I promised myself that if I got accepted to McGill University, I would put everything aside and work on this story. So you know what this means: I'M FUCKING GOING TO MCGILL!! BOOYAAH!!
Ahem. Pardon my excitement, McGill is like Canada's Harvard or MIT. It's top notch for Science and Engineering. I got accepted for Earth Sciences, but I'm still waiting on Chemical Engineering.
I really needed this, it's been a really hard semester. It was suicidal taking four science courses, especially both Cal III and Linear II. I've got to struggle just to pass :(. At least I'll be prepared for university.
Oh, yes, and I'm going to be at Anime North this May. Is anyone else going? If I find a really great Ulquiorra cosplay I'll take pictures and post them on Bleachness or something.
Things are moving fast, so please enjoy the chapter!
Exhausted, Orihime sat down on the curb of the street. They had searched the whole town from top to bottom, every square inch. Yasutora and Rukia were nowhere to be found. She looked to the East. Was it her imagination, or was light beginning to peak through the horizon?
"Orihime," Ulquiorra called, walking up to her from behind. She turned around to face him, and he sat down beside her. His body was as still and graceful as ever, but his eyes looked at her as if to ask, "Are you okay?"
"I'm so scared, Ulquiorra," Orihime admitted, looking away from the former Espada. "I couldn't do anything to protect Kuchiki-san or Sado-kun. I should have..."
Ulquiorra avoided Orihime's eyes. It was quiet for a long time. The streets around the two lay enveloped in darkness, only ghostly-yellow lights illuminating their misty paths. "When the sun rises," he said, "I will go with Kurosaki Ichigo to the Soul Society." Orihime gasped, eyes growing wide.
"You can't do that. They'll kill you," she breathed, fear consuming her.
Ulquiorra didn't look fazed. "They cannot defeat me." His tone was not confident; it was factual. He turned to gaze into Orihime's eyes. "But even if they could, I would go."
Orihime's breath caught in her throat. "But, why?" Ulquiorra looked away. His eyes closed just slightly, as if what he had to say weighed heavily on him.
"Because I understand Kurosaki's feelings," the Hollow murmured. He could deny it all he wanted, but it was true. Somewhere along his path, the line between Hollow and human had faded. Ulquiorra stood up. "There's something I need to show you."
Yasutora ran down the maze-like corridors of the Institute of Research and Development. He easily crushed the ants that came to sedate him. They fell to the floor wailing against his ox-like resistance to their anaesthetic.
It wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who knew him that Yasutora was as resilient as horse. The puny amount of anaesthetic that the distracted researchers bothered to apply to him was engulfed and overwhelmed by the man's raging metabolism. Factor in the carelessness of his keepers, and Yasutora was now a free man.
The pain had been excruciating. It still was. Yasutora obviously hadn't waited to be stitched back up before making his escape. His right arm was horribly mutilated, and he was bleeding profusely from the unclosed incisions in his gut. Yasutora knew he would die if he didn't escape this place quickly. His first priority was to find Rukia.
Yasutora kicked open another door. The room was filled with biologists working on computers. They turned with wide eyes to look at him, but he was gone before they could rise from their chairs. Yasutora kicked down another door. And then another. And another after that.
There was no sign of Rukia. Yasutora kept moving.
Having looked everywhere, and unable to sense Rukia's reiatsu, Yasutora threw himself through the nearest window, and rolled out onto the Twelfth Division's grounds. The night was heavy and quiet. Sweat gathered on his brow as he fought off the urge to fall back and lie down. He had to keep moving, or all would be lost.
A snap in the reiatsu field spurred Yasutora to jump into the nearby shrubbery. Suppressing his reiatsu to the best of his abilities, he concentrated upon the phenomenon he sensed occurring a kilometre or so away. The night sky rippled with hot smoke, glowing a sick orange. Yasutora closed his eyes and focused upon the faint reiatsu he sensed. His eyes flew wide open when he placed the unfamiliar reiatsu as Grimmjow's.
