So here goes the next chapter. I've also decided to shamelessly start advertising my new Pat*reon account under the same username. If anyone wants to throw a tip my way thanks. If ya don't. I still thank you for reading my shit.

11 Concessions

Shiro

I tried to visit my sisters more often, introduced them to Tia, Nel was in absolutely no mind to visit the human world. Now experiencing the same fear I'd had after the reset. They took to her quickly, they too didn't remember Tatsuki. My father did. That fact that he smelled of Shinigami... it drove me...something. I asked if there was anything he could do... he and Urahara worked something out.

The Afro Shinigami had tried to buy something from Urahara's and even the no name nobody barely got out alive and only because the two children stopped Yoruichi from murdering him where he stood.

She moved to Hueco Mundo just a month later unable to enjoy her freedom there anymore.

Nel kept her company when Tia and I weren't around. Her only reaction to me telling her what would happen to Soul Society when I was done mourning... was: "Good." They had spent nearly 12 hours a day together, for over 3 months. It was natural that they'd grown close.

Of course, I never forgot my prisoners. Chad was being beaten soundly by his own arms every day. Back then I wasn't sure how long I would keep that up. He never spoke to me directly again. I was told he was begging for his pathetic life most of the time. Silvers took great pleasure in teaching him there was no mercy for those who attacked his King.

Inoue just hung down from her arms. Pinned up on chains by the wall. "What are you going to do to me?" I spit on the ground.

"You disgust me. Don't think I didn't hear that hopeful tone right there. The only way you're gonna get fucked, is by a couple of Adjuchas. And if I were to decide to go with that route, the only way they're ever gonna stop is by you starting to enjoy yourself or dying. In case of the first. We'd have to find something different." Tears, there was no compassion to be found from me. Not after what she did and helped do.

"But first, I will need to get inside of you." I buried my hand in her stomach. Honestly part of me was growing immune to all the screaming. "Gyaku Bakudo 4: Reiatsu Separation." She looked at me horrified as blood ran down over my hand to my wrist. Slowly dribbling down from there, pooling on the floor. It was really all thanks to Ro I'd come up with that one.

"God giveth, and god taketh away." I growled into her ear pulling my hand out. "Gyaku Bakudo 5: Merging energies." The golden colour of her energy... her Reiatsu was deeply offensive to me. The fact that she and Tia shared similar colours made me sick to the deepest parts of my stomach. Still I pushed the pulsing energy into the sword I'd brought. "You know something? This would be a lot easier with Kisuke helping... but alas, he isn't here. Lily?" I yelled watching the young girl come in and kneel before me. "Try it." I commanded.

Her eyelids fluttered as she took hold of the sword hilt. A dead Zanpanktou. Or to be more accurate... a previously dead Zanpanktou. "I don't think I even need to release." Lily said spinning it slowly. "Lashadas." The sword disappeared splitting and splintering into multiple small spirit sprites.

"Look at that." Orihime grew more and more terrified, she couldn't feel her power anymore, and moreover... a Hollow had just used it. "Interesting fact." I said. "Our releases stem from our energy, so in theory... if I were to change my Reiatsu, I can change my resurrection." She was shaking her head violently. "Oh yes... watch." The sprites slowly changed as I fed the sword my energy. They turned into people Lily knew... smaller versions of them. Namely us.

There was Coyote, Grimm and to my surprise Silvers. I would later learn that they were her defensive sprites.

There was a small sprite depicting me in great detail and 2 others, Tia and Nel. We were to be her offense.

Then came Yilford and Hachi, they were her healing sprites.

"Hachi can you heal her?" His sprite was the biggest of them, smacking his hands together he formed the healing field around her body. "We call this, Soten Kisshun." He explained.

"It'll take some time until I get the hang of it. Thanks." I allowed her the hug, she too had tried to be there for me. Like the Visored who'd joined us in Hueco Mundo, just like Yoruichi.

It was Cifer who had given the announcement that I was in mourning having lost Tatsuki. The 'Espada' now took care of morning greetings and welcoming the sun. I didn't want to get rid of the tradition for my selfishness but I also couldn't pretend to be happy right now. It was just a bit much.

2 months later...

