Chapter 8: The Light in the Darkness
*This fanfic belongs to Melkor's Mercy, I don't own anything*
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Hueco Mundo, within Las Noches XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Barragan's posture visibly tensed as he looked over at the new arrival. The ferocious, blue haired, Vasto Lorde was quite the sight to see. Ichigo could sense a tremendous difference in the former panther's power level compared to his previous encounter.
The bony skeleton hollow cackled at Grimmjow, "Who are you to so brazenly interrupt my altercation with White?"
"The name's Grimmjow…and I'm here for the throne. There can only be one King in this barren wasteland and that's me!" the furious hollow shouted. Everyone in the stands watched with anticipation to see Ichigo and Barragan's reactions.
Ichigo cocked his head, "I figured you'd show up eventually…but I didn't expect this. Stand down Grimmjow. I don't want to fight you. This is between Barragan and myself."
"No, White! You can't deny me this! I am a Vasto Lorde!" Grimmjow shouted. Ichigo's companions seemed surprised by the arrival of the other hollow.
"Who in the world is that?" Apacci mouthed off wondering if Harribel knew.
The blonde shrugged, "I don't know…but he clearly knows White."
"How do you not know who he is?! That's Grimmjow! The uncrowned King!" a random nearby Adjucha cut in.
Loly and Menoly traded looks for a moment, "Never heard of him before…"
"I have…he's a former panther Adjucha," a Sabertooth Adjucha interrupted. Ichigo's party turned their gaze towards the Sabertooth curiously.
The feline glanced between the three Vasto Lordes below and Ichigo's followers, "Grimmjow is a dangerous renegade…we've been after him for a long time. I had no idea he achieved Vasto Lorde. Even still…neither he nor White stand a chance against his majesty."
"That's awfully bold of you to assume," Menoly said dryly, "from what I understand, you guys are scared of White."
"Perhaps the lesser Adjuchas are, but I have no doubt in my mind that King Barragan is the mightiest hollow in Hueco Mundo. He called everyone here just to prove that once and for all. These aren't the first Vasto Lordes to challenge him…but they will be the last," The sabertooth said arrogantly.
Harribel glared at the large cat icily, "I suggest you back off…"
Her rising spiritual pressure greatly alarmed the nearby Adjuchas who immediately distanced themselves further. The Sabertooh backed away without trying to look nervous, "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you."
After Ggio left, Sung-sun looked at her mistress, "Do you have that much faith in White's abilities my lady?"
Harribel glanced over at the snake, "He's been holding his power back to avoid hurting any of you. None of us have ever seen his full power…so yes I believe he will fare well."
Starrk and Lilynette looked at each other somewhat concerned. The small blonde frowned, "He's done what?"
The other Arrancar thought for a moment, 'Is that how he's been able to mingle with weaker hollows? It's strange that our presence isn't affecting any of these Adjuchas or the crowd.'
"Maybe that attack he used against us did something to help us control our power?" Starrk theorized.
Harribel glanced over at the Arrancar, "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing…I'll talk to him about it after this," Starrk replied.
"You think he will win too?" Sung-sun asked surprised.
The Arrancar shrugged, "Well if he wants to unite Hueco Mundo, he doesn't have a choice. White seems like a pretty determined hollow. I doubt he'll fail."
"His name's Ichigo, Starrk…maybe you should use it!" Lilynette said annoyed.
"Shut up, they're talking down there!" Loly hissed as she turned her gaze back down below.
Barragan laughed at Grimmjow, "Your name has no meaning to me, fool…no doubt you've been wallowing in the sand hiding beneath my gaze. A whelp like you could never be King…neither could White. None will ever surpass my power. I've ruled here longer than any hollow alive can remember!"
"Whelp?! You're going to regret saying that! Listen up, everyone! I started from the bottom of this hole and now I'm here! Neither you, nor White, can deny me this right, Barragan! I'll prove to everyone here that I deserve to be King! I'll defeat both of you at once!" Grimmjow announced loudly. His fearlessness greatly excited the crowd which erupted into a storm of cheers and approvingly howls.
"The name Grimmjow won't be remembered after I erase you from existence!" Barragan said darkly.
"We'll see about that, you damned bastard!" Grimmjow wasted no time going in for an attack. He swiftly clawed Barragan delivering a powerful slash with a bladed extension from his elbow. It seemed to catch the King by surprise, and managed to inflict some damage.
The crowd watched with disbelief as Barragan looked down as his injured side with fury. The Skeleton Vasto Lorde turned towards Grimmjow hatefully, "That will be the last mistake you ever make, fool!"
"Hahaha! Who's going to forget my name?! Who's going to stand on top of this world!?" the blue haired beast laughed.
"Grimmjow, Grimmjow, Grimmjow!" the crowd began to chant as the new arrival had gained a lot of favor from his epic proclamation of victory.
"White, White, White!" Menoly started. At first it was only her, but a large portion of the crowd, especially the ones nearby, quickly joined in. Harribel glanced around at the crowd curiously, 'I had no idea, White had this many supporters here…'
Ggio, turned towards his fellow elite guards, "C'mon, show your support for the one true King! Barragan, Barragan, Barragan!"
A large red bird Adjucha nearby flew up and caught part of the audience's attention, "Don't be impressed by these pretenders! King Barragan is invincible! Barragan, Barragan!"
The bird Adjucha flew along the stands and caught the attention of many in the crowd. Now the audience was chanting three different names, each trying to outdo the others.
Barragan growled angrily as he held his hand up to the crowd, "SILENCE!" His eruption of spiritual power terrified the majority of the crowd who immediately shut up. Harribel raised a brow at the rising power, "Barragan's angry…this is going to be bad. I've seen what he can do."
"C'mon bitch! I don't have all day!" Grimmjow grinned maniacally.
His amusement was short lived, when the Skeleton Lord moved at incredible speed swinging his axe. Grimmjow narrowly ducked and flipped back to dodge an incoming barrage of attacks. At first he seemed to have the upper hand. The feline Vasto Lorde continued to evade Barragan's swings as he went in for another sweep.
Unfortunately, his attack never made contact, as Ichigo intercepted him with a powerful charge. The orange haired hollow blocked both of their weapons and swung back launching both enemies away from each other. The blackened red energy now spilling from Ichigo's blades greatly surprised both Grimmjow and Barragan who each stopped for a brief moment.
Ichigo looked between them and shook his head, "You're going to regret interfering, Grimmjow…"
The blue creature glared at Ichigo angrily, "You still think you're better than me huh?! We're all Vasto Lordes here! The pinnacle of hollow evolution! What makes you think you're stronger than either one of us?"
