Orihime sighed as she sat in front of the desk that had been returned to the area that it had been in before Captain Hitsuguya and Lieutenant Matsumoto moved it out of the way so they could set up their communication link with Soul Society, which was currently hidden by a cover that the duo had employed to keep it hidden. What she was doing right now was making a list of things that both Hitsuguya and Matsumoto needed to know, since they were planning on staying in her house until the conflict with Aizen was over, and that included what to do with towels, as it appeared that they needed help figuring things like that out, and when to take out the burnable garbage. Most of the items on the list were common things that most Humans knew about, and since both of her new roommates were Shinigami, who were used to a completely different lifestyle from what she remembered seeing when they were in Soul Society, she felt like repeating what she was saying so they understood what needed to be done. Eventually she reached the end of her instructions, giving the duo everything that they would need to know to keep the house up and running while she was gone, before setting the pencil down and raised her left arm.
Around her wrist was a special bracelet, that rested on the wrist and didn't seem to move at all, that both she and Sora had been given by Ulquiorra when he invaded the Dangai and took out the Shinigami that had been escorting them back to the World of the Living, who were going to make a full recovery thanks to her healing abilities. What they were told was that these special bracelets would emit a special spiritual barrier around them when they wore them, effectively cutting off the ability for Shinigami to feel them, as only Ulquiorra and his fellow Arrancar would be able to feel them, but he said nothing about Sombra, meaning he had no idea if the other Arrancar was included in that statement. Along with that came the ability to pass through physical objects as they desired, meaning they could slip through walls whenever they wanted if they were wearing one of these bracelets, though they were also told never to take them off, not until the way to Hueco Mundo was opened for her and Sora to head to Aizen's realm. Orihime knew that she was partly doing it because all of her friends had been threatened with death, but at the same time she was still hoping that either she or Sora could get close to the Hogyoku and either destroy it or steal it before retreating from Hueco Mundo.
The interesting thing about the whole situation was what Ulquiorra said after handing them the bracelets, as he gave them both twelve hours to wrap up their business, such as she had been doing with the instructions she was leaving her roommates, and also allowed the two of them to say goodbye to a single person, in the sense that Orihime could do so to one person and Sora could do the same to another. The problem was that they actually couldn't tell who they chose to speak to what they were doing, otherwise that would be disobeying Ulquiorra's orders and he'd have to punish them accordingly, telling them that someone was watching them at all times and that he'd be made aware if they told someone what was going on. Sora was going to try to find a way to tell Sombra, as that was who he was planning on saying goodbye to, exactly what was going on, as he was sure that the Vasto Lorde ranked Arrancar would be able to figure out what was going on without him saying too much, the only problem was that Ulquiorra might be watching and might deem his actions as disobeying him... but he was willing to take the chance, to let someone know what happened to him and Orihime when they didn't appear the next time their friends got together.
After a few moments she sighed and lowered her arm, before setting down her pencil, got back up onto her feet, and headed towards the door that would take her back into the living area of their house, though once she reached that room she made her way towards the front door and opened it.
"You ready to get this over with?" Sora asked, as he had been standing outside the house in cause their Shinigami roommates returned from their battle, but from what he could tell it appeared that they were somewhere else at the moment, getting their injuries checked out, before they decided to come back.
"Yeah... I think so." Orihime replied, to which she rubbed the back of her head for a moment, as it was entirely crazy for them to be doing this, and even crazier for them to consider that they were actively going to try and tell Sombra what was going on, though an ability that might fail.
"Who are you going to say goodbye to?" Sora inquired, but at the same time he had the feeling that he already knew, as he had seen the way that his sister looked at Ichigo from time to time, when she thought that he wasn't looking, and felt that her heart belonged to him, meaning that he might have the answer already.
"Maybe Tatsuki. Maybe Ichigo. I'm still undecided." Orihime admitted, though at the same time she glanced at the clock before she closed the front door of their house behind her, as they had more than enough time to do what they had been tasked with doing before the time they were supposed to meet Ulquiorra arrived, "I'm going to head to the school and think about that for a few minutes... maybe I'll come to a decision while I'm there."
"Just remember that midnight's the deadline," Sora said, though they both knew the location that Ulquiorra wanted them to meet him at, otherwise it would be considered disobeying him and they didn't need to be reminded of what the punishment was for doing that, not after what he told them earlier.
