as promised last chap, Ulquiorra will b coming back 2day. plz enjoy chapter 5!
"Chapter Five;
Black Void"
- Forest Estate Meeting Room
Everyone was surprised with Kaito's reaction. He seemed very frustrated by the fact, which was very unnatural for he was normally cheerful and caring. However, with the bags under his eyes, and the stress he seemed to have been under for a while, it seemed as though that keeping his cheerful self up till then was very difficult, but he would try for as long as he could.
Hiroshi's expression quickly changed back to neutrality. "What are you inquiring?" He asked the medic, intent one getting the meeting finished so he can get his subordinate to get some rest. It was early discovered that if the blond didn't get rest a certain amount of rest a night, he was destined to be sluggish and cranky, and more than likely, he was getting a lot less because of the current situation.
The blue-eyed man had just realized, and let out a sigh, sluggishly beginning to stand straight, trying as best he could to relax his muscles, and letting out a sigh of relief that no one snapped at him, obviously not in the mood for an argument, and lacking the will to want to stay awake. "Well, like said, I was changing the bandages when I found the tattoo, but in this case, it's what I couldn't find that really made it alarming, and something I honestly don't understand." He admitted with a small shrug.
"What you couldn't find?" Hikari questioned, perking her eyebrow. Whenever she asked about something, every person in the room, not only knew it was serious, but rather important if the answer wasn't in there favor; trouble was sure to follow if it wasn't.
The blond nodded. "Well, as you know, the only portal that should get to Le Paradis Éternel is a Sentier d'Ailes. However, I could easily tell our arrancar had opened a Garganta to get here; there's one." He started, now they were surprised. "For someone to come from Hueco Mundo using a Garganta, they need a Permission Key Symbol from one of us; that we all know is embedded either on the forehead or the sternum, but due to the hollow hole being there, I checked the forehead, and there was no such mark!" He assured, adding emphasis.
They looked at him in surprise, but then little Ryuunosuke spoke up. "The mark doesn't always have to be there, so why are you making a big deal? There's still the uncommon choices of shoulder, chest and abdomen." He reminded the others. It didn't fray them, any. "And, if this is Nadari's doing, she put her mark on his shoulder." He added in. It didn't help, any.
Takumi turned to him, glaring in pure and utter rage. "AND WHY IN HELL WOULD SHE IMPOSE THAT ON HERSELF?" He screeched at the 'toddler.' He stood up, abruptly, ignoring the concerned stares that were being directed his way, and more focused on the only slightly shocked child. It was regular that he was protective of Akuma, why would it surprise him? "YOU REALLY THINK SHE'D SET HERSELF UP INTO THIS MUCH MISERY? YOU MUST REALLY HAVE A LOOSE BOLT IF YOU THINK AKUMA-CHAN WOULD DO THAT TO HERSELF!" He raged on.
The kid only shrugged, causing the fourth to growl before Mei intervened, staring at Ryuunosuke. "Yamaguchi-san, I would highly suggest you choose your words carefully before judging your superiors." She persisted, giving him a look that told him to stop, or else he'd really regret it; said look Mei used on him for good reason.
The little boy, seeming very startled by the gaze, turned away with a shiver running up his spine. "H-hai, Mei-sama..." He replied, dare not looking back at the eyes that would surely mean he was in serious trouble.
The pearl-eyed male smirked, before looking down at Mei, happily. "And here I thought it was impossible to stop the great Yamaguchi Ryuunosuke from going on with a theory of judgment; arigato Tsunoda-sama!" He told her, happily, knowing full well she cared about Akuma like an older sister, but because the two weren't on the others' good side often, so they stuck to formalities by calling each other by last name.
Once Kaito saw Mei give him a nod in recognition of his words, and Takumi sit down, he continued. "I would agree with both, simply because Akuma didn't give him the mark." He stated. There was slight tension as they awaited his next words, looking around to see if someone else would confess to the deed, but his next statement only made it worse. "He doesn't have mark of permission anywhere on his body; I've checked numerous times."
