Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to the wonderful Tite Kubo-sensei, while my OC… well, naturally belongs to me. This is my first Bleach Story, and as usual this is going to be slightly different from the Bleach canon. Just wanted you all to know that.

Thoughts

Speaking

Hollow Speaking

Zanpakutou Speaking

An Arrancar's Tale

Chapter 4

There was a short silence following Toshi's announcement, before Findor looked at them for a moment and asked. "If you would excuse me, Toshi-san… could you try and explain why you have chosen Tres Cifras as your permanent living quarters?"

"I too, want to know why you decide to live there, grandson… surely there are better places to live in that in that place." Barragan said in a thoughtful expression, though there is a little bit of disapproval and censure in his words at Toshi's decision, as though it was a bad thing to do.

Toshi and the girls looked a bit puzzled at this sudden change in attitude in their companions, and he said in a confused manner. "Why should I explain anything? I do not think that there is anything worth of explaining."

He paused for a moment and said. "And as far as I know, while the area in Tres Cifras isn't as good as the accommodations here… but it looks fine. So I don't think that there is anything wrong with us staying there."

Barragan sighed and said. "It is not my place to say anything grandson… but do you realize who exactly resides there?"

Toshi looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding. "Of course, from what I heard, they are the Privaron, am I right Oji-san?"

Barragan nodded and said. "Indeed, grandson… since you know that, why do you still decide to stay there? Surely you and my granddaughters do not need to stay amongst the fallen?"

Toshi shook his head and said with a sigh. "Oji-sama… I respect you and thank you for you advice, though I must respectfully disagree with your opinion. If anything, it is more imperative that I and my companions stay there."

Barragan looked stunned for a moment, and fixed Toshi with a mild disapproving look. "Is that so? And why do you feel that way, grandson? Surely you know that I am only looking out for the best interests of the three of you."

Toshi nodded and said respectfully with a bow. "I understand that, grandfather… and I am grateful for your concern… but could you answer me something? Who are the Privaron, and why are they segregated away from the rest of us?"

Findor, the strategist of the group stepped forward and said. "Perhaps I can better explain that, Toshi-san. The Privaron are naturally formed Arrancar, unlike the rest of us who are formed by the Hougyouku. According to Aizen-dono…. They are obsolete to his plans, and that is why they were demoted from Espada to Privaron Espada and sent to live in Tres Cifras."

"I see…" Toshi listened thoughtfully before turning to them and said with a mildly serious expression on his face. "If that is the case, then it is even more imperative that I live there, for all our sakes then."

Barragan and his Fraccion looked puzzled at his statement and then said. "Whatever do you mean by that, grandson? And what does this have to do with your decision in staying in Tres Cifras?"

"Think of it, grandfather… what you are doing now is indirect discrimination against those who were here before us." Toshi said plainly for a moment, and then continued. "And haven gone through the process from a simple Hollow to an Adjhucas, I can already tell that it isn't an easy thing to achieve. Not to mention these demoted Espada became Arrancar on their own… that should tell us something about them."

He then paused for a moment again, before he said. "And before you say anything grandfather… the fact that they are able to remove their masks without any outside aid is already impressive in my books. Instead of alienating them, which Aizen-dono has done for some reason, the logical choice would be to befriend them and ally with them. That is what I intend to do."

He then bowed respectfully to Barragan and said. "I shall take my leave now, grandfather… these two months has been quite an enlightening one, and like I said earlier, I am honored to be your grandson. Please forgive me if I have displeased you in any manner. We will see each other again, hopefully soon."

He then bowed as well towards the six Fraccion, though he did so towards Nirgge rather grudgingly before he turned and left, and the two girls followed him closely after they had paid their respects as well, leaving Barragan with a thoughtful look on his face.

After some time, Barragan turned to his Fraccion and said with a curious tone. "Well… I assume you have heard what my grandson had said earlier and his views regarding the Privaron. What are your views on this current matter?"

"Your grandson is as always… foolish, Barragan-sama." Nirgge sneered a little. "No offense to you of course, Your Highness… but he is much to naïve and human like for the likes of us. Suggesting that the likes of the Privaron would be more powerful than us… Hah! What a joke!" He said in a displeased manner.