Orihime nodded her head and the two of them separated from each other, as Orihime was heading towards the high school so she could think about what she was going to do and Sora headed in the direction of Sombra's reiatsu, which just so happened to be outside the Urahara Shop, something that he expected. Sora flashed into the air and headed towards his destination, knowing that Orihime was going to take her time debating about who she wanted to say goodbye to, so he focused on what he was going to do and how he was going to avoid letting Ulquiorra know that he was intentionally breaking the order that he had been given. Based on what had been said both both he and his sister were being treated as their own individuals, meaning that if one of them disobeyed Ulquiorra that one was going to receive the punishment, and since it appeared that Aizen needed Orihime for something he was more than willing to take the pain if it meant that his sister survived for when Sombra and the others came for her, as he knew that, even if he failed to get his message across, they'd find out anyway and come save her.
Sora's thoughts were interrupted when he noticed that he had actually crossed the distance between their house and Urahara's Shop in a matter of moments, though as he dropped down to the area in front of it he found Sombra standing outside the building.
"I know you're there, Sora." Sombra spoke up, as the moment their battle with Grimmjow was over Shinji had ordered that Ichigo, who had been trashed by Grimmjow, return to his house and rest up before they resume their training, and Rukia went along with him to be sure that he did so, while also making sure Ichigo's family didn't freak out, before he came back here and told Urahara what happened, which was followed by him turning his head towards Sora, "That's an interesting bracelet that you're wearing... it's supposed to hide you from everyone else, excluding the Arrancar, isn't it?"
"Yeah... how did you figure that out so quickly?" Sora asked, because he and Orihime had only been given these maybe an hour ago, so there should have been no way for the senior Arrancar to figure out what happened, before he brought his palm to his face, "Right, you're an Arrancar. That's how you figured it out."
"It was easy to determine that something was wrong when the Senkaimon opened and no one reacted to you or Orihime coming through," Sombra stated, though at the same time he stopped leaning against the wall that he had been leaning against and approached the other Arrancar, who was no doubt remembering that he was much smarter than most people gave him credit for, before continuing what he was saying, "besides, I made a comment about the Senkaimon opening and Rukia told me that she hadn't felt it open at all. That's what told me that something was up, especially since I could still feel both you and Orihime as you came out and went about whatever business you were attending to. So tell me, what's going on between you two and Aizen's Arrancar?"
"About that... I can't actually tell you what's going on." Sora replied, as he was sure that Ulquiorra, or whoever he had asked to observe them, was watching their movements carefully, though at the same time he guessed that it wouldn't make the situation worse, not when he had been found out so easily, "All I can say is that it involves us, Hueco Mundo, Aizen, and a powerful artifact."
Sombra raised an eyebrow for a moment, as the combination of words made it sound like one of the Arrancar had made contact with the two of them as they were coming back from Soul Society, likely Ulquiorra ordering them around and threatening their lives in some manner. Someone didn't need to be a genius to figure out that Aizen had asked one of his followers to capture Orihime and bring her back to Hueco Mundo, because her powers were unlike anything that Soul Society had seen before and even they were lost when it came to her abilities, and Sombra knew that by taking her Aizen was either trying to deprive them of a powerful ally or he was setting up a cunning trap, one that Sombra would spring if that was the case. He soon determined that it had to be a trap of some kind, as their enemy was after Karakura Town and would be looking for a way to deprive the town of it's strongest protectors, as he knew that Ichigo would charge into Hueco Mundo the moment he discovered that Orihime was missing, before staging his invasion, and Sombra soon found that he'd be planning the same thing if he were in Aizen's shoes, though he would have made sure that whoever was being captured would only be able to say goodbye to a single person, even if there were multiple people being taken.
"So, he wants Orihime for her powers." Sombra commented, causing Sora to raise an eyebrow in return, showing that he was surprised that he had been able to piece that together so quickly, before sighing and raised his right hand for a moment, which he placed on Sora's shoulder, "I assume that there's a time limit before you have to meet up with your contact, so I better not keep you too much longer... besides, you might want to check in with Orihime and make sure that she's ready for when you guys have to head to Hueco Mundo."
Sora stared into Sombra's eyes for a moment, finding that he was not kidding, that he had managed to piece together exactly what was going on and knew what he and Orihime were going to do, but in the end he determined that it was a good thing that someone knew what was going on, as then his sister would be saved soon enough. Now that he knew that Sombra understood what was going on, and he technically didn't tell anyone since Sombra had figured it out all on his own, he moved into the air and headed off into the distance, deciding that it was time to see what Orihime was up to this time around. Sombra, on the other hand, headed back into the shop and rejoined the others as if nothing had happened, though he noticed that they were busy tending to the wounded Shinigami that had fought Yammy and Grimmjow's replacement, Luppi, during the incursion... and he didn't say anything as he thought about what he had discovered, as there was someone more important that he needed to tell this to and had a feeling that they would be talking with him soon enough anyway.
