'Thoughts'
"Speech"
Chapter 2
Urahara's shop was placed near the city center. It was surrounded on all sides by ten-story tall apartment buildings but had some free space around it, which was used as parking. The building itself was stylized to look like an XVII Century Japanese house. It was made of wood, paper, and bamboo. A small porch in front, which also served as the corridor to the front door.
To ordinary humans, the streets were deserted, but to those that were able to see spiritual beings, there would be an unusual pair heading toward the shop.
Ichigo had been walking with Tia in his arms for the last fifteen minutes. They hadn't spoken since his declaration. One was too lost to hold a conversation, the other hadn't had the faintest idea what to speak about.
When they reached the porch Ichigo finally broke the silence.,
"Can you walk?" He asked carefully. Halibel looked at him blankly but nodded nevertheless. He set her on the ground.
"I apologize for my behavior Kurosaki-san." Tia suddenly said, giving him a slight bow. "What I did was uncalled for." She added with what Ichigo guessed was an embarrassment.
"It's fine. All of us need to blow off steam sometimes, some more than others." He smirked waving off her apology. "Oh and don't bow to me, it makes me feel weird." He admitted pressing the doorbell.
Not even one ringtone later the doors swung open, and a giant of a man shot out of it.
"Ichiiiiiigo-dono I'm so happy that I can get to see you." Tessai Tsukabishi yelled while crushing the poor boy's ribs.
"Argh! I get it I'm happy too, just let me go!" Ichigo choked, swearing that he heard cracking sounds coming from his chest.
"I heard the great news! You've become the newest Kido Corps Commander! Good, you're so full of power and vigor….I used to be a Commander of the Kido Corps just like you, but then I got shot by a Kidō in the knee, so I had to quit." Tessai said, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Bullshit! Hachi told me that you performed some crazy-ass forbidden Kidō, and got kicked out." Ichigo said scowling at him.
Tessai was about to open his mouth but slammed it shut when he spotted Halibel. He looked at her attire, then her face.
"…A moment please." The big man disappeared, and the next thing they heard was. "Owner we got a big problem!"
"What an idiot. Let's head inside." Ichigo said shaking his head.
Tia looked towards the open door as if expecting a trap. The young Shinigami instantly noticed her guarded posture.
"Don't worry, they aren't always like this… they are just surprised." He said trying to reassure her.
She still looked very unconvinced. "Not all of us are like Aizen, you know." He said with a bit of offense in his voice.
That seemed to have an effect on her, as her eyes widened slightly.
"Lead the way." She finally muttered, obviously unhappy about the remark.
The house inside was kept in the same manner as outside. The floor was made of polished wood, and most of the walls were made of reinforced paper, with a wooden frame to keep it intact. Ichigo opened the sliding doors and entered the living room. The room was painted a dark green color, the short round dining table was standing in the middle of the room, and the TV was located in the left corner.
"Sup' Urahara-san." Ichigo greeted the man sitting by the table drinking his tea. Urahara, as always, was wearing his white-green striped hat, and grey-green coat with white rhombuses down on his back. Under the coat was a traditional Japanese kimono (also green). As usual, he was unshaven, and his blonde hair was a mess, falling down his face and hiding his intelligent blue eyes.
"Oh my, what brings you here at such a late hour Kurosaki-kun?" Urahara asked with a wide smile, waving his fan.
"Well, I need a little favor from you..." He replied, a little uncertain of how to present this sensitive matter.
"I presume that "little favor" you mean concerns the charming lady standing next to you. Oh, and by the way, I'm Urahara Kisuke owner of this shop." Urahara said with a wide smile, looking directly at Halibel or at least trying.
'Why do men always go for outside appearances?' Halibel thought suppressing a sigh.
"My name is Tia Halibel, the Tercera Espada." She said, looking closely for any facial expression changes. To her surprise he wasn't overreacting or anything, his smile was still genuine, but his eyes narrowed a bit.
"Oh my, Kurosaki-san you still have a knack for befriending the most interesting individuals, no offense. I knew that she was an Arrancar." Halibel's eyebrows slightly went up. She was sure that she was hiding her Reiatsu perfectly. "But not one of the Espada. Are you aware of what the Soul Society would do to you if they found out?" Urahara said with a mischievous smirk hidden behind his fan. 'This is going to be interesting.' He thought.
"I have a general idea." He grinned but quickly went serious. "But Aizen is no longer alive and she means no harm to us."
"Is that true?" Urahara asked her. Tia simply nodded. "Not the talkative type, eh? Anyways I'm still not sure. Letting her go is asking for trouble, again no offense. She's far too strong to let roam freely. The Soul Society will immediately notice an Arrancar of such caliber, and will send a squad to deal with her." Urahara told them, considering the options they had.
