Morning everyone! Sorry for the late update, well over a month actually. You guys know how distracted I can get, especially when part of a story won't co-operate with me, so I leave it for a while.
This chapter is substantially longer than all of the previous ones, which was purely because I felt bad for a lack of chapters for you guys, but also because I wanted some bonding time with characters while also getting the plot moving slightly.
Next chapter we're looking for a few things to happen, if this one bores any of you. Which I'm hoping that it doesn't, but you never know. What might seem interesting to me, could well be dull to you guys.
Apologies for one character's speech - he talks funny and that's that. You'll know when you see him.
Thank you for all the hits and follows that I've been getting on this! Res. Souls might be lacking in reviews, but I know people are reading it so I'm not going to beg. Please leave me feedback though if you're not happy with this chapter or if you spot any errors, etc. Or if you fancy letting me know what you think. :)
Words: 8,844
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or anything related to that manga/anime. I only borrow the characters and terms for the purposes of fanfiction, which doesn't pay a thing back in return. Yohlis and all things associated are mine, so don't use unless you want to wind up with your head on backwards. ^-^
Resonating Souls
Chapter 9: Spellcraft
Orihime Inoue blinked up at the bright morning sun as it shone through the tree tops and filtered into the open window of the hut. Her body had been so exhausted last night that she had needed no encouragement before collapsing on the straw mattress, her mind instantly swept into oblivion. She had no dreams, for once, which was a relief for the young teen. Her dreams had been seriously unpleasant these last few weeks.
Tatsuki-chan would say I was stupid for being afraid of my dreams, but I can't help how I feel.
A rustle of cloth startled the bright-haired girl from her sullen thoughts, and she straightened her posture until she was sitting up on the crudely crafted bed. A shaggy mop of black hair peered into the hut, followed by the rest of Tsanoku as he pushed the canvas sheet aside and entered the dwelling.
Orihime smiled with relief when she saw that it was only her new friend, "Good morning, Tsanoku-kun! How did you sleep?"
The boy raised a brow in question, "'Kun' now is it? I swear I can't follow half of what you say sometimes, Orihime. And yes, I slept fine…under the circumstances."
His odd eyes looked away from Orihime's face, and he fidgeted with his hands behind his back. Orihime had the strangest feeling that Tsanoku wasn't comfortable being near her – or even making eye contact for very long. Well, that stops right now.
Inoue pushed herself to stand and walked boldly over to Tsanoku's increasingly nervous body. He visibly stiffened and jerked away when she reached for one of his arms, trying to pull one of his elusive hands into view.
"O-Orihime, what are you doing?"
"Tsanoku-kun, look at me." Grey and red finally focussed on Orihime's own granite-coloured eyes, and she continued, "I'm not afraid of you and you shouldn't be scared of yourself either. You're my friend now, and nothing's going to change that. Especially not how you look."
Tsanoku at last allowed her to pull his arm forwards and held it up between them. Both teenagers got a good look at the hand on the end of the arm. No longer human and recognisable, it looked closer to a reptile's clawed appendage, with red scales spreading from the wrist to cover the hand and sharp black nails at the tips. His other hand was the same, even if he still wouldn't remove it from behind his back, as though hiding it made it exempt from the changes.
"Orihime," Tsanoku mumbled tiredly, "It's not that I'm afraid of it, or of what you think, it's…well, you remember what the villagers told us last night, right? So, it might not matter if we're friends or not, because I could turn at any time."
Inoue clutched Tsanoku's arm tighter and shook her head vehemently, "You can't think like that, Tsanoku-kun. We have to be positive. They weren't really sure, were they?"
As Tsanoku looked away in defeat, still convinced that he was doomed, Orihime thought back on last night…
One of the cloaked villagers stepped forwards and asked in a raspy voice, "What do you strangers want with us folks? We haven't had visitors in years."
Orihime smiled at the cloaked man, not at all worried by the remark that nobody had been to the village in 'years' – after all, Tsanoku had warned them that the people in Fildore would greet them strangely, because they're so reclusive.
"We're sorry to bother you, but we need somewhere to stay for the night. Our friend," here Inoue gestured to Tsanoku, "told us that we'd be able to stop in this village on our journey." Seeing that no hospitality was forthcoming, yet, Orihime swallowed nervously and asked, "Um…was he wrong to think that? We'll go, if that's the case. We don't want to intrude-"
"As if we'll send you out there at this hour!" It was the gate keeper who spoke up. He turned to the other village folk and said, "Let's treat these folks good an' proper, everyone!" He pointed to a short, cloaked figure in a floor length dress, "Keela, get that stew finished. Edkur," a tall thin man, also cloaked – though his was a vibrant shade of orange, like Orihime's hair – stepped forwards, "prepare two homes fer our guests ter sleep in."
The man nodded and rushed off to see to his task, and the gate keeper turned back to face the three travellers. He gave a sweeping bow, briefly revealing one of his arms – which was grey and covered in scales, like a lizard's – and said in his scratchy tone, "Welcome ter Fildore village, strangers. Sorry we wos so rude afore. We ain't used ter folks comin' by this way anymore, as Chrisner tried ter explain. We used ter get traders an' the like when times were nicer, but that wos a long time ago. It's no excuse, mind, ter treat you like the enemy."
Orihime blinked and nervously tugged at her long – dirty – hair, before she said, "It's alright. We're not upset. I know I'd be pretty mad if someone broke into my home with a sword and expected to stay over, too."
