Woot! So excited to have gotten all those chapters posted. Although there should have been tons more for the amount of time I've been absent. And since this is the only story I'm working on at the moment, you all get to hear my happy moment even if you don't read my other stories :D I just hope I get some reviews to go along with the 8 or 9 chapters I just posted. And that's right, I posted 4 whole chapters to this story alone. So, since this is a Bleach story, it might be semi appropriate to put this little note here for anyone who reads Dear Rukongai. I'll be taking it down shortly. My sister and I have decided we are going to redo the entire thing. Somewhere along the line it ended up way WAY off track. So its coming down. I don't even know if I personally want to even redo it. My vote is the scrap heap personally. (I have about 5 stories that never made fanfiction that went to that heap by the way) The good news is, after finishing this, I have been told I HAVE to post some of my older works. So those might end up as some of my next projects. Be on the look out, 2 of them are of the Bleach category. But I emphasize that they are older works. I don't feel like they are that good (like I believe this one to be). But my friends love them, so what can I do but post them so I don't get yelled at every time I talk to said friends/sister. Author's note over, enjoy the story.
Chapter 28: Let Me In
Orihime stood in front of the door to the R and D lab in the 12th division. She had knocked at least ten different times. Ulquiorra was leaned against the wall by the door with his hands in his pockets. She huffed. "Let me in!" she yelled at the door in frustration. Finally, she waved a hand in front of Ulquiorra's face, pointing at the door. He raised an eyebrow. She put her fingers to her lips to indicate being quiet, then pantomimed ceroing a hole in the door. Breathing out an almost unnoticeable sigh, he stood, and faced the door. Orihime stepped back a few steps while the green light formed at his fingertip. The hole blasted through the door, and Orihime stepped around Ulquiorra. As she went to step through the hole, a dark shape rapidly made its way towards her. She fell back in time to only be pierced through the shoulder with what had to be some strange kind of defense mechanism. A sword in the hand of an extending piece of equipment. Much like the one Mayuri had used to grab her the first time she invaded Soul Society. More nostalgia. The blade pulled free of her shoulder and Ulquiorra cut through the extending part before it could retract. Orihime called out to her healing fairies, as Ulquiorra kicked open the remains of the door, blade drawn. "Stay here Orihime," he said, stalking inside. Orihime scooted away from the door. In her mind, she'd pictured Ulquiorra being all macho protective and had to giggle a little.
Sweat formed on her brow as she finally finished closing the hole in her shoulder. She stood up and was about to step through the door to the division, when Ulquiorra stepped out, dragging a body with him. He dropped the corpse at her feet. On closer inspection, it wasn't even a corpse. She could see very small movements in the chest. Immediately she called the healing fairies back out. While Shuno and Ayame did their work, she looked at Ulquiorra questioningly. "Its empty in there. Nothing living at least. It looks like most of the division just left. Took a lot of equipment with them too."
"Most of the division?" she questioned. Ulquiorra just looked at her til she understood. "And the... the dead ones. Do you think they were infected?" she asks. Again, Ulquiorra stays silent. His gaze however travels to the body on the ground, who was just beginning to stir. Orihime crouched down, sitting by what she now realized was one of her hybrids. "What happened?" she asked. She reached over and grabbed the hand of the hybrid, who looked at her admiringly.
"It was the Captain. I think he must have been infected. He went crazy. He tried to kill all of us. I must have blacked out from blood loss. I wish I could tell you more," he said. Orihime squeezed his hand comfortingly. Ulquiorra didn't seem satisfied with the answer, and asked about the rest of the division. "What do you mean they left? One minute everyone is doing their research, the next hybrids are dying all around me. Then its my turn. There was never any mention of going anywhere. Maybe Lieutenant Nemu took them somewhere."
"And were any of you infected?" Orihime questioned. He shook his head.
"Hybrids are immune. I would know, Mayuri injected us with the infection many times just to make sure. He thinks... he thought one of us was behind it after that. So if he wasn't infected, then maybe he was just trying to kill the traitor? I don't know, and it hurts to think about it." the hybrid finished. When Orihime was satisfied with his healing, she stood.
"Make your way to 13th. Ukitake will send you where he's sending the others. I'm clearing up this sickness even if it takes me a month." Orihime said. She swayed a little. Ulquiorra grabbed her by the shoulder.
"You'll sit here and rest," he told her firmly. "There's nothing more you can do for this division, he was the only survivor." Orihime collapsed against the wall and Ulquiorra sat beside her. She slid til her head was in his lap. Ulquiorra seemed surprised at first, but shifted his legs til she looked more comfortable, and let her sleep.
ZZZ
Orihime felt a nudging on her shoulder. She sat up slowly, yawning and stretching from one of the most uncomfortable naps of her life. She opened her eyes and was face to face with Ulquiorra. "Come Orihime, we do still have much to do." Even with her short nap, she felt recharged. Which meant she really did have work to do. So she walked through the dark towards 11. Every step increasing her sense of dread. She knew she would be heading into a blood bath.
Lilinette watched from her spot against the wall, as Shuuhei beat against the walls and the bars of his cell trying to get to her. There were tracks down her face where her tears had fallen. Stark had brought her a tray of food about an hour ago. She hadn't left his side since they brought him here. But she knew she had to leave. He wouldn't want her to be watching him like this. Not while he was howling like a demon, reaching hands hooked like claws through the bars trying to get to her. She stood, rubbed an arm across her face to dry away the tears, and glared at him with her hands on her hips. "Shuuhei, you stupid lolicon idiot," she muttered. "You better make it through this or I'm going to bring you back and kill you again." she finished, before dashing out the door.
Shuuhei watched her leave. He felt his body slump. 'Kill the little girl' Kazeshini growled at him one more time before going silent. He knew that if she walked back through the door, he'd be banging and screeching again though. He thought over what she'd said. Calling him a lolicon. How dare she. She started the damn thing. Inwardly, he was smiling though. She must have known that it would irritate him that she said that. She did like to argue after all. After only moments of resting though, his body picked itself back up. 'Escape' Kazeshini growled. And he began clawing at the walls underneath the barred window. Fingers splitting and bleeding within minutes of starting. Naturally he was making no progress against the wall, but that didn't seem to matter.
Orihime stepped slowly into the 11th division. She could hear fighting. She touched Tsubaki's part of the clip, and the angry little fairy popped into existance. He stood on her shoulder, ready to fly into action with a moment's notice. Ulquiorra had his blade drawn too. Orihime reached the first signs of carnage, and gasped. Blood was spattered everywhere. She called out all of her fairies to search for survivors. She knew she had a lot of work to do, and there was still more people fighting. This area alone could eat up two or more days. Ulquiorra leapt up to a roof to keep watch, as Orihime moved from person to person, closing the worst of the wounds and eliminating infections. Each person, she sent back the way they'd come. Towards safety. It was probably close to noon on their second day now. Orihime was hungry and exhausted. After healing a group of 4, she gladly found herself outside the food hall of the division. She staggered in, and lost her appetite. Yachiru was on the ground, barely moving. Her attacker was across from her, also barely moving. Ikkaku Madarame had a large gash running from left shoulder down his right leg. Aside from the two of them, the food hall was empty. Ulquiorra closed the doors behind them, as she began her healing. He stepped into the kitchen and brought out some war rations for the four of them, and sat next to Orihime in a plastic chair. They ate as she healed them.
Shorter chapter than usual, but not sure what else I want to do at the moment. Review please!