Here's your weekly installment! And if you've been waiting for those men in black to show up, your patience will be shortly rewarded. -Airumel
-Chapter 10-
The next morning, Airi and Zezuri were summoned to the throne room. As Ulquiorra opened the door for the two girls, they noticed that Grimmjow and his fraccion were all assembled as well.
"Ah, Ulquiorra, Airi and Zezuri, glad you could join us," Aizen greeted them from across the room.
Zezuri looked at Grimmjow, trying not to show she was still hurt from his comments the day before. However, the Sixth Espada was too busy staring at the floor to notice.
"I would like it if our guests joined you for your mission today," the commander addressed Grimmjow, "Since Airi was able to find the shard last time, I would imagine she would be a useful addition. I also have reason to believe that Zezuri would be able to detect the shard better than the rest of us as I have been informed she has a knack for sensing spiritual energy," he nodded at the two girls.
"So the Bloodhound Shinigami joins our team today," one of Grimmjow's fraccion remarked.
Zezuri brushed it off but knew her presence here would only bring more bullying, she would have to grow accustomed to it.
"Listen up, if you don't cooperate I can remove you indefinitely and replace you when ever the hell I want!" Grimmjow ordered his fraccion, "Now let's move out!"
As they headed for the opening Zezuri remembered that Aizen sent Grimmjow out last night, but they must of been unsuccessful, that is why she and Airi got to 'tag along' today. Zezuri was very uneasy about stepping through the portal, as she had been unconscious the first time. Swallowing her fear, she stepped in after Airi and found herself in the sky.
"W-whoa!" Zezuri wobbled around trying to keep balance, but began to fall instead.
Before she could fall any further, both Airi and Grimmjow caught her by separate arms and lifted her up.
"The trick is not to think about it," Airi tried to reassure her friend, "Just let us know if you sense something and let us do the dirty work," she said smiling.
Dirty work? wondered her friend, that sounded rather uncharacteristically ruthless of her friend. Yet, Zezuri relaxed and then turned to the Espada still holding her arm. He suddenly noticed himself and quickly let go.
"J-just let her stay on the ground for now," he said abruptly, looking away.
Airi brought Zezuri to the ground gently, as Zezuri already began to feel something.
"I think I sense the shard... but there is something else. I don't know what it is..." whatever it was, it was the same kind of energy she had felt around Ashido.
"Spread out!" Grimmjow was heard yelling above the girls before speeding off away from them.
"How about we stick together?" asked Airi. She didn't sense anything yet, but she trusted Zezuri's instincts, "Which direction?"
The brunette closed her eyes and focused for a moment, "The shard is this way," she pointed to the East.
As the two girls walked, a similar thought entered both of their minds.
Zezuri scanned the skies for Grimmjow and his gang. Seeing and sensing no one, she looked to her friend, "Wouldn't it be something if we could just ditch them and hide out here?"
Airi's green eyes grew wide for a moment at the suggestion of escape.
"Yeah, I know, we're dead, and you're... an arrancar... but there has to be somewhere else we can go!" Zezuri spoke with determination.
A sad expression crossed the blonde's face, "I don't think there's anywhere else for something like me..."
"But Ashido, that Shinigami, I met in the forest, he mentioned something about another place where he was from!"
"Well, for a Shinigami, Las Noches wouldn't be the best place... but for me... I should stay with what I am..."
Zezuri couldn't believe that Airi was giving up so easily. True, her friend had a valid point about being an arrancar, but there had to be somewhere better. Even though they'd made her one of them the residents of Las Noches still treated Airi as a prisoner. Why wouldn't she want to leave?
Just as she was about to say something, a sudden swell in spiritual pressure made her lose her train of thought, "Someone's coming!" she shouted to Airi.
The blonde placed her right hand over the hilt of her sword, ready to draw, "Grab the shard, I'll stop whatever this is!" she shouted and ran towards the presence.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" a shadowy figure called down from where it had perched atop the roof of a one story home.
"I won't let you harm Zezuri!" shouted Airi.
"Comradery? Aren't you arrancar supposed to be bloodthirsty and out for your own gain?"
Whoever the figure was, they hadn't realized that Zezuri wasn't an arrancar, noted Airi.
"Anyways, I am supposed to be retrieving the same thing you are seeking. I suggest you get out of my way or I'll be glad to remove you from existence."
Airi stood fast in her tracks and glared up at the shadow.
"Is that a challenge?" the figure leapt off the roof and landed in front of her, "Very well, prepare to meet your end by the hand of Ikkaku Madarame!" The man was tall, bald and clad in in a black hakama.
Airi needed no explanation, this was a true Shinigami, one who hunted hollows professionally.
