Happy Halloween from pseudo-bed ridden Airumel. Perhaps this is karma for Airi along with the dream of Aizen chasing me last night?! (I haven't had one like that in four years) Anyways, this is a rather long chapter, I had a hard time deciding where to put in the cuts. Hope you enjoy!

-Aiurmel 10/31/2012

-Chapter 18-

Dawn came too soon for Renji, but not soon enough for Zezuri. Despite finally falling back asleep, none of her fears had been alleviated in the slightest. She had done her best not to think about home. Even back in Las Noches, it had become an unofficial subject of taboo between the girls. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Zezuri realized that maybe that hadn't been the best idea. If her bottled up emotions were causing this much distress, she could only imagine what Airi was feeling. Then again, Airi was under Ulquiorra's control and it seemed that had something to do with her ability to express any emotion. Bottom line: she needed to talk to Airi. Just knowing her friend was alive wasn't good enough.

Her thoughts wandered as she got up and dressed herself in the yukata she had left folded at the foot of her futon.

And then there was Grimmjow. Still locked up in the second division's prison. What could she do about him?

What could she do at all?

"Zezuri?" a voice spoke on the other side of the door to the hallway.

"I'm ready," she called back and slid the door open to find Captain Kuchiki waiting for her in the hallway. "G-good morning, sir!" she bowed promptly. His presence unnerved her even though she knew he meant no harm.

Wordlessly, the captain began to walk down the hall. It took Zezuri a moment to realize she was supposed to be following him; her mind was fuzzy from the lack of sleep she'd gotten the night prior.

Walking a few steps behind him, Zezuri followed Byakuya out of the barracks, through the front gates of the division and into the streets of the Seireitei. The two turned countless corners and always seemed to be climbing stairs. On one such ascent, Zezuri cast her senses, curious if she could find either of her friends. A quick glance over the shoulder from the captain broke her concentration. Did he know what she was up to? The girl's heart began to pound. The captain said nothing and did not stop leading the way. Gathering her nerves, Zezuri let out a sigh and tried not to smile. She had succeeded in finding one of them.

When Zezuri and Byakuya reached the summit of the First Division, the happiness she had discovered drained away along with the blood in her face.

The great doors of the division swung outwards for them, followed by the ornate inner doors to the meeting hall. "Wait here," Byakuya commanded in the foyer area,

"We will call for you when we are ready." He swept into the large hall, leaving Zezuri in a frightened silence.

A few more captains arrived, but said nothing to the young girl as they passed by. One, wearing a pink haori and a straw hat, gave her a reassuring wink as he passed. The doors to the meeting hall closed behind him; it seemed he was the last to show up.

Minutes dragged on at a painful rate. Zezuri tried to calm herself in anyway she could; counting the wooden planks on the floor, counting backwards from 100, even trying to listen through the inner doors. All did nothing to rein in her racing heart.

She was pacing the room when the doors finally opened for her.

"Zezuri, enter."

This was it. Fate, destiny, or whatever else. Taking in a deep breath, Zezuri tried to enter the room as confidently as she could. Holding her head up, she stared straight ahead, doing her best to ignore the large group of captains that lined her path.

"We have come to a conclusion," began the Head Captain, "You are not a danger to the Sereitei." He waited for a moment, as if expecting Zezuri to say something, but the girl was frozen in place. "However, your power does present a danger to you and anyone immediately around you. Therefore, we, the Goeti Thirteen, present you with two choices. One: we can strip you of these powers and place you with a family in the Rukongai, where you can live safely. Or two, you can be taught to control it and be placed in a division. This choice should not be taken lightly. Your powers are well beyond your grasp at the moment. You would also be in the front lines in the fight against Aizen's forces. Captains Unohana, Kyoraku, Komamura, Zaraki, and Ukitake all would be willing to work with you, should you chose this path."

Zezuri took a moment to think. "What about Airi and Grimmjow? Will I ever see them again?" she thought. This was a difficult decision that would ultimately decide her fate. "Um, may I have some time to think about this?" she asked, a little nervous.

"A decision would be highly recommended as of now since Sousuke Aizen will not wait around for you to make up your mind." the head Shinigami demanded.
The harsh reality of her situation blew over Zezuri. These were her only options and neither seemed to hold Airi or Grimmjow in the future. But perhaps if she joined them she would have a better chance of saving them by gaining the Shinigamis' trust. Right now she was losing precious time.

"Alright, I'll...I'll become a full fledged Soul Reaper." she cringed as the words left her mouth. Agreeing to their terms left a bad taste in her mouth; it was like agreeing to help Aizen, but these people were not threatening her life.

