Xiao-Long/ Rose residence, Island of Patch

Ichigo wasn't exactly surprised by the fact that he found Tai waiting for him in front of the house, considering the destruction that was brought to the small island in his skirmish. Though he couldn't help but raise a figure at who had ended up waiting with him. While he may have expected Yang to have stayed up so that way there she could question him more regarding his home and his past before he had been brought to Remnant (An eye twitching as he remembered how he found himself there in the first place), he hadn't been expecting there to be a complete and total stranger to have been with Tai.

The man that was with Tai seemed a little more gruff than the blonde teacher, though he seemed relatively relaxed as he seemed to look the soul reaper up and down. Despite the fact that he hadn't met the guy before, he had a feeling that the man was a huntsman like Tai. He didn't think that the Xiao Long patriarch would've had a reason to bring a civilian into the mess that was his existence, even if he ended up being a close friend of Tai's or a part of his family. So either he was a huntsman, or at the very least served some sort of combat role.

"So I'll take it that this is the guy that Ozpin told me about?" Looking back around at the burned and destroyed trees as well as a few of the craters made from when he sent Ulquiorra crashing into the ground before turning back to Ichigo, "Guess all this really puts into perspective how tough you soul reapers are." The man kept a hand on his hip, near the hilt of one of the few swords that he found relative in size to his own zanpakuto. He couldn't help but be just the slightest bit annoyed at the casual name drop of his occupation, even if he was somehow related to Tai and a huntsman at that.

Before he could say anything on the matter however, "I know what you're thinking, and no, I'm not the one who told him about you. Neither did Yang or Ruby." Wondering how exactly Qrow knew about what he was then, he crossed his arms as he stared the two down. The blonde continued without being overly bothered, "Qrow was coming to visit his nieces and he gave Ozpin a call. He was reasonably worried about all the damage that had been done, something I think you can't blame him for. He's in Oz's little inner circle, so he got the rundown on your situation." Ichigo couldn't help but note the fact that he still sounded just a bit bitter when he brought up Ozpin, Qrow even seeming to wince a little at his tone.

Deciding not to touch up on Tai's issues with the ancient headmaster, Ichigo decided it was about time he finally got his piece in, "So basically in the few hours that it took me to get back here from Vale, Ozpin has already begun to spill the secret about my existence to people?" He couldn't help but be annoyed, having taken so long to get there due to having already pushed his luck with people noticing him earlier when he left to fight Ulquiorra and then went back to finish his meeting. It was only made worse by the fact that Ozpin encouraged him to go over Glynda's lesson plans with her, as well as seeing fit to introduce him to the rest of the professors at Beacon.

They weren't exactly the oddest bunch of people in the world, especially not when compared with the likes of the court guard squads or the arrancars that he had met. They seemed like decent enough people and teachers at the very least, but he was grateful for the fact that he wasn't going to be one of their students. If he had to sit through a lecture early in the morning with someone like Oobleck zipping around the class or having to deal with reliving Ports glory days, well, he'd probably lose his mind or end up falling asleep in the middle of class.

"He's not gonna be spillin your secret to the general huntsman community kid, and no one in any government position. Just a couple of people that he implicitly trusts, and even then he's not gonna go telling people that don't need to know. If it were up to him, Tai here probably never would've known about you." Tai didn't seem all that surprised, and Qrow cut Ichigo off before he could say anything, "Which, not your best move to have gone and told a stranger about what you are. Don't think you got much room to talk about spillin the soul reaper tales."

His mouth shut with a frown. Though Tai ended up being a good guy, and bringing him into contact with Ozpin in the first place not to mention Yang and Ruby, that didn't change the fact that in hindsight, he probably shouldn't have spilled the beans. Not for the sake of secrecy, but because he hadn't known the capabilities of the people of Remnant or their stance on soul reapers, or whether or not he would believe him or write him away as a nut case. Worst case scenario, every huntsman could've been as strong as the espada and soul reapers could've been public enemy number one.

