A/N: Well… I should be working to get PtS done before school starts, and there are really only three, maybe four chapters to go in it… but due to the mass of wonderful reviews I have received from DGtnsl, I just have all these feels. I also need to restrict myself from making a FMAB OC… (I have this wonderful idea for a female Drachman spy… but… too many… stories…)

Well, right now… I kind of want to write about Ao, but I also want to write the new reveal… and let's have Sachiko being a trollolol… m'kay, we can do this.

By the way, the events of chapters three and four happened before the events of chapter two.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Bleach, nor do I own Bleach, but I do own my characters, which are too numerous to list. Unless you want me to try.

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Creatures of Myth: Sunlit Summons

Chapter Five: Renewal

. . .

"This is me for forever, one of the lost ones

The one without a name

Without an honest heart as compass."

"Nemo" by Within Temptation

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Shortly after the confrontation in the throne room, a young woman – Ao figured she was a Tennin – came to give them a tour. The introduced herself as Aizen Yua, which had caused a few odd looks, but was eventually disregarded. However, Ao was confused. The red choker around her neck looked like it was for a consort, but she thought that consorts only came in the bitchy (Susanoo's girls), pompous (Amaterasu's boys), and slutty (Tsukuyomi's consorts) varieties. Serene did not describe consorts, yet this woman was a consort. She didn't know whom the color red was supposed to represent.

The Tennin woman showed them the library, and surprisingly she knew quite a bit about its contents. Again, it was unexpected for a consort. Perhaps Ao's opinion was affected by stereotypes, but nevertheless. After that, she led them to the dining hall, where one could get food at just about any hour of the day.

She smiled at them, her arms folded inside the sleeves of her Yukata. "I know the east and central buildings are boring to some, but I saved the best for last," she said as she led them towards the west wing.

Ao tilted her head. "Last? But isn't there a whole other floor?"

"Yes, but it's for non-serving residents only," she clarified, "Guests and servants are not allowed."

"Yua-samaaaaaaaa!" came a high-pieced shriek.

The Tennin's eyes widened and she braced herself. "Oh fu-"

A blue-haired neko woman jumped at her, in a gesture that could only be called a glomp. "Yua-sama why didn't you tell me?" there were tears in her eyes as she complained, "I thought you and I were supposed to be bestiest friends five-ever but no Uzume-sama got to know first! Yua-sama that is so unfair and I should un-friend on f-book right now!"

"I thought the threat was to stop following me on Tumblr," Yua deadpanned. "I don't even use those websites, Sachiko-san."

"If you did, I would've known because you would have posted about it and I would have known!" she cried. Just then, the woman's apparel seemed to register. She was decked out in full dominatrix gear, except it was light blue, like her hair and tail.

Yua sighed. "Sachiko, be careful," she said, indicating her bandaged arm.

The Bakeneko jumped back and wrung her hands, bowing. "I'm sorry, Yua-sama, I didn't notice and should have been more cautious." Her eyes shifted and she spotted Hitsugaya and Ichimaru. Her face lit up as she bounced towards them. "Wow, your hair is white but you're so little… ah, and your hair is silver like Tsukuyomi-dono's!" She clapped happily. Ao's suspicions were confirmed. This woman was a stereotypical consort of Tsukuyomi.

"Sachiko!" a man that looked nearly identical to the woman jogged towards them. He was dressed more conservatively than the woman, but his hair was much longer. "What have I told about bothering Yua-sama?" he scolded.

She scowled. "But Sachirou, I was just-"

He cut her off. "But nothing. If you had distressed Yua-sama in anyway, especially considering her condition, Izanagi-sama would have been very cross."

Sachiko pouted. "I was just curious about the baby."

Yua gave a kind smile, reminiscent of Unohana. "Sachiko, I think Uzume-sama wanted to see you about planning a wedding for a pair of our guests, here," she said, gesturing to Ao and Toushirou. "Why don't you take them with you?"

The Bakeneko's lips rose into a large grin. "That sounds amazing! Okay!" She grabbed Ao and Toushirou by the wrists and dragged them with her, followed shortly by a miffed Sachirou.

That left Yua alone with Gin. Hakyu, having been to Takamagahara on several occasions before, had not accompanied them. She let out a heavy sigh and put a hand to her head, leaning against the wall. "Morons," she muttered, her face turning somewhat dark. She shook her head and turned to Gin, the blank expression on her face startling him. "You. Your name is Ichimaru Gin, am I correct?" she asked.

Gin raised an eyebrow. "Yep. Why?"