"You sound unsure..." Byakuya spoke, noticing the girls uncertainty.

"I said I'll do it. I can help fight against Aizen if I learn to control my powers." she explained, "But I want to see the others I came here with."

"You know we are already going on a limb for you. You can't just expect us to let you do as you please." the female captain of 2nd squad hissed.

"Please, I haven't heard or seen them in days! I'm not going to do anything suspicious, I promise!" Zezuri pleaded. "I want to see both of them!"

"I see. Then we will discuss what captain you will work with after we grant you your request. This council is now dismissed!" as the head captain was the first to remove himself, the other captains followed in suit, leaving Zezuri standing alone. She stood there, in shock until a familiar presence appeared and came to stand with her, "Captain Kuchiki sent me to escort you, I heard all the details," the sixth lieutenant spoke.

"Finally... I've waited so long..." her voice shook, leading to scattered tears running down her cheeks.

Renji watched her, he still didn't understand why she wanted to save these Arrancars, but he guessed they were her friends as much as Rukia was to him, thus making their reasons the same. "Well I guess I'll escort you to their cells." he said as he stopped leaning against the wall.

"Grimmjow... he is the closest..." she said wiping her tears away.

"H-how did you know that?" Renji looked at her astonished.

"Well I kind of picked up on how to sense auras after watching the rest of you do it. It wasn't very hard," the brunette grinned.

"Oh yeah? Well... never mind..." he grumbled and continued to lead the way. The girl followed him but couldn't help but notice how strange he was acting.

They arrived shortly at the 2nd squad's holding cells, where Grimmjow was being kept. Zezuri could barely contain her excitement but at the same time disappointment crept over her; would Grimmjow return her excitement?

But there was no room for second thoughts as before she knew it, she was standing right in front of him, bars the only thing separating them. She stared at the espada who still had his back to them.

"I'll wait for you outside..." Renji said coolly as he gave them some privacy.

Zezuri glanced at him as he left and let her eyes drift to the floor, her face turning red.

"You're really here, aren't you?" the espada spoke, making the girl jump, "Don't feel like you need to take pity on me."

His words sounded harsh but she knew this was normal. "I- I, umm, A-are you okay? Are they treating you well?"

"As well as one would treat a dog..." he sighed and stood to look at her.

"I-I'm going to get you out. They gave me the choice to join them-" but the espada cut her off.

"That's great for you, but now you are my enemy! They wont let someone like me go freely just for you! Same with your friend!" his words pounded in her ears.

She began to cry again; it was just as she feared. She knew the truth of the matter, but she just wanted to pretend it wasn't true. "I-I'm sorry... I just want you to live..." she couldn't stand to look at him anymore as she felt his glare like a heatwave on her body.

"Well that's not good enough! It your own damn fault I'm even here!" Grimmjow shouted in frustration, but stopped himself when he saw how upset he was making Zezuri. Tears streamed down her face as she stared at the floor; he was breaking her heart which, in turn was breaking his. He turned away from her, overwhelmed with guilt.

Zezuri's sniffles echoed through the cells. She was so confused, but it was clear now that all of his affections were just her imagination. There was no way he felt anything for her. She had just been a job, a possession, something he could use as leverage for his own gains. Slumping to the floor, Zezuri cried into her hands silently.

"I-I'm sorry..." she started after a few minutes, "I must look so embarrassing right now... I'll leave you alone, but I won't let you die..." determination had crept back into her voice. She was about to stand up and leave until Grimmjow grabbed her hand through the bars.

"Stop apologizing... I'm the one who should be sorry for hurting you..." Grimmjow clasped her warm hands in his.

Zezuri looked up at him, her heart racing as their eyes met. "N-No... I really am just a nuisance to everyone." she could feel herself tremble.

"You look really nice in that... I can't remember seeing you in anything except your Las Noches uniform..." things were coming out of his mouth that he had no control over or clue as to why he was saying them. Zezuri's wide-eyed gaze of surprize was not helping his nerves any either.

"T-Thank you..." the brunette blushed. She couldn't help feeling like this, even if he was supposed to be her enemy. She knew it would not be so easy to be with anyone else, but she knew she was in love with the espada in front of her. "So... did you..."

"I did..." he knew she was talking about the kiss he had given her.

"Oh.. Umm.. Thank you." She felt relieved that she wasn't just dreaming.

"Is that all you're going to say?" Grimmjow chuckled.

"No! But I did want to give you this." she pulled out her old hair clip from the sleeve of her yukata and placed it in his hands. "It will be my promise to you."

Grimmjow felt childish as he took it from her but couldn't help but smile a little. "Alright, I'll give it back when I get out of here." he placed it in his pocket.

