Legacy of the Moon
Arc II: Dawn of Dreams
Chapter 32: Broken Dreams
"There is no need for it… I no longer seek any revenge either on Soul Society or Aizen. I spoke to Hisagi and Komamura in my final moments and I was relieved to be able to have that conversation with them. I was at fault since the beginning by working for Aizen and I paid its price with my life… thus, I have no regrets and I do not seek revenge on anyone," Tosen replied.
"Shizuku…" Homura signalled him.
The next moment, Shizuku slashed Tosen with his scythe from behind, destroying his memories of those final moments in which he died and in which he spoke to both Komamura and Hisagi.
"Now he is ready to work with us… carry him to our hideout, we will wait for Lord Orkos before making our next move," Homura said to Shizuku.
After 2 days in the Soul Society
A lot of people were critically injured in the recent devastating battles that were fought in the Fake Karakura Town and Hueco Mundo while a lot of things had changed after these battles. The Soul Reapers and the remaining Espadas refused to recognize each other as enemies because they both suffered at the hands of Aizen and in the end they both fought against him side by side. Moreover, now they had other enemies to worry about such as Orkos and Infernal Demons. Central 46 also recognized their contribution in the battle against Aizen or perhaps the organization of Shinigamis realized that they had no other choice except to work together with the remaining powerful Espadas in order to neutralize the new threats. To show their willingness to work with any potential ally, Soul Society took the responsibility of temporarily providing everyone with food, living facilities, and medical treatment after the battle.
Sesshomaru, Espadas, Urahara, Yoruichi, Vizards, and Ichigo were immediately shifted to the Soul Society so that they could get the proper medical treatment and facilities. Captain Unohana was assigned to this task and she brought every individual she found injured on the battle sites of Fake Karakura Town and Hueco Mundo. On the other hand, Captain Kurotsuchi was given the responsibility of retrieving all the valuable or research-worthy material, objects, or beings that can be found either in the Hueco Mundo or in the Fake Karakura Town.
It took almost two days before everyone and the situation in the Soul Society began to look somewhat normal. All those who were injured were now able to function and interact with others normally. Central 46 had already taken some immediate temporary decisions while it was waiting for everyone to be in the condition to attend a meeting. Hueco Mundo had been declared in a state of emergency because now Orkos was ruling it as the new king. Genryusai Yamamoto wasn't present in the Soul Society since he had to leave for the Soul King Palace for an important meeting regarding recent events.
The barrack in which Halibel and her Fraccions were staying…
Halibel had already received ample healing at Urahara Shop before the final battle against Aizen while Sesshomaru sent both her and Stark out of the battle before they could get critically injured. The only major injury she had was her right arm and thus her healing ended the very day Aizen was defeated. On the other hand, Sesshomaru was critically injured in the battle and he had also suffered a heavy loss of his demonic energy about which the Shinigami couldn't do anything. However, his healing was also completed after two full days and finally, he received permission to go out from his special chamber in Kuchiki Manor.
As soon as he received permission to go out from the medical staff, the first place he visited was the barrack in which Halibel and her Fraccions were staying. By now Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun knew everything about Halibel and Sesshomaru. Tres Espada had no choice but to tell them every detail because they were constantly bugging her out of their curiosity. While they were asking her questions about Sesshomaru now and then, suddenly they heard a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Apacci asked in her usual attitude.
"Sesshomaru," he replied.
Now Apacci quickly opened the door and then the Daiyokai asked her while standing outside, "Do you know where Tia is?"
"Yes, I am here Lord Sesshomaru… please come in," Halibel responded abruptly as she was happy to see him alright while her Fraccions were looking at him with slightly red cheeks because now they had an estimation of his bond with Halibel.
"Welcome to our barrack! Lord Sesshomaru," Sung-Sun greeted him softly as she stood up from her place.
"Welcome!" Apacci and Mila Rose also greeted him upon seeing Sung-Sun.
"Hmm…" Sesshomaru murmured while slightly tilting his head towards them as a response.
"Let's go Apacci, Mila Rose… we should roam outside a bit," Sung-Sun said to both of them while walking towards the door.
"What?" Mila Rose replied with a confused expression.
"I don't want to go anywhere," Apacci responded while frowning at her.
"Come with me, girls…" Sung-Sun muttered while pushing both of them out of the barrack before she walked out as well and closed the door in order to provide Halibel and Sesshomaru some private space to talk.
Now both Halibel and Sesshomaru sat down side by side on the edge of her bed and then she asked him, "How are you feeling now Lord Sesshomaru?"
"I am healed now… how is your arm?" He replied and asked her back.
"It is better now," She replied in a sad tone.
"You are not looking fine, what's the matter, Tia?" He asked her in a serious tone.
"In the past two days when you were under treatment, I felt something which I never felt in the past 50 years, perhaps because I spent those years with my memories manipulated by Orkos," She replied while looking down.
"What is that Tia?" He asked her.
"I felt alone…" She responded before she sighed while looking at him.
"Hmm…" the Daiyokai responded to her.