Eventually the day turned to night and everyone went to bed, something that Sombra was expecting, though before he went to bed he stayed up for a few moments and felt a Garganta open around midnight, along with both Orihime and Sora's reiatsu disappearing... to which he sighed and turned in for the night, as they would have time to go over what just happened when everyone was rested and ready to go.
When morning arrived Sombra and Yoruichi eagerly met it like they always did, even more so since they were hosting a few additional Shinigami because of their wounds, though while the two of them made sure that no one was taking advantage of Urahara's generosity, which had to be wearing thin, Hitsuguya headed to Orihime's place because of a call that he got from Soul Society. Sombra knew that Rukia had called Soul Society a few times yesterday, trying to see if she could make contact with Orihime or Sora, and had failed multiple times, meaning that they had news for someone and the action of Hitsuguya leaving encouraged the other Shinigami to get themselves prepared for their own departure, as they intended to follow him mere minutes after he left. Sombra shook his head as the plates and cups were put into the sink, along with the one he had been drinking from the entire time he had been up, but even as that happened Renji came back and told him to come to the meeting as well, since it concerned him in some manner, causing Sombra to gather his Zanpakuto before he headed over to Orihime's place.
Of course when he arrived he had his first encounter with the massive screen that was the emergency link between Hitsuguya's squad and the rest of Soul Society, with everyone save for Hitsuguya being there, though not even a few minutes after his arrival both Hitsuguya and Ichigo, fully healed from his battle, joined them.
"So why are we all meeting here?" Ichigo asked, as the last time that he had come to Orihime's place was when Sora, when he was still a dangerous Hollow that was trying to consume his sister's soul, attacked the place, before noticing the large screen that was in front of them.
"We'll get to that in a moment." Hitsuguya said, to which he turned towards Matsumoto for a moment, who appeared to have been tinkering with some of the controls that had been cleverly hidden inside one of the nearby boxes, "Have you taken care of the spectral interference yet?"
"Yes, it's been taken care of." Matsumoto replied, as it wasn't hard for her to manipulate the device in such a way, and she had been doing that since they came back to the house, just to prepare everything for the meeting that was going to be taking place.
"Good, then connect us." Hitsuguya ordered, though not a few seconds after saying that, and Matsumoto pressed the necessary command buttons, the screen shimmered for a moment and Ukitake appeared before them, making Hitsuguya slightly confused for a second as the others turned to face the screen, since he was expecting someone else, "Captain Ukitake? Where's the Captain-Commander?"
"I'm here instead." Ukitake answered, before he sighed for a moment and closed his eyes as he considered what he was about to say, especially with Ichigo, Rukia, and Sombra standing in front of him, though what he said next shocked most of them a little, "And before you ask 'why', allow me to explain. The reason that I am here, standing before you now, is because I was the last person to see both Orihime and Sora Inoue before they went through the Senkai Gate... and, judging by the looks on your faces, it's safe to say that they never made it back to the World of the Living."
"What do you mean by that, Ukitake-san?" Ichigo asked, though at the same time he was the only person that Sombra knew that occasionally used a honorific when talking to or about someone, namely it was usually reserved for Urahara, as he was Ichigo's teacher in the art of Zanjutsu, "Where did Orihime and Sora go? You know something, don't you?"
"I'll give you my opinion on what happened." Ukitake said, though his tone revealed that he might bare some small amount of responsibility for Orihime and Sora's disappearance, even if Ichigo had no idea that they might have vanished at some point between here and Soul Society, "The two guards that I sent with her and Sora, as escorts so they'd make it to the World of the Living safely, came back alive... however, according to the two of them, both Orihime and Sora were either abducted by an Arrancar, or they were killed and their bodies taken to Hueco Mundo."
"Captain Ukitake, even if that is a hypothesis, saying something like that..." Rukia started to say, as she couldn't believe what her Captain was saying, but before she was able to finish her statement a glance from Ukitake stopped her dead in her tracks, as he had more to tell them.
"I know... I don't like saying this either." Ukitake told them, and Sombra could see that he didn't like saying things like that, as he must have grown to like having both Orihime and Sora in Soul Society, even if they were only training with Rukia for the upcoming battle, "I am, however, listing the worst case scenarios. According to our information, the four of them were attacked by an Arrancar, who wounded both of the escorts and forced both Orihime and Sora to disappear with him after they lost consciousness."
