Chapter 30: Unexpected encounters

Orihime found herself in quite the battlefield, as she put it to herself. One could nearly see the sparks that flew between the green haired beauty and the blue arrancar while those around them watched. It had been bad enough that Nel hadn't spoken a single word to Grimmjow, ignoring him just enough to let him know plain and simple; I know you're around, but we have nothing to discuss between us. The heavy mood further amped up when the rest of the arrancars that went with Nel joined up in Hueco Mundo and she expressed her relief after seeing that all of them made it safe and sound. She then offered to take her to Aizen to finish up there and asked her companions to head back without her. And yet, in all that time, she hadn't so much as glanced at Grimmjow.

She offered showing her around Las Noches as they went to meet Aizen and offered her a place amongst one of her companions' palaces until Aizen allotted her own space.

"I was going to meet Tia and the others anyways, and it would be good for you to meet them too" she said.

And that's how she found herself in her current predicament. Naturally everyone was waiting for Nel to explain things considering that Grimmjow had only responded half heartedly and refused to say anything more. And that's when Nel told them in brief about what she'd discovered Grimmjow doing to Ruby's siblings. The reactions were…..interesting to say the least, told Orihime to herself. Because of all the things she'd imagined about arrancars and hollows and the like, she never expected they would act so human.

Tier sighed, nodding her head. Nel and Grimmjow refused to look at each other, standing at opposite sides. Pesche and Dondochaka were by their master's side, trying to comfort her while the Tres Bestias by their own master's side, snickering and looking at the blue arrancar with condescending looks. Even Orihime felt pity for the guy, seeing as how he was practically being roasted from every possible direction. Tier went over to Nel, placing a hand over her shoulder.

"Nel, you know better than anyone that sometimes these things happen during missions. Things may not have been pleasant, but don't you think that method aside, he had his own way of helping her?" asked Tier.

"That's not it, Tia! It would've been different if we had problems because of external factors! But this was something we could've completely avoided! And despite telling him time and time again, he still went and did the EXACT same thing I asked him not to do!" she snapped back. "Urgh, he's never changed in over a century!" Indeed, when Nel had first spoken to Orihime, she felt they were similar in a lot of ways. For one, she got the impression that Nel was as soft spoken as she was. So, it was surprising for her to see her snap like that.

"While I can't refute that" she said, turning back and narrowing her eyes at Grimmjow. "Things ended just fine didn't they? Sure, they might have been roughed up a little, but I do agree that this will discourage them from being involved more so than if we'd just avoided them"

"Well atleast someone gets it" scoffed the blue arrancar.

"Grimmjow, I'm not done with you just yet" snapped Tier, shutting him down once more. "Anyways Nel, I think you did really well in managing the situation. Why don't you go get some rest?"

"I'm not that tired" she said irritably. "I don't really feel like resting. A certain someone just spoilt that"

"Hey, relax" said Starrk. "It's not like you to be so upset. And besides, in all the time we've spent together, we've been trading blows with each other all the time. So what's one time more? You know him better than anyone, right?"

"That's not it!" she growled, before her expressions turned soft and averted her eyes. "That's not what I was worried about…" she repeated again slowly. Lilynette seemed to have noticed something was amiss.

"Don't tell me…..is it something with Ruby?" she asked.

"That day…..after she came back from visiting Ichigo and little Yuzu tagged along with her, I was worried about how she would be holding up, so I tailed her. Her….her nightmares were back"

"No….!"

Flashback

Things appeared fine from what Nel could see, and she actually felt quite guilty about having tailed Ruby for so long. And besides, it hadn't been easy. She had to maintain quite a big distance between themselves and had to conceal her reiatsu as much as she could while moving. And who could mention keeping her emotions in check? For a long, long time, Ruby had spent no effort watching over Yuzu but also making sure she was as tough on her as she could be, only aiding her when she absolutely needed to. And then, the two of them fell flat on the sandy dunes of Hueco Mundo, Yuzu falling asleep first out of sheer exhaustion and then Ruby after she was certain that her sister was safe and sound asleep. Nel almost felt guilty for tailing them and watching them in secret. However, just as she was about to leave, she heard a shrill cry coming from behind her. Ruby's shrill cry.

"Ruby!" she called out, rushing towards her immediately. She could see the Ruby shivering and shaking, her eyes wide. Her breathing was laborious, and she was starved for breath.

"Ruby!" called out Nel, placing her hands on her shoulders. "What's wrong?! Are you feeling alright?"

"Ne..Nel..? What're you…?"

"Onee….chan….?" asked Yuzu groggily, rubbing her eyes. It was evident that the day had taken its toll on her and despite such a loud disturbance around her, she still hadn't woken up completely. However, the concern on her face was clear. "Is something the matter..?"

"Ah….it's…" she replied, her mind slowly coming to terms with the reality around her. "It's nothing, just a nightmare…..I'll be fine, don't worry" assured Ruby, rubbing Yuzu's head. "Let's go back to sleep"

"Are you sure….?" Asked the wheat haired girl.

"Yeah" she replied firmly, with a smile. She seemed satisfied with the answer as the kurosaki twin immediately slumped into Ruby's laps, going back to her tired slumber. Ruby then looked at Nel.

"Nel…..what're you doing here…? Don't tell me…..you've been following me?" she asked with an unpleasant face.

"I didn't mean to…but considering what happened earlier, I just had to make sure. And I was right" she said.

"I'll be fine, Nel. Really. You needn't have come all this way you know" said Ruby in a matter-of-factly way.

"No you aren't! Look at you! It's clear something's really bothering you! Why else would you be calling out to Masaki again after 6 long years?!" asked Nel. "Please…..I understand that it wasn't easy to see all that your siblings have gone through in the time you weren't there for them. But this doesn't have to be your responsibility alone. Because even Masaki wouldn't want for you to fulfil her wishes at your cost. Why not take it easy for a while and let us handle Yuzu-chan? We can take care of her. Or better yet, why don't we just drop her back with her family? Nobody will blame you for doing that. I think you should take some time off" she suggested softly. But Ruby shook her head.

"No Nel. This is something only I can do. I HAVE to do. Don't worry. I promise I wont freak out like that again. What happened today was just fresh on my mind. But I know I'll be fine. So yeah, don't worry and head back to the others. I promise I'll drop by every now and then" she replied, and Nel knew that Ruby was quite adamant about training Yuzu by herself. Nel could only sigh in defeat.

"You're as stubborn as always" she said, shaking her head. "But what I said still stands alright? I want you to promise me that you'll leave this to us should anything like this happen again, alright?" asked Nel firmly.

"…Nel….."

"Promise me, Ruby. I'm not taking no for answer" she repeated herself firmly.

"…alright Nel. I promise" she sighed. Nel let out a sigh of relief.

"It's settled then" she said, before she returned back to Las Noches.

Flashback end

"And because of a certain battle crazy maniac, the very thing she feared for her siblings came to pass by our own hands!" said Nel. Silence followed after she finished recounting that incident. Orihime was the first one to break the silence.

"Umm…it may seem strange saying this, but let's not argue over this anymore….I know you didn't mean anything bad" said Orihime reluctantly. "Of course, I'm worried for Kurosaki-kun, Karin-chan and Tatsuki-chan. But I also know that you all care for them too. I know you wouldn't do anything that would hurt them or Ruby-san. If possible, I'd like for us all to work together"

"….she's right, Nel. You said it yourself, didn't you? This needn't be her responsibility alone. We can do our part too. And I'm sure that he was thinking the same thing, in his own way" said Tier, looking at Grimmjow. "Let's all take some time to calm down and then we can decide how we do things. How does that sound?"