"I wanted to return the favor to you by being with you in your every battle but now… that won't be possible for me because I have lost my weapon. Now we have support from the Soul Society but our enemies are way powerful and losing my weapon at such times… I don't know how I will keep those around me safe from these new threats," She spoke sadly.
"I will talk to Urahara about it and if he can't do anything then there's a sword-smith in my world, he is an old retainer of my family, he will do something," he replied to her.
"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru… thank you so much, once again," She replied while feeling low.
"Don't worry… I will go now and talk to others," the Daiyokai replied before he left her barrack.
"I hope to never let you feel alone ever…" She whispered slowly to herself while watching him leave.
The barrack in which Stark and Lilynette were staying…
Stark was the least injured among the three Espadas and thus his healing was also completed on the same day. He was staying in the barrack with Lilynette. Sesshomaru arrived there while he was trying to sleep and Lilynette was disturbing his sleep. When Sesshomaru entered their chamber, Stark sat up in his bed while Lilynette also stopped bothering him.
"Oh! It's you… how are your injuries now? I heard that you and Ulquiorra suffered a direct hit from an Infernal Demon," Stark murmured while Lilynette offered the Daiyokai a chair to sit upon.
"Yes… my injuries are healed," Sesshomaru replied as he sat down on the chair.
"There's something I wanted to talk about," the Primer Espada said in a serious tone.
"What is it?" Sesshomaru asked him.
"Hey, Lilynette… won't you like to go out and get some fresh air?" Stark muttered to her.
"Ughh… you are going to talk about something that you don't want me to know… fine you idiot!" Lilynette replied annoyingly before she left the barrack.
Stark sighed at her behavior and then he said to him, "Have you spoken to Number 3 already?"
"Yes, I met her right before I came here," Sesshomaru replied.
"Did she talk about the new problems? Did she say anything about the Hueco Mundo?" Stark asked him.
"No, she only mentioned about her broken sword," the Daiyokai replied.
"Hmm… she must be hesitant in telling you about it," Stark murmured.
"What about it?" Sesshomaru asked him.
"Orkos has taken over Hueco Mundo so now we can't go there… World of the Living is not the place for us although I believe Mr Urahara would help us… and Soul Society is the place for Soul Reapers only… soon they will ask us to leave and then we will not have any place to go to… I am not worried about myself but Lilynette," Stark said to him in a concerted manner.
"Hmm… I understand, I also have someone just like Lilynette," Sesshomaru responded in a comparatively low tone.
"Who is she?" Stark asked curiously.
"Rin… she is a small human girl, I met her almost a year ago," the Daiyokai answered.
"Hmm… it is tough to keep someone like them around while you are in a battle, isn't it?" the Primera Espada asked him.
"Yes, indeed it is… and that's why I had to keep her with some trustworthy humans while I continued with my conquest," Sesshomaru replied.
"I wish I could do the same, I wanted to stay in the battle against Aizen longer but because of Lilynette, I have to hold back…" He spoke while looking down with guilt.
Now they began to discuss each other's life and Stark mentioned his concern about Lilynette being tied with him forever. Since in the future, he would be facing stronger foes such as Infernal Demons with Lilynette at risk. Afterward, Sesshomaru told him all about Rin while he told the Daiyokai about his bond with Lilynette. When Sesshomaru was about to leave the Primera Espada got up and whispered to himself, "So, that's why he was concerned about Lilynette… she must have reminded him of Rin."
"I will do something about these issues," Sesshomaru spoke while looking behind before he left the barrack.
After some time, nearby Squad 4 Barracks…
Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Uryu, and Sado were just coming out of the Squad 4 Barracks after visiting Orihime who had been working there continuously for two days along with Captain Unohana and Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu. She was taking care of the critical cases that required more than just the healing. Roka Paramia was also there and she was taking care of the injured along with her.
"I am glad that everything is normal now," Ichigo spoke in a relaxed tone while smiling.
"And I am glad that you haven't broken any of your bones this time… Ichigo," Rukia told him sarcastically.
"Hahaha she is damn right," Renji muttered, supporting Rukia's words.
"Well… it's not like I got broken bones but yes I ended up in the way of everyone's attack," he responded embarrassingly.
"Inoue-San is still in the Squad 4 barracks, she has been helping the healing squad for a long time, I hope she doesn't exhaust herself to illness," Uryu murmured while pushing his glasses up.
"Roka, Hanataro, and others are there with her, so she should be fine," Sado replied.
Suddenly Ichigo sight caught Sesshomaru who was going towards the Squad 4 Barracks and he spoke to everyone abruptly, "It's that demon."
"His name is Sesshomaru," Uryu said to him slowly.
"Don't call him demon Ichigo… he is a good friend of Nii-Sama," Rukia murmured to him in a slightly scolding tone.
"He is coming towards us now," Sado muttered while staring at the Daiyokai.
"I think he heard you, idiot!" Renji said to Ichigo in a scolding tone as well.
Now Sesshomaru walked up to them and then he asked in his serious cold tone, "Have you seen Ulquiorra?"
"He's in the barracks of Squad 4 Lord Sesshomaru… Zommari is with him as well," Rukia replied in a polite manner.
