Disclaimer: I don't own BLEACH.
A/N: Hi! Sorry for the late update, my computer had been going cuc-koo lately. So yeah, I'm going to have a competition this Sunday, so... wish me luck everyone!
Thanks to auburn-haired-sadist-XD, anonymous, Sierra77, anonymous2 (Julia), and anonymous3 (Sofia) for reviewing!
auburn-haired-sadist-XD: Of course Byakushii does! He have what we called, 'the sixth sense'. Ooh... creepy... XD Whee for Guy Y!!
anonymous: Well, his nickname came when I was trying to figure out what rhymes with guy, and the letter y popped out! So, that's where it came from. Sephia called Rukia that because Rukia is technically her master/owner when she was a turtle and for her it just seems appropriate. Really? What was your expectations? o.O No problem on the info. Sorry I don't know much...
Sierra77: Yay on the Sofia/Sekai twist! WOOH! Oh yes, I had fun with this chapter. Maybe too much fun, but it doesn't matter... XP
anonymous2 (Julia): I know, I know. But I'm trying my best to improve my grammar! I hope I am... :0
anonymous3 (Sofia): Yes. We are all wondering why you like the Sofia/Sekai/Sephia XP I have about 111? Maybe?
I'm sorry in advance for any spelling/grammar mistakes. Enjoy!
-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-
Perfection
Chapter Fourteen
-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-
"Everyone! It's break time!" Orihime called out, cupping her hands around her mouth.
The three boys stopped what they were doing and looked at the auburn haired girl, who is now waving her arms in the air, trying to get their attention. They looked at each other before walking towards the happy girl. The had been training for quite a while now, since they had to do something in the two hours Sekai needed to gather her powers.
"Ta-Da! I made you all some snacks!" Orihime made a PAM! motion with her hands and showed them a plate of neatly cut triangle sandwiches with some random green goo oozing out for the sides, a bowl of seaweed chips with maple syrup spread over it, a big bowl of miso soup with taiyaki floating calmly in the centre and much more weird concoctions. Sado didn't say a word as Ichigo gulped and Ishida fixed his glasses position, trying hard to refrain himself from barfing.
"Oh! And Sephia-chan also made something for you!" Orihime pointed to a light blue plate which stood up in the crowd of plates, since it was the only plate that is away from Orihime's cooking. Settling on it is a bunch of perfectly made swiss rolls. The three boys' eyes lightened up as they saw the delicious looking swiss rolls. They hurried their way to the light blue plate, took one each and munched on it happily.
Orihime pouted. "Mou... No one likes my cooking..."
Ishida heard her sentence and quickly said, "T-That's not true, Inoue-san! I like your cookings! See?" He took one of the green goo oozing triangle sandwiches and ate it, suppressing a shiver coming down his spine. Ichigo and Sado sweat dropped as they pretended that they didn't hear anything and continued on munching the swiss roll.
"Ah... Enjoying ourselves, aren't we?" Urahara came up to them and immediately felt sorry for the now-green-faced Quincy that was trying to swallow hard Orihime's infamous cooking. The said girl was clapping and cheering on him to swallow it.
Urahara glanced at the other two who bailed the poor Quincy. The said other two caught the glance and looked away, trying to ignore the look Urahara was giving them as cold sweat ran down their heads profusely. He sighed and was about to lecture them before something or someone interrupted him.
"Oi! Urahara-san! Hisashiburi!" Renji howled as he ran from the closing Senkaimon to the green-clothed man.
"Renji! What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked with his mouth full when he noticed the red-head's presence.
"Ah... The usual. You know, Kuchiki-taichou wanted me to check on Rukia," Renji explained. "By the way, where is she? Didn't see her with you guys," he looked around.
Ichigo casted his gaze downwards. "She..." he grimaced as he explained the las incógnitas, la infernal and Rukia's position. Renji's eyes grew wider at every word. He couldn't hold it in anymore and pulled Ichigo's robe collar and him close to himself.
"HOW COULOD YO LET THIS HAPPEN?! AREN'T YOU SUPPOSE TO PROTECT HER?!" Renji drew his free hand back and swung it towards Ichigo's cheek, but was stopped by Sado's hand.
"Don't," the Mexican teen said as he slowly loosened his grasp ob Renji's fist. The red-head took a deep breath and let it all out as he begrudgingly released Ichigo's robe collar.
"I swear I'll get her back, Renji. No matter what," Ichigo said in a voice so low that only Renji –who had his face relatively 40 centimetres from Ichigo's– were able to hear it. The 6th division fuku-taichou sighed and put his hand on the carrot-top's shoulder.
