Chapter Nineteen: "A Threat to Hollows" By: Midorigrove
Midori spent the next year working with her shikai powers and learning how to control her spiritual pressure more and more. Danr taught her how to summon multiple forms of Kido at once in order for her to use more than her Zanpakuto in battle. He made sure she understood barrier spells as well. The only thing that still caused him some concern was her being able to control the Hollow that resided inside of her. He did not know what to do. He prayed to the Allfather every night before going off to bed, but he heard nothing in reply to his prayer.
Midori was helping him dry off dishes one night when he felt the need to go to the plum blossom tree in his backyard. Midori dried the rest of the dishes as he walked out the back door. She stood in the door frame of the back door and watched him. He touched the tree with his right hand and prayed to the Allfather, again. As he closed his eyes, a vision came to him. He was standing in a white desert. The wind was harsh, and the trees were made of glass like quartz. He looked around the white desolate desert and found a shadow standing on a hill. He walked towards it, but then a group of Hollows appeared before him. They were blood thirsty and larger than the Hollows that came to the World of the Living. These Hollows were an advanced version known as Adjuchas. He pulled his Zanpakuto from his left side and summoned it. "Mourn, Shidare Hime!"
His katana transformed into an elongated Japanese nodachi sword that was the color of the pure white moon and its length was over three feet. It dripped blood onto the white desert floor. The blood began to eat holes in the sand like acid. He swung his blade at the group of Hollows in a whirlwind fashion, and they all vanished. He looked back to where the shadow was and found it had disappeared.
Danr closed his eyes and reopened them. He was standing in front of the plum blossom tree. He could feel a presence near him and turned around. He saw Midori leaning on the door frame with her eyes closed. She had fell asleep while watching him, 'How long have I been standing here?' He walked to her and nudged her. She lazily opened her eyes, "Sorry, Master Danr. I was just curious about what you were doing and leaned here for a while to wait for you," she yawned, "I didn't realize I fell asleep." He laughed at her and placed his hand on her shoulder, "Go to bed, kiddo." She took his advice and headed off to bed.
He sat down on the couch and stared at the ceiling. A yawn escaped from his mouth. He had never felt a vision like that before. It was like the Allfather was trying to help him guide Midori to her destiny. He thought about where he had seen that desert before. 'It was filled with Hollows, and who was that shadow I saw?' He closed his eyes again, and the shadow appeared in his mind again but closer to him. He saw the outline of his face. He was a young man with a faded goatee. He had an animal jaw around his neck like a necklace. He saw his gray-blue eyes and his messy brown hair. 'Who are you?' He opened his eyes, and the name of the place where he saw the Hollows entered his mind, 'Hueco Mundo.'
He had heard about this place from many of the citizens in the Soul Society. Mainly those who were part of the Seireitei. He even recollected that he had heard members of his division talking about it once. It was the land of Hollows. A place where the Hollows were either born or go to after they transform from those human souls trapped in the World of the Living. 'Would Midori benefit from going there? She is trying to control a Hollow, after all. Maybe, she needs to seek out that man I saw in my vision.' He worried about this on into the night as Midori slept.
The next morning, Danr was drinking his coffee while reading another newspaper. Midori was curious, "Master Danr? Where do you get those newspapers?" He chuckled at her question. He thought that this would be obvious to Midori considering she could communicate with her loved one through a simple letter in a magazine, but he obliged her and answered, "It is a gift from the Allfather. I always wake to a new paper and a cup of coffee. I have to say, he surely loves to make those who come to have faith in him, happy." She was happy that this simple joy caused so much happiness in Danr, especially after seeing him so down about his daughter. She knew that there was something still there in his heart about her that he was not letting go of, but he never would confide in her, so she never asked about it.
After Danr finished with his coffee, he placed his paper down and looked at Midori, "I think I have taught you all I can, Midori. You have mastered the skills I think will help you the most with controlling your Hollow. The fact you figured out your shikai powers within a year is something extraordinary, and I commend you for your success." He paused for a moment as the smile from Midori's face faded. She could see that he was struggling with something. She was surprised at him having nothing more to teach her, but she enjoyed the past two years she had with him. She was ready to be home, and if that meant going back early, she was extremely happy.
Her thoughts of going home were swept under the rug when he pulled from his pouch his lykill and slid it to her on the table. She placed her hand on it, tracing the outline with her index finger only stopping at the ball of spiritual energy. She looked up at him, "Midori, I have a plan to help you control your Hollow. It came to me yesterday while I was out at the plum blossom tree. I entrust you with my lykill. It will serve you well from now on." His words shocked her. He had immediately asked her for this back when she came here, and now, he was presenting it to her for a keepsake. She wanted to know what was going on because everything that he had said at this point confused her.
In the beginning of her talking about her needs for coming there, he told her that he did not know how to control her Hollow and could only teach her ways to heighten her spiritual pressure to keep it at bay. Now, he was saying that he could help her control it. What had happened since he prayed in front of the plum blossom tree? "Master Danr? What happened yesterday when you were standing at the plum blossom tree? You were there for a long time."
He looked down at the table, tracing the wood grain with his eyes. He looked back at her with a smile on his face, "I was given a vision to help guide you to your destiny. You will travel to the home of the Hollows, Hueco Mundo, and from there, you will seek out a man with blue-gray eyes and a jawbone around his neck. He will teach you how to control your Hollow."
Midori did not realize that the Allfather gave visions to people, but she was more interested in this man that Danr wanted her to go and see. She, also, did not like the mention of traveling to a land of Hollows. She knew how they were, and she did not want to be in a land where she would be in constant danger and alone at that. There were times when she heard people say that Soul Reapers could not survive in Hueco Mundo because there was not any food for them to eat. She feared that she would not survive there.
Danr saw the apprehension on her face. He worried that Midori would stress herself out about everything, so he began to explain things to calm her, "Midori, I will send provisions with you that will help you survive for many years while being there. They are not really that tasty, but they are filling. I have had them for a long time. They were introduced to me when I went to the World of the Living many years ago. I am sure that you have heard of them," he got up from his chair in the kitchen and went to a large pantry closet that sat in the corner of the room. He opened it and produced a sack of MREs. They had no expiration date on them. He passed one to Midori, "Hueco Mundo is not a place where anyone should live that isn't a Hollow unless you want to devour Hollows. I know you are smarter than to do something like that, kiddo."
