Legacy of the Moon
Arc II: Dawn of Dreams
Chapter 35: Unifications I
"Don't worry… I will make sure you reach there in time, you can go and rest in the guest room," She spoke while putting on her clothes, "besides how is Yoruichi doing now?" she asked.
"She is fine now… completely healed," he answered.
"Let her know that I am upset because she hasn't visited me yet even when she has the time to simply roam around in the Soul Society," Kukaku replied.
"Ha ha ha… yes, I will certainly let her know… besides, thanks a lot Kukaku-san… for everything," He murmured while leaving her room after putting on his clothes.
"You are welcome Kisuke… I hope we will be able to win over these new threats," She responded while watching him leave.
"Yes Kukaku-san, I hope the same," He muttered as he departed to the guest room.
The next morning
Compound of the Central 46…
The functioning of the Central 46 had started early in the morning. They had already sent letters to all the important people who were needed to be present at the meeting. In those letters, they mentioned the names of those people who were called for the meeting, their position during the meeting, and all the issues that were going to be addressed in the meeting.
Captain Kyoraku was chosen as the representative for the entire Gotei 13 in the absence of Genryusai Yamamoto. Urahara was chosen as the representative for himself, all the employees of Urahara Shop, Yoruichi, and Isshin. Ichigo was chosen as the representative for himself, Orihime, Uryu, Sado, and Shinji's group of Vizards. Sesshomaru was chosen as the representative for himself, Stark, Lilynette, Halibel, Apacci, Mila Rose, Sung-Sun, Nelliel, Pesche, Dondochakka, Ulquiorra, and Roka.
The meeting of Central 46 started in the late morning while the formalities took some extra time before the main proceedings started. It was made mandatory for Captain Kyoraku, Urahara, Ichigo, and Sesshomaru to be present in the Central 46 compound for the entire proceedings. Once everyone had arrived in the compound, the meeting commenced with the focus of all members of Central 46 on Captain Kyoraku.
"Captain Shunshui Kyoraku, the representative for the Gotei 13, since we have completed all the formalities, we would like to start with the instructions for you. Once the instructions have been given, you can ask the questions or object against them should you be confused or disagree," the first Judge of the Central 46 said to him.
"Sure, provide me with the instructions," Kyoraku replied.
"Number 1: From this day on, you will be by default the 'Acting Head Captain' of the Gotei 13 in the absence of the actual Head Captain Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto. Unless someone else other than you is appointed as the Acting Head Captain by the Central 46.
Number 2: Orkos, Aizen, all the Infernal Demons, and all of their subordinates are the enemies of the Soul Society. The Central 46 orders you to kill them whenever and wherever they are spotted.
Number 3: Ever since it was discovered that Orkos has become the de facto ruler of the Hueco Mundo and is gathering an army, Squad 12 has temporarily blocked all the routes that lead to the Hueco Mundo. After this meeting is over, all the routes of Hueco Mundo which can lead to either Soul Society or World of the Living will be permanently shut down until the extermination of Orkos.
Number 4: Gotei 13 will make temporary teams for the extermination of all the enemies of Soul Society and its allies. These teams will be created by Genryusai Yamamoto and they will be sent on a mission in different worlds to search the enemies and destroy them.
Do you have any questions or objections?" The first judge asked Kyoraku after conveying to him all the instructions.
"No, I agree with all the instructions," he responded.
"Urahara Kisuke, the representative of Urahara Shop, Yoruichi Shihoin, and Isshin Kurosaki, for you the instructions are regarding your stay in the Soul Society.
Number 1: All the restrictions and bans on your faction will be lifted and now any of you can visit the Soul Society freely at any time without the requirement of permission from anyone. Unless any authority has issued some emergency rules that prevent your entry into the Soul Society.
Number 2: Barracks will be allocated for all of you so that you have a place to stay whenever you visit the Soul Society." The second judge explained to Urahara.
"Thank you so much, this was certainly very generous," Urahara thanked them politely.
"Ichigo Kurosaki, the representative of Inoue Orihime, Uryu Ishida, Yasutora Sado, and Hirako Shinji's group of Vizards, you have to follow the same instructions given to Urahara Kisuke along with the two additional instructions.
Number 3: Your area of operation mainly will be the World of the Living. If an enemy or a group of enemies appears in the World of the Living then it will be the responsibility of your faction.
Number 4: Your faction will be known as the Substitute Squad from now on." The third judge said to Ichigo.
"I see… thanks, I am fine with everything, I am sure Shinji and others will be happy to know this," Ichigo replied.
"I have got a question now," Urahara muttered.
"What is it?" The Second judge responded.
"We also live in the World of the Living… moreover I have worked with Ichigo's group as well as with the Vizards, so why our duties are different than theirs?" Urahara asked in a serious tone.
"It is because your faction possesses more than just the battle power. Hence, we want to keep your faction free to operate where it is most required at a given condition," The Second judge answered him.
"Hmm… I understand," Urahara responded and then stepped back.
