Chapter 18

A Strange Encounter with the Hollow Kind

Out of the eater, something to eat, out of the eater, something sweet, that was Naruto's first impression of the four woman he and the girls got to know of. They fought with a ferocity that most woman, even most konoichi, did not have. Yet, despite that, they had good information concerning hueco mundo-considering it was their home-this desert place, white sands and bleak sky, the dark cast over by the large pillars and sand that made up the place.

It reminded him of his mindscape when Walter pulled him in there, except, that sky and desert was colorful, but this place, it looked like purgatory, nothing much happened until you made it happen. They had informed him, as much as he could summarize, that this Aizen fellow wanted to take over soul-society, the earth, and the elemental nations, hence why the powerful man knew of him, having people-these Arrancar, of which the four woman were prominent ones-spy on him and the goings of the whole place, easy to do when your people could stand on air and far away.

Now, if you're wondering, why they would tell him this, and why they were not fighting, well, one, he saved Harribel from dying-the three woman having great admiration for her-and the second reason being that if they chose to harm him, he could use her life in recompense for the damage dealt. They did not like the idea of their Fraccion leader harmed or dying, so they let it be, at least for now.

"So, what do we do then? Huh smart guy? Aizen doesn't allow failures. We're supposed to deliver ya, and I doubt he'd let us go." Apache's smart mouth spat out, brow raised. She had it in her mind-as the other three had-that he would go with them, the obvious option and smartest, concerning that Aizen could easily beat even them, especially with the other Espada involved and at his backing.

At the forefront of the subject, all eyes were on Naruto's crimson cloaked form, expecting him to relent to the man. Well, those who didn't know Naruto. Rangiku knew his response, so did Soi-Fon and Anko-the two having like mindedness. Yoruichi knew of Aizen's strength, but was not deterred by the fact, knowing that to beat an enemy so terrifying in power and forces, would be to amass their own courage against such a thing, so she too could tell he would not back down. The many gazes fell to him as he lifted his head to each, removing his red tinted goggles, as if to peer into them. He turned on his black booted heel, turning away from them, and with a great voice stated thus:

"HIS POWER IS BULLSHIT!" The roar of air that came from his throat was nearly defending, and the least bit note worthy concerning eloquence, but it held out in its most greatest value that which could be counted on, as courage. Bravery in the looming face of maddening oblivion of that which they knew not of, even as he continued on.

"We are not gonna scurry away from him! We are gonna fight! I don't care what you four do, but as for my and my girls, and for the people that I call precious to me, I will fight!" He turned in his own enthusiastic heels, coming full circle. "War is coming from all places, and it brews, rotten and spoiled, ready to pour out on the lands! You can go back or held keep the casualties low, I don't care!" Here, his head fell, as if deflated, but he craned his neck towards the sky, his voice smooth yet iron. "But I won't stand by and let these things take place, I won't let people I care about die because there is an illusion of peace."

His head came to their star-struck faces, his own visage caught in brief reprieve in thought.

"I will rise against him, even if it costs me my own life. But I won't lie down like a damn dirty dog, I'm gonna bite his hand and spite out his foul blood."

Harribel, who now could stand on her own feet, stepped towards him, her face placid. Naruto thought at first, she was going to slap him, but did not, instead, she put a hand to his shoulder.

"Do not waste you're words, do not let them die."

Her expression showed then, her lips-so strange was it to have them this long!-contorted to a short smile.

"I won't."

A nod, and Harribel opened a Gargantua for them, opening it several miles away from the village hidden in the clouds. Naruto smiled, and told the others to go through, that he'd be staying for a short time. His girls asked why, but he interrupted them, saying that he would come through after he did some training here.

"Hollows are vicious, they never relent, and I need a place to sharpen my focus, so this place is perfect. I'll get back to the leaf village, you guys go back and tell Jiji about what happened in cloud. If they plan an attack, they will do so during the final chunin exams." He was about to see them go but stopped Samui.

"I need you to stay here with me."

Samui's gaze fell flat on him, but she did not argue, or seem to care.

"Alright then, I will see you guys in a months time, so don't worry."

He watched Anko leave with a thumbs up, Soi-Fon gave a timid smile before she leapt through, but Rangiku still stood there-still in her bankai form-and stared at him, her brows knit to something mirroring quiet anger. She stepped up to him, mere inches away from his face. For a moment, the thought that she was going to slap him occurred, but instead, a smile replaced the frown, and her expression was soft once more. She gave a quick peck to his cheek, and turned about, saying, "I will kill you if you don't make it back."