"WHAAAAAAAT? !" That's what came out of most of their mouths; Hikari excluded due to the fact she had as much self control to appear very shocked, while the regularly calm and controlled Hiroshi was caught so off guard, he couldn't help but to scream with the group, but did not stand up with them.
"What the hell do ya mean he doesn't have one? HE HAS TO!" Keiko screeched at Kaito, who flinched back away from her, trying to cower away from their glares. "Without the mark, no others but Koumori can enter, remember?" She yelled back at him. Others began yelling in agreement to her words, and began to look rather pissed at the blond man.
"Sit down, all of you!" Hikari ordered, calmly. They looked at the old woman, seeming intent on questioning the medic further, but they obeyed, and sat, silently. Nobody was a fool as to go against their first chair unless their was likely reason to, and this was not one of those times where there was. "Shichirobei, are you certain?" She questioned him. He nodded. "And you checked all possible areas? Scanned its reiatsu in case the mark was meant to be hidden in its flesh?" She asked him.
He sighed, once more, feeling disappointed and ashamed of the fact that he knew for a long while. "I did all that for places that people like me wouldn't dare to look; no such thing to be found anywhere on his body, nor in his flesh." He told her, truthfully, another shrug coming up. He was too tired to care about how they would react, by now. Hikari was obviously not pleased with the answer.
Before they could continue, the jewel around Kaito's neck began to flash a bright yellowish-green. He picked it up, and and stared at it for a good long while, gazing at it as if he were staring at Egyptian hieroglyphics and was trying to translate them without a manual. His eyes widened like dinner place, before he moved around, pushed his chair in, and bowing to them, slightly. "Excusez-moi, Madame, but I have business I must attend to!" He told her quickly, before racing out the door, and heading back to the infirmary.
~ Akuma
She awoke with searing pain, hunching her body into the fetal position, and screaming as loud as she could make herself. The pressure was once again collapsing on her body, crushing her, and weighing her down on spot in so much more agony than when it had begun. Her body was numb, and her back, leg, and side all stung, and the reiatsu around her was of no hand to relieve it, but only sharpened the pain. Tears were still running down her face, and sobs came out as loud as her screams, and if not that, then louder.
"Akuma-chan?" Said an alarmed, muffled voice as the door opened, behind her. She heard a gasp come from the person, but she still couldn't recognize who it was, but knew for fact it was a male. Rushing air swerved in a fast pace and returned less than a minute later. "What happened to you? !" Questioned the still alerted voice, landing in front of her and removing her blankets.
She looked up and saw Kaito, looking scared half to death; perhaps more so. The man grabbed an antiseptic, and turned her body over, ripping the back of her shirt open, and beginning to apply the medicine. Her back began to sting more, but she didn't understand why he needed it. "What...do you...mean?" She questioned him, her voice almost completely inaudible, and breath staggered from exhaustion.
Kaito seemed shocked, at first, but stayed silent, answering her question by showing her the white cloth in his hand, which was stained red with her own blood. Her eyes widened. "What happened? I thought that passageway was a nightmare that I woke up from; how can I be bleeding?" She questioned, completely in awe at the fact the injuries she had received in the inner world. She questioned how it became real.
"Because, you came to me with those injuries, Mistress." A soothing voice told her. Akuma looked up and saw Rayon, hanging upside down, and looking at her with concerned eyes. "It was bad enough when your world was concealed in darkness, but then you returned with those same feelings, and with those injuries. I woke you up in hopes of stopping the agony, but I see I've done more harm than good..." She trailed off, feeling ashamed she couldn't help her escape the feeling.
While Akuma just seemed to be puzzled, questioning her zanpakuto on her theories, Kaito was as busy to stop the bleeding that appeared to have been formed by the marks of a beast of some sort. He was rather confused; no harmful creature lived within the world; it was meant for them. How Akuma got hurt by a beast was quizzical enough, as it was.
"So you say, Tou-sama!" The man looked at his shoulder and noted that a blue-eyed, pink-furred bat standing upon it, and appeared to be a male. "These marks, for what I can tell, were made by creatures you have seen before, and are very common around here, seeing as you have some familiarity for it." The bat stated.
