Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Six: Breaking the Shadows

"It's rather pathetic, really," Luppi muttered as he waved his captives about in his grasp. "So many little girls trying to stop us…it's little more than a joke. You're even more pathetic than Eminus' little harlots. So, what will you do, Crystal Princess?" He stretched forth his spikes from one of his free tentacles and moved it to caress Kazumi. "I've got your little friends here…maybe I should play with them a little? Put some holes in this one, or just tear off her clothes and embarrass her? If you surrender, maybe I'll be merciful…."

"Why, you…!" Mai began, and, with a roar, Kagutsuchi began to ascend in an aggressive manner.

"Ah, ah!" Luppi warned her. "Be careful…your temper might get your little friends…hurt. After all…with this many, I could throw away one or two…maybe you'd like to choose which ones I keep?"

Mai gritted her teeth, but she reined in Kagutsuchi. Suddenly Shiho snapped out, "Seriously...tentacles, and tormenting innocent maidens? You're a real third-rate B-movie villain, you know? Not even perverted young men watch that kind of thing anymore."

Luppi turned a glance of ennui towards the girl. "You've got a mouth on you, little Ojô-chan. Are you volunteering to be my first plaything?"

Shiho smiled back viciously. "Volunteering? Hardly…." She struggled for a second, and then managed to pull a hand up and free of the tentacle…and in her grasp was her Taser. After giving a knowing smirk to the confused arrancar, she plunged it into her fleshly bindings. Electricity coursed through Luppi, causing him to howl.

All four captives were released simultaneously and began to fall from the sky. Mei recovered quickly and mounted her broom, quickly turning it into a flying vehicle for herself. Storm Spirit came flying down to catch Kazumi and, ah, spirit her to safety. Shiho called on her robe and moved to catch the shrieking Yukari. By the time Luppi recovered from his shock all four were beyond his grasp. As he began to cry in rage, he was suddenly brought up short…as he slowly turned to see Kagutsuchi release his fireball.

Luppi disappeared in the fiery explosion. With the threat dispatched, the girls all gathered back together. It was their first moment of peace since the El-Hazard was hit, but as they surveyed the area, it was obvious that many battles were still raging. "This has gotten real bad," Mai said. "What…can we do…?"

"If we have to, we should hit them one at a time," Shiho remarked, setting Yukari and herself back into one of Kagutsuchi's claws. She glanced back towards the Governor-General Building. "I have a bad feeling…we should start there…."

8-8-8

Izumi shrieked in fear as her little guardian doll was cut down, sliced nearly in half by Szayel-Aporro. He turned to Riza next, dodging her shots and putting her down with a knee to her stomach. Kaoru and Riku came in together from opposite sides, but Szayel-Aporro leapt over their attack. While still in mid-air, he kicked Kaoru away, causing her to impact across the room and fall still. He then turned his sword on Riku, who managed to desperately protect herself from the first few strikes. After the fourth, however, Szayel-Aporro penetrated her guard and slashed her across the arm. Riku cried in pain and shock, falling to her knees, dropping her weapon and clutching at the wound, and then the arrancar swung his sword around to hover at Riku's throat. "Well…your artifacts certainly are impressive. For normal humans with no magical power to speak of to be able to fight like that…your contracts are fascinating, indeed. I shall love studying you…I should be able to learn all kinds of wondrous things…."

He glanced around and frowned. "That's strange," he muttered. "Where, in the middle of all this, did that little kunoichi go…?"

Suddenly Kiami was behind him, lashing out…with her artifact. The Tengu's Cloak swept over the surprised scientist, and he disappeared inside of it.

"D-did you get him?" Riku gasped, managing to stand.

"Hmm. I think so," Kiami murmured. "This isn't the intended purpose of this artifact…but right now, it's all we might be able to do. In here, at least, he should be more or less neutralized…."

Suddenly a sword blade came streaking out of the cloak and impaled Kiami in the chest, right at her sternum. Gasping, she dropped her cloth, and Szayel-Aporro stepped out of it. He looked at the girl almost admiringly as she fell. "Well…marvelously done. Your stealth abilities are first-rate, and that was some extremely quick thinking with a very impressive artifact. Against anyone else, it might have worked. But I have studied sub-space and similar phenomena quite extensively…it's what made this realm we are currently inhabiting, after all. You cannot trap me in any alternate space. Well, you charming little children fought well, but it is time to put this nonsense to bed…we have a journey to make back to my lab in Las Noches…."

Suddenly a crack in the sky opened up, and then it burst open, and four figures slipped through it. As the arrancar stared up at them in surprise, one small, slight figure was suddenly behind him, chanting. "Eight dancing trigrams, sixty-four spirits of light, ascend to the heavenly temple! Whisper of the Silent Emperor!"

Szayel-Aporro stepped back to avoid the attack, then took a moment to consider the intruders…Tokine, Yoshimori, Hikaru, and Isumi, with Kamo on Tokine's shoulder. "Well, well, Mr. Arrancar," Kamo greeted him. "Looks like you're having an awful lot of fun…mind if we join the party?"

Szayel-Aporro pushed his glasses up. "Hmm…Kamolai, the spirit of magic, relation to that Eminus brat's pet rodent, Alvaris. And the two kekkaishi…and the young onmyôdôjutsushi girl…and the young swordsman. Well, well…so you've actually come to me…that's just marvelous. Even more toys for me to research now…."

Hikaru dipped his stance slightly, moving into a very tense ready position, hands on scabbard and hilt. "I find that highly unlikely. You've been quite unkind to our friends…don't think we'll take this lightly…."

"Oh, you misunderstand!" the scientist insisted. "You don't have a choice here. You have entered my territory, and now you belong to me. You may struggle…but you will do nothing to change that fate. I have not yet had the opportunity to become particularly familiar with your techniques and abilities yet, but that is only a matter of time…and then your efforts will be less than meaningless."

"Then we'll have to crush you first!" Yoshimori insisted, and gestured. "Ketsu!"

The blue magic box encapsulated Szayel-Aporro. He sighed. "Really, now…so impetuous and foolish. This is a powerful, interesting technique…but I can already tell that it relies on basic, brute spiritual power. A being with my spiritual power can break it easily…like so." A gesture caused an explosion of power that shattered the kekkai.

Yoshimori immediately replaced the shattered barrier, and Tokine reinforced it with a barrier of her own. As Szayel-Aporro considered this response somewhat more carefully, both youths each added another kekkai on top of their first ones and held them. Szayel-Aporro's hesitations proved that this was a rather more effective prison for him, but as Yoshimori and Tokine quickly began to breathe heavily from the exertions of their techniques, is was also clear that this contest of energies would not go their way for long. However, Isumi moved quickly to the set of layered barriers and placed a talisman on it. "The Seal of Hatakamori…empower this spell!"

Energy flashed into the four barriers, and the weight of the burden almost visibly eased from the shoulders of the other youths. Again Szayel-Aporro considered them. "Well…your combined efforts are impressive. But even this will only be temporary…all I need is time to break down these barriers…as I become used to their power…."

Suddenly Hikaru was standing in front of the barriers, readying a strike. "Perhaps…so we'll have to seize the moment we have! Seitenryû Ôgi…Tenshô Mitsukaitô!" Summoning his ki and the magical powers of his contract into the scabbard, he then multiplied and channeled that power into his blade as he drew his sword. He cut immediately into the barrier…and imploded the kekkai, causing them to collapse in great bursts of power. The ensuing explosion fully engulfed the screaming Szayel-Aporro.

The two kekkaishi sighed in relief as the barriers collapsed and Hikaru, replacing his sword, retreated back to them alongside Isumi. "Well…is it over then…?"

But, to their dismay, the smoke finally cleared, revealing Szayel-Aporro…blasted, blackened, his shirt gone and his pants in shreds. He panted heavily, lifting smoldering, burning eyes towards the youths.

"Surprising," noted Hikaru. "You even managed to survive that…you are tough."

"Of course…" gasped the arrancar. "Even if I have not had a chance to fully analyze your powers…as long as I understand the concepts behind your techniques, I can make countermeasures, and the damage…the damage…the damage…the damage…the damage can be limited, you fools!"

As his two plump fracción came hurrying up to lament his wounds, he suddenly grabbed one, hoisted it up…and began to consume it. Right before the horrified eyes of the youths, he tore through the humanoid creature with his teeth, wolfing it down, and…changed, healed. By the time there was only an arm of the creature left, all of his wounds, blasts, and burns were gone, although his ravaged clothing was not restored.

As the remaining fracción howled in lamentation over its lost companion, Szayel-Aporro rebuked it, informing it that he would make it another friend. Then he turned his eyes back to the youths. "Well," he finally said, "your combined skills certainly worked effectively. You are indeed fascinating…I cannot wait to get my hands on you and get you back to the lab." Then, as the remainder of his black, enclosed space shattered and fell away, he turned around and started to depart.

"W-wait a minute!" Yoshimori demanded. "Where are you going?"

"What do you think? I can't continue fighting like this. I need a change of clothes. I'm sure we'll meet again, rather soon…and when we do, this time I'll grind you down and stuff you in bottles." And then the arrancar and all his remaining fracción vanished.

