“I always lied to you telling you to forgive me. I used these hands to keep you at distance... I did not want you to get involved. But now... I think you could have changed father and mother.” — Itachi Uchiha.

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[The First Division, Yamamoto’s Office]

Due to the recent happenings and a few upcoming ones, Yamamoto called the leading officers of all the Division to his office for a meeting.

The first item of the day was unsurprisingly the disappearance of Ichimaru Gin who was now officially pronounced dead. After that was taken care of, the main reason Yamamoto called them, specifically the Captains, was because they were about to promote two individuals to Captains.

Itachi, who stood beside Kyōraku with Soi Fon behind him, didn’t allow it to show on his face but he couldn’t deny that he was a bit alarmed when Captain Yamamoto said that but soon calmed down when he realized that Aizen wasn’t part of the two Captains who wanted to officially take up the offices of Captain.

The first, unsurprisingly to Itachi, was Mayuri whose main motivation for going through the official process was because some of the data in the Research Institute he was interested in had restricted access to only the ‘official’ Captain.

The other, once again unsurprisingly to Itachi due to being informed beforehand by his ghosts, was Kuchiki Byakuya who was taking over from his grandfather who was stepping down.

“Guess the younger ones are starting to take up office duties huh. Man, they will put us out of work in a short century. I for one am eagerly looking forward to the day where I can drink the whole day away without worrying about being called out on performing my ‘duties’.”

Itachi briefly glanced at Kyōraku but said nothing at the man’s nonsensical claims. Mostly because he could actually see something like that happening in Kyōraku’s case.

“Oi what’s with that look, Itachi? Geez, can you really not take a joke?” Kyōraku sighed dramatically and just by coincidence saw the rigid and stoic looking Soi Fon standing behind Itachi and almost completely mirroring how her Lieutenant moved. Even down to his very-very-subtle-eyeroll-of-disappointment.

“By the spirits, there are two of them in one place.” He whined a little louder this time and drew more than a few pairs of eyes towards where they stood.

After the short meeting ended, the Captains remained behind for their own discussion except that Kyōraku stopped Itachi when he was about to leave.

“How close are you?” The laidback Captain asked Itachi in a whispering tone with a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

The question was vague but Itachi did not need a context to know exactly what Kyōraku was asking about.

“Truthfully, I don’t know. I’m right there on the precipice but I can’t seem to take the step. They both said I’ll have to figure it out on my own.”

“Hmm, that’s vague and concerning.” Kyōraku murmured while scratching his rough stubble. “Yours are definitely a special case given how easily you can separate and bond them even as a Shikai.”

Kyōraku looked pensive and even visibly serious, which was a very rare look to find on him. He paused and looked at Itachi before shaking his head putting his smile back on.

“Well then there’s no issue.” He tipped his straw hat a little low at the curious Itachi. “With how your Reiatsu has increased over a fold or two in the last few days, I'm sure you’ll get there in no time.”

……

[World of the Living]

Three people, two men and a woman, stood around a gate-like device etched into stone, with two of them looking cautious skeptic while the last one looked weirdly giddy like a child so he gushed on and on about the gate.

“Come on now, my dear friends. You have to be at least a little bit curious–”

“That doesn’t explains the danger we could potentially attract–”

Kisuke scoffed condescendingly at Yoruichi’s words as the counter to her concerns practically rolled off his tongue.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“Need I remind you that Itachi Uchiha rode a Hollow into Hueco Mundo, spent a week there and rode one out as well? If he could do all that on his lonesome then obviously we can do more.”

Regardless of his sales pitch, Yoruichi and Tessai both vehemently disagreed to fire up the weapon and let Kisuke skip his way giddily into Hueco Mundo.

Seeing that he couldn’t do anything to convince them otherwise, he scowled and pointed at the trans-dimensional gate that couldn’t be moved around willy nilly.

“So how are we going to tell our mutual Shinigami?” He asked droopily, only remaining interested in the data he would get once they went practical with it.

Yoruichi laid down on the bare ground and threw her legs over Tessai’s with the former Kidō Grand Chief barely reacting to it at all.

She made a show of waving her hands in a ‘here or there’ manner. “He’ll come for it when he needs it.”

