Yo everybody! The next chapter of Hollowification is finally up!
Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach.
Chapter Fifteen
Underground Tunnel 22
Hueco Mundo
"Damn human..." Iceringer groaned as he fell to the ground.
He raised one of his fingers, in an attempt to fire off another of his attacks, only to have the finger blown off.
"You mean quincy arrancar." Uryu replied. "The only reason I didn't obliterate you is because I want you to relay something to Aizen."
Iceringer stared at him but didn't say anything.
"The truth is, what you should all fear is not a soul reaper at all. But a quincy."
Iceringer stared at Uryu in disbelief but before he could respond, laughter filled the chamber.
"Why would Aizen-sama fear the last of a clan of humans, that were too arrogant for their own good?" a voice said from behind Ichigo.
"Indeed. No one in Los Noches would ever fear a human." a second voice added.
Ichigo and the others turned to face the new comers, but he already knew who they were. Keigo and Mizuiro.
They were standing in front of a black doorway that hadn't been there when they first arrived.
"We were wondering when you three were going come." Mizuiro said, amusement on his face. "Though I will admit that I'm surprised that you made such a loud entrance. I think that just about everything in Hueco Mundo felt you guys arrive. Not a smart move if you're trying to rescue someone from enemy territory."
"Kill the intruders!" Iceringer shouted.
Ichigo, Uryu and Chad instantly moved into fighting stances. Ready for anything.
"Just the two of you?" Ichigo said. "Where's Tatsuki?"
"Oh, she's busy at the moment." Keigo replied in a casual tone. "She got herself a nice little promotion. So she's gonna be tied up for awhile. Don't worry, you'll be seeing her soon enough, if of course you survive."
"Why are you two just talking to them!" Iceringer shouted again. "Kill them!"
"You know Iceringer, a gatekeeper is suppose to keep the intruders out. And failing that, to die fighting the intruders." Keigo said. "Do you know where you failed?"
"What?! What the hell are you talking about?!" Iceringer yelled as he slowly stood up.
"We came here to correct your mistake. The mistake of not fighting to death." Mizuiro answered.
The second he finished saying that, Keigo sonidoed. Ichigo just managed to keep up with him as moved behind Iceringer and sliced the top half of his head off.
Iceringer obviously hadn't been able to keep up with Keigo, nor was he even aware that he had been killed as his last words were, "Weak humanoids like you can't kil-"
Keigo cleaned off the blade of his kama with a part of Iceringer's coat as large cracks formed in the walls and ceiling. Fortunately, the room held together.
"Such pathetic creatures. Only fit to be the guard dogs of Los Noches." Mizuiro commented. "Well, now that that's out of the way, there's no reason for us to stay here."
"I don't think so Mizuiro!" Ichigo shouted. "Both of you are coming with us! Even if we have to break your arms and legs to do it!"
Keigo and Mizuiro both laughed at him. "You've said that how many times Ichigo?" Mizuiro said. "And our answer has always been the same. No. And do the three of you really think that you can beat us?"
"Well, this will be the last time!" he shouted as he raised Zangetsu. "BANKAI! Tensa Zangetsu!"
Keigo chuckled as he placed his kama back in his belt. "Where's the fun in that? You guys aren't even in Los Noches yet. Since you're gonna die, you all might as well die in Los Noches with the belief that you could have succeeded."
"I don't think so!" Ichigo yelled as he swung his sword at Keigo.
Only to pass right through his body like was thin air.
"Whew." he heard Keigo's voice, now from behind him as the Keigo in front of him faded away. "Almost got me. But you weren't quite fast enough Ichigo."
Ichigo turned around, only to get punched in the face by Keigo. He wasn't physically as strong as Tatsuki or Chad but it was still a pretty powerful punch.
"You keep on underestimating us. You keep thinking that you can beat us without breaking a sweat." Mizuiro said in a cold tone. "And yet none of you have proven yourselves strong enough to warrant us releasing our zapaku-tos. Perhaps you should-"
Mizuiro never got a chance to finish his sentence as Uryu shouted, "How's this for strength?!" before firing off and arrow at him.
At last second, Mizuiro drew his sword and deflected the arrow.
"That's quite rude Uryu. Though, if that's the best you have, then you won't last long." he said as he sheathed his sword. "C'mon Keigo, let's go."
"Yeah, yeah." Keigo said as he turned around and started walking towards Mizuiro and the doorway.
"Before we leave, allow me Uryu, to enlighten you as to why Aizen-sama will never fear you." Mizuiro said as he stepped into the doorway. "You see, for Aizen-sama, there is nothing in existence that he fears. That is one of the reasons that we all serve him. We were all born from fear. To us, the path of the fearless one shines as brightly as the moonlight."
Tatsuki's words from before entered his mind. "You know nothing of hollows! You know nothing of a hollow's pain! It's fear! It's hunger!"
