Ever since she had eaten the hollow, Yukima felt twice as strong. All his energy had become hers. She could leap across a mile of land, up to a height of three hundred feet and send blasts of sound just like the hollow was able to do.

If this was all from one hollow, what would happen if she ate more? She began to hunt down other hollows. Over two years, she had defeated and devoured nine hundred fifty-eight hollows. Why did she need to eat human or shinigami souls when there were plenty of hollow souls out there? Not only were the human souls possibly innocent, but they didn't strengthen her as much. Shinigami were another story, they gave her as much strength as a hollow, but they helped human souls, so they were to be left alone.

She began to wonder what other beings there were. The man in white with the fiery bow was nothing like the shinigami, but he saw her spirit. What was he?

"You there, hollow," a man called from beneath the cliff she looked from. He too wore white clothes and was armed with a fiery bow.

"I've seen your kind before, what are you?" Yukima growled.

"Quincy, I am a destroyer of hollows, such as yourself. And you seem to be a very powerful hollow. I wish to challenge you," he announced.

She burst into laughter, "Challenge me? Well, you don't feel nearly as powerful as any of the hollows I've devoured. You might as well move along."

"So you eat other hollows…interesting, I've never met one like you. But you're a danger to the people, and I won't allow you to continue to exist," he threatened.

"Please, why would I continue to devour human souls when I can have the much more powerful hollow souls?"

"I know you're lying, hollows aren't capable of sort of logic. Though once human souls, you become twisted with evil and will devour any soul you are capable of eating."

"Fine, if you won't believe me, prepare to be my next victim," Yukima growled as she leapt from the cliff. The man aimed his bow and fired the arrow. As it flew toward her, she blasted it with her shriek wave. She landed on the ground where he once stood. She sensed him to the left, as she looked, she saw another arrow coming at her. She moved her head back and avoided the arrow. He kicked off the cliff wall and let another arrow loose. Yukima dodged this one and caught him by the torso. Before she landed, she threw him to the ground. He was knocked out.

She picked him up and prepared to finish him off.

You aren't my mother…the mother I grew up with is gone.

The words of her daughter returned to her. She had become a monster, what hope was left for recovery if she killed this man? She couldn't allow herself to finish him. She lay him by the cliff wall and walked away.

"I see you were telling the truth," the man called as he stood. Yukima looked back, he was holding his side and had put his bow away.

"I saw no reason to kill you, you offer nothing valuable," Yukima muttered.

"Stop trying to sound tough, I'd at least give you a little boost," he smiled.

"You just tried to kill me, now you're being friendly," Yukima noted.

"I mistook you for a threat. I threatened you and you had me defeated, unconscious and you still didn't finish me, you're capable of being honorable. It took me by surprise at first, but now that I see your human side has truly overpowered the evil, I trust that you're no threat to Quincies or humans. My name is Nasu Munetaka," the Quincy stated. She had fought beside this man in her lifetime. He had sent an arrow to an impossible distance to shatter a fan he was challenged by the Taira army to destroy. He too was one of Minamoto Yoshitsune's officers.

"Ha, it makes sense that you'd be a Quincy, at the time I thought you were a fool to stake your life on that shot," Yukima laughed.

"Who are you?" Munetaka muttered, surprised she knew him.

"I was once Yukima, wife of Yoshitada."

"The noble Yukima…now a hollow…however, it makes sense that you now destroy other hollows. Most of your kind has lost their humanity and destroy human souls. In life you put your life on the line only to keep the people safe, now despite all the torment humans have put you through, you destroy your own kind to keep them safe," Munetaka admired, " I will inform all the Quincies in the area of you, you won't be targeted again, at least not by us."

"Thank you."

"Oh, by the way, I'm guessing you're the one responsible for the death of the lady serpent of Hojo. I thought I'd let you know, the family has been trying to pass off another maiden as their daughter. As long as she's still alive to the public, they still have some claim to the throne, it's pathetic. Yet none of the other family members are as ruthless as her. You've spared the country from her tyranny," Munetaka explained gratefully.

Yukima saw a hollow appear behind Munetaka, "Look out!" she warned and ran to stop it. Munetaka rolled and turned toward the hollow as Yukima landed on it and pinned it down. As Munetaka moved away, Yukima began to rip it apart, devouring piece by piece. When she finished, she felt sharp pain all over. She began to grow incredibly large and her skin turned white. From her mask flowed a long cloak that covered her towering figure. Her mask reshaped as the horns smoothed down and her nose went flat. Several spikes popped from her chest and ripped through the robe, forming a circle around the middle of her body.

