Tamashi no Kiri
Chapter 8: Wilderness of the Zanpakuto
The Blade in my hand
Has a Soul of its own
It's as cold as Death
It cries in the Wilderness
Waiting for me to call its Name
Starrk opened his eyes and saw a painted sky. He sat up and saw the sun setting on a desert landscape. He looked around and saw that he was in the middle of a small town made of wooden structures and tents.
"Where am I?" he asked.
He couldn't be sure, but it looked like a town in a film like High Noon or The Magnificent Seven or The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. He looked at himself and saw that he was wearing a pair of jeans tucked into a pair of cowboy boots. He was wearing a white shirt and a brown vest beneath a long tan duster. He picked up the black cowboy hat that was lying on the ground beside him. He got to his feet and saw a sign gently rocking in the dry desert breeze.
He went over to it and read the sign.
"You have got to be kidding me," he whispered.
Written on the sign were two words: LOS LOBOS.
Harribel
She heard the sound of waves and smelled the tang of salt air. She opened her eyes and saw sunlight shining through the palm leaves above her. She sat up and saw that she was wearing a long white dress that seemed to have been made of water. She stood up and looked at the bright blue sky. She noticed that some of the clouds took on the shape of a shark while others took on the shape of a wolf.
"What is this place?" she asked.
The wind and waves seemed to become louder to answer her. She closed her eyes and listened. She was a Harribel. She remembered her time along the coast of the Bone Sea in Hueco Mundo when she was a Hollow. Unlike her brother and sister who spent time learning how to hunt and kill other Hollows, she learned how to listen to the wind and waves. That skill never really left her. Instead, it seemed to have become stronger.
"Where am I?" she asked.
Home, the waves said.
"Which way should I go?" she asked.
Follow, the wind seemed to say.
She nodded and followed the way the wind blew. She could hear the waves saying Tiburón.
Ulquiorra
He was surrounded by mountains. The sky above was like a maelstrom. The swirling black clouds were as dark as the wings he gained when he went into Resurrección. The flashes of bright green light that seemed to break the darkness reminded him of his Lanza del Relámpago. The mountains glowed with an eerie luminescence.
"So this must be the world of Murciélago," he whispered. "I must say, it is rather depressing. Well I suppose I should say 'Hello' to my Zanpakuto," he said and began to move.
Grimmjow
"Great, I was hoping for some place dry and I get a fucking rainforest," Grimmjow snarled.
The lush vegetation around him was damp with moisture from the hot and humid air. He felt his hair stick to his head. His body was covered in sweat. He saw that he was dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a white shirt.
"Why the fuck do I look like I'm on a safari?" he growled. "I should look like some kind of South American warrior; not some fucking tourist."
He looked around. He was glad that no one was around to see him dressed like this, especially Nnoitora. If Nnoitora saw him like this he would never live it down. He sighed and looked at the path ahead of him.
"Alright," he said. "I guess if I want to look cool then I better earn the right to look cool. Come on Pantera, where are you? Here kitty, kitty, kitty. Come out and play, Pantera."
Nnoitora
"Ow, my fucking head," he moaned as he got up. "I swear, if that bitch ruined my pretty face, I'll fucking knock her face in."
He looked around and saw that he was lying in the middle of a road in the middle of nowhere. He looked at the yellow line that divided the black-paved road in two. His eyes narrowed. He was sure that his Zanpakuto would live in something a bit more like a convent or a forest with plenty of leaves. He did not expect to stand in the middle of a desert highway with some kind of bar in the distance complete with motorcycles parked outside.
"Damn, just what kind of Zanpakuto is Santa Teresa?"
Lilynette
She knew the landscape around her well-enough. It had once been her place whenever she slept. The desert sands were like powdered crystal and the rivers were the like ribbons of silver glimmering under the moonlight. The cacti were like emeralds. In the distance, a wolf howled and Lilynette smiled.
"Los Lobatos," she called out. "I'm back."
The wolf howled again and Lilynette ran towards it. She began to wonder how the others would handle seeing their Zanpakuto Spirit for the first time.
Starrk
Starrk walked into the local saloon the way a clichéd cowboy would in the movies. He allowed the batwing doors to swing behind him as he walked with heavy footsteps. He lifted his head and allowed his eyes to roam over the scene.
"Well, I guess that didn't work," he sighed and yawned. "Maybe Los Lobos doesn't like anything too showy like that."
He looked around. He saw that it looked like any cliché saloon from any number of American Western films he saw except for the jukebox against the wall below a series of framed photos. He walked towards it and looked up at the photos and smiled. He saw that it was photos of those whom he called "friends". He saw a photo of Ukitake laughing as Sentaro and Kiyone were having another one of their arguments. Another photo showed Kyoraku raising a sake cup in a salute while Nanao stood behind him shaking her head. There were photos of those whom he got to know at the Academy and in the Soul Society. However, in the center was a photo of him, Lilynette, and Harribel at a beach, smiling. They looked like a family.
He remembered how as an Espada, he dreamed that one day they could smile like that. He believed that even a single moment of being free and happy like that would be enough. Now, just about every moment was like that. He reached out and touched the photo and smiled. He remembered how he and Harribel would sneak away from time-to-time and just look at the moon and talk about their dreams. That photo represented everything that he wanted and he knew that he had it now and he wanted to keep it.
This is what I'm fighting to protect, he thought and looked down. That was when he noticed the message taped to the jukebox. The message was relatively short, but Starrk understood what it meant: "PLAY ME".
"So, Los Lobos loves music," he said and looked at the music selection on the jukebox.
There were a wide variety of music and artists on the jukebox. He saw a few from the band named Los Lobos and a few more by Metallica and even some Beethoven and Wagner. However, he immediately recognized the game. He had played it with Lilynette often where they would try to pick theme songs for themselves and the other would have to guess what it was. He remembered that Lilynette came up with the game after a mission to the World of the Living and she overheard a group of teenagers talking about what their theme songs would be and then they would play it on their cell phones or iPods.
"Alright, Los Lobos, so you picked a theme song for yourself and if I guess correctly, you'll show up," he whispered as he looked over his selection.
He immediately eliminated all of the Los Lobos songs since it was too obvious. He looked at the remaining selections and eliminated all of the non-Country music. He figured that if her world was a town from an American Western film, then it only made sense that her theme would be somewhat Country and yet also have an edge to it. He smiled when he saw that one option that he had in mind was still available. He only saw a couple of episodes of "True Blood" with Harribel and her friends, but the opening song always struck him as rather catchy and he would always find his foot tapping along to it. He pressed the buttons and he watched as the disc was lowered into the player itself. After a moment, "Bad Things" by Jace Everett began playing. He listened to it until as Jace Everett sang the Chorus he heard a female voice sing along behind him.
"I wanna do bad things with you," Jace Everett and Los Lobos sang.
He turned and saw a woman standing in the doorway. She wore a long brown fur cloak that she wore over a tight pair of deerskin shorts that reached to mid-thigh with a thin lining of silver fur at the bottom of the short leggings and a silver fur vest that barely covered her breasts. She wore two gun belts around her waist and knee-high black boots with silver fur trim at the top. Her black hair fell to her shoulders except for her silver bangs that were combed to frame both sides of her face. Her silvery blue eyes sparkled with mischief. Starrk noticed that something was causing her cloak to move from underneath.
"So, you're Los Lobos," he said and sighed.
"That's right," Los Lobos said and smirked as she eyed him up and down. "So, you're Coyote Starrk. You're a lot cuter in person." She licked her lips and her eyes sparkled with an even greater mischief.
"Uh…thanks," he said, not really knowing what to make of his Zanpakuto.
"It's about time you came to visit me. It gets so…lonesome around here," she said and before Starrk could react, she was cuddling right next to him. "Hmm, so warm," she sighed as she slipped off her brown cloak. She pressed herself firmly against him and Starrk backed away a bit.
"Sorry, but…I'm already seeing someone."
