The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.
To the dozen or so people who are actually reading this, I want to apologize for the delay. Now that I'm done with school for the summer, I can finally get something important done!
Other than the pressures of school, the simple fact of the matter is this: I am putting more thought and effort into this project than anything I have ever attempted before. Not only is it the culmination of years of daydreaming, it also happens to be the debut of my oc's, whom I value very much. I want this to kick ass.
On that note, episodes 63 and 64 of Bleach succeeded in throwing me a curveball, one which only hampered my work until I was able to think of an adequate solution. It seems Rukia did not accompany the others back to the Soul Society after her rescue. Hey, I like the dub and am refraining from jumping forth with the subs. So sue me. Besides, I've got enough anime currently on my plate without adding another 100+ episodes of Bleach. I've tried to handle it to the best of my ability without going back and writing her out of the previous chapter, while at the same time explaining why I'm not using characters that should be there according to canon.
coughRENJI!cough .
Rhamiel506: The specific Pink Floyd song Gabby was playing during the trip through the portal was "Echoes". Speaking of which, a little bit was added in the last rewrite to help enhance her personality. I feel the true insanity of her character is now apparent. I've also fixed up some dialogue and changed some of the smaller details to help this thing flow.
Rose1948: Ma'am, you are a Godsend. Your reviews, brief as they may be, always make me feel better.
Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. Evangelion belongs to Gainax. There are dozens of other little references in this thing, and they belong to whoever they belong to. Elizabeth, Sarah, and Gabby Grant, however, are mine.
CLOROX
There was so much blood.
The ruby-red mess clashed drastically with the shockingly-pale white of her clammy skin. For one brief absurd moment, the young woman looked like the title character from the Karin anime she adored so much. With the significant difference being that the Chibi Vampire never appeared quite so grotesque when covered in blood.
Her nose was bleeding profusely, adding to the ghastly sight of the dual rivers of crimson pouring forth from her tear ducts. She was actually crying blood.
She was taken by another fit of retching, although the contents of her stomach had been lost ages ago. All that came up was more blood. No, that wasn't true, Elizabeth corrected herself. She could clearly make out some of the girl's teeth in the mess.
Dear God, there was so much blood.
Gabby was standing in the corner, teetering on the brink of tears, yet doing her best to fight back the reality that Sarah was about to die.
Elizabeth was putting up significantly less resistance, cursing her inability to save her younger sibling. The true magnitude of the situation could not be kept at bay: If she was taken by this thing, the two of them would be next.
The eldest Grant sister wasn't the only one aware of this inevitable outcome. Sarah concluded her violent convulsions before successfully repressing subsequent such fits. Painfully pushing herself across the floor until she could rest her back against the wall, she looked up into Elizabeth's face, finding all the pain and fear she was experiencing reflected back at her. That simple action seemed to drain her final reserves. She tried to speak, but in her current state could only manage a hoarse whisper.
"You know in horror movies, where somebody's begging their friends to kill them, but they won't do it? And a little while later it turns out they should have? Well, I think this is one of those times…"
No. Elizabeth refused to believe her. There was no way in hell that she could kill her own sister. Even as those thoughts dominated her mind, her body was acting of its own accord, some horrible little part of her mind knew what she was saying was true. The grip of the revolver she had taken off the guard had somehow found its way into her sweaty palm.
Elizabeth's voice shook even worse than her hands as she leveled the firearm at her pleading sister's forehead, the sight wavering wildly but never leaving its target at such close range. "I'm sorry, Sarah…."
Her trembling finger eased back the trigger, taking it to, then past, the pressure point.
The gun fired.
Elizabeth awoke with a start.
There were a few panicked seconds when she was unsure of her surroundings, but these quickly left her as she realized she was safe in her bed, entangled in the sheets, her sleeping clothes drenched in a cold sweat. It was with no small effort that she was able to control her rapid breathing and accelerated heart rate.
It had been the dream again. That stupid dream.
How often had she been having it recently? Once a week, maybe twice? She wanted to tell herself it didn't mean anything, that there was no correlation between its increasing occurrence and her sister's current well-being, but her mind was hard-pressed to accept such an argument after the crystal clear images that had just been displayed. She could still smell wet copper and gunpowder. And something else, too…
Elizabeth raised her arm, sniffed at herself cautiously, and wrinkled her nose in distaste. She wasted no time as she made a beeline for the bathroom, hoping a hot shower would help her get some sleep. With the job they had to look forward to, the last thing she wanted to do was dwell on the past.
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The actual translation of Shinigami is Death God, but in an attempt of avoiding being totally creepy, they refer to themselves as Soul Reapers more often than not. In the western world, the job they perform would be fairly similar to the duties of the Grim Reaper. While the black robes worn by each were similar, the scythe was replaced with a zanpakutō, the spiritual sword that allows a Soul Reaper to channel their powers.
The actual depiction of heaven is also slightly different, even so much as that it is referred to as the Soul Society, a sprawling world with a fairly rustic and un-advanced level of technology similar to feudal Japan. The Shinigami make their home in the inner sanctum, also known as the Seireitei. The massive residential area outside the Seireitei's gates is known as the Rukongai, and is divided into some eighty districts. Hueco Mundo is a dimension that lies between the Soul Society and the human world, and is populated by Hollows, souls of the deceased that have lingered too long without being slain by a Soul Reaper. When they ARE cleansed by a Shinigami's blade, they will either enter the Soul Society, or be drug forcibly into the gates of Hell.
While there exists life after death, it should be interesting to note that there is also death after life after death. When a citizen of the Soul Society dies, they are reborn into the human world, creating a balance between the two realms. And then there were people like Kisuke Urahara, who were particularly adept at disrupting this balance.
Urahara, at one time, was a Soul Reaper. However, through a rather complicated series of events and actions on his part, he has since been banished from the Soul Society. This won't stop him from helping others enter from time to time; such was the case when a group of spiritually powerful teenagers mounted an ill-conceived plot to rescue their friend from an unjust execution. After some quick and intense training, Urahara opened a gateway for them to the other side, at the same time employing a device of his own creation that could cheat death in ways never before imagined.
The goal of remaining discreet was only one reason Sarah Grant went to Uruhara for this trip. The other reason lay in the fact that she, herself, was not a Spirit. This is where the shopkeeper's conversion machine came into play, allowing a flesh and blood being to enter the Soul Society without first having their soul ripped from their body. And since she really didn't feel like dying before she made this trip, that was a definite plus.
In the process of creating a doorway to the Soul Society, Urahara would first have one enter the vast basement beneath his shop. He'd like for you to believe that the immense cavern was simply an enormous excavation, but there were two glaring problems with this: One: there would be no possible source of sunlight, and Two: such a lack of support columns would instantaneously bring the ceiling crashing down, a great deal of the city coming with it. Despite this, most visitors pay little attention to the strange fluctuation taking place as they descended the central ladder.
Kisuke Uruhara busied himself with the preparation of the Zenkaimon, or Piercing Worlds Gate, under the watchful eye of his customer. He was assisted by Tessai Tsukabishi, a massive, mustached, soft-spoken man who was never seen without wearing an apron. Uruhara was painfully aware of how each and every movement he made with his cane was being watched by the young girl, as if she were preparing for the inevitability that he spins around and draws out his zanpakutō from inside. Even with the nature of their somewhat friendly relationship, she refused to drop her guard for even a second.
