Chapter Three
Spiritually Aware
The Next Morning..
Nick hadn't gotten much sleep, mind still reeling over the revelation that their former classmate was one of the enemy, and a powerful one at that. We're nowhere near ready to fight Phoebe again, let alone more Arrancars at that level. He thought. If we're going to stand a chance, then we have to train our asses off in the coming weeks.. His thoughts were cut off by a knock on his window. Knowing his bedroom window faced the backyard, Nick was curious. Looking out the window, he nearly fell back off the bed from seeing Saryna's face on the opposite side, giggling at his reaction.
He quickly reached over and opened the window, allowing Saryna to enter. "Why couldn't you just use the door, Ryna? Someone could have seen you."
"Oh, lighten up. Most of your neighbors are at the beach by now. Which reminds me," She dug through her pocket and took out her cell phone, handing it to Nick. "Elliot and Leo sent this text out to all of us."
Nick looked at the screen. The message read: Beach day, let's go!
Nick shook his head. "Nice to know Elliot isn't scarred from last night. Fine, I guess I should make sure Zanna's up."
"No need, she's already getting ready. She told me to make sure you were up and ready by eleven." Glancing at the clock in his room, Nick saw that eleven was only twenty minutes away.
He chuckled. "I swear, you're all in some weird conspiracy against me, planning this all without me knowing anything."
Saryna stuck her tongue out at him. "Only because you have your phone off. Now come on! It's been so long since I hit the beach."
"Alright, alright, hold your horses." Nick smiled, stretching before going over to his dresser.
A few minutes later, Nick and Saryna came down the stairs and entered the kitchen, where Gianna and Suzanna were packing up a cooler. "Morning." He greeted.
"Oh, morning, Nick. When did you get here, Saryna?" Gianna asked, knowing she hadn't let the girl in.
"A few minutes ago. Decided to scare me showing up at my window." Nick explained.
Gianna smiled. "Ah, alright. Well, help yourselves to some breakfast before you all go. I hear the beach is perfect today, even with the time of year." She stated, referencing the current 'winter' season in their sub-tropical city.
"Apparently. Thanks, mom." Nick and Saryna both grabbed a plate of eggs and bacon from the counter and sat at the table. Nick noticed a small frown on Gianna's face, the older woman trying to hide it with whatever her and Suzanna were talking about. "What's wrong, mom?"
Gianna looked at him in surprise. Her son usually wasn't the most attentive when it came to others' feelings. "What do you mean, Nick? Nothing's wrong."
"Yes there is. I can see the stress in your face. What happened?" Nick pushed.
Gianna sighed. "When did you become attuned? If you must know, Dominic told me the other night about some sort of upcoming war, something you three and your others friends were all going to be a part of." Nick and Saryna exchanged a quick look. "You already know?"
"We kind of figured from the increased Hollow attacks lately, and our encounter with another Arrancar last night. We figured Dominic would fill is in when the time is right. That is how he seems to work."
Gianna nodded. "That is true. Well then, don't worry yourselves too hard about it because he didn't tell me much either. Just go enjoy yourselves."
Saryna smiled. "We will, Gianna. I'll make sure this one doesn't get lost in his thoughts." She said, playfully nudging Nick's shoulder.
"I wouldn't expect anything less from you, dear. I know you're probably tired of hearing it, but it's good to have you back."
Soul Plane, Squad One Meeting Hall..
Commander-General Louis Rhys smacked the end of his cane down on the floor. "You're sure of this, Captain?" He asked Samuel.
"Yes, Commander-General. These teenagers seem to have some training, but we can not accurately decipher whether or not they are a threat to the S.P.A."
Louis hummed. "Fine, then you shall lead a team to the Living Plane and confront these teenagers. We cannot have the Spiritually Aware running amok and causing unneeded chaos. Go, you leave as quickly as possible."
Captain Carlisle bowed his head. "Yes, Commander-General." I'm sorry, Elias. We need to make sure your children are not a threat, and especially this third teenager with them. He thought as he left the meeting room to gather the team he would bring to the Living Plane.
An Hour Later, Crystalline Beach..
