Of Bonds and Hollows

by BeautifulLife-PainfulTruth

The greed of one Hollow change the entire course of the Bleach Verse. But things didn't change too much, right? I mean, growing up with an over protective wolf and a little active pup can't be that bad for Ichigo, right? Arrancar!Ichigo. Super slow-paced story!

14. Resurreccion

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters associated with it. All rights belong to the creator Tite Kubo.

This is an AU story with some OOC.

And with nothing else please read, enjoy and review.

Chapter 14: Resurrección

-X-

"Yeah… it's time to meet the King of Hueco Mundo."

Before Starrk could think of a plan, Lily caught his attention when she walked up to Ichigo before raising her left hand and—before he realized what was about to happen—she slapped him across his face.

As a glare was slowly forming on her face, Lily slapped Ichigo's left cheek once more. "What the hell was that! Why did you attack the Shinigami captain instead of going through the Garganta!? That was too stupid, even for you!"

The last slap had brought Ichigo out of his shock. A glare slowly molds on his face while looking down at Lily. "What the hell is your problem! I bought us time to escape, didn't I!?"

"My problem is that you recklessly attacked the Shinigami instead of running!" Lily barked.

"We can't always run away from them! Eventually we're going to end up fighting them, that's what we've been training for, remember?!"

"YOU IDIOT! We barely even started our REAL training and you think we're ready to fight Shinigami CAPTAINS!? For Kami's sake, Ichigo, think about it first!"

"I thought about it first!" Crossing his arms in front of his chest and losing some of his anger, Ichigo reminded Lily about the attack that destroyed the silver-haired Captain's ice dragon. "Did you not see what I did back there? I think we're good enough now to fight against Shinigami Captains."

Losing some of her temper, Lily mirrors Ichigo's actions. "Did you actually know what you were doing back there, Ichigo? Because I think you pulled that attack out of your ass! I bet you don't even know what you did!"

Before the argument could escalate any higher, Starrk broke them apart. "That's enough you two!" Seeing how they were still at each other's throat, Starrk flares his Reiatsu. "I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH!" Gaining not just the two teens, but Ulquiorra's and Szayel's attention, he brought up the important matter at hand. "You two need to calm down. Did you forget where we are? We're back to Hueco Mundo, and we're going to go talk to Baraggan."

Done fighting with his friend, Ichigo sent her one last glare before questioning Starrk. "What exactly are we going to do once we meet this King? What are we even going to talk to him about in the first place?"

A frown forms on Starrk's face, has Ichigo never put two and two together before? "What do you think I was training for Ichigo?"

The redhead raises an eyebrow before replying. "So that you can fight Shinigami?"

"I was training for my fight against Baraggan."

A frown found itself across Ichigo's face. "Why would you fight Baraggan in the first place?" He understood that Starrk would face Baraggan somewhere near their future, but they never gave him a specific reason Starrk would fight the self-proclaimed king.

"We never even met this king before either?" Lily added.

Looking from Ichigo to Lily, Starrk releases a sigh before waving Szayel over to come and explain things while he searches for Baraggan's Reiatsu.

With both teen's attention now on him, Szayel started explaining. "While true that none of us have ever met Baraggan, it doesn't mean that one of our actions hasn't angered the King of Hueco Mundo."

"What are you talking about? How the hell did we piss him off?" Ichigo interrupted. From what he remembers from his two years living in Hueco Mundo, not once have they ever met any Hollow name Baraggan, however, he remembers that name leaving a dying Hollow's mouth.

Szayel took a second to look at Starrk; the brunette was standing still with his eyes closed. "You see Ichigo-kun around the time that Starrk started hunting food for you, he unintentionally declined one of Baraggan's invitation to his army."

Ichigo's frown deepens. He was sure that Szayel once said that they couldn't return to Hueco Mundo because of Baraggan, but he never said why the Hollow King was after them. However, now he's telling him about some invitation that Starrk had seemed to refuse. "And Starrk has to fight Baraggan because of that?"

"Well... there's actually more." Szayel doesn't know if he could even tell this part to Ichigo. The dangers of Aizen creeping around in Hueco Mundo got kept away from both teens. The adults had been making sure to not mention that name. He released a quiet sigh.

Urahara once approached Starrk about a crazy idea he had after returning from their first trip to Hueco Mundo. What if Starrk ruled over Hueco Mundo and became the new king? The shopkeeper should have already known what Starrk's answer would've been. Starrk decided to not bother ruling anything—even after Urahara had mentioned some very strong points that becoming king would give them protection from not just the Shinigami, but from Aizen too.

Szayel releases another sigh. What can he tell Ichigo and Lily? "Starrk just wants to make Baraggan pay for what he did towards Gerald."

Looking at the pinkette with a confused look, Ichigo slaps his forehead when he remembers who he was talking about. "The Guardian... right, forgot how he remembered his name. Wait, what did Baraggan do to him?!" He took a second to peek at Starrk, the brunette had mentioned how the Guardian of Menos Park was able to recall all his memories from his past-life not too long ago but that was it. He mentioned nothing about Baraggan doing something to him.

Once again, Szayel took a moment to glance over at Starrk who had a frown on his face. 'I guess I can tell him this part.' "When Starrk and Urahara visited Gerald at the Forest of Menos, the Hollow mentioned a haven that he was creating for other Hollows. However, that didn't last long when Baraggan started searching for us down there and as he came across these Hollows, he slaughtered them all but Gerald."

"The only reason Starrk would fight Baraggan is for what he did towards Gerald?" Lily asks. She honestly doesn't understand why Starrk would bother with anyone else's problems; he doesn't care about the people outside of the close circle he has created. She looked at Ichigo and realized that this was more proof to her about the fact that Ichigo's presence has been changing her longtime companion.

Starrk opened his eyes and knitted his eyebrows together. Something wasn't right. "Oi, Ulquiorra can you come here for a second."

"Is something wrong, Starrk?" Ulquiorra moves next to Starrk.

"I want you to use Pesquisa and tell me what you can sense."

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and concentrated.

The brunette watched as a small frown appeared on Ulquiorra's unemotional face. As he opens his eyes, Starrk says, "Well?"

"... Nothing. Even after I spread my Pesquisa farther than usual, I wasn't able to sense a single Hollows' Reiatsu." Ulquiorra took a moment to look around him. The white sands of Hueco Mundo look more dead than usual, he can't seem to see or sense anything around him.

"Oi, Szayel, where did you bring us to?" Starrks turns around to address Arrancar.

With a sheepish laugh leaving his mouth, Szayel rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, well, since we were in such a rush to escape, I thought about the very first place that I could remember." Turning around to Ichigo, he sends him a smile. "This is the spot where Ichigo-kun saved me from my brother."

Starrk looked around. He couldn't believe they were so close to the place that started this whole adventure. 'Been what? 3 years since Ichigo started living with Lily and I.' He wishes things could go back to what they used to be before the accident in the Human World. No Shinigami to worry about, no Aizen, no Baraggan because Ichigo would still have his Capa Cero to hide them. 'But if we were still living that life, none of us would have had the chance to feel alive again.'

He was happy to have company in the form of the Visoreds, the URAHARA SHOP's residence and the Kurosaki Family, and he was sure everyone felt the same. Ichigo finally saw his family again, Lily found herself some friends and a big 'sister' model to look up to, Szayel got the chance of becoming 'human' again and Ulquiorra... Well, he doesn't know about him. 'And if I want to protect all of that, I need to face Baraggan.'

Unsheathing his Gunblade and pointing it up towards the dark sky, the brunette fires a blue Cero to signal his return to the King of Hueco Mundo.

With the sky becoming illuminated by Starrk's Cero, just like the last time, someone has responded to his Cero with one of their own. Everyone turned towards the direction the purple Cero came from and as it shot up higher than Starrk's Cero, Baraggan's purple Cero was able to cover more area when it exploded.

Starrk doesn't understand; he really doesn't. When he first challenged Baraggan and was able to sense the Hollow King's power, he understood there was a gap between both of them that he could easily close. When Urahara used the Hōgyoku for his transformation, he easily felt the increase in his power and he was glad to know that the gap between both of them had closed up. And as the Visoreds help him train for his fight against the Hollow King, he was sure once the year was over he would finally pull ahead and take away the title of strongest Hollow from Baraggan, but now— 'Why... Why does Baraggan feel more powerful than last time!'

Ulquiorra was stunned for a slight moment until he sensed something very peculiar from Baraggan's Cero. There were some similarities between both Hollow's Cero. 'Could it be?' Using Pesquisa again, the pale-skin Arrancar concentrated, searching from the direction Baraggan's Cero came from and as his technique reached further than usual, he was able to sense a great gathering of Hollows' Reiatsu. With another frown forming as he finishes using his technique, Ulquiorra slowly turns to Starrk. "Hollows. Thousands of them seem to gather at the direction Baraggan's Cero came from."

With the green-eyed Arrancar's words bringing him out from his stun, Starrk turns to the direction the Cero came from and with a blank expression on his face, he says. "Oi, Szayel, how many Hollows are under Baraggan's command?"

Cleaning the sweat from his forehead with the back of his long shirt, Szayel took a moment to recover before responding to him. "I heard no details stating the number of Hollows under his rule. The only thing I had heard was that he has a great army—."

"Wait, you're still going to fight him?!" Lily cut in. Not getting a response from her companion, she said, "Tell me you're joking Starrk… Because there's no way you can fight against Baraggan! Did you not see how much bigger his Cero was!? He's more powerful than you!" Again she got no kind of response. Getting impatient from the lack of an answer, she started walking up to Starrk—ready to smack some sense into his head but just before she could raise her fist, the man laid a hand on top of her head and made her stop.

Starrk was staring at the top of Lily's head while her eyes stared at the ground. He was feeling weird with the way his hand no longer touched a part of Lily's Hollow mask. "You knew this was happening Lily. I understand if you're worried. I'm a bit worried about myself too. I was sure Baraggan didn't have this kind of power." He was trying his best to comfort her, but what else can he say? It's true of what he's speaking of. Baraggan's show of strength was not what he saw all those months back. 'Just what did you do to gain such strength, Baraggan...'

"You don't have to fight him."

Starrk's eyes fix on Ichigo, surprised that he was the one to speak instead of Lily. Removing his hand from Lily's head, he drags it across his hair. Just why is it so difficult for these two to understand the fact that he has no choice but to fight. "I'm sorry Ichigo, but there's no other option. If we don't go to him first, then he'll come to us. With no way to hide from Baraggan, the only thing we will end up doing is buying us some time before he catches us." As he finishes and waits to see what Ichigo's response would be, Starrk raises one of his eyebrows when the redhead mumbles something under his breath. "Speak up Ichigo."

Hesitating for a second, Ichigo slowly looks into Starrk's eyes while raising his left hand in front of him. "I... I said that... we can just hide from him again."

Lily quickly twists her neck to Ichigo and winces a bit upon seeing her hand's imprint on his cheek. Did she really slap him that hard across the face? However, that was the least of her worries, watching the way Ichigo was focusing on his hand had made her heart stop. He wouldn't be trying to use that again? Seeing as he was gathering his Reiatsu around his hand, it only took her mere seconds to react.

Ichigo blinks twice as he registers what Lily did. She went back to slapping him again—only that this time Lily slapped his hand down, making him lose his focus on trying to cover his hand with Capa Cero. An irritating sound left his mouth. "What the hell is your problem no—" Ichigo bit back on his words when he looked at Lily's worried face.

"What were you trying to do?"

Even the tone of her voice sounded worried.

"You know what I was trying to do."

"Why... why would you try using Capa Cero after what happened last time!?" Her last words came out sounding harsher that it meant them to be and it was for the redhead to remember what that technique had done to him.

Said boy scowled from Lily's words that brought forward some very painful memories from his first time trying to use the technique. "Look, this time is different! I have been practicing!"

His words did not seem to make the situation any better because he heard the voice of Starrk coated with hurt. "You have been practicing? Even after I told you not to?"

Ichigo wanted to groan. "That's not the point!" Once again bringing his hand up, Ichigo started concentrating. "Please, just let me show you."

Both Starrk and Lily wanted to stop Ichigo but once they saw his Reiatsu covering his left hand and the familiar white coloration was forming on it, both Arrancar's actions came to a halt. If they break away Ichigo's concentration then they may cause the teen to lose his limb and even though he could regenerate his arm again, they rather not put him through some pain.

After waiting for the longest dreadful minutes of their afterlife, Ichigo finally finishes coating his left hand in the familiar white coloration.

"See?"