"I'll show you…" Ichigo replied darkly.
With a double crossed arc, he blasted a wave of black energy at both opponents. Grimmjow avoided it, but Barragan decided to parry as he charged his axe and cut through it. The display greatly impressed the crowd who all cheered at the sheer power they were witnessing. The remnants of the attack flew past part of the stands slicing their way into the distance.
Barragan's spiritual pressure continued to rise as a familiar corrosive miasma began to pour from his body. Many hollows in the audience were well aware of this ability which was what Barragan was most feared for. It channeled over his axe as he gripped the weapon tightly. "I will turn you both into dust!"
With a heavy swing he unleashed the miasma against Grimmjow. At first it seemed to be effecting him as the creature's skin began to flake. However, the effects were short lived once Grimmjow unleashed more power dissipating the cloud around them.
Grimmjow roared as the blue energy erupted from his body. The ground shook as he launched a sound wave from his mere scream. Barragan's Miasma immediately thinned out and faded as Grimmjow's blue aura warded him. The blue beast laughed at Barragan's reaction, "What's the matter, bones? You didn't think I'd be that easy to kill did you?! Your in for a big surprise!"
Barragan stood there with a seething anger evident in his posture. The King held up his axe to the sky, "I will show you why this palace was named after the night. Behold the true power of your God-King!"
From his axe, Barragan released a blast of blackened purple energy which completely covered the sky. With the moon's light no longer shining, everything turned much darker as Barragan then levitated off the ground. From the massive dark cloud he had conjured, a collection of spiraling energy shot back into his colossal axe. It now glowed brighter than anything present in the black purple aura.
An eruption of similar power exploded forth from his body causing the ground to shake and the air to grow heavier. Any Adjuchas that had been standing, immediately fell to their knees from the sheer, overwhelming rise in power.
Barragan stared at his two challengers intensely, "This is real power!"
The majority of Ichigo's companions, minus Ulquiorra, Starrk and Harribel were shaking with fear. The overwhelming reiatsu was drowning them in pressure. Harribel's eyes widened considerably, "His power is definitely no myth…"
Ulquiorra looked up into the sky with wide eyes, 'The moon…it's gone. It's so dark now…'
"What the hell is this?! You think I'm impressed by your power? Maybe it's about time you got a full taste of mine!" Grimmjow countered immediately unleashing all of his restrained energy. Like a blue explosion, his spiritual power amplified considerably.
Ichigo looked around for a brief moment, noticing the effects this had on the crowd. The vast majority of the audience couldn't even move from the unbearable pressure of two fully powered Vasto Lordes.
He took a deep breath before holding both arm blades out to his side. Grimmjow and Barragan both stared at him eagerly awaiting Ichigo to let go of his restraints. Pale red energy surged from his body as he howled into the sky.
Pure terror was the only thing that could describe the audience's reaction. Starrk, Ulquiorra, and Harribel all went wide eyed as the combined spiritual pressure from the three Vasto Lordes was now affecting them. Every Adjucha or weaker hollow was having trouble breathing as the deafening howl and rising power was near unbearable.
"Yes! Hahaha! Finally!" Grimmjow growled eagerly as he stared at Ichigo with a malicious bloodlust. Barragan glanced between the two adversaries for a moment and clutched his axe tighter, "You have grown strong, White…but not strong enough!"
Both Ichigo and Grimmjow turned their attention forward as they took fighting stances to prepare for the incoming attack. Barragan flew towards them like a storm of death. He wildly smashed and cleaved against both hollows with his massive axe. The force behind it was almost enough to break through Ichigo's guard. He parried the swings as quickly and powerfully as he could, but Barragan's berserker swings seemed to increase in speed the longer he continued. Red spiritual energy clashed with the blackened purple igniting the arena into a lightshow.
With each parry or block, a resounding boom was followed by crumbling ground. To the audience above, it was like watching gods fighting.
Ichigo narrowly ducked a huge swing which cut down a massive pillar behind him. Taking a moment to recover, he leapt back and contemplated how to take Barragan down. His respite didn't last long as Grimmjow had immediately seized the opportunity to flank him.
The former panther managed to catch him off guard as his bladed elbow left a huge gash across his side. Ichigo didn't have time to look at the wound as he now stood between Barragan and Grimmjow. Each foe fought at different speeds, making it nearly impossible for him to effectively fight both at once. Barragan's powerful attacks were almost impossible to stop without both swords, which left him open to Grimmjow.
Deciding to take a risk, Ichigo used a sonido to appear behind Grimmjow. The blue haired hollow moved like lightning as he reared back to cut Ichigo. Thinking fast, Ichigo blocked both of Grimmjow's bladed extensions with his own sword arms and held them up.
Grimmjow tried to push against him, but was unable to as Ichigo swiftly high kicked him straight towards Barragan. The fearsome King cleaved the incoming Grimmjow with tremendous force sending him flying into a wall.
The devastating attack was followed by a large arced red beam of energy. Ichigo's eyes widened as Barragan turned towards him and twirled his axe in a flurry of swings. Each one launched wave after wave of red energy similar to Ichigo's own sword attacks.
Ichigo charged his blades and countered each wave with blackened red waves of his own. Barragan chuckled at his efforts, "For a hollow of such infamy, you are more disappointing than I expected."
The King quickly followed up by unleashing a huge purple wave at Ichigo. The orange haired hollow charged a red white cero between his horns to counter it. As the wave collided with Ichigo's cero, he was shocked to see the wave cut straight through his attack.
He held up both sword arms and braced for the wave to make contact. As it did, he felt himself get pushed back considerably. By the time he finally managed to cut through it, he was met with a devastating uppercut from Barragan's axe.
As the weapon sliced against him, Ichigo was launched into the sky. Before he had time to recover or stop, Barragan held his free hand up causing the dark cloud to engulf Ichigo entirely. The sky began to glow in the eerie purplish black as it shaped into the form of a bony hand. The cloud hand of spiritual energy squeezed tightly before throwing Ichigo back towards the ground.
During his descent, he managed to regain his bearings and flew in towards Barragan who simply stood there with a bony grin. Ichigo never made it in time as a blue blur blindsided him. Grimmjow jabbed one of his claws straight through Ichigo as he pinned him against an opposite wall.
The audience watched with suspense, as Grimmjow pulled his hand back and began to rapidly punch and claw White. Ichigo stabbed through Grimmjow's arms after several moments much to the other hollow's shock.
