Corroded Spirits

Corroded Spirits: 7

Chapter 7: Cooperative Session

 "Can't believe it's been 3 weeks." Toshiro mused, looking down darkly at his untouched cup of tea. 

Retsu regarded him slowly, as he reached to take the cup, and then pulled back his hands. When he decided not to drink his tea, he instead, folded his hands across his chest. "It's really only been two, Hitsuygaya-taichou." Retsu pointed out, trying to ease the younger Captain's mind. 

"Today's ending session would mark the third." Byakuya said from the other side of the table as an addition. 

Toshiro, could only sigh at both thoughts. With a little difficulty, he finally brings his hands around the cup and takes a small sip to calm him down.

 "I'm starting to worry for Ukitake-san." Retsu said, taking a sip of her own tea.

 "It's probably likely, that he won't get any frutiful results either." Byakuya said flatly, not bothering to touch his tea. 

"It's such a shame that all that time went by without getting any information." Retsu said as she finished the last of her tea, and proceeded to pour herself another. 

Byakuya hummed quietly. "Though, she does speak a few things.." 

 "Nonesensical things." Toshiro chimed, slamming his tea cup with a little more force than necessary. 

"It's not like you to lose your cool, Captain." Said Retsu a little teasingly, irking the young Captain

 "I do think, Hitsugaya-taichou, that what the girl kept muttering during our sessions, regarded what happened to her in her time in Hueco Mundo. Specifically, what happened to her and-"

 Byakuya was suddenly cut off, when the door slid open, and an exhilarated Ukitake filled the doorway. "Minna! There's been development!" He bursted. 

"What, Ukitake-san?" Retsu quickly inquired. 

"Orihime-chan has spoken to me! And she says that she wants all of us to be present in today's session right away!" Ukitake, out of his enthusiasm, sped down the hall, not waiting the response from the other captains. 

"It better be good." Toshiro said, as he and the others got up to follow Ukitake back to Orihime's room.

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

 When they got to Orihime's room, Ukitake hadn't lied about the 'development'. 

Upon entering, instead of her usual spot on the floor, and sitting against the wall, she was standing in the middle of the room, with her signature look of hands placed against her chest. She jumped a bit when they entered, but faced them slowly.

 "Inoue-san?" Retsu started, as she stared at the girl.

 "Unohana-san, Kuchiki-san, Ukitake-san, Toshiro-kun.." Orihime regarded quietly. Her voice was still the same with its' dark undertone, but the original bubbly air it had was finally there. 

"Y-You're.." Toshiro stuttered.

 "I think it's best if we all sit down." Byakuya suggested calmly, which they all acknowledged.

 Ukitake drew up the small table (one of the few furnitures that the 4th Squad provided for the girl. It was always drawn up against the other end of the wall, and even when they kept fixing it back in place, Orihime kept pushing it back. So they saw the need of no longer using it, until now.) for all of them to sit on. 

The four Captains all looked at their human companion warily, noting how her glimmering grey eyes, seemed to look duller despite the smile that graced her lips.

 "Are you feeling okay?" Toshiro asked.

  Orihime bowed her head in a slight nod. "Yeah.. A little.." She said quietly. 

Byakuya took note of it and stored the act in his memory.

 "I would like to apologize for my behavior." Orihime said all the sudden. "I'm not sure what I've done, exactly.. But I'm sure I've done many horrible things since I've been here.. I would like to apologize." She said, keeping her head down. 

"There is no need for you to apologize, Inoue-san." Retsu quickly pointed out. "You have done nothing wrong. You've gone through a very traumatic experience..." Retsu trailed off, glancing to her fellow Captains.

 Catching on what she was starting, they continued for her. "Being held in captivity by Aizen and his Arrancar must've been very.. horrible." Ukitake said. 

They let a pause go for a while, before Byakuya spoke up. "Would it be all right for us to ask, exactly what happened during your time there?"

 At the question, Orihime seemed to stiffen, and the Captains did not miss it. 

"Nothing much really happened..." Orihime whispered, gripping her hands into her dress, hidden from the Captains. "It was all right, if I had to say anything about it.." Orihime said, or drolled actually.

 "Anything specific? Like, any encounters from the Arrancars?" Tohsiro asked, starting to get impatient. Retsu glanced at him from the corner of her eye, taking notice of how too conspicuous he was. 

"Not that I can remember." Orihime said quietly.

All Captains take a moment to stare at her. The session continues, and though she gives less answers, she's given more development than she's had for the past several days. And it's enough for the Captains.

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

  "Do you really think it was okay we did that?" Orihime asked, anxiously rocking herself back in forth as she sat in the dark shadows of her room. 

"It was essential we did it." The familiar voice, that had been sharing the room with her ever since she started inhabitting it, remarked coolly. 

Orihime lay on her side and spread on arm out across the floor. She suddenly let a chuckle out when she remembered something. 

"What is so amusing?" He asked. 

"You said that only you can enter my room.. You hurt Hanatarou for that.." Orihime said, as if it were a normal thing, for someone like her, to say. "How come you don't hurt Toshiro-chan and the others?" She asked. 

The voice, Ulquiorra, sighed. "I've already raised enough trouble for you by hurting that young Shinigami.. Hurting more would be dangerous for you." 

 "Orihime." He called.

 His voice was closer, so close it was impossible for Orihime not to look up and stare into the dark shade of his green eyes. "From here on, we must be careful. You must not act the way you did from before." Ulquiorra said firmly. 

"Can't help it." Orihime replied dryly.

 "You must try to control yourself." Ulquiorra said quickly.

 In response, Orihime curled herself into a ball and moaned as if in pain. 

"Orihime.. Please.." Ulquiorra began to plead. "They must not find out about me.. If they do... Not only would they exterminate me.. But they would consider you an enemy, and I do not want that." 

Orihime sighed loudly, clearly distressed at what was being asked of her. "All right." She said quietly. Ulquiorra seemed to sigh in relief upon her reply. "It won't take that long?" Orihime asked.

 "Just until they stop being suspicious." Ulquiorra said. "And you'll have to tell them only the side-details. Don't tell them the truth." He added. 

"That will be easy. They already seem to be oblivious about anything.." She said coldly. 

"Hmm.. I still find it quite uncomfortable hearing you say things like that." Ulquiorra said half-teasing.

 At that, Orihime chuckled again. "I got it from you." She said. 

The night went on, quiet and uneventful, and the two continued what then became a dark conversation.