"Thanks for the information… besides how is Byakuya doing?" the Daiyokai asked her.
"Nii-Sama is doing fine now, he should be in the Manor," she replied with a smile.
"I see…" Sesshomaru responded before he headed towards the Squad 4 barracks.
The Squad 4 barrack in which the Ulquiorra and Zommari were undergoing the treatment…
Now Sesshomaru entered the barrack of Squad 4 where Ulquiorra and Zommari were getting treated. For the time being, only Orihime and Roka were there along with them. Zommari's condition wasn't looking good. The Septima Espada was clearly in critical condition while Ulquiorra was looking better as he was talking to Orihime while sitting on his bed. On the other hand, Roka was taking care of other things while discussing about the treatment with Zommari.
"Demon Lord…" Zommari murmured in his weak voice as soon as his sight caught Sesshomaru.
"How is your condition, Zommari?" Sesshomaru asked him.
"Trying to survive," He responded in his usual reserved tone.
"Lord Sesshomaru…" Ulquiorra uttered while looking at him.
The way Ulquiorra addressed Sesshomaru, was slightly surprising to both him and Orihime but soon the Daiyokai responded, "How do you feel about your condition now? We were hit by the same technique of that Infernal Demon."
"Recovered to a significant level but still not as better as you are," the Cuatro Espada replied.
"I see," Sesshomaru responded.
"How are others doing? Stark, Halibel, Ichigo?" Ulquiorra asked curiously.
"Ichigo is completely fine now… Stark and Halibel are good too," Orihime replied him before Sesshomaru could answer.
"However, they are somewhat disappointed for the future," the Daiyokai replied.
"Why?" Ulquiorra asked in a serious tone.
"Yes… why strong warriors such as them are hopeless about the future?" Zommari asked him as well.
"Appearance of Infernal Demons and the conditions after the battle against Aizen," the Daiyokai replied.
"What do you mean Lord Sesshomaru?" Ulquiorra asked abruptly.
"Infernal Demons are not the type of opponents who can be put aside easily and Stark is bound to hold back because Lilynette fights alongside him. On the other hand, Halibel's sword is cracked and weak now and thus it is not at all suitable against a powerful foe," Sesshomaru answered them.
"Hmm… we have Nelliel but somehow she got stuck with the body and mind of a child," Ulquiorra replied after deeply thinking about the situation.
"Can I help in restoring anything to its former state?" Orihime intervened innocently.
"No… this is not just the matter of former state… it is the matter of the broken structure of their spirit energy or maybe the damage to their very spirit," Zommari responded to her offer.
"This is exactly why your powers couldn't heal Zommari completely," Ulquiorra responded to her offer as well.
"I was using my special technique where the core of spirit energy is out in the open and its power gets mixed with my Cero to become destructive while it is amplified by the energy of my Resurreccion through my Zanpakuto… I was attacked by that boar-headed Infernal Demon in this situation… that's why I lost my Zanpakuto because his attack damaged the very core of my spirit energy and this is why…" Zommari explained but stopped speaking in between all of a sudden.
"He has very little chance of surviving because ever since he has lost his Zanpakuto… it's as if a part of his spiritual existence is missing and thus no matter how many times we try to restore his spirit energy, he is losing it constantly at an alarming rate," Roka Paramia broke the silence after noticing everyone's pause.
"Halibel's condition could be similar to mine but she is powerful," Zommari said further.
"Hmm… besides this is not the only issue… Orkos has taken control of the Hueco Mundo so the Espadas can no longer go there unless they choose to serve him," Sesshomaru responded and he also explained about the current situation of Hueco Mundo.
"That's so bad… where we will go now?" Roka mumbled worryingly.
"Don't worry Roka… we have lots of places in the World of the Living for you guys," Orihime replied with a smile while thinking about her and her friends' homes along with the Urahara Shop and Vizards' hideout.
"I think… I can help with some of the problems," Zommari said upon noticing everyone silent.
Now everyone looked at him with surprise and then he said in a serious tone, "I have lost my Zanpakuto and I will never have it back. This means either I will be spending my life as a weak warrior who is not suitable to battle against foes such as Infernal Demons… or I will probably die soon… in a few days or perhaps a few weeks if I am lucky enough," Zommari said to everyone.
"How is this helpful?" Ulquiorra asked in his usual cold manner.
"Use me… use my spirit energy… to fix what the powerful Espadas lack. At least a part of me will remain alive in them and I will be able to contribute to this war against those Infernal Demons, please I beg you…" Zommari said in a sad and desperate tone.
"No Zommari-san… what are you talking about?" Orihime said in a sad but scolding tone.
"He has a point though… we need Stark, Halibel, and Nelliel in their best forms, only then we will have some chances against our enemies," Ulquiorra murmured.
"Are you sure… Zommari?" Sesshomaru asked him one last time.
"Yes, Demon Lord… I am ready for my last duty," Zommari said in a weak but determined voice.
"Very well then… let me see what can be done about it," Sesshomaru responded before he left the barrack in order to find Kisuke Urahara.
To be continued…