"I know. Los Noches is destroyed and overrun by Shinigami. So she can't go back without being noticed, but…" Ichigo furrowed his eyebrows, thinking of something. Then an idea hit him like a ton of bricks." .…She could stay with me at my place." Ichigo said trying to control a blush, and not failing for once. After all, in every book, Halibel would be considered hot, and he was just a teen after all.
After that statement, the room was silent for a few minutes. Urahara's jaw was hanging limply around his ankles. From the next room, they heard a loud cough, sounding like Tessai.
Both males were shocked that Ichigo would even suggest such a thing. But the most stunned person in the room was Tia.
'He intends to bring me to his home?' Once again he surprised her with his generosity. Yet her past experience taught her one thing. Take even the best-sounding offer with a grain of salt. The only problem was that she couldn't phantom the reason he would be doing this. If that was some sort of trap it was overly elaborate. He had her at his mercy in that park after all.
'Is it that he wants something from me? But what I have nothing to offer….' Her eyes again widened when a stray thought crossed her mind. A few times she witnessed male Hollows luring females to their nests, to satisfy other urges aside from hunger. She looked at Ichigo with suspicion, but for some reason, she couldn't picture him as such a creature that would take advantage of women.
'Aww that's a shame, he's not bad looking.' Tiburon, her Sword Spirit, said. 'We might finally have some fun.'
'Now's not the time, Tiburon. We might be in danger here.' Tia replied mentally.
'If they wanted they could kill us right now.' She replied bluntly. 'It would be best if we go with what they have to offer, for a while. If it's too much we can always bail.'
'I'll still need my sword back.' Tia stated. 'Without you our survival is unlikely.'
'Then gain their trust, or seduce the boy, he looks innocent enough.' Tiburon leered. 'He's probably still a virgin, use your charms Ti-chan!'
Before Tia could manage a reply to her Inner Hollow, Ichigo spoke.
"That's why I came to you. I need a Gigai with the strongest Reiatsu resistance that you can create. She has to look like an ordinary human, with absolutely no Reiatsu at all." Ichigo said, staring right into Urahara's eyes.
"It won't be a problem, but we have to ask our guest what she thinks about it. Don't we?" Urahara told him, now all attention was focused on the Arrancar lady.
Tia hesitated. While never admitting it to herself, she was a bit afraid of accepting their offer. Last time she trusted a stranger who appeared in the right place at the right time, she lost all she cared about. But now all she could lose was her life, not that she cared.
She closed her eyes.
"I don't have much choice, do I?" She replied neutrally, masking her emotions. She was still furious at herself for her earlier breakdown. She turned to Ichigo and saw him furrowing his eyebrows. He was looking at her as if he was trying to solve some puzzle. Also, she noticed that he seemed a little hurt by the depth of her mistrust, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. He replaced it with some level of understanding.
'I don't get her… It's as if she trying to show that she hasn't got any emotions. I'll have to ask her about it later.' Ichigo thought. He was still a little hurt by her earlier statement, but he understood that in an environment like Hueco Mundo trust was equal to suicide.
"Ok, then tell me one thing, how did the two of you meet?" Urahara asked. Ichigo quickly described their encounter. Reluctantly Halibel shared her part of the story too, deciding that it was better to not antagonize the two Shinigami.
"I understand. I will start making this reinforced Gigai, but I will need your assistance Halibel-san. To make the Gigai suits your tastes." Urahara said with a perverted smirk. Halibel suddenly felt the urge to hit the hatted man for some reason.
"Also Kurosaki-kun, tell me how will you're going to explain her presence to your Father, hmm? You should know how he's gonna react." He asked.
"Don't worry, I've already thought about that." Ichigo said proudly.
"Really? Now, this is a surprise." Said Urahara, raising one of his eyebrows.
"What's that supposed to mean?! Anyway, listen… I will need you to use your connections in the city to make her a transfer student." He said, surprising Urahara as well as Tia.
"Well, I have to say that even someone like you has good ideas sometimes," Urahara told him, pissing the young man off again.
"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?" Ichigo yelled, the urge to choke the Ex-Shinigami Captain coming back.
"It was a compliment, Kurosaki-san. Anyway, have you thought about her back story?" He replied grinning.
"Back story?" Ichigo asked a little puzzled.
"It's good to see that you haven't changed all that much, Kurosaki-san," Urahara stated with a sigh of relief. Ichigo growled, angry at Urahara's insult, and really considering blowing the place sky-high.
Tia witnessed the exchange with no small amount of interest. Both men bantered back and forth, throwing jabs and insults at each other, but for some reason, there wasn't any tension between them. If they were Arrancars, blood would've been spilled the minute the hatted man threw his first insult. Actually, it looked like they were having fun. What's more, they were doing so calmly around her, a former and still potential enemy.
An idle thought passed through her mind.
' It would be really nice to live in such a world.'
"Ok, ok let's get to the point." Urahara said as he stopped teasing the younger man."First, we need to choose her country of origin. Hmm, you do look like you come from Spain or Portugal, or rather like from some Latin-American county, maybe Mexico?" Urahara said looking at Halibel closely, maybe a little too closely for her comfort.