Zezuri ran off towards the shard. She'd felt the oncoming presence stop as it met with Airi's. The sounds of a battle were soon heard spurring Zezuri to run faster. She had to reach the shard before Airi got hurt or worse! She didn't doubt her friend's power, but there were more presences arriving every moment. One... two... three... she counted. All of varying levels.
The shard's presence was very strong by now, she had to be close. Looking around Zezuri saw a large dumpster behind a restaurant where the signal felt the strongest.
"Really?" she moaned opening the lid to the smelly trash receptacle. Looking around on the ground, she found a stick and began to poke through the bin full of... well, she'd rather not think about it.
Her stick struck something suddenly that sent a shockwave up her arm. Zezuri dropped her stick. She was sure she'd found the shard, but sensed that picking up the shard would be unwise.
Stepping back from the dumpster she tried to locate her nearest comrade. Airi was locked in battle, along with a few of Grimmjow's group. The Sixth Espada was her next best option. But how could she get his attention, "Grimmjow!" she yelled, with no better ideas.
A young light-hearted chuckle came from behind her, "You know, your buddy won't make it here in time."
Zezuri whirled around to see a young child wearing the same black garb that Ashido had worn. The girl looked to be about six years old and had bubble-gum pink hair. Noting the sword at her side, the brunette backed up cautiously.
"Kenny! I found something!" she shouted.
"Is that so?" a low voice almost growled as a huge man jumped down from the roof of a building nearby. He landed with a jingle of bells that adorned the tips of his spiky hair.
Zezuri wondered how she'd failed to sense these two. They stood before her not emitting even the slightest amount of pressure.
"Hmph, Yachiru, I think you need an eye exam, this girl isn't a threat to us," his one uncovered eye looked over the white-clad girl who stared in confusion.
"But Kenny! She's like us!"
The large man's eye narrowed, "Indeed. Yet she wears their uniform and seems to be in conjunction with Aizen's forces," he stepped forward and drew his sword.
Zezuri took another step back and bumped into the dumpster.
"I'll give you a choice, girl, step aside or I'll cut you down where you stand."
Airi was locked in battle with the bald man. Their powers seemed evenly matched, but the girl felt like the man was toying with her. As long as she could keep him away from Zezuri, she'd do her best to keep fighting.
Zezuri had no idea what to do, whoever this man was, last thing she wanted to do was anger him. She sunk to the ground, keeping her frightened stare on the tall shinigami. With his patience running out, the tip of his sword drew closer to her neck.
"I'll say this one more time, continue to be in my way and I will kill you." his deep voice echoing in her head.
Then, unexpectedly, a red blast that Zezuri had grown familiar with, was shot from the distance but the large shinigami and his pink haired companion dodged it flawlessly.
"Why didn't you grab the shard already?" Grimmjow asked crossley.
"W-well I thought it was a bad idea!" she said.
"What do you mean 'bad idea'? A bad idea is almost getting killed!" the Espada yelled.
"Well you should of showed up sooner!" the brunette shouted back.
"Umm, over here," the big shinigami man was feeling ignored.
"Geez, get back and let me handle this." Grimmjow said looking to the shinigami.
"Ahahaha this is more like it. An opponent I can actually fight!" he said with a large grin.
Spiritual pressure surged from both men as Grimmjow unsheathed his sword and charged at the shinigami, "I'll show you the power of an Espada!" he growled.
Zezuri watched, trembling as the two forces met with a resounding clang. Wild grins shone on both of the fighters' faces.
"Kenny's gonna win!" cheered the little girl.
Flashes of metal shone in the spare light from distant street lights.
Grimmjow drew first blood with a swift uppercut after dodging his opponent's sword. Yet, his foe's grin only increased.
"That's more like it!" his spiritual energy increased dramatically.
Grimmjow was not surprised in the least. He dodged backwards and blocked a rather heavy swing. Yet, he was slow on the next swing, as his opponent dodged it with ease, the Esapada received a light cut to his face.
The attacks reflected in the deep brown of Zezuri's eyes as she watched, horrified and mesmerized at the same her head, she came back to reality. The shard. She needed to get it, but what about that awful feeling she'd had earlier?
A female scream came from back the way she'd come. Airi was in trouble! Leaving all thoughts of the shard behind, Zezuri rushed for her friend, not realizing she was flash-stepping.
Airi grabbed her shoulder with her good arm and struggled to keep ahold of her sword. Blood poured at a concerning rate from her open wound.
After it appeared the battle wasn't going anywhere, the Shinigami had somehow transformed his sword into a spear. That hadn't been the problem though. Airi was used to battling Gin's retractable sword; the range on the ex-captain's weapon had been more extensive. When the blonde arrancar had scored a cut to Ikkaku's shiny head, the direction of battle had rapidly flown out of her favor. Suddenly, the Shinigami had fought with a new-found vigor that Airi could not return.
