Nel and Ichigo changed into their Espada uniform, just in case there was trouble on the way. Both exited the palace afterwards to head towards the ruins in search of the immortal Arrancar.
"Hey Nel, I don't really remember the right path to be honest..." Ichigo admitted.
"Oh right. Only a part of the ruins connect with Las Noches. The deepest part is a bit far. Dondochakka must've summoned Bawabawa to get there faster"
"Guess we'll have to use Sonido or something to-" He noticed she got her sword out. "Nel?"
"Declare... Gamuza!" She transformed into a Centaur.
"W-What the...?" Ichigo muttered as Nel grabbed him from under his arms and left him riding on her back. "What are you doing?"
"Something I wished to do once I could keep my transformation without reverting into a child" She blushed. "You don't like it...?" She became worried.
"No, it's not that, at all. It's just... It never even crossed my mind that I would ever do this. After all... You're a person, not a horse... Are you sure you're okay with this?"
"If it's you who rides me, I couldn't be any happier" She gave him her most joyful smile yet.
"Then I'll ride you as many times as you want..." He whispered in her ear as she tilted her head towards him so he could kiss her.
After that, he chuckled nervously because of the sexual connotation that phrase had, but right after he remembered that Nel didn't know about such things.
"Hold tightly" She told him.
"Okay..." He gently put his arms around her waist and rested his head in her human back.
"How do you feel?" She asked him as she started galloping softly through the desert.
"It's amazing, Nel. Your soft fur and sweet scent are out of this world..." He hugged her tightly.
"You always say the most beautiful things..." She couldn't be more in love. "I'll take you anywhere you want, Ichigo. No matter how far"
"There's no need for you to go to that extent, though I'd gladly go to the edge of the Earth and beyond, as long as I'm with you"
"Are you ready?" She asked him before rushing.
"Yeah"
"Let's go!" She raised and moved her front legs in the air like a horse before battle.
"Woah!" Ichigo was surprised by her energy.
Nel charged forward at a tremendous speed. Despite her velocity, Ichigo found the sound of her hoofs to be really soothing. In addition to that, he knew she was worried about him enjoying the ride, so it was obvious that she was doing her best to make him comfortable.
He couldn't help but laugh happily due to the endorphin and dopamine he released because of the exihilarating situation.
Nel was as happy as she could ever be. It was a mixture of feeling useful and loved.
Ichigo would caress her hair and back as she galloped through the endless desert, which gave her a sensation similar to the one she had when he pat her head, but on a whole other level.
Once on the entrance of the ruins, Ichigo carefully got off from her back.
"Thank you Nel, I really enjoyed it"
"Anything for you, ~Ichi~" She hugged him strongly, and Ichigo thanked her with a long kiss before she returned to her normal form.
The two went through the labyrinth for a couple minutes. It wasn't easy to find the right path, and there was no noise this time. However, Ichigo could feel something was guiding him towards their destination.
"I can't believe we haven't got lost through this dark maze" Nel spoke.
"I don't know why... But I can somehow tell what the right path is"
"Maybe... That old artifact, the Heart of Tsukoyomi... Is connected to you in some way"
"It could be. That would explain why that Arrancar wanted to tell me about it... But only by getting there we can know for sure"
"Yes" She nodded. "Say, Ichigo... Haven't you thought about the possibility of what Ulquiorra said being completely true? I mean... You being the rightful ruler of Hueco Mundo"
"N-No? That would be nonsense...!" He denied. "There is no such thing as a rightful ruler of anything. Even if I am the reincarnation of Gran Rey Cero... I'm not a king, Nel, and I know nothing about ruling"
"But... Maybe you're good at it. Maybe you're the one destined to save this world from the vicious circle of senseless killings and consumption"
"I... I'm not sure I could do that. I don't even know who I am anymore" His voice was a bit upset now.
"Sorry... I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just... Wish there was a way out of this misery" She looked sad.
"But, Nel... You said so yourself, we are Wholes, we are not miserable, not when we have each other" He hugged her, seeing how her mood darkened.
"Yeah, we are Wholes. But we are not alone in this world, Ichigo. Countless Hollows can't even dream of such a thing as happiness..."
"Well... You're right about that. But, we are not some enlightened beings or Gods. We are Arrancar, just like them. We can't carry the weight of the world on our shoulders..."
"That's true... But, if there's something we can do... Anything... I want to try..."
