Notes: More deaths in this chapter, and there are two important things to keep in mind. First, the Espada are MUCH stronger than they should be, which will be explained soon. Second, virtually all shinigami are under Aizen's hypnosis, to varying degrees.

The Humane Hollow

A Bleach Fanfic by

Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)

Part 7: Blood and Snow


Captain Unohana was not usually one to judge based on first impressions, but in this case, not only was she convinced to make an exception, but nearly the whole of the Seireitei were in agreement with her.

The Espada were monsters, plain and simple.

There had been a few protests, but only among those that had not witnessed Ukitake's murder in person. Unohana had no doubt that the protestors would soon end up on her table, just as he had.

"I am so sorry, my old friend," she sighed, carefully brushing an errant lock of white hair out of Ukitake's face.

She had checked him thoroughly after the meeting, searching desperately for any hope that he could be revived. But what she found only convinced her further of the cruelty of the Espada.

Ulquiorra's green Cero had barely been any larger than a pencil. If the blast's power had been devoted solely to piercing, there would've at least been a chance. Instead, the Cero had detonated inside Ukitake's heart, to the point where the vital organ had been completely obliterated. This left little doubt in Unohana's mind that the attack had been premeditated, as she had never seen such deadly intent even among Hollows.

Perhaps the only good thing was that not all of the Espada seemed so dedicated to causing pain and death on a whim. Halibel was largely uninterested in the operation of the Gotei 13, and generally followed Aizen like a bodyguard. Aaroniero had an unnerving habit of suddenly appearing to perform surprise inspections, but had yet to harm anyone beyond some observations that were also thinly-veiled insults.

Nel and Grimmjow, who were never seen more than ten feet apart, spent most of their time touring the various Divisions, as if they were sightseeing. There was no doubt that Grimmjow could easily become just as violent as Zaraki, but so far, it had only happened the one time Nel had been insulted. Unohana had yet to identify the victim, as his head had been vaporized, and what remained of his body would take time to put back together. Nel appeared to be the most normal of the Espada, although this really only meant that she and Grimmjow would be Yachiru and Zaraki, if they had been Arrancar instead of shinigami. In fact, Nel and Yachiru had reportedly become fast friends, despite how uneasy Zaraki and Grimmjow were around each other.

None of that made Unohana any more comfortable around the Espada, so when Isane stuck her head in, shaking badly, and told her that two Espada wanted to view the body, Unohana prepared herself for anything.

She was not expecting Nel and Grimmjow, but of all the Espada, they were the only ones that she suspected might not try to desecrate Ukitake's corpse.

Nel was riding on Grimmjow's shoulders as usual, her little hands buried in his hair. She was looking back and forth rapidly, her eyes wide with awe at nearly everything she saw. Grimmjow looked just shy of bored, which, if Ulquiorra was any indicator, was extremely dangerous.

"You are Captain Unohana?" Grimmjow asked, glancing at her and then the body.

"Yes," she said softly. "Are you-"

"HI!" Nel shouted, grinning and freeing up one of her hands to wave.

"Hello," Unohana replied, forcing herself to smile. "You must be Nel."

"Yeah! And... um... I came to do something. What was it, Grimmy?"

"View the body, Nel-sama," Grimmjow answered.

"Oh! Yeah, that!" She scrambled down his arm and peered closely at Ukitake. "Ulqui is so mean sometimes. He didn't have to kill him!"

"No. But he likes to think of that as being more efficient."

"But it's MEAN!" Nel whined, staring up at him with teary eyes.

"Yes," Grimmjow agreed, patting her head and saying nothing more.

Nel turned to Unohana, who was watching her closely. "Can I kiss him hello?"

Though she had no idea what that meant, it seemed like an innocent enough request. "If you like."

Nel bent down and gently kissed Ukitake's forehead. "Sorry, Mister Old Guy. But you're all better now!"

Unohana gasped as Ukitake's body began to glow bright green. "What did you do?!"

"Reverse Revival!" Nel cheered, doing a little dance on the table.

In the next instant, something went horribly wrong, or right, as it were.

Because Ukitake sat up. At least, Unohana was sure it was him, because she'd seen pictures of him as a boy, and that's what he looked like at the moment: a very confused, white-haired, ten-year old boy.

"Retsu-san? What happened?" the boy muttered. "I... I thought I was dead for sure. Did you save me?"

She shook her head slowly and pointed at Nel, who was grinning at him.

The boy stared at her, then noticed Grimmjow behind her, and quickly jumped back, nearly toppling off the table before Unohana caught him.

"Don't worry," Unohana murmured soothingly. "I don't think they're here to hurt you. She revived you... somehow."

"Yeah! You're all better now!" Nel said loudly. "Great, right?"

The boy stared at her, then at his hands. "Why am I so young?"

Nel blinked, clearly confused. "But that's the best part!"

"This is the only way Nel-sama can revive someone," Grimmjow explained. "Each of the Espada commands an aspect of time. Nel-sama's aspect is youth."

"So could you have done it?" the boy asked.

"No. Of all the Espada, only Nel-sama and Halibel are capable of reviving others. But Halibel would not go against Aizen-sama like this."

Unohana stared at him in growing confusion. "And you would?"

"I am only interested in protecting Nel-sama," Grimmjow replied, avoiding her gaze. "That is what brothers do."

"We should go now!" Nel chirped, hopping back onto Grimmjow's shoulders. "I promised Yachiru that we wouldn't be late for her tea party!"

"Yes, Nel-sama." Grimmjow turned to leave, but paused in the doorway. "You would be wise to take on another identity, Ukitake. Nel-sama has never revived the same person twice successfully. If you are killed again, only Halibel could save you, and I doubt she would choose to."

"I still can't believe I'm alive," the boy murmured, poking at himself in various places.

"We should take certain measures to ensure that you stay that way," Unohana said, touching his shoulder lightly. "I'm afraid that it's best that you are believed to be dead. From what I have seen so far, none of us could hope to defeat any of the Espada. Hiding your identity may be the only way to protect you. But there's so much that could go wrong. And if you're constantly coming to me for treatment, Aizen may-"

"I... don't think that will be a problem," the boy said softly, his eyes widening. "For the first time in a long time, I don't feel sick. At all. My illness... it's gone."


"DIE!!!" Rukia screeched at the top of her lungs, driving her zanpakuto directly into the Hollow's heart.

