AN
New chapter for everyone! Once again a massive, huge, thank you goes to VioTanequil for being an awsome Beta.
AN
The group was silent as Gin threaded the pieces of the key onto his Zanpakuto, joining them on the edge of the blade. He was silent and they returned the favor, despite wanting to shout a million questions at him. The silence was good for him, for he had no answers for them, none he would give anyway. Hinamori stepped forward, pushing the sleeve of her robe back. Gin stopped her with a shake of his head and instead slid the key into the lock. Nothing happened for a moment.
"Shoot to kill, Shinso."
Though Shinso was as weary as he was, the Zanpakuto obeyed his command, the blade extending and forcing the key fully into the lock. The tumblers clicked into place with an audible sound. Gin removed the Zanpakuto, the key remaining inside the door as he sheathed it. As if pushed by invisible hands, the doors slowly opened. The whole affair was actually rather anticlimactic.
The doors swung open and no hollows came out. Nothing happened. The room remained silent, almost eerily silent. Inside was what appeared to be a mirror image of Aizen's office in the Fifth Division. Hitsugaya and Hinamori had their Zanpakuto's out immediately, though their free hands locked around each other.
"We home already?" Soifon asked sleepily from Grimmjow's back.
"Not yet," he responded automatically.
"Ulquiorra," Gin said nodding towards the room.
The former Espada understood instantly and walked forward. Grimmjow shifted and held out a hand to stop Orihime from following him. He wondered if she had gone deaf or something? Her name sure wasn't Ulquiorra. And the way her eyes followed his every movement… Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. A quick fuck was one thing but the way she was looking at him, it was as though she was really in love with him. Ulquiorra turned his eyes back towards hers, confusion in their emerald depths. Before any confessions could be made, before anything else could happen, as soon as Ulquiorra stepped into the office the doors slammed shut, cutting him off from the rest of them.
Their reactions were varied but happened all the same. Gin's smile vanished, his eyes widening fractionally in angry surprise. Grimmjow tightened his grip on Soifon. Hitsugaya and Hinamori immediately activated shikai while Nel and Renji were gripping tightly onto their own Zanpakutos. Byakuya's eyes narrowed while Halibel's un-bandaged hand went for her Zanpakuto. Orihime was the only one that didn't move. She just stood there, her eyes wide with horror and sadness. Her lack of reaction was the most frightening thing of all.
"Ichimaru—"Hitsugaya said, his voice full of warning, "What just happened?"
"I don't know," he confessed, "Ulquiorra was one of the guardians of this place, it should have recognized him," he looked at the doors, "Apparently it didn't."
"Or it recognized a Shinigami," Halibel stated coldly.
"Neliel," Gin turned to her, "What does Gamuza look like?"
"Kinda like a centaur," she said, "Like me in my release form—but a little different."
"A little different, not a lot," Gin said, "Your Spiritual Power is still very similar to what it was when ya were Arrancar, this is just taking it a step further," his eyes swept over them, "I'm just going to take a guess and say you all were attacked by Las Noches itself," he looked at them, "Poison in abandoned labs, shifting floors, Hollows coming out of nowhere but knowing exactly where to go," he smirked, "Do you know how long it took to build the Court of Pure Souls? Aizen did what he did almost instantly, using Spiritual Power," he motioned around him, "Certain parts of the palace are almost alive if you will, highly charged with Aizen's power."
"You mean to tell us that Aizen's the one whose been attacking?" Hitsugaya demanded.
"I was trying to tell you that back then as well," he said grinning, almost looking like the old Gin, "But you all left before I could. You didn't even ask me what the key looked like."
They looked away guiltily.
"I'll get the door open," Hinamori said, her eyes darkening. She released Hitsugaya's hand and walked past Gin. The size of the doors dwarfed her almost comically, but her lack of height hadn't stopped her from killing Aizen and it certainly was not going to stop her from opening the doors. Hitsugaya's eyes widened as he realized that the doors would not be as easy. He started forward to stop her but an entirely different hand grasped her shoulder.
