Requiem for the Hollow Rose

by sreshtiyer

After witnessing the death of Pyrrha, white fills her vision and the Rose huntress finds herself in a desolate and bleak place. Confused, lost and still grieving the loss of her friend and her own helplessness, little does Ruby realize that was just the beginning of her arduous journey. Innocent to Mature Ruby. Rated M for psychologically disturbing themes (non-sexual).

16. Chapter 16: It's been far too long

Chapter 16: It's been far too long

Silence.

That was all there was. Silence. That single word. That single name. That was all it took, to completely mute 8 arrancars, 4 of whom were Espada. But unlike what one might expect, the first thing, the first thoughts that ran through their minds once that word was uttered, was not of shock or surprise but rather confusion. It can be rather remarkable, how the mind can take so long to register some things. These beings had the best instincts, best reflexes and in battle, that put them on a whole new level altogether. And yet, when they heard that name, it took them a few seconds for their expressions to morph into confused looks, to even register that Lilynette was talking about Ruby, one whom they all thought dead. One whom they never expected to find. Never expected to find as an arrancar no less. Yes, confusion was the first thing that came to their minds.

"Wh…what …do you…...?" Asked Starrk.

"Ru..by…..it's….really….you….isnt….it….?!" asked a stammering Lily once again, tears already leaking from her eye.

And THAT was when the shock came. That was when it finally registered. The surety in her voice. The fact that she called this arrancar Ruby. The same arrancar who had such dangerous, twisted and evil arrancar reiatsu. The same one that had such cold, sharp and dull silver eyes. Yes, the same color as the cheetah adjuchas that they once knew. But so, so different from the bright, innocent silver eyes of the cheetah adjuchas which were always filled with life. These eyes now spoke of death, pain, misery, loss and suffering but also radiated danger and a sense of foreboding. And when they looked past the many scars on her face, they could see the two distinctive red markings running from her eyes to her lower jaw, just like the markings on a cheetah's face, just the way she used to have them.

Mila-rose's hand slumped, her zanpakuto sliding of her hand and falling to the ground with a clunk, her face wearing an expression of utmost shock.

"That's…Ruby…..?!" asked a bewildered Starrk slowly.

"You're….alive…..?" called out Apacci in disbelief.

"Ruby….but…..how…this…..." called out Sung-sun appalled.

"Is it really….you…..?" asked Nel agape, cupping her mouth with her hands and falling down on her knees.

The blue jaguar arrancar said nothing, but the surprise and shock in his face couldn't be more evident. Perhaps he was too shocked to say anything. Perhaps it still hadn't registered. Or perhaps, he was still in denial himself, after having denied her existence only moments ago. None could see it, but he was shivering, if only slightly. He, one of the fiercest arrancars to inhabit Hueco Mundo, once known as the King of the Menos Forest, was paralyzed.

Ruby Rose was shaking. Her eyes unfocused and pointed towards the ground, her expression one of panic. Many many scenarios, questions and decisions were swarming her mind. Breathing was becoming increasingly laborious, and her hands tightened around her Zanpakuto. She could feel pain with every beat her heart made. Her first instinct was to get away. Far, far away from here. And all the different ways she could try to try to get away from so many arrancars. But no, half of her body simply wouldn't comply with her. The half that wanted to stay. The half that wanted to see them, talk to them. The half that was still wondering why in the world she wanted to run away from them, her family in the first place? The half that was clashing with the other part of her that simply wanted to get away however she could. She could feel her head exploding with more and more thoughts and she was finding it harder and harder to breathe. She was afraid she would lose consciousness anytime now.

But then, peaceful waves and thoughts began to flow to her head, from her Zanpakuto. The feelings of her mom; soothing, calming emotions.

"…..its alright sweetie…." Her voice said. "…don't panic…..everything will be fine….."

She could almost picture her mom, stroking her head gently, embracing her from behind, enveloping her in a warm gentle light.

"…they have waited…..for 94 years…and you have waited….forever more so….don't make them wait any longer…don't make yourself wait any longer…" she said. "….I'll be with you all the way…..here…." her voice said once more, and Ruby could picture her mom holding her hand. She could practically feel her warmth, the same warmth that was overflowing her brain, calming her raging and clashing torrent of thoughts. All that was left, was an undisturbed clarity, like that of the surface of a still lake.

---

Tier Harribel said not a single word. Her body moved on its own. Towards the woman. Towards her. Towards her little one. Towards the little one that no longer looked or felt like her anymore. But still, just the remote possibility that it could be her was more than enough. After her departure, after learning of her fate, all those years ago, there was a permanent chip in her heart. The same cold heart the little one had helped thaw out. And the same heart that shattered to pieces, freezing all over again when she was no longer there. For 94 years, she was but a husk of her former self. Living everyday just for the sake of living. And she had pulled in her fraccione into her sorrows as well. She, who had killed her own emotions because having them was too painful. For 94 years, she continued to drag them into her emptiness, draining them of their lives as well. But now, her hand, shaking, shivering, reached out slowly, to her face. Emotions that she had locked away deep in the corner of her frozen, shattered heart, were surfacing again, after nearly a century. Her scarred face was still looking down. Her face that looked just as pained, just as lost as the faces of those around her now. But that mattered not to her. She just wanted to touch her. Hold her, within her grasp once more. And never let go. At the very least, she just wanted to be sure, that this wasn't a dream. That this wasn't an illusion. That this wasn't another nightmare that she would wake up from in cold sweat again. She reached out with her hand, touching her cheek.

---

Ruby could feel her hand. Touching her cheek. Poking her, holding her face, as if to check if she was really there. As if she was an irreplaceable treasure. Her hands were shaking. She could feel it, her emotions. Disbelief, loss, depravity, grief, shock and within all these, the faintest glimmer of hope.

"Little…..one…..?" she called out to her, softly, faintly. In a trembling voice that didn't match her tough and hardened demeanor at all. In a voice she didn't want to hear her speak in. All of this, with her Big-sis, with her family, with her friends, and all the different expressions and emotions she could feel from them, all of it, happened because of her. No more, she decided. If this is the state I reduced them to by not being there for them, I could never, ever allow myself to run away from here.

She then turned and faced her, locking her silver eyes with her aqua green eyes.

"I'm back home….Big-sis" replied Ruby with a pained smile.

In the very next instant, she could feel herself locked in a tight embrace, faster than she could react. Ruby could only gasp in shock. She had no idea the kind of face her Big-sis made. But the emotions flowing so freely from her spoke volumes.

"Ruby…..!" she called out with a coarse voice, the same voice that spoke of the silent tears that were no doubt falling from her eyes. Ruby's face grimaced, her own tears falling from her face.

"I'm back..! I'm back…! I'm sorry….! I'm….sorry…!Big-sis…!" she cried. In that moment, in that instance, gone were the traces of the arrancar who escaped the shores of Hell itself, gone were the traces of the warrior woman who faced countless foes and ordeals. All she was now, was the same cheetah adjuchas called Ruby Rose from nearly a century ago, leaning against her big-sis as she always used to do.

"RUBY!" came the collective cries of Nel, Apacci, Sung-sun, Mila-Rose and Lilynette as they tackled, leapt, lunged at her all at the same time, knocking her and Tier down in a big cluster of arrancars tumbling about.

"….welcome back…you fucking…..brat….you have no idea….how much trouble you've caused….this time…..you…brat…!" sobbed Apacci, pounding on Ruby lightly.

"Tch, I can't even call you cariño anymore….! Look at you all grown up..!" Said Mila-Rose, tearing up herself.

"Really…you fool…..I've had to endure this gorilla and monkey all by myself for almost a 100 years….I hope you're ready to make up for all that..!" said Sung-sun, covering her mouth, two thin streams of tears flowing down her eyes as she plomped herself on Ruby.

"…Guh….sniff….Aah….guys…you're crushing me…!" breathed out the ex-rose huntress, half sobbing and half struggling to get out of the tangled mess she was in, all the while hugging them all in one big hug.

"Fu fu fu…..what a pleasant surprise….isnt it, Lily? Tia?" asked Nel, grabbing Ruby in an arm hug. And like all the others, she had tears of her own.

"Heh…heh….sniff….sob….you guys better…..be thankful to me…see…? I told you…? She's definitely out there…somewhere..!" said Lilynette.

"Thank you, little one…." Said Tier slowly to Lilynette "Indeed, without you, we never would've…."

"I hate to break your wrestling contest Tia, but I think you're really going to crush her at this rate" said Starrk. The commotion subsided and Ruby finally got herself out of the strangle holds of her friends, picking herself up and dusting herself. They all crowded around her.

"Aah…..it feels like it's been eons…..you all look so different…..except you two, Starrk, Lily…..hihihihi you guys still look just as I remember you…" said Ruby flashing a grin, wiping her tears. She went over to the tres bestias. "You guys…..all of you look so pretty" she said, smiling and gently bumping them with her fists. "As for you big-sis….you look pretty much the same ..…ack, I'm kidding of course!" she said, rubbing her head. She then went over to Nel "Nel….hmm, well, atleast one of us managed to grow in the right places. I think I'm a little jealous hehehe!" she snickered, poking her breasts.

"Ahaha, look who's talking!" retorted Nel, pinching her cheeks "Who would've ever thought our cute little Ruby would grow up so big! You're my height now! And a young woman at that!"

"Ahaha well, a lot of things happened" she smiled. "But young…..? Aah, Nel, you think so? You have no idea how good that makes me feel!" she said, shedding comical tears and bumping her head against Nel's shoulders. The green haired beauty of course didn't understand her reaction, so she just stood there with a dumbfounded expression.

But Ruby wasn't done. No. There was one other. One person who hadn't participated in all the chaos. He was watching them, watching her, with an unreadable expression. She went over to him, pulling him in an embrace.

"I've missed you a lot too, Grimmjow" she said, her head against his chest. The jaguar arrancar tried to push away, flustered, embarrassed and irritated at the same time, but Ruby simply wouldn't allow him. She looked up at him with a playful smile, and bumped his chest with the back of her fist. "Hihihihih someone's looking all cool, mysterious and handsome, and I thought you'd become a big muscle head if you ever turned into an arrancar!" she snickered.

"Grrr….what was that, you brat?!" he snapped.

"Oho~ what's this, calling me a brat? Didn't you just call me 'woman' moments ago?" she asked with a smug smile, gently elbowing him.

"Urgh, shut up..!" he growled, swiping at her but she nimbly dodged.

"Missed me~~! Don't tell me you got rusty Grimmjow! Looks like I'm still ahead of you since the last time we sparred!" she taunted, flashing a smug grin.

"Heh you wish! Don't think its going to be the same as last time, Ruby! And dont think the score's settled between us! In fact, why don't we find out right now, you still need to make up for century's worth of absence after all!" he grinned, reaching for his sword.

*KAWHACK!*

Not an instant later and Nel's pounded straight at the blue jaguar's head.

"Oy?! What the hell's your deal, Nelliel?!" barked Grimmjow

"Really? You want to do this now?" she asked him, shaking her head and facepalming.

"Ahahaha, looks like someone's still trigger happy!" teased Ruby.

"I swear! Ru-chan, listen to this! This guy nearly floored me when I asked him to come look for you today!" complained Lily.

"Yeah, if you think a century was enough to make this ass change, I think you'll be disappointed Ruby" added Apacci.

"He has occasionally given me some trouble as well, I agree" nodded Tier monotonically.

"And I've had to stick up for Lilynette because of him too" added Starrk.

"What's this..? I thought you would've changed seeing as how you look like such a gentleman now, but I guess you're still the same old muscle head who hasn't changed a lick!" she snickered.

"Grrrr! Will you lay off, you brat?! And what's with you bunch of pissants ganging up on me now?! If you have something to say, say it!" he growled.

"Oh really? I think I will then!" said Sung-sun, clasping her fists. "Ruby, did you know that he didn't take on any fraccione because nobody could replace-"

*BAAANG!*

A red blur whizzed past Sung-sun, going past her head and into the rocks behind her.

"HEY?! What's the big idea throwing a bala?!" snapped Sung-sun.

"That's enough out of you, you hag!" snapped Grimmjow back.

"Guys, guys, please, let's not get into an argument now" said Ruby with an awkward smile, trying her best to placate both sides before things got ugly. "Grimmjow, please" she asked him, and though the scowl from his face didn't disappear, he did lower his hand with an 'Tch'.

"You too guys, try not to tease him too much" requested Ruby, sweatdropping. "I can see that I've missed a great deal of things that happened in the past 94 years, but welp, atleast somethings are still the same ahahahaha! Why don't we go in and catch up? I imagine you want to know what I've been up to as well" she said slowly.

"You're right. Atleast someone's grown in the past years unlike some others! It really has been far too long. We all need to make up for the past 94 years we've lost. And what better place than here? I'm calling dibs first!" said Nel, going in. And one by one, the rest followed after her.

"I'm impressed" said Tier. "She's become so mature and adult like, our little one, hasn't she?"

