Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach
-Forenote-
It's truly amazing how much a single comment or review on something I create can really get to me, good or bad - and there's been a lot since chapter 4. I'm positive that's the same for everyone, but this is something a bit new for me personally, and it's real neat.
Regardless, thank you to everyone who follows, favorites, or even just reads this, no matter if you like it or not. Seeing positive or negative feedback just digs into my mind and makes me want to improve my writing that much more each day.
I did see several comments, and some words from a friend, saying the interactions with Sung-Sun felt a little mechanical. Trust me, that wasn't what I was going for. I meant for it to be that she was there as a bit of a catalyst to get things rolling in Shin's mind a bit faster, as well as some setup for later things. I was trying to convey that he wasn't in the clearest mindset at the time, hence the breaks in between their talks, but it came out kinda stale.
So with apologies to our friendly neighborhood snake lady, I may actually go back soon to rework those scenes and add a bit to that chapter to flesh it out more. Let nobody say I try to toss my mistakes under the rug.
For now, enjoy.
-Forenote end-
Chapter 5: Restraint
Many hollows in Hueco Mundo hunted regularly, either in the endless quest to grow stronger, or simply because they knew no other way to exist anymore. And even more formed tentative alliances and roamed in packs, trusting in the safety of numbers to keep them alive and sane as long as possible. For many, this was often the only way to survive as an adjucha. A wandering pack, if they worked together, could take down a foe much more powerful than they were alone.
It was with this intention that a large group of nearly twenty hollows converged on a comparitively tiny form as it sped across the bleak white desert.
If they had stopped to truly inspect their prey, they may have managed to survive.
--
Shin sidestepped a wide, sweeping talon with ease, his own claws open and hooked as they gouged into the attacker's throat. Bright red blood poured out into a steaming pool as the hollow collapsed; it gasped in its death throes as another roared in fury, leaping forwards. With the sound of soft static, Shin vanished, reappearing above and thrusting a pointed hand through its torso. The creature screamed in pain as he swung it around, throwing it into another adjucha with enough force to crush the smaller being.
He felt a sudden hot flash of pain, looking back to see a pointed appendage from another tear a wound in his leg. He snarled, grabbing the offending hollow by the mask, quickly charging a cero with the same hand.
The blast vaporized most of its body.
As the dust cleared, the remaining few hollows saw the ugly tear in his leg seem to twist - and immediately heal. The biggest, a gargantuan gorilla-like beast, let out an echoing roar and leapt forwards, perhaps not realizing the danger. It swung one huge arm forwards in a punch, clenched as if a battering ram. To it's surprise, the blow connected, sand kicking up from the force.
Shin still stood, holding an open hand against the others fist, barely straining. Using his grip as leverage, he howled and swung the enormous hollow over and into the dunes. One more savage blow to the head, and it was gone.
From a short distance, a small cloaked figure shook in fear as it watched its last several companions run forward, only to be wiped out like the rest of their group. Shin looked its way a moment later, gore dripping from his clawed hands.
It jumped away in a flash, running as fast as it could.
He watched it go, adrenaline still surging through his veins. The fight, if it could be called that, had come upon him suddenly, the hollows concealing their power and ambushing him all at once. Once they had attacked, instinct took over, and he had systematically annihilated each and every one.
He couldn't deny the pleasure he took in the battle, even if it was one-sided. He had been on the move for days, having been further away from Las Noches than originally expected, and boredom had begun to set in. He no longer needed to feed, but a large part of him reveled in the action.
He opened his eyes again, looking back out towards the still-fleeing form in the distance. He could just simply let it go; it had already shown it didn't want to fight anymore. And besides that, a hollow that small had to be at the least a vasto lorde, which would be wanted at Las Noches. It made sense.
...fuck that.
--
The hollow sprinted as fast as it could away from the blood-soaked area, fear laying a path. He panted irregularly behind his mask, struggling to push further.
He had known the being was a vasto lorde, just as he was, and had tried to warn the others that something felt off.
Tried, and failed.
Now he was alone and somehow, by a stroke of luck that horned...thing didn't seem to want to follow. He paused at the height of a dune for a moment to glance back warily-
It was gone.
A chill of pure terror washed down his spine as it heard a soft impact in the sand, and turned slowly to see the horned vasto rising from a crouch, baleful yellow eyes fixed on him.
"No..."