She gave him a hesitant smile. She had heard about MREs before. They were stored and distributed in times of need to Soul Reapers going on missions that would last over a month. She would always help Captain Unohana inventory them from time to time while living in the 4th division. It was another moment in her past, before her training started with Ikkaku and Yumichika, that gave her memories of happiness. She could see Captain Unohana's smile as she ran her hand over the package. She saw in the top corner the initials DU. She went back to listening to him, ignoring the meaning behind the initials on the package.
"As for water, you can take as much as you can carry from here. There unfortunately aren't any MREs for beverages that I have here. I would like to get my hands on some of those now that I mention it." His thoughts ran away with him for a few moments. Midori was trying to take everything in. She was going to leave her new master to train with someone else. She got more interested in the thought of who this guy could be that would train her, but the thought of being surrounded by Hollows was not appealing to her. Her thoughts broke to Danr talking again, "So, I believe that leaving as soon as possible to go and meet this guy who will train you will be best. I will definitely miss you, kiddo, but you will be back in no time."
He walked over to a closet in the living room and pulled out an army green backpack. He unclasped the top and unrolled it. He began to fill the backpack with MREs. When he was done packing them, he pulled out large canvas bags from under his sink in the kitchen and filled each canvas belly with water. He tightened their lids and placed them in the backpack. He lifted the backpack to make sure it was not too heavy for Midori, and then sat it back down on the table and rolled it up and clasped it close.
He looked over at her to see that she was still stunned by all this sudden change in her routine. He walked to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Midori, I think you better get ready to go. The sooner you go, the faster you will return." She rose from her chair in an awkward daze and walked to her room. She shut the door behind her. She grabbed the 13th issue of the Seireitei Communication and began writing a letter to Jushiro. She wanted him to understand everything that was happening. She made sure to tell him that she would be leaving Danr's residence and would be traveling to Hueco Mundo to train in controlling the Hollow inside of her. She made sure to add that she would not be able to communicate with him for a while, and she would contact him as soon as she was back. She placed the note in the issue and deposited it back on the shelf.
She heard a knock on the door and opened it. Danr walked in carrying a few pieces of clothing for her to wear, "You cannot wear a Soul Reaper uniform in Hueco Mundo. Do you know how many Hollows you would attract." She nodded to him, "Thank you, Master Danr." She looked through the clothes and found a pair of black pants that were tight to her hips and legs. She found a white shirt with cuffed sleeves that only came down a little off her shoulders. She pulled on a vest made out of black leather and a pair of knee length white boots that had large puffs of gray fur on the outside of the boot leg. She placed a leather belt around her waist that hung loosely on her hips and clipped her pouch with her ointments and antidotes in it on her right hip. She walked out of the room and into the kitchen.
Danr was surprised at how well Midori pulled off that look. It was known to be one of the looks shield maidens would often wear when they would go off to battle. He noticed her messy auburn hair and instructed her to sit down. He began placing thick and thin braids in her hair while leaving some unbraided. He pulled it up, creating a puff of hair that looked like a mohawk on the top of her head. She was now ready to go.
Midori saw her image in the reflection of a mirror that hung on the wall in the living room. She looked closer at herself. She was astounded at the work Danr had done on her unruly hair. She smiled at him, "Thank you for doing my hair. You really are a jack of all trades." He laughed at her words but nodded in acceptance of her compliment.
Midori walked over to the back door and grabbed her Zanpakuto, placing it firmly across her hips. She grabbed the backpack and lugged it over her shoulders onto her back. Danr grabbed the lykill and walked her into the backyard. Midori followed him. He stood in front of the plum blossom tree. The wind blew some of the blossoms on the ground in front of him, "Midori, please be safe and return here as soon as you can." He turned around and handed the lykill to her. "The lykill not only allows you to travel through portals into different realms, but it can also activate certain timelines. This type of instrument would be considered illegal in the Soul Society, so from now on, you have to be careful who you tell about it. If it ever falls into the wrong hands, it could be disastrous. The vision I had was most definitely from the past. I could tell because the way the desert looked. It was almost pristine. You should have no problem getting there as long as you keep your thoughts on your destination."
He walked around behind her and grabbed her right hand she was holding it in. "Now, close your eyes and concentrate. I will have to guide your mind to see the vision I saw." She closed her eyes, and like magic, the vision that Danr saw was playing in her mind. She saw the shadow as it appeared in front of her. She was mesmerized by those blue-gray eyes that stared at her. She felt her arm raise as Danr guided it and sliced the air before them. Midori opened her eyes to the familiar blue and green swirling portal but there was something different about it. There was also a swirl of gray matter that seemed to get bigger and bigger the longer she stared at it. She turned to Danr and hugged him, "Thank you, Master Danr. I will return as soon as I can." He hugged her back, briefly, and then pushed her gently into the Landhluta. He waved to her as she disappeared into it. Danr walked back into his empty home with a smile on his face. 'She will finally get the help she needs. Thank you, Allfather. Please guide her in her endeavors and her safe return here. '
Midori walked through the Landhluta. The farther she went, the Landhluta changed into a void of gray. She saw her destination at the end of the long pathway and continued on her way. She already missed Danr because now she was truly alone, and she didn't know how long she would have to go before she met this man who would train her. Her mind concentrated on the vision Danr passed to her until she stepped out of the Landhluta onto the sandy floor of Hueco Mundo.
The sky was completely eclipsed by the moonlight. It shown down just like the sun did in the Soul Society. The white tides of sand covered her view in all directions. There were rocks, mountains, and large trees that were made of something that looked like fogged quartz. She took in the landscape as the wind blew the sand into small whirlwinds. The feeling of loneliness was more real to her now because Hueco Mundo was so quiet.
She did not know where to start but began on her way farther into the desert. The whirling of sand caused her to wish she had a cloak or a scarf to cover her face. The sand was getting everywhere, but she pushed forward. She heard a rumbling in the desert and hid behind a small group of rocks. She saw a very large group of Hollows that she recognized as Adjuchas coming toward her. She held in her spiritual pressure as to not alert them in passing.
