Chapter 17: Righteous Side of Hell
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Wandenreich, Silbern XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Today was the day, Yuzu would receive her Schrift. Unfortunately, the previous night had been one lacking in sleep. Ever since she witnessed the video of Ichigo in his full hollow form, she was unable to erase it from her mind. To top that off, she felt paranoid about letting her guard down after Giselle's previous invasion of her room.
She had sat awake all night, fearfully wondering what was in store for her, and was now on her way towards the Quincy Emperor's chamber. Currently, she was following Hachwalth who had been there to escort her first thing today. It made no sense to her at all. Why did Yhwach consider her worthy of a Schrift? What would having this power entail? Would she be expected to kill? Was she ever going to see home again? She could barely describe the anxiety and dread that amplified with each encroaching step. Each doubt weighed her heart down more and more as they progressed closer and closer.
Yuzu didn't want to be a Sternritter, but given her current situation, and the fact that she was being trained, it was obvious that she had no choice. What would Ichigo say if he encountered her? Would that creature in the video kill her or save her?
Her breathing began to speed up as the doorway was finally in sight. Haschwalth noticed her fearful demeanor and stopped momentarily, "Calm yourself, Yuzu Kurosaki. Your friend has already received his Schrift."
The Kurosaki teen eyed Uryu who exited the chamber with a resolute seriousness. He quickly met her gaze and sent her a reassuring nod, "Don't be afraid Kurosaki…it'll increase your power. I'll talk to you later. We haven't really gotten a chance to since coming here."
Yuzu gulped as Uryu took his leave. Haschwalth motioned for Yuzu to go inside, before closing the doors to the chamber behind her. She slowly made her way over to Yhwach who was seated on a throne. The teenager looked around cautiously before meeting Yhwach's stern gaze. He noticed her uncertainty and finally spoke, "Despite the fact that you aren't a pure-blood, your Quincy powers are strong and rapidly developing. The small seed of power that you were born with has bloomed rapidly in such a short amount of time."
She had no idea what to say in response and simply nodded at Yhwach. He took in her reaction for a moment before continuing, "Today, I bestow upon you a Schrift of your own."
"Why do you want me to be a Sternritter?" Yuzu finally found the courage to ask. Partly it was her attempt to delay the inevitable, but she was truly curious.
"I see great potential within you. Like young Uryu, I foresee that you will make a mighty Quincy within my Wandenreich. I can sense your doubts, but fear not Yuzu Kurosaki…your life has great meaning to me," Yhwach explained.
"I'm sorry for asking Yhwach-sama, but what will I be expected to do as a Sternritter?" Yuzu asked as carefully and respectfully as possible.
The Quincy Emperor tilted his head as if deep in thought, "What is it that you're afraid of doing as a Sternritter?"
His question was unexpected, and Yuzu quickly tried to think of something to say. Unfortunately she didn't get the chance before Yhwach spoke again, "I know you're young and innocent…but you must understand what an honor it is to stand at my side as one of my elite knights. I will expect a multitude of things from you. You will be expected to train regularly…to fight…and even kill should the need arise. I will also require your aid in securing an alliance with Hueco Mundo. I would prefer that your brother join us in our crusade to purge the Shinigami."
Yuzu wanted to ask what if Ichigo refused, but she knew it was probably a bad idea. Instead she shuffled around nervously, "What will this Schrift do to me? What is it?"
"Due to the nature of your powers, I grant you the Schrift of L for Light. Accept it with honor, young Yuzu," Yhwach stated as he held up his hand, which now glowed a faint blue. She felt an unusual influx of energy as a bright light surrounded her. After it subsided, she looked around uncertainly, "Is it over?"
Yhwach smiled admirably, "Yes, the ceremony is complete…you will find your Schrift to be extremely powerful in time. It is without a doubt, one of the most powerful Schrifts I have ever bestowed upon a Sternritter. Wield it with honor…you may go now, Sternritter L."
"I thought all of the Schrifts were taken? Am I the only L?" Yuzu wondered.
Yhwach shook his head, "There can be multiples of a letter, but typically it isn't common for me to do. However, the other Sternritter L is expendable, where as you are not. Your Schrift and your position are unique here."
"I don't feel any different. What is this light power supposed to do anyways?" Yuzu wondered.
The Quincy Emperor stared for a moment before answering, "Light affects everything, Yuzu Kurosaki. Your powers will only be limited to your understanding of light itself. To bend it…create it…remove it…condense it…to control others' perception of it. You will soon see for yourself. You may go now. Talk to Haschwalth if you wish to speak with me again and he will bring you here."
"Thank you Yhwach-sama," Yuzu decided to bow. She wasn't sure if this was an appropriate custom, but the Quincy leader didn't seem to care as she quickly took her leave. Upon exiting Yhwach's chamber, she was immediately met by Haschwalth who was standing nearby.
The blonde looked at her stoically, "What is your Schrift?"
"L for Light…" Yuzu answered slowly as she stood still unsure if it was appropriate to leave or not.
Haschwalth simply nodded before waving her along, "You may go, Kurosaki…I believe Bazz B was looking for you. He is waiting near your room."
"O-okay," she replied as she hastily took her leave. Yuzu's mind was racing at the events that just transpired. Was she actually a Sternritter now? The whole ceremony didn't seem to change her all that much, but she would take Yhwach's word for it that her powers would manifest soon.
Upon reaching her room, she was greeted by an anxious looking Bazz B. The man had a look of concern on his face likely already aware of her receiving a Schrift. He didn't speak as she approached, much to her surprise.
She chose to break the silence as she waved at him, "Morning Bazz B, how are you?"
"So…is it official? You are actually a Sternritter now?" He asked still not believing it.
"Y-yes…L for Light," Yuzu replied softly.
"Light?! Woah…I wonder what that does. What did Yhwach say to you?" he couldn't help but ask.
Yuzu frowned, "He said my position here was important to him and that he wants my help getting Ichigo to join forces…"
'Go figure…you'd make an excellent shield against the hollows now that you're one of us. I wonder why he gave her that power though. Light could be anything…' Bazz B thought to himself.
"C'mon, let's go train, Kurosaki," he waved.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Soul Society, Soifon XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Everyone stared with utter disbelief at the petite Shinigami Captain who now wore a hollow mask. She looked back and forth between Isshin and Yoruichi disbelievingly, "Let go of me!"
"Is that…Captain Soifon?!" a random Shinigami shouted disbelievingly. His announcement seemed to incite quite a few people into an uproar. Their faces were mixture of fear and confusion.
Kyouraku was quick to calm the crowd down as he held up his hand, "Calm down everyone, stand back! We'll attend to this. I don't want anyone getting hurt."
His seriousness was very uncharacteristic which led many of the lower ranked Shinigami to silently panic. Nevertheless, the crowd backed away slowly, while still trying to get a good look at the Hollowfied captain.
"How is this possible? What happened to her?" a higher seated Shinigami with a bald head asked. It was none other than Ikkaku. His quick response to the scene was also followed by Soifon's own lieutenant Omaeda.
The hefty lieutenant gawked with sheer horror, "C-c-captain?! What in the world happened?! Captain Kyouraku what's going on?!"
"Stand back! We're going to subdue her, let the captains handle this!" Isshin ordered the several encroaching onlookers.
Soifon took this opportunity to break free from his and Yoruichi's hold as she blinked away. "What the?" Yoruichi gasped, barely believing the woman's speed.
Soifon unleashed the infamous hollow shriek as she landed atop a nearby building. Her mask was fully formed now and she no longer seemed to be in control. Yoruichi appeared behind her and attempted a leg sweep, but quickly found herself tripping instead.
As she fell, Soifon grabbed the other woman and flung her into a nearby building. A sadistic hiss escaped the hollow captain's mouth as she cautiously looked around at the incoming wave of shocked Shinigami. Soifon held her hand up and formed a large yellow cero.
Everyone's eyes widened as they instantly realized what it was. "Captain, don't do it! This isn't you!" Omaeda pleaded. Soifon immediately focused her charging cero at her lieutenant and fired it.