Los Lobos looked at him and burst out laughing.
"I know you are, silly. Oh by the gods, you should have seen the look on your face and you turned so red too," she said and grinned. "Can't a Wolf have a little bit of fun every now and again?"
"Well…I guess," Starrk said.
"YOU GUESS?" Los Lobos cried out and hit Starrk on the head.
"Ow, that hurt. Now I know where Lilynette gets her mean-streak from."
"Of course she got it from me," Los Lobos said and sniffed. "Too bad she didn't get my beautiful hair though," she said and ran a finger through her black hair. "Or my beautiful tail," she said.
"Your…tail?" Starrk muttered and then noticed the long silver tail that was swishing back and forth.
"What?" Los Lobos asked, sounding a bit like Rangiku for a moment. Starrk tried to keep from laughing, but failed. "Oh so you find me hilarious now?" Los Lobos asked and one eyebrow began to quirk in frustration.
"Sorry," Starrk said. "It's just that…just that…you reminded me a bit of one of Bel's friends."
"Tch, for your information, I am Los Lobos and not that blonde cow," she said and pointed to the photo of Rangiku who was giving Hitsugaya one of her notorious hugs. She looked at Starrk who was still smiling slightly and Los Lobos shook her head. "So, you came here to master Shikai, right?"
"That's right," Starrk said and looked at the photo of him and Harribel and Lilynette as well as the other photos.
"You know, that wall was empty once," Los Lobos said.
"I know."
"That's why you came here. You want to protect your pack."
"Not just my pack," Starrk said and looked at her. "They're my family now."
Los Lobos smiled at him and the gleam of mischief was in her eyes.
"In that case…let's have some fun."
Harribel
Harribel made her way along the shore. The sea breeze felt good on her face. She closed her eyes and sensed the wind shifting. She opened her eyes and saw a beach house in front of her. It was rather small; little more than a cottage. She made her way towards it and walked up the three wooden steps that led to the wrap-around veranda.
She took a deep breath and opened the door. The sight she saw surprised her, but was not completely unexpected. The scene through the doorway was like an underwater coral reef. She saw brightly colored fish swimming through the coral. Sunlight shone through the surface and seemed to shimmer as it broke in the water. She stepped forward and found that she could easily breathe underwater. She looked behind her and saw that the beach was still there. She smiled as she moved forward.
She saw that it wasn't just a coral reef down here. She saw forests and mountains and deserts surround her, but all had that same underwater glow to them. She saw birds fly high above and once she saw a wolf stop and look at her. When she looked into the wolf's eyes she thought she saw Starrk staring back at her. The wolf made its way towards her and then rubbed itself against her legs. She bent and stroked the wolf's soft silver fur.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
She rose and turned. Her jaw dropped at the figure standing beside her. He was tall and muscular. His skin seemed to glow like bronze. His long sea-blue hair was streaked with strands of sea-green that seemed to shimmer as it fell in waves to his broad shoulders. He wore a necklace made of sea shells and shark teeth. He wore a long silvery-grey cloak that was like the skin of a shark. He wore a skirt made of sea weed with shells for decoration. He wore a crown that seemed to be made of coral and pearls. Hanging at his side was a conch.
"You're Tiburón," Harribel said.
"And you are Tia Harribel," he said and looked at her with his eyes that seemed to hold all of the various colors of the ocean and danced like waves. However, there was nothing joyous about him. He was the type who was solemn and could become as dangerous as an ocean storm. "You are here to achieve Shikai."
"That's right," she said and bowed.
"Why do you bow?"
"I was told that it is how to show respect."
"It is the sign of servitude. To master Shikai, you must first master your sword. Are you the sword and I the master?"
"No," Harribel said and looked at him. "However, the master must also show respect to their blade. Otherwise, how will they trust each other in battle?"
Tiburón looked at her and nodded his head.
"It is alright to show respect sometimes. However, you are the master. At least, that's how you think it should go. But can one truly master the sea? Can one truly master the Shark? A Wolf can be tamed," he said and looked at the wolf by Harribel's side. "But a Shark must never become tame otherwise they die."
"Are you saying that my love for Starrk is killing me?"
"I'm saying that your love for the Wolf is holding you back from reaching your true strength."
"On the contrary," Harribel said, becoming angry. "My love for the Wolf is making me want to become stronger."
Tiburón looked at her and nodded again.
"A Shark is stubborn, but for a Shark to show loyalty is unheard of. A Shark is ruthless because the world it lives in is ruthless."
"You mistake me for my brother and sister. I am not like them. A Shark must keep on swimming to survive. In that regard, a Shark shows perseverance and strength. That's the type of Shark I am."
"We'll see."
Ulquiorra
He saw the pale luminescent glow ahead. His eyes grew wide as he remembered the first time he saw that glow. It was how he became an Arrancar. It was the traditional way for a Hollow who was ready to become an Arrancar to tear their mask in some way and the way that was considered the most sacred was by using any of the Crystalline Groves.
"I know this place," he muttered. "This is where I became an Arrancar."
"That is correct," a soft, mournful voice said.
He turned and saw her. She was extremely slender and her extremely pale skin had green markings that flowed from under her eyes like tears and continued to her breasts where they branched out like roots. Her long hair was as black as a raven's wing. She wore a long, shimmering, low cut black gown that seemed to be made of storm clouds with silver embroidery. Her emerald green eyes had golden slit pupils and seemed to shimmer with the light of an approaching storm. He then saw that while she mostly looked like a young woman, her feet resembled those of a bat and from behind her was a pair of large bat wings that looked like storm clouds and he could see flashes of blue lightning flowing through them.
"Am I to understand that I'm in the High North?" Ulquiorra asked. "I remember being sent there by my father and I came across a Crystalline Grove, but I never remembered how to get back there."
"You worry too much about the past," Murciélago said, "and not enough about the present, Ulquiorra Schiffer. Your House Words should have been more than adequate to tell you what is truly important in mastering your Zanpakuto."
"Bring the Storm," Ulquiorra said. "I do not understand. What do my House Words have to do with anything?"
"What does it mean by 'Bring the Storm' or have you forgotten?"
Ulquiorra thought back to what his father told him about the Schiffer Words. He remembered his father told him that it was both a challenge and a promise. However, he couldn't remember what it all meant.
"I cannot recall," Ulquiorra said.
"Then you do not know yourself," Murciélago said. "I cannot serve someone who does not know who they are. You always identified yourself as Ulquiorra Schiffer, but you do not understand what it truly means to be Ulquiorra Schiffer."
"And you do?" Ulquiorra asked.
"Apparently I know you better than you know yourself."
"Then help me find my true self," Ulquiorra said. "I want to know who I truly am."
Murciélago looked at him and then jumped from the cliff top where she stood. As she beat her wings, a strong wind like a storm seemed to flow from them. When she landed, her taloned feet dug into the dirt. A storm surrounded him as her wings seemed to enclose him.
"I will do as you ask," Murciélago said. "But if you do not find your true self, then you will be destroyed. I have no use for anyone who is unable to wield me because they cannot wield themselves first."
Grimmjow
"Oh, and if you look over here," Grimmjow said. "You'll see more trees. Alright folks, fucking tour's over. All there is out here are a bunch of trees and flowers that'll sting you if you're not closer. Shit, this sucks," he moaned and sat down. "Like all of the other fucking trips I took to a rainforest. HEY PANTERA, I'M A FIGHTER NOT SOME TREE-HUGGER!"
From somewhere, a parrot shrieked and Grimmjow growled.
"I wasn't asking for your opinion. Shit, shouldn't there be some ruins full of traps or something like that? If I'm gonna be dressed like this," he said and pulled his extremely damp away from his body. "I want to at least play Indiana Jones. Or better yet…CHANGE THIS TO A FUCKING WET T-SHIRT CONTEST!"
"Nnoitora," a parrot from one of the trees said and fell silent.
