Chapter 9: Crunch the World Down
When Ichigo woke, every part of his body ached so badly he felt faint from the pain. Looking around, he saw he was laying on a road, the moon hovering silently above him in a sky of black, sprinkled with twinkling stars; Renji was lying face-down on the ground beside an apartment block. Someone was leaning over him, their long, orange hair falling about their shoulders to create a curtain, hiding its face…
Inoue!
Ichigo tried to move, which resulted in a painful crack as his bones jumped; he groaned loudly and fell back into place. Orihime looked up, having heard the noise, smiled and then hurried to his side, crying "Kurosaki-kun!" as she went. When she arrived, Ichigo was fading in and out of unconsciousness. Placing her fingers on her blue hair-clips, she cried: "Ayame! Shun'o!"
The two fairies appeared in a flash of orange light, circling the Shinigami's unmoving body as though searching for a comfortable place to hover; once found, orange light stretched over the gap and the healing process began.
Inoue hurried closer and crouched by her fairies, placing her hands against the shield out of habit. "Will he be okay, Shun'o-kun?" She asked softly.
"Yeah!" Shun'o replied in his high, woman-like voice (it was very easy to believe that Shun'o was a girl). He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at Orihime. "You'll see, Orihime! He'll be fine in no time!"
"I-Inoue…." Ichigo's voice was faint and shaky, but still loud enough to be heard. Inoue instantly forgot she was speaking to Shun'o, and flickered her head towards the boy of her dreams.
"H-hai, Kurosaki-kun?"
"Wh-what happened?" He breathed. "I….I thought I died…."
"Y-you did," Inoue whispered, shuddering at the memory. Ichigo made a strangled noise, his eyes wide with shock. "And so did Renji-kun. A hole appeared in the sky, and you guys shot out of it. You rolled across the road, and didn't move. I panicked. I ran up to you and tried to wake you up, but….you just l-laid there. I-I screamed and tried to wake you up again by banging your chest. I…I don't know how, but you revived. Renji-kun, too." Orihime shook, clasped her hands together and looked away; it hurt to remember. Ichigo's eyes, blank and lifeless, staring unseeingly at the sky. She hadn't paid much attention to Renji's condition, but she was disturbed by the thought to him being dead, too.
"W-whoa…" Ichigo mumbled. For a moment, he seemed lost, far away even, but returned to earth quickly; he twisted his head round and smiled at Orihime. "Thanks, Inoue."
Inoue flushed and looked away. "I-I d-didn't do a-anything, Kurosaki-kun!" She stammered, embarrassed. "U-Um, Kurosaki-kun?"
"Yeah?"
"What exactly happened to you guys?"
It took about fifteen minutes for Ichigo to explain what happened, for it hurt to speak; Ishida and Sado appeared in that time, Ishida pushing his glasses up the rim of his nose, Sado holding up his head and murmuring "Hmmm" as usual. Sado did not wait for Orihime explanation to what was going on; he just picked up the two barely unconscious Shinigami, and carried them inside her apartment. Ishida helped Inoue to her feet, and then followed Sado inside. The giant Mexican dumped Ichigo on the sofa and Renji in a fluffy chair, leaving no space for anyone else to sit down. He and Ishida then turned to the teenager girl, looking for a reason as to why two Shinigami were lying bloody on her front lawn.
Orihime sat them down on the floor, and then explained. Ishida sighed and pushed up his glasses, which shimmered in the apartment lights. "I see." He said fatter-a-fact-ly. "If Kurosaki believes the portal attempted to eat him, he is either going insane or Kurotsuchi Mayuri had something to do with this." His glasses flashed lamely.
Sado scratched his chin, and Inoue forced a smile.
"Hmm…" Sado mumbled.
"I d-doubt Kurosaki-kun is crazy, so….Kurotsuchi-kun must've had something to do with it!"
"I'll explain." All three whipped round to see Abarai Renji hobbling slowly towards them, supported by his Zanpakutou's materialized form. The human one, consisting of a woman with long, pink-brown hair, and a small boy with red hair and a snake tail; the woman supported Renji by throwing his arm over her shoulder, while the young boy just stood their, eyes drifting about the small room with little interest.