"Hawaii," Tia mumbled.
"Could you repeat that?" Ichigo asked, missing what she said.
"I said I was born in Hawaii." She repeated louder.
"You remember your previous life?" Ichigo asked with surprise. He was told that Hollows forget their previous lives.
"Interesting." Said Urahara, submerging himself in deep thought.
"I do." She replied quietly, with very subtle hints of sadness.
"That makes it easier then, just give us some details." Ichigo encouraged.
"I do not wish to." She stated firmly, narrowing her eyes.
"Why?" He asked, still oblivious that he was playing with an angry shark. But one frosty stare and he decided to drop the subject altogether.
"Maybe just some basic information," Urahara said in a conciliatory tone. "Like what city, and the date that you were born."
"I was born in Honolulu, on the twenty-first of June, in nineteen-eight." She said. Ichigo wasn't even surprised, the average age of a Shinigami Captain was 200 years or so, so she could still be considered young.
"You don't look like one hundred and six years old, so we will make you about seventeen." He noted it down. "To avoid some troublesome questions about your past, let's say that you moved to Miami, Florida when you were young, ok?" Halibel didn't know where or what Miami or Florida was. Ichigo noticed her confused face and quickly said.
"Don't worry, I will tell you everything about it when we get home." She looked at him for a second, then nodded.
"Ok the rest of the minor details you will get tomorrow," Urahara said. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out of it a small ball. "Halibel-san mind pouring some of your Reiatsu into this ball?" Urahara asked her.
"For what purpose?" She managed to not sound suspicious.
"Well, this small thing will be your future body." He said with a smirk, as he noticed that his statement surprised the Arrancar lady. "When you put your Reiatsu into this, I can mold it into your exact shape, and basically the body created will be a perfect copy of a human body." He explained quickly.
"I see." She replied, not pleased at all that some stranger will be seeing her naked body. Even if it's a copy, he said it is an EXACT copy of her. That made her feel rather uncomfortable. Ichigo somehow guessed what she was thinking, and threatened the shop owner.
"You'd better not do anything funny if you know what I mean," Ichigo growled deadly seriously.
"What funny stuff are we talking about Kurosaki-san?" He said with a mischievous grin and a glint in his eyes.
"Well…you know…I mean…damn…JUST DON'T DO IT!" Ichigo exclaimed, red as a tomato. Halibel looked at Ichigo, feeling amusement with a little bit of embarrassment. He voiced her concerns making her feel slightly self-conscious.
"Ok, ok, I get it, I will behave." He finally managed to find compassion in his soul and stopped teasing them. "It will take about an hour with the additional reinforcing. So until then feel free to make yourselves at home." He was about to leave when he took in Halibel's look. "Halibel-san you might want to take a shower. I'll ask Ururu to give you some fresh clothes, the bathroom is the third door on the left.
"I'll wait for you here." Ichigo instantly said. He could imagine that she wanted to go get the bloodied clothes and the dirt off her.
The Arrancar nodded and left the room, walking toward the bathroom. She opened the doors and found an ordinary-looking shower with a curtain separating it from the rest of the small room. Aside from that, there was also a sink, a small mirror, and a stool.
Her first thought was that it looked poor. In Los Noches, she had a marble-clad bathroom, just for herself, with lots of accessories that no one would expect to see in a desert fortress. To this day she wondered where Aizen got so many different kinds of soaps.
'Looks like I've become spoiled.' She thought idly while unzipping her vest. She almost took it off when someone knocked on a door.
"Excuse me Arrancar-san, I have some clothes and towels for you." Tia turned back around and saw a meek-looking girl carrying said items. "Also you can give me your clothes, we'll clean them."
"Thank you," Tia replied shortly, but not unpleasantly.
Ururu smiled weakly and put the items on the stool, then closed the doors giving Tia her privacy. She quickly liberated herself from her clothes. Only now she felt that they were literally stuck to her, thanks to her blood and grime.
But even then she folded them and handed them to the girl through the slightly open door. When she felt the fabric leave her hand, Tia moved to the mirror and looked at herself.
Her hair was even messier than before, and tangled in every way possible. Not to mention it looked more greyish than blonde with the amount of dirt in it. The unmasked part of the face wasn't much better. Her eyes were bloodshot and had dark rings beneath them.
Sighing she turned her eyes from the misery she was looking at.
She went into the shower and opened the hot water. When the water hit her skin Tia let a pleased moan escape. For a few seconds, she felt pure bliss. The hot water pleasantly loosened her tension and soothed the ache in her muscles.
Yet her pleasure was short-lived. Now that she hadn't had to fight for her life, she was able to think about the most urgent matter.
Tia now had the time to…grieve.
She never experienced such a strong feeling before. Even her previous breakdown was nothing compared to this. At least then she tried to preserve some of her dignity, but now, when no one was watching, she could release all her pent-up frustration and sadness.