And she too left.

Naruto stood there, a smile on his face. The Gargantua closed, leaving only Harribel, her Fraccion, Naruto, and Samui. "Thankyou for helping us." He said to them, but was taken back when the shaggy blond woman shook her head. "No, we have you to thank. My Fraccion are strong, but with that many people, with that strange energy, would have over come us."

"Then I guess we're even then."

Both blonds smiled, turning away from one another a moment later, Harribel and her Fraccion using sonido as they left. Naruto still stood there, Samui behind him. he turned to her, taking off his tinted goggles.

"Samui. I'm sorry you got mixed int-"

A slim fingered hand held itself to his face, quieting him.

"I don't want you're pity. Why am I here?" Her voice was cold.

"I wanted you to remain here, because I need you. If a hollow becomes too much, I need your strength."

"What makes you think I will help?"

He raised a brow to her.

"Is there any possible way you can get out of here?"

"..."

"Then I guess we're stuck together, so you better get used to it."

For once, her face changed, her brows became knit, and her nose crinkled up in anger. Her glare was heart breaking in its fury, all that rage in her, building in her, finally left as she let out a single punch against him. her knuckles slammed into his unbeknownst face, caving in the bone like it was wet tissue. The force sent him down the dunes and sand, a streak of red against a bleak background. Her furious face appeared above him, a leg strung high in preparation for a kick.

"Why!"

She screamed, her heel swiping down like an axe, breaking ribs as they crunched beneath the force that shot him into the sand. He could not move, and was going to use a familiar to aid his little plight, but she was on him a second later, standing above his broken form, a kunai in her hand. The steel came down on him, renting flesh and spraying crimson on the spiteful woman.

"Why do I have to lose everything because of you!"

Naruto was riddled with holes by the time her kunai got stuck, and when she tried to pull it out, it snapped in two. But she didn't stop there. She kept going. She kept hitting him, sticking him with whatever it was she had. When it was all over, all that was left was past, a smear of scarlet spread across the bleach white sand. Her chest heaved, it ached, her heart felt as though all those stabs she had inflicted on him, were inflicted on her.

She grew up in cloud, she devoted her life to it, her family, her brother and friends were there, and she was coupled with these people, who betrayed them. She hated it. Hated it. Hated it! Hated it hated it hated hated hatedhatedhatedhatedhatedhatedhatedhated HATED IT ALL! SHE HATED HIM!

Silence stung, even now, she sat slumped against the form of a dead man, nothing but a bloody mess left. She hated him, she hated Naruto for what he did to her, she wanted no more than to kill him again and again. But, no, she just did that, she could no longer get revenge over and over. She could no longer go back to cloud village.

Never.

Her eyes snapped open wide, tears beginning to well up, her cold blue eyes watering as anger and fury gave way for frustration and sadness. She could never go back and see them ever again, she was forever without those she had come to know. It was all Naruto's fault.

Amongst the silence, a shadow loomed over her, great and large.

Her head turned, her tear streaked face peering up at a goliath of a monster. Its body was grayish green, huge muscles with a long spiked tail, a hole in its chest. It had a mask on, or, the mask was its face, with a huge grinning visage. Its golden yellow eyes stared down on her with a deep hunger, looming and ready to devour her.

"Tasty tasty tasty snack! Heheheheh!" It spoke with a shrill, glass shattered voice, reverberating with evil.

Samui clenched her eye lids shut, her tears running down faster as she wiped them from her face. She stood, turning her body towards the beast. It was a small house sized hollow, nearly making a scene of David and Goliath between them. It really was, really, even as they stared each other in the eye, waiting for the first to make a move. And then, it there was a-

VWOOM!

They moved, disappearing as they attacked, slamming into one another. The hollow was surprised that this girl could match him with mere punches, a strange energy seeming to slip into her muscles. It was unlike a hollow's Reishi, or that of a shinigami. Something different, yet the same.

Samui herself felt the strange energy emitting from the beast itself, an evil sense of deprived hunger that never ceased. That was probably why they were called hollow's. But, she did not care for this thing, she did not care for the world it lived in, or even her own. She did not care, not anymore.