"Abarai!" Ishida exclaimed. "You shouldn't be walking around—!"
"He's fine!" The woman snapped angrily, letting Renji down as she spoke. "Now listen to what he has to say!"
Renji told his side of the story, and the three teens cringed.
"How can you still be alive!" Uryu demanded.
"Don't know." Renji said honestly. "I don't bloody know."
"…I forgot to mention." Inoue said softly, and all eyes fell on her.
"What?" Renji asked.
"There was…was a little girl standing beside you bodies before I got there."
Amber eyes widened in shock and surprise. "A little girl?" Renji stressed, as though he found the idea impossible. Which it was. How could a little girl have seen them? Sure, Kurosaki Karin was able to see spirits and she was only eleven, but her brother was a powerful Shinigami who, for many years, could not control his Spirit Energy and let it leak all over the place. She and Yuzu would have been affected—but a random little girl?
Orihime nodded. "I saw a little girl. I didn't see her face, but when I walked up to her she flinched, and then ran away." The teen pattered her cheek. "I wondered if there was something on my face, but I went inside and checked everything, so I know there wasn't. Then I changed, and then changed again, just to be sure." A childish smile rose her cheeks. Her five friends just stared.
Renji hung his head as Inoue began to explain—with great detail—about her encounter with the black cat which she'd seen tip-toeing—or paw-toeing, as she out it—about her bathroom. He could've sworn he'd heard Ichigo groan. Sado's face hadn't changed an inch. Ishida actually looked as though he was interested in what Inoue was saying.
This was going to be a long night….
"I only have one more question…" Choji's voice was shaky, cracking at key points and forcing him to cough every few minutes to clear his throat. "…why is Grimmijow coming with us, if he hates Ulquiorra?"
Grimmijow picked up a stone and threw it at the ninja's head. Shikamaru lifted a foot and kicked Choji out of the stone's path, looking annoyed and board at the same time. "I told ya twenty times!" Grimmijow hissed. "I'd die from annoyance if I stayed there with Harribel and her freaky Fraccion!"
Apache balled her fist and glared at Grimmijow. "No, you wouldn't. You'd die from my blade slicing your throat open!"
Harribel closed her eyes and shock her head. Mila-Rose made a 'hmph' sound. Sun-Sun didn't seem to care.
Now a little past mid-day, the small group of Ninja and one Shinigami had packed their things, eat their meal and were ready to go. While slurping down Hinata's stew, talk about Ulquiorra and Grimmijow companying them to the border had been the hottest topic. Naruto had almost killed himself laughing when Hitsugaya had mentioned it, believing it to be a joke; Kiba had laughed, too, but no-where near as loudly as Naruto. When they discovered he'd been telling the truth, both boy stared at him as though he'd suddenly grown two heads.
"Are you serious?" Naruto had said. "They're coming with us?"
"Yes!" Hitsugaya snapped for the hundredth time.
"We don't have enough food for two more!" He exclaimed.
"Well, they don't eat, so we'll be fine." Kiba's joke was the only thing that had stopped Naruto marching up to them and telling the Arrancar that they could not come.
Switching back to the present, Hitsugaya sighed, and adjusted Hyourinmaru's strap. He didn't see what they had to worry about—he was the one who was going to be training with Ulquiorra, after all. He shuddered at the thought; Ulquiorra was a hard person by personality. How hard would his training be?
Hinata's feelings were mixed when it came to Ulquiorra and Grimmijow traveling with them; on one hand, she was pleased how the group was getting larger, while, on the other hand, she was worried about the food supplies, and about the fact they were Arrancar…She hated herself for thinking that. She'd just spent close to a week living with Arrancars of all ages, yet she still had the guts to say she couldn't travel with them because they had holes in their chest. She found it disgusting and cruel.
"Come, guys, don't fight!" Kiba shouted from his perch in the trees above. Akamaru barked his agreement loudly. "We better get going, too! By the sun's position, I'd say its 2:00! Let's go!"