And that wasn't the only source of Urahara's uneasiness. Despite his own impressive array of powers and skill, the former Shinigami couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable around this girl. There was something about her…an untapped source of strength and viciousness that didn't quite suit her schoolgirl appearance. Yoruichi Shihōin, his feline companion and accomplished shape shifter, had pegged it rather well. She had made the suggestion that the girl was harboring something deep down inside; something that shouldn't be there. Uruhara didn't know what the real story was. All he knew for sure was that if she ever went and freed the beast, he wanted to be there to see it.
The shopkeepers finished their work, the large square portal standing tall and at the ready. The gateway resembled a large picture frame comprised of cobbled stone, filled with a rippling translucent membrane.
Hat-and-Clogs stepped back, waving his arm with a flourish. "There you have it, little lady. One stairway to heaven, ready to go. Now, you do understand your four minute window due to the Conversion Machine. Keep moving forward, don't look back, and you should be fine."
In yet another move that only helped to disorient his idea of the girl, Sarah skipped over and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Thank you SOOO much, Kisuke! You have no idea how much this means to me." But then, suddenly, the defensive and paranoid warrior was back. Her entire body stiffened as she cocked her head, listening to something only she could hear. Her eyes shot off towards the ladder, but by the time Urahara could see what she was looking at the girl had already spun on her heel, hugged the muscular Tessai, thanking him for his help as well, and leapt towards the portal. "Take care of that for me, would ya? Thanks again!" And then she was gone.
Urahara chuckled softly, turning his full attention to the group of newcomers who had just caused his client so much distress and panic. There were four of them, every single one veterans of a previous journey to the Soul Society. The tallest of the quintet dwarfed his companions in both mass and height. Yasutora "Chad" Sado was of Mexican descent, and appeared much older than the teenager he actually was.
Next in line was Orihime Inoue, a somewhat naïve and clueless redhead, was easily the most sensitive and kind of the bunch. Her knowledge of technology was virtually nonexistent, so much so that she did not own a cell phone due to the fact that she didn't know how to use it. Her taste in food could kindly be described as creative, and unkindly with so many other less flattering adjectives. The only thing more bizarre than her culinary palette was her imagination, allowing her to see the world in ways that would make the Beatles envious. She also had a huge crush on Ichigo Kurosaki.
Orihime was followed by said crush. Ichigo, another natural redhead, was a 15-year-old possessing a level of spiritual power that surprises anyone who is familiar with such a thing. This immense power had always been present in the form of an ability to see the spirits of the dearly departed. Its abnormally high levels helped his friends develop their own powers as well, even though it was not fully unlocked until he met Rukia Kuchiki.
Rukia was the only one in the group who could not claim citizenship in the human world, her small frame and bobbed haircut effectively masking the true level of power she possessed. She was the Soul Reaper who had first loaned her powers to Ichigo, awakening his own Spiritual Pressure and therefore setting off the chain of events that had originally brought this group together. After the events surrounding her rescue from execution, she had elected to stay behind in the Soul Society, rather than returning with her friends to the human world. It was more sentimentality than anything else that had her spending a few weeks back in this realm, repeating her housing situation by sleeping in Ichigo's closet while wearing a pilfered pair of his sister's pajamas.
The group slowed to a halt upon seeing the open portal, all of them wearing a look of confusion upon seeing the massive stone doorway. Kisuke did his best to welcome the newcomers warmly. "Greetings, Ichigo! Not quite the whole gang, as Renji and Uryū seem to be absent, but quality beats quantity. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
The question was ignored as Rukia shouted one of her own. "Uruhara! When did she ask for a gateway?"
The shopkeeper dismissed the anger with a wave of his hand. "When she came into my shop, almost half an hour ago. And before you jump to the offensive, rest assured she has every right to go there."
It was at this that Ichigo stepped in with his typical level of grace and tact. "What the hell is going on here, Hat-and-Clogs! Who is she anyway!"
He failed to get a rise out of the man in the striped hat. "I'm sorry Ichigo, but there exists such a thing as customer confidentiality. However, if you really want to find out what's going on, why don't you ask her yourself? You've only missed her by a few seconds. True there's a limited timeframe, but seeing as you kids could make it through last time, you really shouldn't have too much of a problem. That doesn't mean you should dawdle, though…"
The group of students stood there for a few seconds, at a loss as how to handle that suggestion. After all, they were only here in the first place because, in the process of returning the girl's book when she had left it outside during lunch, Orihime had followed the mysterious student to Urahara's shop, discovered where she was going, and promptly ran to get whatever reinforcements she could find.
Renji was off doing who knows what while Uryū was still keeping his distance from Ichigo. Their camaraderie during Rukia's rescue aside, the Quincy was not yet prepared to start a warm friendship with a Shinigami. With those two exceptions, everyone was at least a little curious to learn more about the new classmate who seemed a little too old and mostly kept to herself. However, no one had been prepared for a trip outside their plane of reality. A decision had to be made, and it had to be made quickly.
Without so much as turning her head to ask the opinions of her comrades, Orihime shot forward, disappearing through the portal. She was followed promptly by Rukia, quick on her heels, intent on discovering precisely what unorthodox goings-on were taking place in her designated sector of the human world. Chad was next, only because it took slightly longer for his large frame to pick up momentum. This left Ichigo standing alone, wearing a perplexed expression. It didn't seem like he had much choice. But if he was going to go, he sure as hell wasn't going like this.
"Sonuva…Hat-and-Clogs, hit me!"
The tip of Uruhara's cane lifted up off the ground, revealing the stylized skull surrounded by blue frames that was engraved in the base. The emblem shot forward as the retired Soul Reaper thrust forth the concealed weapon, coming into contact and then penetrating Ichigo's skull. The teen felt a sudden jolt, catching himself after staggering back several feet just in time to see his lifeless body collapse. His soul had been removed, and he was now clothed in his Shinigami robes, free to access his spiritual pressure.
Ichigo sped through the portal, yelling over his shoulder as he ran. "You'd better take good care of that while I'm gone!"
Uruhara watched the group leave before asking his associate to carry the empty shell upstairs for careful storage. Tessai hoisted the corpse over his shoulder and made his way upstairs. He was well out of earshot when Hat-and-Clogs began to giggle quietly to himself. This soon escalated into a hearty chuckle. This was replaced with sidesplitting laughter, leaving the Shinigami inventor doubled over. There was just something funny about the idea of what the police would say if they ever found the body of a high school student stuffed into a crate in the backroom of his shop.
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Shinji struggled to his feet, absentmindedly wiping at the stream of blood flowing freely from his nose. That simple distraction, combined with the way the room currently seemed to be spinning, effectively left him open for the subsequent roundhouse kick to the head. His knees buckled as he was thrown against the side of the leather sofa, his face becoming reacquainted with the floor during his body's rebound.
"YOU PATHETIC LITTLE BASTARD! Do you have ANY idea what you put me through!" It occurred to Asuka that perhaps she wasn't getting the point across to her friend/punching bag. A nice little kick to the ribs seemed to fix this, while at the same time flipping him face up onto his back.
