Edric and Emira exited the restaurant, finding Willow and Gus waiting at their car. The twins walked up to them, both their faces a mirror image of the other's concern on how it went.
"Sooo…?" Willow asked.
"I don't think we need to worry about them," said Edric.
"Yeah, I think they got it from here," Emira confirmed.
Willow released a long sigh as she slumped against her car. "Thank God! I swear, those two are going to make me start growing gray hairs."
Gus had a ghost of a smile on his face, he wasn't exactly thrilled about this whole "Luz dating a Soul Reaper" thing. Especially considering his other best friend was a Hollow, and if Edric and Emira found out, they would no doubt kill her. And the last thing he wanted to see was Luz getting her heart broken because Amity sided with them.
"Hey, you alright, Gus?" Edric asked.
"I'm fine," he answered curtly.
"Yeesh, that was a little harsh," said Emira. "I know the Quincies and Soul Reapers haven't exactly been on friendly terms, but you don't have to worry about that with us."
"Yeah, we don't have any beef with you or other Quincies," Edric added.
Gus remained silent.
"Just give him time, he's still not very trusting of Amity, so…"
That's when it clicked in the twins' heads.
"Aah, now I get it. You have a crush on Luz, don't you?" Edric asked.
"That's why you're all grumpy about Mittens, right?" Emira questioned.
"Pfft, nothing like that." Gus corrected them. "I do care about Luz, I love her like a big sister, same as Willow. So, yeah, I do distrust Soul Reapers, and I'm on edge about a girl I see as family dating one."
They weren't expecting that kind of answer, but the twins were now starting to understand why Gus seemed on edge. However, neither side was going to address this issue tonight as a Hollow roar echoed through the town.
"Seriously?! Not tonight!" Willow complained.
"It's okay, I'll handle it," said Gus as he readied to take off.
"Hold up," said Emira. "Allow us."
"Yeah, you two head home. Em and I can take care of this one," Edric assured.
Willow and Gus glanced at each other, and then looked back at the twins.
"Alright, if you insist," said Willow. "I guess, be safe, and we'll see you soon."
"Thanks! C'mon, Ed, let's go teach this Hollow why it picked the wrong night to show up," Emira declared.
"Right behind ya, sis," Edric replied.
Willow and Gus stood and watched as the twins disappeared using Flash Step. Willow's ability to sense spiritual energy wasn't as fine-tuned as Gus and Luz's, but even she could tell that the twins had already crossed a vast distance in just under a few seconds.
"Willow, you know we're only one incident away from those two finding out who Luz is. Seriously, when are they going to leave?" Gus complained.
"I know, trust me, I do. Hopefully after tonight, they'll go back to Soul Society, and we can all stop tiptoeing around them. But regardless, I'd like to think that they wouldn't out Luz," Willow said with a hopeful smile.
Gus wasn't as hopeful. After Luz died, he was determined to prevent that from happening again. Even if it meant turning all of Soul Society against him, even if it meant having to battle an army of Soul Reapers, captains and lieutenants included. He failed to protect her once, he was not about to do it again.
"C'mon, I'll take you home," said Willow as she got into the car.
Gus sighed and got in as well, and soon the two friends were off.
Edric and Emira swiftly dashed through the air, the former had his cellphone out, following the Hollow Tracker app's directions as they pinpointed where the Hollow who had roared was. The two were eventually brought to…a high school? They landed on the roof of a store that was across the street from the high school, and when they landed, they spotted their prey. The Hollow was on the rooftop of the school, its eyes glowing bright yellow as it surveyed the land below it. This Hollow had an ashen gray body, lined with lean muscle. Its hands were sharpened talons, made to rend flesh from bone and sever limps with a single swipe. Its legs were supine like that of a cat's, which fit with the aesthetic of its Hollow mask which resembles something like a jaguar's face. Although unlike a feline, this creature had a long, lizard-like tail that whipped back and forth.
"Huh, do you think we should let this one roam around for a bit?" Edric asked.
"Why? We could just kill it and get it over with," Emira retorted.
"Mitten's mission is to find the reason why Hollows disappear so fast from this area. Maybe if we let this thing walk around for a bit, whatever's causing the disappearances will show up," Edric suggested.
"Hmm…I mean, it's a plan. But this is Amity's mission, how's it going to look if we complete her mission for her. It'll only humiliate her, I mean, I can already hear people making fun of her for 'calling her big brother and sister' for help."
Edric raised his right finger as if to raise a counterpoint. "We're on vacation, we're not working. And we're not going to solve the problem, so long as this thing doesn't attack anyone, and so long we find out the cause, we can just tell Amity and she can take the credit."
"Still, then it wouldn't be her own merit. You know how she is; Amity won't accept the credit; she'll write in her report that we discovered the cause. Well, that's if we discover it tonight," said Emira.
"Let's just wait and see for a little bit, and then–"
"LUZ NOCEEEDDAAAAAAAAA!"
Edric and Emira went dead silent as they turned to look at the Hollow.
"Did that thing just say Luz's name?" Emira asked.
"Oh, good, you heard it too. I was wondering for a second," Edric remarked.
"WHERE ARE YOU?! YOU LITTLE BITCH! I'LL FIND YOU AND FUCK YOU UP!" the Jaguar Hollow threatened.
"Okay, new brain idea, we're going in," said Edric.
"Seconded," Emira agreed.