Yasutora immediately broke into a run, dashing at full speed to where he sensed Grimmjow's reiatsu. The chance that Rukia might have been kept near where Grimmjow was wasn't negligible.
"Stop, human." Yasutora froze in place. He threw his head back and tried to see past the darkness. From the shadows, Kurotsuchi Nemu appeared, hands folded neatly in front of her. Yasutora turned back slightly to face her.
"I do not wish to fight you," the man said, voice deep and reverberating in the night. "Please, let me go in peace."
Nemu's eyes glowed brilliantly in the darkness, but carried in them not a single feeling. "I am sorry, but I cannot allow that." She advanced towards Yasutora, hands reaching out. Yasutora's eyes filled with acceptance, then hardened in determination.
Yasutora ran. Nemu pursued.
After the Captain's meeting, Toushiro was the last to leave the hall. Rukia and Yasutora were missing. It couldn't just be a coincidence, right? Toushiro walked swiftly down the dark streets.
That was one thing Toushiro had learnt in his short time as Captain of the Tenth Division. There are no such things as coincidences. Things don't just happen; there is always a cause. Just like months earlier, when Aizen had pulled the wool over everyone's eyes, he needed to have conviction and, this time, he would trust no one.
In a few short minutes, Toushiro had caught up with Mayuri Kurotsuchi. The Captain stopped walking, but did not turn around. The air bristled with tension. Toushiro stared at the Captain's back in resolution, and a few moments later, Mayuri turned around to face the young Captain.
"Why, hello, Captain Hitsugaya," the clown-like Captain greeted in a distinctly unbalanced tone. "What may I do for you this fine evening?"
"Cut the shit, Kurotsuchi," Toushiro ground out. "You know what I'm here for." Mayuri tilted his misshapen head in questioning.
"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about, child," Mayuri assured. "I have not yet laid one finger on that broken little girl, Hinamori-fukutaicho." Toushiro's eyes widened.
"Don't you dare threaten Hinamori" he growled. "You will never touch her!"
Mayuri tilted his head again, a sadistic gleam in his eye. "Really, now?" Toushiro's lips curled into a menacing growl.
"I know what you're up to, Kurotsuchi," Toushiro stated, hand on the hilt of his sword. "I'm not going to let you keep getting away with this."
Mayuri's hand went casually to the sword he wore over his crotch. "Let's see what you've got, Hitsugaya."
Toushiro ripped his sword from its sheathe and lunged towards Mayuri at full speed. Mayuri smiled just slightly, then drew his zanpakutou at the last instant to block Toushiro's attack. "You're two centuries too young to be challenging me," Kurotsuchi taunted the instant their swords met, a deranged smile on his face. Toushiro growled in response, and fell back just to charge again. Mayuri blocked, still looking rather unconcerned. The haughty attitude infuriated the young Captain.
He lunged at him again, and was slashed in the leg by Mayuri's sword. Taking advantage of the opening, Toushiro slashed at Mayuri's head, but Mayuri ran back and threw his head and upper body backwards to dodge the swift blow. Toushiro jumped, and from the high ground hacked down at Mayuri. Captain Kurotsuchi fell onto his back and worked against gravity to blocked Hitsugaya's attack.
Mayuri grinned like a happy maniac and delivered a solid kick into Toushiro's side before he could get a good foothold on the ground. Toushiro went flying, and landed more or less gracefully despite a few broken ribs.
Captain Kurotsuchi slowly rose to his feet. "I was right," he said tauntingly, "a child like you has no place among Captains. You're hopelessly mediocre." Toushiro tightened his grip on his zanpakutou. He had to stay focused.
"You're the one who's holding Kuchiki Rukia and Sado Yasutora," Captain Hitsugaya accused. "You're also trying to recreate the destroyed Espada. What do you hope to gain from them?" Kurotsuchi smiled in a clearly unbalanced way.