He stared at Grimmjow with an evident fury in his golden black eyes, "My turn…" A white-red crackle of energy began to swell between Ichigo's horns as he held both of Grimmjow's arms still with his swords.
Before he could react fast enough, Grimmjow was blasted away at point blank range by Ichigo's cero.
The audience gasped as the cero continued firing despite the fact that Grimmjow was now out of sight. The streaming cero aimed down as it sliced through a part of the stands. Many hollows barely managed to move in time to avoid the beam cutting their part of the coliseum.
The beam now focused on Barragan, who was shocked by the sheer force behind it. He grabbed his axe with both hands to block the beam and struggled. Then much to his horror, the white-red cero turned black as well. The mixture of the three colors caused the cero to become denser. Not only that, but its magnitude practically doubled as it crushed Barragan under the weight of Ichigo's power.
'What is this?! How can his cero be this powerful?!' Barragan thought in disbelief as he was forced to fly up to avoid the unusual cero. It blew away the now empty part of the coliseum and fired into the distance before exploding. The shockwave from the explosion not only caused an earthquake, but also seemed to set the sky on fire. Between the dark cloud of Barragan's power and the burning aftermath of Ichigo's, there was a hellish ambience in the air.
"What's the matter? Can't block my cero anymore?" Ichigo taunted with an almost evil laugh. His tone sounded much darker than before which greatly alarmed his friends. Starrk stared at Ichigo concerned, "What was that just now?"
"I don't know, I just thought his swords used that black spiritual energy. I had no idea his cero could as well," Harribel noted.
"Ichigo looks scary…" Menoly said fearfully as she noticed the wicked look in his eyes. Apacci and Loly traded brief looks of concern. Mila Rose was speechless, and Lilynette appeared to be shaking.
Sung-sun nervously glanced over at Harribel, "Mistress…I-is he going to be okay?"
"I've seen him like this before…" Apacci cut in as she stared at Ichigo worried, "it's when his instincts take over."
"S-starrk…wha-what was that?!" Lilynette asked her friend horrified. The aftermath of Ichigo's attack was not only indescribably destructive, but it also evoked a near panic in the audience. Nevertheless, they remained frozen under the pressure of the Vasto Lordes' power.
The brown haired Arrancar shook his head, "I don't know…but something is different about him. That look in his eyes seems dangerous."
Ichigo cracked his neck as he began to walk closer towards the center of the arena, looking up at Barragan. The King wasted no time gathering his power as Ichigo charged another cero between his horns. This time, his cero was twice the size of the previous one.
"I'll show you real power!" Barragan hissed angrily as he circled his axe over his head. The dark clouds began to channel power into his axe through what appeared to be a vortex of some kind. As both hollows released their attacks, the audience trembled in terror. Those that could move, ducked down attempting to take cover as the two powers collided.
Both attacks were deadlocked for a moment until Barragan managed to see Ichigo add his sword swings into the mix. He held his free hand up back to the sky and formed another massive fist out of it. Barragan immediately sent it down to engulf Ichigo.
However, much to this disbelief, the power behind Ichigo's attack instantly vanished. Before he could realize what had happened, Barragan felt a black blade stab through him from behind. With his other sword, Ichigo swung for the King's head, sending him spinning towards the ground along with a wave of black sword energy. Ichigo began to laugh maniacally shortly afterward as he looked down towards Barragan's crash site.
"White!" Grimmjow roared at loudly as he could. Ichigo turned towards the returned blue Vasto Lorde. Grimmjow was covered in burns and many wounds, no doubt inflicted by Ichigo's point blank cero. The feline Vasto Lorde panted and heaved heavily as he clutched his clawed fists tightly.
Ichigo said nothing as he stared down the opposing hollow with an evil glare. "I'm through holding back…if it takes every last ounce of strength I have then so be it! I will defeat you! Get ready to die!"
His claws glowed blue as huge, bladed extensions shot out of them. It wasn't much different than what he had taught Menoly. Ichigo watched him cautiously as Grimmjow reared both arms back, "Let's see if you can stop this!"
Swinging both arms forward, Grimmjow's huge claw extensions carved through the air. Their speed was so intense that it caused a high pitched grinding sound as if he was cutting through the spiritual energy in the air. Ichigo countered with two slashes from his black swords both of which managed to intersect into a massive x shaped arc.
Much to his surprise, Grimmjow's claws cut through them and came straight for him. Ichigo held up both blades to block the claws which impacted with extreme force. Sparks visibly flew off his blades as Ichigo tried to push Grimmjow back. Then much to his disbelief, Grimmjow straightened his claws into one direction firing all of them into one concentrated cero. As it blasted into him, Ichigo immediately felt a clawed swipe from behind sending him crashing into the ground.
He managed to land on his feet, and quickly rebounded off the ground as he flew back towards Grimmjow. The blue beast spun a wild kick at him sending Ichigo barreling into a wall. Grimmjow's successful attacks were short lived as his enemy immediately came back for more.
With all the agility he could muster, Grimmjow tried to fake Ichigo out as he flew in for a clash. At the last second he spun behind the orange haired hollow and tried to kick him. Unfortunately for him, Ichigo managed to catch his foot.
With his other one he kicked up and attempted to backflip away. He wasn't even mid flip before Ichigo slashed his side and kicked him higher into the air. Ichigo charged another cero between his horns as Grimmjow continued to fly upward.
He barely managed to recover in time to fire two of his own ceros down at Ichigo's. Despite the power of Ichigo's special cero, Grimmjow managed to halt it long enough to get out of its way. The blinding light gave him a moment of opportunity as he dove back down towards his foe.
With his elbow braced, a huge blue extension came out of his blade. Much to his excitement, it managed to hit Ichigo, but the other Hollow's blade also hit him. The two carved against each other with a powerful slash bolting towards opposite ends of the arena again.
Grimmjow panted heavily as he looked down to see blood gushing from his freshly inflicted would. Ichigo had actually used both blades against him. Grimmjow barely managed to catch his breath as blood continued to pour from his wounds.
Much to his relief, his attack appeared to have done some damage to Ichigo as well. Although at this point he was starting to doubt his former attack was worth the damage he had just endured.
His wounds slowly began to heal as Ichigo stood there completely stoic. Grimmjow glared at him hatefully, "What are you waiting for?! Come and get me!"
Before he could even finish his shout, Ichigo had impaled him against the wall with one of his swords. He wasted no time pulling it out as he turned towards an incoming Barragan. The mad king was definitely a sight to see. His entire body was radiating pure power. The King used both hands as he swung his axe down towards Ichigo at unbelievable speed.