"Don't screw around with us! This is just plain wrong!" Ichigo snapped, as he was quickly becoming annoyed with the conversation that they were having, so much so that he stared at where one of his wounds had been located before focusing on Ukitaku, "You're saying that both Orihime and Sora are dead, without any proof, just because they vanished? Don't give me any of that shit! Look at me. Yesterday, before Rukia and Sombra stepped in and stopped Grimmjow, I was covered in wounds that would have taken a few days to mend on their own, and yet I woke up this morning without a single one of them left where I remember them being... and I could feel a faint trace of Orihime's reiatsu, before Hitsuguya came and got me for this meeting."
"I see... what a pity." a new voice said, to which the group watched as Captain-Commander Yamamoto appeared on the other side of the screen, but even his few words told Sombra that something was up, as they must have come to a decision regarding their mission friends already, "If what you say is true, then at least Orihime Inoue is still alive... but, at the same time, it also means that she's a traitor to our cause. If she and her brother had been kidnapped, then she would not have been able to come and see you, much less mend your body back to it's pristine condition, and disappearing soon afterword, without saying anything to anyone, means that they have joined Aizen's forces of their own free will!"
"And what if they were forced to go with whoever attacked them, only a few hours after the attack?" Sombra asked, causing the group to turn towards him for a moment, as now was the best time to tell them what Sora had tried to covertly tell him yesterday, "From what I can gather, both Orihime and Sora were unharmed after the attack in the Dangai, though they were given special bracelets to avoid being detected by Shinigami, as only an Arrancar could sense their reiatsu at that point, and I can confirm that I felt that since I asked Rukia about the Senkaimon opening and she didn't have anything to say about it. Sora came to me, to say goodbye, and tried to covertly tell me that the two of them were being threatened by the Arrancar that had attacked them, no doubt with the deaths of their friends would be my guess, and that Aizen likely wishes to use Orihime's powers in some manner. The did not join the enemy of their own free will, they were forced to accept the terms given and merely acted in the attacker's best interests."
"Based on the evidence we've already gathered, it doesn't appear that your tale is correct." Yamamoto stated, though that actually surprised Sombra for a moment, as he had been telling the truth about what happened to Orihime and Sora, only for the Captain-Commander to believe the reports of his own men and whatever report Mayuri, or whoever was watching the town, had come up with.
"Captain-Commander Yamamoto, I, Renji Abarai, Lieutenant of the Sixth Division and member of Captain Hitsuguya's advanced guard," Renji said, stepping forward so that everyone could see and hear what he was about to do, though he hid his own surprise that the Captain-Commander was declaring that Sombra's tale was false, when it might be what was right in this situation, "seek permission to go to Hueco Mundo and recover the traitors, before they reach Aizen."
"Permission denied." Yamamoto declared, to which he tapped his cane against the floor on his end, silencing any comments that any of them might make towards his decision, while at the same time shocking both Ichigo and Renji, as they had been thinking of getting Orihime and Sora back, "Now that it is clear that the Arrancar are preparing for battle, all members of Captain Hitsuguya's advance guard must return to Soul Society, to help fortify our defenses. Yes, I am telling you to abandon both Orihime and Sora Inoue to their fates in Hueco Mundo. The weight of two lives cannot compare to that of the entire world, should Aizen succeed in his plans. Also, in anticipation that some of you might not being able to obey these orders, I have sent some help to aid you in coming back."
Not even a few seconds later a Senkai Gate opened in the back of the room, near the door to the main living room, and Sombra raised an eyebrow as he noticed Captain Zaraki and Captain Byakuya standing on the other side of the gate, with the number of hell butterflies moving out to entice the Shinigami around him to head back to Soul Society.
"You guys heard him." Zaraki said, surprising the group for a moment, as this was one of the rare times where Zaraki followed the orders of the Captain-Commander, though at the same time he couldn't help but turn his frown into a smile when he felt Sombra's increased power, as it was stronger than he remembered, "It's time to go back."
"Don't resist." Byakuya added, though he was more than willing to continue frowning at those that were in front of him, even though he was internally sweating when he felt Sombra's power, as it was even stronger than the last time the two of them had been in the same area, "We've been ordered to you back by force if necessary."
"I understand... then I won't ask you guys for help in saving Orihime and Sora." Ichigo said, to which the assembled group turned back towards him, as they all knew that he was talking to most of the Shinigami that were present, with the exclusion of Rukia and Renji, "But, can you at least tell me how to get to Hueco Mundo?"