"It's okay," Urahara said with a smile, "I'll get them open."
"Urahara?" Byakuya's eyes widened, "How did you—"
"Sorry we got lost," Shinji said appearing behind Urahara, "New guy took a wrong turn here."
The two of them stood there, Shinji in his by now trademark grey trench coat and Urahara in his dark green garb. Their respective Zanpakutos were over their shoulders though neither was in their shikai. Both seemed far more happy and relaxed than anyone had seen them since the war.
No one questioned what Urahara was doing with Shinji in the middle of Las Noches. Granted Gin Ichimaru had appeared and was helping them instead of trying to kill them so none of them were really shocked that Shinji and Urahara had managed to find their way. Shinji stepped back and looked at Urahara, the latter grinning merrily.
"Wake Up, Benihime," he ordered, the Zanpakuto shifting into shikai.
"You're actually going to try this?" the zanpakuto sighed, "Well I do suppose that you are still too pathetic to do this on your own. Honestly, Kisuke."
"Bankai," Urahara whispered. The room collectively held its breath.
It had been over a hundred years since he had been able to call Benihime to bankai state, a hundred years of remembering what it felt like but never actually being able to feel it. All this time, all this distance, it vanished as Benihime obeyed his command. The sheer force of Spiritual Pressure released made their heads spin. Urahara's green outfit morphed to his black Soul Society robes, only this time, a red haori hung from his shoulders. Benihime looked the same as it normally did, and everything would have appeared to be the same had it not been for the stunning woman at his back. She may not have been dressed for battle but there was no doubt in anyone's mind that she would be a more than worthy adversary.
"Nake," he said, "Benihime."
The effect was instantaneous. A sound, unlike any they had heard before, paralyzed them as effectively as poison. Even Grimmjow had to fight the urge to clap his hands over her ears. The woman vanished as red mist streamed through the door, destroying it in a manner similar to Hinamori's own blast. The mist covered the door, destroyed it and returned to Urahara, reforming the woman for a heartbeat before disappearing from sight all together. The door attempted to reform but some kind of barrier kept it from being able to do so, holding it in its place.
The office looked the same except for the crumpled figure in the corner.
"Ulquiorra!" Orihime cried.
"Benihime!" Urahara ordered. The Zanpakuto roared to his command, the mist wrapping around Ulquiorra's form and pulling him through the doors. Byakuya caught the unconscious Shinigami, the folder held tightly against his chest. The second he was through the doors the floor started to tremble, "we've got to get out of here!"
The doors to the office and from where they came all slammed shut and vanished, trapping them in the room they were in. All were trained warriors and immediately got back to back, their eyes searching for any kind of threat. There was nothing, just the walls of the palace. In every way that was even more unsettling than if Aizen himself had come through the doors. After all, there was no enemy they could fight there, there was nothing they could do. Even Gin couldn't move the hallways anymore. Before they could react the hallway walls began to spin. For a moment they couldn't figure out why but as they felt the spiritual pressure build it became clear that it was for one purpose.
Las Noches was going to attack them.
From her position on the floor Orihime realized what was happening but she couldn't move. All she could see was Ulquiorra's still face. All her abilities, everything she could do, it was as though she forgot it in the wake of the panic that surged through her. His face was still but not peaceful, as though Las Noches had somehow trapped him inside his mind. She did not know if she could heal that. She looked at the walls and then at Ulquiorra. Her heart cried to help him but her mind told her that if she was to save everyone she was going to need all her power. She closed her eyes and squeezed Ulquiorra's hand. She felt his fingers twitch under hers, a silent confirmation that he was alive. She smiled down at him before standing up. Grimmjow tore his eyes away from the walls to look at her.
"Take care of him," she said.
"What the hell are you—" he trailed off as Orihime began to glow.