"Nah, we ain't mad, pretty lady. Couldn't be mad at you if I tried, anyways. An' where are me manners? The name's Shix."
Orihime gave an over-the-top formal bow and said, "My name is Inoue Orihime. I'm very happy to meet you Shix-san."
"Er…'san'?" Shix looked at Tsanoku, who just rapidly shook his head.
The older teen tried to explain, "That's just something she likes to add to names, don't think about it too much. I'm Tsanoku Raméto, by the way. I'm from Farris village – our villages used to trade a lot a few years back, or so I'm told."
"Who'd'a thunk it! 'Nother Farreanian local come ter visit us." The hooded man gestured to the last member of their group, who had so far remained silent and far back from everyone, "Who's the stab-happy pasty guy then?"
Orihime blinked and waved at Ulquiorra, before saying, "Oh that's just Ulquiorra-san. He doesn't like to talk unless he needs to. And he doesn't stab a lot of things, just bad guys. Um, not that you are a bad guy, Shix-san."
"Well okay then, good ter know I'm not likely ter get run through around 'im. That'd be a real problem if I popped off, seein' as how I'm all that's left of the leaders in these parts, on account of the curses wot 'ave gone around our village."
C-Curses?
"Um, excuse me Shix-san, but what curses?"
"The one wot yer half-clothed friend's bin given."
Shix gestured with his clawed hand to just behind Orihime, so she looked over her shoulder – already knowing that the gate keeper was referring to Tsanoku, the only person that was 'half-clothed'.
Tsanoku-san…is cursed?
The young Farreanian had paled when he heard what Shix had said, which was actually an understandable reaction after learning that he had been cursed. Curses were not something to laugh about – according to all the movies that Orihime had seen, at least. Tsanoku hugged his arms to his chest and visibly seemed to shrink in size, as though trying to hide like a child would.
"H-How do you know that I've been cursed?" Tsanoku managed to ask after a moment had passed in heavy silence.
"That's easy, that is," Shix raised his hands to his hood and slipped it off of his head, revealing a face that was definitely no longer human. The nose was still like everyone else's, and the ears were too. He still had hair on his scalp – dark brown – and the basic bone structure to his face was human. That was where the similarities ended. His eyes were golden and reptilian, like the Paraxians' eyes. His teeth were razor sharp like knives. He didn't have peach, tan or brown skin – or white, for that matter. Only grey scales covering every available inch of flesh that was visible. The man was truly something frightful to look at – hence why he'd been covered from head to toe in thick garments.
Shix pointed to his forehead, directly in the centre of it, and Orihime saw that there was a deep scar carved like a strange rune. The exact same one as Tsanoku's.
"This scar is a mark of the Paraxians. It's like their religious symbol, or summit. Everyone 'ere's got one on their for'eads and bodies. Some years ago, those beasts started to take people from the village. Just came and snapped people up in broad daylight. We thought they wos gonners, so we didn't fink that they'd be comin' back. 'Cept they all did. Every single person that'd gone missin' came back alive…and they all 'ad the scars from wot those monsters had done to 'em.
"We didn't think nuthin' of it, 'til the first ones ter come back started actin' weird. It took a few years, but eventually they all became monsters just like the Paraxians. And the cycle repeated: each year they took someone else from our village. There's nobody left who ain't got scars now.
"The signs to look fer were easier to spot after a while. When someone started sproutin' a tail or wings, we kicked 'em out quick as ye like. It always happens pretty sharpish after they grow those extra limbs. Chrisner over there," he thumbed in the direction of the man who had first spoken, the one with the raspy voice, "he's due next we reckon. He was the earliest taken of all of us, so he's most likely to change first.
"You though," Shix squinted his serpentine eyes at Tsanoku, taking in his entire appearance from his head to his feet, "you ah can't judge. You look like you 'aven't even bin finished with yet, 'cos yer eyes ain't changed yet."
"My…eyes?"
"Yeah, they should 'ave gone all snake-like, but they're not even close ter doin' that. If I didn't know better, I'd think they'd got interrupted while doin' their creepy ritual."
Oh my gosh, does that mean Tsanoku-san won't turn into a monster? Please let that be right.
"So the boy won't become like the rest of you then?" Ulquiorra's deep monotone piped up, drawing all eyes on him.
"I didn't say that, exactly. I just can't say how long he might have. He might stay like that, or he might turn."
Before any of them could really consider what Shix had just said, a woman's voice arose above the sounds of the village folk bustling about, "Stew's ready! Come and get it people!"
The gate keeper grinned and turned to make his way to the middle of the village, where a crowd had already formed. He called over his shoulder, "You three 'ungry? Come an' get some grub afore there's nuthin' left to eat."
Orihime's stomach gurgled as the enticing aroma of the Kreehgon stew filled her senses, but she was hesitant to follow Shix. Tsanoku had made no moves to indicate that he wanted to join the villagers in their meal, and Orihime chewed her lower lip in concern for him. What sorts of things must Tsanoku be thinking about, that could make his eyes look so haunted and defeated? Inoue didn't want to believe that anything more could go wrong for her new friend, but from what she'd seen of this world so far, bad things continued to pile onto good people.
I have to help Tsanoku-san, so that he can find his sister and live happily. I won't let him lose hope!
Orihime grabbed onto the older teen's gloved hand and tugged him towards the gathered villagers, smiling as she said, "I don't know about you, Tsanoku-san, but I'm so hungry right now that I could eat a whole elephant! We'd better get something while we can."
