This chapter and several others following are set in Hueco Mundo. Not all details are exactly like Kubo's. When I wasn't sure of a fact, I made it up.

I am especially thankful for my betas: millythompson and Aine of Knockaine. However, Aine was on vacation this time so milly took the brunt of the beta-ing (if that is even a word) this chapter. I love both my betas and greatly appreciate them!

Oh yeah, before I forget. "ahem" Own Bleach, sigh I wish.

Updated: 9/20/12


Chapter 9

Hell is Full of Sand, Who knew?

The first thing they noticed upon their arrival in Hueco Mundo was how quiet the place was, sinister quiet, not restful quiet. Take an eternity of vast emptiness, turn it upside down over an endless sea of sand stretching out in all directions until it faded into a blank horizon and swathe it all in an eerie silence. Ichigo, Renji, and Rukia glanced at each other and then again at their destination. Hell was, not surprisingly, hot. However, those were small irritations in comparison to something else.

The three friends found themselves twitching and casting suspicious looks over their shoulders. There was a definite creepy sense that someone was watching; all except for Hitsugaya who, with arms crossed stared about them impassively.

Having survived their childhood against all odds, the eerie sensation had Rukia and Renji snapping their heads over their shoulders every few seconds looking for the source of the feeling. But where could someone spy on them from? There wasn't anything around from which a stalker could hide behind or under. All that the eye could see was the sterile desert with a few dead-looking trees littered here and there along with a few rolling dunes to break the monotony.

The only thing that could possibly survive here was that which had a perpetual hunger to consume. The ravenous need of a hollow for nourishment was one that could never be filled no matter how many souls were gorged upon, and here they stood in the place those beings called home. Each was well suited for the other.

The silence was stifling. It went beyond the absence of noise. The only sign of anything giving the impression of life was a limp breeze that brushed flaccidly against their clothing as it passed across the sterile landscape.

"Looks like a beach but without the fun," remarked Ichigo as he stood with arms folded across his chest. Zangetsu was strapped to his back in its usual place while he scanned the countryside around them. "Yeah, this would be my idea of hell."

"What's with all this sand? Are they trying to impress someone?" Renji grumbled as he kicked at the sand, tattoos pulled down tight in a frown. "I mean, who would actually want to live here?"

There was a pause as everyone became lost in his or her own thoughts. Finally Hitsugaya broke the silence.

"Forget the sand; we are not here to critique the place. We need to figure out which way Hinamori went. I don't see any signs of habitation, nor do I sense activity anywhere near us." He looked about them before searching farther out. "There is no sign she was here so it is obvious she landed in a different area than us." He moved away from the trio, walking up a slight rise to get a better view.

"Wait a minute! You said you had the coordinates!" Ichigo shot Hitsugaya a displeased look. "She should be here! Or at least some place nearby!"

Over his shoulder Hitsugaya spoke without emotion, "I know. I am sure she must have changed the coordinates in a cycling loop. If I know her, and I do, it would have been simple to figure out as this is not her area of expertise. But..."

"But we didn't have time, right?" interrupted Rukia, earning her a reproving frown from the snow-haired captain. She shrugged it off. With something to concentrate on, the twitch between her shoulder blades was lessening, or maybe she was getting used to it. Dropping her gaze from Hitsugaya's, she scanned around her for Hinamori's familiar figure hoping for an easy and quick rescue.

"Correct."

Hitsugaya's gaze went back to the landscape before he added, "We should be close but here, that could be a relative concept. She may be separated from us by miles."

"Great. Just what I like, going on a walk-about through a flaming hot desert and not a cloud in the sky, but worse, there's no sign of water. Not to mention that we're dressed in all black! Perfect color for a stroll in the blazing heat of a desert." complained Renji. He snorted in disgust and then asked, "So where do we start then?" while placing hands on his hips.

"Well, that just means we pick a direction and start looking. We look, and look, and keep on looking until we find her."

Renji an incredulous look at Ichigo but bit back the retort on the tip of his tongue. He should be used to this by now. Typical Kurosaki and to top it off, his friend's face was set in those familiar stubborn lines with a deeply etched frown in his forehead that meant there was no such thing as quitting until the goal was achieved.

"Yeah, but still it would be nice if she touched down somewhere nearby." Renji looked around him, the sameness of the horizon already getting on his nerves. "Okay Momo, where did you go? Hmmm, gotta think like Momo. So where would she head?" He stared around him some more before sighing in frustration. "This is not gonna work. I can't think like a girl."

