A/N: EDIT: Well, the troll's back. Can't we all just get along T_T
Surprise! Didn't think I'd update today, did you!
Well, technically this is something I prepared in advance, but still!
Technically speaking, I'm a bit ahead of schedule, seeing as I updated TWICE yesterday and again today. Hope you enjoy 'em!
I'm alive, somehow. My leg is...not in the best shape at the moment, by the time you read this note, I'll be at the doctor's -urgent care- again. This time for an X-ray and hopefully something for the pain. I've gone twice in one day, and still no answers...
Hopefully the doctors can figure out what's going on. Looking forward to chatting with you all when I get back!
As ever, we're sticking with the tried and true "Embers" Rule for this story. If folks don't like it, it won't be continued. So speak up! Make yourself heard! Your voice matters! That's no joke! I have precious little time to write these days, so feedback plays a huge part in this. Daily updates ensure that I'm constantly busy working on one project or another. I cannot afford to stop and write something that folks don't like; if only because I feel that would be a disservice to those of who who have stuck with me for so long.
Now for your questions, comments and concerns!
Q: What are you updating next...the people wanna know!
A: Practices Makes Perfect and Untraveled Road, hopefully. What Could Have Been, as well...and lets not forget I'm Still Here, Rise of a Beast Hero and Don't Judge a Book By its Cover. Serving a Schnee, too.
That order might not be exact, but its what I'm aiming for.
Q: Is...is Naruto nerfed?
A: Nope. He's still got Kurama got all his skills, Creation of All things and the like.
Did I say Creation of All things? Why, yes! I did! Hell, he died and became an arrancar on the spot. That ain't normal. There's a story behind it too...but telling it up here would spoil things. He still thinks he isn't dead though. Poor boy...
Q: Have you gotten fully back into Bleach?
A: Yes and no. I'm rusty as all hell, still. Have mercy. I remember the basics from the old days -way back before the great Fanfiction purge took so many stories from us- so I'm still working the kings out.
Please forgive any spelling errors.
...no idea if Bleach is on Crunchyroll or not. EDIT! It is. Someone offered me a subscription -thanks for that~!- so I suppose I've got some research to do...once I get some proper time off.
Q: Is Aizen around?
A: I believe it was stated somewhere that Aizen's been mucking about in Hueco Muendo for some time, as he was known to the Arrancar prior. We know he trolled Barragan with his Shikai when he was still a captain; heck, he was building his forces even before that betrayal.
Q: Arrancar rankings? Can I haz them?
A:...curious grammar aside, I can't rightly give them at this point; if only because canon made things muddled to all hell. We know Neliel is 3rd, and Nnoitra was 8th during that time, while Aaroniero Arruruerie was always the 9th but beyond that...?
Things get murky.
Dordoni, Cirucci Gantenbainne would still be around, though their ranking will have to be improvised. Dordoni stated that Nel replaced him, I believe. Starrk and Halibel were recruited after the Soul Society Arc -Barragan, too!- but that's where my knowledge starts to dry up.
So many pieces to juggle!
Alright then, I've kept you waiting long enough.
As ever! I own no references quotes, themes or memes.
Kudoes to you if you get the quote. I wasn't being subtle at all~!
"You can see me?"
See you? No.
"I don't just see you.
I see right through you."
~?
Lose Control
...how do I look?"
Hardly the words Neliel expected this morning, but there it was.
Naruto twisted from side to side before her in her quarters, regarding his outfit with...not hate, he didn't have a mean bone in his body, but annoyance all the same. He wasn't much pleased with the color. She supposed the discomfort was to be expected. It had taken her a week -a full seven days!- to get him out of those ruined rags, another to convince him to wear something else, and nearly a third to make him keep the garments he was currently draped in. And a good thing she had, or she would've snapped and threatened him with physical harm!
Clad in the atypical uniform of most arrancar, he looked entirely ill at his ease.
Feigning an impassive aura, the Espada raised a pale hand to hide her mouth...and the faint smile she wore there. Mustn't laugh. If she did now he'd tear them off and parade around in his boxers again. Cirucci nearly had an aneurysm last time, to say nothing of Nnoitra...