They stopped right in front of her. It felt like they did it on purpose, but Midori kept quiet. The largest of the Adjuchas with the physique of a large ape, a Hollow mask that had four large oval circles under its eyes and a black diamond on its forehead, spoke out to the others. It seemed that this particular Adjuchas was the leader, "There is a group of weaker Hollows just over this ridge. They will be our best bet to get even more power and strength." All the other smaller Adjuchas agreed, except one. It was the smallest in the group, but it had more of an appearance like Midori. It had half a Hollow mask that covered only the top part of its face and wild lime green hair that protruded from it. The nose on the mask was almost in the shape of a beak and below the teeth that graced the edges of it below the nose was the normal flesh color of a human. It spoke up against the large Adjuchas' plans, "Vadin, I don't think that area is a good idea to go to. I mean what if we run into him? He will kill all of us without moving a muscle." The group laughed at how timid the small Adjuchas was, but Vadin tried to calm his comrades nerves, "Errapel, it will not matter if that is his area or not. We, as Adjuchas of Hueco Mundo, are not so easily scared!" Everyone roared in agreement as they raced off toward the west.
'Maybe, the person they were talking about is the person I am supposed to meet. That little Adjuchas seemed really scared of him, though,' Midori's thoughts tried to betray her mission for being there, but she had to push them aside. She needed to find the man with blue-gray eyes and get him to train her. She started off in the direction of the Adjuchas entourage had gone in.
She traveled for what seemed like days, but never found anyone. She didn't even see any of the Adjuchas that she hid from before. It seemed that even as a Soul Reaper, she still moved slower than them, but then again they were huge Hollows who could leap over twenty cars in one bound. The desert just seemed so endless to her. She partook from her supplies from time to time but rationed them equally so that she would not run out before her training was complete.
On the fifth day, Midori was exhausted and found shelter in a dark cave. She walked in only a little bit. She did not want to be surrounded by complete darkness. She took off her backpack and laid it against the stone wall in the cave. She took shelter behind a large stone that protruded from the cave wall, so that if Hollows passed by, they would not spot her. She wanted to make sure that she would not be in any danger while she rested.
The sound of rumbling woke Midori from her rest. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked at her surroundings. "You are finally awake." She looked to her right to see a small Hollow that had only half a mask. It was smaller than any of the other Hollows she had seen thus far in Hueco Mundo. "How long have you been watching me, and why haven't you attacked me?" The Hollow skittishly crawled to her. The front half of its body was a snake and the rest was that of a lizard. It licked its large blacked out right eye without blinking. Midori tilted her head to the side, not sure of what to make of this Hollow. "I have been watching you for a while, now. I did not attack you because you are a Vasto Lorde, and if I did you would have killed me instantly." Midori was puzzled. She had never been suspected of being a Hollow especially not one of such magnitude in the world of Hollows.
She reached her hand out to the little Hollow. She wanted to calm it, but it kept its distance from her, "I am not a Vasto Lorde. I am just a vessel for a Hollow." The little Hollow did not know what to think. It was confused how she could possibly just be a vessel when it knew for sure that she was a Hollow. "I guess I will take your word for it." It curled itself up in a circle and kept its large eyes on her. Midori reached for her backpack and unfolded it. She pulled out an MRE that was half opened from the day before. She began eating it. It tasted like chicken, but it had been dried. She could only assume it was because of it being out of date. She held it out to the little Hollow. It scurried over to the opened MRE and sniffed it. It stuck its tongue on the edge of it and tasted the contents, "Yuck, that is not edible." She laughed. "I would have to agree. What do you eat to survive out here?" It sat back watching her to continue to eat. "Mainly the Reishi or the spiritual energy that makes up Hueco Mundo. From time to time I can eat other smaller Hollows, but never that stuff you have. Yuck." It shook its head in disgust.
Midori was curious about Hollows. She hand only been introduced to the more vicious variety. It caused her to wonder what if all Hollows was like this little one. She wanted it to be true. There would be no need to fight anymore, and the passing of souls would go so smoothly. She wanted nothing more than the fighting to stop. It was something that pained her. To see death, blood, and destruction was not something she wanted anyone to see, especially the next generation. She wanted to put a stop to it if she could. She reached out to the Hollow again. This time it smelled her hand and pushed its small head against the palm of her hand. It felt that she would not hurt it considering she did not seem hostile to it. She smiled at it. "What is your name? Do you have one?" It looked up at her and straightened itself from enjoying the pleasure of her touch. "Haba. You can call me Haba." Midori thought its name was cute. She volunteered her own, "I am Midori. It is nice to meet you, Haba." It smiled an elongated smile. Its tongue pushed out on the left side. It caused Midori to giggle.
Suddenly, another rumbling echoed through the cave. She pushed the MRE back into her backpack and threw it over her shoulder. She stood up causing alarm in Haba. "Haba, what was that?" "It was probably a group of Adjuchas looking for prey. I wouldn't worry about it since you are in here with me." Midori was relieved, but she knew that she needed to find the man with blue-gray eyes. She realized that Haba had to know about him. It would seem she needed to rely on him, "Do you know of a man with blue-gray eyes? He has a jawbone around his neck." Haba scurried behind a smaller rock not far from Midori. It was scarred. "Haba?" She walked over to it to see it was shaking in fear. She placed her hand on top of its head. "It's okay. I am just looking for him. I need to find him." Haba stopped shaking by the touch of her hand and sat there not looking at her. "He can kill any Hollow just being in his presence. If you go to him, you will die, too. Do you want to die, Midori?" She tilted her head sideways. She did not understand what it meant. She had never heard or met a Hollow who could kill only by their presence alone. It intrigued her, but it also concerned her. If this man was to be her new teacher, how would she be able to be around him and not die. 'Why did you send me here, Danr? If this man is who Haba says he is, I will die before getting this Hollow under control,' she wondered.
She pushed her thoughts from her mind, "Haba, it doesn't matter. I need to find him. If he kills me from me being in his presence, it was fate and that was how I was supposed to die." Her willpower to seek out this man caused Haba a little confidence in itself to speak about him, "His territory is in the west of here. If you leave this cave and head toward the west or left, you should find yourself in his territory. The only thing I can tell you is when you see bodies upon bodies of Hollows, you will indeed be in his territory." After saying this, Haba began walking towards the darker part of the cave. It confused Midori. She had thought she found a friend that would travel with her and stop her loneliness, but she was wrong. "I understand Haba. Thank you for helping me as much as you could." It watched her disappear out of the cave, 'I wish you luck, Midori.' It entered into the darkness leaving the entrance to the cave empty.
