Deep Set
What if Aizen's plan all along didn't involve Orihime? What if all he wanted to do was lure two powerful shinigami onto his side? He figured it out all he had to do was kidnap one small child.
Disclaimer- I do not own bleach or any of its characters.
Just to add an author's note up here it has been mentioned to me in passing that I seem to have some problems with some of my writing skills. Due to the comment I have had thoughts about possibly getting a beta for this story. Since you the readers are the best judge as to whether I need a beta or not I thought I would seek your opinion on the matter please PM me or put it in a review if you have any thoughts/opinions.
Anyway on with the chapter -
Chapter Nine – Boundless
They had been following the ridiculously snake like corridors for what seemed like hours and it felt like they where getting no where, Ichigo was about to express his annoyance when the corridor abruptly widened into a large cavern.
"Finally" he muttered if only to himself, even though the others heard clearly as his voice echoed back towards them amplified by the cavern
"Smooth Kurosaki" murmured Hitsugaya moving his right hand towards Hyorinmaru mirroring Rukia's movements towards Sode no Shirayuki both expecting something to suddenly jump out of one of the corridors coming off from the cavern and attack them after hearing there not so quiet approach. When everything remained quiet both shinigami relaxed and Ichigo turned to the both of them having frozen in anticipation as well realising what he had done.
He lost his train of thought however when he noticed that Hitsugaya was no longer wearing his Taicho Cloak* having only just gotten a proper look at him,
"Hey Toushiro what happened to your cloak?" he thought about adding in joke but stopped himself before he did; Hitsugaya's hand was still too close to Hyorinmaru for his liking.
Hitsugaya looked puzzled for a moment wondering why Ichigo was picking now to ask about his sudden change
"It got snagged on something when we were running" Hitsugaya replied before turning off to have a look at the corridors off the cavern.
Rukia shot Ichigo a admonishing look before walking the opposite way round the cavern, Ichigo not really knowing what to do stood and watched as the other two looked about before Rukia gave a shout both he and Hitsugaya shunpo'ed over and looked down the corridor that Rukia was staring down.
Looming just in eyeshot was a load of rocks from where it looked the ceiling had caved in.
"Your kidding me" groaned Ichigo, "We just walked in one big circle this entire time?"
"Looks like it" muttered Rukia in reply not really listening as she was in deep thought. Hitsugaya made no comment except to turn and walk past all the other corridors coming off from the cavern again. Ichigo couldn't really think what to do not really knowing the next best course of action.
"Your link..." Rukia suddenly spoke startling Ichigo to turn and look at her,
"Rukia?" He questioned which snapped her out of her thoughts
"What I mean to say is, as brothers and sisters you share a kind of link, especially since you both have a reatsu... we can use that to help find our way out of here" meanwhile Rukia was talking Hitsugaya had wondered back towards them and had caught the tail end of there conversation
"What can we use?" he enquired and while Ichigo absorbed the information he had just been tod Rukia filled him in to what she had just remembered,
"Hn well that also might explain why Karin was kidnapped in the first place" Hitsugaya considered, again making a mental note to ask for a promotion for Rukia when they got back,
"So what exactly do I have to do?" questioned Ichigo stepping back into the conversation again eager to find a way out of the maze of corridors and towards his sister's location.
Rukia paused for thought before she spoke again, "I haven't really ever tried it personally I've only read about it but far as I know you look inside your mind and think of positive memories about that person and the bond you share as family and then try to sense there reatsu" she paused again before continuing, "Its kind of like normal sensing but its more powerful because of the family ties"
Ichigo deflated slightly at Rukia's words, he could do the first part he had many happy memories of him and his sister but sensing reatsu was definitely one of his weak points
"Well that's not going to work then" he signed then turned to look about the cavern, "Maybe we should just try another tunnel rather then standing around..."
"Why won't it work?" interrupted Hitsugaya cutting though Ichigo, "Even if it's a slight sense it will at least give us a direction"
Ichigo turned to the shorter shinigami, "That's the problem. I'm useless at sensing reatsu it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack"
Both shinigami blinked at him, obviously not understanding the comparison.
"Impossible basically, unless you can teach me really fast" Ichigo clarified noticing there blank looks
Both gained looks of understanding before both turning to looks of confusion,
"I guess we really do just have to pick an exit then" Spoke Hitsugaya eventually, "Kurosaki?" he asked inviting the younger shinigami to pick a direction
Ichigo sighed and looked around, "Well I got a gut feeling about that way" he said pointing to the corridor to the right of the one they had emerged out of in the first place. Following Ichigo's finger the other two nodded before running of down the corridor.
---
Karin had tied not to look out of her own eyes, it made her slightly motion sick to watch herself move but to have no control over her limbs, she was half listening to the conversation between Aizen and a man who she recognised as the Viking-hat guy who kidnapped her in the first place. There was another man not far behind them also dressed the same but who seemed to also not be concentrating on the conversation but on her.
She tried to focus on him but was frustrated again to find that she couldn't even make her eyes move the way she wanted them too she settled instead for watching through her eyes of him in her peripheral vision. She was then shocked when from what seemed inside her head she heard a deep yawn.
Confused Karin stopped focusing on the conversation and attempted to look around her own head but found it impossible, it was like she was tied to just watching out they eyes she no longer controlled.