Out of the corner of his eye Ichigo looked down at Rukia who was still considering the scenery; or lack thereof, before them. He interrupted her musings to ask, "Which way do you think she went?"

With an irked frown, Rukia tilted her chin up at him and demanded, "Why are you asking me?"

"Well, Renji's right, she's a girl, you're a girl…"

"Like we all think the same thing at the same time? What do you think we are, clones of each other?"

Renji decided to take a step back from the two when he saw her fists starting to clench and unclench at her side. Someone woke up on the wrong side of their zanpakutou this morning.

"Stop it you two." Hitsugaya said without bothering to look over his shoulder at them, "We need to focus on what's important here. The first thing we need to do is find Aizen. I am sure he is the reason she is here or at least it has something to do with him." He then turned back to study the surrounding environment.

Even as he pondered which direction Momo had taken, Toshiro was also calculating what around them could be a potential threat but also what possibly might be used in their favor. The 'Things in Their Favor' was the shorter list. The 'Things Not In Our Favor' list started off with: They were unfamiliar with the terrain, they were not the natural inhabitants to this plane of existence, and they didn't know what could be used for nourishment or, if it came to that, what could be poisonous or even if sustenance could be found in such a desolate place as this. They didn't know where they were nor did they know in which direction to go in order to find Momo.

"He's right you guys." Ichigo went to join Hitsugaya and when he was even with him, he stated in a stern voice, "Toshiro, just to get this point understood and out of the way before we start. While we are here, we have only one purpose and that is find and rescue Momo." Not looking over at the shinigami captain who was suddenly a tense, coiled spring ready to snap, he continued, "But when we return to the Soul Society, you will have to deal with us and we are going to drag your sorry butt to the Fourth's Infirmary whether you want to go or not."

"You made that clear already."

"Yeah, Shiro I did, but now it's clear again. Gotta problem with that?"

Ichigo felt the weight of the other's aqua-blue eyes land on him and something else. He turned and looked straight into eyes that flickered back and forth from silver to Toshiro's normal color.

"I am not concerned at that at the present. As you say, Kurosaki, we will deal with this later. But do not presume to think that in the outcome you will be the victor."

"Pffft! Whatever Ice King, just so you get it straight." Ichigo knew it wasn't only Hitsugaya in there as the first thing that the prickly youth would have done was correct Ichigo with, "Don't call me that; call me Captain Hitsugaya." The spiky-haired youth was as almost as uptight as Byakuya about formalities. And Ichigo had done it twice and the little snowball hadn't blinked twice at the names, especially the nickname.

Ichigo wondered if this was Toshiro, an inner hollow like his own, or maybe it was something else entirely. All he knew from the orders he and Renji received was that they were to capture the Tenth's captain and bring him to Unohana. Aside from that, all there was to go by was his own experience with Zangetsu and the hollow flip side of himself, if that one without a name could be trusted, which he doubted. But this incarnation didn't seem to be the same as his. With a shrug Ichigo decided that it didn't matter because, for the time being, they were allies with the same purpose. They were here to find and rescue Hinamori. Any other issues could be settled when they returned back to the Soul Society.

"She is in that direction," Hitsugaya said with firm confidence and then set off without looking to see if anyone was following him or not.

Renji shrugged, "Since we don't know for sure which way she went so I suppose one direction is as good as another."

"True," murmured Rukia and she set off after Hitsugaya, her eyes on his back.

Even if it didn't occur to Renji or Ichigo, the only female shinigami in the party knew that there was something odd going on with the way Hitsugaya was able to locate Momo's presence so quickly like that. None of them should be able to sense Hinamori's reiatsu. It was obvious as soon as they arrived that Momo must have put a force field around herself to cloak her spiritual pressure. It also stood to reason she was also using some form of kido to keep from being seen. Rukia knew there was some kido which could bend and deflect light rays to make a person appear to be undetectable, but she wasn't aware of any kido that actually made a person invisible. But if there were a kido that could do it, then Momo would be the one to know.

Without another word spoken between them, Ichigo and Renji set off after her.

Fearless Black Cat or Terrified Kitten? (Or, I Wanted To Be A Shinigami, Why?)

Momo was moving down a very long, dark tunnel as quickly and as quietly as she could. It was not due to her cunning or from experience gained as Momo the Black Cat. Instead, she had come upon a wall. Literally. The gate opened, she flew threw at a high rate of speed, and quickly stopped her headlong rush into Hueco Mundo by the clever use of a very hard and unyielding wall.

