-Forenote-
I am spectacularly lazy. I just want you to know that.
In any case, this felt like a pretty nice chunk of time to work on the chapter. Time to properly think, time to write, and time to allow myself to indulge in doing absolutely nothing except reading and mobile games.
Damn you, F/GO events.
Anyways, I hope you all have a good time with this entry. It took while to work out a lot of the little details I hadn't originally thought of when first starting this, but it is still coming out nicely. I hope.
Enjoy!
-Forenote end-
Chapter 6: Civility
Shin shuddered, cowed by the aura of rage emanating from the woman standing ahead, somehow holding his ground. Waves of power surged out, limning her in a poisonous green aura, hair lifting and waving like some sort of hellish gorgon.
This was not the reception he had expected.
--Las Noches, hours earlier--
Nelliel of the Espada strode through her rooms restlessly, following an automatic path as she paced. One hand was raised to her lips, a nail constantly being nibbled upon.
"...That is a disgusting habit, my lady." She shot the speaker, a startlingly pale arrancar, a rather dirty look. He quickly assumed a neutral pose, hands clasped behind his back in deference as she passed. Another form, this one much larger, waddled through a doorway as his leader walked by without noticing him. The man turned his massive head towards the other in worry.
"What she doing?" He asked, the words altered by an odd accent, making him sound rather slow. The smaller man sighed.
"I would assume she is concerned about the most recent report."
"About dat hollow?" As mentioned, a message from one of Baraggan's men had come through only a few hours earlier, stating that the hollow named Shin had been rediscovered nearby.
This was what had Nel wearing a groove in the floor as she circled. The word that he was alive at all was incredible. It had been months since she had last seen the large adjucha, and with no word of anyone catching sight of him in the following weeks, she had assumed the worst and moved on. But now he had reappeared, and as a fully-fledged vasto lorde no less. The stories were already circulating through the palace of his battle with an arrancar - and subsequent victory.
Nel bit straight through one nail at that thought. She'd known he was strong before, but this...this was almost unprecedented. For an arrancar to fall against numerous weaker opponents was one thing, but to be killed by just a single vasto while in his released state was a first, regardless of the individual strength of the arrancar.
Shin...
Nel stopped, hands curling into determined fists.
--
Findorr Calius turned at a sound to see Nel quick-stepping up to him, a particularly fierce expression on her delicate features.
"You're the one who reported about Shin, yes?"
He cocked an eyebrow behind his mask, rather thankful for a moment that it covered most of his face. "That's right," he bowed slightly as he spoke, somewhat wary. He couldn't remember a time when the third Espada had appeared so...riled. He continued calmly, "We encountered the man just under a day away, at our pace."
Her expression darkened. "And you didn't bring him with you?"
Hiding his reaction, Findorr quickly responded with a small smile. "He seemed perfectly capable of handling himself, while also assuring me he would be here within a short period."
Nel's piercing gaze reached diamond-cutting levels before she let out a long breath, looking away. "And I suppose it wouldn't have been very smart to try to force him in any way, all considering."
"Exacta."
She crossed her arms rather grumpily as she thanked him and strode off. Findorr watched her go, quite amused at the protective behavior she was showing.
The third Espada was always interesting to observe.
--
Szayelaporro's thin pink brow creased in detached incredulity at his fellow Espada. "No, Nelliel, I do not have a device to track a specific hollow out in the wastes of Hueco Mundo," he drawled out.
The surprised emotion that crossed her face served to both flatter and annoy. He continued, interrupting her next words. "Yes, I have numerous surveillance devices all over Las Noches to monitor for the reiatsu of any intruders. They do not extend to the desert at this time, nor could they locate any one hollow. Yet."
He made a small movement with the scalpel he was holding in one blood-covered hand, eliciting a piercing screech from the...thing he had strapped to the table he stood over.
Nel opened her mouth, only to be cut off by the scientist again. "The information was relayed by Aaroniero to every Espada, I do know who you are looking for. It did say this 'Shin' would be here soon. Maybe he should use his own and arrive quicker." Chuckling at his own humor, he missed her dry look. She turned to leave, long hair waving. One last sentence halted her right before exiting his lab.
"I'll need to examine him when he is here, as you very well know. I require all the data possible, and this one does seem to show some semblance of promise."
The slightly displeased expression she shot back only made him smirk as she strutted away. Another movement with the knife and a spurt of crimson shot up, drawing a gruesome line down one thin cheek as he carved.
"I do so enjoy our little talks."