They stared after him for a moment longer, then scattered to check on their friends. Isumi began to use her skills to administer to the wounded, starting with Kiami as Hikaru raised her up.

"Y-you're rather late," Kiami managed to tease him. "Simply had to draw it out to make yourself a better hero, eh?"

"Well…I'll work on my timing," Hikaru muttered. He glanced up into the raging evening sky. "So…what about everyone else…?"

8-8-8

Most of the action was in the sky above, or on a few islands spread around the main city…but as Yue, Nina and Arika joined various guards in herding the mass of VIPs out of the Governor-General building and towards shelters, enemies suddenly began to drop out of the sky around them. The first few were not so powerful, and the defenders managed to defeat and repel them.

In short order most of the noncombatant crowd was cleared from the combat zone, but the three young HiME did not immediately follow them to safety…a decision that did not go unnoticed, as the youths, turning their eyes back towards the Government-General building, suddenly found themselves hailed from behind.

Nina turned back and started. "F-Father! You mustn't…you can't be here! You have to get to safety!"

Sargon, flanked by his two butlers, looked hard at his daughter. "I could say the same about you. Although you were chosen for this mission, you're still students of Garderobe…you're not fully-fledged HiME yet. This is more than you are ready for. You're too young to throw away your lives in this kind of battle."

"B-but Irina-chan and Shiho-chan and Ers-chan are still lost out there!" Arika insisted. "We can't leave them until we know that they're safe!"

"She's right, Father!" Nina agreed. "We…may still not have much power…but as long as we have the power to fight, we have to use it however we can!" Yue grunted agreement.

Sargon sighed. "Well…that's hard to argue with. All three of themare precious to me too, after all. I'll let you go, but only under one condition…if we go along with you."

Nina stared for a second, and then began to protest. Yue, however, silenced her by putting a hand on her shoulder. As Nina looked away, a troubled look on her face, Yue stepped forward. "Very well. We shall, of course, do our best to protect you as well…and that will be our first priority."

Sargon nodded. "We should start searching. Do you have any idea where they might be?"

They exchanged glances. "Ers-chan…she disappeared during the dance," Arika said. "The other two…."

"They were with us when we made it onto the White Wings' El-Hazard," Yue mentioned. "But then the ship was taken down…and we all got separated."

"Very well. We can start looking for Ers-chan back in the building…since it's been evacuated, the danger should be lower now. Makita…track her."

The butler nodded and cast a spell. "Yes…Erstin Ho is indeed still located in the Government-General Building."

"Then let's go get her." The six started hurrying back towards the building.

The palace had already suffered extensive damage from the attacking forces. The explorers moved quickly through the ruined halls and over the rubble, following Makita's spell.

Finally they found her—tucked away in a rather untouched side room adjacent to the main ball room, sleeping peacefully on a small sofa. Arika and Sargon hurried over to her and began to rouse her as Nina, Yue, and the butlers stood guard outside. She finally stirred and looked up at them. "…H-huh…? Arika-chan…your Majesty…what's going on…? Where's Luana-nee-chan…?"

"Don't worry about that now," Sargon insisted. "We need to…."

He was cut off as a few demon-like creatures suddenly burst through the ceiling of the ball room and landed not far from the young HiME. They immediately began to rain attacks of magical energy down on their victims, but Yue and Nina conjured shields to deflect the attacks. Then, while Nina maintained the shield, Yue switched to offense and began to return fire with spells of her own.

She was still working on it as Arika, Sargon and Erstin came hurrying (and stumbling) out of the other room. Then another one, larger, came bursting in behind them. Nina glanced back towards it and cried out in despair as it opened its mouth and began to power up energy….

Yue turned and stared as the beam came racing towards her, the world seeming to slow to a crawl as that terrible force drew nearer. Then Nina suddenly slammed into her, shoving her aside, and attempted to focus her shield on it. It blew through the shield and she took the blast full force in the stomach. It blasted through her, leaving her quite horribly wounded as she began to fall to the ground.

Nina's name was screamed from four different individuals as they came hurrying to her. Yue, of course, was closest, and choking in shock, emotions exploding inside of her, she gasped out, "W-why…? Nina-san, why would you…for someone like me…?"

Nina tried to speak, coughed up blood, then said, "I-I don't know…it was just…instinct…." Then her head rolled to the side, her eyes fell closed, and she lay still.

Arika, Erstin, and Sargon were all there, crying her name repeatedly, while Makita and Kunieda attempted what spells and trinkets they could to stabilize her condition. Yue stared in shock, this new event triggering a major shift in her mind. Lost thoughts and feelings and sentiments and memories came pouring back in. And she looked up and glanced around in shock, the world again feeling like it was covered in molasses, as more demonic creatures came plunging out of the sky and landing all around them. They focused on the desperate little party, powering their attacks in order to finish the rest of them off….

Suddenly four black-robed swordsmen appeared around them, cutting down the demons in short order. Then one of them, the only woman in the group, pushed her way down in to look over the stricken Nina. "We weren't in time…sorry about that," Rangiku murmured as she prepared her kidô. "I'm not a great healer, but I'm the best we have here. What were you all doing here, anyway…?"

"We had to come back for one of ours," Sargon said simply. "There was no other choice. Please…save my daughter…."

"I will do what I can," Rangiku said. "Healing a mortal human is even more difficult, but…I'll do what I can…."

8-8-8

The two young women panted, staring at each other. Both Kinue and Erika were covered in wounds, cuts all through their clothes and along their bodies. Erika's seemed more numerous, but they were healing quickly, while Kinue's remained….

"What are you even doing!?" Erika spat. "You…you won't win like this…what are you even trying!?"

"What am I trying…? Silly Erika-ojô-sama. Do you still not understand…? I'm just enjoying this. Ah, the wounds you give me…they sting so…it's glorious. Knowing that you can do this to me…will only make it all the more delicious as I slowly kill you…."

An explosion sounded behind Erika and she glanced back in shock. Then she whirled back around as Kinue was already on her. Kinue's twin blades pierced her shoulders and the older girl forced her down. She sat with great skill on Erika, pinning her arms under her knees, and withdrew her swords from the wounded shoulders. "You were careless, Erika-ojô-sama…you shouldn't let yourself be distracted. Your friends are in good hands…so…now we can play together to our hearts' content…." She reached up with her short blade and sliced through the middle of Erika's dress, perfectly separating the fabric and cutting her underwear underneath, baring her chest to Kinue's view. "Ah, yes…" Kinue sighed in satisfaction, licking blood off her short blade. "So scrumptious, my little Erika-ojô-sama…."

Down below, the others battled the massive arrancar Yammy. "Éclair de Larmes!" cried Tear. The explosion of light engulfed Yammy.

Rin followed up with a spell of her own, chanted in German, and flame followed suit, multiplying the force of the blast. When it ended, however, Yammy was rather unscathed. "Is that it?" he rumbled, smiling broadly. "That tickles…."

"What is this guy made of?" Tear muttered in frustration.

"My turn…!" Yammy began. As he raised a hand and readied an attack, two blades suddenly slashed across his back. He roared in pain and rage and whirled around. Archer dodged his attack and moved around to the front, continuing his swift attacks. The cuts were shallow, however, hardly damaging the big monster, but annoying him all the more. Finally Yammy managed to connect with one whirling fist, sending Archer flying back to the other two.

"He's tough," Archer managed as he picked himself up in the midst of two lady mages. "That, ah, hierro of his…."

Archer tensed as the arrancar rounded on him again. "Damn pests," he muttered. "I guess I should just wipe out all of you at once!" He opened his mouth wide, and red energy began to build in that orifice.

('A cero…!') "Get behind me!" Archer cried, and began to gather energy….

The power flashed. The explosion blasted around them. "Archer!" Rin cried in despair.

…But when the smoke and dust cleared, Archer was still there, standing protectively over the two ladies, who stared at him in surprise. The ground around them was scorched and blasted away, but Archer was standing strong…with an incandescent shield of some sort shining in front of his outstretched hand, a barrier in the form of a seven-petaled flower.

"T-that's…a conceptualized defense…Rho Aias!" Tear breathed. "Based on the shield of Aias that was the only defense that could block Hector's javelin in the Trojan War…a defense halfway between an artifact and a magic spell! It's so powerful…Rin, just what is your Servant, anyway…?"

('I wish I knew,') Rin thought. ('Archer's supposed amnesia…but there's always been something different about him. He seems…something other than a Heroic Spirit…he's more like….')

Archer lowered his hand and let the shield dissipate. "Well…a powerful attack, but not as powerful as I thought. It only penetrated three layers of Rho Aias. Now…what's next?"

Yammy was also staring in shock at the unharmed spirit. "What…? Why, you…!" He moved to charge…and suddenly a blade came flying in from the side. Yammy was sent flying from the strength of the blow.

"My, my," Shinji Hirako muttered as he settled onto the ground. "You're pretty tough…my sword barely cut you. Arrancar…that Homura Nagi's been up to his old tricks, it seems."

Yammy hopped to his feet and rounded on the captain. "You…one of those shinigami, huh? Well, I guess you're volunteering!" He fired a bala from his fist, which Shinji dodged with just the slightest movement. Then the big arrancar used his sonído to step next to him and bring a massive fist down on top of him, but Shinji used a step of his own to dodge it.