"Don't worry..." He caressed her cheek gently. "I'll do everything I can. If that will make you happy... I'll do it"
"Thanks, Ichi... But, don't think for one second that I'm not happy enough just being with you, cause I really am. There's no way I could be miserable as long as you exist..." Her hazel eyes shined upon him. "It's just... That I believe we can do something to help more of our kind"
"I know. Heh, I can't believe you were once an Espada... You are just too good"
"Well, I had to become one against my will... But even so, I did slay countless other Hollows during my life-"
"Just like any other Arrancar has. Nel, you don't have to feel guilty about it, you did what you had to do, that's all"
"Maybe... Despite all the harm Nnoitra did to me, maybe something good did come out of it. Imagine if I had still been an Espada under Aizen's command... It's possible that I was ordered to erase you"
"Well, at least that didn't happen. I can't imagine myself fighting you... Let alone harming you...! I... I don't know what could've happened if that was to occur... But thank God that was not the case" He pat her head and broke the hug by gently pushing Nel from her shoulders. "Let's go. We must be close to the end"
"Yeah!" She agreed, feeling more motivated.
~~~~X~~~~
Meanwhile, Renji, Rukia and Harribel's Fracción were going in the opposite direction, towards a path that allowed them to enter the Forest of Menos.
Mila Rose and Apacci were not really fond with the idea of helping strangers, and even less if they were Shinigami, but Harribel's orders were absolute.
On the other hand, Sung-Sun perfectly understood that they couldn't be a threat after training and fighting alongside their master.
"So... A Shinigami has been down there, fighting endlessly for hundreds of years?" The snake Arrancar was impressed.
"Yeah, more or less. He really helped us when we came here last time and we were about to exit the forest with him but... Something happened and he decided to sacrifice himself. I doubt he died though" Rukia replied sadly.
"I imagine a guy like that has been killing Hollows endlessly since his arrival" Mila Rose spouted.
"As expected from a Shinigami... Actually, why do we even bother searching for him?" Apacci said pissed.
Rukia and Renji frowned, but decided not to care, while Sung-Sun closed her eyes and covered her face with her long sleeve in disappointment.
Minutes later, they arrived at a cave that descended towards the Forest of Menos.
"Aside from the Forest of Menos and Las Noches... Are there any points of interest in Hueco Mundo?" Renji asked curious.
"Well... I imagine Ruinas Huecas is also an interesting place to explore. Harribel-sama also told me that you all went north, into the Dark Desert. I've heard that deeper into that area is another known spot, but not for the best of reasons. Although it is one of the handful of places with actual water that we know of, having a small black lake surrounded by scary trees..." Sung-Sun recalled.
"What is the name of such a place?" Rukia asked.
"Blackwater Park" Apacci replied frowning. "Like Sung-Sun was saying, it is not a nice place. They say you can experience the darkest nights of Hueco Mundo in there, and that the Adjuchas that roam that place..."
"They are the most dangerous and ruthless ones you can find. Some are only a bit less powerful than a Vasto Lorde" Mila Rose completed.
"Is that true? Did you know anyone who came from that place?" Renji was surprised.
"We know for a fact that Starrk came from the Dunes beyond the Carved Desert Canyons (another intetesting place, West from the Palace) and, well, no one really knows where Barragan came from" Sung-Sun explained. "But..."
"We and lady Harribel believe Ulquiorra was born in there" Apacci finished the idea.
"What makes you think that? I mean, he's creepy and all but, is there any proof?" Rukia asked in reply.
"Aizen brought Ulquiorra personally, just like he did with Harribel-sama. He said that he was a really special Arrancar, but that we had to be understanding of his cold nature, as he had been found in a really dark and dangerous place..." Mila Rose told.
"In addition to that... Harribel-sama and we were curious about him at first, so she decided to ask Aizen what was so special about Ulquiorra, to which he replied with some kind of riddle" Sung-Sun recalled. "I think it was something like, What would you think if you saw a White Gillian with black mask? Or something like that..."
"And at the time, there was some kind of rumour about... A completely white Vasto Lorde who killed Hollows by piercing them with his green Cero and that was followed by hordes of Gillian deeper into the Dark Desert" Mila Rose added.
"The worst part is that he didn't need to feed upon other Hollows. That white Vasto Lorde was a legend even in Blackwater Park, until one day, he disappeared to never be seen again, possibly due to Aizen finding him" Apacci concluded. "The only destructive green Cero I've seen in my life is his, cause Starrk's Fracción was just a kid, and... since no one really knows where Ulquiorra came from... It seems to be a possibility"
"Damn... That would explain why that guy is like that though" Renji found sense in the story.
"Inoue seems to be too attached to him for my taste however... And I know she's as kind as an angel but, I think it's too much" Rukia muttered.
"Ulquiorra is not like other Arrancar. In fact, I think he's of the scariest kind. You never know what he's thinking and doesn't seem to have any emotions either..." Apacci shivered a bit.
"Actually, how come he's alive? He wasn't here when we came back and... Yammy said that he felt Ulquiorra's Reiatsu vanishing until he couldn't feel it anymore" Sung-Sun asked.
"That Yammy... He was only good at being a total piece of shit" Mila Rose spouted. "He used to smash everything to pieces when he was angry, a total brute. Even Nnoitra had a bit more of brains, and the guy literally had his Hollow Hole going through his head!"
