Hey! I am finally here with the next chapter! Didn't think I was going to update? Think again.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach.
Thank you reviewers:
lightningblade49, ZxZ Fic Hunter, darkyamato, Celtic-Moon-Wolf, marc, jboat, hiddenworldwalker, insaniac34, 14thEternityNightMare, huh, In The Mix, Grocamol, and Impstar.
Now read on!
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The Espada arrived at Las Noches. Naruto and Szayel last to arrive; the others had been waiting for them. The place was particularly the same. Bland, colorless, and very quiet. At least it was better than the Soul Society. "What the hell took you so long?" Grimmjow asked. Naruto looked at him, with annoyed eyes. Grimmjow wasn't fazed; he kept looking at Naruto for an answer.
"We had a little run in with some inferior beings." Szayel decided to answer for Naruto. Grimmjow rolled his eyes. Naruto remembered the room he was in; it was the first throne room. The throne on top of a raised platform. He didn't understand why Aizen had to be that high off the ground from the Espada. "Nothing we couldn't handle." Naruto walked to the middle of the room. He felt nostalgia. He remembered all the Espada members, old and new. He let out a sigh, thinking of the first time he found Hueco Mundo.
Flashback
Naruto was unsure about this place. It was unlike the Soul Society. Never ending desert, with nothing in sight. He gripped his head painfully. His mask still trying to form over his face. The stupid voices and fighting was never ending in his head. He hit the sand, now on his knees he placed his head on the soft sand. He felt like tearing his head off. Aizen told Naruto to go here, then why wasn't Aizen around? Maybe the shinigami lied to him, he laughed bitterly. It made sense. He stood up, ignoring his splitting headache. His mask started to slowly fall apart. With every single piece that fell, his headache hurt less and less. When pieces of the mask fell off, they disintegrated before touching the ground. Naruto didn't really understand hollows and especially being one. He walked through the sand with no direction to go towards. He had learned a new ability. He didn't know how he did it, but he tore open the sky. Then ran through some darkness, and ended up in this desert. The desert reminded him of Suna.
"Stupid Soul Society." Naruto said to himself. Naruto didn't care for the shinigami anymore. They betrayed him. They were going to lock him up again. He hated the cell. He growled thinking of Toshiro. "That bastard." Naruto smiled darkly, "Next time, I promise, I will destroy the Soul Society and then you." He walked through the sand, oh how he didn't miss traveling through Suna. He shivered a bit the temperature was very cold. He did not mind, it was better than the cage he lived in. Naruto tripped on rock, landing face first on the sand. He growled and stood up. Looking back at the rock, he investigated it, and it began to move. He felt the earth beneath him begin to shake, "Now what?" Naruto jumped off the sand, to see a hollow pop out of the ground. The hollow looked like a giant worm with a mask. He sighed.
"Well, if it isn't a small snack?" the hollow chuckled staring at Naruto. Naruto was not too fond of the hollow speaking to him like that. "Though you don't offer much for a meal, you could tide me over for a while!" The hollow roared and dove after Naruto. He jumped out of the way. The Hollow only got a mouth full of sand. The hollow growled, and looked at Naruto. The Rokudaime knew that this hollow didn't offer much of a challenge. Naruto jumped up to the hollow's mask and pulled back an arm. Naruto punched the hollow's mask. The force sending the giant worm falling back. The worm hit the sand with a loud bang. Naruto landed on the sand. He looked at the mask o see it had shattered and thus killing the hollow. Naruto scoffed, and walked away. About a mile away from the battle, he saw the worm hollow being eaten by other hollows.
"What a strange place…" Naruto mumbled and started to walk again. After he had been traveling through the sand for a while, Naruto knew he wasn't getting anywhere. He plopped down on the sand against one of the quartz trees. He looked up at the moon, feeling exhausted for a strange reason. Though he couldn't sleep, he would rest for a few moments. Naruto closed his eyes, and opened them to see two figures standing in front of him. Naruto jumped to his feet. The two had holes through their chests, but appeared human, like him. Naruto blinked. The two hollows walked towards him. "Who are you?" Naruto asked. It was strange, he couldn't feel their presence. They had to be rather strong to repress their own aura.
"Are you Naruto Uzumaki?" one of the two questioned. Naruto gazed warily. He didn't know if he could trust them. One walked towards him, and Naruto watched the hollow carefully. He noticed the hollow's masks were not complete, and they looked broken. Naruto saw they had weapons much like zanpakutos.
