Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Bleach.

Legend:

"Someone is talking."

'Someone is thinking.'

"A technique is being used.

Chapter 18:

(Unknown Location)

When Danny next opened his eyes, he found himself looking out at a familiar horizon made up of white desert and a black sky. Looking around further, Danny noticed that he was sitting on top of a bone-white tree on a small island in the middle of a black, inky lake filled with red stars and dying galaxies. It took a couple of moments for him to comprehend exactly where he was exactly but when he did, Danny nearly fell off the tree in panic.

'Not again!' Danny thought as he quickly scrambled to his feet.

"You're here, Danny..."

Danny's eyes widened at the sound of the voice as he caught a flash of black within the galaxies below him. Desperately hoping that it wasn't what he thought it was, Danny turned his head downwards, towards the lake. His heart started beating rapidly even as it felt like it was being squeezed between two ice-cold hands. That's when he saw it.

Like a crocodile slinking onto the shore, the black dragon crawled out of the lake and settled on the beach of the small island. It then turned it's head so it was looking up at Danny. Danny knew that he was trapped in the tree. Even if he attempted to run by using his air walking technique, he wouldn't get very far before the dragon caught him again. Not to mention that if his powers didn't work here like they had last time, he wouldn't even manage to get across the lake. He was completely and utterly trapped with the source of his nightmares and there was nothing that he could do.

Danny felt his throat tightened as he locked eyes with the eyes of the creature that was sure to kill him. He shuddered as if someone had put a tray of ice down his back and his pulsed soared. This was it, he was going to die. Still, if he was going to be eaten, he was not going to allow it the satisfaction of seeing how scared he really was. Mustering all of his courage Danny loosened his tongue and began to speak.

"I am..." Danny managed to choke out.

The dragon said nothing as it looked at Danny for a few moments with a calculating eye. It then spread its massive wings as it slowly rose off of the ground and into the air. It then began to slowly circle the tree, but it's eye's never left Danny. Soon it reached the level that Danny was on and hovered in front of the young Arrancar and began spoke in the familiar deep voice that Danny had come to both fear and hate. "I have to ask Danny, why do you fear what you are?"

The dragon's willingness to talk surprised Danny to no end.

'Why is this thing not trying to eat me?' Danny thought as he stared at the winged beast. After a few fruitless moments of trying to determine its motives, and having no success, Danny decided to answer the black dragon. If he didn't, it could get angry at him and eat him anyway.

"I don't fear myself... though I hate monsters like you!" Danny had no idea why he yelled that second part at the dragon; normally he wasn't this sucidal. Maybe it was the stress of the past few weeks coming to a boil?

Instead of snapping back at him, or eating him, like Danny had thought it would, the dragon did nothing in response to Danny's outburst. It did stop its midair hovering though and started to slowly encircle the tree as it watched him with an unreadable look in its eyes. The stare unnerved Danny and caused him to look away from the beast. And that was when he finally noticed the state of his surroundings.

The horizon, which at first seemed to be endless, was slowly shrinking as the white sands of the desert disappeared, leaving a dark void in its place. Looking down, Danny could see the constellations and galaxies within the black lake collapsing in on themselves and fading out of existence.

What was going on here?

"So, you have finally noticed..." The dragon rumbled as it came to a halt before Danny and then tilted its head towards him. "How does it feel to watch as your Inner World dissolves around you?"

For a moment, Danny forgot about the fact that he was talking to a dragon that could eat him. His curiosity outweighed his fear in this situation so with trepidation in his voice, he spoke up. "My... 'Inner World'...? I don't know what you mean..." Danny said as he watched the desert sand continue to fall into the endless void. "This place is... inside me?"

The dragon nodded once before it started to speak. "A person's Inner World is something that their mind creates and, as no two people are alike, no Inner World are the same. They sometimes reflect places that the person is connected to in some way, though it always has noticeable differences that separate it from the real place. For example, your Inner World is a reflection of Huceo Mundo, while the area we are standing on doesn't exist there."

"Huceo Mundo? I don't think..." Danny began to say, unable to stop himself until the words had escaped from his mouth. He remembered the Lunch Lady saying those two worlds, and then Tucker saying it meant 'Hollow World' after running them through a translator. Combining that with Sidney's explanation on the different spiritual worlds and their inhabitants, Danny came to the conclusion that Huceo Mundo was the home world of the Hollows.

"But I haven't been there before, how could I have been influenced by that place if I've never seen it?" Danny asked as he watched another group of stars collapse and vanish from the surface of the lake.

'Why would I have a connection to that horrible place?' Danny thought as he tried to make sense on what he had just learned. 'I know that my powers are connected to those soul eating monsters but... I've never devoured a human soul.'

The black dragon then started to speak again. "That is true. Your Inner World resembles Huceo Mundo not because you've seen it before but because of your connection to it. Your power resonates with it. It being barren is a representation of how alone you felt because of your parents' behavior until you made friends with Tucker and then Sam."

'Wait, what?' Danny thought in in alarm. 'My power resonates with it... what's that supposed to mean?' Danny pushed those thoughts out of his mind as he thought about what else the dragon had said. Somehow it not only knew this but also about his two friends and how he felt during his childhood.

