A.N.: This is a request by draxon.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Everyone stopped fighting the trio of Hollows to stare at the small child Halibel was holding. "Halibel, you know this kid?" Ichigo asked as he kicked the large goofy-masked Hollow back down onto the sand.
"Neliel Tu Odelschwank. You're alive?!" Halibel asked, her eyes staring in complete shock at the small girl in her arms.
But the girl looked just as confused as Halibel. "L-Lady Halibel. How do you know me? I'm just Nel Tu."
Setting the little girl down, Halibel looked over at the other three Hollows. "I thought I recognized Bawabawa. So that means that you two…" she turned to the other two Arrancars. "You must be Pesche and Dondochaka."
"Waaaah!" Dondochaka shivered with fear as he hid behind his thinner compatriot. "It's…it's Lady Halibel! Pesche, what should we do?!"
Rukia saw the fear in all three Hollows' eyes and knew that the situation needed to be calmed down before somebody did something stupid. "We're not going to harm you," she said with her softest voice.
"But…but you're Soul Reapers. You're baddies!" Nel pointed out, joining Dondochaka in hiding behind Pesche. "What's a bunch of Soul Reapers doing with Lady Halibel?"
"I guess the other Arrancars aren't aware of what happens outside Las Noches," Uryu surmised.
"That…" Halibel locked eyes with the terrified Pesche, "Or you two have been hiding her and protecting her from what goes on in Hueco Mundo."
Orihime knelt down next to Nel. "Don't worry, sweetie. We're not here to harm you. We only came to get our friends back."
"Huh? You're a Human. What's a Human doing in Hueco Mundo?" Nel asked, staring at the teenager with awe.
Halibel stepped in and pointed to the giant eel-Hollow. "We can talk on the way to Las Noches. Nel, may we ride Bawabawa?"
"Sure but…what about them?" Nel pointed to Ichigo and his friends.
Kneeling down next to Orihime, Ichigo gave the little girl a friendly smile. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you and your friends."
The sincerity in Ichigo and Orihime's eyes won the girl over. "Okay!"
Soon the group was traveling on the back of the trio's pet, Bawabawa. "So Halibel, how do you know this kid? Also, why are you on my lap?" Ichigo asked, a little irritated at the child sitting happily in his lap.
Halibel carefully examined the child, her eyes fixed on the large crack in her cartoon-skull mask and the scar that ran along her face. "Nel and I have met before, before I met Aizen. Nel…you truly remember nothing?" When Nel shook her head, she turned her gaze to Pesche and Dondochaka. "Explain."
Pesche and Dondochaka looked at each other before the former sighed. "Before we tell you, how do you know Lady Nel? She never mentioned meeting you, not even…after…" he turned his head when Nel looked at him curiously. It was clear to everyone that despite his face being covered with a mask, the Arrancar had a look of shame on his face.
"I suppose I should explain." Halibel sat back as all eyes turned to her. "Shortly before Aizen saved my life, me and the Tres Bestia heard rumors of Hollows removing their masks. While the three were resting, I went out on patrol and encountered a Hollow. Like me, he was a Vasto Lorde."
"What happened?" Uryu asked. "Do Hollows of the same class seek each other out?"
"This is Hueco Mundo, Uryu. Here there is one law: devour or be devoured."
"So what happened next?" Ichigo was curious about Halibel's past. His mentor never told him much of her life before meeting Aizen and having her mask removed.
"We fought and…I was found wanting…"
"Nghhh…" In the rocky white canyon two powerful forces were facing each other. And one was steadily gaining ground. Halibel groaned as she was slammed into the rock wall. The Vasto Lorde was small and thin with white and blue armor. On her arm was a sword grafted to it. Halibel had faced many opponents but she'd rarely ever fought one of her own kind.
Her opponent, like her, was of the strongest of the Menos Grande. His black hair was partially obscured by his cowl-like mask. His fists were the size of boulders, covered in black spikes. While Halibel would not usually have so much trouble against such an opponent, even for a Vasto Lorde, she'd been taken by surprise and was wounded before she could fight back properly. Thus she was in a tight position.
"Hahahaha! Are you ready?" the Hollow sneered, licking his lips. "I always wanted a snack as tasty as you. Don't worry. Once I'm done devouring you I'll gorge myself on those weaklings who you let tag along to increase my power further. Then I'll set my sights on devouring that bastard, Barragan!"
"You're a fool…" Halibel muttered, knowing the power of the King of Hollows. There was a reason why she did not dare challenge him. Not yet, at least. "You gain sentience and strength but you're as mindless as a Gillian…"
"What's that? I can't hear you over the sound of my hungry stomach!" The Hollow lunged forward and hauled back with his spiked fist. "Prepare to be dinner, bitch!"