"Why does any scientist hold live specimens?" Captain Kurotsuchi asked, arms opened wide, as if he had nothing to hide. "What purpose do living things have unless they can be studied and tested on? Tell me, Captain Hitsugaya, how do you seek to understand the Universe?"
Toushiro's eyes widened in horror at his fellow Captain's statements. "Would you experiment on your fellow shinigami?" Captain Hitsugaya asked, fury in his voice, "Or upon the humans it is your sacred duty to protect?" Captain Kurotsuchi just laughed.
"Shinigami, human, Hollow," Kurotsuchi stated, "all are the same. I hold no chauvinism." A sinister grin split Mayuri's face. "All are trivial creatures whose lives are meaningless compared to the pursuit of knowledge." Toushiro's shock rippled into unbridled disgust.
"Soar in the frozen sky," Captain Hitsugaya shouted, "Hyourinmaru!" The air around him overflowed with his tremendous reiatsu and the landscape froze solid in a flash. Mayuri jumped to avoid his feet being frozen to the ground, but his smug grin continued to exude confidence. "You'll regret what you've done, Kurotsuchi," Captain Hitsugaya promised, face pulled into a ferocious growl. The Ice Dragon under his control roared.
Toushiro again dashed towards his enemy. He whipped the Ice Dragon towards Mayuri, who simply raised his sword to defend. Mayuri, however, had underestimated the Captain's capacity for brutality. The Ice Dragon made of pure fury began to overwhelm him, and at the very moment Mayuri realized this, he felt Hitsugaya's frozen sword penetrate his abdomen. The two Captain's eyes met and all each saw in the other's eyes was raw wrath.
"Golden Ashisogi Jizou," Captain Kurotsuchi ground out between clenched teeth. Toushiro's eyes widened and he flashed stepped back a fair distance. Where he had stood, Mayuri's bankai, the gigantic, yellow-skinned infant bubbled into existence. Mayuri's grin oozed bloodlust. "Why so surprised, Captain Hitsugaya?" Kurotsuchi asked, mocking Toushiro's shocked expression. "Did you think that I would let you stab me without showing you true devastation in return?" His crazed eyes widened in joy. Toushiro tightened his grip on Hyourinmaru. "Die for your insolence, Captain Hitsugaya."
Mayuri lunged towards Toushiro, his Bankai already starting to release enough poison to kill any living thing in a 200-yard radius. Captain Hitsugaya positioned himself. He waited until he saw the white of Kurotsuchi's demented eyes.
"Thousand Year Icicle Prison," Toushiro called out, pulling moisture from the atmosphere and transforming it into sharp pillars that bore down on Captain Kurotsuchi and his Bankai. Kurotsuchi looked up at his impending doom in anger. He had never heard of such an attack in the other Captain's arsenal.
The second the icicles were about to skewer Mayuri, to everyone's intense surprise, an intense blaze of fire covered the scene and instantaneously melted the icicles. Mayuri shouted out in excruciating pain as his body blackened with burns. Toushiro watched in horror as his attack simply melted away into rain and his opponent fell unto his knees in defeat. Realizing the cause, Toushiro swung around and found Commander Yamamoto behind him, eyes sombre.
"Why, Comman-" Toushiro began to ask, before he coughed up blood. He brought his hand to his throat, and he remembered the poison. Toushiro doubled over, then fell to the ground, in too much pain even to breath.
"I didn't want to have to do this, Hitsugaya." Commander Yamamoto looked at the child's spasms of agony. He sighed. "And you showed so much promise too."
He hauled the small body of Captain Hitsugaya over his shoulder, then walked over the gather Captain Kurotsuchi. "But you were always too curious."
On legs that didn't have the strength to hold even her modest weight, Rukia rose shakily to her feet. Sweating palms grasped desperately to the side of her cot for support. But Rukia was determined. She needed to free Yasutora and herself.