2 months had passed since my unintentional introduction to Soul Society. My heart was broken, the only time I was useful for anything was when Nel and Tia were with me. They were my life line, a line I fully intended to cut for a few days. As much as I needed and wanted the comfort I received from their company. I needed to be alone. To deal with the death of my oldest and dearest friend and girlfriend, I needed space. Something I couldn't get in Las Noches, as long as I was there people came to speak to me. To ask advice or discuss rules and directions I'd set. A task I simply couldn't do right now. I couldn't be bothered to be friendly, forgiving or in any way social. It hurt too damn much and I just couldn't block the loss from my mind.

Nel

It was Grimms turn to make the announcement. Telling everyone to relay the message that the cliffs to the West of Hueco Mundo were off limits the coming week, for everyone who didn't want to accidently walk in on Shiro's released form and die a most horrible and painful death.

Shiro waited for a handful of days, he had said his goodbye with the others before so only Tia and I saw him off to the curtain. He was barely sleeping or eating. And while he was loving and caring with us, he wasn't as intimate. Not as close as he'd been before it happened. The fact that Tatsu's soul was burned out of her body had robbed him of the possibility to meet her at the great gates.

Not that he hadn't tried and waited there for half of the first month. Hoping to see her... one last time. Tia and I never had any illusions about our relationship with him. Not since meeting her. He loved us, we knew that. He cared for us as deeply as he did for her. But I've always made the argument that we're freak anomalies. Neither she nor I, were supposed to be part of his 'life'. I believe with all my being that Tatsuki was his 'one'.

Part of me, feels terrible for thinking it, because it's horribly unfair to everything he's done. To all the times he's proven that his feelings towards any of us were no different.

The girl was part of his natural path, a path that was taken from him because the afterlife interfered. That's why rules exist. We'd only known her for a few months and we felt her loss, if she had that effect on us, on me... I could only hazard a guess to what Shiro felt. The gaping hole she must have left where once his heart had been... that part of his heart was now nothing but void. And he didn't know how to deal with that void.

We'd done our best, been there of course, held him when he broke down sobbing and screaming from his grief. But life goes on, it's a terrible truth, but the world doesn't care if someone dies. It keeps on turning, rivers keep on running, people keep on going. The sun comes up in the morning and goes back down in the evening. You don't just get a break because... the world isn't nice enough to give you any 'just cause I feel like it'. But I guess sometimes... on very few occasions, it at least tries to balance out the good and the bad.

Just before old Murphy comes around and laughs in your face.

Shiro Kurokami

I released Lunaferoz when I was just far enough away, more animal than man but that was okay for me. For a bit I wanted to try and run from it, from my feelings the obligations. Tatsu's death hadn't just hit me hard, it had also impacted my sisters in ways I had never even considered. She was their only older female contact. The sister - mother to take care of them. To teach them about being girls. Now all they had was my father who did the best he could, but he was a bit lost now. He wasn't a woman. He couldn't even ask Tatsu's mother, since if Tatsu never existed, we hadn't met and the families had no contact what so ever. Shinigami memory rewrites... had to love them...

Being alone, allowed me to release all that pent up rage, I punched the cliffs ripped at the stones, I could have blown it all up in a second but that wasn't the point of doing it. The point was to do what I couldn't do otherwise. Everything that might hurt those close to me. I wouldn't have survived her loss if it hadn't been for Tia and Nel. I'm not being over dramatic. Loosing any of them was like loosing part of myself. Perhaps that was part of what I'd done to Hueco Mundo. We fill the holes in our chests with friends and family and people we love and that love us back. To loose that, was like drilling the hole right back in.

I couldn't ask the Hogyoku either, the orb was pretty powerful and part of me honestly believes that Aizen and Kisuke created their own pocket god, or at the very least a connection to one. But once again that's beside the point right now. The orb could only do what was remotely possible. Without her soul, Tatsu couldn't be brought back. Simple as that.

I kept spending most of my days like the first one. During the day I would scream and punch the cliff walls, screaming at myself for being too weak and too slow to safe her. At Tatsu for dying on me and not being strong enough to protect herself. The Shinigami for taking her from me in the worst way possible. At everyone I could possibly think of. Some of them more responsible for it than others. It was my time of therapy and fairly cathartic in it's own right.

During the night I would simply roll up in my resurrection and sleep on rock. A sort of punishment if you will not that I wasn't used to it. I'd done it often enough back when I had restarted as a hollow.

It wasn't until the fifth day that I found myself waking in the shade. I leapt away out of instinct growling at the thing that had sat next to me. Which was... another wolf like Adjuchas. "You woke up." It said in a female voice sounding bored.

