Tamashi no Kiri
Chapter 1: Soul Reaper Academy
We see clearly in the sun
Unless our eyes our covered in mist
And we either cannot or will not see
The dangers that lie ahead
Hidden in a blanket of mist
"Wake up, Starrk," Lilynette shouted.
Starrk stirred in his bed and got up. He yawned and looked out the window over the courtyard of Squad 8's barracks. He could see some of the Soul Reapers walking around below. Then he felt a fist connect with his head.
"Ouch, Lilynette, why did you do that?"
"Because, someone has to make sure you're not late for your first day of classes."
Starrk remembered. Yamamoto told them that they would have to take courses at the Soul Reaper Academy before they could officially join the Gotei 13. However, they were put on an accelerated course so that they could graduate in only about a month's time.
They already proved to be excellent at swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, however, they needed to get used to having to use Kido and Hoho as opposed to cero and sonído. They would also have to learn how to fulfill their duties as Soul Reapers, and would take classes with their fellow students for those classes. They would also be put in joint-class practice sessions to learn fighting maneuvers.
"Oh…that's right," Starrk muttered.
He went to the closet and pulled out a set of the official Academy uniform. Other than the fact that the hakama was blue, it wasn't too different from his Arrancar uniform, with the exception of the blue shitagi and white, blue-lined kosode. The hakama, tabi, and waraji came naturally to him, but he took some time figuring out the shitagi and kosode. He looked at Lilynette, who was tapping her foot and fidgeting with the Zanpakuto that she received when she was officially welcomed into the Soul Society.
Starrk looked at his own Zanpakuto, which was leaning against the wall. He was glad that Yamamoto found a way that Lilynette didn't have to be turned into a Zanpakuto and could be her own unique self. He felt the hilt that has engraved with a pack of silver wolves running across a desert landscape, a crescent moon high above them.
However, he was curious about what powers he retained from his time as an Arrancar. Yamamoto mentioned that his Shikai would be the equivalent of his regular Resurrección and that it was also likely that he could master Bankai, which would be the equivalent of something that Ulquiorra called "Resurrección Segunda Etapa". He never knew that as an Arrancar he could master a Resurrección Segunda Etapa.
"Are you coming?" Lilynette asked.
"Yeah, yeah, just hold on."
He grabbed his Zanpakuto and tucked it into the thick black sash he wore. As he walked past Lilynette, he rubbed her head. Lilynette only rolled her eyes at him and followed.
Squad 10 Barracks
Tia Harribel made sure that her red-lined kosode was on neatly. She grabbed her own Zanpakuto and tucked it into the turquoise sash she wore around her waist. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. She was still getting used to actually seeing her face, especially now that she no longer had that mask hiding her lower face. She heard a knock at the door.
"Come in," she said.
"Hey, you lookin' good," Rangiku said as she walked in.
"Oh, hello Lieutenant Matsumoto," she said.
"Oh please, call me Rangiku. Your three friends do."
"It would be disrespectful."
"Tch, I don't mind at all. So, are you excited?"
"Excited?"
"Today's your first day at the Academy. God, I remember my first day."
"Oh yeah, what was it like?"
"Hmm…" Matsumoto hummed putting her finger under her chin and tilting he head up. "Let's see, I remember there were a lot of cute guys. Afterwards, some of us went out for drinks and I got so wasted that I actually took off my kosode and shitagi. I remember a lot of bleeding noses."
"Why doesn't that surprise me?"
"Oh come on…school can't be a wonderful experience without a few parties. Besides, I bet Starrk can't wait to see you in that uniform."
"RANGIKU!" Harribel shrieked, blushing.
Rangiku laughed. Harribel looked at her and then she laughed. She looked back at the mirror and smiled. Hopefully, most of the girls at the Academy would focus on Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. That way she wouldn't have to fight off too many from him.
"I think a little bit of makeup might be good for you," Rangiku said as she examined Harribel.
"Makeup?"
"Sure. A little bit of makeup do wonders for a girl. I think I might have something that would suit you."
Rangiku left and Harribel looked at herself in the mirror again. She never wore makeup before, and she was slightly curious. However, when she saw the large case that Rangiku was dragging behind her, she began to get a little worried.
Soul Reaper Academy
Ulquiorra sat under one of the trees on the campus grounds. He was reading a book that he got from the Kuchiki family library. While he enjoyed his time with Squad 3, and occasionally helped with their paperwork, he found himself preferring to spend time with Byakuya Kuchiki. He found that the other Espadas who made it into the Soul Society were gravitating towards those Captains whose personalities were akin to their own.
Grimmjow and Nnoitora preferred to spend time with Kenpachi Zaraki and Squad 11, which wasn't surprising. Trash would gravitate towards trash. Starrk spent a lot of time with Kyoraku and Ukitake. The only one who hadn't found their niche was Harribel. Ulquiorra began thinking that perhaps it was mostly to do with her liking Starrk. He found himself surprised for even thinking that.
"I have much to learn about…the heart," he muttered, looking at his hand.
