Well hello readers, new chapter up for the people today! Mind you, reading the latest manga chapter of Bleach, i've had to do some major revamping to my future plans. Y'see, I kinda plan veeeery far ahead of myself, I was planning the final confrontation between Yoshirou and Aizen, however with the way the latest chapters have gone, I realised my initial plans aren't going to cut it any more, so i'm having to change tacts. Of course, no spoilers intended so I can't go into detail why i'm changing, but certain reasons are forcing my replans. No need to worry, this has no impact on current storyline, just future plans.
Anyhow, with that let the chapter begin! (A bit less combat based this time, i'm just getting the matches set up)
Kira raised her head hopefully as she heard hurried footfalls outside the proximity of the barrier Tansho had setup, the distinctive sound of sandals hitting earth rather than the bone which Hollow limbs were composed of. Out of the darkness of the nearby tunnel, a figure appeared, running towards the rest of the group. However, Kira's hopes fell slightly upon seeing that Haneko was alone, he had failed to stop the Captain from moving on alone. Behind her, she heard a small clap from Tansho creating a set of hand signs, manipulating the barrier he had setup to allow his brother access to the makeshift encampment they had made. Haneko crossed the blue boundary where the barrier stopped, before nearly collapsing, his lungs drawing huge gulps of air from his obvious exertion, his face covered with a sheen of sweat that was visible even from where Kira sat.
"Brother, I'm glad you made it back, your report was almost unbelievable, perhaps you can explain it better now you're here."-Tansho said from nearby, still remaining seated as he kept the barrier intact. Kira was surprised by the news, she didn't realise there had been any contact between the brothers, she had been too wrapped up in her own thoughts to notice. Haneko nodded wearily, still trying to get his breath back as he said-"First, my apologies Kira-fukutaichou, I should have reported to you what happened rather than my brother, forgive me for ignoring the chain of command." Kira was surprised by the sudden apology, before trying to smile, saying-"Don't worry about it." I don't really feel like the Vice Captain anyway Kira thought sadly, remembering how she had let the others get injured as Haneko, having managed to calm his breathing down now, bowed slightly to her. He then walked to the centre of the barrier where Tansho sat, carefully avoiding both questions from the other shinigami and the location where the destruction spell was set before sitting beside his brother.
The entire team waited with baited breath for Haneko to begin his explanation. "As you can guess, I was unsuccessful in persuading Taichou to return with me, due to certain situations we were separated, our Taichou fell into a trap and had his retreat path cut off, so regrouping won't be possible."-Haneko explained. Kira was dumbstruck by his calm tone; he had just announced that he had effectively abandoned their Captain after he fell into a trap. What she couldn't understand was why nobody else was as horrified as she was, Fuyu sighing exasperatedly, Kaito shrugging as he muttered-"Like always…" Kira was about to say something, but Nobuo suddenly asked-"Haneko, was it really a trap, or did our annoying Taichou blow the corridor up himself to split us up?"
Haneko chuckled slightly at this, confusing Kira as he said-"While that was what he did the last time, no this really was a trap, seems he was led headfirst into a massive collection of Gillians." Takumi swore under his breath at hearing this, they knew there was a high chance of Gillians, but actually hearing confirmation was another matter. Hideo laughed slightly, saying-"Well, we don't have to worry about Gillians now I suppose, those kind of Hollows couldn't take down our Taichou!" That drew a collective chuckle from the majority of the squad, who all knew firsthand that Gillians had no hope against Yoshirou, even decades ago they wouldn't have scratched him. Kira still couldn't help but feel worried though, if Yoshirou hadn't returned then that meant there was something more dangerous lurking nearby that he had gone to deal with.
Tansho sighed, saying-"That's Taichou for you, we probably wont be seeing any more Hollows now, so…" Tansho nodded towards the ground nearby him, where Yuuto sat. Once again, Yuuto had taken it upon himself to try drawing another map, although this version was scratched out of the earth instead of on a scroll. This time the diagram showed their progression into the nest, and included a newly calculated route that avoided the tunnel Yoshirou had collapsed. "I'm afraid with the main tunnel collapsed, we are going to have to take a longer path around to continue, now your back we are just waiting for when Kira-fukutaichou decides we set off."
Kira's eyes suddenly opened wide as she heard Tansho's words, the eyes of the rest of the squad turning to her as they heard Tansho's words. Oh, since Taichou is gone, now I'm next in command aren't I? Kira realised, the eyes of the nearby Shinigami all watching her expectedly, as if they now expected her to take charge of the entire operation. Kira froze, completely unconfident that she could handle being in charge, she had no idea what to do, she had never anticipated that Yoshirou would leave the squad, even now the entire nest felt like a hellhole of danger without his immense strength to protect them all ever present. She never realised just how much his presence in the field inspired confidence and a feeling of protection among his men until now, with him gone, everything felt so dangerous that she was terrified of the entire situation.