"I DARE YA TO SAY THAT TO ME!" Grimmjow yelled at the parrot. "Shit, I must be going crazy if I'm starting to talk to a fucking parrot."
The parrot looked at Grimmjow and then flew to him and landed on his shoulder.
"Great, now I'm a fucking pirate."
"Left," the parrot said.
"Huh?"
"Left."
"Are you…giving me directions?"
"Left, dumbass."
"Alright, I heard ya the first time," Grimmjow said too shocked to let a parrot calling him a "dumbass" bother him.
He looked and saw the trail on his left. He sighed and followed the directions that the bird gave. He didn't know how long he had been walking before he reached the clearing and his eyes became wide. Ahead of him was a tall Aztec pyramid that was covered in vines. He looked at the path before him and saw that it was a long road lined with stone statues of panthers.
"Now this is more like it," Grimmjow said and grinned. He was obviously not thinking of the horror novel The Ruins or the film that was made from it. He was thinking more of the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark. "Treasure, here I come," he said and began to rush forward.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Grimm-Kitty?"
"Okay, who…called…me…GRIMM-KITTY?"
"Over here, dumbass."
He turned and saw the parrot perched on a branch.
"My Zanpakuto…is a frickin' parrot?" Grimmjow asked confused.
"Oops, forgot to change," the parrot said.
Suddenly a glow surrounded the parrot. Grimmjow had to cover his eyes in order to handle the brightness that only grew until it took on a human aspect. The glow brightened for a final time and then dimmed. When Grimmjow looked again he was absolutely astonished at what he saw. Crouching in the branch where the parrot was perched was a slender female. She jumped down and landed as gracefully as a cat. When she stood up, Grimmjow just about had a nosebleed.
Even though she was slender, her muscles were well-toned. She wore a pair of tight white-leather pants that went down to her knees that had red flames embroidered on the sides from the hem to the top of the thighs. Her pants were tucked into a pair of knee-high white boots that were also decorated with a red flame design that came up from the heel to the top of the boots. She also wore a short, white sleeveless vest with green trim and white fur at the collar that brought attention to her torso's curves. She wore long white fingerless gloves that reached to her elbows. Her turquoise hair was extremely short and stuck out all over the place. Her brilliant green eyes sparkled with mischief and a desire to destroy. Grimmjow was not at all surprised to see a long white tail twitching behind her.
"There, that's much better," she said and bared her cat-like teeth at him. "Welcome to my world, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."
"Now you're more of what I was expecting," Grimmjow said and gave his signature smile.
"Is that so?" Pantera asked and she licked her lips. "Well, let's get this party started."
Nnoitora
"Damn, my Zanpakuto must have good taste," Nnoitora said as he examined the motorcycles parked outside of the bar. "HOLY SHIT! Is that a Triumph TR5 Trophy?"
Nnoitora reached out and touched the type of motorcycle that the Fonz and James Dean rode. His eyes went wide when he saw that parked next to the Triumph TR5 Trophy was a Triumph 6T Thunderbird, the type of motorcycle that Marlon Brando rode in the film The Wild One.
"Damn, and a wide variety of Harley-Davidson and even Suzuki," Nnoitora moaned in pleasure. Motorcycles were the only thing about the World of the Living that he actually liked. For him, they represented everything that he was about: not taking shit from anyone.
"This wasn't at all what I was expecting."
"What were you expecting? A fucking convent in the mountain or perhaps you would prefer a fucking forest with Bambi and Thumper and all that happy crappy?"
Nnoitora turned and his eyes widened in surprise. Standing beside a Harley-Davidson 2004 Heritage was a woman who was rather on the small side. She wore black leather shorts under a pair of brown leather riding chaps that went down to the tops of her black leather kinky boots that were decorated with red flames. She wore a thick black leather belt with a silver buckle that was made to look like a grinning skull. She wore an unbuttoned short black leather vest over a white tank top and a black leather choke collar around her neck with metal spikes. She wore a black leather cap with a silver skull on the front. Nnoitora noticed that while her hair on the right side of her head was black and short, the hair on the left was longer and dyed a bright red and it hung down to cover her left eye.
"You gotta be fucking kidding," Nnoitora said. "Santa Teresa is a…BIKER CHICK!"
"Were you expecting me to be Mother fucking Teresa? Tch…that's so typical of you. But listen up. You're in my world now. And here, you're my bitch, Bitch."
"Is that right?"
"That's right. Or do you have a problem with listening to me? I guess the only way to make sure you pay attention to me is to…KICK YOUR ASS!" she shouted and rushed at him.
Starrk
"Alright, so what do I have to do?" Starrk asked.
"That's easy," Los Lobos said. "You have to catch me."
"What?"
"You heard me. You have to catch me and you only have an hour to do it."
"What happens if I don't?"
"Then you lose, duh."
"I hope that the penalty for losing isn't the same as Kyoraku's Zanpakuto."
"Yeah…that wasn't very fun. I had to recreate this world from scratch when I woke up. But…playing a game of Chase the Devil is fun. Sogyo no Kotowari taught it to me and we love playing it here. It's about time you played it as well."
"So you're doing this just for fun?"
"Well duh…what other reason is there?"
Starrk noticed the gleam in her eyes and knew that Los Lobos was playing with him. He had only played Chase the Devil a couple of times with Lilynette, but he knew the basics. Los Lobos would run from him while he gave chase. He sighed and rubbed his head.
"I suppose," Starrk said. "But I was expecting something like a contest to see who could draw their gun the fastest or something like that."
Los Lobos smiled.
"Come on, Starrk. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. And I wanna play."
"I guess," Starrk said and sighed.
"Good, now before we begin, let's put some music on. That should make the time go faster."
"Are you insane?"
"Nope, I'm just mischievous. Now, let's see," she said and turned to the jukebox. "I think that 'I Chase the Devil' by Max Romeo should do."
"And here I thought you would do a Country song."
"Nah, I don't really like Country. Although, I do make exceptions for those that are a bit down and dirty like 'Bad Things'. Now then, here are the rules. First, you must find me and grab me within a one hour time limit. Second, the area that we play is the limits of this lovely little town and the surrounding hillside. Now then, let's get started," she said and pushed the button.
As the Caribbean sounds of Max Romeo filled the saloon, Los Lobos became a large silver and brown wolf and rushed off. Starrk sighed and gave chase.
Harribel
Tiburón looked at Harribel and his eyes narrowed. He turned and began to walk away.
"Follow me," he said.
"Where are we going?"
"To the place where you must prove you're worthy to wield me. Some Zanpakuto are more willing to accept their masters than others. Los Lobos believes that achieving Shikai is nothing more than a game and so she treats it as such. But I am not Los Lobos. I am Tiburón and like the Shark, I must see if you're capable of surviving on your own."
"I AM!" Harribel roared.
"Then why did you die? Why did you let Aizen cut you down?"
"I…I…"
"You don't know, but I do. Because like most creatures, the Shark cannot stand being alone. Most types of sharks live in a community, but they must also know how to survive on their own. Sometimes, that requires sacrifice."
"I know about sacrifice," Harribel said. "My main soul died in childbirth and so I was born into Hueco Mundo without a womb. When I first met Starrk, he had divided himself into two souls in order to escape Loneliness, but then he had to exile himself when his Reiatsu levels became too much for our comrades to handle. When I met Aizen, he saved me from being attack by the younger Tiburón brother and so I followed him out of gratitude and in hopes of being able to protect my comrades. Then he betrayed us all. We died in his service and he just spat on our graves. That is what sacrifice is."
"You think you know sacrifice," Tiburón said and shook his head. "Sacrifice is doing what we have to do in order to serve the greater good. Sometimes, the greater good only proves to be the greater evil. Sacrifice is blind and is often pointless. It's time for you to end sacrificing yourself. That's the only way for you to earn my service."
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"You'll see."