Kaito stared at the marks on Akuma's back, and thought that he might have seen them, but he was unsure of where they came from. But, if it was familiar in their world, finding it shouldn't be hard. That's what he thought, anyway, bringing the albino in the bed to sit up, and applying the bandages.
As soon as the male practically covered her whole torso, he moved down the body and not only saw slashes, but he also noted bruises, and some swelling upon her ankles and feet that must have come from harsh running. Now, the blond didn't have a clue what to think; Akuma hadn't moved in so long, these minor injuries should have healed, not formed.
Once he was finished treating her, he noted that, once again, the girl's eyes were on the door leading across the hall, and to the arrancar's room. Normally he'd advise against it, but with her current state, and tears still staining her eyes, the girl needed some form of distraction, and by her clinging to her sheets, he could tell that sleep was the last thing she wanted.
With the situation as it was, he took the opportunity to get the girl some food, seeing as how the only thing she ate that morning was a few bites of eggs, and half a slice of toast, so he knew the girl was starving, and her body would be demanding more nutrition if it were going to recover. But, of course, he wasn't about to leave the girl, so he decided to get someone he knew would come the quickest.
The blond stepped outside of the room, and sighed. "Hiroshi! I need you here, for a moment." He called, calmly, but with a serious tone. Inside of a few moments, the bluenette was in the medic's present, giving him a questioning gaze with an arched brow as to ask what he needed that was so important. The male pointed at Akuma. "I'm going to go get her some food, and I need you to keep an eye on her. She's somehow gotten injured, so you can't let her move as much, and try your best to make sure she doesn't fall asleep. And; just because I know you're gonna ask; I don't know how she got injured, but I do know she never left the room." He explained, quickly.
The purple-eyed man sighed before giving the other male a nod, so he could run off. Once he left, he entered the room, and sat at the head of her bed, deciding to observe her behavior for himself, see what he could make of it. Of course, Akuma noticed he was there shortly after he sat down, and next to quickly glancing at him, she didn't bother to give Hiroshi any mind, eyes still focusing on the room.
The man had been across the hall but once, noting that the idea of the arrancar coming out of his comatose state soon was highly unlikely, but he still had to question why her eyes were heading in his direction if her agony came from him. The idea made no sense to him, in any form or way that he thought it over. "So what's the meaning of it, then?"
The man was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the door bust open, spotting Takumi and Mei, and seeing that both were staring at the teen's bandages. "What happened?" They asked, concerned. Akuma looked back at them, but remained silent, clutching her pillow and burying her face into it. Not feeling comfortable remembering what she saw.
Hiroshi was surprised that the two were on the same page with each other, but he stood, anyways, making his way to them. "You'll know later! Right now is not the best time for you to be questioning her, as one should plainly see, so leave the room, and allow for Kaito to return so she can be taken care of." He told them, strictly. He accepted Akuma as a friend, and nothing more, not having the pleasure of the sisterly feeling that most got from her, and he wasn't as protective of her except when he had to be; such as right now...
He glared at the two, who slowly began to back out of the room. The teen lying down smiled. Seeing that Hiroshi was defending her was good, for she didn't feel like telling them anything about the hellish world she had seen, and the beast that resided in it. But, the smile faded, knowing when the blue-head got like this, the situation was serious, and she already knew she was in the middle of it.
Kaito returned with some food, and she forced herself to eat it. She was sore and tired, but she'd rather pull through the pain than to go to sleep and return to the feeling she had been forced to endure. Even though she had finished it all, she asked if she could go outside, not feeling particularly comfortable in the room where she could easily fall asleep.
Kaito had argued with her over the fact she shouldn't be going anywhere but to sleep for a little while, only to see that his superior had had enough, forcing the girl to succumb to darkness. The blue head felt so worried right now, not even he would be able to take the girl while she was in pain from the emptiness that would not leave her alone. The pitiful despair that continued to edge her away from her comfort zone.
- Four Days Later
Kaito had to force the albino to go to sleep for the next few days, but now saw that she was beginning to calm, and would even throw on a joyful smile, but only found that she had only become more exhausted, and slept even more, waking up to even more intense pain by the pressure, and the wounds that had barely begun healing.