Although it was somewhat comforting when the girl's explosive anger he was so used to finally made its appearance, the raw magnitude and energy that accompanied it couldn't help but make Shinji a little nostalgic for the empty disgust she had regarded him with upon initially entering the room and launching into her current tirade.
"Do you have ANY clue what happened to me! And where the Hell were you during all this! Probably crying in some corner like the sniveling little wimp you are!"
Shinji made no attempt at self-defense. He deserved this. He had never believed in anything so completely.
Asuka dropped to her knees, straddling his waist. The complete and total disregard to his wellbeing allowed her to drop her full weight upon him with considerable force, knocking the wind from his skinny frame. The redhead's left hand clasped his bloodied collar and yanked him up off the floor as she brought her right arm back, fist tightly clenched.
"You left me to DIE!"
The Second Child's eyes, narrowed to furious slits, sprang open in surprise as her attempt to throw the punch was sabotaged by a viselike grip on her wrist. Her breath caught in her chest as she was pulled up and off her victim, flung backwards in the same motion before landing in a heap on one of the plush chairs.
"FOR THE LOVE OF GAMERA, FRIEND TO CHILDREN, WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Shinji's mind was thoroughly muddled thanks to the mixture of traumatic stress and physical pain he had just been subjected to, but he was still able to discern the form of his savior, whether he wanted saving or not. Gabby was standing over him, a bundle of clothing under her arm as she offered her body as a physical barrier between the two teens. As always, her eyes remained hidden and unreadable by the goggles. The flush of her cheeks combined with the volume of her voice did more than enough to compensate.
The diminutive young woman leveled an accusatory finger at Asuka, who was still trying to regain her footing after being thrown across the room so easily. "YOU need to stop pushing people away and blaming your own shortcomings on everyone else! If you like Shinji, tell him already and be on your happy little way! And YOU!" Gabby pivoted around, directing the threatening digit at Shinji.
"Grow a fucking spine! If you screw up, big deal! The secret to making it through this life is to surround yourself with people who can cover your ass when you DO screw up! And take a little credit every once in awhile! You know you're not completely in the wrong here, right?" He struggled to nod, but the gesture was still rather feeble. "Then next time she gets up in your grill, smack the bitch upside the
head!" Spinning around and finding her original target, Asuka was halted halfway as she tried to get up off the couch, the pointing index finger leveled at her forehead having the same effect as a loaded gun.
"You DO know he tried to get out there, right? It's not like he didn't try to help you! He almost caught a bullet quite a few times in the process! Even if I HAD let him reach the EVA cages, he still would have been screwed because SEELE gummed up Unit 01 with Bakelite! Sure, he's tried to chicken out, but he would have gone through with it in the end! And he would have lost! But at least he would have tried!" Asuka was close to hyperventilating, grinding her teeth in anger at the thought that this….stranger…had the audacity to not only touch her, but to actually speak to her in this manner.
"Verflucht nochmal! Now that you've finished with your little….therapy session…would you mind being so kind as to tell us who the HELL you are and why the HELL you've brought us here!"
"Leck mich am Arsch!" Asuka froze as she was cussed out in her native tongue.
"We brought you here because we have a job that we can't do alone, and there's a member in our ranks who's probably too sympathetic for her own good! Personally, I think the lot of you are too psychologically crippled to be of use to anyone! Who the hell are we? We're the people who saved your lives, and so help me I will end yours if you don't shut the hell up!"
Asuka could only stare wide-eyed as their captor screamed in her face, shaking her by the shirt collar. The German girl was speechless, unaccustomed to being on the receiving end of such verbal abuse. Her anger momentarily forgotten, the terrified look on her face seemed to bring Gabby back down off her raging high. Her goggled face visibly softened as she released her grip, readjusting the other girl's collar almost apologetically.
She took a few steps back until she could look at the both of them simultaneously, taking a few slow breaths to calm herself before continuing. "Look, I know you two have been through a lot. But I said it before and I'll say it again: You're safe now. I know you two have a lot of questions, but we're gonna have to keep you in the dark for a little bit longer for two reasons. One: everyone's not here yet, and there's way too much for us to want to go over it several times. And B: even if I were to truthfully answer every single one of your questions RIGHT now, there's no way in hell you'd believe me. So, for the time being, sit tight and try to get along. Watch some TV or something." She started for the door, finally taking the time to set the bundle of clothing on a coffee table before she left.
"Living on an island after a cataclysmic event raised the world's oceans until the streets look like Venice hasn't turned you guys off seafood, has it?" Gabby seemed to pay them no mind as she adjusted a framed, autographed poster on the wall bearing a shamrock and the words FLOGGING MOLLY which had been knocked askew during their tussle.
Asuka's face was flushed with rage, her entire body trembling slightly. She was so angry she was unable to speak, yet alone place an order for dinner. Although Shinji himself was also stricken mute, his own silence was more or less due to the absurdity of the question, as well as the calm manner in which it was
presented after the inquisitive individual had just so thoroughly reamed them both a new one. He was however capable of a response, slowly shaking his head no, that seafood would be fine.
"Sweet! You should see the size of the crab legs we get up here. Claws the size of your fist! Anyway, dinner's in an hour and a half. You kids behave. And if you guys are gonna go all Brad Pitt versus Edward Norton on us, do me a solid and take it out into the hallway so you don't break anything, alright?"
With that she left the room, leaving a flabbergasted Shinji and a seething Asuka in her wake.
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This trip through the dongai, or the area between the Soul Society and the world of the living, was much easier than the first time Ichigo and his friends made the passage, as this was not the one day out of the week when the Cleaner was sent through. Not to mention each of the members present had become significantly stronger and faster since that time. Despite this, they were still unable to catch up with the exchange student who should have been less than 30 seconds ahead of them.
The usual bright flash and thunderous crash sent the five teens rolling through the exit and into a rustic street. Everyone had climbed to their feet and were brushing themselves off when Rukia slapped herself in the forehead. "DAMMIT! I'm still in my gigai!" Chad and Ichigo tried to console her with the knowledge that they were unlikely to see any actual combat. Their last visit left them with at least some level of respect/acceptance, and that they should hopefully be back in the human world before too long. One look from Rukia shut them up quickly. It was obvious she was more concerned with the idea of an Officer such as herself being stuck in this predicament.
Orihime ran to the first person she saw and inquired as to the whereabouts of a girl who had come into the city moments before. Seeing as visitors through this particular gate were few and far between, the exchange student had been seen heading for the Western Gate into the Seireitei. Orihime thanked the elderly informant, and the gang made off in the indicated direction.
The enormous white walls of the inner Sanctum were already in view, and the group didn't have to run too far before the Gate became visible. Also visible was the Guardian of the Western Gate, Jidanbō Ikkanzaka, an enormous man nearly 30 feet tall, wearing the black robes of the Shinigami and a somewhat comical red fez hat. He was focused on something close to the ground.
Sarah looked far different when she wasn't sporting the school uniform, the skirt replaced with a pair of dark blue jeans. She was wearing a black short sleeved shirt, a silhouette of a witch and a cat on a broom with the facetious words KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE: TRAINEE emblazoned over the breast pocket.