"Sorry man," he said, "It's all just kinda... fast for me."
"Where are you? Guys? Where are—oh, there you guys are!" Sekai ran towards the group of people smiling brightly. "I'm ready to open the gate! Are you?"
Orihime, Sado and Ishida nodded as Renji's hand fell down to his side limply. He raised his... interesting looking eyebrow at her.
"Who're you?" he asked.
"Ah! I'm--"
"Allow me to explain," Orihime took charge. "She is Sephia-chan, the exiled member of las incógnitas, and she is here to open the gate to la infernal, where Kuchiki-san is being held captive," she said as Ishida and Sado nodded along in approval.
"Ah..." Renji's face lightened in understanding, then he reached his hand out to the blond girl, who had manage to get her name somehow twisted around, again. "Nice to meet 'cha, Sephia!" he grinned. Ichigo sighed as Sekai shook his hand.
"Anyways, I need a large space to open the gate," Sekai pulled back her hand and jogged to the large field Urahara used to train Ichigo at. The others followed her obediently without a single word uttered from their mouth. She took a deep breath and gathered all of her reiatsu to her right hand, which she raised up.
"Eyes of a hawk, pierced through the thousands sparks of fire. In the midst of it all, he who hold the utmost strength, deep as a cave, hot as the Sun. Show yourself!" Sekai commanded, her voice firm and unwavering as a hard gust of wind blew.
All of the sudden, a black wooden door appeared before her. But this time, replacing the puzzle, a mirror hang proudly on the centre. You can't really call it a mirror, since it really was just a piece of glass. It sure does resembles a mirror, only, it doesn't reflect any living soul bestow upon it. Sekai raised an eyebrow. "This is weird," she said, trying to figure out whatever the hell is its function.
Renji approached it cautiously and slowly raised a fist. Gulping, he knocked it twice, expecting a face coming out of it or something.
Five seconds past by, and nothing happened.
"Oi, Renji! What are you standing over there for? Waiting for a face coming out of it or something?" Ichigo asked from the crowd of spiritually aware people.
"Uhm... No...?" Renji answered doubtfully.
"'Kay. Get your lazy ass back here, then!" Ichigo ordered.
Renji glared at his orange-haired 'friend' and stole a glance at the mirror, trying to spot any change.
It has none.
He sighed deeply and went back to his rightful place.
"All right, move aside, let me handle this!" Ichigo stepped out of the bunch and worked his way towards the unreflective mirror. His infamous scowl deepened as he inspected the rectangular piece of glass before him. He quickly knocked twice on it and waited for another five seconds.
"Oh yeah. Real smart, Ichigo. That technique is sooo original," Renji rolled his eyes after five seconds have passed.
Ichigo felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "Whatever! You!" he pointed accusingly to the mirror, "You better show up some changes or else!" he threatened.
Insert cricket sound effects here.
No changes whatsoever.
"You're wrong, Kurosaki-kun! You're supposed to treat people kindly, so they'll treat you kindly back!" Orihime chirped as Ichigo made his way back into the crowd. Seeing as no one is confronting the mirror, she stepped forward and decided to give it a try.
"Mirror-san! Please answer us and show yourself!" she asked nicely.
Another five seconds passed with no improvement.
"Ano, Inoue-san? I don't think your proposal is working. May I try?" Ishida asked.
"And I was so sure it would've work," Orihime pouted and went back to the bunch.
Ishida carefully made his was to the mirror and observed it thoroughly. 'Hmm... It's not the average mirror. It's probably made in La Infernal, using--'
"Are you gonna do something or what?" the shinigami representative yelled out.
"Be quiet, Kurosaki!" Ishida yelled back. He frowned as he touched the mirror and started moving his fingers, trying to draw some kind of invisible diagram. Everyone else watched intently as the last Quincy finished his drawing.
And again, another five seconds passed by with no change happening.
Ishida blushed in embarrassment as he grumbled his way back into the crowd.
"Oh! Now, I remember--" Sekai snapped her fingers but was cut off.
"Well, Chad? Give it a try. You're the only one who haven't try it yet," Ichigo said. The taller teen simply nodded and made his way to the disobedient mirror. They waited for another five seconds. Again, nothing happened.
"Ano... Sado-kun? It doesn't matter, we all failed any--" Orihime said but was interrupted by a nod and a 'Hmm...' from Sado. The others looked shocked. Then Sado nodded again. The others felt their eyes bulging out in disbelief. But then Sado shook his head and went back into the crowd.