Hinata looked up and nodded. Glancing round, she saw Harribel and her Fraccion standing in a line, watching them with sad eyes—or, at least, Hinata thought they were sad eyes. Hollows had a way of deceiving you when it came to emotion; they could change their face at a moments notice, transforming the emotions shown into something completely different. It was scary, sometimes, especially when they used it to their advantage. But Hinata was pretty certain that the sadness in those eyes was genuine.
The lavender-eyed Hyuuga walked over to them and bowed, thanking them for their hospitality and kindness, as was proper. Then, as she straightened, she was crushed in a sudden embrace from Apache.
"You be careful!" She hissed. She sounded angry, furious even, but the hint of compassion in the voice was enough to make Hinata smile.
When Apache pulled away, Mila-Rose patted Hinata's head, grinning, and Sun-sun lowered her arm—timidly, for she had yet to get used to such an action—and smiled softly.
"Have a nice trip, kid." Mila-Rose said. "Don't let Grimmijow get you lost."
"I w-won't," Hinata laughed. Then she turned to Harribel. "Thank you for everything."
Half of Harribel's face was hidden by her white jacket, so Hinata never got to know if the blond woman had smiled or not, but the spark in her green eyes made her feel warm all the same. Harribel didn't say anything, either—she just nodded, her golden bangs sliding off her shoulder.
"See ya, Harribel! Mila-Rose! Sun-Sun! Fang-girl, dattabyo!" Naruto's voice was high and cheerful, cutting into the peaceful scene like scissors to paper. Apache screamed at the blue eyed boy and, shaking her fists in the air, dared him to come down and say it to her face.
Come down…
Hinata spun round and saw that the boys—and Ino, of course—were already in the trees, waiting for her to follow. Grimmijow and Ulquiorra were still standing on the ground, Ulquiorra emotionless as usually, Grimmijow looking annoyed and impatient, tapping his foot and burying his hands in his pockets.
"I-I've gotta g-go!" Hinata said quickly to the female Arrancar. "Good bye!"
And then she was gone, jumping lightly into the trees and landing silently. She passed Hitsugaya, who flashed her a smile; Hinata blushed, but she didn't stop, afraid she would do something stupid. Hitsugaya quickly wave to Harribel and the others, then took off after Hinata, Kiba and Neji following close behind.
Ulquiorra looked up as the kids left. Grimmijow huffed a 'Finally!' and then zoomed off after them.
"You're going too, aren't you?" Harribel asked, her voice calm and collected as usually. Her arms were crossed over her chest, giving her a threatening look—then again, Harribel always looked threatening, good mood or not. "You should hurry."
"I was only thinking," Ulquiorra mumbled. And then he, too, had disappeared, seemingly into thin air. The Fraccion were left dazzled unable to keep up with his movements as Harribel had. The blond Arrancar sighed, let her arms fall, then turned around walked away, towards her cave. As she got closer, she saw the note Stark and his crazy, green-haired Fraccion had left for them. She tore it off the rock face and read it for the seventh time.
Sorry, Harribel. Me and Lilynette are heading out. We've always been like this, moving from place to place, so please don't be angry.
Please survive till out next meeting. I'm lazy, yes, but there is something I want to say to you before I part with this world.
Take care of those kids.
Stark.
Harribel stared at it for a long time before screaming and ripping it into pieces.
Rukia sunk into her hospital bed, chest heaving as she suppressed her sobs. She wanted to scream. She wanted to weep and wail. She wanted to hit Ukitake, Shunsui and Mayuri for not letting her go. She wanted to slap Ichigo for worrying her and Renji for disappearing. She wanted to scream at Hitsugaya for disappearing. She wanted to smack Byakyua till he woke and head-butt him for being such a jerk and leaving her alone. So many feelings, so many desires, all bottled up in her little, shuddering body; it was all too much.
Rukia wanted so many things that she wasn't even sure what she wanted. But one thing was for sure. She wanted to tell someone about Nara. It was eating her up inside, which was one of the reasons she'd wanted to go with Ichigo and Renji; she felt she needed to make up for not telling anyone about Nara, for keeping her a secret. Nara claimed to know where Hitsugaya was. How could she possibly keep something so huge a secret? They needed him more then ever—Matsumoto being the one who needed him the most! Rukia rolled over and buried her head in her pillow.
What was she going to do?