Looking from the teen's hand to his face, Starrk noticed the strained smile and sweat that was going down his forehead. 'Seems using Capa Cero isn't as easy as you're making it seem.' Starrk has to give Ichigo at least some credit for not having his hand blown-up. However, he wonders why the boy didn't bother donning his Hollow mask. From what he remembers from Shinji, Ichigo's mask allows him to gain better control over his Reiatsu, something that would have been helpful to the redhead and now that he thought about it, why didn't Zangetsu train Ichigo to use his mask?

Before Starrk could speak his mind, Lily questioned Ichigo first. "When did you have the time to train for this?"

"Well, I usually have to wait for you to fall asleep before I sneak down to Urahara's basement." Ichigo scratches the back of his head with his Capa Cero coated hand.

Starrk cocks an eyebrow. "For how long have you been doing that?"

"He started training for his Capa Cero after the first 2 weeks of becoming a proper Arrancar."

Starrk turned to Ulquiorra when it was the white-skin Arrancar who answered his question. "And how do you know that?"

Instead of answering Starrk right away, the green-eyed Arrancar reflected on the moment he had with Ichigo.

- Flashback, 3 Weeks Ago-

Hearing another blast go off, Ulquiorra slowly closes the current novel that he was reading and fixes his eyesight down on Ichigo—who was making sure not to scream from having his hand blown up for the 5th time tonight. After the redhead found out that summoning his Zanpakutō had cost him his Capa Cero, he didn't have any other choice but to practice in activating his white armor which meant going through the painful training Zangetsu had taught him.

He watches curiously as Ichigo waits for his hand to regenerate before going back to his self-harming.

He doesn't understand.

Why hasn't Ichigo stopped already? With all the failed attempts of recreating his Capa Cero ending with him blowing his hand up, he would have believed for Ichigo to call it quits some time ago, but the redhead was still trying. Did Ichigo not promise Starrk about no longer training for such a dangerous technique?

Two weeks have passed since Ichigo has started his training with his father and from what he has seen from Ichigo, the boy was a born fighter, maybe even close as to say he was a prodigy in the arts of swordsmanship. It impressed him with how fast Ichigo was able to learn how to dual wield; he also has learned his father's technique; Getsuga Tenshō, Cero, Balas and even has his own variation of Cero; the Cero Gravedad. So why would Ichigo try to add more techniques to his arsenal? Was all that power not good enough for him?

Feeling as if he needs an answer to calm down his curiosity, Ulquiorra made himself known by using a Sonido to reappear in front of Ichigo, spooking the redhead.

"U-Ulquiorra!? What the hell are you doing down here so late at night?"

He was able to detect some fear and fright mixed into Ichigo's voice. Tilting his head to the side, he answers Ichigo's question. "I come down here to read, seeing as how we must all train during the day and when we're done training Mashiro likes to talk about her day with me, but even then I have no time to read since we must work around the shop. So I have taken the liberty to come down here to read when it is nice and quiet."

Ichigo tilted his head to the side. "You don't have to hear about Mashiro's day, you know, you can always tell her that you're busy."

"Then that would be lying."

"Okay, okay lying is bad. Then tell her that you'd rather read your book than listen to her talk about her day."

"Won't that be rude of me?"

The redhead was feeling irritated with him right now. Releasing a groan, Ichigo pinches the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, you're right it's rude." Looking back at him and seeing how his attention was glued to the ground instead, Ichigo continued with a deadpan voice. "It's also rude to not look at the person who's talking to you." Not even gaining his attention, Ichigo looked at where he was looking at.

"Why are you still practicing Capa Cero?" He looked away from the dry blood on the dirt and back to Ichigo. With nothing coming from the redhead, he continued. "I was there when you promised Starrk that you wouldn't continue your training for Capa Cero. Why did you lie to him? Is lying not bad?"

A silence washes over the area as Ichigo tries searching for the right words to say but as nothing comes to mind, he looks down to the ground before replying with a basic answer. "Yeah... lying is bad."

He waited for Ichigo to say more, but seeing him go silent, he continued asking questions. "Does it no longer hurt when you blow your limb off? Is your tolerance level high enough to ignore such pain?"

"No."

"Then it hurts you but you still keep going. Why?" Once again driving the boy to a silent corner, he switches the directions of his questions. "Do you not care for them?"

That question seems to bring out Ichigo from his hush moment. "Who are you talking about?"

"Must I truly answer such an easy question for you, Ichigo? I'm talking about Starrk and Lily."

"Oh."

He raises one of his thick eyebrows. "Oh? That is all you got to say? Nothing more? Must I remind you of their reactions from that day? The scared and worried look on both their faces? The possible mental scar that you may have caused on Lily? Do you not care about that anymore or did you never care about them?"

Ichigo's regrown hand formed a fist and he spoke through clenched teeth. "What are you talking about! I care!"

"Then why break your promise to Starrk? Why continue working on something so dangerous? Are you not happy with all the power you have? Is it not enough, Ichigo?"

"NO, IT'S NOT!" Screaming from the tops of his lungs, Ichigo took a couple of breaths before answering back with a small, quiet and fragile voice. "Is not enough for me, Ulquiorra. You don't understand. Starrk has always been there for me, like a guardian. Watching and protecting me. Keeping me safe from everything. But I know now that he can't always be there for me, for us. Back when we first stepped into the Human World, everything turned from great to worst. Because of a stupid decision that I made, I put everyone lives in danger. Starrk couldn't handle any of the Shinigami Captains because he was making sure to not destroy my hometown and because of that Lily got hurt. I couldn't do anything that day. Someone else had to come and save us."

He kept quiet until Ichigo finished before opening his mouth. "And why is that a reason for you to want power?" He raises one of his thick eyebrows again upon seeing the look on Ichigo's face. It looked as if he remembered something very important. Ichigo's posture seems to have changed from a weak, frail boy to a strong, determined man.

"Is because with the power I could gain with learning Capa Cero that it will help me finally do it. I'll carry the responsibility that Starrk has been doing." Ichigo locks his eyes with his.

"And what would that be? What will you be doing?"

"Protecting them, protecting us. My reason for wanting more power is to protect everyone who means something to me because that's what my heart has always told me."

Silence covered the area before he spoke with a small frown on his face. "We are no longer alive Ichigo, such a vital organ is useless to us. So what 'heart' could you possibly be talking about? What 'heart' makes you follow such a naïve idea?" His frown deepens before continuing. "Why do you speak as if you're carrying this 'heart' in the palms of your hands? Why do you carry something so humane still?"

Ichigo ran his fingers through his hair before coming up with an answer. "Then don't think of it like that but as an instinct, purpose, or reason. Something that makes you strive for it, that you want to achieve, or you want to live for."

Frown now gone from his face, a more troublesome one took its place. Does he have something to live for? No, he definitely has nothing or maybe he doesn't know yet what it is?

He watched as Ichigo took some steps back before going back to his training. Before the teen could start, he said. "Seems like we both might need each other's help."

Ichigo looked glad about the small distraction. "What are you talking about?"

He took a moment to walk in front of Ichigo before saying anything. "I can help you train to gain better control over your Reiatsu and with that, you should be able to coat your arm with Capa Cero."

"Really?" Ichigo blinks twice before he mockingly narrows his eyes. "And what do you need my help with?"

He lifted his left arm to his chest. "I want you to help me find my... heart."

- End of Flashback-

From that day on he has been helping Ichigo gain better control over his Reiatsu by putting the teen through even more Cero and Sonido training and when he finally saw enough control over that area, he finally decided that Ichigo was ready. Being cautious with the way to train for Capa Cero, he made sure that Ichigo took the step much slower. So instead of trying to cover his entire arm with Capa Cero, Ichigo had to first try to cover his fingers before he could try going any farther than that.

While it took some time, he could finally cover his part of the deal, he had helped Ichigo cover his hand with no accidents and now the only thing that needs to happen is for Ichigo to help him find his purpose. But right now they seem stuck on that but it's not like the redhead isn't doing his best to help him.

He'll just patiently wait.

Done recalling those memories, Ulquiorra finally replies to Starrk. "I know this because I have been the one to overlook his training and as you can see, Ichigo finally got himself some control over his ability."

After hearing Ulquiorra's explanation, Starrk's blue-gray eyes focus on Ichigo's white-coated hand. 'Maybe... maybe I don't have to-' '!' His hands went up to his head and held his head tight, feeling as if a quick headache just came across his head.

"Are you okay, Starrk-san?" Asked a worried Szayel.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Waving off the pinknette's concern. Starrk went back to looking at Ulquiorra, composure not changing one bit. "I want you to be honest with me, Ulquiorra, how long would it take for Ichigo to master Capa Cero."

The green-eyed Arrancar closes his eyes and calculates. "Ichigo is far from an expert at controlling his Reiatsu and as you can see on his expression, it's not an easy task for him to coat his arm without losing focus." With another quick calculation, Ulquiorra continues. "If everything goes well and Ichigo loses his fear of having his limbs blown up, then he should have this ability master in one year."

Starrk was glad in Ulquiorra's honesty with him, but he had hoped to hear perhaps something different. 'So this is it. I basically can do only one thing at this point.' Sheathing back his Zanpakutō, Starrk started leading everyone to Baraggan with no one opposing him.

They have been walking all day, not trying to reach Baraggan in such a hurry.

Ichigo looks around from the little campfire that Starrk had made. Who would guess that those weird rock-trees were flammable?

Ichigo could see the form of Lily sleeping on the white sands. She hasn't spoken to him throughout their travels. Guess she's still mad at him. Releasing a sigh, his eyes lock to the stupid novel that Ulquiorra was still reading. 'Yours'. He was sure that the pale-skinned Arrancar had at least finished reading that book seven times already. Why hasn't he read something else? Was the book that good? Forgetting about the reading Arrancar, he got up and walked over to Starrk. The man was sitting cross-legged on the white sand, with his Zanpakutō on his lap and eyes closed.

"Still trying to learn Shikai?" Ichigo took a seat next to the man.

Opening his eyes, the brunette replied. "What else can I do?"

"I don't know, maybe resting?"

"Don't feel tired." Replied Starrk as he shut his eyes again.

Releasing a small breath, Ichigo looks up to the only bright object in the night sky. How come Hueco Mundo doesn't have stars?

With an awkward silence washing over them, Ichigo was about to excuse himself before Starrk opened his mouth again.

"I need you to promise me something, Ichigo." Starrk said in a hushed voice, making sure that no one but the redhead could hear him. Making sure Ichigo was paying close attention, he continued. "No matter what happens. If I end up fighting Baraggan, then let me fight him alone."

"What are you talking about?"

Opening his eyes, the brunette saw the worried look on Ichigo's face. "A fight is going to break out Ichigo and when it does, I need you to make sure the others won't interfere. Okay? And if anything happens to me…"

"Please don't."

Ichigo slightly raises his voice, not loud enough to gain the others' attention. "Please. Please don't say that. Don't give me any of that crap! You're strong Starrk! Nothing is going to happen to you. I'll keep my promise, I'll make sure no one gets in your way but you need to promise me something too. Promise me you won't die."

Hearing him laugh, Ichigo was ready to scream at him before he ruffled his hair. "Don't worry Ichigo. I'll try not to die, but you need to promise me that if anything happens to me, then turn around and run. Even if that means you have to leave me behind."

While not liking it, Ichigo nodded, stood up and left Starrk alone. 'Perhaps I should practice Capa Cero.' Turning to look at the sleeping figure of Lily, Ichigo releases a sigh before deciding against it. 'I can skip it for today.'

They were getting closer; Starrk could just feel it. With every step they had been taking, the night air was getting filled with all the Hollows' Reiatsu. Stopping at his tracks and everyone following his lead. Starrk pointed over to the colorful light show that seemed to happen over the horizon. "What the hell do you guys think that's all about?"

Instead of just guessing any answers, both Szayel and Ulquiorra use their Pesquisa. Finishing first, Ulquiorra said, "Hollows... thousands of them and Baraggan is there."

Starrk released a slow breath. He has been taking his sweet time to reach Baraggan but now that they're so close he should just cut the trip short. "C'mon, no more wasting time."

As he finishes, Starrk uses a Sonido to disappear from his spot with the rest of the Arrancar following shortly.

Stopping from using their fast traveling method and ending on top of a dune, everyone looks down to the bloodshed that was happening. Hollows, either big or small, weak or strong, were all fighting among one another, trying to rip their opponent to shreds or burn them down with a Cero. The group notices the way they seem to be more focused on killing each other than their presence and things appear as if nothing could make the battlefield come to a halt.

That is until someone made them stop.

With a quick flare of his Reiatsu, the King of Hueco Mundo stopped the battle to address his special guests.

