A/N: as Always I would like to thank each and every one of the people that read this fanfic. Without your support I would not be nearly as motivated to do this as I am. I would like to remind you that I do have a poll on my profile as to whether or not to do the Quincy arc and it will stay up until I am done with the fullbringer arc. So, without further ado, enjoy this next chapter.
After Cain dispatched the Privaron Espada he had to deal with Ichigo complaining that he had stolen his fight. After about three minutes of arguing the four of them, Ichigo, Cain, Cazador and Nel, continued down the corridor towards where Ichigo believed that Orihime was being held captive. However as they ran down the corridor the both of them sensed something that made them skid to a stop. It was the reiatsu of Rukia Kuchiki, down almost to a spark from a fire, this indicated to them that she had at the least taken a devastating blow.
"So, you've noticed." Came a voice from behind them, causing Ichigo, who at this point was carrying Nel, Cain, and Cazador to all turn around, taking note of the person in the doorway. In the doorway above the stairs at the end of the hallway was the one and only, Ulquiorra Cifer. "And I thought the two of you were just strong, you've got some nice senses on you as well."
"Ulquiorra. So you finally show yourself." Cain exclaimed, noting the bearing of the Arrancar.
"How interesting that you would remember my name, as I have never introduced myself, no matter, one of your acquaintances has just died fighting an espada." The calm Ulquiorra responded.
"That can't be! Rukia's reiatsu only decreased just now." Ichigo shouted at the Espada
"Cognition Synchronization, which was one of espada #9's duties as well as one of his powers, he could transmit the status of his enemies to each one of us as it happened." As Ulquiorra was speaking Ichigo turned away and started to walk away. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to save Rukia." His back was turned to Ulquiorra as he spoke.
"Is it alright for you to leave without killing me." Replied the pale Arrancar.
"I have no reason to fight you, you may be my enemy but you haven't hurt any of my friends so I don't care."
"And if I told you I was the one who brought Orihime to Hueco Mundo?" Ichigo snapped, his sword connected with Ulquiorra just as soon as the espada had completed his sentence.
"I wouldn't have done that if I were you Ulquiorra," Cain chimed in, just wanting to get in his two cents because he really didn't like to be ignored, "Ichigo is brutal when it comes to the defense of even acquaintances, even more so that she is a close friend of his." He had observed things like this in the past, Ichigo seemed to draw out his full power only when his friends were in dire need.
Ichigo wasted no time in unleashing both his bankai and his hollowfication form his reiatsu becoming a crushing influence in the room. Cain wasted no time in broadening his own reiatsu to include the fail Nel, who was taking the sudden change in Ichigo's reiatsu harshly, barely being able to stand without being crushed. Thankfully, Cain was able to alleviate the pressure on both her and Cazador, as the new Arrancar was still unused to his new form. Ichigo wasted no time in launching the most powerful Getsuga Tensho he could at the Espada, despite him having been injured in the previous fight it was a truly a monstrous display. From the place that he stood he could plainly see that Ulquiorra was struggling against the blast, even resorting to using both of his hands in blocking the technique. To only a mixed result. Cain saw the explosion and the resulting damage it did the espada, in the smoke, he also saw Nel crawl over to Ichigo and start crying over him.
Cain watched as Ulquiorra emerged from the smoke and counterattacked Ichigo with a cero, the substitute Shinigami grabbing Nel and being blown out of the chamber as the translucent green cero blew him through the wall. Ulquiorra followed Ichigo who was still carrying Nel. He took a kick from the espada that threw him right into another building; Cain arrived just in time for Ulquiorra to remove his arm from Ichigo's chest blood gushing out along with his hand.
Cain ignored the espada, who seemed more than satisfied in letting him be as he had already dispatched Ichigo, and kneeled down beside the substitute Shinigami and started to use the basic Kaido that he had learned for situations like this, while he couldn't manage to heal the wound he did manage to help the bleeding. He just wasn't a healer, fortunately for him one was thrown through the window for him. The sky blue haired Arrancar Grimmjow Jaegerjaques had brought with him the burnt orange haired Orihime Inoue from her prison in order to heal Ichigo.
"Heal him," the espada commanded of the human, he himself sat down on rubble as he waited for Orihime to comply with his demands. Nel was crying as Orihime began to heal Ichigo, explaining to Orihime what had happened to the soul reaper, unfortunately for her, Grimmjow found her voice extremely irritating, however, before he could say anything to her about it Cain shot him a look, telling him that if he wanted to die he would indeed finish that sentence, instead he said the much more tame, "He'll be healed without you asking, so shut up and watch."
The injury was fast closing, thanks to the emergency Kaido that Cain had performed on the Shinigami soon after the incident, the act replacing Ulquiorra's hostile reiatsu remnants with Cain's much more benign one. Grimmjow commented that Ulquiorra always punched a hole into prey that he had found interesting, after which he demanded that Orihime shut up and continue to heal Ichigo, as well as for Ichigo to shut up and get himself healed. He wanted nothing more than to hunt Ichigo himself, feeling snubbed at Ulquiorra's interference between their ongoing fight. It seemed to be his pride that made him want to kill Ichigo as proof not only to himself, but to Ulquiorra as well.
As if summoned by the very thought of him, Ulquiorra materialized in the opening, he was expressionless as always. Cazador, sensing the killing intent of Ulquiorra as soon as he entered the room leapt from where he had concealed himself in the room, his claws reaching for Ulquiorra's throat as he attempted to defend Cain from the threat. Without sparing him a second glance, Ulquiorra severed both of Cazador's arms with the same effort that one would put into waving off a fly, sending the Arrancar flying in the process. Cain snapped, he, like Ichigo, did not take kindly to people hurting those he had placed under his protection, no matter how long that they had known each other.