I suppose that's what makes him our Captain Kira thought as she looked away from the men, drawing her knees up to her chest as if she could comfort herself and feel a little safer by this small motion. He really is what holds us all together, just by being nearby you can feel safe knowing he will protect you… How can I even begin to compare to that? I'm just scared and afraid… "Kira-fukutaichou…"-Nobuo said quietly, her posture and actions portraying her un-confidence to the men around her. However, before Kira could say or do more, Haneko suddenly moved over to her. Kneeling before her seated form, he bowed his head as he said-"With all respects, Kira-fukutaichou, I wish to take temporary control of our squad."
Huh? Kira thought, looking up at his bowed head as Haneko said-"I'm sorry, but before we separated, I asked Taichou for permission to take control of our squad in his absence, it was above my position to ask such a request, but Taichou bade me to do so, so with your permission, may I relieve you of control?" Kira was surprised by the sudden motion, but then realised the situation. She was just an inexperienced soldier, almost the equal of a grunt suddenly hoisted into command, while Haneko was not only older and stronger than her, but a military leader first and foremost. Not only was he the better choice, but he knew what he was doing, and it was the wish of her Taichou that he took control.
Kira tucked her head down slightly as she said-"I am relieved of control…" Haneko instantly straightened up, before bowing once again, quietly muttering in a tone only she could hear distinctively-"Don't worry, leadership comes with experience, in due time you get the chance to prove you are our fukutaichou, but this mission is too dangerous for that chance." He straightened up once again, before saying-"Hereby, I'm taking control of this squad, is there any objections?" The squad members said nothing, neither objections or support. They all respected that Kira had done her best so far, so confirming out loud that Haneko was the better choice would be an insult to her efforts.
Haneko nodded as he said-"I'm afraid it's already been decided with Taichou that we are now retreating." This drew a collective cry from the men, but before any words could be exchanged, Haneko shouted out-"We have no idea what else this nest holds, as of now this mission is confirmed as too dangerous for any squad members below Vice Captain, as such we are retreating. Once we are clear, we will detonate the current set charge before reporting back to Soul Society for more appropriate reinforcements and making contact with the relief team stationed in the Human World for reinforcements." The men muttered their dislike of this plan, still confident that they could continue despite Haneko's words of warning.
Tansho nodded nearby, adding-"I agree, that last ambush could have obliterated this squad instantly, it was pure chance that Taichou managed to detect the attack ahead of us, if he hadn't, at least half of us wouldn't be standing, even my brother and I didn't notice the attack, only responding to Taichou's warning. The most prompt action now would be retreat, we aren't on a level to compare with Taichou so we can't attempt to support him, his chances of survival are greater without having any concern about us being dragged into this trap, I say we respect the Taichou's decision and retreat."
(P.O.V change)
Retreat? Szayel thought as he watched the Shinigami assembled on the console. Well, that definitely is the most prudent course of action when an unknown enemy is assembled before you, to abandon your comrades and run increases your own chance of survival. They abandon the Captain as a decoy, and escape. If they were my subordinates, I would personally butcher them all for lack of trying to support me, but I suppose this is that ridiculous notion Shinigami call the Heart at play, the strange need to self sacrifice themselves at every opportunity, ridiculous.
Szayel hummed to himself as he considered his options, he didn't have much time to play with them, other operations would have to be completed post haste before the Captain and the Primera started their encounter. For now… Szayel thought, leaning forward as he slid a fingertip along a complex looking diagram that was on the screen, the lines changing as he made contact with the display. …they can wander, lost in these corridors as they try to retreat. Once I am finished with the Captain, I shall turn my attention back to them.
As his concentration left the screen, he refocused, his brows furrowing in concentration as he ran a hand along wither side of his head, making sure his hair was definitely tucked back and out of the way before he got to work. He then brought both arms back to the console his fingers dancing on the console at an inhuman speed, Szayel started to program in complex equation after calculation into the system. This would be easier and more exact if I had firsthand examples of this Captains Reiatsu, but as far as I can tell, an encounter with this being could possibly spell my end, and I have no intention to risk my life on something just to make a calculation easier. Without those examples, I shall have to do the best I can to compute a significantly close matching wavelength, the results wont be as strong enough to incapacitate him, but they should work efficiently enough to at least weaken him.
Szayels eyes narrowed further as he compared each result with the recorded wavelength he was detecting from the Captain, getting more and more frustrated as he worked. The problem is that his Reiryoku is wavering too much in its intensity, which is technically an impossible feat, either those bands are throwing off his Reiryoku as it seals his reiatsu, or he has another mechanism that does it for him. I don't know how he predicted that his foes may attempt something like this, it's inconceivable that he knew a person would try to program an anti-wavelength to neutralise his Reiatsu power. It might be that it's plainly a side effect from his sealing bands which he has learnt to put up with, it seems that at exact points when he uses his power, his Reiryoku stabilises to the exact type he need.