"You're right" agreed Starrk "It's hard to see her as the same innocent girl from back then. She even looks more mature now"

"But…..she's back…" said Tier with a melancholy expression, looking at Starrk with expressions of joy and sadness "Did you see, Starrk…? She's back….finally, after so long….our little one is back here…"

Starrk looked at her, remembering the conversation the two of them had all those years back when Harribel used to visit him during the initial days after Ruby's disappearance.

---

-Flashback-

"You're here again.." said Starrk.

"Apologies….is it a bother?" asked Tier. Her tone wasn't as monotonous as it usually was. Almost as if she simply couldn't hold in her emotions anymore.

"You know you don't have to ask me that question. You're free to come over whenever you like" replied Starrk. "And besides…..perhaps its good you're here. I could use some company myself"

Tier went and sat next to him.

"I…..I've always wanted to know what it felt like to be a parent. Nothing used to fill me with satisfaction than when I passed my days looking over the girls. And when she came along, it was as if I found that one little missing piece of my existence. Perhaps it was her high-spirited nature. Or perhaps it was her enthusiasm. Or perhaps it was her childish curiosity. Or perhaps it was all of them. But when I looked at her, I just knew, that I wanted to protect her. Cherish her. Look after her" said Tier.

"…I can see that. She does remind me of Lilynette" replied Starrk.

"Perhaps. But the point is, when I was with her, I truly did feel like a mother. Though she used to call me her 'big-sis', to me, she couldn't be any different than my own child. All those times she got into trouble, all those times she spent lying down next to me, all those times I watched her spend time with the girls, all the times I scolded her, all the times I cared for her….those days truly are the most memorable of all my days as a vasto lorde"

"If I remember right, I believe you told me that the emptiness that drives you is a maternal one" recollected Starrk. Tier nodded.

That would explain her pacifistic and protective nature, thought Starrk to himself.

"And when I learnt she disappeared, the emptiness in my being gnawed at me with a ferocity I hadn't known before. I simply had to find her. My thoughts were only occupied by her. I would do anything, anything it took to find her. To have her back in my arms again" said Tier.

"We will, Tia. We will. Together, we can do anything. And I'll lend you my support all the way" said Starrk. "Because in a way, after all our times together, I began to see her like I saw Lilynette, a part of me that I couldn't partake with no matter what happened"

"Thank you, Starrk"

-Flashback end-

---

"Yeah, she is" replied Starrk, putting his arm around her shoulder, supporting and comforting her. "And this time, we'll make sure we protect her, both you and me and all the others. This time, we wont ever lose her ever again."

"Yeah….thank you, Starrk" she said.

And soon, everyone was seated somewhere inside the once forgotten lair of Tier Harribel. Ruby herself took a place such that she could see everyone and they could all see her.

"This brings me back.." she said, tapping the familiar rocky ground. "So….why don't you guys start first? What happened after I disappeared?" asked Ruby.

"The last time we saw you….was I believe when Nel announced her decision to go out travelling again, and you went to call Grimmjow" said Tier.

"Yeah, that sounds right. Gosh, is that how it was? It just makes me feel even more terrible now.." said Nel. "Anyways, after that, we all gathered and…"

And Nel continued to explain how the rest of them felt something was wrong, deduced that she was possibly at Barragan's palace, then their confrontation with the God king, meeting the demented scientist, forcing him to lead them back to his laboratory where they learnt of all the things he'd done to Ruby. And also about how Aizen and his gang of soul reapers arrived just in time to stop them, subjugating them and offering them a way of looking for Ruby and prevent any such future incidents taking place. Ruby listened to it all, taking it all in.

"Huh…..so, we missed each other only by a few measly minutes…" said Ruby, almost contemplating. "Even I don't know what led me to jump into the garganta. It just…kinda happened" she replied "I wonder how different things would be now if I delayed my thoughts just for a bit"

"So, you really did jump into the garganta…." Remarked Mila-rose. "Then, did you end up in the World of the Living?" she asked.

"Not quite, Mila. But let's get back to that later. What else happened here, after I left?" she pressed on.

"Well, if you should know, after that…..things here…..kinda just broke apart" said Lilynette looking down. "I'll be honest Ru-chan…..when you disappeared, its like something snapped. Something that was holding us all together. None of us knew how to cope up with something like that"

"..I…" started Ruby

"It's understandable if you think about it. As hollows, none of us knew what it felt like living like a family. And then, you were there. To teach us that. About comradery, about familial bonds. A state of existence that we never knew in the many decades we've been alive. And the one who held it all together is then snatched away from you, put through circumstances much too inhumane and undeserving for such a person…its no surprise that things ended this way" explained Nel.

"You….you guys….you give me too much credit…..I'm the one who's thankful for you all for sticking with me…." Replied Ruby, looking down. "No matter what happened to me, the one thing I never wanted…..was something like this….." she said sadly.

"I think each of us….found a different way of dealing with things" said Sung-sun "Harribel-nee sama simply shut herself off, never openly expressing her thoughts and intentions. We stayed with her to help ease her pain. She would often go to visit Starrk, but even that stopped after a while"

"I remember all those times Tia would come over, and all those times both he and I would try to console her. But then again, we needed it as much as she did as well" said Lily. "But…after a while, we just….gave up and moved on. Because it was too painful to keep holding on. And that goes for most of us too. Though I simply didn't…couldn't just give up"

"But the one who truly expressed it most openly would be Mr. trigger happy claws here" said Nel. "I remember the first thing that came out of his mouth was about how he was going to leave us as well, because he 'Just wanted to be left alone and that he would become stronger so that he wouldn't lose another like he lost her and that he wouldn't need to kiss up to anyone ever again, especially that bastard Aizen'" Grimmjow grunted and looked away.

"Grimmjow….did you really…?" asked Ruby in surprise.

"Oh try he did, but I didn't let him leave of course" replied Nel "I….we lost enough that day, and I didn't want to let this oaf make himself the second one, and so…all I said was that if he really needed someone to vent his anger, frustration and grief, that if he really wanted to keep fighting and become stronger, then, it might as well be me" Nel could still recollect that moment, all those years back, when Grimmjow's face was twisted in bitterness and frustration, and all she did was call out to him, arms outstretched, offering herself as an outlet for his emotions and whims.

"Come, Grimmjow. I'll accept it all. In her place. Whatever your fears are, your frustrations are, your sorrows, your grief. I'll accept them all. Whenever, wherever. As your family. As your comrade. No matter how many times, no matter how many years. Come!" she called out to him, and before she knew it, the two were locked in fierce combat for what felt like hours, mauling, biting, slashing, stomping each other, until the place they were at was bathed in their blood, until neither could move, neither could speak. None of the others could interfere in their fight. For neither wanted to be interfered. And this continued many, many more times over the years. One long, drawn out sibling rivalry in a sense.

"And what do you know, it did make him stronger. Especially after Aizen made us all into arrancars. We found that we no longer needed to eat hollows to gain strength. We could do it by training, like Shinigami did. Perks of being an arrancar I suppose. Naturally I grew stronger, and so did all of us. But Grimmjow would hunt a lot of menos as well, in the meantime. Both these methods granted him great power" said Nel. "So much so, that at point, Grimmjow was officially promoted above Nnoitora in rank. He's another arrancar by the way. I believe it was around that time that we started meeting fewer and fewer times"

"Wait a minute Nel…you mentioned it before that Aizen turned you all into arrancars. I think we should talk about that first" suggested Ruby.

"Yeah you're right. Basically, after Aizen prevented us from going after Szayelaporro…." Started Nel, and explained how he would arrive every now and then, sometimes to take hollows with him and other times to recruit other vasto lorde and adjuchas. She then went on about how he gradually also started constructing the vast palace known as Las Noches where Barragan's palace used to be. And then how at some point, he started turning hollows, experimenting with a mysterious orb called the Hogyoku, that supposedly had the power to turn hollows into arrancars. And that though it was incomplete, it still possessed enough power for such a feat. And how Aizen created a whole new system of law and order in Las Noches with all of its rules regarding resurreccion releases, conflicts, the fraccione and Espada. And how in all that time, Aizen had expressly forbidden Szayelaporro to interact and meet with them and vice versa. The scientist was given his freedom to continue with his experiments, while the only condition he needed to follow was that he never involved them in anything, directly or otherwise. And likewise, how Aizen had delivered on his promise to help them look within the garganta and in Hueco Mundo for Ruby, in exchange for their loyalty to Aizen and promise that they would leave Szayeloporro alone.

"We really hated it, Ru-chan" spat Lily. "Because all the times we needed to search within the Garganta, we needed to indirectly rely on that bastard. Since none of us could really freely look within the garganta without being lost forever and he was the only one who worked on Garganta related stuff. Aizen would be there to make sure we never interacted with each other directly. But just knowing that it was through that bastard's help we were…"

"But, if it meant finding you, we were willing to pay that price" said Starrk.

Ruby grit her teeth. "Szayelaporro….Even though I already killed you once back in Hell, even though I already got over you….you still…!"

"But in the end, what we hated the most was our own helplessness" said Tier. "And no matter what we did, we found no hint or any clue of what happened. And over time, it felt hopeless"

"So, most of us moved on. We focused on the tasks given to us by Aizen. Maybe even as a way to hide our pain. On recruiting other menos to add to his army. We figured perhaps that way, we might be able to find more hints about your whereabouts" continued Mila-rose.

And then they continued to tell her about how that was when they met many of the existing Espada. Nel meeting Nnoitora who was then later paired with her for few escort missions. About how Nel absolutely detested it, detested Nnoitora given Nnoitora's obsession with fighting and proving that males were better than female arrancar. And the several clashes the two of them would have simply because Nnoitora couldn't stand her and wanted to best her. Partially because this was around the same time Grimmjow outranked him, thanks to Nelliel's help. Something that Nnoitora couldn't stand. Eventually, Aizen had no choice but to separate the two.

"Nnoitora…" breathed Ruby.

"Feh, the coward didn't come after me for some reason" said Grimmjow. "Even though I beat his ass and demoted him"

"Thankfully after that, the only times I've needed to see him were during the Espada meetings. Him and Szayelaporro" spat Nel.

"Don't listen to her Ru-chan" said Lily. "She's really downsizing the amount of torture that ass put her through. Everytime Nel had to team up with him, not once would he leave her alone or not attack her"

Ruby's expression darkened. Why? She asked herself. Why wont people leave her friends alone?! Wasn't it enough that she had to suffer, but now, they go after her friends as well?! If she gets her hands on him, she'd make sure he would never touch her friends ever again.

"Ruby….?" Called out Tier. Ruby nodded her head, as if to clear her thoughts.

"It's nothing big-sis" she assured "I'm just sorry I couldn't be there all these times"

"Don't be, Ruby" she consoled her. "I'll admit, it wasn't the best of times. But thanks to my fraccione and everyone else, I got through. And now, it's only once in a while I need to see him. Anyways, continuing on.."

There wasn't much left after that. The rest of the espada weren't nearly as obnoxious towards her friends, mostly because they were all weaker than her friends. Except for the one known as Ulquiorra, said Tier. He was strong, even as a vasto lorde. But he was strange, she said.

"He just gets on my nerves" said Grimmjow irritated

"Well, if someone kicked my ass that badly, I would be too" said Apacci casually.

"What was that?!" growled the blue jaguar, and Ruby once more stepped in to stop the two of them.

"He's a strange one alright. He has no real interest in anyone or anything. And he's quite cold and condescending to anyone he doesn't find interesting. He thinks such people are simply 'trash'" said Tier. "But, he's not really a threat to anyone, though his strength does put everyone at edge. He's definitely not one you want as an enemy, but at the same time, he doesn't really attack unless provoked or ordered to by Aizen"

And I just plan to keep it that way, she told herself. Sure, she was interested in seeing how strong and how well an arrancar praised by her big-sis fought. But right now, she was in no mood for engaging in fights. Not yet atleast. She was finally here, back home. Right now, she was just tired and wanted nothing more than to take it easy for some time, to give time for her heart and mind to heal.

"And that's where we are now. In fact, Aizen has called for another Espada meeting real soon" informed Nel.

"You know, you needn't come if you don't want to litt-….Ruby" said Tier. "Though he asked us to recruit menos level hollows, I'm sure if you hid your reiatsu, you can-" But Ruby shook her head.

"It's fine, big-sis. Actually….I've been wanting to meet him too. You'll understand why soon enough. And….you can call me little one if you'd like, big sis" she said smiling "I may look like this now, but to me, you'll always be my big-sis"

"That reminds me…..Ruby….I…we avoided asking you before, but your face…..what's with those scars…?" asked Sung-sun. Ruby opened her mouth slightly, staying silent for a bit. Then, she spoke again.

"Those are…..scars…?! I thought they were part of your transformation….since you had spots on your fur as an adjuchas…" said Mila Rose surprised.