She glanced over at Byakyua, laying unmoving in his bed. His face was facing up-wards, unseeing eyes staring at the rocky ceiling; Rukia had never realized till now, but Byakyua really was a good-looking guy. His nose wasn't too long or pointy, nor was his face, his eyes weren't too big or small, though they were a strange colour…then again, who didn't look a little weird in the Soul Society? Rukia's eyes were huge, Renji's eye brows looked like black lightning, Matsumoto's breast were as big as heads, and Ukitake had white hair.
And Ichigo…
Rukia almost stood up and slapped herself. Why was she thinking about Ichigo now, of all times? She had more important thing to do, like get better and think about how she was to handle the Nara problem. And yet…
"Ah, for the love of God!" Rukia screamed, jumping out of her bed and banging her fists against the wall. Byakyua's nose twitched.
"R-Rukia-san?"
Rukia almost fainted with shock when she heard the voice of the Jyuu-bantai's Fuku-Taichou, Matsumoto Rangiku. She spun round and stared at Matsumoto, who was standing in the infirmary's oddly shaped door, one hand on the cold stone, the other hovering at her hip. She was giving her that 'keep-it-up-and-I'll-think-you're-crazy' look, so Rukia invited her in an sat down, bowing her head in half-hearted apology. Matsumoto frowned, but dismissed her actions and fell down beside her, back against the wall, knees pressed against her chest. She wrapped her arms around her knees and sighed, a sigh which was mimicked in Rukia.
"I'm so tired," Rangiku whispered, rolling her neck so that she could look at Rukia and smile. Rukia smiled back. Matsumoto really did look tired; there were bags forming under her eyes, her skin was pale and her hair was starting to look like a rat's nest. Her Shinigami uniform was marked with dirt and grim, and her Fuku-Taichou's bag was nowhere to be seen. "I've been worried ever since Taichou disappeared….Soi Fon-Taichou isn't even looking for him anymore. It's horrible! And now, Ichigo and Renji…" Her voice trailed away as her head fell. "Oh, God…"
Rukia sniffed. "I know how you feel." Her eyes fell. "I feel like screaming."
The blond chuckled bitterly. "Don't we all?"
Rangiku reached out with a shaky arm and clasped Rukia's small shoulder. Rukia cried out as a volt racked her body, causing her eyes to water and head to spin; Rangiku's shriek was barely audible in Rukia's ears. Her head hit the pillow and she laid there, dazed, and unconsciously began to search for Nara's voice…
She couldn't find it.
Nara…? Rukia called. No response. Nara! Still nothing.
Oh God, what now? Where had Nara gone? Snapping back to reality, Rukia scrambled to her knees, and looked around as though expected to see a strange woman standing in the center of the room.
Matsumoto, meanwhile, was crushing her temples with her fingers as she pressed against them. Pain….So, so much pain. She felt like tearing her hair out just to ease the pressure on her skull. If it got any worse, and was confident her head would explode. What was that jolt? It hadn't felt like static electricity. A shiver—no, a chill ran down her spin, and, suddenly, the pain was gone.
Matsumoto looked up, stunned into silence. It'd just vanished. What in the world…?
Well, well, well, what do we have hear? A Shinigami from the Jyuu-bantai—at last! I bet that midget wasn't expecting me to do this!
Rangiku froze.
There was a voice in her head!
…Oh no…you gonna panic, too, then? Please don't. Just ask Rukia what I am—I've spent quite a lot of time explaining it to her. My name's Nara, by the way. Guardian Spirit. I don't care if you don't know what it means. Ask Rukia.
"R-Rukia-s-san…" Matsumoto whispered.
Rukia's head whipped round. Her violet eyes widened when she saw how pale Rangiku had become. "Ah! Are you alight, Matsumoto-Fuku-Taichou? Your face…"
"Th-there's a voice…..Nara's inside my head." Rangiku growled. "What is going on, Rukia?"
"…..Nara's where?"
Fifteen minutes later…
"So…let me get this straight. Nara is a Guardian Spirit, who knows where Hitsugaya-Taichou is and how to get to him, and she came to you in the form of a…Chappy the Rabbit Doll?"