Kinue glanced back at the sounds raging not far from them. "Well…it sounds like things there are…." Then Erika suddenly surged up and lashed out, throwing Kinue off and forcing her away with a slash of her mana blade. She snatched up her naginata once more and pursued the older girl. Her renewed vigor took Kinue unprepared, and once, twice, thrice she penetrated her guard, cutting across her body and forcing her into an even more desperate retreat.

Shinji, meanwhile, kept dodging the attacks of Yammy, leading him away from Archer and the ladies below. "Woo-eee," he intoned. "You're a hothead, y'know? You really need to learn to relax…."

"Gah, stop dodging, you little bug!" Yammy howled.

"Yeah, right. Who stops dodging when their opponent attacks? Oh well. Guess it's time to get serious." Shinji suddenly reached a hand up to his forehead and pulled down across his face, and in response to this gesture a white mask suddenly appeared over his face. The haunting visage rather resembled a pharaoh's mask with a somewhat skull-like air to it. A new, almost sinister power seemed to flow out of him with this transformation, and Yammy could just see the sclera of his eyes behind the mask become black and almost diabolical. Yammy continued charging straight ahead, however, lashing out with a punch…which Shinji caught in his grasp easily. Then he retaliated with his blade, slashing Yammy's arm off, and then sent him crashing to the ground with a vicious kick.

Roaring, Yammy shot again to his feet…and was brought up short at the glowing red light that was gathering in front of Shinji's outstretched hand. "Sorry about this, arrancar," Shinji apologized in a strangely hollow, resonating and echoing voice. "But you look pretty strong, so I won't hold back." The cero erupted, blasting over and engulfing Yammy.

Shinji slowly settled back down on the ground, his mask evaporating into the air, and stared down at the blasted and charred (and, of course, one-armed) Yammy. Yammy was gasping as he struggled to his feet, but he leveled a rage-filled glare at Shinji up above him.

"You're pretty tough," Shinji remarked, resting the back of his blade across his shoulder. "You took that full on and you're still standing? I don't quite know what to say."

"You piece of trash!" Yammy roared. "I'll teach you…!" With his remaining hand he started to pull his sword from his waist…but a new figure suddenly grabbed his arm. He stared down in shock. "Ulquiorra!" he breathed.

"That's enough, Yammy. You're in no condition to fight him at the moment…and that Heroic Spirit is waiting in the wings to finish you as well." His eyes tracked Shinji, the serious-faced Archer, even the carefully watching Nanami and the rather dumbstruck Rin and Tear. "It's almost time. The ceremony is about to begin, so we should leave. This operation is over." Ulquiorra turned and snapped his fingers, and a strange black space opened in the air next to him.

"Wait!" Shinji insisted. "I don't like what I'm hearing, here. The ceremony's completed? What ceremony are you talking about…? Depending on how you answer, I might not let ya go…."

Ulquiorra's gaze was as empty and emotionless as ever. "You won't allow me to leave? I recommend you not underestimate my power…you would be hard-pressed to deal with me while trying to protect that trash there behind you. So I suggest you not bite off more than you can chew, Hirako Shinji." And then the two arrancar walked into the blackness, Ulquiorra carrying Yammy's arm, and it snapped closed behind them, disappearing as if it had never been there to begin with.

"Well…that's about right," Kinue giggled, hopping out of Erika's reach. "What a wonderful exchange we had this time…you're growing so well, making me want you so much more. Just once more, Erika-ojô-sama…one more battle while everything gets settled. I'll have a suitable present prepared for our ultimate encounter…." And the girl vanished.

Shinji stared for a moment after the vanished arrancar, then turned as Archer, Rin, Tear, and even Nanami came carefully approaching him. "Thank you," Archer said simply. "If you had not interfered, that might have gone badly for us."

"Yeah…." He glanced briefly to the side as Erika, dressed now in her school uniform, came dropping down and moving over to join the group. "But I didn't like what that wannabe-mime was talking about…if this is anything like twenty years ago…we might be in trouble…we should try and gather our forces back together…."

8-8-8

Tesla brought his heavy foot down on Kajirô's ribs. There was an audible crack, and Kajirô screamed in pain. Nnoitra laughed, and Hinagiku struggled in his grasp.

Safely hidden behind a rock, Ami winced at the horrible sounds but continued her treatment of Irina. The two girls had become an afterthought to Nnoitra, and they weren't likely to be able to do anything now...but at least Ami could put her own healing arts she'd been practicing to use in this case.

"That's enough, Tesla," Nnoitra said finally after Tesla had broken Kajirô's arm. "Finish him so we can go find some more toys to play with."

Tesla rumbled assent, and pulled back a fist to deliver a finishing blow to the crippled boy lying on the ground. The fist fell….

But it failed to connect. Kajirô, almost delirious from pain, perceived that something strange had interrupted his execution and glanced up…at the large shadow looming over him. A Soul Reaper in a tattered and shredded captain's haori held the giant fist at bay with his dulled and terrible-looking sword, and looked down at Kajirô with an almost wicked smile on his face. "Hey, Kid. You're one of those humans from Earth we're supposed to be protecting, right?"

Tesla struggled with Kenpachi's sword for a moment before withdrawing his bleeding fist. "Who are you?" he rumbled. Kenpachi looked up to grin maniacally at him, but did not otherwise reply. "Silent, hinigami…? Then just die!"

Nnoitra, stunned by the sudden arrival, dropped a hand to the ground and touched it with a finger, invoking the odd and unique ability he possessed to sense greater specifics in power. His eyes bulged as he felt the threat of this new arrival. "Don't, Tesla, you idiot!" he screamed. "Retreat!"

The warning was not in time, and Tesla's fist came down…but Kenpachi calmly slashed him up and across, cutting through that hand and slashing him lethally deep from torso to the top of his head. The transformed arrancar fell backwards and collapsed to the ground to lie still with nothing more than a faint plea: "N-Nnoitra-sama…."

Kenpachi spared a brief glance at his victim before resting his blade on his shoulder and turning to Nnoitra. "Next," he said simply. Nnoitra stared at him. "C'mon," he pressed, pointing his sword at the arrancar. "You're next, aren't you? I came to Arcanus Myrror to fight, but it's been a boring month. Now I finally get to see some action. Don't disappoint me…throw the girl away already and face me."

"W-wait…" Kajirô gasped. "Y-you've got to…."

Suddenly Kenpachi turned and punted Kajirô. The boy slammed home right next to Irina and Ami, who shrieked in fright and shock. "Hey, you two little mice hiding over there!" Kenpachi called to them. "If you're trying to recover wounds, then heal that little punk up. He looks to be in bad shape."

"H-he's obviously hurt, so shouldn't you try not to treat him so roughly!?" Ami shouted back indignantly.

Kenpachi ignored her. Turning back to Nnoitra, he continued, "Aren't you ready yet? If you're chicken, then I'll come get you, even if I have to go through that girl, too…!"

His reiatsu flashed as he prepared for battle, and Nnoitra finally cast Hinagiku aside. He grabbed up his polearm and blocked Kenpachi's first swing as the captain came rushing in. The girl was still close enough to feel the force of their colliding energies, but, despite her own wounds and proximity to this disaster, she attempted to struggle to her feet and censure them both for neglecting her, but a small figure was suddenly at her side, grabbing her wrist. "C'mon, Washboard, let's not get in the way of Ken-chan's fighting!"

"W-Washboard!? What do you mean by…!? H-hey…!" For Yachiru had begun dragging Hinagiku over to her companions.

"Just be quiet and watch," the little girl Soul Reaper instructed her. "Like he said, Ken-chan's been waiting for a good fight for a long time. We shouldn't get in the way of his fun!"

"What's your name, hinigami?" Nnoitra demanded of his new foe.

"Captain of the 11th Company, Zaraki Kenpachi!"

"Nnoitra Gilga, of Hueco Mundo!"

The two exchanged blows. Both were strong and vicious, more concerned with offense and attacking than with defense, and before long both had landed strong attacks. While Nnoitra's blade cut into Kenpachi's shoulder, however, Kenpachi's blade scraped across Nnoitra's torso without cutting. Nnoitra grinned his wild grin. "You're all the same!" he shouted in ecstasy. "Shinigami are no different! I have the strongest hierro of all arrancar! The sword of a hinigami can never cut me!"

Kenpachi merely smiled at his own wound, then roared in ecstasy as he charged in again. Nnoitra blocked his upward swing, but the force of the blow threw him into the air. Nnoitra, even as he sailed upwards, grabbed the chain at his belt and began to whirl his weapon around over his head. Then he tossed it down at his foe. Kenpachi side-stepped the weapon and grabbed the chain himself, then used it to reel his foe in. As the stunned Nnoitra came sailing in, Kenpachi grabbed his face and slammed him into the ground. Still holding him, Kenpachi brought his sword up and thrust at Nnoitra's eye.

Nnoitra managed to grab Kenpachi's wrist and push his head aside to avoid the attack, then fought his way out of the man's grasp and leapt away a safe distance.