The Hollow blinked, glanced at the wound, and sighed. "You are starting to bore me."

Rukia slowly withdrew her sword, her shoulders sinking with dismay as what should've been a fatal wound healed instantly. There wasn't even any blood. It had been like that since the start of the battle. She'd tried everything she could think of, but nothing she did seemed to harm the Hollow at all.

It made no sense. Rukia had been given every advantage. They were fighting within her own mind, and the battleground itself was an ice-filled cave. Any one of her usual attacks should've been enough to finish the battle in an instant. The Hollow had not even bothered with attacking her yet. And yet she was still losing.

"You still don't understand," the Hollow sighed. "Let me show you why such attacks are doomed to fail." She raised her hand, pointing at Rukia. "Cero Blanco," she whispered.

Rukia had only seconds to react, and though she knew the attack was coming, she was still shocked by the massive size of the white beam that erupted from the Hollow's fingertip and bore down on her. She had only one attack that could hope to match such power, and just barely had time to set it up.

"Next Dance: White Ripple!" Rukia shouted, pouring most of her power into the attack. The sheer force of launching her own beam rocked her backwards, but she tumbled to the hard ground knowing she'd survive. In retrospect, it might've been better if she'd dashed her head on an ice-covered rock.

Then she wouldn't have had to see the Cero swallow her beam whole like it was nothing, and keep coming. She could only watch with wide eyes as death came for her.

That is, until someone rudely booted her in the back, knocking her out of the beam's path and into an ice spire.

"How the hell did you get to be a lieutenant? You're really bad at this stuff," a familiar voice asked in her ear.

Rukia looked up into the golden eyes of Ichigo's Hollow, who was grinning at her. "Y-You...?"

"Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you this time. But that's no reason to let her kick your ass."

"I wasn't letting her!" Rukia snapped, forgetting to be afraid in her anger. "She's stronger than me! Nothing I do hurts her!"

"So do something different, stupid!" He thumped her roughly on the head with his fist. "Wasn't that obvious from the start?"

Rukia was greatly tempted to attack him, but didn't want to risk both Hollows ganging up on her. "Why are you here?!"

"How the hell should I know? It's your brain. You tell me!"

She knew that was a lie, but didn't have time to discuss it. He'd saved her once, but had said nothing about doing it again, and now that her own Hollow was over the shock of him being there, the battle would soon start again. Rukia still had no idea what she was going to do, and started to consider an ambush. Perhaps if she was quiet enough-

"She isn't even cut anywhere!" Hollow Ichigo said loudly in disbelief. "What the hell have you been doing all this time, Rukia?!"

Rukia glared at him, but did not feel like wasting time explaining things. "Why don't you try to cut her and see what happens?!"

"Best idea you've had since you've been here!" he snorted... which, Rukia realized with growing anger, meant that he'd watched the whole thing. She very nearly chased after him when he darted out from behind the ice spire and charged. But she thought better of it when, just as it had with her own attacks, the Hollow's skin repaired itself instantly no matter how many times it was slashed. After a few slices, Hollow Ichigo ran back to Rukia, barely ducking in time to avoid having his head blown off by another Cero Blanco.

"Okay, so that didn't work," he panted, actually looking surprised. "I guess it's not just your sword that doesn't hurt her."

Rukia took a moment to study his sword. What stood out most was that it was largely white, just as hers and her Hollow's were. No real surprise there, except that it definitely wasn't an ice-type. She could tell that much with a glance.

"What type is your zanpakuto?" she asked.

He frowned at her. "The cutting type? How the hell should-"

"When you swing it, what comes out?!" Rukia demanded heatedly.

He frowned deeper. "Instant death? What does it-"

Rukia's fist connected with his jaw before she even realized she'd done it. "Don't be stupid! Do you even know it's name?!"

Hollow Ichigo glared at her and rubbed his jaw. "Zangetsu."

Rukia frowned. "So either it really is a... cutting type, or a moon type...? That doesn't make any-"

"MOVE!" he shouted abruptly, grabbing Rukia roughly and slamming her against a nearby ice spire.

Rukia was nearly knocked senseless, but gathered her wits enough to yell at him when she saw why he'd moved her: a very familiar zanpakuto had been driven through his chest, and blood so dark that it looked black was spreading from the wound.

"Gonna leave a mark," he grunted, wincing as the sword vanished.

"He cannot save you forever," Rukia's Hollow stated, staring at the blood on her sword.

On that much, they agreed. Rukia moved without thought, covering his wound with her hands. She had no idea if it would work, but her Hollow had done it, and she couldn't just let Ichigo's die. "White Moon," she whispered, smiling as she felt intense cold spreading from her fingers.

"The hell?" Hollow Ichigo gasped as ice formed over the wound. "What are you-"

"It won't feel good, but it'll stop the blood, for now," Rukia assured him with a small smile.

He stared at her for a long moment, his expression blank. Finally, he sighed and said, "Right idea, wrong way." Before she could ask, he slapped his hands over hers. "Don't screw it up. This only works the one time."

Rukia didn't move as what she'd thought was blood flowed over her hands, leaving fingers with a mild burning sensation. "What did you do?"

"If I can give you a Hollow accidentally, I can give you this on purpose. Go for the throat and don't miss, got it?"

She nodded when he released her hands, then darted around him and dove at her Hollow. Just as Rukia had hoped, her Hollow made no move to dodge, figuring the attack would be ineffective, anyway. What Rukia hadn't counted on was the snow-white sword that was driven into her belly, even as her hands locked around the Hollow's throat.

The Hollow gasped as inky blackness crept up from her neck, slowly covering her face. "How?"

"Hollows and Kurosaki blood don't mix well," Hollow Ichigo chuckled weakly. "Which means I'm about to be really, really sick, but then again, it's not my mind, so what do I care?"

"Bastard," Rukia choked out as she collapsed to the ground, feeling numb all over. "If you throw up in my brain, I'll never forgive you!"

"And if you dare die on me right after I saved your useless life, I'll bring you back just so I can snap your stupid neck."


The Vizards had only been a second away from striking down Rukia when the Hollow's robes fell away, revealing the original shinigami robes beneath. Rukia had immediately passed out afterward.

Even stranger, Karin, who they thought they'd lost, had similarly shed her skin, revealing a completely unharmed body beneath. She, too, was still sleeping, but Hachi was keeping a close eye on them both.