Ichigo found himself wondering just what happened to the three of them mentally when Aizen turned them into hollows.
"One more thing Uryu. Well, actually this goes for all of you." Mizuiro added. "Don't spare your opponents here. That weakness will only get you killed."
"Oh, we forgot to tell you about this room." Keigo said as he followed Mizuiro into the doorway.
The instant he crossed the threshold, the room began to violently shake, like an earthquake, as the cracks on the walls and ceiling widened. Ignoring this, Ichigo towards Keigo and Mizuiro as the door slowly slid down.
"This room was designed that if the guards were beaten, it will collapse. However, if one or more other arrancar enter the room, it will not collapse unless they too are beaten or leave the room." Keigo said as the door drew nearer and nearer to the floor. "Bye bye Ichigo, Chad, Four-Eyes."
Ichigo reached the door just as it hit the floor, sealing the passageway. Ichigo punched the door in anger but it did nothing to the door.
"Come on Ichigo!" Uryu shouted. "We have to get out of here!"
Ichigo nodded and turned towards Chad and Uryu as the three of them ran as fast as they could to the stairs while dodging falling chucks of the ceiling. They barely reached the top of the stairs and the outside, before the entire room collapsed.
They just stood there for a moment, trying to catch their breath.
"Well, we manged to get of there somehow." Ichigo said as he dusted himself off.
He glanced around at his surroundings. A vast desert of white sand stretched out as far as he could see. A side from the occasional white, dead tree, there was nothing but white sand dunes. He looked up at the sky. It looked like a nighttime sky, but there was something unsettling about it. The sky was an unnatural pitch black, with no stars in the sky. Only the moon hung ominously in the sky, like giant eye staring down on them.
"So this is Hueco Mundo." he said he continued to stare at the barren landscape. "It seems kinda lonely here, don't you think? There's nothing here but sand. Why would anyone want to live here?"
"Well, there are trees here." Chad said as scanned the landscape.
"I don't think they're trees." Uryu said as he reached up and broke off a branch of a near by tree. "It looks like it's made of something similar to quartz."
"Whoa." Chad said as he stared at something behind them.
Ichigo and Uryu turned and saw what Chad saw. A massive white castle. But there was something off. Ichigo found his whole depth perception out of whack. The castle seemed fairly close, yet off in the distance at the same time.
"This must be that 'Los Noches' place they mentioned earlier." Uryu said.
"It's huge..." Ichigo commented.
"Yeah. But there's something strange about. It seems close and far at the same time. It's really screwing up my depth perception." Chad said.
"It doesn't matter how far or how close it is." Ichigo said. "Orihime, Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo are all somewhere in there. Come on, let's go."
The three of them started running towards the castle. Where their friends and enemies were.
Elsewhere
Outside Espada Council Chamber
Los Noches
Tatsuki and her fellow Espada were walking towards the Esapda Council Chamber. Aizen had called for a meeting. No doubt it was about the intruders. Of course, she already knew who they were.
"Anyone know what the meeting's gonna be about." Nnoitra asked as they walked towards the chamber.
"I believe we have some intruders." Zommari said to his fellow Espada.
"Intruders?!" Barragan grumbled as the doors to the chamber swung open.
"Underground Tunnel Twenty-Two just recently collapsed." Zommari said as he reached his chair
"Twenty-Two? That's quite far from here, isn't it?" Barragan said as he took his seat.
"I know. It would have been more interesting had they just broken into the throne room all at once." Szayel replied.
Nnoitra laugh at the comment. "That would have been great!"
"Hell yeah! That would have been fun!" Tatsuki added as she took her own seat.
"You're both so noisy." Stark yawned as he reached his seat. "Look, I'm still sleepy, so don't be so loud all the time, got it?"
"How can a guy who spends most of his time sleeping, be so tried all the time?" she asked.
Stark simply shrugged and sat down on his chair.
Once the Espada were settled, Aizen, Gin, and Tosen walked into the chamber.
"Good morning Espada." Aizen said as he approached his seat. "We've been attacked by the enemy. First though, I suppose we should warm up some tea."
No one present was surprised by this as a pair of servants appeared and began to serve tea to Aizen and the Espada.
Once the servants were finished, Aizen continued, "Everyone should have received their tea, yes?"
He took a sip and said, "Now then. Kaname. The reflection."
"Yes Aizen-sama." the blind former captain answered as he reached for a lever.
The white circle in the center of the table opened up, revealing the image of Ichigo, Chad and Uryu running towards Los Noches.
"The names of the three intruders are as follows: Uryu Ishida, Yasutora Sado, and Ichigo Kurosaki."
"And they are enemies?" Aaroniero asked.
"What the hell? You said we had an enemy attack." Barragan said in disbelief. "I was expecting something else. These bastards are just kids."