As he continued to compute the anti-wavelength, he used his other arm to pull up various recordings and graphs on the screen. He could clearly see the pattern, whenever he did nothing his Reiryoku jumped randomly, impossible to define. However, at exact moments in battle, during the interval he used a technique with his Shikai, when he cast his Kido, his Reiryoku froze for an instant, at the moment he channelled his reiatsu, and during the incantation and casting times for his techniques. While with this data, I can neutralise his Kido by instantly reacting during the interval he spends chanting the spell, his ability to use that ridiculous Eisohaki of the Shinigami techniques will be troublesome, I will have to rewrite an algorithm command into the network to react to his Reiryoku.
As he brought his attention back to the anti-wavelength, he finally managed to get an averaged wavelength for his Reiryoku. With a sigh, he leaned back in his seat. That will at least nullify his Shikai, I can't do anything for his personal brute strength and speed though, but if I can seal those abilities from his Shikai, that's the majority of the risk dealt with, he won't be able to instantly overpower the Primera. I just have to believe that Stark won't be stupid enough to hold back his strength. With a sigh, Szayel sat forward again. It's a shame that I won't be able to record all of his abilities with his Shikai sealed, but I already have enough data now. Unless he still has another trick then that's this problem all sorted.
As Szayel finally input the anti-wavelength, his eyes were drawn to one last recording that he had seen during the battle. At one point, the Captain had been cornered by three hollows, the video showed that he defeated them by throwing a sword through one, then hurling the remaining two into the wall, but there was something wrong in the recordings. For one instant, when the Shinigami had grabbed their masks, his Reiryoku flashed in one millisecond into a new signature. Szayel didn't understand what it was, but it seemed to pertain to his physical strength, since with minimal movement, he had hurled the two Hollows with enough force to shatter their bodies off the tunnel walls. Maybe he has a close range technique to channel his reiatsu into his fists to strengthen the impact? Well that would prove useless against Stark since he will be fighting with a sword, but I suppose it merits further study…
(P.O.V change)
Yoshirou!
The Captain staggered, feeling a pain inside his mind as something happened. Wobbling, Yoshirou put his free hand against the wall to stabilise himself, holding his head in his other hand as his features clenched in pain. What the hell? A migraine, now of all times?
I don't think so, I can feel this pain too, it's not coming from your body acting up, it's something wrong with your soul, but what I don't know.
Damn, why does my body have to act up now of all times! Yoshirou thought with confusion. He had just entered another cavern area, unsure of which of the caverns four exits to take when the pain hammered into his mind.
I'll use my abilities to stop the pain, but you're going to have to take it easy, if it's your soul, then who knows what might happen if you try to push your body now.
Great, I'm in some kind of trap set up by Aizen, and my soul is messing up? Talk about the wrong time to be affected by an unknown illness… Yoshirou thought as he felt the pain dumb down, until it vanished altogether. Unless this is some kind of effect caused by an enemy or something…
"You doing alright there, Shinigami?"-a calm, yet rough voice asked out from somewhere nearby, surprising Yoshirou. Yoshirou vanished with shunpo, appearing as far away from where he detected the voice with his zanpakuto in hand, eyes narrowed as he searched the gloom for the source of the voice. He was surprised when he found it, for all the world it looked like a man had found a flat rock and decided to sleep on it, one eye opened lazily as it watched him, its face showing no concern as to his sudden awakening. Yoshirou's eyes narrowed as he watched the man, but whoever or whatever the person was, it seemed content to just watch him lazily from the rock, waiting for his answer.
What the hell… Yoshirou thought as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. The man was dressed in pure white robes, the same kind that Yoshirou had remembered seeing the last arrancar he fought wearing, albeit this ones top was closed slightly, although it was still open enough to reveal the Hollow hole on his chest and the mask fragments hanging loosely from his neck. Unlike what Yoshirou remembered of Grimmjow, this arrancar was watching him calmly, almost with a slightly interested air, definitely not sending any signs that he had an intent to fight him, no motions showing that it planned to attack him, his face perfectly human with a perfectly human expression watching him.