"So you finally showed yourself to me, Fantasma."

The group of Arrancar stared at the King of Hueco Mundo as the parting sea of Hollows revealed in shock.

Starrk snaps his neck to Szayel in a hurry; a mixture of surprise and anger fill his voice. "I thought you said that the King of Hueco Mundo was a powerful Hollow."

"I-I that's what I heard!" Szayel could not respond to Starrk without a bit of stuttering reaching his voice and without taking his eyesight away from the elderly man with a white mustache and white hair, face lined by large scars on the left side of his chin that goes down to his neck and across his right eye. Despite the aged appearance, the Hollow King looked stocky and muscular. His attire comprises a regal white leather coat with black fur lining, short sleeves, and three black fur stripes running along the bottom. Wearing a golden wrist band on both wrists and a belt comprising three thick chains attached to a large metal disk with a sun emblem. "I heard he was a powerf-ful Hollow! Not an Arrancar!" He pointed at the remnants of Baraggan's Hollow mask that takes the form of a five-pointed crown just above his forehead.

The brunette didn't know what to think. He was training to fight a Hollow, something that he could easily deal with. But an Arrancar it's a different story.

Not hearing any more words from any of his guests, the Hollow King stood up from his throne and walked towards them at an easy pace. "So why have you finally shown yourself to me?" Baraggan said while looking only at Starrk. "Why didn't you go back to hiding from me like you always have? Did you finally realize how futile that is? To hide from someone like me?" The silence was the only answer he was getting, even the other Hollows weren't making a sound. "Or perhaps you finally realize that you hold no kind of power against me and you see that you're a better fit as one of my subordinates?"

Starrk couldn't open his mouth. Baraggan stood only a few feet away from him, he could feel the way on how the undisputed King of Hueco Mundo was slowly releasing his Reiatsu, trying to scare him, and it was working. While he stood taller than the elderly king, Starrk felt as if he was the one looking up to meet his gaze.

Finding satisfaction from Starrk's silence, Baraggan shows some pity to the pathetic brunette. "Maybe I'll show some mercy for all those years of denying my invitation if you come out on top from this contest of mine."

That seems to make the man speak, even if his voice was quiet. "Contest? What contest? All I'm seeing is a giant bloodbath."

Baraggan turns around, walking back to his throne while answering the man's question. "This is all but a contest to see who would be the general of my army."

"Army?"

The King of Hueco Mundo turns around to see the redhead stepping in front of Starrk. "Must I repeat myself to you, boy?"

Ichigo ignores the way Baraggan's voice was coated with annoyance. "What do you even need an army for? Why have them kill each other off if you want an army, anyway?"

"Is it not simple for you, brat? This contest is more than just a random Free-for-all; This battle is to kill off the weak. Only the strong should be the one living."

"SHOULDN'T THE STRONG BE PROTECTING THE WEAK!?" Ichigo barked.

At his words, Baraggan and most of the Hollows started laughing. "Protect the weak!? Ha! Only a fool would bother protecting anyone weaker than them!" Reaching his throne, Baraggan turned around to sit down and rested his chin on his left palm before continuing. "Why should the strong bother to protect anyone weaker than them? Thinking like that will get you killed in a world like this. If you can't make it as a Hollow then you should let yourself become food to the ones that deserve it."

"Have you ever thought that maybe they didn't want to be a Hollow in the first place?!" Ichigo pointed at himself. "A Hollow killed me before my soul took over—"

"And it was because you were stronger."

Interrupting the redhead's speech to make a point, Baraggan pointed at the boy with his free hand. "The only reason you're even here is that your soul was stronger than the Hollow who devoured you." Swaying his arm across his entire field of vision, Baraggan continued. "Every Hollow here is strong if they could reach their current evolution and it's not because they devour enough souls to reach the next stage, but, because their soul was stronger to keep the others in silence, to not have them corrupt their mind. However, some Hollows have limits; not every single one of them could have the power to reach the next stage. Those are the ones I wish to remove."

"Then let them go."

Baraggan scowls as the only girl of the group steps in front of Starrk and moves next to Ichigo. "Silence, you have no saying in this."

"Why!? Is it because I'm a girl?!" Replied an angry Lily, if Baraggan was looking down at her for being a woman then she would—

"It's because you're weak."

"What? I'm not weak!" Lily yelled.

The elderly Arrancar raises a brow. "Not weak? Bah! From what I'm sensing girl, you're the weakest of the group. Even the pink-haired fruit over there feels slightly stronger than you, the boy by the side of you is miles apart from your strength, and don't even get me started with the last two men behind you."

Lily didn't want to believe Baraggan; there was no way for such a gap to be between herself and everyone else! She has been training with them for 8 months! She wasn't weak!

"Have you ever checked your companions' Reiatsu? If you can do just that, you can see for yourself just how far behind you are." Baraggan said.

Only following Baraggan's words to prove him wrong, Lily closed her eye and concentrated, searching everyone's Reiatsu, and that's when she noticed how right he was. She was the weakest of the group. Opening her eye, Lily dragged her feet back to the rest of the group.

Ichigo's unearthly yellow eyes have been following Lily as she headed back to everyone else with her self-esteem destroyed by Baraggan's word. Turning around to face the Hollow King, Ichigo spoke through clenched teeth. "There's nothing wrong with her being weak! If she keeps training, she'll get stronger!"

"And if she can't?"

"Then I'll always be there to protect her!"

Once again, Baraggan started laughing. "Ha! To protect her? What are you, some—"

"Guardian?"

His eyes went back to Starrk, quietly watching as the man walked past the redhead and his scowl came back as he looked into Starrk's eyes. The fear he planted on the man vanished. "This whole talk about protecting the weak has been making me feel like I heard it before."

"That's because you have, your majesty." A Smilodon-Hollow said. "This sounds like the speech from the Hollow living in the Forest of Menos."

His scowl reached new levels as Baraggan remembers who his subordinate was talking about. "What was the name of that Hollow, Ggio?"

"Don't worry about it."

Turning to glare at the brunette for interrupting him, Baraggan stood up from his throne. "Watch your tongue before I have it cut from your head, ant."

"Is that so? And who will do just that, you?" Starrk challenged.

At his words, Baraggan releases some of his Reiatsu, killing off any weak Hollows nearby. To his response, Starrk releases some of his and makes it clash with Baraggan's. Their clashing power started forcing down Hollows to kneel.

Taking a moment to look around, Ichigo notices how only two Hollows seem to be the only ones to put some resistance against the powerful Reiatsu and the only way they can do such a feat is because they were Vasto Lorde. However, before he could take notes of their appearance, his attention went back to Starrk, who was now only two feet away from Baraggan. He could see the way both men's Reiatsu combined with each other.

"We should withdraw to a more safe-zone." Ulquiorra took a moment to look around all the fleeing Hollows, finally able to move the moment both men stop forcing out their power. Getting only nods, Ulquiorra took the lead, and everyone followed behind.

The sand was getting blown away from the clashing Reiatsu before both men stopped their actions.

Baraggan looked up to Starrk's eyes, trying to figure where this courage came from. The self-proclaimed king scowls. "I will only give you one last chance, Fantasma, submit to me or else you will face my wrath."

He doesn't know why he's standing against Baraggan right now. Just a few minutes ago he was afraid of the immense power coming from the Hollow King, but a voice was telling him to fight. Maybe he got the push into doing this with how Baraggan had called Lily weak. He mirrors Baraggan's scowl. "How about you force me to submit?"

Hearing the man's words, Baraggan completely releases his Reiatsu. "Care to repeat that again, ant!"

Not backing down, Starrk releases his full power too. "You heard me."

"You have been a thorn in my side for too long, Fantasma. I try to make this easier for you but it looks like I must force you to submit." As he finishes, Baraggan's left-hand forms into a fist before he slams it into his throne to pull out his Zanpakutō. A large, double-headed battle ax. The battle-ax has a pair of rounded blades, black with silver edges. A red slit-eye pendant in the middle of the focal point holding both blades together. The axe's handle seemed wrapped in gold. Gripping his handle with just one arm, Baraggan swings his weapon upwards, trying to gash Starrk's chest.

Starrk saw the way the Hollow King's Zanpakutō was closing in on him. 'So this is it? My training has built up for this exact moment.' With quick reflexes, he unsheathed his Zanpakutō from his back and clashed it down with both hands to meet Baraggan's battle-ax.

With the clash of their blades, the battle that will change the entire natural order of Hueco Mundo has begun.

His arms were shaking, he was putting on so much physical strength that his body had to stop Baraggan's ax from cutting his skin, even though his Hierro was strong, he didn't want to find out if Baraggan could cut him or not. 'C'mon, put your muscles to work!' With a scream and putting more strength into his arms, Starrk pushes the double-headed ax up with Baraggan still holding on to his Zanpakutō.

Seeing the Hollow King open for an attack, Starrk went in for first blood but his blue-gray eyes spotted Baraggan's ax coming down fast. Bringing his blade up and using the flat surface area of his Zanpakutō, Starrk stopped Baraggan's attack.

'How am I having so much trouble with Baraggan only using one arm!' His eyes widened dramatically upon realizing that Baraggan still has a free arm.

The Hollow King smirked upon seeing the look of realization on Starrk's face. "Did you remember about this?" Rearing his right arm back, Baraggan punches the brunette in his chest, sending the man flying into a dune that picks up sand and covers him. "Don't think I'm done!" Aiming with his free arm, he started concentrating on a Cero before it got interrupted by a blue Bala fired at it, causing it to explode on him.

As the sand was settling down a bit, Starrk slowly walked out from his cover with his gunblade pointed at the Hollow king, smoke coming out from the barrel. "You really thought I would let you fire something like that?" With the smoke clearing away, he scowls since he couldn't spot a burn mark or sign of damage on Baraggan. 'This guy is stronger than me and his Hierro is far superior to mine.' A sigh left his lips. "Kami, I hope he's not—"

Hearing a Sonido, Starrk moves away from his spot just in time from having Baraggan's ax cut him from head to toe.

Appearing again after his use of Sonido to save his life, Starrk stared at Baraggan with annoyance written in his face. 'And he's fast! That's just great.' While not faster than him, Baraggan moving at such speed will be a pain in the ass for him. 'He may appear as an old man but he is not weak or fragile like one.'

Holding his blade to the side, Starrk charged at Baraggan. If there was something that his spars with the Visoreds have taught him is to make sure you understand your opponent perfectly. That's how most of the Visoreds from the beginning of his training could end the spar since they weren't able to overpower him, their next option was to settle things to a draw. However, in this situation, things could work differently for him; he could win the battle instead of ending it in a stalemate.

Starrk swings his blade to the left, making Baraggan raise his ax to block his attack but just before their blades could meet, he uses a quick Sonido to appear behind the Hollow King. With his blade only inches away from decapitating Baraggan but to his complete shock, his opponent only leans his head forward, dodging the edge of his Zanpakutō.

As he misses what appears to be his only chance of winning against the Hollow King, Starrk notices the way his moments seem to have gained some speed. Almost as if someone hit the fast-forward button on him. Collecting his footing before tripping and making himself a fool in front of his opponent. He spins around after regaining his footing; the blade coming back again to Baraggan's back. This time, the Hollow King used his ax to block him.

Looking over his shoulders, Baraggan gave Starrk a displeased look. "Is this all you can do? How very disappointing."

"Yeah, well, guess what!? CERO!" Starrk pulled the trigger of his gunblade and fired a blue Cero to Baraggan at close quarters.

Shock with how fast Starrk's able to form a Cero, Baraggan stares at the blue energy attack before being engulfed by it.

As his Cero ended, Starrk released a shaky breath and brought his blade back up to a defensive position. He started looking from left to right. A Cero will not take down someone like Baraggan. Turning around believing that the Hollow King would go for a stab in the back. Baraggan caught Starrk's face with one hand and with ease, he lifted him up and slammed him down to the sand. Watching Baraggan's axe through the gap of his fingers, Starrk pointed his sword at the Hollow King and fired a blue Bala. Trying to stop him from hacking his left arm.

Seeing the blue light, Baraggan abandons his position and lets go of Starrk's face. "Are Ceros and Balas the only thing you're good at?" Replied the Hollow King while standing at a safe distance.

Starrk stood up before answering himi. "Yeah well, that's about the only thing I have around to work with." 'Well, that and a couple of more things.' Saving his trump cards for a better moment, Starrk went back to clashing blades with Baraggan.

Blocking one of Baraggan's swing, Starrk notices the light of a purple Cero that was forming on Baraggan's free hand.

