Hollow King Chapter Twenty One

Howl of the Dragon

Tite Kubo owns bleach.

"I have to find someone! Mayuri, Kenpachi. Isane, whoever! I need help!" Gondra roared as he smashed into the defense barrier surrounding the Seireitei. He raised his right arm, transforming it into the dragon hollow form. The transformation snapped his leather wrist band. With a roar, he smashed through the barrier with his claws and flew in.

"Emergency alert! Emergency alert! A powerful adjuchas level hollow has entered the Seireitei! I repeat-" the alarm rang out, putting everyone on alert.

As Gondra flew closer to the heart of the city, he could hear Tyler screaming inside his head. He ranted about how he could do what ever he wanted. He could even help Ichigo out and go save Orihime if he felt like it.

"This is the greatest gift I'm giving you and you're trying to get rid of it?" Tyler screamed.

With the hollow's voice in his head, Gondra began to transform again. He felt every bone and muscle fiber in his body twist in an agonizing way as a long, spiked tail grew out of the small of his back, ripping through his hakama. His boots ripped apart, revealing clawed dragon feet. The pain of the transformations forced Gondra to land and double over in agony. When he looked up, he noticed that he was right outside of the main hall of Division One. In front of him stood a creature that resembled a werewolf, dressed in a shinigami captain's uniform.

"You must be Captain Komamura of Squad Seven." Gondra growled.

"That is correct. Whatever you are, you are not going to get a foot closer to the Captain Commander! Bankai!" the wolf man shouted as he raised his sword up, summoning a giant mechanical titan. The creature was clad in jet black samurai armor and loomed over the two men.

"Kokujo Tengen Myoo!" Komamura roared as he swung his sword down causing the armor to do the same. Gondra blocked the giant blade with his dragon arms, crashing him through the ground. When he pulled himself up, Gondra and Komamura both noticed that his shihakusho top had been ripped open, revealing a large dragon torso, rippling with muscle. It was covered in metallic scales and a hollow hole was visible in the middle.

"You seem to be a hollow after all." Komamura stated as he swung the massive sword down again, only to have it deflected by one of Gondra's bladed wings. Gondra leaped through the air, smashing Komamura in the face with his spiked tail and punching his bankai in the chest. The blow sent the armor backward through a wall.

"I don't want to fight you. I just need help." Gondra roared as he flew away. Even though it was probably futile, Gondra still searched for aid.

XXXXX

An hour had passed since the alarm had sounded and Isane knew something was wrong. She couldn't explain how, but she knew all this had something to do with Gondra. She could sense that he was back in the Seireitei. But where?

"I have to find him." she thought to herself. Under the cover of night, Isane slipped out of the Squad Four barracks without being detected. The whole Seireitei was in an uproar over the hollow breaking through the barrier and disappearing. She had seen the degree of injuries while Unohana was healing Komamura. This hollow was deadly, even for adjuchas standards.

She didn't want to put two and two together. She couldn't. Isane just knew that something had happened to Gondra on his mission. As she turned a corner on a dimly lit street, she noticed a pile of black rags in front of a large dark alleyway. On closer inspection, she found a neck chain with a bullet pendent, a torn up pyramid studded leather belt looped through a hakama and a shihakusho top with the Division Eleven crest on it. Isane turned to her right when she heard heavy breathing coming from the alley. She knew who those rags belonged to. With a deep breath, Isane walked forward. When she turned a corner, she came upon a shape in the darkness. It was large with shiny, white scales.

"Gondra?" she asked in a shaky voice. The large dragon like figure quickly spun around to reveal a horned mask with glowing eyes and sharp teeth.

"You shouldn't be here, babe." a gravely, demonic voice rumbled.

"Is that really you? What the hell happened?" Isane asked as she drew closer, starting to cry.

"It's all Tyler's fault. I lost the fight and he took over my body for good this time"

"Then how are you talking to me now?"

"He may have changed my body, but we're still fighting over my brain. I don't know how much longer I can hold out. I have to get out of here, Isane." Gondra stated as he touched the skull bead on her braid with one of his claws.

"But there has to be something we can do! We can get Captain Kurotsuchi to-"

"You don't think that I've been searching for that freak all day? I can't find him anywhere and now I'm out of time!" Gondra roared, as he reared up and stretched his bladed wings.

