Here's chapter 7 for your enjoyment! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas holidays and New Year.
Chapter 7: Infiltration
Ichigo ran through the familiar hallways, checking any room that he came across that seemed to be empty and ducking behind doorways out of sight. He had been at this for a while and there was still no sign of his son or his sister, but he must not give up now.
He kept running with his mind full of memories of his son and sister until he bumped into two unsuspecting figures and landed on his behind. "Dammit," he cursed silently but when he looked up he saw Dondechakka and Pesche eying him with curiosity.
"Hey! It's Ichigo's friend!" Pesche exclaimed happily as Ichigo twitched with annoyance. "I am Ichigo…" he grumbled.
"I'm confused, don'tcha know," Dondechakka said, large, bulbous eyes turning to his friend.
"We know two Ichigo's?" Pesche asked, with a puzzled look behind his insect-like mask.
Ichigo's brow furrowed as he stood. "I am the only Ichigo that you guys know, but I don't have time to deal with you right now. I have to look for my son."
"Wait!" Pesche stopped Ichigo just before he was going to start running again. "Ya know where Neliel is?"
Ichigo grimaced in response. They never knew where Neliel was? It was probably best that they did not know until this point because he knew how they were protective over her. What was he going to tell them?
"We are trying to look for her, don'tcha know," Dondechakka explained sadly as Pesche rubbed the back of his neck.
Ichigo narrowed his eyes. They have the right to know. "Aizen…handed her to a mad scientist/shinigami captain named Mayuri Kurotsuchi a few days ago…for experiments," he trailed off, waiting eagerly for their response.
It was not a positive reaction for both arrancars were staring at Ichigo in silence and disbelief; the Kurosaki sighed as he explained to them what he had found out from Grimmjow and Urahara.
Waterfalls of tears streamed from Dondechakka's eyes as he wailed for his mistress's sake. "Neliel-sama!!!!" Pesche followed suit with his friend as both were wailing their mistress's name, and Ichigo tried desperately to keep them quiet. They kept on wailing until Ichigo had to do what he always did: he punched them both and watched with frustration as they groaned while holding their heads.
"Shut up! Neliel will be okay because Grimmjow is in Soul Society right now, rescuing her. Nothing has happened to her yet. She hasn't died yet, so stop worrying about her because Grimmjow will fight his hardest for her and get her back to you guys!"
"Ya sure?" Pesche sniffled as Dondechakka rubbed his eyes.
"Yes, I'm sure," Ichigo assured them, smiling. "Don't worry about her. Have faith in Grimmjow for he is going to bring her back to you guys once and for all."
"We gotta believe him, don'tcha know," Dondechakka pointed out, "he's got reason behind his words, don'tcha know."
"What are ya doin' here then?" Pesche wanted to know.
"Looking for my son and sister," Ichigo trailed off, "you guys know where they are?"
"What does yer son and sister look like?" Pesche asked with curiosity.
"My son looks like a tiny version of me," Ichigo replied, "and my sister is about as tall as my chest with strawberry blond hair and brown eyes. Have you guys seen them anywhere?"
"I've seen them, don'tcha know!" Dondechakka exclaimed excitedly. Ichigo looked at him in question.
"The busty girl that was here before was carrying him into some kind of room, don'tcha know." Ichigo stiffened in response – Orihime!
"Where did that bitch take him?" he sneered angrily.
"Thought ya guys were friends," Pesche said, once again confusion showed behind his mask.
"She was until she got annoying as ever, but then she betrayed us all when she lost her cool," Ichigo explained, thinking back on the memory. "She and Rukia had a fight over me and then Rukia won, causing her to give up on us and come here. She used to be nice and all that, until she got too clingy and selfish."
"So she took yer son?" Pesche asked and Ichigo nodded. "Aizen had also done something to Yuzu, my sister, and turned her against all of us. Anyway, can you please tell me where Orihime took my Ryuichi?"
Dondechakka pointed to the direction where Ichigo was going. "You were going in the right direction, don'tcha know. Just keep going that way and then turn right, don'tcha know. You will see a hallway with a lot of doors, don'tcha know. It should be the fifth door on the right, don'tcha know. Be careful for Ulquiorra-sama, don'tcha know, and also Orihime herself."
"Knock 'em dead!" Pesche piped in, punching the air beside him.
Ichigo's eyes narrowed with determination. "Thank you, Dondechakka, Pesche. Keep out of trouble!" He ran past them, a smirk gracing his face. "Hang in there, my son. Daddy's coming! You too, Yuzu! I am going to break this spell that Aizen had put on you!"
Back in Soul Society, Grimmjow, Matsumoto, and Shuheii crouched behind a wall covering the 12th Division Headquarters.