"Do you know of the Nazo sisters?" Gin took in a sharp breath, but Yua continued, "Most of them have died recently, you know, the Daughters of Fujin?"

Ichimaru swallowed. "Indeed I do, Yua-san."

Yua's blank face morphed into a smile. "Come with me," she said, and gestured for him to follow her. He did, and was a little surprised when she began leading him upstairs. Once they reached the second floor of the rotunda, she led him off to the east. They passed a few rooms, and she stopped at one towards the end of the hall, and knocked.

A normal female servant answered the door. "Oh, Yua-sama. My mistress is napping right now. I would appreciate it if you came back later," she began to close the door, but Yua stuck her foot in the door.

She glared at the girl, who attempted to glare back but faltered. "That's odd, Reiko, because your mistress hasn't gone to Susanoo's room for the past three nights," she scowled, "Is she having nightmares again?"

The servant girl said nothing.

"I asked you a direct question, Reiko!" she barked.

Reiko looked down at her feet, her tawny hair falling in front of her face as she clenched her fists. "She doesn't know what to make of them! You know just as much as I do that she doesn't want to remember, Yua!" she replied hotly.

Yua leaned back at the lack of honorary. "You seem to forget that as Izanagi-no-Mikoto's wife, I deserve complete and utter respect from the likes of a serving girl, Reiko. Now what did you call me?" she demanded.

Woah wait. Ichimaru stepped back, not wanting to be caught in what seemed to be a power struggle. He didn't know that Sousuke had had a girl back home. That changed Gin's perspective on Izanagi's motives significantly.

Reiko lifted her head and glared. "No. Ever since you started meddling with her, she's gotten worse. She's been dreaming of killing people, Yua, and it's so bad that she wakes up shaking and refuses to tell me about them!" She straightened her posture. "All this is your fault, you damned Tennin!" she roared.

The following crack of the back of Yua's hand hitting the servant's face resounded down the hallway. This was not the woman he had met downstairs, but he had a feeling that this ruthless noblewoman was her true self, and not the kind persona she had taken earlier.

A wary voice drifted from beyond the door. "Reiko, what's going on?"

Reiko rubbed the growing welt on her cheek, but was visibly taken down a notch. "Yua-sama was just leaving-"

"Oh, no you don't, you disrespectful little-"

A tall woman came into sight, her long black hair disheveled from sleep. She yawned as she lazily rubbed her eyes. "Yua-sama, what's this-" her gaze fell on Ichimaru.

Her turquoise eyes widened in fear as she, Nazo Sakane, screamed. She stumbled back, sprawled on the floor. "I'm still dreaming, I'm still dreaming, I'm still dreaming, I'm still dreaming, still dreaming, still dreaming," she muttered repeatedly, her hands entangling in her hair.

Both Reiko and Yua put aside their differences and ran to Sakane's side, while Gin stared on bewilderedly.

"Sakane-san, what's the matter?" Yua asked, sincerely concerned.

"Nazo-sama, please, tell us," the serving girl pleaded.

What Gin was seeing hadn't quite registered to him yet. What was bothering him, though, was the jade green choker that wrapped around her neck like a collar.

She whimpered, pointing at me as she crawled back to get as far as possible. "Him! That man! He's always there, always smiling no matter what… He killed me! Just a few moments ago… He's the reason I'm here, goddammit!"

Yua's eyes narrowed and turned to look at me. "Ichimaru… what is she talking about?"

Gin stared at the three horizontal scars across her left cheek, obviously left over from Rentaro's attack. She no longer had markings on her face, or perhaps she had begun covering them again. Ichimaru gave Yua a steady look. "I killed her."

Reiko growled. "You… Do you have any idea what you did? Do you have any idea how miserable she's been since she arrived here!"

Ichimaru frowned. "This is not the Nazo Sakane I killed. The Sakane I killed was a glutton for Senka flesh who reveled in her enemies' pain. She tortured, manipulated and cheated to get want she wanted. However, she was brave beyond words, sensible and knew when she was losing," Ichimaru's blue eyes peeked through from behind his eyelids. "She was going to die anyways. At that point, it was either kill her then, or save her enemies more pain."

Yua stood and approached him. "Ichimaru Gin. Whatever you did, whatever said, something about how she died, she was redeemed and her soul came to Takamagahara. Otherwise, she would've followed her sisters to Jigoku," she paused thoughtfully, "For this, I thank you. I think she would've been more miserable in Hell than she is here."

Gin shook his head. "Don't thank me." He narrowed his eyes once more and took a step toward Sakane. He squatted, bringing his eyes to her level. She flinched away instinctively. "I heard somethin' about you wanting to remember your time in Soul Society. Tell me about that?"