"You dodged it," Kenpachi noted. Nnoitra stared at Kenpachi in surprise as he rose. "If you dodged it, you must be afraid of it. Am I wrong? You said the sword of a hinigami can't cut you, but I think you must have a vulnerable spot."

Nnoitra suddenly leapt high in the air, raising his polearm above his head. "In your dreams! It's just instinct to dodge! There's no part of me you can cut! Your sword is useless against me! That's all there is to it!"

He brought the weapon down in a heavy swing, causing a massive explosion of dust…but when it cleared, Kenpachi was standing there, holding the blade in his left hand, untouched. "There are people like you in the Soul Society. Some of them said that I'd never cut them. But you see…I've never encountered anyone whose eyes and throat could stand up to steel!" And Kenpachi threw aside the arrancar's weapon and thrust his sword through Nnoitra's eye patch.

Kenpachi held the speared arrancar up for a moment. The polearm lay scattered to the side, now out of the apparent corpse's hand. Then Nnoitra suddenly looked down at him. "How many times do you I have to tell you?" he said. He grabbed Kenpachi's wrist with one hand and raised the other above his head. "You can't cut me!" And he pierced Kenpachi's chest with his bare hand.

Kenpachi, from the wound and the shock of seeing the arrancar still vibrant, let his sword fall enough for Nnoitra's feet to hit the ground again. As Nnoitra withdrew his hand, he let his other grip slide from the man's wrist to his blade. Nnoitra grinned at Kenpachi. "Ha! You still don't understand, do you? You think that nobody could survive a sword through the head. Well…you're right." He pulled the sword out of his eye patch and, with Kenpachi still holding the blade, used the tip to lift the cloth. Where his left eye should have been, there was a hole, just like those in the chest of others of the arrancar, a perfect emptiness that somehow didn't prove any detriment to his life or functions. "Nobody could survive a sword through the head." Nnoitra jerked a thumb at the hole. "But your sword didn't pierce my head…it just…passed through it. Understand? You've met your match…hinigami."

Suddenly Kenpachi chuckled. Nnoitra frowned. "What? Why are you laughing!?" He lashed out with his foot, kicking Kenpachi in the stomach.

Kenpachi caught his ankle, however. "Sorry, Buddy. I'm just so happy, I can't help laughing. I mean, what's the fun in cutting you if, on top of everything, you won't die? At least now I know you'll die if I cut you." He released Nnoitra's foot. "That's all I need to know!"

He charged forward to attack. "I'm gonna enjoy cutting you!"

"You can't cut me, you fool!"

The two charged together again, exchanging their savage blows. Finally, unbalanced, Nnoitra was forced to parry one attack with his arm. And Kenpachi's blade started to bite into his arm. Cursing, Nnoitra threw the blade away in a hurry and took another retreating step. He glanced down at the blood forming on his arm. ('He….')

Kenpachi was also staring silently. "What?" Nnoitra demanded. "Are you that surprised you were actually able to cut me? Don't be too impressed. That was just a fluke."

Kenpachi made a sudden slash at the air with his sword, and the resulting force of the swing rent the air with enough power to make a small and brief but savage windstorm. He made a beckoning gesture to Nnoitra. "C'mon. One more time. Let's go."

"Don't get cocky!" Nnoitra spat, and charged him with that leaping attack. Kenpachi blocked the attack…and this time the sword sliced through Nnoitra's blade and continued on, slashing Nnoitra across the face, cutting in and again forcing him to retreat. Again Nnoitra swore as he clutched at the smarting, bleeding wound.

"Looks like I'm finally getting used to your hierro," Kenpachi said with a smile.

('Getting used to it…!? He can cut me…just by 'getting used to' my iron skin!?')

"I haven't had a good fight in over twenty years," Kenpachi said. "And it was almost a hundred years before that. I've been slacking off…haven't been keeping my strength up. Thanks. That was a good warm-up. Let me repay you…with this!" He presented his sword.

Nnoitra roared and charged in. The two exchanged more blows. Kenpachi was the next to land a decisive blow, slashing him just below his left shoulder and knocking his weapon away. Nnoitra recovered from the blow and extended his tongue to power his cero. The blast fired…but Kenpachi caught the energy with his off-hand and threw it away. Even more enraged, Nnoitra charged in again, thrusting at Kenpachi's head with his stabbing hand. Kenpachi, grinning maniacally, just avoided the attack, causing Nnoitra to tear off his eye patch, revealing his perfectly good eye underneath. Then Kenpachi retaliated, and his unleashed spiritual power caused the blow to be devastating.

Nnoitra went flying back, landing next to his weapon, which he recovered as he stood. It was impressive that he could remain standing. He was cut deeply straight down the middle, from the top of his head to his stomach, bloodied and brutalized. Kenpachi stared at him in shock, his smile gone. He put his off-hand to his now-seeing eye, as if unbelieving that he could be using it. "You idiot. You tore off my eye patch…I couldn't hold back my strength."

"You…" Nnoitra gasped. "What is…that eye patch…?"

"It's just a seal," Kenpachi said simply. "It contains my spiritual power, suppresses it, so that my battles can last longer." Thus summarily dismissing the topic, he observed Nnoitra carefully. "You still standing? You alive? Or just dead on your feet?"

"Fool," gasped Nnoitra. "As if…that could kill me…I can't be killed…by your blade! I'm never going to die!" He raised his weapon before him. "Pray, Santa Teresa [Praying Mantis]!"

When the dust cleared, Nnoitra stood there…with four armored arms, each carrying a great scythe. A horn in the shape of a crescent moon adorned his head. The four teens, huddled together and finishing their healing, stared at the transformed arrancar. "He's got four arms…?" Hinagiku muttered. "Even in this world…that's not right. And his wound healed up, too…even one that savage…?"

Kenpachi stared at his foe. "Heh," Nnoitra said. "What's it feel like to see a true arrancar release for the first time? Well, hinigami? Say something…."

Kenpachi suddenly smiled broadly. "Nice," he intoned. "It's been a while. Your reiatsu is sharpening my sword. That's what it feels like."

"Oh?" This declaration didn't seem to amuse Nnoitra. "Then cut me with that sharpened sword of yours!"

The two charged together once again. Kenpachi's first mighty swing was blocked easily by Nnoitra. "What?" he demanded. "Is that all you got?" Then with another blade, he slashed Kenpachi open across the chest. The big man went flying and hit the ground, lying still. "That was a pretty feeble swing, hinigami."

Yachiru was standing on a large piece of rock not far from Kajirô and the others. "Ken-chan…" she murmured.

Nnoitra stared down at the unmoving warrior. "Heh…not even twitching. Are you finished already?" He turned away and centered his sight on Yachiru. "Well, I guess I'll mop up the rest of you now." He started moving her direction.

Hinagiku began to panic. ('No…that Kenpachi-taichô was defeated…now little Yachiru-chan…!') As the most uninjured of the four, she moved swiftly to defend what she couldn't help but perceive as the helpless little girl.

"W-wait, Hinagiku-san…!" Kajirô attempted, but he was still too injured to move.

Nnoitra stared at the young woman now standing in his way. "What's this? Pathetic…."

Yachiru suddenly pointed past Nnoitra. "You should look behind you."

An explosion of terrifying reiatsu suddenly flared up, paralyzing Nnoitra. He whipped his head back…and one of his arms went flying into the air, separated from his torso. Kenpachi raised his sword and impaled the flying limb on the blade. He reached up, cracked his neck, and then flung the arm at Nnoitra's feet. "Heh," he said. "That's one."

"You…" Nnoitra growled.

"You should be careful," Yachiru said. "Ken-chan gets mad when people attack me."

"I'm not mad," Kenpachi insisted.

"Cheater," Nnoitra cursed. "You played dead?"

"Shut up. I was just thinking. With four arms, you were bound to block all of my attacks with one of them. That wouldn't be any fun. So I had to think of a way around that. But I couldn't come up with anything. So…I just decided to cut off your arms one by one instead."

Nnoitra stared sullenly, seemingly unamused. "But Ken-chan," Yachiru protested, "you can't cut off all his arms. He can't fight if you do!"

"Huh? Oh, good point. I take that back. I'll leave you with one."

Nnoitra finally smiled. "Ha. Leave me with one? Are you insane? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. But don't worry…that was the last arm you'll ever take from me." He stretched out what remained of his stricken limb. "Or, to be more exact, that's the last thing you'll ever take from anyone." Suddenly an arm sprouted from the stump, as good as new. "I'm going to slice you to death with all of my arms…all four of them." He grabbed his scythe from his separated limb. "Because you're weaker than me, hinigami!"

He charged in and attacked. Grinning again, Kenpachi blocked the attack, but the force of Nnoitra's blow sent him flying into another rock face. "Ha! You're too light! You're like a feather! I can knock you around like an empty sack! But that makes it harder for me to finish you!" He charged towards the dust-obscured Soul Reaper. "Or are you just running away, scared? Huh!?" As he approached, Kenpachi's foot suddenly burst from the rubble, heading for his face, and Nnoitra just dodged the attack. Then, with amazing agility, Kenpachi suddenly grabbed the side of Nnoitra's head and threw him to the ground.

He followed up his takedown with a finishing slash, which Nnoitra was forced to block with all four of his weapons in a serious cross parry. Still, even with four poles serving as his defense, Nnoitra seemed to be losing. "What?" Kenpachi demanded. "Finished already?"