As she limped towards the door, a sparkle behind her caught her eye. She looked back over her cot, and caught sight of her zanpakutou, lying on the shelf above her cot. Rukia smiled. In this room of white, she was lucky to have found her snow-white zanpakutou. The shinigami limped back to the cot coated red with her blood, and retrieved the sword. She felt stronger just being able to hold her old friend in her hands. She didn't have the strength to release it, but at least she had something to beat up her enemies with now.
Rukia, with utmost caution, peered out the door. No one in sight. She supposed that Grimmjow was enough of a distraction to keep the division occupied. The slender woman dashed gracefully down the hall.
As she ran, her bare feet landed as lightly on the cold floor as she could manage in her condition. Despite her complete nakedness, and the crisp temperature in this wing of the division, Rukia felt a cold sheen of perspiration covering her body. Her hand holding her zanpakutou was clammy. Rukia was finding it hard to breath.
The shinigami escaped out into the night air without running into trouble, although not without a struggle. Fire was all around her. Heaving a deep sigh of relief, Rukia looked up at the bright stars that hung like jewels in Heaven's sky. She knew this sky well. Countless nights, she had fallen asleep while gazing up at it. In the wilderness and chaos of her youth, she learnt to navigate the world with the help of these stars.
For that reason, Rukia saw in the stars that North, the Thirteenth Division, and her freedom lay on a clear path ahead of her.
Ulquiorra led Orihime through the dark forest. There wasn't enough light for Orihime to see by, but Ulquiorra seemed to have no trouble.
"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Orihime asked. "Sado-kun and Kuchiki-san are still missing..." Ulquiorra looked back at her to gauge her reaction.
"Sado Yasutora and Kuchiki Rukia are in Soul Society," Ulquiorra asserted. "You can search this world all night, and you will not find them."
"Wh-Why?" Orihime asked. "Why are they in Soul Society? How do you know, Ulquiorra?" The arrancar was silent for a while.
"My first night here, I spent with Urahara," Ulquiorra recalled. "I asked him to manufacture a body for me to exist in."
"Yeah," Orihime nodded, having assumed that all along.
"The reason that I believed it probable that Urahara would help me," Ulquiorra revealed, "is because I knew him to be researching the connection between shinigami, Vizards, humans, arrancar and Hollows." Ulquiorra looked back at Orihime. "I offered him my cooperation for his research, but he denied it. Upon consideration, I have concluded that the only reason that he would deny my help and have enough knowledge already to build this fully-functional Gigai for an arrancar is because he has nearly completed his research."
"How do you know this, Ulquiorra?" Orihime wondered. She and Ulquiorra found a clearing in the forest, and Ulquiorra walked forward into it. Orihime watched. She knew this place.
"This is where we first met," Ulquiorra mused. Even though the scenery had changed, this space held a nostalgic feeling for him. He closed his eyes at all the feelings. He didn't even see the point in pretending they didn't exist anymore. Orihime walked up to him. He opened his eyes and brought his hands gently to her face. Orihime pressed his hands against her cheeks, loving the feeling of his skin against hers.
Orihime looked up to Ulquiorra. His emerald green eyes were so beautiful. They held everything she loved about the world. She kissed Ulquiorra's lips.
It was gentle. He weaved his hand through her hair. She held him in her arms. The feelings they shared were so poignant. Both knew that something was happening and they might never have another chance like this again.
"I love you, Ulquiorra," Orihime whispered against his lips. He kissed her more desperately, as if hungry for everything that was her. He was so happy to hear her say those words.
She was radiance. She was kindness. She was everything Ulquiorra had been sheltered from for so long. Everything Ulquiorra didn't know he needed. "I love you, Orihime," he said as his lips parted just slightly from hers. She opened her eyes, and they watched each other in silence for a long moment. Orihime kissed Ulquiorra again, throwing herself onto him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Overwhelmed, tears streamed down from Orihime's eyes.