Rukia looked up from her feet, eyes filled with shame, and nodded.
"And the reason you didn't tell anyone," Matsumoto continued. "Is because you were afraid of being labeled insane like Hinamori—and because you thought no-one would believe you?"
Another shameful nod. Hearing it out loud, it sounded ludicrous. But sometimes the truth is unbelieveable, she told herself firmly.
"Ah…." Matsumoto fell back onto Rukia's head and sighed. She dropped her head into her hands and closed her beautiful blue eyes, thinking hard. She could understand why Rukia hadn't told anyone—the situation she'd been forced into had been an extremely stressful, trying to decide whether or not Nara was telling the truth, and if anyone would be believe her—but she couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that news of Nara's knowledge had reached her after such a long time.
There was one that she was overjoyed about, though.
Nara knew where Hitsugaya-Taichou was.
"M-Matsumoto-Fuku-Taichou…?" Rukia said timidly. Rangiku opened her eyes and looked up to see Rukia standing over her, watching her intently with those huge, violet eyes of hers. Eyes full of concern and hope, hope that someone would finally help her.
Will you go to this Mayuri person? He should be able to open the portal.
Matsumoto flinched. Damn that Nara…..Didn't she have any compassion at all? Give me a chance to get used to you, at least! Don't speak so suddenly! Rangiku thought furiously.
Then she looked up at Rukia, hands falling into her lap.
"…We should tell Ukitake-Taichou," Matsumoto said finally, ignoring Nara's annoyed sigh. "He's an understanding man and will hopefully believe us, if we say it 'sane' enough."
"Alright."
Matsumoto stood up and brushed dust off her lap. When she looked at Rukia, she saw the young woman was staring at Byakyua, who was still deep in his sleep; thinking of sleep, Matsumoto glanced at Hinamori, who was sleeping just as deeply as Byakyua—or appeared to be. She could fool you quite easily these days, especially if she was having one of her 'whacko moments'; she found it necessary to wait and listen to what you have to say, in case you mention her Shiro-chan.
And then she'd cry or attack you, saying either that Shiro-chan hated her now, or that you knew where Shiro-chan was. Just like with Rukia…
"We'd better go," Rukia said suddenly, causing Matsumoto to jump. "Miyuki-Taichou will back soon, and if we don't visit Ukitake-Taichou before then she'll tie me to the bed."
"Neither one of you will be going anywhere."
The two women almost jumped out of their skins; spinning round, Matsumoto's hand flashed to her sword, ready to fight. She froze when she saw who it was. Rukia made a strangled sound, her eyes widening.
"S-Soi Fon-Taichou!" She breathed.
Soi Fon looked from Rukia to Matsumoto and back again, her black, narrowing eyes filled with a merciless glow. Matsumoto swallowed. So much for not being labeled insane.
The sun beat down upon the companions mercilessly as they leapt from tree to tree, branch to branch, sweat trailing down their cheeks and glistening on their brows.
Hitsugaya had never been good with the heat—well, for as long as he could remember, which wasn't much. He had a terrible fear of fire, and apparently his body had a terrible fear of the heat; it weighed him down like cylinder blocks. Every drop of sweat that slid off his chin felt like a whole liter of water sucked from his body. After about an hour or so, he was beginning to slow, and this did not go unnoticed—by Neji, especially. He noted carefully that the 'traitor' did not do well in the heat, and thought about ways he could use such a weakness against him.
Hinata noticed, too, and slowed down to match his pace. She was shocked to see how red his face had become in the short time that they'd been running for.
"Hitsugaya-kun," She said softly.
Hitsugaya glanced towards her. "N-Nani (What)?"
"A-are you alright…?" She asked. "Your face is very pale."
"Y-yeah. I-I just don't do w-well in the heat." What an understatement that is, he though wearily. This heat is killing me!
Hinata watched him wearily, growing more concerned by the minute. Back when they'd been with Harribel, he'd been able to walk around without a scarf in the bitter cold, while she and the others had looked like potatoes they were wearing so many layers—now, the tables had turned. Hinata unconsciously reached out and placed her hand on Hitsugaya's arm, squeezing. Hitsugaya's muscles tensed at her touch, but she didn't withdraw as she had expected herself too.