"Daiyokai Sesshomaru, the representative of the Arrancars which are currently present in the Soul Society. We want you to first listen to the instructions carefully and then only raise questions or objections. Your instructions are as follows:
Number 1: Your faction is allowed in the Soul Society only temporarily. The allowance notice will be sent to you and all the members of the faction at the time of meetings or the battles. Your faction is not allowed in the Soul Society other than the allowance period. Additional permissions will be required if you want to add a Hollow or a Yokai in your faction.
Number 2: Barracks or rooms will be allocated to you permanently so that you have a fixed place to stay whenever you visit the Soul Society.
Number 3: Your area of operation will be your world until it is confirmed that it is free of enemies. Afterward, you will receive occasional notices whenever you or any member of your faction will be required. Agents from Soul Society will be dispatched to your world for confirmation about the presence or absence of our enemies and also to mark your locations should we approach you in the hour of need.
Do you have any questions or objections?" The fourth judge asked the Daiyokai.
"No, however, I will comply with these instructions on certain conditions," He replied in his usual cold tone.
Suddenly Kyoraku and Ichigo looked at him with a surprise while Urahara simply smiled since he knew what the Daiyokai was up to. On the other hand, there was a chaos among all the members of the Central 46. They found it extremely disrespectful that Sesshomaru was trying to bargain just to comply with their basic instructions. However, after some time, the judges decided to listen to his condition.
"We want to know your conditions?" The fourth judge said to him.
"First, I want all the rights over all the Arrancars in my faction. I can do anything to any one of them and no authority will have any say in this. Second, I want the possession of Kaien Shiba's sword which is retrieved from the Hueco Mundo in the recent war against Aizen. Along with this, I also want Soul Society to hand over Findorr Calius to me. Lastly, I want access to the most advanced laboratory in S.R.D.I. without any interference for one day," Sesshomaru spoke in an aristocratic manner."
Now there was even greater chaos in the entire Central 46, a majority of them were not ready to accept his demands but some of the members agreed to them. Meanwhile, all the judges were discussing his demands and then the fifth judge decided to come forward after consulting with the remaining judges.
"For your first demand, we can't allow you to harm or kill any Arrancar because they are an asset to both you and us in this war against the infernal demons," The fifth judge muttered.
"I am not going to kill them but I just don't want the intervention from anyone," the Daiyokai replied.
After a small discussion of a few minutes the fifth judge replied, "We accept your first demand but your second demand can't be accepted because that sword originally belonged to one of our soldiers and it is retrieved by one of our team in the Hueco Mundo. On the other hand, Findorr Calius has refused to side with you or the Soul Society. He is an enemy of ours and is currently locked in the prison."
Now Urahara moved ahead while taking out the token of the Shiba clan which Kukaku gave him but Sesshomaru stopped him from a gesture from his hand. It shocked the Shinigami in the sandals and hat but he stopped in his tracks.
"This sword is retrieved from the Noveno Espada because he attempted to use it during the battle against the infernal demon Gyuki. He was able to use that sword because I revived him back to life. The situation is the same with Findorr Calius since I am the one who revived him back to life," Sesshomaru spoke to them.
There was a pause from the judges as they discussed the conditions suggested by Sesshomaru and after a few minutes of conversation, they finally agreed to it.
"Alright, we accept all of your demands but there is some consideration in the third demand. The Captain and Lieutenant of Squad 12 viz. Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Nemu Kurotsuchi will remain present during the entire time you will be using the facilities of the laboratory. Just to make sure that you are not doing any collateral damage in the building," the fifth judge said to him.
"I accept this," the Daiyokai agreed to them, and then the sixth judge started to carry out all the formalities before the closure of the session. Now all four of them walked outside the compound of the Central 46.
"That was something… I have never seen anyone bargaining like this with the members of Central 46," Kyoraku said to Sesshomaru.
"I knew what were you up to but I didn't know that we won't even need the token from Shiba Clan to convince them," Urahara spoke to him as well.
"I think we just shouldn't let them act like they are the boss," Sesshomaru replied.
"I kind of agree," Ichigo murmured while walking beside them with a smile.
Later in the evening
A laboratory of Shinigami Research & Development Institute…
Mayuri and Nemu were already present there since the beginning along with Urahara and Sesshomaru. The Shinigami in sandals and hat was working hard to prepare the apparatus for the operation of the Espadas. Sesshomaru and Nemu were helping him in the preparations while Mayuri Kurotsuchi was simply discussing the details and complications of the processes that were going to be carried out on the Espadas. They were waiting for the first Espada who was going to be treated and soon Halibel walked in along with Orihime and Roka. She was already in her Resurreccion form as recommended by Urahara. She was looking slightly worried but was determined to go through the process in order to make herself powerful.
"Don't worry," Sesshomaru said to her slowly while she walked passed him.
"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru" She responded slowly.