Harribel sighed and continued to follow him. She began to notice that it was becoming more difficult to breathe and she could now feel the pressure building around her. She looked to her side and saw that the wolf was still following her, but now the wolf was beginning to show signs of the building pressure.
"Go," she said. "You must leave or you'll die."
But the wolf did not leave. Instead, the wolf only continued to follow her deeper into the growing darkness around them. Tiburón stopped and looked at her.
"Do you understand?"
Harribel looked and saw that the wolf was in pain. Her heart began to ache. She stopped and tried to make the wolf leave her, but it refused to leave her side. Tears began to flow from her eyes and she embraced the wolf. The feel of its soft fur was a comfort and its warm tongue on her face felt like the caresses that Starrk would give her. She knew what this was. The memory of Starrk falling filled her mind.
"I caused his death," she moaned. "I caused him to die. He…he said that he did not wish to fight, but when he heard that I was going, he…he followed me."
"That's right. Love requires sacrifice and you both died because of it. Love is for fools."
"No," Harribel said. "Love is for the strong. It requires such strength to be willing to sacrifice everything for the one you love."
"Then what are you willing to do for the one you love?"
"I am willing to swim through blood and fire for him. I am a Harribel and our Words are 'Through Blood and Fire'. It means that we're willing to go through anything to get what we want and I want to be with Starrk more than anything else."
"Then you will have to prove it."
They continued deeper into the darkness. The sunlight was now completely gone and all around them was a crushing weight as the water built up around them. Harribel found that she was beginning to struggle to walk and was forced to her knees. The wolf whimpered and Harribel wrapped herself around it. Tiburón only continued to walk as though this was perfectly normal for him. She moved as best she could and then she saw a faint glow coming from somewhere ahead.
She strained to see what it was and she gasped. Before her were the ruins of a once great city. In the middle was a great Temple and lying in the great courtyard was a submarine that looked be from the Imperial German Navy. She could barely make out the U-29 on the side. She wondered how a World War 1 German U-Boat ended up down here and decided that it didn't really matter. She followed Tiburón to the steps and walked up them to the open doors. A pale luminescent glow filled the doorway and the windows and she became afraid.
"You must enter."
"What will I find in there?"
"Blood and fire."
Harribel nodded. She stepped into the doorway and looked to the side where she saw a pale-faced man dressed in an old-fashioned diving suit lying in the doorway. His eyes were completely black and a look of horror filled his face. Harribel looked forward and sighed as she walked into that damnable light.
Ulquiorra
"So all I have to do is go in there?" Ulquiorra asked and he looked at Murciélago.
"That is correct," Murciélago said. "When you are inside, you will be shown what you need to see. If you wish to wield me, then you must show that you understand what it means to 'Bring the Storm.'"
"What happens if I do not?"
"Then you will be lost," Murciélago said.
"You sound as if you do not really care what happens to me."
"I do not. No matter what the results are, the same thing happens in the End. We all return to the Golden River."
"What is this Golden River?"
"It is the source of all Spiritual Energy. It is the notes of the Three Songs. It is the thread that the Loom uses to weave all things into existence. It is the thing from which all things flow and to which all things return to be renewed. When you died, it was where you went to await your rebirth into the Soul Society. You know it as the 'In-Between.' It goes by other names. Jung called it the 'Universal Sub-Conscious' and Christians call it 'Heaven' and Buddhists and Hindus call it 'Nirvana'. John Milton called it 'His dark materials'.
"However, you wish to know how to achieve Shikai. The answer is from Milton. 'So farewell hope, and with hope farewell fear.'"
Ulquiorra thought about it and then nodded. He remembered believing that Nihility was absolute happiness since when you had nothing you had nothing to lose. However, meeting Orihime made him think differently. He sighed. If he was to understand who he truly was, then he would have to face whatever the Crystalline Grove showed him. He allowed himself to sink into that abyss.
Grimmjow
"So, you're telling me that I have to go in there and fetch Pantera?"
"That's right," Pantera said and nodded.
"Tch…you're right here. Shouldn't I be fighting you or something like that?"
"Aw, where's the fun with that? Besides, you said you wanted to play Indiana Jones and this temple is specially designed to fulfill your Indiana Jones fantasies."
"Does that include a beautiful woman for me to kiss at the end?"
"Of course it does. I should warn you that if you try to kiss her before the end she'll turn into a snake and bite your head off."
"Lovely," Grimmjow said. "Hey…where's the hat? I can't be Indiana Jones without the hat?"
"I got it right here," Pantera said and held out Indiana Jones's hat to him. "And you even get the whip too. But I want the whip back. That way I can play a little game with Senbonzakura."
"Who's Senbonzakura?"
"Captain Kuchiki's Zanpakuto," Pantera said and grinned. "Come on, you were the former sixth Espada and Kuchiki's the Captain of Squad Six. It only makes sense that Senbonzakura and I get together."
"I don't even want to know," Grimmjow said as he put the hat on. "Can I at least take some treasure with me?"
"Nope. The rule is that you go in and retrieve Pantera. If you touch anything else, you will meet with a horrible death."
"But that's the thing. If you're Pantera, then how could Pantera also be in there?"
"Just shut up and get going," Pantera said. "Oh…I forgot to tell you. If you're not out in one hour, I'm blowing the whole place up. Have fun."
"Wait a minute. WHAT WAS THAT LAST PART?"
However, Pantera was gone and Grimmjow sighed.
"Damn, I can't believe that I actually have to do this," he said and he raced up the steps.
Nnoitora
"ARE YOU INSANE?" Nnoitora shouted as he dodged another attack from Santa Teresa.
"No…I'm just fucking PISSED OFF!" Santa Teresa yelled as she launched herself again.
"What for?"
"For you being an asshole. You don't listen to me when I'm trying to help you. You don't appreciate me. You think that I'm nothing more than a weapon for you to use. In short…I fucking hate you."
"Whoa, hold on," Nnoitora said. "Don't I at least get a weapon?"
"What's wrong with fighting hand-to-hand? Oh wait. That's right. You're a guy. Guys like playing with their swords."
"Bow-chicka-wow-wow."
"Shut up. You're so crude. No wonder why none of the women wanted you."
"What are you talking about? I'm the chick magnet of Hueco Mundo."
"No you're not. You're nothing more than a chauvinistic asshole and I'm gonna kick your ass."
"I'd like to see ya try, Bitch."
"Honestly, I swear that you men never listen to us. I already made it clear that this is my world and here you're my bitch, Bitch. So you better bend over and spread those cheeks 'cause I'm gonna fuck you up royally."
"With what?"
"With this," Santa Teresa said and grabbed one of the motorcycles with a single hand. When she raised it, it became the crescent-bladed halberd he remembered using as an Espada.
"How the…?"
"Go ahead and pick your weapon, Bitch," Santa Teresa said and gestured to the motorcycles.
"Oh…I get it," Nnoitora said and smirked. "This is your way of showing that I ain't that strong. Well guess what. I'm the strongest, and I'm gonna prove it."
He looked at the motorcycles and tried to pick one up with a single hand. However the bike wouldn't move. He looked at it from the corner of his eye and frowned. He tried again, but the bike still wouldn't move.
"What's the matter? I thought you said that you were the strongest."
"Damn it, just shut up already," Nnoitora hissed and he tried again using both hands, but the bike still wouldn't budge. "THIS AIN'T FAIR!" he shouted and kicked the bike.
"Hey, watch the paint job. If you damaged it, you're paying for the repairs."
"SHUT UP!" Nnoitora yelled. "You said that this is your world, right?"
"Wow, you actually remembered something I said," Santa Teresa said as she rolled her eyes.
"That means that you can control what happens in it."
"Well duh. A five year old would have figured that out a long time ago."
"Then you're making sure that I don't get a weapon. YOU'RE CHEATING!"
"I knew you were a bitch, but I didn't think you were such a whiney li'l bitch. Damn it, Nnoitora. I'm not the one who's cheating. You're the one who's cheating."