The girl was in her inner world, again, and found no pain there. No pressure crushing her, no wounds physically scarring her, and almost no stress tracing her mind. The white-head ran a hand through her long hair as questions continued to pop up about the earlier incident. Why did she have a passageway in her inner world that Rayon couldn't enter? Why was there a world of darkness outside? Why did the male bat attack her? And the most perplexing one that came across her mind. What did she see in the open field in that dark place, and why was she having visions of it?
They had been constantly coming to her within a matter of an hour after she woke; whether in her inner world or in the room Kaito put her in. She didn't understand why the image came to her, but it kept creeping its way back into her mind, and continued to buzz in like a mosquito on a warm summer night, flying towards the ear of another creature.
She didn't know how to explain it, but whenever it came crossed her mind, the despair would rush up her body, and restrict her movements for what felt like hours on end, similar to that first night, when she got the vision of the unconscious man in the woods, and her mind poking at her to go and find him. She began to wonder if these visions had come in for the same reason, and if so, if the bat she saw a few days before was attacking her in order to keep her from doing just that.
With a sigh, the girl got up, excusing herself from her lecture with Rayon, and heading towards the passageway, completely ignoring her zanpakuto's request for her to stay. She entered, climbed up the cold, hard steps, and made her way to the exit that assured her destination of the dark forested area that clung onto night.
She stepped out, feeling the copper shield surround her before she completely stepped out on the dark unveiled ground of the nighttime forest. Instead of steering down the path, she looked up in the sky, wondering if she could spot the black creature she saw, but to no avail, for he kept himself hidden by the night sky. With a sigh, she raised a hand up, keeping her eyes wide open. "Hikari mokikomu-tachi!" She recited from her previous visit.
Red light blasted out of her hand, surrounding the sky until she found whom she was looking for, and he wasn't happy that the lights were turned on. She simply eased it off, reducing the amount she had filled in the sky, and holding a firm orb in her palm, but holding it down at her side with a hand to her hip, waiting patiently for the beast, slightly nervous in feeling that she was going to be attacked, again.
The male bat, even though ready to kill her, saw nothing but a girl holding a small light in her hand, and an expectant glance. He slowed down, flapping so to slow down his momentum, and then landed. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that the girl had expected him to come at her, and had enraged him on purpose, however, was in no pursuit of a challenge. He stood there, looking at her with very calm and very cold eyes. "What do you want, ningen?" He questioned her, an accent clearly evident, but his voice dispassionate, and deep.
Akuma recognized the accent as what came from a Spaniard, which meant that the male probably spoke a good amount of the native tongue; probably fluently. She cleared her throat, putting her free hand in her pocket, and holding up her light up in order to see the bat better. "First off, I'm not human, just to let you know, and I don't think you believe I am one. And second of all, I came to speak with you about the matters of the other day; I need questions answered, and I'm not in the mood for fighting!" She simply explained to the winged male, truthfully.
He rested his wings on his back before looking at the girl with curious eyes. "What kind of questions could you possibly have, Onna?" He asked her, his voice emotionless.
Akuma resisted the urge to growl, but glared at him, making her annoyance evident. "Well, here's a start! How about you tell me why you were attacking me?" She more or less demanded it from him, not happy that she was attacked so blindly and was forced to run away due to being overcome by such an ambush.
The creature raised one of the claws on his wing. "That does not concern you!" He told her, dryly.
"Oh, it doesn't?" She questioned. The beast nodded once, placing his wing back where it was. "Well, I suppose it would make sense, I mean, me crossing on your land does make a good anger for environmental issues, but it doesn't, because if that were really the case, you'd have attacked me the minute I entered the forest." She stated, bluntly. The bat stared at her, remaining quiet, and not bothering to reply. "I suppose it would be because I'm a threat to you, then." She told him. The creature looked at her, eyes carrying a slight hint of shock mixed with both pride, and a small amount of rage beginning to boil. "But, that isn't it, is it? Because, if I were a threat, I would have sensed you while I was exploring the forest." She added, smirking at him.