'Oh who cares? Even if these huntsman losers had ended up being a legitimate threat we'd be more than capable of kicking all their collective asses all the same. Especially if any of them were only as strong as that arrogant idiot Grimmjow or Ulquiorra. It would just be more idiots to rip apart!' Disdain simply oozed from his voice when he brought up the sixth and fourth espada, the hollow aspect of his zanpakuto spirit being rather prideful when it came to his strength. Even if it was nowhere near everything he was capable of offering Ichigo, the fact that the first mask hadn't been enough to completely decimate the two espada had been a sore point for him.

Grimmjow still being alive, as well as Ulquiorra apparently, only made the matter worse.

Rolling his eyes at both Zangetsu as well as Qrow, he brought a hand up to his face and massaged his temple in annoyance, "Yeah, I kinda figured that out. I wasn't exactly on my A game when I realized I had been brought to a completely different world and that, at that point, I didn't have a way to get back." And, needless to say, he still didn't. Considering just how smart Kisuke could be, he had expected that the once exiled scientist would've found a way by now to have brought him home, or at the very least send someone to where he was with a way to communicate. After a few weeks of no communication and no hint of a way to get home, it would be a lie to say his faith in his old mentor wasn't wavering just a bit.

He shook off those thoughts though. Kisuke was a smart guy and there's no way he'd leave him stranded.

He couldn't stop the seeds of doubt that were starting to grow inside him.

Qrow only shrugged his shoulders at the response however, ignoring the eye roll as it was, "Be that as it may, and trust me I get you were put into a bit of a rough spot, you need to learn to keep a tight lid on things. I know you're probably not the kind of guy to go ahead and spill secrets, but ya gotta work on it." He scratched the back of his neck and looked away, the man eyeing the house behind him from the corner of his eye, "But, I also wanted to thank ya. Oz told me you were in his office when ya busted down his wall to get here and keep my nieces safe. So for whatever it's worth, thanks." The huntsman reached a hand out for him to shake, and despite his annoyance from how the day had been going for him so far, he decided to relax and take his hand.

With that particular discussion out of the way, Tai lead the way inside for the two warriors. Qrow took the liberty of preparing a glass of whiskey for himself and Tai, before turning a curious gaze to Ichigo. The young adult however shook his head, getting a glass of water for himself instead. While the two older men downed their alcohol, Ichigo noting that Tai hadn't tried to stop him from taking a drink and didn't seem too eager to go past his first glass. Their third member, on the other hand, held no such reservations as he refilled his glass for another drink.

After his second glass Qrow decided to speak up, Ichigo and Tai having been more than fine with the silence for the time being, "So, Mr. Soul Reaper, I got a question for you seeing as you're now privy to Oz's little problem." He didn't want to be too specific, in the event that his nieces were listening in on the conversation. He was sure they'd be dragged into the mess eventually because of Ruby's eyes, but he didn't need them to know everything that was going on quite yet, "Considering your whole shtick, think you got any solutions for us to work with?"

"Honestly I've been thinking about it ever since Ozpin first told me about it." Ichigo leaned back against the wall, swirling the water in his glass as he looked down into it in thought, "I'm good in a fight, but more in the physical aspects of it. The nature of what I am alone may be enough to end the problem once and for all, but considering how he made things sound, I would put a bet towards us needing kido more than needing my raw power." At Tai and Qrow's raised eyebrows he went to explain, "Kido tends to be spells that soul reapers can cast, for the purposes of combat, support, or sealing if need be. I never really learned all that much about the art though."

He knew some day it would likely come back to bite him that he never learned how to use Kido, but the fact was he simply never got around to it. He held more familiarity with hado based spells, considering how often they were used against him instead of bakudo. Even then, the only one he had a greater understanding for was Hado 90, having not only had it used on him and experienced its full effects first hand without needing to worry about battle damage, but also having heard the entirety of the incantation from Aizen when the transcendent traitor had tried to put him down for good.