The hollow sneaked a punched in, but the small meal raised its arms, blocking as he drove it back. He lashed out with his other clawed hand, grabbing her up in his large palm. He brought her to his face, and peered into the struggless woman's visage. The hollow found himself laughing at the pitying glare she gave him.

"hahahaha, that face! My snack is going to be so savory! You've lost human!"

Before its maw could open up, blood sprayed from its fingers, and out of its bloody hand did she leap, slicing all the way along its white face mask. It roared out, its clawed hand slapping Samui away. She pierced it though, holding on to her tanto she kept strapped to her back. It tried to squash her, bringing its pained hand down. She slipped the blade out, and grabbing a kunai, swung out just as the hand crashed into the dune below. Like a mill saw she moved, slicing up the arm towards the hollows head, lashing out with a Chakra fueled kick.

BAM!

Its head snapped to the side from the force, but it didn't let her escape with that, and so it spinned about to hit her with its tail. She couldn't get out out of the way in time, taking the whipping lash of the tail full force. It launched her through the sand, renting the dunes with her body until she flipped out, sliding back with her weapons dug in the ground. The hollow stood before her, clearly displeased, but soon its tone became frustrated.

"Finally! Man you guys are late!"

Samui's gaze lifted, finding several, large and small, hollows surrounding her. She watched them come closer, and was suddenly launched as one of them landed a fist against her cheek. Then another, sending her flying. They all began doing that, even when she swung her blades against them, they would keep up the onslaught. One of them finally knocked her out of the closing ring, but not too far away.

Her body felt broken, she felt welts and bruises beginning to swell, scratches and cuts riddling her body. But she stood, Samui stood despite the pain, holding herself up with all the strength she had left. They roared, and advanced on her once more, mouths wide open as they got ready to devour her limb from limb.

Movement, so fast, a flash of red, a spray of scarlet, and then he was there, mangled out before her, as if he had merely come back from the dead to receive it once more. But what's more, he was strung out, two small monsters on his left arm, holding deeply unto it, and a single large one on his right, both holding each arm straight out and across. One had teeth sunk deep into his chest and midsection, and two more at each leg, gnawing on him, red seeping between their teeth and staining Naruto and the ground. She stared at him, her cold blue eyes wide with horror, with a terror never known to her before.

"W-why would-"

A pool of blood spilled from his lips, cascading down in red streaks as he coughed up spittle of crimson. His fedora and goggles were gone, already torn from him, revealing his face to the world. His large sapphire eyes-dull and grayed-staring down at her with a tiredness that befitted someone far too old, far too experienced in the world. His head lolled down, face disappearing behind golden shaggy locks. When he spoke, he sounded as old as his gaze. His tone was hollow, empty, lips speaking from the very grave itself. He said amongst the silence, this:

". . .run."

Her teeth grit together, her anger returning-not at him!-but these things. She may have lost her home, she may even hate him for what happened, but...but that did not mean someone like him needed to die! His life was ending for her! No, she wouldn't accept it! He was a fellow shinobi, and did not deserve this death despite what he did! But, even as she thought to help him, he must have sensed the defiance in her, speaking once more.

"...I-I said, run."

He urged her, but she stood, ready to strike at them, despite the agony her grinding bones caused her.

"No, I won't run away while you die! I...I may hate you! But I am not a coward! I won't let you di-"

"-run, S-samui, not them."

She took a step back, unbidden. If not from them to run from, these beasts who hold him so close to death, then who there was there to run from, who was more terrifying in this moment to have fear in? She watched though, watched as his head slowly lifted to meet her gaze. What she saw, what she felt, from him then, from the gaze-and what a force it held behind it-was far more terrifying than the hollows.

His eyes were slit and scarlet, much like the blood covering his lips and body and the ground. From those lips poked out fangs, each coated with his own blood. But within his face, she could see, the phantom of a great beast, not the Kyuubi, no, something else. It pierced her with his glowing eyes of the dead, it gnawed at her with those razor teeth, constructed from the very essence of a behemoth, ready to devour the world in all its entirety with a single snap of its gaping maw. And his voice, when he did speak, despite the chewing teeth that spilled more of his life blood, was ragged. It was graveled, it held within it heart ache and a fury beyond her own. It sounded as though someone was grounding glass against her ear, like that of a wraiths keening scream as it devoured its prey. His words, in that great and terrible voice of his, was this:

"R-run away Samui...not from them. Run away, RUN AWAY FROM ME!"