Gold light began to flicker around her, building steadily until it enveloped her. She was too bright, too powerful to look at. Dimly Halibel remembered being told that at her full strength Orihime's power resembled that of a God. She looked like a Goddess at the moment to everyone standing there. The gold light surrounding her grew to blinding brilliance, an invisible wind picking up and blowing their hair back and stinging their eyes. Orihime walked forward until she stood in front of them, her brilliance blinding them and turning her into nothing more than a silhouette to their eyes.
"You will not touch them," she said, her voice echoing around them all.
The Shun Shun Rikka flew out, materializing all at once. They spun around their master before flying to separate part of the room, diving it into six equal parts. The gold lights surrounding Orihime shot out, connecting to the fairies and covering the room. The walls stopped suddenly, trembling as though they were trying to move but could not. With a horrible sound cracks began to appear on the walls. The gold light surged outwards, supporting the entire palace. It had collapsed onto itself, obviously ready to crush them with its full weight. Orihime stopped it, the entire palace hovering supported on the golden light.
"Run," she whispered.
"Damn it—take her!" Grimmjow thrust Soifon at Shinji before he grabbed Ulquiorra and threw him over his shoulder, "Woman we gotta get out of here!" he shouted at Orihime.
She turned her gaze to him. Through the bright golden light he could see the tears that slipped down her face, the regret in her eyes. He realized with a painful lurch that they would be getting out there but she was not going too. He swore. He saw Ichigo hurry forward but Orihime's golden shield threw him back. Once everyone else was safely out of the palace she turned towards them and walked over. Before Grimmjow could say anything she put her hands on his cheeks, stood on her tiptoes and kissed the scarred skin on his face. She stepped back, still crying and still smiling before placing her hands on his chest.
"Thank you," she said before pushing backwards.
He sailed out of the palace, landing in the sand with Ulquiorra still over his shoulder. He turned around just in time to see the rubble of Las Noches condense as Orihime's shield slipped and all the pieces crashed down, right on where she had been standing.
It was Byakuya who acted, refusing to give in to the hysteria that had enveloped everyone else. He didn't so much drop his sword as slam it into the ground, bypassing his initial release and going strait to Bankai. The blades glinted pink in the moonlight and flew forward in an attempt to destroy the rocks. On their way there a bright pink glow flashed and enveloped the individual blades. He looked to his side and saw Hinamori, her eyes blazing with determination to help her friend.
Grimmjow looked at the unconscious shinigami next to him before reaching up and touching the smooth skin of his cheek, the skin still wet from her tear filled kiss. He felt furious. He wanted to go in there and kill her himself. This was not the way to go. What the hell was he supposed to tell Ulquiorra when the pale-faced bastard woke up?
Soifon shook her head to clear it, the last vestiges of the poison already wearing off. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of the rubble, the foggy memories, her mind putting together the pieces like a puzzle. Everyone's eyes were on the spot that Orihime had vanished under the rubble.
No-one saw the Hollows coming for them.
Her movements may have been sluggish, her mind still foggy, but Soifon was not Captain of the 2nd Division for nothing, and the first Hollow that almost took Grimmjow's head off went down under Suzumebachi. The former Espada now Shinigami turned his head towards her, his eyes widening with surprise before dropped Ulquiorra to the ground and got to his feet.
"We've got to hold them off," she said taking charge, "Come on!"
Everyone not helping with getting Orihime out of the rubble immediately turned their gaze to the battle. Between the Captains, the Vice Captains, the former Espada, the former drifters, the Vizard and the traitor the battle did not take long. They worked seamlessly together, their blades cutting down any Hollow that tried to breach their defense. In the face of what had happened, of what they had been through, it did not matter that there was a time not too long ago when they would have stood on opposite sides of the battlefield. What mattered was that at the moment, just now, they were united. They were on the same side.
"We have her!" Hinamori shouted to them, "Get the gate!"