Not one of them was entirely sure what had happened. Rukia had somehow managed to defeat her inner Hollow, which Lisa kept insisting should've been impossible at the time. Shinji was of the opinion that she was just angry because she hadn't been able to do anything.

What really mattered was that Rukia was out of danger, for the moment. Karin, however, was still a concern. From what Hiyori had told them, there was still a chance that Acidwire could completely consume Karin again, despite the fact that she had already ripped off her Hollow mask. It was like no case any of them had ever encountered before.

No one had said it yet, but Shinji had a pretty good idea that it would be up to them to help Karin control Acidwire. If nothing else, she could be dangerous to anyone else, and they still had no idea what else Kurotsuchi's experimentation had made her capable of.

But there was also a question of what to do with Rukia. Technically, she was one of them, even if she lacked a mask. If she didn't stay, about the only option left to her was to join Ichigo's group. Either way, the life of a shinigami lieutenant was lost to her now. How upset she was about that would greatly impact her decision. At the moment, Soul Society was more likely to target Ichigo than they were the Vizards. But with Aizen in charge, it was dangerous to rule anything out. He certainly hadn't forgotten about the Vizards, and they couldn't afford to underestimate him again.

The only thing that Shinji was sure of was that he couldn't leave all of the decisions up to Ichigo. True, he was technically the guardian of both Karin and Rukia at this point, but any mistakes made there could come back to haunt the Vizards. At the very least, Shinji was going to insist that Karin stay with them until Acidwire had been "tamed" to his satisfaction. Ichigo wouldn't like it, but if push came to shove, Kurosakis seemed to respond better to sense being beaten into them.


Zaraki and Grimmjow were fighting.

There was no real reason for this. Nel and Grimmjow had simply arrived at the 11th Division for Yachiru's tea party. Zaraki had known they were coming. Yachiru had even circled the date and time in pink marker on his daily planner... and since he never read it, she'd ripped out that page and taped it to one of his bells.

No one was surprised when Nel and Grimmjow showed up on time. Zaraki had ordered that no one was to touch the two Espada.

He wanted them for himself.

Nel, he didn't really care about. She reminded him enough of Yachiru that she was the ONLY other person that could get away with calling him "Ken-chan." And so far, she'd been decent enough to not do that in public.

But Grimmjow was another matter. Zaraki hated him. He hadn't even really done anything. And that was the problem.

Grimmjow didn't do much of anything, except escort Nel. He rarely spoke, and was difficult to read.

Zaraki didn't like it. None of the Espada acted as if any of the shinigami were serious threats to them, but Grimmjow and Nel were the only ones that didn't openly look down on them. The very idea that Grimmjow might even pity them made Zaraki sick to his stomach. And there was only one cure for anything that ever bothered Zaraki.

To Grimmjow's credit, he did not treat Zaraki's ambush like a genuine attack. Nel had probably spoken to him about this beforehand, because neither of them had actually destroyed any property, yet. But already they'd spooked most of the Division into giving them plenty of space, which only made things easier.

Nel watched a few minutes of this sparring session from the window of Yachiru's quarters, just to make sure things were going smoothly. Then she turned to her pink-haired friend and sighed.

"Boys," they both groaned simultaneously, before collapsing in a fit of giggles.

Yachiru's tea party was not so much a tea party as it was a sweet drink party. She did have a complete tea set, given to her by Yumichika for a birthday present, but she had never served anything other than fruit juice, soda, or hot cocoa with it. Nel had never been to a tea party before, so this did not strike her as being odd.

Nel was on her sixth cup of cocoa when she noticed that Yachiru was staring at her head, or more specifically, the Hollow skull on top of it. "It doesn't come off," Nel said.

"That's not what I was going to ask, Nel-chan," Yachiru replied. "Well, not right now, anyway..."

"Then what?"

"How did you and Grimmjow become Espada? You really don't seem like the type."

Nel was silent for a moment. "Which time?" she said at last.

Yachiru blinked. "Huh?"

"I've been an Espada twice. So which time are you asking about?"

"Um... both?"

Nel frowned. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that. I don't remember the first time. Every time I try to recall something that happened too far back, I get these really bad headaches. All I know for sure is that Grimmy wasn't as nice then. But he wasn't my big brother then, either. Not until the second time."

"What was he like before?"

"I guess he was a bit like Ken-chan," Nel murmured. "Maybe that's why they don't get along. Ken-chan can probably sense the old Grimmjow inside of Grimmy."

"So what changed him?" Yachiru asked.

"My brothers. But mostly Aizen-sama, though I don't know if he planned for it to happen this way exactly. I was probably just lucky."


Nel had known it was dangerous to return to Las Noches, especially in her weaker form. Pesche and Dondochakka had begged her not to, but she hadn't listened. Nnorita was the only one with a personal grudge against her, but it was still very likely that the other Espada would kill her on sight, if only to cut down on the competition.

There was only one reason why Nel was determined to do something so risky, but it wasn't something she could've properly explained to anyone. It was a flimsy plan at best, but it was still something to believe in, and so she did.

Everyone talked about the Espada. That was nothing new. But recently, there was talk of one who was not prone to violent displays, and instead had a way of silent serenity. And it was on that Espada that Nel was pinning all of her hopes.

It was insane, true enough. She had never met Halibel, and knew next to nothing about her, save that she had taken Nel's rank in the Espada. There was absolutely no reason why Halibel would've been interested in helping Nel return to her true from. But Nel was still going to ask her to, and beg if necessary. The simple truth was that Nel and her brothers had only survived in the desert for as long as they had through a winning combination of distractions and running.

Those tactics wouldn't work against an Espada, and certainly not against the one that did want Nel dead. And it wasn't as if Nel couldn't defeat him at all, it was just that she needed to be able to depend on her ability to assume and maintain her true form for that to happen.

Sneaking back into Las Noches had been surprisingly easy, but then she had ordered her brothers to wait outside for her. Of course, it might've just been that Aizen had not made capturing her a high priority, and so no one was actively looking for her. Either way, Nel made it all the way to the meeting room of the Espada before anything went wrong.

She could hear several voices, but Aizen's had an odd, echoing quality that was easy to pick up.

"Yammy, come forward," he said. "I have decided to bestow a great honor on you. You have been chosen to give birth to the next evolution of the Espada."