As she recovered, she looked down at the earth, forty stories below.

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In only three years, Yoshitada completed shinigami training. He was put in the twelfth squad at the request of Urahara and began training with them, learning a method of shunpo fast stepping from Urahara's long time friend, Yoruichi. He quickly made his way to 3rd chair as Sorako reached 5th chair.

Yoshitada had been sent to the lawless districts to keep track of a small gang that had been raiding homes and appeared to be planning something. Urahara chose him because he was much more skilled in sword fighting than the others, even some vice captains. He was accompanied by a squad of seven, including Sorako.

Now's your chance, this group sounds pretty fierce. Kill them all on your own at once and I'll tell you my name.

"Alright," Yoshitada muttered.

"What was that?" Sorako asked as she caught up with him.

"Nothing."

"I see…So Urahara wants us to capture the leader, he's said to be one of the former members of squad six, but got separated from his group of deserters when the pursuing forces attacked the group in the area, the captain believes he's got ties to the vizards who are hiding in the deserts outside soul society. It would be terrible to have to fight one of them, especially since we haven't even reached shikai," Sorako noted.

"If that's the case, take the others and leave, I'll handle them," Yoshitada ordered.

"But you're not ready to handle a vizard, they've attained hollow powers added to their own. Most of them have reached shikai, the others have reached bankai, with just a sword form zanpacto, you can't handle one," Sorako pleaded.

"Skill over power, as long as I can out maneuver him, I can beat him, you and the others barely escaped sword training. Trust me," Yoshitada assured.

"If there happens to be a vizard involved, I'm not going to leave, even if you are ranked above me, that's one order I'll never obey," Sorako vowed.

"You're too stubborn," Yoshitada muttered.

Moments later, they reached the assigned location. The civilians watched the group as they passed by, silencing their conversations and following them with their eyes. Whether they were scared or hopeful, they watched.

"What's going on out here?" a man armed with a nodachi longsword growled as he stepped from a shop.

"Are you one of the red caps?" Yoshitada asked.

"Well, would you happen to be a shinigami?" he smiled, itching his head through his red eboshi hat.

"I'll take that as a confession. You and your gang have caused these people enough trouble, leave at once," Yoshitada ordered.

"And what if we don't?" the man laughed. Before he noticed his move, Yoshitada was right beside him with his sword at his neck.

"You don't have much choice."

"Stand down, shinigami," another man growled as he stepped from inside, followed by five others, "none of you stand a chance against any of us. In fact, I can take you all on my own."

"You must be the leader, is it true what they say? Are you a vizard?"

"Right to the point. Yes, I am former seventh seat of squad six, Kojito Hirazaki. And after I was run out of soul society, I sought shelter from the desert vizards, while I was there, they helped me find and control my inner hollow."

"I don't need all the details, I just need to confirm what I've heard so that I know whether or not to send my subordinates away."

"I respect your urge to protect them, but leaving yourself here with us is foolish."

"I'm sending them away so that I may have you all to myself, so that I can complete my end of a deal with my zanpacto."

"Haha, how brave of you, very well, if you'd like to challenge us all at once, I won't stop you."

"Daichi, please, don't do this, we can help," Sorako pleaded.

"I have to reach shikai so that I can save my wife!" Yoshitada shouted.

"She's a hollow! She's not your wife anymore! She doesn't care about you, next time you see her, she'll try to kill you!" Sorako cried as she hit him.

"I'll take that chance, now leave!" Yoshitada ordered, pushing her off.

"You fool…" she sobbed as she walked away with the others.

"She's got quite a strong attraction to you," Hirazaki laughed.

"Let's get started," Yoshitada growled, pointing his zanpacto at Hirazaki. The rest of the gang charged at Yoshitada.

The first to him swung at his neck. Yoshitada ducked beneath the blow and stabbed through his chest. He ripped the sword back out and let him fall. The others stopped and stared.

"Six more."

Five other gang members ran at him again. He flashed to the one in the front, slashed his chest, flashed to the second, slashed his arm to the bone, to the third, slashed his leg, to the fourth, his stomach, the fifth, nicked his neck. He flashed right back where he started.

"Round two."

The group cautiously stumbled to him. This time, he flashed to the middle of the group and wait for them to notice him. They ran at him from all directions. One to the left leapt at him, one to the right attempted to stab up into his rib cage. Before they reached him, he flashed away. The one in the air landed on the rib-stabber's sword.