"…..alright" sighed Nel. "I really can't refuse you when you ask me like that. But before that, I think we can all agree that we should keep this from Ruby. We're lucky she isn't here, so let this stay within ourselves. She has enough on her plate already. Not to mention her nightmares. If we're doing this together, let's start with this" she suggested. "But….before that, I have another favour to ask. Specifically, from you, Orihime"

"Me…?"

"Yeah. I do feel bad for asking considering that what's happened. But….if it helps her, then I'm willing to do what I can. It regards Ruby. If possible, do you think you could…..heal her scars?" she asked.

"That's…."

"I'm willing to do anything you ask for. But if you can just help me with that I-"

"That's alright, Nel-san. Even if you hadn't asked, I would've done so. Actually, when she came over to the World of the Living, I asked her the same thing. But she refused, saying how she'd learnt to live with them and that it was not something to be concerned about" replied the orange haired girl.

"…..so she's still like that huh…?" said Nel to herself, sighing. "Even so, I want to heal her. Every time I see her like that, I get reminded of all the suffering she's had to go through then and now. It's a bitter reminder for me, for all of us that we weren't there for her when she needed it. And to me, it's a constant reminder of the pain she's in. Please, it's all I ask" she pleaded. Orihime then looked away.

"Nel-san….I'm sorry to say but…."

"Nel…..you know that won't work" said Tier sympathetically. "After all, you were the one who told us what Aizen said about her abilities correct? She can 'reverse any event or thing to a state before things changed them'. Honestly, I have trouble believing such a god-like ability even exists. But with the little one, there was never a time or state when she was without her scars, atleast as an arrancar. The only time when she was without her scars was when she was a vasto lorde. But if she attempts to reverse her to that state, who knows what might happen to Crescent and Summer? There's no telling what could happen"

"Ah….." gasped Nel in realization and also in disappointment. Tier then placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It'll be fine, Nel. You aren't the only one worried for her. One day, she'll be able to overcome the huge burden and guilt she carries. And on that day, I'm sure that she'll be able to get over her nightmares, her trauma and her scars. And I'm sure, we'll be able to see the little one from before" she said with a smile.

"Your reishi is too tense. Loosen it up a little and then try to twist it. That makes for a stronger seal" said Summer from within.

"Understood, master" she replied, relinquishing control of reishi in her right hand. She tried to visualize the flow of reishi, attempting to reduce turbulence in its flow. Summer had been very patient with her, considering that this was probably the 50th time she was working on the same bakudo spell. But she was just as tenacious as Summer had been patient with her. Even now, she couldn't understand how one could be so patient and show so much genuine care for her. She, who had done nothing but scorn Summer since her arrival here with Aizen, Gin and Tosen in Hueco Mundo.

"Your reishi is one thing, but you needn't be so stiff either, Momo-chan. Calling me 'Master' feels a bit awkward teehee!" Summer didn't know if Momo was calling her that way to show her respect, or if she did so because Momo found Summer disagreeable and simply wanted to keep things 'professional' because Aizen ordered her to. Right now, the emotions she felt off from her could sway either way.

Momo still remembered the first time she approached the enigmatic soul reaper now turned Zanpakuto. It was right after her first mission to escort Orihime Inoue to Hueco Mundo. Though it was executed perfectly, the words that Aizen told her regarding her own weakness remained etched in her mind. Even during the mission, she wanted nothing more than to get back to training and improve her skills. That was when she remembered Aizen's suggestion regarding Summer Rose.

It hadn't been easy, particularly for her. Because not only was Summer Rose a 'wild, estranged soul reaper' as some of the other Espada put it, she'd shown time and time again that she cared little for consequences, especially when it came to talking to and dealing with Aizen. And that never did sit well with her. Despite the fact that Aizen asked her to look at that which lay beyond her rebellious persona, she simply couldn't see it. However, it was also true that Summer and by extension, Ruby, were very different from all of the other arrancars and soul reapers. Maybe, just maybe, Summer was different compared to the soul reapers back home. Just like her captain, she thought. After all, it wasn't often that an arrancar decided to form bonds with other humans, even considering them family and siblings. And despite being a soul reaper, she knew that Summer still preferred to stay in Hueco Mundo, clearly voicing her opinion about fighting soul reapers if it ever came to that.

And so, she did go to see Ruby. And as always, she was there, watching over Yuzu who was now sitting cross legged, her Zanpakuto in her lap and her eyes closed in meditation.

"Is she…..training for Bankai?" asked Momo.

"Uh huh. She's gotten as strong as she can get in her shikai form. I thought it might be appropriate to teach her how to reach bankai" replied Summer from within. "Of course, her kido could still improve. But for now, her Zanpakuto skills are about as strong as they are"

"Summer-san….?" acknowledged Momo.

"The one and only" replied Summer.

"Where's Ruby…?" she asked.

"Sleeping. And besides, I'm better suited to teaching Yuzu-cchi how to fight like a Shinigami. With all the visits she keeps getting, we might as well have stayed at Las Noches. What does that four eyes want now?" she sighed. Momo stiffened.

"Summer-san, I kindly ask you not call Lord Aizen that way" said Momo, irritated.

"Well, he doesn't mind me calling him that and I don't see why I should. Besides, he isn't even here. You really should consider calling your dear 'Lord Aizen' by some nicknames you know? It's the first step to getting closer to the man you love! Trust me, I'd know! If you'd like, I'll even give you some suggestions!"

"Summer-san, just stop!" snapped Momo uncharacteristically. Why? She asked herself. Why was she having to deal with all this?!

"Sheesh, you really need to learn to relax a little, ya know? At this rate, you'll get wrinkles from how much you've been glaring at me" she sighed. But when feelings of anger continued to grow from Momo, Summer didn't feel like she wanted to proceed further.

"Fine fine, no need to be so mad at me you know? C'mon, I'm just pulling your leg! It was just a joke!" she insisted.

"I'm sorry, but that wasn't funny" she huffed. "Anyways, Lord Aizen asked me to consult you regarding training with kido. So I thought I'd pay a visit"

"That's surprising….he's very proficient at kido. Heck, I'm only familiar with Bakudo and some healing kido. My hado spells are average at best. He's much better suited to teaching you than me. What's he thinking?"

"I don't know. But if Lord Aizen said so, he must have a really good reason for it. So I hope you'll be willing to help me out" she asked.

"…Hmm…..that's fine and all…but there's just one teensy weensy problem" she cooed.

"A problem…?"

"Yup! It's very important, and without it, I'm afraid I can't help you out" she replied.

"What is it?"

"You forgot to say 'please~~'" she cooed. Momo stared at the estranged Shinigami, stunned and dumbfounded. Was this woman being serious?! She was doing this one purpose, wasn't she? Of course she was. She could sense emotions. She would've picked up that she didn't particularly like her. She was doing this just to get back on her. She had half a mind to leave, but having to face Lord Aizen empty handed and telling him that she'd failed in something so simple was unbearable. And so, swallowing her stubbornness, she decided to spell it out. But….

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I don't want to force it. Come here, let's have a look at what you can do first" she called out gently, all manner of playfulness gone from her voice, replaced by sincerity. Momo had very mixed emotions about the whole thing, on one side, being annoyed to the point that she felt ready to lash out screaming. But on the other, she really was surprised to see her be so sincere and show genuine care for her. The tone of her voice instantly reminded her of Unohana.