Needless to say, it didn't quite go as the man had expected. Though considering his spirits would've been watching the fight, perhaps they would be able to help him learn how to use it...

'Indeed.'

'Oh hell yes.'

"Damn, I was hoping that wasn't the case." Turning his focus back to Qrow, the unlucky huntsman brought a hand to his forehead in exasperation, "I was hoping you'd end up being our magic ticket to putting a stop to that little issue, though I guess I should've known we would never be that lucky."

"Sorry, there's not much else I can do but offer to help where needed."

Qrow waved off the apology however, sighing as he poured himself his third glass and shook his head, "Ain't your fault kid, I'm the one that was thinking we just got an easy win card. Even then, hope ain't lost yet, not by a long shot." Ichigo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him, having gotten the feeling that he was normally more of the cynical type rather than hopeful or optimistic. Though he had a feeling it was more the fact that he just didn't want Ichigo to feel like he wouldn't be able to pull his own weight.

"You're right. Though as nice as it was to meet you Qrow, I'm gonna head upstairs and get some sleep. Today ended up being more of a bitch than I expected it to be." He smiled slightly at the older mans snort, Tai shaking his head at the two of them and chuckling just the slightest bit.

"Preaching to the priest kid, preaching to the priest. Now go ahead and get some rest, you earned it after that little fight of yours, even if you stole my bed while you were stayin here." The smirk on the older mans face showed he was simply poking fun, though little did Qrow or really anyone in the house for that matter know, he had expended far more energy and suffered far worst in the past. The lingering scar on his chest from his previous battles with the fourth espada were proof of that.

Turning his back on the brother-in-laws and making his way up the stairs, he was stopped from entering his room when he felt a hand rest on his right shoulder. It had been slow so as to not startle him, something he appreciated considering he was still the slightest bit on edge after realizing that the espada were still alive and were going to be gunning for him. Turning, he wasn't surprised that it was Yang that had stayed up and waited for him. Though he was unsure whether or not she had listened in on the talk he had been having with Qrow and her father, he couldn't say he really cared all that much at the moment.

'Someone's looking fine tonight.' He could hear the hollow half of his zanpakuto spirits give a loud wolf whistle in his head, his right eye only slightly twitching at the comment that he did his best to ignore. No matter how much he made these sorts of comments, it didn't make him appreciate them any more than the first few times. Though, he did have to concede that the maniac wasn't wrong.

It was clear the blonde had been ready for bed, wearing only a pair of black short shorts that showed off her legs and an orange tank top with a flaming heart in its center, showing off her shoulders and a bit of her stomach as well. Her feet were bare and her left arm simply hung limp at her side while she looked at the orange haired soul reaper in concern. His own hand came back to his side as he raised an eyebrow at her, not used to seeing the normally brash and confident huntress in training seem so subdued and worried.

"Ichigo, can we talk?" Her voice was quiet as she asked this, likely to prevent Tai from getting on her case and to make sure she didn't wake up her younger sister. His own first instinct was to give a snarky comment along the lines of saying they were already talking, though he paused as he thought of how she looked. For whatever reason, the blonde bombshell was worried. Now wasn't the time for him to try and pick a fight with her, as much as he admittedly found it funny when she was frustrated.

Nodding his head, he put his hand back on his door handle and opened the door, standing to the side for Yang to enter. She quietly padded into the room at the silent invitation, the young man closing the door behind her right after.


Back downstairs, having heard the click of Ichigo's door opening and closing a bit later than it should have considering when he left the two older adults, both having listened in for either of Tais daughters to see if one of them would have waited up for the substitute. Tai only sighed in exasperation while Qrow smirked at him. "Not gonna go storm in there, give him the ole stay away from my daughter speech and give Yang a stern scolding on how to be around boys?" Qrow was more than aware of the relationship that had formed between Ichigo and the girls, having taken a special amount of joy in teasing Tai about how close he seemed to be with Yang.

Close in a way that he wasn't with the silver eyed, red headed ball of positivity named Ruby.