"Though Kukkapuuro is really cute" Mila Rose smiled as she thought of the Hollow dog. "Remember when we came back after the assault on Karakura Town? He was the one who came to greet us, while Yammy was dying on the sand"
"I still can't believe he survived. His Reiatsu was dropping so fast, I thought he was ready to be buried six feet under" Apacci replied.
"He lived to tell the tale, although I haven't seen him in a while, thankfully" Sung-Sun commented.
"He died, don't you remember? Harribel-Sama said that those Shinigami with Hollow masks saw him get eaten by one of the Dukes" Apacci reminded her.
"Oh, you're right... Well, not that I really care but, poor Kukkapuuro, he really liked him for some reason. He must be searching for him all around the desert" Sung-Sun thought a bit sad that their new pet wouldn't be happy with that outcome.
"Anyway..." Renji started. "The thing is that Ulquiorra's back. Though for some reason, he seems harmless"
"WHAT?!" The four women couldn't believe their ears.
"Renji, you can't be serious!" Rukia said.
"Just think about it. Ichigo and Nel were unconscious, we were all tired from all the fighting, and the guy's Reiatsu was on a level we couldn't even feel... He could've killed us all, Rukia, EASILY! But, for some reason, he didn't. For some inexplicable reason he was worried about Ichigo and even helped us by opening a Garganta to get back home safely. It's true, I can't say I truly trust the guy, but I can't see why he would be lying either"
"Well, that- That..." Apacci grabbed her chin, thinking. "That's a pretty good point actually..." She admitted. "Wait a second, what are you talking about?"
"The aftermath, after the fight with the Dukes...?" Rukia looked at her stranged. "Didn't Harribel-san tell you?"
"Ulquiorra was there?" Sung-Sun asked surprised. "I knew he had come back, but I didn't know he had participated in the fight too"
"Ah, shit..." Renji muttered.
"Wait a second, what's going on?!" Mila Rose asked astonished.
"I think the best you can do is ask Harribel-san directly..." Rukia replied insecure.
"Oh, no, don't give me that crap! You know what happened so you're not going anywhere until you explain in detail what the hell happened!" The dark-skinned Arrancar demanded, pointing Rukia and Renji with a defiant finger.
"*sigh* I imagine Harribel-san didn't tell you cause she knew Uqluiorra would come back eventually... But well, the thing is..." Rukia replied as an introduction.
She and Renji told the three about the events that had led to the confrontation with Ulquiorra and the Oni, not omitting any information.
The Tres Bestias couldn't understand how their master was so calm with Ulquiorra returning to Hueco Mundo after everything he had done.
"I'm fucking killing him once we go back" Apacci decided. "Now I see why Grimmjow was so pissed! I would've done the same...!
"Though I doubt even the three of us can do something against him if he's as strong as they say..." Sung-Sun replied.
"In that case, let's just get Grimmjow and convince Harribel-sama! I'm sure we'll have a chance!" Mila Rose said.
"Yeah!" Apacci agreed.
"*sigh* These two..." Sung-Sun distanced herself from her partners.
"I can see why Harribel didn't want to tell them about that..." Renji commented.
"It's not like they can do much in any case, so let's just let them be" Rukia replied. "More importantly, did you notice that we are already in the Forest?"
"Huh?" Mila Rose and Apacci realized.
"Well, we were guiding you here after all..." Mila Rose replied.
"Though neither of you noticed because you were too busy acting like furious monkeys..." Sung-Sun said in low voice, but wanting the two to hear them.
"HEY!" The two angrily replied, but that only made Sung-Sun grin under her sleeve.
"Now, Rukia... How are we supposed to find this guy?" Renji looked at the forest. "I didn't remember this place was so huge!"
"I... Didn't really think about that, but, we should come across him eventually, shouldn't we? Hahahaha..." Rukia laughed nervously.
The Tres Bestias looked at her as if saying "Seriously?", and sighed in unison.
"Well, looks like it's gonna be a bit tough. You three can go back if you want, after all, you're not Shinigami so I don't think it would be fair to ask you to go to such lengths for us" Renji concluded.
"I like that idea" Mila Rose agreed. "We showed them a way into the Forest of Menos, so our job is done"
"Yeah, let's go home" Apacci agreed.
"While that is true, I think we could do something more to help them. They aren't just nobodies, they are Lady Harribel's friends" Sung-Sun said.
"Oh c'mon!" Apacci spouted.
"Don't be so rude, Apacci. They are our guests. And besides, I have an idea"
"Really? What do you have in mind?" Mila Rose asked curious.
"We could summon Ayon and cause a ruckuss. I bet something like that would make a Hollow-hunter like him react"
"Who is Ayon?" Renji asked.
"It is a powerful beast we can create by combining our powers once we go into our Resurrección" Mila Rose explained.
"If that's the case, it's a really good idea!" Rukia replied surprised and cheerful.