"I want to stay here forever..." she whispered.

"You will. You're a shinigami now," resentment slipped into his voice.

"No, I meant right here with you..." Zezuri held his hand tighter.

"I won't let you. You can't stay in this place for me. I promised I'll get out, then I'll take you and we'll run away." he knew it was illusions of grandeur, but the thought made him happy too.

"If only." she sighed. But she could hear footsteps of the guard approaching and he heart ached of what would happen next. "Grimmjow...I-"

"No... you don't have to say it yet. Let me hear it when I see you again..." he drew in closer to her.

"Okay... You promised remember?" taking his head in her hands she pulled him closer until their lips touched.

The espada felt ravished in the softness of her lips. Until now, he had only known the roughness and coarseness of Las Noches. He had fought his way to the top, made sure he was as powerful as he could be and had let no one stand in his way; this had made him greedy and prideful. As the guard came for Zezuri, his anger boiled, after all no one can take from the King. That was why he would not let himself die or give in to despair. He'd take Zezuri back by force if he had to.

"Your time is up." the shinigami guard said standing over them.

"I have to go see how Airi is doing now. If she is okay, then we can all be together again..." Zezuri smiled weakly as she began to stand. "I'll get both of you out so don't worry. I mean don't try and force yourself out."

"What's that supposed to mean?" despite how he felt about that, he knew she was right.

"Well I will see you soon..." she wanted to cry again as her grip loosened from his hand, but she held them back as the guard led her out.

"Hmmm..." Grimmjow continued to watch the way she had left, as if her after image still lingered. He knew that loving her would only drive him crazy being held in this cell, but it was too late for that now. He would not regret it, he decided, staring at the hairclip she had left behind.

Morning light flooded the room in the Tenth Division in which Airi was being held. The arrancar had been awake since shortly before dawn, but was still too weak to do much more than sit up. How long had she been out this time, she wondered as she watched the sunrise in silence.
Slowly, the division became alive with the noises of its inhabitants bustling about.

Someone slide the door to her room open. "I see you're feeling better today," greeted a dark-haired woman wearing the same white robes Airi had observed only the strongest of the shinigami wearing.

"Who are you?" Airi asked the woman curiously.

"I am Retsu Unohana, Captain of the Fourth Division," she introduced herself with no hesitation, "I have been tending to your wounds since you were brought here by my subordinate, Hanataro, but this is the first time I have seen you conscious."

"O-oh!" Airi hadn't realized that more people had been involved with her recovery, "Thank you, I suppose. But, why did you save me? I'm... an... I'm not..." she struggled with the reality of her own situation.

Unohana smiled gently as she slid the door behind her, "You were brought here in such a state, how could I not?" the woman walked over to the edge of Airi's raised bed and sat in the chair beside it, "Hanataro felt you were worth saving and that was enough for me."

The arrancar noted to herself that she owed Hanataro quite a bit. He'd saved her from dying on the battlefield and from rotting in a cell, even from Ulquiorra and Las Noches, she realized. "I-I'm indebted to all of you..." she spoke softly looking out the window.

"No, we were just doing our jobs. And I don't think we were wrong to save you in the least. You don't act like the arrancar I've encountered in the past. Something is different about you."

The captain was probing for her story, Airi could sense that. Could she trust her? Looking at the captain's gentle smile and warm brown eyes Airi figured this was probably her best chance to plead her case. "I wasn't an arrancar... not even a hollow... when they took me. Zezuri and I were at school..."

Unohana patiently listened to Airi's story without interruption all the way through. Giving a soft smile, she spoke once more, "Your story matches up to what your friend told me."

"Zezuri!?" interrupted Airi, "Is she okay?!"

The Fourth Captain chuckled at the arrancar's reaction, "Yes, she's doing quite well in fact." She knew that Zezuri would be visiting shortly, but wanted to leave that as a surprize for the girl. After all, it looked like she could use something happy in her life.

Airi's smile lasted for a brief moment when it slowly faded again, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Certainly, what would you like to know?"

"What will happen to me?" the thought had been on her mind all morning. Knowing that as an arrancar, she was not welcomed in the least in the Seireitei, yet so far, all the Shinigami she'd encountered had treated her with nothing but kindness. Even the one she'd almost killed, though she had almost no recollection of that.

No immediate response was given. Unohana had expected the question, but the answer was not an easy one to give. "Why don't we get you changed out of that dirty outfit? I bet you'd be more comfortable in something clean."

Forcing a weak smile that looked more like a grimace, Airi managed a nod. She would indeed like to get out of the remains of her Las Noches uniform.