"Request denied!" Yamamoto stated, though at the same time Ichigo growled, as he couldn't believe that he was being denied this one request, the only one that he had asked Soul Society to grant him, especially since Orihime and Sora were his friends and he couldn't let them remain in Aizen's hands for more than they already were, "We will need your strength in the upcoming battle. I won't allow you to act foolishly on your own and die like a dog. Wait until you receive your orders, Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki. The same goes for you, Sombra."
"I refuse." Sombra replied, to which he turned his full attention to the screen, and the Captain-Commander for that matter, while the other Shinigami stared at him like he had lost his mind, as this was the first time he had said something like that to Yamamoto, granted they hadn't had many chances to talk to each other, "Orihime and Sora are my friends as well, just as much as they are Ichigo's friends, so if you're going to deny Renji's request to go after them, and Ichigo's request for directions to Hueco Mundo, then I'm going to refuse your request as well. Besides, technically I don't work for Soul Society, so there's no real reason for me to obey your orders anyway, other than doing them because they're for the best interests of the souls that call the World of the Living home. I'm going to Hueco Mundo, with or without your blessing, I'm going to decimate Aizen's army before he has a chance to launch his invasion, I'll even kill Gin, Tosen, and Aizen if I have to, just to make sure my friends are safe."
Yamamoto clearly had nothing to say to that, as he closed the connection between them without another word, to which both Zaraki and Byakuya glanced at each other, as they knew Sombra's strength was no lie and had to wonder just how much more terrifying he was in an actual fight, before the other Shinigami bid Ichigo and Sombra farewell before heading back to Soul Society, with the Senkai Gate closing before their eyes.
"Sombra, did you mean what you said?" Ichigo asked, though at the same time he knew that his friend wasn't bluffing, because when Rey had been in control he dominated Grimmjow so hard that everyone thought he was someone completely different, but now that he was in control he was even more dangerous than he had been before regaining his Arrancar Zanpakuto.
"Yes, I did." Sombra replied, though at the same time he glanced over to his friend for a moment, as he knew exactly what they needed to do at the moment, and who could help them since he knew that using his own Garganta had to be dangerous for them, "Meet me at Urahara's Shop tonight... we're heading into Hueco Mundo, whether the Captain-Commander wants us to or not."
Ichigo stated at him for a moment, wondering what he was talking about, before nodding his head and walked out of Orihime's house, no doubt going to go about his routine like nothing was out of the ordinary, but at the same time Sombra headed back to the shop so he could explain what was going on to Urahara and the others. When Sombra arrived at the shop both Urahara and Yoruichi meet him when he arrived, as they had felt all the reiatsu that belonged to the Shinigami disappear and he explained the situation to them, along with what he and Ichigo were planning on doing, with some minor additions on his part. They weren't the only ones that called Orihime and Sora their friends, so his plan was to recruit both Uryu and Chad, who were definitely stronger than they had been the last time he had seen them, for their main expedition into Hueco Mundo using a Garganta that Urahara could bring to life, then, when they were a good distance into Hueco Mundo, he could have Renji and Rukia, who would be arriving later on, meet up with them at a closer location to their main destination... which was wherever they were keeping Orihime and Sora, maybe the center of whatever stronghold Aizen had built before gathering his army.
Urahara had him, Yoruichi, and Tessai help him prepare the pillars for the Garganta, which he claimed would be easy to open once everyone was ready, and before long they were allowed to do whatever they wanted with the remaining time until Ichigo arrived, to which Sombra and Yoruichi simply relaxed... which meant sparring a little, to make sure that Yoruichi was ready for any Arrancar that invaded Karakura Town, and Urahara insisted that she stay here, before the time to leave was upon them.
When Ichigo arrived he found that Urahara was waiting for him outside outside the shop and even welcomed him into the underground training area, where both Sombra and Yoruichi were waiting for him to arrive, even though Sombra knew that there were two other people that were waiting for him as well, thanks to Urahara gathering them together. Ichigo, once again, had no idea that Uryu and Chad had assembled in the area that they were in, at Sombra's request and by Urahara's invitation, but he knew that his friend was going to be happy to have some reinforcements when they reached Hueco Mundo, as they had no idea how strong Ulquiorra and the Espada above him were. Sombra was sure that they would be able to save Orihime and Sora, though one of the last times he had been sure about something was when Byakuya cut him down, something that he repaid in kind when he invaded Soul Society to save Rukia, though his thoughts changed when he felt Uryu making his move.