There was a slight pause, and then Aizen ordered, "Swallow the Hogyoku."

Nel didn't know what it was, but she also didn't know if that was only because she couldn't remember. Still, she felt it was important, and dared to push the door open a crack. She was only able to see a large lump going down Yammy's throat, because two seconds after that, he exploded.

What happened after that was something that Nel never would've imagined as being possible.

Where Yammy had once been, there was a black, spiraling vortex. Powerful, undeniable winds ripped the room apart in an instant, and a roar like that of an enraged beast filled the air.

Nel was only able to cling to the door for a few seconds before she was pulled into the room, but what she saw would stay with her for the rest of her life.

The vortex was easily powerful enough to inhale everything in the vicinity, and indeed, virtually everything was drawn to it. But where inorganic matter, such as large sections of the walls, floor, and ceiling, were destroyed on contact, breaking them down to the very spirit particles that composed them, living matter, such as Hollows, Arrancar, and even some of the Espada themselves, were hurled away, just to be absorbed by the only objects other than Aizen that appeared to be immune to the vortex.

Aaroniero.

Halibel.

Ulquiorra.

And Grimmjow.

Nel noticed the last of these just as her brothers appeared, and immediately vanished into his belly. Then she lost her grip, and was torn through the air towards the vortex. As with the others, she was hurled back. But instead of being absorbed, she crashed into the wall, and then there was only darkness.


A person only had to know Kurosaki Ichigo for two minutes to know that he loved his little sisters more than anything else in the world. Tatsuki, for one, was not at all surprised to discover that he'd nearly destroyed the Soul Society in his attempt to rescue Karin. Frankly, she was more surprised that he hadn't done it, and that he'd allowed someone else to take his sister. Chad made no comment, but relaxed once Ichigo assured him that the Vizards could be trusted to protect Karin. No one was surprised, however, when Yuzu occupied Karin's usual seat on Chad's shoulder, and Ririn received a place of honor in his shirt pocket.

For all Ichigo's talk of his faith in the Vizards, however, he was in quite a hurry to reach their base, which turned out to be an abandoned warehouse, surrounded by a barrier that even Chad couldn't power his way through. Uryu examined it and announced that it was specifically designed to repel Hollows and beings with significant spiritual pressure, not unlike the barrier that had once been around Zangetsu. Ichigo wasn't sure what to make of that, and wasn't sure he wanted to think about it too much, either.

Ichigo had not told his friends much about the Vizards, except that they were strong, and that their leader had helped him improve his control over his Hollow, or at least made it so they didn't get in each other's way. From that, they had more or less assumed that this meant Ichigo was on good terms with the Vizards, and wouldn't mind him and a few friends dropping by for a visit.

They were not prepared for an ambush, which was exactly what they got.

The sandal caught Ichigo dead in the face, and despite the force with which it hit, was only a distraction. No one knew that, however, until after he was nearly impaled by a small girl wearing a rhino-like Hollow mask, complete with an enormous horn. As it was, Ichigo just barely escaped with a huge, bloody gash along his ribs.

Uryu was already drawing back an arrow when Ichigo motioned for him to stop. "I'll handle this. It's me she's pissed at, anyway. You guys go and find Karin."

"No," Chad said quietly, handing Yuzu and Ririn to Ichigo. "You're the one Karin is waiting for. I'll settle things here."

Ichigo frowned. "Yeah, but Hiyori isn't that-"

Another sandal caught Ichigo hard on the cheek. Scowling, he peeled it off and threw it away. "You're on your own, Chad." He turned and stomped off, Uryu and Tatsuki following at a respectable distance.

Chad tensed slightly as the rhino mask came drifting out of the darkness.

"So you think you can take me, huh, big guy?" Hiyori asked, lifting her mask enough to aim a sadistic grin at him. "Bigger than you have tried, failed, and screamed like little girls when I gored them! What makes you think you'll be any different?"

"You're a Vizard," Chad said slowly. "That means you've already suppressed your Hollow."

"Yeah, and?"

Chad blinked. "Just one?"

Hiyori glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Maybe we shouldn't do this, after all. I don't want to kill you."

Hiyori jammed her mask back on and charged, only to get a large fist in her face that sent her crashing into the wall. She was still shaking the stars away when a very large hand closed around her head and slowly lifted her into the air.

"You only have to conquer one Hollow," Chad murmured. "But I do that every night. In my sleep."

Hiyori's eyes widened as Chad's free hand came up and snapped the horn off of her mask, and then thumped her on the head just hard enough to knock her out.

"Wah! He beat Hiyori-chan! He's really tough!" cried a voice somewhere behind him.

"Stay back, Mashiro. It's my turn to entertain our guest."

Chad sighed and put Hiyori down before turning around. The first thing he saw was an afro. The second were the shades. "Those are really nice shades. You might want to take them off, so they don't get damaged."


Halibel was easily the most mysterious of the Espada. Almost no one had heard her utter a complete sentence since her introduction, and what could be seen of her face offered few answers. But considering the attitudes of the other Espada, it was much safer to simply stay out of her way, especially when her thoughts were unknown.

But there was a single, odd pattern to Halibel's behavior: everyday, she had tea with Yoruichi at two in the afternoon.

If Yoruichi had ever displayed any outward fear of the Espada, no one had ever seen it. In fact, of all the Captains, she was the only one that still treated Aizen the exact same way she always had. It was not quite a lack of respect, more like a senior constantly teasing a junior. At any rate, Aizen had forbidden the Espada to kill Captains without his permission, not that any of the shinigami knew that. So at the very least, he did not consider Yoruichi's joking to be worthy of execution. Not yet, anyway.

Most of their conversations never strayed much from the topic of Aizen, though. Halibel knew very little of his past, and of course Yoruichi was curious as to what he'd been up to since then. Hinamori might have had a better idea of what he'd been doing, at least as far as the Seireitei was concerned, but being approached by either woman would be far too intimidating for the girl.

On this day, they began the way they always did.

"Aizen-sama wishes to know if you've given any thought to naming a second-in-command."

Yoruichi frowned. "I notice the Espada haven't been integrated into the power structure here. Does that mean I can pick you?"

Halibel stared at her, unable to discern if she were joking or not. "Why would you do that?"

"Honestly? Everyone else here is boring. They have to do whatever you tell them, anyway. And this way we can still have our afternoon tea. You can even bring your friends, if you want."