They spent the next few hours testing all manners of Hado and Bakudo spells, mostly the latter as evident from how Summer would start detailed analysis of her movements, her reishi and everything else for each Bakudo spell. Momo was taken aback to say the least, even though this should come as no surprise. Aizen had been the one to recommend her after all. But even so, seeing it in person had a different impact all together. Momo still wasn't entirely accepting of her 'aloof' nature as Summer herself described herself. One, because it didn't do justice to how eccentric she really was and two, because Summer would leave no opportunity to poke at her by talking about Aizen.

At the end of each session, Momo would be tired, drained out and would want nothing more than to simply slump down and shut off her brain. And yet, as time passed, she found herself seeking her out more often. In all of their sessions, there was never a single quiet moment. Summer made sure to keep her occupied, be it through practice sessions or through conversations. And surprisingly, it was through these conversations that Momo really realized how insightful Summer really was. Something that was belied by her estranged persona, just as Aizen had told her. Though it had been a while, their last conversation was still fresh on her mind.

Flashback

"Hey…..tell me something. Why is someone like you here, doing Aizen's bidding?" asked Summer, watching over her apprentices working on the particularly hard to control Bakudo 63, and neither was doing so well to put it lightly. Momo's kido spell was only conjuring a reishi chain that would disappear the moment it appeared and Yuzu's kept breaking in-between the links. Naturally Summer was having them stay apart to avoid damage to each other. Summer then asked Momo to stop, calling her over. Once she was there, Summer asked her to sit down and went behind her. She then undid her hair bun that had come loose from all the training, and started straightening out her hair.

"Um…what are you doing, Summer-san?" asked Momo, confused.

"Come now, surely it must be sad to have no other women around to do stuff like this once in a while? I can't imagine how taxing it must be to be around those three all day long. I'm sure even you must miss having other girls to talk to. And that's where super-mom comes in! But leave that. Getting back to my previous question, tell me. What is it that drives you to be here?" asked Summer.

"Because I respect him. Do I really need any other reason?" replied Momo, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I was weak, both in mind and in strength. All of my friends and companions had their moments. And each one was strong in his or her own right. Shiro-chan even became a captain. And yet….all I could do, with my weak will, was drag everyone down. Nobody wanted a soul reaper like me in their squad. Even so, Lord Aizen took me in. He praised me, he helped me grow. He was there when I felt the lowest in my life. And he was the one who opened my eyes to everything that my companions hid from me" she replied. "Why would I ever look back? It's only natural that I would follow him"

"I never implied that you being here was a bad thing or was uncharacteristic of you. All I ever asked was why you were here. And yet, seeing as how you went out of your way to tell me all that, are you really trying to convince me or convince yourself?" asked Summer. Momo flinched sharply.

"You aren't the only one who's seen what the Soul Society is capable of. And trust me, it's quite judgmental and narrow minded to think that all of Soul Society is evil simply because of some bad history or bad blood. Even during the times of the bloodiest period of the Soul Society, evils far worse than what you've seen have existed and yet, kindness and goodness far more than what exists today has also existed. What really matters is how firmly we hold on to our principles and ideals under the face of such drastic extremes" she advised.

"That's…."

"You know this, don't you? Or rather, even though you say something to me, your mind and your mannerisms speak something else. After all, if you really did believe everything that four eyes told you, you wouldn't be referring to your old comrades as your 'friends' or by 'Shiro-chan'. Even now…you really want to go back to those days, don't you? You just want to go back to the peaceful times, when you were happy being with Aizen who was nothing more than a goody two shoes, with your childhood friend and with everyone else whom you looked up to"

"No! You're wrong..! I really do respect Lord Aizen from the bottom of my heart, even more so than before! And there might have been a point when I cared for them, but now, I don't….they're the ones who put on a mask in front of me, hiding things from me…! Don't….don't talk as if you can tell!" retorted Momo fiercely.

"Hmm….true, your admiration and respect for Aizen are no doubt, genuine. But so are your feelings for your friends. Denying them and cutting them away because you think they make you naïve is what really makes you ignorant. You really are a nice girl. I'm sure, that under the right circumstances, you would've made an exceptional soul reaper. But nothing is really lost now, Momo-chan. I suggest you really think about what you really want. What truly makes you happy. Happiness that comes from cutting away a part of yourself could never truly be everlasting. The path for you to take is very clear. Difficult, but clear as day. All I want to say is that…you're allowed to do what makes you truly happy" said Summer.

Momo didn't reply for quite a while. Considering that her back was turned towards Summer, it was difficult to say. But finally, all she said was "I…..I know what I want to do. I chose this path and I would never regret my decision. I appreciate the advice, but your concerns are in vain, 'master' " she said. Summer lowered her eyes in sadness and disappointment. "In the end, I wish you'll find peace and self-acceptance, no matter what path you take" she said. "And there, all better now" Summer tied one final knot, Momo's hair now braided with a dark red colored ribbon holding it in place. "Now that's a lovely look for my apprentice. Heehee! This takes me back to those days I spent looking after my little rose!" Momo felt a great rush of emotions, and was unable to pinpoint which one she felt the most. However, it was clear that it had a deeper impact on her than she thought. And with that, the rest of their session continued with relative silence.

Flashback end

Momo clenched her hands, and shook her head.

"This is what I want. I'm here with Lord Aizen. I'm stronger than before. I'm not weak willed. I'm happy. Why would I want anything more?" she asked no one in particular as she sat by her bed. She allowed herself to slump to her bed, staring at the ceiling as Summer's words echoed and resonated within her. Images of those long begotten times flashed once more in her eyes.

"You'll see….I won't ever….lose my way….again" she said to herself, her eyes closing slowly and sleep taking over. However, ever since that time, she never wore her hair in a bun again, and instead chose to keep it braided, the way Summer had done it for her. And unbeknownst to her, her hand clutched over her braid and the ribbon in particular, as it always did every time she went to sleep. And she was none the wiser about her sleeping habit.

"Not now, Crescent. I'm busy" said Ruby with an apologetic look on her face. She was just about done with her short break. The Tres Bestias whom she was helping train were patiently waiting for her to return. Crescent Rose tugged at the hem of her mother's robes once more with baby doll eyes.

"No Crescent, I told you already. We can't go see Ichi and the others. They would be terrified if they find out about your Hell reiatsu" replied Ruby as she knelt down by Crescent's level, her expression becoming graver and more sympathetic. "I'm sorry, I would've loved to introduce you to them. How could I not? But you'll get to see them. Real soon. I promise. Once this is all over, I'll do that the first thing. Alright? For now, why don't you go play with some of the others?" she suggested. But the hooded girl fiercely shook her head, scowling.

"Come on, don't be unreasonable now. I know how much you want to play, and trust me, even I'm swamped with how much work I seem to have these days" sighed Ruby. "Look they're already waiting" she said, pointing to the Tres Bestias. But Crescent simply wouldn't have it. She continued to tug at Ruby's clothes, shaking her head. Ruby's expression soured.

"Crescent, that's enough. If you continue to be this adamant, I'll get really mad" she said, her tone stronger this time. "We can play later all you want. But for now, don't bother me when I'm busy, ok?" Crescent looked downcast, before huffing at Ruby, putting out her tongue and walking away.