The bat arched a brow. "What are you trying to say, Onna?" He questioned the girl, wondering where she could have been going with all the nonsense.
She gave him a serious gaze. "I mean that those are the most likely reasons for someone of your kind to strike, and even though it could be that, the behavior was too off for it to even come close, meaning that you attacked me for a completely different reason." The teen explained to the bat. The bat only kept quiet, ready to turn and tell her to leave, but was cut off. "So, what's the name of that person?" She questioned.
He looked at her, no emotion evident, but still slightly surprised she asked. "I thought it over for a long time, really," she started, walking closer to him, "and what I've come to discover is that I'm not a threat to you, but to your wielder, or how I should put it, Master." Now, there was shock. "A zanpakuto, no matter how cold and ruthless, still looks after the person who wields them, and that person was just that. You were protecting him from me, and this place is his world, isn't it?" She stated more than asked, but smirked again when the bat nodded at her.
Akuma began to hover using her flying ability, and sat in front of him, cross-legged. "I have a few things to talk to you about concerning your Master, but to start off with that, I need to call you by something other than 'you.' Do you have a name, or should I come up with a nickname for you?" She questioned him, acting sweet.
The male looked at the girl for a short while. He turned to face her, gazing at her with an intimidating glare, which she just shrugged at. It wasn't her first, and it wasn't gonna be her last. "I go by Murciélago." He introduced himself, his voice dark and grasping a melancholic tone by the dull statement.
The girl raised a brow, recognizing the Spanish term. "Talk about literal." She thought, bluntly. "Okay, Murciélago! Do listen!" She instructed. He obliged, wondering what she could possibly say about a person she had never even met. "I don't think I need to tell you how I got here, and I don't think I need to tell you that not only was it not there before, but I don't have a clue on how it formed." She started, pointing her thumb over her shoulder, and directing him to the cave. He nodded at the fact. "Now, I'd say that we just ignore each other, and act as if this weren't even there, but I can't do that! Why is because of the visions I constantly get of the same figure I saw before you attacked me." She told him, truthfully.
Although Murciélago held his composure strong, he was confused as to why she'd be having visions about that short moment before he struck her. "Now, let me continue; you'll want to know this bit!" She assured him. He arched a brow once more. "A little over two weeks ago, a similar thing happened, when I sensed him dying within the forestation near the estate he's in, now. Whenever I saw that vision, throughout the whole night I couldn't take it; I kept seeing the vision, repeatably, and was practically being crushed by a strong reiatsu that only seems to keep coming whenever I'm conscious of his being, and now, that's very often. This is the reason, however, that we were able to find him, and give him medical treatment for his injuries." She explained.
The bat raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going with these statements, and why are you telling me of these happenings?" He inquired, obviously confused on why she would bother to take such actions in telling him such things.
She sighed, looking up at him. "The fact behind it is that these visions give me a similar feeling of pain, but it also gives me the instinct to go in search of him." She replied, bluntly. "That instinct brought me to his physical location the first time, and that same instinct is why I'm standing here. I don't know why all of this is happening, but I know I'm not gonna get anywhere unless I do find him, again, and you're keeping him from me; that is the purpose of me telling you." She added.
The bat looked down at her, giving off suspicion in the dim moonlight, and lowering his wings as to put him on guard. "I will bring you to his location." He started off, eyes peeled so as to watch her actions. "But, believe me, Onna, the effort will be wasted." He told her. The girl only waved out her free hand, telling the bat to start walking. Murciélago obliged to the gesture, and began to lead her back to the valley he had brought herself to. He was only curious about why it was happening to her, and if it had some significance of any.
They walked in silence. Akuma was gritting her teeth, feeling odd being near the beast, but she was unsure on why. He noticed this, easily, and they both figured it was because he was still effecting her, like he had done the first time. She still had many questions to ask the zanpakuto, and many for his master, but about halfway to their destination, however, Murciélago began questioning the girl, himself. "Onna!" He called, dully, expecting her to answer him, quickly.
She felt a vein pop in her head, being called that enough times in order to lose count of how many times he said it. "The name's Nadari Akuma! If you can't call me by my name, don't call me anything at all!" She told him, trying to compose herself, but failing with the frustration that bat had already boiled in her.