Halibel brought up sword to put up one last defense, only to blink as a shadow suddenly loomed over them. A figure jumped over the canyon wall above Halibel and towards the Hollow. Before the Hollow had time to realize someone had intruded into their fight, the figure drew her sword.
Halibel watched in disbelief as the Hollow split in two, his pieces falling to the side before disintegrating. She looked at the figure and wondered who it was. An enemy? Or a friend? 'Wait…that's a zanpakuto…' she noted when she saw the woman's weapon. 'But she has a Hollow mask on her head. Is she a Hollow? Are those rumors about maskless Hollows true?'
The stranger in white turned and offered her hand to the fallen Halibel. "Are you hurt?"
The kind, soft voice put Halibel at ease. "I will live." She took the stranger's hand and was helped to her feet. "I am Tier Halibel. Who are you? What are you?"
The woman gave Halibel a friendly smile. "I am Nelliel Tu Odelschwank. But you can call me Nel for short." She looked up at the top of the canyon to the large eel-like Hollow that'd carried her. "Wait there, Bawabawa. She's alright."
Though it chafed her to have to be saved, Halibel wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She bowed her head in thanks. "You saved me. I owe you my life."
"Think nothing of it. I understand that female Hollows are hunted more often than not in Hueco Mundo. But-"
She was interrupted when a loud, crass voice came from over the canyon. "Hey, Neliel? Where the fuck are you at?!"
Neliel cursed. "Nnoitora. Dammit. If he finds you here…" She pointed to the open desert at the end of the canyon. "Go. Flee to safety and don't look back!" she said, her tone hushed and urgent.
Halibel did not know who this "Nnoitora" was but she knew she needed to return to her home to recover her injuries. She bowed her head one more time. "Thank you, Nelliel. I will not forget this." Before Nelliel could respond she took off running, hoping that the Tres Bestia weren't in any danger themselves…
"It wasn't long after that I met Aizen and joined the Espadas. But by then Nelliel was gone. I tried to figure out what became of her but few of the Espadas cared. Only Nnoitora seemed to know and he wasn't telling."
"Who's Nnoitora?" Ichigo asked. Even as he said that though, Nel started to shake, as if a bad memory had been stirred with. He placed his hand gently on the little girl's head and patted it, his new paternal instincts kicking in.
Pesche answered. "He is an Espada. He hated Master Nel with a passion. He despised the fact that a woman was stronger than him and ranked above him in the Espadas. He and Szayelapporo conspired together to try to assassinate her. Their attempt left her as you see her now."
Kisuke leaned forward and also noted the crack in the mask. "Interesting. I did not think that a Arrancar's mask is the core of their spirit energy but from the looks of it, the injury inflicted might have made her spirit energy leak out, thus shrinking her down. And the blow to her head would have given her amnesia."
"I'm confused!" Nel said, leaning back into Ichigo's chest. "I'm…an Espada?" Thankfully Ichigo's kind smile and his gentle hand kept her calm. She looked up at Ichigo but didn't see the eyes of her enemy. Ichigo looked at the child and didn't see an Espada. And if there was one thing that Halibel demonstrated it's that not all Arrancar were evil. If Nel had saved Halibel then he considered Nel to be a friend too.
"You are. And you are my friend," Halibel said with a smile behind her mask. "Orihime."
"Yes?"
"Can you restore Nel's mask?"
Uryu narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure that's wise? If she was one of Aizen's Espada then won't she try to fight us if she get her memories back?"
"Master Nel would never try to hurt her friends!" Dondochaka insisted.
Pesche looked at his master and knew that the inevitable had to happen. He didn't want Nel to return to a life of fighting but if Halibel found her, so would Aizen and the rest of the Espada. "If you can truly restore Master Nel to her full glory, then we will be in your eternal debt."
"Very well then. Orihime, if you please?"
"Right." Orihime held out her hands and summoned her spirits. "Ichigo, keep her still."
Nel sat in Ichigo's lap, confused by what everyone was saying. Orihime's spirits enveloped the two of them with her barrier. Dondochaka and Pesche held their breaths as they waited. Everyone waited as slowly the crack in Nel's mask started to repair itself. "Huh?" The holes in the skull on top of her head glowed and she felt power surge through her. "I feel funny."
POOF!
"Master Nel!" the two Arrancars shouted when Nel disappeared with a blast of smoke. Orihime quickly dissipated her barrier to free the pair. Halibel waited with her arms crossed for the smoke to clear. Ichigo coughed up smoke while feeling a large weight in his lap. When he opened his eyes his view was obscured by a curtain of green hair. As Nelliel came into view, Uryu and Kisuke's jaws hit Bawabawa's back and Orihime and Rukia suddenly turned red with jealousy.