"Ooh….she's throwing quite the tantrum…..being a parent can be such a demanding thing. I remember all the times Yang used to have her own tantrums at times too. Are you sure you don't want to chase after her?" asked Summer from within.

"…"

"….It's fine sweetie. She'll be fine. You know how she is. And besides, I'm sure she's just going over to the others. They'll keep her occupied. You have enough on your mind as it is. She'll come back soon enough. Don't worry"

"It's not that mom. I've always indulged her requests, so then why does she have to make things difficult? It's not like I ask her again and again, so then why's she being so childish?" said Ruby.

"Because she is one. Aah~ the troubles of parenthood. It takes me back! As I said, you and your sister have given me and Tai your own fair share of sleepless nights! All I can say is, enjoy it while you can, children grow up before you know it and you'll never get to experience such a feeling for a long, long time after that! Oh but wait, she won't really 'grow up' now will she….? Hoh boy, all I can say is that you have my sympathy" she teased. "Having said that, I do patronize you this time. You've really taken on more than you can handle if I say so myself. My poor, poor honeybun. Everyone simply cant get enough of her, literally! Your mom's so proud and worried at the same time. If only I had my own body, I could help you out. But at the very least, I'll try to offer you my support."

"….Yeah, thanks mom" replied Ruby, before letting out a deep breath and joining with the others.

"You'll have to forgive me, sweetie. As you can see, Auntie Nel is occupied with this oaf" said Nel with an apologetic smile. Crescent looked disappointed, and then looked behind her at the blue arrancar with hopeful eyes.

"Don't even think about it. Unlike you, I don't have time to waste on happy-go-lucky brats. So why don't you just piss off and go bother Harribel or something like you always do" growled Grimmjow, only to be on the receiving end of a double kick to his shins from the green haired beauty and the hooded girl respectively, veins popping in their heads, leaving him reeling with pain.

"I swear, just because you're sour at me for beating you, you'd take it out on her too? Despite being an adult, sometimes I have a hard time believing you're older than Lily is" huffed Nel. She then turned to Crescent, her apologetic face back once more. "I mean, how in the world can you look at those adorable round eyes and even think of being so mean! Honestly, I'd rather just spend the entire day with you rather than that guy" said Nel in a baby voice, pinching her cheeks playfully. "But alas, I need to straighten this guy out at some point. Otherwise you saw how he starts barking at others around him. I'm really sorry, but why don't you go find Tia or Pesche and Dondochaka or some of the others? I promise I'll play with you as much as you want once I'm done with him, 'K?" she said, rubbing her head. Crescent turned around, her spirits low and walked away.

And that's how it was. No matter to whom she went to next, she got the same response. And no matter to whom she went to, they always treated her like a child.

"Ah, you came at a bad time, little one. As you can see, I have a bit of work" replied the blonde beauty. She was in the middle of sparring with Starrk. "Why not ask Ruby? Or Nel? Or even Grimmjow?" she suggested. But Crescent shook her head.

"No luck eh? That's rough" remarked Starrk. "Well, as Tia said, you really do have bad timing. I would've sent Lilynette to you, if I knew where she went that is. But right now, I have no clue" he said absentmindedly.

"I see you still haven't changed this bad habit of yours" sighed Tier. "Unlike the little one here, Lily isn't that strong by herself. You really should learn to exercise some caution, you know?"

"Well, I would if I could. The damn brat just keeps doing whatever she so pleases no matter what I tell her. And at this point, I just give up. It's becoming too much of a pain in the ass" he replied. "But hey, atleast you're not nearly as unreasonable-?". Starrk stopped midway when he noticed the hooded girl had already left them. Starrk groaned again. "Strike that, looking after any brat is too much of a pain" he said.

And then there was Ulquiorra and Orihime. Crescent had been very reluctant to actually meet the 4th Espada, though he would come over to see Yuzu and her mother often. However, after their initial meeting, Crescent just didn't…..find him interesting enough. It was as simple as that. She'd tried a lot of things, naturally, to try and get his attention. Like trying to sneak off with his Zanpakuto, pulling at his clothes to goad him into playing with her, asking her mother to ask Ulquiorra to play with her and so on. But the stoic arrancar simply didn't react as much as she'd hoped he would. One time, she'd even tried challenging him to a mock fight, in hopes that he would get tired of her and simply just play with her in order to avoid the hassle of fighting her. But instead, the guy seriously accepted her challenge and was ready to fight for real. That was when Crescent declared the dark haired arrancar a hopeless case.

Orihime had been very different compared to Ulquiorra. She knew Ulquiorra for 6 years, and yet, to this day, she thought nothing more of him other than her mother's acquaintance. Orihime on the other hand, had only arrived in Las Noches very recently. And yet, she found herself quite comfortable in her company. Of course, she was away a lot of times after being summoned by Aizen. Either her mother or Nel or one of the others would escort Orihime in such cases in order to make her feel comfortable. But that was also another reason she didn't get as many opportunities to hang out with her. She knew that Orihime was a precious companion of her mother's siblings. But because she was always under watch by Aizen, Crescent risked having to talk to Aizen. And she wanted nothing more than to stay as far away from him as possible. Because the curious and excited look on his eyes whenever Summer would talk with him about Hell told her enough about what he could do to her should he find her. During the short opportunities Crescent got to spend time with Orihime, she would tell stories about their days together in school or otherwise, all of which Crescent would listen to excitedly. And other times, Orihime would go on about the variety of different exotic foods she would cook. All in all, the orange haired teen was equally happy for Crescent's company. This time however, she wasn't there in her room. With her head hung low, Crescent went looking in one last place. Nel's fraccione were usually free and were more often than not as elated to play with her as she was.

However, the same thing happened once more with Pesche and Dondochaka. The only difference being that Dondochaka felt quite bad for the girl, and instead lent her Bawabawa for Crescent to play with in his stead. And admittedly, it was fun. A lot of fun. But it wasn't long until she started longing for some company to share her fun time with. She even considered going back to her mom and asking her, but the thought quickly faded away when she remembered their last interaction and her mood quickly soured after that. Her willingness to continued playing with the hollow snake left her completely. Just as she was pondering what to do, a voice called out to her.

"Heey! What're you doing here all by yourself? Don't tell me you've been playing all alone?" asked Lily's voice. Crescent blinked, once, twice, actually making sure she was there before practically hopping over to Lily's side, her eyes gleaming with hope and excitement.

"Lemme guess, none of the others have time to play with you, am I right?" she asked. The hooded girl nodded. Lily sighed. "Yeah I figured. What about Ru-chan? Surely she must have some time right?" Crescent turned away angrily.

"Whoa, that's a first. Don't tell me you fought with her?" asked the arrancar. "Well, I get ya. To be fair, Ru-chan's been plenty busy of late, training the Tres Bestias, entertaining Ulquiorra and his weird questions, training Yuzu-chan, not to mention that soul reaper chick" said Lily, ticking them off her fingers. "Those guys are no fun at all. Earlier, I asked Starrk to come hang out with me and he didn't have the slightest interest in getting out here. I wish they'd stop treating me like a kid. Heck, I'm just as old as Starrk is!" she sighed. "Sometimes, I wish they would take it easy, am I right?" Crescent nodded in agreement enthusiastically.

"Looks like I'm not the only one. Well, in any case, seeing as how we're here, why don't I join you both? But hold on, let me get a cloak. It's a pain to dust off the sand after running, especially with this big guy. After that, lets head out of Las Noches. For our first game, the big guy's It" she said, pointing to Bawabawa.