"What are you?" Naruto asked them another question. The hollow stopped about a foot away from him. Naruto seeing his questions weren't getting him anywhere, he sighed. "If you must know, I am Naruto Uzumaki." The Rokudaime told the two visitors. They looked at each other for a moment. He saw the hollow before him had green eyes and pale skin like himself.
"We were sent here to bring you to Las Noches." The hollow told him. Naruto brow rose. "Come with us." The hollow added blandly, the hollow walked away from him. Naruto stood in his place the hollow turned his head, "You are wasting my time." The hollow said coldly. Naruto finally followed the hollow. He didn't know why but he felt like he could trust him. The other hollow tore open the sky. 'Garganta' was the name. Both stepped in, Naruto walked with the green-eyed hollow into the strange tear. The hollows lead him through the darkness, and tore through the blackness. Once out of the darkness he found himself in a large building.
"This is Las Noches." The other hollow told him, he had glasses and pink hair. He looked at the colorless building in awe, seeing how big it was. The room he was in along was bigger than any other he had seen. The roof was so high. He glanced around to see other humanoid hollows. One person tall and lanky. Another had blue hair. A female hollow with green hair. A rather large hollow with a jaw for his mask glared at him. A bored hollow gave him a glance. What appeared to be an old man, gave him a small frown. A childish hollow grinned at him.
"Naruto, I am glad you are here." Naruto looked up to see the familiar person from the Soul Society. Aizen had a small smile gracing his lips. "I hope coming to Hueco Mundo wasn't too difficult."
"Of course not." Naruto said with a hint of sarcasm. Aizen ignored this.
"That is to be expected." Aizen was standing on the high platform, and jumped down. "I welcome you to Las Noches. Tomorrow we will make you officially a member of the Espada." Aizen told him. "These are other members of the Espada."
"Coyote Starrk."
"Baraggan Luisenbarn."
"Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck."
"Ulquiorra Cifer."
"Nnoitra Gilga."
"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."
"Yammy Llargo."
"I'm Szayel Appro Granz." The pink haired man stated, "I'm not an Espada, but I have a rather high rank." He explained.
"I'm Luppi Antenor." The childish hollow smiled.
"I originally intended for there only to be ten members, but for the moment I have very few. All the old Espada have been killed." Aizen said. He walked over to Naruto. "You will become number Zero." Naruto nodded. Aizen looked to Ulquiorra the green-eyed hollow. "Ulquiorra, I want you to show Zero around." Ulquiorra nodded.
"Why are you all different from other hollows?" Naruto asked. The Espada gave him a surprised glance. "I really don't even know what a hollow is…" Naruto stated and Luppi laughed at him.
"You are making him become an Espada member? He doesn't even know what a hollow is, let alone anything else." Luppi grinned bringing up his sleeve up to his mouth. Naruto glared at Luppi.
"I have made my decision." Aizen looked at Luppi with narrowed eyes, warning him to back off. "I will have to return to the Soul Society after tomorrow, but ask me later. I need to take care of some business." Aizen said walking out of the room. Most of the Espada looked at Naruto with an interest. Luppi walked around him.
"You look weak." Luppi said with unimpressed look. "It's probably because you are a child." He mocked Naruto.
"We don't need anymore kids." Grimmjow glared at Luppi, and Naruto's eyes narrowed, "I don't know what the hell Aizen sees in you, but whatever it is I'm sure it nothing special. He has a poor sense of judgment." Grimmjow sneered. Naruto got the feeling that he was not welcome here.
"You are just mad because I'm here." Luppi looked to Grimmjow. The blue-haired hollow only glared. "You know that I am stronger than you." Luppi giggled childishly. Naruto felt very out of place.
"You asked why we are different from other hollows, we are known as Arrancar." Szayel commented. "Arrancar are hollows who have ripped off part of their masks to gain shinigami-like powers. Turning more human in the process." Szayel paused "Though it is very strange that you are not an Arrancar and yet take form of a human." Szayel smiled at Naruto with a hint of evil intent. "I wonder why that is?"
"If you are number Zero, you must be stronger than me." Coyote said.
"Yeah just like Luppi is stronger than me." Grimmjow growled.
