It was still dark inside the shop when we entered, the sun having yet to share it warm golden glow. Somehow I ended up sandwiched between Renji and Ikkaku. Renji in the lead, saying it was his duty as a fukutaicho to do so. Personally I thought the bastard just wanted all the glory, as usual. Ikkaku bringing up the rear with a still slightly staggering Yumichika.
It was almost eerie being up before Tessai and with all the strange gadgets Urahara tinkered with you’d never know what you’d run into in the darkness of the night. Which is exactly why my ass stayed put in bed until the sun was out or I could hear Tessai yelling at Ginta.
‘Humorous metaphor, Mistress.’ Jun chuckled.
‘I try.’ I replied with a mental wink.
Now it was all the matter of figuring out why he wanted us here? Make no mistake, if Urahara didn’t want the four of us to know what he was up too, we wouldn’t.
Just as we reached the steel hatch that would lower us into Kisuke’s lab another explosion wracked the building, shooting up debris like a cannon, filling the shop with a fine layer of dust. The plaster on the ceiling and walls were crumbling and yet Tessai and the others seemed to remain unaware. Not even Yoruichi came looking.
‘I’m such an idiot.’ I thought sourly. ‘Yoruichi and Tessai are probably already down stairs.’
‘And you call me the baka-neko.’ Jun snickered and I rolled my eyes in return.
“What the fuck is he doing down there?” Renji barked, throwing an arm over his head to shield himself from the falling debris.
“I don’t know,” I whispered, worried now. It was a few moments before the dust settled and our visibility returned. “I’m going down first.” I stated casually, pushing past Renji as he stood there gaping like a fish.
“B-but you can’t.” He stuttered grabbing me at the elbow and spinning me around to face him. His face showed nothing but concern and something else I didn’t have the time to identify. It helped ebb the anger I was about to unleash on him for trying to stop me, so I filed that away for safe keeping.
Deciding that taking a peek down the hatch was in order before I unknowingly put myself in harms way, I laid flat to the ground and stuck my head through. “I’m just gonna take a look.” I reassured.
Ikkaku sniggered something under his breath before lying on his stomach to mimic my pose before he asked. “See anything?”
It was bright and blinding for a moment but soon enough my eyes adjusted, just like I knew they would. We both gasped at the sight that met us. I’m sure it was difficult for Ikkaku to make out from this distance but the body that lay on the steel surgical table was undeniable to my eyes. He was a beautiful specimen if I ever saw one. He looked the embodiment of Poseidon with his aqua blue features and his tan flesh chiseled from marble.“Holy shit!” Ikkaku barked. “Is that a body?”
I elbowed him, not wanting to be discovered quite yet. “Shut up, baka! Do you want him to hear us?” I whisper yelled, hoping not to start an argument with him and yet I knew how impossible that scenario was. Ikkaku loved all things fighting and that included a healthy dose of arguing. Surprisingly, he didn’t say a word other than to muttered out an apology, which only meant to me that he was just as curious as to what was going on as I was.
We watched in silence, straining to see Kisuke tend to his blue haired patient, he checked for vitals, and consciousness before my eyes fully adjusted to the light and I nearly fell over from shock.
The look of utter astonishment must have showed openly across my face. “What is it? What’d ya see?” Ikkaku asked, sticking his head farther into the rabbit hole in hopes of a better look at whatever had me so duped.
“It’s an Arrancar.” I said in a breathy rasp.
As I began to scold them for once again trying to give away our position Yumichika cut me off and silenced them by threatening to wake up Ginta. Something about telling the obnoxious boy that Renji and Ikkaku were responsible for his missing PSP.
I didn’t understand real world technology beyond that of a phone or computer so I really didn’t understand the warning, but it did work. Both men paled considerably promising to behave.
I don’t know why I was so giddy with the prospect of Kisuke helping a humanoid Hollow. Maybe it was because, like me, they were misunderstood, quickly judged, and taboo. It was a glimmer of hope that even with differences, there were still some who wanted to co-exist peacefully. Why it surprised me? I’ll never know. I’ve known a long time what kind of a man Kisuke was; he was kind, passionate and brilliant. Even if he was a little strange. But the one thing he wasn’t, was judgmental. ’Yoruichi, you’re one lucky woman.’ I thought wistfully.
Jun scoffed, his tail twitching beside him in amusement. ‘And now were back to you needing your head examined.’
‘Shut up. What would you know about it, baka?’ I hissed.
He smirked at me mentally. Actually smirked, ’I know that you have by far the worst taste in men. It’s always these degenerate thugs with you. Why not set your sights on a regal man like Kuchiki-Taicho?’
He sighed morosely. ‘You just don’t see it, do you?’
I growled then, low in my chest, surly bringing attention to myself from the others. ‘See what?’ I barked. ‘All I see is a scarred up freak that pretty men sneer at, so lay off! Men like Renji and Ikkaku like me for who I am and there nothing wrong with them!’