Mila Rose and Apacci looked at each other with tedium.
"C'mon you two, it's not so hard... And that girl can recover our arms even faster if that's what you're worried about" Sung-Sun said, referring to Orihime.
"Tsk... Fine!" Apacci replied. "Thrust, Cierva!"
"Devour, Leona!" Mila Rose followed.
"Strangle to death! Anaconda" Sung-Sun concluded. "Let's go..."
"Quimera Parca!" The three said in unison as they cut one of their arms.
Red Reiatsu came out from their severed limbs, fusing together to create the giant Hollow chimera.
Renji and Rukia were impressed by such an ability, especially because of the size of Ayon.
"Hrrrrr..." It made a deep guttural sound.
"Hey, are you sure this thing's not gonna smash the forest completely?" Renji asked a bit worried.
"You don't have to worry about that. Ayon only does what we order him. There's a possibility that just increasing his Reiatsu is enough to get this Shinigami here anyway" Sung-Sun replied.
"Actually... I would like to see a legend like that fighting Ayon. He's strong right?" Apacci asked Rukia.
"Well, I guess his abilities overall match those of a Captain... But I think he doesn't know Shikai or Bankai" She replied. "I don't think risking his life is a good idea"
"Oi, don't be like that..." Mila Rose replied. "Look all we've done to help you. We just want to have a bit of fun in return..." She grinned as she imagined a legendary battle.
"Hm... I don't really think that would be a good idea, but, we could tell Ayon to go easy at him" Sung-Sun said, being curious as well.
"You heard her, Ayon! How about a big roar while you show all your might?!" Apacci told him.
"GGRRAAAAHHHHHH!!!" The creature did as he was told.
Its Reiatsu wasn't particularly powerful for Renji and Rukia after facing the Oni, but they could tell that it was far greater than a normal Arrancar.
Ayon punched a couple trees to show its power, scaring a number of Menos and smaller Adjuchas that were in the area.
"That's great Ayon, keep going! Just, don't destroy the whole forest!" Mila Rose commanded.
Ayon replied with a low growl, proceeding to blast a large red Cero from its mouth.
"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Renji whispered to Rukia.
"It's our best bet. If this doesn't do the job, I don't know what will" She replied, hopeful.
Ayon continued shaking the forest for about ten minutes, without any result. The Tres Bestias were about to call it off, when suddenly.
"Did you feel that?" Mila Rose sensed it.
"Yeah... It's a Shinigami Reiatsu, and it's really strong" Apacci grinned.
"Did it work?" Sung-Sun asked for confirmation.
In a flash, a cut appeared in Ayon's back. It wasn't really deep, but it was damage, making the beast scream in pain.
"Ayon!" The three exclaimed, only noticing the man in that moment.
A Shinigami of fair skin and reddish brown hair was holding his Zanpakutou, giving his back to Ayon.
They couldn't see his face, as he was wearing a cow-like Hollow skull as mask, though this one had no horns. However, the Hollow fur with Menos skulls he wore on top of his Shihakusho and the skull-shield he held made Rukia recognize him immediately.
"It's him!" She said from the distance, though they weren't close enough that he could notice them.
Ayon tried to punch the Shinigami with his giant fists, while Ashido dodged by flash-stepping through the surrounding trees.
"Damn, he's fast!" Mila Rose praised.
"It seems he's gotten stronger" Renji added.
"Maybe he's been training harder since we left" Rukia replied.
Ashido tried to slash the beast once more, but Ayon managed to block his attack.
"Tsk... I don't know what are you, or why are you so grown... But even so, the bigger they are, the harder they fall!" Ashido said as he went for Ayon's knees.
The chimera fell to the ground in pain, howling as it raised its Reiatsu.
"Hey, I think it's starting to get serious" Rukia warned the Arrancar girls.
"Just a bit more. This Shinigami is more interesting than I imagined" Mila Rose said.
Ayon blasted a giant red Cero at Ashido, who used his shield to deviate the massive beam.
Before he could counter though, the creature ran towards him and threw a devastating kick.
Ashido managed to block with the shield, but after so much damage, it broke in two and he was sent flying.
"Ungh!" His back was hit against a tree, making him fall harshly on the ground. "You are way tougher... Than anything I've seen in this place so far..." He was panting.
"Ashido!" Rukia was about to help him, but Apacci caught her by the arm.
"Wait, I think he has something up his sleeve!" She noticed an increase in the Shinigami's Reiatsu.
Ashido stood up with difficulty.
"I don't like using this ability on Hollows... But there's not much of a choice" He held his sword's handle tighter.
"Look, Rukia!" Renji noticed.
"Bloom from the roots of the enemy... Kokuran!" Ashido used his Shikai.
The Zanpakutou changed form into a black curved blade full of holes.
"So he did have a Shikai after all...!" Rukia said impressed.
"Let's see what he can do" Renji replied, anxious to see its ability.