"What are you talking about?"
"You always yell out how you're the strongest when it's clear that you're not. You were killed by that Kenpachi guy who's just as arrogant as you. Strength is not just about standing and fighting. Strength is also being willing to bend the knee to someone who's worthy."
"That's not strength. THAT'S WEAKNESS!"
"Only an idiot would think that bending the knee is always a sign of weakness. Do you want to know something? When we Zanpakuto talk about our masters I always tell them that you're the best and the worst of them. I admit that sometimes I'm jealous of Los Lobos and Tiburón because their masters actually listen to them. You're the worst because you don't. You treat me like a tool for you to use and not as an extension of yourself. However, you're the best because you have pride. But your pride has become arrogance and I must take you down a few pegs.
"If you really want to fight me then admit to yourself and to me that you're nothing without me."
"I won't."
"Then I guess I have no other option," Santa Teresa sighed and then launched herself at him. "I'M GONNA HAVE TO KICK YOUR ASS!"
Starrk
He followed the wolf's howl, but it seemed as though it moved to a different location. He tried to use Sonído one time and found that he couldn't. Los Lobos was not going to make this easy for him. He heard a wolf howling and he began to head in that direction, but then ten minutes later, it came from a completely different direction. Starrk stopped and shook his head.
"No, their different wolves," he said. "None of them are her. She's using the wolves are decoys."
He sighed and looked around him. That was when he realized that there was something familiar about the surrounding hillside. He examined it, trying to remember where he had seen them before. He looked at the sky and imagined it completely black with only a crescent moon giving light. Then he realized what was so familiar about it.
"Of course," he said. "They build their worlds on our memories."
He began to run. He knew where to find Los Lobos and if he was right then she would not try to run. This wasn't Chase the Devil, it was Hide and Seek.
"She knew I would figure it out," he said. "Although, I must say it was rather dirty of her."
Harribel
She felt something lick her face. She opened her eyes and saw the wolf licking her face.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked.
The wolf only gave a short bark before licking her face again. She rubbed the wolf's fur and stood up. She recognized it as Karakura Town. She began to wonder why she was here. She looked up and saw the sky open and Aizen step out with Gin and Kaname on either side of him. She gasped.
"This is…no…it can't be."
"I see that we made it on time," Captain-Commander Yamamoto said.
"Why would you say something like that?" Aizen asked. "I know perfectly well this isn't the real Karakura Town. This may come as a surprise to you, but that doesn't really matter to me. Starrk, Baraggan, Harribel, come forth."
She watched as the battle unfolded. She watched as Sung-Sun, Apacci, and Mila Rose fought Rangiku while she fought Captain Hitsugaya. It was odd seeing the battle as an observer.
"No, I must…I must stop this. If there's some way to stop it, then…"
Then the world became covered in fire and filled with blood, but the battle continued. She watched in horror as her comrades ripped off their left arms to create Ayon. She watched as Ayon was destroyed by Yamamoto and then her comrades tried to attack him.
"NO! APACCI, MILA ROSE, SUNG-SUN, DON'T!" she cried out. She tried to reach them, but the sea of blood and fire stood in her way. She tried to push forward, but the more she tried, the hotter and more intense it became until it became unbearable.
"I thought you said that you would swim through blood and fire for those you love," Tiburón's voice said.
"I tried," Harribel whispered as she watched her comrades burned by the flames of Ryujin Jakka.
"Trying is not the same as doing."
"I…I know," Harribel said.
She looked up and saw Starrk fighting Kyoraku. She knew what was going to happen. She made her way forward. The blood and fire became hotter, but she was not going to fail. She would swim through this sea of fire and blood. She watched as Kyoraku cut Starrk across the chest. Tears came to her eyes as she watched Starrk fall. The pain became intense for her and she felt something cold and wet nuzzle her hand. She looked down and saw the wolf next to her.
"I know what I have to do," Harribel said. "I can't change the past. But I can do what I wanted to do then."
She moved forward until she stood where Starrk lay dying on the ground. She looked around and found herself surrounded by flames, but she could not feel the pain anymore. She brought all of her focus on Starrk. He opened his eyes and smiled.
"Bel…is…is that you?"
"It's me," Harribel said. "Starrk, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't decided to go with Aizen, then…then you wouldn't have died."
"It's not your fault," Starrk said and smiled as he caressed her cheek. "It's no one's fault. These things just happen. I…I love you Bel."
"I love you, Starrk," she said and then the vision was gone. Only fire and blood remained.
Ulquiorra
Ulquiorra opened his eyes. He was standing in the midst of a great hall of marble. A grand staircase stood before him and hanging on the wall on the landing was the banner of House Schiffer. A pale female with black bat wings stood wreathed in flames of dark green and holding a lance the same color as one of his Lanza del Relámpago on a grey field.
"I know this place. This is the Court of House Schiffer."
"Ulquiorra," a far distant voice said. He turned and saw him as a Vasto Lorde standing in the dessert. His face was fully masked, but even then he had those green markings under his eyes. He realized that he was looking at himself. "Bring the Storm."
"I do not understand."
"Is that so?"
He turned around and saw a sever looking man with his mask remnant in the form of a shikoro, the series of plates at the back of a Samurai's helmet, that seemed to grow out from the back of his head.
"Father, is that you?" Ulquiorra asked.
"What did I tell you about our Words? Are you a Schiffer or not? We bring the storm and we challenge anyone to bring the storm to us."
"I know that, but I…"
"Ulquiorra-kun!"
He turned and saw Orihime standing in front of him.
"No. Do not call me that," he said. "I…I am not really human. Do not address me as you would a human," Ulquiorra muttered.
"But you're a Soul Reaper now," Orihime said and reached out to him.
Ulquiorra held out his hand and before they could touch, Orihime began to turn to dust. Ulquiorra reached out to her, but he couldn't reach her before she turned to ashes to be blown away in the wind. He didn't understand what was going on. He turned and saw his father fade away into dust. He then looked at himself. He watched in horror as the Vasto Lorde standing before him raised one clawed hand and then brought it digging into his chest. Ulquiorra watched as the Vasto Lorde's exterior skin shattered and he saw that there was nothing underneath.
"Do you even know who you are?"
He turned and saw Ichigo Kurosaki leaning against the wall. He saw that he had on a white mask with red stripes that matched his own markings when he was in Resurrección Segunda Etapa. Ichigo removed the mask, but the face was not the same as Ichigo's. It was completely white except for the pale blue lips and black teeth. One eye was Ichigo's normal brown while the other was black and yellow.
"Do you even know who you are?" Ichigo asked in his two voices.
"I am Ulquiorra Schiffer."
"I didn't ask for your name. I asked if you knew who you are."
"I told you."
"You told me nothing," Ichigo said and plunged his hand into Ulquiorra's chest where his hollow hole used to be. "Does this help?"
"No…my heart…" Ulquiorra muttered.
"What is a heart?" Ichigo asked. "If I were to rip open your chest, would I see it? If I cracked open your skull, would I see it? What is the heart? What is the soul? Who are you?"
"I bring the storm," Ulquiorra gasped.
"Do you even know what that means? How could you understand what it means to be full if you continue seeing yourself as empty?"
Ulquiorra looked into Ichigo's eyes.
"What are you talking about?"
"You love Orihime, but she doesn't love you. She loves me and I'm gonna make her mine. You won't be allowed anywhere near her. Do you understand?"
"You lie," Ulquiorra said. "Orihime will never be yours."
"She will. She will because she loves me and hates you. She blames you for what's happening to me."
"No," Ulquiorra moaned.
"Why should you care? I thought you believed that true happiness is having nothing because then you can lose nothing. Or are you beginning to think differently?"
"Bring the Storm," the voice of Murciélago said.
Ulquiorra tried to understand even as Ichigo wrapped his hand around his throat and began to squeeze.