"What friends?"

Yoruichi blinked. "The other Espada, of course."

"Ah. Them." Halibel paused for a moment, and then added, "We are not friends. Only family."

"You're all related by blood?" Yoruichi asked skeptically.

"No. We are related in the way that members of mankind would be... if there were only five of them left."

"What happened to the rest?"

Halibel closed her eyes briefly. "They ceased to exist as individuals."

"Ooookay. So you never really gave me an answer on the whole Lieutenant thing."

"I will have to discuss it with Aizen-sama. He has not made his will known concerning Lieutenants yet."

"Really," Yoruichi murmured. "I can't help wondering if that's good or bad for them."


Karin woke up to the very peculiar sensation of her skin tightening around her. Her body felt like one enormous itch, and it was new enough that she was more than a little concerned. Her first impulse was to scratch everywhere that she could reach, and to have Yuzu do the other places for her. But before she could turn thought to action, Acidwire spoke in her mind.

"Be still, child. I am increasing the thickness of your hierro. It is essential to our defenses."

"Acid-kun... what's a hierro?"

There was a slight pause before Acidwire answered. "What you would call skin. For us, it is armor. The thicker, the better."

Karin gave this some thought. "So when Rukia cut me, is that what saved me?"

"No. If your hierro had saved you, you never would've been cut in the first place. That is why I am improving it. The only reason you survived is because I was able to force your body into high-speed regeneration. But that is draining for both of us, so better armor is more efficient."

"Oh. Thanks, Acid-kun."

"I told you, I cannot survive without you. I am only protecting myself. And... why do you insist on calling me that?"

Karin could've said that she hoped, someday, that Acidwire would be less of the scary creature that had once devoured her mind and body, and more like Ichigo's Hollow, who was also scary to some extent, but still helped out when he was truly needed. But she had no idea how he would react to that, so she gave him a simple truth.

"You keep saving me. It's all I can think of to thank you. I thought you'd rather be treated like a person, instead of a monster. Was I wrong?"

She never got an answer, either because Acidwire wasn't going to give one, or because in the next second, a familiar hand ruffled her hair. Karin looked up to see Ichigo smiling down at her.

"Hey," he said softly, kneeling down as she sat up. "Sorry I woke you, but-"

"Shut up," Karin muttered, burying her face in his chest and clinging to him tightly.

Ichigo did as ordered, merely holding her for a few minutes.

"Where's Yuzu?" Karin finally asked.

"With Tatsuki. They wanted us to have a few minutes alone."

Karin didn't like the way his tone had changed. "Ichigo, what-"

"Shinji... no, all of the Vizards. They want you to stay here with them, so they can teach you how to use your Hollow's powers. But that would take a year, at least. And you'd have to stay here the whole time."

"You told them no," Karin murmured, with certainty.

"Yeah, but how'd you-"

She smiled. "Because you're my big brother, and I just got kidnapped. What else could you say?"

He smiled in return. "I'm predictable, huh?"

"You are to me." Her smile faded. "That's how I know you won't like this next part. I'm going to stay here. For a year, or however long it takes."

Ichigo didn't say anything at first, and he didn't have to. He did his best to hide it, but he couldn't keep the hurt out of his eyes. "Karin... if you're only saying that because you're mad at me for not protecting you, I'm sorry. You can even hate me if you want, but-"

"Don't be stupid!" Karin snapped, glaring up at him with tears in her eyes. "Ichigo, I could never hate you! You're my brother, and I LOVE you, you big jerk! Do you really think I'd choose to be separated from you and Yuzu over something dumb like being mad at you? I'm not a kid anymore, and I haven't been for a long time now."

"And that's my fault," Ichigo said quietly, unable to look at her.

"Even if it was, I'd forgive you. But you've been protecting me all of my life, Ichigo. You can't keep doing it. I have to be able to protect myself. The same goes for Yuzu. That's why... you need to get a shinigami to train her. She won't try unless you push her."

"But... Yuzu's the baby," Ichigo stated plainly, as if Karin should've known better.

Karin smiled faintly. "I know, but she can't stay that way. What if they'd grabbed her, instead of me? We can't take any chances of that happening. She has to learn, Ichigo. If you never listen to anything else I say, listen to me now. I'll never be able to get anything done here unless I know I don't have to worry about Yuzu."

"I can't go near any shinigami right now, though. Not after what I did."

"So get Orihime to do it. If she won't, just tell her you know where Rukia is."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "You know where she is?!"

Karin rolled her eyes. "She's here. And you should take her with you. She beat her Hollow once, but I don't think that'll happen again without help."

"Wouldn't she be better off here?"

"Maybe, but the Vizards didn't turn her into a Hollow, or promise Orihime they'd try to help. So you're going to take care of her, if only because it'll give you something to do while you're missing me like crazy."

Ichigo slowly took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I love you, Karin. You know that, right?"

"Yeah. But you still have to let me go, for now. Yuzu, too. I'll make Chad beat you up if you don't."

"I could take him."

Karin smiled. "Maybe, but it wouldn't be easy for you."


Considering that she was already stressed over the fates of both Rukia, as well as that of Ichigo and his friends, Orihime handled Captain Ukitake's death rather well.

Which is to say that she barricaded herself inside of his office for most of a day, with Tsubaki standing guard outside.

Amazingly enough, nothing was done to alter the situation. Frankly, the Seireitei was in an uproar already, and so long as Orihime's actions were not significant enough to draw the attention of Aizen or the Espada, no one was going to bother her. Her subordinates were similarly feeling the loss of their best shinigami, so none of them would've dared to interrupt her, especially not if they had to go through Tsubaki first.

Orihime's stand-off came to an abrupt end, in the form of Yoruichi calmly walking up and whispering a few words in Tsubaki's ear. Whatever she said caused Tsubaki's eyes to bug out, and he immediately shrank down to fairy size, vanishing through the sealed door in a flash of light. Smirking, Yoruichi knocked on the door twice.

The first knock was more a warning than anything else.

The second split the door in two and caused it to collapse at her feet.

Yoruichi was prepared for a great deal of things, except for what she found.

Orihime had spent over twenty hours in Ukitake's office, doing what first appeared to be absolutely nothing. But everything in it had been polished, cleaned, or tidied-up in some way, even the things that hadn't necessarily needed such treatment, such as a paperweight shaped like a smiling snowman.