Suddenly an arm burst through Kenpachi's stomach. The attack slackened the force in Kenpachi's attack. "Fool," Nnoitra said, kicking him away. "I told you…you're not cutting off any more of my arms. I'll slice you to death with all of my arms…all six of them." He demonstrated his two new arms.

He cocked his new wrists, and two new scythes shot out and into his waiting hands. "It's over. You're finished, hinigami."

Kenpachi, however, burst out laughing. Nnoitra was shocked by the volume and tenor of his reaction. "I like this!" the man exulted. "This is great! This is how it should be! Who's finished? Now I've got a hole in me, too! Now we're even!" He brandished his sword. "Let's do this, arrancar."

The two leapt together. Wounds flowed freely on both fighters. They fought back and forth, destroying the asteroid they were on, battling viciously and without pause. It was a savage fight, terrible for both of them…but….

('I don't understand,') Nnoitra thought. ('I've cut him more than he's cut me. He's bleeding far more than I am! So how does he keep striking back!? I'm the best! The best! THE BEST!') "You annoying fool! Hurry up and die!"

He landed a slash at the base of Kenpachi's neck, right at his shoulder. Kenpachi staggered back, and Nnoitra stared at him, willing him to fall. Kenpachi stood there, silently, then moved his hand over to feel his newest wound. He did, indeed, look a right mess, bloodied and slashed to pieces. He almost seemed lost in thought. "Hmph. If I keep this up, I really will die."

"Ken-chan…" Yachiru murmured from her observatory perch, Hinagiku still standing on guard in front of her.

"I don't want to die," Kenpachi mused with surprising vigor. "I've got too much left to do…I still haven't fought that guy again. Blast. Fine. I guess I'll have to do it. It's been a while since I used hini."

"Eh?" This remark surprised Hinagiku. "Kendô? Well…." Indeed, Kenpachi had been fighting without any real style that she could detect at all…in Kenpachi's battles as seen in the flashback videos she had seen earlier, and throughout this fight, he had swung his sword around in a single hand, violently, but without any style or real tactical purpose.

"…What?" Nnoitra demanded.

"Genryûsai-jiijii made me practice it a little when I first joined the Gotei 13," Kenpachi explained. "But it really wasn't my thing. Even the name—'the way of the sword', indeed—just annoyed me, so I never used it."

"D-don't make fun of hini!" Hinagiku insisted indignantly.

"But one thing I learned made sense to me," Kenpachi continued, ignoring her. "Did you know that a sword is more lethal when wielded in two hands?"

('That's…the utmost basic tenant of hini…') Hinagiku noted.

"What are you talking about!?" Nnoitra demanded, and, his patience exhausted, he began to charge in. "That's obvious!"

"Maybe," Kenpachi responded, raising his sword in both hands. "But I bet you don't realize just how much more dangerous it is."

He met Nnoitra's charge with a stance that Hinagiku could quite appreciate, his sword presented right in front of him, and, as his foe arrived, he preempted him with a mighty overhand slash….

The world seemed to rend from the force of the blow. Wind rushed past them from the backblast created by the attack and an explosion of dust blew up around the dueling pair.

Kenpachi was still standing in his post-swing posture as the dust cleared and he stared at the results of his work. "Wow," he said simply. "You're still alive."

That was perhaps overstating things, however. Nnoitra lay on the ground, propped up by his three right arms, his three left all severed and the left side of his torso nearly cleaved away from the force of the blow.

Nnoitra, gasping, glared up at Kenpachi. Kenpachi grinned at him. "I'm surprised," he said, swinging his sword up in one hand to rest it on his shoulder. "You're a tough one." Then, to Nnoitra's shock, he turned on his heel and started away, back towards the watching audience. "See ya."

"Wait!" Nnoitra insisted, struggling to rise.

Kenpachi glanced over his shoulder at him. "Huh?"

"Where do you think you're going?" Nnoitra demanded between gasps. "This isn't over yet!"

"Don't be stupid," Kenpachi insisted. "That was my finishing blow. I'm not obligated to finish off a defeated opponent."

"Oh, yeah?" Nnoitra surged to his feet. "Then this fight really isn't over." He stood there, his top right arm clutching at his wounds, his lower two arms taking up scythes. "I can still fight!" Kenpachi just stared over his shoulder, unmoving. "What's the matter?" Nnoitra growled, still panting. "Say something. Are you afraid? Say it! Are you afraid, hinigami!?" And he began to charge once again.

"Hmph," Kenpachi sighed, turning and raising his sword again in a single hand. "What a pain in the ass. Fine then."

Nnoitra leapt in….

('Don't you realize how humiliating it is to be pitied? I show no mercy. Man or woman, beast or baby, strong or weak…I'll kill all of them with one strike. I don't give anyone a chance to come at me a second time.')

It is said that as one dies, their life passes before their eyes. Perhaps this holds true for hollows and their un-life as well.

Nnoitra's past in Hueco Mundo had been violent. Hollows began as human souls who lingered too long after death, lost in confusion or tied down by too many regrets, who eventually lost their souls and turned into monsters. They went about, feeding on souls, both living and non-, and growing ever stronger. They would even feed on each other…and if too many became involved in a massive feeding frenzy together, they would meld or melt into each other, forming a new creature, a gargantuan but mindless hollow called a Gillian, the lowest of the Menos Grande. If they continued to feed on other Gillians, they would grow smaller but gain power and regain their reason as an Adjuchas, and, in time, perhaps even further to the worshipped pinnacle of hollow evolution, the Vasto Lordes. When Aizen had begun his Soul Reaperfication experiments on hollows, and Nagi as well when he continued them, they had focused on Gillians and above, and most of the arrancar encountered at this time had been born from the ranks of the Adjuchas. Such an one had been Nnoitra.

Although all arrancar, when raised to this special evolution, regained at least some measure of intelligence and reason, Nnoitra had continued to be a bloodthirsty fighter. He eagerly engaged in extermination campaigns, wiping out hollows that resisted Nagi's rule of Hueco Mundo. His destructive impulses were censured by that woman he hated, the female arrancar, more powerful than him, who insisted on following him around. She believed that, having been restored to reason, arrancar should not act like base animals any longer. For that belief, and especially for her power, Nnoitra had hated her, and had tried numerous times to defeat her in combat. Always she defeated him, always she spared his life…in her following, she had even saved his life on occasion, which only made him hate her more.

No, he never believed in anything other than battle, regardless of what she or any others said. Nnoitra's one desire was battle and killing.

"I fight because I want to die," he explained to her once. "I want to die in battle. That's why I've become what I am. The stronger I get, the more I can fight. I want to eat battle, to breathe it. There's no salvation for our kind. That Nagi brat certainly can't provide it. If I'm grateful to him for anything, it's for making me stronger, so I can enjoy a higher level of battle. I will get stronger, stronger than anyone…I will crush all my rivals, no matter what. And in the end, I want life to have fled my body before I hit the ground. That's how I want to die."

Kenpachi's blade cut through him, deeper than ever before, and he began to fall, no strength left in his body. His eyes glanced to the side and stared at those young girls. Somehow, in bits and pieces, in their faces he saw that face once again….

And with his death came a strange feeling of peace.

Kenpachi stared down at his now ultimately vanquished foe, who began to break apart and disappear on a (spiritual) cellular level. Kenpachi's wide, maniacal grin spread across his face once again. "That was great. It's been fun, Nnoitra." Then he turned on his heel and went back to the waiting youths.

"Well, you brats are fine now, right? If you're finished with your other healing and have anything left, fix me up quick, too. There are more fights out here to enjoy."

Kajirô stared at him and shook his head as the terrified Ami and Irina moved forward to administer to his unbelievable wounds. ('Fights to enjoy…? There's no way I can understand this man…he frightens me as much as the enemy…but at least he's on our side…for what he's done here, I have to forgive him everything….')

8-8-8

Momo stood, panting, her sword raised in one arm. Lucy stood next to her, one arm tied behind her back, no spirits accompanying her…each of them had been possessed by the arrancar's ability and had been forced to be unsummoned. Aerie lay on the ground behind them, unconscious. Rukia stood like a statue, still frozen by Aerie's spell, and Minsc was likewise unmoving, bound by six rods of light from Momo's kidô.

Momo was in terrible shape herself…both her left arm and left leg were marked by that sunburst sigil, and were now limp and bleeding, crippled by sword slashes.

"Your determination is remarkable," Zommari noted. "Even if your own flesh is made your enemy, you do not hesitate to dispatch it. Such cold calculation…worthy of one the great Aizen-sama raised to be his tool."

Momo gritted her teeth. The mentioning of that name brought back renewed hot burns from the memories that had prompted her to cripple her own limbs to begin with. "I won't let you control me!" she shot back. "I won't be made to hurt my friends…I won't do anything like that again!"

Zommari stared impassively at her. "So you say," he returned finally. "But you cannot resist my amor any more than the waves resist the pull of the moon. This has been an interesting exercise, but it is time to end it…."

