-Forenote-

So I could describe to you all why this took so long, but let's just forego that and get to the real reasons why: life happens and my sense of time sucks.

With that, I will say that these long delays are not going to be a habit. Also, that I am back into the routine of checking my messages much more often, so for the record you are welcome to send me a PM whenever. In fact, please do. Getting more direct opinions would be nice.

Enjoy!

-Forenote end-

Chapter 8: Fragmentation

The sprawling structure of Las Noches had stood as long as most could remember, it's breathtakingly large size also marking it as one of the only true landmarks amid the ever-shifting sands. Regardless of its original intent, various hollows had ventured within over the ages. Whether for safety, curiosity, or simple hunger, the titanic palace had born witness to countless incursions and conflicts alike.

The most recent occupation had brought in more hollows than any before, and in a surprisingly calm fashion. No war broke out, though the occasional scuffle was to be expected by all. For the most part, many kept to themselves; biding their time and gathering strength until their erstwhile masters ordered them otherwise. Their inherent nature and reticience made large gatherings exceedingly uncommon. Only a command from one of their superiors, the Espada, could garner more than a passing interest in anything at any given time.

Until recently.

--Las Noches, within the dome--

"I think there are more today."

Harribel raised one delicate eyebrow at his comment, taking a cursory glance up and around. "I believe so."

They were facing off in the middle of a wide, flat expanse of desert within Las Noches - in almost blinding sunlight. The other vasto lorde had suggested the location instead of journeying out into the wastes. Shin, at first, had hardly believed they were still in the same dimension.

If the structure of Las Noches appeared colossal from the outside, the open interior defied imagination. The surrounding wall arced ever so slowly inward, but still the opposite side wasn't even visible to the naked eye, pale white structures and rock formations jutting up at random. Eye-wateringly bright sunlight bathed the entire area in a warm glow, natural heat distorting the visible landmarks in hazy waves. To complete the illusion the ceiling, still hundreds of feet up, appeared as the perfect hue of a blue sky, resplendent with puffy white clouds. Shin still couldn't tell if they were moving, but the sky never appeared to be exactly the same whenever he looked. After taking in the scenery for a time, they finally found a suitable location surrounded by a ring of tall, slanted stone pillars to hopefully prevent anything from damaging the walls, even miles away.

Their first bout went exceptionally well for both, and they had agreed to meet every so often at the same location, Sung-Sun only too happy acting as the messenger.

It was after their third meeting that several other hollows begun to follow as well, watching from perches on the rocks above without a word. The next, another group appeared. And more after that. Now, as Shin strode in to where Harribel was casually waiting, he could see dozens of hollows of various shapes and sizes leaping up to get better angles on the action.

Shin glanced back to his sparring partner who had started to stretch, raising her massive bladed arm with apparent ease, rotating her joints in preparation. Shin rolled his shoulders as well, loosening up as much as possible while casting another look her way.

Tier Harribel was an enigma. Sheathed in blue and white plates of armor, the only outward sign of individuality a wild shock of blond hair and piercing cerulean eyes, and that gaze hardly ever changed. Her mask, such as it was, covered the entirety of her face below dark-skinned cheekbones, and revealed nothing more. Coupled with a thick finned tail emanating from her lower back and the sleek tooth-like blade on her arm, she always cut a very unique figure wherever she went. Her demeanor alone put her apart from the rest, never seeming to show any sort of emotion. She approached any endeavor calmly, logically, and without any sign of concern. Due to this, he was quite pleased to finally find an end to his search.

Surprising, considering her initial refusal.

Instead of turning him down and simply walking away as some had, she had inclined her head and waited for Shin to explain his intentions. Once he had, she had taken only a minute to consider before suggesting the interior of the city for a good location. He had been surprised enough for it to show, to which she responded with a single sentence:

"Self-improvement is always a worthy goal."