"Why are you crying?" Ulquiorra asked, pulling back and bringing his fingers to Orihime's cheeks. Her smile could light up the world.
"Because I'm happy," Orihime explained, wiping the tears from her face with her fingers, and then tracing Ulquiorra's tear marks with her index. "These are tears of joy." Ulquiorra grasped Orihime's wrist, and examined her fingers in the pale moonlight. Then, gently, he kissed her palm, her wrist, her hand, her forearm.
"I never thought I could feel this way," Ulquiorra admitted. "I feel as if I find myself when I am with you." Orihime pulled his arm down, and they sat on the grass and earth. She lied him down, and held herself over him.
"I believed all along that you had a heart," Orihime claimed. "I don't think anyone can live without a heart."
Ulquiorra shook his head minutely. "That is what a Hollow is. A being without a heart." Orihime leaned her head against his chest, watching him with careful eyes.
"And yet here you are," Orihime said.
Ulquiorra just stroked her hair, each movement filled with a love he was just starting to understand. They were quiet for a long time.
"I want to tell you something, Orihime," Ulquiorra said. Orihime looked up at him.
"What is it?" she asked. She still didn't understand why Ulquiorra brought her here. Romance? She doubted it.
"I don't think I am an arrancar anymore," Ulquiorra said.
Renji ran quietly down the dark and winding streets of the Soul Society.
There was too much that didn't make sense. Ichigo had said that Grimmjow was in the Material world. Why would he, as a Fukutaicho, not know about this? Under normal conditions, he should have been informed. Throw in Captain Hitsugaya, and a missing Rukia and Yasutora, and Renji was ready to call fowl.
Byakuya refused to discuss the Captain's meeting. Renji knew he knew something, though. Something was said there that got Captain Kuchiki very angry.
Renji cringed at the memory. Byakuya returned to the Division Headquarters only momentarily before setting out again. In the few moments he spent with Renji, he only gazed at him, eyes at a time disappointed and resolute. When he left, Renji found a note left where he was. It read this cryptic command:
"Subaru in the 12 constellations that divide the heavens.
Dark and Light are fair play to the Horned One.
One stands idle."
This is what had Renji running through the night, his reiatsu suppressed. The handwriting was not his Captain's, but it must have been from a trusted source for Byakuya to pass it on to him.
Renji held the note tight in his hand as he ran towards the 12th Division. He saw a cloud of smoke rising in the sky, tainted orange from a blazing fire below. He jumped over the high wall closing the 12th Division in from all the others, and landed face to face with Sexta Espada Grimmjow Jeagerjacques. They bumped heads, and both fell face-first into the thick wall.
"Grimmjow?!" Renji exclaimed. Grimmjow punched him in the face, and Renji fell back down the wall. Grimmjow jumped down, landing lithely, but was tackled by Renji before he could go anywhere.
"Get the fuck off, shinigami!" Grimmjow growled. Renji shushed him. He tried to throw Renji off him, but injury and exhaustion would not allow him to overwhelm the Fukutaicho.
Renji heard shouting on the other side of the wall. Something like "quick, get him!" and "specimen must be contained." Renji grabbed the arrancar by the waist and threw him over his shoulder. Before Grimmjow could shout out and reveal their location, Renji shunpo-ed away as quickly as he could.
A few hundred meters later, Renji stopped and dropped Grimmjow to the hard ground against the wall of the 12th Division. He crossed his arms and towered over the naked arrancar.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Renji demanded. Grimmjow looked up with hatred in his eyes.
"How the fuck should I know?" Grimmjow retorted. "It's you fucking shinigami who brought me here." He tried to get up, but just coughed up blood. Renji's eyes widened. "You sick assholes."
Renji bent down to get a better look at the arrancar. Despite his stark nakedness, Renji had trouble seeing Grimmjow's condition in the dark.
"What the fuck you doing?" Grimmjow demanded. He raised his arm to grab Renji's collar, but Renji easily overpowered him. It wasn't difficult, because Grimmjow's abdomen was severely cut up. As was his right arm.