"Move!" Isshin shouted as he pulled Omaeda out the line of fire. As it flew his way, it demolished quite a few buildings behind them. Kyouraku seemed greatly troubled as he stood there thinking for a practical solution.
Meanwhile, Soifon was leaping around unleashing cero after cero into the new arrivals. Many dove into cover, while others hid behind Yoruichi and Isshin. Yoruichi gritted her teeth angrily, "Damn…this is going to cause another scene. So much for avoiding trouble. Isshin, we need to deal with her before the Captain Commander gets here. I don't want anybody to kill her by mistake."
"Kisuke better be working on some kind of solution…" Isshin muttered as he got into a battle stance.
The petite hollow glared between the two of them alertly, instinctively recognizing them as her greatest threat at the moment. Ukitake was next to arrive on the scene and shared a similar reaction to many of the onlookers, "What has happened here? How did another hollow infiltrate the Seireitei?!"
"Watch out Captain Ukitake! That's Captain Soifon!" Omaeda was quick to announce.
"Captain Soifon a hollow?" the white haired man gasped. He was clearly not expecting that bit of news as he gawked at the masked Soifon.
"I'm afraid so…" Kyouraku replied somewhat distraught by the whole situation. Unohana arrived moments later, having heard the commotion.
She seemed just as surprised by the fate of Soifon, "What in the world?"
"Rah!" Soifon hissed as she began to run away. She dove through the allies of the Seireitei and swiftly attempted to flee the scene. Many of the higher seated Shinigami, including all present captains followed.
They seemed to be lagging behind as she got progressively further and further away. Yoruichi was quick to announce the obvious, "I can't catch her…she's too fast!"
Isshin, who was struggling to keep up with Yoruichi growled in response, "Where the hell is she even going?"
Kyouraku was not far behind them and quickly cut in as he got closer, "Looks like the Squad One barracks…we might be able to corner her if we split up."
"I'll go the long way!" Yoruichi immediately volunteered, "You two keep chasing her."
As Yoruichi broke off from the group, she shunpo'd as quickly as possible to move into an intercept position. The chase continued for another couple minutes until Soifon had finally reached the Squad One barracks.
She momentarily stopped and noticed the large mob of Shinigami chasing her. Soifon climbed the nearby building as fast as possible and began to leap over the rooftops as they got closer. As she got a considerable distance airborne, Yoruichi managed to spear her from an adjacent blind spot quickly pinning her to the ground.
Everyone began to surround the two as Yoruichi did her best to hold Soifon still. "Bakudo Number 4: Hainawa!" Ukitake and Unohana both seemed to say almost in sync.
They each restrained her with an energy rope allowing Yoruichi a chance to grapple the hollowfied captain from behind. The dark-skinned woman put Soifon in a sleeper hold as the two captains wrapped their ropes around her arms and pulled them wide.
Finally arriving to help was Shinji, who seemed all too familiar with what was going on. The reinstated Visored captain gritted his teeth angrily when he saw Soifon writhing like a beast.
"We need to put her down before somebody gets hurt," Unohana stated seriously as she tightened her Hainawa.
"No, we can help her, we just need to-" Shinji began, but was immediately silenced when Kensei appeared out of nowhere delivering a powerful punch to Soifon's mask.
Her mask cracked from the punch, and the woman herself seemed completely dazed from the hit. Kensei growled angrily as he cracked his knuckles, "That bastard Aizen!"
"This is no doubt the work of the Hogyoku…how did she get back to the Soul Society in this condition?" Unohana demanded.
"She returned through the Garganta acting strange, but this hollowfication didn't happen until Captain Kurotsuchi examined her," Isshin explained.
"Wait a minute…are you saying that the hollows sent her back like this?!" Ukitake gawked.
Soifon seemed to regain her bearings and immediately began to pull against the restraints the captains put on her. Unohana and Ukitake struggled with their ropes momentarily, before a yellow flash blinded everyone present.
As it subsided Soifon appeared a short distance away and now had a yellow glow radiating from her body. She looked down at her sheathed Zanpakuto and immediately drew it much to everyone's shock. Her voice spoke with the infamous hollow echo, "Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!"
"That's impossible…how did she release her Zanpakuto?!" Kensei demanded.
Shinji shook his head utterly confused, "How could she do it if she has no control over her mind?"
Wind seemed to pick up as Soifon gathered spiritual energy around her body. She soon began to blink around everyone leaving dozens of afterimages. While doing so, Soifon managed to sting several nearby Shinigami before knocking down several others.
Her dance of death was finally interrupted when Yoruichi and Kensei managed to pin her down again. The white haired captain held her stinger hand whilst Yoruichi moved in for another sleeper hold.
"Hold her still!" Urahara announced as he finally arrived. Yoruichi prayed that the man had some kind of solution and was thankful when she noticed Urahara inject Soifon with some strange type of serum. He immediately backed away pulling out the needle and watched anxiously as she got less and less aggressive.
Her Shikai quickly receded and her hollow mask began to dissipate as well. As the white reishi mask practically melted off her face, Soifon's hollow hole partially refilled causing her to pass out.
After she finally stopped moving, everyone stared at Urahara expecting an immediate explanation. He was quick to pick up on their confusion and explained the situation, "It would seem Aizen used the Hogyoku on Captain Soifon. It had a delayed effect for some reason, but I understand why now…"
"Are you kidding me?! What the hell happened to her? I thought she was hollowfied. What did you inject her with?" Shinji demanded.
"It's the same thing I used on you guys after Aizen infected you. It's a heavy drug that nullifies thoughts and emotions. Increased stress stimulates the hollow survival instinct, which in turn leads to irreversible hollowfication. If that happens, the soul can very easily reject it and be in danger of Soul-Suicide. She'll be unconscious for while, but if she regains consciousness she'll probably re-hollowfy," Urahara explained.
"Is there anything you Visoreds can do to help her?" Kyouraku asked Shinji.
Shinji shook his head uncertainly, "I am not really the expert on this…we have no idea what the nature of her transformation even is. The fact that she can willfully release her Zanpakuto while under that state of mind is surprising."
"Well Old man Yama is sure going to be salty about this…" Kyouraku shook his head already imagining the scenario ahead of time.
"Why would the hollows send her back like this? If they captured her, why not simply kill the captain? Tactically, it doesn't make any sense…" Omaeda panted having finally reached the group a minute prior.
Unohana shook her head sadly, "That should be pretty obvious at this point…it's a message."
"A message?! What the hell kind of message is this?" Omaeda gawked.
"One meant insult the nature of the Soul Society itself. Captain Soifon was very vigilant in her role as a Shinigami. To defile her into a hollow is to insult the Gotei 13 to its very core. The hollows have always been merciless to trespassers and spies in their world…but this is an act of spite. One meant to incite fear on any who would dare challenge them," Unohana elaborated.
Shinji shook his head, "That bastard Aizen will pay for this…"
"How did things ever come to this? When did Captain Soifon even leave the Soul Society Ikkaku asked.
Urahara sighed, "She volunteered to go on a reconnaissance mission to Hueco Mundo."
"Did she at least bring back any useful information?" Ukitake wondered.
Yoruichi nodded, "Yeah she did…Soifon mentioned something about Aizen teaching White all of our secrets and that they were talking about killing the Soul King."
"What?! The Soul King?! That's absurd!" Shinji blurted out shocked.
"Well this changes things…it also might explain why Aizen wanted a hollow army," Kyouraku noted.
"Did she mention anything else?" Unohana asked Yoruichi.
"I believe she said something about them having an elite council called the Espada. I can't remember if she mentioned how many of them there were…" Yoruichi continued.
Unohana's eyes widened, "What?! Are you…are you sure that's what she said?"
"You alright Captain Unohana?" Ukitake asked concerned.
She nodded briefly, "Yes…please continue Captain Yoruichi."
"She mentioned Quincies were there as well, and that the hollows fought them. I'm not entirely certain on the details about that…" Yoruichi trailed off.