Danny looked up at the intelligent dragon and licked his dry lips, "How... How do you know all of this?"

"I know this because..." The dragon then hovered in front of the branch that Danny was standing on before its scales began to crack and peel off, transforming into sliver ash as soon as it touched the air. Danny's eyes widened at the all-to familiar sight but didn't have a chance to talk as an entirely new and hauntingly familiar figure stepped out of the silver cloud. "I am you and you are me."

Danny was stunned speechless at the figure standing before him, it was him but it appeared to be an older version of him. The figure stood at a full six feet in height and had all of his facial features, except they were sharper and more defined, due to age. It also had a few distinguishing features that further separated it from Danny.

First off its skin was a pale white with around its neck were patches of obsidian scales and his ears were narrowed into points. The man had, instead of hair, four long white spikes that were arranged in the same manner as the dragon's crown of horns. Finally, the figure seemed to be wearing a leathery cloak of some kind that was latched in front of his chest with a pair of hooks.

Danny's eyes widened in alarm before he scooted backwards and away from the older-looking version of himself. "What—What are you?!"

It couldn't be him! He wasn't a monster that attacked people and ate them! He was just Danny, a teenager with two Ghost Hunter parents who had never wanted any of this! Danny screwed his eyes shut, trying to deny the existence the being in front of him as he desperately tried to convince himself that this was all some sort of dream.

'This can't be real!'

"Oh, but I am real Danny," The older version of him said in an even and smooth tone of voice. "Everything that you see before you is as real as you are. Everything in this Inner World, from the sands of the desert to even myself, are all a small part of your soul Danny. Denying any of this is the same as denying a part of yourself."

"No!" Danny yelled as he got to his feet and stared down the taller figure with fire in his eyes. "You're not a part of me! You're an evil beast that's trying to change me!"

And then Danny saw something within the man's eyes that gave him pause. The same eyes that the man had in his draconic form, usually filled with an endless sense of power, were now dimmed with sorrow. "Truly, I am sorry that you feel this way Danny, but you must understand what you are if you are ever able to wield your true power."

XXXXXX

(With Tucker)

Things were not going well for Tucker.

The instant that he had taunted the guards they had opened fire on him with their guns. Thankfully they were using taser rounds of some kind that were way slower than normal bullets. So with his enhanced reflexes that were created through countless hours of training in Muy Thai Tucker bobbed and weaved his way out of the taser round's path by scant inches. After a bit of this the telltale click of empty magazine rang through the air, now was the time for a counter attack. Tucker spun around and charged towards the guards, who were also moving towards him.

While the guards were moving towards him, seemingly thinking of using their guns as clubs, Tucker was also on the move. As the first of the guards tried to smash Tucker's head in with his gun, Tucker turned to the side to dodge the first guard's gun. He then bent his knees and used his right knee to knee the guard in the gut, sending him flying backwards. Before Tucker could reveal in his victory however, he barely avoided another blow to the head, causing him to wince. That was a close one!

Tucker's eyes narrowed as he got within the second guard's comfort zone and began his attack. Tucker delivered a series of closed-fist punches to the guard's torso, which were sure to hurt in the morning, especially since he now had Data Crusher on. Even if he didn't know how to use the gauntlets fully, he knew that the metal that made them up would only enhance his punches. This proved to be true as the second guard was thrown into the wall near the first one by the force of Tucker's attack.

However, when he looked back on this later, he would think about how he should've known that he would have to fight more than one person at a time. The second guard charged in as soon as he recovered, swinging his gun towards Tucker's head. Tucker took a step backwards to avoid the swing and then lashed out with his right leg and knocked the guard backwards. He then saw the first guard get up and aim his gun at him while the others did the same.

Seconds later, Tucker fell to his knees as the butt of a third guard's gun tried to hit him in the back of his head. Tucker thenswiftly delivered an elbow strike to the guard's sternum but then had to roll out of the way as the other guards began to fire at him. Just as he was about to finish the roll Tucker leapt his feet and continued to dodge the guards' taser rounds. Unfortunately for Tucker, he sometimes wasn't fast enough to dodge all of the bullets, leading to some bullets grazing through the fabric of his clothing or bouncing off of Data Crusher; each near miss delivered a small shock to Tucker's system.

Just as Tucker dodged another hail of bullets by lying prone to the floor, a fist impacted against the ground near Tucker's head as the bullets suddenly stopped. Tucker's eyes widened as he saw a spider web of cracks spread from the fist's impact spot force behind it. He got a few seconds chance to look at the helmeted visage of one of the guards before he was kicked in the side, making him go wide-eyed as the air was forced from his lungs. The force of the kick was so powerful that he was sent flying through the air and impacting against a wall that was down the hallway a bit. Just as his senses returned to him, Tucker heard the telltale sounds of the guards clicking a fresh clip into their guns.

So, that's why they had stopped firing at him; they were reloading.