He backpedaled in fear, one hand held out as if to ward it off. It simply watched him for a moment - and vanished.
An instant later he felt a violent strike on the back, the breath blasted out of his lungs. He managed to look down to see a shower of crimson streaming down his front.
He coughed up blood, mind fading as he hit the sand. He saw the glowing eyes gazing down, a cackling two-toned laugh the last thing he heard.
--
For hours, Shin stared at the remains of that last hollow, long after its physical remains had vanished. By now, even the blood seeped into the sand had begun to fade away.
And yet he remained.
Why did I do that?
He hadn't been particularly angry that he had been ambushed, nor had this particular one even attacked in the first place. There was no logical reason to kill it.
And yet he had. Brutally, without mercy, and with no small amount of enjoyment involved. The only reason he was even confused was that it somehow felt...wrong.
After the single memory he had reclaimed, other small bits of his previous life had started to return as well. Little quirks of personality, actions that now felt habitual, a sense of right and wrong.
A sense that now seemed to be vastly different.
He could feel that previously he would still have done all in his power to survive, yes. But at the expense or suffering of others? As a human, the deep parts of his mind instictively wanted to reject even considering something like that.
As a hollow, that desire was cast aside, though some of the aftereffects remained.
"Survival of the fittest..." he muttered, legs crossed as he sat in contemplation. It was certainly the norm for hollows. To be merciless was to survive, there was no other way normally. Showing weakness like that to a potential enemy was to die, therefore he had no real qualms in doing what he had to. He wasn't afraid to kill; he actually enjoyed a good fight more, though that seemed to be a rarity as of yet.
So why deny himself the one pleasure he had found in this desolate place?
Shin hopped to his feet, casting one last careless glance to where the other vasto had died - and to the tattered gray cloth it had left behind.
He bent nimbly and snagged it with one hand, shaking any remaining sand free as he held it up. It appeared to be some sort of rather ragged heavy blanket, no seams or folds showing to suggest otherwise. Shrugging it over his shoulders, he grimaced after a moment. With any movement it would expose his lower body anyways, there was no point. He squinted at it in thought, and a second later tore into it with his claws. To his pleasure and annoyance, the cloth seemed fairly resistant to even that, and he had to work more finess than he was expecting into cutting it.
A minute later, he had it down to half of its previous length, and summarily had it wrapped around his waist like some sort of low robe. After several quick movements it felt no closer to falling off, the ends reaching down to well below his knees as it swayed slowly.
No reason I can't be decent.
Satisfied, he continued his long run to Las Noches, still far in the distance.
--
A day later his pace had slowed to a steady walk. He simply took in the scenery, bleak as it was, as he strode along. He'd realized there was no particular need to rush, the titanic palace wasnt going anywhere. Besides that, the only real reason he was heading there in the first place was to repay his debt to Nel. Without her he may very well have died, if only to Nnoitra attacking them both.
Personally, he could think of no reason he wanted to go to Las Noches otherwise. He wasnt lonely at all, preferring to continue sorting out his own mind for the time being.
He frowned underneath the mask. His brief talks with Sung-Sun were the one thing he wished he could have another chance at; he was obviously thankful for the company and advice she had given him, and he hadn't been in the best state at the time to say much about it. However, she could be anywhere at this point, at Las Noches or otherwise, most likely accompanying her...master? He still wasn't quite sure how to describe that relationship.
Shin stopped at the crest of a small dune, feet digging into the sand as he surveyed the area ahead. The ever-present bulk of Las Noches occupied the horizon as always, and an immeasurable expanse of the pale white desert stretched before it. The moon, as always, shone a white light down, rendering the world in a cold and desolate appearance.
After a while he found a flat rock to sit on, taking in the sights with an odd sense of wonder.
I've never even dreamed of a place like this...
Occasionally a thought like that would slip out, catching him off guard. They were never anything terrible as of yet, but it was always somewhat out of place. It meant that his old memories were still there, buried.
An uncharacteristic sigh made its way out as he leaned back, feeling rather melancholy.
"Boredom," he finally decided. "That's what will drive me crazy first."
With that declaration, he closed his eyes and drifted off.
--
Shin watched several adjucha far in the distance scuffle, each trading blows for nearly a full hour. Finally one fell, the other roaring to the sky. He surveyed the victor for a minute.
"...Not worth it."