Tai however only shook his head, moving from the dining area and back into the living room with Qrow following right behind him, "No, I know Yang can handle herself, she's smart enough to know what not to do. She practically raised herself and Ruby for a few years after all. I figure one way or another she can figure her relationships out for herself. If she wants my help, she'll come and ask for it." Though he hadn't exactly been the best parental figure for a while after Raven abandoned him and Summer passed, he had been more than aware after the fact of who had been caring for Ruby at the time, and herself for that matter. Even though she didn't need to worry about that sort of responsibility anymore she still occasionally showed how fast she had been forced to mature by her circumstances.

Though Qrow frowned the black haired huntsman didn't exactly deny the mans claims, knowing if it wasn't for his own timely intervention than he would've likely had to prepare the funerals for both of the girls, and more likely than not for Tai not long after. Tai continued after the brief silence, "And if there is anyone I can trust with my daughter, its Ichigo. The guy is strong enough to take care of himself and watch her back at the same time. Plus, he's a good kid, even if he puts up a tough act more often than not. He'll treat her right, though I doubt I'll have to worry about them getting together quite yet."

Qrow conceded that point, nodding to his once teammate in agreement, "If you trust the guy then I got no reason not to trust your judgement. Plus if you did anything to get in their way you'd probably just end up pissing them off and pushing them into doing exactly what you don't want them to do anyway."

"Exactly."

"Plus its not like you could stop them if they wanted to pursue a relationship anyway unless you felt like being Ichigo's ariel punching bag."

"Yeah, that too."


Back with Yang and Ichigo while her uncle and father talked about them, Ichigo went and set Zangetsu down by the window while Yang went and took a seat on his bed. Ichigo hesitated for a moment before he went and took a seat next to her, keeping some distance between the two of them and waiting for her to talk. For the moment the brawler seemed more than content to keep quiet, the two simply relaxing in a comfortable silence.

Just as he was about to speak up however she spoke up, her voice still quiet, "Are you going to be alright?"

Ichigo blinked at the blonde with a frown, staying silent as he let her continue, "I know you're strong and all, I'd be an idiot not to see that. But you also made it pretty clear you think more guys like Ulquiorra would be coming around." His eyes glanced down as her fists clenched, the frustration beginning to become more clear in her voice as she continued, "And what if some of them are stronger than him? Strong enough to beat even you? You've made it pretty clear that there's not shit I can do to help you if these assholes come knocking."

She stood up from where she was sitting suddenly, beginning to pace in front of him while he watched and listened in silence. He had a feeling he would know when it was his time to speak as she continued letting out her concerns, "I know that even you can't be invulnerable, I saw your arms after your fight. Even if those were minor injuries, what happens if someone stronger comes? What if a group of those freaks strong enough to hurt you come looking for a fight with you? Maybe I'm being paranoid but..." She trailed off, suddenly losing her fire and looking away.

He couldn't blame her for how she felt. Even if he had only been living with them for a few weeks, the fact was they were all good people. It was difficult not to get close to them, especially when Ruby refused to take no for an answer when it came to trying to learn from him. Yang, being the closest to him in age, was the one he was able to relate to more as an older sibling. Plus he'd simply had good fun teasing and infuriating the elder sister, having learned from experience how quick to anger Yang could be. It was arare for her to show a softer side like this, and even more so for her to be concerned for his well being.

Though, he supposed he gave her a reason to be concerned earlier all things considered.

"I'll be fine, Yang." The blonde pursed her lips at the seemingly short answer, looking away from him as she did. Ichigo got up from where he was sitting and laid a hand on her should, her lilac eyes turning back to look into his deep brown eyes as he continued, "There's likely going to be more than a few of those guys coming around if I'm right. Some of them, like you said, are supposedly stronger than the guy that I ended up fighting today. As for how strong I am, well..." Perhaps it was simply due to how tired he had been earlier in the day, as well as the days frustrations, but he pulled off his shirt and showed off his torso, Yang gasping at what she saw.