"Yeah, what the fuck do you possess that would make Aizen want you to join the Espada?" Nnoitra asked. Naruto didn't really feel like explaining all the things to everyone. He kept quiet, and then Nnoitra held his scythe to Naruto's neck, "So you going to explain it shit head? Or do I have get the answers out of you."
"If you must know. I am unable to die." Naruto said, and some Espada members looked a little shocked. Nnoitra had a sadistic smile on his lips. Coyote, Baraggan, and Ulquiorra had no emotion on their faces. The others gave him a skeptical look.
"Why don't we test that theory?" Nnoitra thrust his scythe forward, Naruto caught the weapon with his hands. Naruto had a firm grip on the blade, preventing Nnoitra from using the weapon. "If you are unable to die why protect yourself? Unless you are fucking liar."
"It hurts, like hell." Naruto glared at the tall Espada. "If you want to stay alive I suggest you not to try that again." Naruto shoved the scythe back. Nnoitra stumbled back a little. Nelliel walked up to Naruto.
"It's good to meet you. I'm sorry. Nnoitra is just a sad excuse for a warrior." She stated, and Nnoitra growled at her. Nelliel ignored him and smiled at the short hollow. "I believe you when you say you are unable to die." Naruto nodded. Yammy then took out his sword, and moved behind Naruto. The Rokudaime turned around, quick enough to see the sword enter his chest. Naruto blinked, Nelliel mouth opened from surprise.
"Yammy!" She yelled. Naruto stumbled a little, feeling a little sick. He hadn't been stabbed in a long time. He coughed and fell on one knee. Nnoitra grinned again and Yammy had a bored expression.
"Everyone is curious. Besides, if he is so powerful he could have stopped me." Yammy pulled out his sword. Naruto gasped, placing his hand over his injury. The injury soon emitted a hissing sound and smoke arose from the wound. Szayel seemed intrigued by what had happened. Naruto snarled.
"What the hell was that for! You ass!" Naruto yelled at Yammy. The Espada looked at Naruto with surprise that he really couldn't die. He stood up pointed his finger into Yammy's stomach. "Try to stab me and I'll make you regret it." He said in a serious tone threatening once again.
"So, you weren't lying." Baraggan stated. Naruto huffed, and nodded, "Is that the only reason why you were chosen to be number Zero? If that's it then you should be a much lower number." The old man justified. Naruto hated being treated as if he couldn't do anything. It reminded him of his life at the Konoha, but nothing good would come out of showing them anything.
"Power is not the only thing that makes someone strong." Naruto stated, making the rest of the Espada silent. "It takes wisdom, honor, and courage to fight." Naruto added thinking of the many battles he faced. It brought him back to the times of war. He felt like he was some old person after saying that. Naruto was forty when he died. He forgot that. Naruto was so used to being seen and treated like a kid. His mentality changed as well, fitting to what people saw him as. He heard Nnoitra laugh at him.
"Wisdom, honor, and courage? What the fuck are you talking about? Power is all you need. I don't know the hell you are bitching about." Nnoitra grinned at him. Luppi giggled behind his sleeve. Naruto saw that Nelliel and Coyote were the only ones that completely knew what he was talking about. The others found what he said amusing. Except Ulquiorra, who just stood with an empty expression.
"Aizen wanted me to show you around." Ulquiorra said, with an emotionless face, "I will do what I am told." Naruto nodded, and followed Ulquiorra out of the room. Ulquiorra didn't know how to think of Naruto. The hollow held a great amount of power, but didn't exploit it. Ulquiorra could tell that Naruto was more than he appeared. They were walking down a long hall, both of them silent. Naruto couldn't feel like he knew Ulquiorra. His eyes lit up when he though of why he felt like he knew Ulquiorra.
"Gaara." Naruto smiled, "You remind me of Gaara." Naruto said. Ulquiorra turned his head with a blank face. "You share the same aura, but I never thought I would see you again…or anyone else." Naruto eyes fell upon the floor. He wished his friends hadn't all perished the way they did. Naruto then cut off his train of thought trying to forget about his past. Ulquiorra kept silent, he didn't want to talk to such a strange person. "Your eyes are bit greener than Gaara's…"
"Stop comparing me to someone I don't know." Ulquiorra said quietly, "Or I will remind you how painful death is." He threatened. Naruto looked at the 4th Espada with a blank expression. Ulquiorra didn't understand Naruto, bringing up past experiences. Naruto was right next to him, but he ignored this. Naruto kept looking at Ulquiorra.