"Damn it! I knew I should have gotten some new clothes before going to your house." Saryna pouted as she struggled to put on her bathing suit. "Now my bikini doesn't fit right."
Nick laughed as he moved behind Saryna, taking the strings that would tie the bikini top together. "Adjust," Saryna took a breath and did as he suggested. "Now give me just a second, and.. There." He came around her again, having tied the bikini in the right way so it fit her. "For today, it'll work, but before we come back you need a new one. Your time as an Arrancar wasn't all bad, obviously." He winked at her, chuckling.
Saryna blushed and glanced away. "Pervert." She sighed before smiling at him. "Thank you, though, Nick."
"Anytime, Ryna. Maybe we should join the others now? No doubt Elliot is making some ridiculous but probably not far-off accusation."
Down the Beach..
"What's taking them so long?" Elliot complained. "Nick better not have let his hormones get the better of him while helping Saryna put on her bikini top. I already figured her figure changed enough for the old one not to fit her right."
Suzanna sighed and smacked Elliot upside the head. "Stupid, Nick isn't you. If anyone would let hormones get the best of them, it's you." She readjusted herself on the beach towel she had set up, planning to work on her tan.
"Yeah, you're right. Compared to me, Nick's a saint. Doesn't mean it isn't totally impossible."
"He's right," Added Leo, setting up his own towel a few feet away. "Anyone can see the sexual tension between those two. And one day, it'll snap like an overused rubber band."
Suzanna peered at the younger boy from over the rim of her sunglasses. "Aren't you supposed to be on Nick's side, Leo? How do you even know that will happen?"
"You really don't remember? Me and Phoebe.." Everyone frowned, Suzanna remembering Leo and Phoebe had had a thing going on for a while before the original crash the year before. "Anyway, those two were hiding their feelings forever. So as I said, only a matter of time."
Suzanna nodded. "Leo, I know I've said this plenty of times, but I'm sorry about Phoebe," Of course, she wouldn't tell him his former girlfriend was now an evil, soul-eating kind of demon, but the friends had always been there for each other about those sort of things. "Why don't you try to find someone new, anyway? I hear Jacqui Greer is into you."
"Not ready. I know it's been so long since the crash, but me and Phoebe had something truly special, like Nick and Saryna have always had."
"Still, bro, eventually you gotta swallow that lump in your heart and go for it." Elliot said, uncharacteristically empathetic about the situation, also knowing about Phoebe's current status.
"Why does it seem like everyone just went through that scene from so many horror movies where one of the heroes is moping too much about losing the love of.. Oh. Sorry." Nick said as he and Saryna walked up to the others, noticing the somber look on Leo's face.
"S'okay, Nick. What took you two so long?"
Nick chuckled. "I had to adjust Saryna's bikini, that's all. Now, I'm going in the water. Anyone else joining?"
"I'll pass this time around, Nicky," Saryna said smiling. "I want to just get my tan back for the moment."
"I'm in. Leo, you coming?"
The younger teen nodded and together the three boys rushed into the water, stopping dead in their tracks when they realized the water was too cold to their bodies to just jump in quickly. Saryna turned to Suzanna. "Leo still isn't fully over Phoebe, huh?"
"Nope. Not that you can blame him, really. Nick was the same over you. Unfortunately, I doubt there's even enough of the old Phoebe inside that Arrancar to try and sway her to our side, reunite them like you and Nick."
"Yeah.. Hey, Zanna?" The younger Negron twin looked at her best friend. "Nick told me he had been in a dark place after the crash.. Would you mind telling me how bad a place he was in?"
Suzanna sighed, no one liked remembering her brother as a depressed shell. But, Saryna had to know what had happened eventually. "He stopped hanging out with us, for the most part. Stayed in his room with his games, listened to music we all knew he had first listened to because of you. I heard him crying himself to sleep pretty often, at first mom thought he was smoking pot. Some days he wouldn't even eat, actually. Then Elliot got him into that stupid high school fight club, but it was a way for him to vent his frustrations at not being able to save you. Just know that now you're back, he's thankfully pretty much his old self again."
"Thank whatever God there is that I wasn't just a spirit. If I had to watch him become so miserable, all because of me.."