Barragan frowned a little at the disrespect that Nirgge had shown his grandchildren. Even though what he says is true somehow, Barragan's feelings towards his grandchildren had by now grown stronger, and he almost lashed out at his Fraccion for his show of disrespect. He then nodded and said in a neutral tone. "Your view is appreciated, Nirgge, thank you."

He then turned to Choe and said. "What are your views on this, my wise Fraccion?"

The tall Arrancar looked at his liege and said. "My liege, while I slightly disapprove your adopted grandson's views and his attitude towards you, I must admit he has me intrigued with his views. True, the Privaron were once former Espada who were demoted because of falling out of favor with Aizen-dono's plans… but the fact remains that like your grandson mentioned it before… is that they removed their masks naturally."

He paused for a moment before saying. "And while it might be true that we are stronger than them, we have not actually tested our mettle against them to see if we truly are the stronger breed of Arrancar. And the fact that they are able to remove their masks naturally, is no simple feat… which leads me to believe that they are not to be underestimated, like your grandson has mentioned."

Barragan nodded and then said. "I see… then what is your recommendation in lieu of this situation?"

"What I recommend is that we keep a close eye on the Privaron for now to gauge their strengths… if it is proven that they are at least on par with us, the wise move is to offer an alliance with them. It makes sense, since I do believe that they are just as disgruntled at the Shinigami as we do, Barragan-sama." Choe said thoughtfully.

"I second that move, Barragan-sama…" Findor added with conviction. "Whether or not they are on par with us, we still do not know. But I do know this… they would not pass up this chance to stand against the Shinigami if an eventual change in Hueco Mundo takes place. Making alliances is definitely more advantageous than making enemies… and if I recall the saying 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'… it would be the most logical course of option for us with the future in mind."

Barragan nodded and turned to his other Fraccion members and said. "Is there anything you all wish to add to what has been said earlier?"

There was a short silence as the remaining members of Barragan's Fraccion did not make any comments, and Barragan nodded. "Very well then, we shall adopt a wait and see policy towards the Privaron for now."

He then turned to Findor and Ggio and said. "I want you two to keep a close eye on them, as well as my grandson and his companions. Report to me about anything you find useful about the Privaron for our stance against them."

The two Arrancar nodded and said. "As you wish, Barragan-sama." They then withdrew and started talking to each other on how to go about carrying out the mission that their lord had just given them.

Meanwhile, Toshi and his companions walked through the corridors of Las Noches in the general direction of Tres Cifras.

Menoly and Loly was silent for some time as they walked, but after some time they found themselves unable to hold back the curiosity as well as their thoughts regarding what they had just witnessed earlier.

Menoly gently tugged at Toshi's sleeve for a while and said gently. "Excuse me, Toshi-kun? Could you, um… stop for a while? Loly and I have something to ask you."

Toshi nodded as he stopped walking, and then turned around. He gave Menoly a gentle smile and said. "Alright, you have my attention… what is it, Loly-chan, Menoly-chan?"

Both girls blushed slightly at the affectionate nickname that Toshi had given them, but Menoly said. "Well, both Loly and I were just thinking about what had just happened earlier… are those things that you have said… true? You know the part where you practically came to the Privaron's defense, even though none of them knows of this?"

Loly also nodded at her friend's words and said. "Indeed… I also felt a bit bad for the things you said to Barragan-sama. After all, he was the one who took us in to train and live with him in these past two months. The least you can do is to be more respectful to him, I think."

Toshi looked thoughtful for a moment, and then nodded. "I suppose you are correct, Loly-chan… and I am grateful that grandfather took us in and brought us under his wing. That and the things he has done for us is nothing sort of his way of caring for us."

He paused for a moment before saying. "But I still stand by my earlier decision. From what I have heard earlier, I came to the conclusion that while there is no mistake about the fact that Aizen-dono has made us strong, there is something going on around here. To suddenly demote three former Espada… ones that have come into their current natural state… either means that he feels that they are a threat to him, or he is trying to promote some kind of disunity inside Las Noches, whether or not it is intentional. Both scenarios are quite unfavorable in my opinion."

"What interesting theories that you have, newcomer…. I wonder… how loyal you really are to Aizen-sama, hmmm?" A voice interrupted them, and they could tell that it was spoken in a serious, but yet mildly amused tone.

The three of them stiffened slightly at the sudden appearance of the voice and they both turned round, and tensed up slightly at the sight of the Arrancar that stood before them.