"Will that get you anywhere? Stabbing me." Naruto said Ulquiorra kept walking. "It will prove that you are intolerant. Maybe you get satisfaction out of killing. Like Gaara…" Ulquiorra took out his zanpakuto with great speed, and swung it around. Ulquiorra saw that Naruto was no longer at his side. "So, you weren't lying." Naruto was now standing in front of him. Ulquiorra knew that Naruto was testing him. Naruto gazed into Ulquiorra's green eyes.
"I told you what I would do." Ulquiorra pointed his zanpakuto at Naruto, "You are stronger than you appear." He added. Naruto looked at the blade pointed at him, "but you are still trash." Naruto eyes flickered up. Naruto grabbed the sword with his bare hand, the blade didn't cut through his skin. Ulquiorra was caught off guard, and he was pulled forward. He was now a centimeter away from Naruto's face. The hollow pupils were slits, and he emitted a dark aura. Ulquiorra gave him a bland look.
"I am not trash." Naruto said in a wicked voice, anger seeping. Naruto released the blade, allowing Ulquiorra to compose himself. Naruto walked away from the green-eyed Arrancar. "I will discover things on my own. You can go do whatever." Naruto waved his hand dismissively. Ulquiorra stood and watched Naruto move further and further down the hall. Naruto felt a tad angry, but depressed. He didn't feel welcome here at all. The Soul Society was at least kind, even if it was fake. Naruto knew life would be difficult, but it was better than living with liars. "He is nothing like Gaara." Naruto frowned. However deep inside, Naruto knew it was Gaara.
Flashback end
Naruto sighed; those first few days had been hell. It got better as time went by. The Espada learned how to live with him, after about five years.
Yammy learned to respect him after a battle with him. Naruto won with effort. Yammy then would try to use surprise attacks, claiming he would defeat Naruto one day. Naruto hoped that Yammy would one day realize that he couldn't defeat Naruto.
Coyote, Baraggan, and Tia respected him from the start, but in their own way.
Coyote usually made him fight for him stating he could handle everything. Naruto would get annoyed and try to make him work. Coyote was the lazy uncle. Lilynette would also help Naruto. She was a little sister to him, though she sometimes hit him once or twice for being stupid. Lilynette was like a younger sister.
Baraggan said he was equal to him in power, and therefore treated Naruto with respect. Sometimes he would do Naruto's work, stating the enemy was too weak for Naruto to waste his energy on. Baraggan would sometimes tell Naruto when he was being a nuisance. Overall the Grandfather who was very strict.
When Tia replaced Nelliel, it was rather difficult. Szayel and Nnoitra threw Nelliel out. Tia treated him like a son, but very distant son. She would comfort him to a degree. Other times tell him to suck it up, or say nothing at all. She kept her distance from Naruto, but when she talked to him, she would be a bit motherly, but give him a cold shoulder if he did anything that made her feel too motherly.
Even if the pink haired man was crazy, Szayel and Naruto were friends strange enough. Though he was Oorochimaru, he wasn't half-bad for a person. In several occasions, Szayel asked him bizarre things, and wanted to do tests on him. Naruto thought the only reason he was being friendly was that Szayel sought perfection. In seeking perfection, he wanted to become immortal, and Naruto was immortal. He was the crazy uncle that you never wanted to be alone with.
Naruto looked to Grimmjow as an older brother, even if he was one of the worst influences in the world. Grimmjow and Naruto got into many fights. Naruto was referred to, by Grimmjow, as the punching bag. Naruto beat Grimmjow every time they fought. Except once, but the only reason he lost was that he suffered from headaches.
Luppi, when he was alive, teased Naruto endlessly. Always trying to get him into some sort of trouble. He would play innocent when Aizen was around, or anyone else for that matter. Luppi sometimes was very clingy, grabbing his arm and complaining about his life. Luppi loved to annoy Naruto, calling him nii-san in a high-pitched voice and tackling him. He was the annoying cousin that never left Naruto alone.
Nelliel when she was with the Espada was his big sister. She acted the nicest out of all the Espada. She would talk to him often, and comfort him when needed. She agreed on many things with Naruto. They got along just fine. Sometimes she scolded him for following Nnoitra's teachings, saying he was a dishonorable Arrancar. This only made Nnoitra hate her more.