...Hmm."
Nel thumbed her chin and tilted her head. Then tilted it some more.
"What?" Naruto spun in place, looking self-conscious. "What's with the long face?"
"Not bad." She thumbed her chin, nodded once, and smiled, a rare and happy thing. "Black and white looks good on you."
"Good?!" He scoffed and tugged at his collar; blue eyes sparkling. "How is this good?! He'd gotten better at that since he'd settled in here, more willing to speak his mind. "It doesn't feel good. I feel like a damn doll."
Her lips quirked. "Better than you running around half-naked."
Naruto held up a finger. Paused. Considered what she'd said. Sulked.
Nel tossed her hair over one shoulder and preened a little. Another point to her.
"..."
Poor boy. He really did look miserable; she took pity on him at the last. "You don't have to wear it like Ulquiorra. Its hardly a uniform-
Riiiiiiiiip.
She was still speaking when Naruto reached down and tore the collar of the uniform away, exposing his neck, a good bit of his chest, with the hole therein. Yet for all his childish antics, his smile was pure. Radiant even. It was the first time he'd smiled at her like that since they'd met. The ice was thawing between them these last few days, slowly but surely. Was that not a good thing? Surely it was. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. She wasn't sure why, but it made her chest ache.
Dondochakka and Pesche would surely get along with him...once they met. Where were they, anyway? She'd not seen them for the last few days.
"Much better!" Naruto flopped down beside her on the bed with a Cheshire grin, startling her. "I can actually breathe now!"
Nel cast a baffled look at him. "You're dead. You don't need to breathe."
"Pretty sure I do...
"Come." rather than retort, she rose. "Its time for Sonido training."
"Already?" Naruto uttered a jaw-popping yawn, but didn't deny her request, slouching into the hall after her. "I keep telling ya, I don't need that. I can move plenty fast without it."
Of that Nel had no doubt, but it wouldn't do for him to be unprepared. She couldn't be everywhere; likewise, she couldn't protect him forever. Sooner or later someone would take issue with Naruto and try to pick a fight. One in particular was likely to do so sooner rather than later. It was the way of hollows. Some of them had regained their humanity while others remained every bit the beasts they'd been before.
Their footfalls echoed through the empty hall, lending his words an odd echo.
If there was one thing Nel disliked about this place it was the atmosphere. Dead, lifeless. Devoid of life and humanity. Each Espada had their own quarters to be sure, but beyond them, the halls of Las Noches were just as barren as the desert without. It...irked her at times. Sometimes she even found herself struck with a strange longing to visit the human world. A remnant from her past life, perhaps...?
"Oi! Are you even listening?"
"I am." she lied effortlessly, craning her neck to look back at Naruto. "Tell me, can you at least use a Cero?"
He laughed merrily. "Does a tailed beast bomb count?"
"Oh?" Neliel arched a pale eyebrow Naruto's way.
"Hey! C'mon, don't look at me like that...
Another brow rose to join her first.
Naruto's sulk returned and brought a slough with it as he stabbed both hands into his pockets. "Alright, alright, twist my arm why don'tcha...
There it was, that small, secretive smile again. He wasn't cowed by her reproach, rather, he seemed content to ignore her attempts to train him, just as a small child might ignore vegetables. Such a strange arrancar. He wasn't even trying to be, he simply was. She'd been lucky in that regard; indeed, fortunate to learn this truth early on. Not only did it spare her a great many headaches, but she felt she had begun to unravel the mystery that was the latest guest of Las Noches.
It if wasn't his insistence that he was still alive, it was his lust for life and fascination for all things colorful...
.
..
...and his hunger.
For reasons she couldn't understand, he had an insatiable craving for human food. They didn't need to eat -a fact she'd tried and failed to impress upon him!- only made it all the more baffling. No rank for him either, he didn't want one, nor a fraccion to attend him for that matter. Instead, he puttered around the castle whenever he wasn't with her, making every effort to learn the names of each arrancar he met. He baffled many of her brethren...and in some cases, confusion had turned to hate.
Nnoitra couldn't stand him.