The boy blinked at her, coming out of his stupor, and he hesitantly grinned back at his orange-haired companion, "I have no clue what an 'elephant' is, but I guess from what you said that it's…pretty big, right?"
"Haha, yep! They're bigger than…than that tree over there!" Orihime pointed to a particularly tall tree towering beyond the village wall and watched as Tsanoku gaped in shock at the thought of something that reached heights greater than what he was looking at.
"That's…that's a little scary, Orihime."
The bright-haired girl squeezed Tsanoku's hand and shook her head at him, "They're not scary at all, silly. They only look scary because they're so big."
The conversation petered out when they arrived at the stew pot with the Fildore villagers, and they both grabbed a heaped bowlful of food and ate it as civilly as their famished stomachs allowed – not even realising that the third member of their group had remained on the fringes of the village.
Ulquiorra traced the perimeter of Fildore village with steady steps; his viridian gaze took in as much information as it could, sweeping from one sight to the next. His observations had noticed that the huts in this village were arranged in a horse-shoe shape, which started and finished from the main entrance. There were four rows of decreasing sizes set out like this, with the final inner row containing only five houses that curved around the heart of the village, where the cooking had been the night before.
None of the villagers were covered up now, not after learning that they had nothing to hide from their new guests, so Ulquiorra had scanned all of the faces he passed to see what the 'curse' actually did to each individual person. Something strange occurred to him once he'd gone over the majority of the people out and about. He couldn't spot any children playing, leading the former Arrancar to assume that there were no children in Fildore. It was easy to work out from that that the current generation of the village would be the last one to live in it, once they had all succumbed to the curse they were under.
Thinking about the curse reminded Ulquiorra of his own troubles, too. He'd slept uneasily the night before – not that sleeping was ever going to be an easy task for him to become acquainted with (his long years as a Hollow meant that he was out of practice with it) – the night's revelations weighing heavy in his thoughts.
The boy could prove to be a liability if we persist in travelling with him, but there are no better options available to us at the moment. Ulquiorra thought back on their journey so far, acknowledging that while Tsanoku had gotten them into some tough spots, his insight into the land and the creatures they had dealt with had been crucial. More than once the young farm boy had diverted them from danger and death – at least, he'd prevented Orihime from killing them all with her insatiable curiosity.
So, they needed to keep Tsanoku with them, but Ulquiorra would have to start up a better vigil if the boy's curse should overcome him. And if it does, what then? We do not know this land, and we still do not know how to return to our own.
A childlike squeal caught the former Arrancar's attention and he slowed his wanderings to look for the source of the irritating noise. Over towards the village centre, standing by the large cast-iron cauldron was Orihime Inoue, jumping in delight and waving her arms around with manic glee. She appeared to be talking with the gate keeper and whatever they were discussing had caused her to dance around like a crazy person who had taken leave of their senses.
What has gotten into the woman now? Does she realise how ridiculous she looks?
"Orihime's certainly an…animated person, isn't she?"
Who..?
Ulquiorra snapped his head to his right and blinked in surprise when he saw that it was Tsanoku who had spoken – and he was leaning against a hut only a foot from the Quattro. How did he sneak up on me?
Sometime between sleeping and now, Tsanoku had acquired a brown cloak to cover his torso, as well as a bronze coloured sash which the boy had tied around his forehead – to cover the scar, most likely. His hands were still bare though, Ulquiorra noted, and not hidden out of sight like the former Arrancar assumed would have been the case.
The boy's hands and wrists have gained red lizard scales now, Ulquiorra observed with a raised brow, yet his eyes have still not changed. Perhaps the woman's healing has halted the process? At any rate, he looks more accepting of his situation now.
A throat clearing forced Ulquiorra's attention away from his observations, and he tried to recall if the young Farreanian had actually asked him a question, for he was looking at Ulquiorra expectantly. Of course, he spoke of the woman's incessant chatter.
The emerald eyed man placed his hands in his pockets and finally responded with, "She is too easily distracted and does not know how to be subtle or rational. How anyone can tolerate the woman for extended periods eludes me."
Tsanoku actually looked perplexed by Ulquiorra's answer, and so he said, "If you really don't like Orihime, then why were you two together when you got here?"
"That's not your business."
Angry footfalls approached Ulquiorra's personal space, and a clawed hand thrust out and grabbed the collar of his green shirt, dragging him to eye-level with Tsanoku's stormy red and grey eyes.
"I don't know what your problem is, Ulquiorra, but it stops. Now." His grip on the shirt tightened. "I haven't done anything to upset you, but from the start you have been pushing my limits, digging and digging until I snapped or broke down. I've barely known you for two days and already I feel like punching you in the face! What did I do to offend you, huh? Please, enlighten me."
Tsanoku dropped the pale-skinned man and backed up a step, his anger barely held back and simmering just within his mismatched eyes. The former Arrancar was surprised that he had been so easily lifted and that the boy had been so quick, but Ulquiorra supposed that it could be a combination of his current mortality and Tsanoku's newly acquired abilities.
Ulquiorra lifted one of his pale hands and readjusted the collar of his shirt. Once he was satisfied that he had sorted it – and that Tsanoku had been given ample time to stew in his anger – he responded, "It's not that I don't like you. I am simply indifferent to you."
"I don't buy that. You wouldn't get so riled up if you really believed that lie of yours."