"Physics work in this reality too," she had groused at the wall after picking herself up and brushing off the clinging sand. Looking first one way and then another, Momo noticed with sinking hopes of finding a door or an ever-so handy window put at the considerate level for a certain shinigami cat burglar to climb through. No such luck.

Choosing a direction, she plodded through the loose sand beside the longest wall she had ever seen in her life that had to stubbornly stretch in both directions for what seemed miles upon miles, when, glory be, a hole suddenly opened up in front of her. Heart in her throat, Momo stumbled back and fell, rather than leaned against wall while waiting with baited breath wondering what had caused the hole.

In seconds, a small group of strange-looking hollows came trooping out of the opening. She couldn't help but stare because it was the first time she had seen this new variety. Momo was not one of the those shinigami regularly sent to the human world to fight hollows, but the ones she had seen were nothing like this. They also didn't look like the pictures circulated showing the more human form of the arrancar. These looked like a version caught in some bestial transformation between the two versions.

The group stood for a moment arguing back and forth. Since no one even glanced her direction, she assumed that the shield was still doing its job. However, the big concern here was the trail of footprints trailing behind her. If any of them noticed she was sure they would be curious as to what it was that could have made them. To her immense relief none of them even glanced in that direction, instead, they set off at an angle ninety degrees from the wall. She waited until they disappeared over a nearby dune before summoning up the courage to dart into the tunnel. The timing couldn't have been more perfect as the wall closed up just as she slipped in.

At any other time, the first thing she would have done was to investigate the surroundings, but not having any experience with this world, she was afraid that the tunnel might start closing down on her. With visions of being trapped filling her head, Momo flash-stepped down the tunnel in a race to leave the opening as far behind her as possible. When it became obvious that the tunnel was not going to close and collapse she slowed to a walk to catch her breath.

It was dim in the tunnel but not pitch black. Situated in the ceiling every several hundred feet or so was a low level light panel that glowed faintly. One could not read by this light but once one's eyes were accustomed to the dimness it was relatively easy to move steadily forward.

It wasn't long after that she arrived at the end of the tunnel where it connected with another tunnel. She paused trying to figure out which direction she should turn. It would have been nice if there had been a sign posted to point the way, "This way to Aizen's den of doom', yes that would have been handy indeed.

Uncertain, she peered down one way and then the other, noticing the obvious difference between the two tunnels. The one in front of the petite shinigami looked newer and the other difference was that the ceiling was made of smoothed stone rather than raggedly carved out of rock. Also, this one featured light sources set in the ceiling closer together so it was easier to see. Looking down at the floor, she noticed that this floor was made of paved stones and not the gritty dirt of the floor behind her.

Which way to go, which way to go? Momo hoped she wouldn't be reduced to playing 'rock, paper, scissors' with herself. That would just be silly.

However, even with more light, neither hallway gave any hints as to which direction led to the more populated areas. As she stood there chewing on a thumbnail trying to decide what to do, she thought she heard a noise. Freezing for a second before ducking back into 'her' tunnel she placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart. Even though she was cloaked, not standing out in the open seemed the smart thing to do.

At first it was hard to identify the noise or even from which direction it was coming from for the noise echoed and bounced off the walls, but she could tell that with each passing second it was growing closer. Momo leaned back against the cool surface of the wall, which felt good against her sweaty back. Then, taking in and then letting out a small, steadying breath, she leaned a bit so her head poked out to peer around the corner. She saw, in the distance, two figures heading her way. Panicking, she ducked her head back and closed her eyes telling herself to get control and not go to pieces because they couldn't see her, besides, she doubted that action heroes or cat burglars felt any fear. She managed to calm the trembling in her legs with a wry thought; my knees are not very brave! Remembering the noisy spheres in her sack, she gripped the top of it tightly until they were jammed together without risk of clinking and alerting anyone to her presence if she should happen to move (or tremble).

Then a flash of dread and imminent danger made her press firmly against the side of the tunnel. Fear was making her breath come faster and heavier while her heart was ready to beat its way out of her chest. Momo tried to control her breathing so it didn't give away her position. Automatically she reached down to touch Tobiume's pommel for comfort before remembering Tobiume was hanging over her shoulder in the same manner as Hitsugaya wore Hyourinmaru. She stifled the large breath of relief and instead, reached up and touched the hilt of her zanpakutou. That did more for soothing her nerves than anything else.