Starrk was ready to push away the battle ax, but Baraggan caught him by surprise by kicking him on his stomach. Making him crash on yet another dune. Seeing an opening, Baraggan releases his Cero, however, before it could even reach him, he fires off one of his own. Making both attacks clash and bringing in smoke across both their field of vision.

---

Grinding his teeth, Ichigo was watching the spar with the rest of the Arrancar with high hopes that it would have been an easy battle for Starrk, but the battle has proven different results. Baraggan seems to be stronger than Starrk and was fast.

"C'mon Starrk, what are you doing." Ichigo mutters under his breath. Every time Starrk found an opening on Baraggan, he could see the way the man slows down whenever he's close to killing Hueco Mundo's King. Is Starrk afraid to kill?

"Your friend won't be able to defeat Baraggan."

Hearing a feminine voice, the group of Arrancar turn around to see a group of Hollows walking towards them.

Ichigo notices the figure—which seems to be the leader of the group—as one of the two Vasto Lorde that could move when both men's Reiatsu went wild.

She was a fairly tall woman with blonde hair. While her body looks fairly human-like, there were two distinguishing features on her, besides the white carapace that covers her body, the blonde Vasto Lorde had a long shark tail on the back of her head that reaches all the way to her back knees and her right arm seems to connect to a giant blade that takes the form of a shark tooth.

The redhead could spot olive color skin around the areas her Hollow mask, which only consists around her aqua color eyes, revealed. Looking past her, Ichigo notices 3 Adjuchas by her side, one appears as a lion, another like a snake and the last one like a deer.

The yellow-eyed teen scowled before going back to watching the fight to see that once again Starrk was at the defensive. "You don't know Starrk, he's strong. He'll be able to win."

The Vasto Lorde's aqua-eyed look over to the battle, the brunette has just dodge one of Baraggan's Cero before he takes aim and fires his own. "Just because he's holding his own against Baraggan right now doesn't mean he's strong." Watching as Baraggan held his battleax with both hands before cleaving Starrk's Cero in half, she continued. "Baraggan hasn't even shown his true power yet."

"That doesn't matter, Starrk will win." Lily replied while not taking her eye away from her longtime companion.

"Kami, you sound so stupid right now. Weak and dumb, what a great combo."

Lily snapped her neck to the glare at the Deer-like Adjuchas. "Shut your face, Bambi."

"Make me, bitch!"

Before her companion could start an unnecessary fight, the blonde Vasto Lorde stopped her. "Apacci, behave yourself."

"Hai, Harribel-Sama." Reply Apacci with a bow.

"Harribel-san. What 'true' power are you talking about?" Asked a curious Ichigo. How could Baraggan have more power? Is he not fighting at his fullest right now?

The blonde Vasto Lorde watched as Baraggan was able to block Starrk's blade and counter attack by slamming the flat area of his ax on Starrk's left side. "He's trying to show Fantasma how pointless this battle is to him. Baraggan had many opportunities to end this." She shook her head. "He's only toying with him."

"Toying with him!? But every single move made by Baraggan has been a killing blow, how is that 'toying' with Starrk?!" Szayel cried out.

A small frown broke through Ulquiorra's emotionless face. So his judgment wasn't wrong at all. He has seen the quick openings left by Starrk, but the Hollow King never took them. Either out of caution or negligence that he would finish the battle too quickly. "We need to help Starrk."

"And here I thought you were the smart one." The serpent-like Adjuchas said before pointing around all the gathering Hollows with her tail, she clarifies her meaning. "If you try to interfere with this battle, then you will only cause Baraggan's followers to take action. Tell me now, while you may all feel powerful, can everyone here actually defeat an army of over 10,000?"

"We're not going to interfere." Ichigo said. Feeling as if had everyone's eyes on him, he continued. "I already said that Starrk would win. He won't need our help."

"Better hope he kills Baraggan soon, kid. 'Cause your friend won't last a minute once Baraggan unleashes his power." Replied the Lion-like Adjuchas.

---

As Baraggan once again avoided the edge of his blade by leading his head away, Starrk took a leap back and gave the Hollow King a stern look. "How are you doing that?"

A cocky smirk came to Baraggan's face. "So you finally notice."

With a quick nod, Starrk explains his findings. "Every time my blade or Ceros are in your personal space, they seem to slow down, almost as if they get too heavy to move faster." He came up with a simple conclusion. "You're using your Reiatsu to slow down my attacks by making them heavier at the last minute, making them easier for you to dodge them."

Still keeping his smirk, Baraggan reveals his hidden power. "You're both right and wrong. You're correct with the fact that your attacks are losing speed when they come near me, but it's not because I'm increasing my Reiatsu to slow them down." Resting his battle ax on his right shower, Baraggan pointed a finger at Starrk. "It's because I can project a field around me that slows down time."

"Slow down time?!" Starrk shouted. "There's no way you can do something so—"

"God-like?" Baraggan interrupted, seeing the shocked look on Starrk's face he couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not this world's king." He raises his ax once again and focuses his Reiatsu at the edge of his Zanpakutō. "I. AM. IT'S. GOD. KING!" He slammed his battle-ax down and a flow of purple Reiatsu fired towards the stunned brunette.

At the last second, Starrk was able to regain his senses and move out of the way. 'To slow down time?' Once again he dodges another of Baraggan's energy flow. 'How could I possibly find an opening if all he has to do is slow time down and either move out of the way or counter-attack?!' With another dodge, he moved in close to Baraggan's right side, going in for a low upper slash, adding a bit of his Reiatsu to counter Baraggan's time dilation field, only to realize it didn't even help.

"Why are you still trying!" Baraggan backhanded the brunette. "Do you not see how fruitless your efforts are!?" He yelled before using Sonido to appear over Starrk, battle-ax aimed towards the brunette's neck.

Watching the ax coming down, Starrk started covering his body with Reiatsu before trying out a move that he had barely been practicing. "CERO!" Every inch of Starrk's body had formed a Cero and fired at his command.

Baraggan's unscared eye widened at the large amount of Ceros been fire so carelessly. The elderly Arrancar escape the barrage of Ceros with a Sonido.

---

A hint of shock ran through Harribel's eyes. "Your friend can fire a Cero from anywhere on his body?" She asked with a voice full of amazement.

Lily looked towards the blonde. "Why do you make it sound like such a big deal?"

"Can you shoot a Cero from every little spot on your body at an instant?" Harribel replies, shutting Lily's mouth. "Cero isn't something Hollows can just spam. They take a lot of energy and some time to build them up to lethal levels, but Fantasma seems to freely shoot them like nothing and they haven't even taken a toll on him. Even Baraggan has been careful to not waste his energy on Ceros. Now there's also the fact that Baraggan has been sure to dodge every single one of them, that's telling us that Fantasma's Ceros, while formed and created quickly, still hold enough power in them to have Baraggan back-off from him."

---

Baraggan scowled as his leather coat had taken a hit from one of the man's attacks. "You're starting to piss me off."

"Well, that makes two of us." Starrk replied. So far neither of them has taken the first blood, sure blows have been traded from both of them but not one of them has cut the other. 'I have no choice now but to use both my trump cards.' Remembering his training with Yoruichi, Starrk rushes back to Baraggan.

Seeing a typical move, Baraggan waited for the man to get close enough for his time dilation field to affect him. As the brunette got into his field, he swung his ax in a wide arc and his blade connected. He smirked as he cleaved Fantasma in half but then lost it upon noticing that what he just cut was just an after image. Hearing a Sonido, he swayed back his ax only to see Starrk a few meters away from his ax's reach.

Gunblade pointed at Baraggan. Starrk yelled out his last trump card. "Bala Francotirador!" A fast, single narrow blue Bala left Starrk's barrel.

Thanks to his time manipulation ability, Baraggan was able to dodge any lethal injury. However, the variant Bala was able to pierce through the Hollow King's right bicep, making him drop his ax. Having seconds to hiss about the wound in his arm, the appearance of Starrk in front of him made him pick up his ax with his left hand and use it to block Starrk's Zanpakutō and that's when he noticed the fact that Starrk was only using one arm.

Taking a page from Baraggan's book. Starrk pulled his fist back and punched Baraggan on his cheek, finally able to land a blow on the God-King.

Not losing such an easy opportunity, Starrk appears up in the air, right above Baraggan and unleashes a Cero down on him. The world gained a blue-hue shade as Starrk's Cero was at full blast. With the blast ending, Starrk slowly levitated to the ground. Finally, feeling exhausted by using so many Ceros. 'It's over, it's finally over.'

He slowly started walking to Baraggan to see if the self proclaimed God-King was still alive. Before he could even reach his opponent, Starrk stops upon feeling Baraggan's Reiatsu skyrocketed.

"This is unacceptable..." Baraggan said, surrounded by sand that turned to glass by the extreme heat of Starrk's Cero. The Hollow King was still standing, burned marks around his skin and clothes but that's not what he was talking about. No, he was referring to the tooth that he was holding in his healed right arm. "To lay a hand on me. A GOD-KING!"

Tier's view on the brunette changed the moment he was the first ever Hollow to lay a hand on Baraggan but seeing the silent fury in had put the Hollow King in, she could only now feel sorrow that the only Hollow to have ever gone against Baraggan was minutes away from death. 'At least he lasted longer than anyone.'

Baraggan held his Zanpakutō in front of him with the ax-head pointed downwards and said two words. "Rot, Arrogante." Releasing red Reiatsu, the slit-eye pendant between the ax-blades generated a jet-black and purple flames, which engulfed him.

Starrk's face only read one expression; Shock. The flames have burned away Baraggan's flesh, reducing his entire body to little more than a skeleton; with his head becoming a skull and his hands and arms being reduced to bone. His body is covered by a draped in a purple cloak, with a pitch-black tattered fur collar around his neck area. His crown-like mask fragment turns into a full, extravagantly decorated, bejeweled crown, with a chain running downward on the left side. The scar that appeared in his previous form became visible as a plain crack in the same location.

The brunette took a step back. "What, what the hell is this?"

Baraggan's skull didn't even open its mouth to speak. "This is Resurreción. An Arrancar's true power!"

Starrk took a step back as Baraggan took one forward and each step that the Hollow King took, the glass he was walking on shattered. The ominous figure of Baraggan stops at his tracks, if he still had flesh, then Starrk would have seen a smirk spread across his lips.

Baraggan raises one of his skeletal fingers to Starrk. "I will only give you One. More. Chance. submit or perish." His only response was the barrel of Starrk's Zanpakutō pointed at him. Laughter left his skull. "So that's your answer? Well then," He spread his arms apart. "Don't miss."

Not giving in to the skeletal figure taunting, Starrk started focusing on another Bala Francotirador, this one made with far more power. Feeling that he finally had enough energy, Starrk fired. He focused his eyes on Baraggan's figure, still standing with his arms apart. 'There's no way he's just going to stand there!' He aimed the narrow Bala to pierce Baraggan between his eyes. 'He'll really take it!?' Before it could even reach the king, his Bala diminished in an instant. 'What!?'

"Useless." Lowering his arms, Baraggan walked towards the stunned man. "Did you forget what I can do?"

"That you can slow down time!" The man answered while shooting Balas at the approaching figure of Baraggan. Watching as his Balas died down while not even reaching the God-King, he took a leap back. "You can only slow down time! How are you able to stop my attacks!?"

"Only slow down time?" Baraggan laughed. "When did I ever say that my only ability is to slow down time? No, my true powers, the power of a God, is my control over time!" Black and purple, smoke-like miasma started leaking out from his eye holes and coat. "In this form, I can either slow things down or I can speed up the aging process of anything I touch or that surrounds me."

"That explains nothing!" The brunette leaps back, putting more distance between the two. "Then are you saying you aged my Balas or something like that?"

"All your Balas, Cero and Francotirador have one thing in common." Baraggan pointed at Starrk's blade. "They're all fired out of your Zanpakutō."

The brunette looked down to his blade. "And what? They form quicker and don't take a lot of my energy."

"Precisely. Your Zanpakutō gathers the necessary energy to form them before firing them. That's how you're able to shoot so many Ceros without your body feeling any sort of tax. However, these projectiles have a shell around them. While the inside of these bullets hold a bit of your Reiatsu, they're still made from Reishi. How else would it take a form?" Baraggan slightly tilted his head to the side. "This still doesn't explain how I was able to 'age' your attack, right? When your Ceros and Balas leave your blade, you set them with limitations and I sped up the process your energy would run out. Because all living things eventually die, the things which they create eventually die, too." He spread his arms apart. "Everything in this world; the sand, trees, Hollows, you and I. Our physical bodies comprise Reishi and Reishi…" He lowers his left arm and raises his right one. "Ages! Gran Caída!" Purple Reiatsu came out from his right coat sleeves before a double-headed ax with slim and dark blades took shape. A large spike protruding outwards from its center, in place of the now-absent slit-eye pendant, four golden chains present around the base of the spike which extends into his cloak and attaches to an ornate bracelet worn around his right wrist.