His prediction had, unfortunately, come true. It had been quite some time since he had slowed his trek to Las Noches, but even then he was still heading in its general direction. And in that time he hadn't appeared to get any closer, nor had he found anyone strong enough to have a bit of fun with.
The tedium was starting to drag on.
He quickly came upon the realization that as a hollow, there wasn't really much to do at this point. Several times he had walked into anbushes by larger packs of hollows, but they hadn't managed to be much of a challenge; he had even let some of them go.
And what would I even do at the palace? Sit on my ass waiting for orders?
He wasn't getting far with that train of thought; in fact, he hadn't had much luck digging out his own limited memory in the first place. He was stuck.
A sudden power spike nearby made his eyes pop open in surprise to see a winged form drop down at him from above, screeching fiercely. He swiftly brought his legs up and rolled over, leaping away as the hollow smashed down in a blast of sand.
Shin sighed again in disappointent after a quick scan of his opponent. "I think I actually preferred when random hollows just came up and tried to talk instead," he muttered, bracing as the creature appeared through the haze, mindlessly lunging forwards.
Oh well.
--
Days later, something in the wastes had finally piqued his interest: a powerful reiatsu, far stronger than the average vasto he had encountered. He had immediately made to head to its source, only to find that it had found him first.
The being stood atop a mound of stone, gazing down where he had been resting. The sheer amount of power washed over Shin, stoking the restlessness that had been simmering for months to an unbearable heat. That with the open face and mask fragment covering his entire left eye meant only one thing: this was an arrancar.
"Vasto lorde," his voice rang out, "I could sense your power from quite a distance. You would be quite welcome at the castle of Las Noches as an ally for the upcoming..."
Shin could barely hear the words over the sound of blood throbbing through his veins. His vision was tinged red, muscles twitching restlessly.
This is what I've been looking for!
The arrancar contined to ramble on imperiously, seemingly not noticing the reaction he had unknowingly caused. With a twist and a jump, he leapt up in an instant, one hand cocked back to strike. The arrancars brow seemed to rise carelessly, as if he was expecting this, and one white-robed arm rose to block.
The impact sent out a massive shockwave, the arrancar skidding backwards, arm bloodied. His face registered pure shock as his other hand reached for the sword strapped to his hip, muttering "This can't be right, he's just a-" Shin appeared from behind, swinging around in a massive kick that sent the arrancar flying.
He slammed into the sand again, stumbling upright, somehow managing to bring his blade to bear as Shin leapt in, claws swinging wildly. Ferocious laughter echoed from behind his mask as he closed, reveling in the feeling.
This was what he had been sorely missing. Not simply slaughtering whatever stood in his path, not simply dominating. He wanted to bathe in his opponents power, feel that fight or flight instict take over as he fought with every ounce of strength.
Speaking of...
The arrancar was floundering, caught off guard by his sudden assault, barely managing to block or deflect his bare-handed swings. With a disgusted growl he batted aside the sword, delivering a heavy kick to his stomach and flinging him into a nearby dune. The arrancar coughed violently, crimson spilling down his front as he stared up, shock clear in his eyes. Shin stalked up, snagging the mans fallen sword and tossing it at his feet.
"Get up." The arrancar gaped at him. A bitter taste rose in his throat at the sight. "Get up. You were talking like you were some hot shit just a minute ago."
"N-no, I..." the man stammered, hand slowly grasping the hilt of his blade. Shin narrowed his eyes dangerously and he stood quickly, though stumbling a bit. He seemed to recover some of his bravado and assumed a rather pompous fighting stance. "I am a loyal fracción of my lord Barragan, and-"
"I don't care."
"-I am here to...excuse me?" Shin would have laughed at the mans expression - if he wasn't so completely uninterested.
"I have been wandering this fucking desert for months. There has been both nothing of interest and nothing to do."
"Well, I don't see-"
"SO," Shin roared out, cutting him off, "you are the only damn thing with a decent amount of power around, and if you value your life you will use all of it to FIGHT ME!" The statement was punctuated with his reiatsu blasting out, sweeping the surrounding sand into a crimson whirlwind.
The arrancar stepped back in fear for a moment before raising his blade in an odd pose, lips moving. Shin felt a large spike in power, the sensation driving a mad shout of laughter out as he crouched down like a beast. His opponent had somehow transformed into some sort of armored creature from the waist up, letting out a bellow as its strange arms began to glow.
