Light grey eyes scanned across a computer monitor that sat in the middle of the floor. A soft sigh escaped the man's chest as he uncrossed his arms. The long dark green sleeves of his kimono falling away from his forearm as he raised his right hand to the back of his neck.
"What do you think this means, Boss?" Tessai asked, his brow lifting into a scowl under his black framed glasses.
"Well, I'm really not sure. I haven't seen readings like this in quite a few years..." Kisuke answered as an involuntary chill ran down his spine, causing him to rub the back of his neck with his palm.
"Almost looks like the same pattern as before, doesn't it?" Tessai's deep voice spoke lowly; as if he were hesitating in speaking his inner thoughts.
A routine monitoring of the city had left both men sitting in the middle of the small candy shop feeling a bit baffled. A reading of an energy source; a strong energy source had stared appearing within the radar system almost four hours ago. With each thirty minutes that passed the source began to move even closer to Karakura Town.
"Yes...it does..." Kisuke admitted.
Tessai turned his head, his dark gaze searching Kisuke's profile. Deep down Kisuke could tell that his long time friend hadn't wanted that to be his answer. Even though the thought sent a wave of unease so deep inside kisuke's stomach; he couldn't lie about it. The reading in front of them only meant one thing...something was on it's way to Karakura Town and it was coming from the sky.
Linake Zaraki sat with her hands folded in her lap as Karina continued to speak. What Linake had hoped would only take a few minutes to discuss had turned into more than an hour. Still, Linake sat patiently with the woman as she took deep sips of water between her explanations. Linake now understood that the past couple days for Karina had been anything but easy. Between Grimmjow's seduction and being attacked by a hollow; something Linake could sympathize with, it was no wonder the woman was wired so tightly-I remember how hard it was for me when I was first brought here.
"I was attacked by a hollow as well. Man, that was years ago now..." Linake whispered.
"How can you live here? How can you feel comfortable being around these soul reapers?" Karina blurted.
Linake shook her head, knowing that Karina's newfound prejudiced of soul reaper's was due to Amaya's brash handling of her mission-what the hell has gotten into her? Does she not remember how it felt?
"I'm married to the Captain of the 11th division; Kenpachi Zaraki. We have two children. I guess you can say that I no longer felt like I had a life within the human world. When someone is faced with the true reality of how things work within our world, you tend to have two reactions; fear, or excitement. Mine was fear, while Amaya's was excitement." Linake explained.
"I can't believe this is happening to me..." Karina whispered, her brow pulling tight as she allowed her eyes to slide shut.
"I understand this feels overwhelming for you, Karina. I will say, I've only met Grimmjow once and it was for a short period of time. I'm sorry I can't give you anymore information." Linake replied.
Karina let out a deep breath, her purple bangs floating across her forehead as exhaustion overtook her strained body. Linake seemed to understand her weariness and moved to stand from the small bed they had both been sitting on. When the woman stood Karina felt herself growing a little anxious at the thought of being left alone. Linake had given her so much information. Grimmjow was a...hollow. No...an Espada. A creature that had once been like the very one who had attacked her, yet, through illegal experimentation at the hands of Amaya's husband, no less, Grimmjow had been given a hybrid form; somewhere between a hollow and a soul reaper.
"I've explained a lot to you in the span of a couple hours. I am sure it will take you a while to process everything. I don't mind coming back to answer more of your questions. For now, I think it would be best for you to get some rest." Linake smiled down at her warmly.
Karina stared back at her with parted lips as if she were still confused, but nodded her head anyway. As Karina turned her body, preparing to lay back on the small cot she let out a wince, indicating that she was in pain. Linake paused, her brow furrowing as she leaned over Karina. Karina sighed deeply allowing her eyes to roll at the situation. Karina lifted her left arm, her features twisting from the simple motion. Linake's gaze narrowed as she watched the woman lift the sleeve of her turtleneck up.