While it was nice to know just what the other guards had been doing, it really didn't help him get out of the situation he was in now. Knowing that there was no time to dodge or mount a proper defense against the incoming hail of bullets Tucker got on his knees and put Data Crusher in front of his body just as the guards starting to squeeze the triggers of their weapons.

'I can't die here.' Tucker thought as he started to channel even more energy into the gauntlets in an effort to bolster his defense. 'I can't die... I won't!'

All of a sudden there came a bright green flash from his Data Crusher which turned into a pair of bright green shields in front of him. Both shields were oval in shape-and were almost as tall as he was- and appeared to be made from green light. Finally Tucker noticed the hundreds of lines of binary code that ran down the shields' exteriors. Tucker stared at the shields in awe as he watched them deflect all of the bullets that the guards were firing at him.

'This is amazing,' Tucker thought as he stared at the shields. 'They're blocking all of the bullets! But, how?' He looked down at Data Crusher and wondered if it was involved somehow. It made the most sense, as he didn't purposefully make those walls.

Before Tucker could wonder more on the mystery of the shields the guards finally noticed that their bullets were doing nothing against Tucker. So, abandoning long range, all of the guards ran towards Tucker while they gripped their weapons like they were clubs. The intention was obvious even to someone like Tucker; they wanted to smash through his shields and then smash him.

Confident that the shields would hold—as they had blocked that barrage of bullets—Tucker stood there and watched as the guards approached. With the first strike of the gaurd's attack Tucker knew that he had made a terrible mistake. There was a sound similar to that of a gong being struck as a guard smashed his club against one of the shields. Tucker took a half a step backwards as he saw the shield crack around the area that he guard hit and he finally noticed the drain in his Reiryoku.

'How could I have lost so much energyso quickly? ' Tucker thought as he started to panic.

As the guard pulled back his weapon, Tucker saw the cracks glow slightly and mend themselves as his remaining Reiryoku took a noticeable dip. He didn't have much time to think on this as the other guards rammed their clubs into both of his shields. A couple of milliseconds passed before the shields shattered.

Tucker gaped for a moment before his mind screamed for him to move. Tucker ducked underneath the swing of the nearest guard's club before sweeping out with his legs in a low kick. The guard, unprepared for this, couldn't dodge in time and was sent crashing onto his back. The guards companions seemed stunned for a second at the sight of their downed comrade. Tucker took advantage of this and turned tail, running down the hallway as fast as his legs would carry him.

If he could take out that machine before those guards caught him again, he wouldn't need to worry about taking out the gaurds. In the corner of his mind, Tucker wondered how his friends were doing, and if the machines they were sent after had guards as well. If they didn't, they were extremely lucky.

XXXXXX

(With Sam)

Sam hastily ducked down as a single swipe from the guard's electric sword sliced the tree that was right behind her. She then delivered a quick pommel strike to the guard's stomach as she stumbled away from the stunned white-clad guard.

Ever since her sword had been destroyed by the guards she had been forced to run from the guards. After all it would've been suicide for her to take on three highly trained guards with just a broken blade. Sensing something behind her, Sam twirled around and hurled the pommel of her practice sword at the guard that was about to attack her. Then, as that guard swiftly cut the pommel into slivers, Sam vanished within a flash of green light. And just in time to as a sword swung through the place where her head had been at.

'This is very bad.' Sam thought as she reappeared behind the Bio-Fuel Making Machine. All of her offensive capabilities were tied up with her sword and without it, she couldn't defeat them. Fortunately, she still had her speed technique, which she knew t to now be invaluable when it came her survival.

But that was beside the point. Those guards were all armed with electric swords while she had no weapon on her. Combining that with the fact that these guards were fast, it didn't paint a pretty picture for her. She knew that she could only hide and dodge for so long before they found her and then, well, she didn't want to think about that right now. She needed some way to return to the offensive or else she would not last past this battle.

Sam then heard something whistling through the air and dodged to the side, barely avoiding the blade of an electric sword that imbedded itself into the machine. Unfortunately, the sword still managed to cut through some of her hair, the sight of which caused Sam to gulp. Before Sam could contemplate her next move, the guard that threw the sword at her tried to deliver a leap kick to her head. Sam disappeared in another flash of green but had to continue moving as she spotted the other guards rounding around a from a role of corn, their swords already sparking with electricity as they did so.

'This is really unfair.' Sam thought as she dodged a series of sword strikes. She really didn't care about the fact that they outnumbered her or that Technus must have poor fashion sense if he really was the one who designed these guards outfits. No, what she was really upset about that the guards were so unrealistically skilled with a sword. She knew that none of the people who worked at Axion Labs were this fit, but here they were a trio of would-be ninjas trying to take her head. But in the end she was really upset about the fact that all of her hard work amounted to nothing in the face of her opponents.

She had been practicing for weeks with her practice sword and had only become 'decent', according to an instructor she had gone to see recently. Why did these guards get a short-cut with Technus' modifications while she had to work to her hands to the bone? Why was she still so weak?!