Even from a distance, Orihime spied the flash of color around Sarah's wrist that the older girl was never without. For the past three weeks, she had constantly found her eyes drawn to the red band with the words WRIST STRONG molded into the rubber surface, but it was only a few days earlier that she had overcome her reservations and asked the new student about the strange little piece of jewelry. Sarah had gladly taken the time to try and explain the joke surrounding the bracelet and its involvement with an American late night television personality. Although Orihime couldn't quite grasp the humor of breaking one's wrist, she was suddenly made aware of the fact that other than looking slightly older than the average high school student, Sarah Grant was obviously foreign, hiding the fact by how fluently she spoke both English and Japanese. English by and of itself wasn't too much of a tell, seeing as every student in Japan took classes at some point or other. Heck, Japanese artists were even putting English lyrics and phrases in their songs nowadays.
Jidanbō looked up at their approach and smiled broadly, momentarily causing his visitor to cease her pleading argument. Sarah followed his line of sight, her face lighting up as she recognized them. "There you are! Thank goodness. I don't have a travel permit, and I'm really in no mood to fight my way past Gigantor here, so I was about to go track down Kūkaku Shiba. Could you guys do me a HUGE favor and vouch for me? I'm kind of in a hurry."
If the crew hadn't halted now that they were so close to their target, that sudden excess of information would have stopped them in their tracks. Who she really was, what she was doing over here, how she even KNEW about this place were all wonderful questions. Ichigo, however, opted for one with a little less tact.
"You were in such a hurry that you're willing to be fired out of a freakin' cannon!?"
Sarah stared at him for a few moments before answering, trying to determine whether or not he was actually serious. "Nooo….I was going to ask her to write me a note so Jidanbō will let me pass. Besides, death from above doesn't really strike me as being inconspicuous."
Orihime chimed in. "What are you doing over here, anyway?"
Sarah turned her attention to the redhead, pausing to glance back at Ichigo cautiously, should he let loose with another rather insane outburst. Fired out of a cannon, for crying out loud… "I need to see a specific Soul Reaper: long blonde hair, she's about this tall," Sarah held her hand level about a foot above her head, "boobs out to here," she moved her hands roughly a foot in front of her chest, "and a beauty mark right here." Sarah concluded her description by pointing to her chin. She was only halfway through the description before everyone assembled knew exactly who she was talking about, the mental picture only enhanced by her rather accurate description.
Ichigo jumped back into the conversation, eager for a little bit more information. "Alright, maybe we'll help you. MAYBE. But first you have to tell us why you need to see the Lieutenant of Squad 10."
Sarah met his gaze without fail. "No…I don't think I'm going to answer that. Sorry."
A large x-shaped vein began to pound above Ichigo's eye as his temper flared.
"Look: this is a private matter, and I have my reasons for wanting to keep quiet about the whole thing. If you're not gonna help me, I'm just gonna have to go find Yoruichi or Kūkaku. Either way, I'm getting on the other side of this wall. You wanna stop me? You'll have to do it by force. And seeing as I am unarmed AND posing no threat to you other than wanting to keep my business to myself, I can't imagine that you'll be all too willing to slice up a classmate. So, to reiterate: Urahara let me through, I have several other contacts and names I can use over here, secrecy is a must, and I'm somewhat in a hurry. Are you guys going to help me or not?"
Everyone seemed a little taken aback, unfamiliar with this aggressive and straightforward aspect of Sarah's personality. True, no one knew her all that well, but what they had simply observed over the past couple of weeks had her solidly pegged as something of a shy and quiet bookworm. At least, when she wasn't being so sexually explicit in her conversations as to make another classmate rush to the restroom for some alone time. Chizuru still couldn't pass the new girl in the halls without blushing furiously.
Ichigo chose to break the silence. "Do you have ANY idea where you are! The Shinigami of the 13 Squads are some of the most dangerous people in the Seireitei AND the human world combined, and you want to try and sneak into their headquarters unnoticed! Even WITH our help, they probably already know you're here and are currently in the process of dealing with it/you! Just ask Rukia! She knows the inner workings of the Seireitei better than any of us!"
Rukia shook her head. "Uruhara's gateway is nearly foolproof. The only reason the 13 Squads knew you guys were here when you came to rescue me was because Aizen was pulling the strings the whole time. And the wall's been kept up since he betrayed us and fled to Hueco Mundo, not because an intruder was detected. Hypothetically, it is possible for her to get inside without anyone knowing she's here…"
Ichigo stared at her in amazement. "You're not seriously thinking about helping her with this, are you? She won't even tell us what's going on!"
"So what are you saying? Just because she has something she can't tell us, we should refuse our assistance? If she's caught alone, what's to stop her from being killed? Especially in these tense times following Aizen's betrayal. Everyone's a little jumpy. She has a much better chance of getting out of here alive if we're with her. Besides, if Uruhara trusts her, that's good enough for me."
Jidanbō had been doing his best to follow the back and forth between the stranger and the group of familiar friends, but was failing miserably, unsure of exactly what was going on. He snapped to attention as Rukia motioned for him to open the gate. He would have still been forced to ask for her travel permit if not for Ichigo's presence. After his defeat at the hands of the capable young Soul Reaper, politics and procedures be damned.
Sliding his massive hands beneath the gargantuan door, Jidanbō employed the universal method of lifting that is always suggested but never employed, using his legs instead of shifting the heavy burden with his back. Bracing the door upon his shoulders, the Gatekeeper wished them luck and bid them farewell as they hurried past, before letting the door slam back down with a thunderous crash.
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"So let me get this straight: after the creepy bitch in the goggles kidnapped you, during the MIDDLE OF THE DAY, she led you to her partner who had already retrieved my Entry Plug, before opening this….portal….thing….and a few minutes later you come out of it and it's the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!"
The sarcasm and disbelief seemed to be lost on Shinji as he replied. "I think they're sisters, but yeah, that's what happened."
The lithe redhead threw her arms in the air in exasperation. "Mein Gott in Himmel! How stupid do you think I am!"
Shinji ignored the outburst, he himself finding it hard to believe even after witnessing it all himself. "Where are we going?"
Asuka marched forward with unrelenting determination. "To find out what the hell's going on around here!" She was still seething after that freak in the goggles had the audacity to say such things to her face.
The hallway was deserted. Apparently, Gabby had in fact disappeared into whatever passed for a kitchen down here, while the older blonde Shinji had told her about had yet to make an appearance. Her companion was all for waiting until their captors came back and explained the situation, but Asuka preferred a more direct approach. Somehow, she felt the most accurate information would be that which they acquired themselves, rather than being provided with by parties unknown. The first revelation was that this was by no means a typical military installation.
A little more exploration on Shinji's part lead to the discovery that the two paintings the pair had discovered on the walls were album covers from the Beatles, the two in question being Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The young EVA pilots merely had to turn a corner to gain an understanding of how truly unorthodox this team of operatives really was. Not a single visible wall in the hallway had been spared; as far as they could see, the government-issue blandness had been hidden behind all manners of hand-painted artwork, ranging from movie posters to album covers to graffiti. Their attempts at stealth were subconsciously aided by their need to take in at least a fraction of what they were presented with, hoping perhaps to pick up some clues as to where they were.