Ashido waited for the beast to do the first move. Ayon on his part, tried to punch him directly.
Ashido dodged the punch and ran up his arm, stopping once on the beast's neck.
"Kyuushuu" Ashido said, stabbing the beast in the back.
Ayon screamed in agony as his red Reiatsu was being absorbed by Ashido's sword.
"What is he doing?" Sung-Sun asked, impressed.
"I think he's sucking Ayon's Reishi! But..." Apacci said.
"He's a Shinigami... Could something happen to him if he mixed his own Reiryoku with a Hollow's?" Renji wondered.
"I don't know, but we cannot risk and find out. Please, stop it!" Rukia asked the three.
"Okay, it's been enough" Mila Rose agreed.
The three Arrancar absorbed Ayon's Reishi until the beast disappeared and turned into black ash, sealing their severed limbs (not healing them).
"Huh? Was that all?" Ashido wondered, as the creature had turned into nothingness, turning the sword back to its normal form and putting it on its sheath.
"Ashido!" Rukia called his attention and ran towards him.
"You... R-Rukia, wasn't it?"
"Yes!" She bowed in front of him. "I told you I was going to come back, so here I am!"
"I see. I didn't really think there was another way out of here... So I continued with my life of survival"
The other four got closer.
"Yo" Renji greeted. "Remember me?"
"I do remember your face, but nothing else"
"No worries. I'm Renji" He shook his hand.
"Ashido. Kanou Ashido"
The three Arrancar had gone back to their base form, and were discussing something between themselves, at a short distance from the Shinigami.
"What...? Arrancar?!" He pulled his sword out.
"No, Ashido!" Rukia stopped him. "They are not our enemies. They guided us here, in fact"
"Really? But... They are the ones that command these Hollows. How come they are not enemies?" He couldn't understand.
"It's a long story, pal. But don't worry, we'll fill you in on the way to Las Noches"
"Las Noches? The palace of the Espada?!" He seemed even more upset.
"Oi oi, calm down. The war with Aizen is over. Ichigo, the orange-haired guy that was down here with us defeated him. The Arrancar remaining are not evil. Believe us" Renji tried to put him more at ease.
"Is that... True? The war between Shinigami and Hollows is over?" He looked hopeful.
"I mean... Menos still cause trouble in the world of humans, but Arrancar are not interested in fighting us. However..." Rukia explained.
"There is a new major threat on the horizon. But... We'll tell you once we get out of here. There are many things we gotta put you up to date with, actually"
"I imagine..." He took his mask off, revealing his young looking face.
The Arrancar girls stared at him for a moment, blushing a little.
"C-Cool..." Apacci thought.
"Handsome..." Sung-Sun shared that idea.
"...And he's strong" Mila Rose thought that was the most important characteristic.
"So..." Ashido felt awkward speaking casually to the ones that had been his enemies since before he arrived in Hueco Mundo. "You helped my fellow Shinigami?"
"Y-Yeah! We are very good friends with them!" Sung-Sun replied, looking away and covering her face with her sleeve.
"Hey, you are amazing at fighting!" Mila Rose appeared in front of her.
"Yeah, our pet rarely has trouble fighting a single enemy!" Apacci added, screwing up.
"Your... Pet? You brought that monster here?" His eyes became hostile.
"Oh... Crap. No, you see...!" Apacci tried to solve it but Ashido was already drawing his sword.
"No, Ashido! It was something they thought of to get you here. I told them that you hunted Hollows and, since we didn't know how to find you in this giant forest, they thought it was a good idea!" Rukia explained.
"Really? Then why didn't you stop that thing sooner?" He was pissed and distrustful.
"Because... We wanted to see how strong you were" Sung-Sun admitted disappointed. "Rukia-san tried to stop us, but we insisted. Sorry for troubling you..." She apologized.
"Really, we didn't mean to put you in danger!" Apacci added.
"I was the first to insist, blame me..." Mila Rose took the blame, behaving in a strangely girly way as she gave a saddened look at Ashido.
"Hm... Alright. Neither Rukia nor Renji seem to have been hurt, so I don't really care..." He sighed. "By the way... Are you Espada?"
"No. We are Fracción" Apacci replied.
"We are known as the Tres Bestias. Fracciones of Lady Harribel, Tercera Espada..." Sung-Sun added.
"...And current Queen of Hueco Mundo" Mila Rose completed. "She has done everything possible in order to organize this land, but it's been difficult"
"All I care about is that you are really not planning to betray me or my friends" Ashido said, sceptical.
"That's really not it, Ashido-san, please understand" Sung-Sun replied sadly.
"They are not lying, Ashido" Renji clarified.
"I wouldn't be so sure, after all these years..." He replied bitterly. "Ungh!" He fell on his knees.
"Ashido, what's wrong?" Rukia asked.
"Oh no!" Sung-Sun said.