Scarlet light exploded out, sending her flailing back as a weight gathered around the hollows, burning and scorching them as it continued to build. Naruto clenched his fist and brought the arm with the two smaller hollows to his face. They tried to let go of his arm and back away, but he grabbed them both by the ankle, swinging both of them like a bat into the face of the one on his other arm. They screeched in pain as both his arms were free. The others leapt back, leaving the two in his white knuckled hands. Naruto twisted and snapped their ankles, and stomped on their heads, crushing them.

With both hands free, Naruto turned to the last few hollows, his eyes burning crimson, left with only his ripped pants. He set his gaze towards one, and disappeared. They all snapped their heads to the side as one of the large ones screeched, a fist through its gut. Naruto leapt up, kicking the hollow across the chin, and a loud snap echoed, heralding its death.

A cloud fell over Naruto as he stood atop the fallen beast, from those bleak havens, shadowing him, darkening his visage, with all but his eyes left to glow in the gloom, a visage of death. No, he was death. If so, they were in his valley, they were in his shadow. They were in in the shadow of the valley of death. Death tilted its head to the side, and spoke.

"None of you will escape."

After that, the only thing that could be heard were the screeching sounds of a hollow after hollow died, consumed by the raging beast that Naruto had become, of the death machine that wirrled about with undying fury. Blood sprayed the ground, nothing remained as he consumed them. The dying ones had one last look into the sky above, and noted with final breath, that it was as bleak as their sealed fate.

This isn't right, we were supposed to be the eaters, not the eaten!

This was the thought of the hollow who had tried to devour the blond woman, and had chewed on Deaths side. But now he limped away, a mangled leg a ball and chain to him. of course, he could heal, regenerate. But not when they were being slaughtered like cattle, penned together even in this hopeless expanse. He could not regenerate in time, to run. Not soon enough. He needed time, time he did not have.

Something pierced his shattered foot, making him scream in agony. He knew, then and there, he was a goner, that he was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it. Another piercing thing shot into his other foot, forcing him to lie against the sand, face planted with gnashing teeth.

"Apologize."

The hollow's head turned, seeing the face of the devil itself. His face was no longer a viscous snarl or an angry fury, it was just that of a determined beast, teasing its meal.

"W-what-AACH!"

Some black tendril, like the two piercing his feet, pinned his hand now too.

"I said, 'apologize.' I can keep this up all day."

"I-I I'm-AAH!"

Another jet black tendril pierced his other hand.

"I'm sorry!"

Tears began to spill from its yellow eyes, a shadow looming over it now. Naruto popped his neck on one side, then the other, his eyes wide and crazed with hunger.

"Since you decided to to eat us, I guess you won't mind, if I eat you?"

Naruto leaned down, opening his razor maw. His fangs sank deep into the hollow, ripping out from it a large chunk of flesh. He chewed even as blood-this hollow's blood-spilled down his lips. The last thing it ever did hear, was a single, large-

Gulp

Samui had watched the whole thing, the blood shed, the devouring of hollows. This was not defending her. This was not anything close to protecting life. They saw the look in his eyes and tried to run, to escape. This, this was murder. This whole thing, it was a massacre. But...she knew too well what would happen if they escaped. She knew they would return when they were unprepared and weak, and devour them just the same as he had to them, the situation much the same if she let an enemy shinobi run.

A figure appeared from the dunes, the humanoid shape that of Naruto. He strode towards her with large gaping strides, not a speck of blood on his form, in fact, there were no injuries from before, not a scar or anything of the like. Samui watched him with a drained expression, her eyes regarding him with slight fear. How could someone like that, even without his weapons, do something so animalistic to another living thing, and yet he himself was walking like any other man. No. He is a beast, he is the monster, forced to stand on human bones and wrapped with the flesh and skin of man. Naruto was-

"Hey."

Samui jumped at his voice, calm and concerned, as if all that occurred never did. He rested on a knee-half squated-placing an arm across the other knee. He had his scarlet trench-coat on, but left the fedora and goggled glasses off. His saw cleaver was wrapped and strapped to his back as well, everything back in order, as if nothing happened.

"What are you?" Samui asked, peering into the only thing that had not gone back to normal, those pair of scarlet slits that he called eyes.

He blinked, but they remained, as if he could not turn them off.

"Best not to acknowledge it."

"_your eyes are the same, they are still red."

