A/N: This story includes quite a few OC's and some characters may be slightly OOC (Mainly Quincy characters, since I don't read the manga). Featuring OP characters and non-canon events that happened in the past. There are a few romantic pairing between some Espada and my OC's that will occur sooner or later, but since they're hollows and don't have a heart (Emotionally and in some cases physically) it will be different than a regular relationship. As you may or may have not guessed from the title, this story contains war-themes and physiological warfare and Character death, as you will see in this chapter.
And yes, this will be an awesome Quincy v Shinigami v Hollow/Arrancar War! This story will be a minimum of 10 chapters with a length of 10k (roughly) words each, the number of chapters is unknown but unlikely to go past 20 (it might do, who knows?)
'Italics' = Thoughts
''Italics'' = Zanpakuto Speech
''Bold and Italics'' = Inner Hollow Speech
''Bold'' = Vizard with mask on / Arrancar Zanpakuto
The large doors of the Espada meeting hall opened, silencing any rogue chatter. Aizen sat in his chair with a patient expression on his face, though I could see the slight twitch of his hands that signalled he was slowly losing said patience. Turning my usual snake-like grin to the doors I watch as Ulquiorra walked into the room, his clothes only a little dirty with sand.
''How did the mission go, Ulquiorra?'' Aizen inquired with anticipation.
''Successful'' Was his curt reply ''I have found the Queen's resting place not far from Las Noches as you said, Aizen-sama''.
Aizen smiled ''Then we shall leave immediately, All Espada included''.
The Queen. It had been a rumour amongst hollows, a being that once ruled the dimension. Barragan had accidently mentioned it in passing and Aizen inquired about it, forcing Barragan to explain what he knew. Before he ruled over the hollows someone else did, who was known as the Queen of the Hollows. She was vastly superior to Barragan and an Arrancar to boot, but was sealed almost a millennium ago by the captain commander. It was almost too stupid for the Gotei 13 to leave it in Hueco Mundo and hope for it to decay, but they did.
In a swift burst of Sonido or Shunpo, all present including myself began making our way out of Las Noches and towards her burial site.
''This is it?'' Starrk questioned as we looked on.
''Yes'' Was Ulquiorra's short reply.
The seal in front of us could barely be called one. It took on the form of a purple rectangle with a glass-like appearance (Likely Kido) surrounded by chains wrapped all over the box, glowing with dozens of different sealing Kido. Then it was inside a large purple crystal, five sides and piercing out of the ground with a pointed tip. The crystal also had dozens of sealing Kido wrapped around it.
''Do ya think they went a bit overkill?'' I grinned ''A bit much Kido if ya ask me''.
''She was powerful' Barragan grunted ''Anything less and she would've broken out, I'm surprised she hasn't already after a millennium''.
Aizen, who's hand was on the crystal as he gradually broke the Kido, grinned. He removed his hands and drew his Zanpakuto, slashing the chains in half in a single movement. They all hit the ground with a metallic thud, not the usual rattle that chains gave off.
Maybe it was because they looked more like a collection of tied-up horseshoes and not thin little chains - in other words, they were huge.
He placed his hand on the crystal and after muttering a brief incantation, the large crystal shattered into small pieces before they disintegrated into Reishi. Aizen smirked as he began walking back to us.
''I ask that all Espada charge up a Cero and aim it at the prison please'' He smirked ''Hopefully that should be enough to destroy the Kido''.
''Overkill much?'' I grinned and Aizen hook his head, meaning it wasn't.
As all of the Espada, me, Tosen and Aizen cleared some distance from the tomb. All Espada charged up their own Cero and with an unspoken command fired in unison, allowing the different coloured beams to soar at the purple chained box before exploding on contact, creating a massive dome of multi-coloured energy. After almost a solid minute the dome shrank before fizzling out, revealing the area around the point of impact was charred black and smoking slightly, while the box remained almost fully intact.
Frowning, Aizen Shunpo'ed closer to the box and we followed. Upon closer inspection the chains had been eviscerated and the box cracked in multiple places, said cracks slowly began spreading making Aizen smirk again.
''She is awakening'' Barragan said quietly.
The cracks spread all over the box, making look almost scale-like before it shattered into glass shards, like the crystal they faded into the wind and revealed the queen of hollows to us. She had chin-length hazel with her bangs having black beads at the end of them, slightly pale skin (common hollow trait) and closed eyes. She wore white Hakama pants with a purple trim, long sleeved coat that showed only a little skin, those of which being her hands. It was suspicious how she was dressed like us, if she has apparently been locked up for a millennium.
She also showed no signs of a Zanpakuto, unless it was separated from her. Her mask fragment took the form of a queens crown that sat at the top of her forehead, parting her hair and letting her bangs cup her face. Her hollow hole resided just above the waistband of her Hakama pants, her coat parting enough for it to be seen with the tails nearly reaching the ground like Ulquiorra's.
She was hunched over slightly and standing, but made no indication she was conscious or even alive - since she wasn't even breathing. Almost half a minute past before Aizen opened his mouth to speak, only to pause when her hand twitched. He fell silent as we waited again, a few seconds later it twitched again. Her index finger moved back and forth, then her fingers followed, stretching and moving. The woman's chest rose as she audibly took in a long breath, releasing it after a few seconds. Her shoulders rolled, then her neck, all the while her bones made cracking sounds as they moved for likely the first time in centuries.
She straightened up, standing tall at 5'10 as she continued to ignore us and stretch the kinks out of her body. Her eyes abruptly snapped open, black sclera on gold iris pierced into my soul as she calmly stared over us. Her eyes finally landed on Aizen, who was at the front of the group and smiling at her.
''I assume you are the one who released me?'' She asked in a calm, womanly voice.
''Yes, I am Sosuke Aizen'' He introduced ''What would your name be?''.
''Queen Raika'' She introduced as she gazed over all of us ''How long have I been trapped?''.
''A millennium, if the rumours are true'' Aizen informed and the woman nodded.
''Judging by those uniforms... the Espada?''.