When he said nothing I knew that I had won the battle, perhaps not the war, but a win was a win, right?
The man on the table arched upwards, howling in pain. Another loud boom drew my eyes downward. My heart lurched and my body stiffened and not a second later a blinding white light burst forth from his chest and left me in the dark.
~
Floating.
‘Why am I floating?’ I asked no one in particular. The sensation itself was not all unappealing. I was warm, safe and surrounded by the scent of persimmons and pine. But the scent didn’t explain anything, if anything it confused me. The last memory I retained was a beautiful strange man with Azure hair.
‘I believe we are being carried, Mistress?’ Jun informed me. His tone was light, too light and I wondered for a moment if he was high. Though, it made no sense for him to be, I hadn’t been within a hundred yards of catnip in sometime, having learned my lesson already that it wasn’t a good idea. Ukitake-Taicho, bless his heart nearly had an aneurism from the last experience he had with myself and the intoxicating herbs.
I hadn’t meant to throw myself at him, obviously, and Shunsui had tried to warn him about the strange herb growing in his garden. But, it was partly my fault as well, I thought I was above such silly things as lust and desire. I was proven wrong. Shunsui till this day swears up and down that Ukitake still brags about the encounter when inebriated. Apparently, someone as young as myself wanting to do the horizontal tango with someone his age puffed up his ego a bit. And for that, I was glad. Ukitake even sick was a extremely handsome man and if it helped boost him opinion of himself well, power to him, though I still didn’t understand how he could think I was even remotely appealing?‘I am not drunk, Mistress. The blast knocked you out and you fell a considerable distance. I believe we are unconscious at present.’
Well that would explain the pounding headache. Wait… were we carried back upstairs?
Even with the surrounding darkness I knew the answer to that. No. No, no, no. The air around me was fabricated and carried to many hints of sekki-seki stone for us to be above ground and… ‘By Kami, what is that?’
‘I was hoping you could tell me.’ Jun purred, ‘It’s most invigorating, wouldn’t you agree?’
I ignored him as I took deep lungful of that sweet fragrance. It was different than from the one closest to me, of that I was sure.
‘Yes, Mistress. Which one of your brutes does that belong to, I think I rather like him.’ Jun slurred happily, just as drunk with desire as I was.
‘Don’ know,’ I slurred back. ’Don’ recognize it.’
As the scent continued to wash over me I felt myself growing hot. I felt like I was on fire as the darkness claimed me once again.
Slowly but surly my consciousness returned to me. First, obviously was my sense of smell, followed shortly by sound and then with the bright light came my sight.
“Ugh,” I groaned, palming my face to block out the blinding false sun that did nothing for my pounding head. “I feel like I was run over by a pack of Hollows.”
An amused chuckle answered me. “Awake are we, Mari-chan?”
I knew that condescending voice like the back of my hand. “Shut up.” I replied with a grumble and sat up, still shielding my closed eyes with my hand. “Don’t force me to tell Yoruichi what really happened to her favorite scratching post.”
“Awe, now why would you go and say a mean thing like that?”
Scowling, I cracked and eye only to see his amused face a few meters from my own. “What the Hell?” I screeched, throwing myself backward and in the process flipping myself off whatever it was that I was laying on. I hit the dirt with a painful wince and growled. “Kisuke!”
As if nothing happened he approached me, Benihime in her sealed state pointed right at my head. I barely had time to admire Kisuke’s personal logo that was engraved on the bottom before it came forward and my soul was removed from my gigai.
The underground room around us shook as my spiritual pressure surged to life for the first time in years. I was literally drunk on it, and howled with the desire to fight. It was over as quickly as it started, and I was once again sitting on the floor with an unhappy look on my face.
He snorted at me, “Ah ah, Mari-chan, you really should know better.” he teased, pushing back against my blade with his own.
“Really?” I smirked and tapped the small blade I carried in my left hand that was pointedly placed at his groin. His face paled as he smiled sheepishly at me.
“I can explain, if you would only let up.” he said seriously, squirmy nervously with his hips.
Growling, I let him go and jumped a few feet back. “You had better.” I warned.
“Pfew,” he sighed as he wiped the sweat from his brow with his green kosode. “I thought after all those years in that gigai you’d at least be a bit rusty, guess I thought wrong.”
“I guess so.” I replied testily, impatient for him to begin his explanation.
“Well… it was time…” his voice trailed off as it became as fuzzy as my vision.
I could feel the ground beneath me waver, and I swayed to a fro, struggling to keep myself upright. Blood was pounding in my ears and I suddenly felt very faint. “Kisuke?” I whimpered, frightened by my unstable equilibrium.
I staggered to him barely able to see now at all before I fell into his arms and the world fell away.
~
My fascination with dreams was something I could remember, even as a child. My childhood was not a miserable one but it wasn’t pleasant either.
