat one Espada, and injure two others. Somehow huh?" He paused for everyone to take it in, the similarities in their words not escaping them.
"You support such a mission then? You, who are still injured?" Zaraki growled in response.
"The kid owes me a rematch. I won't let him die until then."
"Then, by your standards, I must go as well?" Byakuya's voice drifted lightly over the group, unhurried.
"Yamamoto Sou-Taichou!" Everyone's attention shifted to the large television like thing on the wall that has just cleared. Matsumoto's face stared at him. "There's something you must know!" Beside her was the smaller figure of one Inoue Orihime.
"Ano… I'd like to explain everything…" Inoue began, and promptly described all that had occurred from after Ukitake had sent her to the real world till when she'd gotten home.
"… And so we all tried to dodge the ceros and, and… Oh please save Kurosaki-kun!" The tears which she'd been holding back burst forth in a torrent. Matsumoto placed one hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
"And so she is not a traitor…" Unohana's soft voice drifted out. "… Simply a girl who has gone through too much in too little time."
"Do the majority of captains wish to send a rescue team for substitute shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo?" The Sou-Taichou's voice rang out, weary. The answer was almost unanimous.
"Actually, Kurosaki Ichigo is a Vaizard… Just thought you'd like to know..." Heads whirled to the person who spoke. Ishida's face was in the center of the transmitter, angry. "…And your thoughts? Will you stop the rescue for him because he is one? Think. If Aizen has the Hougyoku, what can he do? If you don't help him, Aizen has the potential to turn him against everyone does he not?!" Ishida's voice became angrier. "All of you know he is strong. He has the potential to become stronger. Are you going to hand him over to the other side?"
"That's enough! The rescue mission will be in five days." Yamamoto Sou-Taichou slammed his cane down on the ground to face the protests. "That should be ample time for everyone to heal." He now turned to look at Ishida. "Quincy, soul society will provide seven shinigami for this venture. Out of the seven, three will be captains, three will be vice captains, and at least three will have proficient healing abilities. DO YOU AGREE?" Ishida nodded. It would be quite the group with him and Chad.
"Fine, in five days, Zaraki Kenpachi, Kusajishi Yachiru…" The man stepped forward, grinning broadly, with his vice captain on his shoulder. "… Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Kurotsuchi Nemu…" The pair stepped forward. "… Abarai Renji, Kuchiki Rukia, Kuchiki Byakuya." The former two looked at each other happily. The latter simply stepped forward.
"In five days, the mission will begin. Good Luck to all of you."
Las Noches Espada Meeting Room
The talk at the table slowly began winding down. Ichigo stepped out from the shadows during a pause.
"You have made your choice then?" Heads turned toward Ichigo as Aizen spoke to him. Grimmjow practically twisted his torso 180 degrees to look behind his chair.
"Y-yeah." Ichigo's throat was suddenly dry. He cleared it and began again. "Yeah, I'll become an Arrancar." Murmurings spread throughout the room.
In the six days he'd been there, he'd met most of the Espada already. He'd gotten on Halibel and Stark's good side simply by not ogling at the former and handing the latter a pillow when they were going to sleep on the floor. Yami respected him because he was stronger and Szayel did the same. Uliquorra and Grimmjow, he spent time with daily. He, however, hadn't met the old Espada or Tousen(1) at all. Gin, he'd avoided, and Noitora… There definitely was no lost love between them.
"Excellent. Why don't we perform the ceremony now…" Aizen stated. Eyes were glued one the passage of one green pole rising from the ground. It twisted into smaller pieces, revealing the Hougyoku, glittering softly.
Aizen stood from his seat and approached Ichigo. The Espada trailed after with varying expressions of disgust, surprise, anger, and nothing.
"Kneel and place your hands behind your back." Ichigo hesitated, but did so, feeling very vulnerable. Without warning, Aizen's hand closed over the Hougyoku and plunged in his chest. Ichigo's eyes grew wide and his mouth opened in a silent scream.
The room shoke as his body trembled. Aizen withdrew his hand, still clean, and stepped back with the other Espada. Ichigo's form continued to tremble and he screamed wordlessly. His hollow mask formed. Then the arms, torso, legs, and tail all formed. He continued screaming and the room trembled with his shaking. The shaking grew to jerks and then to convulsing movements. His hollow hide began to crack in various places. Grimmjow unconsciously took a step forward and, to his surprise, Uliquorra's face seemed to tighten slightly; not too much, but it was emotion enough.
Just as abruptly as it began, the boy fell, hollow hide cracking and falling like some sort of morbid eggshell. Ichigo pitched forward panting yet, surprisingly, still conscious. His elbows hit the ground first and he rolled to clutch his chest weakly. A bloody stain spread across this chest in a wide circle. The Espada waited.
Ichigo raised his orange topped head, slowly looking at the others with dull brown eyes. He had three red tattoo-like slashes on his forehead that resembled the slashes on his mask. There were no bone fragments on his face that they could see. Ichigo undid the zipper on his coat and his vest shakily. A torrent of black and red spilled out onto the floor and the new small hole in his chest was clear for the first time.
Ichigo didn't know what to think. He had a hole in his chest. A fricken' hole in his chest!!! That meant he was a hollow! It'd worked! Ichigo reached one hand to his face, fearing the worst; no mask.
"Welcome to our ranks, Kurosaki Ichigo." The newly "holed" Arrancar stood shakily. "You will be Espada Cero for the time being. Grimmjow, Neliel. Escort our new Espada to his rooms please. Everyone else, dismissed." The room cleared. Szayel bent down onto the floor, as if examining the blood that tricked out of Ichigo's hole; then he too left.
The double doors slammed shut omniously, leaving Aizen and the other two traitor shinigami. Aizen was smiling broadly.
Author's Note: Aaannnd Whew! It's a short Chappie but… hey… I tried. The next one… I have most of it planned out… now to see if it'll actually go into words…
(1) Can you believe it? I forgot about the guy! ... oops… Sorry…