And thus begins the second sub-arc of the Beginnings Arc. To readers who haven't done so and to new readers, please don't be shy in saying that you would like to submit an OC because there is so much room left. I can create OCs fine, but that's not the point of why I'm writing this.

Review Corner:

-JJun: Yes, Jia Li does have some inspiration from Soi Fon, but that was unintentional. But it's great you noticed!

-Barrett M107: I think the reason Suda didn't notice is because Haruka's not like Yoruichi in terms of attitude and skill. For Jia Li, he didn't notice because she was being a jerk.

Ch. 7 Another Story: Juuda Tsubaki

Opening: "Seasons' Call" by Hyde

"I've located the Arrancar."

"Good. Is he powerful?"

"Looks like it."

"Hpmh! Looks can be deceiving!"

"Hm hm hm... But I've seen him crush Menos Grande with his bare hands. He's a little too 'pretty' in my opinion. I rarely saw him get any dust on himself during combat."

"Do you think you could defeat him?"

"..."

"What is with that grin?"

"It's nothing. So, do you want me to pick him up?"

"Not yet. Track him down and test him in combat. If he can match your strength, or even surpass it, send him here."

"You're the boss."

Hueco Mundo was the complete opposite of the Soul Society in terms of looks. Instead of the dreary clouds and blue sky, the sky was pitch-black with a crescent moon as its only source of light. Unlike the outskirts of Soul Society, Hueco Mundo was a vast desert with the occasional tree-resembling quartz mineral that seemed to stretch indefinitely.

Unlike Soul Society, Hueco Mundo had no form of government. Only the strongest beings wielded power. The only beings that resided here were Hollows and none of them trusted each other. Despite the creed that the Hollows shared, most of them didn't care to kill each other, lest they would want to eat their own kind which they didn't have to do because of the high concentration of Reishi present in Hueco Mundo that fed them.

Active life didn't exist because the Hollows just didn't care. Thus, the majority of them resided in caves below the deserts and only came out if someone provoked them.

Today was different.

Two large, humanoid Hollows (one green and the other blue) were surrounding a small, baby-sized Arrancar who was scared for his life. The Arrancar had a chubby face and his mask remnant was a white helmet over his short black hair, resembling that of a horned sheep. He wore a small, brown rag to cover his naked body. His little Zanpakuto was strapped to his back in the shape of a wakizashi.

"Please gentlemen! Please don't hurt me!" The tiny Arrancar pleaded. "I just wanted to find a place to rest!"

"We won't hurt you, kid," The green Hollow said with a grin.

"We're just gonna eat you," The blue Hollow concluded.

"N-No! Don't!" The Arrancar shrieked.

"Bala."

Suddenly, a large bullet of gold Reiatsu came from an unknown direction and smashed into the green Hollow's face. The other two Hollows looked in horror as the green Hollow was sent flying, crashing and shattering a quartz tree. It's mask broke, but it didn't dissolve, instead staying in place like a corpse would.

"D-Did you do that?!" The blue Hollow roared at the mini Arrancar.

Before the Arrancar could respond, both the Hollow and he felt an enormous amount of Reiatsu overcome the area. Both kneeled to the ground, unable to handle the overwhelming spiritual pressure bringing them down. The tiny Arrancar looked up and gasped upon seeing someone standing a few feet away.

He was a man of average height, with fairly long, black hair that went down to his chest, slightly tanned skin, and golden eyes. He wore a brown cloak similar to the tiny Arrancar's rag, but he wore white shirts, no shorts, and sandals. On his head was his Hollow helmet hiding the Hollow hole on his forehead, the helmet resembling that of a lion's mane. His Zanpakuto was strapped to the side, it being a katana with a white hilt and gold-painted diamond pattern.

"Who are you?!" The blue Hollow demanded.

"Bala," The Arrancar repeated, unleashing another bullet of gold Reiatsu from his fist. It crashed into the blue Hollow, crushing it's mask and killing it instantly.

"Whoa!" The small Arrancar squeaked. "That was amazing!"

"Hmph," The taller Arrancar grunted, then turned and walked away.