The Arrancar turned suddenly, causing Yoshirou to pull his zanpakuto in a defensive stance. However, the Arrancar had just adjusted its lying pose so it was now on its back, his arms tucked behind his head as he said-"You looked in pain there, Shinigami, something up?" What is he… Yoshirou wondered as he watched the Arrancar yawn. Is he so unconcerned about my battle potential that he isn't defending himself, or is it that he just has no interest in fighting me? I can't tell…
Yoshirou shook his head, before considering whether or not what just happened to his body was perhaps some effect caused by this Arrancar. Keeping his Shikai at ready, Yoshirou challenged-"Did you just do something now?" The Arrancar turned its head once again to him, as if considering the question, before answering-"I guess I asked you a question, is that surprising?" An Arrancar not trying to kill me is surprising enough Yoshirou relented internally, realising that this foe probably wasn't the reason why his soul was acting up. "I don't know if it's different for Shinigami, but answering questions is generally considered polite among Arrancar, I answered yours, right?"-the Arrancar stated, still watching Yoshirou for some kind of response.
This really is too strange, what is with this situation? Yoshirou thought as he relented, saying-"Nothing for you to worry about, it's nothing you can take advantage of." The Arrancar raised an eyebrow at the way Yoshirou answered, but shrugged slightly, saying-"Fine by me." Yoshirou waited again, expecting the Arrancar to attack now the conversation was over, but once again he just turned on his back, as if wanting to get to sleep. Deciding not to let his guard down, Yoshirou kept his sword up, carefully edging towards the next exit as he watched the Arrancar for any signs of movement.
"I wouldn't bother doing that Shinigami; you can't leave now you're here."-the Arrancar suddenly said, still not moving from his laid back posture. Yoshirou's eyes narrowed as he said-"What do you mean?" The Arrancar sighed audibly, before gruffly replying-"Go ahead and try, I won't stop you." Yoshirou's head was just full of questions at this situation, here before him was a Hollow entity, he was a hundred percent sure of it, but this Arrancar seemingly didn't care less about the fact that a Shinigami was nearby, neither concerned with attacking him or defending itself. Yoshirou himself wasn't sure of what to do, he knew the Arrancar were the main weapons that Aizen was going to use in the war, and now one was here before him. In all rights, he should kill the Hollow, but he couldn't bring himself to attack the man before him, just lying there completely defenceless, even eyes closed as it tried to get back to sleep.
This was his single greatest opportunity to hinder his foes, but he couldn't attack a foe which had no intention of fighting him in turn. Of course, he couldn't be sure whether this was a façade to get him to lower his guard either, his mind was just swamped with too many questions. "Not going to try then?"-the Arrancar asked once again in its gruff tone. Yoshirou hesitated again, before turning towards the tunnel, chancing that the Arrancar wouldn't attack. Surprisingly, he didn't, Yoshirou heard no sign of movement behind him, the relaxed breathing from the Arrancar still far away from him. Yoshirou dashed into the tunnel, leaving the Arrancar behind him as he continued.
That was an experience beyond words Yoshirou mused as he hurried onwards, his footfalls the only noise in the tunnel as he continued towards what he hoped was the heart of the nest.
(P.O.V change)
"Tsk"-Szayel hissed as he watched the Captains progress, Szayel forced to rewire the path he took so it would return to the central chamber where the Primera was apparently sleeping again. What is he playing at? Szayel wondered, as he had watched the whole exchange, he had expected that the Primera would challenge the Captain to a fight in a straightforward style, but instead the Arrancar had just sat there, doing nothing. And he expects me to make sure the Captain doesn't leave either, now the Captain will know for sure that Stark-san isn't his real enemy, I had planned it so the Captain would believe Stark-san the main instigator in this plan, the so called Final Foe, but now I've been forced to redirect him back, it will be blaringly obvious it wasn't Stark-san's doing. Now, even if they fight, the Captain won't give it his all, leaving some behind in order to deal with the real instigator, Stark-san had just ruined the entire plan!
Szayel hissed with frustration as he finished redirecting the Captains path; however his mind was also interested on something else. When he had successfully implicated the anti-wavelength to forcibly seal the Captains Shikai, he had been affected mentally by the effects. Szayel had never expected this outcome, after all the effect should have only been his Shikai inaccessible, affecting only his Zanpakuto. However, the Captain himself had reacted to the signal, something which made no sense whatsoever. Perhaps I will need to do more research on the connection between Shinigami and Zanpakuto Szayel mused. Perhaps the connection between Arrancar and Zanpakuto is completely different to Shinigami and Zanpakuto, I had thought they were both workings being two separate entities, but the Captains reaction suggested a more integrated phenomenon than I had anticipated, this Shinigami is certainly giving me more and more entertaining research prospects than I had anticipated, if only I could capture him, direct research of his Soul Anatomy would be interesting…
As he focused on this, he realised he had forgotten something. Ah yes, the other little rats are still scurrying about the maze, looking for the exit. How about we send something for them to play with… With that, Szayel turned on the audio receptors, tuning the signal to a wavelength he hadn't used yet. "Baltasar, it's time."-Szayel announced, not sparing any honorifics for the lower being. He heard a loud grunt as the being responded-"About time, Szayel-sama. So, who do I get to hunt?"