"Humans….apart from us…?! What are they doing here…?!" exclaimed Ichigo.

"Ichi-nii, save the talking for later! We need to save them from that hollow!" alerted Karin, drawing her Zanpakuto. Tatsuki readied her fists and costume, Chad readied his arm, Uryu manifested his reishi bow and likewise, Ichigo reached for Zangetsu.

They expected the girls running from the hollow would look relieved when they saw other humans besides them. However, what happened was the complete opposite. The taller of the two girls looked surprised, and then grinned widely, drawing out a sword seemingly hidden inside her hood. The sword resembled a scimitar in shape, but just one glance at it was enough to tell them that it was no doubt, a zanpakuto.

"Yaaaaa!" bellowed the girl, charging towards Karin. The shorter of the two girls vaulted over the hollow snake, disappearing behind its back.

"Woah!" gasped Karin, blocking the incoming attack. But something was wrong, and she was visibly surprised on two counts. One, when she parried the girl's attack, the attack was surprisingly light. In fact, all that Karin had to do was gently push away with her zanpakuto to repel the girl's attack. And second was when the girl's hood came off when she was pushed away, revealing her whole face. Covering a large portion of her face, like a helmet, was a white mask.

"A white mask…..and a zanpakuto….don't tell me, this girl's an arrancar...?!" She exclaimed, putting up her guard again.

"Yeah…? What about it…?" asked Lilynette. "Just because you managed to parry my attack, don't think it'll be easy, girlie! Though I didn't think they had little girls like you working for them. Are they really that hard pressed for men after Aizen and the others ditched them?" A vein popped in Karin's head.

"Just who the hell are you calling a little girl, pipsqueak?!" she growled, attacking back. "Though I must say, for an arrancar, you're pretty weak. Ichi-nii! I'll handle her! You guys go finish off that other one!"

Ichigo on the other hand was trying to attack the gigantic hollow snake, but for some reason, the snake kept shying away from them, lowering its head and keeping away from them.

"Is that thing…..scared of you..?" asked Chad.

"Well, seeing as how it's just a regular hollow, it's not really that surprising that it would try to avoid fighting someone much stronger than itself" reasoned Uryu.

"That so? Then it's quite simple then. Let's kill this thing and rescue that girl" said Tatsuki. Upon hearing those words, the snake became even more terrified, trying to get away from them even faster.

"Wait, did it just understand… .doesn't matter. This should finish it off!" he declared, drawing Zangetsu, leaping into the air towards Bawabawa and swinging his sword down. But before he made contact though, the hooded girl circled around the snake, appearing in front of it with her arms outstretched protectively. Taken by surprise, Ichigo swerved to his right to avoid cutting into the girl. His Zanpakuto sliced into the sand next to the girl, leaving a small indentation where it struck and sending sand up into the air.

"…."

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he avoided her, but couldn't help but feel something was off.

"Normally….when someone swings a sword so close to you, most people would squint and look away….yet this girl….she's completely unfazed…..how strange" he thought to himself. His thoughts were interrupted by Lilynette, who came charging towards Crescent and Ichigo instead.

"Heey! You bastards better leave them alone!" she shouted, somehow squirming her way out of Karin's attacks and then rushing at Ichigo with her sword drawn. She took a wide swing at him which the orange haired soul reaper easily avoided. And just like the little girl, she too stood in front of them with her sword held rather clumsily. Then, both of their eyes went wide at the same time.

"An arrancar…?!" gasped Ichigo.

"Hold on…..you're Ichigo!" exclaimed the girl. Needless to say, hearing his name come out of her mouth was far more surprising to any of them compared to discovering that the girl whom they thought was a human was in reality an arrancar.

"So wait….hold on just a second….in short, you're telling us that…." Started Uryu.

"You both were just playing tag….?" Continued Chad.

"With that big guy….?" Asked Karin deadpanned.

"And that he's your friend called…..bow-wow….? And you're telling me that guy's not a hollow…..?" Asked Tatsuki uncertainly.

"It's Bawabawa!" corrected Lilynette. The giant snake looked rather hurt by Tatsuki's statement. "And yeah, he's a hollow but hurtful do you have to be to call an adorable guy in that way? He has a proper name" she replied, comforting the giant snake. The group sweatdropped. "Anyways, I'm Lilynette Gingerbuck, but you can call me Lily. And she's Crescent" she said, pointing to the younger girl who only peeked from behind Bawabawa.

"Is she….also an arrancar…?" asked Karin, trying to get a good look at the petite girl.

"Well, um not exactly but you could say that she's…." Lily stopped mid way when Crescent tugged at the hem of her clothes and shook her head. "….Crescent" replied Lily, not sure what else to say.

"Haah..?"

"That's right. Crescent is Crescent. No more, no less" Lily said simply.

"That makes no sense" said Karin deadpanned. "But she's with you guys right?"

Lily nodded. "You might wanna quit starin' at her. She gets quite nervous when meeting new people. I should also mention that she doesn't talk, so don't mind her"

"She can't talk….?" Asked Tatsuki, looking at her with a look of pity.

"Nope. Well, atleast I've never heard her speak in the 6 years I've known her. Hasn't bothered her too much though. But point aside, as I was saying, we were just playing our game of tag, seeing as how things can be so boring when those guys back in Las Noches are busy with work stuff. I didn't expect to run into….a bunch like you for sure" she replied.

"Hold on, before that…you called me by my name, didn't you?" asked Ichigo.

"Well, 'course I did. Spiky orange hair, big-ass sword, Shinigami attire and a face that looks pissed at all times, though I'd lean towards it looking cool. Pretty sure I only know one guy by that description. Ruby's told me about you guys so many times that it feels like I've practically known you guys forever" she replied in a matter of factly way.

"Someone's popular" whistled Karin, nudging Ichigo.

"Wait…..Ruby…? Nee-san….she's…." asked Ichigo.

"You're one of her friends…?" asked Tatsuki with anticipation.

"It's not really that surprising" reasoned Karin. "I mean, Ruby-nee did tell us that she had her family back here. Though….I didn't expect we'd run into one right as soon as we entered Hueco Mundo. Not to mention someone so weak. I thought Ruby-nee's friends were as strong as her"

"Whatdya mean weak?! I'll have you know that I'm one of the strongest arrancars out there! You're lucky you're Ru-chan's family. Otherwise things would've gone really differently!" she declared with a smug smile.

"Yeah sure, and I'm a panda's uncle" replied Karin deadpanned. "In any case, I'd say we got lucky, Ichi-nii. We can just ask her to take us to Yuzu and Ruby-nee. With Ruby-nee's help and Yuzu back with us, we should be able to rescue Orihime even if she's with some powerful enemies. Please, you have to take us to her" asked Karin, looking at Lilynette.

"You're…..surprisingly easy going about this whole thing" said Chad.

"I did consider that we might run into Ruby-nee if we got extremely lucky. Still, this works too. Now we have someone to take us to her" she said.

"You…..you guys have no idea what you've done by coming here, have you?" asked Lily serious.

"What do you…mean..?" asked Tatsuki. Lily sighed.

"Before I even tell you how stupid your whole plan is, let's start with what's in front of me. You're telling me that you entered Hueco Mundo, the home of hollows and powerful arrancars alike, being just a band of 5 people…?" she asked incredulously.

"Says the girl who's an arrancar herself and couldn't even put a dent on me" replied Karin.