In the next millisecond he was right next to Ulquiorra, his gloved hand on Ulquiorra's face, throwing the espada into a temporary state of shock as he processed the information. "Orihime," his voice was full of barely contained rage, "As soon as you are done with Ichigo, heal that Arrancar as well," he motioned to the bleeding body of Cazador "He's my responsibility, I would rather he not die today," he turned back around facing Ulquiorra, "Leave Ulquiorra to me!" he flashed away, taking Ulquiorra with him as he dragged the Arrancar's face through the air, and threw it into the desert below, the impact of Ulquiorra into the sand causing a giant upheaval of sand into the air.
Cain landed gracefully as he arrived in the area that he had thrown Ulquiorra. The espada unharmed from the assault from Cain, and brushed himself off of the sand that had gotten on his uniform, strangely enough no sand had gotten in his hollow hole. A fascinating phenomenon that Cain would have loved to study if he wasn't about to fight the strongest espada that he had encountered so far, however the fact that he had done serious harm to one of Cain's companions meant that he was dead as far as Cain was concerned.
"Where were you hiding that power?" questioned the espada, "I couldn't even feel your movements when you grasped my face until you were already upon me." While Ulquiorra was talking, Cain was busy tearing off the sleeves of his outfit, the shoulders had already been blown out by his movements earlier.
"It is one of the reasons that I was trying so hard to conserve every ounce of reiryoku that I could on my way in to Las Noches, Ulquiorra," he discarded the ripped off sleeves and his reiatsu started to glow, becoming more and more luminescent as it grew, swirling around him as it began to spark and grow. "I learned this from the goddess of flash Yoruichi Shihoin herself, a combination of Kido and Hakuda, Shunko" the power exploded from behind his back, turning into blue flames that wrapped around his arms and shoulders, the tips of his tails also glowed with power. "Thanks to her help, and that of a certain bee, I was able to complete my own variation of Shunko, although I have zero practice with it in actual combat."
He blasted forwards, missing Ulquiorra and the flames in his fists turning the sand below them into glass, along with shattering the newly formed glass, sending shards everywhere. He took off after Ulquiorra, his Kitsune Issen keeping up with the Espada's shunpo. He punched at Ulquiorra, his blow connecting this time, the heat released burning the Espada's Hierro even as the concussive force was equaled by Ulquiorra's own punch. The two traded blows midair the force of the Espada's strikes matched by Cain's Shunko enhanced strikes, both of their arms blurring in and out of sight.
Both of them used their High speed movement techniques, each clash of the two titans creating a shockwave that caused craters in the sand below them, their combined reiatsu causing other combatants difficulty as they tried to breathe. Even Grimmjow, from as far away as he was, was shocked; he had gained a basic understanding of Cain's power when they fought in the world of the living, when the Hybrid had tossed him around like a punching bag. But to be able to fight with Ulquiorra on even terms without releasing even a shikai was impressive.
The two fighters parted for a brief moment, allowing Ulquiorra to draw his sword, Cain, in response doing the same thing, and they began again, allowing for them to test their mettle in sword skills. Again, both combatants closed with each other, their swords blurring in and out of vision, as well as clashing with great force, Ulquiorra was astounded at the ability of Cain to keep up with him, even in his unreleased state, their battle was the longest that Ulquiorra had fought with an opponent he had considered trash not very long ago. They closed again, Ulquiorra preparing his green cero on the tip of one of his fingers, and was surprised that Cain was mirroring his movement, in addition to his cero, although Cain's was a sky blue color. Both cero fired at the same time blowing both contestants back from where they had engaged.
Ulquiorra used the distance that he had gained from the explosive collision of the two cero, and began to go straight up towards the ceiling of Las Noches, Cain hot on his heels as they climbed higher and higher into the air. As they reached the ceiling, Ulquiorra blew a hole in it, the debris slowing down Cain for a brief second, allowing Ulquiorra to gain an advantage, flying through the hole and ascending further into the sky, landing on top of a circular tower like structure. He waited for Cain to catch up to him, the hybrid landing on the ground below the structure, none the worse for wear, much as Ulquiorra himself was mostly uninjured from the explosion. "I commend your abilities," began Ulquiorra, "there are only two things that are forbidden in Las Noches," he looked down at Cain, "The first is the cero reserved for espada; the Gran Rey Cero, the second being Espada Four and higher releasing their zanpakuto, for both are so powerful that they would destroy the dome above the fortress." Ulquiorra pointed his zanpakuto directly at Cain. "Enclose Murciélago"
Black green energy exploded from Ulquiorra's frame, and green rain fell down from the black reiatsu. The reiatsu cleared revealing a changed Ulquiorra, his outfit had changed into a robe not unlike Cain's own, form fitting at the top and more robe like at the bottom, his mask fragment had grown as well, becoming a kind of helmet from which two horns protruded. Behind him, two bat like wings were folded up, the difference between his prerelease form and this one was gigantic, it was the first time that Cain had seen an Espada's sword release. Yet he felt no fear at the sight.
"Bind the demons Onmyouji, Rise from the ashes Kikōō" the two zanpakuto transformed at Cain's call, not only that but his glove began to cover not only his forearm ang hand, but had grown to cover Cain's entire arm.
"Don't drop your guard, don't lose focus, don't let down your swords, for the moment you do, you are DEAD." Spoke Ulquiorra as he flew down.
"Bring it on ULQUIORRA!"shouted Cain right back at the espada as he braced himself, his zanpakuto ready for anything as he tracked Ulquiorra, he had a feeling that their fight had only just begun.