Midori took Haba's advise and continued on her journey west. The large vast desert before her became something that was boring. Aside from the occasional quartz tree or rock structures, there really were not that many things to look at. She stopped at a nearby tree, placing her hand on its trunk. She decided to make this trip a little on the scientific side. She wanted to know more about the structures in Hueco Mundo. She felt the smooth surface. There was a coolness coming from where her hand was on the tree. She did not know why the tree was this temperature, but it was odd even to her. She made a mental note about it. When she slid her hand against its trunk there were not anything that was rough against the palm of her hand. She reached in her pouch and pulled out a small knife that she brought with her from the Seireitei. She stabbed the tree and chipped off a piece of it. She placed both her knife and the shard of tree in her pouch.
She began to walk away from the tree when she noticed a sound like running water. She turned back to the hole she made and there pouring from the tree was some kind of liquid. She reached out and touched it. It felt like cold water. She cupped her hand and allowed the liquid to fill it. She pulled it to her mouth and breathed in. It smelt like ice, and its coolness pushed into her nose. She pressed her lips to her hand and began to sip it. It was water. "The trees of Hueco Mundo are filled with water?! I would have never expected that, but this water is different from the water Danr gave me. It is pure and cold just like it sat in ice." She took another gulp of the water. It seemed to rejuvenate her. She looked up at the top of the tree as it began to become a clear crystal. It was as if the hole she created caused the contents to spill out like emptying a glass. She hated to waste the water, but she had nothing to put it in. She grabbed the quartz from her bag she had cut out of the tree and placed it back. It stopped the hole up and left the tree from leaking its contents onto the ground. She was relieved and walked away. "It's water quartz. I always thought that was a myth." She smiled to herself as she continued her journey.
At a far off hill that overlooked where Midori stood, a shadow watched her in secret. It saw how to she had some assemblance of care about things as it watched her plug the hole back up in the tree. It smiled, revealing its human like teeth. "You are a curious creature? Are you a humanoid Hollow?" It continued to watch her as she faded in the distance.
It was great that now she found a source of water in case she were to run out. She saw a hill over the valley she was walking in and trudged forward to the top of it. When she reached the top, she found what Haba was talking about. The view was abysmal. It was like the valley was in a deadly haze like what looms over a mass grave. She saw piled upon piles of white bodies that were like skyscrapers to her small body. As she got closer she realized that they were Hollow corpses. It sent chills over her body. She walked slowly into the valley of corpses. There was no blood, and the Hollows were still there. Normally, when a Hollow lost its life, it would disappear if not consumed by another Hollow.
She examined the nearest Hollow to her. Pulling out her medical device from her hip pouch, it whirled alive and beeped three times. The insides of the Hollow was non-existent. It was literally hollow inside. She scanned another one and the same thing happened. It worried her, 'What in Hueco Mundo is going on here?' She walked up to the largest Hollow here and recognized it as Vadin, the ape-like Adjuchas from before. The more she looked around at the circle of Hollows, the Adjuchas from several days prior were all here except the smaller Adjuchas, Errapel. 'Did he not die with the others?' She looked around for signs of Errapel. He was nowhere to be seen.
This scared Midori. She had never heard or seen anything like this. 'These poor souls will never find peace.' She turned the corner of another pile of Hollow corpses, a mixture of small and large Adjuchas, and saw a small humanoid Hollow. She reached out to touch his shoulder, "Errapel?" He turned quickly toward her. She could see in his face, and how scared he was. "How do you know my name?" Midori made sure to keep her expressions calm, "I saw your group several days ago, and the big guy, Vadin called your name out. I recognized you from your hair, and the group that is here. I am glad I found you." She reached out to him again, but he backed away from her just like Haba had. "Are you trying to kill me, Vasto Lorde!?" 'Again, with that.' She shook her head in disagreement to his question.
She slid her backpack off and sat down beside of him. She studied Errapel. He was humanish, but not completely. 'Was he turning into a Vasto Lorde?' She wanted to know what caused the Hollows to transform. "I am not a Vasto Lorde. I am a vessel for a Hollow, maybe that is what you are sensing in me. Haba said the same thing." "A vessel?! Why would you want to be a vessel for a Hollow if you are human?" "Hey, listen, I did not want this Hollow inside of me. I just wanted to be normal, but I was used in an experiment, okay." Midori gave him a look of irritation. She turned her head away from Errapel. She knew she could not reveal to him that she was a Soul Reaper. Danr had told her that doing that would be a mistake, so she kept quiet about it.
Errapel was curious about Midori. He had never seen a human in Hueco Mundo without others, but those were mainly Soul Reapers. He stared at her and could see that the Hollow inside of her had to be powerful for her to give off that kind of aura. It was loud to Errapel, and it carried a weight about it that was larger than his leader, Vadin's. Midori could not stand the silence for long. She had been around nothing but silence and her small interaction with Haba and now Errapel. She wanted him to join her on her journey to find this man with blue-gray eyes. "Errapel, do you know a man with blue-gray eyes?" Her question caused him to jerk his head away to stare at the ground. His body shook in fear just like Haba. Midori could see that it was different with Errapel. Where Haba was afraid of this man it had never met, Errapel's fear seemed a little more like her fear in being alone with Aizen. "You don't have to answer that. Can you answer me something else, though?" he nodded his head, "Would you be willing to journey with me as a companion?" He stopped looking at the ground and stared at her. "You want to become a companion with a Hollow? Are you not afraid of being killed and ate?" She shook her head and pulled her backpack with her as she crawled slowly toward Errapel. She wanted him to know that she was not a threat.
She rested in front of him on her feet. Her backpack right beside of her. "I do. I know you won't attack me. If you were going to, you would have already. Though, I will say, you may not even want to think about doing that at all. The Hollow inside of me is quite deadly, and if I don't transform, I am still a tough opponent." She signaled to her Zanpakuto on her hips. Errapel stared at it. It was strange that Errapel just lost his group and now a human wanted to journey with him. Errapel thought about it for a few minutes. He did not want to enter into the agreement too fast, but in the end, he decided it would be best. They shook hands in agreement that they would watch each other's backs for the time being.
Midori found another cave for them to rest in for the night. She was feeling exhausted after traveling for another five days alone in the desert. She was happy now that she had Errapel with her. She felt that he would be a wonderful companion to have because he seemed to know all about Hueco Mundo. Errapel had lived here for over a hundred years and in those hundred years, the man Midori had been searching for had surfaced among all the Hollows. He was feared by all Hollows, but it never stopped them from going into his territory. Errapel thought her completely insane for going further into his territory but seeing as she was not afraid of him like he was, he decided to trust her and follow her guidance.