Grimmjow
"HOLY SHIT!" he screamed as the giant boulder chased him. However, this was not a scream of fear, but of excitement. Grimmjow was having a good time dodging all of the traps that Pantera laid out for him. "THIS IS FUN!" he yelled as he jumped over another deep pit. The boulder kept coming at him.
He rushed down a corridor and began to dodge the poisoned darts that were being shot at him by whatever mechanism was being used. He didn't care how the traps worked. He only cared that they were there. They added a level of excitement for him and a much needed rush. For him, no treasure hunt was complete without a few good old fashioned booby-traps. And he was glad that Pantera went all-out. He had to face pits filled with snakes and pits that fell to nowhere. He had to outrun boulders and dodge logs covered in extremely sharp spikes that came out of nowhere. He had to watch his step or risk falling through the floor into an endless free-fall.
Plus, the time limit added a factor of excitement. He only had one hour before Pantera blew the whole thing up and he didn't know how long he had. That level of uncertainty only added to the level of fun he had. All that was missing was fighting Ichigo Kurosaki and Kenpachi Zaraki to the death at the same time. That would only add to the fun factor of this training.
He dodged just as a large pile of heavy stones fell from the ceiling and crashed behind him. He had to hand it to the girl. Pantera knew how to make things interesting. He stopped when he saw something shining out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw a doorway that was filled with a golden light. He smiled as he stepped forward.
"Alright, Pantera, I guess this is the place. Now, let's see what you have to offer. And you better have included Ichigo and Kenpachi. I want to fight them."
He stepped through the doorway and his eyes went so wide that they would have fallen out of his eyes. The large room was completely filled with gold. He couldn't be sure, but he thought that this room must be the size of ten American football fields at the very least. There, in the center, he saw a sword and he recognized it.
"Pantera," he whispered as he ran forward. He ran until he got closer and saw two figures standing in his path. "Oh please…let it be…"
Then a brilliant spotlight shone on them and Grimmjow nearly leapt with joy.
"FUCKING A!" he screamed and grinned.
Kenpachi and Ichigo smiled back at him as they drew their swords.
Nnoitora
"SHIT!" Nnoitora yelled as he went flying through the bar window…for the tenth time. Each time he crashed through, the glass would repair itself and Santa Teresa would be standing on whatever side ready to kill him.
"Have you had enough?"
"Not quite yet, Bitch."
"You're such an idiot," Santa Teresa said. "I try to be nice and give you an opportunity to surrender and you don't even take it. Oh well that's good for me. It just means I get to kick your ass some more," she said and swung the halberd at him.
Nnoitora dodged and rushed out into the street, but once again, Santa Teresa was already there.
"Shit," Nnoitora moaned and ducked as the crescent blades sliced the air where his head was moments ago.
"Well, at least you didn't ask me how I got here. Maybe that means the message is sinking into your thick skull and into your tiny brain."
"DAMN IT!" Nnoitora screamed and tried to pick up one of the motorcycles.
"Then again…maybe not," she moaned. "God, why do men have to be so stubborn? Don't they know that the woman is always right?"
"SHUT UP, PSYCHO BITCH!"
"Whatever," Santa Teresa said and launched herself at Nnoitora.
"DAMN IT!" Nnoitora screamed as he felt himself go flying backwards. He crashed through the glass window…again. He didn't even try to get up this time. "Damn it, Santa Teresa, you're worse than Kenpachi ever was."
"Damn right," Santa Teresa said as she pointed the crescent blade at his neck.
"Kill me," Nnoitora said.
"Why should I? Are you going to betray me like you did Nelliel if I don't? What good would that do? Would you cut off a perfectly good arm for no real reason? Would you be so willing to lame yourself by throwing aside your own weapon? I'm not that stupid, Nnoitora. My aim is to show that you need me as much as I need you. A sword is useless without a hand to wield it and you are useless without me to empower you. That's the way all Zanpakuto Spirits and their Masters are. They need each other and they need to be strengthened by training. And the first step to mastering a Zanpakuto is mastering the self. That's the way it's always been."
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't you ever listen, Nnoitora? Or would you rather just brag about how strong and great you are? If you want to achieve Shikai then you must know yourself and your Zanpakuto. The two are not wholly exclusive. Now tell me, what do you hate most in the world?"
Starrk
"I knew you would figure it out," Los Lobos said as Starrk approached her.
"You built this world based on my memories," Starrk said as he sat next to her. Behind them, the sun was sinking while ahead of them the sky was completely dark except for a lonely crescent moon hanging in the sky above.
"That's right."
"It wasn't a game of Chase the Devil. It was Hide and Seek."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, but you know how Coyotes can be."
"I thought you were a Wolf."
"We're both. However, I knew that if I told you it was a game of Hide and Seek, you would know where to find me."
"Why here?"
"This is where you and Harribel liked to go whenever you needed to get away. I wanted you to find me."
"Then why try to trick me?"
"I couldn't make it too obvious. We Zanpakuto have rules when it comes to our relations with our masters and one of them is that we have to provide a challenge for them in order for them to strengthen themselves."
"I don't see how a game of Hide and Seek could strengthen me."
"You learned to avoid my decoys. The only way that you could have done that is if you truly heard my call. When a Soul Reaper achieves Shikai, it means that they have learned their Zanpakuto's voice and calling. In exchange, we give them our release command and our name."
"But I already know that about you. The release command is 'Kick About' and your name is 'Los Lobos.'"
"You may have 'known' it before, but before we confirm it the command wouldn't have worked. Grimmjow and Nnoitora learned that the hard way. They mistook their swords for tools. Lilynette mastered her Los Lobatos quickly because she was one of us and she remembered what it was like being the equivalent of a Zanpakuto Spirit."
"I see. That's why I could recognize your voice. It's because I know Lilynette's voice."
"Bingo," Los Lobos said and smiled. "My name is Los Lobos and my command is Kick About. When you call me, I will come in this form." She reached into the holsters that hung beside her and brought out two ornate silver pistols that were shaped to look like wolves. The muzzles were the wolves' gaping mouths and their chambers were where the wolves' stomachs were. "With these, you can fire Kido as well as Cero and Bala."
"I thought that we…"
"There are many mysteries in the universe, Coyote Starrk, and one of them is what happens to an Arrancar when they die. Now, I must be going. The pack will be wondering where I am. Goodbye for now, Starrk. I'm sure we'll see each other again."
Starrk stood up and looked at her.
"Wait, why did you go easy on me?"
Los Lobos stopped and looked back at him and grinned.
"Lilynette was right about you. You would figure it out quickly. If you must know, I only went easy on you because we have the same goals. We both want to protect those we love. When the Zanpakuto and their master have the same goals, they do whatever it takes to get them to the point where they can achieve. It makes their ability to work together a whole lot easier. However, just because I went easy on you now don't mean I will when we meet again."
"When will that be?"
"When you are ready for Bankai," she said. "You're not there yet, but you will be. When you are…" she chuckled as she walked away. Starrk looked down at the two ornate pistols in his hand. He looked up at the crescent moon and smiled as he saw the stars coming out.
Harribel
She swam through blood and fire. She didn't know where she was going, but she only knew that she had to. She had to find Apacci and Mila Rose and Sung-Sun to tell them that she was sorry for failing them. She had to find Starrk to give him the farewell kiss she always meant to give him when she saw him fall.
Why? They're alive. They're Soul Reapers now.
I know, but I have to. Seeing what happened only makes me want to do it more.
Bel, why are you so focused on the past and not the present?
She stopped swimming. Why was she so focused on the past? She remembered that as an Espada her aspect of Death was Sacrifice. So why couldn't she let go of the past? She looked and saw that the wolf was still beside her. She remembered seeing the wolf in the underwater forest and how the wolf came to her and how when she looked into his eyes…
"Starrk," she whispered. "You have Starrk's eyes."
The wolf looked at her and grinned. Then, the blood and fire began to swirl around her and she saw the wolf change form. She felt tears sting her eyes when she saw that it was Starrk standing beside her.