--
"Do you feel that?"
"How could I not? I can sense Patros, but who is he fighting?"
The two forms clothed in white both stared in the same direction, their pesquisa telling them where the battle was.
One with a large half of a skull covering his black hair, complete with two large tusks framing his face, started in surprise as a massive explosion sounded, the sand erupting into a pillar reaching hundreds of feet high. The other, mask covering all but his lower face and blond hair swaying from the shockwave, frowned. "Something feels rather...odd about his opponent," he remarked thoughtfully.
His companion glanced over in question.
"It doesn't feel like another arrancar."
They traded a tense look.
"Go and find his majesty," the black-haired one said firmly, nodding at the others surprised expression. "I have a feeling about this one."
"Good or bad?"
"...I don't know."
--
Shin reared back, panting heavily, arms and torso bloodied and burned from the arrancars strange energy blasts. But even with that, he stood victorious, the man having returned to his original form, seemingly at the end of his power. He lay bleeding into the sand from multiple deep gashes across his torso, coughing in agony.
Shin, his voice hoarse from exertion, began to laugh.
"That was more like it," He gasped, feeling incredibly satisfied. The fight hadn't taken very long, but the sheer intensity had scratched an itch deep in his core.
"I don't...understand you at all..." The arrancar managed to choke out before Shins eyes flared in his direction ominously.
He protested weakly as Shin took hold of one bloodied ankle, dragging him to the top of a nearby dune. He paused, taking another deep breath.
Arrancars are supposed to be the strongest around, yet here we are.
He took another long, speculative look at his victim.
...no point in leaving him like this.
With a massive heave, Shin flung the arrancar like a ragoll into the air, the man letting out a terrified scream. He lifted his head, focusing all his power into a massive cero between the tips of his horns.
With one last howl the energy shot out, annihilating the falling form and detonating. The surrounding desert was pummeled by the blast, and Shin fell to one knee in exhaustion, sand washing over his weary form from the force.
His mind felt clearer than it had in ages, and with that clarity he felt a tiny pang of remorse for attacking as he did. The arrancar had clearly just come to try and recruit him, just as Nel had; even if he had been a pompous asshole. But it was done, and nothing in the world was bringing that man back. No reason to linger. He sat after a moment, wincing slightly from the burns that still lingered.
So what now?
He'd gotten the battle he'd been lusting after, but now he was back to his original problem. Arrancar weren't exactly common from what he could tell, so seeking out more fights like that wasn't going to be terribly productive. So all that remained...was to head to Las Noches. He glanced its direction.
What else was there to do?
Shin finally stood, having recovered enough to move on. A small noise behind made him turn -
He hissed in surprise, whirling around into a low crouch: a group of four hollows stood some distance off, staring his way intently.
All but one large red bird-like adjucha were small, bipedal, skin clearly showing - all arrancar. All three were clothed in similar white clothes, varying in styles except for the hakama pants. The two to the sides he ignored mostly, though he could sense rather wary looks from both.
What drew his attention was the wide, thickset man in the center of the formation. The waves of power he was emanating made the one he had just fought seem like a joke.
He appeared as an aged, wrinkled old man, though still thickly muscled, dark skin like tanned leather. His features jutted out as if carved from stone, and several knotted scars crossed his face, one running over and closing his right eye. An impressive white mustache covered his upper lip, his mask fragment resembling a five-pointed crown framing his head.
His one good eye was fixed on Shin with an intensity that held him in place. His fight or flight instincts were rising again - and not in the way he might enjoy.
The blond arrancar standing to the right cleared his throat briefly. "Hollow. Your name, if you please."
"Who's asking?"
His other companion's lip curled, barking out, "Do you have any idea who you are speaking to?! You will-" He took a step back, face paling at the menacing growl Shin let out in response.
"Stop this squabbling," the old arrancar rumbled, his tone immediately snapping his subordinates to attention with a chorus of 'yes, my lord'. Shin turned back to face him, rising out of his crouch warily.
"So," he continued slowly, "it seems you've killed one of my men."
He doesn't sound very angry about it...
Shin shrugged, pale shoulders lifting casually. "I had a bit of a...problem. He helped me out."
"And you saw fit to destroy him for it."
Still not angry. "He underestimated me."
"And that warrants a death sentence?"
"Not particularly, but he was weak. This is Hueco Mundo, right?"