Quickly after, Shin could tell the woman meant that honestly. Their early matches ended rather quickly, his proficiency with sonido managing to keep her off balance most of the time; now he was hard pressed to find an opening that wasn't a trap. And if anyone might think she was the only one improving, they would be gravely mistaken. His reputation was growing at a rapid pace, not only because of his more frequent outings, but due to the amount of eyewitnesses. Even for those who hadn't yet cared to watch themselves, whispers of his training regimen had reached every corner of the city. Two powerful beings in a place like this regularly showing off their prowess brought a lot of attention.

Seeing that the last few stragglers had hopped up to their respective places, Shin swung his arms back forwards, assuming a low stance as Harribel calmly raised her blade in readiness. He felt the familiar adrenaline begin to burn, a savage grin spreading.

"Best part of my day..."

--

On the sidelines, Sung-Sun and her two compatriots watched as the two opponents clashed with a thunderous noise, dust flying up from the impact. One, appearing as a large horned deer, shivered in response to the sensation.

"Tch...they really don't hold back, do they?" She griped, looking sideways to see a similarly uncomfortable glimmer in the eyes of the lion-like adjucha - only for it to disappear an instant later, a brash laugh bursting out.

"What's this? Are you scared, Apacci?"

"Shut it, Mila Rose! I can see you shivering!"

"Hah! You would say that, but I can see you shaking."

"You wanna go, you fat cow?!"

"Bring it, horned bitch!"

"...Would you two cease your inane bickering? I'm trying to watch."

"Shut up, Sung-Sun!"

Sung-Sun dipped her head in a sly smirk at their perfectly chorused shout, taking satisfaction in deflating the spat. All three jumped in surprise as another loud clang from the battle echoed around the arena. They watched as Shin blinked around the slower Harribel with repeated sonido, having to leap away a second later as her weapon swept around, carving a deep furrow in the sand.

Apacci snorted, eyes narrowing slightly. "I still don't trust this guy."

"We still don't really know what he's after," Mila Rose agreed reluctantly, blinking at an impressive show of acrobatics as the horned vasto cartwheeled away from another swipe, bright orange hair swinging wildly.

Sung-Sun frowned. "Of course we do. He quite clearly said so when he met with lady Harribel."

"And you believe him? Just like that?"

"Yes."

The simple answer elicited doubting looks from both, which she ignored with practiced ease. Apacci shook her antlered visage. "You know, when you said you'd uh...found yourself a man on our last outing, this isn't exactly what I imagined."

"Oh?"

"He's scary as hell," she said bluntly, Mila Rose nodding in agreement.

"He already killed an arrancar on his own..."

"And I heard that he got into a fight with Nnoitra his first day here..."

"Yeah, the fact that he's even alive after that is freaky enough-"

A chorus of surprised shouts from the surrounding audience brought their attention back to the fight, just in time to see a long gash across Shins torso twist and heal as he leapt out and away, Harribel doggedly stabbing at his heels.

"...Okay, maybe not. But still!" Apacci struck the sand with one hoof in agitation. Sung-Sun simply watched the ongoing battle passively.

"You would be right in most cases," she said slowly. "Many in Las Noches cannot be trusted in any regard."

"I'm hearing a 'but' in this."

Sung-Sun leveled an annoyed eye towards her snickering companions before resuming. "But I do not believe there is any sort of deception involved with Shin. His reasons are his own, but what he shows on the outside is genuine, despite his appearance. He has nothing to hide."

The other two traded another look - which she again ignored.

"I suggest you take Lady Harribel's words to heart in this," Sung-Sun murmured, pale eyes once again fixed on the battle. "No matter your personal feelings, we would all do well to learn something from this opportunity."

After a quiet moment she turned back with a wry glint in her eyes. "Besides, it's not as if we have anything else to do."

Sung-Sun held back a laugh at their resigned grumbling as she coiled herself into a more comfortable position. Another loud clang rang out, followed by excited shouting from the audience.

Hollow spectator sports...

She made a satisfied hum and sank down into the sand, making full use of the warm sunlight streaming down as only a reptile could. The other two adjuchas bickering made for pleasantly pointless background noise amid the various loud sounds as she kept one attentive eye on the battle, fighting the urge to doze off.