Sakane's eyes narrowed at him. "I-I want to know how I was redeemed," her eyes darted around the room nervously. "Do you know?"

He sighed. "I think so."

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It was getting late, and Fujiwa was tired. She didn't exactly have to sleep much and her endurance was through the roof, but after staying up all night for the past three days had begun to wear her down. Urahara had noticed that she had been getting bored whenever she finished her work, so he gifted her a set of seven popular books about a special young wizard. She hadn't slept since. Currently, she was on the fifth book, and things were beginning to escalate. However, her eyes were stinging from over-use. She needed to sleep but she just couldn't put it down.

She sighed and placed a bookmark, setting the book on her nightstand. Fujiwa rubbed her eyes and stretched, giving a yawn. After her sisters had died, she'd been left to inherit their powers and strength. The power that once had been divided between the four of them now coursed through her veins.

The moment she closed her eyes, the earth began to shake. Her eyes snapped open, and she immediately got out of bed and reached out to sense any spiritual activity. She sensed nothing extremely out of the ordinary, but something had changed. Now, a familiar feeling of storm and wind ran as an undercurrent. She picked up her sword from its case beneath her bed and attached it to the sash at her waist. As soon as she was sure she had everything she needed, she pushed the window open and leaped out into the night. Winds encircled her as she ran, speeding up her pace as she began to trace the anomaly to its source. She arrived at a single house, standing out amongst the surrounding apartment buildings. The anomaly was coming from beneath the house, she noticed, and wondered if they had a basement.

Fujiwa cautiously approached the door, her hand reaching out to knock when she realized that no one would be awake at this hour, and the residents wouldn't let her in their home without a good reason. She stepped away from the door and looked around her, searching for an open window. She found one on the second floor. Gathering the winds around her, she lifted herself up into the room.

Landing deftly on the carpet, she observed her surroundings. It was a woman's room, she could tell by the décor. She took a quick glance at the sleeping redhead to see that she hadn't been disturbed. Silently, Fujiwa exited the room and proceeded downstairs. She found the entrance to the basement fairly easily and opened the door. With silent steps, she descended into the dark basement. She stumbled briefly, but managed to locate a light switch. Her eyes widened as she looked around. This space was not even vaguely functional. The cluttered, maelstrom of a basement was obviously used for storage only.

Narrowing her senses to the room, she followed the source of the abnormal energy, and after digging through a pile of old wicker baskets, she found it.

"This… this is…" her eyes widened and she reverently lifted the ancient sword. In her knowledgeable eyes, it seemed as if to glow with the power of storms. In her hands, she held one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan, the sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. What had it been doing in a basement?

She heard the creak of the basement door opening and gasped. She attached the sword's sheath to her sash along with her katana and looked around for some place to hide, finding none.

The woman held a large butcher knife in her hands, but Fujiwa knew that she could over-power her if necessary. She wore a bathrobe, and her half-rimmed glasses had been hastily slid onto her face. Her shoulder-length auburn hair was disheveled from sleep. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded. "Are you one of those Arrancar things?!"

Fujiwa blinked. "Um… no. I'm Nazo Fujiwa. I- I… um," if this woman knew about Arrancar, she probably knew Urahara. "I work at Urahara Shoten."

Her eyes only narrowed further. "What are you doing here?"

"I sensed a weird anomaly in ambient reiatsu and traced it back to your basement."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, did you find it?"

Fujiwa nodded and showed her the sword.

Her eyes widened. "Why would granny have something like that down here?" she said in disbelief. She shook her head and looked Fujiwa in the eye. "What did you say your name was, again?"

"Nazo Fujiwa," she repeated.

The woman nodded. "I'm Honshou Chizuru. I've worked with Urahara before. The man's a lunatic, but then again, most of us were back then," she snorted. "We all were." She shrugged. "Well, might as well come upstairs and have some tea, ne, Fujiwa-chan?"

Fujiwa blinked. "Um. Sure. Okay."

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A/N: I said that Fujiwa and Ulquiorra would find companionship in each other. Companionship does not mean a romantic relationship. In this case, I meant friendship. Besides, Fujiwa's a lesbian… I stated as much. She prefers females.

Le sigh. Sachiko was just being weird before. While they have access to the internet, I doubt anyone uses it too often.

Oh. And Sakane's back. Forgot about that for a minute. Lol. Ahaha, no one in my Bleach stories is ever killed off for real (except in PreludeToSadness. Oh, and Shimizu Hotaru is dead for real and so is Mira. Neither of them are coming back). I love exploiting the soul cycle. I love it.