Tia wasn't even aware that she was sobbing by this point. She leaned on the wall for support, her knees suddenly starting to give up. The grief ripped a gaping hole in her being, shaking her body in a painful way.
The memories of her Fraccion flooded through her mind.
Sung-Sun was the first one. She was the one Tia met soon after she evolved into a Vasto Lorde, and hadn't need to consume any more Hollows. She found Sung-Sun on the verge of death after a duel with another Hollow. Tia took care of her wounds and fed her. Soon the snake Hollow joined her.
Mila-Rose was second. The start of their relationship was rather bumpy. The lion Hollow actually attacked Sung-Sun. Tia, who was scouting at that time, managed to come back just in time before it got overly bloody. After a bit of persuasion, Tia's group grew again.
The last was Apachi. Her predicament was similar to Sung-Sun, albeit, without Tia's intervention, she would've surely died and become a part of another Hollow.
The three of them, after some tension, quickly became friends despite all the arguments that sometimes irritated Tia to no end. She couldn't count how many times she had to play peacekeeper.
But now she would give up her soul for a chance to experience it again. To see them again, alive and well.
She let out a ragged breath, trying to calm herself down, but recently she'd been failing at that quite often.
The feeling of horrible emptiness was just too much to bear. The thought that she would never see them again just deepened the pit.
Before her thoughts managed to fall even deeper into depression, a knock sounded through the bathroom.
"Halibel-san are you ok? You've been there for quite a while." She heard Ichigo's concerned voice. Tia realized that she indeed was there for some time now.
"Y-Yes I'm ok. I'll be done soon." She said in a hoarse voice. Thankful for the distraction, she quickly took the shampoo and applied it to her hair. She washed intensely, wanting to get all the dirt out of it quickly.
In a few minutes, she was out, and dried her body using the towel. She felt slightly better, at least physically, but she was still exhausted. She put the borrowed clothes on. It was a simple pair of jeans, a gray turtle neck sweater, that somehow managed to act like her high collar jacket, a pair of white socks, and underwear.
For some reason, everything fit perfectly. Tia couldn't recall giving the hatted man her sizes… which disturbed her slightly.
After she was done, she walked back into the living room.
Ichigo, who was waiting for her, did a double take when she entered the room. Tia seemed like a whole different person now. Both her hair and skin had a much lighter tone than he expected. The clothes she had on seemed like they were made for her. Both jeans and sweaters were perfectly fitted, accenting her voluptuous curves, especially her chest. The sweater actually seemed a little too tight there. Also, the jeans looked very nice on her long lean legs.
Ichigo hadn't even realized that he was staring until Tia politely cleared her throat. Blushing madly he looked to the table embarrassed. Tia wordlessly sat across him.
After half an hour of awkward silence between them, Ichigo started to feel really nervous. Complete silence wasn't his thing. He was wondering how to start some sort of conversation, but nothing came to mind. He had a few ideas, but all of them were too bold.
He wanted to ask her about so many things, like What was it like to be a Hollow? How Resurrección worked? What kind of life did she lead under Aizen's rule? Etc. But he felt that bombarding her with questions was inappropriate, and might anger her. So he remained silent.
Yet he also noticed that something was off about her. The skin around her eyes was tense and slightly puffy.
'She's been crying.' Ichigo realized, seeing the Arrancar lady before him in a new light. "Are you ok, Halibel-san?" He asked tenderly, making Tia look at him.
'Apacci, Mila-Rose, Sung-Sun… What would you all think of this? A Shinigami concerned with my wellbeing…' Tia thought the irony not lost on her. "I am fine, Kurosaki-san."
Ichigo stared at her incredulously.
"You sure don't look fine." He stated, crossing his arms, deciding to press her slightly. "Have you been crying?"
"I am fine," Tia replied in a dangerously cold tone, completely ignoring his question. No matter how insightful it was.
"You don't need to be so hostile, especially when people are worried about you." Ichigo snapped in exasperation. 'She's impossible. We might not get along well after all.'
Tia's eyes widened slightly at his harsh tone. With some shame, she realized that he hadn't had any ill will toward her, and she was just venting to him. She was about to apologize, but Ichigo was faster.
"Sorry about that." He rubbed his neck awkwardly. He saw her expression and regretted his outburst. "I'm not a very patient person, and you've been through a lot recently…sorry for prying." He blushed. " I shouldn't have pressured you...my bad"
"No…" She said quietly. "The one to apologize should be me…I apologize for being rude Kurosaki-san." She bowed slightly, not meeting his eyes.
The amount of sympathy in them was simply too much for her. Hate, anger, or indifference she could deal with. But the look of understanding that the young Shinigami was giving her, was simply unbearable.
'I wonder if he lost someone close too?' Such a thought passed through her mind. Again the heavy silence returned.