Now Findorr was taken into the laboratory on a stretcher. He was also in his Resurreccion form but he was unconscious because of the heavy doses which were given to him. Now Nemu used a cutter on Findorr to cut pieces of his Hollow armor while Roka picked those pieces before she activated her special healing ability and wrapped those pieces around all the damaged portions of Halibel's sword and her Hollow armor.
"What is she doing?" Mayuri asked with curiosity upon watching Roka's ability.
"She can generate bandages made up of similar material to that of the Hollow armor," Urahara replied after which Mayuri looked quite intrigued about what was going to come next.
After Roka completed covering all the cracks and holes in her weapon and Hollow armor with the Findorr's Hollow material, Urahara asked her to step into the cylindrical glass chamber that was right in front of her at a distance of some steps away. She silently stepped into it and then before sealing it tight, the Shinigami in sandals and hat asked her to wear the mask which was hanging inside the chamber. Once she wore the mask, the Shinigami in sandals and hat showed her thumbs up and waited for her to signal him back. On the other hand, Nemu put the unconscious Findorr inside the other glass chamber beside Halibel and attached the breathing mask to his face. The moment she responded with a thumbs up, Urahara pressed a few buttons and suddenly both the glass chambers started to get filled with a transparent liquid.
Once both the glass chambers were filled up to the brim, Urahara released strong sedatives in that fluid and soon Halibel closed her eyes while looking at Sesshomaru. After she fell into a deep slumber, Urahara looked at Sesshomaru for final approval before he began the process. The Daiyokai moved his head slightly in agreement and soon the transfer of core spirit energy started from Findorr to Halibel.
During the entire process, Mayuri was keeping an eye on the heartbeats, pulse, and any activity in their brain and spiritual structure. Once Urahara noticed that the process was going smoothly, he relaxed somewhat. The pieces of Findorr's Hollow armor were slowly melting and becoming a part of Halibel's Hollow armor, healing all the holes and cracks that she sustained in her battle against Aizen. However, the moment Findorr's spirit energy transferred into Halibel's body more than 40%, there were some negative disturbances in her brain and spiritual structure.
"Urahara… this is getting unstable," Mayuri told him immediately.
Now the Shinigami in sandals and hat quickly stopped the transfer of core spirit energy from Findorr to Halibel but even after shutting down the energy transfer, her condition was getting worse with every passing moment. Her entire hollow armor was changing slowly. Just like Findorr, the quantity of Hollow armor on her right side was increasing.
"I think we shouldn't wait for long," Sesshomaru said to Urahara.
"You are right, I do not see it getting better without the interference," He replied to him.
Urahara immediately grabbed the Zanpakuto of Kaien Shiba which was already in the Shikai form. He put it in another glass chamber on the left of Halibel. He filled it with a similar transparent fluid and now he started the transfer of core spirit energy to Halibel from this Zanpakuto while mainly targeting her sword. Soon her situation started to become normal and everyone relaxed to see that.
"Did the Hollow nature inside her increase more than the required quantity?" Mayuri asked Urahara.
"Not exactly… it was like a mini-Hollowfication," the Shinigami in sandals and hat replied.
"What do you mean?" Mayuri asked him.
"Her Zanpakuto was possessed by the Hollow nature of Findorr and it was revolting against her Hollow powers. So, now I am increasing the Shinigami nature in her Zanpakuto in order to balance it out and stop that internal clash of Hollow energies," Urahara answered him.
Now everyone was looking at Halibel because, with the continuation of the transfer of energy, she was slowly losing her Resurreccion and reverting into her base form. On the other hand, the Trident Zanpakuto was also slowly reverting to its sealed state. Meanwhile, Findorr had been taken out of the glass chamber by Nemu on Mayuri's command and now he was on life life-supporting system on a stretcher.
Once the energy transfer was completed, Kaien Shiba's Zanpakuto turned to dust while Halibel fully reverted to her base form. Now all the glass chambers were emptied and Halibel was taken out safely along with her Zanpakuto. Sesshomaru made her lie down on a stretcher and after Urahara declared her condition normal, she was sent to Squad 4 barracks for general healing.
"Well… the first operation is done," Urahara said to everyone.
"Next is?" Mayuri asked him.
"Nelliel… her operation will be easier and lastly it will be Stark's turn because it's the riskiest," He replied.
"You are going to separate them, don't you?" Mayuri asked further.
"Yes, smart guess," He replied with his usual funny smile with a fan.
Mayuri didn't reply to him and after some time Ichigo walked into the laboratory along with little Nel while her Fraccions were prevented to enter S.R.D.I. premises. The Septima Espada was also taken to the laboratory unconscious just like Findorr.
"Don't worry, Nel… I will stay here with you until everything is done," Ichigo said to her upon leaning down to her stature.
"You promise Itsigo?" She asked innocently in a scared voice.
"Yes Nel, I promise… I and Orihime will not let anything happen to you," He answered in a determined tone.
"I will also stay here Nel… everything will be alright very soon," Orihime replied.
"Nel is ready then," She murmured while looking into their eyes with hope.
To be continued…