Karakura Town
Orihime Inoue made her way to Karakura High School. She looked at the ground ahead of her. Her school bag was clutched in front of her. Last night, she dreamed about Ulquiorra again. She dreamt of the sorrow that came into his emerald eyes and had become a part of her.
"Are you afraid of me…Little Girl?"
"I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid."
She reached out to take his outstretched his hand. However, as her fingers connected with his, they turned to ashes. The disintegration continued up his arm. She looked at him and saw sorrow in his eyes.
"I see…Now, I see…" he said as he turned to ashes.
She always wondered what he saw. She wondered if he finally understood what she had meant when she told him that her soul was with her friends. She wondered if he finally understood what it meant to have a heart. She stopped and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Hey, Orihime, are you alright?"
Orihime turned around and saw Uryuu Ishida coming towards her. He pushed his glasses up. When he got closer, she saw that he was concerned.
"Oh…hey, Uryuu," she said. "I was just…"
"You were thinking about what happened, weren't you?"
Orihime looked at the ground and nodded. Uryuu sighed.
"Don't," he said. "It doesn't do any good to think about what happened. We can only move forward, but never backwards."
"I know, but it's…it's just so…"
"Orihime, I'm sure that Ulquiorra is somewhere better," he said, although he wasn't sure what happened to Arrancars after they died. "I'm sure that you freed him from whatever imprisoned him."
"Yeah," Orihime said, smiling slightly. "How's Ichigo doing?"
"I don't know. Neither Chad nor I have seen much of him. However, the last time I saw him, I could sense that his Reiatsu was declining."
"That means he's losing his abilities…good," Orihime said, thinking about the form that Ichigo took when he fought Ulquiorra for the last time.
She was a girl divided. A part of her wanted to love Ichigo, and still did. That part wanted him to be alright. However, the other part hated and feared him. When Ichigo allowed his Inner Hollow to take possession, he had almost killed Uryuu and herself. However, Ulquiorra had saved them all. If Ulquiorra hadn't attacked from behind, then Ichigo would have forever lost his humanity. For that, she loved Ulquiorra.
Squad 8 Barracks
Starrk rushed through the courtyard with Lilynette at his heels. He saw Captain Kyoraku and waved at him. Kyoraku lifted his sake cup in a salute and laughed.
"Are ya running a bit late?" Kyoraku asked.
"Yeah…I overslept," Starrk said and rushed off.
Starrk leapt up onto the rooftops with Lilynette following him.
"I'll race ya," Lilynette said and she leapt across the pathway.
"Fine by me," Starrk said, grinning.
The two leapt from roof top to roof top. The soul reapers waved to them, and Starrk waved back. He found that was beginning to view that Soul Society as being his true home. He felt free and he no longer wished to just sleep in all day. He wanted to get out and enjoy the fresh air and the warmth of the sun. He was glad that he no longer felt alone. Lilynette, Harribel, Sung-Sun, Apacci, Mila Rose, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Kyoraku, Nanao, Ukitake, Kiyone, Sentaro, and all of the others he met since coming here: they were all friends to him.
"Come on, slow-poke," Lilynette shouted.
"Oh…you're not gonna beat me this time," Starrk said and increased his speed.
Captain-Commander Yamamoto's Office
Captain-Commander Yamamoto watched the two figures racing towards the Academy. He shook his head and chuckled. He remembered when Ukitake and Kyoraku were his pupils. They would race each other to the Academy just as Starrk and Lilynette were doing. At first he felt hesitant about the former Arrancars being there, but some of them were proving their worth.
He looked at the files on his desk that he made for the former Arrancars who arrived. Kenpachi already laid claim to Nnoitora and Grimmjow, which was no big surprise. Kyoraku took in Starrk and Lilynette, again, no big surprise. Ulquiorra seemed to be leaning more towards Byakuya Kuchiki now. Tesla was surprisingly, eyeing Squad 7, and not Squad 11 like his former "Master Nnoitora" was. Baraggan's former fraccion were aiming for Squad 11, except for Ggio Vega who was leaning more towards Squad 2 and Poww who was leaning towards Squad 3. As for Harribel and her three comrades, whom Yamamoto had burned to a crisp during the battle at the Fake Karakura Town, they weren't quite sure where to go. However, because they were spending so much time at Squad 10's barracks, it was likely that they would go there.
Yamamoto looked at the files again and picked out four. He knew that those four would rise quickly to being able to join the Gotei.
"Chojiro, come here, I need to speak with you."
At once, his Lieutenant, Chojiro Sasakibe, was standing in front of his desk. He gave an English-style bow and Yamamoto frowned. While Chojiro was into Western culture, he was not. However, he was good to have whenever Yamamoto had to make dealings with the Western Soul Reapers.
"Yes, Captain, what do you need me to do?" Chojiro asked.
"I need you to get Gotei uniforms ready for these four individuals. However, I don't want any ordinary uniforms for them. These uniforms are supposed to match their personalities."
"You wish for the Arrancar to have a separate uniform from the others, sir?"