"Wait, wait!" The tiny Arrancar chased after the taller one. "My name is Hopus McSheph! What's your name?"

"Tsubaki," He responded, not even looking back to Hopus. "Juuda Tsubaki."

Juuda walked down the small hill and continued through the vast expanse of the desert. Hopus followed suit, to which Juuda didn't say anything.

"So, Tsubaki-san. How did you become a Hollow?" Hopus asked.

Juuda frowned at the little boy as if asking, 'Why would you ask that?' and simply continued without acknowledging the question. Hopus was not deterred by Juuda's negative attitude and continued to talk.

"I don't remember exactly how I was killed," Hopus continued. "All I remember was my mother being attacked by my father. I tried to protect her, but I got killed in the process. Then I was overwhelmed by utter despair and turned into a Hollow. Now, how were you turned into a Hollow?"

"You talk too much, kid," Juuda responded. "I should've let you get killed by those Hollows after all."

Hopus drooped his head down in sadness. Juuda continued to walk, but Hopus' dreary attitude caused him to groan.

"I don't remember exactly what happened, though I do recall seeing a reflection of myself. That led me to conclude that I have a twin brother," Juuda explained. "I suppose I was a baby then because I don't remember what happened afterwards."

"Ohhh... that's so cool!" Hopus exclaimed. "Maybe you have some cool, mysterious past!"

"It doesn't matter anyway," Juuda replied, nonchalantly. "I don't care for the past. All I care about is fighting."

"Fighting?"

Juuda nodded. "I'm looking for a powerful opponent."

Hopus blinked. "Why?"

He pondered whether or not he should say the reason, but opted not to and kept on walking, no longer continuing the conversation. No matter how much Hopus continued to pester Juuda, the Arrancar wouldn't budge.

Three generic Hollows (one red, one yellow, and one pink) huddled around a fire in the middle of the cavern. They were peacefully resting for the night, when they heard a pair of footsteps coming closer. They got up and frowned upon seeing a figure walk into the room.

It was a human, or at least they thought he was a human. He wore a white-collared vest with no sleeves to cover his pale-colored arms, despite the cold temperature. His white pants had a long, white skirt around it, similar to a robe's, with white socks and sandals. He had silver-white hair cropping his pale face and his eyes were either closed or very narrow. Either way, the three Hollows felt a sinister atmosphere enter the room alongside the man.

"Hello, boys," The man said with a creepy grin plastered on his face. "How are you doing, this fine night?"

"A human..." The yellow Hollow muttered. "What is a human doing here?"

"Look closer," The pink Hollow said. "He has a Zanpakuto."

It referred to the wakizashi on his waist with a light-blue hilt and a tsuba made of two metal swirls. The Hollows backed away at the sight of it.

"As you can see, I'm not human. I'm a Shinigami," He said calmly as the three Hollows circled around him. "I'm simply here to ask a question."

"Speak, Shinigami," The red Hollow ordered.

"Have you seen an Arrancar with black hair and golden eyes? He has a helmet that resembles a lion's mane," The Shinigami inquired.

"Why do you search for him, Shinigami?" The pink Hollow demanded.

The Shinigami immediately opened his eyes, revealing a harsh, icy-blue color that pierced the pink Hollow's composure and caused it to back away. His glare also frightened the other Hollows and they stepped back as well. The Shinigami closed his eyes and calmed down, changing his scowl back to a grin.

"That is none of your concern," The Shinigami replied. "I simply want to know his location."

The three Hollows looked eye-to-eye before the yellow Hollow spoke for the three of them. "Shinigami. We Hollows may not like each other, but we have enough pride to dislike it when a Shinigami gives us orders. Therefore, we will not comply with your request."

"Hmmm?" The Shinigami creased his eyebrows. "I don't think I heard you correctly. What did you say?"

"You heard what I-"

Suddenly, the red Hollow was sliced in half. The living Hollows watched in horror as the white Shinigami withdrew his wakizashi from the Hollow's corpse and turned around, his grin still as horrific as ever.

"So, does anyone else have anything to say?" He asked.