Tia glanced at her savior and saw how uncomfortable he was with it. It seemed that he wasn't the long-standing quiet type she initially thought and needed some sort of interaction.
'Maybe I should indulge him…A conversation might take my mind off of things.' Tia took a deep breath. "If you wish to ask me something, then feel free. It's the least I can do for your hospitality and care."
Ichigo's surprised face was almost comical to her.
"Ah, ok…um…so how was life in Los Noches, err before the war." Stumbling Ichigo managed to ask the first thing that came to mind.
"Tranquil, aside from the meetings and occasional fight, there was nothing significant going on." She replied.
"Really? I thought that there would've been preparations for the war or something…" Ichigo rubbed his chin.
"We are natural-born warriors, we don't need much training. The moment we became Arrancar we gain access to our strongest weapon, Resurrection." She explained.
"I see, so how exactly did you come into Aizen's service?" Ichigo asked, instantly having the feeling that he screwed up again. But if it affected Tia in a way she hadn't shown.
"He…saved my Fraccion and me." She spat the sentence, her voice filled with tightly controlled anger. "But now I know it was just a setup to gain my loyalty…and it succeeded." She added bitterly.
"Hey, it's not your fault. He fooled dozens if not hundreds of people." Ichigo said gently.
"Yet it was my decision to join him…and my Fraccion paid the price for my naivety." She closed her eyes, chasing off the pain. "Their sacrifice was in vain."
"You're still alive, aren't you?" Ichigo asked quietly.
"Sacrifice is my Aspect of Death, not theirs." She replied with a sigh.
"Aspect of what?" Ichigo asked, puzzled by her reply.
"Aspect of Death is what defines each of the Espada. It's the source of our powers and philosophy…mine is Sacrifice."
This information made quite an impact on Ichigo. Sacrifice almost always went hand in hand with protection. Suddenly he felt that maybe they could somehow get along, maybe even be friends in the future. But it also made him feel for her even more. Her expression was similar to the one he had after he failed to protect his Mother.
The only difference was that she knew how to hide pain better.
"So what were the other aspects?" Actually, Ichigo was quite curious about this.
"Rage, Solitude, Aging, Emptiness, Despair, Destruction, Intoxication, Madness, Greed." Tia enumerated.
"Wow that's some list…but I have to say out of all of them, yours is the noblest." He said sincerely and with a small smile. "Looks like I had the right feeling about you."
"Thank you." She replied, only minimally abashed. Compliments towards her were rare and far in between, usually only coming from her Fraccion. "May I ask you a question too?"
"Sure, shoot." Ichigo shrugged.
"It's come to my attention that you have a highly unusual Reiatsu. I recall you fighting Grimmjow, and your spiritual signature almost made me mistake you for one of us Espada." She told him.
"So you were there?" He asked surprised.
"Yes and no. I was observing you from my palace." She answered.
"So you probably noticed that I can go into a Hollow Mode." He said.
"Hollow Mode?" She asked.
Ichigo moved his hand to his face, and in one swift motion put his mask on. The moment he opened his eyes Tia felt her breath stuck in her throat.
Compared to the other two she saw, Ichigo's hollow mask was by far the most frightening. It resembled Barragan's Resurreccion, only it was more demonic in nature. Two vertical dark red stripes were going through the eye holes of the mask, giving it a slightly tribal look.
Speaking of eyes…
Tia felt her heart skip a beat when those black and gold orbs locked onto her teal ones. They emitted so much power, with such intensity, that it almost made her break eye contact. Ichigo's stare seemed to bore into her soul, seeing her every secret and thought.
She might as well be naked in front of him.
A shiver went down her spine when she recalled the last time she felt like that. It was when she was still an Adjuchas, and managed to outrun a particularly powerful opponent.
She never forgot the sight of those eyes.
The eyes of a superior predator….just like the one sitting in front of her. Her instincts screamed at her to get away, as she was weaponless.
Ichigo saw her pupils widen to almost comical proportions, it would've been funny if not for the hints of fear in her eyes.
"Halibel-san are you ok?" He said while taking his mask off.
"I-I see. I've fought warriors with a similar ability, but none of their Reiatsus were as close to a Hollow as yours." She told him, trying to sound as indifferent as possible. Tia would never admit that something as simple as one look could shake her so deeply.
"Really? I thought we all had a similar Reiatsu structure. Oh, by the way, which one of them did you fight?" He asked.
"One of them was a short blonde, with a foul mouth and…" She was interrupted.
"Hiyori." Ichigo deadpanned.
"..and the other was tall dark-haired girl, dressed in short skirt, and…" Again she was interrupted.
"Lisa." Ichigo shook his head. For some reason, he was glad that it wasn't Shinji.
"Mind if I ask who they are?" Tia inquired.
"They are a group of rogue Shinigami, who were Hollowfied due to Aizen's experiments with Hollowfication. They helped me to control my own Inner Hollow." He said.