The twin Soul Reapers disappeared and reappeared on the high school's rooftop, appearing a few feet from the Jaguar Hollow on its left and right respectively. The Jaguar Hollow glanced to its left at Emira, and then to its right to see Edric as it growled threateningly.
"Who the fuck are you two? Why the hell are you dressed in that weeb getup?" the Jaguar Hollow demanded.
"We're Soul Reapers, and we're here to kill you," said Edric plainly.
"But first, why are you after Luz Noceda?" Emira questioned.
"What it's to you?! Do you know that freak?!"
Emira drew her sword and pointed it at the Jaguar Hollow. "Maybe I do? Maybe I don't. But either way, you seem to have a grudge against her for some reason. And I'd like to know why, at least before we take your head."
The Jaguar Hollow growled angrily as it said, "I knew that freak back when we were fifteen! She was my favorite, always so tense, always so easy to mess with! But then…I died, fucking drunk driver. Thought they nailed Noceda too, but as it turns out she's STILL ALIVE! IT'S NOT FAIR! THAT FREAK'S STILL ALIVE AND I DIED! So, now, I'm going to kill her!"
Emira glanced at Edric, and Edric at Emira. It seemed as if this guy really did have a grudge against Luz, and if that was the case, then they could not let this creature exist any longer. For the sake of their little sister's happiness, they were going to kill him.
"Ed, he's mine," said Emira.
Edric smirked and crossed his arms, taking a few steps back.
"Oh, you want to fight me? I'll rip your tits off!" the Jaguar Hollow threatened.
"Oh, you like 'em that much? Why don't you come try and take them?" Emira dared.
The Jaguar Hollow roared again and swiftly lunged at her, but the Soul Reaper merely smirked as the monster's claws struck the spot where Emira stood, sending up a cloud of dust from the impact. The Jaguar Hollow swiped his claws again, causing the dust cloud to be blown away, but was surprised to see that Emira was no longer there. That's when he felt a weight on his head, and which made the Hollow raise his eyes to see Emira standing on top of his head.
"Missed me big boy," Emira teased.
The Jaguar Hollow shook his head, forcing Emira off as she flipped around in the air gracefully before landing back on the roof flawlessly. The monster didn't waste time as he charged at her again, but this time, his claws started to glow bright red. That's when the monster slashed the air with his hands, creating eight blood red energy crescents that flew straight for Emira. The Soul Reaper grinned as she gripped her sword and swatted the blades away as if they were nothing.
"Fucking bitch!"
The Jaguar Hollow charged again, but this time Emira used Flash Step to appear right in the monster's face, shocking him into halting.
"I won't let you hurt that girl." Emira slammed the pommel of her sword right between the eyes of the monster's mask. The blow made the mask crack as the Jaguar Hollow threw his head back and let out a roar of pain as he covered his face. "Our little sister deserves to be happy, and she's finally found someone who makes her happy. So, if you threaten her life, then you have to get past us."
The Jaguar Hollow hissed in pain as he turned his burning gaze on Emira and cried out, "IF YOU'RE A FRIEND OF THAT FREAK, THEN I'LL KILL YOU TOO!"
Emira raised her left hand and pointed her index finger at the Jaguar Hollow. "Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō (Six Rods of Light Prison)!"
Suddenly, a beam of thin, wide light shot forth from Emira's finger and imbedded itself in the Jaguar Hollow's midsection, but it wasn't the only one. Five more similarly shaped beams of light flew towards the monster from different angles, but all had the same target as they lodged themselves around its midsection, forming a hexagram pattern. The Jaguar Hollow tried to move, but it wasn't able to, it was as if the panels of light were anchoring him in place.
"Now, be a good boy and stand still," Emira ordered as she took a stance. "This'll be over in a second."
"I told you not to go and start any trouble so soon, but you just couldn't wait, could you?"
Emira heard a new voice, this voice did not come from the Jaguar Hollow in front of her, this voice came from behind her. This was further evidenced when she saw Edric's shocked expression, as his hand reached for his sword. Emira swiftly turned around to attack whatever it was that was there, but the moment she did, it was gone. Had she just imagined that? No, her brother saw something, he wouldn't have drawn his sword or looked so spooked if that was the case.
Emira turned around again, and gasped when she saw what it was. The new voice belonged to another Hollow. But this one looked different, in fact…it looked like a Menos Grande. The creature stood at least seven feet tall, which was smaller than a normal Menos Grande which ranged from two to seven stories tall. The Hollow's mask had six eyes, middle ones had white sclera instead of black, turquoise irises, and dark pupils at the center. Above and below those eyes were a set of more traditional Hollow eyes, but instead of the eyes glowing yellow, these eyes had a violet tent to them. The rest of the Hollow's mask had sharp teeth, and long curved horns growing from the sides of its mask, and wispy, violet tribal markings. The rest of the Hollow's body from the neck down was shrouded in a pitch-black cloak that spilled onto the roof, making it hard to see the creature's legs or feet.
A MENOS?! HOW DID IT GET BEHIND ME EARLIER WITHOUT ME KNOWING?! AND SINCE WHEN CAN A MENOS SPEAK?! Emira thought as she quickly turned around and slashed, but before she realized it, the Menos was gone.
"EM!" Edric cried out.
Emira turned around and now saw that the Menos was standing before the Jaguar Hollow, staring down at the creature with a menacing gaze.
"I went through the trouble of turning you into this, and like a kid with a new toy, you couldn't wait to try it out, huh?"