--
Hours later, Peshe Guatiche watched his lady loop - again - through her quarters. He had just finished persuading her not to run all the way to the most Northward entrance, closest to where this Shin had last been seen.
"I'm going."
"That would make no sense."
"I don't care."
"He will show up when he wants to! There is no guarantee from which direction, and it will take nearly a full day to reach the gate. Which, by that point, you may just miss him!"
She had pouted at this, finally relented, and resumed her pacing.
Pesche watched as she swept past again, Dondochakka stomping into the room with a large steaming platter of food.
Nel didn't so much as glance in its direction.
He sighed as his large friend plopped himself down as well, shrugging in response to Peche's defeated stance.
"When I have to be the voice of reason, it truly is a dark time," he muttered under his breath.
--Hueco Mundo--
At each entrance to the massive structure of Las Noches there stood equally huge gates, heavily reinforced and meters thick. The outlines of smaller doors could be seen lining the base to allow for more mundane entry.
It was around these that the guards for these entranceways clustered, hollows of varying sizes and power levels patrolling a wide area, alert for any attack.
Mostly alert.
"Oi."
"What?"
One small insect adjucha shook himself free of the sand, translucent wings buzzing in irritation. "I'm getting antsy again."
"You're a bug."
The hollows in the surrounding area all cackled, the beetle grinding its teeth together. "Not like that," it snapped, "I need to feed, its been ages since anything has been stupid enough to come anywhere near the gate."
One larger hollow snorted. "Then go. Make it quick, I could eat too."
A shrill whistle from above the gate suddenly rang out, and every creature in the area jumped up.
"Talk about timing!" He chirruped in excitement, burrowing back into the sand quickly.
The scouts above saw a thin plume of sand rapidly approaching the gate, a small form at its head blurred at the speed it was going. At the edge of a large dune the figure leapt out in a high arc, landing in a crouch and a shower of sand at the furthest edge of guarding hollows. It rose after a moment, jaggedly curved horns glinting in the moonlight. More than a few hollows hissed in surprise; all forces in Las Noches had been informed of this one, and none had forgotten the stories.
Except one.
With a ringing cry, the beetle hollow rushed out of the sand, jaws gaping wide as it lunged. The man didnt move as the creature clamped onto one arm, teeth grinding away - to no effect.
There was a silent moment as every other being in sight held their collective breaths. The skull-faced hollow simply looked down at the creature, who had released his bite and stepped back fearfully, lowering down apologetically onto all fours.
"I-I-I'm sorry, I d-didn't..." The hollow stammered, cold terror shaking it to the core. "I was...I hadn't realized..."
His yellow gaze narrowed slightly, and the hollow cringed...
"You're lucky I don't have to eat like that anymore."
The surrounding guards all watched in amazement as he stalked past, not sparing them a second glance.
"Who is in charge here?"
Another vasto jumped down from a small pillar of stone leading to the gate, striding up importantly. The man, a piscine mask covering his head and a rather smart white outfit completed the aura of officiality as he assumed a rigid stance. "State your name, hollow."
"Shin."
The vasto nodded crisply. "As I thought. We had been informed and have been awaiting your arrival. Now, if you will please come this way, for regulations sake we must-"
"I don't care about that. I'm here for the third Espada, Nelliel."
A chilling silence fell throughout the ranks as the vasto froze. He puffed up indignantly.
"Who do you think you are?!" He poked a quivering finger out - it was immediately batted aside as Shin flashed forwards, taking him by the neck in one clawed hand, lifting up as the man gasped for air.
Shin held him there casually, glancing around at the surrounding hollows. None appeared to want to step forwards and help. Snorting, he raised his other hand, bright red energy swirling slowly as he held it to his victims chest. "It doesn't matter who I am, does it?"
The man began to thrash in horror as the cero grew in intensity, searing the front of his clothes. Shin held him calmy, waiting.
"No...no, please forgive me! Please!" He screamed as it reached a peak - and stopped. Shin curled his fingers to snuff the technique out, a wisp of smoke curling up as he dropped the other vasto. It crumpled to the sand, choking for breath.
Arms crossed, Shin watched him stagger up, bowing deeply.
"P-please follow me."
--
They moved through the vast halls of Las Noches swiftly, Shin hiding his amazement at the sheer scale of the place. It had appeared massive from the desert, but actually standing inside...
It defied all expectations.
Cavernous white hallways, almost always lined with massive pillars of the same stone made up most of what he could see, and that alone stretched for miles on end, doorways spotted along the sides. Here and there hollows mixed about, in groups or alone, most casting wary looks his way if not clearly moving out of the way as fast as possible.