"Inner Hollow?" Tia asked with genuine surprise. She wasn't aware that he had a Hollow inside him. True, his Reiatsu resembled a Hollow's, but in the end, he was a Shinigami not a Hollow.
Ichigo Kurosaki was truly a man full of surprises.
"Yep, pretty nasty guy. You don't want to meet him, but that bastard is a source of my Hollow powers." He said twisting his face in disgust as he mentioned his Hollow.
"What abilities are at your disposal?" Tia needed to know all she could about his strength, in case he ever turned on her. While she felt bad for repaying for his kindness like this, Aizen taught her to never trust anyone.
"Well I can use Sonido, and for some reason, my skin gets harder to pierce." He told her.
"It's called Hierro, Kurosaki-san. Being a Hollow increase your resistance to any physical attacks. Can you use Cero or Bala?" She asked him after she explained to him what Hierro was.
"Nope, they only taught me how to control the basics of my power. I discovered how to use Sonido on my own." He said with pride. "Though, I saw them using it…and I was thinking… maybe you could teach me how to use it. Of course only if you want." He mumbled embarrassed.
Halibel was taken aback by his request. Her first guess was that it was the reason he saved her. But she quickly dismissed that notion. She believed that if he only asked any of those Visored Shinigami would teach him that.
Yet no one ever asked her to teach them anything, and she wasn't certain if she could handle him.
"I'm not certain if I'd be a suitable teacher." She said avoiding his gaze.
"If you feel uncomfortable with it we'll forget about it," Ichigo said with a small smile, but Tia heard the disappointment in his voice.
"You misunderstood me. What I meant was that I possibly might not be a good teacher, but I'm willing to try." She told him, knowing what would happen if he made a mistake while forming a Cero. "But be warned that it might be dangerous." She added, to have a clean conscience.
"Thanks, Halibel-san! I really appreciate it!" Ichigo exclaimed with a small grin. "You're a lifesaver."
Tia was mildly surprised by his enthusiastic reaction. It was a small favor for saving her life, yet he seemed to make something big out of it.
'Humans are certainly puzzling creatures.'
"Excuse me." Ururu said coming in the room."Urahara-san wants to inform you that Halibel-san's Gigai is ready."
"Ok, we'll go then. Thanks, Ururu." Ichigo stood, patting her head and making the young girl blush. They followed her through the house to seemingly heavy metal doors. But the ease with which Ururu opened them seemed to prove otherwise.
They crossed the threshold and walked into what seemed to be a classical mad geneticist lab.
The walls were metallic gray, covered by shelves filled with jars. Said jars were filled with what seemed to be organs. Ichigo could swear that the eyes in one jar followed his movements. Urahara stood before a large computer that glowed with pale blue light, bathing the otherwise dim room in it.
In short, the place gave him the creeps.
"I feel like I'm in Szayelaporro's lab," Tia said under her breath, but Ichigo managed to catch it.
"In whose lab?" Ichigo asked her.
"You don't want to know." The tone in her voice routed further questioning.
Then Ichigo's eyes turned to the table….and they remained there for quite a time. Tia's Gigai was dressed in pair of black sneakers, blue jeans, a tight black sweater with a high collar, and a white scarf.
Yet what drew Ichigo's attention the most was her face. As he expected she was beautiful. Her face had a nice round shape, with a small nose and full lips.
'Why the hell she hides a face like this….' Ichigo wondered, taking in her features. He wonder how her face would look with a smile.
"Are you with us Ichigo?" Urahara asked with a mischievous smile. "Have I made some mistake in making Halibel-san's face? Since you seem to be staring so intensely at it?"
"Ahh…it's totally fine…not that I saw it….so it's ok…I guess?" He stumbled through his words, blushing madly at being caught.
'He guesses?' Tia thought dryly. While she was far from being concerned about her looks, his comment managed to offend her slightly.
"Burn," Urahara mumbled, giving Tia an apologetic smile. "Halibel-san you can enter your Gigai any time." Tia looked at him blankly. "Awww sorry, my bad." He patted his head. "You have to fuse your Reiatsu with the Gigai." He explained to her. "Just put your hands on it, and pour all of your energy into it."
Tia followed his instruction and started to pour her energy into the body. After a moment she felt like something had started to suck her in. Immediately she tried to resist, but then she heard Ichigo's voice.
"Just go with the flow, let the Gigai merge with you. Don't worry, the first time is the worst, but trust me you will get used to it." He said in a reassuring tone. Tia decided to trust him and do as he said. When she stopped resisting, she was immediately pulled inside the body.
To say the sensation was bizarre, would be a huge understatement. She felt like a log not being able to move at all.
'No….' With horror, she realized that had been tricked…again. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't lift a finger. This body became her prison.' Not again….'
Again the crushing sense of betrayal and hopelessness washed over her. She looked at Ichigo, glaring at him with all the anger and venom she could muster.
And that was a lot.