The voices were growing louder and the female shinigami froze, and then fear threatened to engulf her once again until she dropped her gaze to the ground at her toes and kept her eyes fixed there. Some innate sense told her that was the only way to keep safe even if she couldn't be seen. Every iota of her being was desperate not to be sensed and Momo studied her toes as if she had never seen them before. For it was true that some possessed the uncanny ability which let them know when someone was observing them and could even go so far as to turn in the direction from where the watchful gaze originated. This was not a good time to be thinking about such things and an uncontrolled and nearly inaudible squeak escaped her. Horrified, Momo clutched her hands over her mouth to keep from making any more accidental noises.

Thankfully her breathing had calmed to a normal rate by the time the voices were even with her. Even though her knees were still shaking under her hakama, the Fifth's vice-captain was starting to think she might actually live through this harrowing moment in time.

There were only two of them and one was speaking in a normal tone of voice where the other one was louder, more arrogant and hostile sounding. For herself, Momo knew that if the owner of that particular voice were speaking to her, she wouldn't feel safe unless Tobiume was unsheathed and unsealed between them.

Soon, not only the voices could be heard but also footsteps making a whisking sound on the gritty stone floor as they moved ever closer. Once the voices were a few steps past her, she felt it was safe enough to look up and slightly lean to peer around the corner.

The taller of the two figures was looming over the smaller one, snarling something down at the shorter one who didn't seem to notice the menace underlying the taller one's voice. If he did hear it, he was ignoring it. In fact, in Momo's opinion he was taking it with a cool, indifferent attitude with his hands tucked into his pockets and a slight slouch in his posture.

The taller of the two strange beings was very tall with an oval shaped collar that rose from the back of his uniform that could be mistaken for a hat, which nearly scraped the ceiling. Both were males and clad in white outfits but each one's uniform was different, setting them apart from one another.

The maybe-hat was sort of spoon-shaped and, in Momo's opinion, was ridiculous looking. When a giggle threatened to erupt she reached over and gave herself a hard pinch. The slight pain helped to circumvent the threatened giggle. Looking again at the spoon-shaped collar or hat, made her smile and her eyes crinkle. She let that fill the place where panic and fright had been residing so that the crushing weight of both were briefly lifted. Once again, Momo was the carefree and lighthearted shinigami assistant captain of the Fifth.

At that very moment, the shoulders of the smaller arrancar went rigid and he halted in place. The taller one kept walking a few more steps before noticing and then also came to a stop. Curious, he looked over one thin shoulder at his companion. Seeing the smaller one turn around and stare back down the hall, he also stopped and turned. Following the smaller one's gaze, his face also turned in Hinamori's direction in search of whatever it was that caught the attention of the smaller one.

Not seeing anything that could be deemed suspicious he scornfully asked, "What is it this time, Princess, Another one of your premonitions?" Although he asked, it didn't stop him from taking another look behind the smaller one's shoulder. Again, not seeing anything that warranted concern, he sneered down at his companion.

Oh! Not shinigami and not hollow! So this is what arrancar look like!

Recovering quickly from her momentary shock, Momo noticed the interaction between the two and wondered at it. It was strange that the shorter of the two arrancar didn't react when sneeringly mocked at by the other's tone and insults. That alone told Momo that the smaller male was definitely not worried, concerned, or in any way felt threatened by the elongated arrancar or his open hostility and aggressive disdain. To be able to walk with such relaxed confidence, the smaller one must be insane or very, very powerful.

As the smaller arrancar's slow gaze scrutinized the hall behind them, he acted as if the other one wasn't even there.

Momo's eyes widened. Now that his gaze was sweeping near her, she couldn't help but feel the overflow of an immense and weighty power being held in check by an equally powerful self-control. Now she knew why smaller one was totally cool and relaxed in the presence of the tangible hostility that oozed from the taller arrancar sporting the strange spoon-hat. This one, with his strange mournful regard was a force to be reckoned with.

As she stood frozen and afraid to make a noise, it was then Hinamori noticed the smaller of the two wore some kind of helmet that only covered one side of his head. And oddly enough, this helmet looked like it was made of bone with a horn sticking out of it. It was part of a hollow mask covering part of his head, while the other half was covered in black hair down past his jaw.

Thoughts of peculiar hats and arrancar specifics went out the window as his eyes swept over the spot where she quivered, praying he wouldn't sense her. Even though he shouldn't be able to see her, Momo felt caught in the gaze of the smaller arrancar.

Was it her imagination or did his eyes pause for just a second at the place where she was standing? Just when it seemed for sure that he knew she was there, his huge, sad eyes, with what looked like dark green tear stains running down his cheeks, shifted away and only then did Momo's heart resume beating again.

Slowly the unsettling, green-eyed gaze swept back and forth, probing the shadows, seeking the cause of the strange sensation nagging at him.