He ignored the complaint. "You claimed that you were not human, however, you look like one, and you are not Shinigami. What are you?" He questioned her, obviously clueless on what she could be, but easily telling that she was strong, and in no way was her spiritual pressure like ones he had sensed before (excluding when Takumi grabbed him).
She thought over how she could answer the bat, before looking at him with cautious eyes. "I don't mean to be rude, Murciélago, but I don't think I can particularly tell you without you being offended by it, first hand, and I don't feel in the mood to explain the whole detail of it." She told him, truthfully. If he had heard the term, she was very certain he would be very insulted by it, and explaining the detail she didn't particularly like because she didn't know how she could make sense of it to another bat that was clueless about her kind.
Now, of course, Murciélago wanted to ask why she would avoid the question, and in what way could she possibly insult him, only to find her running forward, just realizing they had made it to the dark grounded valley where his master resided, still, just like the first time Akuma had shown up.
She got closer, squinting her eyes so to adjust to the darkness around her as she strode forward on the cold rock beneath her feet. She continued on until she was but a few feet away, only to find herself slowing down, before coming to a complete halt as she stared at the figure in front of her. The only thing she could make out of him was his pale skin tone and his white clothes. He was lying on a welly crafted stone table, and seemed to have been sleeping, but she knew better than that.
The reason for this being was that the person was surrounded by some form of shadows that extended out until just a few feet away from the slab he rested upon. She stood there in awe, wondering how it was possible; why he was surrounded by this, and why he was unconscious. Lucky for her, she had a certain bat to explain for her. "Now, you understand." He proclaimed, calmly. Akuma looked up at Murciélago with slight shock, and mostly confusion. "The means of his condition had just as easily been drawing him into a coma, but his own endurance had stopped him from slipping, completely. He is trapped in between both that and here." He explained, for her.
She stared at the male on the table, unsure of what to think, or do. She walked forward, determined to at least see a bit more of him before turning around, and heading back to Rayon. She extended a hand, knowing from conversations with Kaito that this state held up a strong barrier around the person, but she was determined to see, even if such thing had harmed her.
To both her surprise and the bat behind her is that instead of finding a barrier, she was able to step into the shadows. Murciélago was completely shocked. "Onna! How are you able to enter?" He questioned her, but the question never met Akuma's ears, even though she could tell he was saying something to her.
Deciding to take this as a moment of opportunity, she took a step closer to the male figure. The shadows began to clear in front of her, and settled behind her as she continued to get closer to the person on the table. She continued onward, her mind trying to gather how she was able to do this, and was only getting more frustrated the more she thought about it.
She made it to him, and stared at him, completely surprised that there was a person she found more attractive than the bluenette, even though he was arrancar. The male's skin was very pale, and his eyes had thin green marks going down his cheeks that resembled tears to her. His hair was black, messy, and went down to his shoulders. His eyebrows were thick, and his hallow mask covered the left side of his head, appearing like a helmet, with an ear poking out at the side that looked very similar, but smaller than his zanpakuto. The hallow hole was located at the base of his neck, revealed by an open white trench coat. I saw that the rest of his clothes consisted of a plain white hakama, a black sash where his sword was held, and black shoes.
She wasn't surprised; standard uniform, and classic Aizen. Even so, Akuma had to question why she had vision about a half dead arrancar when they were supposed to be their enemies. She had fought many hallows and arrancars that appeared like the winged beasts more than he did, and a zanpakuto didn't make a difference, so what made her want to see him; speak to him; help him?
She was dragged away from her thoughts, hearing the arrancar near her stagger for breath, letting out a couple coughs every few seconds, confirming that he could barely breathe. The female sighed, placing her hand of light over the man's chest, and opening its palm. "Hason shite nani iyasu." She said in a hushed tone.
Just as she touched his body, the arrancar began to breathe a bit more easily, the pain rising in his chest lessening as she pressed atop his skin over his lungs. Within a few brief moments, his breath became shallow, and even, peaceful rest finally reaching him, and the shadows around him moving back a few inches away from his body. For the first time in awhile, pain was not enveloped around him.