Sam was so consumed by her self-doubt and her preconceived faults that she accidentally stumbled once she ended her latest dodge. The guard closest to Sam saw the chance to destroy the intruder and took it. With a sudden burst of speed, the guard burst forward and thrust her sword towards Sam's chest. It was to be the final blow; the killing blow. 'I guess that I was outmatched from the very beginning.' Sam thought as the blade inched closer and closer towards her heart. 'I'm sorry Danny...'

It was only seconds later when the sword struck true.

.

XXXXXX

(With Sidney)

"For coming into this area, you will die."

Sidney had heard the guards statement he had quickly turned intangible and then sunk into the floor; and just in time too. Not even a second later the guards had fired their weapons at the spot where he once stood, completely obliterating the concrete. Sidney's eyes widened in alarm as he floated out of the floor before they narrowed; this was going to be even more dangerous then he thought. The guards saw that Sidney wasn't dead yet so they took aim with their weapons and opened fire. Thankfully, Sidney was already on the move.

Doing a barrel roll in mid-air, Sidney avoided the bullets and became tangible once more as he prepared his attack. He would have liked to stay intangible but, to attack, he would need to become tangible again if he wanted his attack to do any damage. Reaching down with a flipper, Sidney unzipped the pouch of his fanny-pack as he hid behind a metal crate. "Petite Papier Armes (Small Paper Weapons)!"

Paper flooded out of his fanny-pack and launched itself at the guards, folding itself into numerous small, sharp knives as it did so. Seeing the knives coming towards them, the guards quickly dived to the side to avoid the paper weaponry before they turned their guns onto Sidney again. Before they could fire however, Sidney's weapons halted in mid-air and then flew back at the guards.

Sidney had never really believed that he could have ended up in a situation like this before. For the last fifty years, he had been stuck in a copy of his time at Casper High, replayed on a continuous loop. He had managed to escape it a few times—where he learned about being a Ghost, amongst many other things—but had always been forced back into that living hell. He had honestly thought that he would go insane from it all.

Then, one day, he had discovered that mirror in his locker was actually a portal to the Human World. New hope had filled him as he tried to use the mirror, only for him to quickly find out that it took a lot of his Reiryoku to activate it for a couple of seconds. Still, he had pushed against the mirror day after day until, finally, he managed to pass through into the Human World. And that was when he first met Danny, Sam, and Tucker.

The guards quickly aligned themselves so that, when they landed, they landed on their feet. Sure, their first meeting hadn't gone that well, but that was to be expected considering that other Ghosts had been so hostile to the three. Sidney still didn't know why he had gone back through the mirror that day. He assumed it was because he didn't want to start another fight, especially with an Arrancar, but a part of him believed it was because that he didn't want them to get into trouble. What surprised him though was that, later, he managed to hear them through the mirror and exit it again.

And this time, he stayed out.

His paper weapons scored hits with two of the guards and knocked them over the edge of their precarious perches. The other guards, though, had managed to destroy the knives heading at them. It surprised Sidney that those bullets were capable of destroying his paper; it meant that either his paper wasn't as strong as he thought or those bullets were stronger than he had thought.

Either way, the grounded guards had gotten up and were aiming their weapons at him again. There was no time to think. "Petite Papier Armes!" This time, instead of knives, he sent thin spears at the guards. Sidney wasn't trying to kill them but he would be darned if they fired those weapons at him again!

As the thin paper spears pierced through some of the weapons of the guards, Sidney started to remember his first night in the Human World. That night, it had been decided that he would be staying at Tucker's house, or more specifically the attic of his house. While he hadn't cared much about the dust or the few cobwebs in the attic, to him the small space was paradise compared to his old residence. It was only made better when Tucker had made up some excuse to his parents and they spent time cleaning the attic and talking to each other.

The guards then fired onto the vehicle that Sidney was standing next to, making it explode in a ball of fire. Sidney dodged the explosion by becoming intangible once more and sinking into the floor. The most amazing thing, however, came the day where he was taken to the junkyard. He had been asked to explain the spiritual worlds to the teenagers. And then they had complimented his sketches and called them "art". His heart had felt like it was going to burst then as he was swamped with relief. He had broken down that day—his stress and desperation catching up with him—before Danny had left the shed.

Sidney exited the ground then returned to his tangible state as he threw a couple more paper knives towards the guards. And then the most profound event happened to him. Danny had destroyed the mirror to his prison. The thing that represented the living hell he had gone through, the years of never-ending bullying, the futile escape attempts was finally gone. It felt like his slate had been washed clean and he was whole for the first time in years. That time, he had cried tears of joy as he thanked Danny, who didn't hold what he did for Sidney over him.

He was free.

The guards' bullets hit the tips of the spears and continued on through the middle of them, ripping the paper apart and causing it to fall to the floor. Sidney's eyes widened before he quickly used his Petite Papier Bouciler to form a five-layered shield of paper in front of him. It was good that he did because, naught three seconds later, he heard the bullets impact it and rip through the first three layers.

It was definitely the bullets. No ordinary bullet would have been able to rip through his Petite Papier Armes' weapons or his Petite Papier Bouciler. Ordinary bullets would simply bounce off or get stuck in his Papier Bouclier and, while his Petite version of it was weaker than it, it should've been more than enough to stop them. What kind of kooky weapons did Technus equip these people with?