"Stop. He's happy now, and you've been his most profitable source of that happiness. That's what matters.." Suzanna looked behind them to see several figures dressed in strange matching fatigue-like uniforms. "Shit, what now?"
Meanwhile..
Nick dove under an oncoming wave, headbutting Elliot in the side and sending the two of them back to the surface. Breaking the water, Nick laughed at Elliot's pained expression. "Don't swim in my path then, idjit."
"Screw you.. Wait, who are those guys dressed like you were last night?" Nick looked back toward shore and saw the figures.
Leo nodded several feet away. "I was just going to ask that too. They seem to be watching all of us."
Nick frowned. "Come on, guys. I don't like this." He said as the trio swam back to the beach.
Once back on shore, Nick pointed to the mysterious figures. "What the hell are you all doing, watching us?! And don't play dumb, we can all fucking see you."
One of the figures chuckled and removed their hood, shocking the teens. "Is that any way to greet your father, Nick?"
Suzanna stood up faster than any of the others had seen her before. "Dad?! Is that really you?"
"If this is some cruel joke, it isn't funny." Nick said, his eyes narrowed and slightly yellow.
"This is no joke, Nick, so calm down. After having such control over that Hollow inside you, we wouldn't want you to lose all control all of a sudden." Said Elias to his son.
That stopped Nick in his tracks, eyes wide as Saryna and Suzanna noticed his eyes change back to their natural brown. "Hollow.. Inside me?"
"Yes, both of you have inner Hollows. An unfortunate but advantageous side effect from the night your mother and I met. Now is not the time, however. We have been sent to bring you, Suzanna and your friends back to the Spirit Plane. The Commander-General wishes to ask you some questions."
"I don't care! You told us in your letter that we wouldn't be brought in until it was absolutely necessary. Why so soon?! It's only been a few days. Are things in the Spirit Plane really getting that much worse?"
Elias nodded, frowning. "Yes. An entire section of the Common Districts that ring the outward border of the S.P.A. grounds, or it's citizens, have gone missing overnight. The Commander-General wants every possible ally to be consulted, and against my better wishes you all are chosen. Especially the Quincy you hang around." He pointed to Leo, who looked at Nick's father like he had three heads.
"Quincy? The hell's a Quincy?" He asked, to Nick answering him before any of the Soul Reapers could.
"They're Spiritually aware individuals that use bows to completely destroy Hollows, which can upset the balance set in the Spiritual Planes of existence including our own. There was a war years ago that left almost no Quincies left in the world, and those left scattered to the winds and hid their abilities knowing Soul Reapers existed worldwide and hoped they would be left alone. He must mean your birth parents, Leo, so don't worry about not knowing." Nick saw his father looking at him, surprised. "Dominic told me to study up on what me and Zanna were getting ourselves into, so I poked around his study a while."
"I must say I'm impressed, son. But that doesn't change the fact you all must come with us."
"I still have a question, so don't rush me!" Nick practically shouted. "If Leo's a Quincy, then what the fuck is Elliot?"
One of the other Soul Reapers answered that one. "Our analysis of his Spiritual Pressure indicates the one you call Elliot is a Fullbringer, one whose powers have not yet manifested from lack of combat with other Spiritual entities."
"So he's rarer than a Visored? Which of course me and Suzanna fall under, and probably you too, Ryna." He turned and smiled at Saryna before resuming his stern expression towards his father. "And lastly, since that was my last question, no one leaves here until you go and see mom. There is no way in Heaven, Hell, wherever that it's fair to come to us and not the woman you fell in love with."
Elliot leaned toward Leo. "I've never seen Nick so.. Unlike himself. Have you?"
Leo shook his head. "Nope, but I'm also horribly confused about all of this. What exactly is going on?"
Elliot sighed. "To a degree, I have no idea. Probably better to roll with it and wait until Nick, Zanna or Saryna explain everything later."
"Gotcha. Wait, what's Kyo doing here?" Sure enough, the formerly Hollowfied cat had appeared on the beach as well, leaping impossibly high right onto Saryna's shoulder.
"Again, no idea. These days that cat scares me, to be honest."