"Idiot, if those are supposed to be 'spots' this would be a really cruel joke…" cussed Sung-sun internally. "There's obviously something really wrong"

"Everything will be clear once I tell you my side of the story" replied Ruby. "But guys…." She said, getting their attention. "I….what I'm about to say, you probably wont like it. But I just want to tell you that its nothing to worry about. All the things that happened, I've come past them. So please…I don't want you to worry about things long gone. Promise me" she asked. There was an uncomfortable silence as she said that. Her tone…she was being dead serious. Or rather, for her to say it that way, would mean that what she was about to tell, was beyond disturbing. And she knew, that should they learn of all the things she underwent, they likely wont be able to keep their composure.

"Alright Ruby…if you say so. But only if you promise me…promise us that you'll leave nothing out of your explanations. Nothing. No matter how disturbing it is, no matter how bad you think it is, we all want to know" requested Tier. Ruby hesitated, but seeing the determined faces of her friends, she nodded her head.

"Alright then. Where do I begin? I guess, I should start with him. Szayelaporro. Since you already know, he was harvesting and experimenting on me for a while. I have no idea how long, but at some point, he forced me to evolve into a vasto lorde using his arrancar blood and reishi and-"

"He did WHAT?!" roared Grimmjow, causing the ones near him to jump as well. But their expressions were no different than his.

"Bastard!" cursed Starrk.

"Th…that's what it was?! I thought you evolved into a vasto lorde on your own…." Stammered Lily.

"I really do want to end him now" declared Tier narrowing her eyes.

"Guys, please!" said Ruby sternly "As I said, please try not to get too riled up. I…..hated that body. That body that was given to me because of him. But the things he did doesn't even compare to what happened next. So much so that I grew thankful that I had that form. So please…" she pleaded, and they calmed down, sitting back in their places.

Then, she told them about how she finally found a way out, jumped into the garganta and found herself in Hell after being tossed about in the vicious reishi currents inside. There was deathly silence in the room.

"What…..did you just say…?!" asked Tier bewildered.

"Hell….?!" Gasped Nel.

"But I thought….you….just how….." stammered Sung-sun.

"This is so fucked up….this is literally out of the frying pan and into the fire….." said Apacci grimacing.

"Why….dont you ever get a goddamn break…..Ruby…." said Mila Rose sympathetically, her hand on her face.

"Actually, I was lucky. And let me tell you. Hell makes Hueco Mundo look like candy land. The air itself thick and heavy. Suffocating and heavy. The things I've seen there…..no one else should ever have to see it" she said looking at them straight in the eye. "I saw people getting tortured in the worst ways possible, big-sis, Starrk, Nel. I've seen the worst evils of Humanity. I've seen souls getting ripped apart and torn asunder in the most inhuman ways possible. I've seen suffering in its more evil and purest form and after all that….suddenly, I wasn't complaining about my vasto lorde body anymore. And suddenly, Szayelaporro didn't seem like a big deal at all. Because I've seen souls getting tortured for crimes far, far worse than the likes of Szayelaporro could commit" she said, going on in detail about all the things she'd seen.

"…fuck me….." cursed Apacci, gagging her mouth. Lilynette followed suit.

"…..I think I'm going to be sick…." Said Sung-sun, covering her mouth.

The rest could only listen with their mouths agape.

"But luckily, I had a master there. A soul reaper" and she told them about Reiji, and how he helped her out, offering to train her.

"A soul reaper captain…..trained you? A hollow?" asked Starrk surprised.

"Not to mention….Aizen's master you say?! To think someone of that level trained you!" gasped Nel.

"To think that there even existed such an individual" said Tier surprised.

"I'm still surprised a lowly soul reaper decided to take you in" said Grimmjow

"Well…..at that point I was technically half hollow half togabito and he was half togabito as well. He said that in Hell, none of that mattered. And don't think of him as just some soul reaper Grimmjow. I was a vasto lorde, and I still couldn't land a single scratch on him. He's the one that trained Aizen. I wouldn't be surprised if he was at that level or even greater. And his training…was intense to say the least. In hell, you can't die. You keep getting revived. Master being a soul reaper couldn't train me like a hollow but he did teach me how to fight." And she explained her training days in the first layer. Of how her master would constantly force her to do literally everything while being crushed by his titanic spiritual pressure. Whether it be killing demons, re-forging her weapon, scouting, sparring with him or simply resting. And also, why that was the reason she didn't detest her vasto lorde form. Because she had a humanoid form, she could be trained by another humanoid being. Were she still an adjuchas, she would never have escaped Hell.

"It was…..maddening at first. There wasn't a single moment I wouldn't die instantly, revive and then die again. Getting burned, skewered to death, ripped apart, crushed, explode, eaten alive, sliced apart to ribbons, perforated with bullets, on and on and on, I went on like that for days, months…perhaps years. I couldn't tell. But after all that, I was a lot, lot stronger. A lot more resilient. I was a lot saner, mentally. Eventually, I grew used to seeing blood, guts and gore, the smell of it, the feeling of it on my body. Even death no longer seemed like a big deal. Heck, I would even get killed on purpose just to learn of my enemy's weaknesses. Seeing togabito getting tortured, I would just blast them without a single thought. Thinking I was granting them temporary release from the pain that they so deserved. And killing was like second nature. I just went on and on and on, as long as I could get to where I needed to be, I didn't care about what I was cutting apart. I didn't think about it, I couldn't. Because I…!" she was stopped mid way, when Lilynette was holding her hand.

"Ju….just…..Ruby….h..how...could….you say that with such a straight face….how….can you be….so calm….?!" She asked, nearly in tears. The others were looking at her with similar expressions as well. Even Grimmjow was surprised. Tier looked absolutely distraught.

"Sorry…I didn't realize….but maybe you're right. A part of me just….died there" she said sadly. "This is why I didn't want to say anything. And I didn't even get to the worst part"

"You mean there's more?!" asked Mila-Rose. Ruby nodded.

Ruby then went on to talk about how she finally started descending the layers, all the different types of demons she fought, even that one peculiar human clad in green armour. About how nothing could ever come close to being as disturbing as the demons of Hell. But how she persevered anyways. The first layer, the second layer, the third layer, and then finally, the dreaded fourth layer.

"I saw….you" she said, looking at them.

"…Us..?" asked Nel.

"Yeah. I saw you, Starrk, Big-sis, Grimmjow, all of us, my old family…whomever I held dear in my life. Doing unimaginable things. Like coming to kill me. Saying things like I should just die. Or doing things in front of me like…." And she told them, of all the ways they tried to break her down, wearing the skin of her friends. "But once I knew they were just illusions, I cut them apart, blasted them to smithereens, I sliced them, I killed them, I ripped them apart, I….!"

This time, it was Apacci who was looking at her with the same sympathizing and distraught eyes.

"Sto…..just stop…..please…..just what the fuck did they do to you….?! Oh god…..!" she sobbed, crying into Ruby's shoulders. Ruby furrowed her forehead, stroking Apacci's head.

"Inhuman…this is too much….." said a very unsettled Sung-sun.

"I'm sorry…..but as I said, those things…..are long past me now. I survived, somehow. Even if it meant throwing away a part of me. But I'm here now….and I wont ever have to go through all that again" she assured, continuing to stroke her. "But….I'll stop if you don't.."

"No" said Tier firmly. Her voice was shaking. But she put on a bold front. "We've come this far. Finish the rest of your tale. I want to know, the full extent of what happened. We, want to know" Ruby looked down once more, sighing.

"Alright big-sis. After that….." she told them of how she encountered the guardian, the one that took on the forms of her most traumatic memories and people that affected her the most and how she made short work of them. And then how in the final layer she met the final guardian, about her mom being chained up, and experiencing all of her memories and time here. Which then caused her silver eyes to activate, sending the two of them out of Hell.

"….it was then that I became an arrancar, landing in the World of the Living. That was also when I had my scarred face. I would only learn of it later on though" she finished. There was only silence. Nobody could come up with anything remotely sympathetic to say. It was just too much, too much to keep up with. Ruby continued.

That was when I told them. My fateful meeting with Masaki. With Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu. With Urahara-san. With Yoruichi. With Isshin. And they proved once again that they were my family when I started speaking about them. They could immediately tell my shift in tone, especially when I spoke about her. About how far she went in helping me find solace and acceptance to my trauma. Of all the wonderful times I spent with her. And all of the wonderful times I spent with Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu. Not to mention all the help that Urahara-san, Yoruichi and Tessai-san gave me. By training me to help me talk to my mom. The looks of anguish and distress on my friends was slowly replaced by looks of relief and hope. Because what they were happy about, was the fact that somebody was there to help me, even if they couldn't. As expected, I truly am blessed to have them as my friends. And so, I continued to talk about my joyful and memorable times in the World of the Living. It was such a relief for me too, to talk about this. Because even I felt happy and relieved to talk about happier times than my horrible past. But then came what was personally the most painful thing to talk about. So far, I hadn't paused. But this time, I was struggling to find the words. That in itself told them about the depth of the situation. But I continued regardless. About how, on the fateful night, I lost her. Forever. And my decision to keep the promise I made to her. No matter the cost. And everything I learnt about her death and the Quincies. And how it was after that I landed in Hueco Mundo, coming back here to Big-sis's place. And being finally able to talk to my mom, and all of the other things I learnt there. And how that led to me meeting with them.

There was a heavy silence after she finished. The distraught and shocked expressions on their faces continued to remain after she finished. One by one, they came over, to her, engaging in a big hug fest as before. Some crying again even. They needed it. She needed it. After all, it wasn't easy for either party to talk about and engage in such talk. And there was too much, far too much that happened.

"Ah…I think I'm a little tired…..hey big-sis, do you think I can lie down? I want to, just like old times…..can I?" she asked.

"Of course…you needn't even ask for such a thing…..of course…." She said slowly. And so Ruby crawled over to Tia's side, putting her head on her lap and curling up to her. "Aah….I missed this…..for so long…..I….missed this….." she said, slowly drowsing off to sleep, until her breaths became slow and periodic. For the first time in centuries, in eons, she could sleep without clutching her Zanpakuto.

The rest of them however, had many thoughts plaguing their minds. Many of them were clutching their foreheads in stress and agony.

"Hey…..Starrk…..why….just why…..what did she ever do to suffer this much…..?!" asked Lily, leaning on Starrk, sobbing.

"All because we…." Started Mila-rose.

"…Damn….she made our problems look so insignificant in less than an hour…" said Apacci, punching the ground.

"Those scars…..I'm fairly sure they're psychosomatic" said Starrk.

"…I wouldn't be surprised" said Nel. "Most wouldn't remain sane after what she went through…..she always was a sturdy one. And fate had a sadistic and twisted way of pushing the limits of that"

"…..even death would have been more merciful than being put through all that…" said Grimmjow grimacing.

" Don't say that…..!" said Nel, looking at him. "Don't…just don't…..never again…..I…she….she's here, alive. Pained, scarred but alive nonetheless. And I'm never, ever losing her again. Aizen or anyone else be damned. And though I've never met her, this woman named Masaki might as well be her second mother, from what she told us. And if Ruby wants to fulfil her wishes, then I'll do all I can to help her. Even if it means going after Aizen. Who's with me?" asked Nel.

There was a collective agreement across the room. They all stayed that way, lost in their own thoughts and feelings, until the sleeping arrancar stirred awake.

"Uuuu…..wh….guys…..you're all still…here?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. "How long was I asleep…?"

"It matters not little one….from now on, we're never parting ways like that ever again" said Tier, bringing her head closer.

"Ahahaha…..thanks big-sis. I wont ever leave you guys as well" she said, smiling weakly. "Ah, I'm really glad I told you guys everything. I'm really glad I didn't run away then. But please, as I said, I'm past everything that happened. You don't need to feel bad about the things that happened to me. All those times, I had someone precious to help me through those times. Master, Masaki, and now, my mom and you guys. So, you needn't worry about me" she assured. "Although, teehee….I'm happy you're still calling me 'little-one' big-sis" she giggled.

"But damn…..you met a Quincy, half-shinigami, 3 other Shinigami almost all of which could keep up with an arrancar like you after what you went through? After being trained by a soul reaper captain who trained that monster Aizen?" asked Apacci.

"Yeah….quite an adventure right?" she said, smiling. "But yeah, none of them were actually serious, let me tell you. If they wanted to, they could've defeated me. But I was holding back too, since I couldn't use my resurreccion" said Ruby.

"Wait…I know you told me how your soul reaper mom became the reason why you became an arrancar, which I still find it hard to believe, but…..still, you don't know your own resurreccion's name?" asked Nel.

"Yup. I can talk to mom all I want now, but I couldn't hear her name. Which means, I can't use my resurreccion. And also, Urahara-san told me that's how natural arrancar were born. Which means that Starrk, Lily…..that's probably how you guys became arrancar as well. Maybe you don't remember it because you don't know what kind of being you were when you were one" said Ruby looking at them.

"Hmm….interesting. But I suppose …we'll never know" said Starrk.

"In theory, what that urahara guy said makes sense. But to think that there are beings just like us, Shinigami who became hollow like" said Mila-Rose.