'Shit, we forgot to tell her.' Ichigo cursed, seeing the hurt and betrayal in her teal eyes. Not to mention anger and spite. 'Wow she really can muster a glare.' A lot of spite...
"Halibel-san." He said gently, putting his hand on her shoulder. The fact that Tia actually closed her eyes in what seemed to be fear managed to wound him. She tightly squeezed her eyes, reading herself for the pain, causing Ichigo to feel even worse. "Hey no one's going to hurt you, everything is fine."
Tia slowly opened her eyes, giving him a hesitant untrusting look, yet he could see a very shy hope in them. She looked so vulnerable now, Ichigo knew that one mistake and she would be crushed forever.
"It's ok, don't worry. No one is going to harm you." He tried to reassure her. The fear in her eyes for some reason seemed extremely wrong to Ichigo.
Tia looked into his eyes and saw no deceit. She decided to do what he asked, not that she had much choice in her current predicament.
"Look, when you enter your new body for the first time it takes some time for it to adjust to your Reiatsu. In a few minutes, you should be able to move. Sorry for forgetting to mention that." He had said cheerfully but stopped when he saw daggers in her eyes. "I will make it up to you, I swear." He gulped seeing her eyes narrow. But he also saw the humongous amount of relief in them. Her whole figure relaxed.
"How are you feeling, Halibel-san?" Urahara asked after five minutes.
"I still feel a little numb, but I can probably walk." She stood up and took a few shaky steps, examining her body's abilities. "I'd appreciate it if you inform me about such….surprises beforehand." She told them, coldly glaring at Ichigo.
"Sorry." He rubbed his neck sheepishly.
"Ok, do some exercises Halibel-san. Ichigo and I will give you some privacy." Urahara stated, motioning Ichigo to follow him.
Tia nodded while walking around the room. Ichigo and Urahara walked out of the room and closed the doors. All that time the hatted man was looking at the young Shinigami in what seemed to be amusement.
"What?" Ichigo asked getting slightly pissed.
"Just what are you planning Ichigo?" Urahara inquired, waving his fan to and fro.
"Planning?" Ichigo parroted. Yet he knew what, or rather who was the subject of the oncoming discussion.
"Yes, planning, to do about your new girlfriend?" He teased Ichigo with a perverted smirk.
"She's not my girlfriend! And I'm not planning to do anything you might be thinking!" Ichigo replied, turning scarlet.
"You are aware of the punishment for helping the enemy? Especially when you are a Captain?" Urahara asked in a more serious tone. His eyes lost all previous amusement.
"I am, but I just couldn't leave her there… And no I couldn't kill her. I don't hurt defenseless people." He replied with his own serious tone, crossing his arms "That's why I wanted you to create a Gigai that completely suppresses one's Reiatsu. They won't be able to detect her if she doesn't leave her Gigai." Ichigo told him. For a moment Urahara studied his expression, seeing the determination to go through with his plan.
"Ok Kurosaki one more question. Why did you take her in?" He asked curious about the answer. That question caused Ichigo to think deeply about his reasoning.
Why indeed? He wasn't certain at this point why he was doing it. Was it pity? Was it that he found her body attractive? Or that her Reiatsu was... alluring to him, almost like calling him to come closer… and touch it. Or was it the look in her teal eyes when they first met? Desperation mixed with resignation. The look of a person who had already accepted death moved something inside him. Or was it that, somehow, she seemed more human to him than any of the Arrancar that he met before, except for Nel. He was puzzled.
After a few seconds, he noticed that Urahara was still waiting for an answer.
"To tell the truth..." Ichigo hesitated, "...I don't know, but I think it was the right thing to do. No one deserves to be left for death like that." He finished, knowing that was only part of his reason. But how could he explain to Urahara that something told him to help her, that his instinct urged him to save her?
"Fine, I will take it for now…but when you finally put everything in order, you have to tell me every detail, and I mean every detail." He smirked deviously.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked, but really he didn't want to know.
"Nothing, nothing at all," Urahara replied still smirking.
With that matter done, both men returned to the room, just in time to witness Tia bending down and stretching her tendons, back to them. When Ichigo entered the room he could fully admire her rear. It was perfectly shaped, not too big, not too small, precisely to Ichigo's tastes, and he could swear he heard his Inner Hollow whistle at this sight. With willpower that could rival god, he turned away and coughed to catch her attention.
"Getting used to it?" He asked, trying to look indifferent in this situation.
"I am….Is there a reason for your nose bleeding?" She pointed out, causing Ichigo to suffer from a minor heart attack. He quickly wiped his nose clean.
"Well…yyy... you see, when you leave a living body for too long something like this can happen. Hahaha."
The lie was so obvious that Tia hadn't even attempted to call it out.
"Anyways I'll have your full cover story you later today," Urahra said, and pulled out a small piece of paper, handing it to her.
"Tia Halibel, the only daughter of Mary and Alex Halibel, a second-year student from Miami High School. I moved because I wanted to experience a different culture, and choose Japan as a cultural exchange destination…." She read aloud.