"Why are you here?" I asked rather confusedly. Not to sound arrogant, but she should be dead. I was resurrected not even in my first form, but my second.

"Well excuse me, but I was here way before you. And I think 4 days are enough of you destroying my home, thank you. I tried very hard to find this place. Recently I even found water around here. So you can't have it, it's mine." She said still staring upwards.

"What are you looking at?"

"The sun will be coming up soon, I'm used to watching it from here, but you seemed to have issues. And you seem strong... so I waited. But I had enough of waiting now. This is my cliff and like I already told you. You can't have it."

The Adjuchas didn't really feel weak, but not strong either. More like she wasn't eating enough. And by eating I mean 'snacking' if you get my drift. "How long exactly have you been here?"

"None of your business." She said shortly still not looking at me.

"You were the one who sat down next to me, so why?"

"I told you, you seem like you have issues and could use a shoulder." Dropping my resurrection I sat down next to her. Something about her was weird. Something in her aura felt quite... disarming to me.

We watched as the sun came up, there was a wild smile on her lips. "You like it?"

"I do."

"You aren't really the talkative kind are you?" She sighed and turned her head towards me, there was something about her eyes. Very human like. "I don't know you, and while thanks to our dear new King, things have quieted down a bit. I have no intention of being killed. I've survived this long... might as well go on."

"You don't sound particularly happy about surviving." I said.

"I don't remember much from before, but I do know I don't like hollows much."

"You could remember if you became a Vastro Lorde, the humanity I scattered over Hueco Mundo will take care of that." I offered.

"You? Meaning you are..."

"Shiro Kurokami, yes." Surprisingly she snorted at me unimpressed.

"Is there a problem?"

"I don't enjoy feasting on souls."

"Has no one ever explained the new rules?" She glared at me but remained.

"What rules?" I sighed. I explained them all to her, how devouring souls worked. How the souls reacted. I spent an hour just sitting there talking it all out.

"That's not how I remember it." She said angrily.

"Well some things changed in the way we were doing things. But that's the way it is now."

"I guess a thanks is in order then." She admitted.

"You're welcome, do you think you will let yourself evolve? You're old enough." She seemed to be thinking about that for a while, falling silent in the process. There were very few pacifist Adjuchas or Hollows in general. And even they needed to feed.

Nel for her part was as peaceful as I guess is acceptable. You can't just sit back when the Shinigami try to kick you in the head at every opportunity.

"Lord Shiro?" I turned my head and to my shock, found Meno and Loly looking at us. "We thought we might bring some actual food, if that's okay?" I smiled at them and nodded. I'd told them to keep a bit of distance ever since Tatsu's death, my control was not as strong as it had been. Although I had to admit they had grown a lot stronger.

"Meno, Loly meet..?" The wolf stared at them before letting out a long tired breath.

"Saki." She supplied without much feeling in her voice.

"It's nice to meet you." They answered before putting down a small table they'd been carrying and bowed. "If there's anything please don't hesitate to contact us." A light breeze blew through the cliff as they left.

"So..." Saki asked carefully. "What got you all riled up?"

"Death, as I guess is mostly the case with our kind."

"I heard some Adjuchas from the settlement speak about a girl that died. Most of them are hoping that for attacking the King of Hueco Mundo, even if just by proxy, the Shinigami are to come face to face with your army. And to be honest oh great King. You would win. There are not enough powerful Shinigami to withstand the number of Vastro Lorde and Adjuchas we have now. That is... if we were to actually go for a full on invasion."

"You seem well informed... for someone who says likes to be alone."

"I never said I like to be alone, I like my rock formation, the cliff around us. It's given me shelter for longer than you've been here and it will continue to give me shelter long after you're gone or until the day I disappear." Meanwhile I wondered just what it was about her voice that commanded my attention the way it did, I'd never experienced anything like it.

"Death is terrible, but there is nothing you can do now. Even with all your power, and I'm sure you have tried every possible way, some things are just beyond you."

"And so I should give up?" The wolf shook it's head.

"If it were that easy we wouldn't be talking now would we? No, you have to learn from what happened, so that you can keep it from happening again." With a feeling of dread flooding me there was something I had forgotten through all of this.

My sisters... just like Tatsu they could be used to lure me in. My dads place was well guarded, no doubt about it. But there were weaknesses. Otherwise I would have never received my powers. She smiled as I jumped to my feet.

"Thank you." I said as she began to walk to the nearest cave. "Won't you come back with me?" She already had her back to me and didn't seem to be paying me any more mind. So I left and went back.