Some of the most elaborate were also considerably bizarre. One painting depicted a group of men dressed identically in black domino masks, gold shirts, black short pants, black helmets with bat ears, and enormous belt buckles depicting a cartoon figure in a cape. Of the eight men pictured, one was riding a motorcycle, one was in a sports car, two were wielding electric guitars, one was holding up a cat by the scruff of the neck, and another was holding a plotted plant. All of them seemed to be fighting a large plastic eyeball under the caption: THE AQUABATS VS. THE FLOATING EYE OF DEATH!
One that held Asuka's attention was that of a blonde man in a black leather coat and jeans riding a unicorn, inspirationally framed by sunlight and clouds. She wasn't sure who NPH was, and therefore had no idea how to answer the displayed question of WHAT WOULD NPH DO?
A few of the walls didn't possess such dramatic care, displaying messily written one sentence phrases that, while unable to place, sounded like the possessed some form of importance. FRODO LIVES! and WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN? were just a few.
The duo passed half a dozen locked and nondescript doorways, divided into three pairs that faced each other across the hallway. The next door looked more promising. It was the same stainless steel as all the others, polished to a reflective surface, but this one had the name LIZ painted on the face, in the spot where a peephole would usually be located. Asuka crept up and thumbed the switch in the doorframe, causing it to slide silently open. Despite Shinji's protests, she snuck inside.
Like the common room the two pilots had been left in, this room was comfortably furnished, looking more like a cross between a woman's bedroom and a den, effectively deceiving the fact that they were actually in a secret underground bunker. Wooden bookshelves lines the walls, filled to overflowing with books, DVDs, and other paraphernalia. The opposite wall was dominated by a large 4 four-poster bed, facing another flat screen television on the wall, this one slightly smaller than the massive viewing screen in the recreation room. A personal computer sat against the wall on the right, next to which stood a large antique desk littered with file folders, loose papers, and a thick book.
Asuka cautiously tiptoed towards the center of the room for a better look. There was an open doorway in the farthest wall to the left, the view showing it to be a bathroom. The sounds of running water told her the occupant was currently in the shower, allowing her a few moments of freedom. She made her way to the desk and began to sift through the contents, only giving a passing glance to the framed shadowbox mounted on the wall at eye level. It contained a dated concert flyer and an aged admissions ticket bearing the same information, in addition to four signatures and a personalized message.
The largest piece of paper was, to her surprise, something she recognized right away: a topographical map of Tokyo 3. These were accompanied by several 8" x 11" glossy photographs, depicting satellite images of the same area. The last rolls of paper were slightly more disturbing. Asuka had to stare at them for awhile before she realized she was looking at a detailed layout of NERV. Whoever these people were, they had done their research.
The Second Child set the first pile of papers to the side before moving onto the next. Star Charts. She really wasn't an expert in this type of thing, but an astronomy class from her distant years in high school told her she was looking at a part of the night sky she had never seen before. This really didn't hold much interest, OR any answers as to what was going on, so she set it off to the side and moved on to the third and final pile of papers on the desk, being careful to leave minimal evidence of her disturbances.
Shinji had finally mustered up enough strength to join his companion in her invasive activities, but Asuka paid him little mind, her attention focused on the schematics before her. They were blueprints, the first of which were of her own EVA Unit 02. Asuka hurriedly flipped through them. All of the Evangelions were represented, the Mass Production Units included. Shaking off the feeling of dread at just how much these people knew, the redhead kept probing, finding other mechanical creations further down in the pile.
These sketches depicted some type of large mechanized battle armor, though much smaller than and Evangelion. She had never seen anything quite like it, but stopped herself from dismissing it as science fiction. After all, if NERV can build a giant robot, what's to stop someone from building a large one? The last machine depicted was easily the most baffling.
The craft was huge. Here and there, Asuka spotted what she recognized as nautical terms thanks to her brief stay aboard the NATO aircraft carrier when the Pacific Fleet was transporting EVA Unit 02 to Japan. There didn't appear to be an open deck. In fact, the airtight construction led her to the conclusion that she was looking at a submarine. The largest and weirdest submarine she had ever seen.
"Hey, Shinji. Look at this…" Asuka moved to the side, allowing him a clear view of the mysterious craft in question.
Shinji peered at the pages questioningly. "ND-001? It looks like a spaceship…."
His suggestion was met with a stinging blow to the back of the head. "Baka-Shinji! This isn't Star Wars!"
Asuka shoved the blueprints to the side and reached for the final item.
The notebook was a sturdy one: a well-worn black leather cover held a simple pad of paper that could be replaced if need be. From the looks of the cover's age and the whiteness of the paper, it had probably been changed several times.
Asuka flipped it open to the first page.
There were around twelve names scribbled on the sheet, each of which was followed by a series of numbers. The only ones she recognized were the first three: Shinji Ikari, Misato Katsuragi, and Asuka Langley Soryu. All three names possessed the same number sequence: 24-32-61-51-8-4. Asuka and Shinji had been crossed off, while Misato's was circled.
And what was the deal with the markings on the first page? Why were the pilots' names crossed off? Were Asuka and Shinji marked as being taken care of? Was Misato circled because she was the next target of abduction? Asuka suggested this to her solemn companion, before marveling that anyone could look even more depressed than he had just seconds before.
Shinji's voice dropped to a pitiful squeak. "I don't think that's it, Asuka. Misato's….Misato's dead."
Asuka was left, once again, without a reply. After everything that had happened to them that day, Shinji was finally able to come out with it. The thing that had been weighing down upon him this entire time. True, Asuka wasn't particularly fond of the alcoholic guardian. Hell, she had even wished death upon the bitch who had actually managed to do with Kaji what she herself could only dream about. But to find out that she was dead….
Not knowing what to say, the Second Child was about to busy herself with the rest of the notebook when a sudden absence of sound caused her and the Third to turn abruptly towards the bathroom. The sounds of running water had stopped. Asuka tucked the notebook into her pocket as she pulled her cohort out the door, not giving him enough time to stop and look back at whatever it was he felt snag against the doorknob.
"Come on, Baka. We're getting out of here."
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Rukia steered the gang towards a side street as per Sarah's request that they keep out of the plain sight, but they first had to cross a large open courtyard. Walking briskly and trying their best to act somewhat casual, the quintet had succeeded in reaching the mouth of the alley when their cover was effectively blown.
"Well, well, what do we have here? The Ryoka have returned, and in greater numbers. What's the deal Ichigo? Planning a widespread invasion of the Soul Society?"
All eyes searched for the source of the voice as the group stopped cold in its tracks. There, perched on a rooftop of one of the buildings lining the exact street they had had the misfortune of choosing, was one of the last people one would want to run into in this, or any other plain of existence: a large brute of a man that could easily pass for a serial killer in civilized society. The small figure with pink hair perched on his shoulder helped somewhat to relieve the feeling of terror as she waved frantically, grinning wide.
The Captain of Squad 11, Kenpachi Zaraki, had a physical appearance that effectively matched his personality, each or which was exceptionally wild and aggressive. He styled his black hair into spikes, tipping them with bells, and always wore a patch over his right eye so as to handicap himself in battle. At 6'7.5", Kenpachi towered over most of his fellow Soul Reapers, and stood at over twice the height of his Lieutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi.