Aizen nodded and inquired ''How would you know about The Espada?''.
She gave him an odd look ''Have the Espada not been around these past centuries?''.
Aizen frowned ''To my knowledge, no''.
Raika turned to Barragan and both gave a curt nod before Barragan answered ''They lost their lives shortly after you were sealed I believe, none survived''.
'Oooh looks like Barragan didn't tell us everything~'.
''I see'' She said quietly before narrowing her eyed at myself, Tosen and Aizen ''Some significant things must have happened if three Shinigami are allied with Arrancar''.
Aizen took over for Barragan ''Myself and my comrades are against the soul society, we are going to war with them shortly and are wondering if you will join us?''.
Her gaze travelled over everyone once more before she sighed ''Very well, I need to kick Genryusai's ass so I'll collaborate with you''.
''Excellent'' Aizen smirked ''Let us head back to Las Noches, perhaps you will be able to update her on whatever she needs, Gin?''.
I grin widely ''Sure thing, Aizen-sama''.
Aizen nodded ''We return to Las Noches''.
As Aizen, Tosen and the Espada took off towards Las Noches me and Raika trail behind slightly. While she didn't say it she implied it would take a day or two before she would be back to full strength, since she had remained inactive for almost a millennium in the equivalent of a freezer.
''So how has Las Noches changed?'' Raika inquired.
''Yer gonna need'ta be more specific'' I grinned and she scowled lightly.
''What positions are there? When I ruled the ranking was as followed; The King or Queen, who was the ruler at the time. Then the Royal Guard, who protect the king or queen. Then The Espada, who were the elite soldiers. Below them were the Espada Fraccion, who were subordinates to the Espada. Then there were the Gillian Arrancar, who were nothing more than foot soldiers, born to match the seated and unseated officers of the Gotei 13. They were simple minded and only followed orders, speaking occasionally but otherwise remaining quite, there was also a medical unit made up of them too, if they were good enough''.
I hum ''Well ever since Aizen-sama became the leader of Las Noches he'd 'ave taken the King spot, there isn't any Royal Guard, there's the Espada and Fraccion, and the Gillian Arrancar exist too, but they're mainly for healing the stronger Arrancar''.
''I see'' She hummed in turn ''What of the Royal Quarters?''.
I blink ''Well Aizen-sama has his own quarters with a balcony, but he just picked one of tha bigger rooms''.
''The ones under Las Noches?'' She questioned and again I gave a blank look, to which she nodded to herself at ''Right, then I must go there and see what contingency plans my Espada left after my containment, the rest of you can follow me if you wish''.
Without waiting for my answer she took off, a sonic boom echoed as she passed the others in the blink of an eye, forcing me to catch up to Aizen to inform him of her plans and reason for taking off past us.
''I see'' He said with a smirk ''Then we shall go find out what the queen of Hueco Mundo has hidden within Las Noches that we did not find... come, my Espada''.
With a nod, we all took off in a blur towards Las Noches, following the hollows trail that was left.
''Down here'' Raika said as we walked down a tunnel, the Queen leading us down with a Cero in her palm for light - which she had repeatedly assured it would not explode.
We paused as she reached out with her free hand to the brick wall of the underground tunnel, her fingers brushed around the wall before resting on a singular brick. Her fingers glowed a soft purple before the brick was pushed back into the wall, only a handful of seconds passed before a deep, earthy rumbling echoed throughout the tunnel as beside where the brick was split open. A thin line split in the middle before the two halves of the wall went up and down, opening a doorway.
''Come'' Was all she said as she walked into the open doorway, descending into darkness. Aizen was swift on her heels, me and Tosen behind him, then the Espada behind us ''Oh yeah, try not to breath too much - I doubt this place has been dusted for almost a millennium''.
Taking that into account, I try to keep my breaths as short and low as possible, even going as far as to tuck my head a bit into my collar. I found humour in that Nnoitra was grumbling because he had to duck because of his unnatural height and Yammy had to walk sideways because he was too wide. Eventually when we reached the bottom the dust-ridden place was almost making it impossible to breathe.
Aizen flared his Reiatsu and immediately stopped, but it had the desired effect of blowing away the dust and making it slightly more breathable. Raika fumbled around with another brick wall before a quiet 'click' was heard, followed by a dull thrum as several red lights flickered on above accompanied by a whoosh of fresh air from the walls.
''Even after so long, it is still functional'' Raika whispered to herself as she swiftly crossed the room. It consisted of a red clay-like floor and roof with bricked walls, various tables sat around the edge of the room with the same grey stone as Las Noches but had the occasional cabinet inside them. At the edge of the room lay twelve metallic black cylinders with revolving doors on them. Not far from the containers stood a command consoles, dusty but otherwise intact.
Raika approached one of the larger cabinets and swung it open, revealing nothing but a single black box with an aged piece of paper on it. She gingerly took the box and presumably read the note, before grinning at it.
''Is there a scientist or technician amongst you?'' Raika questioned, looking at the Espada.
''I am'' Szayel grinned as he walked out in front of the collection of hollows ''What do you need, your highness?''.
She pointed at the console ''I need you to start it up while I put 'these' in the cylinders''.
''What might be occurring?'' Aizen inquired patiently, a stark contrast to Grimmjow's and Nnoitra's irritated or bored ones.
Raika grinned again as she looked over her shoulder at us ''Reviving my Espada, Aizen''.
Without even pausing to look at our shocked expressions she swift moved to the containers and opened the box, taking out indistinguishable white objects - presumably mask fragments - and laying them down in a cylinder each. After she did so she returned to the console with Szayel, who had been rapidly tapping buttons and managed to make its blue screen light up.
''Execute, Operation Rebirth'' Raika said in a commanding tone to the machine, which responded with a low thrumming sound.
''Interesting, this machine - which is almost a millennium old - possess the technology to perform actions simply from verbal commands... incredible'' Szayel whispered excitedly.
