Chapter 18: Grief
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Szayel's Lab, Hueco Mundo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Yylfordt walked back inside his brother's laboratory accompanied by none other than Zommari. The Noveno Espada had a stoic look on his face, but seemed slightly anxious as he heard Szayel busy "working" on BG9.
The Quincy's cries of pain could be heard well outside of the lab, and he couldn't help but wonder what sick machinations were at work inside. Zommari had no idea why Szayel of all people would want his help with anything, but chose to come anyways. All Yylfordt had to say in order to convince him was that Ichigo needed them to ready BG9 for interrogation.
Szayel's head turned towards the new arrivals in his lab, "Ah, Yylfordt, you finally brought Zommari…took you long enough. But I digress! As you can see, I've made some considerable progress during your absence. The cyborg quincy's pain receptors have been maximized for optimal interrogation. I made sure to repurpose his biological nervous system as well. Underneath the machinery, he still has major organs…though they're quite unlike anything I've seen before. His endocrine system is particularly interesting with a mixture of both organic and inorganic chemicals. The fact that it all works together is quite remarkable. That aside…I injected a numbing agent into his brain. It seems to be breaking down his cognitive functions."
"So then what did you need Zommari for?" Yylfordt asked as the Noveno Espada followed him over towards the operating table where Szayel was busily tinkering with BG9.
Zommari looked at the other quincy corpses before turning towards BG9, "So these are the quincies I've heard so much about? Interesting…I've never seen a being like this before."
"I'm glad you're here, Zommari, I actually have a request if you wouldn't mind. You see…this being is a fine line between man and machine. Yylfordt and I tried to 'hack' it so to speak. Unfortunately, we didn't make much progress due to the biological part of his brain. I was wondering if your Amor ability could help us in that regard. I've vaguely heard that it controls others? That would go well with the mental numbing agent." Szayel asked.
"Well that's not entirely untrue, but Amor doesn't exactly work that way.. The ability itself can control objects and people, but it intoxicates them. It's difficult to explain…" Zommari said calmly.
"Well, we have plenty of room in here…do you need to release to use this ability?" Szayel asked curiously. Zommari nodded silently in response.
Szayel sighed, "Well…so long as you don't break anything, try releasing here in the center of the room."
The pink haired arrancar led Zommari closer towards the room's center away from his operating tables and other machinery.
Zommari cocked his head uncertainly, "Are you certain this is a good idea? What will my Amor do to aid you in this task?"
"Now now, Zommari…don't you go worrying about all the details. I'll summarize as best I can. If your Amor has the ability to 'control' other things, then I want you to use it on the Quincy's mind. That combined with my agent will cripple his willpower. Afterward, we will copy his neural network and hack his mechanical brain parts simultaneously. If all goes well it should provide some insight into his memories as well as cognitive functions. Once we're inside his head, we can rearrange things. I'm not entirely sure what King White has planned for him afterward…so we'll call him once that's done," Szayel summarized.
Zommari nodded his head, "Very well. I will use my Amor then. Stand back, I haven't used my release form much since becoming an arrancar. I'm not sure what kind of effect it will have on you."
"Well I'll just stand over here then," Yylfordt noted nonchalantly as he moved to the far corner. Szayel briefly backed away, but didn't appear overly concerned.
Zommari got into a wide stance as he drew his Zanpakuto, "Suppress Brujeria."
A brief pink flash blinded the lab before Zommari was now revealed to be in his released state. It was quite unlike anything Szayel had ever seen before.
In his resurreccion state, he now had an unusual striped pattern of white and pink armor-like skin. It covered his entire body, minus his hollow hole. Multiple eyes covered his body in several noticeable places. Chiefly amongst them were the third eye on his forehead, and the two on his chest. He had three running down the length of each forearm, and two noticeably closed ones on each palm.
Szayel couldn't help but bring a hand to his chin as if fascinated, "Interesting form…I take it Amor has something to do with those extra eyes?"
"Yes…" was all Zommari said in response.
"Well let's get to work then," Szayel said eagerly as he made his way back to BG9 at the operating table.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Outer Rukongai District, Shiba Household XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Isshin, Karin, and Rukia walked for what felt like half a day before finally reaching their intended destination. The man seemed somewhat anxious about getting there and had a look of concern written across his face. Karin herself was fidgeting in anticipation. Rukia of course was nervous about facing Kaien's siblings and had been quiet for the entire trip.
Karin spent most of the trip trying not to think about Yuzu's disappearance, or Ichigo's situation. She knew it was going to drive her mad if she started worrying over it, and simply focused on the upcoming meeting with her long lost cousins. She couldn't help but wonder whether or not they would like her. As the group walked down the road to a large looking house they noticed some strange additions to it. On the sides of the house were two large statue arms holding up a banner between their enclosed hands.
Karin squinted to get a better look at the words written on it, 'Kukaku Shiba…she's my cousin? I wonder how old she is? I mean if dad wasn't here for decades then she'd have to be pretty old too. Maybe people age differently in this place? I guess that would make sense. This is the spirit world after all.'
She was drawn from her thoughts as two burly looking men stopped their advance in front of the House. They both had unusual red hats with white tassels, and seemed like bodyguards from what Karin could surmise.
"Shiba-sama?! Is that truly you?!" one of them asked dumbfounded as he gawked at Isshin.
"Yeah, long time no see. How have you two been these past few decades?" Isshin replied somewhat casually. His tone seemed surprising to Karin since her father appeared anxious about arriving minutes prior.
"As well as can be expected, sir. Kukaku-sama and Ganju-sama have been doing better ever since the…well since we left the Seireitei," the other man answered.
Isshin nodded, "Well that's good to hear. I've wondered how they were ever since I left the Soul Society. Kukaku's not mad about it is she?"
The first man frowned somewhat reluctantly, "You may wish to speak to her yourself about it, sir. By the way, who are these girls with you? I see you three are all wearing Shihakushos."
"I've been reinstated to special captain status recently. I'll tell you the whole story once we get inside. This is my daughter Karin, and that's lieutenant Kuchiki of Squad 13." The man motioned towards his dark haired daughter and Rukia.
Karin cocked her head curiously at the two men, "Who are they?"
"Your daughter?! Oh forgive me sir. Nice to meet you young lady. My name is Koganehiko." The first one stated politely.
The other one immediately bowed his head respectfully, "Shiroganehiko at your service. We're loyal servants of the Shiba Family."
"Nice to meet you," Karin bowed after a brief silence. Afterward, they turned around and motioned for Isshin and Karin to follow them inside the house. Upon entering, Karin immediately noticed the traditional style it seemed to have. The men led them down a hallway before opening a sliding door.
As they followed the two inside, a surprised gasp filled the room, "No way! Uncle?! Is that you?!"
A dark haired busty woman who had been previously sitting in the middle of the room jumped up and ran over towards them with a surprised face. She had quite the striking appearance. She wore a white skirt, a revealing sleeveless red top of some kind and had several bandages covering various parts of her body. The most notable of which were some on her head, and ankles. However upon looking at her shoulder bandages, Karin's eyes trailed down and instantly noticed some type of brace tied off above her elbow.
Below it she realized that Kukaku's right arm wasn't a real arm, but was in fact some type of prosthetic limb. She couldn't help but stare at it awkwardly as her father addressed the woman.