His guide answered any questions he had with admirable speed, if still somewhat shakily from their first meeting. Through this, Shin learned quite a lot about the layout of the place, which he resolved to simply call a city - it was too large to be thought of as one single entity. He was trying to get a better idea of what was contained in the center of the structure, which the vasto was being a bit vague on, when an all-too familiar hollow came into sight.
Nnoitra Gilga.
His eyepatched head tilted to one side as they came up to where he was, squinting at Shin suspiciously. "Who's this?"
The other vasto, if anything even more nervous in the Espadas presence, snapped to attention. "This is the hollow from the information we received yesterday. I'm taking him to the third Espada now."
Nnoitra's expression tightened at the words, pushing off of the wall he had been leaning on and easily towering over the two. The Espada circled Shin like a wolf. The memory of their first encounter in the desert came vividly to mind, and he had to fight the instinct to lash out - or run.
"So..." Nnoitra drawled out, "This is the big bad vasto that took out that one idiot of Baraggans, eh?" Sneering, he ran a long finger along the tip of one horn. "Well you look scary enough I guess, though you don't seem like much otherwise." He began to walk away, apparently finished with his inspection.
"Neither do you."
Nnoitra froze, turning slowly to see Shin's glowing eyes flaring ocher in hate. The air thickened with palpable tension, and the few surrounding beings quickly fled. The fish-like vasto had retreated to a far corner, rapidly speaking into a small device clipped to his collar.
The Espada glared at the smaller man, a distinctly unpleasant expression on his thin face. "What was that?"
"I said you don't seem like much either...Nnoitra."
"I don't remember telling you my name."
"We've met."
After a long pause, Nnoitra barked out a harsh laugh. "You were that big bastard hiding behind Nelliel's skirts way back, weren't you? Hah! The one who ran for his pathetic life!"
The man cackled madly, mouth open, and Shin was able to glimpse a stark black '8' inscribed somehow on the mans tongue.
"Eighth, huh..."
The Espada stopped at the comment, caught off guard at the tone. "What's it to you?"
Shin grinned behind his mask, a dangerous heat boiling up. "Well, it's like I thought."
"Hah?"
"You really aren't much at all...compared to Nel."
--
"Reporting in, ma'am!"
Nel shot up out of her seat, the scout dropping to a knee as she approached. She motioned for him to speak.
"The hollow known as Shin has entered Las Noches at the Westernmost gate..."
Nel frowned. West? But that means he's by...
He seemed to pause nervously for a moment before continuing, "...but is currently engaged with the eighth Espada. Nobody has been able to intervene as of yet."
The scout paled at seeing her reaction, lowering himself even more as she swept past, vanishing into the hallways beyond a second later. The man rose, nodding to the two fracción still in the room before departing as well. Pesche shook his head at the sight.
"Hell hath no fury..."
--
Shin exhaled sharply, ducking under a wide sweep as he moved to counter, thrusting one claw forwards - only to be deflected with a shower of sparks. He jumped back, growling in frustration.
After his comment, Nnoitra had lost all traces of humor, whipping out his massive crescent weapon and attacking viciously. To say he hadn't been goading the tall Espada would be a lie, but he certainly hadn't expected the amount of ire his words would draw.
The fact that Shin couldn't even put a scratch on him didn't help.
Any time he managed to step in far enough, he would either be blown back by that huge polearm or his claws would simply be ineffective against the rock-like skin. He was losing.
A moment later the blade thrust out suddenly, catching him at one elbow and shearing it off in a flash of pain. Shin snarled in rage, flashing away and reappearing further down the hall, panting heavily. Nnoitra finally cracked another grin, kicking the severed limb away gruesomely.
"Well, finally getting worn out, eh?" He sniggered, watching as Shin staggered back a step, clutching his shoulder. A black needle suddenly jutted out from the stump, spinning wildly - and a new arm was in place, eliciting an ugly expression from the Espada.
"Regeneration...what a pain." He swung his blade in an arc, landing it heavily on one shoulder. "But in the end, it's only going to make this last longer!"
With a roar he leapt forwards, another quick flurry of blows raining down at the smaller hollow, Shin desperately parrying or dodging what he could. Blood spattered on the stone floor with each movement he made.
He lunged to the side, receiving a vicious gash to the ribs, putting all of his weight into a blow to the neck - nothing.
He vanished under a sweep from that terrible weapon, reappearing on the other side and unleashing a flurry of swipes to an unprotected side - nothing.