Midori offered Errapel some of her MREs. He took them with so much happiness in his face. It seemed that Midori was correct in Errapel not being a full Adjuchas. He was beginning to transform into a Vasto Lorde. They were able to eat food like this to sustain their hunger from eating too many Hollows or humans depending on their choice or what was available. She took that moment to talk to him about it. She wanted to gather more information that would be helpful to the Soul Society, and this was the best opportunity, "Errapel, did your group know about you when you traveled together?" Errapel was confused, "What do you mean? They mostly saw me as a coward and whimpy." "I was meaning, did they know you were turning into a Vasto Lorde while you traveled with them?" Her word surprised him. He did not know what she meant by 'turning into a Vasto Lorde'. The thought never crossed his mind, "You are seeing things."
Errapel could not look at Midori. He knew that she would put things in his mind if he kept listening to her. "Do you know how to transform into a Vasto Lorde? From where I am sitting, you are not that far off from what I can tell about your mask." He looked at her finally and saw the look of curiosity in her eyes. "How can my mask tell you that?" She reached forward toward his face. He let her. She ran her fingers along his mask and then along his jawline that was human in appearance. She looked at his hands. They too were humanoid. She could see him was transforming even now. "So, how many Hollows have you consumed? What have you done differently from your former comrades?" Her questions caught him off guard. While he encouraged her touch, he searched his thoughts to figure out what he did differently from them. Nothing seemed to come to mind. "Do you have a different mindset than they do? Or do you kill mercilessly like they do?" Her words caused Errapel more caution. This time he grabbed her hand and stopped her from touching his face. It pushed her back off her feet onto her back and pinned her down. "Stop meddling!" He jumped up and ran out of the cave. Midori laid there for some time. Her heart racing from Errapel's sudden gesture toward her. She was scared that even this Hollow did not know how he was transforming into a Vasto Lorde or was he too afraid to admit he was more powerful than his former comrades. She was not sure, but it all troubled her.
She got up and stepped out of the cave to find Errapel sitting just outside. He had his legs curled up into his chest. He acted like a child that had been hurt. She crouched down and placed her hand on his leg. She looked at him. "I am sorry, Errapel. I won't meddle or ask you anymore questions, okay. Just come back inside the cave before we attract Hollows." Errapel looked up at her. His golden orbs stared into her violet eyes. "I have been aware of it for some time now. They never knew about it, and I don't know why I was transforming, and they were not." He got up from the ground. Midori rose from her crouched position and grabbed Errapel's hand. She pulled him back into the cave. She did not want him to think horrible about her. She turned when they were inside and hugged him, "Everything is going to be alright, Errapel. Just stay with me, okay." He hugged her back. It was the first time that Errapel had felt anything like what Midori was showing him. It felt nice. He pushed his head deeper into her well-endowed chest. Midori blushed, but knew that Errapel was not doing that because of attraction, but because of comfort. She patted the back of his head to calm him.
Midori and Errapel found refuge against two separate stone outcroppings in the cave and fell asleep. They did not want to be spotted by any Hollows and did not want to encourage them to stop by their cave either. Midori felt relieved that she had a friend in Errapel. She understood him very well, just like the way she felt about her friends in the Seireitei. It calmed her heart and allowed her to rest well in the dark, dank cave in the middle of west Hueco Mundo.
Going further into the vast reaches of the western part of Hueco Mundo, Midori and Errapel got to know each other. Midori talked very minimal about her real life in the Seireitei. She did not want to cause any unnecessary tension between them and possibly ruin their relationship. She knew that keeping her being a Soul Reaper from Errapel was the best thing she could do in order to brave the desert with just the two of them. If he found out the truth out about her, it would only serve to make her search for the man by herself, and she did not want to be alone.
Midori learned about Hollows to a better extent. She learned from Errapel that he was born in Hueco Mundo. "One day, I just opened my eyes. I was smaller back then. I had wings that disappeared when I evolved farther. I don't know how. I did eat other Hollows, but not to the magnitude as the others in my group. I tried my best to understand why I was consuming them. Why I was stopping them from living or reaching the other side. I really never understood the need to kill them and consume them, but after a while, it became a normal habit of mine and those around me. I still searched even more for that missing link I felt was gone inside of me. It is strange though, after meeting you, Midori, I feel like that link is connecting little by little. I wonder if it's my want of a true companion who listens to me and encourages me to find the truth in things. I feel more like you than I am sure you feel like a Hollow." Midori smiled at him. She was beginning to understand the connection between becoming the next evolution of Hollow. While consumption of other Hollows is needed till a point, it was a missing link that the Hollows had to fill in order to complete their evolution. "It's like finding the meaning of life," Midori wondered. She felt closer to Errapel now that he explained a little more about himself. Midori mind pondered if she could trust him with who she was. She felt horrible not telling him, but she kept herself guarded for her protection.
Time in Hueco Mundo continued to seem like it stood still. Midori could never tell how many hours passed, let alone how many days. She asked Errapel about it, "How do you tell time here in Hueco Mundo? The sun does not rise, the moon does not set. It just seems odd." Errapel had never travelled outside of Hueco Mundo before, "What is a sun?" He had never seen one before. "It is a bright ball of gas that rising and falls with the world as the world rotates. Outside of Hueco Mundo, there are places that have a day and night cycles. This is how we tell the passing of days." Errapel understood the concept rather well. It seemed the more intelligent conversation Midori had with him, the better he grasped the concepts well.
He looked up at the moon to explain to her the way to tell time in Hueco Mundo, "The moon has phases that you can see in the sky. There is a shadow that dances on the moon from day to day. I have watched the moon before day by day to tell how many days it takes to complete a lunar cycle. By my calculations since the moon is waning or shadowing from the east to the west, it is the sixth day of the month." "The sixth day? How do you know it is not later in the month? How do you know it is changing from the east to the west?" Errapel walked up behind Midori and grabbed her hand. He was as tall as she was, perhaps an inch taller. His chin rested on her shoulder as he pointed her now extended finger to the moon. "As you stand here facing the moon, you can see this shadow," he moved their hand together along the ridge of the shadow that was eclipsing the moon, "is moving to the west. If it was later in the month, the shadow would be over here and moving east." He stopped for a moment to look at Midori before dropping her hand and resuming his spot beside of her, 'Sorry for being so close to you. I just wanted you to understand it better." "Thank you for the demonstration. I enjoyed it." She smiled at him. She did not feel uncomfortable with Errapel being near her. She enjoyed their talks, and his explanation on how to tell time in Hueco Mundo helped her understand how long she had been there. It had already been 21 days since she arrived, and she was no closer to finding the blue-gray eyed man. She was frustrated.