"I'm different! I'm not a combat arrancar and besides, he's the one that does all the fighting, not me! And that's not whom I meant! You guys know how powerful Ru-chan is and yet, even after she warned you, you still!" she replied. "Alright, listen up! I'll say this only once, just so you know how much you guys are in trouble! Arrancars aren't just one big group, we have factions. You have the numeros who are combat arrancars that come from various menos-level hollows. And some of these are powerful enough to serve other, higher order arrancars. They're called Fraccione. The Fraccione are usually born from Adjuchas who become arrancars. The numeros don't even compare to how strong the fraccione are. But even fraccione pale in comparison to the top ten fighters of the arrancars. They're called the Espada. These are the masters that fraccione serve. Consisting of arrancars born of high level adjuchas or vasto lorde. Even a soul reaper captain would be no match for one of the Espada. Ru-chan is one of them, and so is that ass who beat Mr. Carrot top here" explained Lily. "So you see? If you went further, you'd just end up getting yourself killed! She has enough things to be worrying about as it is, so just go back the way you came!" But it didn't quite have the effect she'd hoped it would have.

"I see" replied Uryu. "Well, that helps understand their power structure. Considering how strong Ruby-san is, it fits"

"How can you be so calm after all that I told you?" Asked Lily.

"Thanks for the warning, but we're not the same as we were before. We came here to bring back Yuzu and Orihime, and we'll do it with or without help" said Ichigo. "It doesn't matter how strong our enemies are"

"Just listen to me, don't give her any more trouble! Even if we'll leave you guys be, there's no telling what'll happen if you encounter some of the worst ones like Barragan or that creep Nnoitora! You'll be crushed like insects!" pleaded Lily.

"And we're telling you that we're here because the Soul Society won't try and bring Orihime and Yuzu back so we're here instead! We're doing it so that Ruby-nee wouldn't have to worry about it. As he friend, you should be helping us!" said Karin.

Crescent Rose was getting bored. She'd known immediately of course, who they were. And she couldn't be more excited. However, given the unexpectedness of the situation, she couldn't do anything but hide behind Bawabawa while they talked and argued. She'd hoped they would eventually get back to her, but this had gone on way too long. And she had no idea why they were arguing in the first place. After all, this was her home and the place where her family stayed. There was no way anything bad could happen to them. Shouldn't they be celebrating and having fun? Ichigo and the others had finally come to see her. But instead of playing with her, they were arguing about why Ichigo, Karin and Tatsuki shouldn't go any further. And so, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She sneaked around and grabbed Ichigo's Zanpakuto.

"What the…?! Hey….! Come back here!" called Ichigo, completely taken by surprise. When Ichigo tried to make a grab for it, she nimbly dodged and merely hopped away, Zangetsu in her grasp.

"It's that girl…!" exclaimed Uryu.

"Ack dammit, I forgot to keep my eyes on her..!" cursed Lily, chasing after the girl. Karin and Tatsuki tried to corner her by approaching her from both sides, but Crescent merely jumped over them frisking way from them. Even though Ichigo was the one who was trying his hardest to catch the enthusiastic girl, somehow, the others got roped into it as well, including Bawabawa and Lily.

"Why am I also playing this stupid game…?!" asked Karin, being chased by Bawabawa.

"Hey, watch it, watch it, don't crash into me!" warned Tatsuki, keeping away from Karin who was running besides her.

"Ah….wait…! Dammit! She becomes totally uncontrollable once she's in the mood to play…!" huffed Lily, trying to get the girl under the ropes.

"You've got to be kidding me, right….?!" Exclaimed Ichigo.

Crescent was having way too much fun. Much more than she'd ever had the whole day, perhaps even the whole week. She was finally getting to play with her other family. This is what they should've done from the beginning, she thought to herself. Just then, she felt the sands shifting beneath her feet. More accurately, around the entire area surrounding her. She was lifted into the air by the rising sands, throwing her off balance.

"Watch out!" called out Ichigo, leaping into the air and catching her.

"Something's coming!" alerted Karin, stopping abruptly and drawing her Zanpakuto. The sands then morphed, forming a shape vaguely resembling a gigantic sand castle with two large arms and a white mask.

"Wait…..I know this guy, it's Runuganga, the guardian of the white sands!" said Lilynette, taking several steps back.

"Intruders! You'll regret trying to enter Las Noches, I'll turn you all into desert san-!"

"Getsuga Tenshou!" cried Karin, swinging sideways. A red crescent shaped wave shot from her Shingetsu, splitting the humongous hollow right in half across its mask.

"She didn't even give him time to finish his introduction…." Said Lily deadpanned.

"Well, that's one headache taken care of" said Karin.

"Nice one!" said Tatsuki, patting her back.

Ichigo gently landed on his feet, making sure to hold Crescent with care. Then, he placed her on the ground and retrieved his Zanpakuto from her. Dusting her off, he asked her. "Can you stand?"

The girl said nothing, and merely continued to look at him with her big round eyes.

"Are you hurt somewhere?" he asked. Crescent raised her eyes, looking mildly surprised. And then, she shook her head. "That's good…next time, don't go around playing with other's swords, you could really hurt yourself" he said. "Alright, let's press on!" he said to the others. But Crescent tugged at his hakama, and looked at him with puppy dog eyes.

"Come on, don't be like that. I can't be playing around with you all day long. I've-"

"Ichigo! Watch out!" shouted Tatsuki. The gigantic fist that was supposed to have disappeared now came swinging at Ichigo. Acting on reflex, he pulled Crescent back to his side and leapt away, barely dodging his incoming fist. But the wind pressure from his swing was massive enough to send them few feet away. Ichigo rolled along the sand, protectively covering Crescent.

"Why hasn't this guy bitten the dust yet?!" asked Karin, on her guard.

"Well of course he didn't dum-dum. He's made of this place's sand. As long as it exists, he can always put himself together. That's what makes him such a big pain in the butt. And that's why I asked you guys to be careful" said Lily.

"Maybe you should tell us things like that beforehand!" protested Karin.

"Unforgivable! First you don't let me finish my introduction and then you of all the people have the nerve to be aiding the enemy?! I'll make sure this time, I finish off both the pests and the traitors!" boomed the hollow, punching towards the ground at Karin, which she dodged promptly. Runuganga then swung his fist sideways, generating a swirling gust of wind.

"Whoa…!" cried out Lily as she was picked away by the gusting tornado.

"Grab on!" called out Tatsuki, reaching out with her fist and grabbing the elevated arrancar back into the ground. The giant hollow then swung once more, generating three gusting tornadoes this time.

"Oh you've got to be kidding!" said Karin annoyed, intercepting one of them with another getsuga tenshou. Ichigo fired off one of his own, splitting Runuganga's face once more, only for it to reform again. Chad fired off an 'El Directo', dispelling the last one.

"Everyone, let's hit him with a combined attack!" suggested Uryu.

"Let's get him with one big blast, that should wipe him out!" added Chad.

"Right, let's do it!" said Tatsuki, getting into position.

"El Directo!"

"Heilig Pfeil!"

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

"Jigokukyuu!"

The combined blasts of reishi created a massive explosion of dust and sand, obliterating the entire top half of the gigantic hollow's body. The sands split apart and fell down to the ground. It was hard to tell what was happening inside the massive dust cloud.

"Is it over…?" asked Karin uncertainly.

"Don't drop your guard" warned Uryu.