During this time, Grimmjow slid down the wall and felt his vision darkening as the two hollows continued fighting each other. The young Vasto Lorde shook with anger as he managed to stand up, "You both think you've defeated me?! My life won't end like this!"
Both Ichigo and Barragan both looked down just in time to see a blue blur launch towards them. With both arms extended, Grimmjow cut both foes flying between them. He blinked around the two of them at impossible speeds as he fought with the last of his strength. He managed to inflict several critical attacks against Barragan as he repeatedly clawed the King like a mad beast.
After enduring a great deal of damage, Barragan finally managed to brute force him to the ground with a powerful swing of his axe. During his moment of distraction, Barragan was unable to avoid Ichigo's swords which both impaled him.
Despite his predicament, Barragan brought his axe down attempting to decapitate Ichigo whose swords were indisposed. Expecting this reaction, Ichigo pulled back both swords and kicked Barragan with his legs. A furious blue flash added a combo as Grimmjow swept a downward claw imbedding Barragan into the ground below.
Turning back towards Ichigo he held out both arms again. This time claws, and elbow extensions formed. They swung at Ichigo with even more force than last time. Ichigo had no choice but to block them with his swords, which is exactly what Grimmjow wanted.
He pulled back one claw and spun around in an opposite twirl managing to impaled Ichigo from behind with it. Seizing his opportunity, Grimmjow flew in closer. Thinking fast, Ichigo jabbed both blades through the nearest claw and sliced through the entire thing as Grimmjow got closer.
Desperate to keep his swords busy, Grimmjow focused the remaining four of his free hand around him. Despite his best efforts, Ichigo continued to cut through them. Finally within range, Grimmjow hooked his arm across attempting to slice Ichigo's midsection.
Ichigo narrowly managed to rip his swords out in time as he parried the bladed extension. The claws sticking through Ichigo's back quickly shattered as his black spiritual energy amplified. Bringing up his other arm Grimmjow furiously tried to push back.
Both were interlocked for a moment, before Ichigo pulled one blade back and attempted to impale the blue haired hollow. Luckily, Grimmjow was fast enough to move one of his blades to misdirect it. Now with each having one interlocked arm and one free, they pushed hard whilst simultaneously slashing with the other.
Grimmjow's nimble movements allowed him to avoid the one sword, but he knew he couldn't outlast Ichigo in a strength battle. Before either foe could break the deadlock, an eruption of purplish black energy flew at them.
They each raised their interlocked blades to stop Barragan's smashing axe. Ichigo looked between the two of them and growled, "You can never be stronger…"
Before he knew what was happening Grimmjow felt himself being flaked off as Ichigo swung both sword arms as hard as possible at Barragan. The crowd gasped as it disarmed the King sending his axe into the ground.
"You can never be faster…" Ichigo continued as he appeared behind Grimmjow with a sonido. He delivered a deadly slash across Grimmjow's chest immediately following up with a high kick. Grimmjow went flying into the air shortly thereafter.
"You can never win…" Ichigo finished as he receded one of his sword arms and punched Grimmjow back towards the ground. Upon his collision, Ichigo turned towards Barragan with pure killer instinct.
The King tried to recover his axe, but was unable to as Ichigo grabbed it first. Barragan stood there with disbelief as Ichigo grinned cruelly at him. "I am the King…"
"Damn you! You will not defeat me!" Barragan proclaimed as he attempted to grab Ichigo's arms. Realizing his mistake too late, Barragan saw Ichigo charge another cero between his horns. He attempted to let go, but quickly found himself impaled against a wall by his own axe.
"I already have…" Ichigo said as he fired his cero at the pinned King. Another large portion of the audience fled either direction as the black red and white cero blasted out of Las Noches into the distance. Afterward, the audience stared in pure disbelief as Barragan was gone.
Ichigo turned back towards the downed Grimmjow with an calm, but terrifying look in his eyes. Grimmjow barely managed to stand up as he wheezed for a moment. He stumbled forward as he tried to reach Ichigo.
The orange haired hollow slowly walked towards him. Ichigo briefly swung his sword back behind himself. Everyone in the stands stared shocked at the sight of a gravely wounded Barragan, now with a sword at his bony neck.
Barragan barely had enough strength left to move as Ichigo immediately stabbed the blade through his chest. Barragan dropped to his knees clearly in defeat as Ichigo pulled out his sword. The orange haired hollow receded his remaining blade and looked at both of his defeated enemies.
Grimmjow tried his best to charge again, but tripped halfway and fell to his knees as well. Both he and Barragan each felt Ichigo grab them by their throats. The victorious hollow held both off the ground as he examined the fearful, recovering crowd. The audience now appeared to be able to move as the power level of the three foes receded.
"Kill them! KILL KILL KILL!" One hollow shouted enthusiastically from the stands. He was a praying mantis Adjucha of some kind and had a front row spot. The audience quickly joined in on his chanting all wanting White to finish the job.
"Kill! KILL KILL KILL KILL!" they chanted over and over again as Grimmjow and Barragan weakly hung limp in his grasp. Harribel traded a concerned look with Starrk who wasn't sure what Ichigo was going to do.
Time all but seemed to stop as Ichigo turned a hateful gaze upon his defeated foes. Clarity returned to him as he stared at them, 'Should I kill them?'
All of Ichigo's adjuchas joined in chanting with the audience as well. They were excited by his victory and wanted to see Ichigo seal the deal. Barragan barely managed to speak, "It seems no King rules forever…"
Grimmjow barely managed to clutch onto Ichigo's grasping hand as the new King flew higher to where the entire audience could see him. The blackened cloud created by Barragan began to disappear as a streak of moonlight shined over Ichigo further signifying his might.
"Lord Barragan!" Ggio gulped fearfully as he watched from the stands concerned. Grimmjow's followers all had similar reactions, especially Shaw Long.
"KILL KILL KILL!" The audience continued to chant.
Grimmjow tried to squeeze Ichigo's wrist catching his attention. The blue eyed beast glared at him with his remaining energy, "I hate you! Why…why can't I beat you?! Why?! WHY!? Damn you, White!"
Ichigo stared at the two of them with a look of seriousness in his eyes, "You are strong Grimmjow…one of the strongest I've ever known. As are you, Barragan. You're both Kings in your own right…and I respect you as formidable Vasto Lordes."
"You don't deny me as King?" Barragan asked uncertainly.
"You are both Kings…but I am the King of Kings," Ichigo replied causing both foes to look at him shocked.