"Kukaku, I'm glad to see you're still doing well since I've been gone. Where's Ganju? There's some stuff I wanted to talk about if you'll hear me out." the man asked.
Kukaku immediately crossed her arms and leered at the man, "This has got to be some kind of joke. Why did you come back now after all these years? I see you're wearing that Shinigami get up. You mind explaining yourself?!"
Isshin sighed, "I've been reinstated as a special captain. I know I've been gone for over twenty years, but there's a reason for it. I'm not sure if you've seen Yoruichi recently, but she can attest to what happened. I lost my powers in the world of the living after saving the woman that eventually became my wife, Masaki. I only recently reacquired them. Me, Yoruichi, the Visoreds, and even Urahara are all back out of exile and in the Gotei 13 again."
"What the hell?! I think you better start back at the beginning…what made you rejoin? I'm surprised they didn't want to execute you for going awol for twenty years," she shook her head not entirely understanding him.
"I'm sure you've heard all about the hollow White and how he attacked the Seireitei recently correct? Well that's the same hollow that I fought over twenty years ago. It attacked Masaki and infected her somehow. Since she was a Quincy and was unable to hollowfy, she would have died from Soul Suicide. With Urahara's help, I saved her by giving up my powers," Isshin explained.
"You've got to be kidding me!" a masculine voice sounded from the next room. A muscular looking man immediately came bursting into the room and gawked at Isshin as if offended, "Uncle you married a Quincy?!"
"There you are Ganju…what were you doing hiding in the other room?! Take a seat and shut up until we get the whole story!" Kukaku hissed as she motioned for the man to sit down.
Karin could see some resemblance in this Ganju man's face in comparison to her father's. They definitely had a similar facial structure.
Ganju reluctantly crossed his arms as he leaned against a wall, "I'll stand…"
Before Kukaku could voice her disapproval, Isshin continued speaking, "After I saved her, we assumed she was fine…and she was for the years to come. Masaki even had her powers after it was over, so I eventually ended up settling down with her and we got married. We had three children…seems like a Shiba tradition."
"Three children? You and a Quincy?! Oh I'll bet those Shinigami bastards didn't like that…" Kukaku laughed.
"You have children, uncle?" Ganju asked completely shocked.
Isshin nodded in response, "Yes, in fact this girl here is one of them. She and her sister are my young ones. They're fraternal twins. Go ahead and introduce yourself."
Karin stepped forward somewhat nervously as Ganju and Kukaku gawked at her. She took a deep breath and spoke confidently, "I'm Karin, it's nice to meet you."
"Your daughter's a Shinigami too?!" Kukaku asked surprised.
"Wait so where are the other two then? And what the hell is she doing here?!" Ganju wondered as he sent a sharp glare towards Rukia.
"Shut up, Ganju and let him talk," Kukaku commanded.
"I was getting to that…Yuzu, my other daughter inherited more of her mother's traits. That includes looks and Masaki's Quincy power. She was recently abducted by some Quincy organization called the Wandenreich. My childrens' lives are why I accepted reinstatement. It seems hollows and Quincies are abundant these days. I need help keeping them safe," Isshin replied.
"What ever happened to your wife? Do we get to meet her?" Kukaku asked anxiously. She seemed to be ignoring Rukia's presence as best she could.
"No unfortunately…Masaki died to a hollow from what I've been able to gather. Kisuke Urahara told me it went by the name Grand Fisher. It wasn't particularly powerful or anything along those lines…but she was unable to kill it for some reason. My friend Ryuken and I believe that something affected her powers…though I couldn't even imagine what. I'm guessing it might have something to do with the Wandenreich Quincies," Isshin elaborated further.
"That's crazy…so you lost your powers to save this Quincy woman from hollowfication? I didn't picture you as the romantic sort, uncle. You've always seemed like the aloof moron to me," Kukaku noted.
"Who's your third kid?" Ganju interrupted as he noticed Isshin's failure to mention any details on that matter.
The Shibas were quick to notice Karin, Isshin, and Rukia all tense up at the mention.
"My oldest…his name was Ichigo and he died to a hollow attack about two or so years ago. He was born spiritually adept and I think that's what made him a target to hollows. Before he died, I thought about telling him the truth about everything…the Soul Society and what not. It's just…I didn't want to force a life on him that he might not want. Unfortunately, my inaction is what led to him being eaten by a hollow," Isshin said deep in remorseful thought.
"Maybe that's a Shiba curse too…the oldest dying because of a hollow," Kukaku immediately glared over at Rukia. The raven haired woman swiftly looked away shamefully avoiding her gaze.
"I wish it were that simple…at least then I could mourn my son as I did Masaki. Unfortunately, Ichigo was something of a freak of spiritual nature. Whenever he was born, the hollow that Masaki and I thought dead had actually fused with his soul. Not to mention with my added powers and Masaki's Quincy blood, Ichigo had an absurd amount of mixed spiritual power. Despite being eaten by a hollow, he eventually took over whatever Gillian they all turned into. I was under the assumption that the process took decades if not centuries. That's why I could barely believe it when I found out that White is Ichigo."
"What?! Hold up, you're saying that the hollow that has the entire Soul Society riled up in terror is your son?!" Kukaku shouted in disbelief. Her eyes were wide with uncertainty as if the whole thing couldn't actually be possible.
Ganju thought for a second before adding his two cents to the argument, "Wait…so then we're related to that hollow?"
"That's crazy…White, the Hollow King is your son?" Kukaku had a difficult time coping with that shred of information.
Rukia spoke for the first time confused, "How do you know White is the Hollow King?"
"Because people talk…how could every Rukongai citizen not know about the hollow which attacked the seat of power and glassed a full district?! So what you're telling us uncle is the hollow that attacked you twenty years ago is fused with your son and has your power and your wife's?" Kukaku clarified.
Isshin nodded, "That about sums it up…which is probably the main reason I'm here. I have to destroy that hollow."
"Just how much of your power does he have?" Ganju asked somewhat concerned. Karin was quick to catch on to the fact that they were aware of Isshin's true power which was something she herself had no true exposure to yet.
"I don't know, but between Ichigo's fate and Yuzu's disappearance, I have a lot to deal with right now. That brings me to the reason for coming all the way out here. I want you two to look after Karin and train her if possible. I simply don't have the time for it, and I don't particularly feel safe with her being in the Seireitei given all that's happened recently," The man stated.
Ganju traded an uncertain look with Kukaku. The woman sent a sharp stare towards Karin, "So you came all the way out here to dump your kid on us? If she's a Shinigami, shouldn't she be in that school or whatever?"
Isshin frowned, "It was closed after White murdered the headmaster of the academy. Karin was there…she might talk to you about if you ask her. Regardless, I am glad to see you two again, but I cannot stay for long. Please look after Karin. I'll come by to check in on you guys again, but right now I have to get back to the Seireitei."
Ganju looked as if he was about to protest, but Kukaku immediately shut him up as she directed a fierce look his way, "Alright fine, uncle…we understand. Serious stuff is happening, and you don't want to worry about the girl. We'll look after her…but if you want me to train her, then it's not gonna be in all that Shinigami nonsense. I'll train her Shiba Style."
