Capítulo 6: Chapter 6: Influence
*This fanfic belongs to Melkor's Mercy, I don't own shit...anyhoo enjoy this ridiculously long chapter*
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Hueco Mundo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Nel awoke with an unfamiliar pain covering her body. She jerked upright as she tried to identify where she was. The woman immediately noticed Ichigo sitting on a rock several feet away. His golden eyes stared at her calmly.
The Arrancar seemed surprised by his passive demeanor. The woman stared silently until Ichigo finally spoke, "You're awake…good."
Nel took a moment to take in her surroundings as she tried to identify exactly where she was. She quickly realized that they were far from where she and Ichigo had encountered each other during their battle and in a cave of some sort. Apacci, Loly, and Menoly were all on opposite walls with looks of distrust focused her way.
Ichigo himself sat close towards the entrance and was slightly illuminated by the moonlight from outside. He examined her surprised reaction and decided to explain the situation, "I didn't want to leave you for dead out there…in case you're wondering why I brought you here."
"White…no Ichigo was your name right? What is the meaning of this?" she inquired.
The orange haired Vasto Lorde scoffed at her question, "You know I've given some serious thought to the things you've said both before and after you showed up. There is definitely some truth in what you told me…but I don't think that your path and my path are the same."
"Why is that?" she asked uncertainly.
Ichigo shook his head at her, "You see the world your way…and impose your beliefs on others. You act just like a Shinigami. Whether you were right or wrong…I would never accept pious condescension from anyone. That aside, you were quite powerful. I usually don't like to kill strong hollows. It just makes us weak as a whole. However, don't mistake my mercy for compassion, Nel. I did regret having to injure you, but not the reason why."
"I must apologize then…I went about this the wrong way," Nel held her head down sadly, "it was never my intention to incite a fight between us. Perhaps I went too far with the things I said."
"There's no 'perhaps' about it…I get the feeling you did it on purpose," Loly said doubtfully.
Nel frowned, "I never meant for it to reach that extent. I wanted you to see the dangers of losing control. As a former Vasto Lorde, I felt it was worth trying to help you understand…even if it was indirectly. I struggled for a long time searching for answers. I hoped to spare you the same fate."
"That's why you're still alive. I believe you did succeed in helping me," Ichigo replied causing the Arrancar to jerk her head towards him shocked.
"I spared your life for two reasons, Nel…one because you healed me when I was an Adjucha, and two because you helped me realize something important," Ichigo said seriously.
"What's that?" Apacci interrupted hanging on his words.
"I now know what I want…I want a heart," Ichigo replied causing everyone to eye him surprised.
After a brief silence, Ichigo changed the subject, "Is there anything you wish to say? You're not as talkative as I remember, Nel…"
"That whole situation got way out of hand…I should have just given you more time," the aquamarine haired arrancar sighed.
"You insisted that I was an Arrancar…but I am not. That's all there is to it," he said intently.
She nodded, "You're right…hollows have to accept their humanity before they can become true Arrancars. The way your killer instinct took over is some evidence that you have not fully reached the threshold. Whether you choose to pursue your humanity or not is your choice. You are indeed powerful, Ichigo…but power won't give you a heart. The more power you have the lonelier you become."
"Well then I suppose we'll both just walk away from this with lessons learned," Ichigo said conclusively as he focused his eyes between Nel and the exit to the cave.
She was timid for a moment as she tried to find the words to speak. Finally she responded, "So what will you do now?"
"I will go my own way. Maybe you were right about me being an Arrancar…but if so it's something I must discover for myself. Like you said before…it will be my choice. Not to mention, I have more important things to worry about now," he explained.
Nel nodded slowly and stared at him for a moment, "I'm really sorry about the things I said, but I hope they help you in the long run…I would prefer we part on decent terms."
"It doesn't matter anymore…I'm willing to forget about it if you Arrancars stay away from us. So you should go now and do whatever it is that your kind do," Ichigo said as he pointed towards the cave entrance.
