CHAPTER EIGHT

An explosion tore through Hueco Mundo, shaking the foundation of Los Noches itself. Gin rushed to a balcony overlooking the sandy wastes, seeing the smoke rising in the distance. Strangely, it only made him grin, not a single worry crossing his mind.

"Aizen must already know what's happening over there." He said to himself, calm as ever. "Must excite him."

Isshin covered his face with the wide part of his kimono, then lowered his arm and looked ahead, hoping to see some kind of movement in the clouded winds. Unfortunately, he saw nothing for a good while, stumbling around aimlessly without so much as a blip of reiatsu to focus on. Then, slowly at first, but growing quickly, he could feel one. It was familiar, but different now.

"You stupid little bitch!" Ochigi roared, lashing out through the smoke with the one arm his Hollow body had left. "You would dare use Double-Cero on me!? The very vessel that carries your idiot friend!?"

"I wasn't aiming for you." A voice spoke, "Don't think so highly of yourself."

"Who is that?" Isshin questioned, still mostly unable to see through the sand and dust. "It can't be that little girl...who was she anyway?"

"Neliel Tu Oderschwank." It answered, sounding much closer than before. Isshin felt someone grab his arm, a hand much larger than that of the kid. He looked down and saw a lithe, thin arm coming through the soot, and as the wind gradually blew away the blinding cloud, he could see the form of a tattered, but rather unchildish looking woman with a broken Hollow's mask sitting atop her head.

"Neliel?"

"We don't have time. We need to get away. Ichigo's rage and anger is just feeding his inner Hollow, making him stronger. Quickly!"

He heard what sounded like a quick sonic boom. He barely recognized it as the Arrancar's Sonido. He followed suit shortly after, following her displaced reiatsu far away, using shunpo to get as far away from the Adjucas as he could.

Cero blasts went flying out of the smoke in numerous directions, blasting scars into the desert. Neliel and Isshin could hear the demon's wreched howling from even as far away as their flash-steps could carry them.

"Lower your reiatsu as far as it can go. We can't have him seek us out." She said, wiping the sand from her face.

Isshin was quite startled to finally see the entire woman before him, clad in nothing but the remains of what the child had worn before. She was easy to recognize even now because of the pink streak across her cheeks, and the scar between her eyes. She turned to him and sighed.

"I'm scared we might not see Ichigo again."

Isshin tried to remain serious, despite the strange situation he was in.

"Can I ask who you are...really?" He said weakly, "You were just a tiny kid a minute ago...that alone in this place is weird enough."

"As I said, I'm Neliel Tu Oderschwank. Put simply, I'm a Privaron class Arrancar. A naturally occur-.."

"..occurring Arrancar from before Aizen captured the Hougyoku."

"Oh, you know?"

"I know a little. I hadn't seen an Arrancar in years, but they were around even as far back as my own original Shinigami days." He nodded, "You somehow seem to be on Ichigo's side."

"He helped me regain my memories, and saved me numerous times. I want to help him."

"What can we do about it now? He's pissed as all Hell at me...I didn't want him to find out about this in such a way as it did."

"He didn't know?"

"Unfortunately no. It's like he yelled back there...his mother, Masaki, was killed by a Hollow called the Grand Fisher, when he was very young. I'm afraid it changed him drastically, and he's become withdrawn and bitter. Cynical and untrusting even. When the Grand Fisher returned to our home town a while ago, it was an Arrancar...a weak one, but an Arrancar none the less. I avenged Masaki's death then, but ran away before Ichigo could see me in this form. I was hoping not to have to reveal it until I could find a good time."

"We'll need to regroup before trying to confront him again."

"Yes."

Isshin's fists were clenched, one rather tightly around the hilt of his zanpakuto, which he sheathed again before trying to calm himself. This was NOT at ALL what he was expecting to find.

Bala blasts were firing from the nearly dissipated cloud. The Hollow was completely enraged, partly from Ichigo's own inner fury and partly from Ochigi's frustration at not being able to see through the dust. Eventually the Hollow stopped attacking the air, regaining its composure before using Sonido to escape the unsightly encironment. However, as soon as he left the cloud, he heard a familiar word...and was entirely engulfed in darkness.

His senses were blocked. Not a thing could he hear or see. The world had been completely muted and his eyes blinded.

'That word...' He thought to himself, 'Bankai.'

A large gaping cut appeared on his back, and the seering pain of it made the Hollow howl, its voice gone within the darkness. It was as though every nerve in the Hollow's body had been set on fire and not even a square milimeter of its skin could feel relief from the agony of the strike.

'If this is Lord Aizen's will, then for the Great Justice that is to come, I will do as he wishes.' Tousen thought to himself, 'But such an honor as this must be earned, at very least. I will grant the shedding of blood only for the promise that it will aid the coming of peace.'

The void cleared and the familiar surroundings of Hueco Mundo quickly materialized again. The Adjucas stumbled, the pain subsiding as its body began to recover, and for the moment or two that he was free, Ochigi felt incredibly vulnerable. Before he could move though, he heard more words.

"Way of Binding no. 9. Geki (strike)."

Red light flew down from the Heavens and engulfed the Hollow's body. Paralyzed, Ochigi gritted his teeth, unable to do much anything else in this state.

The white-garbed former Captain finally came into his line of sight. Black tendrils of hair and orange braids decorated his upper body, and to top it off, the ex-Shinigami held a zanpakuto at the ready. Special only to Tousen, the zanpakuto he weilded was not his own. It originally belonged to a woman who shared his ideals, but was killed unjustly.

"I know who you are." He said calmly, "For a moment, however, I expect that you listen to my words. Lord Aizen has given an order, and for his pure Justice it must be carried out. For that reason alone, I will be defeated, and no other." He removed the visor that covered his eyes, revealing pure white orbs beneath it. The blind warrior stood at the Hollow's soon-to-be mercy, and raised the sword in prepared defense, "In a moment, the Kidou I placed on you will fade, and I will expect you to attack me. You no doubt know what this means. Consider it a gift of good will from Lord Aizen." Tousen remarked, "I expect you to make good use of my strength...take command of it if you dare.

"Smash his Limbs; Suzumushi."

"To do such a thing, I'll need to raise my reiatsu again. Be prepared for any sudden attack. We'll have to make this quick." Neliel said, preparing to enact what Isshin had unwillingly suggested.

"I'm ready."

"Very well then." She turned to face an open area, and slowly, the tear in reality appeared before them. Much like the Menos Grande hordes that tore open the skies when Gin, Tousen and Aizen defected, Neliel opened a path directly to Soul Society. It was smaller and less interesting to look at, but it was functional. Nell nodded and jumped through, followed by Isshin. The two had agreed that it would be easier to help prepare the 13 Squads of what was to come by presenting their information personally. What easier way to notify the current Captains than to have a former Espada there to verify it? They had sensed the fight that was beginning where they'd left the Adjucas, and could only fear the worst. Soul Society had to know what they were going to be facing.

Grassy fields and clear blue sky opened up to them as the portal closed. The wind felt alive, and Nell was overwhelmed. She stared in awe at her surroundings, like a child who had never seen the sun before.

"It's beautiful here."

"Yeah." Isshin agreed, "I haven't seen this place in twenty long years. This must be where Rukia's been hiding since she moved out of Ichigo's closet." His laugh was well meant but weak, all things considered. It all weighed very heavilly on his conscience. "We don't have time to waste...we should notify someone quickly."

"Right."