"I could stay and train her as well if you'd like me to, Captain Shiba," Rukia volunteered much to Kukaku and Ganju's displeasure.
"You're a lieutenant…you sure you have the time to do that?" Isshin asked.
Rukia nodded, "Captain Ukitake has ordered our squad to train for battle anyways…I could just do it out here. Would you mind telling him I'm out here if he asks?"
"Well I suppose that's fine with me then…I'll pass it along to him," Isshin nodded.
The hot-headed Kukaku immediately denounced the suggestion, "I don't think so, brat. As if I'd let Kaien's killer share a roof with the Shiba family. You're out of your mind!"
"I believe Kuchiki had something she wanted to say about that," Isshin pushed the girl slightly forward gesturing for her to fulfill the reason she came to begin with.
Rukia shamefully looked up as she met Kukaku and Ganju's faces. She seemed very genuine as she bowed her head, "I'm sorry about what happened to Kaien. Believe me, not a day goes by that I don't regret how things fell apart. Kaien was like a mentor to me, and I miss him."
Ganju seemed more convinced by Rukia's apology as he looked over for Kukaku's response. Kukaku simply sighed, "I told myself that if you ever apologized I'd forgive you…so I guess that's that then. Fine…you can stay too. Karin might be better off learning all that formal Shinigami stuff from one of you anyways. Still…don't go assuming we're all good now. This is more for her than you."
"Take care you two…we'll catch up some more whenever I come back to check in on you. Be safe, Karin and train well. I'll keep you informed if we learn anything new about Yuzu's situation," Isshin said as he turned to take his leave.
Before he made it out of the room, Karin called out, "What about Ichigo? I want to know if you guys find anything about him too."
Isshin frowned, "It wouldn't do any good honestly…the brother you knew isn't coming back. Still, I'll pass along any relevant information as it comes to me. Take care, and thanks for taking her in Kukaku."
After Isshin left the room, Kukaku immediately looked at Karin eyeing her up, "So…you're what a teenager? Hmph…well I guess I'll go find a room for you to stay in while you're here. Come with me."
Rukia stood there somewhat awkwardly not entirely sure where she was going to sleep. The raven haired woman sighed to herself, 'I wonder…if all that happened to Ichigo after he became a hollow then what could have happened to Kaien?'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Distant Hueco Mundo Outlands, Soifon XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Time seemed almost nonexistent in the vast empty wastelands of Hueco Mundo. Soifon had no way of knowing how long had passed, but she was still sitting near the entrance where she emerged onto the surface. The woman looked around hopelessly lost. She was lost both emotionally and literally it seemed.
Part of her wondered if she was crying beneath her hollow mask, but given the strange tingle she felt on her face, there was no way of knowing for sure. Her eyes felt dry and she squinted partially as sand blew in all directions. Despite her rising apathy and deep hopelessness of the situation, she couldn't help but wonder how or why the ugly monster saved her from being executed…or even where it was. 'Maybe I should have followed it…I wonder what it was doing down in that cavern? How did I call it? I just thought about how White escaped the first time…what made me do that? Was it my instincts…to survive? Why would any part of me want to live on…like this?! Like one of them?!'
She continued sitting there for what felt like hours, but given Hueco Mundo's eternal night, she couldn't tell. The hollowfied captain looked around in a half-aware state of denial, 'Is this really happening? What have I become? I'm not an actual hollow am I? What am I supposed to do out here? Why couldn't the other captains help me? This has to be some kind of dream.'
"This isn't real…I'm not a hollow. Aizen must be using his illusions to torture me or something. They couldn't turn a Shinigami into a hollow like this could they? It's impossible!" She spoke aloud. The sound of her voice rattling with a hollow echo frightened her greatly.
She shook her head stoically, "This is all just a trick…to get me to betray the Soul Society. I'm not really a hollow. There's no way this is real. Nice try White…Aizen. You two can't fool me with your illusions."
Deciding to finally get up she simply began to walk in a random direction. Hours must have passed as she walked numbly unaware of her surroundings, 'Everything looks the same. This isn't real…I'm still me. I'm not a hollow!'
As Soifon continued onward, the reality of her situation was hitting harder and harder. 'I'm screwed…this is all HIS fault! This isn't fair…why did they do this to me?! Why'd the Soul Society try to execute me? It's not like I chose this!'
The woman balled a fist as anger began to surge through her veins, "URGHH! Why?! Why me?! I HATE YOU WHITE! You damn monster! You'll only be happy if you drag the Soul Society down into this misery with the rest of your vile kind! You won't break me! You hear me!? You'll pay for this, you arrogant bastard!"
Her hand began to shake with rage as she stopped walking. The woman looked up into the sky angrily. Suddenly, she began to remember the conversation Aizen and Ichigo had about the moon and its effect on hollows. Her eyes fixated on the crescent moon with rage, "What comfort do they find in moonlight?! What light were they even talking about?! There's no light here…this place is a second hell!"
She reached her hand up towards the moon with a squeezing motion, "Forever out of reach huh? How could anything live like this?! GAH!"
Soifon's extended hand glowed brightly as a large yellow cero shot skyward towards the moon. She watched the cero as it flew extremely high, but ultimately it had no effect on the moon. The woman simply shook her head and dropped to her knees.
Her anger felt like it was finally starting to die down after a while. 'There has to be some escape from this nightmare…I can't live like this. I won't live like this.'
Her golden eyes focused back on the moon again. She stared at it wondering if she was at the mercy of some kind of cosmic joke.
"If there's anyone out there watching…please save me. I'll do anything. I wish I could go back. I never would have volunteered for this stupid mission. My pride got me in this mess. I realize that now…I've learned my lesson. I don't want this…I don't deserve this. Please…somebody…help. Yourichi! Kyouraku! Soul King! Ichimaru! Anyone?!" She said almost pleadingly to the sky.
"I'd take it all back if I could! This isn't right…" she finally lost her voice and slumped over onto the ground. Her eyes trailed down onto the hole above her chest. She stared at it sadly for an indeterminate amount of time.
'I should just lie down and wait to die…it shouldn't take long in this place. I don't deserve pity, or salvation. I'm pathetic. What's the point of yelling or being angry anymore? I lost and there's nothing I can do about it. I can't go anywhere or do anything…what would be the point?' She thought to herself as waves of depression came washing over her.
Her attention snapped back to reality when she heard an incoming sound. It was likely drawn there by her shouting or possibly the cero she had fired earlier. Whatever the case, she sensed something heading her way at high speed. Looking around the horizon, she spotted two unusual looking hollows. They were clearly arrancars based on their exposed skin and petite forms.
Soifon experienced a strange feeling of anxiety seeing the approaching hollows and immediately decided to bolt away. Her adrenaline from the situation snapped her out of the sluggish introversion as she felt her heart race. She didn't even have time to wonder why she was running away. Moments prior she was hoping for something to come kill her. Why was she running away now? This question seemed to faze out of her mind as she sped up her pace.
Her speed was remarkable as she slowly began to gain distance from the pursuers. Soifon didn't make it far before she noticed they were no longer chasing her. The petite, former captain looked around for a moment curiously, 'What the hell was that all about? Where'd those hollows go?'