"Clearly, your all isn't into this battle," scoffed the Shinigami, "I wouldn't call this luck to fight such a weak foe."
The girl scowled, but it quickly was replaced with an expression of pain. She knew she was in trouble here.
Zezuri arrived to find her friend at the mercy of the bald shinigami. She rushed to Airi's side while casting a healing spell and managed to stop the wound from bleeding profusely.
"Did you find it?" Airi asked quickly.
"Yeah...but.." Zezuri was about to say something before the shinigami beat her to it.
"Whatever you're looking for doesn't belong to you. It was made by shinigami hands, and hollows like you would only use it for trouble. So let me put you both out of your misery..."
As the shinigami, Ikkaku, was ready to strike the two girls, Zezuri quickly let a large burst of blue energy emit from her hands. Catching the shinigami off guard, he tried to avoid it but it seemed to home in on him like a target until the blast finally collided with him.
"Cough, cough...K-kido..?" he said in amazement, recovering from the blast, "Well, if you are in league with them, I'll destroy you as well!" Ikkaku recuperated and was ready to challenge the brunette.
Zezuri stood her ground and glared at the shinigami, "You don't know Airi, she isn't like the rest of them! And neither am I!" her hands glowed red with rage, ready to fire.
"Zezuri, no! I can take care of this!" Airi tried to stop her friend.
The brunette was fully aware that the shinigami was beyond her level, but she had to at least try so Airi could regain her strength.
"If you think you can defeat me, think again, you little brat," Ikkaku smirked. He flashed stepped behind her and was ready to land a blow on her with his spear, but Zezuri tumbled out of the way as Ikkaku's spear collided with the concrete, scraps of cement and dirt flew in the air.
Airi let out a sigh of relief, seeing her friend dodge out of the way. Now, with Ikkaku's back to her, she pulled herself to her feet, adjusted the grip on her sword and charged at the Shinigami.
She had him exactly where she knew she could destroy him. With one blow it'd be over. Yet, as she brought her sword down, the arrancar changed the path of her sword, slicing into the shoulder of her foe.
Ikkaku let out a gasp of surprise and pain. He kept his gaze locked with Zezuri's as he collapsed on the ground in front of her.
"Airi!" she yelled. Her friend was staring at the fallen Shinigami with more bloodlust than she thought her friend was even capable of, "Stop! You won!"
Green eyes blinked a few times before Airi realized she was holding her sword to his throat. Hadn't she just missed on purpose though? Shaking her head, she sheathed her sword, "Uh... sorry," she apologized to the black-clad man, "Come on, Zezuri!" she shouted to her friend and sped off.
Hesitating whether or not to heal the wounded man in front of her, Zezuri finally followed Airi, "I'm sorry!" she yelled behind her as she chased after Airi. It was clear to her that as much as she didn't like to see anyone hurt, if she healed the Shinigami, he would continue to attack Airi.
The alleyway was destroyed. Large holes had been blasted through windows, the road was full of craters and littered with trash from the remains of what had once been a dumpster.
Oblivious to all the destruction around them, Espada and Taicho fought on.
"Yeah! Give it to him Kenny!" the pink haired girl shouted. She was too preoccupied with watching her comrade fight to notice the shiny object that lay gleaming a dark blue in the middle of the road.
Airi, on the other hand, had another case of tunnel vision as all she could see was the prize she hunted. She reached out to grab it but was suddenly blocked by an unknown sword as a cat-like creature that resembled Grimmjow was thrown backwards across the alleyway into the already battered wall of the restaurant the dumpster had belonged to.
"Don't interfere!" shouted a young voice, her eyes gleamed with vigor.
The blonde looked down to see the young girl holding her own sword up to Airi's throat.
Grimmjow burst forth out of the wall, completely destroying it. As he charged back at his opponent, he kicked up the shard. It flew up, glinting in the moonlight, as it soared over Airi's head.
Zezuri automatically put her hand out to catch the falling object before she realized what it was. As the shard made contact with her skin, she let out a scream. The shard felt like molten steel! She dropped it at once. Just what was it? A violent shudder shook her body the feeling of pain traveled up her arm and into her heart before pumping and consuming her. Zezuri felt herself lifting off the ground as her eyes rolled up into her head. Strange cuts opened and blood dripped down her arms.
Airi watched in horror, "Zezuri!" she screamed and rushed back to her friend.
Grimmjow and his foe had stopped fighting, hearing the commotion.
"What in the hell is goin' on!" Grimmjow asked uneasily.
Airi went to grab her friend but was repelled by an unseen force. She wasn't about to give up; she got back on her feet and reached for her friend again and forced her way through barrier trying to keep her away. Airi kept reaching even though there was a powerful burning, electrical sensation crawling up her arms. She knew if she didn't help Zezuri, she would burst into shreds.