I'm not strong enough
The thought inflamed him even as Nnoitra caught him with a heavy strike, launching him down the hallway. Several hollows that had been watching from afar scuttled away in terror as he careened into the wall, gouging out a crater from the impact. The taste of copper seeped into his mouth.
He barely managed to react as the crescent blade came hurtling through the air, cutting into the wall on each side and holding him painfully by the neck. He could see the Espada leer through the haze.
Never give in. FIGHT.
With an enraged howl, he charged the rest of his power between his horns, building a massive cero. Nnoitra began to laugh in scorn - his eye widened in shock as it compressed, pulsating and spinning rapidly, taking on a strange black tint. It blasted out a moment later, filling the corridor with an eerie glow. The man leapt to the side, the cero barely missing his lanky form as it roared past...and vanished.
They both stared down the hall to see a silhouette slowly appear through the smoke as it strode up.
Nelliel.
Her emerald eyes sparked in fury as she glanced over Shin, still held to the wall by Nnoitra's weapon and covered in blood. She stopped next to the man in question, turning her head slowly to face him. He snapped out of his surprise and began to smirk confidently...
And instantly disappeared in the impossibly huge viridian cero she exhaled, black strands of energy crackling along its length, the sheer force pushing the woman backwards. It eventually stopped, and Shin could see a glimpse of the desert through the crumbling hole. Coughing, she rubbed her chest, grimacing in discomfort as she started in his direction.
Without a word, she yanked the weapon holding him out of the wall, tossing it carelessly on the ground with a loud clatter. Shin staggered to his feet, heaving for breath.
"Nel, I-" was all he managed to say before one hand came up in a blur, smacking his head to one side with incredible force. He heard a weary sigh the instant before he passed out.
--
"Do you think he's dead?"
Shin stirred slowly, painfully, a groan slipping out as his injuries throbbed.
"Of course not. He can regenerate, a simple slap isn't going to kill him."
"How do you know that?"
Another familiar sigh drew him further from his sluggish stupor. "Because I saw his arm lying in the corridor."
"But they're both right here...oh."
Shin heard a contemplative 'hmm', and felt a sharp poke to one shoulder. His eyes snapped open, sending the figure that was leaning over him hopping back in surprise, hands raised unthreateningly.
Shin dragged his bruised torso up, gritting his teeth. Self-healing or not, he hurt like hell. He was lying on a small bed, Nel leaning against the wall opposite. The hollow that had been closest chose to stand to her right, hands clasped behind his back. He appeared as a white-clad arrancar, slender and of average height. A rather odd curve of bone rested on his head of blond hair, tilting back into two symmetrical prongs. His skin was a rather interesting tone, incredibly pale and tinged the faintest purple. Hazel eyes rose slightly at the inspection.
Shin moved back to Nel as he levered his legs off the bed. "You know..." He paused, neck popping at the movement and causing him to wince. "You didn't have to knock me out like that."
Nel lifted one brow delicately. "Of course I did."
"How do you figure that?"
"You were being stupid."
He threw his hands up at that, scowling. "Well, that just makes it all okay then."
"Indeed. I feel much better for it."
Shin stared at her before exhaling sharply, hanging his head in exasperation. They all remained quiet as he rubbed one sore spot on his leg. The other man in the room fidgeted awkwardly, before making an excuse and walking away.
Shin finally looked back up to see Nel still gazing at him, some unspeakable emotion in her eyes.
"So," she began slowly, "you finally made it."
Shin grunted in affirmation, to which she narrowed her eyes dangerously. "And you immediately picked a fight with Nnoitra."
"Seemed like a good idea at the time." The response only seemed to worsen the situation, and a small part of him wished he could take it back.
"Are you an idiot?" Her voice was scathing, making Shin rear onto his feet in retort.
"I'm not dead, am I?"
"Because of me, you mean."
"I would have figured out something."
She laughed mockingly. "Oh, I'm sure. Right after he'd sliced off one arm and your head, you would have just regenerated that too and made your incredible comeback, hmm?"
Shin sputtered at that, struggling for a retort.
Their argument stretched on for ages, Nel's reiatsu surging out in anger several times, until a light voice from the side interrupted. "Mom, Dad, please don't fight."
The thunderous expression on Nel's face might have made Shin laugh in any other situation as they both turned to see the blond arrancar come back in the room with a small platter, a pot and several cups rattling as he set it on a table nearby. The man disappeared just as quickly, but not without throwing a subtle wink his way.