"SCREW YOU! WHY DO WE HAVE TO WAIT! WE CAN KILL THAT BITCH RIGHT NOW!" the Jaguar Hollow argued.
"I've waited far longer than you have, boy. If you cannot follow simple orders, then I don't have a use for you," the Menos stated.
Before the Jaguar Hollow could voice any protest, the Menos's cloak fluttered open, allowing Edric to see what lay underneath. The Hollow's body was ashen gray, with abnormally long, thin arms. The tops of its hands were covered in the bone armor, with each of its fingers covered in segmented pieces of bone armor. Each of its knuckles had a three-inch spike protruding from it, and each of its fingertips were claw tipped. The arms were connected to a thin torso, where its Hollow hole resided right over where its heart would be. The Menos had no legs, instead, from the waist down was nothing but a mass of wriggling and squirming tentacles, too many to count.
The Menos grabbed the Jaguar Hollow's arms and ripped the off his body as if they were made of wet tissue paper. The monster howled in pain as black blood sprayed out from the torn stubs that were once his arms. That's when the Menos grabbed the Jaguar Hollow's head, and forcefully tilted it to the right. When this was done, the Menos opened its mouth and came down with a violent bite to the side of the Jaguar Hollow's neck. More black blood began to spray as the Jaguar Hollow made gurgling sounds, and soon made no more sounds as the Menos whipped its head back, tearing off a large chunk of the other Hollow's throat, and more than likely ripped his vocal cords in the process.
The Menos munched on the flesh of the Hollow he had just bitten, and then went back down for more. Edric and Emira watched in horror as the Jaguar Hollow's neck, and part of its shoulder were devoured before the sweet release of death finally came to the Jaguar Hollow as its body disintegrated into ash that blew away on the wind. The Menos's mask was still stained with the black blood of its kill, only adding its intimidating presence.
What concerned the twins the most right now as the fact that neither one of them could sense its spiritual energy. And even more disturbing was how it managed to sneak up on Emira without any one of them seeing it until the last possible second. It was not normal for a Menos Grande to leave Hueco Mundo and appear in the World of the Living. Such occurrences only happened if they sensed a powerful spiritual energy, but even with a Quincy and their sister residing in the town, that shouldn't be enough to attract its attention. The only other way would be if someone called it here, a higher ranked Hollow. But there was much more that was off about this Menos. It was shorter than most, even by Menos standards. It had a unique mask, whereas the majority of Menos Grande all had the same masks. And its body, it didn't look like what should be under that cloak. That could only leave one other possible explanation as to what this Hollow was. But there was no way one of those types would be here in the World of the Living, right? And why here of all places?
"Who are you?" Edric questioned.
"First, answer my question. Do you two really know a girl named 'Luz Noceda'?" the Menos asked.
"Why's that important?!" Emira retorted. "You're the second Hollow tonight looking for Luz! Why are you after her?!"
"Heh, obviously, I'm here to kill her. I turned that little bastard into a Hollow because he wanted revenge, same as me. But as I told him, he couldn't just wait. However, maybe I shouldn't have punished him so swiftly? I mean, thanks to him, he drew in two Soul Reapers who seem to know her."
"ANSWER US!" Edric and Emira demanded.
The Menos merely chuckled as he answered, "You wanted to know my name. My new name is Grometheus Angstvoller Schwarzwald, 'Grom' for short. But the name you need concern yourself with, the name from when I was alive. The name that I want you to tell that girl, my original name was Jackson Forbes."
"Is that supposed to mean something to us?!" Edric asked.
"Ah, it seems she hasn't told you. Tell her my name, and see what happens," he chuckled.
"Or we can kill you and not tell her at all!" Emira exclaimed.
As soon as she said that, both her, and Edric dashed straight for Grom. The Hollow didn't even move as both Soul Reapers slashed with their swords, striking both sides of his neck. However, the moment they did, their swords merely clanged against his skin. As if they had just struck their blades against something incredibly hard. That's when they noticed that there weren't any signs of a scratch on his neck.
"I'm well aware of you Soul Reapers, unlike that little shit. So…" Grom suddenly lashed out with his tentacles, sending out two from under his cloak. They swiftly wrapped themselves around Emira's leg and Edric's leg. "Don't put me in the same league as that weakling!"
Grom spun once, and then threw both Edric and Emira in two different directions. Emira was launched straight towards the streets below, impacting against the side of a car and leaving a body sized dent in it. While Edric was left to crash land into some bleachers near the football field.
"Tell her my name and tell her I'll see her real soon."
Emira and Edric managed to pull themselves up just in time to watch as a hole in space opened to Grom's left. The hole opened like an eye, and once it had, it revealed a black abyss. The two Soul Reapers knew exactly what that was, it was a Garganta, a means of travelling to and from the World of the Living to the home of the Hollows, Hueco Mundo. Without hesitation, Grom walked through the Garganta, and as soon as he did, the hole in space closed. Leaving the twin Soul Reapers to question who this Hollow was, what significance the name "Jackson Forbes" had, and what connection it had to Luz.
"I hate to say this but…"
"I know…we'll have to ask Luz."
"Dammit, and this was going so well."
The morning light streamed through Luz's window. The Latina moaned a little as she shifted but paused when she felt someone against her body. Luz, reluctantly, opened her eyes and smiled as she looked upon the sleeping face of her girlfriend. Their naked bodies were still pressed against each other under the blankets, sharing each other's warmth, and being comforted by the other's presence. Luz gingerly reached up and pushed some stray strands of hair out of Amity's face and admired the beautiful girl in her arms. She never thought she would be lucky enough to experience this kind of thing, but now Luz was just happy to have been given this second chance at life.