"Where are you going to go?" Isane asked still sad and in shock at the same time.

"Hueco Mundo... I'll be safe there." Gondra stated as he began to turn away. "It looks like this is goodbye."

"Wait! You just can't go like that! What about all we've been through? What about our time together? I... I love you, Gondra!" Isane screamed out with tears running down her face. Gondra stopped moving and looked at her.

"I love you, too. And that's why I need to go. Look, if I don't leave, it's going to be hell for the both of us. I can't change back, not at this time... I'll miss you, Isane."

Isane nodded and took some ink out of her medical bag, drawing strange markings on her forearms. With tears in her eyes, she placed her palms against the wall closest to Gondra and recited some kind of incantation.

"What are you doing?" Gondra asked as he narrowed his amber gaze.

"It's a kidou spell called Heavenly Sky Net. The least I can do is let you say goodbye to everyone. Just place your hand on my shoulder and convey your thoughts. Everyone you care about will hear them." Isane stated with a teary smile. Gondra placed his right hand on Isane's shoulder, the massive claw clutching a large part of her right side.

"If you recognize my voice then you know who I am. My mission was a success but at a great loss to me. I can't stay here any longer. I have to go away. Try to forget about me. That is all I ask. Goodbye my friends."

Isane stopped the spell and placed a hand on one of Gondra's clawed fingers.

"Will I ever see you again?" she hiccuped.

"I don't know... I'm sorry, Isane. Just try to forget about me."

Isane was about to turn around and scream "I can't" but Gondra had already stepped away and tore open a portal to Hueco Mundo. With a final farewell glance, he jumped through. The portal closed behind him.

Isane dropped to the ground and clutched her arm where Gondra had touched her. She was crying heavily. She held her arm hard enough for her fingernails to tear through the fabric and pierce her skin. After a few moments, she got up onto her shaky feet. She let a thin trickle of blood run down her right arm as she walked over to the pile of rags, retrieving Gondra's old pendant. With another sob, she fastened it around her neck. Collecting the rags, she started to head back to her barracks.

"That's all I can do." Isane thought as she hugged the tattered shihakusho in her arms, inhaling Gondra's scent of tobacco and incense. All she could think about was him and their time together.

"Did he leave?" a low and rough voice called out from the shadows tearing Isane from her reverie. She looked up to find a tall, muscular figure with spiked hair leaning against a wall in a shadow, a few feet from her.

"Captain Zaraki?" Isane sniffed.

Kenpachi turned his head causing the bells in his hair to jingle slightly and his face to come into the light of the street lamps. There was an unmistakable look of sadness in his visible eye.

"So, he ended up turning into a hollow, huh? I knew he had some strange power but I didn't expect it to go this damn far." Zaraki stated.

"You knew?" Isane asked, somewhat surprised.

"I've been hit with ceros long enough to know what it looks like when someone's firing one. I bet Kurotsuchi knew all about this shit, too."

"You kept his secret?"

"Damn straight. Gondra was one of my best men and he could fight like hell. He's also a good friend. I'd never rat him out." Kenpachi barked with pride.

"Thank you, Captain."

"Come on. I'll walk you back. Don't want anyone to get suspicious of what you were doing out here carrying a bunch of rags now."

XXXXX

"Lieutenant Kotetsu? What are you doing out so late?" a guard asked as Isane and Kenpachi approached Squad Four. The guard looked at Isane's tears and looked like he was about to open his mouth. He received a dark glare from Zaraki, silencing him.

"The lady was just returning to her quarters. So step aside." Kenpachi growled.

"Yes, sir. My apologies." the guard stated in a defeated voice.

After Kenpachi escorted Isane back to her barracks, she shut herself into her room and took a deep breath. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop crying. Isane walked over to her bed, folding Gondra's rags as best as she could and placed them under her pillow. Isane collapsed onto her bed without even undressing. She fingered the pendant and began to sob again. Right before she fell asleep she whispered,

"Goodbye Gondra..."

Sorry, the chapter's a little shorter than usual. I felt like this was a good point to cut it off. Btw there's a poll on my profile page about Isane. It would mean a lot to me if you guys voted on it. It will also settle a disagreement I have with Rinda about how Isane will act in a fight without Gondra.

Sandragon out.