No, perhaps that was too soft a word for someone like him; he despised Naruto. Not only did the chipper blond refuse to fight him, but he seemed intent on making friends with him. Nnoitra loathed allies. Friends, help, any of it. A fight was all the mad mantis ever craved, beast that he was. She supposed that spoke for Naruto's character. If that braggart hated someone, then they were undoubtedly pure of heart. Or whatever passed for a hollow heart.
How would she stay mad at Naruto, thus? The answer was simple. She couldn't, lively boy that he was.
What would Lord Aizen think of him?
The thought came out of nowhere, but it still chilled Nel's blood. Naruto likely wouldn't give a flying fig for their shinigami lord, but it didn't change the fact that he'd upset the natural order here. That would doubtlessly earn Aizen's gaze if nothing else. Would he try to control him? Something told her that would end...poorly. One could not tame a storm; you'd have better luck trying to put reins on the moon. To even try was folly. But that moment was neither here nor there.
She would protect him until he came into his own.
It was her duty to the weak, after all.
How little she knew.
"I'm thinking it still needs some color, though." Naruto's sudden remark snapped her back to reality; he'd gotten remarkably good at that. "The outfit, I mean."
Nel touched a finger to her lips. "You really do like that color...
"Yup." he beamed. "Here...watch."
As she looked on with mild intrigue, Naruto touched one hand to the black sash around his waist.
Before her very eyes the once-drab color became a lively amber. Not satisfied with that alteration alone he reached up and slapped a palm atop each shoulder as though to embrace himself; beneath his fingers the once static material gained size and mass, creating a long flowing, high-collared jacket over his arrancar uniform. He thrust his arm through a half-formed sleeve, rimmed with black flames around the edges, donning the new cloak even as he created it.
"How are you doing that?!"
Still changing his attire, Naruto raced ahead of her with merry laugh.
Nel darted after him in time to see him take a right, then burst through a door, all but leaping into daylight.
"Wait!"
Shading her eyes, she raced after him. She didn't have to go far.
Stood under a balcony under the false sun of Las Noches, he looked more vibrant than ever before.
"Sorry for running," he crossed both arms behind his head, not sounding apologetic in the least. "Wanted to surprise ya."
Only then did she seen the other alterations he'd made. The white and black colors of his uniform were still there, but they were muted now, more vibrant somehow despite the change. The richly colored cloak he wore drew the eye in a way few things could, a rich orange framed by those embroidered black flames she'd seen before. All told, Neliel thought the orange-and-black contrasted rather nicely with the white of his trousers...but how had he done that?!
"Tada!" he preened, giving himself a once over. "Its no hokage cloak, but close enough. Reminds me of when I fought Pain, ya know!" another little spin as he admired his handiwork. "I put my own spin on it. Think I got everything right...
Her eyes widened. "How did you do that?"
"What, this?" he squinted at her in the sun, rather reminding her of a fox. "You mean Creation of All Things? I've been able to do it for awhile now. Why do you people wear black and white, anyway?" just as quickly he changed tact and threw her off again. "Ain't that a little dull?"
Nel felt herself bridle. "Excuse me?"
"I didn't mean anythin' by it." the blond shrugged. "Did it ever occur to you to, I dunno, wear something with more color?"
The Third Espada opened her mouth to retort in kind. Closed it. Opened it a second time, then closed it a third. Why did they wear black and white? Someone once said it was the reverse of the Shinigami, many of whom they loathed. But why did they stick with such a bland color scheme? It wasn't forced on them by any means.
...you may have a point." a hint of heat hit her cheeks. "Lord Aizen suggested we wear such, but he's not enforced it."
"Aizen, huh?" his brow furrowed. "Haven't even met the guy and I dislike him already. What about you?"
Long lashes fluttered in a brief, startled blink. "I beg your pardon?"
He elbowed her. "What kinda colors do you like?"
Nel paused, her thoughts grinding to a halt, lingering in a mire of confusion. She'd never thought of such. A color she liked? Her eyes drifted to the false sky overhead. Fake though it was, it still offered more color than the rest of this ruined world. A faint smile dimpled her cheeks.
...blue." she said at last.
His eyes lit up at once and she knew she'd said something he liked. "Well, now you've done it. I think Kurama likes you."