Against her better judgment she remained still for a moment trying to track the horizon for their whereabouts. Seconds later sand shot out of the ground as the two hollows cut her off from different angles. Reflexively, Soifon dove out of the way and drew her Zanpakuto. She stared down the attackers with deadly intent.
They both shared a remarkably similar appearance much to her confusion. Both were obviously female and they had matching mask fragments on their heads. One had shorter red hair and the other had longer blue hair which was parted in pigtails. They each had white outfits, with colored skirts, armlets, and leggings. The only difference was one wore red while the other wore blue.
Soifon couldn't help but wonder if they were twins or something. She held up her Zanpakuto and stared the two arrancars down with deadly intent. They both exchanged a brief look with one another before drawing dagger like Zanpakutos from the sheathes behind their headband-like mask fragments
The red one's dagger erupted into a flame sword, whilst the blue one's dagger formed into a lightning charged whip. Soifon reflexively took a step back as she tried to gauge their power. They were clearly strong and were likely there to fight judging by their stoic glares.
She hissed at them angrily, "You here to kill me? Is White too good to do it himself?!"
"White? Is that supposed to be somebody's name?" the red one asked uncertainly.
'Huh? They don't know who White is?!' Soifon thought bewildered.
The blue one cracked her whip threateningly, "Hey, she asked you a question! Are you going to answer or not?"
Soifon growled at them aggressively, "If you're gonna kill me then just get in over with. I'm not going down without a fight though!"
'Why would I say that? Didn't I want to die like five minutes ago?' Soifon couldn't help but wonder. She didn't understand where her strange compulsion to live was coming from.
"Relax…we're not going to kill you if we don't have to. How long have you been in the Outlands? We saw your cero. Why were you shooting it in the sky?" The red haired one asked.
"Outlands? Where the hell am I anyways? Is this anywhere near Las Noches?!" Soifon demanded.
The twin arrancars traded looks of surprise upon hearing her mention Las Noches. Soifon noticed them looking behind her and slowly glanced back.
"Las Noches? You mean the ancient palace? It was demolished a long time ago after the Great Purge. We're countless leagues away from that graveyard of a ruin." a third voice sounded.
Soifon swiftly spun around and eyed the third arrival. It was another arrancar much to her displeasure. She shook her head confused, 'Leagues? What kind of measurement of distance is that?'
This third arrancar seemed stronger than the other two for some reason. She had lavender colored hair, dark blue eyes, and a mask fragment that greatly resembled a feathered headpiece of some kind. The central part went across her forehead and had two spiked extensions on either side with something resembling feathers sticking out of them. The feathers had a strange translucent glow much to Soifon's confusion. A closer look at the mask fragment revealed it was something akin to a winged crown.
She was taller than the other two, and was wearing attire very similar to some of the outfits the arrancars in Las Noches wore. The style seemed almost identical. She had black boots that went up to her thighs, a long white loincloth skirt, and some kind of tight, sleeveless, midriff top. Her core was well toned and appeared to have a navel piercing. Soifon could see her hollow hole below the arrancar's curvy chest and dead center in her torso. Matching armlets similar to her boots extended from her wrists up to her shoulders. Her left shoulder had a distinctive mark upon closer inspection. On her shoulder there was a tattoo that shocked Soifon greatly. It was the number 1.
'Is she one of the Espada!?' Soifon thought worriedly as she eyed the woman up and down.
The arrancar looked at her somewhat curiously, "You're not a vasto lorde or a Shinigami…yet I see a hollow hole, clothing, and a Zanpakuto. Are you an imperfect arrancar? Why are you looking for Las Noches?"
'Good question…I wish I knew myself,' Soifon thought. She remained silent as she cautiously glared at the woman, 'Does she not know about White and his army? She definitely is an Espada judging by that Number 1 on her shoulder. Yet she said Las Noches was a ruin? How could she be an Espada if she doesn't know about White? Just how long has she been out here? How far away from Las Noches am I then?!'
The lavender haired hollow appeared saddened as she shook her head, "Regardless of what you've heard, Las Noches is a crumbled ruin…one that was destroyed a long time ago by the Shinigami. It's something of a legend to the hollows out here. You're not the first hollow I've seen looking for it.'
'She speaks as if it's some kind of lost city in this desert…the hell?' Soifon found the situation perplexing.
"What's your name? You do know your name? Or are you one of the crazy ones?" The arrancar asked.
"My name means nothing to you or anyone, so why bother saying it? I'm an abomination…feel free to interpret that however you'd like," Soifon finally replied bitterly.
The red and blue arrancars moved in closer as they looked to their obvious master for some kind of order. The lavender haired arrancar frowned, "Abomination huh? It's funny…most Vasto Lordes have that line of thought until they become perfect arrancars. How long have you been on the surface? You're quite small…I imagine you were a Vasto Lorde, am I right?"
"I don't remember anything…" Soifon replied. She hoped to avoid giving away unnecessary information. If this arrancar didn't know about Las Noches' current state, then it was definitely in her best interest to feign ignorance and pretend like she was a nobody.
'If she really is an Espada then she's easily captain level…I don't want to piss her off if I don't have to. Maybe I should play along until I find out what she knows. It makes no sense that an Espada wouldn't know about Las Noches being populated with arrancars.' Soifon thought to herself for a moment.
"I see…well that isn't unheard of I suppose. Sometimes imperfect arrancars might forget their former evolutions. You look pretty human to me…you might get there on your own sooner or later…though it's quite rare for loners to become arrancars," The lavender haired arrancar stated calmly.
Soifon cocked her head, "So what is an Arrancar exactly?"
"Hmm, well that's an interesting question. Every arrancar would say something different, but in my opinion, Arrancars are as close to human as a hollow can become. It's not a bad thing, truly. It's one of the few things that makes living bearable in Hueco Mundo. I think you'll grow to appreciate it once your evolution is complete," the arrancar leader said optimistically.
"So have you ever been to Las Noches? You speak as if you've seen it…" Soifon changed the subject as nonchalantly as possible.
"Ah yes…you have a fixation on that place. Many powerful hollows seek it out at some point during their lives here. Vasto Lordes in particular used to gather there whenever they were ready to accept their humanity," the lavender beauty stated.
The former captain's eyes widened, "So you have been there then? You never thought about looking for it again?"
The arrancar leader shook her head, "I used to live there before the Great Purge…but I can't bring myself to ever go near that ruin again. It would bring up too many bad feelings that should remain buried. I don't particularly care to sulk in grief. Regret will kill you if you let it."
"Regret? Great Purge? What are you talking about, exactly? What happened there?" Soifon asked carefully. She was deeply intrigued by the fact that these arrancars didn't seem to have any connection to White whatsoever. It was almost as if they were time-lost or something.
"It's a long story…" the arrancar sighed.
'I wonder if it's a good idea to mention White to her? She doesn't seem to have any clue as to what's going on between the hollows and Shinigami right now. Maybe it's best if I just kept that to myself until I figure more information out. She seems to think I'm an arrancar.' Soifon thought.
"Who even built Las Noches anyways? Was it the arrancars? I wouldn't mind hearing the story," Soifon continued her questioning.
"If you must know, the King did a long time ago. His name was Zangetsu. He and his nine strongest followers were called the Espada. They were the first and greatest arrancars. They ruled over this desert in the past. In that time, Vasto Lordes were far more prevalent. Zangetsu united them all…and created order in this chaotic world. He created safety…he brought happiness," She trailed off.