There was a moment's pause as Sidney stopped hearing the bullets tearing through his paper. He wondered about the reason; why had they stopped? Were they reloading their kooky weapons again? It seemed not very effective to have to reload after a shot or two.

Not even a second later, Sidney got hit answer.

Sidney hadn't seen as the guards uncliped something from their belts and then throw it at him and his shield. He never heard the egg-like objects as they whistled through the air, never making a sound as they hit the shield. He never heard the metal pins drop to the floor and bounce twice.

Boom.

The world seemed to slow down as the grenades impacted against Sidney's Petite Papier Bouclier. The grenades then exploded in an enormous fireball that quickly spread to consume both Sidney and his shield and then beyond. There were similar, though smaller, explosions as the fireball grew and consumed the nearby vehicles and caused them to explode when the oil ignited.

The guards—clad in their extremely flame resistant suits—looked into the hellish flames with blank expressions underneath their masks. Their eyes however darted around, looking inside the flames, looking for the intruder. Intruders had to be eliminated; Lord Technus had ordered it so.

Flames danced in the reflection of the head guard's goggles as they stopped looking, "Target... eliminated."

All of a sudden the flames turned an acidic green which startled the guards. These green flames surged forward, forcing the guards to jump backwards, quickly covering and then smothering all other flames in their paths. A wave of burning green paper flew through the air and formed a path through the air.

"I didn't expect for you cats to have explosives with you."

A shadow formed behind the burning paper seconds before Sidney Poindexter walked into view. The Prinny plushy he had been occupying was hanging from his right hand—the fabric burnt and the plastic melted—though he only looked mildly singed. That, however, wasn't all that was different about him; Sidney now had color.

Sidney now looked like a pale-skinned teenager with combed-back black hair and soft grey eyes. His formerly white shirt was now a pale yellow while his pants had remained black. Sidney, however, noticed none of this as he stared down the guards, who had already begun to raise their weapons again.

Sidney'seyes narrowed, "You cats kidnapped my friend Danny and tried to kill me with an explosive." The guards fired at him again, only for the flaming paper to form into a shield before the Ghost, blocking the bullets. "I know that Technus is controlling you... So I'll try to make this as painless as possible. Papier Typhoon (Paper Typhoon)!"

With that, the flaming paper surged forth and began circling around the guards, too fast for even their enhanced eyes to catch. This was only made worse by the fact that Sidney's paper was burning away, leaving the smoldering remainders to cloud the guards' view. This, however, was only a side-effect of the paper being burned; it was not the true purpose of this exhausting attack.

The true purpose of the attack became revealed as the paper tightened the circle the guards were corralled in and began to leave thin cuts on their suits. The guards tried firing their weapons at the vortex of paper and, while it blew a few layers away, it didn't do them any good. To make it worse, they were losing ground, it was getting harder to see, and more and more cuts were appearing all over their suits. Moments passed as the vortex continued to tighten until it was pressing in on the guards on all sides.

Seconds latter, there was a popping sound as the three guards were launched upwards, through the top of the vortex. Sidney looked away as the guards fell to the ground, unconscious and bleeding slightly from their newfound cuts. With naught a sound, Sidney ended his technique before the flaming paper fluttered to the ground while the pieces that weren't returned to him.

"I really am sorry..." Sidney began to say as he turned away from the downed bodies. "but I can no longer allow you to hold me back." It wasn't clear who he was talking to now; the guards or to the himself. "The future is waiting for me."

With that, Sidney took his first step away from the hellish memories of his past—as a Human and Ghost—and into the future. He wasn't that sad, lonely little boy anymore. He didn't need memories of that time clouding his future decisions and choices.

XXXXXX

(Danny's Inner World)

"Truly, I am sorry that you feel this way Danny, but you must understand what you are if you are ever able to wield your true power."

Danny looked at the dragon-man for a couple of moments, too stunned to speak. Eventually though, his shock wore off and he grew angry as his brain caught up and fully registered the dragon-man's words. Standing up, his hands fisted into his sides as he stood up to his tormentor. "I never wanted any of this!"

"Danny—"

"I never wanted to go through the Ghost Portal and become an Arrancar! I never wanted to start lying to my family and hide these... powers... from them! I never wanted the responsibility of using them to protect people from Ghosts! I never wanted to fight anyone!" Danny clenched his eyes shut as his breath hitched. "I never wanted anything to do with that..."

"And yet... you strive to do just that."

Danny sucked in quick lungful of air and opened his eyes. There, he saw the dragon-man looking at him with an unusually soft expression on his face. Adding to this was the fact that the dragon-man was extending his hand towards Danny.

"You dealt with your guilt over lying to your family because you didn't want to get them involved. You didn't want them to search needlessly for some sort of 'cure' or study you like they study Ghosts. You strived to control your powers because you didn't want to hurt anyone, unlike the Ghosts you have fought thus far. You fight because you know there is no one else except for you to defend your precious people."