"Only for these four," Yamamoto said. "They have shown signs of being very…unique. I think that they may even prove to be very important for the Soul Society. Plus, I don't think that the usual Soul Reaper uniforms would look as good on them."
"Very good, sir," the Butler said. "Should I go ahead and have special uniforms made for the others as well? In case you decide to change your mind about them."
"Of course, but…don't get a special uniform for that Cuuhlhourne character. I honestly have no idea how he ended up here, but based on the outfits I've seen him wear… It's best for everyone's sanity if he only gets the usual uniform."
"I would have to agree with you on that one, sir."
Soul Reaper Academy
"I beat ya," Lilynette shouted, leaping with joy.
"No…I think I won," Starrk said.
"Baka," Lilynette muttered. "It's obvious that I won."
"Whatever you say," Starrk said, chuckling.
"Hey, look who's up," Grimmjow said, smiling when he saw Starrk and Lilynette.
"Hey Grimm, how's Squad 11 treating ya?"
"Oh…ya know. Wake up in the morning and get a little morning exercise with Kenpachi. Unfortunately, he and Nnoitora were a little too…enthusiastic. Nnoitora had to be taken to Squad 4's barracks."
Starrk laughed at that. The both knew why Nnoitora would always get a little too wild whenever he had morning practice with Kenpachi. They also knew that chances were very likely that before he got out, Nnoitora would get in trouble with Captain Unohana and he would most likely cower in some corner. Starrk was fortunate to never have to be on the receiving end of her other smile.
Whenever he was sent to Squad 4, Starrk would make sure to always be on his best behavior and would do whatever Unohana asked him to do. He saw what happened whenever someone said that they wouldn't be able to do something for her or if they messed with the members of Squad 4. It got to where some of the other squads actually recruited him to go to Squad 4 for them.
"Will he be in time for class?" Starrk asked.
"Oh yeah…ah…here he comes," Grimmjow said.
"What's up, bitches?" Nnoitora shouted to them, grinning.
"Hey, isn't that Captain Unohana behind you?" Starrk asked.
Nnoitora froze and immediately jumped into a cluster of bushes. Grimmjow laughed when he saw the bushes shaking with Nnoitora's fear. Lilynette also laughed and Starrk merely smiled.
"Damn, Starrk, I didn't know ya had it in ya," Grimmjow said and slapped his back so hard that Starrk took a couple of steps forward.
"I just didn't want to deal with him so early in the morning," Starrk said, rubbing his hair.
"Hey guys," Harribel said, walking towards them. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, hey Bel," Starrk said, blushing. "You…uh…you look great."
"Oh…thanks, Starrk," Harribel said also blushing.
"Oh, hey Tia," Grimmjow said, finally noticing her. "Starrk here just played a prank on Nnoitora."
"What?" Harribel asked, shocked.
"I ain't shittin' ya. Just look at that cluster of bushes," Grimmjow said, pointing to the bushes that were still trembling.
"What did you do?" Harribel asked, turning to Starrk.
"Oh…uh…" Starrk muttered, turning bright red. "I just told him that Captain Unohana was right behind him."
Harribel stared wide-eyed at Starrk and began to laugh.
"Oh…oh God…that's…that's priceless," she gasped.
"I know," Grimmjow said. "And it came from STARRK of all people!"
"What is this noise about?" Ulquiorra asked, approaching the group of the other former Espada.
"Oh…Starrk played a prank on Nnoitora," Harribel said.
"Really…Starrk actually…played a joke?" Ulquiorra asked, only betraying a little bit of his shock.
"Yeah…he…he told him…told him that….that Captain Unohana…was…was right behind him," Harribel said and then broke out into laughter.
Ulquiorra tried to fight back his smile, but failed.
"Whoa…you can actually SMILE?" Grimmjow said, shocked. "Man, this is just a day filled with surprises. First, Starrk plays a prank on Nnoitora. Then, Ulquiorra actually smiled. Damn, the world must be coming to an end."
"Huh…" Starrk said, shrugging.
"Shut up, trash," Ulquiorra said. "Come, we need to get to class."
Karakura Town
Harper Bradbury felt ill.
She was tossing on the couch. Her muscles were tightening and her head began to hurt. The man who took her here watched. The others stood around her, watching and waiting. He knew that the morning after the first consumption was always the most difficult. However, everything was a struggle and this was no exception. He noticed that those areas that were translucent were beginning to become more solid.
"How is she?" one of the figures, a woman, asked.
"She's suffering, Sylvia," the man said, getting up and walked towards the girl.
The figure of Sylvia O'Conner moved with him towards the girl. He knelt beside the couch and put a hand on her. She was gasping for breath. He knew that the moment was near. He put his forehead against hers and whispered soothing words to her. She relaxed and fell asleep.
"Now…we wait," he said. "When she awakens, so will her Inner Soul. Howard, is her Gigai ready?"
"It is," Howard Machen said. He was rather tall and thin, wearing a long dark green coat with cream-colored trim that hung to the back of his knees and a dark blue suit. A pair of silver opera glasses that were attached to an ivory and gold-engraved lorgnette handle was sticking out of the inner pocket of his coat.