The arrancar cocked one bushy white brow at the question, to which Shin couldn't help the venom creeping into his voice with his next statement. "Survival of the fittest."
A surprised pause, and suddenly the man roared out in laughter, head tilted back in amusement as his men looked at him in shock.
"I can see why you two sent for me," he gestured one gnarled towards a very confused Shin. "This one has a certain fire about him. I'll take the loss of one fool for a meeting such as this."
"So you don't care that I killed him?"
The man snorted in disdain. "As you said, he was weak. I have no use for weak things. And you are anything but, single-handedly defeating an arrancar at your level. Most impressive."
The praise was nice and all, but if this conversation was leading where he thought it was, he might end up disappointing this powerful man; who he could only imagine was another Espada. As luck would have it, it seemed he wasn't the only one following that idea.
"My lord Baraggan," the blond arrancar said thoughtfully, "I do believe this hollow in particular has already been reported. By lady Nelliel, no less."
"Hrm?"
"Yes, sir. The report was for a large draconid adjucha some months ago. For the sake of clarity, I asked for more details, to which she provided a rather...interesting sketch." The man pulled out a folded piece of paper, holding the contents out for his lord to see.
Shin grinned as Baraggan shook his bushy head at the sight: a cartoonish drawing of what appeared to be some sort of lizard. The arrancar holding the image continued. "As you can see, the only real detail I can glean is the rather unusual horn shape. Which this vasto does appear to possess."
Baraggan huffed at that, glancing back at Shin who nodded in confirmation. He crossed his arms moodily. "Hmph. Well I suppose I can't deny the similarity, or if Nelliel has already claimed him."
"No, sir." He turned back to Shin. "Now, if I may have your name, for the record. It would be good to avoid any...unfortunate incidents in the future."
What an understatement.
"Shin." The man scribbled on a note he had whipped out for a moment. "Very good. I am Findorr Calius, serving under his majesty."
As he spoke, the other two stepped forwards, introducing themselves as well. The whole experience was rather nice, somewhat of a novelty after spending so much time alone out in the wastes. The one called Ggio still seemed to regard him skeptically, but Shin couldn't bring himself to care much.
"And obviously you must be the Espada, Baraggan, right?" The grizzled old arrancar raised a brow at the familiar tone. "Nel mentioned you when we first met."
"Did she?" He mused for a moment. "Yes, I am the segunda Espada, Baraggan Louisenbairn."
"Wait, not the first?" A small grimace creased the mans face at that, but the surprised tone seemed to mollify him some.
"The title of primera Espada belongs to Coyote Starrk," Findorr stated in an oddly strained tone, a feeing that seemed to be shared with his other companions. Shin looked between them curiously. Ggio sighed. "Nothing wrong with the guy I guess, he's just...well..."
"Lacking motivation."
"Too relaxed."
"So damn lazy."
The three fracción all spoke their minds at once, while Baraggan simply huffed in annoyance. "You'll meet the man eventually, you can judge him then." The man swung around. "For now, I'll have Nelliel owe me a favor. I did still lose a pawn today."
With one last grumpy nod in his direction, Baraggan began stomping off towards Las Noches. His followers made to follow, Findorr pausing for a moment. "I may be mistaken, but I believe the lady Nelliel would want more than just the assurance that you are alive. Will you be joining us at Las Noches before long?"
Shin looked back out to the open desert. Some small part of him still wanted some time to himself to come to terms with it all...
"You still wish to be alone with your thoughts?"
He gave the arrancar an amazed look, who responded with a small smirk. "Reading people is somewhat of a...speciality of mine." Shin snorted, asking, "It was that clear?"
"Exacta." The blond man shrugged slightly. "You should know, we are all still hollows, and not always terribly sociable. It's not as if the entire palace is swarming with activity. Plenty of peace and quiet to be found."
There really was no particular reason to keep wandering like he had been, and being civilized was a nice change of pace. "...Yeah, I think I will head there soon. Nothing more to do out here."
"Then until we meet again." Findorr bowed slightly before darting off after his group, already far in the distance.
Shin watched him go pensively. He suddenly felt like he had overcome some large hurdle. He needed some time before moving on.
Gazing up at the moon, he saw it had morphed into a slender crescent in the past days. The sight no longer burned him with an echo of missing memories.
...one more night wouldn't hurt.