'Zangetsu? Huh…so White wasn't the first Hollow King? Wait, Espada?! Did I hear her correctly?' Soifon thought somewhat interested in the subject.
The former captain stared at the lavender haired arrancar intently, "So what happened to it then?"
After a brief pause, the arrancar swallowed a lump in her throat and continued, "It prospered for a long time, but…things weren't perfect. The Shinigami eventually discovered the truth about Hueco Mundo's rising arrancar population. The very idea terrified them…for Shinigami believe it is their right to dictate what the balance of the universe should be."
The blue arrancar sighed, "Balance…that's what they like to call it. It's freaking stupid if you ask me. What balance is there in them having all the power and hollows living like soul-starved fiends?"
The red haired arrancar nodded in agreement, "Yeah, they don't know what being hollow is like. The hunger…the fear…the emptiness. I think they hate arrancars just because they don't like the idea of their enemy being human."
"But how did Las Noches get destroyed though? What started the whole conflict?" Soifon asked more specifically. The subject matter of this conversation deeply troubled her.
"The Shinigami and their disregard for our right to exist is the main reason it fell. They and their bigoted rulers thought we were monsters…abominations. They were scared of us because we were hollows with humanity. We had Zanpakutos as well. We were a threat to their control and they wanted us dead. Yet even in spite of that fact, Zangetsu tried to offer peace to them. He called for a summit meeting in the world of the living. Unfortunately, they didn't show up with any intention to discuss peace. They outright declared war on us and spoke of purging our kind from Hueco Mundo. The honorless bastards even attacked us at the summit meeting…and killed one of the Espada in the battle. After retreating to Hueco Mundo, the Espada collectively agreed to go to war with the Shinigami," the strange arrancar continued.
Soifon was literally shocked by this new information. She could barely even blink as she stared at the leader of the arrancar trio.
"Well, needless to say…the Espada lost. Zangetsu fell in battle, and the rest of the Espada fell into disarray. They clashed in civil war which ultimately left Hueco Mundo crippled. The Shinigami follow-up invasion destroyed most of the palace and wiped out everyone that was left. This is what came to be known as the Great Purge. Though I doubt there's many alive who remember it. The Shinigami responsible I believe called themselves the Gotei 13. After Zangetsu's death I ended up out here escaping the Great Purge," the arrancar concluded.
'That's just…unreal. How could this Great Purge have even happened? There's nothing like that in our history records. Hell you'd think the Captain Commander would know about it. Although…this might be connected to the first generation Gotei 13. Still it doesn't make much sense. Also what does she mean King Zangetsu created the Espada? I thought that was something White invented? That would mean this has happened before…and White is the new King.' Soifon's eyes widened.
It was then that Soifon immediately realized why Yamamoto and Unohana were uncharacteristically worried about the arrancars, 'Captain Unohana knew what arrancars were. The Captain-Commander was angry when he heard about White being Hueco Mundo's King. There's no official record about how most of the original Gotei 13 died. Does that mean…The Captain-Commander and Captain Unohana were a part of this Great Purge?! They must have been some of the only survivors.'
"I apologize if I'm being a bit overwhelming. I don't usually tell my story to a hollow I've just met. You seem like an awfully curious one," the lavender haired arrancar said after a brief silence.
Soifon looked up, 'So she's as old as the Captain-Commander? Certainly doesn't look it…I wonder if something has kept her from aging this whole time? Maybe hollow regeneration slows the aging process? She looks pretty…for a hollow.'
"What's kept you going this long? I mean…what's the point of living as an arrancar out here?" Soifon asked
"That's a question all arrancars have to discover for themselves. There's no right or wrong answer. You have to follow your instincts and find your heart. Something that gives you meaning. For me it's as simple as helping other hollows. That is something I learned from Zangetsu," she replied.
"No offense, but that sounds stupid as hell." Soifon countered.
"You seem like a lonely, bitter person to me…so I imagine you might not understand. Or maybe you do, and you're just too afraid to admit it to yourself?" the lavender beauty retorted.
Soifon hissed at her in annoyance, "I'm not a lonely person, I'm a damn a hollow! There's a difference!"
Upon finally admitting that she was a hollow out loud, Soifon felt a strange sadness. It didn't go unnoticed by the arrancar trio. Had she finally accepted the truth?
"Is there a difference though? I can see it in your eyes…you need help." the arrancar leader said.
"Help? What the hell are you saying? What do you want from me?" Soifon demanded.
"I'm not entirely sure what you're looking for, but I'll extend an invitation to you if you'd like. The Outskirts can be pretty lonely and dangerous. Nobody in Hueco Mundo should have to live alone," the woman said as she extended her hand.
"You want me to…join you?" Soifon asked disbelievingly.
"No duh…why else would she have talked to you this long?" the blue haired arrancar laughed.
Soifon could still barely believe how disconnected this former espada was from Hueco Mundo's current happenings. 'How the hell can she not know about White and his Espada?! I was under the impression he was like the god-king of Hueco Mundo. I can barely believe she hasn't once caught any trace of White's Power in this place. I mean we'd have to be pretty damn far away to outrange Las Noches.'
"What have you got to lose? I already told you we're not going to hurt you unless you attack us," the red haired arrancar asked.
"She never did tell us her story…" the blue haired one added.
"And I'm not going to either. Just kill me or leave me alone. I've heard enough of all this." Soifon growled.
"I guess we should introduce ourselves then at the very least. My name is Athena Plateado by the way. These two are my companions Yin and Yang. They've been with me for a while now. You don't have to come with us, or even tell us about your past…but I'd at least like to know your name. You seem interesting." the arrancar said coolly.
"Soifon…" was all the former Shinigami said in response.
"Well, Soifon, it was nice meeting you. I hope you find what you're looking for," Athena reiterated.
"Wait so we wasted all this time and we're not even bringing her with us?" the blue haired arrancar said somewhat annoyed.
The red haired one rolled her eyes, "Whatever, let's just go."
'She is a former Espada…she didn't even mention herself being one at all during her little story. There's gotta be a reason for that. I want to know more about this…' Soifon thought briefly.
As the arrancars turned to leave, Soifon spun around seriously, "Wait!"
They all stopped and glanced back at her curiously. Athena tilted her head interested, "Yes, Soifon?"
Reluctantly she sighed, "I guess I have nowhere else to go…I'll follow you around. Where were you going anyways?"
"You can come back to our little base. It's nothing special, but it's good shelter from sandstorms and the like." Athena said cheerily.
"Oh my god, make up your mind…jeez." Yin shook her head.
"Chill out, Yin…no need to get all upset. She agreed to follow Athena…she's one of us now," Yang said dismissively to her blue haired twin.
'What am I even doing right now? What just came over me?' Soifon thought to herself as she followed Athena.
Moments later she felt a strange feeling on her face. A blindingly bright light burst from her mask seconds afterward. Soifon could barely describe the feeling as pieces of her mask began to flake off. After it was over, the only part that remained were the two short extensions somewhat resembling hornet antennae.
She looked around completely shocked, "What just happened?!"
The former captain immediately looked at her reflection through her Zanpakuto. She watched with shock as the blackness left her eyes and her golden irises returned to a normal brown. Her Zanpakuto began to glow shortly afterward much to her confusion.