"Good. When she's ready, make sure the Gigai's lying next to her and the Net's covering her, just in case."
"Very well," Howard Machen said and he rushed to the next room.
"Just hang in there a little bit more," the man said. "Everything will be alright very soon."
Soul Reaper Academy
"Alright, now then, I want to see how well you can perform Kido," the instructor said.
The five former Espada and Lilynette were standing in a row, waiting for their turn. Starrk looked over at Grimmjow and Nnoitora, both looked rather bored. He knew that they would rather be down in the exercise yard sparing with the other students, but they needed to learn Kido. Lilynette was anxious to get started and show them what she could do. He had seen her practicing Kido with some of the Squad 8 members and knew that she would do rather well.
"Hey Starrk," someone called out from the sidelines.
Starrk looked over and saw Kyoraku and Ukitake who waved at him. He smiled and waved back. He thought it was kind of the two captains to take some time off and watch them practice. He then noticed that many of the other students and instructors were also watching them. He turned his attention back to the instructor who was going over the basics of Kido.
"Now then," the instructor said. "Who can tell me what the three types of Kido are?"
"Bakudo, or 'Way of Binding', which is used mainly for defense," Ulquiorra said. "Then there is Hado, or 'Way of Destruction', which are mostly used for offense. Then there are Healing Spells."
"Very good, Ulquiorra," the instructor said. "Now, I want to know how well you can perform one of the most commonly used Hado spells, Shakkaho. Now, I usually do not teach this until the student is in the fourth year, but Captain-Commander Yamamoto made it very clear that he has you on the fast track. Now, the incantation for this spell goes: Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Then after you say that, you then say…" the instructor turned and aimed at a series of targets on the other end of the open field. "Hado 31, Shakkaho," he roared and a red ball of light shot out from his hand and destroyed one of the targets. "Alright, let's start with Grimmjow."
A murmur rose from the crowd. They were anxious to see what the former Espada could do. However, Starrk only ignored them. He wanted to observe how the others did.
"Fine…let's get this shit out of the way," Grimmjow said.
He took his position and repeated the spell, but as soon as he said, "Hado 31, Shakkaho" he was blown backwards. Nnoitora laughed at him and Ulquiorra only muttered something that sounded like "figures" or "trash" under his breath. Grimmjow got up and dusted himself off. Some of those in the crowd laughed and applauded.
"Aw, is Kitty high on cat nip?" Nnoitora teased.
"Shut the fuck up…shit…I can't call you Spoon Head anymore. Oh wait a minute. I can still call you Mantis Boy or Twiggy or Captain Piano Teeth. So…shut the fuck up Mantis Boy. I kinda figured I wouldn't be good at this Kido crap," he growled. "I prefer a good old fashioned sword fight. How about you, Twiggy, can you do some crappy magic tricks or are you too much of a pussy to do that?"
"Now then, let me show you how it's done, Pussy Cat," Nnoitora said and made his way to the line.
Nnoitora repeated the spell, but when he said "Hado 31, Shakkaho" he only succeeded in having the spell blow up in his face. Grimmjow laughed harder than Nnoitora did and their audience joined in. Nnoitora, looked more embarrassed, but then he just gave a wave of his hand.
"I don't need this bullshit," he muttered.
Ulquiorra, once again muttered something that sounded like either "figures" or "trash". Harribel rolled her eyes and Starrk only yawned. The instructor proceeded to Ulquiorra who got up and repeated the spell. However, when Ulquiorra said, "Hado 31, Shakkaho", a steady stream of green light came out of his hand and pierced the target's bull's eye before exploding on the other side. The students and instructors watching began to talk among themselves again. This time, they were in awe at Ulquiorra's ability.
"Wow, that's incredible," the instructor said. "I've never seen anyone have so much control over how much energy to emit for this spell on their first attempt, and with such excellent precision as well."
"Thank you Sensei," Ulquiorra said and took his seat.
Starrk saw that Ukitake and Kyoraku were talking about that impressive display with some of the other students and instructors. Starrk only shook his head. He knew that Ulquiorra was an over-achiever, so it didn't surprise him that Ulquiorra would put on a display like that. Harribel then got up and took her position at the line. She held out her hand, but did not utter the spell.
"Hado 31, Shakkaho," she said and a stream of red light flowed out of her like a river.
It seemed to wind through the air like a snake, continually weaving as though it was chasing something. When it struck the target, it seemed to engulf it and then explode. The instructor's jaw dropped. If he thought that Ulquiorra's display was impressive, he clearly thought that Harribel's ability to change the trajectory that the spell traveled was even more impressive. Starrk knew that Harribel's competitive streak had taken over to get her to show that.
"Yes, now it's my turn," Lilynette said.
"Show them what you can do, Lilynette," Starrk said.
"Oh…I will," she said grinning.
She repeated the spell and held her hand out. When she said "Hado 31, Shakkaho" a perfectly round orb of crimson light shot out with such great speed that the instructor barely saw it. It struck the target and bore a hole through it. However, unlike the other displays, there was no explosion. Instead, the orb just seemed to evaporate on the other side. Lilynette grinned and took her seat. The instructor was utterly perplexed and so were the audience.