(P.O.V change)
"STARK! What in hell are you doing!"-a loud, female voice suddenly shouted, Yoshirou sliding to a stop as he neared the exit of the tunnel he was following. Yoshirou frowned at hearing the voice, once again it held none of the distortions that could be associated with the voices of Hollows, so that meant there was another arrancar ahead of him now. I knew this was a trap, but just how many Arrancar were hidden here? Yoshirou thought in wonder as he neared the tunnel exit, drawing his katana clear of its sheath. What's more, with whatever this damn interference is with my sensing ability, I've got no way of telling how strong my foes are.
Yoshirou pressed himself against the tunnel wall, hiding in the shadows as he looked out towards whatever the voice came from. To his surprise, he saw a young girl, her back to his view, dressed in the white clothing he had come to expect from the Arrancar, albeit it looked like this one wore is little as it could get away with, Yoshirou could only see tight briefs, knee high boots, some kind of short top and arm warmers. Yoshirou couldn't help but wonder why the girl had opted to wear so little, light green hair poking out from under some type of horned helmet as she stood, hands on hips obviously berating whoever this Stark was. What the hell? The Arrancar don't just encompass adults? Yoshirou thought with wonder as the girl marched out of his view.
Yoshirou's brow furrowed as he considered just why there was a child Arrancar present. She didn't even have a sword, why on earth was she brought here? I doubt she's a combatant, but I don't get why Aizen created an Arrancar which served no purpose. Yoshirou then jumped, startled by a cry of pain from nearby, an instantly recognisable, gruff voice shouting out-"NO! STOP THAT, LILYNETTE!" Impossible! Yoshirou thought in shock as he veered around the corner, walking into the recognisable cavern with shock. How! How can I be back here? Yoshirou wondered as he saw before him the girl had apparently decided to leap upon the prone Arrancar from earlier, torturing him for some reason. "You just let that Shinigami walk right back out of here! You know our orders were to fight him, so… WHY ARE YOU FALLING BACK ASLEEP AGAIN!"-the girl Arrancar named Lilynette shouted again, fists raining down on the recumbent Arrancar as he cried out in distress, trying in a futile attempt to stop the rain of blows.
Yoshirou could only watch in surprise at the struggle, once again too many questions crowding his thoughts. Primarily was how he managed to get back here, the turns the tunnel took didn't correspond right for him to have returned to this chamber again, there was no way the route could have brought him back to here, it didn't make sense to Yoshirou. Secondly, from what the little girl just said, the older Arrancar, apparently named Stark, was meant to fight him, but had apparently chosen not to, or at least delayed taking him on. So many things just didn't match up, even the way that the two Hollows were acting now, once again it struck him as a scene he would expect to see not in Hollows, but in Humans.
Just what are the Arrancar? Yoshirou wondered as the girl suddenly turned her head towards his direction, Yoshirou obviously having made a noise that drew her attention. He knew Arrancar were Hollows who gained Shinigami abilities, but seeing first hand this scene, it seemed the research Mayuri had made never showed any suggestion that their mentality would change so much too. The Vizards were the anti-thesis, Shinigami who gained Hollow powers, but they were still fundamentally Shinigami acting, but this scene before him, a little girl Hollow obviously berating the lazier and stronger Hollow he would never have seen between normal Hollow, it was as if they were becoming human in their transformations, despite the holes and masks that their bodies still showed.
"Ah, he's back!"-Lilynette suddenly said in surprise, Yoshirou noting off hand that her single see able eye was a unique hue of pink as her hands pausing in their attack upon Stark. Stark took the opportunity to halfway pick himself off of the boulder, scratching his head with a gloved hand as he said-"See, he couldn't have left anyway, so I didn't let him go." Yoshirou stood at the ready, still keeping his zanpakuto out as he said-"How did you managed to trap me here?" Stark raised an eyebrow questioningly as he propped himself up, turning his body so his feet would reach the ground as he sat facing Yoshirou. He sighed, before saying-"I didn't say I trapped you here, your just assuming it had to be me, Shinigami."
Yoshirou's eyes narrowed as he processed the information. If the Arrancar wasn't responsible, that meant somebody nearby had control, trapping him in either an illusion, or somehow manipulating the tunnels so they led back to this point. Lilynette leapt off the rock impatiently, as she said-"So aren't you going to kill him now?" She suddenly cried out, Stark's fist lightly landing on her helmet as he said-"Your getting ahead of yourself, that Szayel said he's a strong guy, you don't even know if I can kill him, besides what's the rush?" Lilynette growled as she rubbed her injured head, before suddenly spinning about, her boot lashing out as it smashed into the older Arrancar's shin. Once again, Yoshirou was forced to watch another staged show as the Arrancar cried out in pain, gloved hands going to his shin as he asked-"What was that for!"