"What are you waiting for?!" the rabid praying mantis Adjucha shouted, "Kill those weaklings! KILL THEM!"
"Kill us now…you won't have another chance! You will not be King so long as I live!" Barragan added loudly enough for the audience to hear.
"NO!" Ichigo roared back causing the audience to immediately shut up. They all stared wide eyed as Ichigo landed back on the ground letting go of both Grimmjow and Barragan. Ichigo glanced around at the amphitheater of hollows before turning his gaze back towards the gravely injured Vasto Lordes.
Ichigo stared at the two of them for a moment and hissed, "You're both blind idiots…we shouldn't be fighting each other!"
His comment greatly confused the crowd as well as Barragan and Grimmjow. They both had looks of uncertainty. Barragan was the first to speak, "Is that not what the point of his duel was? To decide the Kingship of all our kind?"
"That was the point of this…I have considered killing both of you, but that would be a waste. Gathered here in this palace are all of the strongest hollows in existence. We need to unite with one another! Our real enemies are those that hunt and kill our kind. They sit in their precious little Soul Society passing judgment on us for existing. Their arrogance makes my blood boil. How long will it be before they come here to declare war against our kind? I've seen Shinigami captains cut waves of hollows down like nothing. They do not fear us! They believe we are weak, scattered, and broken! They deny us life! I will not allow that to go unpunished any longer! The Shinigami are the true enemies of our kind and they are very powerful! Never have any of our kind united to stop them! We go on fighting each other over scraps of fame and power! That ends now! We will protect our own…and retaliate with the full power of Hueco Mundo! All Shinigami will tremble in fear as Hueco Mundo stands united under their King of Kings! I will rip this world out of the darkness! Together we will forge a new Hueco Mundo!" Ichigo proclaimed loudly.
"White! WHITE WHITE WHITE!" The crowd began to cheer enthusiastically. Ichigo extended his hands down towards Grimmjow and Barragan.
Both of which could barely believe the gesture. Barragan seemed somewhat impressed by his declaration of war, "I had no idea you hated Shinigami so much…I loathe their kind as well."
"Take my hand…join me, Barragan," Ichigo said causing the former King to stare at him for a long moment.
Barragan simply cackled weakly, "Never in all these years, did I anticipate this…a hollow greater than myself succeeding where I failed."
Much to the audience's disbelief, Barragan accepted Ichigo's hand. The orange haired hollow pulled Barragan up and nodded approvingly, "I'm glad we have an understanding…"
"You know…I tried what you're doing once…a long time ago. The only difference is, you spared your enemy."
"I wouldn't mind hearing that story later…" Ichigo replied. Barragan grunted painfully as he stumbled away. Ggio and several of his elite guards quickly jumped down to support him from falling again. They all glanced over at Ichigo surprised by his action more than anyone else.
Ggio slowly approached and quickly announced to the audience, "All hail the High King White!"
Shortly afterward he bowed his head at Ichigo before leaving to go help Barragan.
Grimmjow weakly sat up and glared at Ichigo distrustfully, "Why are you sparing me? I don't want your pity! Just kill me…I will not endure your mercy again! No matter how hard I worked…all of it means nothing. I can never surpass you…"
Ichigo extended his hand again, "Power means nothing without purpose. That's why you lost. You have no purpose, Grimmjow…even with all the power in the world, you'll never quench the emptiness without a heart."
"A…heart?" Grimmjow asked uncertainly.
From the stands, Ulquiorra watched intently. He was deeply inspired by Ichigo's actions, but did not visibly show it.
"We'll find it together…all of us, as friends," Ichigo said distantly.
The word echoed in his head over and over again, 'Friends? What? I don't understand…'
"Grimmjow needs motivation…" Ichigo spoke to the crowd. They immediately began to chant, "Grimmjow, Grimmjow, Grimmjow!"
The former panther couldn't describe the unusual feeling swelling in the pit of his stomach. He was deeply moved for some reason by Ichigo's words. Finally, giving into the crowd's chanting, he reached up and grabbed Ichigo's hand.
The two hollows stared into each other's eyes for a brief moment. The blue haired beast couldn't help but smile, "Friends…"
The crowd exploded into cheers as Grimmjow held up Ichigo's arm, "Bow to the King of Kings! White!"
Many in the audience jumped down out of the stands and came to get a closer look. Normally an adjucha wouldn't be reckless enough to approach a Vasto Lorde, but the crowd was too excited to care as they gathered around the duo.
Grimmjow looked around, "Where'd Barragan go?"
"I'm right here…" the former King announced as he approached Ichigo. Starrk, Harribel, Lilynette, and Ulquiorra all swiftly landed there as well. The five Adjucha girls managed to catch up shortly thereafter.
"So…White…what should we do about the Shinigami?" Barragan asked with an evident curiosity in his voice.
"We're going to train a new army…" Ichigo replied as he looked over the crowd.
The praying mantis Adjucha was the first to come forth as he bowed briefly, "Allow me to be the first volunteer for your new army, White!"
"Who are you?" Ichigo asked the praying mantis interested.
"Nnoitra Gilga…" the hollow answered beaming with eagerness to prove himself.
An unusual tentacle like Adjucha was quick to move forth as well, "If you're seeking the best, then I believe I should introduce myself."
Everyone eyed the Adjucha uncertainly. Grimmjow narrowed his gaze at it, "You don't look that impressive to me…"
Ichigo held up his hand, "It doesn't matter how strong you are now…I will train all who are willing to become my honor guards."
"It would be my greatest pleasure!" the tentacle adjucha said cheerfully.
"What's your name, anyways?" Apacci asked the tentacle adjucha doubtfully.
"Luppi…and I promise you, my skill in battle will not disappoint, High King White," the adjucha sassed.
Ichigo nodded, "Alright…anyone else care to volunteer?"
One by one many Adjuchas came up and vowed to serve as his honor guards. Amongst them were several that stood out. A colorful butterfly like Adjucha with strange plant features spoke with adoration, "I'm Szayel…and I would be honored to be whatever you want me to be."
"Good to know…" Ichigo nodded.
"Anything!" the adjucha added for emphasis.
The orange haired King nodded, "I'll keep that in mind…"
A multiple eyed fiendish looking Adjucha with some type of pink body was another one that stood out. It closed its eyes and bowed respectfully, "You are without equal my King…I, Zommari, would be honored to serve."
After the brief influx of hollows declaring loyalty, Ichigo turned towards his companions. Harribel had a gleaming look in her eyes. It was one he had never seen before. She seemed to be impressed and pleased.