Turquoise eyes rolled in their sockets to stare at her worried face. "Please," She begged. "Let's stop."
Hitsugaya's cheeks coloured and he looked away, slowing his pace as he did so. Hinata, seeing he was stopping, dashed away and told Kiba her fears. The black-eyed dog-ninja glanced over his shoulder at Toushirou, and frowned. Was that a frown of disappoint or concern, Hitsugaya wondered silently.
He suddenly felt ashamed. But how could he have refused her, when she was looking at him so desperately…?
"Guys, let's take a break!" Kiba called, waving his arms rapidly.
Naruto let out a sigh of relief, and collapsed onto the branch he'd been standing on, a relaxed grin spreading across his face. "Finally, dattabyo! This heat's horrible!"
"Oh, shut up." Shikamaru grumbled as he landed next to Naruto, hands in pockets. Ino hopped down next to him and grinned mocking at the blond boy.
Naruto grinned back.
Hinata darted back to Hitsugaya, and pushed a hand to his forehead without warning. She frowned. "Y-you're burning up, H-Hitsugaya-kun."
Hitsugaya flinched at her touch; his skin burned and prickled, forcing him to grit his teeth in shock. He was sun-burnt, no doubt, after about an hour of running under the hot sun. Hinata withdrew her hand with a soft gasp, surprised by his reaction.
"D-did I hurt you?" She asked softly.
"I'm sun-burnt," Hitsugaya said quickly, putting a hand on his cheek and flinching yet again.
"Oh," She mumbled. "I thought y-your cheeks w-were just flushed."
"He is better sun-burnt then flushed."
Both Hitsugaya and Hinata's hearts skipped a beat when they heard the foreign voice. Hitsugaya spun round, fuming, and saw Ulquiorra standing behind him, face blanketed by shadows. How the emerald-eyed man always managed to stick to the shadows, Toushirou did not know and, frankly, at the moment, he didn't care in the slightest—all he wanted to know is how (and why) Ulquiorra was able to sneak up on him without his notice.
"How do you do that!" Hitsugaya snarled, voicing his question.
Ulquiorra did not reply in the way he would've wanted. "You will learn in time, if you allow me to teach you."
"That's not an answer!" He pressed.
"Don't bother!"
Hinata cried out and threw herself onto Hitsugaya's arm, clinging to it like a life line. Hitsugaya's head whipped around and—for the second time—he saw an Arrancar had appeared out of no where, this time behind Hyuuga. Grimmijow smirked mockingly at Hinata's reaction.
"Anyway, like I said, don't bother." He continued, blue eyes staring Toushirou down. "There's no point in asking—you might as well be talking to a brick wall."
Hitsugaya glared at the blue haired man, then at Ulquiorra; neither one glared back, or made any attempt to apologize for startling them. In fact, now that he had nothing else to say, Ulquiorra just shuffled past them and started for the others, calling for Grimmijow over his departing shoulder. Grimmijow let out a low, angry grow, but followed obediently after a short time.
"…Are you okay?" Hitsugaya asked after a time. "They're gone; you can let go now…."
She looked up at him, looking confused, then followed his gaze and saw what she was going. Hinata was still clutching his arm firmly, her body pressed against his. They were so close…
Hinata's face turned bright red faster then Hitsugaya could blink. Then she was stumbling away, stuttering out apologies at a rapid pace and begging for his forgiveness.
"I-It's okay, Hyuuga!" Toushirou said quickly. In truth, he hadn't really wanted her to let go and probably would've let her stay there for much longer if no-one had been waiting for them; because of that, he felt somewhat responsible for her embarrassment. "Don't apologize! C-come on, the others will be waiting."
Zaraki Kenpachi hadn't been heard from in a quite a while. Most assumed he was dead—exactly what they assumed Hitsugaya Toushirou to be as well, whom had disappeared long before he.
Raven hadn't meant to keep Zaraki so long, but, in his state, it had been unavoidable. Even after a few weeks of healing, his body still refused to move, his muscles screaming in protest if he tried doing something as simple as twitch a finger. Sometimes when he looked down at his beaten and battered body, he smiled, thinking of how powerful Hitsugaya's Bankai could be if fueled with the right stuff.