"Well…looks like I'm last," Starrk said, feeling a little competitive himself.
He got up and took his position. He only held out his hand. The instructor waited to see what would happen.
"Well…say it," the instructor said.
Starrk only shook his head and then briefly twitched his fingers. A bright flash of crimson came from his hand. The others tried to follow the path the light took, but were unable to. They waited for the sound of an explosion to come, but it didn't. The instructor looked around, hoping that Starrk didn't accidently hit one of the buildings, and then he saw that three of the targets, each one target apart from each other, were incinerated. His mouth dropped open and the others looked on in amazement as well.
"That's…that's impossible," the instructor muttered. "There's no way that you could split a single Hado spell into three separate spells. Also…also…you four…" he suddenly realized something. "You four shot Kido spells using Shakkaho that wasn't even like Shakkaho. It was as though you Kido is completely different from our Kido."
"Damn, if he fought like that during the Winter War, we would have been defeated," Kyoraku whispered.
"I know," Ukitake said. "I barely saw it happen, but their Kido is definitely different from ours."
"What's more," Kyoraku said. "I don't think that was what he was fully capable of. Unlike the others, it didn't feel as though he was putting any effort behind it."
"I guess it's a good thing he's now on our side," Ukitake said.
"It's a good thing that they're all on our side now," Kyoraku corrected.
The other instructors and students were wide-eyed. None of them were able to say anything. Then they burst out in applause and cheers. They rushed to the Espada, and surrounded them, except for Grimmjow and Nnoitora who were too busy mocking each other to take any notice. Ukitake nudged Kyoraku and pointed. He turned and saw Yamamoto standing under a cherry tree, watching the former Espada.
Karakura High School
Ichigo sat on the ground. His lunch of rice balls and cashew chicken opened before him. He took a sip of his orange soda. Rukia, Chad, Uryuu, Tatsuki, and Orihime sat with him. It was the first time in a few weeks that he felt like being with them. They were his friends after all and he decided that he had enough of sulking.
"This is nice," Ichigo said.
"What is?" Rukia asked.
"You know…this…hanging out with friends…eating lunch together," he said and looked at Orihime. "Look…I…I'm sorry Orihime. I should have been there for you."
"Oh, it's alright," Orihime said and took another bite from her pickle, bean paste, and strawberry cake. "I'm alright now."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah…I'm sure," Orihime said, turning away.
"Oh, alright," Ichigo said, not believing her.
Tatsuki looked from Ichigo to Orihime and sighed. Something had happened between them, but she didn't know what. However, she felt it had something to do with that time that Orihime disappeared and Ichigo went with Chad and Uryuu to a place called Hueco Mundo to rescue her. She would have to ask Orihime about it.
Soul Reaper Academy
It was lunchtime at the Soul Reaper Academy. The students were eating wherever they wanted to. The former Espadas decided to eat under one of the cherry trees in the large park area that students used to take walks during their break times. However, they did not notice the large group of female students who were stalking them or the smaller, but rather large group of male students who were stalking Harribel.
"Oh God, they're so hot," one of the girls said, starting to drool.
Many of the girls in the extremely large pack sighed and nodded. Others, only rolled their eyes, but inwardly they thought the same thing. They saw another group going towards the Espada, and some of the girls began to giggle when they saw Ggio Vega leading the way. The former Espada noticed them and waved for them to come and join them.
"Oh God, it just got hotter," one of the other girls said, and began tugging at her kosode.
Some of the other girls began to fan themselves and a couple even fainted. In the boys group, noses burst when they saw Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun sitting with Harribel. Their sex-crazed minds immediately imagined a four-way between Harribel and the three women, and some…actually make that most…even included Squad 10's Lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, for good measure. Let's just say that when it comes to groups of guys and girls, the girls usually have the more interesting conversations.
"Oh man, the ex-Arrancars are something else," a female student said to her friends.
"Yeah, no kidding," one of her friends said. "I wish that more of the Gotei men looked like them."
"Well…I don't know about you, but that Ulquiorra is a real hottie. He's got that whole sexy emo look to him."
"No way, he's too pale. Frankly, I prefer Grimmjow. You wanna talk about hot, just look at him when he has his shirt off," one of the other friends said, giggling.
"When did you see him with his shirt off?" another asked, intrigued.
"Oh…when they were practicing maneuvers with my class," she said, giggling.
"You lucky…you got to see one of them with their shirt off?"
"Oh yeah, and he was totally ripped."
"Well…he may be hot, but look with who he hangs out with," another said and gestured at Nnoitora who was gulping down food and allowing some of the sauce to spill on his clothes.
Of course, if they saw Yammy eating, they would think Nnoitora a gentleman by comparison. Fortunately, Yammy was caught in Hell, wondering around, probably looking for Ulquiorra to tell him what to do, and beating up anyone who dared get in his way. Unfortunately, at least for him, he thought he could challenge the gate keeper.
"Come on, that's actually pretty funny," one of the girls said. "Although, I'm curious, does anyone find that Nnoitora guy sexy?"