She waved her hand catching the nearby hollows' attention, "I would like to speak with White alone now…"
"Stop standing around and get this palace repaired!" Barragan commanded as he got the crowd to scatter and go to work. Afterward, he glanced back at Ichigo, "Come find me in the main tower later…and we will discuss strategy."
Without another word, Barragan left, followed by his entourage of Adjuchas. Grimmjow's followers had finally made their way through the crowd and gathered around. Shaw Long looked at Grimmjow surprised, 'Never in my wildest imaginations could I have foreseen Grimmjow swallowing his pride…White's words must truly resonate with him.'
"Well I'm going to get some rest…I guess I'll join you two in that tower meeting later," Grimmjow said as he began to walk away. Before he got too far, he glanced back at Ichigo with a small grin, "I guess you really are the King…haha. No, the High King."
Ulquiorra watched all of the different hollows offering their praise or adoration for Ichigo's remarkable feat at uniting the Vasto Lordes. He examined the retreating Grimmjow and Barragan closely, 'For White to have reached them…he truly does want to help other hollows. This feeling…what is it?'
Upon looking up at the moon and back down at Ichigo, Ulquiorra felt a strange feeling, 'I feel less despair whenever he is around…It's as if I can see for the first time. What does the future hold for us?'
Noticing his stares, Ichigo made eye contact with Ulquiorra. Their locked gazes were like a moment frozen in time. It was almost narcotic…Ulquiorra couldn't look away. It was hard for him to understand why Ichigo was this way. Nothing else in all of Hueco Mundo valued others the way he did. Ulquiorra wished he could understand Ichigo's empathy.
'He doesn't even know my name…yet he knows me. A being of darkness…enthralled by his guiding light. He is more than a King amongst hollows…he is a Light in our Darkness.' Ulquiorra thought deeply.
He was drawn from his thoughts when Ichigo placed a hand on his shoulder, "Thanks for standing back…I know it's difficult to do nothing sometimes. I am grateful for your loyalty…I only wish I knew your name."
Ulquiorra stared at him sadly not sure how to react to his comment. "One day though…" Ichigo said distantly.
Harribel quickly interrupted their moment shortly afterward, "If you're done staring at him…I would like to talk to you."
The dark haired, mouthless hollow gave Harribel a disapproving glare for interrupting Ichigo.
"Sure thing, Harribel…speak your mind," Ichigo replied.
The blonde looked at Ichigo and back towards the dissipating crowd with a deep expression, "I didn't think it was possible…for one hollow to unite so many under him. I'm shocked you spared Barragan…but I respect you for doing it. He may be an arrogant fiend, but Barragan's help will be invaluable if you truly wish to fight the Soul Society. You're wiser than I gave you credit for."
"Hey so…what are we supposed to do now?" Starrk interrupted curiously as he looked around.
Ichigo shrugged, "Go find yourselves a nice little den I suppose. I'll come find you if I require your presence. Feel free to come to me if you need anything."
"Okay…a nap sounds really good right about now," Starrk yawned.
Lilynette put her hands on her hips, "Starrk! Ichigo just became King and you want to go to sleep?! How are you not excited?! I'm so pumped right now!"
"Alright, well go explore or something…" Starrk replied.
As he began to walk away, he looked at Ichigo, "Whenever you have some free time…I'd like to talk to you about some stuff."
"We can talk now if you want," Ichigo said.
Starrk shook his head, "Umm, I'd rather get some rest first…but later, and in private."
"Alright…take it easy then," Ichigo chuckled.
Lilynette sighed as Starrk made his way towards the nearest place to sleep in comfort. She looked at Ichigo excitedly, "I'm going to check out Las Noches! There's so much to do I bet! This place is huge!"
After she left, Apacci was quick to speak up, "Hey you wanna go see what the royal quarters look like?"
"That's awfully bold of you…" Sung-sun giggled.
The deer gawked at her, "Don't go spinning this all weird you snake!"
"Well I do happen to be a snake…thank you very much," Sung-sun laughed.
Mila Rose joined in amusedly, "This Apacci hollow, just loves to state the obvious doesn't she?"
Before Apacci could mouth a retort, Ichigo spoke up, "All of you should probably go find yourselves a room."
"Of course, your majesty!" Sung-sun half giggled as she tested out the new title.
Loly scoffed at the snake, "Yeah go slither away…Ichigo probably wants to talk to us in private anyways."
"You girls too…" Ichigo said as he looked over the rest of his companions. After they begrudgingly followed Lilynette's path towards the inner palace, Ichigo turned towards Harribel, "I hope I can count on you to help me train the lesser hollows. You're better at helping others than most."
"Of course, White…we'll discuss this later at the meeting. I am going to make sure they don't get into any trouble."
Ichigo nodded and watched as Harribel left without another word. After she was gone, this left only Ulquiorra. The majority of the crowd had left, and those that remained were repairing the palace as Barragan ordered.
Ulquiorra looked at Ichigo and pointed towards the moon. Ichigo was unsure of what to make of it until the winged Vasto Lorde flew up. 'He must want me to follow him…' Ichigo thought as he followed Ulquiorra.
The mouthless hollow flew higher into the sky and landed on one of Las Noches' colossal tower tops. Ichigo landed behind him and cocked his head in confusion. Ulquiorra then sat down on the edge of the tower and looked up at the crescent moon.
Ichigo could tell that something was bothering his fellow hollow, and decided to sit down next to him. The two of them overlooked the desert for what felt like hours. Ulquiorra often looked up at the moon during this silence.
After the long silence Ichigo spoke, "What's bothering you?"
Ulquiorra glanced over at him before pointing at where his mouth should be. The orange haired Vasto Lorde looked away for a moment and nodded, "Even though you don't have a mouth, you can speak to me through your eyes…"
The black haired Vasto Lorde looked confused and shook his head doubtfully, 'My eyes? What is he talking about?'
"You know it might be strange to tell you this, but I trust you more than any of the others…I understand you more than I understand them." Ichigo said as he locked gazes with Ulquiorra again.
"I don't need to hear your voice or your name to know you. We were drawn to each other in this darkness…because we're kindred. I am grateful for what you showed me in that pit…it inspired me. Knowing that you could leave that pit makes me believe that all of us can get out of this darkness one day…" Ichigo said distantly.