Lilynette went *Hmph!* as she ignored the older Arrancar, turning to face Yoshirou. Yoshirou saw a grin in her features as she said-"Fine, if you wont do it, I'll kill him" Yoshirou hesitated, unsure as to what to do as the younger Arrancar reached a hand up to her helmet. Stark had stopped his acting, watching Yoshirou intently with one eye, Yoshirou not noticing the piercing glaze as the Arrancar sized him up. Suddenly, he sighed, his shoulders slumping as he said-"Fine, do what you want." Yoshirou readied his stance, as he watched the girl suddenly pull on her helmets horn, a curved scimitar somehow pulled out from the helmet she wore on her head. How in hell does that work? Yoshirou wondered as he squared his stance, unsure as to how such a big scimitar could have fitted into a helmet.
As Yoshirou watched, the girl suddenly charged at him, running towards him with her newly made sword as she shouted out a battle cry. Wait, she's far too slow… Yoshirou thought, he had expected the insanely fast movements he had remembered from his engagement with Grimmjow, that strange speed technique Sonido he had used, so reminiscent of Shunpo. However, not only was this girl charging directly at him, but her movements were too wide, her arms swinging wide as she shouted a loud battle cry. Does she even know how to wield a sword? Yoshirou wondered as he watched the girl leap, his hyper trained combat senses literally viewing the young girl in slow motion. I don't get this at all; she's so slow I could have killed her seven times over before she could have reached me! Yoshirou thought, although rather than even swing his Zanpakuto, he calculated where her sword was about to descend, raising his own blade to block the attack.
Stark watched the whole attack with his own eyes, his own hyper attuned senses picking out every movement and consideration Yoshirou made, carefully considering what Yoshirou was going to do in response. After realising Yoshirou wasn't about to attack, the Shinigami's uncertainty at his foe obviously winning out, Stark decided not to intervene to stop Lilynette.
Lilynette bellowed out as she brought her scimitar down upon Yoshirou's blade, the two blades creating sparks as they slid off one another. She's weak too, far too weak to pose any kind of threat… Yoshirou realised, barely feeling the weight from the blow, Lilynette growling with annoyance as her blade failed to reach him. Yoshirou suddenly noticed that the Arrancar from earlier was watching him, his blue-grey eyes that earlier had seemed so unconcerned now showing a piercing gaze, watching him, almost evaluating him. Did he set her on me so he could evaluate what I would do? Yoshirou wondered, as he felt the slight weight lift away from his blade, the Arrancar girl preparing to swing again, as if she could force his blade away with her own strength.
This time, Yoshirou pulled his blade back, his movements far faster than his foes as he side stepped, his movements too fast for the Arrancar girl to detect as she shouted out, sword descending towards him again. This time, Yoshirou kept his gaze on Stark's eyes alone, and was surprised by what he saw, the Arrancar's eyebrows raising slightly as he realised he had been caught out. When he moved, Stark's eyes had perfectly followed his own movements, the older Arrancar's senses obviously able to keep up with Yoshirou's speedy movements. Beside him, he heard a cry of surprise as Lilynette had realised he wasn't there any longer, her blade falling through the air as she lost her balance with her surprise, landing clumsily where Yoshirou had been standing.
So, he's the real deal then Yoshirou thought, as the girl picked herself up from the dirt, casting a furious look at him for making her look stupid. "You bastard!"-Lilynette cursed as she charged towards him again, her scimitar swinging for him. Once again, Yoshirou vanished, this time using a faster shunpo step instead of just dodging, his eyes watching Stark's own for a reaction. Once again, as he reappeared, Stark's eyes had followed his movements perfectly, his eyes able to keep up with Shunpo movement with ease. Not good… Yoshirou realised as once again, the girl tumbled into the dirt. He's fast, faster than that Grimmjow I fought before if he's able to keep up with my Shunpo movements.
Once again, the girl pulled herself from the dirt, reiatsu glowing around her as she turned, now completely furious. "JUST DIE YOU BASTARD!"-Lilynette screamed, a ball of green energy now glowing before her helmet's eye socket. Cero? Yoshirou wondered, as the ball condensed, suddenly blasting out as a beam at him. Yoshirou raised his free hand as the beam flew straight for him, fingers spread outwards towards the Cero. The beam flew straight for him, slamming into his palm as the air distorted about him, blasting past him. But it's still too weak Yoshirou thought as he felt the roiling energy collected at his palm, trying to burn through the reiatsu his body put out naturally to harm his body. Even subconsciously I can stop this Cero Yoshirou thought as he closed his fingers, the beam condensing into a furious ball of glowing green energy in his hand. As the young arrancar watched in surprise, he clenched his fingers into a fist, the energy spraying out between his fingers as he crushed the Cero in it's entirety with his grip.