--

Pesche cocked a brow curiously as Shin stumbled into their communal living room, swaying unsteadily.

"So..." He drawled casually, "Did you manage to find a bottle of alcohol around that I haven't?"

"What? No." Shin settled himself down on a couch gingerly, holding his head and groaning. "Besides, I'm underage...I think."

The arrancar laughed, setting the book he had been flipping through down and swinging around in his seat. "Even if you are, that doesn't exactly matter now. You're dead, remember? Why not have some fun? It's not as if you need to worry about your liver, not anymore." The man sighed a bit, seeing the horned hollow toss him a wry look amid wincing painfully. "So what happened then? I imagine you were at your little sparring arena."

"Harribel managed to smack me in the head with the side of her sword."

"Ouch. Well, good to know that blunt trauma is still effective against high-speed regeneration. Right?" Pesche grinned at the small growl Shin let out. They sat in relative silence for a time, the arrancar back to reading and Shin lost in thought as his head stopped aching. He slipped a sideways look at the other man, a rare moment of insight dawning.

"...Where are you from?"

The odd question had Pesche turning with one curious eyebrow raised. Shin shrugged awkwardly. "Well it kinda just came to me, you all had lives before...this. I'm the only one with nothing."

"You may not know," Pesche said slowly, "but our pasts are not something we like to discuss."

"I get that. I just don't know why."

The room took on a distinct chill as the pale arrancars features tightened ever so slightly, eyes focused on some distant point. He began to speak softly, slowly, in a grave tone Shin had never heard from him before.

"We were all once alive. Human. With families, jobs, responsibilities. What do you think happens when someone dies?"

"I..." Shin realized he had no answer. The other man didn't seem very surprised.

"In most cases, the soul of that person moves on to the Soul Society. No mess, no confusion. And of course, those who were sinners in life are sent to Hell."

Headache fully gone, Shin leaned forward in his seat, fixated. Pesche seemed to take the motion as shock, a humorless smile cracking a path across his face. "Yes, this isn't the worst of it. Not by a longshot if the rumors are to be believed. Regardless, that's where all the souls go. Except for us." He paused to take a long drink from a nearby cup, setting it back down with a loud thud, a small crack splintering up one side. He looked at it carelessly before resuming.

"Some souls have attachments to the human world. Strong emotions or concepts that keep them tethered. Many simply pass on by themselves over time, and others are found by the Shinigami, and given what is known as a soul burial. With that, they pass on peacefully." At the look in Shins yellow eyes he chuckled. "They're not called death gods for nothing. That's one of their primary tasks." The light-hearted moment passed, Pesche crossing his arms.

"The problem lies with the souls that don't pass on through either method. Those who are held to the mortal realm by their darker emotions. Sorrow, greed...rage." He sent a thoughtful glance at Shin. "Over time, as that eats away at the consciousness of the person in question, they begin to change. In the end, if they don't come to terms or are given a soul burial, they eventually turn into a hollow and go on trying to fill that void in their souls with something more."

Shin let out a long breath. "So then all the ones that linger..."

"They didn't have the best experiences in life, so to say." Pesche adopted an almost pitying expression as he looked over. "Many here might envy the fact that you don't remember anything."

"Oh, well, thanks for the pep talk," Shin said, voice dripping with sarcasm. The man simply shrugged.

They both fell into an uncomfortable silence, Shin mulling over the thought as much as he could. As much as he might like to think otherwise, the possibility remained that he might be better off without any memory of his life. Sneaking a glance at Pesche again, he vividly remembered he cold aura the man had given off at the mention of his own life.

Abruptly Pesche sat up straighter, smacking one hand to his forehead. "Oh that's right, that's why Nel is taking so long."

Shin stared, amazed at how fast the dark mood had vanished. Pesche caught his expression a moment later.

"She was rounding up a group of adjucha to make a run to the human world. Orders and all that," he explained, not seeming to notice Shin perking up at the words.