Starrk raises his Zanpakutō, ready to defend against Baraggan's ax when he sees the smoke-like miasma coat around his opponent Zanpakutō and that's when he feels it. His instincts were screaming at him, telling him to move. He hesitated a bit but soon gave in and dodge just in time as Baraggan swung down his battle-ax; the miasma flying towards a group of watchers. He turns around to see the victims starting to rot.

'If that would have hit me I would have been dead!' Turning towards Baraggan and seeing the Hollow King coming towards him, Starrk aimed his Zanpakutō. "Cero Metralleta!" He fired a barrage of Ceros towards his opponent.

"Useless!" Baraggan stopped at his tracks. "Respira!" He created a thick and long wall of purple and black vapor.

Starrk looked as his Cero was able to pass the vapor without a problem but halfway through the miasma, they vanished.

"Do you not see how fruitless your attacks are!" Baraggan pointed a finger towards Starrk and the vapor shot towards him. "From the very beginning that you started running away from me, Fantasma, I knew eventually, I would have caught up to you. It was only a matter of time!"

Seeing the vapor trying to trap him, Starrk Sonido through the only opening he had, a small area where the smoke was taking more time closing. He should have known something was wrong, but it was already too late. The moment he escapes Respira through the only exit, Baraggan was already waiting for him. 'Crap! He set a trap!'

With a terrifying speed, Baraggan impels Starrk through the stomach with the large spike in the middle of his battle-ax. The Hollow King lifted the brunette before pinning him down to the ground. "I had planned to let you live but to let you live after you lay a hand on me, it would leave me feeling disgraceful." Watching as the brunette was trying to push him off, he pressed down his Zanpakutō. "Useless." Baraggan watches Starrk stop struggling and set his eyes somewhere. Looking towards the direction his opponent's eyes went, Baraggan said, "I will praise you for forcing me to Resurrect, but now," He leads in closer, his hand leaking Respira. "you will die. Do not worry; though you have fought alone, you will not die alone. I will send them off to the same place you're going."

Watching the way Starrk was accepting his fate, the redhead almost made a run towards him, to save him but what can he even do? If Starrk lost, and he was the strongest of the group, then he would surely die. 'I can't do anything. I promise Starrk that I wouldn't interfere.' He could see Baraggan slowly leading towards Starrk, ready to kill him. 'I know I promise to take everyone and run away— even if I have to leave you behind, but I can't Starrk...'

With his impending death moving in closer to him, Starrk could only think of two things. 'Sorry... Isshin looks like I failed.' He turned his head towards Ichigo, he could see how the redheaded wanted to save him but there was no point. He shook his head, giving Ichigo his answer to not save him. 'These past 4 years have been the best of my life, and it's all because of you, Ichigo, thank you and keep Lily safe, okay?' He finishes his thoughts with a smile directed to the redhead.

Ichigo closed his eyes shut, trying to prevent any tears from falling, but a small squeeze to his left hand made him open them up. Lily was holding his hand with her own. Looking into her face, he could already see the tears falling down.

"Ichigo..."

He heard his name from her mouth, voice too weak to continue saying anything more but Ichigo understood what she was trying to say. He squeezes back her hand.

Baraggan was only inches away from his face.

"Goodbye, Fantasma."

As his voice finished, Starrk closed his eyes and waited.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" Ichigo sends his signature move in a horizontal line, trying to only cut Baraggan.

With the attack slightly too close, Baraggan couldn't release a Respira to remove it. The Hollow King vanishes with a Sonido, removing Gran Caída from Starrk's stomach. As Getsuga Tenshō came to a stop by hitting a dune, Baraggan appeared. "What do you think you're doing, brat." With a green glow gaining his attention, he turns around to see Ulquiorra creating a Cero and as said man releases his attack, Baraggan calls out his. "Respira!" As his attack was eating through the green Cero, he watched as Ulquiorra escaped at the last minute before his deadly miasma could reach him.

"Bala!"

Hearing a voice above him, Baraggan lifts his head up to see Szayel, pinkette releasing a couple of pink Balas. To his response, the Hollow King directed his Respira above him, trying to take out Szayel to only see him vanish. With the sound of two distinguished Sonido coming to existence, Baraggan's sight returned to the redhead with both his companions by his side, he could also see the girl tending to their fallen comrade. "Do you bugs think you can stand against me, A GOD!"

Szayel subconsciously tries to lift his Hollow's mask fragments with the palm of his left hand like a set of glasses. "Not really, but we could try."

Tier Harribel watched as some of Baraggan's most loyal soldiers moved into the fighting, trying to protect their king. She scowls at the thought. They do not follow Baraggan out of loyalty but fear that the Hollow King would kill them. She won't help Baraggan; she didn't join his army out of loyalty. He defeated her and forced her to join. She took a moment to look around her, she could see the way some Hollows use the small distraction to escape, hopefully, to somewhere far and safe where Baraggan wouldn't find them.

"Come now, this is our chance."

The small pack follows behind their mistress, not bothering to go against her wishes.

Lily was trying to figure out how to heal the wound on Starrk. No one trained them in any form of First-Aid 101. Her only option was to stop the bleeding by pressing her hands in his wound. "C'mon, C'mon, C'mon! What the hell am I supposed to do!"

"You're going to do nothing, little girl."

Her head snaps up to see a group of Hollows stalking towards her, the Smilodon-Adjuchas that was by Baraggan's side was the one who spoke.

"Move aside, his Majesty has already declared Fantasma's fate, and that's death." Ggio said and as he finishes, a large Adjuchas that appears as a giant, bipedal angler fish launches towards her.

The pink-eye teen was ready to unsheathe her Rapier when someone appeared in front of her and cut the approaching Hollow in half.

Szayel scoffed as he raised his blade to see blood still on it. "I was trying to go for a clean kill." He made a quick flicking motion with his wrist and removed the blood on his blade. "Now then, how about I teach you cads on how to behave like gentlemen and treat a girl right?"

"Szayelaporro!"

Hearing his full name called out, Szayel turned his amber color eyes to the charging figure of his older brother. He raises his blade and stops the minotaur-Adjuchas on his tracks. "Nice to see you again, Yylfordt."

"This time, we're finishing you!" Replied the older brother.

Szayel looks behind his brother to see the same group of Adjuchas as last time but now there was a new member. A small panther-like Adjuchas. He narrowed his eyes on their new companion. 'My, he sure feels strong.'

Lily looked back to Ichigo; both he and Ulquiorra were fighting off Baraggan by using any form of long-range attacks—trying to stay away from his Respira.

"Looks like your rescuer seems to be busy now."

She snaps her neck back to Ggio only to see two Adjuchas from his side launched at her. One looking like a walking Venus Flytrap, the Hollow's head in the center of its trapping jaws, both its arms replaced by a set of four vine-like appendages and instead of regular feet, it had 3 root-like sets of legs instead. The other Hollow looked like an oversized Star-nosed mole.

She steps in front of Starrk and reaches for her Zanpakutō and points her right foot straight forward, with the back foot at a 90-degree angle. Her sword arm was bent at a 45-degree angle.

The mole-like Adjuchas was the first one to make a move; he tries to slash Lily with its long claws only for her to block and parry it. Before the teen could go for a killing blow, the Hollow recovered and started swinging its arms around, hoping to get lucky and hit the girl.

Lily was blocking all the attacks with relative ease, the Hollow's strength behind its swings didn't even make her flinch. As she wards off the next attack, she was going in for a quick stab through its skull when she noticed the absence of the other Hollow. Instead of going through with her attack, she took a jump back, avoiding the vines that shot up through the sand.

The Plant-like Hollow slowly emerged from the sand and turned to scowl at the other being. "You didn't keep the bitch distracted long enough for me to kill her."

"Let's try again then." Replies the mole and as he finishes talking, he charges towards the lime-haired teen.

Returning to her stance, she made a quick thrust towards her opponent to which the Hollow responded by taking a jump back.

"Your blade won't reach me!"

The only response he got back was a smirk.

Lily kept her blade pointed at her opponent before she screamed out, "Punta!" The point of her Zanpakutō started shining a lime color before it shot to the Hollow with startling speed and pierced it through its mask.

Watching as the rod was still expanding, Ggio moved out of the way but his right cheek was grazed by Lily's attack. He turns around to see that a couple of more Hollows weren't so lucky and got pierced. He turned towards her and scowled. "Looks like you're not so weak."

"Thanks for the compliment, doesn't mean I won't kill you though." Lily replies. Seeing as the Venus-flytrap Hollow had disappeared again, she started focusing her Reiatsu.

Seeing an opening by sensing how the girl was trying to perform a Cero, the Hollow shot his vines from underneath the sand and wrapped its vines around both her legs, waist and tied both her arms behind her back. "Left yourself wide open bitch." He said as he emerged from the sand.

Lily responded with a grin on her face. "Not really, I was just trying to make this easier for me. Cero!" Charging a light-green Cero through her left eye, Lily fires her attack and kills the Hollow. As the vines disappear with the Hollow's death, she returns to her stance and faces Ggio. "Care to play, kitty?"

Unknown to her, two insect-like Adjuchas were looking at her with admiration.

He was trying to stand up but the hole in his stomach was making things hard. He turns his head to see Lily dodging a pounce by the Smilodon-Adjuchas. He looks over to Szayel to see him having trouble with the large group of Hollows, the panther-like Adjuchas had clawed him across his chest.

"CERO!/CERO!"

Hearing two different voices calling out the same attack, Starrk turns his head to see Ichigo and Ulquiorra face Baraggan; the Hollow King proving to be too much of a challenge for both of them. 'C'mon Starrk you need to get up! This is your fight! You're supposed to be the one protecting them, not the other way around! This is what I train for! To get strong and defeat Baraggan!' He tries lifting himself up but still, the wound was making it impossible to move. 'Damn it, I'm not dying here!'

'You're right about that, you're not going to die here.'

Starrk's eyes slightly bulge out. 'W-what?' Did he just hear a woman's voice inside his head? Is he hearing things because of blood loss? Before he could think about it, he lost consciousness.

---

Everything was dark; he looked down and saw the silhouette of his hands. 'Where the hell am I at?' Starrk went back to looking forward, if he was even looking forward, and kept walking in whatever direction he was looking. He had his arms stretch out to see if he could find anything in the darkness.

As he kept walking, he tripped over something and smacked his face on a hard surface. Starrk started rubbing his nose. "Crap that hurts. What did I trip over with?" Everything was still too dark to see. Finding the object which he hurt himself with, Starrk started examining it with his hands. "Is this wood? Yeah, it is wood. What the hell."

He started taking a couple of steps back and he was able to see the outline of a giant Redwood tree. "Am I in a forest?" He kept taking a couple of more steps back before ending up on stepping on something slippery and falling backward. The sound of splashing water reached his ears. "Damn it." He groaned while standing up and the world gained a bit of light with the moon shining over him.

It stunned Starrk as he looked up to the moon in the dark sky; it looked exactly like the one shining over Hueco Mundo. He takes his eyes away from the moon and looks around him. If the moon above him is the same one as Hueco Mundo's, 'Does that mean I'm still there?'

"Hey there, buddy!"

He spun around and stared at the woman who was sitting on a tree branch with shock. "L-lily?"

It was stupid for him to assume this girl was Lily. For starters, the woman in front of him looks to be in her late 20s while Lily was barely 16. Another obvious difference was the fact that this person was taller than Lily by a good few inches. He guesses she was standing around 5'7. With the moonlight shining over her, Starrk spotted more differences. Unlike Lily who had a lean, tomboyish body built, the person in front of him had a nice curve around her waist area. Giving her a nice body appeal. As his eyes were moving up, Starrk noticed the lack of size in her chest area—sure he could see lumps but they weren't anything compared to Yoruichi's. The Lily look-alike voice sounded even a pitch lower than Yoruichi.

The only reason Starrk confused the woman in front of him with Lily was with how close their faces resembled one another. They both had the same color hair arranged in the same manner and their eyes were light pink that held a bit of mischief in them.

And that's when he noticed it. The woman in front of him had both her eyes; no mask fragments covered her left eye. He blinks a few times when he finally realizes that her mask's remains were the same as his. A fanged bottom jaw positioned along her neck and because of her clothing that resembled a lot like his, he couldn't tell if her Hollow hole's fixed in the same spot as his.