"Why didn't you tell me you were injured?" Linake demanded as she hunched down on the balls of her feet to inspect her wound.
"Honestly? I wasn't even sure if you would really care at first..." Karina admitted.
Linake scoffed, feeling like it was time to roll her own eyes. Even though she had to admit if the situation had been reversed, she probably would have thought the same. Karina held her breath as Linake's soft grip wrapped around the underside of her bicep. Linake shook her head as she inspected the wound, it looked as if it had been healing, but in the process had been torn back open leaving portions of Karina's skin raw and seeping.
"I guess it would be a waste of breath to ask how this got worse. I have a pretty good mental picture, anyway." Linake sighed, noticing the pattern of bruising resembled fingers-Grimmjow must have been holding onto her with all his strength. She's lucky she wasn't torn apart! Linake pulled her hand back as frustration filled her-you really made a mess out this, Amaya!
"This needs to be looked at. I'm going to have to send for someone to preform healing-" Linake started.
"No! Please, don't! I-I've seen enough new faces for one day. I'm sure it won't hurt to wait until tomorrow..." Karina interjected.
"I understand, but, this is on it's way to becoming infected, Karina." Linake countered.
"Is there something you can do? Can you heal me?" Karina asked, her features hopeful while her eyes held her emotions; it didn't take much to understand Karina was close to her breaking point. Even if Linake brought in someone soothing like Hanataro; she might snap.
"I'm not proficient in healing kido." Linake admitted, averting her gaze.
Karnia's lips parted as she took in a breath, preparing to speak but paused at the way Linake refused to look at her.
" What are you not telling me?" Karina demanded; seeming to pick up on Linake's hesitation.
"I could heal that wound, but it's not the same way as other soul reaper's would. It would require a level of intimacy I am not comfortable having with anyone other than my husband." Linake explained reluctantly.
"Wait...what do you mean by intimacy?" Karina countered as her brow furrowed in agitation-what kind of power would require something as strange as that?
"I can absorb the sun's energy in order to heal myself. My husband and I discovered that when we are intimate and I absorb that energy, by proxy, he is also healed." Linake explained.
Karina allowed her body to deflate, knowing very well she probably looked as if she were a pouting child. If the risk for infection was as high as Linake warned, she would be foolish to deny treatment regardless of who it was.
"Bloody hell..." Karina sighed, bringing up her right hand to her forehead. The observed urge to cry overwhelming her, no doubt due to exhaustion and over simulation.
"I can request that a friend of mine come here to see you. You won't have to see Captain Kurotsuchi again tonight. Is that a good enough compromise?" Linake offered.
Karina forced her head to nod, even though deep down she was contemplating asking Linake to reconsider her feelings towards her own abilities-I've already been as intimate as I can get with an Espada. Why not with a substitute soul reaper?
As the thought of Grimmjow overtook Karina's inner thoughts she felt a wave of sadness fill her, her mind playing havoc on her overloaded emotions-He's not coming for you, Karina. Karina's silent wallowing was brought to a standstill when a loud knock echoed throughout the small cell. Karina lifted her hand from her face, forcing herself up into a sitting position even though the action made her left arm burn. Karina made it back up just as Linake pulled the door open.
Karina felt her lungs expand, sucking in a deep breath as the figure of a man filled up the whole doorway. His shoulders so wide the light from the hall couldn't penetrate the room like it had before. As the figured ducked it's head down; Karina realized it was because he was too tall to enter the room if he hadn't. Karina felt her chest heave, sucking in a panicked breath as her gaze locked on the man's chiseled features; his deep set brow gave the impression that he was angry, his right eye was hidden by a black eye patch while the left side of his face was marred by a jagged scar running down the length of his left cheek.
"What's taking you so long, Woman!?" Kenpachi growled down at his wife, oblivious to Karina's reaction.
A harsh gasping sound filled the space, making Linake turn her head over her shoulder. Karina had pushed her body back against the concrete wall, her breathing seeming to come too fast for her to gain enough air. It was as if something had triggered a fear so deep it had caused Karina to start hyperventilating.