"You've got a pathetic look on your face, Ichigo Kurosaki," Uryu commented, to which Ichigo stopped where he was standing and glanced at the rock formation that Uryu, sporting a modified version of his previous Quincy attire, happened to be sitting on.
"Uryu?! What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked, because he knew that he and Sombra were going to Hueco Mundo, as that had been Sombra's plan from the beginning once he heard what the Captain-Commander was planning on doing in regards to their friends, and seriously wondered why he was here.
"Isn't it obvious?" another voice said, to which Chad, sporting tan colored pants and a dark long-sleeved shirt that had a rose emblazoned on the left shoulder, stepped out from behind the pillar that he had been standing behind and stared at Ichigo for a few moments, "We going with you, to Hueco Mundo. There's no need to explain anything, Urahara told us everything that happened since we started training."
"No. You guys should stay here." Ichigo stated, as he wasn't about to risk the lives of his remaining friends, especially after hurting the feelings of Tatsuki and the others when he was at the school earlier, before he stared at the area that he and Urahara had been walking towards, "I appreciate the thought, but neither of you guys are strong enough to compare to Grimmjow and..."
"Ichigo," Chad replied, which was followed by him channeling his inner power, forming the right arm that he was used to using these days when he fought Hollows, before charging at Ichigo and swung at him, striking the edge of his friend's Zanpakuto, as Ichigo used it to parry the attack, and tore a portion of the area around them apart when the energy of his attack was released, "Am I still not powerful enough?"
"We know that having someone as powerful as Sombra at your side has made you... forget about us." Uryu said, to which he jumped down and stood beside the two of them, especially as Chad pulled his arm back and Ichigo returned his blade to the spot on his back, "Believe in us, Kurosaki. Chad has gotten stronger since the first time Grimmjow invaded our world, and I have not only regained my powers, but I have become stronger as well... and we're more than ready to take the fight to Aizen, to get both Orihime and Sora back."
"Guys... okay, we'll go together." Ichigo stated, as he now had the feeling that Sombra and Urahara had a hand in bringing both Uryu and Chad to this area, at this time no less, before they turned towards the two rock formations that seemed to be parallel with each other and had a post sticking out of each one.
"The path to Hueco Mundo is ready to be opened," Urahara spoke up, knowing that the group would want to leave soon enough and he was more than willing to help them out,especially since he felt that only Sombra was necessary to go to Aizen's fortress, "You guys ready to go?"
"We're ready to depart." Sombra replied, though as he and his friends gathered near the area that the Garganta would be opened in, however, he noticed that Tessai, Ururu, and Jinta were down here as well, no doubt to watch the opening of the path to Hueco Mundo, and Yoruichi stood near the four of them for a moment.
"Good." Urahara said, to which he turned towards the rock formation that was on the right of where he was standing, as he was on the post that was sticking out of the right formation, from where the group was standing, and knelt on the post as he focused what he was doing, "My right hand is the stone that bridges worlds. My left hand is the blade that binds reality. The black haired shepherd is hung from a chair. Stratus clouds come, and I strike down the ibis!"
In the following few seconds blue energy gathered around Urahra's hand, the one that was holding onto the top of his cane, before it descended into the post that he was standing on, where the group watched as the energy leapt over to the other pillar and they both glowed blue for a few moments, which was followed by an oval shaped opening appearing between the two posts, with a familiar void on the other side.
"As Sombra has no doubt told you, this is called a Garganta." Urahara told them, even though the only ones that really needed to be told that were Ichigo and Chad, as Uryu was smart enough to remember what he had been told, and that was mostly because Chad had been busy and likely forgot what it was called, while Ichigo likely let the information go over his head when the information was first told to him, "There aren't any paths inside a Garganta, only a constant, turbulent flow of spirit particles. You'll be required to use these particles to forge your own pathways before you reach Hueco Mundo, which you'll reach by heading forward... and Ichigo, we'll be sure to watch over your family, friends, and town while you guys are gone."
"And I'll be helping him," Yoruichi added, though her tone told Sombra that she and Urahara would be preparing their defenses for the eventual invasion, unless the four of them defeated Aizen's army, before she stepped forward and planted a kiss on Sombra's lips, surprising Ichigo and his friends for a moment, "though I'd rather be heading into Hueco Mundo with the rest of you."
"I know, but this plan is the best at the moment," Sombra said, knowing that Yoruichi wanted to go along with him and him alone, even though she would help the others to the best of her ability, but after a few moments they separated from each other and he smiled, "Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it."