Isshin sighed heavily as he spoke up, "Those Quincies she spoke of might be the Wandenreich. An old friend of mine named Ryuken Ishida is a Quincy survivor. He spoke to me about a militant regime of pure-blood survivors that tried to recruit him and his son."
"The Wandenreich? Quincies?! Are you serious?! Hollows are bad enough…now we've got Quincies to worry about too?!" Omaeda deadpanned.
"Make way, all of you!" Yamamoto announced causing everyone, minus Unohana and Isshin to pucker up attentively. Kurotsuchi was trailing behind the bearded old man which was a clear indicator that the Captain-Commander was already fully aware of the situation.
He shook his head in disgust as he looked down at the unconscious Soifon, "What is the fate of Captain Soifon? Will she live?"
"Well that's hard to say…considering the nature of her condi-" Urahara began.
"Will she live?!" Yamamoto repeated.
"Well her hollowfication might still be reversible…but if it isn't, she could possibly die to Soul Suicide or end up permanently a hollow." Urahara answered immediately.
Shinji quickly stepped forward and spoke up, "If we have your permission, Captain-Commander, the Visoreds might be able to help her."
"Restrain her immediately…once she is secured, I want all seated officers assembled for a meeting. We will discuss what to do about her then. Dismissed!" Yamamoto commanded.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Szyael's Lab XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ichigo stormed through the halls of Las Noches as he made his way towards Szayel's Lab. The Hollow King was not particularly happy to say the least. His mind was heavily focused on the inevitable Quincy invasion, which left him to wonder if Hueco Mundo would be ready.
Upon arriving, he noticed Yylfordt and Szayel both discussing the quincy invaders. The blonde shook his head, "I didn't get to see everything, but they had this strange ascended state called a Vollstandig I believe. It gave them wings and a considerable power boost."
"A Vollstandig you say? Hmm…that's unusual. Can you elaborate on the nature of this battle state? I'm curious about the properties involved in its use," Szayel requested thoughtfully.
Yylfordt shrugged, "It's…not really something I know how to explain. It looked as if they were mainly using Reishi to power all of their abilities. Although, I've never seen it on that level before. Quincies are a mystery."
"Well, it's good we have these samples here to work with," Szyael noted as he turned around and examined the three disfigured Quincy bodies each resting on separate operating tables. The pink-haired scientist shook his head as he looked at the decapitated Kirge, "it would have been a waste had Grimmjow destroyed them entirely."
Deciding to announce his arrival, Ichigo walked into the lab, "Have you had a chance to identify the bodies yet, Szayel? Is there anything relevant we can learn from their corpses?"
"Ah, King White, good to see you! Yes in fact there was something interesting I noticed…besides their abnormal abundance of spiritual power, these Quincies appear otherwise human. Biologically and spiritually, they're pretty much humans with spiritual power," Szayel answered as Ichigo came in to observe the bodies.
Yylfordt cocked his head uncertainly, "What about the machine one? It didn't appear very human to me."
Szayel walked over towards the heavily damaged BG9 and looked over it, "I haven't had a chance to really dissect any of them yet, but this one is rather curious. He seems to be a hybrid of machine and man…the ratio is debatable. Still…he had to be alive in some way, otherwise how else would he absorb Reishi so easily?"
"If this thing is mostly machine, are you sure it's even dead yet? Neliel didn't destroy it entirely," Yylfordt asked as he leaned over to examine the cybernetic Quincy.
His eyes widened surprised as he spotted a faint red glow coming from beneath the helmet of the Quincy, "Hey, there's a light over here…"
Szayel focused on the red glow that seemed to be getting brighter, "Hmm…that appears to be an optical sensor of some kind. A mechanical eye perhaps? Let me activate the security restraints."
Reaching over towards a nearby panel, Szayel pushed several buttons causing countless restraints to shoot out and over the Quincy. Szayel continued pressing buttons, "I should probably activate the magnetic cables just to be safe…"
"What the hell are you doing, Szayel?" Yylfordt cocked his head in confusion. His question was quickly answered when BG9 attempted to get up from the operating table. The countless restraints immediately ripped the cyborg back down.
"This thing appears to be alive still…excellent!" Szayel laughed excitedly.
Ichigo's eyes widened somewhat surprised, "It's still alive?"
The hollow King walked over towards the table and looked down at the straining BG9 for a moment. After a brief examination, Ichigo spoke, "Who and what are you Quincy?"
The cyborg didn't respond as it continued to struggle against the magnetic cables holding it down to the table. A faint blue glow of Reishi surrounded BG9 as it attempted to absorb nearby spiritual energy.
This was quickly halted as Szayel activated some kind of electric current over the restraints. The Sternritter shook wildly before ceasing its actions. "It seems to recognize pain. This being is indeed bio-mechanical. I've overloaded the mechanical circuits for now, it won't be going anywhere."
"Who are you, Quincy and what was your mission here?" Ichigo asked seriously.
BG9 didn't respond again as he expected which immediately prompted Ichigo to reach down and tear off one its chest plates. Underneath, he could see a strange meshing of organic and mechanical looking tissue and tendrils.
"Please stand back, High King. I will find this thing's pain receptors and turn them to maximum setting. I'll make it talk. Yylfordt, make yourself useful and plug that harpoon looking cable into its neck. I'm going to connect this spinal wire and download its memory banks."
"I had no idea you were this good with mechanics," Yylfordt replied as he quickly set BG9 up to the nearby console, "you always came off as the biologist to me."
"I'm well-established in all manners of science thank you very much. High King White, I'll have this thing prepared for interrogation shortly. I'll send Yylfordt to fetch you whenever we're ready. You don't have to wait around if you have other things to do," Szayel said casually as he sinisterly began to rework BG9's interior.
"Will you be alright in here?" Ichigo confirmed as he looked down at the cybernetic Quincy which was now crying out in pain.
"Perfectly…how's that sync going Yylfordt?" the pink haired man asked anxiously.
Yylfordt glanced over shaking his head, "It's not working. Something is preventing it…this thing isn't like a computer. I don't know how to hack its brain."
"Hmm, damn. We'll figure this out, White. I'll call you," Szayel reiterated as he began to double check Yylfordt's work.
"Maybe Zommari could help with this…he's got that Amor ability. It might prove useful," Yylfordt suggested.
"Ah good idea, big brother…you mind finding him for me?" Szayel asked as he continued tinkering with BG9's interior.
"Yeah I'll go find him…" Yylfordt sighed.
"Alright then…I'll check back later," Ichigo nodded as he left the lab.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Ulquiorra, outskirts of Hueco Mundo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After Ichigo's previous encouragement for all the Espada to achieve a second form, Ulquiorra had been hard at work training in the empty outskirts of Hueco Mundo. He was extremely far away from Las Noches, almost near the pit he once called home.
Usually he would never venture out this far, but Ulquiorra didn't want any distractions. He also didn't want to risk accidentally killing his allies with friendly fire. He had been training frequently ever since becoming an Arrancar, but only now was the severity of its importance truly reaching him.
He knew that Ichigo and the others had great power and knowledge. They all had the capability to achieve a higher state…but many of them were busy and distracted. Ichigo in particular was usually so busy managing the other hollows, that there was almost no chance he would be able to properly train. It was for this reason, that Ulquiorra knew what he had to do.
He had to make headway with achieving a second release in order to assist his allies. War was just on the horizon, and Ulquiorra wanted to be ready for it. It was clear to him that Ichigo couldn't do everything by himself and the cero espada himself was aware of it. The infamous hollow King had been driving a solid point home for everyone lately and that was the importance of everyone doing their part.
It was something Ulquiorra always found interesting about Ichigo. Despite his overwhelming power, Ichigo saw the importance of unity, delegation, and trust. These things could be seen in the countless actions the orange haired arrancar had done. Ichigo personally took time to inspire and train the lower ranked hollows. He encouraged a loyalty amongst the powerful hollows as well. The odds of Grimmjow and Barragan ever coexisting was impossible without Ichigo being in charge. The odds of Starrk and Harribel serving somebody besides Ichigo was also unlikely. Even Ulquiorra himself couldn't picture this unified Hueco Mundo without its mighty High King.