Nnoitra always treated Naruto as if he was inferior to Nnoitra, but Nnoitra was like a twisted, abusive version of a father. Teaching him how to 'strong' and 'take care' of the enemy and if he didn't do it right he was given a beating. Nnoitra only got away with beating Naruto because Naruto let him. On some days, Naruto actually ended up beating Nnoitra, not in the mood for the shit.
Ulquiorra and Naruto had a very complex relationship. Ulquiorra kept his distance for the first seven years of knowing each other. He always looked like he was investigating him, observing Naruto at every aspect. Naruto wondered if it was because Ulquiorra hated him. The 8th year of being an Espada, he and Ulquiorra began to talk. Ulquiorra would ask him various questions about emotions. Naruto didn't know why Ulquiorra asked him so many questions, but he answered feeling it would help him understand. Ulquiorra followed Naruto almost everywhere, even if he had nothing to say. Naruto didn't mind it, but it was strange. Grimmjow told him to be careful of Ulquiorra saying he only interested in people he wants to kill. Naruto ignored this, and saw Ulquiorra as a friend. Naruto and Ulquiorra didn't always get along, sometimes fighting happened, but he saw slowly Ulquiorra became more emotional. Naruto hadn't seen the Espada for about ten years. He didn't know how much they changed, or if they even changed at all. With the new recruits around, he wondered if they offered any more power to the Espada.
"Hey!" Grimmjow got Naruto's attention, "Aizen is coming so you better not space out, or he might lecture your ear off." Grimmjow explained. Aizen was a very interesting man. He had told Naruto about the Soul Society, and how they would betray him. Aizen was a bit like a father, but he didn't tell Naruto much of what was going on. The man held many secrets. Then he heard the doors open behind them. Naruto saw Aizen with a man with a grin plastered on his face. Naruto eyes widened, and walked up to the two looking at the man with silver hair. The man's eyes shut, but must have sensed him. Aizen raised an eyebrow.
"Is there something you want?" the silver-haired man asked. Naruto walked around the man. The Espada watched with confusion. Naruto smiled at the silver haired man. Aizen didn't know what to think of this, and gave Naruto a look telling him to back off. Naruto looked at Aizen and gave him a look right back. Aizen wasn't too thrilled with his attitude. "It's not very nice to stare at people." The man said.
"I didn't think I would ever see you again." Naruto said, "I remember you from the Soul Society, but at the time I couldn't tell." Naruto announced. Naruto smiled again at the silver haired man. "It's nice to see you again Sai." Aizen sighed, feeling a bit humiliated by Naruto's act. Grimmjow and Nnoitra rolled their eyes.
"My name is not Sai. I'm Gin." Gin grinned. Naruto knew about other shinigami being apart of Aizen's plan, but he really didn't get to meet them. The reason being they had to remain in the Soul Society.
"Don't bother even giving your name; he'll just call by some random name." Grimmjow said. "I would know he always called me Kakuzu. Whoever the hell that is." Grimmjow stated. Naruto remembered Kakuzu. That shinobi was very greedy man, but Grimmjow wasn't. Naruto only saw they had the same temper. Grimmjow was much better person than Kakuzu. "I'm not the only one either." Grimmjow pointed out.
"Yes, besides that," Aizen said, "I welcome you back to Las Noches." Aizen had a gentle smile on his lips. Naruto still couldn't believe that Aizen had accepted him back in as a member of the Espada. For one he wasn't an Arrancar, second he destroyed part of Las Noches when he left Hueco Mundo. Naruto looked at his feet. "Is there something wrong?" Naruto looked up.
"Why did you want me back? I attacked you the day I left Las Noches, destroying part of the city as well." Naruto said. Aizen was quiet. "Not to mention took out part of the Arrancar army." Aizen being a very cunning person thought of a lie.
"Well, I told you we are friends." Aizen stated. The Espada eyes darkened, knowing it was a complete lie, "Friends forgive each other do they not?" Aizen smiled increased. Naruto's eyes widened. Someone really did care about him. Naruto smiled at Aizen. Gin's grin increased from how naïve the hollow was. "I hope you did not think I was still angry."
"Thank you Aizen." Naruto bowed. Grimmjow growled a bit. Aizen was using him, but why did he care? Nnoitra couldn't believe that Naruto fell fro such a simple lie. Szayel smiled at how easily tricked the hollow was. The rest of the Espada merely kept silent. "I promise I won't run away again." Naruto added, only making Grimmjow angrier.