Errapel was trusting Midori more and more every day. It was strange for his race to even care about humans let alone allow them to live long after they came into contact with them. She shared her rations with him as they traveled, and this caused Errapel to understand more about her demeanor. He could see that Midori was a very useful human and that whatever reason she was here, he wanted to help her. He was resolved to stay by her side.
Several months after their talk about telling time in Hueco Mundo, Midori had gotten the hang of telling it on her own. She was confident that she had been there now six months and still no sign of the man who would train her. She was not observant to realize that since her entrance into the west area of Hueco Mundo, that someone had been following her. They watched her from a distance, keeping their identity a secret. They wanted to know why a human was in Hueco Mundo, and why the human had the aura of a Vasto Lorde. It also felt something else inside of Midori, but unless it got closer, it would never figure out what it was. It was resolved just to stay back and watch her. Curiosity arose in it even about her relationship with Errapel. It could not comprehend her being around him, or why Errapel had not killed her yet. "Perhaps, he is scared of her killing him. I'm sure he can sense that Vasto Lorde inside of her, wouldn't you say, Lilynette?" a male's voice asked a smaller shadow that appeared beside of him. "I don't know, but her presence here is dangerous and borderline stupid, Starrk." He huffed out a small chuckle as they kept their distance, but their eyes watched her like a hawk.
The six months that had passed, Midori and Errapel would hide from large groups of Hollows who had not been killed by the man she searched for. When they tired, they rested in a nearby cave they found for a few hours and continued on their search when they were well rested. Midori was frustrated one day and just stopped in the middle of nowhere, "What can I do to get him to appear? THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" Her voice echoed as if they were in an empty room. Errapel ran to her and clasped his humanoid hand over her mouth. "Don't be so loud, Midori. You will give away our location." She grabbed his hand gently and pulled it away from her mouth. "I am sorry, but I am so tired of looking. This desert goes on for miles. I have not seen anything different in the past six months. It is just irritating. It seems that Danr was only sending me here to die of boredom in this horrible desert." She flopped down on the ground as Errapel looked down at her. He was not amused by her giving up. He too was confused on why they had not seen the man that reigned over this territory. He would normally appear just to clear out Hollows from bothering him, but over the past six months there had been no sightings of him, and their discoveries of piles of dead Hollows were few and far between.
Midori sat up to look at Errapel when Seigi's voice boomed from her Zanpakuto, "My lady!" Errapel was startled by his voice appearing out of nowhere. He turned quickly to Midori and saw her talking to herself, "Seigi?" His voice was immediate and worried, "There is a large spiritual pressure that is coming toward you at fast speeds. I think it senses you." Midori leapt from the ground and pulled her Zanpakuto from her sheath, "Errapel, there is something coming toward us. I don't think we can hide this time." He went on guard next to Midori as a large gust of wind pushed against them and before them a humanoid Hollow appeared, "Midori it's a Vasto Lorde! Run!" Errapel tried to push her to run, but she stood her ground. She looked him, "I will be fine. We can do this together." Midori did not want to fight this Hollow. It was more human than Errapel. Its face was completely like hers, and its entire body was clad in Hollow armor. There was a small trace of its mask that enclosed around its head in a crown. "I have found you! Now, DIE!" Its raspy voice echoed as it charged them.
Midori stabled her body for impact as she awakened her shikai. Errapel was surprised at the change in her katana and was even more when one of the axes disappeared and a green shield wrapped around them to stop the sharp needle like weapon the Hollow had from coming in contact with them. The Vasto Lorde reared back and slammed its needle back into Midori's shield, "Skuld? How much more can you endure." Errapel heard a woman's voice as it came from the green shield in front of him, "I can handle a few more strikes at best, Mistress. Are you already thinking about a plan?" "Yes, I am prepared." Errapel saw in Midori's eyes that she was determined to take this Vasto Lorde down. When the Vasto Lorde slammed four more time, Midori felt it was time. She looked at Errapel, "Jump away when you see me jump away, got it." He nodded his head in agreement. When the shield began to crack, Midori flashed stepped behind the Vasto Lorde. She pushed out fifty percent of her spiritual pressure and kicked the Vasto Lorde in the side. It went flying away from them.
Errapel was surprised at how fast Midori was, and her strength alone caused him to stare in shock. He did not know what to do, but Errapel was glad that Midori was part of his team. "Errapel, you don't need to let your guard down. This Vasto Lorde means business. BE ON GUARD!" As she said this, the Vasto Lorde went on the attack toward Errapel. Midori tried to flash step to block the hit, but the Vasto Lorde swung its needle at Errapel's head. It collided with his mask, and it broke off bits of it which fell on the ground, leaving blood dripping down Errapel's head.
Midori swung her white war ax at the Vasto Lorde, and it jumped back. "Are you okay?" Errapel was too shocked looking at the blood on his hands. He looked up at Midori and noticed that her body was glowing green. He could see a shield that enclosed itself around her body. Errapel wanted to be as strong and determined as Midori was. He wanted to protect her instead of her always protecting him. This one desire caused his body to glow. It brought Midori's and the Vasto Lorde's fight to a halt as they watched Errapel glow. The Vasto Lorde started backing up when it felt the immense power coming from Errapel. It was scared of Errapel.
Midori was mesmerized as she realized that she was witnessing first hand an Adjuchas transforming into a Vasto Lorde. She smiled at him as a blur swept past her and collided with the Vasto Lorde that attacked them. She saw the wild lime green hair of Errapel as he stood body to body with the Vasto Lorde. Midori could see that the Vasto Lorde that attacked them had lost all expression out of its eyes as Errapel pulled a large staff from its body. The staff had a large crescent moon that was on the end of it and there were barbs that came out from the sides of it down about a third of the way. Midori felt a surge of fear enter her mind as Errapel turned back to her. His eyes were solid golden embers.