"Who the hell are you?" He looks around when he notices his settings; he was standing in a stream in the middle of a forest. "Where the hell am I at?" He looks back to the woman for answers.

She sends the man a grin and answers him back while swinging her legs. "Really? You don't know where you're at? You have been trying to come in here for so long. You can't recognize your own mindscape?" With her last swing, she had leap over to the other side of the stream.

Starrk was spinning as he looked around him. He finally was able to reach his mindscape, one step that he needed to learn Shikai. He turns around to look at the Lily look-alike when the woman used terrifying speed to grab him by the neck and with one arm she pinned him to the tree she was swinging from.

"W-what the he-ll-l!" Starrk said as he tried to push away the woman's hand around his neck only to find out that he couldn't make her budge. 'How the hell is she so strong!' He looked down to her eyes and saw the way she was staring at him. There was pure hate filled in her light-rose eyes.

"This is the best I had?" She laughed and started using her free hand to trace circles around his collarbone. "You couldn't possibly have been this weak, not from what I remember, you actually put up a fight before dying." She stopped tracing circles, and with one finger, she started digging her nail into his skin. Making him hiss and bleed. Hearing groans from pain, she let her smirk reach new heights, showing off her canines to the brunette.

Starrk kept staring at her pointy teeth, her canines were far bigger than they should be. Feeling as she loosens her grip around his neck, he repeated his first question. "Who the hell are you?"

After letting him speak, she went back to strangling him but this time using both her hands. "You wanna know who I am? Ha! That's laughable! But let's keep this simple." She stops her choking to move in closer to Starrk, making sure he would hear it the first time because she won't repeat herself. "I'm you." She frowned before going back to choking him but seeing his face turning blue, the limenette sigh before removing her hands from her victim's neck.

Starrk was rubbing his neck while trying to refill his lungs with air. "What the hell do you mean by me?"

She glared at him while answering his question. "You feel lost, huh? Oh right, maybe I should have answered by saying this instead." She pointed at him while pointing back at herself. "You're me."

"Wha-t-t?" He had a bad feeling about what she meant. 'She couldn't possibly mean?'

Groaning from annoyance, she answered him in a different manner. "Why do you exist Coyote Starrk, why do you have a life? WHAT DO YOU THINK I DID!"

Starrk pointed a shaky finger at her. "There's no way. You can't possibly be—"

"The original?" She interrupted him while checking her nails. "What do you think?"

"But how. You split your soul to create Lily and I. Were you resting inside one of us?"

"That's right." She frowned before continuing. "I should still rest in both of your souls but... something happened. He pulled me out from the girl and before I knew it, my existence started forming here. in your mindscape... and I couldn't escape. I was trying to save up energy and force myself out of here, but that's around the time that stupid Shinigami use his orb. And then BOOM! I got stuck in here." She sighs at the look Starrk was making, he seems to have trouble understanding all of this. Puzzle looked gone, she spotted a different one instead; It was a look of desperation.

"Why us two... Why did you split your soul into Lily and me?" He needed some answers.

She sends the man a lazy look; eyelids hooded, she answers him with a careless attitude. "Why? That's actually simple. Out of all the million souls collected in me. You, Coyote Starrk, was the next strongest." She gave the man a grin. "You actually put up a fight against me but well, you can guess what happened."

Starrk waited for her to mention Lily but she wasn't saying anything. "And Lily."

"Who?"

"Lilynette Gingerbuck! The other person your soul split into!"

"Oh, her." she scowled before adding. "She was weak, and that's what I wanted." Spotting a mixture of enraged and confusion in the man's blue-gray eyes, she sighs and looks down to the ground while answering him, "I didn't become an Arrancar like yourself, Starrk, I didn't seal my powers into some fancy sword. When I split my soul, I used the weakest soul I had, and that was Lily. With how weak she was, I was able to drain her own powers and store mine in her instead. Making her nothing but a vessel. Well, that's what should have been her fate, but that's no longer the case."

"Why did you split your soul?"

She shifted her head so she could see his eyes. The previous emotions were gone but a new one took their place; Comprehension. "Why should it matter to you? Besides, aren't you fighting Baraggan right now?"

Eyes widened from the reminder. Starrk held the woman from her shoulders and started shaking her. "Crap I forgot about all that!" He let go of her and started looking around the forest for some sign of an exit. "I don't have enough time. If I don't get back to them they're all going to die!"

"And you're going to do what exactly?" The limenette crosses her arms while shifting her weight into her right leg. "What can you possibly do to save everyone's life?"

Starrk stopped searching to look back at the pink-eyed woman. "I can save them by buying them time to escape from Baraggan, that's what I'm going to do."

A silence washes over the forest. She kept a stern look while the brunette kept his earnest one.

"I'm doing this out of selfishness." The woman said after a long period of silence.

"Doing wha—" His eyes started shaking for a moment before they stopped. A hand slowly went to his head. "What... is this my..." Starrk looked up to the woman to see her walking deep into the forest. "Why do I know my Resurrección now?"

"Because I was blocking it."

"Why?"

The woman turns around to give the man a force laugh. "Haha, really? REALLY? I BLOCKED IT SO YOU COULD JUST DIE AGAINST BARAGGAN! BUT GUESS WHAT!? IF YOU DIE, I DIE AND I DON'T WANT ANY OF THAT."

He watched her walk back into the forest before opening his mouth again. "Sounds like you're not telling me everything." The brunette added.

She went back to glaring at the man with nothing but hate. "Think of it like this Starrk. I lost the opportunity to feel alive again. I LOST THE CHANCE TO STOP FEELING ALONE! IF I HAD THE CHANCE TO BECOME AN ARRANCAR LIKE YOURSELF THEN I WOULDN'T HEAR THAT STUPID VOICE THAT REMINDED ME OF MY SIN, I COULD HAVE LEARN TO CONTROL MY REIATSU SO I WOULDN'T KILLED EVERYONE AROUND ME!" She stops her ranting to catch her breath. "Just... leave... you know how to do that, don't you? What am I saying… you finally know." She turns around to take her leave, but his voice stops her.

"What's your name?"

Taking a couple of seconds, she looks over her shoulders. "My name? What does it matter to you? It's not like you're going to come back here. Not when I almost killed you." She turns her head ahead and starts walking away when the man appears right in front of her. She looks back and forward. "How are you so fast?"

He didn't even answer her question and instead; he stretched his right arm for a handshake. "Coyote Starrk, but you already knew that."

She looks at his hand with displeasure. "What are you doing?"

The brunette shrugs lazily. "This is the first step you need to take so you can stop feeling alone."

"What." She was now looking at the hand with a bit of confusion and annoyance. "How, how is this going to help? We're only shaking hands and introducing ourselves..."

"Introductions are always the first steps for friendships."

She kept staring at his hands as ever so slowly, she raised her hand and once she found herself in his gentle grip; she slowly shook it. "Annabelles... Annabelles Gingerbuck..."

Hearing her last name, Starrk stops shaking her hand. "What? Gingerbuck? Wait, are you a relative to Lily or something like that?" Instead of getting an answer, Annabelles walk passed him.

"Don't think about it so hard, okay? And, head back to them... they might need your help." The pink-eyed woman watched as the man replied with a nod, letting go of pressing any more questions on her.

Before he could leave his mind, he said, "Guess we can talk about it the next time."

"You're coming back? You're not just going to leave me here alone?" Her only reply was a smile, and she knew what he meant. Watching as the man closed his eyes and vanished, she turned around and started walking deep into the forest, a small smile on her face. "Come back soon, Starrk."

---

Ulquiorra took a moment to peek at Ichigo, the only thing they can do against Baraggan is fire Ceros but that has seemed to make the redhead run out of fuel faster than he thought. Looking over Szayel, he seems to have his hands full dealing with a pack of Hollows. 'At least his training is showing.' He looked over to Lily, who was protecting Starrk by putting herself between the unconscious brunette and any Hollow that was trying to get too close.

"Are you both done?" Baraggan slowly walked towards his opponents, his deadly vapor hovering above his head like a cloud. "Fantasma put up a far better challenge."

The green-eyed Arrancar turns to the redhead. "Ichigo, I need you to go help Szayel and Lily, they won't last any longer."

"What!? Ulquiorra what are you talking about! You can't handle someone like Baraggan by yourself!" Ichigo exclaimed as he pointed his black-Zanpakutō at the Hollow-King. "If we can just beat him, then the rest of the Hollows will stop!"

The pale-skinned Arrancar frowned since it seemed like that was the only option, but Ulquiorra just wanted Ichigo to be at a safer distance for what he was planning to do. "Very well, if that's the case, then." Ulquiorra slowly started sheathing his blade. "Enclose, Mur-"

Everyone stops, the world feeling a power far greater than Baraggan.

The Hollow King's expression wasn't readable, but he seems shocked to see Starrk standing in front of Ulquiorra and Ichigo. And by the look on his adversary's faces, they were just as surprised as him.

Starrk looks over to Szayel and Lily, both no longer fighting off any Hollows, not with the way his Reiatsu has made them stop. "Ichigo. Ulquiorra. I want you two to grab Lily and Szayel, then I want all of you to get some distance from here... some very far distance. Got it?" His voice came out relaxed but there was a tone of command mixed with it. With nods coming from them and feeling the way they did their task by sensing their Reiatsu possibly a mile away, he turns back to Baraggan. "Sorry about that. I told them that they shouldn't interfere, but they don't quite listen to me."

Baraggan frowned as he looked into Starrk's drenched blooded clothes. "You can still stand with a wound like that?"

"Kind of, it hurts a little honestly." He raised his blade with one hand and pointed it at Baraggan.

The self-proclaimed God-King laughed. "Really? You're going to do that again? Very well." Finishing with a grin, not that one could notice, Baraggan spread his arm apart.

"Sorry but, I'm not using that trick." Unleashing his Reiatsu, Starrk started focusing it on the tip of his gunblade.

Dropping his arms back to his side, Baraggan tilted his head to the side. "Not the same trick? Nonsense, I can sense the way you're trying to form another—" His words came to a pause when the world around him started trembling, even the air seemed to shake. He looked around to see if he was the only one seeing things, but by the look from the other Hollows, they were experiencing it too. "What is this?! What's going on!" He looks back to Starrk when he notices the man's Reiatsu finally crammed down into a ghostly blue color sphere. "What are you trying to do, Fantasma!?"

Starrk replied with a careless attitude. "Isn't it simple? Is the same thing you did."

He straightened himself to give Fantasma his full attention. "Are you saying you're going to Resurrect?"

"Here's a little clue. Kick About, Los Lobos." As he pulled the trigger to his blade, his concentrated Reiatsu sphere shot backward, engulfing him and him only in a dome of blue Reiatsu.

Startled by the actions taken by the brunette, Baraggan raises Gran Caída after regaining his senses. "Do you really think I'm just going to let you Resurrect, insect!?" With a swing down, he commanded Respira to consume Starrk. "ROT!" Before his deadly vapor could even reach the dome, it vanishes. 'What?!'

"Too slow."

Hearing a voice behind him, Baraggan swings his ax and hits nothing.

"What are you trying to hit?"

He swung his ax back around hoping to hear his weapon cutting flesh but he heard metal crashing. "Is… is this your Resurrección?" The God-King Inspects Starrk's Resurrección. His opponent's outfit has changed drastically. His upper body is covered in a gray fur-lined jacket over a double-breasted vest, while a dark skin-tight pants replace his old pants, with gray knee-high fur leggings covering his lower legs, and his arms covered in gray, elbow-length fur armbands, which end at his wrists. Ribbon-covered bandoleers emerging from his upper back and disappearing into his upper forearms and another pair of bandoleers hang loosely around his waist.

Done checking his clothes, Baraggan looked down to see what kind of weapon his opponent emerged with. He was wielding two ornamental pistols, each of them the same length; Starrk only used one of his guns to block. "These are your weapons?" Baraggan questioned as he finally looked into his opponent's face and noticed the way the man's Hollow mask had changed. It used to appear as a fanged bottom jaw around his neck but now the mask seems to have spread over to cover his mouth and nose only. Instead of a response, the barrel end of Starrk's free gun aimed and fired.

Just like any other Cero that he shot at him, Baraggan allowed his field to slow down the projectile before dodging it. As he reappears again, with Respira leaking from Gran Caída, Baraggan was ready to toss it towards Starrk when the man disappeared from his spot. 'Where the hell did he go!'

"Looking for someone?"