The cylinder doors revolved so that it concealed the inside of the pod, a small glass rectangle as the only means of seeing inside. Raika whispered something to Szayel and the madman nodded, fingers flying over the keyboard with practiced ease. He tapped several buttons before tapping a big red square, causing the tubes to make a long hissing sound as smoke began to form inside the pods, ranging in colours.
Several minutes, lots of mechanical hissing and clanking, Raika stepped away from the console and smiled at the pods as the doors opened.
''Welcome back, my Espada''.
Twelve figures stumbled out of the smoke-filled tubes, all dressed in Arrancar uniforms that they wore before their deaths, given to them by the machine. Raika turned her gaze over them, meeting their eyes as they looked on in confusion.
''I shall explain everything when the time is right, but for now everyone in this room are allies, am I clear?'' Raika stated in a stern tone and all Arrancar nodded ''Good, state your name and rank''.
A thin, almost creepy man stepped up first. He had messy raven locks that didn't fall past eye-height, his eyes were covered in bone-like bandages and he held a wide grin on his face. He stood at 5'7 and wore an open vest like Grimmjow but apart from that had the same white Hakama pants, black Obi and footwear as everyone else. His hollow hole was located on his chest above his heart, his mask fragment taking on the form of the bandages. His Zanpakuto had a pitch black handle and shiny onyx guard, followed by a black sheath. His tattoo sat on his left pectoral.
''Hayato Grinda, Primera Espada'' He grinned and did a mock salute.
'Even I am getting the creeps, that's saying something'.
A short girl of 5'4, who barely looked in her early teens, possible fourteen to fifteen, stepped up next. She had wavy light brown hair that reached past her small chest, one olive eye could be seen while the other was covered in cloth much like Nnoitra. Her hollow hole and mask fragment were not visible, though they were likely behind that cloth. She wore an inverted version of the Shihakusho top but with baggier sleeves, her Hakama pants stopped just above her knees and she wore a black Obi. The Zanpakuto at her waist had a snowy white guard and a silver handle, the sheath white also. Her tattoo sat on the back of her hand.
''R-Rin Hiotsume, S-Segunda Espada'' She said shyly, avoiding our incredulous gaze.
'SHE is the Segunda?'.
A man who looked to be in his late thirties, possibly early forties stepped forwards with a bored expression on his face as he stood at 5'11. He had dark brown hair that had become grey slightly and tanned skin, uncaring grey eyes looking over us. His mask fragment took form on his jawline, stopping where his real jaw did. Funnily enough he wore the exact same outfit as Starrk, coupled with their similar height and facial details they could be brothers. His Zanpakuto sat at his waist, with a grey steel guard and red/yellow handle, the sheath a dull grey. His tattoo resided on his cheek.
''Hans Marauder, Tereca Espada'' He said in a deep, uncaring tone before he stepped back, leaning against the test tubes and closing his eyes.
'We found Starrk's brother'.
Next another girl of similar age to Rin stepped forwards, standing only slightly taller than the Segunda at 5'5. She had shoulder length purple hair that kinda just went where it wanted to, ruby red eyes and sporting a happy grin. Her mask fragment hung around her neck in the form of the lower part of a jaw, her hollow hole in her abdomen. She wore a short top that started just above her small chest and ended just above her belly button, revealing quite a lot of skin compared to the queen. She also wore a white Hakama pants, though instead of an Obi a simple black waistband was in place to hold them up. Surprisingly she had two blades with one on each hip, her Zanpakuto had ruby guards and a purple amethyst handles, two purple sheath to accompany them. Her Espada tattoo resided on her bare stomach.
''Charlotte Explode-o!'' She proclaimed proudly, jerking a thumb at her with a wide grin ''Cuatro Espada!''.
'Quite the excitable little thing'.
She stepped back and the next person, a bald man, stepped forth. He wore a pure white mask on his face and concealed any details besides the outlines on the mask for his features. He wore an open vest top like the Primera and white Hakama pants, a black Obi and footwear. His hollow hole was located on the centre of his chest, his mask fragment either behind the mask on his face or the mask itself. The number 5 was tattooed above the mask onto his scalp, the Zanpakuto at his waist had a white guard and black handle, a small red tassel at the end of it.
''Darius Obzection, Quinto Espada'' He stated respectfully as he bowed, standing back up a moment later to his full height of 6'0.
'Oh Kami not another Zommari!'.
Next up was a grey haired man that stood at 5'11, his nose and everything below that was hidden behind a black mask made from cloth. Dull red eyes stared impassively at us as we inspected him. He wore an exact version of the Shihakusho (inverted of course) but also had a hood and without the sleeves, the hood was currently down. His mask fragment, like some of the others, was not visible and likely behind the cloth. His number, 6, was imprinted on his right bicep. His Zanpakuto had a golden yellow guard and grey steel handle and a grey sheath.
''Oshiro Cielo'' He said in an impassive tone ''Sexta Espada''.
'Its like another Ulquiorra, but two ranks lower'.
He stepped back and another man of 5'9 took his place. This one had red hair at the front, which turned to yellow at the middle and then dark brown at the back of his head. He wore the same styled outfit as Ulquiorra but with a higher collar, his hollow hole located in the centre of his chest while his mask fragment took up the form of a three long claw-like spikes that started above his left eyebrow and went up a few inches. His number sat on his chest, just barely visible. His Zanpakuto had a fiery red handle and burning yellow guard, a black sheath accompanying it.
''Oragon Nimizemi'' Was his unusual name ''Septima Espada''.
'Weird name, weird fragment, weird hair, weird person'.
Next up a tanned (more than the others, not as tanned as Harribel) woman who stood at 5'8. She had straight black hair that fell past her shoulders and down to chest level, sea green eyes impassive. Her mouth was covered behind her mask fragment, a large row of razor sharp teeth that stopped at the hinges of her real jaw. She wore a sleeveless version of the inverted Shihakusho, showing off the number 8 on her shoulder. Her hollow hole was located on her stomach, with her mask fragment being the teeth. Instead of a Zanpakuto she had a large hammer, or rather a black box with white outlines connected to a black pole.
''Maria Sajabe'' She introduced with a nod ''Octava Espada''.