"Not yet! He wont die from something like that! Wait till Starrk hears about this, he'll blast him to a million pieces!" said Lilynette, hanging onto to Tatsuki. The ground beneath them then started to cave in, increasing further and further in size and pulling them in.

"An ant lion trap!" called out Tatsuki, trying to maintain her footing and stopping herself from getting sucked in.

"After all that he's still alive…?!" asked Chad.

"There's only on way to beat him completely, and that's with water. There's a reason why he's appointed as the guardian of the palace!" said Lily.

"Why do you always tell these things at the last second!" groaned Karin.

"Water..? Where the hell are we going to find water here?!"

"Ahahahahah!" came Runuganga's voice from beyond, his sand castle form emerging once more. "This time, I'll make sure to swallow you all up in one go!" he thundered, his mouth opening as wide as half of his body.

"Eww, disgusting!" cringed Tatsuki, trying to keep away.

"Wai…Crescent…! Stop struggling…! Ah, dammit…! She's getting sucked away!" said Ichigo frantically as he watched the figure of the young girl escape his grasp.

"Ah crap, this is bad..!" said Lily "Oy, you guys were boasting about how powerful you were before, why don't you do something?!"

"I would if I could just move my arms…!" replied Karin.

"That's it…! Come closer, just like that..!" he said, calling out to the red haired girl, his jaw still open wide.

*WHOOOOSSSHH!*

They felt a cold chill pass over them, and in an instant, the entire body of Runuganga was covered by a thick sheet of ice.

With a stunned silence, they turned back to see the source of the attack, only to see two faces they never expected to see.

"Friends of yours?" asked Lilynette.

"Rukia….! Renji…..!" called out Ichigo. Standing just beyond the nearby dunes were the 6th division vice captain and 13th division ally of Ichigo and co. wearing cream colored cloaks around their standard soul reaper attire.

"Ruki-nee…..! You….you're here…..and that Zanpakuto in your hand…." Wondered Karin, looking at the beautiful, snow white blade in her hands. Before she could respond however…..

"Wheeeee!" came a shrill, high pitched cry, and a pink blur sped past their vision, slicing down as she landed.

*CRAAAAAASHHHH!*

They had no time to consider the sequence of events that transpired right in front of their eyes. The pink blur landed right in front of Crescent with a playful tap. Crescent saw with raised eyes as the blur, now revealed to be a girl of her age with short, bright pink hair, a soul reaper's uniform and the widest of smiles reached out to her with an outstretched hand.

"Yachiru-chan's come to your rescue!" she beamed. And so, with a dazzled look in her golden eyes, she reached out to her. As the others watched baffled, shocked, deadpanned and taken aback, not even the two young girls would realize that their encounter was more fated than either imagined it to be.

The two soul reapers leapt over, coming over towards them.

"Rukia….! Renji….!" Called out Ichigo excited as he started running towards them.

"Ruki-nee…!" called out Karin, doing the same.

*CHOOOP!*

A dull thud rang out as Rukia bonked Karin right in the head. Renji on the other hand delivered a knuckle sandwich right into Ichigo's jaw.

"Ooh, that must've hurt!" winced Lily, looking at them. "So….are they like friends or….?" She asked the other three onlookers.

"Waaaaai!" cooed Yachiru as she and Crescent both jumped and landed right on top of Karin in unison, sending the dark haired soul reaper crashing to the ground.

"When did they…." Wondered Lilynette, looking deadpanned at Yachiru and Crescent.

"What was that all about…..….." groaned Ichigo.

"So much….hurting….." groaned Karin, rubbing her head, struggling to get off. Tatsuki gave her looks of pity.

"You idiots! After all that happened, how could you rush off to Hueco Mundo on your own?!" scolded Rukia. "Why didn't you even think about asking us for help?!"

"I mean….Ruki-nee….to be fair, we DID ask that old geezer and he did outright refuse us to go look for Orihime and Yuzu….obviously we thought you weren't coming" replied Karin.

"As if we wouldn't come if you guys just asked!" she snapped back. She then continued again in a softer tone. "I'm disappointed that you didn't even think about asking me or us for that matter. What makes you think that we care less about Orihime and Yuzu? The two of us for one, always planned to help you out regardless of what happened! Why can't you trust us? We're….like family right?" she asked. Ichigo looked away guiltily, and so did Karin.

"…Yeah…you're right. Sorry about that….." he said, apologizing.

"We're really glad you came, Ruki-nee, Renji.." added Karin.

Rukia gave a small smile. "Well, as long as you understand, it's all good" she assured, helping Ichigo up.

"That explains you both, but what about her…?" asked Tatsuki, pointing towards the pink haired girl.

"I heard you were going to a fun place and I just HAD to check it out for my Kenny! I wanted to bring him along as well, but Kenny asked me to go check it out for him first! And so, I came along with Ruki-Ruki and Rooster head!" she replied enthusiastically, and Crescent was following along with her movements.

"When did you both get along so well…?" asked Lily.

"Speaking of which, who ARE these guys…?" asked Rukia, looking at Lilynette and Crescent. "That one looks like an arrancar…" she asked cautiously.

"They're…..friends of nee-san" answered Ichigo. "Don't worry, they're ok. In fact, we figured they would know where Yuzu and Orihime are, not to mention nee-san"

"Nee-san….by her, do you mean Ruby Rose..?" asked Rukia.

"Yeah…..I know what the old man told you guys. That was another reason why we didn't want to tell you. Because there's no way that Ruby-nee would be in cahoots with Aizen. There's just no way….." said Karin.

"I know" replied Rukia. "She's captain Isshin's daughter. And your sister. There's no way she could possibly be evil. Though I must admit, it did take a while to convince him" she said, pointing to Renji.

"Tch, get off" he waved off. "Anyways, shouldn't we get going before any more hollows like that guy come back?"

"Yeah you're right" agreed Ichigo. "Let's go you guys" he called the rest of them over as he started moving towards the colossal structure that lay ahead of them.

"Wait!" called Lily. "You guys….dont tell me you're still planning to go?" she asked. Ichigo looked at her like it was the most obvious thing to do.

"We told you before, right? That we're going to bring them back no matter what. And now that they're here as well, you have even less of a reason to worry. And besides, I'd be more worried about you considering what that guy almost did to you both" said Karin, pointing to Lily and Crescent.

"Hold it" she said one last time. "In that case, I'll guide you to her" said Lilynette. "Las Noches is bigger than you imagine. It takes 3 days on foot to go around it once. And from here, it's atleast a couple of hours away. You'll be exhausted by the time you even get there. And after that, you'll have to go through the internal chambers and sections of the palace that's crawling with enemies. I know the best route to get to Ru-chan. It won't be simple, but at the very least, you're less likely to get killed" she said.

And so, three Shinigami, one orange haired substitute soul reaper, three humans, one Shinigami-quincy hybrid, Lily and Crescent were riding atop Bawabawa who was now speeding along the dunes towards the desolate Las Noches.

"So….how did you guys even get here?" asked Ichigo to Rukia. "I assume Mr. Hat and Clogs let you guys in, but did he give you that cloak as well?"

"No…actually, he heard that Hueco Mundo's sands could be quite rough and so….my brother was the one who…."replied Rukia, shocking Ichigo and co.

"You mean….that Byakuya was the one who sent you? The one who's such a sucker for rules…?" asked Karin deadpanned.

"Actually, all he said was that he hadn't received any orders regarding us once we returned and that we were pleased to do as we wanted. But of course, if he really wanted to, he could've stopped us so…." Answered Renji.

