Translations:
Ōbushīrudo – orb shield
Kyohi kabe – rejecting wall
Kakusareta shīrudo – hidden wall.
Lanzador Verde – Spanish: green lancer. Japanese: Jade lance.
Salvaje Verde Atravesar - Savage Jade Pierce.
Midarana sutoraiki – Lustful Strike
Danza de la Muerte Verde – Jade Dance of Death
Lanza del Relámpago - Lance of lightning
Pesuto Kiba – Plague Fang
Hey there friends! Before I start, I would like to respond to a comment. Regarding lemons, considering I am writing this almost exclusively at school, it is unlikely I will write one. If I am feeling incredibly nice, I might put one in in the last chapter, but I still don't know when that will be. Hope I haven't disappointed anyone too much... hehe... please don't hate me. Anyway! On to the story!
"Hollow speech"
"Thoughts"
"Normal speech"
They stood in a massive cavern almost identical to the one beneath Kisuke's shop. As Ichigo looked around, Grimmjow and Halibel went up to a mountain of a rock. Halibel drew her sword. "Cascada," she said swinging it downwards, causing a massive wave of water to fly from it. At the same time,Grimmjow shot a Cero at the mass of earth. The gigantic boulder erupted into millions of pebbles that flew over the rest of the group's heads. The arrancar all grabbed the sleeping bags covering Isshin and set them down in the newly vacant space.
"Why would I expect anything different from them?" Ichigo muttered grumpily.
Nel giggled. "Because it's easy to forget they're hollows. You don't think of me as a hollow, do you?" She looked at him with huge shining eyes.
"Of course not, but you're different. You don't enjoy violence; you hate it. Before I knew about arrancar, I thought all hollows were just violent monsters. But when I met you and other arrancar, I found out that not all hollows were evil. Though they usually still enjoyed fighting, and often killing, they weren't just animals that were constantly looking for food. They had goals and functionality above simple survival instincts." He paused, but he wasn't finished. "Then, when I met you, I truly realized that hollows were not evil creatures in need of destruction as I had been taught. You and your 'brothers' were kinder and gentler souls than most humans. The more I spent time with you, the more I realized that hollows had feelings beyond hate, hunger, fear, and suffering. I could see joy, sadness, remorse, and even love between you. You were not creatures to be purged, you were souls to protect and cherish, just like all the other human souls."
This time, the shine in Nel's eyes were actual tears, not fake ones. "Thank you, Ichigo. That's why I love you. You're a better person than any Saint I could name. Then again, I only know a few." She whispered with a giggle that sent shivers down Ichigo's spine. After that they just stood there in silence, watching all the arrancar bicker over who got to sleep where.
Isshin; however, was getting to work. He was on his way to Kisuke's but, of course, he had built a connection between the two training grounds when the second was constructed, and he was walking through it now. (A/N: I didn't forget this time!) He began to climb the ladder, muttering about how irritating it was that the author didn't write in Kisuke's bankai yet, and the manga being too slow updating. He opened the trap door and was immediately greeted by a certain black cat's claws across his face.
"Oh no! Are you okay Isshin?" The cat said in mock concern. It broke out laughing a second later. "That's for raising a prude!"
"Nice to see you too, Yoruichi," Isshin said dryly. "Where is Kisuke?"
"In the other room. I'll go get dressed." The cat walked off as Isshin strolled to the next room. He was surprised to see several humanoid figures on a long table.
"Ah hello! I assume you're here for the Gigai. Take them and have the arrancar enter them normally. I've modified them so they adapt to the souls form almost instantly, rather than needing to measure the soul first." He looked very proud of himself. Isshin, without a word picked up a large pole and draped the artificial bodies over it. He hoisted the pole up onto his shoulders and began the trek back to his house.
…
Ichigo reluctantly pulled his arm from around Nel's shoulders as a fight broke out among the arrancar. He slowly got up and walked over. "What's the problem?" He said tiredly. Despite how it may have seemed, the fight he had just been put through had taken its toll on him. Though he could still easily fight off several captains, if an enemy any more powerful than the head captain attacked him, he might really be in trouble.
Grimmjow spoke up. "Halibel's fraccion want to sleep next to her, and prince charming over there," he pointed to an arrancar with a crown like mask, "insists that he should get to."
"I'm assuming this would normally be solved with violence?" Ichigo asked. He looked at Halibel as she nodded. He sighed. "Who would you like to sleep near?" Halibel looked surprised. She hadn't been asked her opinion before. They always just fought over her.
She quickly reverted her face to the ever-impassive norm. "Fraccion." She answered shortly. She proceeded to jump up onto one of the boulders and looked down on the rest of the arrancar similar to the way a queen would look on her subjects.
Ichigo went back to Nel for another few hours before Isshin arrived back with the Gigai. He looked ragged and was panting dramatically. "Drama Queen." Ichigo muttered as he walked up to him.
"You're so mean to your poor father!" He fake-sobbed. "I got the Gigai for the arrancar. Twenty-two. One for each." He set the pole down. The majority of the arrancar gathered around them curiously, but the stronger, more sensitive arrancar hung back. The four or five that did were looking at Isshin cautiously.
As the arrancar figured out what these pseudo bodies were for, they began to merge into them. At first it was very uncomfortable, but the Gigai slowly got accustomed to them and took the appearance of their souls. As the arrancar got up and started testing their new bodies, Halibel looked up suddenly. She turned her head towards something, then disappeared for a moment. She reappeared next to Ichigo a few seconds later.