Like anger, or rage.
It seemed funny, sometimes, that Hitsugaya had loathed him so, even without remembering who Raven actually was. If he'd remembered who I am, Raven wondered, would he have begged me to stop this, or would he have killed me?
Anyway, Raven had not meant to keep Zaraki so long. The giant man was dragged to his chamber once every day where Edward and Mariah would be waiting, ready to torture information out of him again and again. Raven hated the very idea of torturing someone, but it was necessary—till, of course, he got a message.
It came on a screen, flashing urgently, so that he was forced to look at out of curiosity. He barely used the computer Mariah had stolen, and never thought he would; it was a strange creation bordered in strange purple stuff that blew out steam and made disturbing gurgling sounds when touched. It was clear it had come across the void and into the dimension, but as to what dimension it came from, he couldn't be sure of.
Raven-sama.
I am Kiyomi, Eighth Espada working under Aizen Souske-sama and head of the research department. I discovered how to send messages across the void and, under Aizen-sama orders, I was to send this to you.
Aizen-sama wishes to work with you. He understands that you have, at the moment, almost complete control of the Seireitei and have the Shinigami on the run. He has a project going on here involving Ninja souls and Hollows.
Raven paused his reading and gasped. The Ninja World? He had never been there, but Mariah had several times and had informed him about much. The place was thick with Hollows, the air heavy with the scent of fear and death, the people dangerous and reckless; a world almost impossible to enter because of the build up of Charka and Spirit Energy, constantly battling each other for control. It had taken Niko-Shou eight days to figure out how to open a portal to that world and keep it open. What was Aizen Souske—the run-away traitor to the Shinigami—doing in such a place? Curiosity tearing him apart, Raven read on.
The project it going smoothly.
There is another project, however, that he believes could destroy all the Shinigami if completed. It involves a Ninja girl with strange Spirit Energy and well-controlled Charka. She is protected by several Ninja, Arrancar and a single Shinigami. Slave Hunters have already attempted to capture her, but the attempt failed miserably.
Aizen Souske-sama is requesting a partnership for his benefit, and yours as well. He asks for you assistance in capturing her. To reply, merely write another message on the screen and click 'send'. The rest of the plan will be revealed to you if you agree.
End.
After finishing the message, Raven called for Edward and Mariah and showed them the strange message. Mariah, of course, demanded that he delete the message and let her destroy the computer. Aizen Souske, in her opinion, could not be trusted and needed to be dealt with. Edward, however, seemed to think Raven should go along with Aizen for now and discover more about the man's 'project'. According to Mariah, Hitsugaya had been attacked by many Hollow, Arrancar and a Shinigami with silver-purple hair wearing white. Edward thought that there was a large possibility that the girl Aizen was after had been traveling with Hitsugaya that day, meaning if they followed Aizen, they would find Hitsugaya.
Once he'd finished talking, Mariah seemed much happier to oblige, grinning madly and staring at the screen, the thought of finding Toushirou filling her with a frightening happiness. Edward's face was blank as ever.
"Alright," Raven said after a time. "I will reply to Aizen with a 'Yes'."
Since it was too painful to type, he got Edward to write his message after sending the green eyed female away.
Aizen Souske, I will help you—however, at the moment I am in a terrible state and cannot move without groaning. A man called Edward to writing this message for me.
I already have a way of getting to the Ninja World, so don't bother sending over instructions. Please tell me more about your project. I believe the Shinigami she is traveling with knows me.
Raven—Edward.
Once the note had been sent, realization popped into Raven's mind—concerning Zaraki Kenpachi. Now they had another way of finding out what they wanted, and the battle-loving Shinigami was no longer needed. Mariah seemed to have realized this, too, for she was jumping from foot to foot, glancing eagerly from the blade hanging off her side to the door.
Raven sighed. "First, find Niko-Jou and bring her here, then and only then may you go and depose of Zaraki."
Stark and Lilynette traveled side by side under the blistering sun; Stark had thrown his coat over his Fraccion long ago to protect her from the sun's rays, despite her protests, and later complaints that it was too hot wearing it. She was beginning to fall behind, the Arrancar noticed wearily, the length of which her foot travels becoming shorter, her breaths becoming deeper and more desperate.