As a young child I was abandoned, by whatever parents or siblings I had at the time. Left to rot in the streets where all those around me called me freak. Even in my youth I understood them… and their fear of me. I was different. I wasn’t like them. Not fully anyway and I had learned at an early age that people feared what they did not understand and anger was usually bread from that fear.
As my thoughts wondered through the dark crevices of my mind, it settled on one image… one face.
Hair of the bluest sky and cornflower eyes to match. I had never known this man before. I was certain in that fact and yet there he was. Like a shining beacon carrying me forth, possibly beckoning me to my doom.
Then the memories came. Much like they always did during my restless sleep. Images of myself in a time and place I couldn’t remember. Then fonder memories; my first meeting with Kisuke and then through association, Yoruichi.
Faces of friends and loved ones raced through my being, returning my being to a peaceful state I had not felt in years.
Then, as for many like myself with a cursed soul… it was all taken away.
Exiled.
Beaten from my post.
Treated as a traitor.
Then that man came… that horribly frightening man. His auburn hair and green eyes was not something I would ever erase from my thoughts, nor will the scars he left upon my flesh fade.
Whether it was just my good fortune or the fates were sick of toying with me. Kisuke was brought back into my life. Himself along with Tessai, having shared a lot with me, were exiled from the Serieitei. Yoruichi followed not long after. It was a difficult adjustment for me at first, to lay low, to leave the human souls to the Hollows, but after a while I just became what was. It was survival. Something both Kisuke and Yoruichi push me to believe.
To this day I couldn’t understand my importance in this life. I was an unwanted nobody who just happened to flourish into a devoted soldier. But that life was over for me now and without it, I didn’t see the point. “You’re more important than you think, Mari.” Kisuke has told me, many times over. But never in all the years that I have known him, never once has he ever explained the reason why. It was his way, of course. I had always known that Urahara Kisuke never revealed his hand until it was absolutely necessary. It was something I adored about him. His ability to keep his work to himself, even when busting at the seems with pride.
The blue haired man once again drifted to the forefront, just behind my eyes as I floated peacefully back to earth. There were many questions I had about him and I could only hope that Urahara wouldn’t try to be to secretive or cryptic when I asked. Personally, I rather him not say anything, opposed to the half-assed answers he was so found of giving. At least in all my years of knowing the man I could at least spot when he was hiding things. It was easy to tell really. That ridiculous fan of his made it quiet obvious to me but I still giggled in amusement at those oblivious to his sneakiness.
Who was that man?
I knew he was an Arrancar, an Espada or I guess now and ex-Espada. I knew that he had by far the most tantalizing scent I had yet to come across. And I knew that he was beautiful.
But what in Kami’s name was he doing here? What did Urahara want with him?
I knew Kisuke well enough to know that he was nothing like Mayuri, he was not a monster Hell bent on experimentation. He would not mutilate the man, but that said little of what his purpose here was. And he had to have one. Kisuke wouldn’t have brought him here if he didn’t have some kind of objective in mind.
Would the Arrancar still be considered the enemy?
‘Surly, not with you around, Mistress. I can tell already, you would gladly be his avenging angel.’ Jun grumped.
‘Jun? Are you there? Does this mean I’m waking up?’
I didn’t get a chance to scold him for his bold and false statement, nor did he ever reply to my question.
~
It could have been seconds, minutes, days, weeks, months, years or even decades but when I finally opened my eyes to the pale glow of the moon, I felt better than I had in a very long time.
Voices drifted to my ears. They were distant but I could tell they were still local enough to still be considered ‘in’ the shop. All but one were masculine. “Yoruichi.” I whispered, shoving the sweat soaked covers from my legs and swing around to place my feet on the floor. The cool planks of hardwood eased my heated skin and I wondered what kind of dreams I must have had to ignite my blood in such a manor. I remembered very little of what happened before I collapsed, mostly blurs of faces and reactions… but it was enough.
Looking down at myself, I noticed firstly that I am once again in gigai form and the second that I am in nothing more than my less than appropriate underpants and a flimsy tank top. Two names flit through my mind at once… Kisuke and Yoruichi, for both their sake it had better been the latter to undress me or both would suffer. If it was Kisuke than Yoruichi could kiss her ‘Oh Kami’, scream to the heavens, boy toy goodbye for about a month. When I was through with him he wouldn’t be able to pleasure a tick mouse… let alone a cat.
Pushing those thoughts to the back of my mind I raised up on steady legs and gathered my robe. From the voices I heard downstairs I wouldn’t need anything more than that. All of them had seen me this way at one point or another wandering around the shop, sleep blind and on the search for caffeine. So it bothered me little now to make an appearance in my sleep clothes. I made my way downstairs, hooking a right at the end of the hall. My first instinct was to walk right past the group of gossiping men surrounding the low table in Kisuke’s receiving area and go directly to the kitchen where I heard the unmistakable sound of fresh percolating coffee. ‘Thank you, Tessai.’ I thought humbly.
But I never made it past that first right. There I stood clutching my robes tightly to my body and staring directly into a pair of cornflower eyes.
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