The girls looked at each other and shook their heads. None of them really found Nnoitora attractive, especially with those teeth. They thought he looked as though he tried to swallow a grand piano or something.
"Oh…what about…Starrk?" one of the girls asked, her voice becoming dreamy when she said his name.
"Oh yeah, now there's a real man," another said. "He has that whole loner vibe. Not to mention that distinguished and yet aloof attitude too."
"Oh man, his hair is so wavy and it looks so soft."
"It looks dirty."
"Well, you can't deny that he's very powerful."
"You mean what he did on the Kido range? Holy shit, I've never seen anyone do that before. I mean, he used a single Kido, did not say any of it out loud, and he took out three separate targets that were separated by another target."
"Yeah…too bad he hangs out with someone like…her," another girl and her tone darkened.
The girls all stared daggers at Harribel. If they really could shoot daggers at her, not even Harribel's former fraccion would be able to protect her.
"Yeah, what does he see in her anyways? I mean, just look at her hair."
"They're called 'boobs'," one girl, who was reading a text book, said, sounding bored.
"What would you know about it? She's a bitch and a slut and…"
"You're just jealous because Starrk's paying more attention to her than to you. Likewise, you're also jealous because that group of drooling idiots over there is also paying more attention to her than you," she said, still reading her text book and still sounding bored. She gestured to the group of boys whose eyes looked as if they were about to pop out as she was talking.
"Well…he may be sexy-as-Hell and he may be powerful, but I think that Ggio Vega is so gorgeous."
"Oh yeah…too bad they have that eye-sore with them," one said.
Meanwhile, while the ex-Arrancars were eating their lunches, Starrk turned to get his bottle of tea. He saw the girls staring at them as if they were looking at a piece of meat.
"Hey, Ulquiorra," Starrk said.
"What is it, Starrk?"
"Why are those girls staring at us?"
"Hmm," Ulquiorra said and looked at the girls. "They appear to be hungry. But…what nourishment can we provide? I do not think that we are food, unless Soul Reapers practice cannibalism. Or, do they wish for us to share some of our food with them?"
"Oh my," Cuuhlhourne said. "Those boys are staring at me. Ah, they must know true beauty when they see it."
"I don't think they're staring at you," Ggio said.
"EXACTA!" Findor cried out.
Harribel turned and saw the group of boys who were ogling her and her fraccion. She closed her eyes, and clenched her teeth. A part of her just wanted to use that Shakkaho spell and knock them all into next week. Lilynette looked at her and whispered something into her ear. Harribel smiled and looked at Cuuhlhourne.
"I think those young gentlemen would like to say 'hello' to you, but they must be very shy. How about you go say 'hi'," Harribel suggested.
"Ah, a wonderful suggestion," Cuuhlhourne and rushed towards the boys. "I'M COMING, MY DARLINGS! I, CHARLOTTE CUUHLHOURNE, THE BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY, IS FLYING TO YOU!" he shouted.
The boys suddenly realized who was rushing towards them. They screamed in terror and scattered throughout the park. Of course, this only encouraged Cuuhlhourne who thought that they were playing hard-to-get. Harribel laughed and then Sung-Sun tapped her on the shoulder.
"What is it Sung-Sun?"
"I believe that group of girls over there are staring in our direction," Sung-Sun said. "And they have a predatory look to them."
Harribel looked and rolled her eyes. She saw that Starrk and Ulquiorra were looking in that direction. Starrk looked rather worried while Ulquiorra only looked curious. Harribel noticed that many of them were staring at Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, or Starrk. However, they were also staring at a certain member of Baraggan's fraccion.
"Damn it," she muttered. "Apacci, Mila Rose…feed 'em."
Apacci and Mila Rose looked at each other and grinned. They knew that Harribel would never surrender Starrk to them and they guessed that Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were out of the question as well. That left only one "babe-magnet". After all, the only person to understand a rabid fan girl is…another girl. They got up and stood on either side of Ggio Vega. He looked up at them, in surprise.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Mila Rose and Apacci grinned at him. He noticed the evil gleam that came into their eyes and he became afraid. The other members of Baraggan's fraccion only stared as the two women picked him up and carried him to the pack of girls. The girls looked up and began to giggle again. However, the greedy look that came into their eyes made Ggio want to cry out. Apacci and Mila Rose tossed him and before Ggio could get to his feet, the girls were all over him.
"HELP ME!" Ggio cried out.
"Starrk, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow," Harribel said.
"What?" Grimmjow asked.
"I think you better run before they're finished with Ggio."
However, the girls were already finished with Ggio and they looked at the three. Ulquiorra finally understood why they were looking at them when he saw Ggio lying on the ground, his uniform practically ripped to shreds.
"Oh shit," Grimmjow moaned.
"You lucky fuckers," Nnoitora snarled.
"Uh…I think we should run," Starrk said.
"I must admit that I find them…rather terrifying. They are a lot more frightening than Ichigo when he was Hollowfied," Ulquiorra said. "And considering that he killed me in that form…I do not wish to find out what they can do."