Even traveling under the canopy of trees it was terribly hot. Stark knew they needed to rest, or, at least, Lilynette needed to rest soon.
"Let's stop for a bit," He said after about twenty minutes. "It's too hot."
"NO!" Lilynette spat. "I can still walk, Stark! Don't treat me like a damn kid!"
Stark rolled his grey eyes. Some children just refused to act like children and do as they were told—and his Fraccion just had to be one of them. Why couldn't she have been like that Hinata girl, soft and quiet and willing to help, no matter what the request was? Oh well…
"Please, Lilynette." Stark pressed—in a board voice, of course. "It's too hot—and I'm not treating you like a kid. I'm the one who's tired."
Lilynette glared at him for a short time, then shrugged, and stalked over to a near-by tree. She threw his coat off and snuggled against the cold, mossy bark, a look of bliss creeping across her face. Stark allowed himself a small smile as he sat down. Claming he was the one with the weakness was, sometimes, the only way to get Lilynette to do something she wouldn't normally do.
They sat there in silence for about five minutes, Stark staring at the sunlight flittering in between the leaves above. The next time he looked at Lilynette, she was asleep, snoring softly. She'd somehow made her way over to him, and was now clinging to his white jacket. He shook his head and looked away.
"'Don't teat me like a kid', she says…" He said softly, careful not to wake her.
Time trickled by, and before long Stark found his mind was drifting back to Harribel. She was such a strange woman, with her unique perspective on the way the world works, her talk of sacrifices. She—sometimes—made it sound like the world was nothing more then a sphere of misery, and that no matter where you went or who you were, that misery would find and devour you eventually. She said such things, yet could not remember her past. Her history was waking one day beside a brook wearing a white vest, baggy pant and a sword at her back, and being surrounded by three other women, all unconscious.
Stark, unlike most people, saw logic in the way she looked at things. He was a lonely man, even with Lilynette, who, despite her loud shouts and cheerful grins, was just as lonely as he. They only had each other—the world was against them. They'd been together for as long as they could remember, and beyond; they shared that same feeling, that they were meant to be together, forever, and always had been. They lived for each other.
What did Harribel live for? With all her talk of sacrifice and justice, could it be that she was really just as lonely as he? Could that powerful expression that she always wore just be a mask, hiding her true feelings?
Had she been sad when he left?
Stark wondered about that far too much. Muttering and oath, the grey-eyed man quickly pushed the subject from his head and tried to find something less depressing to think about.
It was because he'd cleared his mind for a short few seconds that he heard the crunch of leaves cracking under foot; that he heard the quick, shaking breaths of someone trying to conceal themselves; the sound of cloth brushing against the bare trunk of a tree. He let out a long, low sigh.
Someone had been following them.
The heat had acted as a curtain, hiding them from view; Stark's eyes had been glazed over, eye lids dropping from time to time, as he fought the heat. Lilynette was too small and weak to fight it, and had immediately begun to fall behind. Following them would have been easy, with the two in such a state.
He glanced towards the source of the sound. It was getting closer. Slowly, perhaps, just it was definitely getting closer.
Should I attack? He thought. Or should I wait till they get here….? Better to wait, he told himself. There's not point in showing that I realize they're here.
So Stark went back t staring at the sky, waiting patiently for the unknown creature to reveal itself.
Well, there ya go :D Finally did another one—a longer one! X3
It's the holidays now, so I really should've finished this quicker DX but I'm lazy—like Stark—and couldn't be bothered to do anything. Btw, the title 'Crush the World Down' is the title of a chapter from Bleach, or something similar, and I used it because I couldn't think of a name for the chap.
So, after god knows how long, Kenpachi's mentioned again~ I will keep mentioning him~ And, of course, Ishida, Inoue and Sado came into the story. Can't have a Bleach story without the original crew.
Anyway, I hope you all liked the chapter~ I went over most of it and checked my writing. And have I really been calling Neji 'Neji-NEE-san'? Sorry….I mean to call him 'Neji-NII-san'.
Thanks for reading! X-]