Silence was the man's answer. Danny simply stared at the extended hand, eyes whirling with the multitude of emotions and memories he felt. He remembered his second battle against the Lunch Lady, where he fought to protect everyone at the two rallies. He remembered when he first managed to take a step on air as if it were solid and the joy he felt because of it. He remembered helping Sidney and fighting Skulker. He remembered Sam's tearful admission and the unwavering support she and Tucker had given him from the start.

Danny glanced at his crumbling Inner World for a second before he returned his attention to the dragon-man. "Alright." He said, taking the extended hand. "I don't know if you're lying to me or not, but it's time I stopped running away from you."

"For too long you have let the feelings others influence your decisions. You fear their rejection and crave their acceptance, but no more. Cast off yourself imposed shackles and let your choices determine your future. Let none be your judge, Danny."

Danny looked at the dragon-man for a couple of moments and then nodded shallowly. Instead of the hatred and fear over his Arrancar form, he now felt a budding acceptance towards it. He looked up at the dragon-man again, wondering if he had anything to do with it, and finally asked. "What is your name?"

"My name is... Leviatán."

XXXXXX

(With Sam)

Having expected some pain for when the guard's sword cut through her body, Sam was confused when she felt no pain at all. A slight frown came to her face as time ticked by and she still didn't feel anything. Then, patience worn thin, she opened her eyes. It was then that Sam noticed that the guard's sword had cut through the upper portion of 'her' jacket and was now embedded in the golden locket hanging around her neck.

Her grandmother's locket.

When Sam had been six years old, her grandmother had passed on her gold locket to her. Her grandmother had explained that it was very important to her because her brother had gotten for her during the Great Depression. She had then told Sam that she was passing it down to her because she felt that Sam would be able to take care of it.

Entrusted with such a precious object had led to Sam taking great care of it. She made sure that it was cleaned before she went to bed, and that the opening mechanism never rusted, as it contained a small picture of her grandmother's brother on one side and a picture of her, Danny, and Tucker on the other. It had been her secret because she was afraid that someone would steal or break it.

Sam felt a lead weight drop into her stomach. Of all the things her grandmother had asked of her, she had only ever asked for her to take care of the locket. Now, though, that precious locket had been broken, saving her life in the process. How would she face her grandmother now? It would break her old heart to see her brother's gift destroyed—

Wait. Tucker's PDA had been fried by Technus but it became as good as new after he first transformed it into Data Crusher. He said that he didn't know what had really caused the transformation, but she had seen the green glow moments before. He had been channeling his spiritual energy into it. Maybe, just maybe, she could do the same and repair her grandmother's locket.

Sam, however, noticed the other guards rushing towards her and how the guard in front of her ripped his sword free of her locket. There was no time to think or to react. All she could do was channel all that remained of her spiritual energy into the locket and hope that it would work. "Please let this work..."

It was only a couple seconds later when the locket began to glow a bright green color. The guards, thinking that Sam was preparing some kind of attack, jumped backwards while getting better grips on their electric swords. However instead of an attack, the guards were thrown back by a pulse of energy. Sam's locket then burst into hundreds of silver-gold vines. These vines quickly spread out from the locket and crawled over Sam's body at a rapid pace.

By the time the vines had stopped extending, Sam had been covered in light armor centered around her torso. It was there that the vines had encircled her torso until only a few bits of clothing were visible underneath the twisting, silver-gold 'breastplate'. Two vines twirled around each of her shoulders before descending to lazily encircle each of Sam's arms. There were also vines wrapped around Sam's waist, where they then fell, spinning around her legs, and ended at her silver sandal-covered feet.

Sam raised one of her arms, noting how light the vines seemed, and ran her other hand over her other arm. The vines felt exactly like her locket and she could feel all of the spiritual energy she had flowed into the locket coursing through them. Before she could examine her new armor any further, the edge of an electric sword slammed into Sam's chest, where the locket had been, and sent her hurtling backwards.

'In retrospect, admiring one's new outfit is not a good thing to do while in battle.' Sam thought as she crashed into the side of the Bio-Fuel Making Machine and slid to the ground. Still though, the impact had barely hurt at all. Getting up, Sam thanked her new armor for that, as she probably would've hurt her back really bad otherwise.

But, what was she supposed to do now?

'No! No time to think negatively. I have to act.' Sam thought as she eyed the guards rapidly approaching her. 'I wonder, though...'

Sam channeled more of her spiritual energy into her armor, only to blink as the room exploded with white spirit ribbons. There were the standard white ribbons, a couple of green ribbons, a black ribbon, and another gray ribbon.

'Wait... what are those?' Sam thought as she ducked underneath the swing of one of the guards' swords. Besides the dozens of ribbons that filled the room, there were the hundreds of tiny, knotted ribbons that she could see extending from her feet and out towards every plant in the room. After avoiding a strike that would've bisected her, Sam reached out with her hand and pulled the nearest knotted ribbon. In response, a nearby patch of corn stalks jerked before shooting cobs up into the air.