"I'll be around here... as I've always been." I heard her mumble as she disappeared into the dark, swaggering into a small cave.

I was greeted half way to Las Noches by Nel tackling me. "Woah, you okay?"

"Mhh..." She made heavily. I gently pushed my fingers through her hair eliciting a slight moan from the small act of affection.

"You look slightly better." Tia smiled holding out a hand to help us up.

"I am doing... slightly better, thanks."

"Shiro?" Nel sounded so very needy. Nearly begging. I obliged kissing them both before taking them into a tight hug.

"What now?" Tia asked in a muffled voice.

"I need Rukia, Ro, Urahara and Cyan." I explained my plans and wasn't shocked to see them being on board. We split up and agreed to meet at our home in a couple of minutes.

"You are back." Cyan leaning forward to kiss my cheek. "The place isn't the same without you." She smiled. I was seated in the dining room waiting for them to join me. Cifer, Grimm and all the others were there as well of course all looking curious to what it was I intended to do. Urahara still feeling slightly threatened had naturally brought Yoruichi.

"Here goes, Cyan I will need you to write a letter for me. A letter that can be addressed to all noble houses including the so called Captain-Commander of the Shinigami. I would like it to be strongly worded so that there can be no misunderstandings."

"Letter...? Eh, what do you want it to say?"

"To put it bluntly, coming close to my family again, means immediate all out war. By which I mean the entirety of the Gotei 13 will be razed to the ground. I've already proven that I can rip apart their defenses and come through wherever and whenever I damn well please. Which brings us to Rukia and Ro. You two are tasked with delivering said letter."

"I'll get on it right away." Cyan assured him leaving to get pen and paper.

"What about me?" Kisuke asked.

"You... need to come up with a better defense system for the house my sisters life in. Because I won't be responsible for what happens if they so much as put a scratch on them." My eyes were enough for him to understand.

"I can do that." He said nodding his head instantly. Kisuke knew well enough what what would happen, was a massacre of epic proportions. Nothing close to a war, there would be bloodshed and not even the innocent would survive.

"What if they want to keep me there?" Asked Rukia nervously fidgeting. Part of me really wouldn't have cared if they drove a sword through her chest. Sadly, I had to consider what she'd recently done for me. Which boiled down to the fact that she'd done her damnedest to warn me about Tatsu.

"Don't worry, it'll all be very clear to them. We'll make sure of that."

Silvers Ro

Back 'there', one time was already too much, two times made me want to violently throw up. Yet, here we were. Soul Society. I wasn't exactly happy to be paired with Rukia Kuchiki. Understood however the need for it. 'Our' King had made sure to announce our future presence beforehand. I wasn't disappointed when I found Zaraki Kenpachi and what I had been told to be Shunsui Kyoraku waiting for us. Lord Stark held some amount of respect for the man. Though I could hardly see why. He was to be the talker and Kenpachi the guard. This choice I approved of, many of us considered him and the captain commander to be the biggest threats. To my astonishment however it was not the straw hat one to speak out first but instead the warrior.

"How's your King?"

"Doing quite well considering..."

"Tell him I didn't approve of what happened."

Shunsui threw us a look I interpreted as. "I didn't either."

"Perhaps... you should look for new leadership then." He laughed a booming laugh at that.

"Perhaps." He agreed surprising me as I considered apologizing for overstepping.

Discord in the ranks, something I would have to relay to Lord Kurokami as soon as we got back. He would be very interested in learning about it. If they failed to meet his demands this could prove useful. "How is the Kuchiki family?" Rukia asked.

"Hit hard, having no other heir. Since Byakuya was made nice and crispy. They lost a bit of their influence." Kenpachi explained.

"He should not have laid a finger on the innocent. Then he would not be, as you say, nice and crispy." I said coldly not having the slightest compassion for the dead Kuchiki.

I'd taken good care of my appearance and looked, so I was assured by both Rukia and my Lord the King, as any Shinigami did. Apart from the eyes of course which were a strange dark red colour. Alas, I didn't truly care either way.

"Did Icchi come too?" I turned to the small person on the wall close to us.

"You must be Yachiru, Lord Kurokami told me to bring you this. As an 'appeasement to the smallest goddess'" It was a small collection of what my King thought to be her favourite sweets which made the young Shinigami's eyes grow big and grin brightly. I handed them to her.