Tsanoku's comment sparked something within Ulquiorra, and before he could even think about his actions, he had placed his hand on Murcielago's hilt and started to draw the blade. However, he came back to his senses when he took in the younger male's smug smirk and pointed look at Ulquiorra's Zanpaku-tou.
His words are meaningless, and I reacted to them all the same. This feeling – like hot fire in my gut – it's anger. Ulquiorra lowered his hand to his side and tried to steady his breathing to bring order back into his raging thoughts. When he opened his eyes to look back at Tsanoku, he found that the boy had once more taken up leaning against a hut.
"Told ya."
The Quattro narrowed his cat-like eyes at the impertinent words and said, "My irritation at your words proves little, and I still refuse to divulge any information regarding the woman or myself. What you know of us is enough. Anything further will not aide you in your pointless endeavour to save your sibling."
The clawed hands of Tsanoku's dug into the boy's arms at Ulquiorra's words, but the younger male made no move to assault the former Arrancar again. Ulquiorra felt an odd sense of relief – a curious feeling he had not experienced before and also one that had no place in this situation. Why should I feel relief that this mortal did not attack me again? It is not as though the boy frightens me. Or that he could ever harm me.
Even as he thought this Ulquiorra knew that the latter option was actually possible now. With Tsanoku's transformation had come strength and speed that far exceeded his original limits. If the young Farreanian truly wanted to, he could mortally wound Ulquiorra before the emerald eyed man could even move to defend himself.
Tsanoku flicked his dual-coloured eyes away from Ulquiorra and exhaled slowly, allowing the tension to fade from his body. Ulquiorra did the same, although he still could not fathom why he allowed the boy to aggravate him so much – or even at all. He was becoming more and more convinced that the longer he remained in human form, the more tainted and compromised his mind would become.
If I'm not snapping at this boy, then I'm blundering around because of the girl. Her proximity unnerves me.
"Looks like we're about to find out why Orihime's so excited," muttered Tsanoku, his eyes focussing on Orihime as she wove between the groups of villagers to reach them. "Try to be civil with her, will you?"
Ulquiorra chose not to answer the Farreanian's pointless request. He did not care if he offended the air-headed girl. If he chose to speak at all, then his words would be necessary, not fluffed up to avoid confrontations.
"Tsanoku-kun, Ulquiorra-san, guess what?" The bright-haired girl's bubbly voice alerted Ulquiorra to her presence, and he tensed a little when she came to a stop only a couple of feet from where he stood. She paused to catch her breath, bending over and gulping in lungful's of air, then continued, "Shix-san told me about a wizard close by that can maybe help us get our abilities back – and go home too. Isn't that great?"
Ulquiorra wanted to believe that this 'wizard' would solve their problems, but doubt clung to his thoughts. It would be all too convenient for their troubles to be erased so soon after their arrival in this land. The former Arrancar suspected that whatever power brought them to Yohlis would not allow them to leave this easily. There had to be a catch, or some cost that they'd never be able to pay.
Out loud he simply stated, "That is indeed fortuitous news, but don't get too excited woman. It might not be what you expect."
Orihime didn't even react to Ulquiorra's negativity, and she said, "Yes, but it might be. We have to be positive Ulquiorra-san."
She continued to beam joyfully at the emerald-eyed man, and in the dark corners of his mind he wondered if perhaps her optimism really was going to get them home. If hope and stupidity can indeed bring us answers, then I will cease trying to persuade the girl not to say such things.
Tsanoku stepped forwards, a nervousness infused into his body language that betrayed his worry, and Ulquiorra guessed that the boy was afraid to be left alone once they had found a way back to their own world.
"That's great news, Orihime," Tsanoku mumbled, "I'm happy for you. It's just… well it'll be hard getting into Krutessa to save Éclaire on my own, you know? I'm sure with my new strength that I'll get pretty far, but-"
Orihime hastily shook her head as she interrupted Tsanoku's self-pitying speech, "We're not going to abandon you, Tsanoku-kun! I could never turn my back on a friend like that. And Ulquiorra-san can't leave without me, so he'll stay and help too, right?"
It irritated Ulquiorra that this weak little girl thought she could dictate what he would and would not do, but she was partially correct. His orders were to retrieve Orihime Inoue, and he would do so. So no, he could not leave without her. However...
At the first opportunity that arises to leave this cursed world, I'll drag the girl with me if necessary, regardless of what problems the boy is in.
Orihime would be lying if she wasn't nervous about Ulquiorra's silence after she'd all but volunteered his services for the rescue mission, but the way she saw it was simple: they'd committed to helping Tsanoku find his sister and she would definitely see it through to the end. Ulquiorra had already agreed before when they were in Farris, so he had to stick to his word. Assuming that he was an honest and trustworthy person, of course.
It doesn't matter what he thinks or says. I won't go back on my word to Tsanoku-kun. That man can just…just…eat dirty socks if he doesn't like it!
Promising to stay and help Tsanoku was the right thing to do, anyway, Inoue was sure. All the worry and tension had finally lifted from the older boy's face, and she liked to think that it was because of her words to him; her promise to keep searching for his sister.
"Thanks, Orihime. I don't know what I did to deserve your friendship, but I'm glad you're in my life right now. It must have been fate that dropped you out of the sky – even if you did nearly drown me in that mud puddle." Tsanoku's grin spread across his face and Orihime resolved to keep it there for as long as she could.
This is what I wanted to do for Kurosaki-kun – make him smile again. I could never do that, not like Kuchiki-san could, but with Tsanoku-kun I think that I can. At least I'm not a burden to anybody here.