'Semi-normal'.
She stepped back and allowed a dark skinned man to take his place, he wore an open vest shirt, white Hakama, black footwear and Obi. The only modification to his attire was that he had a hood, like the Sexta, but this one was pulled up. As such it was difficult if not impossible to tell his facial features, but his hollow hole was located in his stomach. The handle of his Zanpakuto was purple, while the guard was gold and the sheath black. His number was not visible.
''Kaka Juka, Novena Espada'' He said in a deep voice before stepping back, standing out at 6'1.
'Odd man'.
The next person, who looked no older than the Segunda and Cuatro but male, stepped forth at 5'6. He had spiky light lime green hair and hazel eyes, his mask fragment being a pair of white and black goggles on his head. He wore a one-piece suit like Szayel, his Zanpakuto strapped over his back in a custom sash that wraps around his torso like a second Obi sash. His number was hidden, but as in the order so far it was clear what number he was. He however did not have a Zanpakuto on him.
''Xenolith Credor'' He said slowly ''Diez Espada''.
'He's like Wonderweiss... just not as... brain-dead'.
As he walked back two women, who were at the end of the line, stepped forwards. The first one on the left had wavy blonde hair that ended at chest level, bright turquoise eyes and a pink flower hairclip on the left side of her hair and presumably her mask fragment judging by the lack of it on her face beside that hairclip. She wore a simple inverted Shihakusho with no modifications, her hollow hole located above her chest. Her Zanpakuto had a deep sea blue handle with a touch of silver, with a silver guard and sheath.
The second had an identical uniform, but her hollow hole was located on her stomach and her mask fragment being two lines above her eyebrows. She had bright lilac-pink hair and violet eyes, coupled with a gentle face. Her Zanpakuto had a green and blue handle while the guard was red and purple, a yellow sheathe completing the rainbow of colours.
''I am Marisol Satori of the Royal Guard'' The lilac haired woman said softly.
''And I'm Seresuto Katosaki of the Royal Guard'' The blonde finished.
Raika nodded approvingly and turned to myself and the two other Shinigami ''Since it would be rude to kick out the current Espada, I propose making another rank for which my Espada will be ranked as... The Halcyon Espada''.
Aizen grinned and nodded ''It shall be done''.
Two days later the newly created Halcyon Espada had gotten situated in their own rooms and their Fraccion revived also, news spread like wildfire and soon every Arrancar in Las Noches knew of them. This brought issues however as questions spread about which Espada were stronger, hence the reason we were all collected - Fraccion included - not far from Las Noches. Both Halcyon and regular Espada stood waiting for orders while myself, Tosen, Aizen and Raika stood in front of them.
Most of the Espada didn't care or were bothered by the fact Raika herself claimed 'her' Espada were far superior to the current generation, the exceptions being Grimmjow and Nnoitra, who directed his hate towards the Segunda and Quatro, which was met by shyness and taunts.
''To demonstrate the difference in power between each generation, a spar between two of the Espada will occur'' Raika said sternly ''Coyote Starrk, Primera Espada versus... Xenolith Credor, Diez Halcyon. No release forms allowed, as Xenolith has yet to recover fully''.
Both fighters ignored the slightly surprised faces of the Espada and Sonido'd a fair distance away before turning to face each other, both of their postures lax. Starrk slowly drew his sword, eyeing his opponent with a frown.
''Where is your Zanpakuto?'' He asked lazily.
''Xenolith need no Zanpakuto, Xenolith is Zanpakuto'' Was the cryptic reply, spoken in his disjointed slow speech.
''If you're sure'' Starrk muttered.
''You may begin'' Raika stated and both fighters nodded, for a moment nothing happened before Xenolith abruptly vanished and reappeared in front of Starrk before the man could even register it. His eyes widened as the young Halcyon thrust his palm out and made contact with the Primera's chest. A boom echoed through the air as Starrk went shooting back in a blur, making many eyes widen.
''Xenolith is a master of hand-to-hand combat and Cero-based attacks'' Oshiro stated ''Even against the Primera of the Espada, he is a force to be feared. But if you make him angry, truly angry... not even I can stand against him''.
Starrk appeared in a buzz behind Xenolith and swung down at the shorter man, only for his opponent to duck and swing up with his leg and deliver a roundhouse kick to Starrk's face and sending him tumbling. Before he could even right himself a Bala shot out and struck his chest, sending him tumbling even more.
''Tumble, Tumble. Rumble, Rumble'' Xenolith laughed at nothing.
Starrk appeared again behind Xenolith, this time with a primed Cero glowing at his fingertip. Before it could fire however Xenolith's hand shot out and grabbed the Cero, crushing it easily before striking Starrk in the chest with an open palm strike. However this time he followed Starrk as he shot back, grabbing the man by the front of his clothes and hurling him into the air. He jumped up with a burst of Sonido and his own lime-green Cero charged in his hand, but instead of firing it went with an open palm strike at Starrk, who widened his eyes.
A massive, star shaped lime green explosion bloomed in the sky and forcing everyone to cover their eyes from the blinding light. As the light died down everyone could see Starrk, badly burnt and chest bare, fall down from the sky barely conscious. He landed in a plume of sandy dust, prompting his Fraccion to rush towards him. Xenolith landed on the ground nearby, turning towards us with his head cocked.
''Xenolith... won?''.
Raika nodded ''Xenolith Credor is the victor''.
''Ah... shit'' I grumble, feeling the burns all over me.
''Starrk!'' Lilynette cried as she appeared in a buzz of Sonido.
''Yeah?'' I reply, tilting my head painfully.
''Don't 'yeah' me idiot!'' She screeched ''I got worried after you got hit by that Cero!''.
I sigh ''It wasn't enough to kill me, he held back at the last moment''.
She dropped her jaw ''HE HELD BACK?!''.
I wince at the volume of her tone but before I could retort another buzz of Sonido landed next to us, revealing the Quatro Halcyon; Charlotte Explode-o.