"Looks like you just reached your perfect transformation," Athena said with a smile.
"Talk about timing huh?" Yang said somewhat amused.
'So I'm a full arrancar now? What the hell?! What kind of game is White playing at?! Did he intend for this to happen or was he hoping the Soul Society would kill me?' Soifon thought.
"Come on, Soifon, I'll show you around our little base," Athena gestured.
'What the hell am I going to do now?' Soifon wondered.
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As Ichigo made his way down the hall, he thought about what he had done to Soifon. Looking back on it, he partially wondered if perhaps he had gone a bit overboard. He couldn't quite explain what came over him. The eyes of ignorance and bigotry had truly set him off. Something about the way Soifon hated hollows bothered him.
The retribution he inflicted upon her would be an extremely harsh lesson. Part of him wondered what she would do once she realized she was doomed. He simply shook his head dismissing any further thoughts, 'She's probably being executed right now…at least she'll know what it feels like to die for being a hollow. I doubt she'll live at all…I wonder what she would say to me if she did? I wouldn't doubt it if she hated me even more now…but at least I got my point across. That might also deter any more Shinigami espionage for a good while.'
He was drawn from his thoughts as an excited voice caught his attention, "Ichigo! There you are! Where have you been?!"
His gaze shifted around his shoulder where he spotted an over-active Apacci leaping onto his back. She didn't quite make it as he swiftly dodged her leap. Before she could go plummeting onto the ground, he caught her around the waist.
Upon realizing that she missed, the arrancar girl nervously turned her head around and looked up at Ichigo. He released his hold allowing the girl to her feet and shook his head, "You were almost fast enough…I might not have noticed if you didn't scream in advance."
"Pfft…yeah right! I was just giving you a fair chance!" she beamed.
"You're the one who needs a fair chance. In fact, you need all the help you can get…" the sultry, condescending voice of Sung-Sun sounded from somewhere nearby. Apacci's eyes lit up enraged as she jerked her head around looking for the snake arrancar.
Upon seeing her, barely around the corner, Apacci cracked a fist, "Care to repeat that you scaly snake girl?!"
"I am in fact a snake girl…good observation," Sung-sun said amused.
"Stop being a smart-ass, Sung-sun!" Mila Rose interrupted as she caught up to the snake arrancar. The Lioness' eyes lit up with excitement upon spotting Ichigo.
"Ichigo!? It feels like forever since we last saw you! You never visit us or Lady Harribel," Mila Rose said with a disappointed face.
"Ugh…can't you two go find somebody else to bother? Ichigo was busy helping me with something. You two should give us some privacy for goodness sake!" Apacci said unhappily.
"Privacy?! Just what the hell kind of 'help' are you talking about?" Mila Rose demanded.
Sung-sun shook her head and giggled, "No need to worry, Mila Rose. Apacci is too innocent for what you're thinking. Besides…from my point of view, it looked like she just caught up to him moments earlier.
"You guttural pest! Do you ever shut up Sung-sun?" Apacci sighed.
"Guttural? Are you sure you even know what that word means?" Sung-Sun laughed.
Apacci cracked a fist, "I do in fact! It means you sound annoying as hell!"
"Are you implying my voice is harsh? I have a very delicate and beautiful voice I'll have you know. Perhaps you should learn to speak like a proper lady. You're the guttural one if you ask me," Sung-Sun retorted.
"Maybe you should stop being a creepy stalker…that doesn't seem very lady-like," Apacci shot back.
The comment seemed to take Sung-Sun off guard, "S-stalker? That's some bold claims you're making, Apacci."
"Hey I'm not the one who was creeping around corners…" Apacci retorted.
Sung-Sun reflexively covered her face with a sleeve, "You certainly have crude way of saying things. I was actually walking around the corner when I heard your loud-mouth."
"Well how's about you walk away then?" Apacci replied.
"Will you two just stop for one minute? So are you actually busy with Apacci right now, Ichigo?" Mila Rose derailed the argument much to Ichigo's relief.
He looked over at his Fraccion who had an almost puppy dog look in her eyes. After a brief silence he nodded, "Yeah, she wanted to talk about something I believe."
"Oh…" Mila Rose looked away, "sorry to bother you then."
"Where were you two headed anyway?" Ichigo asked as he looked between Sung-Sun and Mila Rose.
They both traded brief glances before Sung-Sun answered, "Well Lady Harribel sent us off to train on our own since she's busy training with the other Espada."
"What? They're training together? Without me telling them too?" Ichigo asked surprised.
"Oddly enough, yes. From what we heard, apparently Lilynette convinced Starrk and Barragan to train together. Then they invited Lady Harribel as well. It seems like all of the Espada are training more seriously now," Mila Rose replied.
"That's good…I might pay them a visit later then. You two should get to training. I'll set aside some time to hang out with you whenever I can," Ichigo said with a smile.
Mila Rose grinned happily, "I look forward to it." Afterward, she brushed past him and winked. Apacci rolled her eyes at the sight. The busty lioness charged down the hallway with an optimistic attitude.
Sung-Sun walked by and gave Ichigo and unusual look, "Do we get our own private conversations with you too? I wouldn't mind you helping me out with a new ability I've been working on."
Apacci leered at Sung-Sun for her long, drawn out sentence. She crossed her arms, "New ability huh? Pfft…can't wait to see whatever that's supposed to be."
"Umm…sure I guess. I don't see a problem with that, Sung-Sun. I can continue helping you and Mila Rose out a bit since Harribel is busy. Although, I have a lot of other stuff going on, so it can't be for too long." Ichigo said with a nod.
Sung-Sun looked between Ichigo and Apacci, "Any time you can spare for me would be very beneficial. Thank you, Ichigo."
Apacci cracked a fist, 'What's with that weird look on her face? She's up to something…'
After the other two girls were gone, Apacci glanced at Ichigo with a flustered face, "Hey so I know you're busy all the time and you probably don't really think about this kind of thing…but is anybody your favorite around here? Like…you know, to hang out with and stuff?"
"What kind of question is that," Ichigo laughed at her silly question.
"Hey I'm being serious!" Apacci replied.
Ichigo shrugged, "Well I don't know. I like everyone around here. We're all friends and family as far as I'm concerned. Don't get too worried about favorites and what not. That Gin guy was trying to get you all worked up. I like all of you, and I wouldn't keep you around if I didn't enjoy your company."
Apacci spaced out halfway through Ichigo's response. She only seemed to catch certain words, 'Friends…family? All of you? Ugh…I don't understand what that's supposed to mean! C'mon Apacci…you gotta ask him stuff directly when nobody else is around. I might not get another chance for awhile.'
"That's not what I mean! Let's just say hypothetically you did like certain people over others…who would they be and why?" Apacci was having a difficult time gathering her thoughts.
Ichigo cocked his head, "Well I value loyalty and willpower above almost anything. Szayel's been working really hard lately to prove himself. I admire the guy for the time he puts into the projects I ask of him. It shows a lot of respect on his part. Ulquiorra's extremely loyal and he just seems to understand me better than most. He's strong and does little things around here that few people notice. Sousuke Aizen really seems to be coming around too. I trained with him recently and had a good talk. He's definitely better than I gave him credit for. Grimmjow has also surprised me as well…he's been training his Fraccion a lot. I feel like this place…and the Espada mean a lot to him. I haven't seen much of the rest of the Espada lately, but it's good to hear that they're working hard with one another."