"You need a new hobby," Yoruichi declared bluntly.

Orihime stared at her in shock. "Y-Yoruichi-sama! Why are you here?"

"You're not in trouble, if that's what you're thinking. As far as I'm concerned, unless Kuchiki shows up by tomorrow, this is your office. But we both know the chances of that happening, don't we?"

Orihime bit her lip hard, but said nothing.

"Anyway, I have a little project in the human world that needs to be handled. Interested?"

"I really should stay here and make sure that my Division is-"

"Rukia's there," Yoruichi added calmly.

Predictably, Orihime faltered, torn between loyalty to her Division and her best friend.

"You're a good soldier, Orihime, but only when your head is on straight. Fortunately, there's a way that you can ensure both things get the proper attention." Yoruichi drew a small, wooden pendant out of her pocket. It was clearly very old, and had a white butterfly printed on each side. "Do you know what this is?"

Orihime opened her mouth, paused, and slowly touched the sheathed sword at her side. "No, but Tsubaki seems to. He doesn't like it."

"He wouldn't. When used correctly, this pendant could allow one of the other Shun Shun Rikka to replace him as your strongest, if only temporarily. For the task I have in mind, Shun'o would be the most appropriate. But using the pendant comes with a great cost: in addition to being separated from one of them, your strength will be reduced by half. That means you'll lose at least one of your techniques, and the rest won't be as effective. And if you do select Shun'o, you won't be able to heal."

"But... is that wise, with the Espada-?"

Yoruichi sighed. "Let's be serious. If the Espada wanted someone dead, no amount of healing could save them. Just don't give them a reason."


Nanao had known that her Captain would take Ukitake's death hard. They'd been as close as brothers for most of their lives, and to suddenly be cut off from that connection was very much like losing an arm, and being expected to continue on without it. Captain Kyoraku handled this the exact same way that he seemed to handle any other issue that troubled him.

He drank. Heavily.

This time, however, no matter how much he drank, he remained sober. It was as if being reminded of Ukitake's death in any way instantly cleared his head, and pushed him a step closer towards true depression.

Nanao hated to see him that way, and told him so in between drinks, but Kyoraku simply said that he wouldn't stop, couldn't stop, until he received a sign. Then he sighed and reached for another bottle of sake.

From that point on, it was as if a pleasant fog had descended over Nanao's mind, and she was sitting somewhere while watching her body on autopilot.

She watched her hand remove the bottle from his lips, and quickly replace it with her own lips. She watched Kyoraku's eyes widen in shock, and was greatly impressed when she saw his hands raise to push her away. She watched herself deepen the kiss, straddle his lap, and wrap her arms around his neck, refusing to be budged. She watched her kisses become more forceful and passionate, to the point where Kyoraku very nearly would've had to strike her to get her off of him.

But of course, he would never do that, and had said as much in the past.

She watched them make love (and in her heart of hearts, Nanao had to admit that there was simply no other term for what could've occurred between them, whether sake was involved or not) in various places, finally ending up in her bed. Occasionally, Kyoraku made a half-hearted attempt to pause the action and ask if she was sure, but she never gave him much of a chance to do so, much less breathe.

Nanao couldn't really blame him. However it had happened, he had never been shy about admitting that he wanted her, jokingly or otherwise. And if nothing else, he obviously loved her, so any anger she might've felt faded rather quickly.

Especially when she saw her hand slip beneath her pillow, pulled out her zanpakuto in the form of a wakizashi, and neatly drew the short blade across Kyoraku's throat without even a hint of hesitation.

Whatever fog had been in Nanao's mind vanished the instant the horrible deed was done, but by then, all she could do was watch in horror as the blood began to flow from Kyoraku's neck.

"I see that your assigned task has been carried out," remarked a voice behind her.

Nanao spun around to see Ulquiorra watching her. "I... but... he... I didn't want-!"

"Good work," the Espada said simply, turning and walking out of the room, but not before uttering something that would cause her blood to run cold. "Aizen-sama will look upon you favorably for this."


Rukia awoke from a dreamless sleep, feeling renewed but wary. This was partially because she had no idea where she was, but mostly because Chad was sitting mere inches away, watching her closely.

"You slept for three days," he told her, in a tone that suggested she was meant to be impressed with that.

"Were you here that whole time?"

"No. But Ichigo and his sisters took turns watching you."

At the mention of Ichigo, Rukia sat up at once with wide eyes. "He's here?"

"Yes, but you don't want-"

Rukia jumped up and ran from the room, unconcerned with whether Chad was following her or not. She had a very good idea of why he might have stopped her, though. The moment she was outside of the room, she could feel Ichigo's enormous spiritual pressure clashing with another of similar strength. Rukia followed the energy (and as she got closer, the yelling) to a trapdoor in the ground that was standing open. The descending staircase she found there was cracked, and she could tell the damage was very recent.

"They're fighting," Chad said as he caught up with her. "It's dangerous for you to go down there."

"What if Ichigo needs help?" Rukia demanded.

"He won't. Besides, they're not out to kill each other or anything. They're just a little angry with each other right now."

That was a slight understatement, however.

Rukia reached the bottom of the stairs just in time to see Ichigo vanish in the midst of a large, crimson beam of Cero. The familiar spiritual pressure she'd been following fluctuated wildly, and then plummeted to almost nothing.

The attacker stood several feet away, his hand still extended and smoking. There was a Hollow mask on his head.

Rukia was moving even before she realized it, swinging her zanpakuto towards the Hollow's neck. There may have been some prejudice driving her, but Rukia was startled to admit to herself that the main reason was vengeance. Ichigo had saved her, indirectly or otherwise, and the least she could do was hurt someone that had hurt him.

Not that that seemed even remotely possible, as the man in the Hollow mask turned towards her with his other hand glowing bright red.

There was no time to move, and Rukia knew that she would die if the Cero hit her at point blank range.

"Must you always be saved by another?" said a reproachful voice in her ear.

Rukia gasped as the Cero bore down on her, washed over, and passed through her, without the slightest bit of harm.

"You won't die this time. But don't get used to it. I'm only lending you my power for a while, to ensure that we don't die."

She knew that voice. It was her own, or rather, her Hollow's.

The next thing Rukia knew, she was standing beside Chad, and he was poking her arm with a large finger. "What...?"