"Give it up, little girl, you can't fight me with this kind of power."-Yoshirou stated as he unclenched his hand, his palm showing no signs of wear from the reiatsu he had just crushed. The girl spat on the ground, as she said furiously-"I'll kill you, you stupid shinigami!" Yoshirou ignored the younger Arrancar, looking back up at Stark, as he stated-"It's pointless trying to gauge my strength with this, Arrancar! I'm not even at half my full power yet, she can't do anything that will show you the extent of my strength!" Stark sighed, rubbing a palm into his forehead as he replied-"I'm not trying to, Lilynette gets too hot headed at times, so I let her have a try. You didn't look like the type to attack a weak girl, so I didn't worry about it."
Yoshirou narrowed his eyes at the Arrancar, as he replied-"You don't know anything about what I might or might not do, I can kill that girl in an instant if I want to!" Stark moved his hand away from his face, fixing his piercing gaze upon Yoshirou again, as he simply stated gruffly-"But you won't, will you?" Yoshirou growled slightly with frustration, the Arrancar had read him perfectly. He must have noticed the slight hesitation I made when she attacked! Yoshirou thought as he advanced forward, walking towards where the girl was picking herself up again. Once again, Lilynette shouted out as she charged at him, but this time Yoshirou watched the attack, the sword flying towards his body, waiting until the very last second. Just as the sword was about to cut him, he caught the blade with his free hand, twisting quickly with his wrist to break the girls grip on the scimitar. Spinning on the spot, as the girl overbalanced from the surprising move, he hurled the scimitar away, the blade screaming through the air as it flew for the older Arrancar.
Stark simply watched Yoshirou, his eyes and nerve not hesitating in the slightest as the blade flew for his head, even as Lilynette saw where the blade was heading, shouting out a warning to Stark. Stark didn't even twitch or flinch as the blade went straight for his head, before it passed his face, the blade cutting the air less than a centimetre away from his cheekbone as it flew past him, embedding itself deeply within the wall behind his head. Yoshirou's burning gaze fixed upon Starks own as he said-"I think it's time you fight me yourself, Arrancar!"
(P.O.V change)
"This can't be right…"-Tansho muttered as the squad passed through another tunnel. They had followed the way they had come back towards the exit, but they hadn't managed to find the exit at all, nothing but more tunnels. "Haneko-san, shouldn't we have already cleared the exit by now?"-Fuyu asked, kicking at a nearby rock in frustration. Further back, Kira had taken to helping Nobuo, despite his insistence that he didn't need her help, his movements had become unsteady from blood loss, so Kira was trying to do what she could to help him keep on walking. She had also realised that something was wrong, the tunnels had extended for far too long, she knew they had followed the right path, but they still were no closer to the exit.
"There's light ahead, we should be getting near now"-Haneko reassured the squad, but he didn't have any recollection that they had walked along this tunnel. Just as the rest of the squad had noticed, the exit should have already been reached, however where he thought they exit had been, there was nothing but another turn in the tunnel. There hadn't been any forks, or alternate paths so they had to be following the right way, but then again there was no exit either. All he could do was lead them forward, towards the seemingly lighter tunnel ahead.
As he walked ahead, eyes scanning the darkness for in case of attack, Haneko realised that they had reached another open cavern, just alike where he had seen Yoshirou trapped, albeit on a smaller scale. Don't tell me-! Haneko thought, quickly turning as he was about to order the squad back, when a loud, brash voice shouted out-"Fuck, I was thinking you idiots would never turn up!" Haneko froze in place, as he heard the voice ring out within the cavern. As the rest of the team turned their heads in surprise, they caught sight of the being who had shouted the vulgar challenge.
Standing in the middle of the chamber, jagged teeth shown in his massive, almost cruel grin as he watched the Shinigami, the fragments of his mask forming jagged spikes along his chin, his robes open to reveal his hollow hole in the centre of his torso, the Arrancar laughed loudly as he saw the expressions of surprise on the Shinigami's faces. Haneko turned slowly to ace this new foe, the air displacing beside him as Tansho joined him, his shunpo step ending as he drew his zanpakuto. "So this is an Arrancar?"-Tansho asked as he appraised the foe, Haneko following suit as he drew his own Zanpakuto.
"Damn straight!"-the Arrancar laughed as he reached two hands behind his back. Haneko heard the metallic screech as the Arrancar pulled a pair of swords out of sheaths behind his back. Spinning the blades by their hilts, the swords cutting the air repeatedly, the Arrancar's eyes narrowed, his shark like grin increasing in size as he stated-"Arrancar no, 109, Baltasar Delgado!" With a sudden clash, he swung his blades together, the sword producing sparks as they cut against each other, the Arrancar asking-"Now, which one of you do I kill first?"