"I didn't mean to squash you like that, Tsanoku-kun. It wasn't all me either. Ulquiorra-san was the heavy one on the top after all!"
Tsanoku's grin morphed into a smirk as he pretended to inspect Ulquiorra, "True, true. Who'd'a guessed such a little guy could weigh so much?"
Orihime could see the former Arrancar tense at the slight to his weight – and stature - but he didn't rise to the bait and the conversation petered out when Tsanoku realised that he wouldn't be getting any kind of verbal response. That's when Inoue remembered what else the gate keeper had told her, so she decided to show the others. From within her satchel she withdrew a rumpled, but newer, map and a compass set in a brass case.
"What've you got there Orihime?"
"These are for you, Tsanoku-kun." Inoue passed the two items to the older teen and explained, "Shix-san said we can have these, and he even marked the wizard's house on the map for us."
"Wow, that's pretty good of him to do." Tsanoku unrolled the map and Orihime watched as his eyes found the large 'x' mark on the map that indicated their next destination. It didn't look too far away, as far as she could tell, but she wasn't exactly proficient at map reading. Hopefully Tsanoku-kun will tell us that it's not far. I don't want us to lose our way again on a long journey like we did to get to here.
"Huh, that's weird."
Orihime blinked and asked, "What's weird?"
"Shix marked a part of the Tessa Swamp, just an hour from here in the South."
"Uh huh. Shix-san said that the wizard lives in the Tessa Swamp, right in the middle of it. I wonder if his house has stilts..?" Orihime's mind started to wander again, conjuring images of a fortress built atop great wooden beams, with a retractable mechanical ladder and turrets to ward off birds that attempted to make the fortress their new home. Before she could decorate the interior of said imaginary fortress, Tsanoku cleared his throat and waved a clawed hand in front of her face.
"You really are a space-case sometimes, aren't you Orihime?"
Orihime could feel her face enflame in her embarrassment – I really have to stop doing that! – and she was quick to apologise, "I'm sorry, Tsanoku-kun. Please explain what you meant by 'weird'."
"Eh…don't worry about it; you're allowed to goof off, okay? Anyway, so basically from what I heard back home, this swamp – the only one of its kind on this continent – is completely uninhabited. Mostly because the monsters in the swamp eat everything in sight and no-one wants to try living in constant danger like that. Even the Krutessans are scared to go there, and it's in their own country. If we go there, we'll have to be really, really careful. It would bring us closer to where I want to go though."
"Tell me, boy, will everything in this world try to kill us? It's a wonder that your kind survived as long as you have, if that is true."
"Ulquiorra-san, you don't have to be so rude to Tsanoku-kun. I'm sure there are lots of nice things to see, too."
Orihime was starting to wonder if her cold-hearted companion would ever adjust his attitude. She wanted him to open up more, because otherwise the journey ahead was going to start becoming even more difficult to bear – with one person constantly at odds with the others. I know he's supposed to be my enemy, and he will be when we return home. Right now though, he's just as stuck as I am, so why is he being so…impossible?
Even the former Arrancar's posture remained cold and distant. He stood as far from them as he could while still being included in the discussion, his body angled mostly away from both Tsanoku and Orihime, with his hands buried in the pockets of his trousers – probably to hide his reactions. The high school girl had noticed that when he was angry, his hands always twitched and formed fists.
Is he afraid he'll catch something from us if he comes too close?
Inoue remembered a time when her friend Uryuu Ishida was exactly the same. He always stayed on the fringes of the group, preferring solitude to socialising. When he eventually joined in with their lunches, he did so reluctantly and he rarely shared in any of the conversation. It had taken a lot of effort and some life or death situations to bring him out of his shell – even if only a little.
Would she have to do the same for Ulquiorra?
After correcting his words, the girl had gone silent and a frown had started to distort her normally placid face. Strangely, Ulquiorra found that he did not like that expression on her face.
He banished that thought quickly, like all of the other ones, and turned back to focus on the local boy as he began to talk again.
"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say anything, alright Ulquiorra? Most of what you say is just to get a rise out of me, anyways."
Impertinent trash…
"Right so, um, I'm going to go ask Shix if he has any supplies we can take for the trip. While I do that, why don't you two go get a wash and maybe get your other clothes looked at? They have a washer system here that you can use, if you ask that woman over there," Tsanoku pointed to the same woman who had cooked the meal last night – Keela.
In the bright morning light, with her robe no longer covering her face, Ulquiorra could see that she had yellow scaled skin and long brown hair tied back in a sweeping plait. She had average features, nothing striking to the Quattro, but she had a few men hovering around her, most likely vying for her attentions. Ulquiorra knew she wasn't his type though.
Wait…what?!
His forest coloured eyes widened in shock and he back-tracked over what he had just been thinking. Somewhere along the way his mind had wandered from clinically analysing the woman they'd be seeking assistance from, to firmly deciding that he had a preference for what women should look like. He hadn't gotten to actually completing that thought process though, luckily, but even thinking such a thing was intolerable for the fourth Espada.
A slim-fingered hand latched onto his elbow and tugged, the owner calling over her shoulder, "Okay, thanks Tsanoku-kun! Let's go, Ulquiorra-san. I want to get my hair washed!"
I should remove her hand. I should remind her of her place in the Universe. I should-
Orihime Inoue's hesitant, but friendly, smile entered his vision and he ceased struggling for just a moment. She was trying to include him, he could see, although he didn't know what for or why she would bother. It would seem that no matter how he attempted to distance himself from the humans, this puzzling little mortal continued to reach out to him in peace.