"You melted away. Into little snowflakes. Then you reformed here," Chad said, drawing back his hand. "Good thing, too. I'm not sure if Shinji was really going to hit you."

"Shinji? You mean that Hollow?"

"I am not a Hollow," Shinji sighed as he casually dragged Ichigo's bleeding body over to them. "I'm just someone that occasionally has to beat some sense into Ichigo. He was quite a few of those, actually, or he needs them."

"You could've killed him!" Rukia shouted angrily.

"And you," Shinji added. "Don't forget you."

Rukia blushed faintly, then glared at him. "What did he ever do to you?!"

"Let's see. He called me an idiot in front of everyone, implied that my parents were never married, and didn't even thank my associates for saving his sister. And THEN, he insulted my hair."

Rukia opened her mouth to do the same, but Chad's elbow grazed her arm with enough force to nearly knock her flat on her face, so she stayed quiet.

"Ichigo won't die. He's too stupid. He'll wake up in a few minutes, saying it was a lucky hit and demanding a rematch. In the meantime, however, you might want to decide what it is you intend to do. You could stay here, but if we're expected to look after you and Karin, I'll have to start charging rent."

"Shinji is a little much to take, but he's on our side," Chad explained as Shinji walked away, humming an upbeat tune. "The Vizards all are, more or less. And Ichigo was being rude."

"When is he not?" Rukia asked.

"Ruder than was necessary, then." Chad paused and looked at her closely. "I don't think you should go back to the Soul Society."

Rukia blinked, a little startled. "Why not?"

"Does anything in Soul Society's history suggest that they'd be tolerant of a shinigami with Hollow powers?"

"Well... no."

"We went to Hueco Mundo. It's empty. I'm starting to think Soul Society had something to do with that. If that's the case, it'd be dangerous for you there. Especially if you use your Hollow powers without realizing it."

"What are you-?"

"Could you melt into snow before you gained a Hollow?" Chad interrupted.

"N-No," Rukia whispered, paling slightly.

Chad reached out and gently patted her head. "Don't be afraid. We'll take care of you."

"Why?" Rukia asked, looking up at him.

"We made a promise to Orihime. You may fear your Hollow, but because of it, we'll accept you. Even bad things have their good points."


Though she was usually quite vocal at the meetings, Nel said nothing when the five Espada gathered before Aizen that night. Grimmjow certainly noticed, and the others most likely did, as well. Whether they intended to do anything about it was another matter entirely. Most of them seemed to enjoy silence, so she doubted it would be an issue.

Nel listened quietly as Ulquiorra reported the death of another Captain (amazingly, he hadn't done it himself). And though it was something she'd seen many times before, Nel felt empty inside when Aaroniero removed his helmet to reveal his latest acquisition: the smiling face of Ichimaru Gin. Grimmjow contributed reports on Unohana and Zaraki, who he found to be "acceptable risks," for now. Halibel concluded the meeting by sharing her observations of Yoruichi, who had yet to pose any real threat.

Nel thought back to Yachiru's invitation to join the 11th Division, and her own immediate but reluctant refusal. Yachiru was the only person, other than Grimmjow, who hadn't cared what she was. It was the first time she'd ever made a real friend, someone who hadn't been bound to her by circumstances or servitude. As much as she loved Grimmjow now, if they hadn't been Espada, they probably never would've met, and even if they had met, he wouldn't have cared about her at all.

The idea bothered her enough that she couldn't get to sleep. At least, not until she'd crawled into bed next to Yachiru, who rolled over, slung her short arm around Nel's neck, and continued to make the oddly cute whistling sound that Nel supposed was snoring.

"Tell me why, Yachiru," Nel whispered, closing her eyes. "Why do I feel closer to you, instead of my own family?"

Yachiru didn't answer, and Nel didn't really expect her to. But somehow, even the lack of a response was comfortable, where it would've just been annoying or scary with the other Espada. And as nice as it was, it only made Nel feel even more conflicted.


Tatsuki did not really feel safe with the Vizards. Ichigo and Chad kept getting into fights with them, for one thing, and serious or not, the wounds they came back with were all too real (although considering how badly Chad had thrashed them on that first day, she could understand why there might be some lingering resentment). But they had protected Karin, apparently to the point where she was willing to stay with them.

The news had upset Yuzu greatly, to the point where she'd refused to even look at or speak to Karin. Tatsuki had been trying to convince her that it wasn't so bad, but she had her own doubts. Karin wasn't exactly innocent, but Tatsuki had seen a few of the Vizards reading some adult material, and she wondered what kind of influence they'd have on her.

Uryu, of course, wasn't bothered in the least. "Everyone has to grow up, and this is Karin's way of doing that. We should support her decision," he told them.

Yuzu had kicked his ankle and run off. Tatsuki had nearly done the same, but she felt so embarrassed for him that she could only try her best not to laugh. It was the only time they'd ever seen Yuzu strike someone, which Uryu decided to see as a relief. Given Ichigo's and Karin's attitudes, he'd wondered if Yuzu was adopted.

Tatsuki didn't like the idea of the two sisters separating, especially after all they'd been through, but she did want them to be able to protect themselves. And if even Ichigo had been talked into it, she supposed there really was no choice. Nobody had been able to convince Yuzu of that, though, and she'd gone to bed early without eating.

Tatsuki joined her without being asked, but knew that Ichigo would've expected it of her, anyway.

Yuzu slept restlessly that night, tossing and turning every few minutes, sometimes whimpering and crying a little. Often she would call for Ichigo, Karin, her parents, or even Ririn (who she was clutching so tightly that the little mod soul had to be uncomfortable), and beg them not to leave her alone. All Tatsuki could do at such times was gently stroke Yuzu's hair, and while that calmed her slightly, it never lasted long enough for either of them.

It was around midnight when Tatsuki first noticed that large ladle that Yuzu had been carrying ever since Ichigo had obtained his sword. It was letting off a faint glow, as well as a pleasing scent that reminded Tatsuki of freshly-baked cookies. She was still trying to decide if the others needed to be informed when Yuzu rolled over in her sleep and murmured, "Return, Ichuunohito."

Ririn made a sound that was probably meant to be a gasp, but came out as more choked squawk, thanks to Yuzu's grip on her. Given what she saw next, Tatsuki knew exactly how she felt.