"Huh, well nothing I can do about it then."

A pause of silence.

"...are you okay?"

When she didn't answer, he raised a hand to her cheek, which she slapped away. She glared, but he ignored it, lifting his hand to her face once more. When she tried to smack him, he absently raised a hand to block her. When his other tried to touch her face, she tried to block it, but a black mass of flesh that was his familiars held her hand down. She tried to squirm, but he simply allowed more of that mass out from the dark fold of his cloak, holding the rest of her down, completely immobilizing her. His hand finally touched her face, but she bit it, drawing blood. Naruto didn't flinch.

"You are a strong woman, Samui. Two ribs are broken, a tendon in your right arm has snapped. Even your hip has been fractured. The only reason you could stand is because of what very little Chakra you have left, that, and largely because of your will to fight."

His face came close to hers, but he dare not let her bite him. she spat out at him, but he didn't do anything to stop it. He knew what she thought of him. He knew what she was going through, because for the past decade and so, his village treated him not as a messiah for saving them from the rage of Kyuubi, by allowing it to live in him, but of the pariah, an outcast and traitor on the very day he was born. So, being spat on, meh, been through worse, even by her. The past aside, he dipped his head from her cheek, to her neck, his lips next to her ear.

"Even if I get you to a hospital now, and they place a cast on your damaged body, you will never fight the same again." His whisper, although calm, chilled her. "So, I'm offering something for you, you will have your fighting ability back, and if you can make what I give you, your own strength-and after all this war is over-you can kill me, and I won't even bat an eye."

Something stirred in her, the desire for that which he spoke of. She felt it now, the agonizing separation of bone and the splintered fractures. The cuts and bruises didn't help either, riddling her body an angry purple and red. But, to give in to him, to give in to what he said. Pride begged and screamed that she not listen or heed him, but her mind, sharp as ever, knew better than to listen to prejudice and pride.

A nod was all she could give.

"I'll be gentle then."

Softly, he opened his mouth, curling back his lips to release his shark-like fangs. The tips poked against her skin, sliding into her jugular. Blood began to seep past his fangs, and he drank as much as he did need. Unbidden, Samui felt a blush creep across her face, from his words or what he was doing, she did not know, but she focused on the bleak sky above, to this bleak fate she was subject to.

He finally got off of her, and when he stood, she almost immediately felt better. She felt her face, and could tell that no more cuts were there. Her body no longer ached of bruises, and even her bones felt as though they were healing, coming back to where they should. She tried to stand, stumbled, and was to fall, but was caught by Naruto. Her gaze lifted to him, and found it to be a stern one, no longer gentle. He set her straight on her feet, and spoke.

"When those bones of yours are fully healed in a few hours, we will train and not stop for a full month. Best that you rest till then, 'else you will regret it. From here on, there will be no mercy, no surrender. As shinobi, we will take any advantage we can, and use it against our foe, same for each other. We will become strong, and that boost in Reiyuko I gave you should help."

Samui understood, nodding, knowing what he had in store for them would be hellish training, if the inhabitants of the land were anything to go by. But, she had to ask one thing.

"What is Reiyuko?"

A/N

Hey hey guys! Hope ya liked the chapter, and the early update!

So, Samui is basically stuck with Naruto, and is pretty much a 'traitor' for not warning A. Though, if ya haven't noticed, she has had no control over that, so that leaves one thing, A is planning something, or was, in the first place. They have been known for trying to steal other Jinjuriki, even the tailed beasts inside, but I won't say for what his master plan was, not yet.

Oh, and the whole thing with biting her, yah, Naruto did not make her a familiar, instead, its more significant that, instead, he bit her. He could have made her a familiar, and healed her up, released her and so on. But instead, she is basically what Saras from Hellsing is, a fledgling. And, giving her a kick start in Reiyuko, he is basically setting her up to become like him, a mix of human and shinigami. Reason why, well, she is a jonin level, and could stand up against a single strong hollow well enough, but several? No, so he's gonna help her get stronger.

Someone asked if the cloud and leaf are at war, not yet sir, not yet, A will keep it a secret, of what happened, and attack when he can.

Also, thank you Danny, someone who dropped a review about people saying this is a cliche. I don't respond to the people that complain without giving advice, so what you said-and because I can't private message you-i thank you.

Okay, done talking now, shutting up, see ya guys next time, leave a review or PM.

Bye and have a good day!

:^)