Amity began to hum a little as she slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was filled with the collar bone, neck, and cleavage. Slowly, the lavender-haired teen raised her head and looked into the soft brown eyes of Luz.
"Morning, mi cariño. Now, please don't punch me or shove me off the bed this time," said Luz.
Amity rolled her eyes and rested her head against Luz's chest. "Shut up, and hug me, Noceda."
Luz obliged and held Amity closer.
"Thank you, for doing this. I'm sure you're probably worked up. If you want, we can…do something about it?" Amity offered.
"You still feel nervous?" Luz asked.
"…Kind of."
"Then we can wait." Amity felt a little bad for denying Luz. Even she felt a stirring in her lower half from such close and intimate contact. And someone like Luz was probably having it worse than her. "Besides, I can always take care of it myself later. And I'll be thinking of you when I do, mi princesa."
Amity blushed bright red, but she did feel a little excited by the idea of Luz pleasing herself to the thought of her body.
"Will you think of me when you do it?" Luz asked.
"…Yes," she answered.
"Cool, then you can text me some nudes and I'll send you mine, that way we'll have some schlicking material for each other!"
"Looks like you're back to your usual self, and in rare form it seems."
"Hey, you were the one who said you missed my pervy side, so, get ready, chica. Because now you're the soul target of my perversion," Luz warned.
Amity smirked as she swiftly rolled on top of Luz, making the Latina go red as she now looked up at her lover. "Is that so, Noceda? Then I hope you're prepared for any consequences that may come after."
Luz gulped as she replied, "Whoa…"
Just then the two girls heard the front door open and close, indicating that Camila had come home.
"Guess we should get up," said Luz.
"I'll help with breakfast," Amity offered.
"Ooh, I get to see my girlfriend cook again? Shoot. If only we had gotten up sooner, I could've had you wear nothing but an apron so I could enjoy the view."
Amity leaned down and kissed Luz on the cheek as she replied, "As tempting as that sounds, I probably would've died from embarrassment if Camila saw me naked in one of her aprons."
Luz chuckled at the thought. Amity got off Luz and the Latina got up as well. Luz stretched out her limbs before heading to her dresser. She pulled open one of the drawers and pulled out a baggy black shirt that read "Bad Girls 4 Life", and then tossed it towards Amity.
"What's this for?" Amity asked.
"Well, your clothes are on the floor, and it's not like you have any pajamas here," Luz pointed out.
"I could just put my clothes back on, you know."
"It's the weekend, Princesa. You're supposed to be comfortable. You can at least put the panties you had on last night, ooorrr…" Luz opened another drawer and pulled out a pair of her underwear. She turned around and presented them to Amity as she smirked. "Do you want to wear mine while you're here? Not gonna lie, it'd be hot to see my girlfriend wear my panties."
Luz doubted that Amity would go for it, but she loved to tease the girl. However, instead of giving protest, Amity smirked back at Luz. The Latina watched in confusion as Amity got up and strolled towards her. Then Amity snatched the panties that were in Luz's hand, and put them on, right in front of her. Afterwards, Amity threw on the baggy shirt to complete the ensemble. Luz's eyes widened, even more so when she watched Amity strut towards the door, opened it, and gave the Latina an over the shoulder glance.
"Don't take too long getting ready, batata," Amity teased as she headed into the hallway.
Luz leaned against the dresser, and muttered, "Holy crap, my girlfriend is hot as hell."
After throwing on her own baggy shirt and underwear, Luz made her way downstairs, and sure enough, Amity was in the kitchen with her mother.
"¡Buenos días, Mamá!" Luz greeted.
"Buenos días, mija," Camila greeted back.
Luz leaned against the island and cheekily asked, "So, how was your night with Marilyn?"
Camila chuckled, believing her daughter was trying to make her blush by insinuating something. However, she had some news for her this day.
"Actually, last night, I made a bet with Marilyn," Camila informed.
"A bet?" Luz asked confused.
"What kind of bet?" Amity asked.
"Oh, nothing bad. I just bet Marilyn that if she could drink me under the table, she could do whatever she wanted with me for the entire night."
"WHAT?!" the two teens exclaimed.
"Oh, uh…wow, Camila, I didn't know you also were like Luz," said Amity.
"Please, nothing happened. Marilyn passed out an hour after we started," said Camila proudly.
Luz clicked her tongue. "Should've known better."
"Am I missing something?" Amity asked.
Camila blushed as she explained, "Back in my college days, I was…quite the wild girl for at time. College was so much better than high school, so, I could really cut loose there. I was able to hold my own with the best of the frat houses back then. I wanted to change my image with people who didn't know me, almost went a little overboard. Until I went to a Cosmic Frontier convention and met Luz's father. From then on, I cut down and became social drinker, only doing so if we were at an event."
"Marilyn tried to push that Apple Blood stuff on you, huh?" Luz asked.
"Of course, but I brought our tequila with me. We swapped drinks, I drank hers, and she drank mine. And like I said, an hour later, she was passed out in her bed."
Amity blinked. "Wait, you two were drinking in her bed."
"She was sooo confident that she was going to 'have fun with me' that she didn't want to waste time getting me up the stairs."
"Sounds like Marilyn."