''I'm here to take you back to Las Noches'' She winked playfully and pulled me to my feet, ignoring my painful grunts. To my amusement however she swooped up Lilynette by the waist and held her under her right arm, also ignoring the short girls protests. She placed a hand on my shoulder and we took off in a buzz of Sonido, leaving me barely able to watch the land around us blur as she took a single step towards Las Noches, clearing a third of the distance.
Two steps later we reached the gate of Las Noches, one step later I found myself in my room. Blinking in surprise I noticed that the Segunda Halcyon was also in my room, shifting on her feet in her usual shyness.
''Hi?'' I raise an eyebrow, making her jump at our abrupt appearance.
''Ah- sorry I'm just- Charlotte-san wanted me- ahhhhh-'' She said in a soft tone despite the panicked flurry she spoke in, waving her arms about.
''Maa~ Rin-chan~'' Charlotte grinned ''You must've done something naughty if you're all embarrassed like that''.
Rin's cheeks like up like a fire ''No I just- was waiting here like you asked me too!''.
Charlotte chuckled and settled the dizzy Lilynette down, turning her ruby gaze on me with a Cheshire grin ''Rin-chan here can heal you up real good, better than the medics can at least''.
Rin nodded meekly ''H-Hai''.
Charlotte guided me to my stack of pillows and I sat down, disregarding any grace in my movements. Rin knelt down next to me and held her hands out, emitting a soft silver light from her palms that spread over me. Lilynette, who has recovered from the insane speed of the Cuatro Halcyon, was on the floor giggling as Charlotte mercilessly tickled her.
Rin smiled lightly ''Um... sorry about Xenolith-san, he doesn't have much restraint when fighting''.
''Its fine'' I shrugged, watching as the white glow healed my wounds rapidly, almost as fast as instant regeneration ''You're good at this''.
Rin blushed ''Ah... thanks, my greatest power is- is healing and regeneration- both healing myself and my allies''.
''Interesting'' I mused as she stopped the light, my wounds almost non existent now ''Thanks''.
She blushed at the praise ''N-No problem... and a Espada and Halcyon meeting will be held in ten minutes''.
She got back to her feet and gave a short bow before heading towards the door, grabbing Charlotte's arm in the process and whispering something about Raika needing them.
''Nooo~'' Charlotte whined as she flailed about, trying to get out of the deceptively strong girls grip ''I wanna stay with Starrk-kun and Lily-chan~''.
''Later'' Was the soft reply ''Starrk-san might want to put on a shirt without you ogling him, Charlotte-san''.
Blushing at that fact as the heat swept across my cheeks, Charlotte hastily tried to deny it but also gained a fierce blush before she was dragged out the door, her voice muffled when the door closed softly followed by two low buzzes. Silence reined upon my room for only a few moments before Lilynette giggled abruptly.
''I like them''.
Due to the fact that a large amount of Espada-class fighters had recently joined the ranks, Aizen saw it fit to redo the setup at meetings. The table was now a long rectangle with curved corners, the Halcyon sat on the right side of the table while Espada sat on the left. Aizen and Raika both sat at the head of the table in correlation with their forces, in other words Raika on the right and Aizen on the left. Myself and Tosen behind Aizen, me on the left and him on the right while Seresuto stood on the right and Marisol on the left behind Raika.
''The nature of this meeting is about our actions towards soul society'' Aizen smiled ''I wish to see how strong Ichigo Kurosaki, the substitute Shinigami, really is. Before I escaped soul society he was capable of defeating a captain without being fully healed and he achieved Bankai in three days. His growth rate is unrivalled from what I have seen, not to mention he has made friends with many powerful fighters''.
Raika continued ''As such a recon team will be sent to the world of the living in four days to test the substitute. The team will consist of Cuatro Espada Ulquiorra, Diez Espada Yammy and Novena Halcyon Kaka, the team being led by Kaka Juka''.
''Hai'' The three soldiers nodded.
As everyone slowly began filing out of the room, Raika abruptly spoke ''Stay behind, Kaka Juka''.
Nobody even paused, continuing out the room until all that was left was myself, Tosen, Kaka, Seresuto, Marisol, Raika and Aizen. The Halcyon Espada turned to his superiors without even flinching under Raika's unnatural and unsettling gaze. Raika shared a look with Aizen before turning to Kaka with a malice-filled smile, making me nervous of what she had planned.
''I have another mission for you, one that I ask you start the second you leave this room'' She smiled, her unsettling gaze unwavering.
''I will complete whatever mission you assign me, Raika-sama'' He said in a duty-heavy monotone.
Her grin widened as she spoke the words that stunned me and Tosen, while her own personal guard remained unmoved. The order she gave would forever be etched in my memory, for it was the day that the first casualties of the war were claimed.
''Kill Yuzu and Karin Kurosaki''.
''Starrk!''.
I watched from the doorframe with an amused smirk as Lilynette kept on calling out the Primera, who had buried himself in pillows. Whether or not he was conscious is unknown, but he didn't reply. I grinned as a 'genius' idea popped into my head, and with Rin gone, nobody would ruin my chance.
''Lily-chan~'' I called as I entered the room, making the shorter girl pause to look at me.
''Charlotte?'' She questioned before she smiled deviously ''Help me wake Starrk up!''.
''Gladly'' I grinned back as I approached the mass of pillows. I slowly crawled up them and find Starrk's head under one of them, gently removing the pillow I sit on him and straddle the Primera and leaned to his ear.
''Wake up, Starrk-kun~'' I whisper sensually, my fingers trailing up his chest. His eyes opened and found mine and I grinned, fingers tracing his hollow hole. He shivered and I giggled, as a hollow hole was naturally sensitive. He blinked and his face lit up like a fire, making me grin even more as I sat back up.
''C-Charlotte?'' He stuttered, ignoring Lilynette howling with laughter.
''Hiya, Starrk-kun'' I grinned 'Kami I love teasing'.
''Uh... hi?'' He said, blush gradually receding.
''Hehehe'' I snickered ''You're so cute when you blush, Starrk-kun~''.