"Shall we continue?" Kyoraku asked wanting to get us there. A good idea. We did have a time table, after all. We visited the noble families first. It wasn't a huge deal in any case, the Kuchiki, an old man denied us entry to his home. So we handed him the letter and gave him the warning that all others would receive as well. Only four Shinigami were to be allowed in Hueco Mundo from this day forward. Kenpachi and Yachiru, and Captain Unohana and Isane Kotetsu her Lieutenant. Our escort left us, right in front of the door.

When we walked into the ornated room, the so called Captain Commander sat on a pillow at the end of the room. Less of a King than my Master, yet acting higher and mightier. All in all, I was not impressed. He blew smoke from a pipe into our direction. A sign of disrespect. I hoped that soon enough my King would allow me to cut out the mans tongue and let him burn to death, just like he had the Lady Tatsuki.

I gave a nod to Rukia next to me, that she rightly interpreted as now is the time. She would be more delicate with the man. Less inclined to disrespect than I was.

"Captain Commander," She said officially, taking a knee in front of him a moment later. Distasteful yet I followed suit, such were the orders I was given. "The King of Hueco Mundo extends a greeting, and has a message for you." Unbelievably he took it, without a word he opened it.

"This is preposterous."

"Is it really? All you've been asked to do is leave the innocent." He leapt for me, caught my collar in a tight grip. I held out my hand to signal Rukia to stay calm.

"Now what? Draw your sword! Come on. Do it..." I challenged. "I won't even fight you. I will die happy knowing that your next act in life, will be to die screaming while drowning in your own blood." I felt it outside. "It's time." I grinned impishly as he loosened his grip. I sonido'd us outside, Rukia shunpo'd after us.

Just like the letters said, a show of strength from Hueco Mundo to all those that still doubted the power of it's God-King Shiro Kurokami.

Hachigen came out in front, a very kind man I'd come to respect. The visored had been the image in which the new Hollows were formed. A man as peaceful as him deserved better than to be one of us. But now he found himself erecting a strong shield for those below, so that no innocents were broken and forced to their knees before getting killed by the arriving Reiatsu. He was assisted by Lilynette who was gaining stronger and stronger control of her new powers. It wasn't that many really, 50 Vastro Lorde in total all moving as one, all acting at the orders of one man. Not chaos released, but wild dogs on a leash.

Wild dogs that were all too eager to serve their King. "Come on." I told Rukia. Then we quickly joined them up in the air.

"Hear me, Soul Society." My voice boomed over them all, a small spell Urahara had taught me. "Your time to do as you pleased with the afterlife comes to an end. This is our warning." We watched all of the Gotei 13 take up battle positions, this wasn't half of our full battle strength. And the great Lords of Hueco Mundo were not here. Hachigens shield would not hold their energies at bay, after all. "Ready!" I yelled as they fanned out. "Aim!" Cero's of all imaginable colours. "Should there ever come a time for us to return here, we will not come to talk. We will not come to fight. We will come, to slaughter." The captains held back their people, if even one of the Vastro Lorde had shot it's Cero from way up where we were. It wouldn't just be one district gone. We could see them from there... new recruits, bolstered ranks to combat our own heightened numbers. They were children compared to us.

"This is the deal we've struck, until our Lord decides on what to do about the innocent life you've taken. You will stay away from his family, from Hueco Mundo. Special entrance allowance has been given to none but four of your Shinigami.

Should we find any individual outside of this deal lurking our lands... slaughter.

Should we be told you were heard speaking of going to see the Lords family... slaughter.

Should you fuckers pull anything at all that we don't like...SLAUGHTER!" More than half of me wanted to call fire but instead, I had orders. My Kings word was absolute. "Now ease." The Cero's vanished behind me.

"Look to your rulers Soul Society, for they are the reason you are at the brink of a war that will leave you crippled for the next thousand years." Now let them sit in that for a while. Perhaps I'd managed to incite a full blown rebellion... wouldn't that be a real bad thing.

Looking off into the distance, I felt their eyes on me. Yes... they knew that change was coming. The strongest Shinigami were up there. The Soul Kings guards. It was why we hadn't attacked, they could only be beaten by our Lords and Ladies. For now we had to bite back the eagerness to wipe them out. For now... at least. We would bide our time. Theirs would come soon enough, no matter what the future held, their people needed to change, and now, all it was going to take for the great Lord Kurokami to give the word... was a single drop... into a very small... already filled to the brim bucket.