Kenpachi crossed his strong arms over his wide chest, his frame was so massive in comparison to the small space he filled every corner with his presence. Linake ignored her husbands question as realization set in. Linake rushed forward to the terrified woman, lifting her hand to the side of her face in order to get her attention.
"The hell's wrong with her?" Kenpachi barked, his voice making Karina's body flinch as she tried to shrink into a ball.
"Look at me, Karina! He's not here to hurt you, I promise." Linake soothed, knowing that seeing Kenpachi had somehow managed to force Karina's mind into a state of paranoid shock. Karina's gaze darted back to Linake as she managed to suck in a well needed deep breath. Linake cupped the side of Karina's face as the woman began to sob.
"Shhh. Just breath. He's my husband. Remember, I told you I married a captain? I'm sorry I didn't describe what my husband looked like to you earlier." Linake shook her head as Karina's gaze widened, her brown eyes moving back to Kenpachi as if trying to comprehend how the word husband would fit into the equation. Kenpachi stood towering over Linake's back, looking down at the two women with a raised brow.
"What's goin' on? Why the hell is she so scared?" Kenpachi demanded, his brow furrowing with his own confusion.
"She's been through a lot in a very short time, Kenpachi. It's a long story. I'll explain it to you later, but could you do me a favor?" Linake asked.
"Alright, what do you need me to do?" Kenpachi agreed.
"Wait for me in the hall." Linake answered.
"Tch. Fine, I'll step outside...make it quick, we have a meeting we need to get to." Kenpachi growled as he decided to give the woman some breathing room. Kenpachi left the door open in order to hear what was going on, not liking the fact Linake had been locked inside a room with someone nobody knew anything about; it didn't matter that his wife had immense powers of her own.
"I-I-I'm sorry..." Karina stuttered as she felt her head begin to swim. It was like her body had finally decided to shut down on her.
"It's okay. Just close your eyes and rest now." Linake whispered, watching Karina's eyelids flutter to a close.
Linake brought her arms down, catching Karina by her middle and then gently laying her on her back. While Linake knew tapping into someone's elemental structure wasn't the best way to calm someone down, it had been the only thing Linake was capable of doing to help Karina.
"What did you do to her?" Kenpachi asked from the doorway, knowing his wife well enough to understand the placement of Linake's hands had meant something.
"I forced each of the elements within her forward and drained them a little. It's nothing that will hurt her, She'll just sleep soundly for at least ten to twelve hours now." Linake answered as she kept her gaze on Karina's now relaxed expression.
"Won't that make her feel like shit when she wakes up?" Kenpachi asked.
"I'm sure she would feel like shit regardless." Linake countered.
"What's up with that arm of hers? Looks like it hurts." Kenpachi continued.
Linake stood from the small cot and turned to face her observant husband, one thing about Kenpachi; not much got passed him when he bothered to pay attention. Over the years Linake had managed to hone her abilities in many aspects, it seemed as the days passed, a new discovery presented itself. Linake had the ability to control all aspects of elemental properties, whether by summoning the pure aspect of the element in it's raw form; or by simply tapping into the essence within another living being. As long as the spiritual pressure of the target was less than her own, Linake could control the very template of their existence.
"Something is different about her, Kenpachi. I can't put my finger on it...but I'm pretty sure this woman isn't just an ordinary human." Linake stated as she stepped out into the hallway.
Kenpachi snorted; the left side of his mouth lifting into a sarcastic smirk.
"Tell me somethin' I don't know, Wife."
Amaya Aizen forced herself to stay seated atop Mayuri's exam table. The strike Karina had managed to land on her already creating a bruise across her cheekbone. Amaya didn't know what was worse, the sting of her pride by being struck, or the inner thoughts of everyone else around her. Even the head captain had taken a double take at her when entering the room-so much for me being untouchable! As the minutes ticked by Amaya found herself growing even more restless. Lifting her head, she glanced at the clock above the doorway and let out an irritated huff-what the hell is taking Linake so long!?