He was dressed in the standard garb of any Arrancar, though the only difference is that they could not see any of his facial features, as it was concealed by his Hollow mask, which resembled the skull of a buffalo.

Toshi was the first one to speak and said in a polite, but yet guarded manner. "I would ask that you do not surprise us that way, Arrancar-san… whoever you are. While I and my companions are not exactly the trigger happy kind, our reflexes are a bit fast due to the nature of our training, as well as the lives we led as a Hollow before we became an Arrancar."

He paused for a moment before saying. "And isn't it a polite courtesy to introduce yourself first before you suddenly pop out like that? You might not think that it is important, but it does prevent misunderstandings, and miscommunications sometimes... which often leads to very bad things happening, in my opinion."

Rudobon was fairly amused by the words of this apparently newly created Arrancar. It is no secret that he is the leader of the Exequisas, in other words a special assassination squad and the de facto secret police of Aizen's army. While his stance towards these newcomers was fairly neutral at the moment, not to mention that they were under, at least if he heard correctly, Barragan Lusenbarn's protection, his comment about Aizen intrigued him.

In normal circumstances, he would have eliminated any Arrancar that would utter these very same words, though in this Arrancar's case, he was under Barragan's protection, and as powerful as he was, Rudobon was no fool. He doubted that he could face the might of the former king of Las Noches and his Fraccion and escape unscathed. No, the most viable option for now is to try and find out more about this new Arrancar's loyalty towards Aizen, and whether his comment that he had just uttered was something that is considered to be treason.

He then said in a neutral tone. "Well, I should say the same to you too, young one… but your words are not without merit. Very well then, my name is Rudobon… a member of Aizen-sama's army, and head of the Exequisas… in other words… the leader of the secret police and assassination squad of Las Noches."

Toshi and the girls tensed up, and Rudobon chuckled before waving them off. "Now, now please relax… I do not mean you three any harm… for now. I understand that you three are new here, and therefore unaware of whether what you are speaking of are the wrong things or not, so I will pretend I did not hear those words this time round."

He paused for a moment, before he asked. "Now what I want to ask is, about your earlier comments… are those comments proof about your loyalty, or are there just mere comments based on observation?"

Toshi looked at the Arrancar thoughtfully for a moment, before he said. "Well, Rudobon-san… I can honestly say that I do not mean any disloyalty when I made those comments… all I meant was the decisions that Aizen-dono has made might have repercussions in the unity of Hueco Mundo and the Arrancar in general."

Rudobon looked thoughtful at Toshi's comments for a moment, and grinned behind his mask. Before the former Shinigami captains came to Hueco Mundo, he was already friends with Dordonii Alessandro de Socaccio, or Dordonii for short, and he knew of his friend's rather disgruntled mood after he was demoted to Privaron, and he could tell that the other two Privaron, Cirucci Sanderwicci and Ganntebaine Mosqueda were also quite displeased about their demotion. Even though he did not want to admit it, he also felt it strange why his friend and the other two former Espada were demoted, when he believes that they would be able to contribute better as members of the Espada.

But still, he is now head of the Exequias, and such thoughts were unbecoming of him. He then nodded and said. "I see… very well then. I will accept that explanation for now, as I have mentioned earlier. I bid you all a good day."

He then turned and left, a smile hidden behind his Hollow mask. So… that is Barragan's adopted grandson… he is as interesting as I heard him to be. There is no doubt that things are going to get interesting around here… though I do wonder what their reactions will be when they meet the Privaron… Dordonii especially. That should be a sight to see. With that thought, the leader of the Exequias' leader's steps took on a slight spring, which led the other Arrancar that went out of his way to silently wonder what has made the leader of the assassination squad in Las Noches to be in such a good mood.

There was a silence following the leader of the Exequias' departure, and the three companions breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew…. That was… scary to say the least." Loly said softly and Menoly nodded and said. "That's right… it's not everyday you find yourself face to face with the leader of the Exequias and live to tell the tale."

Toshi nodded, slightly shivering as he recalled Rudobon's words. He had no doubt that the Exequias leader wasn't being serious about his words to them at the time, though he also had no doubt that should the time come, he would be hard pressed to defeat him, even more so since that the three of them have no idea about how powerful the Exequais leader was, nor do they have an inkling of his abilities.