This was an invaluable fact that Ulquiorra had only recently began to fully understand. Ichigo was building trust and unity within Hueco Mundo. He was trying to encourage everyone to contribute to the betterment of hollows no matter how strong or weak they were. That's why he personally took the time to develop trust amongst the ranks. The only downside was that Ichigo had to shoulder the burden of leadership.
Ulquiorra sighed as he focused his attention back on training, 'Ichigo is counting on all of us to do our parts. I won't fail him…I will achieve a second release.'
He began to theory craft in his head about what a second release could even be, 'The Shinigami have a shikai and a bankai. They all seem to have Shikais, but only the most powerful ones have a bankai. Their bankais are usually large and powerful. That dark haired captain with the hairpiece had pink bladed flower pedals used his against me. If I remember correctly, there was a lot of more of pedals between his shikai and bankai states. He also appeared to have greater control over them. Then there's the large captain with the wolf face…his bankai was a giant suit of armor that copied his movements. Also…the white haired boy with the ice form. I wonder…are second releases more elemental in nature? Perhaps some are…but they are all undeniably larger and in most cases more primal. The increased control over them is also a matter of interest.'
Ulquiorra sat down overlooking the landscape as he continued to brainstorm, 'That captain, Gin Ichimaru, that came with us had an unusual bankai. His sword grew in length and cut down everything nearby us in the Menos Forest. Perhaps the nature of a bankai is an enhanced refinement of a shikai that embodies a Shinigami's full power. In that case, a second release would resemble something more closely resembling our hollow forms. As Aizen stated, our blades are a part of us. Our release states combine hollow and Shinigami forms…but to go beyond that would mean completely embodying what our Zanpakutos are.'
His eyes widened as if an epiphany had just hit him, 'I would essentially need to become Murcielago.'
The thought of becoming his Zanpakuto was quite strange, but it did make sense in a general overview. The Zanpakuto was their hollow powers sealed into a blade. If he could tap into the foundation of his hollow and combine it with his Shinigami powers, he could achieve a perfect hybrid state in which he embodies hollow and Shinigami power as one. Simultaneously wielding opposing powers is what made arrancars more powerful than typical hollows or Shinigami. It was, as Aizen would put it, a transcendent state of being. The only downside to this is that the hollows would have to become more like Shinigami.
Nevertheless, it was clear to him what he had to do. Ulquiorra had to become Murcielago, and not just release its powers. He sat there for what felt like hours as he motionlessly meditated on the nature of his being. Ulquiorra knew what he had to do the longer he thought about it…he had to go back to the place he was born, and remember.
Standing up, he sighed heavily, 'I know that Ichigo never wanted me to go back there, but I believe I have to. Murcielago is still obscure to me.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Las Noches, Harribel XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The blonde Espada, Tia Harribel, had been thinking about recent events ever since the Espada meeting. Her thoughts had been distant and heavy lately as she tried to comprehend Ichigo's recent demeanor. 'He appears to be deeply concerned about the Quincies…even more so than the Shinigami. I wonder if what he said is truly possible…could we really achieve a second release state?'
"Excuse me, mistress, but are you feeling okay?" Sung-sun asked concerned. Harribel was currently in her chambers along with Sung-sun and Mila Rose. Her two Fracciones appeared exhausted from their day's training.
Using examples learned from Ichigo, she had been training them constantly and worked to refine their combat skills. Her mind couldn't help but wander at the thought of Ichigo for a moment, 'None of this would have been possible without him. It's funny thinking back on the past…I never would have imagined this being possible. I mean Barragan and I as allies? Hueco Mundo united? It all feels so surreal…even now. Plus we're all arrancars…I guess that Aizen guy isn't too bad after all. Despite being a Shinigami, he's delivered on his promise to help us. White really seems to trust him…I wonder if I should as well?'
"Lady Harribel? What's wrong?" Mila Rose added.
The blonde was quickly drawn from her thoughts as she glanced over at the bodacious Mila Rose, "Nothing, I'm fine. I was just thinking about what White said at our last meeting."
"What did Ichigo say?!" Mila Rose piped up anxiously. Sung-sun seemed to share her curiosity as she moved in closer and sat down.
The snake arrancar covered her mouth with her sleeve, "Are you sure that's appropriate to ask, Mila Rose? Lady Harribel would have mentioned it to us if it was important."
"Well…sorry then," Mila Rose stammered somewhat shamefully as she backed away from Harribel.
The blonde shook her head, "Don't be sorry, I have no qualms about telling you. White just talked about the Quincies and seemed pretty concerned with them. He seems even more concerned about this Wandenreich than the Soul Society. He told the Espada that we needed more power, and that we should try to work on achieving a second release form."
"A what?! Is that even possible?!" Mila Rose gasped, "I mean where the hell did that idea even come from?"
"Well it's quite interesting if you think about it, really," Sung-sun interrupted, "the Shinigami have two sword states for their Zanpakutos."
"Yeah but…aren't our Resurreccions like their bankais?" Mila Rose asked.
Harribel shrugged, "We're not exactly sure as to the full nature of the Shinigami Zanpakutos, but Aizen seemed to think it was possible when Ichigo mentioned it. I just don't really know what else we could do. My power feels mostly capped anyway…"
"That's nonsense, Harribel…there is no such thing as capped power," a fourth voice came from the open doorway. All three women looked over and spotted none other than Barragan.
The older man seemed to be radiating an aura of displeasure, but that was hardly anything new. Harribel glanced at him somewhat surprised, "What brings you here, Barragan?"
"It's not just him…we're here too!" Lilynette's voice sounded as she came around the corner. Starrk stood further away as he casually leaned against the wall.
Harribel stood up and walked over towards the door examining her fellow Espada curiously, "Starrk and Lilynette? What are you three all doing here?"
"Well, Starrk's been pretty lazy lately and won't train at all. He says he's strong enough and doesn't see the point of training. So…I went and got the old guy here to chew his ass out. Starrk didn't want to listen, but after awhile I managed to convince him that he should spar with, Barragan since he's actually stronger…supposedly. Then I thought, we should train with you too since you're the next strongest hollow besides us. I was gonna get Ulquiorra as well, but I couldn't find him," Lilynette explained.
Starrk sighed heavily, "It's not like I was being lazy. I was too strong to train with anyone else. Honestly, I don't mind training, but I didn't really know what to do about this Second release. I figured I'd sleep over it and maybe it would come to me in a dream."
"Yeah right! You hearing this guy?!" Lilynette laughed at Starrk's excuse, "you were just looking for an excuse to sleep! C'mon, Starrk! I know you were just too shy to ask one of the other Espada to train with. That's why I had to do it for you. And would you look at that? Pops agreed, and Harribel probably will too!"
"How did you convince these two of all people to train?" Harribel wondered as she looked between the aloof Starrk and serious Barragan.
"Well, I wasn't really a fan of the idea, but Barragan did agree to Lilynette's suggestion. I only really agreed to this because our Primera here said he'd do it," Starrk shrugged
Harribel rose a brow surprised at Barragan, "You actually agreed to train with them?"
"The brat came by and was bothering me all morning about it…she insisted that the Segunda was being a stagnant, lazy fool. Though after a brief conversation, she brought up a valid point. The three of us are too powerful to train with anyone else besides each other. The only way we're going to achieve this second release is if we truly push the limits of our power," Barragan explained.
"Who knew you could see reason…" Harribel muttered shaking her head halfway amused, "I suppose that's the smartest thing you've ever said."
"Do not talk down to me, Harribel! The only reason I agreed to this was because of its necessity. I would prefer not to indulge in the company of you three," Barragan growled.
"Chill out, will ya? I don't know what kind of tension exists between you two, but I suggest you get over it. I'm not going to bother doing this if you two don't get along," Starrk interrupted, halfway annoyed.