"Why you..." The pink Hollow growled. "You bas-"

It, too, was cut in half in a blink of an eye. The yellow Hollow gasped, then turned to run, but the white Shinigami jumped to the top of its head and placed his wakizashi against his mask as a threat.

"Do you have anything?"

"T-The Arrancar you are searching for is J-Juuda Tsu-Tsubaki," The yellow Hollow stuttered. "All I kn-know is that he was heading south fr-from here last time w-we met."

"Thanks," The white Shinigami said before stabbing the yellow Hollow through it's mask, killing it instantly.

After walking for an hour, Hopus slumped to the floor. "Hey, Tsubaki-san. Can we stop for a minute? I'm tired."

Juuda looked down at him before keeping on walking.

"W-Wait!"

Suddenly, the two felt a powerful Reiatsu overcome the area. While Hopus was forced to slump to the ground, Juuda looked like he was barely being affected by it. He looked around and anticipated a strike. Sure enough, he felt an entity materialize behind him. Right before the enemy could land a strike, Juuda sidestepped the attack and kicked it away.

What attacked them was a hound-like Hollow, standing on all fours. His head resembled that of a shark's, with a fin on it's head and it's body was sharp and slick because of the metal blades protruding from it's body.

"Who are you?" Juuda demanded.

"I am Shard," The shark-hound Hollow introduced. "I have heard of your exploits, Juuda Tsubaki. I've heard how you have slain over a hundred Menos Grande with your bare hands, defeated all sorts of Adjuchas, and fought a Vasto Lorde and lived to tell the tale."

Hopus looked at Juuda with wide eyes, unable to believe it. Juuda's composure didn't change.

"I have come to see how powerful you are," Shard continued. "Fight me!"

"Wait!" Hopus squeaked, jumping in-between the two. "Why are you two fighting?! There's no reason-"

"Any reason is as good as no reason at all," Juuda responded. "Move, Hopus."

Hopus was hesitant to move, but Juuda's resolute stare caused him to walk out of their way. As soon as he did, Shard ran straight towards Juuda, whipping its sharp spear of a tail at him. Juuda disappeared instantly, much to the two's shock, then reappeared a few feet away.

"Sonido, huh?" Shard said. "I have heard that you are an expert in Sonido, but you are much faster than I anticipated. No matter..."

Shard ripped through the sand with its tail and whipped some of it at Juuda. He used Sonido to dodge, but as soon as he reappeared, he sensed Shard behind him. Shard raised his tail and launched it towards Juuda, but he instantly disappeared again and backed away.

"That is true speed," Shard complemented. "Now, time to-"

"Don't talk in a fight," Juuda responded, breaking Shard's thoughts. "It's talk like that-" He appeared right behind Shard. "-that'll get you killed!"

Shard attempted to whip it's tail towards Juuda, but he wasn't fast enough. Juuda's hand had already pierced it's body, rendering it unable to move. Juuda dropped the Hollow and walked away.

"Ah... ahh... I'm... I'm still alive..." Shard muttered. "Wh... Why did you... spare me...?"

"If I fought opponents as weak as you, I would look like a bully," Juuda said, then he continued down the trail.

"Tsubaki-san, wait!" Hopus yelled, waddling towards him.

Shard panted, feeling his vision fail him as he watched Juuda and Hopus's departing figures. Before he slipped into unconsciousness, he managed to sputter, "Sp-Sparing me wi-will be your w-worst mis-mistake. I'll c-come back one d-day to k-kill you...!"

While Shard and Hopus couldn't see it, Juuda's mouth curved into a grin. 'Looking forward to it.'

Ending: "Alumina" by Nightmare

Yup. This new sub-arc is taking place in Hueco Mundo with an Arrancar protagonist. I won't give much spoilers, but I'm sure some of you will be shocked at some of the future developments later in this arc. For those of you still waiting for your OCs to appear, don't worry; this arc has two more chapters and it's short (like you saw in this chapter), and then we'll go back to the Seireitei. Until then, I hope you enjoy the little adventures of Juuda Tsubaki!

Anyways, keep checking the OC roster on my profile page. Eventually, I will open it up for Arrancar, but not now and not for awhile.