"Then I suggest that you shut the fuck up and just start running," Grimmjow said.
"Okay, we run on the count of three," Starrk said. "One…two…THREE!"
The three men rushed away from the girls who charged after them. The only one in that group who didn't move was the girl who was reading her text book. Harribel knew that there would be no way to stop them and so she shuffled to the side-line. She hoped that they would remember their lessons in Hoho.
Karakura High School
"Hey, Orihime," Tatsuki called out.
"Oh…hey Tatsuki," Orihime said.
"Orihime, are you sure that you're alright."
"Oh…oh yeah, I'm alright Tatsuki."
"Orihime, how long have we been friends?"
"Uh…well...ever since we were in middle school, I guess."
"That's right. We've been friends ever since your brother died. So don't take me for some kind of fool. I know that something's wrong. You're behaving the way you did since your brother died."
"Tatsuki…I…I don't…"
"No, we're going to talk about this now. Orihime, I'm your friend and friends are supposed to support each other and be honest with each other. Something's wrong, but you're afraid to face it."
"You…you don't understand…"
"Don't I? I saw how Ichigo suffered after his mother died. I saw how you suffered after your brother died. Whenever I saw either of you suffering, I suffered too, because you're my friends. So don't tell me that I don't understand. You may think that you have us all fooled, but you don't. We all know that something's wrong. But the others are too chicken to talk to you about it."
"Why are you doing this, Tatsuki?"
"I'm doing this because you need to snap out of it, girl. You need to just let go of whatever is bothering you. Damn it, Orihime, we're your friends. If you can't trust us with sharing your burden, who can you trust? You don't need to go through this alone."
Orihime looked at Tatsuki in surprise. Someone had told her something like that. She remembered a man with shoulder-length brown hair and blue-grey eyes looking at her. She had still been a prisoner to Lord Aizen. It was after she healed Grimmjow and saw him kill Luppi. Ulquiorra had taken her to her cell and locked her in. She was crying when she heard the door open and she saw a man and a woman standing in the doorway. She didn't know who they were then. She remembered their kindness to her and their sorrow for her.
Las Noches, When Orihime was Aizen's Prisoner
"Are you alright?" the woman asked.
Orihime wiped the tears away from her eyes and nodded.
"No you're not," the man said.
"Starrk, that's enough. This human has gone through a lot. She's been taken from her friends. Of course she's not alright, but she wants to think that she is?"
"Uh…why?"
"I don't know, I guess it's one way that humans deal with their suffering."
"But, why do they think that they have to suffer alone? Harribel, you said that she has 'friends'. Won't they be suffering too?"
"Uh…I…I…" Orihime muttered.
"Listen, you don't have to suffer alone," Starrk said, kneeling in front of Orihime. "I understand what Loneliness is, and you feel alone right now. But, you have to remember that your friends are suffering too. You're lucky to have real friends who can share each other's burdens and who care for each other. Remember, you don't have to go through this alone."
"Starrk, that's the most I've heard you say without falling asleep," Harribel said, chuckling.
"Well…I just…wanted to help her. Anyways," he said with a yawn. "I'm tired. I'm gonna take a nap."
The Present
"I…I understand," Orihime said, tears began to flow. "Tatsuki, I…I'm such a bad friend…"
"No you're not, Orihime," Tatsuki said, embracing her. "You just need to learn how to let go. That's all."
"I…I need to apologize to Ichigo," Orihime said.
"You do that," Tatsuki said. "So, what was bothering you anyways?"
"It was…the death of a very close friend," Orihime said. "You…you never got a chance to meet him, but in the time I knew him…"
"It's alright, Orihime. I understand."
Orihime smiled and Tatsuki smiled back. The sun was smiling again.
Soul Reaper Academy
Harribel sat, waiting for their next class to begin. She heard the door open and looked up and saw Ulquiorra walk in. He looked around him, but did not see any of the stalker girls around. He breathed a sigh of relief and made his way to the table where Harribel was sitting.
"What happened to Starrk and Grimmjow?" she asked.
"I do not know," Ulquiorra replied. "We separated. I remembered the Hoho training we received from Sensei Yoruichi and used flash step to get away. As for the others, I do not know. Wait, Lilynette, can you sense Starrk?"
"I don't know," Lilynette said, looking up from doodling in her Chappy the Rabbit notebook. "Let me try."
Lilynette closed her eyes and concentrated. Harribel looked at Ulquiorra.
"I can't believe I forgot that they share a special bond," Harribel said.
"It is understandable. I just remembered it myself when I saw her. However, it is a pity that the means of finding out what fate has befallen Grimmjow are not so readily available."
"I found him," Lilynette said, smiling. "He's alright. He's making his way to class even now, but he's being cautious. He spotted a group of the girls walking in the hall and he hid."
"How did he escape?" Harribel asked.
"Hold on," Lilynette said and closed her eyes again. "Ah…he simply jumped up in a tree and hid among the branches until the girls went past him and then he used flash step to reach the school."
"Does he know what happened to Grimmjow?" Harribel asked.