"Did we hurt him?!" Apacci became worried.
"Let's take him to the palace at once!" Mila Rose freaked out.
"*cough* *cough* It's nothing... It's just... A side-effect of my Zanpakutou's ability" He explained. "I don't like using it cause... Nothing good can come out of mixing my Reiryoku with Hollow Reishi... And I've done it a couple times already"
"So that's why you didn't use your Shikai last time" Rukia said, finally understanding.
"Yeah... I thought that something like this would end up weakening me" He stood up again. "However... All it has done is making me stronger"
"But, that's a good thing, right?" Renji was confused.
"I don't really know. I feel... Like my body is not my own sometimes" He revealed.
"We should take him with Urahara" Renji said. "Can you three open a Garganta to the human World?"
"No... I'm sorry, but summoning Ayon uses up a lot of Reishi" Sung-Sun replied.
"Besides, we are not able to use Descorrer in the same way as an Espada. It's not so easy" Mila Rose added.
"Let's take him to Las Noches. If Ichigo hasn't arrived by then, at least Harribel-san can help us with Urahara" Rukia concluded, thinking that it was a possible case of Hollowfication. "Let's get moving"
"Yes!" The three replied, while Renji helped him walk.
~~~~X~~~~
"Wow..." Ichigo and Nel stood in awe at the sight of the ancient chamber.
"There's water in here!" Nel noticed.
"How is this possible?" Ichigo wondered. "Let's get to the center"
They passed through the same hallway Pesche and Dondochakka had gone through to stop Anri.
The remains of machinery surprised them, especially Nel, who was dying to know what the Resurrección of her Fracciones were like.
As they went through the final golden gate, blue flames illuminated the room.
"Welcome... Kurosaki Ichigo" The gray haired Arrancar said.
For him, it was the first time meeting the presumed immortal Arrancar, but that wasn't a trait shared by his companion.
"Y-You...!" Nel muttered, widening her eyes.
"Hello, Nelliel" He chuckled nervously. "When I met your Fracción, they told me your name, but I wasn't sure it was you"
"Do they... Know each other?" Ichigo thought.
"When I saw such turquoise hair though, even in that tiny body of yours, I recognized you immediately. I never would've thought that we would meet again!"
"Quasimodo... You are... The Immortal Arrancar?!" She asked, still not believing.
"Wait... Quasimodo? Isn't your name supposed to be... Nageki?!" Ichigo was confused as well.
"Sorry, Nelliel, but Quasimodo is just one of many names I've had through the ages. I only decided to reveal my true name now, because the time has come..." He picked the Tesseract on top of the pedestal. "The king has returned" He threw the artifact at Ichigo, who easily picked it up.
"What the...?!" Ichigo suddenly travelled to his subconscious.
"Yo... King!" White greeted him.
"You're here again!" He looked disoriented, even though it was the same place as before. "Enough games, who are you?"
"I already told you! I'm your true Zanpakutou's spirit!"
"You know that's not it!" Ichigo was serious.
"Heh, you're no fun, King" He played with his black crown. "But... I think it's the right time to explain it all"
"Please" Ichigo calmed himself.
"Very well then..." He took a deep breath to explain. "You remember the Hollow that attacked your mother when your dad came to the Human World, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, you see... That Hollow was an experiment created by Aizen, made with many Shinigami Souls at its core. Aizen gave it the name White, and thought, that its ability to Hollowfy was due to the way in which it was made... But he was wrong"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"For starters, the Hollow he thought he had created already had a name... And you know it very well, Ichigo" The Hollow pointed at the moon and swinged his blade towards it, letting out a large black slash that engulfed everything in sight.
"Your name is... Mugetsu" He deduced.
"Correct, my King. And our sword's command is the reason for the phenomena Aizen saw..." He gave the sword to Ichigo.
"What is it?"
"Heheheh... Eager, aren't we? And it's not rare... Can you imagine what you look like in your Resurrección? Or what our sword looks like?"
Ichigo remembered the mark on Nel's Hollow Hole.
"Is it... A Scythe?"
"That answer is... Absolutely correct! Woo!" He cheered for him.
"But... My mark is not like Nel's lance. She said it was different"
"Because the mark of the Whole is not just the weapon shown in the first stage of Resurrección, or Segunda Etapa either... Much like the difference between a normal Bankai and its fully matured state" Mugetsu explained. "The Scythe you see in your dear's chest is none other than your Final Weapon... The one known as... Death's Scythe"
"You... You can't be serious"
"And that's because, your aspect of death is the true absolute. More so than time or space, as there is only one undeniable truth in this mysterious World... Death. And that is because, there is something that we call life"
"That means...!" Ichigo realized.
"Exactly. Your aspect of death, is Life. Because there is life, there is something we can call death. There is no end without a beginning... And so with every beginning, there is always an ending"
"But... Why am I...? What am I?!"