Amaya turned her head to the right, feeling her husbands touch as Sosuke laid is hand across her shoulder. The couple didn't have to speak aloud in order to communicate, the two of them sharing a mental link through Amaya's abilities and Sosuke's immortality. Amaya let out another sigh as her husband's thoughts probed her mind.
"You feel guilty." Sosuke stated; not asking a question, but making a statement only she could hear.
Amaya's brow furrowed as her small frame tensed in reaction, gritting her teeth Amaya shook her head.
"I was following my orders, Sosuke!" Amaya countered, not wanting to admit that her husband was half right.
The energy in the room shifted, bringing both Amaya and Sosuke's attention to the hallway 's accusing gaze zeroed in on Amaya the minute she crossed into the room.
"Were you able to get any useful information, Linake?" Shunsui Kyoraku asked as he stepped away from Mayuri's computer station.
It seemed that everyone involved had decided to hold vigil inside Mayuri's lab, waiting for her to come back with a full report-Linake exhaled sharply from her nose, her frustration turning into anger on Karina's behalf. Amaya averted her gaze away from Linake's intense stare.
"I found out a lot." Linake answered, not even bothering to face the head captain.
Linake took two steps forward, standing directly in front of the woman she had considered to be her best friend for almost five years. Amaya adjusted herself on the exam table, still trying to avoid the issue.
"Answer me!" Linake all but yelled, her brows furrowing as Amaya continued to ignore the internal question Linake had asked her.
"Oh my..." Mayuri muttered, turning his computer chair in order to face the two women.
Amaya scanned the room, feeling her body begin to overheat as everyone turned to stare at her. Even Byakuya's steel grey eyes moved to look at her briefly before moving to Linake.
"Nothing." Amaya answered.
"Bullshit! There must be something wrong with you! How could you do that to her!? Do you even remember what it was like all those years ago? " Linake snarled.
"I was following my orders!" Amaya gritted through her teeth, finally meeting Linake's gaze.
"Cut the shit! Soifon may be your captain, Amaya, but it doesn't mean you have to imitate her! This isn't you! Did it even occur to you to bring them together as a pair, or were you just concentrating on your own ego?" Linake snapped.
"Linake..." Sosuke spoke lowly.
"What!? Are you going to stand there and try and defend this? How could you be so cruel to someone? How could you look that woman in the eye and threaten to kill her lover!?" Linake seethed, taking another step towards Amaya.
"Alright, Woman..." Kenpachi's rough voice called out as he placed his large hand over her shoulder, pulling Linake backwards against his frame.
Linake felt the warmth of Kenpachi seeping into her back, the action grounding her, making her realize she had only been seconds away from releasing her flames out of anger. Linake allowed her head to tip forward, squeezing her eyes shut.
"I've never been more disappointed in you..." Linake stated internally.
Amaya let out an involuntary chocking sound from the back of her throat before pushing herself from the top of the exam chair. Amaya kept her head down as she hurried passed Linake, not wanting the other captain's to see the fresh tears spilling down her bruised cheek.
"My, my...it would appear that the situation has taken a dramatic turn. Would you care to enlighten those of us not privy to the information as to why this confrontation took place?" Mayuri broke the silence as he stood from his chair.
"Amaya may have had grounds to bring Karina to us, but the way the situation was handled may have only just made trouble for us." Linake stated.
"You think Grimmjow will seek retaliation?" Sosuke asked, meeting Linake's gaze.
Linake snorted.
"You know him better than we do, you are after all responsible for his evolution. Funny how your wife seemed to forget about that in the heat of the moment." Linake blurted.