"I thought I lost you," Harribel said.
"You would never lose me, Bel," Starrk said. "I was always there at your side."
"I know that now," Harribel said and smiled. "Even if I have to swim through fire and blood to find you again, I know that you will always be there in my heart."
She brought her lips to his and as they kissed, the blood and fire became a blinding light and she was standing in the Temple. She looked around and saw that the wolf was gone and Tiburón was standing at the altar.
"You knew," she whispered. "You knew that the wolf was Starrk."
"I knew that the wolf was the manifestation of your love," Tiburón said. "I didn't say anything because then I would have given you too much hope. If I did that, then you would have become even more afraid to face your failures and to let go of them."
"That was the test?"
"Yes. You have proven yourself worthy of my power. It's like I told you before, your love for the Wolf was holding you back. Even then I was giving you hints. The Wolf I mentioned was the manifestation of Starrk the Espada and not Starrk the Soul Reaper. That wolf that followed you was both Starrk the Espada and Starrk the Soul Reaper waiting for you to recognize him. When you truly saw the wolf for what he was, then you succeeded."
"The Shark in love with the Wolf," Harribel said and smiled.
"It makes sense. Sharks, like Wolves, usually hunt and live in packs and they watch out for each other. That's the thing that your brother and sister never understood and that's why you were led by the Fates to become an Espada. You understand the value of camaraderie while they only understand enmity. Now, I will tell you my name and my command."
"I already know those things," Harribel said.
"You do, but I must give them to you for you to have authority over me. It's the only way that you will be allowed to release my powers. My name is Tiburón and my command is Attack. This is my release form," he said and held out a sword with a pearl-inlaid hilt and a pommel made of a sea shell. The blade itself seemed to shimmer with the light reflecting off a clear ocean surface. "It will allow you to use anything with water to your advantage and that includes the water in your opponent."
"So, even as a Soul Reaper, I can control water."
"That's right. Now, you must go, but we will meet again."
"Aren't you going to tell me a bit about any special attacks I can do?"
"I will, but now is not the time for that. You must first learn to control the blade before you learn any attacks. If you tried any of the higher attacks at this point, they would easily turn on you because you have very little control over the blade."
"But I mastered you, didn't I?"
"You only gained power over me. But no one can truly master their Zanpakuto. You might as well try to become absolute master over the ocean."
Ulquiorra
"You've lost," Ichigo said.
Ulquiorra could feel the life draining from him. His vision began to blur and that was when he saw his father again. This time was long ago, when he was smaller. They were in his study going over the various Noble Houses of Hueco Mundo.
Tell me Ulquiorra, what are the Words of House Luisenbarn?
Fear Our Wrath.
Good, and do you know what they mean?
The House Words have meaning?
Of course they do. They tell another Arrancar what that House values. With House Luisenbarn it is to say that if you dare to make them angry, then they will make you regret it. Now, do you know what our House Words are?
Bring the Storm.
What do you think that means?
I don't know.
It has two meanings. The first is a promise that House Schiffer will bring down a storm of destruction on any who dare to try to destroy us or our allies. However, the second is a challenge. It also means that they can bring the storm against us, but we will overcome. The reason we do this is because we have a duty to protect one another because we love each other.
But Hollows aren't capable of love.
Is that so? I find that rather hard to believe. After all, we all used to be alive once and a part of us retain our human emotions. Unfortunately, Hueco Mundo is a cruel world and often times we find that Love cannot really be expressed here. I hope that one day you will be able to express it. Out of all human emotions, Love is the most complex and the simplest. Love is also the one that hurts the most and yet is also the greatest thing that one can feel.
I don't understand.
You will.
"I understand," Ulquiorra whispered.
"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked.
"You can't defeat me," Ulquiorra said, "because I have someone to protect. I understand the heart. My father tried to teach it to me when I was younger, but I never really understood. I now understand. I…I…I LOVE ORIHIME!" Ulquiorra shouted and thrust his own hand into Ichigo's chest.
"Impossible," Ichigo said as he shattered.
Ulquiorra watched as the vision around him shattered and he was back in the midst of the grove. He looked around him and then saw Murciélago looking at him.
"So you figured it out," she said.
"I know who I am," Ulquiorra said. "I am Ulquiorra Schiffer. I am Orihime's protector and I will overcome anything that threatens her because I love her."
Murciélago nodded.
"I am Murciélago. My command is Bind. This is my release form," she said and held up a spear. The shaft seemed to be made of silver while the head glowed with the glow with St. Elmo's fire. "With this, you will be able to bring down a storm of heavenly fire on any who dare threaten those whom you have sworn to protect. I will come when I am summoned."
Grimmjow
"Damn, I haven't had a good fight like this in a while," Grimmjow said as he rushed at Kenpachi and Ichigo again. He tried to fight his way through, but found that Ichigo and Kenpachi were both giving him a tough time and he loved it. "I LOVE THIS!" Grimmjow roared and tried to fight. But no matter how hard he struck, he could not break through.
"Okay, you want to play rough. I'll play rough," Grimmjow said and launched into another attack. Then he stopped. "Wait a minute. Pantera never did answer my question. How could she both be in here and outside at the same time? THAT BITCH!" he roared. "You mean to tell me that I've spent all this time playing Indiana Jones for NOTHING!"
"That's right," Pantera's voice said coming out of Ichigo's mouth.
Suddenly, Kenpachi and Ichigo weren't standing in front of him. It was Pantera and she was laughing.
"Oh man, the look on your face when you realized it was so priceless."
"Okay, so why did you make me go through all of this?"
"My amusement, of course," Pantera said and walked up to the dais where the sword was. "I also did it for your benefit."
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"You see, Grimmjow. I know you better than you know yourself. You come across as someone who rushes into things without thinking, but is that so bad? Well…it was bad for Custer and Julius Caesar and Hitler and…hmm, it pretty much ended badly for anyone who did it that way. I wanted you to learn how pointless rushing into battle could be. When you questioned me of as to how I could be in here and outside at the same time, that was you actually using your brain. If you had kept to that line of thought then I would have had to surrender over to you right away and all of that nice Indiana Jones action would have been avoided and I wouldn't have had any fun. To truly control the Zanpakuto, the wielder must control themselves first. When you stopped just now showed that you could restrain yourself. You need to do that more. You rushing into battle cost your fraccion their lives and ultimately your life as well."
"Yeah, yeah, enough with the fucking sermon," Grimmjow said. "Could you just hand yourself over to me now or turn back into Ichigo that way I can continue my fight?"
"Nope, the hour's up," Pantera said. "And in a way you did retrieve me. Alright, listen carefully, Grimm-Kitty."
"Why do you keep calling me that? I'm a panther not a kitty."
"Have you ever seen yourself in your Resurrección?"
"Well…uh…no."
"Then let me show you," Pantera said and snapped her finger. Grimmjow watched as he fought against Ichigo so long ago in Las Noches. He then saw his Resurrección and his eyes nearly popped out of his head and his jaw dropped.
"No…holy shit…I…I can't believe it. I LOOK LIKE A FUCKING CAT!"
"That's right," Pantera said. "Face it, Grimm-Kitty. You'll never be as hot as me in that form. So, are you listening now?"
"Yeah, whatever," Grimmjow muttered. "I can't believe that even then you made me look so un-cool."
"Like I said, you'll never be as hot as me. I prefer to keep my reputation as a sexy, slinky cat and I can't have you taking my rep away from me."
"Whatever. So, you were saying…"
"Oh that. Alright you already know my name and release: Grind, Pantera. I have to say it to pass authority over to you and all that nice crap. Anyways, when you say 'Grind, Pantera' I'll come in this form," she said and held up a pair of silver gauntlets for him to look at.
"Uh…what am I supposed to do with those?"
"Mostly hand to hand combat," she said. "Look, aren't they adorable?" she asked and showed him that the gauntlets were the form of two panther heads.