"Are there any girls you like better than others? For whatever reason?" Apacci asked as nonchalantly as she could. The nervousness in her face was pretty obvious however.
"You don't need to prove yourself to me, Apacci. I already hold you, Loly, and Menoly in high standing. You are all my Fracciones after all," Ichigo said reassuringly.
She frowned, "What do you think of Neliel? I mean you hugged her…"
Before Apacci realized what was happening, Ichigo's arms wrapped around his follower. She seemed genuinely surprised as Ichigo hugged her.
He chuckled at her embarrassed reaction, "What makes you think I wouldn't hug you?"
She immediately looked away with a flushed face after it was over and seemed almost frustrated, 'Damn it! Why can't I speak right now? Say something, Apacci!'
"I consider you one of my best friends, Apacci. So just keep doing what you're doing," Ichigo added.
'Friends…wow I must look like an idiot.' Apacci thought as she broke away from Ichigo's hug.
Nervously, the girl began to run away much to Ichigo's confusion. He looked at her retreating form uncertainly, "What's wrong, Apacci? Are you okay?"
It didn't take long for her to take off. Ichigo sighed, 'I thought she wanted me to hug her…she seems on edge about something. I wonder if I should follow her? Nah, I don't want to seem pushy. Maybe it's just best if I give her space. She really seems adamant about proving herself to me. I mean Nel's an Espada…she must not like the idea of Nel being closer to me than her. I wonder if she feels insecure about the whole thing.'
Meanwhile, a considerable distance away, Apacci charged into her room and slammed the door shut. She sat down against the door and slammed the back of her head against it, 'I'm so stupid! Why'd I run away? That was my chance…why did I get so scared?'
A few moments of reflection quickly answered her own question, 'Was I afraid of what would happen? I don't want to just be friends with him…but that's where this whole thing seemed to be going. Damn! He must think I didn't like that hug since I ran away…I'm such an idiot! How am I supposed to get closer? How can I get him to notice me more? I'm going to have to be more aggressive…because that's the only way I'm going to be able to compete with that Nel bitch…or possibly Harribel.'
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As he continued onward, down the hallway, Ichigo thought about Apacci's reaction, 'I should go find out what's wrong with her later if she doesn't come back first. I mean all I did was hug her and say she was one of my best friends…wait it's not about something like that is it? Nah, I shouldn't go overboard in simplifying her emotions. I'll find out exactly what's bothering her later.'
"Well well well…if it isn't the elusive High King himself. Where have you been hiding lately?" a familiar voice rang out. Ichigo looked over at an adjacent hallway and spotted none other than Loly standing there.
"Ichigo!" he heard Menoly's voice call out. Moments later he felt her wrap around one of his arms. Loly ran over and grabbed the other. He looked between the two of them confused, "What's up?"
"You forget about us or something? I haven't seen you in forever it seems!" Loly protested.
Menoly nodded in agreement, "Yeah, we've been training hard on something special. Also Loly and I wanted to talk to you about something."
"What's that exactly?" Ichigo wondered. Loly and Menoly both exchanged nods as if they were about to enact some kind of serious collaborative action.
"Well, we were wondering how you felt about this?" Loly asked.
"About what?" Ichigo responded. Not even a second later, they each leaned up to kiss him on opposite cheeks. Both seemed completely embarrassed having done it so boldly and immediately looked away blushing madly.
"What the? Did you two just…" Ichigo looked between the two of them. Though their faces were turned away, Ichigo could see that Loly had a small grin as if she were proud of herself for carrying through with it. Menoly's face was almost scared. She cautiously stole a glance over at Ichigo's reaction and immediately looked away flushed upon making eye contact.
"Well?" Loly asked, still not looking at him.
"Sorry if we're too forward, Ichigo…" Menoly apologized in advance.
"Why are you sorry? I don't mind…I'm not used to seeing you two act all cute like this," Ichigo laughed. I didn't realize you two had Dere sides."
"C-cute?" Menoly stuttered as she looked away with her blush amplified.
"Dere? What does that mean?" Loly said quietly to herself. She shook her head as she focused on the other key word. Loly grinned at his comment, "See I told you this would work, Menoly. Ichigo thinks we're cute."
"You're like little sisters, haha," Ichigo laughed, 'Karin and Yuzu did that to me when I was younger.'
His brief thought about his sisters made him somewhat sad, but he tried to push it aside for the moment.
"S-sisters?!" Loly squeaked.
Menoly's face vaulted in horror, 'I really hope he's joking…he sees us as his sisters?! Are we seriously already out of the running for this?!'
"Hold up! First of all…don't ever call us your sisters again. That was meant to uhh…Menoly?" Loly looked over for some kind of finishing comment.
"Meant to show you that we c-care about you, Ichigo…" Menoly managed to salvage Loly's sentence.
Loly nodded in agreement, "That's right! And we were just trying to let you know that we're a team, and that we should all stick together…in sickness and health…and all that other stuff."
"Yeah and unlike others who we won't mention specifically…Loly and I come as a pair," Menoly managed to overcome her nervousness as she finished up with that comment.
"That's right! We're a two for one special…the greatest pair you could ask for!" Loly announced proudly.
Ichigo looked over the two of them amused, "A pair huh? A pair of comedians? A pair of fighters? You gotta be more specific."
"Don't play stupid, Ichigo…we know that you know what this is," Loly said somewhat flustered.
"The funniest joke you two have ever played on me?" Ichigo laughed.
Loly gave Menoly a sharp nod. Without warning they both leaned in and kissed his cheeks again.
"Yeah it's a joke alright…in fact how's about you two wannabe vixens get lost!" the voice of none other than Apacci sounded.
Loly and Menoly both noticed Apacci blocking Ichigo's way now.
"Wannabe vixens? Is that the best you got?" Loly shook her head.
"Just when we were starting to make progress…" Menoly sighed.
Apacci gritted her teeth, "You two mind explaining this situation to me?"
"It's exactly what it looks like…we're expressing our affection for Ichigo and he's pretending like he's too dense to notice," Loly stated factually.
"What?!" Apacci's eyes widened.
"We've known him almost as long as you have…hell maybe longer since we met him first. So don't go assuming you have the right to monopolize Ichigo all to yourself," Menoly added.
"Earlier you said I was your friend, Ichigo. I was just w-well…given all that's happened with all these other girls, there's something I wanted to know. This is really awkward to ask you, but do you like any of us as more than friends?" Apacci finally managed to ask. Her struggle to get that sentence out was extremely evident between the stuttering and blushing.
'Wait…what? So then this is about my romantic feelings? I didn't realize she felt that strongly. I mean, I know they all like me, but where did this come from? I blame you, Gin Ichimaru…and your sneaky fox face,' Ichigo thought to himself for a moment.
After a super tense silence, he countered with a question, "Is that something you're all interested in? A closer than friends relationship with me?"
"I'm interested…" Apacci admitted somewhat nervously.
"Obviously Loly and I are," Menoly followed.
"Damn right!" Loly added with emphasis.