"What do you remember?" Renji demanded. Grimmjow sneered at him.
"Fuck you, shinigami." Renji punched the injured arrancar square in the face.
"Answer the fucking question or I'm going to kill you," Renji threatened, hand dangerously on his sword. Grimmjow smirked.
"Go ahead, shinigami," Grimmjow dared. "Couldn't be worse than what you fuckers have already done." Renji lost his steam. He looked down at the brutal injuries. He had bled so much already, it must have been a challenge for the arrancar to even muster such a half-assed grin. Renji brought his hands to Grimmjow's injuries, and closed his eyes.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Grimmjow demanded, feeling oddly violated.
"Shut up, I'm not good at this. Let me concentrate." Renji's hands were surrounded by a pale blue light. Grimmjow watched his abdomen but saw no change. The external injuries were not touched. But he felt a warmth in his innards, and he knew the shinigami must have been focusing on healing the critical injuries. He looked up that shinigami in amazement.
A few minutes later, the blue light Renji was emitting puckered off and died. He looked at Grimmjow, a little embarrassed. "Sorry." They were silent for a while, both wondering where to go from there.
"Please tell me what happened to you," Renji asked quietly.
"I don't think I am an arrancar anymore," Ulquiorra said. Orihime propped herself up on her elbow.
"What do you mean?" she asked, thoroughly confused.
"Ever since entering this Gigai," Ulquiorra explained, "I thought something was strange. I wasn't able to pinpoint why before, because in this Gigai my reiatsu is compressed to almost unimaginable lengths." Orihime nodded. "But earlier today, when I sensed that you were in danger, I realized what was going on. I cannot escape my Gigai." Orihime's eyebrows rose in shock.
"But maybe Urahara did that on purpose so that you don't cause trouble," Orihime suggested. Ulquiorra had already considered this.
"I was able to exit the Gigai yesterday, although not easily," Ulquiorra admitted. "It has become progressively more difficult to distinguish between my soul and the Gigai. It feels as if we have become so synchronized that it has become my body." Orihime was shocked.
"So you're practically human now?" Orihime wondered. She wouldn't dare to even wish…
"No," Ulquiorra said definitively. "I believe that this Gigai that Urahara made for me is the culmination of his research." Orihime looked confused. "Urahara and Aizen were both fascinated with the concept of the soul. Answer me this, Orihime, where do Hollows come from?"
"A Hollow is what happens to a human soul when it's consumed by anger or hatred, or is unable to pass on after death," Orihime said.
"And where do humans come from?" Ulquiorra asked.
"From the reincarnations of people in Soul Society…?" Orihime proposed, unsure.
"That's right," Ulquiorra agreed. "Now why were the Quincy annihilated?"
Orihime looked shocked. How did he even know about that? "Because they killed Hollows, instead of purging them and sending them to Soul Society." Orihime wasn't sure where this was leading.
"And why must a Hollow be purged, instead of killed?" Ulquiorra questioned further.
"Because," Orihime explained, "if souls are always leaving the system, the equilibrium is upset and there's chaos…?"
"Considering this," Ulquiorra questioned, one last time, "what happens to the souls devoured by Hollows?" Orihime paused.
"They can't be dead," she concluded. "Just like with the Quincy, it would throw off the delicate balance. With all of the people eaten by Hollows, the world would have descended into chaos long ago if that were the case."
"That is correct," Ulquiorra said. "There is a delicate balance. A soul cannot die, the universe simply does not allow it. This is where Soul Society has lied. Even the Quincy, while they have the ability to decompose a Hollow soul, do not have the ability to destroy a soul."
Orihime looked incredulous. "Why would Soul Society lie?" Where was Ulquiorra going with all this?