As one of his eyes on his body began to flex, however, a black sword, curved but wide-bladed, suddenly burst through his chest. He stared down at it in shock. "W-what…!?" The sword withdrew from the wound, and he turned back to see the source…and the sword blade finished retreating into his shadow. Then a figure began to emerge from his shadow, blackness falling away from him like water rolling from a duck's back.

Momo stared at the new arrival. "K-Kyôraku-taichô!?"

Zommari retreated a small step from the man, an impressive feat given his new bulbous form. "You…a captain of Soul Society, are you? That was a cheap trick…."

"A cheap trick…this coming from someone whose whole power revolves around forcing the enemy to do his dirty work?" Shunsui countered. "Well, in my case, it's just one of the games my sword plays. Kageoni [Shadow Demon]. My sword Katen Kyôkotsu [Flower Heaven Crazy Bone] is a difficult one, with a unique personality. She's frivolous and loves games, and gets into moods where she'll only play certain ones. When she's in the mood, everyone within the influence of her spiritual pressure becomes a slave to her games and has to play by its rules…including me. In Kageoni, you win when you step on someone's shadow and lose if your shadow gets stepped on. Win and you live…lose and you die. I love my sword, but sometimes dealing with her…is a pain!" He thrust his sword into Zommari's shadow, and it disappeared. At the same time, the vanished portion of the blade stabbed out of the shadow towards Zommari, but he dodged back, avoiding the strike and changing his shadow's position. "Very good!" Shunsui congratulated him. "You're learning quickly! Try this…Bushôgoma [Lazy Spinning Top]!" Shunsui swung his swords in succession, each blade generating a slash of wind that connected just in front of Zommari and becoming a whirlwind that encircled him.

Zommari glanced around, his vision now constricted by the tornado around him. ('I must be wary…likely he is using this to block my sight so that he can strike me through my shadow once again. I will just wait for him and….') Suddenly he felt the surge of spiritual power above him and shot his gaze skyward.

Shunsui, his swords crossed above him, was descending rapidly. "Takaoni [Mountain Demon]," he intoned, and slashed. Two massive wounds fountained in an X across Zommari's torso as the wind dissipated, and Shunsui stepped a distance away, his back to the arrancar.

Zommari stood there, swaying, gasping from the significance of the wound. "Wow…you are pretty tough," Shunsui remarked, fingering his hat while still holding a sword and glancing back over his shoulder at him. "In Takaoni, whoever's higher up wins. You survived a pretty powerful attack there. I was hoping that would finish you."

Zommari steadied himself and stared at Shunsui in anger. "You pest…you cannot be rid of me that easily!" One of his eyes dilated and flashed….

"Bakudô 81: Dankû." The shield flashed to life between them, and a sunburst-like sigil exploded into being on its translucent surface. As Zommari stared in shock, Shunsui explained, "Hinamori-chan's kidô kept that big guy from moving, even when you had control of his entire being, so I surmised your power is kidô-based…which means that the Severing Void can block it."

"You…you studied my abilities while your own comrades were still under attack!?"

"It's foolish to rush into battle with an enemy that possesses an unknown power," Shunsui countered. "I'd have done none of them any service by getting myself killed because of my lack of knowledge."

"You…you cannot resist my power!" Zommari insisted, causing many of his eyes to activate. A cascade of sunbursts began to wash over the barrier spell. "Accept my amor! Accept it! ACCEPT IT!"

Finally Shunsui stepped expertly behind Zommari, a blade resting on the arrancar's shoulder, right at his throat. Zommari slowly turned his head to stare at the victorious foe. "Have mercy," he croaked. There was no reply. Shunsui was still and silent as Zommari looked into those somber eyes and drew the conclusion. "No?" he demanded. "What's with that look? You won't show any mercy? You will cut me down? Execute me!?"

He turned fiercely, slapping aside Shunsui's blade and stepping back. "You shinigami are so arrogant! So misguided! You slay hollows so freely, so carelessly! Who gave you the right to hunt and kill us!? For what reason do you cut us down? Because we devour humans!? Who made you their protectors? Did anyone give you that authority!? No! You shinigami call us evil and slay us simply because you think you hold the power of justice in your hands! But you're just…."

Suddenly Shunsui stepped past Zommari, delivering a fatal blow with a slash from his right shoulder to his left 'hip'. "That's where you're mistaken," he said. "If no one gave us the authority to protect humans, no one gave you the right to devour them. But that's splitting hairs. This is just a battle. In a battle, there is no justice. No matter who started it, no matter what the reason is, the minute you join a battle, the minute you lift a sword, you're evil either way. I'm not killing you out of justice or because you're a hollow. I take your life with my blade because you're the enemy, and this is our battle. That's all."

Blood fountained from Zommari's wound. Suddenly he thrust his hands into the air. "My prince! Banzai! For the Obsidian Star, and Hueco Mundo! Banzai!" And then he began to disappear, evaporating into the atmosphere.

Shunsui watched him vanish, then turned his gaze to Momo and Lucy, who were staring at him in shock and amazement. His attention acted like a starting pistol firing, and Momo collapsed gasping to her knees and Lucy herself sank down, sighing in relief. "T-thanks, O-san…I-I mean, Taichô-sama…."

Chuckling, Shunsui glanced the other way again. "Is that you, Unohana-taichô?"

"Yes," replied the captain of the healing company as she appeared. "The Captain-Commander believed that your force might require medical back-up, and so we were assigned to follow you. We apologize for the tardiness of our arrival…."

"That's fine. If you've brought a squad of your healers, you better muster them…it seems there's a lot around who have need of your services, starting with these kids." He turned back to his rescued group with a smile. "Don't worry. We'll get you guys back together and on your way soon enough. That's part of why we're here, after all."

8-8-8

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist…!"

Ayon lashed out, hitting Natsu before his attack could land. Natsu gasped out from the force of the blow as he went flying, but he managed to land on his feet and glared hard at the monster. Not far from him was Grey, looking battered and seemingly unmoving.

"You guys are pretty tough," Apacci commented. "This is getting monotonous. Ayon, just finish them already!"

Ayon stood there, unmoving, apparently staring at Natsu. It cracked its neck as it moved it side-to-side, but otherwise didn't react at all. Apacci's anger vein began to throb. "Oi, Ayon, listen to me, you little…!"

"Don't bother," Sun-Sun advised her. "He doesn't hear you."

"What are you talking about!?" Apacci shot back. "He's got to have ears under there somewhere…!"

"I don't know. But he's never once listened to anything we tell him. Either he can't hear…or he doesn't care."

"He gives me the creeps," Mila Rose commented. "I wish we didn't have to bring him out. But now that he's here, all we can do is let him do his work. He'll tear them all apart eventually. That 'Salamander' seems to be the only one still standing…."

Natsu took in his deep breath. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" He unleashed his flame breath at the monstrosity, engulfing it in flame.

After a few moments, Ayon swept the flame aside and stepped in, raising a hand to crush Natsu once again….

A dozen blades suddenly came hurtling down, stabbing into his back. Erza came sweeping in next, and Ayon turned to repel her. She was still dressed in her Heaven's Wheel Armor, her left side bound up and wrapped heavily in bandages, apparently done by herself under her own power, and while she was gasping and panting heavily, she was still standing as she faced the beast.

Ayon began to move towards her, but then a series of ice arrows suddenly impacted its chest. Then a massive hammer of ice came down from above and smashed it on the back, bludgeoning it down. Then Natsu came flying in following Grey's attacks and hit it with his 'Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame'.

The three retreated and gathered together to observe the monster, but it once again emerged seemingly unscathed by the flame. The ice arrows dissipated, leaving no lasting mark, and as it flexed its back muscles, Erza's swords fell out of its back without lasting effect.

"It's still unscathed," Erza muttered. "Just what is this thing? Does it have any kind of a weakness?"

The monster suddenly roared…revealing its real face. The small mask-like white face on its top was revealed not as its face, but…its nose…? A massive mouth emerged underneath the mask as it roared, and two eyes opened from the fur next to that mask, with the supposed horns looking more like bizarre eyebrows now. Then, in front of one eye, a massive fount of power began to gather. The eyes of the Fairy Tail wizards began to open in shock. "T-that's…!" Erza began.

The cero flashed out towards them….

…And then flashed back towards the beast almost simultaneously. The attack blasted it backward, sending it flying off its feet and crashing towards the ground. The three stared at the figure now interposed between them…the Soul Reaper Captain with the long white hair, holding the two swords with the prongs on their backs, connected by a cord lined with strange charms. Both swords where pointed the monster's way, crossed to make slight X, and the man glanced back behind him at the Fairy Tail mages. "Are you three okay?" Jûshirô asked kindly.

As the three stared in shock, striving to find a reply, Apacci yelled out angrily, "Hey! Who the hell are you!? What did you do to Ayon's cero!?"

"Oh, I wonder!" Jûshirô said pleasantly, turning back to glance up at the trio above. "Maybe if you try a few more ceros out on me you might be able to figure it out…."

"Don't get cocky, you stupid…!"

Suddenly Ayon jumped to his feet and fired another cero at Jûshirô. There was another flash, and then the cero blasted back into Ayon again. Roaring, Ayon fired another cero, and a third time it was hit by its own blast almost faster than it fired it.