"THEY'RE NOT MEANT TO BE ADORABLE!" Grimmjow yelled.
"Oh shut up, Grimm-Kitty and let me finish. Look. These gauntlets will allow the strength of your strikes to be multiplied by at most 50 times what you deal. So, if you tap someone on the arm with these babies, you can actually deliver enough force to completely shatter their arm."
"Okay, now I'm listening," Grimmjow said as he gave his signature slasher grin.
"Good, now you'll notice that fangs protruding from each end. When you strike with these, you can actually cause electrical bolts to shoot out them or impale your foe, whichever you prefer. When you strike the ground, you can cause a mini earthquake. When you strike water, you can cause a tidal wave. And when you strike the air, you can cause the winds to become like those of a hurricane. It keeps with your former aspect of Death."
"Give those to me," Grimmjow said.
"What's the magic word?"
"Uh…Grind, Pantera?"
"No, the other magic word."
"Please?"
"Much better," she said and handed the gauntlets over to him. "Now, what are you going to do with those?"
"That's easy," Grimmjow said and smiled. "First, I'm gonna bring down the fucking house with these babies and then after that I'm going to find Ichigo Kurosaki and beat his fucking ass to a pulp and then…I'M GOING TO DISNEYLAND!"
Nnoitora
"Now tell me, what do you hate the most in the world?"
Nnoitora looked up at Santa Teresa and closed his eyes. He knew that she was right, but for him to actually say it went against everything he was taught when he was younger. He was a member of the proud House Gilga and one of the many children of the "Old Scorpion" Gilga. He was taught that a Gilga never bent the knee to anyone. But, Santa Teresa was right. She was in control here and she could do whatever she liked.
"I hate…weaklings," he said.
"Wrong answer," she said and brought the blade closer to his throat. "I know you better than that. Now be honest. What do you hate the most in the world?"
"I…I hate…I hate…" he swallowed hard. "I hate my own weaknesses. I hate that I could never measure up to my father's expectations. I HATE MYSELF!" Nnoitora cried out and he could no longer control himself. He burst into tears. "I…I need you. I need you to help me become stronger."
Santa Teresa smiled and lifted the blade away from him.
"There, that wasn't so hard now was it? And besides, this is only between you and me."
Santa Teresa sighed as she went to the bar and grabbed two bottles of beer from the fridge she popped the caps off with her teeth and handed one to Nnoitora who took it and began to drink. Santa Teresa sat on the floor with him.
"Cheers to you achieving Shikai," she said.
"No, cheers to us," Nnoitora said and they clinked their bottles together.
"There's one last bit of business I have to do," she said. "You're probably wondering why calling for me didn't work."
"That's right."
"It's because I didn't give you my name or command. As a result, you had no authority over me, but now you do. My name is Santa Teresa and my command is Pray…as in 'Pray that I don't beat your ass to a bloody pulp.'"
Nnoitora laughed at that and Santa Teresa joined in as well.
"So, is that it?"
"That's it. When you call, I'll come. This will be my released form," she said and held up a large scythe with a black shaft and the blade looked like silver with crimson veins running through it. At where the blade and shaft met was a golden skull crowned with a laurel of blood-red roses made of emeralds and rubies.
"Okay, so what does it do?"
"It can cut your opponents of course. But it can also cause a person who may be your enemy to fight on your side. All that you have to do is aim the skull at them to where their eyes are looking into the sockets. It's sort of like Aizen's ability, but you won't have complete hypnosis and it will only last for up to thirty minutes. However, you can manipulate an object's weight. You can make objects lighter or heavier, depending on what you want to do. All that you have to do is tap the object with the shaft and you can make it heavy or light and you can even move objects without having to physically lift them. All that you have to do is think about an object and where you would like to move it."
"You're joking, right? You're telling me that the only way I can use it for fighting is by using the blade?"
"Honestly, you are such an idiot. I'm saying that all of those things can be used in battle. If you strike an opponent with the shaft, you can weigh them down or you can just keep striking them on the neck until their vertebrae snaps. Damn it, Nnoitora. Stop being a fucking macho man and use your fucking brain for once."
Lilynette
Lilynette rushed to the two figures who were sitting next to each other on a boulder. One was a young girl who was about Lilynette's age. She had bright pink hair with silver highlights that gleamed like moonlight. She wore a white shirt with black fur lining at the collar and knee-long deer skin boots and a pair of brown leather boots embroidered with silver wolf cubs playing together under a crescent moon. Her golden eyes lit up with excitement as she saw Lilynette coming.
The other was a man with long brown hair and thin facial hair and a flowing black robe with white trim that seemed to move like flames. His black pants were tucked into a pair of black boots. Lilynette noticed that he was wearing the same pair of sunglasses he always wore.
"Lilynette," Los Lobatos cried out and hugged her master. "I'm glad you could make it. Zangetsu and I were just talking."
"Hello, Lilynette," Zangetsu said as he got up and walked towards her. "Did you deliver my message to Rukia?"
"I did," Lilynette said. "But I haven't gotten a chance to talk to Orihime yet."
"I see," Zangetsu said. "I should have Murciélago tell her master to tell Orihime."
"Have they achieved Shikai?" Los Lobatos asked.
"They have all achieved Shikai," Zangetsu said and sighed. "The bond has been made between them. They can now talk to each other at will."
"Zangetsu, something's wrong," Lilynette said. "I can tell that something's wrong."
"I'm afraid that there is much going on in all of the worlds," Zangetsu said. "Civil War is breaking out in Hueco Mundo and things are only intensifying. The Gotei does not understand that what goes on in one World can affect all Worlds. The Barrier is weakening and the time is coming when all Worlds will have to stand together or fall into ruin."
"Are you sure?" Lilynette asked.
"We're all feeling it," Los Lobatos said. "Aizen's betrayal and war have set off a chain reaction that could very well signal the end of everything."
"What about those who have gone through Spirit Evolution?" Lilynette asked. "How much of a threat are they?"
"They are a dangerous threat," Zangetsu said. "Their very existence could cause the Barrier to break down a lot faster than anticipated and when that happens…. I hope that Ichigo will regain his powers by that point."
"Why didn't you have me tell Ichigo right away?" Lilynette asked.
"I know Ichigo," Zangetsu replied. "He needs to figure it out for himself for it to become real for him. He is stubborn and his Hollow Self is using that to feed on him. That's why he needs to have someone he can trust tell him what he needs to know, and I'm afraid he's getting to the point to where he will neither be able to listen to Rukia or Orihime. He is a man divided and he will have to fall before he can rise again."
End of Chapter 8
Shinigami Cup:
"So, Dr. Fleur," Kisuke said. "What did you have to do to achieve a 'Level 2' release?"
"Oh that...I had to go on every ride at Universal Studios in Orlando Florida."
Flashback where we see Dr. Fleur and her Zanpakuto Spirit: a young girl with bright purple hair and wearing a tiger striped tank top on a roller coaster screaming with glee.
"Uh...that just doesn't seem right."
"I told you they were in for a wild time," Dr. Fleur said and snickered. "Hmm, I wonder if any of them will remember to visit the gift shop. They had this really cute purple Frankenstein's Monster keychain I wanted to get."
A.N.: I really loved writing this chapter. It caused me to have to develop more of the mythology I've been thinking of for what I've dubbed the "Song of Hollows and Soul Reapers." I had to rewatch the episodes of Ichigo in his Inner World with Zangetsu to try to keep as close to canon as I could. However, I found that the most important detail was that a Soul Reaper had to know their Zanpakuto's name. In many traditions, there is power in a person's name and I began to think that in order for a Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto to work, the Zanpakuto had to give the Soul Reaper their name otherwise it wouldn't work. Thus, I figured out a way that would force the former Arrancars to have to go into their own Inner Worlds and face their Zanpakuto and themselves.
That's all for now. Thank you for reading and please review.