"Because the Quincy hold a devastating power over Soul Society," Ulquiorra explained. "Soul Society feared that one day, if the Quincy were allowed to continue slaying Hollows, improving their techniques and honing their skills, a Quincy would one day be able to destroy Hollows the strength of Gillian, Adjucas, and even Vasto Lords."
"Why would Soul Society be afraid of that?" Orihime asked.
"Because humans have the tendency to take things too far," Ulquiorra continued. Orihime looked confused at this. "The leaders of Soul Society have carefully cultivated a remarkably lazy work ethic. Very few shinigami are dispatched to the Material World at a time, thereby guaranteeing that Hollows will be able to form and grow in power.
"Officers are seldom sent to the Material world, and Captains have been known to intervene only in very extreme situations. Expeditions to the Hueco Mundo simply never happen," Ulquiorra stated. "Do you know why?" Orihime shook her head. "Because Soul Society depends on Hollows to breed the next generation of shinigami."
"I don't understand," Orihime stated honestly. He was all over the place, and it was too much. What was Ulquiorra thinking about?
"Orihime," Ulquiorra stated, "when a Hollow is cut by a shinigami's zanpakutou, the Hollow is sent to Soul Society, and when it arrives it is indistinguishable from any other human soul. When a Gillian is cut, the Gillian will also go to Soul Society as a single human soul."
"Wait, you're not saying," Orihime gasped.
"That's right," Ulquiorra stated, "every high-seated officer of the Gotei 13 was a Gillian in his or her previous incarnation. Those with enough reiatsu to eventually become Captains were Adjucas. And as souls that fit in successfully in the Gotei 13 are those that have grown substantially from their previous incarnations and exhibit this immense ability to develop spiritually, it stands to reason that Third Seats and Fukutaichos are able to defeat Gillian without trouble, and Captains are likewise easily able to defeat Adjucas."
"But what about Vasto Lords?" Orihime asked, intrigued.
Ulquiorra looked into Orihime's eyes. "Vasto Lords are unlike any other Hollow," Ulquiorra explained. "They never leave Hueco Mundo, and never allow themselves to come into contact with shinigami."
"Why?" Orihime asked. Ulquiorra looked up at the stars above him.
"Because they do not wish to be shinigami," Ulquiorra stated simply. He looked down from the heavenly firmament, and saw that Orihime was watching him with unsure eyes. She still didn't understand where he was going with this.
"Soul Society feared that the Quincy would someday invade Hueco Mundo," Ulquiorra continued, "and in a relatively short amount of time destroy the Gillian and the Adjucas. What would result is that the hundreds of thousands, even millions souls that once comprised Gillian and Adjucas would flood Soul Society. Instead of receiving a few very strong individuals that would become the next generation of Captains and Lieutenants, Soul Society would receive much more souls than they have interest in taking care of, and this would overwhelm what little infrastructure they have in Rukongai. This would inevitably lead to uprisings.
"Also, and more devastatingly for Soul Society, there would be no Adjucas or Gillian killed by shinigami," Ulquiorra explained, "no new powerful souls would be born into Soul Society, and within a few centuries, the Gotei 13 would fall apart. There would simply be no new generation of Captains and Lieutenants to fill the gaps. Quincy would not cause the destruction of the universe; they would cause the destruction of the Gotei 13."
It was a lot for Orihime to take in. "What does this have to do with anything?"
"What I'm trying to say is that each Captain-level person you know was an Adjucas in their past life," Ulquiorra explained. "To keep the balance, Soul Society regulates the number of Adjucas killed, to be about one every ten years. Gillian are killed much more frequently."
"Do the Captains know this?" Orihime asked. She remembered Toushiro and Rangiku.
"No," Ulquiorra stated, "only the Chamber 46 and Commander Yamamoto are aware, the knowledge having been passed down to them from their predecessors. Urahara, however, discovered this on his own, and Aizen pieced it together from Urahara's research."
"And you know all this through Aizen?" Orihime asked. Ulquiorra's lips pursed together just slightly.