It was Gin who tore it, ripping open a path to connect the two worlds. Byakuya shot though, the unconscious Orihime in his arms. All Ichigo could see of her was her limp hand, something told him that was all he wanted to see. The others raced through the gate leaving him, Gin and Hinamori as the last three. The three of them looked at the rubble that had once been the palace that represented the common thread of evil in their lives. They looked and remembered the shattered dream that had been Aizen Sousuke. Neither of them said anything when Hinamori drew her Zanpakuto.
"Bankai!" she shouted the blade shooting to its final release state, "Blast! Tobiume!"
The pink light lit up the sky. When it cleared there was nothing except a faint patch of darker sand where the fearsome palace of Las Noches had once been. The three of them hesitated for a moment longer as a breeze gently blew through the desert, picking up sand and burying the last remnants of Aizen Sousuke, as though even Hueco Mundo didn't want him. Finally, they all ducked through the gate and joined their friends.
Byakuya had gone ahead with Orihime to get her to the Fourth Division. The rest of them made it through the Garganta and landed in front of what looked like half of Soul Society. Ichigo had already taken off running for the Fourth Division. His heart pounded in his chest. Orihime couldn't die, not when it looked like things were about to get better for them all. They had been through so much, if she died—he couldn't think about that. She had to be okay, she had too. When he got there Byakuya had already passed her onto the group of healers. He was standing there talking to Rukia.
For a moment all Ichigo could see was Rukia, Rukia the damn midget Shinigami who had stabbed his heart, who had saved him, who he had saved. Rukia who was his best friend, his love, his fiancée. Byakuya may not have liked the look in either of their eyes but he knew better than to step between them. Rukia streaked forward, faster than if she had used Flash Steps in Ichigo's eyes, before she collided with him, burying her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her closing his eyes and savoring the feel of holding her so close that even the fabric that separated them was crushed. For a moment he hated the dependence he felt on knowing that she was alive. Then he remembered seeing Orihime's too-pale hand and didn't care anymore. He was through being strong if strong meant he had to pretend he didn't care.
Rukia didn't even hit him, just clung too him with equal force. For a moment it was just them, the world existed with just two souls in it. Then the rest of the world came back into focus and—remembering who their travel companions were—absolute chaos.
"I said I was fine!"
"Shut up!" Grimmjow shouted over his shoulder at Soifon, "You just collapsed again," he looked around. His eyes found Hanatarou, "Hey! You! This one needs attention," he said nodding at Soifon, "She got poisoned."
"Captain Soifon!" his eyes widened, "bring her here."
"Bel-Bel please be okay!"
"Nel, it's a broken wrist, I'll be fine," Halibel said as another healer saw to her wrist, "We need to see to Sun Sun and Dondochakka—"
"Shinigami! Don't kill me!"
"Now Neliel!"
"Shinji!" there was the distinctive sound of sandals hitting skin.
"I said I was fine! I was helping!"
"Helping my ass!"
Gin eased himself into a chair exhaling softly. He was in no shape to be fighting any battles. He closed his eyes all the way and let his head fall back, the cool wall pressing against his throbbing skull. He had saved them, just like Hinamori had told him to, just like he knew Matsumoto would want him to. If he stayed very very still he could almost imagine her lips against his, the tickle of her hair falling on his shoulders and a voice, barely audible whispering,
Thank you.
Break
Soifon fell back with a groan. The adrenaline from the fight had worn off and whatever was left of the poison in her system seemed determined to wreak havoc on her insides. She thought about getting up and rinsing her mouth out but her stomach told her that moving was probably a bad idea. She leaned her head back against the cool tile of her bathroom and swore that if there was any remnant of Aizen Sousuke in the world she was going to find it, tear it into pieces and feed it to, to Grimmjow or something. Her eyes drifted shut, and she was confident when her stomach rebelled again she'd wake up.
"Eh—Soifon?" someone tapped her face, "Soifon!"