Where a massive dark scar in the shape of a circle lay. A smaller, darker circle lay within the massive scar. To make clear the damage that had been done, he turned to show off his back, showing where the exit wounds had been on his back from the ceros that had torn through him. Then there were the other scars that littered his body, a collection of slashes, cuts, and burns. There was silence as he allowed Yang to examine the damage, shivering as he felt the tips of her fingers lightly brush against the scars on his back. After pulling her hand away, he pulled his shirt back on.

Yang stayed silent, Ichigo taking it as his cue to continue, "I'm more than aware that I'm not invincible. But I also know I'm a hell of a lot stronger than I used to be, and it's not your fault that you're not quite ready to help. I don't think your training took into account fighting monsters from another world." Though he did appreciate the sentiment, not really having a good idea of the rest of the espadas capabilities. His friends hadn't elaborated on the arrancar they had encountered, intentionally avoiding conversation on the subject so he could more easily leave behind what he had lost.

It seems he should've fought them more on trying to get that information.

He noticed Yang was biting her lip after he brought up her training, the young huntress in training nodding to herself as her eyes filled with resolve, "Right, you're right. Not much I could've done to predict other worldly visitors coming to wreak havoc on my home and threaten my friends and family. That's why you're gonna start training me from here on out." He blinked at her solution to the problem, not being given a chance to answer as she continued, "Start doing whatever it was you did in the forest every other day. Use that force to crush me and repeatedly drain my aura to near nothing, and every other day will be combat training, to help improve my own skill and the strength of my semblance. There's no way in hell I'm letting you fight those bastards on your own if there's anything I can do to stop it."

He wasn't sure if that was how semblances and auras worked, though it sounded similar to exercising a muscle. As far as he knew it could be a similar concept, and more likely than not he'd serve as a better partner than Tai or Qrow. He doubted either of them simply wailed on her in order to increase the overall strength of her semblance after all. Though he couldn't say he was particularly pleased by the idea of repeatedly beating Yang until she had nothing left to give.

Just as he felt like he would need to tell her no, not just because of the nature of the training but due to his lack of experience in training someone and the strength of the espada, he felt her hands grip his shoulders. He looked down into her eyes, determination burning inside them along with a plead. After a few moments of the two simply staring at each other she spoke up, "Please, Ichigo. Train me so I can help you. So I can keep my sister and the rest of my family and friends safe."

He bit the inside of his cheek as his resolve crumbled, letting out a sigh and putting a hand on the back of his head and nodding, "Yeah, alright. I won't promise anything, but I'll go ahead and give you a hand. If I say it's time to stop though, we stop."

Determination was overcome with joy as her hands lifted off of his shoulders, the blonde jumping with joy and a hushed, "Yes!" before she wrapped her arms around Ichigo's neck and staying close. The hug caught him off guard, freezing for a few moments before he eventually wrapped his arms around her in turn, keeping in mind where he laid his hands around the blonde bombshell. Eventually Yang pulled away, Ichigo letting one of his arms drop while he brought his other hand behind his head. A light blush on his face, though he didn't notice the same on Yang.

Turning towards his door, Ichigo spared a quick glance towards her exiting figure before she turned back, a soft look in her eye and a small smile on her face, "Night Ichigo. See you in the morning."

He smiled back, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding at her, "You to Yang. Sleep well."


Beacon, clock office

Glynda Goodwitch was not amused as she stood in front of Ozpin's desk, the headmaster having only just pulled her into his office to inform her of Ichigo's new status in regards to their group, including him in the fight against Salem. So, due to the headmasters actions, she decided to take the only course available to her that she felt was reasonable.

Smack!

"OUCH! For the love of-" Smack! "Glynda that is enough, put the riding crop-" Smack!

If the headmaster of their academy was going to make such a reckless decision, especially without at the very least consulting her on the matter, than she felt it was more than fair that she got the chance to smack him around a bit with the crop. Already a red welt was beginning to grow on his left hand, having taken the chance to strike it while his aura was down and his hands were clasped. After he began to try and back up she was able to get another two solid hits on his face, one on each cheek before he finally raised his aura and got out of range.