Ulquiorra knew it was weak to want things. He knew that it would only end badly once they left this world. Yet he wanted to let this mortal reach out and pull him out of his solitude for just a brief moment.
And she was succeeding – at least with pulling him somewhere – for they had moved across the village centre and were almost at the entrance to the bathing and washing facilities when she timidly said to him, "Please can we start over, Ulquiorra-san? I think…I think that we need to get along if we're going to make it back home and I know that you must be tired of always arguing and fighting, too. At least…while we're here, can we just get along?" He looked on blankly at her beseeching eyes, so she fumbled ahead in her nervousness, "We don't have to be friends and you don't have to really be nice or anything…and you can go back to hating me when we get back, which is fine and-"
She wanted an answer, so he gave her one to stop her babbling, "That is acceptable, woman. For now. Cease your incoherent chatter," Ulquiorra swallowed past the lump that had formed in his throat as he forced out the girl's name, for the first time, "Inoue."
Surprise lit up her face, a much better expression than the frown from before – in Ulquiorra's opinion – and her whole demeanour seemed to relax after his words.
"Thank you, Ulquiorra-san."
He flicked his eyes away from her face, trying to ignore the odd stirrings of…something in his gut, "Hn."
"So…how about we get clean, huh? I don't know about you, but I really need to have a bath. I think my hair must look like a bird's nest…or worse."
He didn't answer, but she didn't appear to mind it.
They reached the brunette and her circle of admirers, who stopped chatting once they noticed that they were being watched. The men looked mildly irritated that they couldn't keep the woman's attention all for themselves, but she only greeted Ulquiorra and Orihime with a kind smile – not quite as bright as a certain girl's smile, the former Arrancar noted, though he once more deleted that thought from his mind.
"Hello you two, what can I do for you?"
Her voice was sugary sweet and Ulquiorra found he disliked it instantly. His bright-haired travel companion/almost abductee apparently didn't mind how the woman spoke, though.
"We wanted to use your bath and maybe get our clothes mended and cleaned, um, Keela-san." Orihime attempted her odd curtsy that was almost a floor-scraping bow, nearly pulling Ulquiorra down with her because her hand was still attached to his arm. He pulled her back to stand up straight at the last moment and fixed a cat-eyed glare at the top of her head, even though she was oblivious to her mistake.
"Oh! Sure, no problem!" The woman, Keela, shooed the men away and lifted the curtain of the hut she stood in front of. Ulquiorra spied a large metal tub and some other strange steam-producing pipes and metal objects in one corner of the deceptively grand sized hovel, before Keela stepped in front of the entrance to block his view, eyeing them both with a critical brow. "Do you want to use it together or take turns?"
Immediately Ulquiorra felt the grip on his arm vanish and the orange-haired girl placed some distance between herself and his person. The reason why didn't become apparent at first, until Inoue stammered out, "N-no, Keela-san! W-we w-won't be…s-sharing the bath! He's not-! And I'm not-! That is…"
How disgusting…
"Hey, I was just teasing you, girlie! Don't get so flustered or I'll think there is something going on. Denial is the greatest form of truth, after all. How's about, you go first and your friend here can wait his turn? I'll take your clothing to be washed while you wait."
It didn't look as though Orihime was able to form entire words yet, so Ulquiorra gave his blunt response instead, "That will be acceptable." He handed over his satchel, inside which he still carried his ruined Arrancar uniform. The girl had finally calmed enough to give the woman her own too, so Ulquiorra added, more as a subtle threat than advice, "Refrain from saying such things in the future, my tolerance of your 'jokes' is already non-existent."
"Sheesh, you're a charming fella, ain't ya?" With both bags slung over her shoulders she reached out and took Orihime's hand, "Let's get you cleaned up, alright?"
They disappeared beyond the door flap, but not before Ulquiorra caught the carrot-topped girl's grateful smile.
What is she smiling for now?
It turned out that washing clothing in Yohlis – unless in the technological nation of Krutessa – required a great deal of steam pressure and energies channelled from the planet's crust. The two foreigners learnt first-hand that all Yohlians had the innate ability to channel this energy in order to activate switches and levers, although they could only harness it fully if they were trained in the arts – like witches and wizards, Orihime had decided.
So, Keela had had to do all of their clothes washing herself, and she had been the one to heat the water for their baths. The young high schooler was eternally grateful, but she could tell that the task was taxing on the woman's energy. Keela explained that even though she could channel the energy, it still drained her own energy to use it. Orihime had watched, fascinated, as the yellow scaled woman had turned a series of switches and valves, before she had placed her left palm on a glyph carved into a metal panel that was connected to the main washer for clothing.
Instantly a bright orange glow had passed over Keela's body, and it had flowed from her hand into the glyph. After a moment the glowing on the glyph had receded and the machinery suddenly came to life, feeding hot water from the pipes into the basin where the soiled clothing resided. Once full, Keela added a handful of herbs into the steaming water and then waited while the machine began the long process of turning and mixing the clothing with the water to clean them.
Orihime didn't get to watch for long, though, because Keela had ushered her into the bathtub and turned that on in much the same way, allowing the bright-haired girl to have her first bath in days.