"It is good to hear that from you." Aizen smiled charmingly. On the inside, he was very happy that Naruto was overly trusting. He didn't care about Naruto in the slightest, he was only a tool. He would need to keep up this façade or things would turn up very poorly. If he only knew how to get rid of him, then things would be easier. Naruto being an unstable hollow, needed to be kept under control.
"Naruto, seeing how your clothes are under such horrible condition, would you like something tailored?" Gin asked. Naruto looked to the man shinigami and nodded. "Then it will done." Aizen gave Gin a small glance excusing him from the room. Naruto looked at Aizen.
"Have you kept your rank number?" Aizen asked, Naruto nodded. He lifted up his un-kept, long bangs to reveal number zero tattooed on his forehead. "So after all those years you kept it?"
"I guess I couldn't let go of my past." Naruto smiled sadly. "This time I will do a better job." Naruto reassured Aizen. Aizen walked up to Naruto and ruffled his hair affectionately. Naruto felt a warmth swell in his chest.
"I will count on that." Aizen said with a dark smile. He stepped away from Naruto. "I'm sorry to tell you, but you have no fraccion. They were killed." Aizen mentioned. Naruto sighed; he knew that his fraccion died because of his betrayal. He knew the rules. If an Espada member were to leave, then fraccion are killed to make sure no more betrayal is in order. "If you would like to find new fraccion, then seek them yourself."
"I understand." Naruto nodded.
"Good. Now what I would like you to do is clean yourself. Your place is where it has always been." Aizen told him. Naruto nodded and left the room, leaving Aizen with the Espada. He had a cold expression and unmerciful eyes. "I have already explained this once to Ulquiorra and Yammy." Aizen started, "Say anything to Naruto about my behavior and I will deal with you personally." Aizen warned them. He looked at Grimmjow, "And mercy is not in my constitution." He turned and walked away. He had a dark grin on his face. If everything went according to plan, then he would take down the Soul Society with little effort. Luck had been on his side.
XXXX
Naruto wandered down the hall, he hadn't been in Las Noches in quite some time. He tried to remember where everything was, but to no avail. He could tell that Ulquiorra was around the area, he could sense Gaara's aura as well. He slapped himself mentally. "Stop it. They aren't them." Naruto told himself. He knew that his friends died, but he wanted to think they were alive and these people were them. His heart ached, knowing his friends were long gone. Naruto sighed feeling depressed thinking of his past. He knew they would want to move on, but he was supposed to be dead. Nothing was ever in his favor. He didn't want to disappoint everyone again, so he would do everything that was told of him.
Once Naruto was to his own 'palace', he walked into his bedroom. Seeing how nothing had changed. The room was dark with nothing but a bed, bookshelf, chair, desk, small loveseat and a window next to his bed. The bed was against the wall right up to the window. The window was a bay window; sometimes he would sit out on it and stare at the moon. He rarely slept, with the fear of not knowing what will happen to him. Mostly because he heard voices of the two who lived inside of him. The fighting was near endless, and if not fighting, they would torture him. Speaking about how he couldn't have saved his friends, and how no one ever cared about him. The Kyuubi would talk about killing him and destroy everything. The hollow stated that Naruto could only trust in himself, believing others was pointless. Either way, he never got a break. Especially when he had nothing to do, when there was silence.
Naruto walked out of the bedroom and into the living area. It was mostly a lounge, with more bookcases and a coffee table. Looking into the medium sized kitchen for a bit, until he ventured to the bathroom. It was large. Compared to his bathroom when he was a kid it was gigantic. A large bathtub, sink with a mirror, and a toilet. The toilet was not necessary, since Naruto wasn't really human. Hollows didn't eat food, Arrancar could. Arrancar were more human than hollows were. Naruto hadn't eaten ramen in over hundred years; he forgot what human food even tasted like. Naruto didn't eat very many souls in his life as a hollow, or consume very many hollows. When he did, he felt sick, but it was oddly satisfying. He could feel despair as he consumed souls, but a good amount of energy from it. Naruto remembered eating a soul, and he felt like throwing up. Naruto remembered eating a few hollows during his time at Hueco Mundo. He felt very inhumane when he did, but he savored the flavor of the flesh of other hollows.