That didn't mean he was able to escape her scolding however.

"Of all the stupid things that you could've done, you chose to tell a teenager about Salem and recruit him to our fight? If he's as strong as we think he is, then what are the chances that everything he's told us is fabricated? What if this soul reaper is actually an agent of Salem, or even some sort of menace where he is from? We have no reason to trust him beyond Tai's word, and if he's connected to Salem and we don't know it, then this was just a long con to get at the maiden and vault. You might have just handed them to Salem on a silver platter!"

Ozpin could most certainly see her point, despite the fact that he wanted to trust in the young substitute he knew he couldn't afford to blindly put his trust in the young man. Not with everything at least, and not without certain assurances in place.

Luckily, he knew he had a few. "Not quite. Soul reapers were quite active during my first life, and though much has changed in the world, what hasn't changed is that the people of this world had once crafted weapons capable of harming both soul reapers and hollows." Taking a pause to rub his sore hand, he turned and looked out the window behind him, "Beyond that, what I neglected to tell Ichigo was that a fully realized silver eyed warrior could hurt or kill a soul reaper if they focused their power. I'm not too sure why this is, though I know there had been a few occasions where someone with silver eyes would be brought with other soul reapers to eliminate a rogue element."

"But if he is potentially working with Salem he would already be more than aware of the potential of someone that has silver eyes."

"True, he would." He conceded, "Which is exactly why I have a feeling he isn't working with Salem. If he already knew about them, he could've simply shrugged them off or even feigned ignorance to the topic in its entirety, rather than bringing it up. Though there is still that off chance that Salem simply didn't make him aware for reasons of her own, it lent a bit more credence to him being who I think he is." 'Besides,' He thought to himself, 'If Salem had a soul reaper of Ichigo's caliber, then that would make this losing war just a more desperate uphill battle. Our only chance at this point is if he is on our side.'

Quite simply, he had been overcome with a feeling of hope. Hope that he had not felt in several centuries since his original fallout with Salem, that he would finally be able to end the evil that his once lover brought and find his own eternal rest. If Ichigo was on their side, then he had a feeling he wouldn't need to keep on attempting to live through this miserable existence much longer. That hopefully he could soon pass on to truly atone for the many mistakes that he had made over his many lifetimes, making up for the lives he had ruined.

Though, a very large part of him knew he would never be able to fully atone for everything he's done.

Glynda only pursed her lips at him however, feeling his reasoning was thin at best. She didn't say anything though, knowing Ozpin wouldn't quite back down and that they could keep going back and forth for hours on Salem and how Ichigo could fit in to her current plans. Plus, at this point, it was too late for her to do anything about it. Ichigo was in the know, whether she liked it or not. At least the young man didn't seem like he would be as big of a headache as James could be.

That didn't mean that she wouldn't be keeping a close eye on the soul reaper regardless while she could.

Ozpin took her silence as a sign that Glynda's scolding was done, the sting from his welts increasing. He hadn't quite expected his employee to begin physically punishing him along with the verbal lashing, else he would've put his aura up in time to stop the riding crop from causing any real damage. As it was he knew he would have to suffer the welts in silence for a few days, if only to satisfy Glynda's occasionally vindictive nature. Gesturing towards the elevator doors, he dipped his head at her as he said, "Now, if you wouldn't mind, I need to get this call with James over and done with, and I'm sure you still have lesson plans to review."

Glynda nodded stiffly, though she couldn't stop the slightest of smiles from forming. Though she may not always see eye to eye with the atlesian general, James would likely be more than willing to give the Beacon headmaster plenty of harsh words for his reckless action. As a military man and a headmaster as well, he more than anyone would be able to see the potential Ichigo had as a threat to everything they did. Though it wasn't like there was much the cyborg could do now.

No, as Glynda walked away, she would just have to take satisfaction in knowing that along with the welts on his body, Ozpin would end up having a hell of a headache to nurse over the coming days.