Two transparent people were kneeling beside Yuzu, adjusting her blanket with such obvious care and expertise that they could only be her parents. Tatsuki recognized them, but of course the last time she'd seen them, they hadn't been ghosts. Also, she had never seen them wearing shinigami robes, but they were now. At any rate, she was sure this was all just an illusion.

That is, until Isshin looked at her and grinned lecherously. "You've grown up into a real cutie, Tatsuki-chan!" he said approvingly, giving her two thumbs up.

Masaki smiled at that, but Tatsuki noticed that her hand was discretely placed on Isshin's knee as a warning. "We hope our children haven't been too much of a burden on you."

"No, it's fine," Tatsuki assured them, and meant it. "I don't mind at all. I mean, I like them, so it's okay."

"You're so kind to say that. Ichigo always did choose his friends well.

Tatsuki wasn't sure if she liked the idea of Ichigo having chosen her for anything, but decided not to say so.

"Anyway, we found this little guy, and he seems very attached to our Yuzu," Isshin added, pulling out a small, green-eyed kitten with tan fur. "Don't worry about feeding him, he'll come and go as she needs him. Just like us, in fact! Although, if you want to feed us, feel free-"

Masaki squeezed his knee slightly. "I think Yuzu may have forgotten about him, so just let her know that he still wishes to protect her. I imagine she can do the rest on her own. And try not to worry about them too much. It would only upset them if they found out."

Before Tatsuki could reply, both Isshin and Masaki vanished. The kitten they'd left behind crawled onto Yuzu's shoulder and licked her cheek a few times before it disappeared as well. And though Yuzu didn't wake up, she was sleeping peacefully for the first time that night.


Though she had been working nonstop for almost sixty-three hours straight, Captain Unohana had no intention of sleeping any time soon. She could now understand why Orihime had been so determined to do the same in the past, as well.

It seemed like every time she turned around, another of her friends was dead at the hands of the Espada.

She had no conclusive proof in the latest instance, of course, but she hadn't really expected there to be any. The 2nd Division had gone over every detail several times before delivering both Captain Kyoraku's body and killer to her. Soifon had always been one to follow the rules as closely as possible, but Unohana only needed a glance to see how much this case bothered her. Virtually everyone knew of Kyoraku's relationship with Nanao, and the idea that she could or would murder him was not even a remote possibility. As if they needed any further evidence, Nanao had suffered a series of nervous breakdowns after the act, and had proven unstable enough that only Captains were allowed to approach her cell (it wasn't as if the Espada would have any interest in her, after all). She hadn't even allowed them to clean Kyoraku's blood from her hands.

Amazingly enough, Aizen had not set an execution date, and Unohana had definitely feared he might. "The poor girl has suffered enough," he'd said. "I don't see much point in punishment, if she won't even understand the concept."

Unohana dreaded what Aizen might actually have in store for Nanao, but couldn't be bothered to dwell on it. She still had to prepare Kyoraku's body, and hopefully contact Nel and convince her to perform another miracle. At this rate, however, it was starting to look like Nel's miracles would become a lot more commonplace.

But any plans Unohana had made came to a halt when she walked into her office to find Kurotsuchi Nemu standing in front of her desk.

"Captain Unohana," Nemu said softly. "I apologize for disturbing you at such a late hour, but-"

"It is never too late to address an issue that threatens the stability of the Seireitei and its inhabitants. What can I do for you, Lieutenant?"

Nemu slowly reached up to touch the back of her neck. "I believe I have been infected."

"By what?" Unohana asked as she moved closer to inspect the area.

"A Hollow," Nemu murmured, removing her hand to reveal a ghastly patch of white on her skin. "I first noticed the change after Captain Aizen healed me."

Unohana wished she could be surprised by that. She wasn't. "Why didn't you inform your father?"

"He wouldn't believe me. No. Even if he did, I doubt he would do anything about it. I knew you would. I don't want this Hollow to interfere with or control my thoughts. I would be unable to serve my father faithfully if that happened. But I have observed that exposure to Hollow particles, especially those that the Espada possess, is increasing the infection's growth rapidly."

For a long moment, Unohana said nothing. She knew very well that there was nothing she could do to stop the infection, especially if Aizen had delivered it personally. Probably he had managed to temper it with his own spiritual pressure, or something far more devious. But there were other ways.

"I may be able to save you. But you would have to explain to me, in detail, how your father transfers your soul to other bodies."

Nemu blinked slowly and nodded. "I can provide you with the necessary files. Will this procedure completely rid me of the infection?"

"I doubt it," Unohana replied, seeing no point in lying. "But at the very least, this should buy you some more time. And that's more than most of us have these days..."

End of Part 7.


Next Chapter: Rumblings of War

Hinamori stumbles upon Aizen's greatest secret. Uryu puts the remains of Hueco Mundo to good use. Rukia finds a questionable way of getting into Ichigo's head. Karin and Yuzu begin their training. Nel makes a surprising choice.


Endnotes:

Ichuunohito: sweetheart; person in one's thoughts or heart

So apparently it's Harribel, not Halibel. Personally, I prefer the "mistake" (funny how often that happens). Which is a way of saying I probably won't bother changing the spelling, at least not right now.

Yeah, I know Masaki wasn't a shinigami, so there is a reason for her to be dressed that way. I have a theory, just go with it for now…

I should point out that Gin would never choose to be absorbed by Aaroniero, in case that wasn't obvious.


Mini-Profiles:

Nel

Race: Arrancar

Rank: Espada Tres (3rd)

Time Aspect - Youth: Reverse Revival

Nel can restore anyone to a youthful state by kissing them. This cannot be used accurately on the same person more than once.


Hollow Rukia

Race: Hollow

Snow Manipulation: Hollow Rukia has control over snow, including transforming parts or all of her body into it to avoid attacks she normally couldn't by staying whole.

Cero Blanco (White Hollow Flash)

(Let me stress that this is in NO WAY meant to be equal to Ulquiorra's Cero Oscuras, which is an Espada-level attack. White just happens to be Hollow Rukia's signature Cero color.)


Kurosaki Yuzu

Race: Human, Shinigami

Zanpakuto: Ichuunohito (Sweetheart)

Shikai Command: "Return, Ichuunohito!"

Shikai Ability: Yuzu can summon the souls of her departed loved ones to temporarily aid her.