There it was. That curious mention of someone she couldn't see. Another reminder of his madness.
But maybe...just maybe...this kind of madness wasn't so bad every once in awhile.
"I still do not understand how you did that...
"Eh, Creation of All Things is pretty broken." he held up his left hand and a blue blaze burned within, while a scarlet shroud shimmered in the right. "Its not even my jutsu; I inherited from the Old Sage, you know? I'm still getting the hang of it.
"So...you can just create whatever you want?" she felt it a fair question. "Anything at all?"
"Within reason, I guess." he extinguished the flames in his hands and stepped past her, looking out at the dunes, and the great red pillars dotting them. "I've been practicing a little-
Something shifted in her peripherals.
(.0.0.0.)
His sixth sense shrieked a warning.
Naruto blew out a sharp sigh.
"Now? Of all times?"
He felt the attack coming a mile off; really, when you could sense negative emotions, it was just too easy. Nel must've noticed something too; because she'd only just begun to pivot. Too slow. Stepping in, he checked her with his hip, nudging her ever so slightly to the right. She made a noise of confusion, then protest, but he paid her little heed.
His right hand was already rising, just as a shadow was falling.
A massive crescent-shaped blade swept down. Five firm fingers swept up. Steel met flesh. The former yielded with a gritty crack as the ground splintered beneath him.
Two eyes beamed up at a single sneering orb.
"Nnoitra, right?" Naruto smiled. It was not a nice smile, Neliel thought, watching the weapon creak in his grasp. "Don't you know ambushes are for weaklings? Leave Nel alone."
"Tch!" his prey struggled, to no avail. "This isn't any of your business! You're not the one I'm after!"
Honestly it was adorable watching his prey flail and try to pry his weapon free. He stamped down on the ugly thought. Prey? Where had that come from? He disliked Nnoitra's attitude sure, but he'd never once thought of the lesser Espada as something to hunt down.
And yet the more he raged at him, the more Naruto felt the urge to laugh.
"Oh, I think it is." his smile grew instead. "Now say you're sorry."
His adversary bridled. "Or what, you little shit?!"
His body blazed gold. "Or you'll be sorry."
Silence stretched between them.
"You think I'm scared of you?" Nnoitra laughed into it, a low, coarse sound that grated on his last nerve. "I've never even seen you throw a punch since you got here, not once!" he leaned forward, sneering at him. "Look at you! An arrancar without a weapon! You can't even use your true power!"
Naruto quirked a brow. "Is that really what you think?"
"Ha! Its obvious, ain't it?" the madman's sudden bravado worried him more than he cared to admit. "Maybe that's why you keep running away from me all the time. I mean, really?!" he cackled, exposing the "8" tattooed across his tongue, "Who taught you how to fight?! Your parents?! Because they did a shitty job!"
His shoulders twitched. "Did you just...?
"Nnoitra!" Nel drew her blade in a flourish of steel. "That was uncalled for! Take those words back at once!"
"You stay out of this, bitch! Once I kill him, you're next! We settle this today!"
A faint ringing rose in Naruto's ears.
"A shitty job, huh...?"
That was a new insult. For as far as he could remember, no one had ever insulted Minato and Kushina to his face. Not directly. They were great parents. The best a kid could hope for. If they'd lived, his life would've been so much different. They would've loved Nel. He'd only known them for a few minutes, only said a few words to them back them, but even so. The jab stung in the worst of ways. An unfamiliar emotion stirred in the pit of his stomach, something he'd long since forgotten.
"Oi, Naruto." Kurama's voice was a sibilant hiss. "Did you hear what he just said...?"
Blue eyes drifted shut. A long, shuddering sigh slipped through the air.
...get 'em."
Nnoitra's neck snapped back as a golden fist slammed into his chin. His feet left the floor of Las Noches, but he didn't get far. Even as he flew, a clawed hand caught him by the ankle and swung him back down with horrid force, shattering the balcony underfoot. Together, they slammed into the sands below. The lower arrancar snarled at him as they grappled with one another; said snarl snapped into a gasp as firm fingers closed around his face, pushing him into the dunes. Naruto's jaw clicked open. A brilliant red swell built in the back of his throat, heralding a roar of purest rage to bathe his victim in dark light.