'... Those ribbons belong to plants and, by pulling them, I can cause them to do something?' Sam thought with a amazed expression on her face. Seconds later, she grinned and said, "Excellent", before she pulled on the same ribbon again. This time, though, she visualized the corn stalks aiming themselves at the guards before firing.

Like before, the corn stalks jerked about but this time, they then aimed towards the guards closing in on Sam. With the sound of a cannon firing, the corn stalks unleashed a barrage of corn cobs at the guards. Of course, seeing the incoming attack, the guards raised their swords and sliced at the cobs. There was a moment where it seemed as if the cobs would hold against the swords but then they were sliced through like butter.

"Aww..." Sam pouted for a moment as, while she knew the cobs stood no chance, she was hoping that they would work anyway. Still though, the attack wasn't waisted; she had learned that, if she visualized something happening when she pulled on the ribbon, the corresponding plant would do its best to fulfill it.

So with a quick turn, she started running past the bin of cornstalks that she had been manipulating and gave the ribbon one last tug. This time though, the corn stalks reached up from their position and launched themselves at the guards, stretching out themselves as if they were unfurling nets. The speed was enough for the nearest guard to be ensnared by the corn stalks while the others had to jump backwards and avoid them.

"Hah! That's for breaking my sword, you jerks!" Sam yelled before she tugged at the ribbon again, causing the now-grounded corn stalks to bend before leaping at the guards from behind. "And that—" She began as the corn stalks hit and then wrapped around the remaining guards, knocking them to the floor. "—is for almost breaking my grandmother's locket!"

Struggling fiercely now, the guards attempted to slice at their impromptu bonds with their swords, only for the corn stalks to wrap around their wrists, preventing them from moving. Sam had seen them move towards their swords and, remembering the fate of the corn cobs, she wasn't going to allow them to escape. So, pulling on the ribbon again, she had the corn stalks tighten around them even further, preventing them from moving any part of their bodies that were ensnared by the stalks.

After looking at her squirming captives for a moment, Sam quickly walked up to one and slapped him/her in the back of the head as hard as she could. Ordinarily, she wouldn't have the strength to knock someone out with a blow like that, but with her new armor, the guard went out like a light. The guard's sword fell out of his/her limp fingers and Sam picked it up. "Fair trade: you break my sword, I take yours."

"You... shall not defeat... Lord Technus." One of the downed guards growled.

Sam weighed the sword in her hands for a minute, finding it very light, and took a few practice swings. "I doubt that. He kidnapped my best friend and I will make him pay for that. Besides... I'm not the only person here with a grudge."

"There are... other intruders?"

"Yeah, but you won't be telling any of this to your so-called 'Lord'." Sam said as she grabbed her sword with both hands and approached the guard who had been speaking to her, "Kousaka Slash!"

With that, Sam brought down her sword on the back of the guard's head, too fast for him to see. She smiled—her sword didn't break like her practice swords when she tried that move—as the unconscious guard went limp. Then, moving like the wind, she rushed over and knocked out the remaining guards with the flat of her blade.

Oh, yeah, she was definitely keeping this sword.

XXXXXX

(With Tucker)

At the moment, Tucker could be found in a server room, crouching behind a desk as bullets rained down on his position. It was lucky that he had managed to get a good fifty-foot lead on the guards before they had managed to run after him, shooting at him in an attempt to slow him down. If he hadn't, then he wouldn't have made it to the room he was in now and dive for cover before they burst in the door after him.

Tucker tried to poke his head around the desk, to see why it had gone so quiet all of a sudden,Before he could even get a look though, a bullet impacted the spot near his head which resulted in a shower of wooden splinters as the wood began to give way. Crying out as some of the splinters attacked his face, Tucker retreated back behind the desk. Then, wincing from the pain of his new cuts, Tucker now knew the reason the bullets had stopped firing. The guards had been reloading their guns.

'I can't stay pinned down like this...' Tucker thought as he felt the vibrations caused by the bullets as they pounded against and slowly tore away his defensive cover. 'But, what can I do? The moment that I step out there, they'll load my body with lead.'

Looking around for something to help him out, Tucker saw that there was a half-full trash can on the right side of the desk and a couple of dropped pens on the floor. The pens wouldn't be useful for more than a second's distraction, but the trash can could help. Especially if he was able to use it as a shield until he got close enough to those guards. Still, that would leave his legs, shoulders, and some parts of his arms vulnerable.

The wooden desk—they still had them in well-funded places like Axion Labs?!—was falling apart, so he didn't have much time to think of a plan. Either use the trash can as a shield and/or a projectile or wait until the bullets ripped through the desk.

His choice was obvious. He waited until he heard the bullets die down, a sign of the guards reloading, before he sprung out from behind. He quickly dodged to the left as a small series of bullets rushed him, and brought the trash can up as a makeshift shield. Tucker then ran forward to confront the guards all the while feeling the bullets impacting against the trash can.

It was when he was ten feet away from the guards when he noticed a lull in the fire. Taking his chance, Tucker ripped the lid off the trash can and hurled it like a frisbee. There was a 'clang' as the lid hit a guard in the head and made him release his gun as he collapsed onto the floor.

