Well, I did say I wouldn't even bother to guess. For those wondering what happened, life. End of college, get a job type life.
Make no mistake though, this story has been cooking in my head since and now I feel like it might actually become ten times better than if I had rushed it. Sorry it's small, but I figured it was better than nothing.
As Roder ran through the swirling void with the Shinigami and his friend, thoughts about the battle he had just experienced replayed throughout his head.
"So," he started, "your Hollow side got the best of you for a minute there?"
Kurosaki scowled even deeper and averted his face. Roder sighed.
"Look, I need to know if I can trust you to not suddenly snap in the middle of battle and attack both friend and foe. Now, come clean with me and tell me everything relevant about your powers."
There was silence for a few moments before the teenager sighed and looked forward with resolution.
"I've had these...Hollow powers since about the time Aizen openly betrayed Soul Society. I found some people who taught me how to control them, and now I can use my mask to make myself stronger. There are other things that can be done, but I haven't learned them."
"So, dying made you lose control? It must have been because he only blasted a hole through you rather than say, vaporizing your head."
His scowl deepened again, but he continued.
"I have control over it."
"And with your power already at Espada level," Yggdra threw in, "that mask could make you quite formidable."
"I'm hardly at Espada level right now though."
Both Arrancar's eyebrows shot up. Both could sense that right at this moment, the substitute Shingami was on the level of Grimmjow's and maybe even Nnoitra's Ressureccion.
"Kurosaki, you can sense reiatsu, yes?" she asked.
"Not very well," he replied, slight embarrassment in his voice. "I just know right now, with my clothes, well..." he pointed to his one remaining sleeve, all that was left of his outfit's upper portion. "My shirt is part of my bankai, it's sort of an armor. This is about the percentage of my total reiatsu that's left right now."
Both stopped in their tracks, starling the young man into stopping as well.
"Hey, wha-"
"You cannot be serious right now," Roder stated.
"I'm... Yeah, I am. Why?"
Yggdra looked thoughtful for a moment. "Perhaps we should test it out now?"
"Go ahead. This... Well, it can't hurt."
"Test what?"
"Worry not," Yggdra said with a smile as she raised her hands towards him. "It's a healing technique. I'm just long out of practice."
The boy seemed a bit nervous at the sudden decision to use a healing kido or something similar while they were in a hurry, but they were the ones with the Garganta after all.
Energy seemed to concentrate itself upon Yggdra's hands as she closed her eyes.
"O Cullin, fae of the Holy Spring, bubble with the songs of fairies! Himno: número cincuenta y ocho, Reposición (hymn number fifty-eight, Replenishment)."
A feeling almost exactly like that of healing kido rushed into Ichigo then settled throughout his body. Looking down, he noticed that almost half of his missing clothing had reappeared.
"Well done," Roder commented.
"Not quite as good as I had hoped for, but Nessiah is working diligently to improve all the time. Here, let's see if I can do this a few more times."
Most of the elder Espada's men had been defeated at this point. The Shinigami were bracing themselves for the fights they had picked out for themselves, when another Garganta began opening up in the sky just before them.
"Reinforcements?" Soi Fon asked no one in particular.
Three figures stepped out of the portal. One was dressed down in silver armor with a hole right where her diaphragm was, wielding a narrow long-sword. Her eyes were a sky blue and her hair golden and reaching the backs of her knees. Another was wearing a barely altered form of the Arrancar uniform, a pair of tonfa sheathed upon his back and a toothed mask covering his mouth and jaw. His hair was chocolate brown and his eyes were gray. The way he held himself let the Shinigami know that he was confidant and perhaps strong enough to back it. The last figure was easily recognized with his bright orange hair, odd shihakusho, and black sword.
"Kurosaki?!"
"Oh, looks like the kid made it," Kyoraku said.
"What's he doing with those Arrancar?"
"Defectors perhaps? Kurosaki has always been rather… odd in his choice of allies."
The male Arrancar took a long moment to observe the battlefield before signaling something to the female then holding up a finger while chanting something.
"What's he doing?" Coyote muttered.
"Dunno," Kyoraku muttered. "I'd read his lips, but darn mask is in the way."