I'm tempted to not count that one, but it was quite smooth.

"Five."

The remaining four lackeys ran at him, irritated by his arrogant behavior. As they began their downward slice, he flashed behind them and stabbed the middle one through the heart.

"You're all too careless, on earth, I fought many battles armed only with a bokken, I won every one, you'll need to do better than this, four more left."

As the remaining three turned to him, he pulled the sword out of the one he had just killed and began to use shunpo to weave between them and slash at them. He stopped ten feet away and they all dropped to the ground.

"Very good," Hirazaki congratulated as he took out his sword, "Roar, Ryuhiko," as he called to his zanpacto, it turned into a scythe with a jagged blade and a club-like bottom. Yoshitada wait for him to make the first move.

Hirazaki flashed behind Yoshitada and swung down. Yoshitada flashed behind him and slashed his back. Hirazaki shouted and swung back, this time hitting Yoshitada in the stomach with the club end, sending him flying ten feet away. Before he could land, Hirazaki appeared just above him, slicing down at him. Yoshitada blocked and was thrown to the ground. He jumped to his feet and flashed away from Hirazaki's attack, zipping back behind him, stabbing into his shoulder. He pushed the blade down as Hirazaki reached at him. The sword pushed its way down to the arm pit as Hirazaki whailed in pain.

Yoshitada finished the cut and prepared to block the enemy's next attack. Hirazaki's arm hung limp, severed from blood flow and nerves. Hirazaki finished it off with a quick slash.

"Bankai," Hirazaki growled. The scythe turned into a fiery set of claws and he grew two wings from his back. His body was covered in black armor.

He flew toward Yoshitada and slashed at him, sending a wave of fire. Yoshitada dodged and appeared beneath him, stabbing up into the stomach. Hirazaki crash landed and rolled along the dirt, stopping in the middle of a small shop. He let out an angry roar and the building burst in flames. Hirazaki stepped back out and materialized a hollow mask. As he put it on, his eyes turned black as well as the flames on his claws.

"Stand still!" Hirazaki ordered as he pointed his arm at Yoshitada, "Cero!" instantly a blast of red energy shot from his hand. Yoshitada flashed into a store as the blast tore through the street. He stepped back out and saw Hirazaki doubled over, wheezing.

"That took a lot out of you, didn't it?" Yoshitada noted.

"Shut up and die!" Hirazaki roared and ran at him. As he ran, the mask broke away and the claws turned back into a sword. The wings shriveled away. He fell at Yoshitada's feet, "Damn it…how did I fall to you? You haven't even reached shikai..."

"Skill over power, no matter how much power you put behind you, if you don't have the skill to use it, it's worthless," Yoshitada explained.

"I won't allow myself to die like this…I won't…I'll…" he gasped his last breath and lay limp.

"Daichi…you…you did it!" Sorako stammered as she ran to him. She wrapped her arms around him, "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"It's alright, he was powerful, but he lacked skill. It's understandable that you would doubt my chances," Yoshitada stated as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Has your zanpacto told you its name?" Sorako asked. Yoshitada remembered the deal and held his sword in front of him.

"I defeated them all on my own, all at once, now tell me your name," Yoshitada ordered.

While the master didn't join in the battle initially, you managed to impress me. Very well, my name is Benikami

"Benikami, rise," Yoshitada ordered. Immediately his sword turned into a half black and half white lance. It weighed no more than a normal katana, but was made of a solid metallic material.

"Very good, Yoshitada," Urahara congratulated from the rooftop behind them.

"Captain…I'm sorry I couldn't return with him alive," Yoshitada bowed.

"Actually, I only sent you here to attempt to draw out your zanpacto, I figured that at some point in the fight, you would become so injured that it would tell you its name to save the two of you or you would find it out on your own," Urahara explained, "Now that you're ready, let's begin training for bankai."

Yoshitada's head felt as though it were being ripped open. He fell to the ground, curled in a ball, shouting in pain. He felt something the width of a finger push through his scalp, extending from the top of his head and formed a cloth-like fabric, black on one side and white on the other, forming what looked like an eboshi hat. The hat folded back as the pain stopped. Yoshitada sat up as the pain subsided.

"Daichi, are you alright?" Sorako asked, running to his side.

"Yeah, I'm fine now."

"Well, I hadn't expected this," Urahara muttered, "It appears the memory bug I gave you before you departed for Soul Society has changed shape, it won't effect your memories, but don't let anyone harm it."