And for another chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed those little bits of fluff, cause this chapter is where everything gets going. So buckle your seatbelts, here's where shit gets crazy. And do enjoy!
Chapter 15...Assimilate
Today was the day. Yamamoto had finally given the order. Orihime calls her whole squad to assemble. She holds in her hand the list of who was to go where. Yamamoto had given her original list to each Captain and they'd confirmed and denied until they finally had a list of which hybrid went where. She smiled at everyone before her. "Its the big day everyone. Now originally, the 5 and 9 Captain choices were supposed to go first, but due to...circumstances, you all get to go at once!" she told them. It wasn't a big deal, really. One little accident, and Yamamoto was ready to ship her back to the world of the living. Maybe it was better this way. Still, she hadn't meant to knock over the ink well. And certainly not all over his just completed massive pile of reports. And definitely not to knock a second one on him. But really, just because they'd picked a date to send Tia and Stark didn't mean they had to shake hands like it was some business deal. She brought her mind sharply back to reality. This was the last day she was completely responsible for hundreds of lives after all. From then on, she'd be their Hollow Queen, but they would be safely in the hands of Soul Society. "I'll start at the top!" she declares. She glanced around at all of the faces, including those recalled from the physical world. "Lieutenant Schiffer, will be guarding me in Karakura," surprisingly there were a lot of nods of approval. Even now, her hybrids still loved her. She was glad. "3rd Seat Grimmjow has already been placed in 2, 4th seat Stark, Captain of 9, 5th Seat Halibel, Captain of 5, 6th seat Neliel, placement in Los Noches, 7th seat Nnoitra, placement in Los Noches," she said continuing. Lilinette went to 9, Halibel took her 3 with her, Tesla goes with Nnoitra, Mosqueda (a former privaron Espada) returns to Los Noches as well, and Loly and Menoly are both placed in 10.
With the reading of the list completed, everyone is dismissed to pack their belongings. Orihime was practically skipping as her and Ulquiorra went to her room to gather her things. Ulquiorra had collected nothing in his time there, so it wasn't an issue for him. There were lines of boxes down the hallways of the barracks, and Orihime took a few and packed everything from her brother's shrine, her clothing, all of the pictures Ichigo had brought her, and several other things. Ulquiorra took two of the boxes, and Orihime carried the third. The duo made their way to the nearest entrance Senkai gate. While they would be traveling through Ulquiorra's garganta, it made sense to leave at a Senkai gate, for formality purposes. Tia, Grimmjow, and Stark were all waiting for her there, as well as Yamamoto. Orihime took off her Captain's robe there, holding it out to the
Captain-Commander. She was then blatantly told to keep it, he had no use for it. Keeping the item made Orihime smile, right before she burst into tears and hugged the other 3 hybrids present.
"Schiffer, you will meet up with Urahara and obtain a gigai. Your presence in spirit form would draw too many hollow to the area. Ulquiorra nodded, and snapped his fingers, tearing a hole to the physical world. He and Orihime went through, carrying her things. They went to Orihime's old apartment, and set everything down. Orihime opened closet and showed Ulquiorra where she kept the futon for guests to sleep on.
"If you want, you can use my bed and I'll sleep on the futon though!" she said. Ulquiorra shook his head. "Its no problem at all! I like the futon better anyways!" she exclaims.
"Woman, you will sleep in your bed, in your room," he told her. He sat down on her couch, and she went to her fridge. She had to throw everything in it away after all. She sighed. They needed to go shopping. Thankfully, Ichigo had brought in the mail for her, and all of the checks from her aunt were sitting in a nice neat stack. She grabbed two of them, deciding to fill the fridge and the cabinets, as well as get some new sheets for Ulquiorra's futon.