As Leo and Elliot spoke to themselves, Elias sighed. "You're right, Nick. It is unfair of me to see you and not your mother. I'll go, but as soon as I get back we are all going to the Spirit Plane and that's the end of it, got it?"
Nick sighed now. "Yeah, that's fine. I just didn't want mom's wrath to fall on me when we get back." Suzanna stifled a giggle at her brother turning the serious conversation back into something else entirely.
Elias just shook his head before using flash step away from the beach while Nick noticed that, during his tirade, none of the other beachgoers seemed to even look towards the group. "Why is everyone else here totally unaffected by my outburst?"
"We put up a barrier around you and your friends. Some of the finest Kido we could provide." Answered one of the other still hooded Soul Reapers.
Nick nodded. "Nice. Haven't gotten around to learning Kido yet. Dominic says I'll probably blow something up."
Moments Later, Negron Household..
Gianna picked her head up from up the book in front of her to find Elias standing in front of her, dressed in the same outfit she had seen countless times. "Elias?" She asked, dumbstruck.
"Hey, Gia. You're looking even better than the last time I saw you."
Gianna smiled before rushing up and punching her husband in the stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs. "You asshole! That's all you can say to your wife?!"
"Shit, Nick was right. You were pissed. At least I did deserve that."
"You bet your ass you did! Now why are you even here?"
Elias shrunk back from the anger in his wife's words. "I came to tell you they're coming with me to the S.P.A."
"What?! You said you were going to do everything you could to keep our children out of this fucking war!"
"I know, Gia, I know. Unfortunately, things didn't work out like that. Especially not with Squad Twelve having video of them and Saryna taking out Arrancars. I'll keep them safe over there, but Nick told me I'd regret not telling you I had them with me."
At this, Gianna's eyes softened. "Fine. But you better not let Squad Twelve get them into their labs for testing. Our two have too much going on inside to deal with the stress those scientists will give them."
"You have my word. I've told the Captain they do not get possession of any of the kids."
"Any? Wait, not just Nick, Suzanna and Saryna?"
Elias shook his head. "Them, and their friends they always hang out with. It turns out one is a Quincy and the other two just have abilities, we don't know what kind yet. I would never put kids into this situation, especially not our twins. They both have too much potential to waste having to fight a war they shouldn't be part of."
Gianna sighed, knowing what her husband said was true. "Alright. Just don't don't let them get into trouble. You've warned me how the S.P.A can deal with troublemakers."
"Of course. Until next time, my love. It was good to see you again."
Gianna rushed up to Elias before he could leave, kissing him. "Once this war business is taken care of, please try to come back. You have a family here, and the S.P.A should feel sympathetic towards family. Everyone there probably had someone they wanted to protect like you did us." Smiling, Elias nodded and flash-stepped away.
Back at the Beach..
"So, you guys are all.. Dead?" Leo asked, pointing to the Soul Reapers across from their group.
The Soul Reaper who answered Nick's question about Elliot spoke again. "Yes, we are all technically dead. We serve to protect the Spiritual Planes of Existence from falling into chaos, as generations upon generations of members of the Spirit Protection Agency have."
Meanwhile, Nick pointed his hand over the waves rising and falling in front of him. "Nick, what are you doing?" Asked Saryna, calling over to him from the rest of the group.
"Trying something. Hado Thirty-One: Sokatsui!" A blue fireball erupted from Nick's hand and flew forward several feet until boom! The fireball blew up and caused Nick to fly back towards the group.
Saryna rushed to him. "Nick! What the hell!"
Nick just chuckled. "I guess Dominic was right. I did blow something up." With another weak chuckle, Nick fell unconscious.
Saryna shook her head. "Dummy. Always doing things you know you're not ready for."
It was then that Elias reappeared. "What happened?" He asked as he noticed his son unconscious.
"Your son tried to cast Kido without training." Said the talkative Soul Reaper.
Elias sighed. "Always reckless. Suzanna, how has your brother not killed himself yet?"
"He's too stubborn to die, I guess." Suzanna shrugged, looking at the other Soul Reapers. "So, who are our other escorts?"