"...Where at?"

The arrancar rubbed his eyes. "I think it was the southern gate, though I'm not sure when..." He trailed off, a sly smile emerging as he opened his eyes to see the room empty.

Whistling merrily, he almost skipped out the door.

--

"Your instructions are as per usual. Make it quick, don't cause any trouble, and if you see any Soul Reapers, you head the other direction. You are not to-"

Nel stopped her speech at the rustling from the assembled hollows, following their looks to see Shin darting their direction. She sighed, feeling a pit form in her stomach as he landed nearby, walking up eagerly.

"No."

Shin paused, mouth open to speak, confusion apparent in his eyes. Nel massaged one of her temples wearily. "I know why you're here, and no. We are not sending anyone above adjuchas to the human world."

"But Nel, I-"

"But nothing."

"You know I don't need to feed, I'm only going to-"

"I know exactly why. My answer is still no."

Shin stepped closer, voice hushed. "Nel, please. I'll just be there as insurance. I can make sure every single one of them makes it back without any issues. All I want is to look around while they do their thing. You know that."

Her green eyes narrowed dangerously and he recoiled. She was about to send him home when another voice interrupted.

"Have you even fought a Shinigami before?"

They both swiveled to look at the adjucha that had spoken, a large specimen with massive bull horns spiking forwards. He shifted under Nel's annoyed scrutiny in particular, but remained impressively calm.

"Not yet," Shin said carefully, glancing sideways at the fuming Espada.

"...I bet he could though," said another. Several hollows nodded at that.

"Yeah, have you seen him in action with that shark chick?"

"He's real good in a fight."

More and more of the adjucha began to murmur and whisper, and anyone that cared to look could see it getting to Nel as she folded her arms moodily and fixed Shin with a knife-sharp stare. After a minute of this she held one hand up, silencing the talk immediately. Letting out a long-suffering breath, she began to speak in a carefully measured tone.

"You will only supervise. Am I clear?"

"Yes ma'am."

His instant response brought the shadow of a smile across her lips as she continued.

"If anyone here causes a large disturbance, you are fully authorized to use whatever means you see fit to stop it and bring them back. If possible."

"Right."

"If you find whatever you are looking for, you are to wait until all here have returned and report to me first."

"...Right." The pause earned him a stern expression.

"And lastly, if you encounter any Shinigami, you will put avoidance over everything." She directed this at the entire group, getting affirmation from most. "You, Shin, will not engage if at all possible. But if you do...you are to eliminate them. Do not let any of them see you clearly and live. Am I understood?"

Shin nodded, knowing her meaning. From all the talk around Las Noches, the enemy was not to know their strength. Let them think the hollows scattered and unorganized. The sighting of a vasto lorde at the head of a large group would raise a certain amount of suspicion.

Nel stared him down for another minute before sighing dramatically. "Don't make me regret this. Please."

She made an odd gesture with one hand out towards the desert. Shin stared as the world appeared to twist and splinter, finally wrenching open in segments to reveal a dark, swirling abyss.

"Follow the garganta to the light, it will take you to where you need to go."

Various hollows began jumping into the crevice, falling down and away rapidly. Nel turned her back to it, giving Shin one last searching look. "Go, before I change my mind."

She watched him vanish into the garganta with the last of the group before waving the entryway shut. Quiet steps in the sand nearby had her turning with a distinctly unpleasant expression.

"Apologies, my lady," Pesche said, bowing formally. "I tried to persuade him otherwise."

He remained bent over to hide his smile as Nel favored him with a rude snort, and watched in mild disbelief as she began pacing in the sand, gnawing away at a fingernail and muttering nervously. "I just let an unpredictable amnesiac wild into the human world. What am I doing?"

"I believe he would have gone regardless. Only now, he has something to keep him focused. He'll be fine."

"Oh, you say that." She stopped, staring down at the sand oddly. "Do you think I'm going to hell for this?"

His incredulous laughter and a subsequent loud slap rang out.