(P.O.V change)
The wind was blowing peacefully throughout the open clearing, the fallen leaves blown dancing as the boy sat, meditating upon the flat rock, concentrating his thoughts inwards and towards the blade that stood, embedded in the rock just before his sitting figure. Or at least that was the intention, but just as he had expected, the entire clearing refused to be at peace, a loud frustrated scream piercing the calm as the man nearby started smashing his sword off of a nearby boulder, shouting in frustration-"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! You son of a bitch!" Hitsugaya sighed with frustration as he heard the blade ring off the rock as Yumichika smashed his sword again and again into the boulder, continuing his screaming with-"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it! Break, break, break! Break, damn you! You're pissing me off!"
Why can't they just keep quiet! Hitsugaya wondered as he closed his eyes, trying to focus his thoughts again as the screaming was cut off, something having disrupted the antagonised man's outburst as Matsumoto shouted-"SHUT UP! Can't you be quiet for two seconds?" That's rare, a useful suggestion… Hitsugaya thought as Yumichika shouted back-"But Fujikujaku is driving me nuts! He's arrogant, snobbish, and thinks he's the most beautiful thing in the world! He's the worst! I don't think I'll ever get him to materialise! He won't do it, no matter how I ask!" Hitsugaya tried to ignore the outburst again, focusing his thoughts.
However, Matsumoto wouldn't let the matter drop, replying-"What's the problem, he sounds just like you. Haineko on the other hand, is selfish, moody, lazy and stupid!" Hitsugaya almost felt like rolling his eyes, his Vice Captain had just perfectly listed off the words he could use to describe her personality. Matsumoto continued without having realised this, saying-"I guess same types repel, huh? My, my…" Oh great, here comes the fight… "Well, she sounds just like you. You're the type of person who'll say "That's not me, I don't look like that!" when they look at their picture."-Yumichika replied sarcastically, Hitsugaya slightly surprised at the words he had chosen, since only the other day he had seen Matsumoto looking at an old photo and declaring those exact words.
Just as he predicted, this snide comeback started off a fight behind him, Matsumoto threatening him to dare repeat that. Deciding he had had enough of these distractions, Hitsugaya gave up on his meditations as he turned his head his anger getting the better of him as he shouted angrily at the two bickering officers-"SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU IDIOTS! Concentrate! Don't make me send you back to Soul Society!" As the two officers suddenly stopped arguing, realising they had annoyed the Captain, Hitsugaya turned his head back, muttering under his breath-"Seriously! You can't converse with your sword if you don't settle down."
He cast a glance at the opposite boulder to him, Ikkaku sitting in perfect silence, his sword lain across his legs as he meditated, unperturbed by the bickering that was going on. Why can't they learn from his example? Hitsugaya thought as he closed his eyes, focusing once more on the blade before him. Once again, the bickering picked up quietly behind him, but the two officers kept it quiet so as not to anger him again. Hitsugaya suddenly heard a grunt from Ikkaku, before the man muttered-"The clouds are moving so fast…" Unsure if Ikkaku was talking to him, or just thinking aloud, Hitsugaya opened his eyes, looking at the solitary 3rd seat as he asked-"Did you say something, Madarame?" Ikkaku exclaimed slightly in surprise, not having expected to be questioned as glancing down at the diminutive Captain. With a small shake of his head, Ikkaku regained his meditating pose as he said-"No, nothing…"
Hitsugaya watched the solitary figure again for a second. He knew Ikkaku to be the kind of person with instincts sharper than many, able to pick up on the small details that could be important, so for him to notice something, it would indicate something was potentially wrong. Hitsugaya cast his own eyes up to the heavens, looking for any indication of what he meant. He was surprised to see Ikkaku was right, the breeze that was blowing was quite gentle, but the clouds were moving far faster than they should have been, especially around a certain patch in the sky. It's almost like what I'm seeing is being distorted… Hitsugaya thought as he tried to look closer, to see whether it was just his mind playing tricks or not.
Suddenly, a black line cut through the sky, the dimensions seemingly tearing as the line expanded, twisting and contorting. What the-! Hitsugaya thought, before he suddenly felt the reiatsu the now expanding hole was emitting, shadowy figures hidden in the darkness of the hole. Arrancar!
Hehe, well now i've merged the timelines, the whole Stark fight might end up being a tad bit long, but oh well, i'll have to think of ingenious ways to keep the fight going long enough. I hope to god I portrayed him all right, he's acting in a mixed way, halfway between his casual style and the way he confronted Kyoraku, since Aizen isn't there to keep an eye on him, he's acting a tiny bit more freely, however I dunno if I managed it alright or if i made a mess of it... oh well. Also, a new Arrancar for this arc, don't expect much of him, he's a one arc foe, don't look forward to seeing more of him after this piece (tried to pick a spanish sounding name for him, I hope Baltasar Delgado is spanish-y enough) Anyhow, seeya all next chapter!