"Sado-san! You can speak Silenese?!" Sekai asked in awe. Sado looked at her with an all-knowing gaze and Sekai gasped. The other four people blinked. They had absolutely no idea what the two are going on about! But then, Ishida spoke, "So... Sado-kun, using your... Silenese... what did you figure out?"
Sado looked at the glasses boy with another all-knowing look. Ishida gasped in terror.
"They wouldn't!" he said.
Sekai looked intrigued. "Ishida-san, you can speak Silenese, too??"
Ishida nodded slowly. "Now I think I can."
The other... less sharp... three looked at them with such interests. 'What are they talking about?' they all thought in unison.
"Ah, I'm sorry! You guys probably have no idea what's going on," Sekai said. "I'll handle this," she said reassuringly to the two teen who apparently can speak Silenese and they nodded at her in appreciation.
Facing the mirror, Sekai braced herself. She breathed deeply and then sang, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" with an additional dancing and prancing in between. Ishida and Sado sighed in relieve.
Orihime clasped her hands together and "Ooh!"-ed at the prancing Sekai when Renji's and Ichigo's jaw dropped to the ground. For some reason, the image of Sado and Ishida wearing a pink tutu and doing a pas de deux is flashing through their heads. So this is what they were supposed to do all along??
"Ah! The images! The mental images!" Ichigo screamed, holding his head in agony.
"My eyes! My brain! It burns! It burns, I say!" Renji held his head upwards and covered his face with his hands hysterically.
"Is my dancing really all that bad?" Sekai asked after she finished her prancing, eyebrow raised, hands on her hip.
"I love it, Sephia-chan!" Orihime bursts into a loud applause. Ishida and Sado sweat dropped as they watched the scene from far away.
"Who dare disturbs me from my great sleep?" a face appeared in the mirror.
"Un!" Sekai turned and faced the the face. She bowed low and said, "It is I."
The face stared at her, then at the clapping girl, then at the screaming shinigamis and it sweat dropped along with Ishida and Sado.
"Yes, but one who is sworn to be exiled from La Infernal for eternity, shall not pass, for I, forbid you," It said.
"You are right, O' Great One. But I am here not to enter the la infernal, just to simply wake you up," Sekai answered as she rose up from her deep bow.
"Then why, must I ask, did you wake me up?"
"They," Sekai gestured to the other five beings, "Wish to go to La Infernal to save their friend."
"And who is the friend in question?"
"My master, Kuchiki Rukia-sama."
"Ah... her. I remember her. I am most certain that her first experiment will begin in approximately fifteen minutes from now."
"WHAT?!" Ichigo and Renji interrupted the conversation. The face glanced at the other five and noticed that they had all gather around it, forming a semi-circle. "Let us in, then!" Renji yelled.
"I cannot do that unless you answered my question," it replied in a stoic tone.
"What is the question, Mirror-san?" Orihime asked, her face swarming with worries.
"The question is," It paused, looking slightly baffled at the six who is leaning forward eagerly, but continued on, "What is the golden rule that applies to all mankind?"
The five thought for a very long time.
"I got it!" Ichigo snapped his fingers. "It's 'If you're in trouble, run and never come back, because it will go away eventually'!"
"Sugoi, Kurosaki-kun! But it's 'Put bean paste in your every foods'!" Orihime corrected.
"That's not it, Inoue-san. It's 'Knowledge is powuuuh!' ahem... I mean, 'Knowledge is power'," Ishida corrected himself.
"You're wrong, glasses! It's obviously 'If you have a baboon, never let it listen to a snake'!" Renji exclaimed.
"..." Sado keep quiet and Sekai slapped her forehead.
"NO! THAT'S NOT IT YOU DUMB BUTTS!!" the face yelled out in frustration.
"Oh... It's not?" came Ichigo's reply.
"It's 'Treat others the way you want to be treated'," Sekai sighed. "Jeebus, don't you guys know anything? You came pretty close though, Ishida-san."
Ishida smirked jubilantly to the two shinigamis, who is grumbling in response. 'Ha! This'll show you shinigamis that Quincies are superior!' he thought.
"I shall let you pass," the face stated and the door opened.
"Okay guys, this is all I can do. Good luck," Sekai waved goodbye as the five stepped through the door. Orihime raised a hand to shield her eyes from the blinding light. She shut her eyes when it got even brighter and clung to someone's arm as a guide. The light finally dies out and she opened her eyes slowly.