"I haven't met them, these people called Vizards that Urahara-san talked about, but Ichigo, my darling little brother, does have hollow and Shinigami powers, not to mention quincy powers. One day…..if he does awaken his powers….I'm sure you'll see for yourself" said Ruby.

"Ichigo…..he's…." started Sung-sun.

"Yeah….him, Karin and Yuzu….they're like my….no, they ARE my cute little siblings" said Ruby. "And that's why, I'll do anything to keep my promise to her. But…this is something I want to do personally, so I can understand if…"

"No!" said Tier, raising her voice. "Why…? Why do try to push us away? Do you think we won't be able to handle it? Do you think it has nothing to do with us?!" she scolded.

"Big-sis, its not that, I just…!"

"If they're your siblings, then that makes them our family as well, isn't that right?" asked Nel, smiling. Lily, Mila-Rose, Sung-sun, Tier and Apacci nodded. Starrk shrugged.

"Tch" said Grimmjow. "Don't lump me with you Nelliel, I only care about….."

"Oh? You only care about….?" asked Nel with a smug look.

"Dammit, will you lay off of me for once?!" he retorted.

"Grimmjow….I…I know, I understand if you don't want to help me out there…" started Ruby.

"Guurrhhh…for fucks sake! Fine! I'll do what you want, now don't make that face ever again!" he scowled.

"Pffft, someone melted that big tub of lug in less than a second. Seriously Ruby, with you here now, things will be so much peaceful" scoffed Lily.

"Tch, screw off" retorted Grimmjow kicking a random rock away.

"Leave that guy, tell me Ruby…..I know you have a cloak, but you can't possibly be having arrancar clothes under there right? What ARE you wearing then?" asked Sung-sun. "Could it be…?!"

"Don't tell me…you're nake…!"

"No no of course not!" said Ruby as if it was obvious. "I really like this dress, I got it from Masaki when we went out once. See!" she said, removing her cloak. She was wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt with a red scarf and black pants. The shirt had her emblem stitched on it as well as red lining.

"Woah, clothes from the world of the living!" exclaimed Lily, her eyes sparkling. "I've always wanted to wear many different clothes"

"I don't know why you wear such a skimpy outfit in that case-" began Starrk before being smacked in the head by the lime green haired arrancar.

"This material feels nice….I wonder if I can try something like this one day" asked Tier. "A sweater would be nice"

"Personally, I like this scarf! Nice and comfy around your neck! And it looks cool too!" said Nel.

"And that scent…..roses and….plum blossom..? Quite the combination" said Nel, sniffing her.

"I think the shirt would look nice on you, Nel!" suggested Lily. "Though…I feel it might be too small for you, especially here" she said, pointing to her breasts.

"Awe, Lily not you too!" said Ruby, comically sighing and looking at her own chest.

"You're talking about her; it wouldn't fit this gorilla here either. And I believe you'd just slip right through if you tried to wear it. So maybe both of you should give up" said Sung-sun covering her mouth, looking at Mila-rose and Apacci.

"What was that you fucking snake?!" came the collective reply.

"Sigh…..women" nodded Starrk and Grimmjow in unison, only to be smacked in the head by Lilynette and Nel collectively, veins popping in their forehead.

"Fu fu fu! I can see why you like them! They really are a fun bunch!" came the voice of her mom.

"Yeah, I know. I really am….proud to call them my friends and family" said Ruby with a proud smile. But it was then she noticed that the whole place had gone silent.

"What?" asked Ruby. "Ah sorry, I was just talking to my mom, and before you start looking at me thinking I'm crazy, I can talk to mom because she's my Zanpakuto"

"What was that other voice…?" asked Tier.

"Voice….wait, don't tell me" said Ruby, and then looked at her Zanpakuto.

"Ah crap, I said that out aloud didn't I?..."

The entire room, still silent, continued to look at her Zanpakuto.

"Mom…..?" called out Ruby.

"Eeh…aah, well, oh ho ho ho ho, what can I say…..was that perhaps the wrong time to speak out…...?" she replied. Ruby could swear she could see a sweatdrop forming on her sword, as weird as it was.

"You can talk in sword form…?" asked Ruby, confused.

"Apparently so…..probably because of our increased bond" she said.

"Zanpakuto can….talk?" asked Nel, looking at her own.

"Well, I mean….I could talk when I'm in gun form when Starrk uses his resurreccion so I guess it should be possible…..but still…."said Lily, rubbing her head.

"Whoa I have a talking sword! Coooolll!" said Ruby with a burst of enthusiasm completely different from her calm and mature demeaner from before. "I love you mom!"

"Ack, sweetie, you're crushing me…!"

"This is…..so bizarre" said Sung-sun.

"I'll say…." Said Mila-rose.

"But hey, wait a minute…..if your Mom could talk all this time…..why did she remain silent all this while?" asked Nel. Summer gasped.

"Surely she could've helped you to explain things easier" added Tier.

"Ah well…what can I say….. I just wanted to see the bond between your friends and family for myself….ahahahah" she laughed awkwardly.

"Mom….."

"But before we go there, I think I should properly introduce myself to your friends. I'm Summer Rose, my sweet little darling daughter's Zanpakuto and ex-soul reaper! Pleasure to meet you! Thank you so much for taking care of my daughter in my absence. I'm truly indebted to you all"

"It's our…..pleasure? I don't know why but that line feels so weird coming from a talking sword…no offence, Sword lady, Ruby" said Lily.

"Not to mention that we're even having a conversation with a Zanpakuto in the first place" said Grimmjow with an incredulous look.

"Oh come now, you're going to hurt my poor feelings" cooed arrancars sweatdropped.

"This isn't….quite what I expected from your mother, Ruby" said Tier, tilting her head and looking at her Zanpakuto.

"Trust me, I was surprised too" replied the ex-rose huntress deadpanned.

"It's not so bad having someone like me is it? With all the gloom and doom you guys have going on here, I figured you could use a little pep talk!" replied Summer cheerfully. "Especially delinquent-kun here. He does look like he has a lot on his mind"

"What was that old hag?!" growled Grimmjow. Apacci, Sung-sun, Lilynette and Mila-rose snickered.

"Uwah not you too!" cried Summer comically. "But hihihihi you two really are alike! It's alright honeybun, your mom approves! He's a bit rough around the edges and does look like a bit of a delinquent but he's an ok from me! Though I should warn you Grimmjow-san, my darling cutie pie may look like a young woman, but she's actually many hundreds of thousands of years old! I would advice you to find a younger mate, but hey, not that I'm complaining you know"

"What did you say?!" snapped Grimmjow.

"What did you say you shitty old bag!?" snapped Ruby.

"Woah there, watch it now! Hey now, what's that?! This is your mom you know! That looks like that could really hurt! Ow, ow ow ow! Annnnd now you're tickling me! Aha..ahahah….hey…ahh..staapp….ahahahah! It's at times like these the two of you seem to work well together….ah! Stooop! That tickles! Ahah….ahahahaha!"

And the rest of the arrancars continued to watch sweatdropping. As bizarre as the scene was, it did help decrease the tension and glum atmosphere from before.

After the whole excitement and commotion had died down, Nel faced Ruby.

"So then, Ruby, what do you plan on doing next…? I doubt you want to join Aizen" asked Nel.

"Actually…..I don't know to be honest. It would be easy if we could beat him, but from the looks of it, if that was the case, I feel you guys would've done it long back. And besides, it wouldn't end well if we tried something and fell in the process. I won't know for sure until I meet him" said Ruby.

"Then, I think we're just in time, aren't we? It should be just about now that we have the Espada meeting" said Starrk.

"You're right" agreed Tier. "Let's make haste then. Girls, Lily, why don't you start heading back? But then again, if Ruby decides to or if Aizen plans to make her one of the Espada, that would mean he would call out all the fraccione and arrancars to his palace anyways. We all might as well go together then" suggested Tier.

"Join the Espada huh..? If you're all part of his army, I suppose I wouldn't mind" said Ruby. "After all, from now on, whatever we do, we're in it together right?"

"Once again, you don't have to" said Tier. "But if that's what you want, then I wont lie to you….it does make me a bit happy to know that we will be together"

"You can decide after you talk to him and what happens after that. For now, let's make haste" said Nel.

"Tch, I really couldn't give two fucks about seeing him now" snarled Grimmjow.

"Geez, stop bitching and come along will ya? We're sucking it up as well" said Lily. Grimmjow simply scoffed in annoyance and the gang got ready to go to Aizen's palace.

---

"By the way Ruby, you mentioned that you broke out of Hell using the 'power of your silver eyes'. What does that mean?" asked Lily, as the group walked towards the towering structure known as Las Noches.

"I've been wondering about that as well" asked Nel. "As far as I know, Hell is known to be inescapable. It's the reason why the place is such a mystery as well. Nobody really knows what's in there. It's literally like the black hole of the spiritual realm"

"And I don't think I've ever heard about 'silver eyes' being special" added Tier.

"Ah…..about that. Actually, you're right. There's a reason behind that as well" said Ruby. "The thing is…" And she told them about how she was from a world called Remnant, or was atleast sure that Remnant was a place different than the one she was in, and about the brother gods, her academy, grimm, huntsmen, faunus and so on and so forth. All of the things she learnt from her mom.

"Wait...wait wait wait….hold on a sec…!" said Lily, with one hand outstretched and the other on her face. "You're telling me, telling us….that…."

"You're from…." Said Mila-rose.

"Another world?!" said Apacci.

"Sounds like a load of bull if you ask me" said Grimmjow. "Heck, these 'Grimm' things just sound like cheap knockoff Hollows! They don't even have souls!"

"And huntsmen just sound like Shinigami trained in the soul society" said Starrk. "They even have unique weapons with names that might as well be Zanpakuto"

"Aura sounds just like Reiatsu" added Tier. "And a semblance might as well be like a resurreccion or a bankai; the true representation of your soul"

"And the brother gods…they might as well be something like the Soul King" said Nel. "Creators of the worlds they reside in, and revered as such. If all this was true, this implies there being a connection between your world and ours"

"It might be hard to take it all in, I know" said Summer. "But trust me, when I was a soul reaper, I've used the silver eyes I had against many a hollow. They're powerful enough to turn adjuchas level menos to ash in a second. But they're completely harmless against Quincy and Shinigami. Because the God of Light symbolizes positive energy. The kind that Quincy and Shinigami are. Negatively oriented beings such as Hollows and Hell demons are weak against it"

"It does sound incredulous, but fact remains that the little one does have reiatsu that feels much more evil and darker than a normal arrancar" agreed Tier. "And….breaking the chains of Hell is no feat anybody here can accomplish. But with the power of a god…..a god that symbolizes light, I can see it happening"

"Hey couldn't we just use your silver eyes to defeat Aizen?! If it's really the power of a god…" proposed Apacci enthusiastically.

"Moron…weren't you listening to Summer?" asked Sung-sun.

"What was that?!" she retorted back.

"Her silver eyes are useless against Shinigami and Quincy. Aizen is a Shinigami so it wont work on him" explained Nel. "Though, I fear it would be incredibly fatal to us….but again, we ARE half Shinigami, so the effect might be half reduced"

"Tch, so that wont work huh.." sighed Mila-rose disappointed.

"Not just that. I'm…a lot closer to being a togabito or a hollow than I am a Shinigami. I'm not sure if using my silver eyes will have any negative effects" said Ruby. "And I don't ever want to harm you guys using my silver eyes."

"Aizen really appears to pose a problem to you. I'm surprised he's holding these many arrancar in check. Are you telling me even working together he would best all of you?" asked Summer.

"Unfortunately, yes" answered Starrk. "His power far surpasses any that we've encountered. He was able to defeat the previous King of Hueco Mundo, Barragan quite easily"

"He also appears to have some sort of illusionary ability" added Nel. "Presumably from his Zanpakuto. We don't know much about it though; we've only seen him use his Kyoukasuigetsu a few times"

"Illusions huh? I wonder if it holds up to the illusions of Hell that work on all 5 of your senses. Because if not, that wont really be a problem for both of us. We both know how to break such illusions" said Summer "And honestly, I've had enough of being tormented by fake realities and illusions. After a million or so years of being held captive by them, honestly, you could say I've gotten bored of them"

"Yo…you make being held captive for a million years sound like no big deal lady. Honestly, I just can't comprehend your mum, Ruby" said Lily sweatdropping.

"Ahahaha well, my honeybun asked me the same thing as well, and what can I say! It's not like I didn't completely go bonkers in that time. It's just that the human mind is scary fast in adapting to changes. Over such a long period of time….I just got used to….madness itself? Who knows" 'shrugged' Summer.

"Moooom, please don't call me 'honeybun' in front of my friends" cooed Ruby embarrassed. Some of the arrancars chuckled.

"But as I said, you guys worry too much. I'm surprised you all don't have wrinkles from all this tense talk" chirped the sword.