To say Ulquiorra was less than pleased with the way his life had been going in Remnant so far would be a massive understatement.

It had been a tough enough pill to swallow back in Los Noches when he realized he was on the verge of death. When, more than that, he had been brought to such a state by a human of all things that was using hollow powers. The only thing that made this worse was that in the seconds before his death, he finally understood. The answer he had been searching for while Orihime had been staying in Los Noches. Understanding had filled his soul just in time for his body to turn to ash, and for his life to come to an end.

A frustrating outcome, to say the least.

Yet, as if things couldn't get any worse, his soul was brought to this... accursed place. When he was coming to, it was just in time to see that infernal woman standing above him, her red eyes alight with intrigue, and more importantly, with glee. He had only realized said glee when he noticed the espada that were already standing before her, with the seventh through ninth espada as well as the fifth standing around her. Their gazes were empty and dead, the skin around their eyes black and their veins grey. He had tried to bring up the energy to fire a cero, knowing that these espada weren't a credible threat.

Nnoitora was full of bluster, and had been on the verge of a demotion when Grimmjow had pulled his stunt that cost him his arm and place in the espada for a short time. Even if they didn't get along, he was more than aware that the panther espada had been more than capable of filling in the spot of the fifth.

Yet as he tried to charge up a cero, he had realized he didn't have the spirit energy needed to do so.

From there, everything was... blank, for the most part. There had been occasional bursts of consciousness hours after she had taken him under her control, brought about by the arrival of Yammy, and Barragan, and Stark. After this, there would be days before he or one of the other espada that had been ranked above him to gain the energy needed to gain some semblance of consciousness. When he, Stark, or Barragan was able to do so, it would give a slight jumpstart to the other stronger espada. None of them had been able to time it so they could potentially escape.

And so they had stayed in this state, for how long he wasn't quite sure. It was a bit difficult to keep track of time when you don't even have the ability to consistently think on your own. The only reason he had been able to hazard a guess that his first few bursts of consciousness were hours later was that he knew the war was ongoing in the world of the living. After Barragan and Starks passing he had expected Harribel or Grimmjow to eventually join them, and was surprised when neither did so.

It seems they either managed to survive, or got lucky enough to be sent somewhere else after they were defeated.

Regardless of everything that had happened beforehand though, now he was finally free. And though he wasn't normally prone to anger, he was feeling something he generally wasn't accustomed to. An emotion that most of the other espada were prone to, with the exception of the mild Stark and focused Harribel.

Rage. Pure, unadulterated rage burned inside him. His blood ran hotter than it had in over a decade, and he could almost see crimson as he felt the need to absolutely obliterate a being that had dared to try and reach above her station. That woman was weak, he had been able to tell that she was nowhere near strong enough to be worthy of leading the espada or earning any form of respect. The only reason she was able to use them, had been able to use him, was because she managed to use some creature to catch him while he was weak.

And he couldn't describe just how infuriated that made him. That some woman not only undeserving of his loyalty and strength had been able to bend him to her will in the first place, but that he had put himself in that position in the first place with his actions. His ire only grew knowing that he had no clue how to find her nor did he have any idea where she was. All he knew was that wherever she was was unnatural, with red skies, black clouds, and a landscape that looked more like a lifeless wasteland than the deserts of Hueco Mundo.

Despite this, there was something he did know. He was going to raze her home to the ground. He would leave nothing but ash behind, when he was done with her and her soldiers he would leave nothing but blood and viscera, and when she inevitably tried to stop him by using the other espada against him, he would gladly rip them apart if only so he could gleefully rip out her heart and blast her to pieces with his cero.

There would be nowhere she could run from him. He wouldn't allow it.


A fairly quick update? A surprise to be sure. Now, I'm sure Ulquiorra seems really out of character here now that he is on his own. And quite frankly, that's because he is. Though I think his anger is quite understandable in this case.

Anyway, not gonna really say much here. Hope those of you that have stuck around enjoyed and all that.