"I'm not going to let him talk down to us…Barragan needs to drop his ego if he expects me to tolerate his company for more than a minute. I don't know if reality has hit you yet, Barragan, but we're not your lackeys," Harribel stated as she crossed her arms.
"Your rebellious condescension does you no credit either, Harribel!" Barragan retorted.
"Just shut up you two! Ichigo wouldn't want the Espada fighting over something so stupid! Starrk's right…you two need to get along! In fact we all do…otherwise what's the point of this whole thing?" Lilynette interrupted.
Everyone went silent for a moment as they contemplated her words. Harribel knew she was right. Despite the past trouble she had experienced with Barragan, she needed to rise above it and accept him as an ally. Ichigo did and so did Grimmjow. Harribel glared at Barragan annoyed, "Fine, I'll let it go…but only because White needs us to work together."
Barragan seemed annoyed as well, but grudgingly nodded, "Hmph…valid point. I will be less authoritative to you two. As the runt stated, you are close to my level of power, and I will show you the proper respect…but only if you do the same."
"Deal…I'd rather not hold a grudge anyway," Harribel nodded in acceptance. She watched curiously for a moment as Barragan extended his hand. She looked at it confused before realizing it was a gesture for a handshake.
Slowly she gripped his hand and shook it. After it was over, an awkward silence filled the hallway. It was soon interrupted as Mila Rose and Sung-sun came barreling outside. They had been eavesdropping on the conversation the whole time.
"Lady Harribel, you're going to train with the Espada?" Mila Rose asked uncertainly.
The blonde nodded, "Yes…I won't have as much time to help you two out. Try to work on whatever you can while we're gone."
"What should we do without you though?" Mila Rose wondered.
"Maybe we can train with Ichigo's Fracciones again?" Sung-sun suggested.
Mila Rose's face lit up at the mention, "Oooh! Good idea, I haven't seen Ichigo in a while. Maybe he's with them?!"
"You wear your emotions so easily Mila Rose…" Sung-sun sassed as the lioness arrancar went charging down the hallway. Sung-sun began to follow after her which left the Espada alone.
Barragan shook his head silently at the sight, 'Her Fracciones lack discipline…but I guess that's not really my problem.'
"Well, let's not stand around all day…we might want to get a good distance away from Las Noches if we're all going to train together," Starrk noted.
"C'mon, let's go!" Lilynette exclaimed as she led the three Espada down the hallway.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Wandenreich, Yuzu XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Yuzu and Bazz B had been continuing with the Blut training from their previous session and were making a decent amount of progress. The Mohawk Quincy nodded approvingly as he saw a very faint grid like glow cover Yuzu's arm.
"That's it Kurosaki…you've almost gotten it. Just put a little bit more into the veins. Try to focus on your pulse while you do it. Can you feel your own heartbeat. Charge it with just a little more Reishi," Bazz B stated as he progressively got louder and more excited.
Yuzu's blut vene glowed more solidly now much to his approval, "Hell yeah! Alright now keep that going while I try to attack you."
"What?!" Yuzu gasped fearfully as Bazz B held up his hand.
"Burner Finger one!" he shouted as a molten beam flew at her forearm. Her fearful anticipation caused the blut to prematurely diminish which in turn sent the girl to the ground crying in pain.
"AHHRGH" Yuzu screeched painfully as she reached up to touch a seared hole that was now present in her forearm. Her face was a mixture of pain and fear as she shakily touched the wound. "OUCH!" Yuzu grimaced. Tears were flowing down her face now.
"Kurosaki, you alright?!" Bazz B asked as he ran over and immediately examined the wound. He was met with a slap as he leaned in closer.
"Why did you do that?! It hurts…" Yuzu said painfully.
"I'm…sorry. I thought you had it," Bazz B replied somewhat shamefully. Maybe he was getting a bit ahead of himself already. Yuzu's swift progress combined with her recent acquisition of a Schrift caused him to temporarily overlook the fact that she was still an innocent teenage girl.
However, it was this simple fact which reminded him why he was so adamant about training her in the first place. This was no place for a weak-willed person. Yuzu needed to be strong…especially now that she was a Sternritter. Reluctantly, Bazz B knew he would have to be more aggressive if she was actually going to be able to defend herself.
"C'mon, Kurosaki…stand up. It's just your arm," he finally said after a brief silence. Yuzu looked up uncertainly as tears fell down her face. The seared hole in her forearm felt as if it was still on fire. She looked at Bazz B anxiously, "I'm injured…it burns really badly."
"Get up, Kurosaki…" he said more seriously now, "you can partially heal yourself with Blut Vene even after receiving an injury. Gather the Reishi and stand up."
"I…I can't!" she cried.
"Why not? What's stopping you? I didn't damage your legs or any other part of your body. Stop being a wimp and get up!" he finally said aggressively.
Yuzu fearfully shuffled upright to her feet as she clutched onto her arm tightly. She looked at Bazz B fearfully, not understanding why he was mad all of a sudden. She avoided his gaze as the man walked closer.
"Gather the Reishi, Kurosaki!" Bazz B yelled, "c'mon if this was a real battle you'd already be dead!"
"Please stop yelling at me…" Yuzu sobbed as she slumped back to the ground in a defeated posture.
"Don't you get it yet, Kurosaki?! You can't be weak! I can't keep coddling you! I shouldn't have to! Nobody should. Your brother can't protect you anymore, and I won't always be there to protect you either! You're a Sternritter for fuck's sake! Now get up and stop being a bitch!" Bazz B commanded. His tone was frightening and deeply upsetting to Yuzu. She sat there crying for another minute before finally doing as commanded.
She shook from the pain of her wound but was now silent as she looked down at the ground. Bazz B felt extremely guilty about having to do this, but he knew he had no choice. Yuzu was too used to relying on others and had almost no backbone. She needed to toughen up, and unfortunately, she was not going to get tough if she believed she could always depend on him for protection.
'She needs to learn how to stand up on her own…' Bazz B kept telling himself as he avoided Yuzu's tearful puppy-dog eyes.
"Gather the Reishi…use blut," he said again but in a calmer manner. Before Yuzu could do as commanded, she felt somebody grab a hold of her arm.
Her eyes widened confused as none other than Giselle was there. Bazz B seemed just as surprised by the other Sternritter's arrival and watched confused as Giselle channeled a blut from her own arm onto Yuzu's. Much to Bazz B's surprise, it healed the hole in Yuzu's arm.
Yuzu pulled her arm away and sniffled uncertainly, "Giselle-san?"
"There! All patched up now! Hey Bazzy-kun! You mind if I help you train her?" Giselle asked as she waved at the dumbstruck Bazz B.
"Giselle? What the hell are you doing here?!" Bazz B demanded.
"Well…I couldn't help but notice that Yuzu needed some more instruction on Blut. Since it's one of my fields of expertise, I figured maybe I could train with you guys!" Giselle chirped cheerfully.
"Did you just…heal her?!" he gawked.
"Don't look so surprised Bazzy-kun! I heal Bambi-chan's opponents all the time. She has a nasty habit of blowing people's limbs off you know?" Giselle laughed.
Yuzu looked down at her arm disbelievingly, 'She…healed me?! The pain…it's gone.'
"Get lost, Giselle…I don't want you messing with Yuzu, got that?!" Bazz B growled.
"Well, I could tell Candice or Haschwalth about how you're treating her…I wonder what they'd say?" Giselle replied.
"Ugh…fine, you can stay. Just don't go dragging Candice or Jugo here. I don't need that headache right now!" Bazz B sighed.
"Yay! You're the best, Bazzy-kun! You know I love you right?!" Giselle exclaimed as she ran in for a hug.
Bazz B immediately swung two fingers as she got near, "Burner Finger Two!" Two huge parallel streams of fire arced out immediately forcing Giselle to jump back and dodge.
She gave Bazz B a pouting look, "Aww, you're so mean, Bazzy-kun! You're even being mean to Yuzu-chan today!"
"Shut up, bitch! I'm training her alright?! There's only so far she's going to get with us coddling her. Now if you think you're some kind of bomb ass instructor, then by all means try to teach her blut. I'll be standing right here so don't try anything," Bazz B shot back.