"Tch, try saying that after you see our current situation" said Grimmjow. "It's always easy to spout such things when you aren't forced to do things because you're lacking in power"

"Weeeellll, after what I've seen in Hell, the Quincy war and what my darling Ruby has seen, I doubt anything could bother me too much, dying included" replied Summer. "And besides, wouldn't you say that living a short but worry-free life is better than living a life filled with thoughts of agony and worry for all your life? There are so many things to enjoy out there. In fact, once this is all over, you should consider visiting the world of the living once"

"Visit the world of the living….?" Asked Lily

"Yeah….yeah! Why not?! That sounds great!" chimed Ruby "When I was at my lowest point, being with Masaki, doing regular things at regular places like a human….nothing made me more happy than that. Once this is all over, we should definitely try it! It'll be great fun! You could eat great food, buy clothes, go shopping, visit a lot of places…I'm already excited!"

"It…it does sound interesting.." said Nel.

"New clothes….!" Said Lily and Sung-sun, their eyes alight.

"Amazing food huh…?" said Apacci and Mila-Rose excited.

"Do they have great places to sleep?" asked Starrk. Ruby sighed with disappointment, but replied with a 'Greater than you can imagine'. Suddenly, Starrk was more enthusiastic but Ruby felt it was such wasted potential.

"Something to look forward to…" said Tier. "I'll be honest, the prospect does seem appealing. Personally, I'd like to see the ocean once" How fitting for big-sis, considering she's a shark arrrancar/menos, thought Ruby.

"You don't seem all that interested, Grimmjow" asked Ruby, tilting her head. "You will come along, right?"

"What? You must be joking! All this wishy washy stuff is..!"

"You. Will. Come. Along. Right?" repeated Ruby with a smile and closed eyes, a frightening aura hanging around her. Grimmjow gulped and avoided eye contact.

"Hmph, do as you please" he said.

"Excellent!" chimed Ruby, clasping her hand. "It's settled then!" The rest of the arrancars sweatdropped.

"Was….was Ru-chan always this scary?" asked Lily shivering a bit.

"Beats me" answered Mila-Rose.

"But I'm not earning that smile from her again" agreed Apacci.

"Whhahahaha now we know whom to turn to in case we need some discipline around here, don't we? Ahahahaha!" said Nel.

"That aside Ruby…..do you plan to return to your world once you find a way back..?" asked Tier. Ruby went silent.

"I…..I don't know, big-sis" she replied "Even if I find a way back I still want to be able to visit here"

"But wait a minute….didnt you come to this world….almost a century ago? Then wouldn't that mean that a century would have passed in your world as well?" asked Sung-sun and then quickly realizing what she did, closed her mouth with her hand in regret. Ruby stopped in her tracks. How could I have missed that? She thought to herself. Does that mean….that back home…..even if I go back…..nobody will be ali-.

RUBY! Came the sharp voice of her mother. Don't panic! She said once more.

"Bu…but…..if 94 years have passed back home….then…."

"You're jumping to conclusions, darling" said Summer "Think about it. In our world, I disappeared just a few years before you came here. And yet, there's 1000 years between your arrival here and mine at the Soul Society. Therefore, we can assume that 1) Whoever summoned us here is at such a level that they can summon us from whichever time of our world into whichever time of this world. Or 2) There's a large difference in how much time passes back in Remnant and here. In this scenario, its very possible that though 100 years passes here, only as little as 1 year or less has passed back home. If it's scenario 1 its even better. Because whoever sent us here can send us back to whichever time we want to go back to. In either case, you have nothing to worry about. This was also why I wasn't too worried about it either"

The relief that rushed into Ruby's face was not missed by any.

"Ah….I see….yeah that makes sense. Thanks mom…" she said, a smile spreading into her face.

"You know, one of these days, seeing you worry like this is going to be the death of me" said Nel, rubbing her head.

"I'm….sorry, Ruby" said Sung-sun "I never meant to.."

"Well, well, who would've thought I would ever hear Snake apologizing" said Mila-rose.

"Guess even she fucks up" added Apacci.

"Atleast I know of my faults. The two of you on the other hand never seem to learn anything" she retorted.

"What was that?!" came the double response and the arguments between the three started again. Ruby didn't mind just this once though, because with that, her worries about Remnant completely faded for the time being.

---

After what was a long, long walk, the gang finally reached the entrance of Las Noches. Needless to say, Ruby and Summer were quite surprised by the shift in atmosphere.

"Woah, this place is huge" exclaimed Ruby, looking around. "It looks bigger than a city! He made this whole place?!"

"Not to mention, sunlight. It really looks like a desert from the World of the Living" added Summer.

"Remember the towers you saw before we entered, atop the dome? That's where we need to go" said Nel. "That's where Aizen has his throne. We're taking a shortcut though, so that we don't have to pass through any of the lower levels" Ruby wondered. Did someone really need such a large place to live?

"Does that guy really need such a large place to live? Maintenance must be a pain! Don't tell me he has hollow/arrancar janitors throughout the place" asked Summer sweatdropping.

"We hollows have no need for sanitization" said Tier monotonously.

"Note to self, humour tends to fly off this one's head" said Summer to herself internally.

"If I remember correctly, the current Espada in order of numbers would be….. Starrk, Baraggan, Big-sis, Ulquiorra, Nel, Grimmjow, Nnoitora, Zommari, Szayelaporro and Yammy...right?" asked Ruby, counting off names in her hand.

"Uh huh, that's right" confirmed Nel.

"And…..he gives….tattoos to the espada…to all arrancars?" asked Ruby once more. Nel nodded once more.

"Here's mine" she said, showing her back where a black coloured '5' was engraved. Tier's was on her right breast, Starrk's on the back of his left hand and Grimmjow's was located on his back.

"Such a drama queen.." said Summer deadpanned. "Someone really likes being melodramatic huh? How confident IS this guy? Don't tell me my darling cutie pie needs to get a tattoo as well, as her mother, I have more than just some issues with it"

"That's what you're worried about mom…?" asked Ruby deadpanned.

But she was here. Soon, she would meet Aizen. Though she wasn't really perturbed, she would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous.

"Oh, if you go that way, you can reach our place!" said Lily, interrupting her thoughts.

"And that way leads to Harribel-sama's palace!" said Apacci.

"That way you can reach my place, and further on you'll reach Grimmjow's place" said Nel, pointing to another entrance. "You should meet my fraccione sometime, I'm sure the three of you will get along quite well!"

"I don't doubt that Nel. I was about to ask you to introduce them to me sometime actually. But speaking of which, shouldn't they be present as well? If we're supposed to bring along all fraccione?" asked Ruby.

"Hmm…you're right. But Aizen will summon them anyways. So, it should be fine" assured the green haired beauty.

Through many empty corridors and through many stairs, and they were finally at what looked like a large room with the night skies of Hueco Mundo serving as its backdrop along the wall. There was a single throne at that end of the wall, followed by a small flight of 3-4 steps. Before the stairs was a large empty space.

"Looks like we're the first ones here" remarked Tier.

A few minutes passed by in silence. Tap tap tap. Footsteps were approaching.

"Why are your fraccione here, Harribel? Starrk?" asked a slender looking male arrancar with green eyes, pale skin, a broken hollow mask covering the left half of his head, short black hair and an overall melancholic and disinterested feel to him with a voice containing absolutely no emotions whatsoever. "I don't recall Lord Aizen giving such an order"

"Who's that?" asked Ruby.

"Ulquiorra…" muttered Grimmjow. Ruby watched the approaching figure with raised eyes. That's him? She asked herself. The 4th Espada, the one that even her big-sis was wary of. But something was wrong. His reiatsu pool…it was much larger than his position implied.

"We have a new recruit, Ulquiorra. And you know that fraccione are called in to witness during such an event. Since they were with us, I simply decided to bring them along" answered Nel. It was then he came around, and Ruby and Ulquiorra could see each other face to face. The monotonous arrancar narrowed his eyes, almost as if scanning her at first, and then raised them in surprise.

"…I must admit, your spirit energy is impressive. Easily at the level of an Espada" he said, looking at her. "Though, I am curious about why it feels so dark and twisted"

"….I'm curious too. They told me you were the 4th Espada, but how is it that your spirit energy is greater than Starrk's here? I find it hard to believe that someone of your level is only the 4th Espada" replied the ex-rose huntress. This time, Ulquiorra's surprise was a visible one.

"….."

"His reiatsu is…greater than Starrk's?!" exclaimed Lilynette.

"But…I'm not reading anything like that. Ruby, are you sure?" asked Nel.

"Definitely. But I can understand why you're not reading anything off from him. A good chunk of the power that he has is…..how can I put it? Submerged? Like the bottom of an iceberg. Almost as if he has another level to his powers. What you guys are sensing is probably just the tip of the ice berg, the one that's visible" replied Ruby.

"…Very impressive. Your pesquisa is exceptional. Not even Lord Aizen has been able to gauge my abilities to that extent" he replied. "What is your name, Arrancar?"

"Wait, so then it's true?!" exclaimed Lilynette.

"I'm not too surprised, to be honest. Somehow, I had a gut feeling that was true" said Tier.

"But still, stronger than Starrk? That's still beyond expectations if you ask me" said Nel. Grimmjow however, wasn't too pleased when he heard that.

"It's Ruby Rose" replied Ruby "Pleasure to meet you. Let's try to get along well"

"Likewise. I am called Ulquiorra Cifer, the 4th Espada" he replied. No more, no less. Even when greeting, his face, his voice and his demeaner contained no emotions whatsoever.

"I find it difficult to believe that Aizen couldn't measure your spirit energy" said Ruby.

"I can suppress my spirit energy" was his only reply, after which he didn't talk.

"Huh, not the most social guy is he?" asked Ruby. Nel replied with a 'I told you so look'.

"I've seen dead people look more alive than this guy" said Summer to Ruby.

How curious though, she replied I could feel all of their emotions, but from this guy…I felt nothing. Almost as if he doesn't have emotions at all. I couldn't get a read on him. It's unnerving how empty his reishi feels. Like I'm looking into an abyss with no bottom. I've never felt reishi this hollow before. Kinda reminds me of the 5th layer of Hell's black abyss. How strange…..

"Yeah, I felt the same too. Still, he is quite powerful. And to think Aizen is much stronger than even this guy here. But then again, he DID say that even Aizen didn't know about the full extent of his abilities. Makes me wonder if everyone's placing Aizen at a higher level than he actually is" said Summer

Following Ulquiorra, the next ones to arrive were Zommari, who simply extended his greetings to the Espada present, took one look at Ruby, introduced himself and took to his own corner as well. After that came Yammy the 10th Espada who called out Lilynette and the Tres Bestias for being there, questioning why 'fraccione trash' was allowed into the throne room. But a single collective glare from Nel, Starrk, Grimmjow, Tier and Ruby sent him scurrying far away from them. So much so that Yammy didn't feel like asking who the new addition in the room was. Ulquiorra gave one disappointed and condescending look at him before looking indifferent again. Then came the god king himself, carrying himself in the same regal and pompous manner befitting of someone who thought of himself as king.

"Harribel, you dare bring your fraccione to the throne room?" he boomed. The blonde haired beauty sighed, running him over the same explanation as before.

"A new recruit you say?" he said, coming over and looking at Ruby. "Hmph, I can see you have some potential"

"Pleased to meet you too" replied Ruby indifferently.

"Have care for how you speak, child. You're talking to the God King himself!" he boomed.

"My apologies, your Majesty. I'm quite new here, so I hope you'll forgive me for my insolence" replied Ruby with the same indifferent voice, loaded with sarcasm.

"Why you….!" He began, before Starrk shot him a look. Baraggan responded with a 'Tch' before warning Ruby about overstepping her place and walking away.

"Someone's self-righteous" commented Ruby dryly.

"His head is just blown up a bit" said Nel. "It's like he needs to be reminded from time to time about his place to deflate that pride of his"

"That still doesn't stop him from being the arrogant prick that he is" said Lily. "He would even go so far as to pick arguments with Starrk from time to time"

So far, none of the espada had really bothered Ruby too much. But then came one who just might have taken the cake.

"I see you've brought along your pets this time along, Harribel. Scared to come by yourself? How like a woman" asked a particularly crude and snake like voice, belonging to the one called Nnoitora.

"So he's Nnoitora huh..?" asked Ruby coldly. Nel nodded.

"And what's this? Another pathetic woman not knowing where her place is" he said looking at Ruby.

"…Weak" said Ruby slowly.

"What was that?!" he scowled.

"Weak. Too weak. I find it hard to believe someone at your level was able to give that much trouble to Nel" said Ruby coldly. "Hey" she said again with blank wide eyes, locking eyes with him. "Did you really give that much trouble to her? A weak, pathetic cretin like you?"

"Why you…?! Who the hell do you think you are?! A weakling like you needs to learn its place!" he declared, raising a finger and then touching the ground. A pale yellow trail of reishi travelled from his finger to where Ruby stood.

"Aaah!" he gasped in surprise.