"There's no need to have her ask me. I'm here," Starrk said from right next to her.
"What the fuck? How the hell did you get here so fast?" Harribel asked.
"Oh…I just flash stepped here. I figured I might as well."
"I am sure that Sensei Yoruichi would be proud," Ulquiorra said.
"Yeah…well…they don't call her the 'Goddess of Flash' for nothing," Starrk said and yawned.
"Well…don't scare me like that," Harribel said and whacked him on the head with her textbook.
"Easy, Bel, you're becoming as bad as Lilynette."
"Maybe I should take a page from her book."
"Are you kidding?" Lilynette asked. "I'll just copy the whole thing for ya."
"Starrk, where is Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra asked.
"I have no idea, but I…wait…I think I might have an idea of what happened to him," Starrk said and pointed to the door.
Ulquiorra and Harribel looked and saw a cluster of the girls coming in. They were giggling with each other and one of them was holding what looked like a piece of teal-colored cloth. It looked as though it had come from the sash that a certain former Espada wore. Some of the girls were even sniffing it or trying to cuddle with it.
"This is not good," Ulquiorra said.
"I guess it's true," Starrk said. "Rabid fan girls really are more dangerous than Aizen."
Somewhere in the cluster of trees in the park, Grimmjow gathered the remnants of his uniform and covered himself as best he could. He looked as if he went ten rounds with Captain Zaraki and then was treated by Captain Kurotsuchi and then served as Yoruichi's punching bag. He stayed hidden until Nnoitora came, looking for him. Nnoitora grinned at the shivering figure hidden among the bushes.
"Damn, you look like shit," Nnoitora said.
"Just shut the fuck up, Whale Mouth," Grimmjow snarled.
"Aw, is the poo' widdel Kitty sca'ed?" Nnoitora asked in his most obnoxious baby-talk voice.
"That's it…I'm gonna…FUCKIN' KILL YA!" Grimmjow roared.
Karakura Town
The Soul Reaper, Akemi, made her way through the empty streets. Night had fallen and so far she had only performed Konso on only one soul and was not forced to attack any Hollows. She thought that it was probably that Zennosuke Kurumadani was actually doing his job. However, there was something different about Karakura Town.
It was quiet. The only sounds were the usual noises that were in large cities, but those were living sounds. However, Hollows were nowhere to be found and usually she would have found at least ten spirits by now.
"Something's not right," she muttered.
She reached into the small pouch that she had tied to her sash and brought out her soul pager and opened the screen. The screen was blank and she dialed the number for the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, but then something caught her eye. She put her pager away and drew out her Zanpakuto.
She couldn't be sure, but she thought that she saw something in one of the side alleys. She carefully approached the alley, her Zanpakuto drawn and her senses sharp. After years of being a Soul Reaper, she thought she was prepared for anything. However, she wasn't prepared for what she saw. When she saw the Hollow in the alley, she froze. Her eyes widened in disbelief. She dug out her soul pager and immediately redialed the number for the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. It didn't take long for one of Mayuri's "subordinates" to answer.
"Shinigami Research and Development Institute, this is Rin speaking."
"Rin, this is Akemi from Squad 13, is Akon there?"
"Yeah, he just got here…wait a moment."
Akemi kept her eyes on the Hollow, but so far it had not moved. Either it was very intelligent or it was very dead, but Akemi knew better than to let her guard down. It didn't take long for Akon to get on the line and he sounded rather bored.
"This is Akon, what do you want, Akemi?"
"Listen, I've got what appears to be a partially devoured Hollow here. However, it does not appear to have been devoured by another Hollow."
"That's impossible. If it's dead then it shouldn't be there. Hollows dissolve after they die when they're in the World of the Living."
"Well…this one's still here for some reason. I'm sending you the scans right now."
She swept her soul pager across the Hollow's corpse. The information it collected was immediately sent to the Soul Society where Akon and the other members of the Institute looked at it. Their eyes widened when they saw what it said.
"Akemi," Akon said, he no longer sounded bored. "We're sending a team. Stay at your current position until they arrive. I'll notify Captain Kurotsuchi about this. He might be…very interested."
End of Chapter 1
A.N.: I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Please review.
I know that I tweaked with Shakkaho quite a bit, but I did that for a reason: to show that the former Espada's Kido is very different from the usual Soul Reaper Kido, which means that their over-all abilities will be different from the regular Soul Reaper's. I was also partially influenced with how Don Kanonji's Spirit Cannon Ball is essentially a very small, slow-moving version of Shakkaho (Hado 31) or Sho (Hado 1). I figured that if a human's version of Hado was like Don Kanonji's Spirit Cannon Ball, then a former Arrancar's would be more akin to cero and decided to run with it.
Since I'm imaginging this story as being like the anime, I'll share my ideas for the opening credit song and closing credit songs:
Opening Credit: "Kiri" by Monoral (From the album "Turbulence")
Closing Credit: "Utsusemi no Kage" by Kukui (From "Rozen Maiden Overture"), "I'll Be Your Home" by Oikawa Rin (From the "Devil May Cry OST")