After getting breakfast made, Luz, Amity, and Camila sat at the table and began eating. As they ate, Camila couldn't help but notice the attire her daughter and Amity were wearing.
"So, how did your date go?" Camila inquired.
"It was wonderful, Camila. We did have some kinks to work out, but we managed to resolve them," said Amity.
"I see, and can I also assume – judging by your clothes – that last night's activities ended better than the first time?"
Both Luz and Amity blushed when asked about their night together.
"Well, we really didn't do anything. We just cuddled all night," Luz confessed.
The older Latina smiled upon hearing that. "That's good too. There's no rule or law saying that you have to make love every time you sleep together. Simply holding each other close can sometimes be even more fulfilling than being intimate."
"Thanks, Mom."
"Thank you, Camila."
*Knock, knock*
"Again?" Amity questioned.
"Está bien. I'll go and see who it is. Neither of you two are dressed to greet anyone at the door anyway," said Camila as she got up.
"C'mon, Mamá, maybe seeing a hot Latina in her pajamas is just what they need to brighten their day!" Luz suggested. "Ouch!"
Amity reached under the table with her left hand and pinched Luz's thigh.
"No one is allowed to see you like this except me and Camila," Amity stated.
"Ooh~, aren't we feeling possessive?"
"Humph. Anyway, who is it? Can you tell?" Amity asked.
"Yeah, it's Ed and Em."
Amity sighed in annoyance as she muttered, "Of course…"
Camila appeared around the corner and announced, "Look who dropped by to see you."
The older Latina stepped to the side and allowed Edric and Emira to enter the kitchen.
"Hey, Mittens," they greeted before their eyes fell on Luz and Amity's attire.
"Oh~, looks like someone had a good night," Emira teased.
"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."
"Oh, yes you are," said Edric."
The twins swiftly moved towards Amity, pulled her chair back, and then hooked one of their arms with each of Amity's before hauling her up and away.
"Wait what?!"
"Luz, where's your room?" Emira asked.
"Uh, up the stairs, second door on the right," she answered.
"Thank you," Edric replied. "We need to have a sibling meeting, excuse us!"
The twins hurriedly dragged Amity up the stairs and a moment later, Camila and Luz heard her door shut.
"They're such kind siblings," said Camila.
"Heh, pretty sure Amity doesn't see it that way right now."
The twins deposited Amity onto the rolling chair in Luz's room and spun her around to face them. When Amity looked up at them, she was ready to scold them for that impromptu kidnapping but stopped when she saw the serious expressions on their faces.
"What's wrong?" Amity asked with trepidation.
"Look, Amity, we think we may've found out what's been making the Hollow's disappear in Gravesfield," said Edric.
"First of all, we didn't mean to. We didn't come here to upstage you or take over your mission, it just sorta happened that we found out," Emira explained.
The world ground to a halt for Amity. At that moment, the only sound she could hear was the pounding of her heart in her chest. Her fear had come to light, her brother and sister had somehow found out that Luz was a Hollow. But how? When?
There's no way that's possible! Eda, King, me, Gus, and Willow are the only ones who know that! No one else in this town does! So, how did they figure it out?! Unless…Unless they arrived here earlier than just a day? What if they've been here the whole time watching me?! They are part of counterintelligence, and with their powers, they could remain hidden easily enough!
Amity gritted her teeth behind her lips, and gripped the hem of her shirt, trying to calm herself down.
Hold on, don't jump to conclusions now, Amity. First, find out what they know. It'll be really bad if you end up blurting out the very thing you don't want them to find out.
"What are you talking about? How? When?" Amity questioned.
"Last night, I'm sure you heard it, a Hollow's roar," said Emira.
Amity nodded.
"We didn't want it to ruin your date, so Em and I went to take care of it. And Em was about to kill the Hollow…until…another one showed up."
Amity was starting to get confused. "Okay, so another one showed up. You two are strong, so it shouldn't have been a problem."
"Normally, I'd agree with you, Ams. But…this Hollow was different," Emira remarked.
"What? How different?"
"We think – no it had to be. The second Hollow that appeared was an Adjuchas," Edric explained.
Amity's eyes widened with shock as she bolted out of the seat and to her feet. Until now, the only kind of Hollows that had appeared in Gravesfield were low level ones. Not even when the Hollow bait incident happened did a single Adjuchas appear, hell, not even a Menos Grande showed up. But now an Adjuchas class Hollow had shown up. Despite this knowledge, Amity wasn't as afraid as she normally would be. Considering that Luz was an Arrancar. In a fight, Luz's power far surpassed an Adjuchas Hollow. If it was something like a Vasto Lorde, they'd be in deep trouble, but Amity was confident Luz could handle fighting an Adjuchas if she got serious.
"Hold on, are you sure it was an Adjuchas?" Amity asked.
"We watched it eat the first Hollow alive," Emira added.
"Oh…yeah…that's an Adjuchas."
"Which makes sense why there have been so many missing Hollows. That thing is using Gravesfield as its feeding ground. Letting other Hollows come here instead of searching for them in Hueco Mundo. Kind of genius really, if you want to hunt the hunter, you go to where their prey is," said Edric.
Okay, so they seem to believe that this Adjuchas is responsible for the missing Hollows. For now, that pushes any suspicion off Luz. But this is a problem all the same.
"That's not the only thing, Amity," Edric informed.
"There's more?"
