Corroded Spirits

Corroded Spirits: 37

Chapter 37: Justified Havoc

 The moment that the entity had escape, several different curses, in several different volumes, were quick to escape the group's mouths as they looked up the hole the creature had made. "Inoue..." A bear undertone escaped Ichigo. Kisuke regarded him shortly, before he was reduced to inwardly mourn that the underground training room he had created with his childhood friend was so easily destroyed. But they had no time for that. "We have to stop them, before they wreak any havoc on Seritei." Retsu said before anyone else could.

 The word 'they' didn't slip anyone's ears. This wasn't just Ulquiorra anymore. It was Orihime now, too. "Hault!!" Someone cried. A flurry of shards came raining down around them and they all looked up when a voice yelled: "As expected to be the one to cause a mutiny, Urahara Kisuke!" 2nd Captain, Soi-fon Shalong, appeared in a vibrant flash on top of a split rock. "But to see you 4..." She hissed, eyeing Hitsugaya, Kuchiki, Jyushiro, and Unohana dangerously. "This is treason.." She growled, just about ready to attack them, most especially the former 12th Division's Captain. (Un-) Luckily, though, they heard a distant explosion, and in effect the underground shook.

 "It's already started.." Kisuke whispered to himself. He looked into the eyes of the Commander of the Onmitsikudo. "Soi-fon-taichou, I know that you see it is imperative to take us in, but as of now, you need all of us to apprehend Inoue-san." He said seriously. Soi-fon didn't seem to have any of it, as if all she knew was to accuse people for betrayal. Not that he could blame her. She's been through much of it just as he and Yorouichi has. Before anything else could be said, a wall of pink petals crashed around the group, cutting them off from the Soul Society's black ops. "Wait!!" Soi-fon dashed towards it, but they were already gone.

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 "Sorry for that, Kuchiki-taichou." Kisuke said after they'd gone to safety. "It's nothing. For now we should be more worried about the outcome of what we'd done." The 6th Division Captain said quickly to remind them of the current situation. Kisuke did a quick look-around to get a clue on where they'd ended up. "We're in the 1oth Division's Jurisdictional streets." Toshiro said immediately, recognizing the pathways. "Urahara-san, what do we do now?" Ichigo asked.

 The shady shop-keeper glanced at the teen. "The spell didn't work.. What do we do?" He asked furthermore. Kisuke's eyes were down-cast as he said: "For now, we must try and get to them before the other Divisions do." Not what everyone was expecting to hear be done, but that was literally all they could do for now. "We must split up in groups. It will allow us to cover more ground. Also, we cannot face them alone, so do not engage them recklessly." Kiskue reminded. "I understand. Then I will go on ahead to look for any injured victims." Retsu volunteered. "I will go with you." Ukitake said quickly.

 "There aren't any guards posted by the Senkaimon because of the execution, so Kuchiki and I will head on there if it tries to escape to the Human world." Toshiro said. "All right. Kurosaki-san, Sado-san. You two are with me." With the group split, they headed on out, to follow the flood of chaos that was created before them. This was going to be a night of destruction. They knew that very well, and if it need be in order to stop it, they were more than willing to throw in their own contributions to the carnage.

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 "Aizen!!" Orihime practically screamed in horror at the sight of the traitorous captain who stabbed Soul Society in the back by stabbing himself. "You--you!!" The girl stuttered, trying to wriggle out of her bonds. "Yes, my dear human girl, Orihime-chan.. It is me." He said with a wry smile. The healer's lips trembled as the man took a step forward, and it delighted him to see her shrink down against the beam that she was tied to. He brought up a hand to her face, grabbing her by the chin, and forced her to look up at him. "Are you that terrified of me?" He asked in a dangerously low voice.

 Orihime whimpered under his touch. It was disgusting. It felt absolutely sinful. "Ahh could it be because you are disgusted with the fact that it is me touching you, instead of him?" He whispered as if he had read her mind. She tries to not react to this, but Aizen was more intelligent than anything. "Is it that shameful to be touched by me rather than my own Espada?" Aizen said as if it were hurtful. For a brief second, Orihime managed to make eye-contact with him. "You knew.. all along??" She asked

 The man broke into a wide grin. "My dear, Orihime-chan, what do you take me for? Of course I knew.." He said, once again in a hurt tone. "I was the Shinigam who lived in treachery under Soul Society's nose for more than a century. The creator of the 10 powerful Espada...." He withdrew from her mid-sentence and stepped back. "The soon-to-be king of both spirit worlds and the human world alone..." He said this one with complete emphasis, then he looked back at her, sending down shivers that the human had never known. "What makes you think that a trifle love affair between one of my followers and the human prisoner will be unknown to me?"

 His eyes glinted in the dark, and Orihime knew that she had never been under anything as dangerous as she was now. "I have to say, it was quite impressive that you two managed to keep it from me for as long as you did, but there was no hiding anything from me.. At least, not without its consequences.." At the mention of this notion, Orihime's eyes flared up, and immediately she said: "What did you do?" Aizen wore a smile at her question. "What did you do?? What did you do to Ulquiorra?!" She demanded. Aizen shushed her patiently, moving away from her in the darkness. "It's not what I did... But what you are about to do..."

 While distracted by the boggling meaning of his words, Orihime had failed to the see the hands that had wormed its' way from behind her. She gave a small cry when the she was grabbed by the hair with a jerk, and then pulled with such intensity that she felt as if her scalp would come off. "That's enough you two." Aizen said. The torment on her hair stopped, and very eerily steps receeded from behind her, revealing two more of her captors. "Remember me, pet?" Nnoitra said ghastly, while his companion just stood there at the side. Quiet as he was, he was still wearing that God-awful grin of his.

 "You.. I.. I healed you.. I brought back your arm!" Orihime protested to the once-again ordained Sexta Espada. "Yeah. You did. But that don't mean you're goodie goodie with me now princess." He said. Now that she was looking at them both, Orihime had only now realized that they were tossing something in both of their hands. The color that faintly shimmered in the dark shook immense fear in the pits of her soul. "My Shun Shun Rikka! Give them back, give them back!!" She cried miserably. Her tantrum was stopped when Nnoitra gave her a moderately-strong kick to the stomach. Immediately her breathing stopped for a second, and she lowered her head as blood began to hack out.

 Her captors waited for her to regain her breathing, and look back at them, before Aizen said: "What does it feel?" Orihime shivered, but her gaze didn't waver. "To be so helpess... Away from the home you were born and raised in... Surrounded by creatures who prey on your very kind, and with but only a meager Vasto Lorde, who may or may not survive in time to save you?" Aizen asked. If it was possible Orihime's eyes hardened, with what seemed to be conviction and spirit. As much as he would hate to admit that to himself, Aizen knew that the girl would not break. At least not yet. "Pity.." Aizen now said.

 Then in the dark, a red flare ignited in Aizen's hands. It casted terrifying shadows over him and his two Espada. "Hado no. 54: Abolishing Flames." A blazing red fire formed around Orihine, engulfing her, like a witch to be disintegrated in front of a rioting crowd. But only this time, she was no witch. And for that, there was no crowd. She was just a human girl, gifted with the power of rejection. And there was only her captors here, to watch her burn away into ashes. What an ironic death for a girl who had the very power to bring back life from the very specks of dust that had once been alive.