The guards stopped firing entirely at this, glanced at their fallen comrade for a moment, and whipped their heads around as Tucker descended on them. He threw the trash can at one guard to knock him over and then spun to a halt. Tucker then lashed out with a solid kick to another guard's jaw, knocking him backwards, and twirled on the spot to knock another guard down with an elbow strike.

The fifth and only standing guard attempted to club Tucker in the side of the head, only for Tucker to duck the gun so it missed him by mere inches. Tucker quickly stepped to the side as the guard pulled back and delivered right elbow jab to the back of the guard's head. The guard's gun fell from his now-limp fingers as the force of the blow rendered him unconscious with a single hit.

Not even a second later Tucker felt something heavy slam into his shoulder and force him onto the ground. Grimacing with tears in his eyes, tucker turned around only to see a guard swinging a gun at his face. Tucker then rolled over to the side to avoid a shot and was forced to hold back a scream as he moved his injured shoulder. Then, as the guard withdrew and prepared to swing his gun again, Tucker got to his knees and jabbed forward with his left hand, straight into the guard's chest.

With the air forced out of his lungs, the guard fell to the floor, just in time for tucker to get to his feet.

'Why can't these guys give up?!' Tucker thought as the remaining two guards charged at him. Tucker managed to bring up his left arm to block one's blow with Data Crusher but then had to roll to the side to the side to avoid the others attack. 'I mean, really?! He ducked as they swung at him again and lashed out with his legs, sweeping both guards' legs out from underneath them. "Take this!"

Then, before either of the two guards could get up, Tucker got up and kicked them both in the back of his head. Sure, he felt bad about them being mind-controlled and everything, but he hadn't had any meat since lunch and they had been shooting bullets at him for what felt like forever. He was justified if he was being a little rough in knocking his wanna-be murderers unconscious.

XXXXXX

(Axion Labs—With Technus)

"WHAT?! THEY BEAT THE GUARDS?!"

This cry was made by a fuming Technus, who was currently floating with his hands on his control panel, having just slammed them onto it moments before. He had been monitoring the fights between the three would-be rescuers of the Arrancar since the battles had begun hoping to see them fail in their attempts; this was not the case. Not only had his guards been beaten the humans unlocked some sort of power, making them stronger.

Humans weren't supposed to have any Reiryoku! Let alone enough of it to activate and then maintain some sort of supernatural power!

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Technus forced himself to calm down. Those brats would never be able to stop him in time. He had guessed their current goal was to take out his machines, thus releasing the Humans under his control and undoing the inner labs' transformation. Still, even without those things, he would win.

The Arrancar would be finished off very soon and with his death, Technus' family will be saved. He had almost completely drained the brat of his Reiryoku and, unless those other brats could move like lightning, they would be too late to save their friend. Even if they could, they would have to get through him and his latest invention.

As Technus thought about his newest invention, he almost didn't notice as the cables connecting to the Arrancar's pod beginning to spark. Eyes widening, he turned full attention to the Arrancar as the brat began to unconsciously release his Reiryoku. Technus raced over to the Arrancar's pod and frantically tried to find out what was wrong. His eyes then widened as he watched as the brat's Reiryoku begin to resist the drain. That shouldn't be possible, the brat shouldn't be able to resit his machine!

Technus grit his teeth, narrowed his eyes, and mentally demanded the universe to tell him why there were so many arising complications in his plans. No, no, he could deal with this. He would just fix the cables before they broke again and increase the drainage on the Arrancar's Reiryoku. He couldn't allow the alternative; his family would live again.

Techniques:

1. Petite Papier Armes (Small Paper Weapons): A miniature version of Papier Armes that Sidney has developed while he has been recovering inside Sam's Prinny plushy. Like Papier Armes, it creates weapons, though much smaller. This makes the weapons faster, though it makes them easier to destroy and dodge.

2. Papier Typhoon (Paper Typhoon): With this technique, Sidney causes a large volume of paper to surrond an enemy in a enormous tornado of paper. If the enemy attempts to escape then they will risk the chance of running into the 'walls' of rotating, cutting paper. As time goes on, the vortex will slowly tighten, forcing the enemies into the middle of it, only increasing the likelyhood of damage.

3. Kousaka Slash: Typically used as a finishing move, this technique is simply a powerful downward slash. If used by a skilled user, it has the potential to cut the thin side of a leaf in two. If used against an armored opponent, it can knock them down, if the the user puts enough force into it.

A/N: Author's Note: Sorry that it's taken so long, guys! Me and Sharkteeth-sama just wanted to make the fight scenes as good as we possible could... so I hope they meet your standards. Anyways, tell me how you guys liked it; comments about the chapter, comments about Sam and Tucker's Fullbring, Danny's Inner World, Leviatán, and some constructive criticism... You know the drill.

As you guys may have noticed, Amity's Arracar has acquired some fan art! If you go onto my profile, you will see well drawn and colored pictures of: Danny first seeing his Arrancar form, Tucker's Fullbring, Prinny!Sidney, and Danny's Hollow mask! Thank you, untambledragon144 (akahime4 on deviantART)!