Like her Captain, Yachiru's personality was also reflected in her appearance. Anyone who looked at the tiny, pink haired Shinigami and assumed she was a child could converse with her for roughly ten seconds and discover that this assumption was correct. Aside from being small, cheerful, energetic and carefree, Yachiru possessed incredible speed and strength, which she would put to use from time to time when she needed to pick up her Captain and carry him. Her appearance was also significantly offset by the fact that she was acting president of the Soul Reaper Women's Association.
A terrified shiver ran up Ichigo's spine at the sight of the muscle-bound hulk, memories of the truly suffocating level of spiritual pressure he possessed causing an uneasy lurch in his stomach. Then, he got an idea. An awful idea. The substitute Soul Reaper got a wonderful, awful idea. True, they couldn't rightly bring themselves to beat the truth out of Sarah, but Kenpachi would have no such qualms. They had already been caught, so there was no reason they couldn't let someone they knew employ a little intimidation to get to the bottom of things.
"This time it wasn't our idea Kenpachi. If you really want to know what's going on, why don't you ask her?" Ichigo nodded towards Sarah with a satisfied smirk. "We followed her over to the other side. She says she has business to attend to, but she doesn't seem to be talking…"
Rukia's head jerked slightly before she stared at him, knowing what he was up to almost instantly and not at all happy with it. Chad remained his usual impassive self while Orihime shuffled nervously from foot to foot, suddenly very afraid for the girl she liked to think of as a friend, despite knowing almost nothing about her. Kenpachi shifted his focus to perhaps the least intimidating of the group, even more so than Orihime, as the shark-like smile widened.
The miniature person perched on his back squeaked delightedly. "Did you hear that, Kenny? Someone new for you to play with!" Her Captain nodded his agreement before addressing Sarah.
"I don't know if Ichigo and his friends filled you in, Miss, but before I let you pass, you're gonna have to fight me. Now, I see that you are unarmed. That's fine by me, we'll just have to compromise. If you can land just one hit, you win. Likewise, I will refrain from instantly killing you. Maybe I'll be satisfied with just taking a limb." Kenpachi's one visible eye gleamed. "Maybe…."
Ichigo glanced over at Sarah, eager to see her sweating it out. He nearly did a double take. She had backed into something of a defensive stance, her forward foot tapping anxiously, an eager grin creeping across her face. Her eyes had narrowed to predatory slits, twinkling with an evil little flame that had not been there moments before. 'No way,' Ichigo thought to himself. 'She's actually itching for a fight with him!'
Everyone else in the group seemed to be getting the same vibe as well. Rukia hissed at her from the corner of her mouth through clenched teeth, whispering so as not to be overheard by the very frightening individual in their midst. "Sarah, what do you think your doing! Do you have any idea who this is?"
Sarah didn't look at her as she answered, keeping her eyes focused on the most likely opponent. The group of students jumped slightly at the unfamiliar sound of her voice. There was something almost sinister in the way she let the words slip past her smirking lips. "Of course I do. Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of Squad 11: probably the most dangerous individual in the Seireitei. There are two types of people in this world: those he's thought about killing, and those he hasn't met yet. Well, okay, so there's a third group made up of dead people…."
"Exactly!" Rukia pleaded. "He'll rip you apart!" While their own inner circle had reached a level of something close to being welcome in this world, she knew that there were certain people who would always be looking for an excuse to get their hands, and swords, dirty.
"Relax." Sarah exhaled slowly, her words full of confidence, as well as something else. Her voice sounded very much like it didn't belong to her, especially after what she said next.
"I think I can take him…."
Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime and Chad could only stare at her, openmouthed, trying to comprehend what was going through her mind at that moment. Things only grew more bizarre when the smile vanished from Sarah's face, her eyes growing wide with a combination of surprise/fear. Suddenly, the mysterious new student slapped herself as hard as she could.
There were an uncomfortable few seconds while she dropped to her knees, on the verge of hyperventilating as she clutched her head in her hands. Everyone, including Kenpachi, looked on with
confusion. After a moment of this, Sarah shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts as she climbed to her feet, the nervous and shy features she usually displayed at school present once again.
She grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that….I've got a really bad habit of picking fights I have no chance of winning..." She smiled at Ichigo, and for a split second that evil little flash returned to her eyes, sending a chill down his spine. It vanished just as quickly, but the smile remained as she addressed her travel companions en masse.
"Listen guys, I'm about to do something kinda bad, but seriously, no hard feelings." The girl didn't wait for a reply as she took a dozen steps off to the side, separating herself from the group. For a few little period of time, Orihime was afraid she was thinking about fighting Kenpachi again.
Sarah pointed towards the tiny shape on Kenpachi's shoulder, snapping her fingers as she tried to remember a name. "Uh….umm…Yachi…Yachiru! Hey, Yachiru! Could I talk to you in private for a moment? Pretty please?"
The tiny Soul Reaper leapt from her Captain's shoulder and ran over to where the stranger was crouched low to the ground, a psychological attempt to make her subject more comfortable. Sarah leaned in close, encouraging her new cohort to do the same, before she began whispering in conspiratory tones. The tiny figure listened intently, the same joyful smirk never leaving her youthful face. As Sarah concluded her secret meeting, she took something out of her pocket and discreetly handed it to the small Lieutenant. Yachiru's eyes widened with glee as she accepted the gift, pocketing it quickly. As it disappeared into the folds of her Shinigami robes, Orihime could just make out the shiny foil of a candy bar wrapper.
Her allegiances effectively secured, the tiny pink-haired girl spun on her heel, waving her arms to gain Kenpachi's attention. It was an unnecessary action: seeing as Yachiru was one of the few people Kenpachi truly cared for, her every movement had been observed carefully as she conversed with the stranger, her Captain ready to dispatch the newcomer at a moment's notice should she present a threat to his Lieutenant.
"Hey, Kenny!" Yachiru pointed to Sarah over her shoulder. "She's got a big important meeting she has to go to, and if she's really late, her sisters will get mad and she'll be in a lot of trouble! But Ichigo told her he'd play with you while she took care of things!"
The entirety of the group was speechless, no one quite sure if they had heard that right. Ichigo actually had to choke back a laugh once the absurdity of that statement had truly set in. He turned to where Kenpachi was perched on the rooftop, expecting to share a good laugh with the large, frightening man.
"Hey, Kenpachi! Can you believe this girl-" Ichigo leapt out of the way a split second before the blade would have found its target, the force of the blow shattering the ground where he had just been standing. A lock of orange hair flitted quietly to the ground, a testament to truly just how close its owner had come to having his head split open like a ripe melon. The huge Shinigami slowly straitened
up from the crouch he had landed in, the malicious sneer curling across his face made all the more sinister by the scar permanently marking his features.
"Sounds good to me Yachiru. Alright, Ichigo Kurosaki. Tag. I'm it."
The color draining from his face was the only action Ichigo had time for before he was forced to dodge a second stone shattering blow. There were a brief couple of seconds for him to think of what to do next. He used them to go over his options and select the best way to handle the situation. Then, he turned around and ran like Hell.