"Well, the one who is answering your questions is Ralph Tucker, Lieutenant of Squad Three. The one next to him is Cleo Taylor of Squad Two and next to her is her Squadmate Ryo Kusanagi. The last two are Captain Tyler Mellow of Squad Eleven and his Lieutenant Keith Byers. Now, we've already been away longer than we said we would be, so if everyone would get ready to go, that would be great."
Suzanna made a face. "Really, dad? Office Space?"
"It's still a good movie. You just don't have the same sense of humor as me and your brother."
"And that is a blessing. Well guys, the beach isn't going anywhere, but we are. Everything will be explained on the way." Suddenly, a booming sound was heard as a large gate appeared in the sky, opening with the speed of an ancient temple doorway from an Indiana Jones movie.
The group of teens quickly got dressed before following the Soul Reapers into the gate. On the other side was a long, organic-looking path. "Welcome to the Dangai Precipice World, or the In-Between as us American Reapers like to call it." Elias explained. "It acts as a path between the different Planes of existence, but without an escort you're more likely to get killed by the Cleaner." He didn't elaborate any further, but the teens knew this Cleaner sounded like trouble.
Soon enough, the group all found itself back outside, but not in the city the teenagers called home. No, this new place reminded them all of army barracks, which really didn't surprise the teens all that much. "Welcome to the Spirit Protection Agency, children. Where we Soul Reapers protect the balance of Soul Equilibrium and, by extension, the World of the Living in the Living Plane."
Nick shrugged as he looked around. "I was expecting something with a bit more.. Flair. My body isn't going to dematerialize if I enter my Soul form, right?"
Elias shook his head. "No, in fact you don't have to even enter Spirit. You are all guests, and your abilities will manifest for the most part without needing to be a Soul. Maybe it would be better for you and Suzanna to be in Soul form anyway. The Commander-General will want to test your abilities, being my children."
Suzanna nodded and left her body, making Leo freak out as he was the only one present with no knowledge of his friends' heritage. "What the hell?!" He half-shouted in surprise.
"Calm down, Leo. All three of us can do it, but only because of our powers." Saryna said before leaving her own body, Nick following after her.
Captain Mellow narrowed his eyes at Saryna, sensing all of her powers more prominently. "Arrancar!" He shouted, moving to attack the girl. "I knew your soul seemed a little dead."
The other teens looked toward Saryna as Nick flash-stepped in front of her, Katonryu already released. He leveled a mixed glare of one brown eye and the other gold. "Former Arrancar. And don't you touch her." He said, his voice starting to echo dangerously as his Spiritual Pressure flared as the Hollow within momentarily came out.
"Nick, stop! That's reason to be executed here, remember?" Suzanna said.
Nick looked at her, unnerving his twin sister. "I know, but I promised Saryna I would always protect her because I couldn't that day. It's my fault she became an Arrancar, and she's our ally."
Suzanna couldn't argue with the point the now Hollow-voiced Nick brought up. "He's right, Captain. She's practically family, and she's a Visored, not an Arrancar. Dominic helped her convert herself."
Captain Mellow made a face but drew back, resheathing his sword. "I will let this lack of information go, but only because you both are adamant she is to be trusted. Now come, the Commander-General is waiting."
As the group all moved through the otherworldly barracks, Leo leaned toward Nick. "What was all that about? And what did you mean by that day?"
"Later, Leo. Right now, any of us says something wrong, we could have every one of these Soul Reapers at our throats." Leo nodded hesitantly as the group filed along.
After several minutes, the group stopped at a building much larger than any of the other structures they had passed by thus far. "This is Squad One's barracks, where the Commander-General presides. I suggest we don't keep him waiting." Nodding, the teens all followed along into the large barrack.
Inside, the teens were surprised to encounter a man who looked no older than his sixties with a toned body and wearing an old-style fedora. Nick couldn't exactly place it, but somehow he knew who this person was. The apparent Commander-General smiled as the group entered, the teens realizing there were eleven other Captains, their status made known by the flak jacket they shared with Captain Mellow. Standing next to these Captains were the other Lieutenants the young people had not yet met. "Greetings, kiddies. My name is Commander-General Ulysses S. Grant, Captain of Squad One. I hereby welcome you all to the Spirit Protection Agency."