The other, taller one walked back to his side, and again scanned the area. This time Momo could see that he wore a patch covering the left eye. Of the two of them, the shinigami could tell that the smaller one was more powerful, but no one needed to point out to her that the taller one was nothing but pure evil. The unbridled arrogance showed in every line of his narrow face while the cruel mouth twisted down in contempt. That was only the surface impression! Instinctively Momo shrank against the wall feeling kin to defenseless prey in the company of merciless and hungry predators. N ever had she felt so vulnerable and trapped.

"What's bothering you Ulquiorra?"

Although it was a question the sneer was evident in the tone of voice. The taller was leaning over the smaller one in a menacing manner. If Momo had been the one he was leaning over, she would have felt her life was in imminent danger, but strangely enough, the one named Ulquiorra didn't even glance up. In fact, he didn't give any sign of taking note of the person beside him, let alone the killing aura the other was giving off.

However, the one named Ulquiorra must have heard, for after a long pause he answered, "Just for a moment, I felt... something… " his soft voice trailed off as his melancholy eyes scanned to and fro.

Then, with a dismissing jerk of his chin, he turned back around and started walking away. The tall one stood a moment longer in contemplation, the small black eye darting back and forth in suspicion before finally turning back to follow Ulquiorra. With his long stride, it didn't take him long to catch up with the other. This time the two did not talk at all as they continued down the tunnel together.

Dangerous or not, Momo intended to follow these two. Her light brown eyes narrowed in thought for she was willing to bet that these two arrancar were higher up in Aizen's organization than the group who exited the wall earlier.

Giving them a good head start before following, Momo took the time to reach down and pick up a sharp-edged stone. A few inches from the floor she scraped a mark in the wall. She might not be lucky enough to find a guide for the way back so hopefully none of the arrancar would notice her scratch down this low.

Straightening up from her task, she noticed the two arrancar were already quite a distance from her. Breaking out in a jog, Momo started after them, returning her hand to grip the top of the sack of globes so the taut leather held them firmly in place to keep them from rattling as she followed after the male arrancar. As she made her way after them, she also made sure to be alert for any irregularities in the floor so she didn't trip and cause a ruckus. It didn't take any imagination whatsoever to know that the resulting crash would be a loud one. That would be bad; the kind of bad she didn't even want to think about.

After traveling for what seemed to Momo like miles and miles, the hallway came to a juncture where the tunnels ended and normal hallways started. The shinigami was heartened by the sight and again waited until the two arrancar rounded a corner before moving forward. Again she bent down and was about to scratch a mark the wall, when all of a sudden white fabric appeared scant inches from her nose!

She didn't breathe; she couldn't breathe! Momo could only stare at the white clad knee in wide-eyed horror.

"Well? Satisfied?" came the scornful whisper of the spoon-hat wearer.

His voice slithered down into her ears and again caused her heart to beat faster. Slowly, not because she was in any way that brave of a person, but more driven by morbid curiosity, she lifted her face until it was tilted far enough back to catch the sight of the two arrancar directly above her. They were looking back down the tunnel, and over her head, which she hoped with every fiber of her being would remain unknown to them.

Momo knew she was invisible, knew they couldn't see her, and definitely knew for sure that they did not know that she was directly under their heads, yet, she couldn't keep herself from praying. She wished she could yank her eyes away but like a fledgling1 caught in a trap and seeing the predator moving in, she couldn't move a muscle even if she wanted to. This was when the shinigami knew the truth. She was not brave, oh no, not at all. Telling oneself "courage" every now and then was a whole different story when actually in a fright-inducing situation. It was one thing to trot around the Soul Society and commit little acts of derring-do, but it was quite another to do it right under the enemy's noses.

Right then Hinamori's heart was beating so fast she was certain it was going to leap right out of her chest. If she got out of this alive, she promised she would be the most law-abiding shinigami in the history of the Soul Society. With all her being she prayed for them to turn around and walk away.

But the shorter one called Ulquiorra just stood there taking his own sweet time searching the hallway behind Momo's shoulder. To her it appeared that he wasn't just looking, but it was as if his entire being was focused on piercing the veil of shadows and solving what was niggling at him.

Momo ever so slowly tilted her head down again until her eyes were gazing at two white clad legs in front of her. In fact, the leg in front of her was so close that if she had the misfortune to sneeze, it would ruffle the material of Ulquiorra's hakama. That thought was so disturbing that she looked back up to watch the interaction going on above her.

"What were you expecting, a shinigami?"

Momo started at the creature's cruel laughter and couldn't stop the shiver that ran down her back. Still, she kept hunched over ready to outwait them until they saw fit to leave.