Aizen narrowed his gaze at Linake, his lips thinning into a frown. Ever since the outbreak of the virus Amaya had been trying to prove her worth. It seemed that Amaya found herself weaker than the others for the simple fact she had been infected. A feeling Sosuke had spent the better part of a year trying to resolve. It was fact that Amaya had power unlike any other; not too far away from the spectrum of Aizen's own abilities; but she would never be invincible. A realization Sosuke himself had come to terms with many years ago.
"Excuse me. I need to see to my wife." Aizen spoke softly before taking his leave.
"I don't understand, Mrs. Zaraki. What does any of this have to do with Grimmjow?" Kameko asked.
Linake's brow furrowed as she met Kameko's confused expression-wait a minute...how would Kameko even know about Grimmjow? Had she even met him before?
"It would appear that Ms. Reiko is involved with the 6th Espada. I take it Amaya wasn't very tactful with the way she decided to handle the situation? If for some reason you fear retaliation from the beast, it would go without saying that blood was shed?" Mayuri interjected; his gaze moving to Kameko.
Linake watched the exchange between Mayuri and Kameko, getting the feeling that the two had just had some form of unspoken conversation. Kameko nodded her head to Mayuri before bowing slightly, giving the impression she had just been warned by her captain to refrain from asking any further questions.
"Yes, blood was shed. Amaya took it upon herself to stab Grimmjow through the chest when all he was trying to do was protect Karina. I understand that some of you may not be able to understand where my anger comes from, but believe me, if the situation had been reversed and someone had tried to take me from Kenpachi; do you really think he would just look the other way?" Linake asked.
"They wouldn't stand a chance..." Kenpachi growled into her ear.
"Even against Amaya? She can read your every move. Sure, if you got a good hit on her she would be done for, but Grimmjow isn't a soul reaper. If Karina is telling me the truth, and I have no reason to assume she isn't, all Grimmjow wanted was to be able to stay with her." Linake sighed.
"I see. In that case we will take extra precautions. If Grimmjow creates a garganta and enters into the soul society we will be able to intercept him before retaliation even becomes a factor." Mayuri stated.
Linake nodded, knowing very well that Mayuri and his squad were more than capable of overseeing the logistics; but it didn't stifle the sadness Linake felt within her; of all the people who should be sympathetic to Karina, Amaya should have been the first.
"What about the woman? How does she appear to you, Linake? She was able to hit Amaya, I'd be lying if I told you that fact didn't bother me a little." Shunsui admitted.
Linake let out another sigh before turning to face Mayuri directly, meeting his golden gaze before she spoke.
"I can't pinpoint what it is, but something about her feels off to me. If I had to guess, she will manifest some form of ability, the question is what type. I don't think we are dealing with another substitute in this case." Linake answered.
Mayuri grinned back at Linake, his golden gaze filling with a mixture of excitement and amusement. Ayumi had suspected that the arrival of Karina would mean another human would be added to their ranks, but with each new fact added to the equation it would appear that Mayuri's wife's assumption had missed it's mark.
"I'm sure it's nothing so complicated that I won't be able to come to a proper conclusion." Mayuri assured them.
"Alright then, I guess we'll leave it in your hands Captain Kurotsuchi. It's been an eventful evening, why don't we all head out and get some rest." Shunsui offered with a warm smile.
Linake found herself standing still as both Byakuya and Shunsui went to leave Mayuri's lab. Something in the way Kameko had reacted to the mention of Grimmjow didn't sit well with her. Linake turned her head, seeking out the younger soul reaper-something's going on here...why would the newly appointed member of squad 12 look as if she were upset about an Espada being wounded?
"Hey, You comin?" Kenpachi called out over his shoulder, bringing Linake's attention back to her husband.
Deciding not to outwardly question Mayuri or his subordinate, Linake turned on her heel intending to follow her husband back to their barracks. The couple did have two children waiting for them at home and it was getting close to dinner time.
Ayumi Kurotsuchi stood from the computer chair she had been sitting in during the exchange between Linake and Amaya. Although it pained the woman dearly to see such close friends fighting with one another, Ayumi couldn't help but agree with Linake. Kameko turned her head, meeting Ayumi's sympathetic gaze as she felt a hand being placed on her shoulder. The two women shared a moment.