Blearily she cracked her eyes open to see a pair of worry filled amber ones peering down at her. Her eyes closed momentarily before snapping open. Yoruichi was looking at her with concern plastered all over her face. All that Soifon felt looking at her was anger. She had avoided Yoruichi after the war for that exact reason. Swearing, she forced down the desire to vomit again. Her body had other plans. She shoved Yoruichi aside as she leaned over the toilet, emptying whatever was left in her stomach. Yoruichi appeared with a glass of water but Soifon hit her hand away.
"Get away from me," she gasped, her hands colliding with the tile as she refused any kind of help.
"Soifon—"
"Did you wonder why I avoided you?" Soifon gasped out, unable to look at her former mentor, "I can't—I can't keep doing this," she shook her head, "I can't keep caring so damn much, Yoruichi," she inhaled, "My entire life I was told my strength would be yours, that everything I was belonged to you," she laughed, her voice full of bitterness, "You never really needed my strength, and by the time I gave it all to you there was none left. Omaeda is dead because of that, I don't know how many others," she closed her eyes, "I'm done Yoruichi," she closed her eyes, "I can't care anymore."
"Well it's about time," Yoruichi said with a huff, taking the glass of water she held and pushing it firmly into Soifon's hand, "you caring so much was like me trying to teach you Flash Steps, only so much you can learn eh?" she shrugged, "I just heard you got stabbed by Suzumebachi to try to get rid of whatever poisoned you before sneaking out of the Fourth Division."
"Its too loud there," Soifon shook her head, "My head hurts as it is."
"Poison," Yoruichi shook her head before placing a vial down on the floor, "Nemu sent this, she swears it'll help get the rest of whatever's in your system out quickly."
"T-thank you," Soifon said taking the vial and drinking it. Her stomach settled and she waited a moment before pushing herself to her feet. Yoruichi stepped forward but she glared. She back off. Soifon limped to the bathroom door only to have someone pick her up, "What the hell?!" she demanded indignantly.
"Shut up! I've been waiting out here for fifteen minuets while you two 'girl talked'," Grimmjow snapped, "The Fourth Division's going crazy looking for you! Damn 'stealth division'."
"You should go to the Fourth, even with whatever Nemu gave you're still weak," Yoruichi said, nothing but concern in her eyes.
"But I—"
"Shut up, we're going," Grimmjow cut her off.
"Shut up! You put me down right now!" he walked off, "Yoruichi, who's doing the paperwork?!" she cried.
"I've got it under control!" Yoruichi called back.
In her weakened state Soifon had no choice but to lay there as Grimmjow carried her back to the Fourth Division. Nemu's potion apparently had a side effect since she felt rather sleepy. Her body must have gone limp because she saw Grimmjow's eyes dart towards her before he tightened his grip around her body. For some odd reason Grimmjow kept all his remarks to himself. In fact, she realized that the skin of his cheek was smooth, not scarred like it had been. He seemed very aware of it as well, he constantly had his head tilted as if the wind hurt the skin.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Orihime," he responded, his voice uncharacteristically quiet, "Before she—"
"Unohana said the shield helped," she said, "She said there's a really good chance—"
"Chance?" he let out a snort of disbelief, "I'm a Shinigami when I was an Espada. I just fucking saved Ulquiorra," he shook his head, "I don't 'do' chances."
"Unohana's very good at saving people who Aizen tries to kill," Soifon said, "We know that from experience," she narrowed her eyes, "Are you worried about Ulquiorra."
"No," he said shaking his head, "That bastard can—" she raised an eyebrow. He let out a frustrated sigh, "A little," he said finally, almost guiltily as though he was sharing a secret, "I don't think anyone's managed to break through Ulquiorra's shell before. Aizen trusted him explicitly for a reason; that was why he was in charge of her. He seriously underestimated her."
"He seemed to do that a lot," she said with a smirk.
"Yeah he did," he said as they walked forward, lapsing into silence.