--Soul Society, the Seireitei--

The brilliant white spires of the Soul Reaper city took on a warm cast with the coming night, awash in a brilliant orange glow. Beyond its edges the sprawling expanse of wooden structures and forests that made up the surrounding residential districts could be seen extending off as far as the eye could see. Black-robed Shinigami could be seen dotted throughout the streets, going about their myriad duties and tasks. At the base of a massive sheer rock cliff one tiny form traced it's way along one side slowly, then made it's way back around. And again.

Lieutenant Momo Hinamori continued circling, wringing her hands unconsciously, eyes darting around. Several times she murmured a soft incantation, hands gesturing and lighting up. When nothing showed itself, she frowned slightly and moved on. Around and around she went, all attention absorbed by her search.

"Oi."

She started violently, letting out a strangled squeal as she spun, arms flailing in panic, turning to see a tall red-haired man grinning down.

"Renji!" She hunched down on her knees, heart beating wildly out of control. "You know I don't like it when you sneak up on me!"

The angular tattoos across the mans ponytailed head and forearms gave off an aggressive cast, while the widening grin served to contradict that look - but only a little.

"You weren't listening, not my fault you didn't hear me. What are you even doing over here? Spacing out again?"

Momo pouted indignantly. "No, I wasn't! I sensed some strange sort of barrier spell in the area, but I can't feel it anymore..."

Renji swiveled around for a moment. "I don't feel anything," he said carelessly.

"Well of course you wouldn't," she muttered under her breath, "you've always been terrible with kido."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, nothing!" She stood, brushing off the front of her uniform as Renji threw her a suspicious look and began walking away with long, loping strides. Taking one last cursory glance around the area, she made to start away as well, only for her gaze to be drawn to one detail that made her pause.

Renji, almost around the nearest corner, glanced back to see Momo approaching with watery eyes and flinched. "What happened to you?!"

She sniffed rather sadly. "There was a black cat sitting there, and I went to try and pet it, but it just ignored me..."

"You are such a crybaby."

The sound of her heated reply and his teasing faded into the distance as the aforementioned feline leapt up onto a high wall nearby, amber eyes watchful. It seemed to scrutinize the cliffside above for a moment, dipping its head into a very human nod shortly after.

With a blur, it was gone.

--The Human World--

Shin held perfectly still as large snowflakes began to drift down, the faintest of winds sending a cold shiver down the back of his neck. He stared down from the mountainside he was perched on, overlooking a town built along the wide banks of a slow and winding silt-filled river. Columns of steam and smoke from chimneys rose from houses across all the visible valley, some hidden by thick swathes of pine trees slowly turning into dark outlines as daylight faded.

The rest of the hollows had long since gone their own ways, seeking out their prey wherever they might find it. Shin had remained behind as the rallying point, taking the chance to look for anything familiar, but...

Nothing.

Not the town, not the people, not the buildings or the surroundings, not even the language.

Not the slightest hint of anything I knew before.

Shin felt an empty pit in his stomach throb, the odds against finding even the most insignificant detail that he would know finally hitting home hard enough to rattle him to his core.

He began to shake, simultaneous rage, confusion, and despair seeping through the facade he had been so carefully maintaining. Any wildlife hidden in the dark underbrush nearby scattered in panic as he let out a savage growl, fists clenching and unclenching as he tried to fight the urge to just...let it all go.

I won't. I can't. I'm better than that

He froze as an insidious whisper emanated from some dark crevice of his mind:

You're wrong.

--

The people that live in the northern regions of the world are no strangers to the wildlife that share the world around them. Most were used to hearing the sounds of packs of wolves at night, regularly howling to the moon and the shimmering aurora in the sky. But those sensitive to the other side of the veil, knowingly or otherwise, heard a strange and haunting addition to the chorus one night, an odd echoing cry. Some said it sounded like a rabid animal, something not natural to the boreal forests. But among those that had heard it, there was one detail they all agreed on:

They were the sounds of something in incredible pain.