Even if he was found in the Soul Society with Vasto Lorde powers, he was still considered a Gillian. The Espada would remind him of how low on the food chain he was. Nnoitra told explained he was superior over Naruto, because of his lack of status. Therefore, for a while Naruto did attack hollows when Aizen permitted it. It was more of the hollows that wouldn't listen to Aizen. Naruto cringed remembering how savage it looked when he ate. Naruto could see the blood that coated him after. Some Arrancar called him muchacho rodeado por sangre, translated to boy surrounded by blood. It was a creepy name to hear. The Arrancar had an easy life when compared to Naruto.
This reminded Naruto, Aizen did ask him if he wanted to become an Arrancar many years ago. Naruto wondered if he should. Being an Arrancar would make him feel more human, but at the same time, he wondered how he could be one. He had never allowed his mask to form completely, knowing he couldn't control himself. He repressed more than half his power, not trusting himself. He alone, without the mask, had enough power to take out the Espada one by one. What would his power be like with part of his mask? It would have to be a great amount of power. Naruto sighed; he would have to think about it a little more before truly deciding. He rejected the offer at first claiming he wasn't strong enough to handle the mask, but that was fifty years ago.
Naruto started the bath, sitting on the ledge of the bathtub every so often checking to see if the water was warm. He looked at himself in the mirror. He saw pale skin, red eyes, and a youthful face. He noticed his hair was longer in the back reaching his lower back, and was straighter as well. His hair was still a bit spiky, though the hair was long preventing the spikes from sticking out too much. The hair around his face was straight as well, reminding him of his father a bit. Seeing how the blonde hair made him seem even paler, he looked away. He missed his blue eyes, tan skin, and less creepy appearance. He felt like he was a ghost. Once the tub was full, he undressed from his torn clothing and sat in the tub cleansing himself from the days of not being clean. After cleaning himself, he got out and found some clothing lying out on his bed. Seeing how he couldn't wear his old clothes, he tried on the new outfit. He wondered how the outfit could have been tailored so quickly, until he realized that the clock in his room point to the time 1:30 a.m. Naruto must have been in the bathtub for quite some time without realizing. He looked at the clothes and wanted to try it on.
He put on the white jacket. The jackets sleeves were skin tight, revealing any muscles he had in his thin arms. The sleeve had an opening for his thumb. The sleeve at the open edges was black. Putting his arms through the sleeves, he saw how well it fit him. He walked to the mirror in the bathroom bringing the rest of the clothing items. He zipped the jacket. The jacket was short, showing a good amount of his lower abs. The tail of the jacket was short, only reached a bit past his butt. The bland jacket had black trim, tracing the zipper, tail of the coat, and collar. Naruto noticed that the collar was a bit high. It could cover him mouth. He unzipped the collar, to the end of his pectorals. He could now see the hole in his chest. He had already put on underwear, and then proceeded to put on the hakama. He tried the black sash around his waist, and looked at the boots. He never really liked wearing shoes. If they were not sandals, he wouldn't wear them. Placing the boots aside, he looked at himself. Naruto felt comfortable with the tight clothing. He frowned. He looked like a child still. Naruto sighed, and looked away from the mirror.
Walking back to his bedroom he collapsed on his bed. He couldn't sleep, he knew that, but he was tired. He crawled over to the bay window, and sat next to the window. He looked into Hueco Mundo's sky, seeing the moon and vast amount of stars. He leaned against the glass, feeling at peace. It was a very beautiful early morning. The stars twinkled, Naruto even wondered if they were stars, but at the moment, he didn't care. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Naruto smiled. "I guess I am home."
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I was self-conscious about this chapter. I didn't want to update because I felt like it would end horribly. I guess I also got writers block. I wanted to take a break from writing (Not really. Even though the entire time I was on the 'break', I was typing). I also had to study for school.
So, I have a feeling that this chapter was really bad, but that is just me. There's only one person who reads over the story before I send it out. He said it was ok, but I'm not entirely sure. This chapter determines many futures of the characters. I freaked out and held on to it for a while, thinking about the story line. Asking myself if I wanted these things to happen. So, now the chapter is before you…
Please R&R. I don't know if this chapter was even that good.
Grocamol- I understand how this story isn't the most straight forward. I appreciate the honesty. I was thinking about rewriting it, but I want to see where this goes. I did not see your comment as a flame.
Hopefully this was worth your time…
Until the next chapter.