"Wait... when did you two start a relationship?" Ichigo asked, as this was the first time he had seen the two of them act this way in front of everyone else, though if they had done something like this before, in front of him and the others, he wondered how he could have missed it.
"We started the day after Rukia's 'execution'." Yoruichi replied, though as she said that she took a step back and stood off on the side, as it was time for the group to get moving and start the journey to Hueco Mundo, because it appeared that Sombra was ready to get the adventure started.
"Okay... let's go before my head hurts more than it already does." Ichigo stated, to which he jumped into the air and headed towards the Garganta, with Sombra, Uryu, and Chad following after him almost immediately, leaving Yoruichi and the others to watch them as they did that.
The group of four crossed over into the void that was on the other side of the entrance and immediately drew the spirit particles towards their feet as they touched down, though as they started moving forward the entrance behind them closed, indicating that the only path was forward... and that they wouldn't be able to stop until they reached the end of the void and crossed over into Hueco Mundo.
Despite the situation that they were in, being taken to Hueco Mundo by one of the Arrancar that Aizen had created, both Orihime and Sora were amazed by the sheer size of the fortress that they had found themselves in when they followed Ulquiorra out of the passage he had created. They knew that it was a bad thing on their part, taking such an interest in the enemy's fortress, but they couldn't help it, not when they felt like they were back in Soul Society in some manner, even though this was completely different from Soul Society. It also appeared that they were in the throne room area of the fortress that they were in, or what they assumed was the throne room because of the large throne that Aizen was sitting in at the moment, and Ulquiorra was standing nearby with the same expression on his face. Standing nearby were two Arrancar that they recognized, as both of them had seen Yammy during the first instance where some Arrancar had come to the World of the Living, where Yammy killed a number of people by taking their souls, and they also recognized Grimmjow, but the effeminate Arrancar, Luppi, and the childlike Arrancar, Wonderweiss, were completely unknown to them... and they only knew their names because Ulquiorra was nice enough to introduce them before they entered the throne room together.
After a few moments they came to a stop in front of the throne, behind the assembled Arrancar, where they were forced to glance up at the seat that Aizen was sitting on, and knew that the Arrancar were staring at them, each of them having a different emotion on their face, before they focused on what was going on.
"Welcome to our castle, Las Noches." Aizen said, though at the same time he stared down at the pair and was pleased to find that neither of them had been harmed in the process of coming to Hueco Mundo, meaning that Ulquiorra had completed his mission in the manner he specified, "Orihime and Sora Inoue."
Sora wasn't surprised to hear that Aizen knew who they were, not after hearing that this man was the stranger that had helped Sombra and Ichigo prevent him from killing himself, and instead took on the path of an Arrancar, as it appeared that he had been another test subject for the former Shinigami.
"I'm sorry to rush you on this, Orihime," Aizen continued, noticing that both of them were thinking about what was going on at the moment, but since he knew that a certain Arrancar was on his way here he needed to verify something before he put his true plan into motion, "but could you show me your power? Though it seems that there are some who don't approve of me having Ulquiorra bringing the two of you here... isn't that right, Luppi?"
"Obviously." Luppi stated, though he glanced to his left for a moment, as while he was more than willing to try and crush both of the siblings with his reiatsu, as he hated them already, he wasn't willing to challenge their Lord, even though he let them speak their minds, "Our entire battle was just a diversion so Ulquiorra could find and bring those two to Hueco Mundo. There's no way that I could approve of that!"
"I'm sorry about that. I hadn't predicted that you would suffer so many wounds in the process, especially since your opponent wasn't Sombra." Aizen replied, noticing that Grimmjow glanced at his missing arm for a moment, showing him that the former Sexta Espada knew the power that Sombra commanded and understood what he was talking about, even though he had a good test for Orihime's unique powers, "Ah yes, we could do that. Orhime, as a way of demonstrating your powers, why don't you heal Grimmjow's arm?"
"No way! That's crazy. We were told that Sombra cut off Grimmjow's left arm and reduced it to ash." Luppi stated, as that was what they had all been told when Grimmjow had recounted his fight with the powerful Arrancar, to prepare the Espada for what they would be getting themselves into if they fought him, though as he said that he noticed that Orihime was already walking over towards the one-armed Arrancar, "How is she supposed to heal something that no longer exists? She's not god!"