"About what happened in Las Noches," Soifon said abruptly, causing Grimmjow to pale, "Thank you."
"Huh?" his eyebrows threatened to disappear into his hairline out of sheer surprise, "You're not going to threaten to turn me into carpets or something?" she shook her head, "So I just have to save your ass every once in a while," he smirked, "Doesn't sound too bad to me."
"Don't push it," she warned.
"Yes Shaolin."
"What did I tell you about calling me by that name?!"
"That is your name isn't it?"
"Yes, but—"
"Uh huh?"
"Never mind," she grumbled as they got to the gate of the Fourth Division. Without any command Grimmjow set her down, "Thanks," she said finally.
"And I didn't even save your ass," he said with a confident smirk. She glared at him before walking into the Fourth Division.
"There you are!" Nel cried standing up, "the Hell Butterfly took a while."
"What Hell Butterfly?" Soifon demanded, "I'm here to be checked out by Unohana," she said, "What's going on."
"Uh, well—" Nel looked around.
"Captain Soifon, Grimmjow," only Unohana could address the Espada with kindness. She stepped fully out of the room closing the door gently behind her and looked at the oddest group she had seen and this was Soul Society, "I would like to tell you what is happening to Orihime and Ulquiorra."
"Yes?" they all looked at her.
"Ulquiorra has been freed from the spell that Aizen's office put on him. He is sleeping now," she looked at them all, "Orihime's condition is a bit more delicate. Given her lack of physical body the Shun Shun Rikka have altered as well. The technique that Orihime used is a new one, one that apparently utilizes all six of her fairies. However the strain of it was enough to make her loose her control. The fairies took the brunt of the rubble but some of it did make it through."
"Is she going to be okay?" Ichigo demanded.
"I believe that in time she will recover," Unohana said, her eyes softening in kindness, "How much time will be required, I do not know."
"So you're saying she's not going to wake up?" he asked.
"Quite the opposite," she said, "I am saying she will wake up, I am just not sure when that will be."
"What are the chances of that being before Ulquiorra wakes up?" Grimmjow demanded.
"Very slim," Unohana said regretfully.
"I'd keep his Zanpakuto away if I were you," he said, "Far, far away."
Unohana nodded. Slowly the people all filtered out until it was just Hitsugaya and Hinamori. Unohana had re-bandaged Hinamori's arms, including her newly burned one. She made no comments about the ice that had coated it, making the skin not even sting when she re-applied the salve. Deciding that this would go nowhere if she didn't intervene Unohana stepped forward.
"The Commander General has called a hearing to discuss the case of the Espada and requires all the Captains to be present," she said, "it's in an hour."
"Okay," Hinamori nodded.
"Come on Momo," Hitsugaya said pushing himself up, "I'm starving, there's time to get food."
"I'm hungry too," she said with a smile standing up, "let's go, Toshiro."
"Toshiro?" he raised an eyebrow, "so you're gonna call me by my first name now huh?"
"Hey! You called me Momo first," she argued, crossing her arms.
"Well its better than Shiro," he said finally.
"Oh I'll still call you that," she said with a smile over her shoulder.
"Fine! Then I'll call you Bed Wetter Momo."
"That's Captain Bed Wetter Momo," she said raising her chin. For a moment neither said anything and then both laughed. Admittedly Hinamori's was much more than Hitsugaya's but he did as well, "come on, I'm starving."
Unohana watched as Hinamori and Hitsugaya walked out of the Fourth Division. Halfway down the corridor Hitsugaya's hand found Hinamori's un-injured one, their fingers interlacing tightly. There was no blush, no words of endearment, no kissing but Unohana saw the way Hitsugaya's eyes softened and the way Hinamori walked a bit closer to him. She watched them go with a smile on her face, finally feeling as though she could fully discharge Hinamori from her care.
"Captain Unohana?" she turned to face the Division member, "It's Gin Ichimaru," the poor man looked close to tears, "you need to come and see this."