Yachiru took off after them, reluctant to miss out on any of the fun as she shouted goodbyes to everyone while flitting past in the blink of an eye, the sword that she carried being the only thing that kept her from looking like a pixie.
Three pairs of eyes watched as the trio disappeared around a far bend in the street, the first in line screaming in horror as the two in pursuit laughed hysterically. As they disappeared, Rukia, Orihime and Chad turned to the person responsible, hoping for some explanation or maybe even an apology.
Sarah stood up, brushing the dirt from her knee before wiping it from her hands. "Alright, now we can go." Without waiting for a response she turned down the now unguarded street, making her way further into the Seireitei.
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"Maybe we should just stay here."
Asuka spun on her heel, launching into a verbal assault that should hopefully quell her spineless cohort's protests. "Are you crazy, or just stupid! We don't know anything about them! They were wearing SEELE uniforms, for God's sake! And how do they know so much about us!"
Shinji tried feebly to stand his ground. "But I saw your Entry plug, Asuka! You should be dead right now! They saved you!"
Asuka didn't have a reply to that: truly, she just didn't want to think about what may have happened to her earlier that day. Her purposeful strides were not halted, however, as they now found themselves in the cavernous chamber through which they had entered. Just like when they had first arrived, the underground hanger was deserted. Shinji voiced this revelation to Asuka. "Do you think it could be just the two of them down here?"
Asuka didn't answer, her attention drawn to the tan and black behemoth in front of her. The hulking form of the MRAP sat right where they left it, dwarfing the newcomers who dared enter its domain. The redheaded EVA pilot made her way forward slowly, reaching out a trembling hand and running it over the steel surface. It was surprisingly warm. She could have sworn she felt something. A soft rumble emanating from deep within near the center, but not from the hood where an engine knock could be expected. There was something unsettling about this machine. A prickling of the hairs on the back of her neck gave the impression that she was being watched.
Unwanted memories came flooding back, despite her best attempts at repressing them: Her fight with the EVAs. Her violent and absolute defeat. Lying helplessly in a pool of LCL as she experienced a level of pain that she could never have possibly imagined. Her stubborn refusal to die. But there was something else….
The SEELE troops had been coming for her, looking for proof of her demise and ready to rectify the situation if they found none. The troops turned away from her as an explosion erupted in the distance. They started firing at something. There was something large moving towards them, a combination of thundering footsteps and a rolling juggernaut that crushed all in its path. The movements reminded her near-dead mind of rollerblading. It was standing over her now, blocking out the sunlight. In a cruelly ironic mirroring of her attempt to reach out for salvation moments before being skewered by the EVAs' weapons, the thing above reached down for her with its gargantuan claw, light shining off its skin like it was made of metal.
Shinji's calling of her name snapped her out of her painful and foggy recollections. "Hey Asuka, what do you think this thing is?"
Asuka followed her coconspirator's voice to where he was standing before the sphere, running a cautious hand experimentally over one of its curved components. The thirty-foot globe was recessed into the floor about six feet deep, and was made up of ten concentric rings of varying sizes, one inside the other, all around a smaller orb in the very center of the sphere. A large shaft stretched from the middle of the perfectly round crater, straight up through the bottom of each ring, pierced the central orb, and then continued through the tops of each ring before ending in a capped disc. The entire assembly was built from some sort of indeterminable metal. Was it some sort of abstract art?
Asuka elbowed Shinji out of the way, placing her own hands where his had been until recently. The metal was cool to the touch, completely solid. She ran her fingers along the surface, looking for any sort of bolts, seems, or other tells of a manufacturing process. She found none. Just for the hell of it, she braced her legs against the concrete floor and pushed against the outermost ring, which must have weighed several tons. It spun freely, showing perfect balance and no signs of friction. Asuka's single push caused two complete revolutions before it slowed to a stop.
There was an emblem etched into one of the girders, a fine layer of scorch marks requiring the pilot to scrape away some of the residue with her fingernail before she could read the single word inside a spiral embedded within a hexagon: ORCHID. Well, that sort of made sense. It did kind of look like a big flower…
Shinji directed his attention to the cables spreading out from the central hub, snaking across the floor to the side of the hangar. He started to follow them, but stopped cold when they ended abruptly, rectangular clamps left haphazardly where they had fallen. He spun around, searching for what he knew should be there, but wasn't. The enormous tank was missing, as was the gargantuan helicopter. The covering tarps were stashed in a pile up against the wall. In the brief hours since they had been brought here, the two vehicles had been moved silently and by individuals unknown.
"Seriously Asuka; all those locked rooms, no guards or technicians anywhere….I don't think there's anybody here except those two girls." Still receiving no reply, Shinji looked up to see what his fiery tempered companion was busying herself with.
Asuka was standing in front of the painted emblem he had seen on the way in. Now that it was brought back to his attention, he finally had the chance to ask a question that had been nagging at him since his arrival, insignificant as it was when compared to the numerous other goings on. "What's the Legion of Doom?"
"Baka Shinji….Look at the way it's painted! Why would anyone name their base something that stupid, AND use such an exaggerated font? It's OBVIOUSLY supposed to be a joke!" Asuka's tirade continued, allowing her to vent some of her overwhelming frustration. "You might as well call it Camp Dracula…" Asuka leaned forward and ran her hand over the words embedded in the middle of the fictitious name, their circle making up the O in OF. These words were engraved into the wall, suggesting much more credibility. "Hanso Foundation, on the other hand…."
"Hey, I think I found the Exit!" The excitement in his voice betrayed the joy he felt at the prospect of actually proving useful.
"Are you sure?" Asuka looked over to where Shinji was standing before an opening that led to a long hallway. He was looking at something up above the doorway. Asuka's gaze followed his, wondering what he had seen. There was a red lighted sign bolted to the wall: EXIT.
Shinji looked at her sheepishly. "I'm pretty sure…"
Asuka delivered a none-too gentle punch to his arm as she strode past. "Smartass…."
Once again, Shinji was experiencing tinges of déjà vu as the angry girl in front of him led them down a hallway on the way to the surface. It had only been a few hours since Gabby had lead him to the surface above the GeoFront and to her companion in the behemoth vehicle, but it felt like days since he had set eyes upon anything even vaguely familiar. The bare metal walls he and the others were accustomed to at NERV were still absent, the surrounding surfaces of this hallway covered with paintings of band logos, movie posters, and enormous panels in succession forming gigantic comic strips. These people obviously weren't big fans of the uniform blandness that tends to accompany government and military life. Shinji found himself slowing down in an attempt to take in at least some of the artwork around him, only to be yanked forward by the iron willed Asuka, who shared no interest in the surrounding décor. The young German kept a steady pace with a solid grip on her captive, barreling forward despite the fact that she herself had no clear ideas as to where they were headed.
The door at the end of the hall opened up into an ascending stairwell, and after several dozen flights of stairs, they had reached the very top. The landing did not hold the expected doorway marked EXIT, but rather a ladder recessed into the wall and leading to a trapdoor in the ceiling ten feet above their heads.
There were half a dozen thick, down filled coats hanging on hooks next to the ladder. They each grabbed one, the proximity of the coats to the exit suggesting that they would be needed. Asuka, as always, went up the ladder first; the fact that she was wearing jeans instead of a skirt saved Shinji the usual kick to the face.