"There is…and it's the worst part of this." Emira warned. "That thing had a name, Grometheus Angstvoller Schwarzwald, Grom for short. But what's more disturbing is the fact that it remembered its original name."
"That's not possible! By the time Adjuchas Hollows reach that level, all memories of their past lives are gone! It's like they're a completely new existence!" Amity retorted.
"Trust me, we were there and we're still trying to process it. The Hollow gave us its original name, Jackson Forbes," Edric finished.
"And…for some reason, he's after Luz."
Amity's brow furrowed as her hands balled into fists. The twins saw this reaction and knew that their little sister was now fired up to protect her lover.
"Where is it?!" Amity demanded.
"Amity, calm down. Even the three of us together can't take down an Adjuchas class Hollow. We need to call in backup. Send a message to Captain Darius," said Emira.
Amity released a frustrated sigh. "I understand the seriousness of this situation. But I'm not going to call it in."
"Listen to Em, Amity. Adjuchas are as strong as captains, and when we tried to hurt it, our blades couldn't even cut its skin. You completed your mission, we'll leave Gravesfield and pretend that we've been hanging out at home all this time. That way you can call it in," Edric suggested.
"I need you two to trust that I know what I'm doing. You say the three of us can't defeat it, but what if we add a Quincy and…something else?" Amity suggested.
"You want to ask Gus?" Edric asked.
"I've seen him in action, he's strong. And having a Quincy act as long-range support while we attack it up close might help us throw it off enough for us to land a killing blow."
"That's…I mean…"
"Let me think of a plan of attack, I'll have a Hell Butterfly on standby to go and warn Captain Darius," Amity half lied.
The twins reluctantly nodded their heads and sighed. They knew Amity wasn't some glory hound, if she was confident she could come up with a plan of attack to take down the Hollow, then they should at least try.
"That Hollow also told us that Luz knows someone by that name, has she ever said anything to you?" Emira asked.
"No, it doesn't ring any bells, but…at this point I'll need to ask," said Amity.
Amity, Emira, and Edric walked down the stairs and reentered the kitchen, Luz and Camila were cleaning up, but stopped when they noticed the Blight siblings enter.
"Edric, Emira, did you want some breakfast? I could make you something," Camila offered.
"We're good, Camila," they answered.
"Luz, I need to ask you something," said Amity.
"Ask away," she replied.
"…Do you know someone by the name of…Jackson Forbes?"
Luz, who was holding a plate at the time, dropped it and let it shatter against the floor. The Latina had a thousand-yard stare on her face, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks as her hands shook. Camila wasn't any better, but she seemed to have a better handle on herself than Luz did right now.
"W-Where did you hear that name?" Luz asked.
"Who is he, Luz?" Amity pressed.
Luz began to hug herself as she averted her gaze from Amity. Now the young Soul Reaper was getting even more worried. Luz had never shown a reaction like this. She was an Arrancar, a powerful Hollow, there was nary a thing, aside from some Soul Reaper captains, could possibly harm her. This girl, who was so fearless and strong, was reduced to a whimpering, shaking, frightened state by the mere mention of his one name.
Camila brought her daughter into a hug, and stroked Luz's hair and back in a comforting fashion. Thankfully, it was Camila who spoke up for Luz. "Amity, did Luz tell you about what happened to her?"
Amity nodded.
"What happened?" Edric asked.
"Let's talk in the living room."
Everyone moved into the loving as Camila asked. Luz sat next to her mother, who was still holding her and comforting her. Amity felt like she wanted to do the same, but she didn't think she could provide any more than Camila was already.
"Since Luz told Amity, I'll just address this to you two. When Luz was fourteen, I sent her to a camp. When she was there, she became the subject of hazing and abuse by the camp counselors. And…the one who was leading them, the one they took orders from, was a man they called Uncle Jack, otherwise known as Jackson Forbes," Camila explained.
Amity's eyes widened, and so did the twins' eyes.
"They…" Camila bit her bottom lip, finding it difficult to say the next part. "One night, they cornered Luz in the public bathrooms there, and beat her…Then, that man, suggested that they assault her…use her."
Amity, Edric, and Emira could tell that Camila was trying to use any other word except the one that she dreaded to speak aloud.
"They…Luz wasn't…?" Emira asked.
"No, my baby is a fighter. She managed to fight her way out of that situation before that man could get that far," said Camila.
"What happened to him and those people?" Edric asked.
Camila opened her mouth to answer, but Luz beat her to it.
"They shut down the camp, and arrested all the camp counselors, him included. There was a trial, and I was called to be a witness. They had several witness testimonies from other campers, both past and present, about the hazing and abuse. But since the kids who were sent there were considered 'problem children', not many believed them. Apparently, I was the first one that that man tried to go that far with, probably because I was more resilient than he thought. And that pissed him off to the point that he thought he needed to do something worse to me in order to break me," said Luz.
The teen Latina clenched her fists as she recalled it all.
"I didn't hesitate to tell them what he did to me, what he did to the others, and what he almost did to me in that bathroom, surrounded by his cronies. In the end, they all were found guilty and sent to jail for a long time. But after that…I wasn't the same."
"Is that guy still alive?" Amity asked.
"No," Camila answered.
"What?" Luz asked.
"Wait, you didn't know?" Edric questioned.
"I didn't exactly keep tabs on him. Mom, you never told me he was dead!" Luz exclaimed.