"Let me give you some advice, Nnoitora" said Ruby, with the same ice cold voice as earlier closing in on him. "You'd do better to stay away from them from now on. Because I promise it wont end well" she said, her hand on her Zanpakuto. "Now run along, you little bug" she said with a deathly whisper. The arrancar gave an annoyed, defeated grunt but moved away nonetheless.

"You needn't have bothered, you know" said Nel. "At this point he's all talk and no action. With all of us here, there isn't much I can do"

"I know Nel. But I just couldn't stop myself" replied Ruby.

"Still, thanks" said the green haired beauty, smiling.

"That was so cool!" said Lily "You really put that disgusting bug in his place!"

"Eh, I've seen far worse. On second thoughts, I do feel it wasn't worth it" said Ruby.

"But to be honest, I did feel a lot better after you did that. After everything he put Nel through, it felt great to see him cower like that" said Mila-rose.

"I hope this time he learns to keep his putrid claws where it belongs, far away from all of us" said Sung-sun.

---

Nnoitora Gilga however, wasn't terrified from this unexpected encounter. Or rather, terror wasn't the only thing he felt when he looked into her sharp silver eyes filled with a bloodlust that surpassed his own, that sent such a shiver down his spine. What he was feeling now, what was making his body tremble now, was a primal ecstatic feeling, the one that he would always get when facing difficult opponents. That bloodlust, that pressure, he simply couldn't contain himself. One day, he swore to himself, he would have her head. One day.

---

Tense minutes passed by as the arrancars waited. The only ones not here were Aizen and his gang of soul reapers and Szayelaporro. That's when it happened. The air in front of the throne room split apart, revealing the familiar black void. From within the void approached 3 figures. All of them clad in white robes, like those Ruby remembered from her mom's memories. White robes over a black hakama. One of them with eyes narrowed like slits, mouth curved into a smile, appearing unusually thin with sharp features and short lilac hair. Ruby was instantly reminded of a snake when she looked at him. The second one had dark skin and dark brown braids. He wore the traditional Shinigami uniform with sleeves rolled up to its shoulders and a captains haori over it, with an orange scarf around his neck, white boots and clear goggles over his eyes. Must be Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen, noted Ruby to herself.

The third one, the one in the middle was more interesting. He looked like a mild-featured man with brown, scholarly hair and square glasses with soft brown eyes. He too wore the standard Shinigami uniform with a captain's haori over it. But those were the only things about him that were remotely ordinary. His spiritual pressure on the other hand, was far, far from it.

"Daaaaammmmnnn, this guy's spiritual pressure puts Ulquiorra's to shame!" remarked Summer to Ruby internally. "I can see why the Espada follow him around. But still, I still find it hard to believe that much was enough to keep all these 'difficult' characters in line. I mean, this guy's spiritual pressure still doesn't match the head captain or Yachiru. And I refuse to believe anyone can come close to Yachii when she's engaging in one of her 'hunts'. His spiritual pressure just might be slightly more than Captain Reiji but that's about it"

"Yeah…..but definitely not someone we can completely handle" replied Ruby, sweating a bit. "Still, what makes him dangerous is his ability to lead an army of Espada and arrancars. And somehow, I get the feeling that his reiatsu alone wasn't enough to do that. He must he incredibly skilled to make Urahara-san be this wary of him. I mean, he was able to create that elaborate scheme to get him, Yoruichi-san and Tessai san expelled from the Soul Society. Not to mention getting those other soul reapers expelled from being 'Hollowfied' "

"And those are the type of guys I hate the most" said Summer to Ruby internally pouting "Not just Salem, Ozpin and the mysterious dude who brought us here, now we have to deal with Aizen as well?! I'm just done" she sighed. "And all of them will know my 'motherly wrath' should any of them involve my darling cutie pie"

"Hearing that both assures me and makes me feel sorry for whoever crosses you mom" said Ruby smiling awkwardly.

"Welcome back, Lord Aizen" came a collective chorus from the room, as the gathered made a slight bow with one hand over their chest and stepping back. The espadas formed two rows of lines, one on each side. All save for Ruby that is, she simply stood behind Harribel. Aizen sat in his throne, while the other two soul reapers stood by his side.

"I see everyone is here except for Szayelaporro" he said. Ruby raised her eyes. That's….not the voice I expected someone like him to have, she thought to herself. It just pulls you in, in a gentle and soothing manner.

He then looked at his espada, noticing that some of them had their fraccione with them. He narrowed his eyes.

"Starrk. Harribel" he called out. The two of them made a small bow, appearing before him. "I hope you have a reason for bringing your fraccione here. I presume it has to do with our new 'guest'?"

"Yes, Lord Aizen" the two of them said, still maintaining their bow.

"That's your cue, my dearie" called out the one called Gin Ichimaru. This time however, Ruby wasn't surprised by his voice. It sounded exactly like how she imagined it; the voice of someone who worm his way into the minds of others, using just his words. But something…something was off, she thought to herself. Almost as if…his external appearance was simply a façade. Ruby said nothing, walking in front, facing Aizen. She then removed her hood. Gin's smile faded slightly. Aizen even raised his eyes in surprise.

"Oh dearie me, that doesn't look so good on a face such as yours" he said with concern.

"I'm honestly surprised" said Aizen, raising his eyes "I can almost recollect seeing your face somewhere. I also never expected another natural arrancar to be found here in Hueco Mundo, especially one that gave off Hell Reiatsu"

"…..I'm surprised you noticed" replied Ruby.

"He..Hell Reiatsu, Captain Aizen?!" asked Gin, slightly surprised.

"But Lord Aizen, that's…!" said Tosen.

"What? Did you think something so obvious would escape my notice?" he replied. "But it is as you say, Gin, Tosen. I would've never in all my life, expected a being possessing Hell Reiatsu to appear out of Hell. The place known as the event horizon of the spiritual world. Even I have never been able to probe its secrets. Very interesting indeed. You have my greatest thanks in escorting her here, Starrk, Harribel" he said elated.

There were murmurs amongst the other Espada.

"So that's what it was…Ruby Rose…..very peculiar indeed…" said Ulquiorra monotonically, looking at her.

"But how is it possible?" asked Zommari. "How could Hell allow a sinner to escape its bowels?!"

"Don't tell me this bitch actually managed to get away from Hell?" barked Nnoitora. "But that just makes me want to gut her scarred bod even more…..I wonder, what kind of power a broad from Hell would have!"

"Why don't you try beating me first before going after her, freak" growled Grimmjow.

"What's this? I never would've expected a thug like you to defend a broad, Grimmjow. Don't tell me she's your whore?" retorted Nnoitora.

"Why you-!"

"That's enough" said Aizen simply, raising his spiritual pressure. The noises died down instantly, even freezing the Espada to their spots. Ruby however, simply tilted her head.

"Hmm….what a strange mix of emotions" she thought to herself "I read…..curiosity, excitement and even slight annoyance but at the same time, I'm reading…boredom, disappointment and the slightest hint of…loneliness…?"

"Tell me, what is your name?" he asked.

"….It's-"

Before she could say anything, another figure entered the room. A figure she knew all too well. Short pink hair with bangs on the right side of his forehead. Amber eyes, rectangular spectacle-like hollow bones. And a long white coat like that of a scientist. Ruby stiffened, her face darkening. Even without looking at him, the reiatsu itself told her of it's owner's arrival. Her friends spared her a concerned glace.

"My most sincere apologies, Lord Aizen, I was in the middle of a particularly important experiment, and as such I couldn't leave before I completed it. I hope you can excuse my delayed arrival" he said, making a small bow. "Oh? I did not expect we would be having a guest over today" he noticed, coming over and looking at her, and then gasping. "Th…It's not possible….could it be….?!" He gasped, his voice becoming more and more excited. Aizen narrowed his eyes.

"Szayelaporro, would you happen to know this arrancar?" he asked calmly.

"Why, yes of course, my Lord. She's the one that Harribel and the others have been searching for in the Garganta! As you know, she was an adjuchas when I captured her and I turned her into a vasto lorde using my reishi and blood, after which was when she fell into the garganta. Though she looks like an arrancar now, I would never make a mistake in recognizing my own test subjects!" he said excited.

"Ho? Well, isn't that wonderful news, Harribel? Grimmjow? Nelliel? Starrk?" he said casually. "That must mean this is Ruby Rose, is that correct?"

Ruby said nothing, not even registering that Aizen had addressed her. Instead, she simply turned and walked over to Szayelaporro, her expressions still darkened.

"My cute little kitten, you have no idea how glad I am to-" he started, but Ruby interrupted him, talking in a low tone just barely more audible than a whisper.

"You know, I always wondered what I would feel when I saw you again. I already got a taste of it back in Hell, and after killing you once back there, I always wondered about it. Because surely you must still be alive in Hueco Mundo, I thought to myself. Not to mention all of the times my friends had to rely on you to find me. I was angry, irritated but you know what? Other than that, I was surprised by how less I cared about you. I wondered, if I was just that broken. Or if that was simply an effect of me getting over you and all the things you did. Throughout my time in Hell, I've seen things, experienced things far, far worse than the things you did to me. So much so, that I even grew to be thankful for the body I so despised, the same body that I got because of you. So, before the opportunity passes by, let me take the chance to say, thank you for granting me the body I so despised. Thanks to you, I got the ability to escape Hell itself" she said, still maintaining that deadly whisper.

"Wh..what are you…?" started Szayelaporro, his smile fading a bit.

"Having said that….." said Ruby.

*SCHICK!*

With a speed faster than most could even register, her katana was drawn, going straight through the bottom of his chin, all the way through the front part of his face and exiting through his forehead. Hie eyes convoluted, and blood was dripping. His entire body was quivering.

"Don't ever think you can get away unscathed after what you did to my daughter!" she said, looking at him with wide, dangerous eyes and dilated pupils. The mask on Ruby's head was disappearing slowly.

"Let me give you a word of advice. I would try not to use your usual antics against the guardian if I were you. My daughter already pissed that thing off enough, there's no telling what it might do to you when you're already going to be spending an eternity there for all the things you did" she said, as two enormous gates deep purple colored gates appeared at the spot where Szayelaporro stood, Two skeletons with bandaged heads, one on each side holding the gate shut. The arms pulled the gates open, releasing the chains that held them together. An arm of a kushanada appeared, stabbing the body of Szayelaporro and then pulling him through. The gates then cracked and shattered into nothingness. "And with this, I've fulfilled my duty, both as a Soul Reaper and as a mother"

---

3rd layer of Hell

Sea of Sinners

(Quincy and Shinigami Abilities weakened, Hollow and Togabito Abilities amplified)

The being once known as the arrancar scientist called Szayelaporro stood clueless, without being able to make sense of where he was or what happened in the last few minutes. The last thing he remembered was being in Aizen's throne room, and now, he was standing in what looked like fleshy, stony ground, as weird as it sounded. There were even what appeared to be veins on the ground. Here and there, in the background, he could see giant body parts of various different animals strewn about in an endless ocean of blood.

"Wh…what is this…?!" he exclaimed to himself. He heard growls in the distance. When he observed, he saw the most bizarre creatures that he'd ever seen. Having shapes and anatomy that made no logical sense. That wasn't all; the air also felt much more putrid and heavier than he remembered Hueco Mundo to be. And that wasn't all. He could also feel so many, many emotions. Emotions he was sure didn't really belong to him. Emotions of pain, misery and suffering.

The creatures were approaching. Closer and closer. And he could tell that nothing good would come out of it.

"Hmph, you're all just mindless beasts charging in when you see prey. Too bad this is where the tables turn!" he declared, reaching for his left hip. He felt nothing. With confused look, he flailed his arm, trying to reach his Zanpakuto but found nothing. When he looked, he noticed that not only was it not there, his chest also had a chain attached to it, one that seemed to go all the way to the sky when he shook it.

In desperation he tried firing a cero, but nothing came out. In fact, he noticed that he looked like how he did as a human when he died.

"This can't…..I couldn't…..there's no way I could possibly be dead! I refuse to believe it! I CAN'T! YOU…..YOU MINDLESS PIECES OF SHIT, STAY BACK, I COMMAND YOU TO STAY BACK, STAY-! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! GGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAA!

*CRUNCH!* *CRUNCH!* *SPLAAT!* *SCHLICK!* *SLURRRRP!*

On and on and on the carnage went, with each of his body parts being ripped apart, one by one, eaten, crushed, stomped, sliced, crunched apart by the swarming demons until there was nothing left but a blood red stain.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" screamed Szayelaporro, as if waking up from a nightmare. He grabbed himself, reaching all over his body to make sure nothing was missing, nothing was bitten off. Though his body was intact, he was still unnerved to know that his Zanpakuto was still missing, and he still looked like he did as a human with the chain still intact.

*GGRRRRRRRR!* *RAAWWWWRRR!*

His body shivered as he heard those low growls, and he slowly turned around. The same grotesque beings, the same swarm of demons were once more approaching him as before.