"Mayor Voz (Greater Voice)!" everyone suddenly heard. "This is former Sexta Espada, Roder Tyranus. I renounce my title and declare war and rebellion against Aizen Sousuke and those who would continue to serve him. It is time to throw of the shackles of this Shinigami and reclaim Hueco Mundo in the name of the Arrancar." The Hollow seemed to look at all the Shinigami at once, if it were possible. "My fight is not with the Shinigami of Soul Society, only with the three who would call themselves our overlords. Leave mine in peace and they will leave you." Then towards all of the remaining Arrancar. "All are free to help me. Join us, and together we will take down Aizen and his servants."
For a long moment, not a sound could be heard. Soi Fon looked over at the elder looking Espada and his last two Fraccion. His face hadn't changed much since it all began, still as angry as ever. Impossibly, his face found a way to scrunch up even more before his clenching fist broke through his armrest.
"You dare!" he screamed for all to hear without the assistance of the knockoff kido Roder had used. "You'd dare to rise up and claim Hueco Mundo and Los Noches as your own!?"
The recent rebel seemed shocked out of his mind. "I never-"
"I will not let some brat dictate my actions so close to being rid of all other nuisances. Ggio, Nirgge! Forget about the pesky Shinigami. I want you to eliminate anyone who tries to join in on Roder's rebellion. You hear me, you two!" he yelled at the other Espada.
Harribel groaned. "I had already made my decision before you had said a word. Ladies, return!"
Her three Fraccion came back in cracks of sonido. "Harribel-sama?" Mila-Rose began.
"It is unfortunate, but we must be prepared to fight one of our own."
"You mean…" Appacci stopped.
"We can't let Roder interfere in Aizen-sama's plan. Already this fight against the Shinigami isn't turning out as well as we'd hoped. A division in the Arrancar now would devastate us."
Roder seemed to be shaking in a bit of fear. "Coyote?!"
The Primera scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. "Hey, Captain, suppose we could put off our fight until this is done?"
"Sheesh, going to fight your former comrades?"
"Nah, it can resolve itself without me. I just figure we ought to not fight, just in case." He looked outwards forlornly. "I owe Aizen for bringing me to others who could remove my loneliness, but Roder and his closest friends were some of those people. There's no right or wrong answer here, so I'm going to keep quiet while everyone else kills each other this time."
The former Sexta breathed a sigh of relief and looked towards the other two groups. "Then I guess it's time for plan B! Searching through darkness, the pillar grows high! Infinitely down you spiral! Forever out into the void you reach! Canción: número treinta y cinco, Hidra de Garganta (song number thirty-five, Hydra's Throat)."
Suddenly, multiple Garganta began to open up, revealing more Arrancar within.
The first held three males, who immediately joined with Roder and the female. One had a scythe and long red hair while another held a giant book. A more aloof looking one had white hair that could compete with Ukitake's and a sword that made Kurosaki's shikai look normal in comparison.
The second group held five. Two females, one of who was gigantic and wielded a lance like Soi Fon would her Zanpakuto and the other regal looking with a hand-and-a-half sword held at her side. The other three were males; two were large, but not as large as the giant woman, one holding a tri-spiked shield and the other a spiked club. The last one was small, wielding two blades that ran back along his arms. The four more dangerous looking Arrancar seemed to defer to the most normal looking one in their squad.
The last held four females, all of similar height and build to each other but with different hairstyles and weapons. Short, blue, spiky hair at the front with a spear. Medium, wavy blond hair with an urumi chain whip sword. Plain brown hair with a pair of serrated daggers. And the last one had long, green hair tied into a ponytail while wearing bladed shoes and cuffs.
Roder looked over each group and then back at the ones who had decided to remain by Aizen's side.
"Escudo! Bash back the dictator's Swords!"
Told you it was small.
Yes, Roder's Arrancar now have their own form of kido. In this case we've seen three examples, a himno, which means hymn (religious choir song) and two canciónes, songs. The healing kido and bakudo equivalents. If any of you read up on the history of Nessiah from Blaze Union and Yygdra Union (where I pull many characters and spells from) you'd see that Nessiah created the tactics cards, which hold spell-like abilities, so it's not much of a long shot he'd do something like that again in his afterlife's spare time.
Next Chapter, our new additions to the rebellion are introduced, and the battle begins.