"You had been through so much, and after I almost lost you, I didn't want to think about that horrible man anymore. So, when I was told that he had died, I was happy, and I'm not apologizing for it. I'm sorry, mija, but now you don't have to worry, he's gone, and he'll never hurt you again," Camila promised.
The Blight's siblings frowned, now it made sense who this Hollow was. The man, Jackson Forbes, had somehow returned as a Hollow five years later. And he had come back to take revenge on the girl who had put in jail, and more than likely saw as the reason why he died in jail. Until now, Amity would question the validity of a Hollow being able to reach such a high level of power in just under four years' time. But Luz was an anomaly herself, having jumped to Adjuchas and then to Arrancar in less than a few minutes' time. In a way, this Jackson person evolving in four years sounds less absurd by comparison.
But even so, he held onto his grudge this entire time. His hate for Luz was so strong that even while being in the Gillian stage, amongst all those consciousnesses wailing and writhing around him, he managed to overcome all of that, take control, and in the end evolve himself into the third strongest form of a Hollow. That level of hate, perseverance, and determination…it's unreal.
Amity glanced at Luz; she saw that her lover was calming down much to her relief.
I can't tell Luz. I can't tell her that the man who nearly assaulted her, who caused her such misery, has come back and as a Hollow. I don't doubt Luz is strong enough to kill him herself, but…she shouldn't have to endure facing that man after doing so once already.
"I'm sorry, for bringing up that man's name," Amity apologized.
"It's okay, I never told you those peoples' names. But why did you bring it up? How did you find out his name?" Luz asked.
"Oh, that's our fault," said Emira.
"We were walking around, and some people were just gossiping, and we listened. They talked about a camp, and that name popped up. We told Amity, and she instantly thought of you," Edric lamented.
"Luz, we're sorry for bringing up a traumatic part of your life. We didn't mean to, but that's still no excuse," Emira apologized.
Luz shook her head as she smiled at the Blight siblings. "I'm not angry, but I'm not gonna lie, I hate that I feel like this. I'm not that little girl anymore, I'm stronger now. I shouldn't be cowering in fear at the mention of that man's name."
"Mija, you are a strong woman, and you've made sure you can protect yourself and others. But sometimes, scars on the mind can take longer to heal. You were put through something that nobody should have to. And you were nearly violated, that kind of trauma doesn't go away so easily, but we're here for you," Camila assured.
Amity smiled, but at the same time, she was grimacing on the inside. That settled it, Amity could not let Luz fight Jackson Forbes, or rather, Grom. Her body may be strong, and her power eclipses the Adjuchas class Hollows, but Luz was not mentally strong enough to fight that monster. And personally speaking, Amity wanted to kill that Hollow with her own hands.
Amity left the with her brother and sister not too long after their conversation. As much as she wanted to stay and comfort Luz, there was no telling when Grom would return. In order to get things ready, Amity had to gather the only other two people in town who could possibly aid them in the elimination of Grom, but even then she was reluctant to do so. Gus was a Quincy, and as such, he knew the risks of fighting against Hollows. Willow had been fighting against Hollows as well thanks to her Fullbringer powers, and having her aid during the battle would grant them the battlefield advantage. However, neither of them had been up against a Hollow of this caliber before. For that matter, the same went for herself, Edric, and Emira. But they had to be enough, calling in for help now would mean the end of her mission.
Captain Darius approved my new mission, but if Emira and Edric's ignorance of Luz is any indication, the Captain has either only shared it with the other captains, or decided to keep it to himself until I finished my mission. That way, we can present it to the Head Captain and not go in without sufficient evidence. No, it should be fine. So long as they know what my real mission is, killing this Hollow won't end it, despite what Ed and Em think.
Amity used her phone to call Willow, her friend was about to ask how the date went, but Amity cut her off and told Willow that she was calling an emergency meet up at the Owl House, and to also call Gus as she was sure he wouldn't pick up for her. Not long after that conversation, Amity and her siblings arrived back at the Owl House, finding Eda still sleeping off her hangover and complaining that she never "got the chance to have some of that hot Latina ass", so she said.
Willow and Gus arrived about ten minutes later, with Amity walking them up to her room where Edric and Emira were waiting. When they arrived, the first thing they noticed was that Luz wasn't present, which was already odd. But then again, Amity's brother and sister were there, so it was probably the best call right now. Gus was still having trouble looking at Amity right now, but after what she was about to tell them, the young Quincy would have more pressing concerns.
"Thank you for coming, we have a major problem," said Amity.
"What's going on?" Willow asked.
"Luz is in danger," Amity announced.
"What?!" Gus exclaimed as he finally looked at Amity directly. "From who?! What?!"
"You guys will want to sit down for this."
Willow sat at the edge of Amity's bed, while Gus stood next to the bed, arms crossed, and brow furrowed as he waited for Amity to tell them what was going on. Amity began telling them what had occurred last night, with Edric and Emira giving their account of their encounter with an Adjuchas Hollow called Grom, and how he declared vengeance on Luz Noceda. Gus and Willow did look nervous, but Amity was sure that was fake concern, because even though it was an Adjuchas class Hollow, the human and Quincy were well aware of how powerful Luz was, so they didn't really see the danger here. At least not yet.
"That same Hollow also gave us another name, his original human name," Amity took a deep breath, she wasn't sure how they would react. Scratch that, she did know, but she wasn't sure if Luz told them the name of the person who instigated all that abuse. "His original name was Jackson Forbes, and according to Luz, he was the man in charge of the camp counselors where she was abused."