“Right. And we don’t know why he would want a direct express to Hueco Mundo. He doesn’t even have any comprehensive information on that dimension.” The former Twelfth Division Captain and former Onmistukidō militia stared at the carefree Princess with one eye closed.

Yoruichi guffawed loudly and deadpanned at Kisuke after she got the needed laugh out of her system.

“Then you shouldn’t have rushed to build it without knowing extensively what he wants it for. That’s 100% on you.” Yoruichi gave him a smug shrug with a shit eating grin stretched across her face.

Kisuke groaned, Yoruichi fell into a snickering fit, deriving pleasure from his suffering, while Tessai just watched them mess around like a much older brother keeping an eye on his mischievous siblings.

…….

[Eleventh Division, Seireitei]

Zaraki panted laboriously with a few droplets of sweat running down his brows. His current state wasn’t because of anything like a physical exertion(only the Head Captain could reduce him to a state like this in the whole of Seireitei) but rather was the proof of his frustration.

For the first time since he could remember, a seed of passion that wasn’t an ecstatic expectation of his next deathmatch burned inside Kenpachi and like how he has been surprising himself as of late, he didn’t squash it immediately it irritated him.

He let it fester and grow up like a tumor to the point where he could attack it in some way. And what did he have to show for it?

He, Zaraki Kenpachi, could finally feel something from the blade right when he was almost fed up.

“Arrghh! Don’t just vibrate you damned blade. Say something!” Unfortunately, patience wasn’t one of the nonexistent virtues that he possessed.

Since the blade was too scared to say anything, he growled and strapped it back to his waist and turned to leave. He’ll come back another day and try again to see if his longest partner can finally talk.

…..

[Hueco Mundo]

Starrk and Lilynette traveled as stealthily as they could to avoid unnecessary confrontation with Baraggan’s Hollows, even managing to make it past the Forest of Menos without a hitch.

“Where now, Starrk?” Lilynette asked her companion as the only thing they could see for miles on end was the familiar white dunes of Hueco Mundo.

“Anywhere the wind takes us, I guess.” Starrk answered after a moment of quick contemplation.

That was how they kept traveling for days with no particular direction and their only company being the endless hills of sand, a few unfortunate Hollows they came across, crystalline trees etc… and everything else that made Hueco Mundo what it was.

Because of their Reiatsu, they had to take multiple turns to avoid any Hollows they could as they didn’t want the death of numerous unfortunate Hollows on their conscience. And it was during one of their important detours that they came across him.

For one, the strange looking Hollow showed no panic in the presence of their Reiatsu, in fact he also released his own as he mistook theirs for hostility.

“Hold on there for a second, my friend. We are not trying to cause you any trouble.” Starrk took a few slow steps towards the almost fully white Hollow that had half of his mask broken to show the humanoid face beneath.

“My name is Starrk. That’s my partner, Lilynette. Do you have a name for yourself?”

“A… name?” The Hollow tilted his head in a clear show of confusion.

“Yes.” Lilynette answered by peeking over from behind Starrk. “Words that call out to you. What you want others to calm you.”

The Hollows head dropped low at that and he muttered very softly.

“No one wants to call me…”

“Starrk…” Lilynette tugged at Starrk’s sleeves when she saw how genuinely sad the Hollow appeared. She looked up at him and in her eyes he saw a heartfelt plea.

This was the first, and that was the only thing they needed to push harder. This was proof that there were Hollows like them in the lonely parts of Hueco Mundo.

“I’m Lilynette. This is Starrk. When you choose a name we’ll be here to call you. I promise.” Lilynette took a bold step forward and looked directly at the surprised eyes of the Hollow. “You can also come with us if you want.”

“…Truly?” The Hollow asked shakily as if he could believe what he was witnessing.

“Yes. It’ll be more fun than staying here alone and by yourself. We can even pick up your name as we go—”

“… I .. I think I have a name.” The Hollow stuttered as if wary of saying something that might drive them away like the others.

“Well then kiddo, let’s hear it.” Starrk said, feeling just as cheerful as Lilynette as the Hollow spoke his name for the first time. It somehow felt like more than it should, he couldn’t explain it but that was what this moment felt like.

“Ul… quiorra.” Seeing them eagerly cheering him on, the white Hollow spoke his name out loud for the first time. “My name is Ulquiorra Cifer.”

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