"No….No…no no no no no no no! THIS CAN'T BE HOW IT ENDS! DAMN YOU, RUBY ROSE! DAMN YOU! DAMN-"

*CRUNCH!* *SPLAT!* *SLURRRP* *STINNG!*

Once again, as before, many different demons made meals out of all the different parts they could reach, some chomping out the tendons in his legs, some digging into his belly, some making skewers out of his eyeballs, some gnawing on his fingertips and one even stuck its stinger into his back, injecting flesh melting acid directly into him, internally melting and burning him alive.

The demented scientist's screams and torment will forever more continue with no end in sight.

---

Hueco Mundo

Aizen's Throne Room, Las Noches

(Quincy and Shinigami Abilities slightly weakened, Hollow and Togabito Abilities slightly amplified)

There was dead silence in the throne room. The suddenness in which the whole thing happened, the unexpectedness of it left most of them with either shocked looks or alert looks. Some of them reached for their Zanpakuto. Aizen looked visibly surprised. The most surprised he had been in many many years But the most noticeable thing, was the fact that the arrancar know as Ruby Rose no longer looked like her. In just a moment, her spiritual pressure had changed so much. Now, it felt so much like a Vizard or a Shinigami than an arrancar. Sure, there were traces of hollow reiatsu and the twisted reiatsu that Aizen had identified as Hell reiatsu. But if one wasn't good at sensing spiritual energy, one would easily mistake the being standing in front of them as a Shinigami.

And it wasn't just her reiatsu that had changed. She looked older and her hair was longer, reaching to just below the base of her shoulders. She reached for her pocket, taking out a cloth and cleaning off the blood before sheathing her Zanpakuto.

Ulquiorra was the first to act. He approached her, drawing his sword.

"….You cannot possibly be Ruby Rose. Who are you?" he asked, pointing his sword at her. Summer simply looked at him, the bloodlust and tense aura from before gone, instead replaced by a relaxed expression and an assuring smile.

"You have nothing to be wary of me. I have no intention of attacking anyone else" she said.

"Bold words for someone who just murdered one of us" replied Ulquiorra "Not to mention the fact that your spiritual pressure feels so much like a soul reaper"

"He was a special case. He was responsible for torturing my daughter and subjecting her to cruel experimentation. You could say he had it coming" she replied calmly.

"Mom, what just happened?" asked Ruby internally.

"Sorry sweetie, I took control for a while. After seeing him, I just had to do something as your mom. Don't worry, you'll be back soon enough" she replied.

"Next time give me a heads up, will you?" said Ruby sweatdropping "My head is still kinda..."

"Ack, sorry sweetie, but after seeing him, I got caught up in the moment" said Summer apologetically.

"Wh..what's going on?!" exclaimed Lily.

"Is that…..really Ruby…?!" asked Nel.

"But those were….the gates of Hell!" said Mila-rose.

"Well, considering how much of an evil prick he was and the fact that Ruby killed him with a Zanpakuto could explain why they appeared but still….." said Sung-sun.

"That voice…..and she said 'daughter'….could it be…? Said Tier.

"I see now" said Aizen, getting up from his chair. "I thought your face looked familiar but now that you look like this, I remember"

"Hmm…you know of me? Ah but then again, I suppose you would, wouldn't you Aizen?" asked Summer. "In any case, it's finally nice to see you face to face. I can see what Captain Reiji meant when he said you were 'Meek and Gentle'. Though seeing you like this, with an army of Espada and arrancars does make me think why you even became a soul reaper. Looks like someone's been up to some mischief" she said, tying the two bangs on the sides of her face in a knot behind her head.

"How dare you speak that way to Lord Aizen?!" thundered Tosen but Aizen shushed him. "Lord Aizen?"

"It appears she knows of you, Captain Aizen" said Gin.

"Indeed. And I know of her as well" he said, descending the stairs, approaching her. All of the Espada returned to their previous positions. "A soul reaper from the generation of the Quincy wars from 1000 years ago, known for her gentle demeaner and pacifistic nature even during the time of the bloodiest war in the history of the Soul Society, many deemed her useless and unfit for battle. However, the grace and fluidity she possessed with her sword made many turn their heads. When slaying hollows, she was a sight to behold, a force to be reckoned with and the mysterious light from her eyes would turn many hollows into ash in the blink of an eye. And yet, when fighting the Quincy or Shinigami, there were none that were more merciful than her, and none that died when she was around. With her mastery of healing kido and bakudo, friend and foe alike would be rendered helpless against her mercy. The Rose that puts the cherry blossoms to shame, the Rose Goddess, the Rose mother, she was known by many names before she mysteriously disappeared. However, those that know her remember her as the best friend, confidant and Lieutenant of Unohana Yachiru, First Captain of Squad 11 and the First Kenpachi, the monster said to be the among the strongest of the soul reapers"

"Wh..wha…?! You mean….this lady here is THAT Unohara's…..Lieutenant, Captain Aizen?!" remarked Gin.

"It….cannot be..!" exclaimed Tosen. Now, he was actually nervous and anxious.

"Oh my~ you certainly know how to make a lady charmed! As I thought, someone loves being a drama queen. You practically made me into a legend with that intro, ahahaha!" she laughed awkwardly.

"So…it really is you..Summer?" asked Tier. Summer turned around, facing them.

"Heeey! It's finally so good to see my darling's friends face to face like this! I mean, sure, I could see you all through her eyes, but you know, nothing beats seeing you guys like this on my own" she said with a goofy expression.

"Wait so then…..where's Ruby?" asked Lilynette.

"Oh, she's right here, don't worry, she can see and hear everyone loud and clear!" replied Summer. "Though I think she still can't talk aloud like I did, not yet atleast"

"It's...different talking to you like this" said Ruby sweatdropping

"With some more practise you'll get used to it in no time! Keep going and you should be able to talk in that form too!" said Summer animatedly.

"This is well beyond anything I expected. I never imagined I would see you of all people here in Hueco Mundo" said Aizen, at am arm's length away from her. Summer turned back to face him. "And certainly not as part of your own daughter's soul"

"She's what?!" exclaimed Tosen.

"Is that even possible Lord Aizen?" asked Gin.

"Hmm….and how did you arrive at that?" asked Summer.

"Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out?" asked Aizen casually. "Ruby Rose was a vasto lorde before falling into the garganta. And then she returns here as an arrancar, one that I did not create. Natural arrancars are created when a hollow merges with the soul of a soul reaper. Summer Rose too, mysteriously disappeared 1000 years ago. And just moments before, Ruby Rose's form morphs into one that bears a striking resemblance to Summer Rose. It's not that hard to put two and two together"

"My~~you really are as intelligent as Captain Reiji told you would be. Scarily so, if you ask me" said Summer "But there's something you're mistaken about. I'm not a Soul Reaper or Summer Rose anymore. Sure, you can still address me by that name if you'd like, but technically, as you say, I'm just her Zanpakuto now as an arrancar, a part of her soul"

"That may explain you being here with your daughter, but tell me, I am curious. How do you and her possess Hell Reiatsu?" asked Aizen.

"Don't wanna. That's a second date type of question" replied Summer tilting her head. Aizen narrowed his eyes.

"And just what made you think you had a choice in the matter?" he said calmly. A titanic pressure crushed down on the occupants of the room, Gin and Tosen included. It was strong enough to send even the likes of Baraggan and Starrk to the floor. Though the latter was able to resist it to some extent, only being sent to his knees.

"…Gu..hhh…!" gasped Tier from the immense pressure.

"…Gah….!" Gasped Starrk.

"L…lor….ai…ze…" called out Tosen.

Out of everyone present in the room, she alone stood strong. She alone stood unaffected. And the expression on Aizen's face was priceless.

"Wh….what…?!" he exclaimed.

"Really? You're going for that old cliché again?" sighed Summer. "You know, when I see you like this, it's hard for me to see you as anything but a little boy playing hero. Maybe I should play along then. 'Oh ho ho ho did you really think you could make me submit by using brute force? Too bad I'm resistant to spiritual pressure!' " she said in a fake haughty voice, imitating an evil queen character.

"….In..credible…" remarked Tier.

"Al..l this….spiritu..al….press…ure and…..she's….complete…ly…un…affect..ted" added Nel.

"What…is…she…" asked Ulquiorra.

"Ru….by…" called out Grimmjow.

Aizen…was perplexed to say the least. This was NOT how he imagined his day going. At all. First, he meets an arrancar, one he didn't create possessing something he never had the chance to study in more than 1000 years. Then, said arrancar happens to be as strong as an Espada. The arrancar also happens to house an incredibly powerful soul, said soul also being the mother of the arrancar. And it would seem the souls are able to switch places freely. Not to mention, though the daughter-mother combo were powerful, their reiatsu was no where near his own reiatsu. And yet, somehow, they could resist his massive spiritual pressure. It was too much. There were just far too many things happening one after the other. And he HATED not knowing why. But he couldn't show any weakness here. Not in front of them. He couldn't afford to. Which is why, when he first sensed her Hell Reiatsu, he put on an unperturbed face. But in reality, his excitement couldn't have been more obvious. And even now, he had to do the same. If he wanted to, he could easily crush this woman. But no, she and her daughter, were far too interesting to consider such a boring end. As interesting as Ichigo Kurosaki in his mind. Perhaps just a bit more. Not to mention, they likely possessed knowledge about Hell, a realm nobody save the Spirit King himself knew anything about. This was similar to knowing what was on the other side of the event horizon of a Black hole. The contents of the inside of the cosmic oyster. It was far too irresistible. He simply must have it.

"You misunderstand" said Aizen, putting on his calm demeanor once more, releasing the spiritual pressure he was projecting on the occupants of the room. "With your measly spirit energy, I simply considered taking the most efficient option of making you submit using my spirit energy. I must admit, I am quite impressed that you can resist my spiritual pressure. But…..did you really think I had no other means of making you submit?" he said, drawing his sword.

"I don't doubt that. I can already tell, that both I and my daughter are no match for you. You could snuff us out if you so wished. Which is why, don't you think this is pointless? I'm not even attacking you. Nor do I want to. I'm just a mother who wants to protect her cutie pie. So let me ask you Aizen, why are we even doing this?" she asked tilting her head.

"What?"

"Why are you 'trying to make me submit'? You know, I never even had the intention of showing up today. But once I saw that scientist of yours, I simply had to purify him myself. For my daughter. But I really doubt you're doing this for the sake of a degenerate like him. And sure, I know you prohibited them from going after him, but I'm neither one of your Espada, a Soul Reaper or an arrancar. I'm just a Zanpakuto now. And here I am, offering to stand down, to resolve this without any conflict. Heck, my daughter even considered joining the Espada because her family and by extension, my family are also part of the Espada. You have nothing to gain by making me submit. I'm still not telling you anything though, but doesn't it benefit you to resolve this peacefully?" she asked him.

"You must be joking right? You, who hunted and incinerated hollows and menos at your prime turns up here unexpected, uninvited to my palace and purify one of my subordinates with no warning whatsoever. I think the logical conclusion anyone with a working brain would make is that you're an adversary. And my response has been appropriate enough. It is you who surprises me" replied Aizen. "In all of this time, until now, never did I hear you mention once wanting to join the Espada. And what reason did I have to believe a Soul Reaper like you wanted anything to do with joining an army of arrancars about to engage in conflict against the soul reapers?"

"You…got me there" admitted Summer sheepishly rubbing her head. "But once again, you misunderstand. I'm not a Soul Reaper anymore. Sure, at one point, I was on their side. But right now, I just want to be with my daughter. And I'll protect her and go along with what she wants. Because I'm her Zanpakuto. So even if she ends up fighting the same Soul Reapers whom I considered my allies at one point, I'm still ok with that. Now that I cleared that up, won't you put away your sword and settle this in a way that benefits us both?"

The two continued to stare at each other for a bit, until Aizen gave her a curt smile and sheathed his Zanpakuto. "You truly do live up to your reputation, Summer Rose" he said.

"That's…..certainly a first" admitted Gin.

"As expected of a lieutenant of those ages" said Tosen.

"I….I can't believe it…" breathed Grimmjow "The old hag actually made that bastard stand down"

"Truly….she's incredible" said Nel. "And she did it peacefully too"

"You have someone truly incredible as your mother…..Ruby" said Tier. "But the most impressive part is how calm she can remain in front of him and knowing exactly what he wants and leading the situation to an outcome favourable to both of them. Otherwise, this would have taken a nasty turn"

"Well, I'm not complaining for one. I do share her thoughts. I'd rather prefer if things were resolved peacefully like this" added Starrk.

"Tch, what a boring and pitiful end" said Nnoitora.

"Hmph. It would appear there's more to her than just her battle abilities" remarked Baraggan.

"Whew, that feels a lot better!" chirped Summer "You don't know how much I detest unnecessary fights. And I heard that you know!" she said, pouting at Grimmjow.