Nick was the first to answer as he usually was. "It's a pleasure, Commander-General. My name is Nick Negron, and these are my friends. My sister Suzanna, my girlfriend Saryna Viziri, my best friend Elliot Tate and our close friend Leo Solari. We know about this so called war coming, therefore we knew it was only a matter of time before you came around to investigate us and our intentions." Nick said, introducing the group. "It's an honor to meet a former president by the way."
Commander-General Grant laughed. "Ah, it is good to have the young people still know old sacks like me these days. A pleasure, young Negron. And the same to each of you. Again, I must express how sorry I am in bring you all here on such short notice.."
As the head of the S.P.A continued making his opening speech, Saryna looked over and froze as her eyes met with the man who had first turned her into an Arrancar: Henry Sykes. He stood there with his lieutenant Kieran Lowry, the two hiding sinister glances at the girl as Kyo emerged from her hair and hissed suddenly, using his own form of Flash Step and latched onto Lowry's leg, sinking his fangs into the lieutenant's flesh.
"Kyo! Come back here!" Saryna shouted, worried Sykes would blow her cover just to fuck with them and cause the whole lot of teens to get into some kind of trouble.
Instead, Sykes pointed at the cat and used a restraining kido to stop Kyo in midair, levitating him back to the former Arrancar. "Careful. How did that creature come through the Senkaimon with you all?"
"Partially because the little guy lives in her hair. Otherwise, Kyo is a part of her just as any pet." Nick answered.
Sykes nodded as Grant tapped the cane he held on the ground three times. "Enough. Now, onto the real reason we're all here.."
One Hour Later, Squad Ten Barracks..
The meeting had gone smoothly, with Grant telling the teens about the current problems of highly advanced Arrancars and the climbing number of missing citizens in the Spirit Plane. After, he had told them that for the next few days they would all be staying in the barracks of Squad Ten where Elias and his Captain Julio Rudolfo could keep an eye on them.
Currently, Nick was looking out at the training grounds where the other squad members sparred against one another. He felt a nudge on his arm and looked to see Leo. "Hey, Leo. You okay?"
Leo nodded. "Yeah, for the most part. Hey, is this a good time for you to explain just what the hell all this is?"
Nick chuckled. "Yeah, I could. But, I don't know everything either so remember that. So what do you want to know about first?"
"What are you? And Zanna and Saryna. You three are the ones who all share similar powers."
"True enough. Well, remember when Captain Mellow almost made me go berserk after calling Saryna an Arrancar?" Another nod. "Well, an Arrancar is a Hollow of the highest level, a Vasto Lorde, that broke the barrier between their Hollow abilities and the Soul Reaper ones. Saryna was an Arrancar after she 'disappeared'. Technically, she was dead, not in Europe. When she came back to town wounded a few nights ago, it got to me pretty hard. The day she came back into school, everyone forgot she and Phoebe had died because Dominic- the guy who runs that little market down on Bell Avenue- changed everyone's memories to think she had in fact never died." Nick knew what the next question Leo had was before he even asked.
"Then.. What about Phoebe?"
Nick sighed. "Sorry, little bro. She's the enemy now. We fought her, me Saryna and Suzanna, and there was little if anything left of the girl we all knew then. But, onto the rest of our conversation. So Saryna is now what they call a Visored, which is literally the opposite of an Arrancar."
"So, Visoreds are Soul Reapers who can access Hollow abilities?" Nick nodded. "Alright, but you and Suzanna.."
Nick cut him off. "Remember how my voice went hostile and like an echo?" Leo hummed in agreement. "That was my inner Hollow trying to wrest control. He gets very sensitive about Saryna."
Why not? She is our Queen. Came his Hollow's voice in his head.
Nick shook his head before continuing. "Suzanna and I are special cases in that regard though. Whereas most Visoreds are forced into sharing their soul with a Hollow, Suzanna and I were born with ours due to an incident that actually caused our parents to first meet. I think that's about all I can say on that subject. Anything else?"
"No, actually. That cleared up most of my confusion. Thanks, Nick. You really think we'll only be here a few days?
"Of course. Unless something horrible is about to happen, but let's not think about that. Have you seen Saryna, by the way?"