Hearing his voice behind him again, Baraggan launched his attack in a wide arc. Sending Respira towards no one. The Hollow-King looked around him. 'How is he moving so fast! I can't even hear the Sonido!' Baraggan feels like he has been spinning around in his spot to find the brunette when he suddenly appears again in his view, standing at the same spot where he Resurrects from."Stop running away from me, insect!" He growled.

To his response, Starrk, who places his left gun back in its holster, raises his hand to Baraggan to show the Hollow King one of his fingers. "One. I will give you one minute to build up your strongest attack to hit me with."

Baraggan started seeing red from Starrk's words. "Are you trying to mock me!" He started concentrating on another Respira. "It's about time I completely end this battle of ours. Did you say a minute to create my strongest attack? Well, I only need half a minute to do so! Just rot!" A rushing wave of Respira hurls towards Starrk who hasn't moved from his spot. Before his deadly vapor could engulf the man, it mystified Baraggan as Starrk's body started leaking out blue Reiatsu before getting engulfed by Respira.

The God-King kept staring at his Respira; he could sense the way Starrk was still alive. "Just what are you trying to do, Fantasma, are you trying to buy time for the other Arrancar to escape? I suppose 'buying time' in the face of one who holds dominion over 'age' is a similar action to spitting in the face of God. Perhaps I should congratulate you on your nerve." A look of displeasure seemed to form itself on Baraggan's meatless skull. Why was it that he could still sense Starrk? Why hasn't his aging abilities taken effect?

The ominous figure would soon get his answer once he noticed how Respira was slowly fading away, strange to think that his miasma had a time limit. 'Why would any of my attacks, I, a being who ruled over aged, have a time limit?' As his miasma ended, Baraggan started hearing a strange sound. He frowns as he waits for his Respira to vanish before spotting a spinning, ghostly-blue color dome. "What is this?" Seeing Starrk slowly walk out of the dome, Baraggan yelled out to the man. "What is that! How is it that my Respira did not affect you!"

"You said that everything in this world ages but there's one thing that doesn't age no matter what or even die by aging." Explained the brunette.

Baraggan spoke through a fury coated voice. "What kind of nonsense is that! There's no such thing that can exist in this world! All living things age, and when they age they die! What could go against MY rule!"

Before explaining, Starrk told Baraggan something else first. "You said your ability is to age, right? Well, I just learned what my abilities are, too." The brunette looked back to the dome. "My ability is Soul-Separation."

A bewildered tone reaches Baraggan's voice. "Soul-Separation? How could that saved you from my ability to age!"

Looking back to Baraggan, Starrk finally answers his question. "A soul can never age, while aging affects our physical body, no matter what, time itself can never touch one's soul, the worst-case scenario is that we return to the cycle of reincarnation." His expression has mostly stayed bland throughout his explanation but now it was time to end this entire fight. A small scowl formed. "Camarada."

Baraggan watched as Starrk's glowing dome split itself into pieces before taking the form of gray wolves. Distracted from the strange transformation, Baraggan didn't notice the way Starrk's guns became absorbed. "What tricks are you trying to pull, Fantasma!"

"Get him." Was the only thing the brunette said before the wolves started charging towards Baraggan.

Responding to Starrk's assault, Baraggan once again fires a wave of Respira to the charging wolves and Starrk. Watching as his Respira stopped the man's wolves by having them douse off, Baraggan laughed. "This is all your attack can do? How pathetic!"

His expression didn't even change from Baraggan's taunts. "You left yourself open."

"Wha—Ugh!" The Hollow King looked at his right shoulder to see one of Starrk's wolves biting down at him. He scowled as he looked back at his opponent. "Is this all they can do? Bite?"

Starrk's raise a lazy brow. "Not quite, they're supposed to go boom."

"Go boom?" Looking back at the wolf, Baraggan notices the way the creature was starting to glow. "What in the world—"

*BOOM*

---

Ichigo and company watched as a giant pillar of Blue Reiatsu appears over the direction from Starrk and Baraggan's fight and even a mile away, the redhead could just see how huge the explosion was; perhaps it was even bigger than the Cero Starrk shot down at the basement.

"What do you think it's going on over there?" Lily asked no one in particular.

The Hollow-eyed teen looks down at his friend. "I don't know, but I think Starrk pulled it off."

"Pulled it off?" Lily blinked before meeting Ichigo's eyes. "What did he do?"

He couldn't help but grin behind his mask as he replied to her. "He achieved his Shikai."

---

Because Resurrección enhanced Hierro, Baraggan was able to survive such a dangerous attack. "That actually hurt, you bastard." The explosion has torn off pieces of his cloth. "Killing you will bring me great satisfaction." The strange blue-sparks of flame that were flying aimlessly around him caught the Hollow King's attention. "What is this now?" The small flames turn to gray wolves before his very eyes. "What!" Seeing them charging at him again, Baraggan swung his ax, releasing another wave of his deadly miasma. He was happy to see how the wolves' form seemed to vanish but those strange sparks of flame were still there.

"Remember what I said about my ability?"

Slowly turning to look at Starrk and then at blue-sparks, Baraggan understood what he was looking at. "Souls. You split some souls from yourself and made them take the forms of wolves."

The brunette raises a brow. "Some? No, not even. We, as Hollows devour hundreds of other Hollows that ate more Hollows who ate even more Hollows. All the souls that just one Hollow eats pass on to the next one and then the next one. Until they come across someone that reached the top of the food chain. No longer prey on anyone else." He lay a hand in front of his chest. "I am an Arrancar who's hosting over a million souls. A million souls under my command." By his words, more wolves started forming. "This ends now! Colmillo!" As Starrk called out his move, two wolves ran towards him before turning into a blue Katana with four curved prongs hanging off of the guard.

Baraggan watched as the blue-flames around him turned back to wolves. He barked at the man. "This means nothing to me, Fantasma! All I have to do is kill you and that'll be the end for you!" He was ready to launch himself towards his opponent but Starrk beat him to it first, the man's blue Katanas coming down. Baraggan couldn't believe the enhanced strength the brunette gained through his transformation. Fantasma had brought him down to a knee. "NO! NO! NO!" He started using both his hands to push Starrk away. "The likes of you will not defeat me; A Hollow who would rather be in the company of the weak and to even protect them!"

Starrk moves an inch closer to Baraggan. "Guess fucking what Baraggan. You, yourself are a Hollow composed of millions of souls, and all those souls gave you the strength you have that made you a king!" He started pushing down Baraggan even further down to his knee, the wolves around him waiting for his orders. "PROTECTING THE WEAK IS WHAT GIVES ME STRENGTH BARAGGAN!" He releases his Reiatsu, trying to bring down the Hollow King.

"STRENGTH!? WHAT POSSIBLE STRENGTH COULD THEY LEAD TO YOU! HOW CAN THEY GET YOU STRONGER." Exclaimed back Baraggan as he unleashed his Reiatsu, but because Starrk made the blue blades of those soul-wolves, his aging abilities didn't have any effects on them.

"From the moment I challenged you, I knew that I needed to defeat you to keep them safe, I had to get stronger to protect them because I knew they would be too weak against someone like you! That's why I started pushing my limits! I started getting stronger for them! TO KEEP THEIR FUTURE SAFE! THEIR 'WEAKNESS' IS WHAT GAVE ME STRENGTH!" With clenched teeth, Starrk called out to his wolves. "Come!" The hundreds of soul-wolves that the man had unleashed rain down upon both him and Baraggan.

Baraggan looked at the approaching wolves. "Are you trying to take yourself out with me! Have you gone mad!"

"Not quite!" Starrk waited, waited for his wolves to get close enough and as the first wolf was only inches away and seconds from detonating, he vanished from his spot with a supersonic Sonido.

Pushing to no kind of force, Baraggan lost his balance and couldn't find the time to dodge the first wolf's explosion which then caused a chain reaction with the rest of the wolves. The Hollow King was once again caught in another explosion, this one far greater than the last one.

Starrk felt like it would have been an overkill but once the explosion died down, he commanded another pack of wolves to rain down on Baraggan; he did this another couple of times before feeling it was enough. He started walking over the field of glassed sand, looking at the elderly figure of Baraggan instead of his menacing Resurrección form.

"So... you have won... Fantasma." Baraggan turns on his back and lies on the transparent sand. The injured king noticed the return of Starrk's pistols. "Going to finish me now? Fair enough."

The brunette notices the way Baraggan was still holding on to his battleax. "You're not going to pull some bullshit, right?" He said while pointing one of his pistols to his opponent's head.

A smile almost appears on Baraggan's lips. "Perhaps..." Using his battle axe as a cane, Baraggan stood back up. "I still have enough energy for one last swing."

With a sigh and placing both his guns in their holster, Starrk called out only one of his blue Katanas. "I guess I must use one swing, too."

Both contestants raise their blades and charge towards one another. As Starrk was getting closer, Baraggan grinned, after all his Time Dilation Field was still up and running.

Watching his opponent grin like a madman didn't even faze Starrk's relaxed expression. As he got closer, he didn't even raise his blade first. He let Baraggan get his last swing.

"This battle is over!" Baraggan slashed across Fantasma's chest, but instead of blood coming out from any wounds, sparks appeared as his ax dance down from Starrk's right shoulder to his left hip, not even his clothes ripped. The man's Hierro was as hard as a diamond. He let his ax drop to the glass floor, body feeling worn out. He was lying on his knees, looking up to Starrk, who still had Colmillo out. "I lost." He waited for Starrk to kill him but the brunette walked past him, releasing Colmillo. "What are you doing? Are you not going to finish me?"

"No." Replied Starrk as he looked over his shoulders to the defeated king. "I won't take your life because I won."

"I would have taken your life if I had won." Baraggan retorts.

Starrk shrugged his left shoulder. "Yeah, well, I'm not you." He turns back around and notices all the Hollows who were gathering around the glass field. He was ready to leave with a Sonido when he heard Baraggan's hoarse voice.

"I won't let this go, Fantasma... I'll kill you with my bare hands."

His threat didn't even change his calm attitude. "You can try, but next time I'll be even more prepared. Oh, and the name's Starrk. Coyote Starrk." With his last words of departure being his name, Starrk disappears with a Sonido. Leaving behind a wounded and ego-destroyed Baraggan.

"It's over, right?" Szayel asks after a while of silence when the sound of static interrupts them.

The group of Arrancar turns around to see Starrk in his Resurrección.

Ichigo eyed the man's new look. "Holy crap is that your Shikai?"

"Not really." His clothes glowed blue before blinding his friends and Starrk seals his Resurrección. Tapping his back to make sure his blade was still there, he sighs before sending them a smile. "It's over."

"And Baraggan?" Ulquiorra could still sense the Hollow King's Reiatsu.

"Defeated." Starrk replied while looking at the pale-skin Arrancar.

"You didn't kill him?" Lily said before she started panicking. "What if he comes after us? What if he sends his entire army!"

"I doubt Baraggan has any sort of army after what just happened." Szayel replied to the panic Lily. "Every Hollow who saw this battle may actually come to us for protection against Baraggan since Starrk showed them that he's the only Hollow who could stand and win against this world's ruler."

Starrk groaned, he did not think of the possibilities of that happening. "Great. Ugh, why does this always happen to us?"

"Stop whining, Starrk!" Both Ichigo and Lily yell.

---

Hours have passed since their fight ended with his defeat, the elderly Arrancar sat in his newly made throne, looking outraged with the way his army size has diminished. He can already guess where they all have gone.

"DAMN IT!" The infuriating king slams his right fist, breaking off one of his throne's arms. "I'll force them all back. All of them. And if they think joining Starrk for protection will help them, I will make them regret such a decision!" He frowned before using Pesquisa to search around his army. Surprisingly enough, a lot of Hollows who stay behind seem to be powerful. "So, the weak went to Starrk for protection. Well then, prove me wrong, prove to me that the weak will strengthen you, Starrk."

"My, why isn't this such a painful sight to behold?"

Hearing that man's voice, Baraggan drew his ax with malicious intentions. "YOU! How dare you show your face to me after you lied to me, Aizen!"

Aizen, with the company of his two associates, casually walked towards the enraged king. "Lie?" Asked the 5th Division Captain. "Why, how did I ever lie to you, Baraggan-san?"

"Stop acting like a fool!" The defeated Arrancar pointed at the captain with the end of his ax. "You said by tearing my mask I would gain unimaginable power and yet I lost to the likes of Starrk!"

A crooked smile emerges on Gin's lips. "Uh~, so it was Starrk-san that kicked your ass then?" His smile increased as he could feel the anger radiating from Baraggan. He brought his hands up in mocking defensive gestures. "Wow there. It's ya fault for provoking Starrk-san to fight you."