"Mpf" Came another groan, "Its too early for me to awaken yet" followed by the sound of muttering that Karin couldn't quite hear.
Karin wondered fleetingly if it was the red voice that had possessed her mind in the first place but that thought was dismissed instantly weird as it sounded even to her, she felt like she knew the voice, like she knew it could do her no harm.
The next thing she knew she was no longer looking out her own eyes but in a park, or at least at first glace it looked like a park, upon closer inspection she could see that although it felt warm the sky was that of winter time with falling snow that had settled on the tree's. However the ground was clear of snow and the grass were fresh and a brilliant green. Karin bent down to touch it and it felt how springy it was, but still she was slightly wary this place certainly wasn't real judging by the weather and the ground but she still had the nagging familiar feeling in the back of her head.
"So you're my master?" a voice came from behind her. Spinning round Karin saw nothing until movement caught her eye in one of the tree's, watching the spot warily she saw no further movement she frowned wondering if she had imagined things when her brother suddenly flopped down from the branches.
"Ichi-nii?" she questioned her eye wide
"Not quite" He answered although Karin noticed with a start that it may be her brothers body but that was not his voice, "Its sort of against the rules for me to show you my true form... and for me tell you my name so I chose the form of the person who occupies your mind at the moment so that you would be comfortable" he paused for a moment, "Sorry if I startled you"
"Umm.." Karin didn't quite know what to say so chose simply to stare at her not-brother.
She watched as it lent against the tree that it had just jumped out of and lazily stretched out it's legs, yawning slightly.
"So..." It looked at Karin, "What's your name?"
Karin continued to blink before answering slowly, "...Kurosaki Karin"
It smiled before continuing, "Hello Karin, I don't suppose you know why I'm awake so early?"
Karin shook her head utterly bewildered her eyes slightly wondering up to the sky which was now raining.
"Hmm" it mused sinking further into the tree, "It's a mystery then"
They stayed there like that for ages before it spoke up again, "Well?"
Karin blinked at it not understanding the question, "Well, What?"
"You're hanging around do you want to ask me something? Because I can't guarantee I can answer" it spoke shifting up a bit against the tree,
"No, I'm hanging around as you put it because I have no-where else to go!" exclaimed Karin who really had, had quite enough of the confusion
"No where else to go?" It questioned
"No!" Started Karin, "First I'm kidnapped on the way to a football* game then I'm put in a room that really wasn't on earth and then my minds invaded by something and my body is no longer controlled by me and then you turn up all high and mighty and I have no idea what on earth your on about!" Karin finished her rant with a big breath; she had been holding that in for awhile,
Her not-brother blinked before standing up, "So that's why I'm awake... why didn't you say so before?"
Karin shot him a glare, now angry at her situation rather than confused.
"So a Zanpaktou has taken over control of your body" Stated the not-brother
"Yes!" exclaimed Karin, "I remembered that's what he called it now"
"Well that's what I am, your Zanpaktou By entering your mind the other Zanpaktou must have somehow triggered my awakening" It frowned before continuing, "But that doesn't explain why I haven't been awakened earlier in someone as powerful as you" It turned to Karin, "How long have you been dead?"
Karin stared wide eyed at the Zanpaktou, "Far as I know I'm still alive"
It was the Zanpaktou's turn for its borrowed brown eyes to go wide, "Your Human?!" It exclaimed then he toned his voice down as though muttering to himself, "Well that changes things"
Karin eyed him before sitting herself down on the grass, it felt as soft and springy as it looked and she has to resist the temptation to just lie back down onto it and have a nap, although it hadn't been long since she had slept she felt exhausted.
"So, any idea why you where kidnapped?" The Zanpaktou asked attempting conversation, Karin shook her head,
"I was just taken to a room and then the guy came in and the Zanpaktou took over me..." Karin suddenly trailed off, "It can't hear us can it?" She added worriedly looking about
The Zanpaktou shook its head, "No, the Zanpaktou's consciousness has left you but has linked the control portion of your mind to its wielder" It paused to sit back down against the tree again, "I'm guessing since it didn't know you had a Zanpaktou it didn't control this part of the mind"
Karin nodded, pretending to understand what it was saying so it wouldn't try and explain it, weariness was slowly taking over her body,
"So if you can't tell me your name" she spoke to the Zanpaktou disguising a yawn behind her hand, "What can I call you?"
The Zanpaktou frowned a moment before speaking, "How about enigma for the time being?" Karin smiled and nodded
"That's kind of fitting" she sighed and slid onto her side using her arm as a pillow,
Enigma smiled at her softly, "Your probably so tired because of my awakening" Enigma also slid further down against the tree, "Sleep Karin I'm not going anywhere"
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* I know it has a different name beginning with H... Horai? Either way I have no idea how to spell it and google was no help. I feel really bad referring to it as a cloak all the time!
*Football = Soccer
I hope you enjoyed and I'm sorry for the long wait with this chapter after I got my results things were a bit hectic but I'm all settled in college now and I get Mondays off so you can probably expect updates to come on these days as since at the weekend I work and standing around for the majority of the day doesn't half make the mind buzz with idea's! Including the chain of idea's that's already started to plan the sequel to this story .;