"Ah! Go-Gomenasai, Ishida-kun! I didn't realize that I was..." Orihime released her grip on Ishida's arm.
"It doesn't matter, Inoue-san. You're okay though, right?" Ishida smiled lightly at her.
Orihime raised an eyebrow. 'Why is his cheeks pink?' she thought but then she figured it out.
Well, at least she thought she did.
"Ishida-kun, are you cold?" she asked.
"N-No! I'm fine! Don't worry about me," Ishida stuttered, his cheeks reddened.
"Ah! Are you sure, Ishida-kun?" Orihime shook his arms. He felt his head spin round and round and what stopped it from going on its third roundabout trip was the snickers coming from the two shinigamis. He turned his head at them and saw the biggest chesire cat grin completely attached to their faces. Ichigo nudged Sado and pointed at the blushing Quincy and the worried owner of Shun Shun Rikka. Sado smirked as Ishida felt completely betrayed.
"Mou, Ishida-kun!" Orihime grabbed both of his cheeks and turned his head to he. "Are you okay?" she asked. Ishida fainted upon realizing that there were only five inches between their noses. "Ah! Ishida-kun! Are you dead? Ishida-kun!"
The shinigamis guffawed so hard that they could've sworn they died and some back as the shinigami's shinigami. Sado chuckled, grabbed Ishida and threw him on his shoulder. "He's fine, Inoue-san," he explained.
"Good," Orihime sighed in relieve.
"Hahahaha... That was a good laugh," Ichigo stopped guffawing.
"Haha... Yeah... It sure was..." Renji wiped a tear at the corner of his eye.
"Anyways, where are we? Are we in La Infernal already?" Ichigo looked around. They were in a small chamber which is dimly lit by a candle in each corner. He looked up and froze upon what he was seeing.
Stairs. It went on and on, so high up you can't even see the ceiling of the chamber. Ichigo gulped and said, "Prepare for hell of a lot climbing, guys."
"Huh?" Renji looked up. "oh God no..."
"There's no other way, Renji," he patted his red-haired nakama's shoulder understandingly. "Yosh! Let's go!"
-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-
"Let me go! I don't have any Hougyoku powers!" Rukia struggled to get free from Guy Y's grasp.
"We don't know until we try, right? Just making sure..." Guy Y tightened his grip on her wrists and dragged her to La Infernal Laboratory. He stopped in front of the double door and knocked five time in a certain rhythm.
"He's here with the test subject!" came a voice from behind the door. "Descripción, Abrumadora, open the door!"
The double door opened with a slight creak and Guy Y stepped in. He threw Rukia down to the floor, who responded with a low grunt. The said shinigami is still in her gigai, even though her clothes looked worn out and dirty. She quickly stood up and moved to a certain stance, both hands ready to whack the living daylight out of someone.
"What do you want?!" Rukia demanded. "I don't have any Hougyoku power inside of me in the first place!"
One of the Las Incógnitas grinned. He has blond hair that was combed neatly into places. He was wearing the same robe as Guy Y, except that his sleeve are shorter. His hands are covered in a pair of black gloves that seemed to be glued firmly to his skin. He gave off this eerie feeling to everyone around him. I guess you could say that he's Mayuri Kurotsuchi of La Infernal. Okay, maybe he's a little bit more good-looking. Maybe.
"Hello," he greeted, his creepy smile didn't leave his face for a second. "I'm Conocimiento. Nice to meet you," he reached his glove-covered hand out. Rukia gave him an icy glare in return before attempting to kick his hand, but failed. He pulled back his hands quicker than she thought he would.
"My, my," he said. "How feisty," his smile changed into a grin.
Rukia grimaced as she kicked Conocimiento's gut and elbowed Guy Y's chin behind her. The two looked somewhat startled, but that look was quickly replaced by a smirk.
"Abrumadora, please release it for our little guest," Conocimiento ordered.
"Hai, Conocimiento-sama!" the guy Rukia assumed was Abrumadora pressed a big red button (it's always the big red button, right? XP) on the wall and in an instant, a black smoke came out of all side of the walls with a WHOOM!
Rukia covered her nose and mouth with one hand, the other one is for defending herself. She started coughing profusely ten seconds later and felt that her lungs are closing up. She fell down to her knees and blacked out.
"Now then, shall we start the experiment?"
-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-
A/N: Yeah... So how was it? The name of the Las Incógnitas are chosen randomly by one of my friends, I can't tell you her name because I have no permission over it. Sorry...
Wish me luck for my Sunday competition (It's just a random Wii Sport competition, but I can get prizes if I win!)!