"You, are Kurosaki Ichigo. That won't change, and you've said so yourself. I know what you mean though. Why are you, a human, the one to bear this wretched fate?"
"Yeah..."
"Some call it destiny, others, chance or luck. The thing is, that I, was born as the first Hollow to ever exist"
Ichigo widened his eyes at that revelation.
"My first memory, is waking up in the middle of the desert. With no need to eat, no place to go and, obviously, no reason to live.
I have no idea if the time I spent wondering about my own existence was long or short. All I had in my comoany was... Las Noches"
"Now that I think about it... All Arrancar have spirits inside their Zanpakutou?"
"Of course. Every Zanpakutou has a spirit, no matter who the user is. In the case of Arrancar, it is the personification of their primal nature, along with their aspect of Death. Most of them, are bestial creatures of dark intentions, but they are a challenge we all must overcome if we want to go beyond our limits"
"That means... Ulquiorra was able to defeat his Zanpakutou's spirit?"
"In a way, yes. But, defeating said creature is not so simple as to battle against it or kill it. Such a thing is impossible. In order to beat it, you must defy your aspect of death and go against your own nature"
"I see... So... What happened when you spoke to Las Noches?"
"I discovered an awful truth, although I already suspected it. I was alone. There was no other Hollow in all of Hueco Mundo...
My blade told me it was because I was the first to be born. The first and sole pure breed that came from Tsukoyomi, the ancient God of the night"
"So... The Heart of Tsukoyomi is..." Ichigo imagined.
"Exactly. The very Soul of him, although it is not the inly piece of him" He showed the blade of Las Noches to Ichigo. "And it was right here, in the mausoleum he built for himself. Las Noches guided me here, explaining the meaning of all this.
Tsukoyomi was very regretful of having fallen out with Amaterasu. He loved her, but she never wanted to see him again. Because of that reason, his offspring was marked forever. No Hollow would be truly complete unless it found what it missed in his own life..."
"Love..." Ichigo understood.
"The true power of Las Noches, is not an enormous force of destruction, but the ability to transform all incomplete beings into Hollows. Souls do not become Hollows as some kind of punishment or curse. They do so, because it is the only way they can truly grow. If a Hollow can find love, anyone can... That was what Tsukoyomi thought"
"Then... You used the power of Las Noches to create Hollows from incomplete Souls"
"Exactly. All those who in life couldn't find peace or happiness, turned into Hollows. As time passed, the empty world that had been given to me started brimming with life. However... These creatures were a lot more violent than I could have ever imagined"
"I can assume... You were born as an Arrancar"
"Correct. I was never a Gillian, or Adjuchas... Not even a Vasto Lorde. I was the only white being in all of Hueco Mundo, and the only one to have a broken mask.
That changed though. After more time, I noticed that Hollows could evolve by killing each other..."
"Falling into Jigoku..."
"Tch-Tch-Tch..." Mugetsu said no with his finger. "Wrong. Devoured Hollows simply became Souls or Humans, depending on the balance of Souls"
"But then how...?" Ichigo seemed confused.
"I'll get there in a sec, no need to rush" He replied. "I realized that only a handful of the Hollows that became Adjuchas advanced even further, and to be honest, I knew which ones I had to follow since they looked different from the moment they were Gillian.
Those who became Vasto Lorde, were not violent anymore. They were more... Like me. I decided to speak to those I found, and discovered that they felt as empty as I did.
It was in that very moment that Las Noches spoke to me once again, telling me that if I used the Heart of Tsukoyomi on a Vasto Lorde, it would be one step closer to becoming a Whole, which was just a theory I had formulated on my own.
The first one to become an Arrancar, was Nageki, who also happened to be the first Vasto Lorde I encountered. With that, I started my search for other Vasto Lordes scattered through all of Hueco Mundo.
After I had gathered five of them, I decided to create the Espada, in an intent to unify Hueco Mundo under my command and ideals. I had become, Gran Rey Cero..."
"So, that's how the legend was born..."
"Yes... We accomplished lots of things. Las Noches looked as peaceful and beautiful as some marvelous places on Earth and Soul Society. I'd dare say the central garden even matched the beauty of Takemagahara, but... In the end it wasn't to last"
"What happened?"
"Someone, thought that we were becoming dangerous. Too many Arrancar existed, and strong ones at that. As a result... Susano'o, the only God that can match Amaterasu in Takemagahara, commanded his Angels to exterminate us.
We fought bravely, but in the end... It was a massacre"
"No way..." Ichigo felt deep sorrow as he heard the conclusion.
"Honestly, I could've kept fighting... But, I didn't see a point after my dear Yukari had been taken from me..."
"Yukari? She was...?"
"Yeah. She was my only one. The one I became a Whole with..." Mugetsu covered his face with his hand as a tear ran down his face, which showed a forced grin that tried its best to swallow the pain.