Huh. a small, distant part of his brain blinked. So that's how I make a cero...
Nnoitra spat back at the last second. Gold clashed against crimson, flinging them apart in a rush of head. Not for long.
His victim stumbled to their feet, trying to speak. Naruto didn't give him a chance.
"Take!"
A fist slammed into his windpipe, curdling the words in his throat.
"Back!"
An angry knee folded him like so much paper.
"What!"
Clenched knuckles crunched his face.
"You!"
Ribs crunched beneath a kick.
"SAID!"
An outraged Rasengan struck Nnoitra's chest, drilling him into the the sand.
"Why you little?!" He surged to his feet quickly thereafter, warding him off with his weapon. Golden light swelled around him, sheathing him in an eerie glower. "You think this is over?! I ain't gonna die! Not here! Not to some pansy-ass coward like you!"
Nel clamored down after him, her expression frantic . "Don't let him use his release!"
"PRAY!" Too late, Nnoitra howled, flinging his weapon high. "Santa Teresa!"
Pressure.
Naruto couldn't find any other word for it; one moment Nnoitra had been about to do...something; in the next, his aura guttered out as an ocean of invisible force crashed down onto their shoulders. Nnoitra slammed onto to his hands and knees with a dull wheeze of surprise, gasping for air. Nel sank to a knee behind him.
Naruto grit his teeth and stood tall throughout it all.
It wasn't so much uncomfortable as it was startling; rather, it had simply appeared.
"You would weaken my ranks?" a low voice intoned behind the one-eyed espada. "Know your place."
Nnoitra's lone eye widened. "Wait!"
"I will not. You've disappointed me for the last time.
Steel flashed out in a silver arc, simple, clean, and precise.
Nnoitra's head tumbled from his shoulders. It struck the ground and bounced once, his face still frozen in the horror of his last moments.
Bereft of balance, his body buckled and began to...why was it dissolving?
As quickly as it came, the pressure ceased; Naruto pivoted and found himself gazing upon a rather unassuming young man stood behind the crumbling corpse. Clad in black robes, a white haori thrown his shoulders, he looked utterly ordinary. His face was friendly, tousled by brown hair, kind eyes, a gentle smile creased his lips...were those actual glasses he wore? They were! He looked friendly enough; just the sort of face you might see in a crow and think harmless. Under any other circumstance, he wouldn't have given him so much as a passing glance.
But this man had just butchered someone right in front of them.
"My apologies." he cast his blade to the right with a sharp flourish, spattering blood at their feet. "I couldn't help but intervene."
"Lord Aizen!" Nel stiffened in his peripherals, eyes wide. "Why did you...?"
Fear. She radiated it like a cloud. Why? Why would she be afraid?
"Kill him?" the man -shinigami!- sheathed his sword with a faint, bemused smile. "You know full well why. He brought disgrace to the name of the Espada. In any case," something in his smile made the normally stoic young woman quail. "I believe I've found his replacement."
Naruto quirked a brow. "You're talking about me, aren't you?"
There was something...off about this guy. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Aizen wore a smile, but it felt...false, for lack of a better word. His instincts were shrieking at him, and so he delved deeper, stretching his senses outward, throwing them at him as one might cast a net. Looking underneath the underneath, he pierced the veil of the unassuming man before him.
Kurama absolutely hissed. "And they call me a monster...
"I am." What he found there had him recoiling, least of all because this man...no, this thing was suddenly looking at him again. "Might I have your name?"
...no harm in giving his name, at least. "Naruto." his entire being tensed. "Naruto Uzumaki. Nice ta meetcha."
"Naruto, was it?" The strange man smiled at his words. "Would you mind looking at my sword?"
"Sure!" he hummed, smiling genially. "But you have to look at my fist, first."
Aizen blinked, not quite comprehending his words." What?"
Clenched knuckles barreled into his face.
A/N: KNOCKOUT~!
...or is it? You'll find out~!
Shall we pick up here next chapter? Or move on? By all means, tell me what you want to see~! Seriously, though. The story can't continue otherwise.