The recessed ladder ended in a square trap door locked firmly in place with a spinning wheel. Asuka was forced to throw her shoulder into it before the seal broke, the mechanism spinning stiffly. She kept twisting the lock until she hit the stops. The hatch was surprisingly heavy, but the Second Child was able to manage by planting her feet against the rungs of the ladder and pushing with both hands. The cover flipped up and over, thudding heavily against the floor topside.
The shack they had found themselves in was roughly fifteen feet across and square. Moonlight streamed through the grungy windows, illuminating the thick layer of dust on every surface. Bear traps and nets were hanging on the walls. A pile of fishing poles sat in the corner, their lines tangled and unusable. Asuka climbed up and waited until Shinji was clear before closing the trapdoor behind them. The metal hatch was disguised perfectly, fitting into a recessed section of the floorboards. The entry to the underground bunker was hidden completely by this fishing hut. While she examined the floor, Shinji went to the heavy wooden door and pulled it open cautiously, at least a little curious as to what he would find.
It was incredible. The lake stretched perhaps a mile long and two across, its crystalline blue surface acting as a perfect mirror for the snowcapped mountains beyond the opposite shore. A dense forest of spruce and pine dominated the terrain in every direction. Shinji's gaze drifted upward, drawn there by an irregularity reflected in the water. He wasn't sure what he was looking at, but he knew it was one of the most incredible things he had ever seen.
"Asuka…check it out…."
It was as though the sky was on fire. Waves of color washed over them in the darkness, undulating rhythms of blue and green interspersed with the occasional red. The lights almost acted as a magnifying glass, amplifying the blanket of stars above them to a brilliant intensity. And the stars. The sheer number of them far surpassed anything he had ever seen before, the lack of manmade lights allowing the heavens to dominate the night sky. The sight would have been breathtaking even without the added unearthly illumination.
"What is it?" Shinji's question shocked Asuka out of her own mesmerized trance. She loved to rub in the fact that she knew more than him. No matter how crummy she was feeling, the ability to flaunt her intelligence was even more satisfying than flaunting her body at this spineless wimp.
"Don't you know anything? That's the aurora borealis. Auroras are produced by the collision of atoms and molecules from the upper atmosphere with charged particles from the Earth's magnetosphere. It's a seasonal occurrence that used to take place in the farthest reaches of the northern and southern hemispheres until…."
Asuka's lecture lost all momentum as the truth of what she was saying suddenly began to shine with the same intensity as the literally unearthly glow above them. Her next words were little more than a whisper. "Until the Second Impact screwed up the atmosphere…"
She was shaking now, forced to consider the possibility that Shinji's story of a swirling portal may have some truth to it. Her short, shuddering breaths were clearly visible in the cool air. All the fear and confusion that was coursing through her made itself evident in her whispered voice.
"Shinji…where the Hell are we?"
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"I still can't believe you sold him out like that…" Rukia shook her head disapprovingly, secretly hiding the humor she felt over how easily he had been played.
The resident Shinigami led the way, Sarah following closely behind Orihime and Chad as the quartet made its way deeper and deeper into the Seireitei. Ichigo's screams of terror and desperation were still being heard off in the distance as the group finally came to the offices of the Gotei 13. Sticking to the back alleys and less traveled streets, the gang succeeded in reaching the Squad 10 headquarters unmolested. Rukia slid open the door and ushered the others inside.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya, the Captain of Squad 10, was seated at his desk, working fervently through a large stack of paperwork. The Shinigami was very young by Soul Society standards, his age reflected in a physical size similar to that of Rukia's. He possessed white spiky hair and emerald eyes, causing the unfortunate effect of standing out considerably whenever he entered the human world. Despite his young appearance, Hitsugaya was extremely serious and mature, the near polar opposite of his Lieutenant whom they were apparently here to see.
"Tōshirō-kun!" Orihime waved enthusiastically, genuinely glad to see pretty much anyone she had ever met before. The diminutive Soul Reaper looked up from his work, for the first time fully aware of the intrusion.
"Oh…Hello, Orihime." He looked the group over, his attention falling on the shortest of the five. "Rukia. You're back early. I thought you still have another week of vacation." He then motioned towards the stranger in their midst. "I wasn't aware we were now running tours of the Seireitei."
Sarah stepped forward, cutting off Rukia's response. "Captain Hitsugaya? I'm looking for Rangiku Matsumoto."
The Captain of Squad 10 cocked an eyebrow. "And you are?"
A sly smile crept across her face. "My name is Sarah Grant. I'm Tiffany's kid."
Hitsugaya regarded her with a confused look for a few seconds. Then, as realization began to set in, his eyes grew wider and wider in response, until he was staring at her with mouth agape.
The young Captain continued to stare at Sarah in silence for a few moments. Then, the impressive speed of a Shinigami was put on display as he leapt over the desk and crossed the room before his pen even had time to hit the floor. He darted around the group, ushering them into the middle of the room as he threw open the door, peering back and forth fervently for fear that his guests had been seen. Satisfied that they had not garnered too much attention, he spun around and addressed Rukia.
"Whatever she told you, believe me when I tell you that it's not as bad as it sounds!"
Everyone in the group looked at him questioningly, with the exception of Sarah, who walked over and flopped down into a chair. Rukia finally decided to speak up, Soul Reaper to Soul Reaper. "Captain Hitsugaya, she won't tell us anything. But Urahara vouched for her, and she knows quite a few people over here, so she's obviously not an ordinary human. You don't have to worry about us blabbing, but just what the hell is going on here?" Whatever the short Shinigami was about to say to the OTHER short Shinigami was cut off by the office door being thrown open.
Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto could be considered an extremely attractive woman. Her long blonde hair and icy blue eyes only served to enhance her beauty, while the jaw dropping size of her breasts helped to accentuate a figure that would already turn heads. As if the size of her bust weren't enough, she insisted on wearing her Shinigami robes open down the front, more than showing off her impressive assets. She was one of the few people who shared Orihime's bizarre taste in food, and her laid back nature and hatred of paperwork was probably one of the reasons that her Captain's workload was so large.
Matsumoto waltzed into the room, waving a bottle of sake in the air. "Hey Captain, you ready to call it a day yet? It's almost noon!" Her huge grin remained plastered on her face even after seeing that they had visitors. "Awesome! The more the merrier!" But then her eyes fell upon the girl sitting in her chair. The bottle of sake slipped from her grasp, smashing on the floor and soaking the hem of her robes. Her full lips were trembling as she stared wide-eyed at the newcomer.
"Oh, shit…."
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So, there you go. If you've read this far, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know you have questions, because that's kinda what I'm aiming for. And update after next, 90 of them will be answered. I know I haven't given you guys much, but rest assured, the payoff is very, VERY close. I promise you, any and all doubts will be put to rest very soon.
As always, I want to thank Darkbusterrancher for his help with Beta. I also want to give a shout out to Rose1948, Lord of Demise, gunman, DarklightZERO, animefan29, dylanredefined, RahXephon, Escalus,
And rhamiel506 for taking the time to review this thing. Anyone else out there who's actually reading this, if you enjoy it, please let me know.