"They don't look too interesting." Szayel commented. "Not one bit."
"It wouldn't be wise to underestimate them." Tatsuki said as she took a sip of her tea.
"Oh? What's this? It sounds like Arisawa's afraid of them." Nnoitra said with his ever present grin. "But then again you were beaten both times you went to the human world."
Tatsuki simply replied, "You misunderstood me Nnoitra. I was warning Szayel and other Espada beneath me as I have already beaten the strongest one out of the three, Kurosaki, twice without releasing my zanpaku-to. So I have nothing to fear from them."
"Yeah right." he shot back, the sarcasm so loud and clear in his voice, that even Yammy picked it up.
"You should listen to her Nnoitra." Aizen said. "They are the ones called 'Ryoka'. The four of them invaded the Soul Society and challenged the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Though we do have three experts on them with us."
"Who?" Szayel asked.
"Their former friends, Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo."
All of the other Espada, save Ulquiorra, who already knew this, and Halibel, who had figured it out when they retrieved them, hadn't known that little fact and as such, each expressed various signs of surprise.
"Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me!" Nnoitra shouted.
"If that is so, then how can you deem them trustworthy Aizen-sama? Much less, allow one of them to become an Espada?" Aaroniero asked.
"I have to agree." Szayel said.
"Any and all bonds of friendship that I, and Keigo and Mizuiro for that matter, had with them, have been cut." she said in her defense. "I am no longer one of them. In fact, I've chosen a wall in my domain where I wanna mount Kurosaki's dead carcass."
"Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro have proven their loyal to me. There will be no further questioning of their loyalty." Aizen said to rest of the Espada.
"Wait. Didn't you say there was four?" Zommari said as he stared at the screen. "Who's the fourth?"
"Orihime Inoue." Ulquiorra answered.
Nnoitra chuckled. "So, you're saying they have come to rescue their friend, pet-sama? Isn't that sweet. Even if they do look weak."
"Didn't you hear? Aizen-sama's words confirms the fact that they are not to be taken lightly." Halibel said.
"I didn't mean it like that, for fuck's sake." Nnoitra grumbled. "What's your problem anyway? You scared or something?"
"I say we all go out and crush'em now before they become annoying." Tatsuki said. "Just say the word and we'll crush into dust, Aizen-sama."
"I hate to say this, but I have to agree with Arisawa." Nnoitra said. "Let's crush those bugs and be done with it."
"That won't be necessary." Aizen said.
"What?!" both she and Nnoitra shouted.
Aizen stood up and spoke, "Espada, as you can all see, we have three enemies. While there is no reason to underestimate them, there's also no reason to make an uproar. Please return to your domains and act as if everything is normal. Without excessive pride and without fail, just stay put and wait for our enemy. Do not be frightened. No matter what befalls us, as long as you walk by my side, an enemy that may stand up to us shall never exist."
Near Los Noches
A Few Hours Later
"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!" Runaganga roared as a giant vortex formed around them.
Ichigo found himself at loss of what to do. He had cut this guy's head in two, only to have him reform. Unless they could find this guys weakness, they were gonna be buried alive.
"Nell!" he shouted to the little arrancar. "This guy's got some kind of weakness, right?!"
"But I can't tell that to the bad guyth!" she shouted back.
"What?! Do wanna die or something?!" he yelled as he picked her up and pinched her cheek.
"Water! Water!"
Water. His weakness was water. Where were they gonna find water in a freaking desert? They were royally screwed.
"Next dance! Hakuren!"
In an instant, Runaganga was encased with ice and the sand vortex beneath them faded away.
Ichigo looked around for the source of the ice when he spotted them. Standing atop a sand dune a short distance away, was Rukia and Renji.
Ichigo jumped off Bawabawa and ran towards them.
Ichigo said, "Rukia, Renji, what are-"
He was interrupted when Renji punched him in the face, followed be Rukia punching him.
"You ingrate!" Rukia shouted at him. "Why did you recklessly enter Hueci Mundo like this?! Why didn't you at least wait for us to return?!"
"But how was I supposed to know if you were even gonna come back."
"Of course we would have! No matter what we had to do!" Rukia shouted in his face. "Renji and I intended to help from the very beginning! Why didn't you just wait?! Why didn't you believe in us?! Aren't we your Nakama, Ichigo?"
Ichigo simply said, "You're right. I'm sorry."
"Good, cause I don't wanna have to say that ever again. Come on. Let's go save them."
Elsewhere
Domain of the Fourth Espada
Orihime stared out the window of her cell. She was deep in thought. Aizen's words about her ability had sparked two separate ideas in her head. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of a way for either plan to work. The first being to erase the Hogyoku from existence. However, Aizen had told her that he wouldn't harm her if see did something like that. Rather, he would torture Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo and force her watch every second of it, then force her to heal them, just so he could do it again.
The other idea was to use her ability to turn Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo back into humans. However, if she managed to do that, Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo would be defenseless and would have no means to return to the world of the living.
"Surprisingly, it looks good on you." a voice said, interrupting her thoughts.
She turned around. It was Ulquiorra.
"Wh...when did you get there?" she nervously asked.
"Just now. Cease your idle banter." Ulquiorra said as he walked towards her. "There is news. Your Nakama have invaded Hueco Mundo."
Orihime wasn't surprised. She knew that Ichigo and the others eventually come to rescue her and the others. But she still wished that they hadn't come. This was far worse than when they rescued Rukia. There, most of the people they fought were more interested in capturing them alive rather then killing them. Here however, things were different. Here, the arrancar fought to death and weren't taking any prisoners. Worse, if they ran into Tatsuki, Keigo or Mizuiro, than no matter who won the fight, they lost.
Elsewhere
Domain of the Sixth Espada
Tatsuki sat on a chair on a balcony, overlooking the interior of the dome of Los Noches.
Tatsuki was annoyed. Aizen had ordered all of the Espada to sit back and wait for Ichigo and the others to come to them. Which meant it was possible for them all die long before they ever reached her domain. Truth be told, she didn't care about the others, she just wanted to fight Ichigo.
Before, she wanted to fight Ichigo as a measure for her own abilities, to prove to Aizen, the other Espada, everyone, that she was strong. But after learning what Ichigo was, that changed. To her, Ichigo was now an abomination to everything that she was. Now she wanted nothing more than to destroy Ichigo and like she told the rest of the Espada, mount his carcass in her domain as a trophy.
"So what did Aizen-sama say?" Mizuiro said as he and Keigo approached her.
"He ordered the Espada to sit back and wait for them to come us." Tatsuki grumbled.
"Ah...That's why you're in a bad mood." Keigo said as he leaned on the balcony railing.
"Of course. Chances are, they'll end up dying before I get a chance at them."
"They're idiots for invading Los Noches." Keigo said. "All they'll be able to achieve, is to kill some arrancar and maybe a few of the weaker Espada. Actually, that's a good thing for us. Mizuiro and I could get promotions to replace the Espada that die."
"That's not a bad idea. I personally won't mind seeing some of the Espada fall." Tatsuki said.
"What did Aizen-sama say about the rest of us?" Mizuiro asked.
"Hmm? Nothing. He simply ordered the Espada to sit back and wait."
"So he didn't order us to wait around for them." Mizuiro said. "Good. That means the two of us can have some fun. C'mon Keigo, let's go and see how they're doing."
"Just leave Ichigo for me." Tatsuki said.
"Don't worry Tatsuki, we'll point him in your direction." Keigo said as the two of them walked out.
Elsewhere
Ichigo and the others found themselves in chamber with five passage ways with no idea which path to take.
"We've got no choice but to start on one end and make our way through." Uryu said.
"Not quite." Rukia said. "The five of us will each pick a path and follow it."
"But that's..." Uryu said.
"Are you crazy?!" Ichigo shouted. "We're going up against the Espada here! Not to mention Aizen and the other traitors! The smartest choice is obviously to stick together here! You really think they'll come for us one-on-one?! If we all just go off alone-"
"Enough already." Renji interrupted. "Worrying about a warrior's life on the battlefield is only an insult."
"Moving together huh?" Rukia said. "No doubt this is because you're worried about me, Ichigo. Just as I said before, 'Don't waste your time on me.' I didn't come here just to be protected by you."
Ichigo sighed. "All right then, the five of us will split. If you happen to find Orihime or capture Tatsuki, Keigo, or Mizuiro, don't wait for the rest of us. Get out of here as quickly as you can."
Renji, Rukia and Chad nodded while Uryu merely adjusted his glasses.
"Before we head out, let's do something for good luck." Renji said.
"For good luck?"
"Yeah, it's an old chant that members of the 13 Court Guards Squad use to say before a major battle. No one uses it anymore, but I figured it'd be a good idea. Alright, everyone put your right hands together."
Everyone formed a small circle and put their right hands together in the center.
"We are about to head to the battlefield! Believe, our blades will not shatter! Believe, our souls will not be cut! Even if our steps separate, our iron will remains solid! Promise! Even if the ground may split, we will all come back alive to this place!"
They broke the circle and each headed down one of the five corridors. Not a word was spoken between them. There was no need for words. They knew what they had to do. They would rescue their friends and they would all return home alive.
This chapter took longer than I expected for a couple of reasons, the biggest being that I suffered a writer's block early in this chapter. But it's gone now and I'm back in the flow.
I plan to skip the initial battles against the Privaron Espada and Rukia's battle with Aaroniero. Though I may have the end of Rukia's battle. So in a few more chapters, I'll be revealing Tatsuki's, Kiego's and Mizuiro's released forms.
Review!