To say the two currently conscious were surprised was an understatement. Murciélago was still trying to figure out how she could get close to the arrancar, but found himself more surprised when not only did she relieve him of the pain he had while breathing, but that she had drew him further back into his inner world. He was trying to see how she could do such a thing; the condition his wielder was in couldn't be forced to dissipate by anything or anyone, for that matter, but himself.
Akuma was also shocked, knowing that such things no one should be able to mess around with a condition, according to the medic with such knowledge. "Then again," she began, "Tou-kun did once say that he was able to do this for Mei-chan, but, that was different; he stopped her from slipping into a coma; he even said she was just at the in between." She reminded herself.
Still, she wondered how she could effect his condition, and, at the same time, why the male beneath her was calmed by it. She understood being able to breathe, but by what she knew, people like this don't like being forced to be drawn to consciousness and/or their inner world, but he was calm by it, still. The fact this was true made her wonder if she could continue to draw him out of the coma without harming him, and that curious fiber in her being told her to try, which she ignored when she was uncertain, but right now, her instincts told her to do so, as well.
She put her left hand on his chest in order to continue healing the lung tissue, in case he'd have trouble if she stopped. She then moved her right hand, slowly, before letting it rest against the male's forehead. She shivered at the coldness of his skin, and at the fear drawing in her mind; if his zanpakuto was that cold, she knew that he would be just as much, if not so, holding a more callous demeanor than he.
She sighed, her instincts telling her to keep going, and that the man had to be helped no matter how dispassionate he may be, and no matter how intimidating he may seem when he came to. She took a deep breath, before uttering the command, softly. "Tamashii o tasukeru." It escaped her lips near silently as the red light formed in her hand, again, and firmly pressing it against his forehead.
- Ulquiorra's POV
I had full knowledge that I had lost consciousness, almost completely, but I still heard movements and voices from outside. It started as a few distilled murmurs that had somehow met my ears, that appeared to sound a form of pathetic pleas. A different voice had responded, but it was too weak, however it somehow held a firm argument. The other voice came in a little louder, questioning the second person there; it was distinctly a male's voice, but it was hard for the words to arrange in my ears, for some strange reason.
"Okay, I'll be right back!" Said the same voice that had just questioned the person beneath him. Soon after, I heard footsteps walking closer to my location. I was certain that it was just some traveler of some sort that would pass me, not recognizing my existence. However, the steps had drawn closer, circling around the bark, and as far as I could tell, the person was probably staring at me.
He stayed silent, for the most part, his movements near silent. After a few distilled moments, he spoke again. "Then, it's because he's hurt, Ami?" That clarified that he indeed saw me, but I was unsure of whom he was talking to; I couldn't sense anybody else there, with him. He was quiet for a short while, his feet shuffling every few moments, but next to that, he remained still.
He moved closer to me, then grabbed my face, moving it so my mask had faced him. He had taken a few steps back before questioning, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I thought perhaps he was talking to a spirit, but I'd be able to sense its presence and hear it. The next thought is that he was insane, and there was nothing in making me believe differently. "But, why then? There are hallows we've faced that are to bats than this guy, what's so different?" He yelled, enraged.
This caught my attention. The fact he faced hallows confirmed that he was speaking of me in such a manner proved he had a decent amount of knowledge about arrancar, as well. The fact I couldn't sense the person he was speaking to could imply that he had no sanity, but more than likely meant he was speaking with the only type of spirit I wouldn't be able to even feel unless it was my own; a zanpakuto. He wasn't a shinigami, I could tell, but still had the ability to kill me, especially at that moment.
He moved towards me again, and it only took a few seconds for me to sense Murciélago striking at him for foolishly picking him up. The man was somehow able to sheath him. I then heard him kneel in front of me, making some strange demand. "Fomu no henko!" I heard energy envelop around an object of some sort for a few moments, before hearing something unravel and fall upon the ground beneath me.