After realizing that the enemy had eliminated the Special Task Force, Yoruichi had decided to call for back-up because judging by the number of enemies that were guarding the headquarters, her group was outnumbered. She had told them to stay hidden as much as possible until she was sure that the coast was clear. Despite being impatient, Grimmjow knew that he could not be reckless to enter a heavily guarded building.
Yoruichi returned, with Matsumoto inquiring about the news. "They're coming," she answered, "even Isshin Kurosaki, Ichigo's father, is coming with them. Renji was pretty upset though."
"Why?" Hisagi questioned, slight concern tinting his voice.
"When he told Tatsuki Arisawa, a girl that he had been seeing for a couple of weeks, that he had to enter this war, she got really pissed off and kicked him out of her house, accusing him for making excuses that he was seeing someone and wanted to be away from her."
"But he wasn't," Hisagi said, "it is crucial for him to join because that is a part of his duties as a lieutenant."
Yoruichi nodded. "Yes, but what was sad though was that he had never had a true relationship before and Tatsuki was his first love. It just broke his heart to realize that he had to leave her, but was even more heartbreaking were the cries that he had heard from her after he was kicked out."
Matsumoto's eyes softened for sympathy. "Such a sad, sad love story! I hope they get back together soon."
"She just needs some time," Yoruichi replied, "she has also never been in a relationship before and she's just starting to understand this stuff."
"So? When are we entering this place?" Grimmjow asked impatiently.
"As soon as we see them," Yoruichi replied. "They should be coming any moment now."
Tatsuki lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She had been crying all day now from the heartbreak that she had put herself through.
Renji… She had loved him for the past couple of weeks, and now he has gone to fight in some war. What had she done? Kicked him out of his house because she was too hot-headed and thinking that he was making excuses to be away from her. She never even listened to him. This thought just broke her heart even more, and she had doubted that after how she had treated Renji, he would never return to her. Who knows? He would probably be killed in this war.
She rolled onto her side and hugged her pillow tighter, letting the tears leave her eyes. She was too stubborn to understand that Renji was a shinigami whose main purpose was to protect the living world from demons, monsters, and other villains – he was doing this for her. Why wouldn't she understand it, despite being a beginner in all of this spiritual knowledge?
She would go see him now, but she doubted that it would be necessary because he had probably gone already. All what she had to do was wait…wait for the dreaded news of his death to surface so that she could feel even worse than before.
No, she had to have faith in him. She already knew that he was stronger than that. Yet…she still missed him. She wished that he could be here in her arms right now; she wished that she could hold him and apologize for what she had said. She would give anything in the world to see him again. Even after 2 weeks of knowing him and being his girlfriend, she had felt like she had loved him for all eternity.
"Win," Tatsuki muttered to no one in particular, "win that war and then come back to me…please."
After a while of waiting, Yoruichi spotted Isshin, Urahara, Renji, and Hitsugaya in the distance – Isshin and Urahara both clad in their old shinigami garments. "They're here!" she announced to her companions.
"About damn time!" Grimmjow snarled as the newcomers joined them.
"Sorry it took a while," Urahara rubbed the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly. "Ishida-kun and Sado-kun are coming. Tessai will ensure their arrival through the senkaimon in a few days."
Yoruichi gave his cheek a little kiss. "Well, what's most importantly, you're here now and we need all the help we can get." Urahara blushed from the touch of his girlfriend's lips.
Renji scowled at the interactions between the two and then looked away, obviously disgusted with the way that the two are acting.
Hisagi noticed this and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry with what happened to that girl, but I assure you things will be better after this. She might learn to accept you."
Renji sighed heavily. "Whatever, Hisagi…"
Grimmjow cleared his throat. "As if any of you don't know, there is someone in this building that needs rescuing."
Yoruichi nodded. "Yes, you are quite right, Grimmjow."
"What's the plan of getting past these guys?" Isshin inquired as he stared at Yoruichi with his full, undivided attention.
"It's simple," Yoruichi explained, "do whatever you can to divert them so that the coast is clear for Grimmjow." She turned to Grimmjow. "Even though the plan may seem easy enough, it isn't easy at all. It's best to sneak in undercover and make sure that the coast is clear always. If you get attacked, fight back at all costs. Do whatever you can to survive. Do I make myself clear?" Everyone nodded, determination showing in their faces.
Grimmjow smirked. "Let's kick some ass!"
While Grimmjow hid behind the wall, everyone else marched onto the grounds in front of the headquarters, alerting the espada Leroux and Halibel who blocked their way.
The scowling 3rd espada narrowed her eyes at Hitsugaya as memories of their previous fight returned. "We've got unfinished business, brat."
Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes. "I don't need reminders from a bitch like you."
Halibel did not change her expression as she drew her sword. "Then let's do this." Hitsugaya nodded as he did the same and charged towards her, clashing his sword against hers.
Isshin averted his eyes to his team mates. "I've got this punk. Go ahead." He returned his gaze to the tall, black espada in front of him.
"Good luck, Isshin-san," Urahara patted his friend's shoulder, earning a smirk. "Same to you, Urahara," Isshin replied as Urahara and the rest of the team mates continued through the doors of the headquarters.
Leroux watched his opponent with keen interest. "I've never seen you before. You must be new."
"For your information, I retired but came back. I'm doing whatever I can to help with this war," Isshin snapped as he drew his sword. His lips curled into a confident smirk. "Isshin Kurosaki, at your service."
"Kurosaki, eh?" Leroux asked nonchalantly, "You that brat's father or something?"
"If you're referring to Ichigo, yes I am." Isshin got into a fighting stance.
The 7th espada drew his sword and got into a fighting stance as well. "Then this should be interesting. I am Leroux Zommari. Don't think I'm going to go easy on you, old man."
"Let's do this." Isshin replied as the two charged towards each other and clashed their swords against each other.
Grimmjow waited until both sets of opponents were distracted with one another, and then he took the opportunity to enter the building, watching for any one who would ambush him.
Ichigo ran through the hallway, heart beating faster with adrenaline and excitement to see his son and sister again. However, a figure blocked his way, making him stop in his tracks. He grimaced when he found out who it was. "Ulquiorra…"
Said espada narrowed his eyes as he and Ichigo circled around each other. "This is as far as you go, shinigami. However, due to orders, I am not supposed to kill you."
Ichigo sneered. "Then what's the point in blocking my way?"
"Face it. I may not be supposed to kill you, but I can fight you to a great extent. Don't you even think I might have forgotten about our little encounter earlier? No, you shouldn't because I haven't."
Ichigo sighed heavily and impatiently. "Look, Ulquiorra. I'm in a hurry right now; I don't have time to deal with you."
"You're not seeing your dearest son without going past me, and Yuzu will never go back to you. She's a lot…different now."
"What the fuck did you just say?!" Ichigo snapped. What the hell did he mean?
"You might see her later," Ulquiorra replied. "However, she won't be the Yuzu that you remembered. She got a little…makeover you could say."
Ichigo grabbed his sword as it unwrapped itself from the linen bindings. "You bastard!"
Ulquiorra smirked. "You're so easy to provoke."
Ichigo smashed his sword against Ulquiorra's arm, which appeared unscathed from the attack. Spiritual energy surrounded them and exploded various ways as they began their duel.
Rukia ran along balconies and through hallways, ducking undercover when she spotted arrancar patrolling hallways. She did not know where she was going or if she was close enough, but she knew that she had to keep going.
She felt Ichigo's reiatsu fluctuate and had realized that he was doing battle with someone with a lot of power. She knew that it wasn't Aizen, for she had passed the throne room not too long ago, but the reiatsu of Ichigo's opponent was strong enough to be that of a highly powerful espada. She wanted to help Ichigo, but she told herself that he will be fine and she needed to have better faith in him.
"Don't ever lose, Ichigo," Rukia whispered as she continued dashing as quietly as she could through the hallways.
As she was nearing a corner, she noticed a shadow leaning against the wall as if it had appeared to be waiting for something. The shadow had a busty appearance with long, flowing hair and a lengthy skirt just reaching her ankles.
Rukia stopped in her tracks. This can't be good.
The shadow reached a hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and reverted to a standing position. Rukia held a hand onto the hilt of her zampukutou as she watched the shadow slowly step into the light to reveal herself. Rukia's breath caught in her throat as she had realized who the figure was.
It was Orihime.
Next time on Incomplete Sorrows:
Rukia panted as she lay on the floor. A couple of ribs were already broken, and she could feel that more would break apart at any moment. Where had Orihime gotten such strength…such mind-blowing power?
Orihime cackled as she walked closer to her former friend. "Did you think that not killing me would make things worse? Did you? You're wrong, you know. If you were smart, you could have killed me that day. Now, the tables are going to turn as I make your death slow and painful."
Wow, what a suspenseful cliff hanger! It seems that the war has begun, and the major fights will cover the next several chapters. I can't wait until the real action begins!
Anyway, next chapter you will find out how powerful Orihime had become during her time in Hueco Mundo and what her new tricks are. It's going to be a surprise. You will also find out why some espada, who were supposed to be dead, are actually alive.
Until then, please review!