Willow and Gus's eyes widened with great shock, jaws dropping in furtherance of this revelation.
"No…t-that's not possible! How?!" Willow asked.
"From what Camila told us, he died five years ago. Which means, for these last five years, he's been focusing on one thing and one thing only, getting revenge on Luz," said Edric.
"And somehow, this drive for revenge is what allowed him to hold onto his original self, all throughout his Hollow evolutions," Emira added. "It's insane, to hold onto a grudge for five years, and not only that, to use it as fuel to accelerate Hollow evolution…nothing like this has ever been recorded in Soul Society's history."
Amity could think of another first in Soul Society history, but she sure as hell wasn't going to say it here. The young Soul Reaper noticed Gus's expression had changed, it was shock like Willow earlier, but now a kind of grin formed on his lips. It wasn't hard to figure out why he was grinning. This new Hollow was the man who hurt someone he saw as family, the person responsible for changing Luz and by extension was responsible for her death. If it wasn't for what he did, Luz would not have become more violent, and if that hadn't happened, Luz wouldn't have had her fight with Camila and that ended up with Luz running out of the house and getting hit by a car.
All of Luz's troubles started with him and that camp. If it wasn't for him, Luz would be a normal human girl, enjoying life, and not having to deal with all of this. I know what you're thinking Gus, because I am too. This is our chance to punish the one who hurt the person we care about.
"So, he's sworn revenge on Luz…we have to protect her," said Willow.
"We will, problem is, we don't know where or when he'll attack," said Amity.
"There's another problem," Edric added. "When he appeared, we couldn't sense his spiritual pressure. It was like he just appeared, and even when he was there, we couldn't sense anything."
"Adjuchas are strong enough to battle Soul Reaper captains. Not only that, but they can also develop unique powers and abilities. Maybe he has the power to mask his spiritual pressure and make it so he can't be detected," said Emira.
"On top of that, Adjuchas have the power to open Gargantas, a hole in space that allows them to travel to Hueco Mundo and the World of the Living. Which essentially means he can pop up just about anywhere in town," Amity stated.
"Tch, an enemy that can mask his energy so well that he's practically not there. And has the ability to open gateways between the two worlds so he can show up anywhere," Gus spoke aloud as he pondered the predicament. If Luz didn't show up when he did, then he could even evade her detection. That's even worse. Luz is strong enough to beat him, but if he catches her off guard, then…
"Luz isn't ready for this. She just learned that he died, same as you two. Camila never told her until now. But just mentioning his name was enough to make her freeze up with fear. If she finds out the man who tormented her is back, and in the form of a monster, I don't think she can mentally take that kind of blow."
Willow and Gus understood what Amity was getting at. They knew Amity couldn't say it out loud, but she was essentially telling them that even though Luz is an Arrancar, and is physically powerful enough to destroy Grom, she is not mentally ready to face him. It would only take a moment of hesitancy for this monster to kill Luz. And if he managed to consume a part of her, it could be the fuel his transformation into a Vasto Lorde. And then all bets are off.
"How can we stop him? We don't know when or where he'll show up, he might be here right now and we wouldn't know," said Willow.
"Unfortunately, we may not have to find him, he might find us," said Amity.
"What?" Edric and Emira uttered in confusion.
"You two said he was going to take revenge on Luz and everyone she loves, right? And someone like that, who's harbored a grudge this long, would want Luz to suffer first. What better way to do that than to go after those she holds dear. Her friends, her family, her lover," Amity explained. "Three of his biggest targets are right here in this room. We just have to put ourselves in a place where it's impossible for him to ignore us."
"What about Camila?" Gus asked. "Even if we're all in one place, we still need to protect her."
"I'll do it." Everyone's eyes shifted to the door, and in the doorway was Eda, leaning against the frame. "I'll invite Camila over; tell her I want a rematch. I promise she'll be safe so long as I'm here. And let me just go on record as to say that this is the most ludicrous plan I have ever heard. But at the same time, make sure that son of a bitch suffers some before you end him."
"I plan to."
"I plan to."
Amity and Gus realized that they had said that at the same time. That's when the Soul Reaper and the Quincy locked eyes. Gus walked closer to Amity while keeping eye contact.
"I know you don't like me much, Augustus."
"Same to you, Blight. But in this case…"
"For Luz's sake…"
"We're allies."
Amity extended her left hand, and Gus did the same. The two gripped each other's hand firmly and shook. For the first time since Amity's arrival, Gus was willing to put aside his distrust of Amity, so that the two of them could work together to protect the person they care about most and get revenge on the one who made that person suffer. If Luz and Camila's lives weren't in danger right now, Willow would enjoy this moment a lot more.
"Wait, but if Camila is going to be protected by Eda, then what about Willow?" Emira asked.
"What about Willow?" Willow inquired.
"We know you want to help, but we can't keep you safe and fight Grom at the same time," said Edric.
Willow got off the bed, extended her right arm, and in a flash of green light, summoned forth her gauntlet, Gaea. This of course made the twins gasp.
"Oh, right. Willow's a Fullbringer, a human with powers. She can fight and has fought Hollows before," Amity informed.
"Anything else you want to tell us?" Emira asked.
"I don't think we can take any more surprises," Edric commented.
"Not to your knowledge," Amity answered.
"Alright, Mittens," Edric started.
"What's your game plan?" Emira finished.
Amity looked around the room for a minute and said, "Here's what we're going to do…"