'Bazz B seems so angry right now…I don't know what I did to upset him, but I hope he doesn't stay that way,' Yuzu thought concerned as she briefly stole a glance at the hot-headed Bazz B who was now seated a short distance away.
Giselle caught Yuzu's attention as she grabbed her wrist, "Alright now, Yuzu-chan, I am going to help you with blut!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Soul Society, Karin XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The news was everywhere, and even now Karin could barely believe it. One of the Shinigami Captains had gone on a reconnaissance mission to Hueco Mundo and recently returned as a hollow herself. The idea was frightening to her. Karin shook her head concerned, 'This conflict isn't going to go away. Eventually the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo will be at full-scale war. Dad said he was going to stop Ichigo…would they honestly fight each other?'
The idea of her family literally tearing itself apart frightened Karin greatly. She was also deeply concerned about Yuzu's disappearance which apparently had something to do with Quincies. The raven haired teen balled her fists angrily, 'Damn it! Why did this have to happen to my family?! I gotta find dad and see if he's doing anything about Yuzu.'
Rushing down the stairs of the Shiba residence, she spotted Isshin sitting down with his fingers interlocked. He appeared deep in thought and looked extremely on edge.
"Dad, I know you told me not to get involved, but I have to know…is your friend Ishida-san still looking for Yuzu? I can't sleep knowing she's missing and in trouble," Karin said urgently.
Isshin slowly looked up at her and sighed shaking his head, "I'm just as concerned as you are, but I can't go anywhere right now. There's a huge meeting coming up soon with all seated officers. It's about Captain Soifon."
"But aren't you worried about where Yuzu is?! We need to go help her! The Soul Society can take care of itself! Our family should come first!" Karin stated.
"I wish it was that simple, Karin, but there's literally nothing I can do about Yuzu at the moment. Wherever those quincies took her is somewhere I have no knowledge of. I know it seems like I'm doing nothing, but our only hope of finding her is to rely on the Soul Society for help. Plus…I swore to the Captain-Commander that I would deal with this Ichigo issue," Isshin replied.
"Well let me go look for her then! I'm tired of just sitting around worrying about my sister!" Karin demanded.
Isshin shot her a stern gaze, "And what would you do, Karin? You're nowhere near the level of power it would take to stand up to some of these enemies. You're the only child I can currently protect, and right now you're safest in the Soul Society."
"What's the point of being safe if I have to live in fear? Plus, can't you train me or something? All this sitting around and worrying can't be good for you either, dad," Karin noted.
"If the academy wasn't still closed, I'd suggest you go back. Though that's out of the question currently," the man sighed.
Karin sent him a sharp glare, "I'm never going back to that stupid academy. Everyone there treats me bad just because I'm some supposed noble. Who the hell are the Shibas anyways?! We're Kurosakis!"
The man stood up as an idea shot through his mind, "Maybe you can train with the other Shibas then…I didn't really think about it until now, but there were three of them left besides me before I left the Soul Society. I have a niece and nephew that live out in one of the Rukongai districts. Their names are Kukaku and Ganju. I'll let you train with them if you'd like."
"Wait…what?! We have family in the Soul Society?! I thought we were the last Shibas," Karin gasped.
Isshin shrugged, "Well, after the incident with Kaien's death, I believe Kukaku and Ganju renounced their affiliation to the clan. So technically we are the last Shibas…but they are blood related to us. I guess that would make them your cousins."
"Cousins?! We…I have cousins here?! Why didn't you say anything about this sooner?!" Karin gawked.
"Well it wasn't really worth mentioning until now. I haven't seen them in decades, and they don't even know about you kids. I'm not even sure how they'll react to be honest, but we can go there after this captain's meeting," Isshin said as he made his way towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Karin asked.
"The meeting will probably start soon. I am going to go see if they've made any progress with Captain Soifon first. Just hang tight, Karin. I'll be back later," Isshin said before walking out the door.
Karin stood there dumbfounded, 'Cousins? I wonder what they're like?'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Wandenreich, Yuzu XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Yuzu could hardly believe it…of all the Quincies, Giselle was the most helpful instructor she ever could have imagined when it came to learning about Quincy abilities. The creepy Sternritter had this strange way of putting things in a perspective for her to understand.
Unlike Bazz B or Candice, Giselle seemed to understand Yuzu's perspective in nearly every training situation they had done thus far. She didn't over-explain like Candice or use simplified explanations like Bazz B. Giselle went out of her way to explain how every ability worked and what they drew upon rather than just demonstrating. Her step by step teaching had allowed Yuzu to finally grasp the concept of blut in its entirety.
Giselle also managed to teach her about Blut Arterie. Unlike Blut Vene, Blue Arterie was the offensive counterpart. Yuzu wasn't sure what it would do, but was quite surprised by how Giselle explained it. Blut Arterie could be used in a variety of ways. It could enhance one's bodily systems by infusing their cardiovascular system with Reishi. This allowed for a much higher offensive output as it increased strength, speed, and reaction time.
"And that's only the basics of what Blut Arterie can do, Yuzu-chan. Most of the other sternritters don't rely on it as often since their schrifts grant them a great amount of offensive power anyways…but I think it's pretty useful to be well-rounded in everything rather than only excelling in one thing. Another useful ability of Blut Arterie that almost nobody bothers learning is this…" Giselle turned away from her as she held up her arms.
A red grid pattern traced over them and soon formed into red claw like extensions over her fingers. Giselle grinned excitedly as she swung them all releasing a bloodied energy blades. "These blades of blood are particularly useful at catching an opponent off guard, especially if you're not carrying a weapon. They also serve well to aid in my own Schrifts powers of blood manipulation."
As she glanced back at the surprised Yuzu, Giselle smiled, "Now remember, Yuzu-chan, Blut arterie and blut vene can't be used at the same time, but you can interchange quickly in battle if you're skilled enough. If I were you, I'd try working on alternating them. Once you do the flow will feel more natural."
"Umm…Giselle, can you teach me how to heal with blut? That looked useful." Yuzu asked.
"Of course I can, Yuzu-chan! Healing with blut is something that requires you to be good at blut vene and blut arterie. By absorbing Reishi and infusing it into the blood system, you can speed up the natural healing process exponentially. What it does is it allows one cell to divide into a hundred cells instead of just two. Just think of it as spiritually enhanced cellular regeneration. Now I know what you're thinking…how do we avoid the possibility of mutations with all that cellular division right?" Giselle asked excitedly.
Yuzu wasn't dumb by any means, but she was not the biggest expert on biology. She looked somewhat lost in Giselle's explanation but nodded, "Uhh…right?"
"It's simple! The blut arterie increases the blood flow to that area allowing for the super delivery of reishi platelets, and the blut vene which comes afterward protects the cells after their division. The cells born from this process will divide until your body is completely healed. Once the blut stops, your rapid cell division ceases. How you might ask? Well…when the reishi is present in your blut, it nullifies the-"
"Oh my god, Giselle, shut up! I think she gets the point," Bazz B exclaimed annoyed.
"Oh…haha sorry about that," Giselle rubbed the back of her head, "I just thought Yuzu-chan might want a more scientific explanation as to how Reishi affects the bodily systems."
"You know a lot about science stuff. Thanks for the explanation," Yuzu said somewhat meekly as she was trying to understand the explanation.
"Aww, you're so sweet, Yuzu-chan!" Giselle chirped.
"Jeez…I didn't realize you knew shit about science Giselle," Bazz B noted.
The Sternritter struck a peace sign and grinned, "Oh but of course I do! It's important to know that kind of stuff when your power revolves around reanimating the dead right?"
The atmosphere immediately got dark and creepy as Giselle finished her comment. Bazz B looked away shaking his head, "You're sick…even more so than I thought. I should have known you were some kind of mad scientist. Now I see why you were partnered with Askin back then…"
'She's way smarter than I thought…why does that scare me?' Yuzu thought concerned as she looked between Giselle and Bazz B.