She back away from Errapel. He saw the fear in her face and looked away. Midori did not know if this was the same Errapel that she knew before. She stopped herself from moving and kept her eyes on him. Errapel started walking to Midori. He made sure to calm himself as he reached her. His eyes had changed to a cyan color as he stared into her violet eyes. She could see his transformation better. He was now a partially transformed humanoid. His mask that was broken by the Vasto Lorde had all but disappeared except for a diamond in the center of his head that extend down the bridge of his nose to a small beak that was his nose. His hands were still human, but his body was hollow armor. Under his arms were white and black feathers, and his hair was wild around his face but had a long thick braided strand that came from the back of the head and fanned out at the bottom like a birds tail.
Midori tilted her head and reached forward to Errapel. She had tears in her eyes as she dropped her Zanpakuto and pulled him into a hug. She was relieved that her friend was still the same Errapel as he was before he became a Vasto Lorde. Errapel was happy that Midori still accepted him as a friend. He dropped his staff and hugged her back. He was happy that he had made a friend like her.
Midori looked at the Vasto Lorde that Errapel killed. It was not disappearing. She let go of Errapel. She bent down and picked up her Zanpakuto that had transformed back and placed it back in her sheath. She pulled her medical device out of her pouch and walked toward the dead Vasto Lorde. She was curious if it was only the man who left them hollow inside or was it all deaths given to them by other Hollows that caused them to become that way. Errapel watched her curious as to what she was doing. He picked his staff up and walked to her. "Midori?" She let the medical device scan the dead Vasto Lorde, and it showed her that it was hollow just like the others. This caused her heart to beat fast as she came to the conclusion that they were the same. These Hollows killed by their kind would live an eternity in the Hell Verse, never being allowed to return to their bodies. 'How long does it take for their bodies to decay? Is the desert of Hueco Mundo made up of the decayed bodies of past Hollows who were killed and not devoured,' her thoughts caused more anxiety to appear inside of her. She looked around her at the sand. Errapel did not know what to do. He was concerned for Midori because she was not acting right. She was not chipper or irritated. This was a different view from her that he was not aware of. "Midori, are you okay?" She ignored him.
Like what she learned from Kisuke, when the unknown makes itself known, you have to examine it. She touched the hole in the Vasto Lorde's chest and pulled it open. The crackling of flesh being pulled open caused her to gag a little. The sound of bone breaking and the squishing of flesh and muscle between her fingers made her cringe her nose. She did not have gloves on, but she had to make sure. She finally got its chest open to reveal that everything inside of it had vanish with its life. She jerked away from it, holding the back of her hand against her mouth. She got up the best she could and hobbled away from the scene to hunch over and vomit on the desert floor. She had tears in her eyes. 'What was it about Hollow weapons that caused this turmoil in their victims,' she pondered as she used the sand to get rid of the slimy blood that covered her hands. It was not the same as humans blood, it was thick, and the smell was worse than rotten eggs. There was no metallic smell in it like human's blood.
Errapel noticed that Midori was trying to figure out things about Hollows deaths. He saw how she examined the Vasto Lorde. He knew that all of this was too much on her. He walked over to Midori and placed his hand on her shoulder. She snapped out of her dazed mourning and stood on her feet. She used the top of her forearm to wipe away her tears.
She pushed her bag off of her back and pulled out a canvas bag of water. She washed her hands in it and then drank down a huge gulp. She held it out to Errapel, who took a drink from it. He was still worried about her. He knew that she was not happy about seeing that Vasto Lorde's death, but it had to happen or they both would have been killed by it. Errapel did not say anything to Midori in hopes that her demeanor would change. They walked away from the scene of their battle, heading deeper into the desert.
The shadows that had been following Midori were interested in why she ripped open the Vasto Lorde's chest. As they saw her get farther away, they went to inspect it. "Why would you be curious about this?" As Starrk pulled open the chest, he saw the empty insides of the Hollow. He never knew this about Hollows either, and he had been alive for over a hundred years. "Nasty! Starrk stop messing inside of that thing!" Lilynette kicked him in the side. He winced at the pain, but looked at her, "Its empty. There's nothing left. Is this what Hollows do to other Hollows? I wonder if that was what she wanted to know when she pulled it open?" He was even more curious about her. She could fight, he saw that, but she was interested in the anatomy of Hollows and even was interested in the terrain of Hueco Mundo. It caused even more questions to burn in his mind for when he would finally have the nerve to speak to her. He was afraid to get close to her. He did not know if he could.
The seasons did not change in Hueco Mundo. The climate stayed the same. During the day it was a nice regular temperature, and at night it only cooled a little. There was no reason to have any large coats or blankets to provide warmth. It was the perfect paradise except for the Hollows and the eternal moon in the sky. Midori had gotten used to the climate, the terrain, and the monsters that lurked in the dark. Errapel did not ask her about what she had done a month ago to the Vasto Lorde. He did not see the need, and Midori's demeanor had changed back to her normal self. She had struggled with it for a while but realized that if they had not killed the Vasto Lorde, it would have killed them. She accepted it, but she still felt bad about it being trapped to an eternity in the Hell Verse. It would never be introduced back into the cycle of rebirth like so many humans, Hollows, and Shinigami were. It was like all the piles of Hollows that the man who reigned over this territory created. They were empty shells, and they had no way back. It pained her to think about it.
Midori expressed her happiness for Errapel transforming into the next stage of evolution for Hollows. He was happy that she was. They travelled farther until Midori felt a sense of dread overcome her. She could feel it herself that something horrible was around them. It was harder for them to hide from Hollows now that she had exposed her spiritual pressure to the world of Hueco Mundo. She tried very hard to suppress her spiritual pressure, but something else was attracting the Hollows to them in waves. She could only think of one instance and that was when her parents were killed. The Adjuchas just came from nowhere, but it wanted her. The orange glow appeared in her mind, and part of her became aware that there was someone else inside of her. She had seen it in her ordeals but ignored it. She knew there was something more going on inside of her than the normal spiritual pressure that most Soul Reapers had. She could feel it pulsing through her even after she had sealed her own spiritual pressure, but she came to the conclusion that she was on edge being in this world for so long without any results. She wanted to attract the guy who would train her, but she did not like the fact that she was a magnet for Hollows. Her and Errapel fought them off as much as possible.