Ever since the night Ayumi's abilities had allowed her to live through Kameko's own turmoil, the two women had formed a close bond. The fact that Kameko had joined squad 12 only after having completed a little less than a year at the academy had seemed strange to many. What they didn't understand was that Kameko was bonded to squad 12. Both Mayuri and Grimmjow were more than just a soul reaper captain and an espada; to Ayumi and Kameko; they were hero's.
"I'm sure he will be okay, Kameko. We both know how strong he is." Ayumi whispered lowly.
Kameko nodded her head, forcing her emotions down when all she wanted to do was cry. Cry for the man who had decided to help her during the darkest hours of her life.
"Are you okay?" Akon whispered, appearing at Kameko's side.
"Yes! I'm so sorry I spoke out of tune. I heard his name and my mind slipped." Kameko whispered back.
"The three of you should bring your attention to the matter ahead of us. What happened in the past is neither here nor there. We cannot allow our personal opinions to could our judgement." Mayuri warned.
Grimmjow let out a deep growl as he rolled his body over in the empty bed. As he blinked his eyes the scent of his female assaulted his senses. Pushing his body up into a sitting position, Grimmjow glanced over at the red numbers on the alarm clock. It was a little passed seven in the morning in this world. Grimmjow didn't know if the times would sync up with the Soul Society, but he honestly didn't really care.
Stifling a wince, Grimmjow swung his legs over the side of the bed and made it to his feet. As he walked into the bathroom the only thing he could think about was getting to Karina; to have her back by his side-she belongs to me now, they had no right to take her from me!
Grimmjow's narrowed gaze lifted to the mirror in front of him, searching the white bandages he had managed to wrap himself up with. In the middle was a small splotch of crimson where the wound Amaya Aizen had inflicted on him had seeped. Grimmjow gripped the edge of the countertop with his hands, squeezing to the point the granite crumbled under the pressure.
Grimmjow lifted his head, ignoring the grit sticking to his hands as his hackles rose, alerting him that something was off. Grimmjow turned, heading back out into the bedroom, lifting his head he took in a deep breath. Nothing smelled off; so what was this feeling? Pausing in the middle of the room Grimmjow turned his head towards the window, his instincts seeming to lead his attention outside of the apartment. Grimmjow muffled a curse under his breath as he stepped over to the bed, climbing up onto the high mattress, he yanked the curtains back, peering out into the horizon.
"What the fuck is that?" Grimmjow breathed.
Off in the distance was a swirling of colors, deep reds and shadows of grey and back. Grimmjow was no expert of the human world, in fact, he didn't know much about it, but he knew one thing...the skies in the human world had never looked like this before!
"What the fuck is going on?" Grimmjow shook his head as he peered down at the human's walking down the street below without a care in the world. Grimmjow felt his stomach lurch as he watched car after car go by. His gaze moved to a woman jogging down the street with white little buds stuck inside her ears, listening to something Grimmjow thought was music. He could hear it perfectly, as if he were standing right next to her. The woman paused on the corner below him, jogging in place as she waited for the crosswalk.
"They don't see it?" Grimmjow asked aloud as he lifted his head to the sky once more-how the fuck can't they see this!?
Grimmjow leaned his body forward, his hands resting against the wall on each side of the small window. If the human's couldn't see the changes, then what did that mean? Grimmjow let out another curse as a sense of dread washed over him.
"Karina! I gotta get her back to Hueco Mundo before whatever the fuck this is reaches the ground!" Grimmjow growled.
Author's note: Hey everyone! Sorry I've been taking so long to keep going with this story. I've been training for a new job these past couple weeks and it's been pretty brutal. 40 hour work weeks don't leave me with much time to write like I used to. I will however eventually finish the series, it's just going to take some time. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Until next time! -L.J.