"I have to agree with Gin there," Tōsen said. "If only you didn't try forcing Starrk into your army, they would still see you as a King."

Baraggan's ability slowly started aging his surroundings, his throne turned to sand. "Did you only come here to mock me? Or did you come here to recruit some of my soldiers again like you did last time?"

Aizen smiled as he answered Baraggan. "I don't need any of your men, the ones you lead me failed to do their job properly." It was a bother that his plans couldn't unfold the way he wanted them to do. "After my plan failed by an unforeseen turn of events, I had to make a couple of changes."

Baraggan frowns. "You have kept me in the dark for too long, what were you planning.."

The soft brown eyes of Aizen gain an unkind look. "It was just a simple plan to set things in motion, with the Hollows you kindly let me borrow, I gave them a time and place to appear in the Human World. They need to injure Kuchiki Rukia. Then all they had to do was to retreat and by then Urahara Kisuke would have appeared and taken Rukia to heal her."

"How are you so sure this Urahara would be there? Why would he even be there?" Baraggan's frown deepened. There was something Aizen wasn't telling him.

"Trust me when I say this. He wouldn't have missed such an opportunity." Aizen replied.

"If this plan of yours was so carefully thought out, then how did it fail?" Baraggan question.

His smile vanishes, as he shows the elderly Arrancar his displeasure. "Your soldiers played with the girl before doing their job and because of that, they failed."

"So what do you want then, state your business, Shinigami!"

The 5th Division Captain removes his glasses to clean them while casually replying to Baraggan. "I came to offer you a deal. Something that even you won't back away from."

That gain Baraggan's attention. "And what would that be?"

He couldn't hide his smile as he pulled out his own Hōgyoku from the inside of his Captain Haori. "Power."

---

Sitting outside a cave that Starrk had found to rest, Lily sighed as she looked up to the quiet moon up in the jet-black night. She was already missing living in the Human World where everything was just so much better than Hueco Mundo. How long has it been, anyway? She was sure that a week hadn't even passed yet.

Turning her head to look inside the cave, she notices all the sleeping figures of her friends. She actually couldn't believe how careless Starrk's been! Baraggan could send an army after them right now and attacked them while they're all asleep!

"I have to be the responsible one and watch the babies sleep." She whispers to herself before making herself comfortable on the sand. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

She was enjoying the silence when a voice spoke behind her.

"And you're awake because?"

She turns around to see Ichigo coming up behind her and sends the redhead a dull look before looking back forward. "Ichigo."

He couldn't help but sigh at the plain use of his name. "Are you still mad at me?" With no comments coming from his friend, Ichigo knew the obvious answer. Instead of saying anything more to her, he turns around to head back inside when the sound of her voice stops him.

"You're an idiot."

He turns around to send Lily a puzzled look, but she still has her back turned towards him. "Umm, yeah, you kind of already mentioned that today." Ichigo waited. Was there more she would say or was it just that?

"I don't understand you, Ichigo. I just don't. Why do you try to fight against the obvious odds? First, there was Starrk, you challenged him to a spar and lost. You know there's a HUGE difference between the both of you and yet you kept asking for more spars and you still haven't gotten close to beating him. The only thing you even left on him was a scratch by your strongest attack!" She turns to her friend before continuing. "Then when the Shinigami found us. You didn't run like Starrk told you to. You stood there and had a pissing contest with a Shinigami Captain who you have never met before! You attacked back, you fought back against a more experienced fighter, someone that you obviously can't fight against toe-to-toe."

"For Kami's sake." Pinching the bridge of his nose before glaring at Lily, Ichigo said, "How many times do I have to tell you this. I won the fight!"

"What fight?! You two exchanged one attack, and that's all! You got lucky and won but in a real fight against him, you would have lost!"

"But I didn't lose!"

"BUT WHAT IF YOU DID!" Tears of frustration started forming by the corner of her pink eye. Why can't Ichigo understand?! "WHAT IF YOU LOST ICHIGO! WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD HAVE HAPPEN TO YOU! YOU'LL BE DEAD! D-E-A-D! DEAD! WE WOULD HAVE LOST YOU FOREVER!" A hand went to her heart. "I WOULD HAVE LOST YOU!"

Any answers from the redhead stopped at his throat. "Lily... I didn't know…"

"Ichigo... do you have any kind of idea how much you mean to all of us?" She softly whispered as she turned her head around, going back to watching the silent moon. "Trust me when I say this, but if we would have lost you, then this little dysfunctional family of ours would have broken off."

Ichigo quietly sat next to Lily. "Don't be ridiculous now. Why would my death cause something like that?"

"Ichigo, believe it or not, we're all in debt to you. You saved Starrk and I from our loneliness. If you would have never come around, then we would have never met so many wonderful people. You literally save Szayel's life. Ulquiorra's showing emotions. ULQUIORRA, of all people!" At the end of her speech, she stood up and finally looked into the redhead's eyes. "You hold us together."

He couldn't help but stand up. Just as she was looking deep into his eyes, he was doing the same back. "You're mad about me trying to get in a fight against a Shinigami Captain but you're not mad about the way I charge in to fight the King of Hueco Mundo?" He smirked before he wiped it off when he saw a strange expression pass by Lily's pink eye.

She smiled. "That's because you didn't fight him alone." She raises her left pinky. "I need you to make me two promises. Ichigo, no matter what, don't do nothing stupid again."

Ichigo smiled as they locked their pinkies together. "And the other promise?"

"If you're going to do something stupid, then don't do it alone. Make sure someone is there with you so that they can keep you safe." Feeling him firmly grasp her finger, Lily took a couple of steps back.

Was it just him or was Lily looking gorgeous right now? With how gently the moonlight kissed her skin and made her single eye shiny as beautifully as a star. Her hair floats from a soft breeze that seems to have passed by, making him finally aware of just how unique and elegant her hair color was. He literally felt his heart skip a beat.

With the way he was staring at her, Lily couldn't help but feel pride. The stupid look on his face reminded Lily on the day he had walked in on her while she got out of the shower, but this time she wasn't bare for him to see her womanly features. He was looking at her, noticing her and not her body. Without thinking, she leaned on her toes and pecked him on the cheek.

"W-what was that for?" Ichigo faltered and a hand went to his blushing left cheek.

"Just showing my gratitude, Ichigo." Lily hugged him.

Not like he'll push her away, the redhead returns the hug and kisses her on top of her head—which was a strange action though because of his mask.

They were enjoying their moment when out of the blue, both turned their heads towards the same direction, somewhere far south.

Lily started panicking. "Hollows. A bunch of them! Baraggan already sent his army after us!" She unwraps her arms around Ichigo and starts heading into the cave to warn Starrk when she sees said man and the others walking out, brunette rubbing his eyes to remove the sleep.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Starrk casually replied.

Ulquiorra, always one step ahead of everyone, was already using Pesquisa. "Their numbers aren't huge. Perhaps somewhere around a couple of hundreds."

"They don't feel strong either." Szayel finished checking. "One of them feels familiar to me, definitely isn't my brother though."

"Strange, he feels familiar to me too." Starrk shut his eyes tight as he tried to recall the Guardian's name before he yelled out. "It's Gerald!"

The redhead turned to Starrk and repeated the name back. "Gerald? The Guardian?" He looks back forward. "Why is he coming towards us with so many Hollows with him?"

Starrk frowned. "Well, only one way to find out."

Everyone else didn't need to be told what to do; they all disappeared with a Sonido. Coming back to view by landing on top of a dune, Starrk looked down to all the Hollows that Gerald seemed to have gathered. He could spot said Hollow as he stood in front of the group.

As Gerald spotted Starrk, the plump-haired Adjuchas came to a halt, making the rest of the Hollows stop too. "You kept your promise."

"Told you I would deal with Baraggan." Starrk gave Gerald a puzzled look when he saw the Hollow turn around to face his followers. "What are you—" He stopped once he heard the Adjuchas' words.

"All hail the King of Hueco Mundo! Coyote Starrk!"

"STARRK! STARRK! STARRK!"

He was gaping at the Hollows yelling out his name. 'Oh Kami, please don't tell me I heard that right...'

Hearing Starrk get declared as the new King of Hueco Mundo. Ichigo couldn't help but send a shit-eating grin to Lily, which made a shiver run down the limenette's spine. "Looks like your royalty now."

"Ichigo, whatever you're thinking of doing, you better not do it." Lily warned but by the looks on his eyes, he has already made his mind up.

"And don't forget the Princess of Hueco Mundo! Lilynette Gingerbuck!"

She snaps her head to the group of Hollows and waves her arms in front of her. "Wait! He was only joke—"

"LILYNETTE! LILYNETTE! LILYNETTE!"

Her shoulders slumped, and she turned to give Ichigo the harshest glare ever. "I'm going to kill you in your sleep."

"Whatever you say, Lily-hime."

-X-

And that's a wrap! Boy did I took forever to write this lol, work ruin my schedule. Well, let's ignore that and let's get into this chapter. Sheesh, where to start at.

Ulquiorra's personality. Am I changing it from his anime-counter part? Yes, I am, though not much noticeable changes will happen to him, the thing that would mostly change about him is how he sees the world now. He won't be all.. cold and callous towards everyone.

I guess the next thing to talk about is Starrk vs Baraggan. Remember now, I intended for Baraggan to be far more powerful that he was in the anime, though he will become stronger because after all, Baraggan became a natural Arrancar thanks to Aizen's aid, he hasn't been fuse by the Hōgyoku... yet. Before I talk about the next part of the chapter, I wanna mention that a lot of research went into this chapter. Why research? Well, it's because I had to understand Starrk's and Baraggan's abilities better.

Baraggan ability to basically 'control' time has always been a bit tricky to figure out. While he mostly yelled out 'Rot' every time he sends out his Respira towards an opponent, Respira doesn't actually 'rot' who it touches. It just speeds up the process of aging. That's why he represents the Aspect of Death having to do with aging brought on by time. Which bring us to the next part of the research I needed to find. Just what can he age? Well, that's simple. Pretty much everything. We have seen the way he was able to 'age' buildings around him and Kidō spells (which are made out of Reishi). Though it does leave the question if he could possibly 'age' elements. After all, fire can 'age' since it doesn't last forever. So with Baraggan able to pretty much age everything. How was it that Starrk was put above him? Well, that's another thing I had to look up. Souls cannot age. Yes, I know their physical body can age (which we saw on many people before.) but there soul's soul is the one thing that can't age. If a soul was to age then it would die, but we were told that once someones die their soul would then get put in the reincarnation cycle. Giving us the hints that souls can't really be destroy unless they are killed by quincies or by the Sōkyoku. While Hollows absorb the souls to get stronger, they don't actually destroy them. Remember now, Rukia explains that a Hollow who gets 'clease' by a Shinigami's Zanpakutō will free all the souls they ate so it's safe to assume they don't die.

Now let's talk about Starrk's abilities to Soul-Separate. In the anime, because Lily and Starrk were basically one their powers work different, however here Starrk has more rule over his own abilities and doesn't require the help of Lily to split his soul to create the wolves. He can just use some of the souls he had devour to produce his wolves. This is perhaps why he was put above Baraggan. While Baraggan literally is God-like with his powers, Starrk's the only one that can counter his abilities to age. So it's possible that Aizen knew that Starrk was his only card against Baraggan if the Hollow King started getting a little hostile. And we know for a fact that Starrk would have fought Baraggan if Aizen told him, not out of loyalty but because Aizen was the one who saves him and Lily from there loneliness.

If you guys can find an argument or perhaps more details of there abilities I would love to hear it.

So the fight was basically one-sided all the time, even from the start Baraggan show to be stronger and tougher than Starrk. The only thing Starrk had over Baraggan was speed and higher Reiatsu. After Baraggan Resurrect he completely dominated Starrk. He just couldn't do anything too reckless that would had killed him. Which finally leads us for him to finally Resurrect. So while Starrk's Resurrect works about the same, the only difference is his Hollow mask spreading over half his face and with the fact that he doesn't need Lily's help to go into his Resurrect.

Now, let's talk about Annabelles Gingerbuck. Yes, she's an OC and it's basically the original form of Starrk and Lily before they split apart. And that's all. I'm not going to say more about her lol. However, I'm going to explain something about what she did. When she 'split' herself, she used the strongest and weakest souls to store herself in them.

So I made Starrk king. Maybe some didn't like that and had hope Ichigo would become king but no, that was just too predictable. This feel like a whole lot better direction to take the story.

I think that's about everything now.

Next Chapter will be up after New Years. My job will get a shit ton busier during the Holidays so I won't be able to write and such.

Ten - Out.