She was holding a stealth force member in front of her, one hand around his neck. Her grip was just loose enough to allow him to breathe, but tight enough to be painful. "I found this shinigami spying on us. I don't know if there are any more. This chamber blocks off most of the outside Reiatsu." She looked at the squad two member with hate in her eyes. "What should I do with him?"
Ichigo was faced with a tough choice. Though he could easily take on several captains on his own, and likely all of them with Nel by his side, he couldn't be sure the arrancar would be safe if they attacked. On the other hand, he really hated killing. "I—" he began.
The squad member cut him off as he ground out, "'Devastate,' Shūtai!" An explosion was unleashed from the squad member as his sword became a beast of fire, leaving only the hilt intact. Halibel was forced to drop him as the explosion pushed her back. "Pesuto Kiba." As he rose the hilt of the sword and brought it down vertically, the monster rose up into the air and reformed as an actual fang of what appeared to be gas. The 'fang' crashed down onto Halibel for only a second.
A moment later, Halibel said, "Cascada," as she swung her sword up in an arc and blew the gas away. Though she looked a little scratched up, she showed no sign of pain. The 'cascade' that flew out of her sword struck the squad two member in the chest and blew a hole in it. The squad member looked down and gave a soundless scream.
"That was my Tenth Seat you just killed." A voice from behind Ichigo said. He turned to see Soifon standing unsettlingly close behind him with her Suzumebachi release. Just as she lunged for Halibel, Ichigo raised Zangetsu lazily to block. The stinger glanced off the thin sword and a sharp 'ding' resounded through the chamber.
Every arrancar in the room looked up.
Every one of them left their Gigai and drew their swords just as one hundred Squad Two members flash stepped in. The massacre that ensued was so intense Nel looked away.
The fight lasted thirty seconds. There were 101 casualties. Every single squad member that appeared was either dead or incapacitated. One of the arrancar had lost a hand on a sloppy dodge, but Kisuke could fix that. Soifon looked on in shock at what remained of her squad. "I see. I was hoping my unsanctioned attack would stop you before they had to release him, but I was mistaken and lost three seated officers in the process. Have fun with the enemy an army couldn't destroy." She said darkly as she opened a Senkaimon and returned to Soul Society.
Ichigo's heart began pounding. He didn't want to believe what she said, but he knew it was true. The man that still occasionally haunted his dreams was coming to get him like a literal bogeyman.
"Nel. Let's get to training. Your old boss is coming to get us." Ichigo said with a frown. Nel's expression darkened as well. They walked off and after a moment everyone in the training chamber was feeling moderate pressure in the air. They weren't going all out, but they were serious.
"Come," Halibel said, "This added pressure will help build up our own power. Now get to training, or Aizen will devastate us."
…
"Bring the prisoner." One council member said.
A man sitting in a chair with many binding kido on him was brought out into the middle of the room. "Hello, puppets." He said in his calm and ever smooth voice. His remark was met by silence. After a few seconds, another member spoke.
"Are you aware of your mission?"
Aizen laughed. "If you could call it that. I'm aware of what you want me to do." He smiled that deceptively kind smile.
"You must kill the substitute soul reaper. He is a danger to Soul Society."
At this Aizen almost died laughing. "The only soul with a simpler mind than him are you puppets. You are complete idiots if you think that he would ever turn against you without provocation. He exists solely to protect those close to him, and he has too many friends here to even think of harming it. Though it would be interesting to see how much my project has grown... I'll do it, but I can guarantee you, if he is anything like he was in our first fight... I don't stand a chance." Aizen grinned at that little bluff. He couldn't wait to talk to that incredible specimen.
"Release his bonds."
The limiting kido was released and he got up. It felt good to stretch his legs. He strolled out and began a walk to the Senkaimon.
…
It had been a few days at this point, and everyone had worked up a serious sweat on each. Every arrancar had now become equal to a lieutenant or greater, and Ichigo and Nel had learned the ins and outs of fighting together. They learned each other's' strengths and weaknesses for the first time, and mastered playing off the other. Somehow, Ichigo knew Aizen would be even more powerful than the last time they fought.
The longer there was calm, the bigger Ichigo felt the storm would be. It was unsettling. He knew what would happen if he was in town when he was attacked. Aizen didn't care about innocents before, and Ichigo wouldn't count on him valuing lives now.
He gathered everyone together. "Nel and I are moving out into the mountains to wait for the attack. If you come along, stay out of sight. I don't want any of you getting hurt again by that man... if you can call him that." Ichigo grimaced. "Let's go."
They started walking to the mountains. Ichigo left his body with a few arrancar a couple miles away from where they would wait for Aizen.
Just hours after they arrived a Senkaimon was opened, accompanied by a crushing spiritual pressure. One so great, Ichigo had trouble breathing until he released some of his own, strengthening Nel in turn. Once they were breathing easily again, they both drew their Zanpakuto. Ichigo pulled on his mask.
Nel wasted no time in releasing and immense amount of Reiatsu. Holding her sword horizontally in front of her, she spoke, "'Declare.' Gamuza." Then, swiping her sword to the side, finished with, "Resurreccion: Segunda Etapa." She then took on her goddess like form, staring knives at the monster calmly walking out into the material world.
"Long time no see, Ichigo." Aizen said with a small smile. "Let's see how much you've grown, shall we?"
Sorry that took so long, friends. Once again, thank you for all of the feedback I've been getting, and I love you all. I have an idea of how I want the next chapter to go after the obvious fight about to go down happens, so maybe a week, week and a half before it's out. Thanks for the continuous feedback, and if you are thinking of leaving a review, DO NOT HESITATE! I love reading what you guys have to think, and I get probably a little too excited when I see a new comment. Thanks for all the love!