"No," Ulquiorra revealed, "I knew this before joining Aizen." Orihime rose herself to look Ulquiorra directly in the eye.
"How?" They stared at each other a long moment. Ulquiorra prepared to share his most closely held secret.
Nemu punched Yasutora in the kidneys, and he fell to his knees. He pulled himself forward, and tried to run further. She kicked him in the gut as he was on all fours, and Yasutora coughed up more blood. She eyed him curiously.
"Why won't you fight me?" Nemu finally asked, as the man lay gasping on the floor.
Nemu allowed him to rise shakily to his knees. Yasutora looked her in the eye. "Because you're a woman."
Nemu approached, and Yasutora turned to run. She grabbed him by the arm and forced him to the ground. "That is not a valid answer."
"I can't make myself hit a woman," Yasutora stated simply.
"But I am stronger than you," Nemu stated detachedly. "I have no need for your chivalry." Yasutora looked up at the girl.
"That doesn't matter," Yasutora replied.
"Even if it means you will die?" Nemu asked.
Yasutora coughed up more blood. He gazed at the fire that was lighting the sky and prayed to Mary that Rukia had escaped the blaze somehow.
That was Yasutora's last thought as the darkness swallowed him whole.
Captain Unohana sat at Toushiro's bedside. The room was dark, lit only by the moonlight. The young Captain was slowly dying. Foam spilled from his mouth, and Retsu gently wiped it off.
"Hurry, Isane," she whispered.
A few moments later, the door slid open, flooding the room with light. Byakuya walked in silently, then closed the door behind him. Retsu's eyes stayed on Toushiro.
"Captain Hitsugaya confronted Kurotsuchi," Byakuya said. He didn't need to ask.
"Captain Hitsugaya was too rash," Retsu said. "He should have asked one of us to support him." There was silence.
"Would you have supported him, Captain Unohana?" Byakuya asked.
Retsu's expression didn't change. "Would I have confronted the Commander?" Her serene gaze watched the troubled sleep of Captain Hitsugaya. "I would." Retsu turned to Byakuya, face unsmiling.
"My loyalty to the Gotei 13 would demand it of me."
Rukia found that the wisest path out of the 12th Division was the path forged by Grimmjow's murderous rampage. She followed the trail of carnage, passing innumerable dead and dying bodies. The buildings all around her were on fire, and the heat seared her skin. The dry grass was a mortal threat, so she ran as fast as she could to escape the fiery buildings.
As she got out in the open, she saw less bodies, but more defaced soil and signs of a struggle. Is this where Grimmjow finally succumbed to his injuries and exhaustion?
She stopped and hid in the bushes when she heard voices up ahead. She sat on her knees and wiped sweat off her brow. Rukia listened.
"He jumped over the wall!" One person pointed out.
"Quick, get him! Don't let him get ahead!" Another shouted.
"If we don't contain the specimen, the Captain's screwed, and we're all dead." Yet another said.
Rukia watched as they scaled the wall. Once again, the coast was clear and she dashed for the wall.
"Stop!" The voice chilled her to the bone. A projectile grazed the skin of her side, and Rukia froze. She turned and saw a young officer of the 12th Division, released sword in hand. Her eyes narrowed.
"I am a shinigami," Rukia said, drawing herself up to full height. "Kuchiki Rukia of the 13th Division, under Captain Ukitake. Lower your weapon, I am not your enemy."
The fresh-faced officer didn't look fazed. "You are a specimen of Captain Kurotsuchi's, so I cannot let you escape." Rukia's face twisted in disgust.
"You commend this kind of treatment of your fellow shinigami?" Rukia demanded. She brought her already-bloodied hand to her side, which despite the shallowness of the cut, continued to bleed profusely. "Have you lost all morals?"
The man's eyes hardened. "It is not my responsibility to question my Captain's morals. It is my job to do my Captain's bidding." Rukia cringed again in disgust. She drew her sword.
"I will have to defeat you, then," Rukia said.
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