The blush returned and I snickered again, but making no move to get up ''Can you get up, Explode-o-san?''.
''Nah, I like it here'' I smirked, lightly grinding my hips against his ''Why? Does it bother you?''.
'His face is priceless!'.
''Pervert'' He muttered and I pout.
''Aw... fine~'' I pout fiercely and get off him, lying on the pillows next to him ''But I'm sleeping here, Rin-chan can be quite mean and not lemme sleep''.
''I know the feeling'' He muttered and put a pillow over him ''Night''.
''Its always night'' I snickered.
''Shuddup'' He slurred and I giggled quietly, snuggling into the pillows and muffling Lilynette's cries of outrage.
'These new Espada... Halcyon Espada...' I frowned as I looked off my balcony 'I doubt many of my fellow Espada took the time to judge their power... even if they didn't the display not long ago proved their strength. Their Diez can match our Primera, without him using Resurreccion at least. He is an odd fellow, similar to Wonderweiss in most aspects'.
'The Novena is odd, his Reiatsu is harder to detect with his clothing apparently concealing his Reiatsu, possibly because he lacks control of it. His disposition declares him quite loyal to Raika-sama, and by extension Aizen-sama... I am curious to his orders after we all left'.
'The Octava seems alike to Harribel in personality, or at least from her introduction. Her weapon is as odd as Nnoitra's, but even then her power is two ranks above the Diez, who could match Starrk, so I imagine her power to be quite impressive, at least in the physical sense'.
'The Septima has arguably less Reiatsu and overall detectably skills than even the Novena, but he must have some special ability that corresponds to why he is of such a rank, perhaps I will question him about it later'.
'The Sexta has more than enough Reiatsu to hold his position, arguably greater than the Diez, Novena and Octava combined. He has shown that he is quite a calm individual but none the less loyal to Raika-sama, I can also presume he is a hand-to-hand specialist like Grimmjow judging by his combat ready stance when he saw us, since he made no move for his Zanpakuto but his hands were stretching themselves in preparation'.
'The Quinto is akin to Zommari and has a very odd appearance, as either his mask is hiding his fragment or if his fragment is the mask itself, which seems impossible since it is not a fragment but a full mask. I shall also question him later when I have the chance'.
'The Cuatro is quite jovial and seems to possess a friendship with the Segunda Halcyon but I could feel the power she held within her, far above my own and possibly higher than Aizen-sama, which seems absurd. She also seems to be a duel wielder, judging from the two blades at her waist, which is interesting'.
'The Tereca is highly reminiscent of Starrk, having an air of confident laziness that he would doze off in the presence of Aizen-sama and his Espada without a care in the world. Like the Cuatro his power is above hers by a considerable margin and undoubtedly outranks Aizen-sama, which is troubling'.
'The Segunda seems rather shy and meek considering her high rank, though her power outranks the Tereca greatly, possibly of both the Tereca and Cuatro combined... again, above Aizen-sama'.
'The Primera unnerves me, his power - while hidden expertly - is giant. His lack of apparent sight must be countered with Reiatsu sense like Commander Tosen does, but even so it must prove troubling at times. It almost feels like he could kill me with a flick of a finger, not to mention his disturbing aura that he held that even made Commander Ichimaru show some discomfort'.
'Marisol Satori, while apparently gentle, has a dangerous aura about her, as if saying the wrong thing to her will result in your imminent death. Despite that she appears kind and is loyal to Raika-sama, and while respectful nowhere near as loyal to Aizen-sama'.
'Seresuto Katosaki is similar, appearing more... sultry... in private, judging from her 'banter' with Ichimaru. Her loyalty is absolute as it seems, and her also possess an aura of hidden danger beneath her smile. Both of them combined almost possess enough power to take on all of the Halcyon Espada, which is admittedly impressive and disturbing'.
My musing were interrupted by the faintest of Reiatsu signatures on the edge of my perceptions, though the proximity of the Reiatsu meant they were in my room. I recognized it as well, as it was quite strong but gentle.
''Why are you in my quarters, Hiotsume?'' I question to thin air. Out of the corner of my eye see the shy Rin walk out of the shadows, having apparently been hiding there.
''I want to come t-talk but you were deep in thought so I waited until you n-noticed me'' She said, stuttering slightly.
I was silent for a moment before returning my gaze to the sunny desert ''What would you wish to talk about?''.
''Segunda Etapa'' She said so quietly I almost missed it, but hearing it my eyes widened.
''You know of it?'' I ask with a mix of curiosity and mild excitement.
Rin walked to my side, also looking out to the wide expanse and smiled softly ''Hai, all of the Halcyon Espada learnt Segunda Etapa. Its obvious who has and hasn't learnt it, as you can smell the difference in the Reishi around them; if you have learnt it, then your Reiatsu is darker and heavier''.
''I see'' I mutter, taking in this information and filing it away ''So you visited me because you are aware that I possess the second release?''.
''One of the reasons'' She said shyly ''Another is that all of the Halcyon Espada will be teaching all the Espada how to achieve Segunda Etapa, and I'll be needing to teach you...''.
''But I've already achieved it'' I say flatly.
''But have you mastered it?'' She retorted in her usual shy manner ''Not to mention, have you ever s-sparred against someone with it? It could be worthwhile training, and unless you have a m-mission I doubt you have much else to do''.
With a nod, I wordlessly agree. Then an odd, but curious question comes up ''What are your Aspects? Of the Halcyon Espada?''.
Rin blinked in confusion, before understand fluttered over her face and she nodded ''Hayato-san is the Aspect of Insanity, he died in an insane asylum. I'm the Aspect of Innocence, I died getting caught in the crossfire of a warzone - making me an innocent bystander. Hans-san is the Aspect of Laziness, and died underestimating his opponent and took it easy. Charlotte-chan is the Aspect of Destruction, she died from destroying a building and crushing herself. Darius-san is the Aspect of obedience, and died serving his superior. Oshiro-san is the Aspect of Electricity, he died from being struck by lightning. Oragon-san is the Aspect of Arrogance, and died after falling into a volcano. Maria-chan is the Aspect of Duty, and died doing her duty as a guard. Kaka-san is the Aspect of Suffering, he died from being tortured. Xenolith-kun is the Aspect of Inability, he died paralyzed as he watch his family be slaughtered''.