Ulquiorra stared at him silently. Ichigo looked down and sighed, "Sometimes I wonder if becoming an Arrancar is what hollows are meant to do…they're more human. Is that what it means to find a heart? To become whole? I just don't know…"
That feeling from earlier came back as Ulquiorra's haunting eyes stared into Ichigo's golden black ones. Ulquiorra thought for a moment, 'Arrancars? Like those maskless hollows? Could I…would that make it possible for me to speak?!'
The green eyed creature nodded at him much to Ichigo's surprise. He gave Ulquiorra an uncertain look, "You think I should become an Arrancar?"
Ulquiorra nodded again. The horned Vasto Lorde looked down at his clawed hands for a moment, 'Maybe I should…'
'I can't bare this silence any longer. How can I not even tell him my own name?!' Ulquiorra thought somewhat angrily as he felt a strange impulse come over him.
Ichigo was drawn from his thoughts when he saw Ulquiorra stand up. The mouthless hollow reached up to grab his own right horn. The orange haired Vasto Lorde stood up as well and watched him, "What are you doing?"
Much to his shock Ulquiorra began to tug at his horn as hard as possible. "What are you…"
Ichigo was unable to finish his sentence as Ulquiorra finally managed to rip off his own right horn. With it came the bottom portion of his mask leaving a fragmented helmet on the left side of his head. Green and white spiritual energy blinded Ichigo as Ulquiorra glowed within the surge of power. After it receded, he was surprised beyond belief to see Ulquiorra's face.
It had a strange serene beauty about it. His skin was ghost pale, and green streaks flowed down from his eyes. Ichigo then saw it…his mouth. The black lips of Ulquiorra's mouth. Ichigo stared in awe and couldn't really find the words to say.
His mind was racing however, 'Did…did he just become an Arrancar?!' Ichigo thought disbelievingly.
Ulquiorra felt his face amazedly and tried to test his mouth. "Why is he looking at me like that? Did I become like those Arrancars? I can't feel my mask." Ulquiorra spoke for the first time.
Ichigo stood their frozen in disbelief as Ulquiorra spoke again, "I wonder if it will be possible to speak now? White deserves to know my name."
"You are speaking…" Ichigo finally replied.
Ulquiorra's eyes widened surprised, "You can hear my thoughts?"
"I can hear your voice…you're talking through your mouth," he clarified. The look on Ulquiorra's face was one of slight embarrassment, but also amazement.
"White…I can finally talk to you?" Ulquiorra said half believing he was dreaming this.
"Yes…you can talk to me. Your voice…is soothing," Ichigo said still recovering from his surprise.
Ulquiorra cocked his head, "Soothing? How so?"
"I like it…it's relaxing," he explained.
The black haired Arrancar stared at him without much emotion, but his eyes were lit up with eagerness as he nervously spoke up again, "My name is Ulquiorra…"
"Ulquiorra…" Ichigo tested the name. Hearing Ichigo say his name for the first time caused the Arrancar to tense up.
"He said my name…" Ulquiorra thought aloud again.
"Do you care if I call you by your real name?" Ulquiorra asked him.
"You're free to call me whatever you want…" Ichigo nodded approvingly.
Ulquiorra's lips twitched into what appeared to be a very faint smile, "Ichigo…I wonder what his face looks like beneath that mask."
"Why is that?" Ichigo asked confused.
It was then that Ulquiorra immediately realized he spoke his thoughts aloud again. Ichigo laughed at his comment, "You might need work on filtering your thoughts…"
"I definitely will…" Ulquiorra said passively as he looked away embarrassed.
After a brief and very awkward silence, Ichigo realized something…Ulquiorra was naked.
He was also noticeably absent his wings as well. Ulquiorra quickly noticed a sheathed sword lying on the ground next to him. Reaching for it, he looked it over confused.
"Arrancars seal their power in zanpakutos…at least that's how it was explained to me. Try releasing your power through it," Ichigo said as Ulquiorra drew the sword.
An impulsive thought escaped his lips as he held the blade, "Enclose Murcielago."
Ichigo watched curiously as Ulquiorra instinctively activated his release form. After a flash of green he now had wings again with a full helmet. His face was still visible however as the bottom part of the mask did not return. Ulquiorra was also dressed now in some type of white attire.
"You really are an Arrancar then…so that's how it's done," Ichigo thought aloud.
Ulquiorra stared at him somewhat anxiously, "Do you think it's possible you will ever become an Arrancar as well?"
"Maybe…" Ichigo said uncertainly.
His green eyed companion looked into the distance, "You are the only other hollow to ever acknowledge me…you spoke to me even though I had no mouth. You hate the emptiness just as much as I do…but you want to fill it. There's so many questions I want to ask…but I don't know how."
"We have nothing but time, Ulquiorra…you can ask me anything you want whenever you want." Ichigo answered.
The Arrancar's green eyes met his briefly, "What do you think a heart even is? How do you intend to find it?"
"I don't know…but I think we have a better chance finding it together. Loneliness is definitely far from it…I never want to be alone again. Not here…in this place," the new king explained.
"I feel the same way…I'm glad you and I are alike." Ulquiorra said as he looked away.
"Why did you rip your mask off anyways? You had no way of knowing whether or not it would make you an Arrancar," the orange haired hollow noted.
"I don't know what came over me. I did it so that I could speak to you…because you're the only one who ever wants to speak to me. I want to repay your…I don't the word to describe it," he trailed off.
Ichigo stared at Ulquiorra for a moment as if a revelation had just struck him, "If ever there was a reason to become an Arrancar then you've proven it to me."
"What do you mean?" Ulquiorra asked.
"Nel might have been right…Being Arrancar is the closest we can get to being human…to being whole. If you're an Arrancar…then so am I," Ichigo stated as he reached up for his right horn.
"I don't understand," Ulquiorra said but nevertheless, he watched with anticipation as Ichigo ripped off his right horn. His mask followed as it flaked away. This only left his left horn and the upper left part of his mask. A stream of red white and black followed. After a brief, blinding light, Ichigo looked around confused.
"Did it work?" he asked Ulquiorra.
The green eyed Arrancar stared at him without saying a word. Ichigo slowly walked towards Ulquiorra, but soon stopped as Ulquiorra reached for his face. The Arrancar briefly touched Ichigo's forehead before trailing his fingers down his nose.
"What are you doing?" Ichigo asked uncertainly causing Ulquiorra to immediately bring his hand back.
The other Arrancar changed the subject, "You're definitely an Arrancar now…I can see your face."
Ichigo looked around and immediately noticed his zanpakuto on the ground. It was pure white much to his surprise. He looked at it curiously as he reached down to pick his new weapon up. He briefly traded a look with Ulquiorra before drawing the blade. Similar to Ulquiorra, he already seemed to know the command to release his power, "Protect Zangetsu."