Finally, after a century of waiting, or so it seemed to Momo, the green-eyed Ulquiorra finally spoke in his expressionless voice saying, "No Nnoitra, I am not. What I am feeling, it is an irritant, like an itch I cannot reach."

The other one snorted contemptuously.

It finally dawned on her what the taller one named Nnoitra reminded her of was a praying mantis ready to snatch its prey and pull it in close to leisurely consume. She repressed a shudder.

"Something is amiss but I cannot tell what it is."

He looked down at the ground, his gaze slanted off to the side away from Nnoitra and then shook his head but the movement was so slight that if Momo had not been looking directly at him, she would have missed it.

"Come Nnoitra, Aizen-sama awaits our report."

"Why? He ain't here to read them and won't be back for a while, so why bother handing in our reports now? Even if he did, he always makes us tell him in person. I don't think he even reads the things. Seems like a big waste of time to me." The menace behind the leer was so evident that Momo wondered why Ulquiorra wasn't threatened by it.

All this time, the green-eyed arrancar had simply ignored the taller one's attitude as something beneath him, unworthy of his attention, so it shocked her that with a movement so quick that it was sensed more than seen, the one called Nnoitra was pinned against the opposite wall being crushed. All Ulquiorra was doing to pin him was holding a palm straight out in front of him. Momo could sense the outpouring of crushing reiatsu and stared, her light cinnamon eyes wide with astonishment at this feat. From her vantage point, she could see the side of Ulquiorra's face and it hadn't changed from the constant sorrowful look.

"Whaa…" Started Nnoitra but Ulquiorra cut him off.

Speaking in a calm, composed voice Ulquiorra threatened quietly, "You will never speak of Aizen-sama using that tone of voice ever again, whether you are in my presence of not."

It was eerie to hear the tone spoken without a hint of heated passion, but Ulquiorra not only spoke quietly but his somber expression didn't change either. In that instant, Momo knew he could kill the taller arrancar with ease; in fact at this moment in time, the arrancar Nnoitra's life hung in the balance depending on his answer.

"Sorry," and it looked like it hurt him to say that for the thin, cruel lips were twisted in bitterness and his eyes glowed with hate and venom, "I didn't mean to slight our lord and master in any way."

Momo wondered if Ulquiorra believed him, she knew she didn't. Looking back and forth between the two she feared a battle was in the making.

"You lie. I would kill you now but I haven't been given that privilege. For now, you will live Nnoitra, but keep in mind that from this time on I will not hesitate to kill you if you speak ill of Aizen-sama again, whether I have permission or not." And with that, he lowered his hand releasing Nnoitra from the wall.

"Got it, sorry, should have watched my words. Besides, Aizen-sama will help us annihilate the shinigami once and for all so you know that I am for him and his plans."

"As you should be no matter what they are," replied Ulquiorra evenly.

Ulquiorra turned without waiting for a reply and started walking down a larger and well-lit hall. Nnoitra waited a beat longer, a snarl on his lips and one hand bunched into a fist. For second, Momo thought he was going to attack the green-eyed arrancar from behind, but instead; he slowly released his clenched hand and lowered it down to his side.

Then his one small black eye passed back and forth over the mouth of the tunnel one last time before he spat on the ground with a look of contempt. Having expressed his ire, he turned and began walking in the same direction as the one-horned arrancar.

The Color of Death

Only when their footsteps faded did Momo feel the freedom to reach up and lay a hand over her rapidly beating heart. I can't believe how close that was! If this keeps up, I'm going to have a heart attack before this is all said and done. Some action hero I'm turning out to be! Stupid Renji, stupid movies, stupid heroes! I'm so scared I'm about to pee in my hakama! Still crouched down, she closed her eyes and with a sigh of relief, leaned her head against the cool of the wall for a moment. After a few breaths, the shinigami opened her eyes and then with a shaking hand the assistant captain scratched a small mark on the stone inches up from the floor.

Momo sat crouched there for a moment longer before remembering that she was going to follow these arrancar and didn't that sad-looking one mention that they had reports to hand in? Even if Aizen was not in residence, it still might mean they were heading to a sensitive area where she might find information about the upcoming war. Gathering up the tattered shreds of her courage, Momo rose on shaking legs and forced herself start after them and then broke out in a trot so she could catch up. However, after drawing close, this time she made sure to keep a safe distance away from them. She doubted her heart could endure the trauma of another encounter like the previous one!