"I'm not mad though…I'm cute!" Giselle retorted.
"Yeah…if you say so," Bazz B said sarcastically, "I think Kurosaki's had enough Blut training for one day. It might be a better idea to work on your Schrift now."
"Her schrift? Is Yuzu-chan a Sternritter now?" Giselle asked excitedly.
Bazz B sighed heavily, "Yes…she's L for Light."
"L? Hmm…isn't Pepe L for Love?" Giselle thought aloud.
"Yeah it confused me too…but that's what it is," Bazz B replied.
"Well it's getting kind of late…do you mind if I go to bed, Bazz B?" Yuzu requested timidly.
The Mohawk man nodded as he jerked his head, "Get some sleep, Kurosaki and remember what we talked about. You did good work today…"
After Yuzu left, Bazz B turned towards Giselle seriously, "Is there a reason you're annoying me all the time now, Giselle? You've been acting really weird around me lately. I don't know what you hope to gain by butting into this, but I think it's time you told me."
"Ah Bazzy-kun, you're so suspicious of me. What if I just enjoy hanging out with you? Maybe you're just projecting your own fears onto me. The real question is what are you up to?" Giselle countered.
"Pfft…you think you're some kind of slick shit, elusive genius huh? I got nothing to say to you, freak," Bazz B announced dismissively as he took his leave. Upon his departure, Giselle sighed, 'Thought so…but would he really go through with it?'
Making her way back inside, Giselle was soon met by none other than Bambietta. The leader of the femritter gang eyed Giselle up and down suspiciously, "What's up with you, Gigi? I heard you were training the girl with Bazz B today. How'd that go?"
Giselle nervously rubbed the back of her head, "Oh…you heard about that huh? Well, it's a funny story really…"
"No need to get all weird about it…I don't care. I actually told Yuzu that she was better off learning from you anyway. You manage to teach her anything?" Bambietta asked.
"I just taught her about Blut. Candy-chan and Bazzy-kun were kind of vague in their descriptions." Giselle nodded.
"So she's a Sternritter now too…did you find out anything about what her Schrift is?" Bambietta asked anxiously.
"Her Schrift is L for light…I was kind of surprised when Bazzy-kun told me," Giselle responded.
As they entered, Bambietta's room, the woman plopped onto her bed and turned back with a surprised face, "Light?! Oh damn…that could be super strong. Do you have any idea what the power of light could do?"
Giselle nodded, "Well, if there's no defined limit to her power over it, then Yuzu-chan would be capable of a ton of things. She could change colors, turn things invisible, make illusions, absorb sunlight, blind people, teleport, and maybe even create shadows. Though that's all speculative."
"Holy fuck…Yhwach gave her that kind of power?! Why?" Bambietta's eyes widened disbelievingly.
"Well I doubt it's on the level you're thinking of, Bambi-chan, but it could potentially be extremely powerful," Giselle noted.
"Are you kidding me?" a voice that could only be Candice's sounded from outside their door. It was quickly opened and closed as Candice came strutting in with Meninas and Liltotto.
Bambietta rolled her eyes at them, "Next time knock, Candice…"
"So her Schrift is light?!" Candice confirmed.
Giselle nodded, "Yep, that's what I heard from Bazz B."
"Wait…so what's this about you hanging out with Bazz B?! What the fuck for?!" Candice demanded.
"Oh…haha, well since you two both alternate training her on different days I thought maybe I could be there everyday. I managed to convince Bazzy-kun that I would be a big help. We finished up her blut training today," Giselle laughed nervously.
"So you're hanging with Bazz B of all people? Since when has that been a thing?!" Candice glared.
Liltotto seemed somewhat alarmed by the news, 'Giselle seems way more interested in this than normal. I wonder how she convinced Bazz B to let her train with Yuzu? Unless…she's on to Bazz B too? Can't put anything past Giselle it seems. I should go talk to Bazz B about this. I wonder if Bambietta knows...'
"Don't be mad, Candy-chan, I just want to help," Giselle replied innocently.
Before Candice could voice her disapproval further, Bambietta spoke up, "Leave her alone, Candice…Gigi got Bazz B's permission."
"Does all that poor girl do is train and sleep? I think tomorrow we should have a girl's day for her," Meninas cut in with a peppy tone.
"That's actually not a half bad idea…if she's a Sternritter, then Yhwach is completely serious about keeping her. It might be a good idea to alleviate some of the tension she might be feeling," Liltotto agreed.
"I'll only agree to this if Bambietta promises to not be a sinister bitch," Candice spoke up sternly.
Bambietta shrugged, "Yeah yeah, I won't scare her again. No need to perpetuate whatever lies Bazz B has been feeding her about us anyway."
"I'm kind of curious about her human life. We should try to learn more about Yuzu-chan and her family," Meninas suggested approvingly.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Soul Society, Captain's Meeting XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Her condition is irreversible, sir…without the Hogyoku, there's no possible way to get rid of her hollowfication. We attempted to wake her up again earlier, but she just immediately transformed. We managed to suppress it, and she's awake now, but that hollow isn't going away. She's going to have to become a Visored or die," Urahara explained to the Captain-Commander along with all senior Gotei 13 officers.
"That might not even be possible, honestly. Her hollow is fused to her Zanpakuto now. Leave it to Aizen to design something so diabolical. If she uses any of her Reiryoku, then her hollow will just take over again. We could try, but that would require letting us fight her while she battles her inner hollow," Lisa added.
The tension in the room was heavy enough to sink a mountain. A heavy silence followed her statement which left many of the Gotei 13 officers staring in disbelief and anger. "Is that truly wise? The last thing we need is another hollow attacking the Seireitei. Morale is at an all time low. Setting her loose and letting you fight her just for the slight chance that it could save her is not worth the risk. The Gotei 13 has suffered too many losses already. If Captain Urahara was unable to cleanse her, then Captain Soifon's life is already forfeit," Yamamoto stated seriously.
Omaeda was the first to break the silence as he shook his head dismissively, "If there's even a chance that it could save the captain's life, then we should do it!"
"I think you fail to understand the Captain-Commander's point Lieutenant! She's already dead…truthfully she died the moment she set foot into Hueco Mundo. The fact that she was able to bring us important information before turning is a testament to her sacrifice," Byakuya interrupted.
"This is crazy…you're telling me we just have to execute her then?! She's still alive for goodness sake!" Rangiku couldn't help but protest. Toshiro's face was one of utter disgust, 'Damn you, Aizen! You monster…you and White will pay for this!'
Komamura shook his head sadly, "This is abhorrent…to think the hollows would go this far just to send us a message."
"Lieutenant Matsumoto is right though…she's still alive. Captain Soifon deserves a chance to save her own soul. I mean…it worked for them right?" Momo added as she pointed at the visoreds.
"She may be alive…but for how long? She's practically a hollow already…if she doesn't die to Soul Suicide then she'll pretty much be an abomination. She wouldn't want that," Unohana stated.
"Nice of you to call us abominations…" Hiyori crossed her arms unhappily, "really makes us feel welcome."
"She's not like you though. That point has been expressively noted by several experts on this matter. Her hollowfication was different than yours," Unohana responded sharply.
Hiyori didn't seem like she wanted to argue as she simply rolled her eyes and looked away.
"Couldn't you just keep her incapacitated until we recovered the Hogyoku, Kisuke?" Yoruichi asked hopefully.
"Unfortunately, Captain Urahara failed to mention another key factor in this matter. The drug he injected has a diminishing effect over time. She's already adapting to it due to her hollow resistance. There's only two options…attempt to make her a Visored or kill her...be it Soul-suicide or execution," Kurotsuchi interrupted.
"Well, maybe we could take her somewhere secure and try it? I mean it couldn't hurt to at least try. If it fails then she dies anyway," Shinji suggested.
"She must be executed immediately. I cannot abide the intentional creation of hollow Shinigami hybrids. It is regrettable and unfortunate, but Captain Soifon died for the greater good of the Soul Society. Her worth as a captain has been proven by her sacrifice. However, I will not break the law just to cheat her death," Yamamoto concluded.