After the last series of Hollows, they encountered, Midori and Errapel ran off toward a mountain range that was in view. They thought going there would help them hide from the Hollows and seek comfort from a cave. As they came into the range, the area around them was a little more than quiet, it was so silent that anyone could hear a needle drop. As they walked deeper into the mountain range, they found an open space that looked like a cove. The mountain range ended in a crescent moon space. Midori looked at Errapel. She could feel something horrible was about to happen. Errapel gave her a look that they needed to go back, but as they turned around they came face to face with another group of Adjuchas. They were larger than the last, but their brains were not as advanced. Errapel and Midori made quick work of them. Midori told Errapel that she would take the last blow of all Hollows from now on and their strategy would be for Errapel to weaken them and Midori to end them. Each one that collided with Midori's Zanpakuto vanished. Errapel still was trying to get used to it. He still did not understand why she wanted it to be this way, but he never asked her. He figured she did it out of pity for the Hollows they fought.
After Midori sliced the last Hollow that was about two feet taller than her, a loud cackle came from above them. They turned around and a white blur flashed across the sky as it grabbed Midori and slung her against the rocky wall. The wind was knocked out of her as she fell to the ground on her stomach. "MIDORI!" Errapel pulled his staff in a fighting stance and charged at the Vasto Lorde before him. Midori looked up at Errapel fighting the Vasto Lorde. It was more powerful than the last one they encounter when Errapel became a Vasto Lorde himself. She noticed that it was different, too. It was completely human with a Zanpakuto on its hip. 'How do you have that?' she asked herself. She tried to get up, but her ribs screamed at her. Every breath that she took in caused her to feel them scraping the side of her left lung. She coughed rather harshly, and blood appeared on her hand. She realized she was worse than she thought. The Vasto Lorde had broken a few of her ribs. She immediately used Kaido on it to heal it back before helping Errapel. She kept her eye on him to make sure he did not get too over powered by the Vasto Lorde.
It hurt her as her ribs began to mend themselves. It caused her to think back at when Captain Unohana had to heal her ribs from where Kenny had kicked her. She smiled a little, trying to avert the pain. She saw more of the Vasto Lorde the more she watched their fight. It had long purple hair that went down to its hips. She saw that its mask was two large ears that made it look like a humanoid rabbit. It was dressed in a white uniform that showed a hole in its stomach right below its large breasts. 'This Hollow is a female?' Midori concluded as her ribs became fully mended.
She grabbed her Zanpakuto and without hesitation, she called forth Verdandi. Her blades changed into double headed war axes seeped in poison. She flashed stepped toward this new form of a Hollow and sliced at its legs. Her black axes collided with its leg as she made a clean cut. The poison gurgled as she slid out of the way, keeping her eyes on the Hollow. Errapel saw Midori's stance and he jumped out of the way. Midori raced toward the Hollow to deliver another slice, but the Hollow turned around and large claws began to expand from her right hand toward Midori. She could not flash step fast enough to get out of the way and as she could feel those claws close in on her, she felt her body vibrate, and she did not feel the impact of the claws against her body. Midori opened her eyes in surprise. 'What was that?' She had never moved this fast before. The Hollow turned fast to her and in a flash was right behind her. Midori closed her eyes and again she was behind the Hollow. They continued this for some time. "Could you stand still human!" The Hollow wanted Midori dead, but Midori was just as fast as the Hollow was.
On top of the mountain range, Starrk and Lilynette watched their fight with a Hollow that was like they were. He watched as Midori had learned a new defensive maneuver that only Hollows knew. He smiled at her advancement but watched closely. He was not about to let this Hollow take her life because he would step in if that were the case.
Midori was getting tired. Whatever this new type of flash step was, it was tiring her out. She called to the Hollow, "Why are you trying to kill me?" She stopped and looked at Midori, "Why?! You have it inside of you and I want it, that is why!" It began again, but this time Errapel had come up behind the Hollow and thrusted his spear at her. He caught the Hollow in the side and pushed her to the side. Errapel walked in front of Midori trying to protect her, "What did she mean its inside of you?" "I don't know what she is talking about." She didn't know, but she had a hunch that it had to do with the magnet inside of her, the orange glow that attracted them. Errapel had his mind on Midori and did not notice that the Hollow had gotten back up. She pulled out her Zanpakuto and swung at Errapel. Midori saw the swing. Without thinking, she slammed her axes against it. The impact caused a large burst of spiritual pressure to engulf the land cove.
It pushed out into the recess where Starrk and Lilynette were. It slid him and Lilynette back a little from their standing position. The spiritual pressure that was exerted caused Starrk to become more curious about Midori, but he could feel that she was having a hard time with this Hollow. It shown on her face. She was not strong enough to kill the Hollow. It was only a matter of particularly placed moments that would allow her to continue to stand against it any longer. He watched her as she used a series of different offensive and defensive tactics against the Hollow, but each one was taking a toll on her.
Midori could feel it in her arms and legs. They were shaking, and she could not control it. Her fear and anxiety were getting the better of her. Errapel sat there and watched how hard Midori was fighting. He never saw her fight so hard. He tried to get to his feet but found that he could barely move. He remembered back to the burst of spiritual pressure and realized that their explosion had sent him against an outcropping of rocks. The impact must have caused his left leg to buckle because he could not find a way to move it. Midori would be alone in this fight. He worried for her. Several times Errapel took his staff and dug it into the ground to pull himself back up, but nothing. He sat there defeated.
Midori pushed out eighty percent of her spiritual pressure against this Hollow. She had to do something or her and Errapel would die. She knew that she could not go beyond this or her Hollow would surface and, she did not want that to happen. She used Skuld's power to create a shield around her that would retract for her to from her right side so she could attack and then extend back to protect her. She went back and forth with the Hollow for a while. Her body was exhausted from the long drawn out battle. She thought about using Urd, but she did not want to lose control of her body. She would eventually fight against Errapel, and she did not want that. She turned her head enough to see him sitting against the rocks trying to get up, 'Did he get injured?'
Her mind was so focused on him that she did not notice Skuld's shield break and the Hollows Zanpakuto sliced down her face. She winced in pain as she used her new flash step to get out of the way. Blood covered the left side of her face as she tried to use Kaido. The Hollow was not about to let her heal herself, and as he charged her, a shadow appeared in front of her. The Hollow immediately fell over onto the ground. Her body was lifeless. Midori looked at her, but there were no injuries. 'She just killed over,' she told herself. She looked up to see a man before her and a child appeared not long after that. "Are you alright?" His voice shocked her. 'Is he here to save me?' She was glad but worried that he wanted something more from her than to help.