The clothes had finished washing by the time that Inoue had finished scrubbing all of the grime and blood from her body and hair – especially her hair – and Keela had already settled them on a metal frame work that the woman assured Orihime would safely heat and dry the clothes in time for her to wear them. She thrust a long navy blue robe at Inoue, which the young girl dressed in quickly, then shoved her out of the hut with a speed that astounded her.
Orihime had barely stopped to greet Ulquiorra in passing, when Keela yanked the pale young man inside and barked commands at him to, "Undress and get in the tub, quickly! I ain't got all day, princess."
Inoue couldn't suppress the giggle that bubbled up from her throat at that. What she wouldn't give to have seen Ulquiorra's face after being called a 'princess'! She never caught his response, but he was probably trying to kill Keela with his eyes alone – I'm super glad he really isn't a robot with laser eyes. I don't know why I ever thought he could have been one.
After the 'bathing adventure', as Inoue was mentally dubbing it, Ulquiorra and Orihime had donned their old clothing – which was in surprisingly good nick considering the level of muddy water that had fused with the threads on their arrival. The clothes they'd borrowed from Farris were pretty much unusable, with too many tears and blood stains to salvage them after the trip through the caves, so Keela had destroyed them for the pair. With lighter bags than when they'd entered Fildore, Orihime and Ulquiorra marched over to the village entrance, where Tsanoku and Shix were waiting.
It's odd to see Ulquiorra-san back in his normal clothes now. It's just one more reminder of just who and what he is, and who he works for. Still, at least he's trying to be civil with me!
And he was. He may have been walking straighter, now that he was back in familiar clothing, but he was keeping pace with Orihime and hadn't moved more than a couple of feet away from her at all - as though he was keeping an eye on her. Orihime liked to think he was looking out for her safety, but he probably only stayed nearby so she wouldn't try to run away from him.
"There you two are!" Tsanoku grumbled, "How long do you need to get clean?"
"Are ye kiddin' mate? Them two stunk so much tha' ah 'ad ter 'old me nose as they passed me by!"
"Shix-san! That's mean!" Orihime knew he was only kidding though, so she smiled warmly at him.
"Ehhh, so wot? It were true, so there. Now, ye got ev'r'thin' tha' ye need?"
Tsanoku pat his new satchel and nodded his head.
"Thank you so much for everything you and your village have done for us, Shix-san." Inoue curtsy-bowed at the gate keeper/village head and she briefly heard a sigh come from Ulquiorra's direction, but she must have been mistaken so she ignored it.
"It wos no trouble at all, Orihime!"
Tsanoku shook hands with the man and then the three left the village and made their way carefully back through the woods, making sure to listen out for threats this time.
Inoue snuck a glance backwards briefly and saw as the heavy wooden door was pushed back into place, sealing the village of Fildore from all outsiders once more. A heaviness filled her heart then, for it could well be the last time that she ever laid eyes on any of those people again. They were cursed, doomed to become little more than beasts. Time was not on their side and once the last person turned, their way of life would cease to be.
I can't even save those people. Poor Shix-san, and Keela-san, and all of the others. Why does this have to happen? Why do good people suffer, while the evil continues to thrive?
Her thoughts reflected back on her time in the Soul Society, when they went to rescue Rukia from execution. So many good people had suffered pain and loss at that time, all because of one cruel man's evil intentions. And he was still out there, plotting, biding his time.
Aizen Sousuke may not be out there personally harming my friends, but he's the one pulling the strings. I have to get back before he hurts anyone else.
Orihime turned her slate-grey eyes to her pale-faced 'frenemy' and made a promise to herself.
I'll find a way to get stronger here, and I'll help Kurosaki-kun and Kuchiki-san stop them all. And Ulquiorra-san…I'll try to help you too, if I can.
Tsanoku was relieved to be on the road again. The more time he spent stationary, the more time the Krutessans had to hurt his sister. At least this time they had a clearer route in mind. The path to the wizard's house led directly into the Krutessan borders, but as he'd told the other two before, it was treacherous and even riskier than simply cutting the long way around through the forest. It was also unguarded, for the most part.
He'd heard tales that all traitors to the Emperor were thrown into the swamplands – either dead, or soon to be – to be fed back into the dredges of the world. Nobody ever returned that had entered this place, so he frankly didn't see how a single person could live there comfortably.
Well, they'd soon find out.
Their path was actually a fairly even one, with only one or two overgrown hedges blocking the way – which Ulquiorra was more than happy to hack away with his sword. It was odd to see such a bright white colour amongst the gloom of the dense trees, even stranger once the trio emerged out of the Farris Woods and took their first steps on the soft, mossy earth of the Tessa Swamp.
For such an open space, there wasn't a whole lot of light from the Bright-star, even at this hour of the day when it should have been at its highest. Without the trees marring their view, Tsanoku and the others got their first looks at how far they'd come from the starting point of Farris: a large block of trees stretched behind them in every direction, and a great blanket of grey and brown and death was ahead of them. The sky was overcast with ominous clouds, although the young Farreanian suspected that it wasn't so much rain water in the air as it was smog from the various pollutants in the swamp itself.
There were patches of murky water dotted across the landscape and clouds of…something rising out of the bubbling pools. It reeked like a thousand latrines that had been forgotten about, although Tsanoku supposed that he only smelt it so pungently because of his heightened senses. He was instantly thankful that he'd been given a bandana to cover his scar – he quickly removed it and tied it over his face instead to shield it from the worst of the stink.
Tessa Swamp truly was the waste grounds of the Krutessan Empire.
It was also unbearably cold.
Boy am I glad they gave me this thick poncho, too.