"We can't just kill her when there's even the slightest chance of helping though!" Yoruichi protested.
"Be silent! I will not tolerate insubordination in times like these! Even if the process were to be successful, what happens when they do it again? And again?! The hollows have made it clear that they will turn us or destroy us one way or another. Do you understand what the ramifications of doing this would entail? What happens when all Shinigami see their former friends turned hollow? They hold back in the hopes that something can be done. If our entire army thought that way, then the hollows would wash over us like a wave. The lower ranks must understand the hard truth that all of us are vulnerable, and those that turn must be slain for the greater good. Do you doubt my wisdom on this matter?!" Yamamoto dared somebody to speak up in protest.
Nobody had the nerve to say another word before Yamamoto spoke again, "Good…retrieve her immediately. I will do it myself."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Soul Society, Later XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After a short commute, many of the Gotei 13 officers were gathered atop Sokyoku Hill where the hollowfied Soifon sat restrained. Yamamoto took a brief moment to look over the faces of his underlings and spoke sternly, "Captain Soifon brought invaluable information to the Soul Society, but paid dearly with her soul. This is what the hollows have done to her…this is the fate they would inflict upon all of us. Captain Soifon was militant and proud…she deserves a clean death. Understand this…all of you. Show no mercy to hollows. Her soul will be cleansed, and one day she will be reborn again."
Reaching for his Zanpakuto, Yamamoto drew it slowly as he approached the restrained hollow. Everyone watched sadly as Soifon writhed and howled.
As Yamamoto got closer, Soifon felt a strange clarity coming to her. The captain tried to speak in her own defense as Yamamoto got closer, but much to her horror, the only sound that escaped her mouth was another hollow screech.
'What the hell?! Are they actually going to execute me?!' Soifon thought disbelievingly as she finally began to regain her mind, 'what the fuck kind of sick twist of fate is this?! How…how did I get on Sokyoku Hill?'
The woman thought for a moment as she briefly remembered the time White escaped with Aizen. She didn't know why this was a part of her final thoughts, but seconds later an idea came to mind. Her control immediately ceased as her body began to move on its own again.
Soifon looked up and began to screech as loudly as possible. It greatly resembled the one Wonderweiss had used before White's escape. Yamamoto swung his sword down for a clean executing blow, but was shocked when a golden beam of light shot through the Seireitei blocking him.
Everyone could barely believe their eyes when they looked up and saw a Garganta overhead. In the shadows of the Garganta, a single massive eye could be seen. This sight was not unfamiliar to many of the officers present.
Unohana was quick to state the obvious, "She used Negacion?"
"How the hell did she open that Garganta?! Isn't this the same way White used to escape?" Kyouraku stared in disbelief.
Soifon began to ascend in the yellow beam at a surprising quick rate before disappearing into the sealed Garganta.
"Did that really just happen?!" Yoruichi gawked.
It seemed everyone was at a loss for words. Yamamoto himself cracked his fists angrily, 'I will kill the creature that answers Negacion cries the next time I see it.'
"What happened? How did she use Negacion?!" Ukitake wondered.
"Everyone is dismissed…do not bother me unless I call for you," Yamamoto stated angrily as he immediately took his leave.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Soul Society, Isshin XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After Soifon's unexpected escape, Isshin was simply at a loss for words, 'This is crazy…I need to get Karin out of the Seireitei before something else disastrous happens around here.'
As he made his way back home, he was quickly intercepted by none other than Rukia. The petite brunette announced her intentions immediately, "Hey, Captain Shiba, you mind if I talk to you?"
"Kuchiki? What do you want?" Isshin asked as he walked at a brisk pace.
Rukia looked away for a moment before answering, "Well, after seeing what happened to Captain Soifon it really made me think. The same thing happened to Kaien Shiba…do you think anything could have been done to help him? I know it's a silly question, but since you're related to him and all, I just wanted to know what you thought about it."
"Why are trying to say exactly? Aren't you the one that killed Kaien?" Isshin asked.
This seemed to be the wrong thing to say. Rukia immediately looked away depressed, "Yeah…I was just wondering if I did the right thing, you know? I don't think the captain commander was right about wanting to execute Captain Soifon."
"It's not my place to question the old guy…he's been doing this for well over a thousand years," Isshin shrugged.
"Forgive me for asking, but since you used to be the head of the Shiba Clan, I was wondering…how well did you know Kaien?"
"Kaien was my nephew…I always thought Ichigo looked like him but with orange hair instead of black," Isshin replied.
"Do you think I did the right thing?" Rukia asked again.
"I don't pretend to understand what's right or wrong in the universe. It's wrong that I have to kill my son, but it's also right because he endangers the balance. It's wrong that my daughters have to get sucked into this conflict, but it's right that they know the truth. I can't answer your question for you, Kuchiki. Though if you want my advice, I'd probably talk to Kaien's siblings about it. Maybe that'll give you some closure," the man said calmly.
"Kaien's siblings?! W-where are they?" Rukia asked.
"I was actually going to take Karin to meet them. You're welcome to come along too if you'd like. I haven't really gotten the chance to see them in decades, and I'm sure they could use some closure themselves," Isshin suggested.
"You're taking your daughter there? Why?" Rukia asked.
"I want them to train her since the Shinigami Academy is shut down. In fact…you could too if you really wanted. Karin could use a friend here…she's been really bitter lately," Isshin sighed.
"I can definitely keep an eye on her while she's there if you'd like. Plus it could give me some time to talk to the Shibas," Rukia agreed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Hueco Mundo, Soifon XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Upon passing through the Garganta, Soifon felt her clarity return once more. Now that her life wasn't in immediate danger, she could think more clearly. She looked around examining her settings before noticing a massive creature which was no doubt responsible for pulling her out of the Soul Society.
She looked at the disgusting monster with shock as it immediately took its leave. She then realized that she was back in Hueco Mundo, somewhere beneath the surface. Soifon began to jump around the subterranean cave she found herself in as she looked for an exit.
After an indeterminate amount of time she found her way to the surface. Looking over the windy sands of Hueco Mundo she dropped to her knees full of despair, 'Why am I back here?! This place…it's so empty.'
An overwhelming sense of hopelessness began to wash over her. She was a hollow now and could never go back to the Soul Society. 'They…were going to kill me. Why? Couldn't they help me? Those visoreds have hollow powers. Am I not like them? Why did this have to happen!? Everyone saw me…transform. I'm a hollow abomination!'
Right as that thought crossed her mind, she remembered her final words to Ichigo, 'He did this to punish me. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?! The Soul Society wants me dead, the quincies want me dead, and the hollows…they want me dead too! I'm alone…'
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There's another chapter for you kids. I hope you enjoyed it. I know there was a lot of shifting perspectives happening this chapter, but a lot of stuff is going on right now, so I wanted to emphasize that.
Yuzu is certainly one of the highlights in this chapter. Yhwach finally gave her a Schrift. As you may have realized already, it will be an unusual power. We also got a bit more insight into Giselle and some of her sneakiness. Next chapter, will probably delve a bit into the Femritters' pasts, so hopefully you enjoy that.
Next on the list of big events is Isshin dropping the bomb on Karin about Kukaku and Ganju. I know some of you have asked about their appearance in this story…well I was saving it for this. The whole Shiba/rukia perspective will eventually lead into Kaien. Lots of that coming soon.
Also, BG9 is still alive?! And in the clutches of Szayel…what do the hollows have in store for him? You'll find out next chapter! HAHAHA!
That aside, we got Starrk, Harribel, and Barragan training with each other…that ought to be interesting eh? You might like what I have planned there. Last but not least, our beloved Ulquiorra is on a mission to achieve Segunda Etapa.
So there's a lot going on…stay tuned for next chapter and as always thanks for reading. By the way, I appreciate everyone who took the time to review this story. I never expected this fic to break a thousand reviews. I mean…it's not really a big deal when it comes to anime fics, but I was still glad to hit the milestone anyways.