Erza stared, considering the actions. "I see," she said. "You absorb the attack in one of the swords, and then immediately return it from the other blade; in addition, those talismans on your cord accelerate the attack, throwing off the timing required to dodge it."

"Ah, that's incredible," Jûshirô said with a half-sigh, glancing back to her. "To have figured it out after only three times! I guess the S-Class Mages of Fairy Tail aren't to be underestimated…."

Roaring once again, Ayon came charging in, with Jûshirô apparently still distracted. Then a red translucent wall appeared in front of him, stopping Ayon's punch. As the shield faded away, Kisuke suddenly appeared beside it. "Scream, Benihime!" he cried, and unleashed his attack. The red surge of energy flashed, throwing Ayon even further away.

"Good timing, Urahara-san!" Ukitake congratulated him.

"Thanks…but let's not get ahead of ourselves. This thing looks like trouble…."

Harribel quietly observed the two new arrivals. "Well…not just a hinigami captain, but Urahara Kisuke as well…it's time to get involved myself…." She drew her sword, but then there was a flash behind her, and she whirled around to block the punch of her assailant. "You…Shihôin Yoruichi…."

"Hey there," Yoruichi said. "Sorry, but you'll have to play with me, now…!"

The two began exchanging blows, while Jûshirô and Kisuke prepared for Ayon's next assault. A fourth interloper appeared, however…somehow, the giant's arrival went unnoticed until his enormous foot came down to smash Ayon into the ground.

The Fairy Tail mages stared up with frightened recognition. "Master Makarov!"

"What do you think you're doing to my children, you little beast!?" Makarov roared. "No parent stands idly by to watch such injustice!"

As soon as he raised his foot, Ayon was up, roaring as it came at him, and Makarov slapped it down again. "You really are nothing but a mindless beast, are you?" Makarov rumbled. "It seems it's pointless to do anything but completely crush you." He raised his hands above his head, cupped together, and a great burst of light appeared between them. Then he unleashed it, engulfing the monster, and leaving nothing but a charred crater and smoldering body behind.

Screaming in rage, Apacci, Mila Rose and Sun-Sun all leapt at the giant, and he sent them all crashing to lie still on the ground.

"You're impertinent little brats…but you're brave, taking me on when you only have one arm each…."

Harribel glanced over that direction. "Apacci…Mila Rose…Sun-Sun. This…has gone on long enough…." And with a renewed surge of power she pushed Yoruichi away.

As her power began to rise, however, Nagi appeared above her. "No…that's enough for now, Harribel. The climax is almost here…we shouldn't waste time like this. Besides…even you would have trouble with three current and former captains of the Seireitei and one of the Ten Wizard Saints of the southern continent. Let's retreat…to Eldrant."

Their opponents tensed, waiting for the Negación, but instead a sudden blackness flowed out of the air around the four arrancar and Nagi, engulfed, them, and then sucked back in, leaving no trace of their presence.

Once the danger was clearly over, Makarov undid his Gigantism spell and returned to his normal dwarfish size. "Phew!" the little old man sighed. "Been a while since I've had to use that much power myself. Now, where to go from here…?"

"Things are far from finished," Kisuke muttered as Yoruichi alighted down with them. "It's just starting…let's get your 'children' healed up and move on to the next battle…there's a chill in the air I really don't like…."

8-8-8

"Gaav Flare!"

"Dug Haut!"

"Thunder Blade!"

"Kaze no Kizu!"

Spells flew and swords flashed, and one by one the enemies fell, defeated. Shippô, hiding behind Kagome in the back, shivered. "Was it just me, or did those guys seem…really inhuman…?"

Inuyasha stared down at the bodies. "They aren't yôkai or mazoku, and they don't reek of death like the undead do…they smell human, but…they hardly seemed to notice getting cut or hurt…they just kept fighting like it didn't matter…."

"And their attacks, while skilled, seemed very pre-programmed," Zelgadis added. "Like a computer program or something, they were given a rote way to fight, but could not deviate outside of those commands. Once we learned their tricks, they were easy to work around. Very strange…."

"Really, it's a mark of Replication," Jade noted, pushing at his glasses. "When a living creature is replicated, while its physical form is a copy of the original, mentally and emotionally it's like a newborn. It has no knowledge or understanding of its own, and would take months, at least, to gain enough wisdom to be useable for something like combat. It's not a true copy…just a pale imitation, when all is said and done. But there is a way to imprint memories and knowledge into the mind of the replica, even using the original's if it can be copied via magic; but doing so stunts the mental capacities of the replica. You can see the result here. They had the form and power of the old Mage-Knights of Kanev, but giving them the knowledge of their base tactics and combat styles ruins their ability to make rational decisions from there. Still…they were far more effective than any previous attempts of the same type. This is a foreboding development…."

Zelgadis observed Jade carefully. "I wonder if perhaps it's time to tell us everything you know about this Replication business…."

"Later. For now, the fight isn't over…this battle is won, but the forces of the Obsidian Star are all around us. Everyone in Orimus is in danger right now…."

Suddenly blackness appeared on the horizon all around them…an impenetrable wall of nothingness surrounding the islands of the city of Orimus. It had already been dark, nighttime, but now the stars and moon all vanished, leaving only the local, man-made lights illuminating the islands. Then, as they glanced around in shock, they spotted a new island, massive and forebodingly magnificent, appearing in the sky high above….

8-8-8

"Allow me to put a question to you, Dynamis-san!" Nodoka insisted. "What is the purpose of this staff, and how might one make use of it?"

"What!?" Dynamis cried in shock, but his vehemence did not prevent the requested information from coming freely to Nodoka.

('I knew it. Just as I thought…there's still something I can do…!')

She began to invoke the power of the key-like scepter, chanting slightly under her breath. Howling in rage, Dynamis sent a black hand of shadow racing towards the girl….

Nodoka reacted swiftly, channeling the power of her strange, liberated artifact, and the hand and even subsequent tentacles of shadow all flailed uselessly against her magic shield.

"…I see," Dynamis rumbled, getting his emotions in check. "The Diarium Ejus truly is an artifact to be feared…." He gathered his shadows together, forming them into a massive sword and brought it down next on the girl's shield. The magic blocked the attack, but the force of it threw Nodoka to the ground, causing her to cry out.

"Miyazaki!" Chisame cried desperately.

Nodoka recovered quickly, however. "Dynamis-san, another question…what methods can you conceive for escaping this situation!?" The information again came to her from her book relayed by her 'Reading Ear', and she said, "Thank you very much, Mage-san." Then she chanted: "Relocate: Miyazaki Nodoka, Hasegawa Chisame, Hanabishi Miki, Heiro Akari, Hanatabi Kenjirô, Delryn Rylack!"

Magic circles appeared underneath all six named youths, and a moment later, they were all gone.

Dynamis stared after the disappeared girl for a few moments, perhaps sullenly, before he sunk into the ground, transforming into a liquid shadow which soon vanished.

8-8-8

Yue, Arika, and Sargon looked on as the newly-arrived 4th Company Soul Reapers administered to Nina. Shortly after the first pair arrived, they called their lieutenant, Isane Kotetsu, to look after this most savage injury. Rangiku, Ikkaku, Yumichika and Renji looked on, acting as guards…but they were completely taken aback when six figures suddenly appeared in the air and flopped rather ungracefully around them, Chisame falling on Renji's head and knocking him to the ground, and Nodoka falling practically in Sargon's lap.

"Eh!?" Rangiku gaped in shock. "You all…."

Yue stared at Nodoka, thoughts and feelings overwhelming her once again in the middle of all her fear and grief. "N-Nodoka…."

"Y-Yue…all of you…thank goodness!" Nodoka struggled to her feet, apologizing as she separated herself from Sargon and moved away, still holding the key-staff.

"What's going on?" Sargon demanded. "That magic…was that some kind of teleportation…? And your friends don't look well…."

"W-we were attacked by that black-robed mage, Dynamis-san!" Nodoka gasped. "We managed to get away, but he might come after us…! This staff…."

Suddenly a hand quivered into existence and grabbed Nodoka from behind, palming her head. She gasped in pain as a magic circle appeared, constricting her neck, and Dynamis came fully into existence, swiftly taking the staff from Nodoka with his other hand.

"Don't move, hinigami!" Dynamis commanded, hoisting Nodoka up as hands went to swords. "The rest of you, as well! I can snap this young wretch's neck with a flick of my wrist!" Dynamis began maneuvering his magics to better take care of the situation; in a moment he was no longer holding Nodoka's head, but rather simply suspending her not far from his hand through a kind of magical psychokinesis. Then he let his senses flow out, trying to locate the magical source of Nodoka's power. "Ah, young mind-reader…I applaud your efforts…they were worthy of commendation. Your journey with Fairy Tail, or perhaps simply this brush with death, has drawn out some form of latent strength within you. It would seem that it was not for nothing that you were considered a threat." Finally he found what he sought, and began to use that magical psychokinesis to draw out Nodoka's book out of its hiding place down her chest. The book floated out of Nodoka's dress and then caught flame. "However…I find the most prudent course of action is to simply eliminate this artifact and its user here and now."