"Brrr…why is it so much colder here, Tsanoku-kun?"
Tsanoku looked back over his shoulder at the girl, noting how even though she still wore her woollen tights and had donned her yellow jumper, she shivered and rubbed at her arms from the cold.
He raised a brow, "Not a fan of the cold, I take it?"
"Not this cold, no. It's like all the warmth has been stolen from my body."
The girl did look paler and Tsanoku took pity on her, "Alright, I'll walk closer to you and we'll try to keep warm that way, how's that?" Orihime gave him one of her winning smiles and Tsanoku knew he'd chosen right. He looked at their white-clothed 'friend', "How are you holding up, Ulquiorra?"
"I am fine, Raméto. The cold does not bother me as much as it does her."
"Okey dokey then…" Tsanoku chose not to wonder why the grumpy older male had started to call him by his name – only his last name, but it was something.
He consulted the map and looked for any land marks or signs nearby that matched with what was drawn.
And came up empty.
"Rats! This map is useless if I can't see where we are now."
"Maybe, if we just keep walking south-west, we'll reach the wizard that way, Tsanoku-kun?"
Tsanoku shook his head, the fluffy mane of black hair flying about in the breeze as he did so, "We can't proceed like that, Orihime. For all we know, we've come out too far south of the forest. If we don't have any distinguishing markings to work with, we'll get lost again."
"Then what do you suggest we do, boy?"
Well that didn't last long…
"I don't know, genius, but we can't go forward without a clear route first."
The urge to argue with Ulquiorra rose to the forefront of Tsanoku's brain and he was about to start a slanging match with him once more, if only to release the constant aggression which had started to take route in his soul since his transformation, when a new and peculiar scent wafted past his nose.
Huh..?
Tsanoku looked to his left, just beyond a small bubbling pond, and spied an old man standing there – watching him back.
"Good day, young people! Are you looking for the wizard of this place?"
His scratchy voice reached their ears with little difficulty and Tsanoku wondered how best to answer this complete stranger – who should not even be in this swamp in the first place – when Orihime gleefully spoke for the group, "Hello! Yes we are! How did you know?"
The odd-looking man grinned toothily and Tsanoku saw that while the man had a full set of teeth, they were all various colours – like a rainbow. Even the beard that the man sported was dyed in rainbow colours, vertically, and it swept the boggy floor as he slowly approached the trio. It took him a good ten minutes to do so, for his arms and legs were built like tooth picks and frankly, Tsanoku didn't know how the man even supported his body on them, let alone walk.
At last he stood before Tsanoku, who had skilfully moved to be directly in front of Orihime, should this stranger prove dangerous. Out of the corner of his red eye, he saw that Ulquiorra had stepped slightly ahead of the girl too.
"I knew you'd be looking for him, because all the tourists who come here seek the wise wizard." Tsanoku saw that the man had very foggy eyes, as though he had pretty poor vision, and that confounded the boy. How could someone clearly handicapped, make it so far in this place without dying?
"That's lucky," Orihime's voice piped up from behind her two bodyguards, "Can you take us to him, please?"
The stranger tucked his hands into his long, sleeping robe sleeves – this guy is a little weird…and are those slippers on his feet?! – and quirked a long, whiskered eyebrow in confusion, "Take you to who?"
Ulquiorra had clearly had enough, because he snapped at the man, "The wizard who lives in this swamp, you dim-witted old fool."
The old man didn't even care that he'd been insulted as he said, "Ohhh you want to see the wizard, do you? You should have said something sooner."
"We did." Tsanoku muttered, beginning to feel that this man was just wasting their time.
"No, you never did. I'd remember. I've got an excellent memory, see, because I'm the wizard." Everyone blinked stupidly at the eccentrically dressed old man, until he trailed off with, "Now where did I leave my house this time..?"
"Y-You're the wizard?!" Tsanoku spluttered out.
"And you're lost here, too?" Orihime asked in disbelief.
Before the old man could answer either question, Ulquiorra strode forwards and pointed his sword at the old-timer's throat, "You will cease being a fool and answer truthfully, trash, or lose your head."
The bumbling attitude faded from the old man's countenance and he closed his glassy-grey eyes, smirking as he said, "There's not many that can see through my 'doddering old fool' act. And it's been a while since I've been threatened by a…what do your kind call them again? Zanpaku-tou, right?"
"How do you know about those, sir?" Orihime timidly asked.
The man opened his eyes, still glassy, but with a sharpness that hadn't been present before, and said, "I'll answer all of your questions as soon as we get inside, youngsters. Now please, if you'd be so kind as to lower your blade?" He met Ulquiorra's emerald cat-like eyes unflinchingly, and the former Arrancar reluctantly lowered his weapon.
Once the sword was safely away again, the old man clicked his fingers together – thumb and index on both hands – and a large tower materialised out of the air a few feet from where they stood.
Tsanoku couldn't help it. His jaw dropped in shock.
Hearing about real Spellcraft was one thing, but witnessing the genuine art before his own eyes was something entirely else.
"Wow…that was amazing!" exclaimed Orihime in an awed whisper.
"Thank you, young lady. It was only a mere parlour trick, however."
"Just who are you, old man?" Tsanoku was simply dying with the need to know. This could not be the same wizard they were seeking – Shix hadn't told them he'd be this brilliant.
"Sir Rynoh Phelps Zi Asservil Gregore IX, but you can just call me Greg," the old man grinned, "I'm the Wizard of Tessa Swamp."