"Ok, we'll go to Kisuke's first and get your gigai so you can help carry groceries," she said, and Ulquiorra stood. They took the shuttle most of the way there, and walked the rest. They were greeted at the door by Tessai who took them back to where Kisuke, Yoroichi and the whole gang were waiting. Including Tatsuki. The two girls embrace, and everyone immediately greets her and starts to talk. She glances back at Ulquiorra and notes that he stepped over to have a word with Urahara who then disappeared in the back. He came back with a gigai and clothing and Ulquiorra met Orihime's eyes before he stepped into the bathroom to put on the gigai and dress. He came out wearing dark blue jeans, and a black t-shirt. He still had his black hair and vibrant green eyes, and was just at pale as ever, but no mask and no tear marks. Orihime nearly blushed at thinking of how handsome he was in normal clothing. After a while, Orihime excused herself to go do her shopping, and Tatsuki invited herself along to help. They stop on the way for Orihime to cash her checks and then they go to the store. While Orihime was tossing a bunch of things in the cart, Tatsuki stopped Ulquiorra.
"Do you cook?" she asks him. Ulquiorra debated whether or not to answer the girl, but Orihime was already turning the next corner and escaping his eyesight. He started walking, answering the short haired woman anyways.
"I can," he said. He didn't enjoy it, as he enjoyed nothing he did, but he knew how, and had done it before to make sure that Orihime received all of her meals and that Loly and Menoly hadn't been able to poison them. Tatsuki seemed to accept that answer.
"Then you better make sure she's eating right. Don't let her cook for herself, she'll get sick from the way she eats," she said. Ulquiorra wondered at why the woman was so insistent that she care for the Onna's health. Of course he would care for her. It was his duty. He merely nodded in response to the woman, and hurried back to Orihime's side.
Unohana was rather impressed with the medically inclined hybrids she received. They were good solid workers, and unlike some of her shinigami medics, the hybrids had absolutely no fear of the bloodier cases. Which was why they were immediately given charge of the Kato case. The girl just kept bleeding. If she wasn't vomiting blood, she was having nosebleeds. They were fighting just to keep enough blood in her system while they tried to figure out the problem. And what was worse, was there was now another person sick. Mito from 5th division was in with the same incurable fever Kato's started out as. At first, Unohana hadn't realized the connection, but then when checking the report on Kato's pickup in 5th, she realized Mito had come in direct contact with the girl. So not only was the illness incurable thus far, it was also contatgious. Which meant that she had the hybrids she sent had to be wearing full-bodied medical suits, face masks, and gloves. She'd sent word to 12th to send someone over to take some samples of Kato's blood and other such things they would need to come up with a cure. Now she was waiting on results.
She feels the fluctuation of reiatsu before the man enters her office. Kenpachi walked in, injured as usual. But wearing a satisfied grin. The hybrids were to be kept away from 11th so she wasn't sure who he could have fought that would make him smile that way. She asked him. "That Nnoitra guy paid me a visit before him and the rest of the arrancar that should have been on my squad left for Los Noches. Now the Nnoitra guy was no match for me, but hurting him sure pissed off that Nel chick," he said with a laugh. He dropped the top of his shihakusho to reveal extensive burns across his chest, as well as a few deep cuts and some bruising. Unohana sighed, he'd given her quite the healing workload, and she was tired. Kenpachi chuckled at something, and Unohana gave him a questioning look. "I was just thinking about when she'd had Nnoitra fire a cero at her. I was sort of confused, but then she fired it back at me and it was way more powerful than Nnoitra's." Kenpachi told her. Unohana sighed.
"Its called a Cero Doble, and if you'd paid any attention to the hybrid ability charts that were sent around you'd have known she was capable of that. The only other similar Cero is her former fraccion, who were to stay behind in Los Noches. They were the only ones watching the old palace til now." she said. She set to work on closing up the cuts, and healing up some of the burns. "I'm afraid Minazuki is going to have to eat you." she says. Kenpachi shakes his head. He always refused to allow her zanpakuto to swallow him. Why he wouldn't was beyond her. Nonetheless, she released her zanpakuto, and Minazuki appeared outside the window. She opened her huge mouth and Unohana grabbed Kenpachi's arm, pulling him to the window. The man began to struggle, and Unohana glared at him. "I don't have to treat you at all, I could let you die," she said in all seriousness. Kenpachi blinked at her sudden change in demeanor and that was long enough for Unohana to throw him out the window and to be swallowed by Minazuki. She closes the window and sits down to rest.
Ok I guess all of these are gonna be a little under my chapter goals, but I want to get them out as fast as possible and I can't really think of anything else to put in this chapter. Hope you enjoyed, and in 2 more days (roughly) you should be getting all 5 of these chapters! Later!