Several quiet seconds passed, in which Nel seemed to visibly deflate, grumpily pouring herself a cup of some steaming liquid after she'd walked over. One sip later, and she sank down into an elegant chair, holding the drink in both hands.
At least she cant hit me anymore...I think.
Shin lowered himself back onto the bed, elbows resting on his legs as they traded guarded looks.
"He's always like that," Nel said abruptly, shattering the quiet as he looked up in surprise. The ghost of a smile passed over her lips as she took another drink. "He always knows just how to defuse any tension in the room."
"So that was..?"
"Pesche," she answered. "Pesche Guatiche. One of my fracción."
Shin nodded, trying to remember. "You mentioned him before. Him and Don...uh."
"Dondochakka Birstanne."
"Yeah, sure." His unconvinced tone made her snort and she set aside her cup, staring at him again.
"What am I going to do with you, Shin?" She wondered aloud. He rocked back a bit at that, unsure of how to respond as she kept speaking.
"Your first act at Las Noches was to goad one of the Espada into a brawl; inside the palace, no less, causing quite a bit of damage. Speaking of, that cero you fired off would have taken out an entire wing had I not redirected it." At the thought, she leaned forwards in her seat some. "Which, by the way, was exceptionally powerful. My lungs still hurt."
"Eh...sorry?"
"I'll accept that apology only because Nnoitra may have killed you otherwise. Good job in that regard I suppose..."
Shin cocked his head, voice hopeful. "About that, is he dead?"
She sniffed daintily. "Of course not. I toned your cero down some before releasing it. He's probably singed, but he'll live."
Shin tsked in disappointment, which Nel didn't miss. "And that is exactly my point, Shin. What exactly did you come here for? To cause trouble?"
Frowning, he shook his head once.
"Well? Then what?"
She's like my mom... Shin groaned a bit internally, thinking.
He was here due to sheer boredom, obviously. With nothing left to do out in the wastes except lay around like some sort of bum, the only thing that made sense was to head towards civilization - as it was. Hollows or not, the fact remained that they had an entire city to themselves. A people preparing for war, no less. And who was more suited to war than a hollow? To grow stronger in preparation for the battles to come was a given. But what exactly was he here for?
The one thing Shin kept coming back to was that he simply didn't know. He didn't have enough of himself to really say what drove him forward. He knew why he wanted power; to fight for what he cared about.
But he didn't particularly give a damn about...well, anything. Not yet at least.
He relayed this to Nel, a strange weight lifting as he did so, and he caught a strangely satisfied look on her face. "That will do for now. That, and being, ah...polite to your superiors."
"Ehhhh..."
He held up his hands in acceptance as she stared him down.
"I'll try. Nnoitra specifically makes it...difficult."
Nel went to speak, paused, and brought a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "...I'll give you that. But no more fights in the halls."
He chuckled and stood, body no longer aching from his earlier beating. "Orders, right. I guess that means I'm enlisted now?"
"In a way. This isn't exactly a standard gathering."
"Hmm." Shin moved over to a small slitted window on the opposite wall looking out over the endless desert.
What are we even supposed to do here? With a start he realized he'd spoken out loud as Nel responded, listing off various tasks and patrol routes, as well as bringing up some of the key staff currently in Las Noches.
Shin let her ramble on as he listened dutifully. He felt unusually peaceful, considering recent events; he faintly remembered the same sensation when he had first come to the surface. A subtle glance to the side at Nel's animated gestures and expressions as she talked brought a small smile underneath his mask. Just being around her seemed to have a calming effect on his mind.
If only she had found him before Nnoitra.
Shin tuned back into her speech, which had taken on a pleading tone, "...and please be careful now, you are under my command. Anything you do will come back to me. You may be an idiot-"
"Hey now," he protested lightly.
"-but you are my idiot. Got it?"
Nel's fierce look caught him somewhat off guard, and he sighed in resignation. "Yes, ma'am."
She lit up into a brilliant smile.
At that moment, they both turned at the sound of heavy footsteps to see a large and rather stumpy individual move into the room. He had the strangest tribal-painted mask covering his entire head; the eyes, a part of the mask but somehow still moving, swept around the room. Nel waved - just before the man spotted Shin in the corner. The eyes shot open, and at a fairly impressive speed he bolted out of the room. A distant bellow of 'scary guuuuuyyyy' echoed through the room.
Shin shook his horned head in amazement, Nel rolling in her seat from laughing.
Doesn't look like boredom will be an issue here...