"No, not for a while. Can't you just concentrate on her and find her or something?"
Nick opened his mouth to speak but realized Leo was right. Instead closing his eyes, he concentrated until he could sense Saryna's Spiritual Pressure. In a flash, he was gone leaving Leo alone looking out into the training grounds.
Nick reappeared in the small stretch of woods outside Squad Ten, stopping when he saw Saryna standing there with none other than Henry Sykes. He masked his own Spiritual Pressure and took cover behind a tree.
"This is what it comes to, eh?" That was Sykes. "What do you plan to do now? Tell your boyfriend? He's the only one who would believe that one of the Captains was planning a war."
That declaration almost had Nick jump out, but he stopped when Saryna spoke. "Probably, yeah. But he has the support of his father, and his father must have allies both within the Captains and not. They wouldn't believe it from me, however. Not a former Arrancar. You just keep Phoebe away from me. Next time she encounters any of my friends, I will kill her like the shallow bitch she always was. But what will you do? If it works out against you? Your army is nowhere near ready in the time since I was exiled by my own kind."
Sykes chuckled darkly. "That is where you are wrong, dear Saryna. All the missing citizens have been my doing, kidnapping to rapidly create Arrancars much better than that hack Aizen. His version of Hollowfication differs in that I do not need some mystical science project to recreate the process. If things do go south for me, the war begins. Remember that when you remember that you had little formal training in your current condition. You're not fully used to it, having two separate identities of power. This is your chance to at least give me a fight. It'll.. Amuse me." Nick could imagine the smirk on Sykes' face.
Saryna clicked her tongue. "I can beat your little elite guard without needing the training. I know that for a fact." Nick felt her Spiritual Pressure flare, small but there. "You can't beat us, I have a feeling that Nick has something life-changing coming. I don't know what, but it feels important. I won't let harm come to him as he would do for me and the rest of our friends. So, Master Sykes," The venom in her words was palpable. "Bring it on."
Sykes looked at her, incredulous and amused. "Bring it on? Oh, you and your little friends have no idea how much I'll enjoy killing them. I'll start with your beloved and finish with your corpse bleeding out after every one of your friends is lifeless in front of you."
The blatant threat snapped something in Nick and his vision went black for an instant. Saryna gasped at the sudden overwhelming Hollow Spiritual Pressure and turned just in time to stop a feral, half-Hollowfied Nick from ripping the traitorous Captain to shreds. "Nick?!" She barely recognized him if not for the remaining shreds of his clothing, broken by several long formations of spikes. His one hand now had razor sharp talons on each digit and from his lower back was the beginning of a tail, adorned with spikes similar to his spine. "Nick, stop! Killing him here will only spark a worse fight than his war."
Nick couldn't hear her words and Sykes released a laugh. "Looks like your boyfriend needs some more training, if he can't help but turn into a feral little beast like that." Hollow-fied Nick let out a loud roar, a stream of purple light jettisoning upwards as Saryna held him back.
"Nick, get a fucking grip on yourself!" Saryna shouted, throwing Nick into the nearest tree. Glancing back, she saw that Sykes had left the two to finish their scuffle. "Shit." The girl cursed as Nick stood up, an otherworldly growl emanating from him before his voice broke through. "No, this is my time at the controls! I will never give up fighting for control!"
His hand dug under the lower jaw of Nick's forming mask and managed to wrench it off, a shockwave of Spiritual Pressure pushing out from the boy. His eyes and features returning to normal, Nick panted. "Not as long as I'm alive." He turned to Saryna then, giving her a small smile. "You know.. That really fucking hurt." He managed before passing out again.
A/N: This took way longer than I wanted, but life came up and I got a little stuck with the beachside meeting. As a side not everyone in the group trusts Nick to act as leader of the group and that's why there's not as much questioning of the sudden turn of events. So the S.P.A and Sykes' Arrancars will be coming to a head quicker than you'd think, but the start of the war is just the tip of the iceberg.
Just what will Sykes do next? What is the teens' plans? Also bonus points to whoever can derive where I got Nick's Hollow form, cuz it's not actually a Dragon like you could think. Until next time, Flurry of Freezing Flames, out!