Airi finally got ahold of Zezuri and pulled her down to her with all her might. She thought she would pass out for the pressure at any moment, but Grimmjow too had fought his way through and rushed over to help.
Zezuri's body was still going out of control, blood still oozed out of the cuts that kept appearing.
"Please, Zezuri, come back to me!" Airi begged.
"Damn it! I have no idea what to do!" said Grimmjow, also being strained by the pressure.
The two shinigami continued to watch intently as the arrancar tried to help their friend.
"I will not let you die! We have to stick together! Remember!" Airi kept shouting at Zezuri, hoping she could hear her, but it seemed that nothing could be done to save her.
Suddenly, everything stopped. The pressure was gone.
"Zezuri! ZEZURI!" Airi shook her friend lightly, but the brunette did not awaken. The cuts on her body remained as blood drained from them continually.
"Hmm we need to go back and report this..." the tall shinigami stated, realizing that something was clearly amiss about what they had just witnessed. They would leave without the shard for now, as something needed to be done about the girl.
Ikkaku appeared from the darkness to witness the scene and was slightly baffled and confused.
"Captain! What-" the bald shinigami was cut off.
"We are leaving for now," he ordered.
Ikkaku nodded and followed his captain and the pink haired shinigami as the disappeared into the night.
Airi was panicking. The bleeding needed to be stopped. But how? She was no healer, she didn't understand how Zezuri had healed her earlier.
"Can't you heal her?" she shouted to Grimmjow.
"NO! Arrancar can't use kido!" he retorted, how could the blonde be so clueless?
Airi grimaced, that meant she couldn't either. What to do? Zezuri would die and soon! A light breeze tugged at her friend's cape. That was it! With shaking fingers, Airi unclasped Zezuri's cape and began to tear it into strips.
"What are you doing?" asked Grimmjow, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.
He was answered with a strip of fabric shoved in his face, "Tie up her other arm!" Airi quickly wrapped another strip tightly around a large gash on Zezuri's upper arm.
The two arrancar worked quickly. When they finished, Zezuri resembled a poorly made up mummy. However, the bleeding had stopped. By now all of Grimmjow's fraccion had rejoin their leader.
The sixth Espada pocketed the shard and scooped up the unconscious girl and opened the portal back to Hueco Mundo. Wordlessly the group stepped through.
"What aren't you telling us, Aizen?" shouted Grimmjow bursting through the throne room doors. He had deposited Zezuri back in her room where Airi was keeping watch over her.
Aizen looked mystified, "What are you talking about, Grimmjow?"
"This!" the Sixth Espada produced the blue shard from his pocket and tossed it to the seated man.
"What about it?" Aizen caught the shard in one hand.
"What the hell is it? And what did it do to Zezuri?"
An amused expression appeared on Aizen's face, "I do not know, tell me what happened."
Airi sat on her bed across from Zezuri. Her friend was still out cold, but at least she felt that her bandages would prevent her from bleeding to death. "C'mon, Zezuri. Don't leave me alone here," she muttered.
A white clad figure stepped into the room.
Expecting to see Szayel, she threw a glare at the intruder, "Oh, I'm sorry," Airi moved her gaze to the floor.
"May I enter?" asked Starrk.
"Yes," Airi kept her gaze on the floor. She was still embarrassed for the day she'd begged him to save Zezuri. Before she knew she was in danger herself.
The First Espada took a good look at Airi and then at Zezuri, "What happened to her?"
"I don't know. She touched a shard of something. Aizen has Grimmjow's team collecting them," Airi described what she remembered from the mission as the other arrancar listened with mild interest showing.
When the girl had finished, Starrk stood silently, his gaze fixed on the unconscious girl as if he were mentally putting together the pieces of a puzzle.
"Airi," a familiar voice summoned her.
She looked up to see the Fourth Espada standing in the doorway. Cold green eyes staring at her.
"Come," he commanded.
"No," she glared at him.
"The Shinigami is not worth your concern. You lack power, strength and skill. That is why she got hurt; she is weak."
Airi's glare intensified, "No, I'm not leaving."
"You don't have a choice," he looked at her expectantly.
"What makes you think that?" she spat, but found herself raising to her feet. Her glare changed to confusion and then panic as her feet began to take steps across the room, "W-what?"
"No fraccion can defy their master."
"T-that's not, that's impossible!" yelled Airi.
"You can follow me on your own accord or not," replied Ulquiorra as he strode out of the room.
Airi gave a panicked look over her shoulder before exiting.
Starrk sighed and sat down on Airi's bed, still contemplating the many thoughts in his mind. Shortly after he began to doze off.
Okay, who saw that one coming? XD I had tried to use it earlier, but I wasn't sure about it, but I'm happy with how I threw that twist in. Questions, comments, reviews, etc are all welcome! We love hearing from you! Hope you enjoyed and see you next week! -Airumel