Soon they were turning down different corridors and each time Momo made sure to mark the place where the turn was. Also, each new hallway they traveled down was a little nicer, and better lighted than the previous one.

As they traveled inward, they began running into more arrancar. Momo knew she had made a good, albeit risky, choice to follow these two. They were definitely high up on the food chain since every one they passed bowed deferentially to the two. Neither arrancar gave any sign that they noticed the honor being given them from lower level arrancar or hollows of various shapes, sizes, and descriptions, but one time two small scurrying servants approached them, each carrying a load of books and papers. As they drew close, one bowed his head while the other barely tipped his. Nnoitra lashed out an arm so quick that Momo hardly was able to follow it. The blow left the servant who didn't show the right amount of respect on the ground with blood running from his head while the papers he had been carrying flew about and floated to the ground. The second one stopped and stared down at his companion but not in the horrified shock that Momo expected to see, or what she herself was feeling right then. To her consternation, all the other did was bend over and start picking up the other one's scattered papers and start adding them to his own pile.

Momo felt sick to her stomach, knowing the one struck was already dead. This wasn't done on a battlefield against an enemy, but in a place that was supposed to be home, a safe place! It was a cruel and ruthless attack merely for the sake of wounded vanity. This little occurrence may be something that was normal in the Hueco Mundo but Momo was repelled by the callousness of the act from the one with the spoon collar. He didn't bother to comment nor did he even break stride.

Momo instinctively bent to help pick up the papers and realized that to the surviving servant it would look like sheets of paper were floating in the air at knee level. Hoping that he didn't notice, she placed the sheets back on the floor. Looking up to the servant's face, she saw that his chin, part of his jaw up past his eyebrow, along with his eye was covered by remnants of a bone mask. Curious, she wanted to rap her knuckles on the mask remnant to see if it was glued on or not, but the cautious side of her won out and she kept her hands to herself. Rising quietly and careful to step over the scattered paper and around the servant, she quickly left the scene and made her way after her two guides.

Now the pair traveled up and down staircases and down more hallways than she could count until Momo was thoroughly and completely lost, thank goodness she had the marks to point the way out.

The thing she had vaguely noticed before was that everything was made out of white stone. Now that they were traveling in better-lighted areas one would have expected to see some other color besides white, but everything was white, the walls, ceiling, and even the floors were white. Everything was white, like the uniforms of the arrancar, white, white, white (with some accents of gray and black scattered here and there). It never occurred to her that white could be so… boring, no that word wasn't quite right. Oppressive, yes that was it.

Momo finally realized she had come to a stop as she stared up, gawking at the vast and soaring high ceilings, pillars, and archways. The towering architecture of the place was unbelievable and beautiful, but still, so sterile and cold. Noticing that two high-ranking arrancar were pulling ahead, she scampered to catch up with them.

As she drew closer, she noted that the tall, lanky one, what was his name again, oh, Nnoitra, wasn't talking anymore but had lapsed into a sullen silence. Maybe Ulquiorra had scolded him earlier before she had caught up with them. Whatever the reason, neither spoke. Nnoitra seemed uncomfortable with the silence but not so Ulquiorra. He's one, that for the most part keeps his thoughts to himself, noted Momo.

It was then she felt it, a deep, heavy reiatsu; the sudden weight of it caused her to stumble, but she managed to catch herself by placing a palm against the wall. Could that be Aizen? No, although it was familiar it wasn't him. And then suddenly, the import of what she was trying to do overcame her and she was relieved beyond belief that she wouldn't have to meet up with her old captain. It was obvious she was no match for him, indeed it was like being a small flea trying to outwit a mighty and intelligent captain who was more powerful than Kurosaki was when he defeated Kuchiki taicho. From the things the nurses told her back when she was in the hospital ward, Aizen had stopped Kurosaki's blade with a finger. Just one finger! One. Finger. Just one. What was she trying to do here anyway?

Pressing on her was the knowledge that it was for only so long that she would be able to hold up the kido shield hiding her. At first, when creating this new technique, the kido shields were pathetic, but now, she was certain that they could easily top any soul reaper's shield, even those from the Kido Division. It wasn't arrogance on her part, Momo was incredible at kido and she had worked long and hard to get her strength and stamina to the place where she could keep her shields up all day if she needed to. Although she was hoping desperately that she wouldn't need to.

Then that certain face shone in her mind as if a bright silvery blue light was emanating from within him. I am giving fear too much of a foothold! I can't let it hinder me! Momo refused to let its numbing power turn her back into a quivering, sad, useless excuse of a shinigami. This was her time for setting things to rights and if she could find anything, anything at all that could cause Aizen some grief or slow him down any with his preparations for war, then it meant the ones she loved; along that that special one, would get just that much more time to live and make preparations.