"That's just if somebody asks. Pretend to not know Japanese enough, and rely on Ichigo for the time being." He instructed.
"Very well." Tia nodded, hiding the note in her pocket.
"Thanks for everything old man. Mind telling me what's the time?" Ichigo asked.
"It's 7:15 AM." He replied.
"Thanks. See ya around Urahra-san. Ready to go Tia?" Ichigo started to walk toward the doors.
"You have my gratitude, Urahara Kisuke." Halibel said politely, bowing her head.
"Glad that I could help. Take care both of you…" He said waving his fan.
Ichigo and Tia left the shop, with Tia following Ichigo. The winter was already retreating, but the weather was still chilly. There was still loads of snow, and the pavement was slippery because of the ice.
They'd been walking in the suburban area for some time now…in total silence. Ichigo again felt quite uncomfortable. He guessed that their earlier conversation was a sort of miracle, and usually, she spoke as much as Ulquiorra.
What also caught his eyes was that she was trembling again, her arms tightly wrapped around her. It looked like she really hated the cold. Again Ichigo showed his gentlemanly side, by borrowing his coat.
"Here take it." He handed her his coat.
"There's really no need to..." Halibel started.
"Yes, there is." He cut her off. "You're not in your spiritual form anymore, and your new body is a perfect copy of the human body. So you need to take proper care of it, and the last thing we need is you catching a cold." He told her trying to sound mature, and cool and succeeded…partly.
"You seem to have a keen interest in my body." She pointed out, oblivious to how it sounded. "Earlier you seemed to stare at my face quite intensely."
"Erm…" He managed to stay calm, barely. "I was just curious what your face looked like, since you know, you cover it up for some reason." He noticed how her eyes narrowed. "Not that it's wrong or anything, it's our body after all…and well, after all, I went through, it would be strange if I let you freeze to death." He replied.
"Only this body would freeze. After all, it's merely a container." Tia answered.
"Do you feel cold?" He asked suddenly.
"I do." She replied, not sure what his point was.
"Then tell me is it a pleasant feeling?" He asked again.
"Hardly." She muttered.
"That's the point. Every injury, be it frostbite, or burns won't heal itself in a second. It will take time for you to heal in this body. So you need to take proper care of it, you're almost human again now." He finished.
Tia nodded, acknowledging his reasoning. She put his coat on and smelled his scent all over her…again. She swore that at this rate she would soon have the same scent as him…which for some strange reason didn't bother her that much. She felt his warmth going all around her frozen body, pleasantly enveloping it.
"What about you?" She asked looking at him. He was dressed more heavily than her, but it was still winter.
"Don't worry. I like winter, and I have a little more resistance to cold than most people." He replied to her, smiling. They walked a while in silence before Ichigo spoke again.
"Oh right, I have to tell you about my family. I have two sisters, Yuzu and Karin, they are both twelve years old. Yuzu is more feminine, she's calm and gentle, and Karin is rougher around the edges, almost a tomboy, in a way she resembles me. But she is a good one, just like her sister." Ichigo's face brightened, with a warm smile on his face
Tia almost could see the impatience on his face to see them.
"And then there's my old man..." His smile dropped, and she frowned at it. Was he in a bad relationship with his Father?
"To put it nice and plain, he's a lunatic, dead set on making my life miserable." He stated feigning seriousness, but Tia noticed his small grin.
"It seems that you hold your Father in low esteem." She voiced her observation, unsure how to interpret the difference between his expression and statement.
"When you meet him you'll understand, but under all his idiocy he is a good man who cares for his family." Yet his smile fell from his face. His expression changed to thoughtful.
Tia could almost read his emotional state, making her wonder what he was thinking about.
But the answer to her question came a few seconds later.
Ichigo stopped, looking at her with steel in his eyes, resolve to burn in them.
"Halibel-san these people are the ones I cherish the most in my life. I hate to say it, but I don't trust you…yet. So I'm going to warn you, if you harm them in any way, I swear I'll make you regret it. Even if it's the last thing I do." Ichigo was deadly serious, and Tia knew it. While he surprised her with the sudden behavior change, she understood him.
She was a potential threat, and she had to give him credit for being cautious with her.
'Looks like he's more reasonable than I thought.' She closed her eyes for a second." Your concerns are reasonable. It would be foolish to completely trust a stranger. You have my word Kurosaki Ichigo, that I won't harm your family."
"You can't imagine how happy I am to hear that, Halibel-san. Sorry for that, but I needed to be certain." He rubbed his neck, giving her an apologetic smile.
"There's no need to apologize Kurosaki-san, you acted with their best interest in mind." She crossed her arms, adopting the sage tone she often used with her Fraccion. "I understand that well."
"Thanks, and call me Ichigo." He told her. "There's no need for such formality now."
"Very well, Ichigo-san." She replied, making him roll his eyes.