After a tremendous torrent of power, Ichigo was now in a very similar form as before. However, this time his skin was more visible down his chest as the armor was no longer there. In his hands he wielded two swords which were very similar in appearance to his former ones. Instead of armor down his legs, he had some type of strange tattered black garment greatly resembling a Shinigami's. The markings on his chest were the same, as was his hollow hole.
Ichigo couldn't help but notice the unusual red hair around his ankles and wrists as well, but decided to overlook it as he felt his mask. It was exactly the same as his Vasto Lorde form's mask. He glanced over at Ulquiorra anxiously, "Well…how does it look?"
"Interesting…" Ulquiorra replied as he looked down at the unusual garment on Ichigo's waist.
"You look better than I expected…you're a perfect Arrancar," a third voice sounded out of nowhere. Both Ichigo and Ulquiorra's gazes shot towards the source and immediately went wide eyed at the sight of a Shinigami captain.
They both recognized him by his glasses and brown hair and each traded looks of concern with one another. The Shinigami held his hands up calmly, "Relax…Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm not your enemy."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you one of those Shinigami captains that attacked me in the world of the living?! How the hell did you get here?"
"Now now…you mustn't jump to conclusions. I never once raised my blade against you if you recall. I came here to talk…that's it," the man explained.
"What's your name, Shinigami? How did you get here?" Ichigo demanded again.
The man pushed up his glasses and smiled in an almost eerie way, "My name is Sosuke Aizen…Captain of Squad Five in the Soul Society and lead investigator in the hunt for you. Before you jump to conclusions, I assure you that I am alone here."
"Stop wasting my time and give me answers!" Ichigo commanded.
The Captain sighed, "I'm one of the few select individuals amongst the Soul Society capable of opening a Garganta…it isn't a widely taught secret…for obvious reasons you can imagine. I saw your battle against Barragan, and some other hollow…quite impressive. Never in all my planning could I have predicted the perfection of your actions. The perfection of your evolution. Becoming an Arrancar right before my eyes…incredible."
"You should be less subtle in the things you say," Ulquiorra cut in with a serious stare.
Aizen glanced between the two of them approvingly, "I never predicted you would rise to power here. I knew you would be strong…but you seem to have ideals…purpose. You have given this to all hollows. That is remarkable. And now that you are an Arrancar…you have far exceeded my wildest hopes."
"Stop talking in circles! What do you want, Shinigami?! If it's some kind of peace offering I'll cut you down right now…" Ichigo growled.
"I want what you want, Ichigo Kurosaki…to see the Soul Society crumble. To kill the Soul King…" Aizen clarified.
Ichigo didn't seemed convinced, "Somehow I doubt that…do you think I'm stupid?"
"No…you're very insightful, and you're a serious threat to the Soul Society. That being said…they have been preparing for war with Hueco Mundo. I am offering you a chance to strike first, before they do. I can open the door to the Seireitei and let you straight into the Soul Society itself."
"Why in the world would you do that? What makes you think I have any desire to go there?" Ichigo scowled.
Aizen grinned, "There's a certain…item that I wish to acquire there. It's called the Hogyoku. If you help me retrieve it, then I will help you."
"What help could you possibly offer?" Ulquiorra asked.
The man grinned wickedly, "I could use the Hogyoku's power to transform your entire army into Arrancars. Think for a moment…they would no longer need to feed off one another, and they could be like you two…more human. Is that such a bad deal?"
"Where do you fit in helping us do this? What's stopping you from acquiring this Hogyoku if you're able to infiltrate the heart of Hueco Mundo unnoticed?" Ichigo demanded.
"Very astute observation, Ichigo…you see, it's currently hidden somewhere. In Rukia Kuchiki to be precise…she's the girl you took hostage during our last encounter. I cannot retrieve it without blowing my cover. I am powerful, but not enough to strip it from her in front of the other captains. She typically spends her time amongst them," Aizen explained.
"That sounds like a rather convenient excuse…" Ichigo shook his head.
Aizen stared at him for a moment, "Well…truthfully, I want you to help me so that I can inflict psychological damage to my former colleagues when they realize you and I are allies."
"That's probably the first honest thing you've said…" Ichigo chuckled.
The Shinigami joined him in a quick laugh, "Nevertheless…you and I could benefit greatly from each other's help. This is my extension of friendship."
"What is this Hogyoku exactly?" Ichigo delved further on the topic.
"It is an ascended relic of remarkable power capable of many things. In particular, I am interested in its ability to turn hollows into Arrancars," the Shinigami captain stated.
"Why does such a thing exist in the Soul Society?" Ichigo questioned.
Aizen shrugged, "Well a former captain named Kisuke Urahara, created it. I want to use it to help empower you and your kind. All I want in return is your help in destroying the Soul King. It's a win win situation for you."
Ichigo thought for a moment, "If I help you get this…Hogyoku, what then? You intend to live here amongst us?"
"Well…myself and two of my partners in crime," Aizen replied.
After trading a brief nod with Ulquiorra Ichigo spoke again, "Very well…but let's get one thing straight Shinigami. You're not in charge of my hollows. Got that? Also…if this turns out to be some kind of trap, I will murder every last one of you in the Soul Society!"
"Then it's a deal…" Aizen smiled as he held up his hand. Ichigo stared at it uncertainly, but finally decided to grasp it. He squeezed as tightly as possible immediately catching Aizen off guard.
With fury in his eyes, Ichigo whispered darkly, "Don't betray me, Shinigami…"
After a brief moment, which felt like an eternity to Aizen, Ichigo released his grip causing the man to rub his hand which had gone numb.
Aizen smiled at his decision, "I'm surprised you agreed to this so easily…but I am thankful you can see reason. You're definitely a better leader than Barragan. The hollows here respect you…as do I. Your trust in me will not go unrewarded."
"When do we leave?" Ichigo changed the subject.
The Shinigami Captain smiled at his question, "As soon as possible…you're free to bring any allies you wish, though I only need you there."
"Ulquiorra and I will go…this won't take long I hope?" Ichigo questioned.
"A day at the most…" Aizen nodded.
"Let's go then…" Ichigo nodded. As he and Ulquiorra cautiously followed the strange Shinigami Ichigo looked down deep in thought, 'I should find Nel when I get back. Maybe news of my victory has reached her. I wonder what she would think about this Aizen guy wanting to create Arrancars with this Hogyoku?'
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone