"I can't believe this! I was so close...So close!" Momo struck the wall again with her right fist, making a crack appear and sending echoes through the almost empty hallways.
"I apologize, Hinamori-sama, if we had just been more careful, I'm sure you would have succeeded…" Luppi was standing alongside Loly a reasonable distance away from Momo as she continued punching the already strained wall. They were bowing low to express their apology.
"I can't believe you two! Falling for such a beginner tactic! I thought you knew better…." Momo then shot them a dark look, her eyes blazing with fury. She then started to walk toward them.
"That's enough Momo!" Grimmjow shot her a cold look, which she flinched at. She then bowed her head to show her submission, and her own apology at her incompetence.
Grimmjow then continued "…The moment when the head captain got involved was when this mission was doomed to failure. However, it wasn't a complete loss…" He then walked over to Rudobon, who was standing near the end of the hallway, and grabbed a large book-like file that was a black color. He then started to flip through it, "I made sure we got ahold of this….so you better be grateful." He then tossed the folder to Momo, who caught it with ease with one hand.
She opened the folder, and looked upon its contents, she then flipped a page, then another, her eyes darting frantically, trying to memorize every word of it. "This is…."
"I once heard Aizen say that "the progress of every shinigami in existence, is constantly recorded by the Kiddo corps, as a result, one can find the current up-to-date strength of one's opponent, and, because of that, find a weakness, if you analyze the data carefully enough…", this is why I went through all of the trouble of getting that one file in particular. There were many more concerning his fighting skill progress from his earlier years, but this one is more current. Apparently he's gotten stronger since the battle with Aizen…." Grimmjow then looked at Luppi and Loly, "You two…..I want you leave!"
"We don't take orders from you!" Loly bolted upright once he gave the order.
And Momo instantly replied to what she had to say "You are under me, and as such, you are under him! This means, he has more control over you than I do! You should know your place by now!"
Loly then took a step backward taken aback by what she said. Then, she reluctantly bowed low to Grimmjow saying "Please accept my apology, Jaegerjaquez-sama…." She didn't even try to hide the disgust in her voice.
Though this angered Grimmjow he did nothing, except repeat his order "Leave!"
This time, everyone in the vicinity left, Including Rudobon. The only ones that were left were Grimmjow and Momo. Momo was standing up straight her hands were behind her back as she waited for Grimmjow to speak. There was a minutes silence before a word was uttered.
"You're free to examine the file as much as you please, just don't let it get in the way of your, or my own, daily routine…and from now on, you're free to use the entire Exequias as you deem useful, as long as it doesn't involve an invasion like this one, you'll have to consult me for that. Right now, I want to continue your living here at Las noches as you normally do. You are now dismissed!"
Momo didn't make a sound as she left, leaving Grimmjow alone with his thoughts. "What should we do now? We have lost our element of surprise; they'll be more prepared next time. It's easier said than done to even infiltrate the Seireitei's border as it is; it took us two full days just to have the garganta fixed up. Plus, it's no walk in the park to eliminate a captain, especially one who defeated Tia Harribel. Even if he does have a weakness, he's bound to have his own defenses around it. I'm not sure if even I can defeat him…"
Grimmjow went through the possibilities in his head as he walked the familiar, silent halls of Las noches. Nearly every arrancar was resting by now; it was practically one in the morning. He continued to wander the halls until he ended up in the supply storage. The storage is probably the biggest room in the palace, it was meant to hold enough food for all of Aizen's extensive mass of an arrancar army, the number totaling up in the thousands, if you included the numeros and the arrancar servants. Most of the numerous crates held either a variety of teas, water, or the meat of hunted hollows, most of which were dried out and preserved. Some of them however contained human-made substances, such as, sugar, ramen, apple pie, roast beef, freshly cut pork, bread and etc. it is because of the human foods, that the entire storage unit is constantly cooled by a generator that is under constant surveillance. Grimmjow then walked over to a random crate and easily pulled the nail shut lid off, grabbing inside for some dried hollows meat. The meat of a hollow is almost never messy when its dry, in fact, it's not even "dry", most of the blood was drained out for the "vampire-like" arrancar who actually enjoy drinking a hollow's blood, but still, the meat is actually pretty moist. Grimmjow then took a ravenous bite out of it, and continued doing so until there was nothing left. He then continued on past the storage, taking a few bags of green tea that he could brew in the kitchen that wasn't too far off. He went through a black door that lead to the kitchen, walked through the white room until he found a glass that was still left out on a counter; there was no stove, mostly because there was no need for one. They just adjusted the energy for a cero into an instant heater if they needed to cook or heat up something. He then grabbed a jar of water from the refrigerator, which was the staff's "Private stock". He then proceeded to heat up the water in his cup until was good enough to soak the tea in. He waited a few minutes, and then drank a sip as he sat down at a bench that was nearby. "It's bitter…" he noticed. He then looked up as he sensed familiar spiritual pressure that then went in a stand-still because it then realized he was in the area. He sonidoed over to the source, and almost startled Hinamori, who was just about to turn back.
"Ah…I'm awfully sorry to disturb you Grimmjow…"She said it in a low, soft voice; a tone often only heard when she's not on a mission of some sort. She then did an apologetic bow. Unlike most arrancar who stayed in the same uniform, day in and day out, Momo changed her uniform upon day and night time hours unless there is a situation that calls for otherwise. Her "Night attire" consisted of a plain black silk kimono robe with long sleeves, with a black sash and a loose hair tie keeping her hair out of her way. She wore no socks or shoes when like this, she always went barefooted, and her zanpoktou normally kept by her bedside at this hour, can sometimes be seen in its standard position when she's in this outfit. She didn't have it on her now though.
"What are you doing here?" Grimmjow's tone was slightly strict, but for the most part casual.
"I was having a little snack…" She then looked at his glass of tea, "…if you want sir, I can prepare actual first-class tea instead of that cheap stuff preserved for servants…" Grimmjow noticed by her tone she was trying to change the subject.
"That won't be necessary, more importantly is that Sennen no mukademasuku?" He pointed over at Momo's right hand that was clutching a thick white substance that looked like thin rock. Which was the mask remains of a certain species of hollow, that can sleep for a thousand years at the core of Hueco mundo, its mask in particular, is an extremely rare delicacy.
"Yes, it is. The kitchen staff has a stash of it in the top shelf over there…" She pointed to the shelf that was near the top right corner of the room.
"Hm, I'll keep that in mind." He then started to walk away.
"…..Is that it, sir? Nothing else?" Momo sounded somewhat nervous.
"I was just curious as to what you were up to, nothing more." He continued on walking and eventually went out of the room and through the entire section of that particular part of Las noches. Before he even realized it, he was in front of his room again; he walked there out of habit. He was thinking of going inside and resting for tomorrow's training, but he wasn't even close to tired. He took another sip from his glass, thinking more about possibilities of the next battle to come. He then pushed the door open and his legs ended up taking him to the carved stone benches that he leisurely dumped himself on the rough surface. He's not sure when, but eventually fell asleep; only to wake up with a sore back and neck.
The next morning he grunted as he got up from the stone bench, he then stretched to loosen his corded muscles. He grunted again, walking toward the door. He then stopped as he felt something wet on his foot, it was cold. He looked toward the ground, and he realized he was standing in a small puddle of green tea that was spilled last night. He then kicked his foot as if to shake the liquid off, he quickly got out of the room afterward. He then realized he was still holding the glass he had the night before. He then spotted a servant arrancar heading toward the 4th's barracks to make sure everything was clean and orderly, he told the arrancar to clean up the mess that was in his room and to take away the glass.
"Shall I get you some new socks and sandals for you also…?" The male arrancar with half of a chimp's mask was looking at his left foot, which was soaked with tea. He seemed to have no emotion in his eyes, they were blank, filled with nothingness. Probably one of Aizen's brainwashed that he knew could have no disloyalty.
"No. Besides I have something else to do this morning…." He started to walk away toward the lounge, his foot barely leaving behind a single drop.
"Sir, I think you should know, that it's a little past noon. Miss Hinamori was last seen waiting for you on the training ground, but seeing how that was hours ago, I think she'll be elsewhere…" The arrancar's voice was shallow as he entered Grimmjow's room to clean up the mess.
Grimmjow walked silently as he continued on his way toward the lounge, knowing full well that she'll most likely be there. For which, he was correct; the moment he walked in he found Momo standing right next to the couch, holding a tray that had his breakfast on it, as well as coffee she made herself. Behind her standing next to the wall were Luppi and Loly. Loly was standing upright reading a small novel while Luppi was leaning on the wall, lounging about. Momo was wearing her usual uniform, except that the leather arm guard she normally had was missing, she probably got tired of it.
"Good morning, Sir." Momo said the same thing everyone else in Las noches (with the exception of Luppi and Loly) says when they see him; a proper greeting for the "master" of the palace.
He didn't reply to her, he just took the coffee and allowed her to set the tray on the coffee table. She was his subordinate, but most times she acts more like his personal servant than a fighting specialist underling that she's supposed to be. He never complained though, he just never understood it. He then spotted the black file in her hand as she waited for him to finish his meal. She was reviewing its contents, often re-reading the same pages, just to make sure that she remembered the facts. "Are you ready?"
"Yes sir. I was just waiting for you to finish up."
"Well, let's get going then." His voice sounded like his usual rough tone, however to Hinamori, it sounded like something was on his mind slightly.
Momo handed the file to Loly who followed her and Grimmjow until they were on a veranda of some sort, Rudobon decided to come along once he saw them walking by. They stayed on the veranda as Grimmjow and Momo used sonido to get a faraway distance from the building, they were standing in the air now, both of them starting to raise their spiritual pressure.
Momo was standing up straight, her eyes focused on Grimmjow, as she tried to find any chance of weakness in her opponent. Her hands weren't even close to the light-red hilt of her zanpoktou, they were however ready to unsheathe it at any moment. Her bangs were covering a part of her eye, but she didn't mind. Grimmjow was standing in his usual laid back way, his hands in his pockets and his observant eyes only making eye contact. It became clear within the second that Grimmjow was waiting for Hinamori to make the first move. That first move was made in less than a millisecond, she came at Grimmjow with a straight, right handed punch that aimed for his chest. He blocked that with ease with his hand, but Hinamori had already set a left kick in motion, and with the same hand he blocked the punch with, he grabbed her ankle. Momo's eyes widened at the unexpected motion.
"That was too predictable….shouldn't you know better?" His eyes were almost cruel as he slung her downward at high velocity toward the ground. He saw an explosion of sand form once she connected to the ground below, sediments of sand even reaching where he stood. Loly and Luppi gasped and were instantly concerned. They had no need for worry though. Grimmjow's eyes were only in spot, once the dust cleared he saw Hinamori still on her feet, with not even a bruise on her. She then used sonido to appear behind Grimmjow and did an upward kick, something Grimmjow could only dodge and not block or counter. Grimmjow only bent his head toward one side, but just as fast it had come, Hinamori changed the direction of her kick, making a perfect hit on Grimmjow's neck that sent him downward. He quickly stopped his fall and he instantly landed a solid punch in Hinamori's gut, sending her in the opposite direction. The force of the blow sent her through an entire tower, she only had minimum damage. Grimmjow quickly realized why when he saw Momo's arm in front of her stomach that she clearly used to reduce the damage. Her arm only had a single large, black bruise and her body only had a few cuts. All in all she was in pretty good condition. From there on, there wasn't a moment's pause in their battle. Both of them unsheathed their swords and were attacking each other. The hand was blocking the sword and the sword was blocking the hand. Blasts of spiritual pressure were being shot out in all directions, some even damaging buildings and crushing stones. Hand to hand combat was being fused in with their sword play, kicks were following slashes and punches were following after thrusts. Each one of them were skillfully dodging the other's attack with ease, most of the time it seemed like they only moved a mere inch to avoid an attack. It seemed as though they were evenly matched in the viewer's eyes, but a select few knew that Grimmjow was holding back a great deal. What would it be like if they released their zanpoktou? Grimmjow was receiving a few bruises, while Momo, if you observed closely, was receiving cuts, bruises and some crushed veins.
The practice lasted for about two complete hours before Grimmjow finally called it quits. Grimmjow barely even had a single mark on him, his clothes barely even ruffled, while Hinamori had many noticeable cuts, some large some small, she also had a few black and blue bruises on her arms. Most of her cloths were now ragged and cut, and filled with dirt. She was panting a lot, while Grimmjow was breathing normally.
"You seemed to have improved…." Grimmjow was sheathing his sword as he sat down on a bench.
"Thank you for the compliment, Grimmjow." Momo was still panting as she stood there. As she sat down she looked at her sword "Tobiume seemed to be in good condition today….."
Luppi and Loly looked at Hinamori, as if thinking she were crazy "Hinamori-sama…..You do know that your shinigami zanpoktou no longer exists, right?
Momo looked at Loly with a blank face "That is a possibility….but so far it doesn't seem likely."
"Surely with your reincarnation as a hollow your "Tobiume" would have disappeared." Loly was still staring at Hinamori with a shocked expression.
Momo's face was that of thoughtfulness, "I thought so too….at first. According to Grimmjow, once my consciousness had taken over the hollow I was devoured by, as I did right before my transformation, my DNA would have reverted itself back to a shinigami form over time. However, since Grimmjow used the power of the hogyoku before it completed I am now in a sort of "in-between"…"
She then looked at Grimmjow, who, after a moment, made a sort of gesture with his hand toward the area they just practiced. Momo then steadily raised her sword, aimed the point toward one the white towers that were already starting to crumble, and everyone apart from Grimmjow was watching intently. Momo was taking her time so that she wouldn't have to repeat the demonstration. They all then saw her sword start to glow in an orange reddish color, before its brightness went to blinding, then they saw a blast of energy shoot out of the tip of the blade at such incredible speed, they doubted they saw right. It was only a mere second later that they saw a fiery explosion on the white tower many miles away, the sheer power of it sending waves of wind and dust tearing at the bystanders' faces. Once the sand settled Momo had already sheathed her zanpoktou and was relaxing on the stone carved bench, with Luppi and Loly staring in awe at the aftermath of the ability. The tower looked like it was about to collapse completely some the material desolated and destroyed. "Even though I can no longer contact Tobiume, if she still exists, I believe that her power, or rather the power she gave me, still lingers and it doesn't seem to be leaving or weakening."
Loly, after she stared at her for another few moments, walked over to Momo and handed her the file that she was told to hold on to. She began reviewing its contents yet again. Grimmjow looked aloof in the way he was lounging about in his seat, completely unaffected in the slightest by Momo's ability. Loly looked at the sky "I think fate is in your favor Hinamori-sama..."
Momo glared at Loly with a hard gaze that made her wonder if she offended her somehow, she then told her in a cold tone "I believe there is no such thing as "fate"..."
While they were going about their normal life in Hueco mundo Hitsugaya was on his way toward a captain's meeting. His eyes were distant, and he covered his mouth with his hand as he walked through the 1st's barracks hallways, the cold night air nothing more than everyday weather to him. He then saw an incredibly large doorway in front of him, it had the 1st squad's symbol on it. It was then pushed open for him by the guards that were stationed there, who were oblivious to what the captains of the gotei 13 had discovered. No one else apart from captain Unohana and Captain Zaraki were notified of who they saw that night of the invasion. Both of them were unwilling to believe it without proof, which was quickly provided when Kurosuchi personally gathered the spiritual data. He then walked into the meeting room with his hands by sides and walking casually to his assigned spot. Apart from Kenpachi, who came in shortly after, everyone was present. The meeting would've started sooner, but in order to make sure everyone was present it was postponed until today.
The head captain wasted no time in starting the meeting "I now proclaim the captain's meeting in full commission! As you all have heard and/or seen, former squad 5 lieutenant, Momo Hinamori appears to have survived and seems to have to been involved with last night's invasion. Though some of you doubt this, we now need to discuss how to deal with this new information!"
Soi Fon was the first to speak "I do believe we should first figure out why she came here…."
"What are you talking about? We should first figure out how she got that way!" Kurosuchi had a slight excitement in his voice and his eyes were slightly bulging.
The head captain answered in response to Kurosuchi "How she got that way is partially common sense, if you know about the transformation of a human soul to hollow. A human soul corrupted by hatred or sadness is bound to become a hollow at some point. It's similar to shinigami, only they have to be dying as they become corrupted. Such an event is rare; in fact, it's only been recorded once in all of our history, and even that that is unbelievable to many. However, what I can't understand is how she became an arrancar…."
There was a silence among the captains, but Kenpachi was quick to break it. "Head captain, I see no reason to hold this meeting, I say we should stay out of her and Captain Hitsugaya's business."
Everyone looked straight at Kenpachi with their eyes, some stunned, some confused. Hitsugaya in particular was that of disbelief. Soi Fon was the one who asked the next question "What are saying Kenpachi…?"
"We all know how she got corrupted by those feelings of hatred, that's because we all know how she died!" He looked at Hitsugaya as he continued "It's pretty obvious from the reports and by what the head captain said, that she is only after Hitsugaya. Not squad 5, not the gotei 13, but him!" He now pointed his finger toward the young captain whose eyes were widening. "I'm sorry, but I won't raise arms against a person who undeniably has the right to go after the person who is responsible for betraying her…."
"-Wait just a moment Zaraki!" Captain Komamora shouted the unpredicted outburst "He didn't betray her, he was tricked! Don't tell me you actually believe he willingly killed her….unless you can't perceive that in your inhuman mind….." his voice was dangerously low.
Zaraki looked coolly at the enraged captain "To you, who values loyalty above all else, I suspected you to say that. And let me just say I partially agree with you. But if you used your head like you're supposed to, you would have realized by now that that doesn't mean she knows that. We can only imagine what she heard! For all we know every time Hitsugaya said Aizen's name she heard her own! For all we know she knows, Hitsugaya has been against her from the very beginning! We don't even know if she now knows she was being hypnotized by Aizen!"
There was a long silence before anyone spoke, because he was right.
Komamora sighed slightly just before Soi Fon spoke "If what Captain Zaraki says is true, than it would explain almost everything, apart from not targeting the 5th and 10th squad. If she wanted Hitsugaya then she should've attacked his men."
Komamora spoke with a more thoughtful tone "If she just attacked the 10th squad, then she knew Hitsugaya would call for reinforcements. She most likely wanted to get him in a situation to where he would be called out himself or where he would receive no reinforcements. That night we were all stretched thin, the 5th and 10th squad themselves were being called for all over the place. It's not like she knows nothing of the soul society like regular arrancar, she knows our government system, how the squads are run, what our fighting styles are like, where we are at our weakest at and she knows some personal information on most of us. The plan must've been well thought out for her to trap Hitsugaya in that barrier like that…."
Unohana broke in before he could think of what else to say "I know this is sort of off topic, but should we inform our subordinates about her survival. So far, only those of us in this room know of this, even our lieutenants are unknowing of this. If she poses a real threat to us then we should alert others."
The head captain answered that question "Seeing how this is a "special" case. I order all captains to notify all lieutenants of this discovery and tell them to tell no one else, the same goes for the captains. But that's after this meeting is over."
Soi Fon has been staring at Hitsugaya for some time now before he was brought to attention "You've been quiet over there Hitsugaya…..I understand you're the most emotionally affected by this, but can you give us any more information regarding anything that has to do with this?"
Up until this point Hitsugaya was only noticed when Kenpachi pointed him out, Kyouraku was stealing glances at his face, but didn't say anything. Hitsugaya was doing his best to hide his inner emotions with his icy exterior no one could look past. He then responded in a low tone "I have no other useful information to tell…."
There was a moments passing before anyone started to move their mouth, but Hitsugaya spoke again with resolve in his voice "I respectfully request that everyone stays out of her affairs and let her fight me as she wishes!"
The moment he said it there was an outburst of protests, Kyouraku and Ukitake were trying to get Hitsugaya to think his choice over, and Komamora was telling him that this wasn't just in the slightest, Kurosuchi thought that he should leave all confronting's of her to him and Kenpachi was backing up Hitsugaya's cause. The only ones that were silent were Unohana, Yammamoto and Hitsugaya, who was ignoring everyone's words as he tilted his head downward. After a few moments of their squabbling Yammamoto banged his walking stick on the ground three full times before every one was settled. "That is enough! You all will have a chance to speak, but as long you are under this roof you will do it orderly!"
After the head captain nodded to Soi Fon who was silently asking him to speak she said "Hitsugaya, I respect you and your resolve to follow through with this, but I don't think it's the best choice as of right now. We are still recovering after the battle with Aizen, the last thing we need is another vacant captain's seat. It's not commonly said around here but….the strength of the gotei 13 lies within the captains that lead it. We already have 3 captains missing from our ranks, and that alone has shaken us a great deal. If we lose you, than we will be more likely to be thrown into chaos. I advise you rethink your choice a lot more carefully before you affect those around you." Soi Fon's eyes were that of sympathy, which is rare, in her case.
Komamora eyed Soi Fon "You say it, as if he's intending to die by her hand…."
"In his mental state and how attached he is to her…..How else do you think it's going to end if he goes against her…"
"To be honest, it doesn't matter who dies, either way it's unjust. Nothing good will come out of it! Komamora clearly wanted Hitsugaya to rethink his choice, same as Soi Fon and apparently everyone else in the room, apart from Kenpachi and maybe Yammamoto. Hitsugaya knew this and he was quick to make his decision clear.
"I stand by what I said. Let me deal with her, she clearly has no interest in anyone else! I'm the one who has to pay for my own actions!"
"What actions are you referring to? You didn't betray her, you just…" Ukitake never got the chance to finish his sentence.
"What do you mean I didn't betray her…? Sure, I had no intention of betraying her, but I still did it! She has every right in the world, to attempt to murder me….who am I, or you, to even try to stop her…." His eyes actually showed signs of sadness.
"Hitsugaya plea- " Soi Fon did one last attempt.
"Tell me Soi Fon, where you the one who stabbed her! Were you the one who heard her last words? No, you didn't! I did!" His voice was hard and cold, it had such an effect, that no one dared to talk back.
"I'll say it once more…I request that you allow her to continue on in her affairs against me and not interfere…." His voice was low and deadly and his eyes were daring anyone to oppose to what he said.
Yammamoto was the one who broke the silence, he looked at him with sorrowful eyes "Hitsugaya I will approve of your request, as long as no one else gets involved by her doing and as long as it's you she's after. Should it be she has some other objective in mind your request will be denied, and that is undeniable….."
Not another word was spoken.
"Well then….If there is nothing more to say than this meeting is adjourned!" he banged his stick once before everyone started to file out. Hitsugaya was the last to leave, but he was stopped by the head captain's voice "You know, captain Hitsugaya…. You don't have to do this…."
Hitsugaya stood where he was for a moment before speaking bleakly "My mind is made up….." his voice was low and there were noticeable traces of pain and sadness in it. He then walked on, leaving the head captain to his thoughts. "Komamora was right….."Nothing good will come out of it""
"No matter the outcome….the result is the same….."
"No matter who dies, pain and sadness will fill its place….."
"Why… did fate have to be like this…"
Yammamoto didn't know this, but after Hinamori's death…..Hitsugaya believed there was no such thing as "Fate". For, why on earth would it be so cruel to the both of them….both of them, never did a thing that would make them suffer to such an extent.