I thought he was just going to use a different pleasantry in trying to kill me, what I found him doing was wrapping a strange form of bandaging around my torso. I could feel him wrap the bandages around me, but I could only question why he was bothering. He obviously had a disgust towards hallows and arrancar, alike, yet he was still bothering to help me.
"Kiku no nagare!" He spoke. Air had filled my lungs evenly, and I accepted it, due to the lack of oxygen, and the desperate need for air. It was pathetic, but I did so to sustain my own life, and to just be able to just breath with less of the pain rising in my throat. It was near unbearable, and the only thing that kept me breathing was the fact I had to in order to live.
I felt him move me, then tearing the fabric from my coat. I heard him tear it a second time before muttering the same chant he had said the first time. Energy enveloped around the objects, and I heard the same unraveling I heard beforehand, then felt him tend to the wounds on my arms. Even though they were wrapped, and the blood loss stopped, the bones were still broken, and I had to suppress groaning.
He placed me over his shoulder, more burning pain rushing in me from the discomfort. He adjusted the grip before he headed towards a different direction. He stopped, picking somebody else up in his other arm, and from what I could tell, she was probably staring at me, too. The thought of that, for some strange reason, made my stomach feel light, and myself feel nauseous. I had lost track of the events shortly afterwords.
Silent, muffled voices could be heard every so often, but I could never grasp what was being said, but with each time I heard the voices, that same feeling I felt from the second person there that time rose up in my stomach, and sometimes when they weren't, I still felt it for a few moments, and when it disappeared, I found myself more focused on the pain and torture I had known as breathing, meaning that even with the treatment, my lungs had still not healed.
Quiet was what it had been for a long time with no changes, until recently. That urge in my stomach had only grown more intense for no profound reason, and for some reason, I wanted to move. I wanted to find what it was giving me the strange feeling. My mind was obscured as to why I should search for an unnecessary answer, but the feeling never left.
It disappeared for a short while, my mind still pondering on where it came from, and why it kept returning. However, such a thing was caught off short when it returned. The intensity so very high, it was difficult to contemplate. I couldn't sense where it came from, I couldn't see if there was something there, but I did hear one thing: footsteps. Very muffled footsteps that were near complete silence.
They stopped after a few minutes, the feeling in my stomach getting stronger. "Hason shite nani iyasu." So suddenly, I could breath again. The pain not subsiding but fading. I registered that there was someone there; by the sound of the voice, a female; and this person was healing me. The urge in my stomach did not ease any, but I honestly could have cared less. As strange as it was, I wanted the person near me to continue with what she was doing.
I couldn't shake myself of the urge, but something was still arguing with me as to ignore it, while the rest of my being decided go along with it as a hand pressed against my forehead. "Tamashii o tasukeru." Warmth radiated from the hand. I had slowly begun to collect myself, and what had happened around me beforehand, including the attempt to claim my life. The urge in my stomach pulsated in my brain as I remembered the person next to me.
I opened my eyes, shadows around me clearing so I could see the dim moon. My inner world. But there was hands upon my body, even though I was here. Just as quickly as I collected this, I grabbed one of the wrists to a hand, and turned my body over, watching as vibrant red illuminations begun to fade around a woman.
She was an albino with red eyes instead of the natural blue that regularly came with the genetic makeup. She was wearing strange clothing that I had only seen humans wear, but just by grabbing her hand, I knew she wasn't that of a mere human. The girl was different; more so than what I had sensed before. "What are you doing here, Onna?"
yay! Ulqui's back! im sry if ya feel like he may b ooc, but like i said, it's my first time using him, so if u hav criticism u need to pt out, do me a favor, and dont bitch at me with it...Onto translations!
Le Paradis Éternel: french for Eternal Paradise
Sentier d'Ailes: french for Track/Path of Wings
Excusez-moi: (obviously) french for Excuse Me
Ningen: japanese for Human
Onna: (i hope u already kno this) japanese for Woman
Hason Shite Nani Iyasu: japanese for Heal What's Damaged
Tamashii O Tasukeru: japanese for Help The Soul
the other phrases hav been used in previous chapters, and the translations should b at the end of the chap they 1st appeared on. hope youve enjoyed!
~ K. Fang-sama