For once, I didn't wake to the sound of someone banging on my trapdoor. Peeking out from it, I saw nobody in the room. Shrugging, I climbed up the rest of the ladder and made my way to the kitchen. There, I poured myself a cup of tea and sat down at the kitchen table. It reminded me of the quiet mornings I had back home. Back when I was still alive.
"If that car hadn't been there… If I hadn't been there… I would never have been in this mess." I mumbled, looking out to the grey sands of Hueco Mundo "I don't even know how I got here. Is this where all souls go? All I've seen here are Hollows and Arrancars. Well… Except for the girl. And me."
The girl. That was the reason those intruders were here, wasn't it? If I led them to her, they might take me with them!
"But if they don't… I'll be a traitor. And still here. Neither of those are good options."
What did I have to lose? It was stay here and die in slavery, or risk death to live again!
"I don't even know these Soul Reapers. Will they even listen to me?"
I wouldn't know if I didn't try.
"But… What would Mistress Harribel think? And Apacci? Sung-Sun? Mila Rose?" I said to myself "And Menoly?"
'They're all Arrancars! Your captors! Do you really think that they'll miss you? How foolish.' I thought 'They have another human with them! They're saving a human! These are the good guys! You've been held captive by the bad guys all along! It's now or never!'
Standing up from the table, I ran back to the trapdoor and kicked open the hatch. Inside my room, I stuffed my normal clothes into a bag as well as a few of my spare uniforms and threw it over my back. Picking up my Hierro Yaburu, I climbed up the ladder once more to find myself face to face with the person I least wanted to see.
"Where do you think you're going?" said the pink haired man
"How did you…" I started before he kicked me in the forehead, sending me tumbling down the ladder
"Idiot! Didn't I say that I'd know everything?" he mocked "I think you need a time out."
As he snapped his fingers, I could feel the fibres of my clothes tighten as they moved and shifted, dragging my arms behind my back. My pants constricted around my legs, forcing me to fall to the ground, immobilised
"What the hell?! What is this?!" I shouted
"A small precaution. A scientist should always have a failsafe. Those threads will keep you in check as long as I breathe, so don't bother attempting escape. I never thought I'd have to discipline another's pet, but I think this is necessary." He gloated "I will be back for you after I dispose of the intruders. Don't go anywhere!"
I cursed as I thought madly for a way out of this. Straining against my confinement, it all seemed hopeless. All I could do was lay there on the hard ground and wait.
*v*v*v*
*v*v*v*
Hours passed, and I was beginning to feel tired. I hadn't even managed to move an inch, let alone free myself. Just when I felt all hope lost, my arms fell limply to my sides!
"What the..?"
Sitting up, I flexed my arm. I was back in control all right.
"Now it's time to GTFO of here." I said, leaping up the ladder. Smashing the trapdoor open, I slammed open the door and Sonidoed down one of the corridors. I heard the distant sounds of combat as I ran for one of the exits.
*v*v*v*
*v*v*v*
Damn this place! It's so huge, I couldn't even find the exit! I ran out into the centre of Las Noches, a huge empty space covered in sand and basked in light. There, I found the steadily withering corpse of Szayelaporro Granz.
"Shit. These intruders must be strong." I said, nudging the dead Espada's head with my foot "I guess I should thank them. At least I'm not trapped in my own clothing."
Without warning, the sound of a massive explosion of sand filled the air! I whirled around to see the geyser of sand thrown up into the air.
"What the hell?!" I shouted. I noticed someone shift the sands behind me, and as I turned again, I saw three people in skull masks, swords drawn. The strange thing was, that their clothing, their masks, even their swords, they were all exactly the same!
"You will not escape. Return to your cell or die here." They spoke in unison
"No way. I'm going home." I said, taking my spear off my back.
"You have chosen your fate." They said, lunging into the attack.
I blocked the third one's sword while the first tried to sneak around behind me. Ducking a swipe by the third, I swept the legs out from under the first while the second retreated to a safe distance. The third aimed a slice at me, but I threw the first into his sword's path, slicing him in two. Even though he was cut neatly in two, he didn't bleed. He just sort of, vanished. The third attacked at me again as the second charged his bright red Cero. Punching him in his masked face, I threw him at the second with a yell, who had fired his Cero. As the smoke cleared, the second was still standing. Propping my spear up, I threw it hard, the spear tearing through the mask of the Arrancar.
Retrieving my spear from the sand, I looked around for a way back home.
*v*v*v*
*v*v*v*
I thought I had finally found what I was looking for. A huge black tear in the sky, supported by two tesla coil like structures, was hanging in the air.
"I wonder where this leads." I thought aloud.
As I was about to enter the giant tear in the sky, I heard something thud into the sand behind me.
"That's as far as you go."
I turned around and saw a man with black hair and glasses, battered, bruised and bloody, dressed completely in white ready some kind of blue energy bow.
"Who are you supposed to be?" I asked, taking out my spear "The Ninth? Second?"
"What are you babbling about?" the man said menacingly "I'm a Quincy. Not an Espada."
"A Quincy." I echoed, realization hitting me like a ton of bricks "You're one of the intruders!"
"Yes." He said "Are you with the Espada?"
"I'm escaping." I said, putting away my weapon "What about you?"
"I'm looking for someone."
I thought for a while "You wouldn't happen to be Ichigo, would you?"
"No." He said, a red tick mark appearing on his forehead as his scowl deepened slightly "My name is Uryu Ishida. Ichigo has gone back to the World of the Living."
"Uryu…" said a small voice from behind him "Is that…"
"Orihime?" I asked.
"How do you know Orihime?" he demanded, pulling the bow string a fraction tighter
"I cleaned out her cell. I never touched her." I said, putting my hands up defensively
"Good." The Quincy said, slackening his bow and dispelling it "So who are you? What are you doing here?
"My name is Sirvi… Sivir. I'm a human."
"What are you doing in Las Noches? And if you're human, why are you emitting such a strong hollow energy?"
"Look, it's a long story. I promise to explain everything once we're back in the World of the Living."
"We're not going anywhere with you." Uryu said, drawing his strange bow once again
"Uryu, stop! I know him! He's human!" Orihime shouted, putting her hands over Uryu's wrist
"Orihime… Are you sure?" he asked. As she nodded, Uryu reluctantly put his bow away again. "Well we should wait anyway. At least until the battle clears up."
"What battle?" I asked
*v*v*v*
*v*v*v*
Uryu had filled me in on the story. About the Soul Reapers, his meeting with Ichigo, Aizen's betrayal and Orihime's kidnapping. He then spoke of Karakura Town being wiped off the face of the earth.
"Shit." I said quietly
"Yeah." Uryu nodded. "But with the condition I'm in and your lack of power, we're better off just staying here until it all blows over."
"But when will be then?" I asked
A smaller black tear opened in the sky without warning. And out of it poked the head of a blonde man in a stripy green bucket hat.
"Mr Urahara!" Uryu said
"Ah, there you two are." He said, glancing over in my direction "Make that three."
"Is the battle over?"
"Wait, what about Chad and the others?" Orihime asked, a panicked tone creeping into her voice "We still haven't found them!"
"They're all fine Orihime. Don't worry." The man in green said "Though I am wondering who your new friend is. His Reshi feels like a hollow's, but I can sense that he's human."
"He's promised to explain when we're back in the World of the Living." Uryu explained
"My name is Sivir." I said
"Really?" he said scratching his chin "Well boys and girls, I think it's time we go home."