Ichigo looked between the three of them and sighed, "Well…I'm sure the problem here is pretty difficult to overlook. There's three of you…and you're all a part of the same Fraccion. I don't want to make a decision that will tear your friendships and teamwork apart or start up drama. Not to mention, we're at war with two factions right now. There's a lot of other things to worry about."
"Well Menoly and I are a pair…so you wouldn't really have to choose between us," Loly said with a blush.
"What are you saying?" Apacci gawked, "you two intend to share Ichigo? Screw that."
"Well, I mean I personally don't care if you wanna get in on that deal too. We're pretty cool with each other. This is original team White after all…" Menoly added with a similar flushed face.
Apacci started laughing, "You're kidding me right? Who would want to be in that kind of weird…relationship."
"This sounds like a bad idea to me…you girls trying to get me killed?" Ichigo sighed.
"Ohohoho! So you're not blind after all? You CAN see those mammoth-chest skanks trying to seduce you? I was almost starting to worry," Loly laughed, "you holding out for some other girl there Ichigo?"
"Is it Mila Rose? Sung-Sun? Neliel? Harribel? Is it not a girl at all?!" Menoly followed up with a gasp.
"Woah relax you guys…I like all of you a lot, but I don't want this kind of drama right now. That's why I've just been brushing off your advances. Besides, I don't know how I could choose one of you anyways. I don't want any of you to feel rejected. Because if that happened, then you'd feel bad and I'd feel worse...then everyone would slack off in training. It's a huge distraction," Ichigo sighed.
Apacci sent Ichigo a serious glare, "You know you're going to have to pick somebody eventually…I'm not like those two weirdos over there. I'm not down for whatever the hell their sick idea of sharing is."
"W-Weirdos? The hell did you just call us?!" Loly protested.
"Don't be so selfish, Apacci…Ichigo's the freaking King of Hueco Mundo after all. Are you saying you're worthy enough to be Queen? Honestly I doubt any of us can fill that slot…but that doesn't mean we can't be close you know?" Menoly stated.
Apacci felt a wave of insecurity hit her from that comment. She sighed and looked away embarrassed, "Hypothetically, if I ever did accept something stupid like that, what would you think, Ichigo? How would it work?"
"Well this just got extremely awkward. Listen girls, none of that is going to happen anytime soon, so just relax. There'll be time for this in the future, but right now I should get going," Ichigo said reassuringly. The three of them looked away somewhat displeased as Ichigo took his leave.
After he was gone, Apacci looked at Menoly and Loly incredulously, "So you two are saying you're okay with just being concubines essentially?"
"Look Apacci…Menoly and I like you so we're going to tell you this once. We have every intention of being closer to Ichigo whether or not we're his official mate. Maybe you should stop being such a prude about it and get on board. Besides, if you impress him enough, maybe he'll pick you anyways," Loly sighed.
Menoly nodded, "Yeah what's the big deal? So long as we're with Ichigo, and we all get our turn, then I don't mind."
"Ichigo made a good point though…things would get really weird and tense if he just picked one girl. I mean don't me wrong, I'd love if he exclusively chose me, but that kind of thinking is really illogical if you think about it. Not to mention, that would put us in direct competition with Nel and Harribel. At least this way, we all still get a piece of the action you know?" Loly said nodding.
"I…guess there are some perks to it. But what the hell kind of relationship would that be? I mean how would it work? How can you be close to one person with other people in the way?" Apacci wondered.
"Who knows…but I'm not willing to give up Ichigo after everything he's done for us. Maybe it won't work…but I'm not about to get side-lined by some big chest skank like Nel or Harribel," Loly replied.
Apacci sighed, "It's the most ridiculous thing ever if you ask me…but Ichigo was pretty clear about not choosing somebody specifically right now. I guess it wouldn't hurt to see how it goes…at least for the time being."
"Well even if it doesn't work out, it'll give us all a fair chance to make an impression," Menoly nodded.
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Good! I can feel your anger…strike me down and I shall become more willing to update on a regular basis than you can possibly imagine. Ah yes…sorry this took way longer than expected. Partially it was procrastination. I've been watching lots of anime lately...you know stuff like Saint Seiya, Berserk, and other classic favorites. I kind of got side-tracked doing things outside as well. I was almost like a social, real person. I've been snowboarding a lot and shopping for Christmas stuff too. Priorities and all...but I apologize for the long ass wait. Anyways, on to the chapter commentary:
So big things are going down with Szayel, Zommari, and BG9. We're going to catch up with them next chapter and find out what BG9's fate is. I know some of you don't really care about Quincy perspectives in this fic, but they're going to matter pretty soon in the next couple of chapters. They won't be too pleased about their observer group going missing. Yeah I modified Zommari's first release into something more suited for an Espada. In the Manga and anime he's said to be one of the fastest, but I don't believe them when he's in the pink pumpkin release you know? Hopefully that didn't bother any purists too much. I want to sort of patch up the things Kubo dropped the ball on.
Up next we had the encounter with Isshin, Karin, Rukia, and the Shibas. Sorry if not much happened there, but that's all building up for something too. Rukia decided to stay there with Karin as well. Will she and Karin hit it off as friends?
The big highlight of the chapter of course is Soifon's encounter. As she was going through the various stages of grief, she encounters three arrancars unaffiliated with Ichigo. I know some of you were wondering if Yin and Yang were going to be in this story…well they are. As for Athena, there's a few things I wanted to mention about her specifically. Now normally I'm not the biggest fan of OC's in anime fanfictions because there's so many characters already…but she's there for several important reasons. Notice the surname Plateado and her rank. Those are obvious plot points…but she's also there to help Soifon deal with hollow life. Now I know there's at least one of you that's going to immediately recognize who she's loosely based off of. That's right, the beloved Saori Kido from Saint Seiya! If you noticed that before reading this, then take my high five for being a Saint Seiya fan. (Or "Sailor Moon for boys" as my imouto used to call it). How will Soifon progress with these new arrancars?
Finally, there was the interesting revelation to Ichigo that the girls are more interested than he initially thought. Now I know a lot of people hate harems and stuff, so hear me out will ya? I know most harems are distracting and the "serious critics" feel like they cheapen characters. While that's definitely true to a certain extent, I hope most can simply like it for what it is…wishful fiction. Besides, that stuff isn't really the primary focus of the story. This isn't really going to be like a "traditional harem" that most people are used to. I'm trying to avoid too many tropes and nonsensical bullshit with it. It's going to be as realistic a harem as I'm capable of writing. Now the reason Loly, Menoly, and Apacci all pretty much confessed in this chapter is because they've known Ichigo the longest, and they don't want to be overshadowed by others. Their idea of sharing is because they have to for the sake of progression. Like their reason for agreeing on a temporary harem at the end of the chapter is due to Ichigo's position on the matter. He's not going to play favorites while important stuff is going on. Now don't panic there you hopeless romantics! This was sort of an icebreaker on the whole girls pursuing Ichigo thing. There will be plenty of individual development and some may or may not join in on the harem. Everyone's asking about Harribel…fear not, her time is coming. Now this harem isn't going to be too big, but I can roughly say around 10 have various appearances in it.
Also, a couple of you were wondering why Hooleer was down in the Menos Forest. Well without too many spoilers...that wasn't Hooleer that saved Soifon. More on that to come...