That alone made them mentally note to themselves that they have to be careful around the assassination squad leader, and they would be better off keeping him as a neutral party or an ally.

With that thought, they continued their journey in traversing through Las Noches' corridors, until they reached where they thought Tres Cifras was. As they walked around, they found that the blue sky like ceiling was gone from their surroundings, and instead, the ceiling was now the same dull grey color that Las Noches was famous for.

The corridors itself was full of gate like adornments, and it seems to them that they were passing through a series of gateways, which was an interesting way to build a chamber or place, in Toshi's opinion. Then again, with the many ancient sites that he has visited in the past when he was alive, this was like visiting one of them, and the three of them were so engrossed in looking around at the place, that they did not notice someone approach them.

"Excuse me nino, ninas… may I ask what you three are you doing here? Are you lost… by chance?" A well mannered and cultured voice was heard, which surprised them for a second time, and they tensed up slightly again as they turned around to confront the source of the voice… only to be surprised once again at the Arrancar's appearance.

Granted, with Rudobon's appearance earlier, this Arrancar seemed normal in comparison. He has black hair and blue eyes, which wasn't really surprising. What was interesting was the way his hair was shaped, which had two 'horn' like shapes on top, and he sported a set of thin moustache and a goatee. Not to mention that the remains of his Hollow mask were shaped like a pair of horns on his forehead, and suddenly a very familiar image comes to mind.

He mentally counted off the things that he noticed about this person. Dressed in white uniform that all Arrancar's wear, though he wears it like an aristocrat, Check. Hairstyle is slightly spiky with two tips shaped like horns, Check. Remains on his Hollow mask on his forehead has two points that are also shaped like horns, Check. Thin moustache and a rather classy looking goatee, Check. Has aristocratic looking features, Check. I am afraid to confirm the identity of this person, though considering where we are right now; it isn't very surprising at all.

Toshi then looked at the person and then said in a polite inquisitive manner, using a bit of Spanish that he had learned before when he was alive. "Excuse me, Senor..." He paused for a moment, before he continued. "Are you the Diablo of legend that is often spoken of in stories?"

Both Loly and Menoly's eyes widened at Toshi's sudden question at the Arrancar in front of them. As they studied his features, they also came to the same conclusion as Toshi, and they watched this new Arrancar very closely, their postures slightly cautious, and ready to react to any sudden moves that he might make.

The new Arrancar fell silent for a moment, and then let out a soft chuckle, which gradually grew to full blown laughter, and Toshi and the girls felt both puzzled and amused at the Arrancar's reaction.

After a while, the Arrancar stopped laughing and said in an amused tone of voice. "Oh nino… it has been some time since laughed like that. Calling me the Devil… that is not very nice you know… you shouldn't say such things to people. They might be offended and try and assault you for such a comment."

Toshi grinned despite himself at this Arrancar's attitude. The way he carries himself, and the way he talks reminded him of one of his eccentric, but friendly uncles. He then said. "True… but then, I don't see you try and deny it, nor try to assault me because of that now, do I?"

He then paused for a moment, before he continued the grin still apparent on his face. "Now then, since we can't call you Senor Diablo, since you are apparently not him… could you then please introduce yourself to us? Calling you Arrancar-san gets old after a while, don't you think?"

The Arrancar just chuckled and said. "You are an interesting one, nino… I like that. Very well then… I suppose it is only polite that I introduce myself to the three of you."

He then gave them an aristocratic bow and said in a polite manner. "My name is Dordonii Alessandro de Socaccio, Arrancar cientecimo tercero, Privaron Espada at your service."

End of Chapter 4

Author's note: Here's Chapter 4! Hehe. In this chapter, we get to see Barragan's Fraccions' reactions of how Toshi trying to rationalize his disagreement at how the Privaron were treated, and it seems with Nirgge's exception, some of them are favoring the idea, and some chose to stay neutral about it. And also our trio meets Rudobon, who seems only intrigued at Toshi's views about the things Aizen has done in Hueco Mundo. Will he be an ally or stay neutral in the future? You have to stay with this fic to find out. And finally they meet the goofy member of the Privaron, Dordonii… and you can bet that in the next few chapters they will meet with the other two members of the Privaron as well. Stay tuned guys, and Cheers!