'The Sexta, Septima, Novena and Diez had unusual deaths while the Primera, Segunda, Tereca and Quinto represent their Aspects well'.
''Interesting... what can you tell me about the other Halcyon and yourself?'' I asked calmly 'Saves me the trouble of searching for them and asking them myself'.
''Well... um...'' Rin blushed, putting a finger to her chin in thought ''Hayato-san main ability revolves around two negative emotions; fear and madness. Both are only used during his Resurreccion and Segunda Etapa, but have the power to either make a person quiver in fear or go mad till they die. He mainly specialises in hand-to-hand and using Cero, since he has rarely been needed to call upon his sword. Personality wise he's kinda creepy, possibly a bit perverted but past that, he's okay... kinda''.
''My strongest ability is regeneration, which even Raika-sama said possibly surpasses hers. As long as I have Reiatsu I can regenerate my limbs, internal organs, heart, brain and even my whole body, even if not a speck of me remains'' She smiled and my eyes widened, as her regeneration FAR surpassed my own ''My powers mainly revolve around healing myself and my allies, Resurreccion only further increases my regeneration and healing abilities, while my Segunda Etapa on the other hand removes my abilities to heal others in favour of even better self-regeneration and sheer power and speed''.
''Hans-san is reluctant to fight, much like Starrk-san, but is fiercely protective of his Fraccion and friends. He mainly uses his sword and occasionally Cero, but with his Resurreccion he wields this gun called a rifle, which is like Starrk-san's pistols but bigger and slower firing, but stronger. He's quite nice to relax with and his Fraccion are nice too''.
''Charlotte-chan would be the first person to jump into a battle, sword in hand. She prefers Cero and her sword over hand-to-hand, her Sonido is on par with Hans-san and her Resurreccion allows her to wield duel revolvers similar to Starrk-san. She's quite nice and friendly, though is ruthless in combat'' She said with a fond tone, obviously from their apparent friendship.
''Darius-san is very loyal to Raika-sama and is polite, though can be ruthless in battle. He usually favours hand-to-hand over his sword, but his Resurreccion allows him to have the ultimate defence while retaining decent attack power. He used to be part of Raika-sama's royal guard before he was demoted to Quinto, though he held no anger towards this decision, as doing so 'allowed someone stronger to protect his leader' or something like that''.
''Oshiro-san is polite and is always willing to assist his comrades, though he never admits it. He uses both sword and hand-to-hand, occasionally Cero and is a monster on the battlefield, clearing entire waves of the Shinigami in anger with a flick of his wrist...'' She trailed off, lost in thought but shaking herself out of her stupor ''His Resurreccion allows him to control lightning, as you'd have guessed, but if he gets angry his power increases to almost on par with Hans-san - though its difficult to anger him''.
''Oragon-san is a bit mean and arrogant, his combat style is completely unpredictable and initial appearances declare he's weaker than those below him'' She explained ''I don't know why myself, but his Resurreccion is apparently quite powerful compared to others, but without it he's quite weak''.
''Maria-chan is quiet but nice, caring for her Fraccion even though they can be quite annoying. Her choice of weapon, while odd, packs a punch if you get hit by it. Her main strength is her physical strength and Resurreccion, which only increases that strength. She used to be the Tereca I think before Hans arrived, so both have a friendly relationship from what I can tell''.
''Kaka-san... he is plain weird, not Hayato-weird but snake-in-the-grass weird. He's polite and loyal, but nobody besides Raika-sama knows of his abilities or even what's under his hood'' She shivered ''Plus he's got this weird problem with staring at people for long amounts of time, then that person disappearing off the face of the earth, but with no evidence left to suggest he did it''.
''Finally Xenolith-kun, he lacks many social skills or even certain emotions are impossible for him to comprehend, but he possesses incredible physical strength and a mastery of the Cero, like Kaka-san and Oragon-san I don't know what their Resurreccion are. He's quite nice though, hard to understand but nice'' She smiled ''The Royal Guard and Raika-sama's abilities are unknown, but are undoubtedly more powerful than all of the Halcyon''.
I nod ''Thank you for sharing this information''.
Rin blushed again ''N-No problem, Cifer-san''.
As Ichigo walked home from the Urahara Shoten, he couldn't help but feel nervous. He came back two days ago and no signs of hollow activity had happened, not to mention the foreboding aura that loomed over Karakura town like a snake in the grass. Sighing away my distress I reach my front door, opening it I easily dodge a kick from my father, grabbing him by his ankle and swung him into the wall beside me.
''You're getting better, my son!'' He cheered, which went ignored.
''Welcome back, Onii-chan'' Yuzu smiled upon me entering the living room.
''Hey Ichi-nii'' Karin greeted with a wave from the sofa.
''Yo'' I greet both ''I need to do some homework, call me when dinners ready''
.''Okay, Onii-chan'' Yuzu beamed, while my father sobbed over to the poster on the wall. Again he was ignored as I walked up the stairs to my room, opening it and closing it behind me. Kon was sitting in his doll form on my bed, idly reading a magazine but perking up upon me entering the room.
''Is Rukia-nee here?'' He asked excitedly but I shook my head, making him sag slightly. My badge abruptly began beeping 'Hollow! Hollow! Hollow!' and in a flash that had been unintentionally practiced I reached into Kon and he willingly let himself be pulled out and deposited in control of my body.
''Yuzu will call for dinner soon'' I relay to him and jump through my open window, taking off in a quick Shunpo towards the hollow. It had spawned fairly close to my house, only about two blocks away. It had the form of a large bear, its mask having several dents in it from what I assumed was previous attempts on its life. Before it even knew what had happened I appeared in front of it and slashed its mask in two. It disappeared into Reishi a moment later, but then another, far stronger Reiatsu dread grew in my stomach, I didn't even need to try and sense where it was, nor what it was.