"Heh….its like that huh..?" asked Ichigo to himself.

Crescent and Yachiru were quite animated too, indulging in their own little world and fantasies. Though it was Yachiru who was the voice of their discussions. It was more noticeable now than before because the person of their discussions was the same person as theirs.

"….and then Byakki goes 'baaam!' and I speed away using the other hidden entrance in his bedchamber! That was super fun!" she chirped. "I still remember when Byakki thought he sealed away secret entrance #21 but forgot secret entrance #34 right beside it! Kyahahahaha it was the best!" Crescent looked at her amazed. "Oh no you silly! That would be too boring! Instead, if you do this instead, the next time, he'll be even more surprised! Huh..? Mix sake in the honey that he uses for tea? Oooh now that's genius! That way, he wont know it until it hits him! I knew it, we really do think alike after all! You should come with me the next time, I'm sure Byakki would love to meet you! What's that? Your mom wont allow you to go to the soul society? That's fine, I sneak away from Kenny all the time too, so you should as well! Ooh, ooh! I just remembered, you should meet baldy as well, he's also super, duper fun to play with!" she said, pumping her fist and Crescent copied her.

"This is….." said Karin deadpanned.

"Kids can be such rascals…." Said Tatsuki.

"But she isn't a kid now is she…?" asked Chad, sweatdropping and looking at Yachiru.

"I never thought I'd see two Lieutenant Kusajishis at once place….oh, I pity my dear brother…." Said Rukia.

"Not to mention Ikkaku…" added Renji.

"Wait….you….you understand her….? I thought she didn't speak…" asked Lilynette.

"Of course I do, silly! Because me and Rosy are going to be such good friends! Isnt that right?" she asked Crescent, and she nodded.

"Rosy….?" Repeated Lily deadpanned.

"That's right! Rosy has a whole bunch of ideas to try on Baldy, Bow-Wow, Byakki, Gramps and every one else back home! I can't wait to try them all out!" she replied with a toothy grin.

As they continued listening to the energetic duo in uncomfortable silence, none would realize that as she spoke that sentence, a cold shuddered passed through the aforementioned individuals back in the Soul Society.

Omake 5

Sometime during the 6 year time gap after Ruby's anointing as the 5th Espada

It was finally time for Summer Rose to uphold her end of the deal she had with Aizen Sosuke. Not that she was worried though, oh no. Oh the contrary, she was rather excited about it. Because it was during such times that the soul reaper was quite pleasant to be around and have a conversation with. She didn't even knock at his door as she entered his chambers. As usual, his room was filled with the scent of old, musty books, documents, ink and surprisingly, tea. She never did take him for a tea person, but there it was, the same as always.

"Entering my chambers without so much as a greeting or notice, that's rather rude, don't you think?" he asked her, his sights on her.

"Mhmm, and here I thought you were excited to see me" she cooed in response, taking a seat opposite to him. "And I really wanted to see what kind of face you'd make if I just entered in unannounced. I bet no one's ever bothered to do that to you" she teased him.

"No one here you mean. I can't count the number of times I've had my lieutenant barge in on my chambers despite my numerous requests to her" he sighed in response. "And besides, I don't find them nearly interesting enough to allow for such behavior"

"So, I'm quite special in your eyes then. Why, thank you. You certainly know how to make a lady blush" she with a smug grin.

"Well? I believe we've wasted enough time in idle talk" he said, grabbing some blank sheets of paper and putting on his reading glasses. "Why don't you start?" he asked, every bit of his attention focused on every word of hers. And so began their lonely session, with Summer sparing no details about the 1st layer of Hell.

Summer never intended to go into details and was hoping she could get away with giving him just enough information to sate his curiosity and thirst for the time being. And that wasn't all. She was surprised by how quickly they'd become lost in each other's company. Summer felt like she was back to those times in Beacon where she would take the occasional classes for Huntsmen and Huntresses in training, a hobby that she particularly enjoyed. And Aizen was there, enraptured by her detailed descriptions of Hell's 1st layer, its inhabitants, its geography and its rules. He was constantly taking notes, talking to himself, making observations and constantly asking questions at every opportunity he could get. Summer spared a melancholy look at Aizen. When she saw him like that, the soft expression on his scholarly face highlighting his genuine passion for knowledge and his eyes now giving off a soft and comfortable aura of a boy who wanted nothing more than learn everything there was that the world had to offer him, she couldn't help but see a young boy in place of a man, a boy who barely resembled the menacing leader and conspirator whom everyone was so wary off and feared. It was a shame really, she thought to herself. That his path for knowledge and reaching newer heights led him on a path that would leave him completely alone.

"Well, atleast here, you needn't worry about all that" she said, almost to herself. Aizen raised his eyes, confused by her statement.

"It's nothing. Let's continue" she said, and their session time together continued for a while more until both went on back to their own daily lives.

Well, that was a long wait, and not at all intended. Had a few personal things I was occupied with so I was a bit delayed. Still, hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for the reviews!

Response to reviews:

Argorok: Thanks!

Kragh: Thanks! We'll get there soon. After all, if you remember, in canon Unohana does visit Hueco Mundo…..

L4 of the WEST: Yeah I'll definitely get back to the training. Soon. I just felt that I wanted to introduce some stuff first.

Mobian: Ah, they're Lilynette and Crescent, as you saw. And yeah….Ruby never finds out. But Grimmjow does get the earful he deserves from others.

MegaElite: Yup, you're right.

Lucian Naruto: Hoh boy. That'll be something.

ccl1995: Lilynette. No, it's actually quite different. If you remember, Ichigo already beat his hollow as part of his bankai training. This time it'll be different. Unohana also enters Hueco Mundo in canon, and you know what that means.

Firewyrm2: They are, and you see them now. I kinda wanted to do those bits in this chapter since the last chapter was quite long. And I also just wanted to introduce the idea that its Crescent and Lily that Ichigo and the others meet.

Crimsongear: No, that wasn't Nel but rather Lilynette. And thanks!

Vedahzii: Yup!

Zifryt: Ahaha yeah…especially considering how….eccentric Summer is.

Fregreg: Ah, my bad. Definitely. More than just a spanking she'll get from Summer. And yeah, definitely. Especially considering that Summer knows a few of them.

Xeno01: Yeah you're absolutely right. But I wanted to also factor in two things. One, Summer is much closer to Raven than she is to Ozpin. So it's only natural that she'd be a bit more partial to her than Ozpin. It's just human nature. She isn't some objective, ultra logical person. And second, I think that the show didn't really do any character proper justice to their characters. Many, if not most characters have been exploited rather badly. That's why, I plan to change a few things like I did with bleach verse. It's like Jelloapocalypse said for Ozpin. "They want to portray him as this morally gray character but also keep forgetting to make him do anything evil". And that's just the start. That's why, I plan to change a bunch of stuff.

That's what I think too. So yeah, I'll give a concise story for Summer in this fic. But I could also have a more detailed side story separately.

Well, if she finds out that is.

Yeah, she still has to recover her resurreccion. So she still has another level to her power. But I want to try and not make her too OP. But we'll see. But yeah, she's still much too interesting for Aizen to pass up.

I think she will. She's already done so much to that effect. And with Summer as her link to the Soul Society, it helps too.

Yeah true. But who knows, maybe the war itself will be different in a few ways. Time will tell.

Since Ichigo and the others will be meeting the lower level arrancars, we'll be seeing some other opinions on Ruby as well for sure.

Thanks for the long review!