"I'm... Really sorry"
"Don't worry" He regained his composure. "That's just how things went. And believe me, the Angels have not known greater fear, than the one they felt when they experienced my wrath. I didn't contain anything, I used all my Reiryoku in a single blow, and erased countless Angels from existence itself. Tenshi and Oni, are not like us. They don't live, they don't die. They either exist or not, you know what I'm sayin'?"
"Wow... I didn't know that" Ichigo replied. "But... How did you... Come back?" He was still oblivious about that.
"You see, Susano'o has a very dangerous Kamibuki, Totsuka-No-Tsurugi, which has the ability to seal any being in an alternate dimension for all eternity... I couldn't risk to end in such a way, so I used the heart of Tsukoyomi to remain sealed until the moment a suitable body was available, which was achieved thanks to Aizen. Also, I changed the style of names Hollows would have in the future"
"The n-names?! Why? How?"
"So that any survivors could recognize each other after the raid. Any Hollow born afterwards would have a non-Japanese name, and as such, it would be ignorant of the events that occurred before that tragic day"
"And... Is the Heart of Tsukoyomi capable of such thing?"
"It is the will of our maker, Kingy. It can do that and much more..."
"Okay then, you told me what happened and all, but, what does that have to do with Hollows falling into Jigoku when they are killed by another Hollow or... By themselves?"
"I suspect this was all a plan orchestrated by Yama to get one step closer to his revenge. There was no reason for the Gods to attack us, but there was something to win on his part... And he knew Susano'o would be more than happy to erase any trace of Tsukoyomi's legacy.
It was a win-win situation for the two, while it was all loss on our part. As a result, the two collaborated, and Yama got some sort of contract to imprison all Hollows, as long as they were not purified or erased, in Jigoku and feed his own troops with their energy"
"Yama... I don't even know him, but I hate his guts!" Ichigo frowned.
"Well, that's why we are working together. But... It won't be so easy"
"What do you mean? I know that already" He mocked Mugetsu with a chuckle.
"What I want to say is that his army is much greater. During the raid on Hueco Mundo, the Tenshi had help from four really powerful Oni. They are called, the Four Horsemen"
"So even besides the Princes, he still has another ace up his sleeve"
"And an ace of spades at that. All the remaining big shots have an army of their own, and since he couldn't get the Heart of Tsukoyomi, he will most likely send troops this way"
"Let me guess. You want me to reform the Espada"
"And with you as their leader if possible. Ichigo..." He became serious and called him by his name. "I know that I don't have the right to ask you to accomplish what I couldn't in my life... But, if you want to protect Nel, Rukia, Inoue, Chad, Ishida, Renji and everyone..."
"I understand. I will become Gran Rey Cero. As long as it's the right path, I will accept this position wholeheartedly" He replied sensibly.
Mugetsu smiled and let out a chuckle. "Thanks, Ichigo. You truly have the heart of a king"
"Now you're just exaggerating" He chuckled as well. "Well... Is there anything else worth knowing?"
"In the end, I didn't tell you how to release your Zanpakutou..."
"Oh, right!"
"But whatever... You'll know when you need it" He bid him farewell.
"Wait, Mugetsu!" His consciousness started coming back to the real world.
"I love this guy..." Mugetsu chuckled as he saved the image of Ichigo desperately yelling to know the command in his mind.
"I think it's amazing how you told him the truth so easily" Tensa Zangetsu said from behind a rock.
"Don't fret, buddy. I'm sure you'll be able to do the same when the moment comes..." Mugetsu comforted him.
"Since when are you so supportive?" He was impressed.
"Oh, don't be like that... In the end, we are both Zangetsu, remember?"
"Yeah... Thank you, Mugetsu"
"You're welcome...
...Yhwach"
~~~~X~~~~
And here we are, finally getting some answers. Sorry for the delay, but I hope the wait was worth it.
I haven't got much to say about me, except that I finally got a MIDI controller and a sound interface, so I think I'll be spending more time on my music (which is fundamental given the fact that I want to be a composer for Konami), but don't worry, I tend to write late at night, so I always have that space for writing.
Reviews:
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: Excellent work! Loved this! Great work! And yea. I agree. I wanted to get Parasol Nel, but NO! KLab would most likely deny me!
Reply: Good to hear. I actually didn't have a single friend that got her, or even see someone get her on the FB group (which is great, cause I would've killed him), so I think it was a case of collective misery. Not that I feel any better about it, but whatever... At least she sould be back next year in a character pack, so i guess I might as well be spending real money on her, like I did on Swimsuit Nel $
With that said, see you next chapter! Evhron out.
Glossary*
Kokuran: Black Orchid. I honestly had a hard time designing a Zanpakutou for Ashido, but I decided to make one with such an ability for plot-meeting reasons, not gonna lie.
Kyuushuu: Absorb in Japanese. It adds the enemy's Reishi to Ashido's Reiryoku.