In my fastest Pre-Bankai Shunpo I appeared in front of my home in two steps, the door was flat on its side and the hinges torn. I Shunpo'ed to the door frame and rushed inside, only to freeze at the sight before Yuzu and Karin were being held up by their necks by a figure hooded in white Arrancar uniform, albeit modified. He was facing me, but everything above his nose was concealed by the shadow of his hood, though his skin was dark was the only distinguishing feature.
''I-Ichi... nii'' Karin gasped in the mans grip, her legs kicking at his side but the man did not even flinch.
''If you take one step towards me, I shall snap their necks'' The man asked in a deep voice ''How does it feel? To know that I, An Arrancar, hold your sisters hostage and can kill them without remorse, yet you are powerless to stop it? If I kill them, then their souls will forever remain with me like any other hollow, torturing them for eternity... how does that make you feel?''.
''Angry'' I growled at the man, tightening my grip on my cleaver and trying to find a way to save my sisters, responding only to delay his actions and try and persuade him.
''I see'' He said in a musing tone and abruptly dropped Yuzu, making the innocent girl gasp in air freely for a moment before stumbling in a half-crouch half-run to was not to be, as a silver sword pierced her abdomen and pinned her to the ground. For a moment all was silent, before Yuzu screamed in pain as crimson began spreading around the carpet around her. Instinctively I charged forth to the attacker, but was caught off guard when a sudden red ball - Bala? - hit me straight in the face. I went flying back into the wall and my vision blurred, though my sisters screams drew me out of my stupor quick enough.
''A pity, I hoped you would have a better reaction'' The unnamed Arrancar said with an almost sad monotone before, with a rough jerk, twisted Karin's head. A sickening crack was echoed in the sudden silence, but another crack resounded as he twisted it more. A final, squishy crack was heard as he tore off her head and unceremoniously dropped both Karin's head and body to the floor, an expression of pure fear in her lifeless delay he grabbed the handle of his sword and with a swift tug, bisected Yuzu from the stomach to the head. My eyes widened as my blood ran cold, my mouth dry as my mind struggled to comprehend anything. Was I even breathing?
''We will meet again, Ichigo Kurosaki''.
I snapped out of my stupor as white-hot rage consumed me, only for it to extinguish when he was no longer here and I couldn't sense him. Then a overwhelming sense of despair fell over me, then the tears came.
For the first time in six years, Ichigo Kurosaki cried.
''Aizen...'' I growled to myself, Isshin and Ichigo in the other room resting from the emotional stress. In all of my plans I hadn't put the twins life on his high-priority list, and now the Kurosaki family suffered greatly. Ichigo's reaction could be anything, ranging from Sheer unstoppable anger to utter despair. The sound of a sliding Shoji door opening drew my attention to the centre of my thoughts; Ichigo and Isshin walked out of the room in their Shinigami robes, eyes as cold as steel and faces set in a determined scowl.
''Urahara-san, we'll need to use your basement for a while... a long while'' Ichigo said quietly and his father nodded, apparently having told his son the truth.
''Of course, would you like privacy?'' I ask sincerely.
''No, its fine... but it'd be best if nobody got in the crossfire'' He replied and when I nodded, went off to the ladder that led to the underground facility with Isshin in tow ''Though my father may need a sparring partner''.
In a quick burst of Shunpo I split myself apart from my father, allowing him to train by himself for a while or with Urahara. Once I was sure I was far enough away I close my eyes and feel a familiar tug on my soul and let it happen. In a moments time I reopen my eyes and see something unexpected, instead of Zangetsu was a completely white doppelganger of me, wearing a white Shihakusho and having unnerving yellow on gold eyes.
''Yo, Ichigo!'' The other me grinned.
''Where in Zangetsu?'' I say flatly, completely ignoring the fact he was a hollow.
My doppelganger wasn't so easily deterred ''Are ya talking 'bout tha one in yer hand, or the-''.
''I mean the manifestation'' I cut in irritably, ignoring his glare.
''Yer no fun'' He grinned as he drew the massive cleaver, while I remained impassive.
''Well sorry, but I just watched my sisters be killed right in front of me'' I growled.
''Then why'd ya not lemme me take over? I'll kill the bastard!'' He said with genuine anger, mainly towards the perpetrator.
''We both know it'd be pointless'' I say flatly, sitting down on a rock ''If you take control and become a full hollow, then soul society will either kill us or imprison us and no matter how strong you are, we both know two or more captains and we're screwed... hell if its Kyoraku-san or Ukitake-san they could probably take us on''.
''What? So ya rather have yer sisters trapped forever in his soul?'' My hollow asked seriously, finding my blade at his neck in an instant.
''Of course I want to save them, but you taking over won't do much good'' I growled ''Instead, you'll give me the power... the power to crush that bastard and make him pay''.
My hollow grinned ''And why should I give ya ma power?''.
The blade drew a thin river of blood ''Because I fucking said so, and I'm the king of my soul''.
''Huh'' He mused ''I was gonna go and explain this whole king/horse thing but its seems ya already got it into yer head''.
''So? You gonna help me and kick that bastard to hell and back, or are we gonna fight it out like a bunch of little kids?''.
''Meh, the power tis all yours King'' He grinned and readied his blade ''But I won't object to a good fight!''.
''Good, 'cause I need to blow off a lot of steam'' I smirked darkly and drew my own cleaver ''Summon the old man too''.
The hollow grumbled at that but did as I asked, summoning the elder spirit in a storm of particles. The man merely nodded at me and raised his own cleaver, wordlessly understanding and prepared to make me stronger.
Grinning, I charge forwards.
In the darkened throne room of the Wandenreich, the father of the Quincy stirred.
''So... Raika has finally awoken''.
He was silent again, the endless silence of his throne room deafening without company.
''It seems... my plans will be accelerated''.
He broke out into a grin.
''I wonder, can soul society fight on two fronts, against two enemies?'' He chuckled ''The Quincy versus the Arrancar versus the Shinigami... interesting''.