"I've never heard of a human being directly transformed into an arrancar, or an arrancar with one soul inside," began the Captain as she helped Airi out of her old uniform.

"I don't know how it happened, one moment I was running for my life, then I had a sword and I was fighting Aizen's henchman, the next I was in pain on the floor. When I woke up... I was like this... I don't understand why they did this to me... I think they really just wanted Zezuri, and I don't understand why that is either."

Unohana discarded Airi's destroyed clothes on the floor and began to help her into a plain white under-robe. Her patient's wounds were healing well, but oddly slow for an arrancar. "It sounds as if you were actually on your way to becoming a shinigami before you were changed."

"Is there a way to revert this?" the girl looked up, trying to keep from sounding too hopeful.

A sad sigh escaped the master healer, "No," her eyes went distant, "One hundred years ago, there was a whole group of shinigami who suddenly went through something similar to what you just mentioned."

"What happened to them?"

"They were ordered to be destroyed by the council. That's all the more I know. We lost several captains and lieutenants that day..."

"Oh, I see..." Airi understood this news changed nothing about her own situation. Despite her clean clothes, she felt more tainted than ever.

Loud running was heard coming down the hall. "AIRI!" the door to her room burst open once more.

"Z-zezuri?!" the blonde blinked in surprize.

"We'll talk more in a bit, Airi-chan," Unohana excused herself, exiting with Airi's old clothes in hand.

"I'm so glad you're finally awake!" Zezuri rushed to the bars separating her and her friend.

"Zezuri, what are you doing here? You look so different..." Airi noticed Zezuri's change in clothing.

"It doesn't matter, I'm just glad you're okay!" she tried to embrace the still slightly disoriented arrancar.

Airi returned her friends embrace with a small pat on the back. She could tell Zezuri was crying.

"Why are you crying, Zezuri?" she asked, parting from her.

"It just... It seemed Ulquiorra had a hold of your emotions, but I can tell you're almost you again." the brunette wiped her eyes.

"Hmmm... maybe... I still feel so tired."

"Your wounds aren't completely healed... Here let me." Zezuri began to heal the last of the blondes scars.

"How is Grimmjow?" Airi decided to ask as she waited for her friend to finish.

"Oh, he's fine... I guess." Zezuri couldn't look Airi in the eyes as her cheeks grew pink.

Airi still couldn't process human feelings and brushed off Zezuri's reaction. She wondered briefly what was going on with her emotions, but decided to worry about it later.

"Y-yeah, he wasn't hurt too bad, but he is getting restless sitting in his cell all the time." the brunette laughed nervously. "There, all done!"

"I see..." Airi rotated her shoulders to see if they were in working order "Thanks." she gave a small smile.

"Oh... I've got some other news. I mean, they really didn't give me any other choice but... I've decided to join the Soul Reapers. Well, it was either that or have my powers and memories taken away." Zezuri still was unsure. "But now I have to pick a mentor and I don't know anyone here except for Renji and Captain Kuchiki."

"At least your future looks a little brighter..." Airi then said sadly.

"I'm sorry... Grimmjow was bitter about it too. But it was the only choice I had! I may have some hope of beating Aizen and saving you guys!" Zezuri tried to convince her.

"Hey, the head captain is still waiting for your decision! Hurry up!" Renji poked his head in the door.

"I'm coming!" Zezuri shouted back impatiently. "I'll come see you again soon, Airi!" she hugged her again.

With the departure of her friend, a silent gloom filled the room. There had been so much she had wanted to tell Zezuri, yet she hadn't. Maybe it was the release of her emotions that held her back from saying anything. She'd held her tongue while Zezuri had healed her surface wounds. No one had told Airi directly, but she knew most of the damage she had taken was internal. Had she been human, she never would have survived. As an arrancar, she knew she was supposed to heal faster; she had in the past. What was hindering her regenerative powers?

Sitting up and gazing out the small window, Airi lost herself in thought. Shouldn't she mourn the fact she couldn't go home? That she was dead? That she was likely to be destroyed for being a monster? Search as she could, the emotions necessary remained far out of her reach.

Only when the door slid open once more did she look away from the window. Restu Unohana had returned.

"There's more wrong with me than you're telling me, isn't there?" the blonde looked up at the captain, her tone of voice sounded indifferent, but worry shone a little in her eyes.

The smile that the captain had worn faded without a trace. "That's what I came to talk to you about. I wasn't going to withhold anything from you, though Hanataro didn't want to tell you."

Airi took a deep breath; she knew she wasn't going to like what was coming next.

Thanks for reading, we hope you enjoyed! Please feel free to comment/review/make suggestions/etc. We don't bite! :) Promise. Hope to see you next time!

-Airumel