"Soten Kisshun." Orihime said, to which the necessary Flowers broke off of her hairpins and gathered the shield around the area that Aizen wanted her to heal, though as she did that Grimmjow looked down at her in surprise, Luppi growled as he turned towards her, and Sora stood beside her in case anything happened, "I reject."
"Hey, are you listening woman? A little performance isn't going to save your life!" Luppi declared, as he couldn't believe that they were wasting their time on such a brat, because powers like the one that Lord Aizen was talking about didn't exist, not for Humans anyway, and this was just pissing him off in the process, "That power is obviously fake. There's no reason to let som..."
Luppi's words died in his mouth as he, as well as the remaining Arrancar, watched as Grimmjow's left arm was pieced back together and restored to it's former glory, shocking the former Sexta Espada in the process, since he considered his arm all but gone at this point in time... and, while Luppi was distracted, Grimmjow shot a meaningful glance at Aizen, who nodded his head in return, indicating that this had been his plan from the beginning and that he was okay with the restored Arrancar doing what he was thinking of doing.
"Ulquiorra perceived Orihime's abilities as reversing time or reverting the space, but both those reasons are, in reality, false." Aizen said, though even as he said that Ulquiorra didn't seem unhappy, not that he bothered to show emotions anyway, and that was because he had explained what the truth of Orihime's powers was after he had studied them in his private viewing room, "This is phenomenon rejection. Her ability allows her to limit, reject, or deny things that happen to a certain object, such as denying the reality that Grimmjow had his arm cut off and destroyed, allowing her to piece it back together like nothing had happened. This power is certainly greater than turning back time or reverting spaces, and, as a result, she can even overturn events decided by God Himself... her ability impinges on His territory, as it were."
"Hey, Orihime," Grimmjow quieted said, as he wanted to surprise Luppi with what was coming next, to which he turned around and beckoned to the area on his back where his Espada tattoo had been located, though the only reason he bothered to call her by name was because she was still one of Sombra's friends, and the powerful Arrancar still terrified him to his core, "Heal one more spot for me."
Orihime, despite sensing that something terrible was coming, nodded her head and wrapped the shield around the area in question, allowing her a front row seat as a number six tattoo was restored to it's former glory, though that was followed by Luppi discovering what she was doing and turned towards them... only for Grimmjow to step forward and impale the effeminate Arrancar with his newly restored left arm, as his hand was now coming out of Luppi's back as he coughed up some blood.
"Grimmjow... you bastard." Luppi said, staring into the eyes of the Espada that he had replaced for the last couple of weeks, though at the same time, as his death approached him, he started to realize that he had only been put in that position because Lord Aizen wanted to test Orihime's abilities at some point, and a one-armed Grimmjow had been the perfect test subject.
"Later, former Sexta Espada." Grimmjow replied, though as he said that he raised his right arm and formed a Cero above the palm of his hand, giving Luppi only a few moments to understand what was coming next before he obliterated the top half of his body.
In the following few seconds Grimmjow grinned as he felt his former power as the Sexta Espada flood back into his body, putting him back at the level he had been in before Sombra tore off his left arm and incinerated it like he had, but even then he really didn't feel like celebrating all that much, not when the restoration of his position brought back the reality that he was going to have to fight Sombra at some point with the other Espada... a fight that he wasn't looking forward to, not after the beating that he had suffered a few weeks ago.
"Funny, I expected you to be shouting at the top of your lungs in joy at recovering your powers." Aizen commented, as this was one thing that he hadn't seen coming, that Grimmjow was actually behaving like the majority of the other Espada and not acting like a madman.
"I am happy, but there's no need for me to go over the top, Lord Aizen." Grimmjow replied, knowing that this was his way of acting differently now that his power was back, but at the same time there was so much for him to do so he could prepare for what was coming next, because if Orihime and Sora were here he knew that it was only a matter of time until Sombra came for them.
"Understandable." Aizen said, as it seemed like Grimmjow's encounter with an even stronger Arrancar, one that could easily rival Ulquiorra if the estimates were right, might have taught the Sexta Espada a lesson, before he turned his attention back to the rest of the Arrancar, "Ulquiorra, take Orihime and Sora to the room that they'll be staying in... and then wait for me to call on you again."
Ulquiorra bowed his head slightly before returning to a standing position and lead the pair out of the throne room, as it appeared that the first stage of Lord Aizen's plan, 'capturing' Orihime and Sora, was complete, and all they had to do was wait for the second stage to come to them... though he was looking forward to seeing whether or not his thoughts about Sombra were correct, or if he misjudged the power that the other Arrancar commanded.