However, right at the moment, the reiatsu was growing in strength and was unbelievably heavy. Her knees were shaking, yet the two arrancar merely stopped in front of a large pair of gold-handled double doors between two huge pillars, pulled them open and walked through. They didn't seem to be affected by it at all. Momo lifted a palm and leaned against the wall, seeking just a moment of respite. At this point, she didn't care if she became separated from her guides or not.

Finally, when the shielded shinigami decided to press on despite the crushing weight of the reiatsu, it abruptly lifted. With a relieved sigh, she was about to push off from the wall when the sound of footsteps coming her way echoed down the hall. Momo darted across the hall and hurried to the nearest pillar and hid in the cramped space behind it. Visible or invisible, she couldn't seem to override the survival instinct to hide when danger threatened.

A Map Would Be Handy About Now

"This is ridiculous. No matter which way we turn all we can see is sand," grumbled Renji, "I can't figure out why Aizen picked this crummy place to be his base of operations. Pretty dismal if you ask me because if I were going to elect myself king of everything, I would pick something with a lot more class than this! Like something that had a hot tub, yachts parked out front and a huge beach."

"It's supposed to be dismal!" snapped Rukia.

Her nerves were tight as a bowstring and the waiting was getting to her. It was understandable that Captain Ice Cube was silent and uncommunicative, but having Ichigo standing right next to him doing the same thing as if he was some kind of strange orange-haired clone, well, not only was it unexpected but it was starting to piss her off. She was used to Ichigo's way of dealing with problems. The whole pounce-first-and-ask-questions-later was more his style, not this stare silently at the scenery around them until it bows in submission to their penetrating glare!

Her violet blue eyes studied the backs of both men standing on the crest of the dune. At least Ichigo would answer them when they asked him a question. All Hitsugaya would do was answer them with a mere grunt.

Tired of staring at the two, she turned to Renji as they trudged up the dune, "I hate sand. It's getting in my socks and rubbing against my skin."

"I hear ya," replied Renji. "I would hate to have to fight on this kind of terrain. You sink into it and that slows you down. And right now I got sand between my toes! I hate this place! What the hell was Momo thinking anyway!" He shook a foot for emphasis and Rukia's lip turned up in a slight grin while silently agreeing with him.

Once they reached the top both were surprised to find how winded they were.

"See anything interesting?" inquired Renji as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Actually, we do," Hitsugaya informed them, surprising both Rukia and Renji who lifted their eyes to scan the immediate area.

"Over in that direction, coming toward us," supplied Ichigo, nodding straight in front of him.

Rukia shaded her eyes with a hand and Renji squinted trying to make out what the other two were seeing. To them it looked like a herd of ants racing their way.

"Finally! Something to take my mind off the sand! Let's meet 'em halfway! Seems like the neighborly thing to do," said Renji and then added darkly, "Before we split their heads in two."

"Sounds good to me," agreed Rukia.

"Wait," interjected Hitsugaya, and for the first time since arriving, he turned and looked at them. "You two meet them head on. I will come in from behind and Kurosaki will come in from the side. That way we can trap them between us. We will keep one alive though, understand?"

Everyone nodded without saying anything; they didn't need to, as they already knew what they were going to do and what was going to happen. Zanpakutou were unsheathed and the sunlight glanced off the blades in luminous shards like mirrors being held to the sun. This was to announce their presence and make sure that the patrol kept heading in their direction. Once they knew the enemy was heading for them, they moved back down on the far side of the ridge, cutting off the enemy's view of them.

"Is everyone ready?"

"Always."

"Ready to do damage."

"Bring 'em on!"

With a nod to each other, they split up.

Thank You For Thinking of Me

"I told you to keep that one alive!"

"You said nothing of the sort! All you said was, 'Mind your step!' Thanks by the way, since the only the thing here I could possibly trip over is SAND!"

"Idiot! What I said was, 'blind from sweat!'"

"Dude! That doesn't even make sense!"

"I knew you two lunkheads would screw this up! I should have watched you both more closely!'

"Cease this bickering! We failed to acquire a prisoner this time, but there will be other patrols." Everyone felt a chilly draft brush against their skin and took it for what it was, a warning.

"Consider this a trial run. We will not fail a second time."


1) fledgling - the meaning of one of the kanji in Hinamori's name. Like the puns and word play on the names, yeah, I'm a dork that way.

until next chapter then...

kio tsukete

-Dwellin