To clarify questions on Naruto's current attire, just look up "Naruto Orange Cloak" on google. Should be easy to find. Had a friend recommend it to me. The image is self-explanatory.
As ever, the Embers rule remains.
If folks don't like this story...well, that'll make me sad, and I'll not continue it. So by all means, speak up! Every bit of feedback matters here! Truly, it does! That's no joke! I really don't have much time to write these days and feedback is the wind beneath my wings. Silence is a lead weight that just drags me down.
As ever, reviews/feedback keep me writing them. Without them, I lose all hope, creativity and imagination.
So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly!
SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!
PLOT DETAILS AHOY!
YE BE WARNED!
(POTENTIAL PREVIEWS. Be sure and vote for what you want to see~!)
A man who insists he isn't dead. How amusing...
...and control? Really? Control replies you had power over him from the beginning.
Can one leash a storm? Can one command the sun to rise and set at your whim? No? Didn't think so.
"Ouch! So a Vasto Lorde really can hit hard...
"You really don't want to push him...
"Uggggh, you're such a dad!"
...die, hollow!"
"Nah." he dug a finger into his ear. "I'm kinda fond of living."
"Cirucci. Drop 'em."
"Fine, fine, you're such a softy...
A blond brow rose and she quickly changed her tune.
"Ah, sweet Ramen. Any chance we can stay in the human world awhile? No? Awww...
"Finally, some color! I was losing my mind in that washed out world!"
A blade set itself against his throat.
...well, that's just rude."
Clenched knuckles barreled into his windpipe.
"What happened?! You were talking all that good stuff a second ago!"
"Could you not, squirt? Class is in session."
"Rukia! You damn Hollow! Let her go! She's not a part of this!"
"I'm not a hollow! I'm Naruto! And you!" he tossed the girl over his shoulder and growled at him. "You're reactive, Ichigo!"
"What are you talking about?" he strained against him to no avail. "The hell I am! If anything, I'm proactive!"
"No." Clawed fingers tightened around his blade. "I've been watching you for awhile now. You aren't. Frankly, its sickening." whiskered cheeks dimpled in a scowl. "You keep talking about protecting others, but what can you protect with a brittle blade like that?" Cracks scrawled across his nameless sword. "Even now, you're hesitating." they slammed their forehead against his, eyes blazing. "I could kill you right now, if I really wanted to. Maybe I should. Might even be a mercy."
"..."
"Still won't unesal your sword? Fine." His shoulders slumped. "...I give up. There's no helping you like this. Guess we'll be doing this the hard way."
Was this guy for real? He couldn't tell if he was joking...not anymore.
"What's gonna happen when you face someone strong, someone like me, and nobody's there to save you? What will you do, then?! A knee slammed into his gut, folding him in half. "I'll tell you!" Another blow, clenched knuckles cracking across his face, rocking him to the side. "Fight! Back! You have things to protect, don't you?!" he kicked out, launching him through a building. "Don't hesitate! Don't doubt! Don't ask yourself why! Just FIGHT! How else can you protect your family, let alone yourself?!"
His shadow loomed large over him, filling him with dread. The world slowed to an agonizing crawl as his arm swept up. This was it. Death. He was going to die.
"Need some help, amateur?" A low, bemused voice trickled in his ear. "I'd be willing to lend you a hand...if you asked nicely."
He beheld a pale figure in his mind's eye grinning from ear to ear. It looked...a lot like him actually. An awful lot like him.
"Who...are you?"
A ghostly hand touched his back.
"Finally, heard me did you?" Golden eyes gleamed as a pale chin came down over his shoulder, framed by a merry cackle. "I thought you'd never ask, partner. After all, I am-
The name tore out of the reaper; with a roar as he swung his blade forward.
Naruto was smiling. Why? Why was he smiling? Why did he look so damn proud of him?
EDIT: Yup. Just did that. Hello, ACTUAL Zangetsu. I've seen Project Mouthwash, I.e. Bleach Abridged.
"That wasn't very nice. I do believe you killed my hat...
"Look, buddy, I'll kill a whole lot more than that you don't leave me be!"
STAY TUNED! R&R! =D