"You're strangely relaxed considering I could've easily killed both you and your daughter just moments ago" asked Aizen "Not to mention allowing your daughter to join my ranks knowing I plan to fight the soul reapers at some point"

"Oh please" said Summer dismissively. "Like you would simply 'kill me' boya. With all that curiosity and excitement oozing out of you, I doubt you'd simply kill off something you considered this 'interesting'". NOW Aizen was surprised. Or rather, he sharply raised his eyes. Out of curiosity and surprise.

"Whatever do you mean by that?" he asked.

"When you projected your spiritual pressure earlier, both of us could tell" she said, going closer to him. In a voice only he could hear. "I felt a lot of things from you but then, in between all that I felt the strangest touch of...loneliness. Tell me, what does a big strong boy like you have to feel lonely about hmm? You have so many loyal subordinates, in arrancars and soul reapers alike. And I don't get the feeling any of them want to betray you. I would even say some look fiercely loyal to you. So, what's making you feel lonely?" she asked him, lightly caressing his face, like a mother would her son. Aizen stiffened, his expressions unreadable. He then lightly swept away her hand.

"That's…..not something you need to concern yourself with" he said. "And I would be very careful with my words if I were you. Just because you've piqued my interest doesn't mean you have the right to act however you please"

"Hmm….perhaps. You're right" she said simply, stepping back "And as I said earlier, I have no intention of going against you, I really only care about protecting my daughter for now. But I won't reject you if you ever feel like talking about it" she said "In any case, I have no idea why you plan on invading the soul reapers, but as long as you leave my daughter and those that she cares about alone, you needn't worry about plain old me. I'll still be watching you though. So, treat my daughter well, ok?" She then waved him, and closed her eyes. Ruby's mask was back, and her hair was back to its shorter length as well. The Shinigami reiatsu now turned more arrancar like. When she opened her eyes again, the same sharp eyes of Ruby Rose were looking back at Aizen.

"I assume you still want to join my ranks, Ruby Rose?" asked Aizen.

"Yeah….but don't be mistaken Aizen. I'm only doing it because my friends are there" replied Ruby.

"The reasons really don't matter to me. But that's a wise decision" replied Aizen.

"If Ruby-chan wants to join an Espada, she would have to fight one of them in front of all the other Espada and fraccione, wouldn't she Captain?" said Gin.

"That's right. And based on the strength of her reiatsu, I'd say Ulquiorra would be the perfect opponent. Ulquiorra?"

"As you wish, Lord Aizen" he said, stepping forward.

"Do…do I HAVE to fight him?" asked Ruby, furrowing her brows.

"Yes" he replied simply. "That's how it works here. Survival of the fittest. Your place decided by strength. Isn't that the way of Hueco Mundo?"

"Sure but…..ah fine" she sighed. "I really wasn't looking to fight right away but if I have to then…."

"Heey! Don't tell me she needs to get a tattoo as well!" called out Summer.

"Did lady Summer just….talk from her sword..?" asked Gin sweatdropping. "Next thing you're going to tell me Shinso can talk as well" he said, looking at his sword.

"Considering Lilynette can talk when Starrk uses his resurreccion, I don't consider it impossible" replied Tosen.

"Be as that may be, this is indeed unusual. I never thought you would be able to talk as a Zanpakuto" remarked Aizen. "But yes, the Espada will be marked with their ranks, no exceptions" he said flat faced.

"Sheesh, fine fine. Just let me say that I don't fully approve of my daughter having tattoos as her mother" she replied.

"If you're done with your bickering..." sighed Aizen exasperated, adjusting his glasses. "You and Ulquiorra will battle in the sands of Las Noches to prevent collateral damage. You may not use your resurreccion or discharge gran ray ceros. Apart from that, feel free to use any means you like to make your opponent submit. You may also not kill your opponent or permanently maim them. All Espada and fraccion are to watch from their designated spots"

"Understood, Lord Aizen" came the collective reply.

And so, fight him she did, being witnessed by all of the fraccione and Espada, impressing both Ulquiorra, Aizen, Gin, Tosen, her friends as well as all those who watched. Tier, Starrk and Nel stood proud.

Grimmjow felt many mixed emotions; envy because the one he acknowledged surpassed him in every conceivable way. A burning rivalry from having witnessed her strength as well as something primal, something wild that called out to his instincts when he witnessed her strength, grace, power and confidence in battle. Something that made him unconsciously long for her. But at the same time, though he would not admit it, he also did feel pride from watching her.

Lilynette and the Tres bestias were impressed to say the least and began to look up to her, one whom they previously considered to be a youngling.

Ulquiorra too, was intrigued by her. Because he felt things, things that were so foreign to him, things he had never experienced before when fighting her. Like her excitement when their reiatsus clashed. For the first time in his empty life, he felt colors. He felt emotions. And ironically enough, emotions that weren't his. And even beyond that, there was no doubt he was impressed by her fighting prowess, her resourcefulness and craftiness in battle.

Though there were some whose respect she earned, inevitably there were others who weren't so pleased. Nnoitora and Baraggan being among them. The former was bitter, knowing that Ruby was at a level far beyond his reach. And that he would never ever be able to best her in a fair fight for the humiliation he faced from her hand earlier. Baraggan on the other hand was in a foul mood not because of Ruby herself but because of the conversation between Summer and Aizen. The woman managed to show that much glee to Aizen and get away with it, even gaining his interest. Something he never managed to do. And that irked him. Yammy on the other hand was angry that there was another Espada he had to kiss up to but still respected her power.

And so, she earned the title of the 5th Espada, signifying the aspect of death that comes about because of Empathy, for there was no death that was worse than the death that comes from taking on the suffering of others. Her tattoo located just below the base of her neck on her back. With this, the Espada now consisted of Starrk, Baraggan, Tier, Ulquiorra, Ruby, Nel, Grimmjow, Nnoitora, Zomarri and Yammy in order of their ranks.

Once the entire debacle was over, Aizen and the others headed back to the Soul Society.

"You seem awfully elated, Captain Aizen" said Gin as they were walking back. There was a visible smile on his face as he contemplated the events of the day.

"Of course, how could I not be, Gin?" he replied "I never thought I would come across a specimen as interesting as Ichigo Kurosaki. A hybrid union of two incompatible souls, possibly more stable than White's union with Ichigo Kurosaki. Even at this level, those two can already switch interchangeably and coexist without self-destructing. Not to mention the Hell reiatsu, which is considerably more dangerous and potent than Hollow reiatsu"

"It IS curious how similar Ruby-chan is to young Ichigo and yet at the same time be something that is completely opposite to him" remarked Gin

"I'm certain now that she could also read my emotions" said Aizen.

"Wait, really now captain?!" exclaimed Gin.

"Because I could read hers as well, when our spiritual pressures clashed" said Aizen smiling "I wonder if it's because of the unique properties of Hell reishi. I can't wait to find out!"

"Lord Aizen….would you perchance be planning to have Ruby meet Ichigo Kurosaki when the time comes?" asked Tosen.

"You catch on quickly Kaname. As expected of one who has been with me all these years. I have no doubt that their meeting will be one that is most interesting to see"

And with that, the three were gone, away from Hueco Mundo as if their visit never happened, back to performing their duties as sworn members of the 13 court guard squads. But that conversation between himself and Summer would always haunt his thoughts. Because in the brief period he they could feel each other's emotions, he felt genuine concern and sympathy from her for his lonliness. Something he didn't comprehend.

And so, 6 years passed.

---

World of the Living

Karakura Town

(All abilities neutral)

It was the dead of the night. Save for a few night lights, the rest of the town was devoid of any activity. A crescent moon illuminated the blanketed darkness of the town. Far above the town, far away from any prying eyes, a girl clad in black with raven black short hair and purple eyes stood atop a pole, with a black swallowtail butterfly fluttering around her. She was clutching a sheet of paper with many vertical folds.

"It must be around here…..I see….I feel strong spirit activity" she said to no one in particular, before jumping off towards her destination.

---

Goodness gracious, THAT took me SO long to write! I just thought I wanted to conclude this arc with another double chapter, because I do feel slightly bad for leaving you guys with that cliff-hanger in the last chapter. Anyways, I'm sure there must be a few questions you're having. And rest assured, it took me this long to write because I was considering so many many scenarios and options and pick one that made the most sense.

Summer taking over for Ruby: Well, this part is easy to figure out if you consider that White can take over for Ichigo when threatened. So naturally I think its possible that Summer can take over for Ruby and 'Shinigamify'. Just that in this case, Summer and Ruby are not at odds with each other unlike Ichigo and White/Zangetsu.

Ulquiorra vs Ruby: Trust me, I wanted to write this fight properly. But this chapter was getting too long already and I wanted to do the fight sequence properly. This fight WILL resurface again in the future with more details. Stay tuned.

Summer killing Szayelaporro: Again, I just feel this part is logical. Ruby…..is not one to hold grudges for her sake. Or take revenge because someone did something to HER. If Szayelaporro had tortured her friends instead, this would've gone much too differently. But I just think that Summer would want to do something for making up for her absence and as her responsibility as a mother and a Soul Reaper. Plus, Ruby has gone through way, way worse to let Szayelaporro affect her too much. Also something that's explained in the chapter earlier.

Any other questions I would be glad to answer in the next chapters! Thanks once again for all your reviews and thank you so much for your continued support! Starting next chapter begins Ichigo's arc!

---

Responses to Reviews:

firewyrm2: Well, I haven't really played Genshin Impact. You'll have to wait for me to finish that one first! As for how far in cannon Ruby will return, let's say it will be between Vol 1-2.

Lilithnocte: Ahahaha thanks a lot! I also feel bad which is why I posted a double chapter this time!

Argorok: Thank you so much as always!

Momentei: Ahaha yeah indeed she is! And well, you saw how things went. And no, Ruby only has Summer's memories after she came to the Soul Society. Otherwise…..yeah it would be SUPER awkward considering that it would be as if she experienced her own conception….oh no no no. Let's not even go there! But yes, she does know how to make cookies like Summer did because Summer did make cookies for those at the Soul Society. More on this appears when Ruby meets other soul reapers from the old era.

Rairi Valelira: It's a bit of both. Aizen….really dosnt have a tight leash on her. But Ruby is still part of his Espada. Its like that.

Lucian Naruto: Actually, that's what Ruby had in mind initially too. It's just that things didn't go that way for her.

Black Magic99: Nope he wouldn't. In the wiki, it stated that Aizen never discovered the vizards in the world of the living. If he really was watching Karakura town always, he would've found them eventually. Plus, if Aizen really knew about Ichigo and was monitoring him constantly, he would've done SOMETHING to prevent Ichigo almost getting killed by Grand Fisher.

ccl1995: Your wish was granted!

fightingchampion: Well, at this point, it's a pairing I don't mind simply because Ruby as a person has spent a good deal of time with Grimmjow as a person. It would look more natural to me. But still, I want to take it gradually, and even then, I only want to openly go for Romance when the time comes. We shall see till then.

The-Killer40513: Well, she already has Hell reiatsu and Shinigami Reiatsu. I don't want to make her OP beyond this.

keno02013: Yes of course she will. In fact, it will pop up in the Ulquiorra vs Ruby fight.

Lordus: As always, I really appreciate your detailed comments! And thanks a lot for the wishes! I wanted Summer to have a unique personality since we never really know what she really was like in cannon. Plus, I didn't want her to be a Ruby clone. So I took liberty there. As for the two of them talking about how the rest of the crew is still there, well, it was answered in this chapter. And yeah, the family reunion was important enough for me to take up half of what I wrote this time. And YES! You nailed her Resurreccion command, though its another word rather than 'Hunt'.

Mobian: Yup, it was exactly as you imagined it.

Guest: Will turn up in a few chapters!

Robbie2413: Hmm you're a bit off track there. Ruby may have Shinigami like abilities now, but she's still an arrancar at her core. So rather than Bankai, what she has is a resurreccion. That much hasn't changed. And the name simply follows the same pattern as arrancar releases. So obviously its something Spanish.

NEGATARO: Thanks a lot and hope you liked it!

Astral Chronicles: Thank you! And as bonus, here's a double chapter!

Spartastic 4: You had me in the first half, not gonna lie! I really thought you dropped it after 3 chapters and then I read further and I was like oh ok! But thank you so much for picking up the story again, I'm really glad you enjoyed it so far! And yeah, I do feel back for the cliffhanger, so here's a double chapter!

Lawrence Limequat: Umm…thanks I guess..? Its not that I ignore people who call me by such names online (not that anyone has called me that way mind you, not yet atleast). It's just that I try not to be discouraged by comments when I do something I really like. And yeah, with the grimderp thing, I suppose I overreacted but to be fair, rather than me, I simply didn't want people to drop the story simply because a few readers thought it was too dark for their tastes. That's why I felt I had to address it. Its nothing against any reader personally, and that's why I try not to be rude or offensive when I reply.

Daybit Sem Void: I see, I've heard its more of a one-shot/short story than a full story arc. Regardless, I'll check it out! Thanks!

enderchem_oss_jr: Ahahahahaha sorry sorry! I know, but I simply had to stop there. So here's a double chapter! And thank you so much, glad you feel that way!