Lying in Ichigo's lap was a full grown woman. Nel's small desert garb and torn into two, barely covering the woman's beautiful body. When Nel turned her head, Ichigo saw her beautiful face and he threatened to suffer a nosebleed. "N-nel?" His body went stiff at the realization that he had a beautiful half-naked woman suddenly in his lap.
Kisuke took out his fan and flipped it open to hide the grin on his face. "Well...that's what I call 'full glory', wouldn't you say, Ichigo?"
"Welcome back, Nelliel," greeted a happy Halibel.
Meanwhile…
Las Noches
Aizen sat at the head of the table with Gin and Tosen flanking his sides. In front of him were the remaining eight Espadas. "Good afternoon, everyone," he greeted like he was just a businessman ready to discuss the next quarter. "It looks like things have progressed nicely in the World of the Living."
Ulquiorra spoke first, a rare occasion for him to speak at all. "Lord Aizen. What of Tier Halibel and Ichigo Kurosaki? They did not arrive at Las Noches like we anticipated."
"No, they did not. Evidently Halibel decided to take a more cautious approach. It would seem that she and Ichigo have decided to try to take back their child by force." His eyes glanced his prize in the middle of the table.
Sleeping in a white orb that acted as a floating crib as little Asahi Kurosaki. The infant slept on, heedless of the danger that was all around her.
The tallest of the Espada, a man with long-hair and an eyepatch, scoffed at the child. "All this effort for one little runt? Is she really that important, boss?"
The explanation came not from Aizen, but from Szayelapporo. "Appearances can be deceiving, Nnoitora. Ichigo Kurosaki is the progeny of a Human and a Soul Reaper. His daughter is the progeny of a Soul Reaper and an Arrancar. Considering the boundless power of her father, we may be looking at an entirely new form of being. I for one am very interested in seeing what she becomes."
Aizen nodded in agreement. "Yes. It is regrettable that that her parents have decided to continue their futile attempts to resist me. Ichigo still believes that he can stand alone against this war. We must teach him the error of his ways. But even if he and Halibel believe they are not acting on my behalf, they still come to us bearing gifts. Kaname?"
The blind man silently nodded and pulled a lever. Asahi floated closer to Aizen while an image was projected at the center of the table. Grimmjow raised an eyebrow when he saw the large group riding on the back of Bawabawa. "What the hell? I thought there were only two of them?"
"Yes, they brought friends in order to take back the child. Aside from Ichigo and Halibel, they are Uryu Ishida, Orihime Inoue, Rukia Kuchiki and Kisuke Urahara. And…" he looked at the newest addition to the group with interest. "It would appear they discovered our lost comrade, Nelliel Tu Odelschwank, as well."
Szayelapporo's eyes lit up like Christmas came early. "Oh, this is adorable!" he laughed. "Kisuke Urahara is coming straight to me! This is even better than I planned! Lord Aizen," the scientist turned to his leader and bowed. "May I take care of Kisuke Urahara personally?"
Tilting his head back, Aizen raised an eyebrow. "You're quite greedy today, Szayelapporo. But in light of your recent achievements, I'll allow it. He's all yours."
At the back of the table, an Espada with a long mask over their face spoke up with dual voices. "Lord Aizen. What of the others?"
"Deal with them at your leisure. Rukia Kuchiki is of no importance to me. Neither is the Quincy. Although…" his eyes flashed to a certain orangette. "I'm quite curious about the powers of Orihime Inoue. Capture her if you're able. If she dies, it is of no great concern."
Nnoitora stared intently on the image of Nelliel. "That bitch is mine…" he whispered with pure malice, though everyone in the room heard him.
"And what of Ichigo and Halibel?" asked Ulquiorra.
"Bring them to me alive," Aizen ordered. "Before we go to greet our intruders, I've one last gift for you all." He turned to face Szayelapporo. "Have you finished your modifications?"
Again, Szayelapporo beamed with glee. "Yes sir. They're ready." The man raised a hand and snapped his fingers. In front of everyone appeared a glass cube brimming with black and red spirit energy.
"The hell is this?" asked a perturbed Grimmjow.
"A weapon that will make you invincible." Aizen stood up and stretched out his arm to gesture to the cubes. He smiled while staring at Asahi. "The road to a new world lies before us. And Ichigo Kurosaki is the bedrock of our path. He has given us the weapons that will end the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."
"My Espadas, I give you Mejorada Resurección."
To be continued