And in reality, destroying this manifestation of her artifact that Nodoka had taken to using alongside her Reading Ear would hardly put an end to it—this Dynamis knew well, but it was for this reason he suggested eliminating 'its user' as well. The onlookers weren't too keen on this idea, however, and they tensed in preparation to strike. Yue, in particular, began to object loudly and step forward, but Dynamis brought them all up short with a command. "Do not move. We were told to take special care of the girls from Earth and not kill them if we could help it, but that command will not stop me from sending this girl to Cosmo Entelecheia, the Eternal Garden. Now, young girl…rest in peace…."

Suddenly a blast of ice came screaming in from off-camera, impacting Dynamis precisely without touching Nodoka, forcing him to drop her and retreat in desperation. "Taichô!" Rangiku greeted her captain.

"Hitsugaya Tôshirô," Dynamis intoned as well. "So, now a captain of the Gotei 13 opposes me as well? Take care…you are too young to throw away your life…."

"You should only talk big after you've won," Tôshirô replied. "More than duty, these people are friends of someone important to me, so you should take care whom you threaten…."

"Is that so…? It is true that you are a veteran from the last war. But that doesn't mean you are prepared for this battle." The staff suddenly flashed and spun, and Tôshirô's eyes bulged as he found, to his shock, that he was paralyzed, bound in place by some strange magic. With a slight chuckle, Dynamis let his shadows fly out, piercing Tôshirô in multiple places. However….

As he fell, bleeding from the wounds, Tôshirô suddenly petrified into ice, broke apart, and shattered into pieces. "What!?" Dynamis cried in shock…and then the young white-haired captain struck him from behind. The blade connected against a powerful, mandala-like barrier that flashed into existence, but the straining power of Tôshirô's reiatsu was clearly testing it.

Dynamis retreated with speed, apparently not wishing to continue that struggle, and observed his foe with renewed respect. "An ice clone…I had understood you could only use that ability in Bankai…."

"Did I ever tell you about it at any time?" Tôshirô countered. "If you are basing your knowledge of your foes only on what you learned from the last war, then you are the one who is unprepared for this battle. It's foolish to believe that we have not changed in the last twenty years. Don't underestimate our power."

"I see…but the same goes for us. We, too, have changed in the last twenty years…."

"I don't need you to advise me of that. That staff, for instance…I recognize that's not an item I'm familiar with from before, and it seems to have a great power. That's why I prepared a trick like that decoy, which only works once. However, there's something else you're forgetting as well…."

Suddenly Akari was behind Dynamis, slamming him from behind. As he retreated away, Kenjirô and Delryn came at him from opposite sides, each one slashing him with their swords, and before he was finished recognizing this blow, Renji and Rangiku were on him, attacking him with their zanpaku-tô. His barrier blocked all the attacks, but the strength of the impact against them was obvious.

Dynamis retreated a safe distance and observed his foes. "Yes…I focused on you, and neglected to think of the other warriors present." He turned his gaze to Delryn, Kenjirô and Akari. "You three, in particular…I wounded you heavily. The hanyô aside, you recovered quite quickly…you're strong. So this is the new generation…I suppose I must fight you to your hearts' content…just as I did twenty years ago. However…now is not that time…the moment is upon us." And suddenly he disappeared in a swirl of darkness.

Yue hurried to Nodoka's side. "Nodoka…are you all right!?"

Nodoka, gasping, finally recovered and turned to her friend in surprise. There was something in the tenor of her voice, in her address of the girl, that caught her attention. "Yue…you…you've regained your memories…?"

Yue was silent a moment. "Yes…well…about that…." And then she glanced back sorrowfully at Nina's still form, and poor Nodoka noticed her for the first time.

"Nina-san…! I-is she…?"

Isane sighed and leaned back. "Even for me, healing a physical injury of this type…I've done all I can. Now all we can rely on is her own will to live…."

And then the explosion of blackness enveloped them….

8-8-8

Kain slashed Grimmjow heavily across the chest, then let go of his hand. Grimmjow staggered backwards several steps, memories going through his mind….

Like Nnoitra, Grimmjow had been a violent, combative Adjuchas, and that tendency had not changed much after becoming an arrancar. Grimmjow had been followed by a collection of other, lesser Gillians—those who had been killed during his first battle against Kain—even before becoming an arrancar, and these had acknowledged him as their king. Grimmjow had never been consumed by pride, but their desire to promote him was…appealing…and deep down, he felt a king shouldn't be suffering like this….

"D-don't make me laugh!" Grimmjow cried, and he lashed out at Kain. The boy was on guard and he was able to deflect the blow, and the arrancar immediately followed up…by retreating into the air. "You think you're the only one who wants to win!? I am a king! I will crush anyone that tries to tear me from my throne!" He made a slashing motion with both hands, claws out, and blue glowing lines appeared in the air where he had slashed, still apparently connected to his claws. "Desgarrón [Laceration]. This is my most powerful attack…see if you can take this, Kain Lockeheart!" He raised his claws to slash and….

Suddenly Kain was behind him, and he cut him down. "Sorry," he said quietly as the arrancar began to fall. "I don't have any more time. If you want to come back and settle this again, I'll be ready anytime." He watched Grimmjow disappear from sight. Then he turned his gaze into the sky, trying to stretch out his new senses, perceive what was happening around him….

Allies were moving. The battles all around were starting to turn. But there was something more…something darker…approaching, enclosing. It was as big as a tidal wave…and…within it was something more….

He allowed his consciousness to ride the wave of mana encircling the city…and it began to form recognizable images in response to his mental prompting, allowing him to see a form to the intelligence that was moving through the mana stream….

And stared at what he saw. "Aiden," he said quietly. "I didn't expect to see you here…I wondered what happened to you…."

"Hey, Kiddo," Aiden responded. "I didn't expect to find you, either. This isn't a place normal humans can go, even here on Arcanus Myrror…."

"And why are you here? I…I've come here because…because of this…of what I'm going through, but you…are you…dead…?"

"Dead…well…the answer to that could be yes and no, and neither yes nor no…this is my third ultimate Entropy Technique, the Touch of the Grail. I was dying, so I used it…I'm taking a journey instead, so to speak. It's hard to tell who, when and where I'll end up. You've caught me along the way. I don't have a lot of time…I was battling the Obsidian Star. They're making their move. Be careful…the Obsidian Prince is back, and he's…."

And then Aiden was gone. Kain stared after him, and then let himself return to reality. He looked around as the black sphere began to enclose the city around him, and then the new dark floating island appeared in the air above. "It's time," he whispered. "Time to go put a stop to this…."

F I N

Author's Note: Big Battles…and Odd Hiding Places

The action is heating up. The battles are largely involving the arrancar, as seen in the last part of the Aizen arc of Bleach…these are largely Espada, but again, Nagi didn't make that distinction when he organized them.

The Kenpachi/Nnoitra fight was copied almost verbatim from the Bleach manga, but the others I decided to mix around a little. It was an interesting and enjoyable exercise. I still used similar of the same events and abilities, similar speeches and such—Shinji's attack on Yammy was a combination of Yammy's first battle and the little Shinji/Grimmjow duel, Shunsui and Zommari used abilities and dialogue actually reserved for their true foes in the original Bleach storyline, etc….but over all, it was a unique twist on the characters and events.

The Dynamis attack was similar, although without any equivalent White Wing warriors to help, rather, Nodoka's adventuring friends were all erased and she teleported to what would be the equivalent of my Kiami & the normal girls party, but otherwise it was quite similar to that original sub-plot. The book did indeed emerge from between Nodoka's growing breasts, which caught me off guard and made me do a double-take…it was on about my fourth reading of the part, while using it as a reference for this story line, that I actually caught that little tidbit. See, it wasn't a blatantly obvious moment, as with the random and insane fan service that Akamatsu-sensei uses, the low-cut dresses of the girls were scarcely worth my notice…although I did remark that, in the epilogue pictures, the adult Nodoka had actually filled out quite nicely. And this tiny little event pricked two thoughts for me: one, it answered a major question I had for a while (where is Nodoka keeping her book when using that 'Reading Ear' or whatever they call it in Latin to use it without actually reading?) and two, gave me another sense of 'this isn't quite right' moments. I mean, Nodoka wasn't a flat, flat chested girl, but she had been shown to be more on the lesser side thus far, so much so that breast-obsessed Anya eagerly accepted her as a small-breasted comrade rather than a big-breasted enemy. Yet, despite what some ecchi artist/author types might portray, it's not…that…easy to hide items down cleavage unless it is appropriately generous, and this miniaturized book is still a legible pocketbook size, about the size of a wallet. Of course, she does seem to be more generously endowed now, although she isn't one of the ones the usually breast-obsessed girls commented on. And so, since I had used my (quite rare) descriptions of her assets to follow the original Negima perception of her chest, I had to make note that she had been nicely developing (she's had four months as a 15-year-old, height of puberty and growth, to grow, after all). I actually went back and ret-conned notes about her growth in Act 13's hot springs episode, and added minor notes about her dress when the party started so that the 'hiding the book in her cleavage' idea didn't come out of nowhere. Of course, it might have been a silly little minor point to worry about, but…it does answer that question of 'Where does she keep it?' that was bothering me for so long.

Well, we're about to tie up Act 14…one more chapter, and then we reach the story's true climax…!