The Arrancar obeyed as she made her way towards the exit. Before she could sonido away, Ichigo spoke slowly, "For what it's worth…thanks. I appreciate your gesture, as imposing as it was."
Nel turned around and nodded, "If you ever change your mind, or want my help, then my offer still stands. Good luck, Ichigo…"
"Farewell, Neliel…" he said back.
After she left, Apacci walked up next to Ichigo with a curious expression. The deer sighed, "So what was that all about anyway, Ichigo? I mean that stuff you said…"
"Don't worry about it Apacci…this was all just one big misunderstanding," he tried to reassure the Adjucha.
The deer held her head down, "I've never seen you that angry before…you haven't really talked to us about it yet."
"I was mad at her for the way she acted…but I feel as if what I did was something beyond my control. There's no denying that my humanity hangs by a thread…I don't want to lose it and hurt you all like I almost did. I think she was trying to make me realize that I'm just as much of a danger to you three as any other hollow in Hueco Mundo," Ichigo said distantly.
"You would never hurt us though…I refuse to believe that," Apacci reassured him. Ichigo couldn't help but feel uplifted by her comment.
He tilted his head slightly, "I hope you're right…"
Menoly approached slowly and cut in, "So what did you think about her offer to become an Arrancar?"
Ichigo shrugged, "It was interesting…but like I said, if I am meant to be like her then it'll just happen. Until then, I want nothing to do with Arrancars. Besides…we have other things to worry about."
"What should we do now, Ichigo?" Loly asked as the trio gathered around the Vasto Lorde who was now standing. The orange haired creature thought for a moment, "Let's go and train. You three need to be powerful when we attack Las Noches."
"We're going after Las Noches?" Apacci jaw-dropped.
The Vasto Lorde grinned, "Of course we are…Barragan and I have unfinished business."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Later Hueco Mundo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Apacci panted heavily as she collapsed to the ground, "This training is ridiculous. How the hell are we supposed to catch you?!"
"Don't ask how and just find a way," Ichigo said shaking his head.
Loly hissed at him, "What do you think we've been doing this whole time?! There's just no way any one of us can catch you! How is this supposed to help us anyway?"
"Calm yourself, Loly…" Ichigo said sternly causing the Adjucha to back down, "as I've said numerously, there will be times when you are faced against opponents far stronger or faster than yourselves. You won't be able to run, and will have no choice but to face this overwhelming enemy."
"Yeah yeah…you keep saying that and we keep coming. So what's the point? Is this supposed to make us faster somehow?!" Loly huffed doubtfully.
"It will…but that is not the point of this training at the moment," Ichigo sighed.
Menoly glanced towards Ichigo curiously, "We've been trying to work as a team…but I don't think I understand how we're supposed to progress like this. What should we do if we can't catch or overpower a single enemy?"
"Alright, listen you three…If you want to stop an overwhelming opponent then you need a strategy. Think for a moment…what is my weakness?" Ichigo said as he looked over his entourage.
Apacci looked between the other two Adjuchas and Ichigo before sighing, "You got me…do you even have a weakness?"
"Everyone has a weakness…in most cases more than one. Look at that rock structure over there," Ichigo pointed, "it's extremely large and undoubtedly strong. But what happens when you hit it in the right spot. For example…"
The orange haired hollow flicked the rock in a strategic low spot with a small amount of force. At first it didn't seem to have an effect as Ichigo turned around. Loly cocked her head, "Umm…what was the point of that?"
Suddenly the entire rock formation shattered as it splintered into dozens of smaller pieces and fell towards the sands. Ichigo examined his handiwork before explaining, "Destroying the rock was not the point of this…but I wanted you to understand that one area under pressure kept the entire thing stable. By shattering this area, the entire foundation simply collapses forcing it to break the rock apart and fall. The concept is the same when it comes to fighting an opponent. You three faced down a larger number of enemies on multiple occasions using tactics to weaken their formation and breakthrough with a surprise attack at a strategic spot. With their formation broken, the enemies usually fell apart quickly."
The three adjuchas stared eagerly as Ichigo took a breath making sure they were following. Afterward he continued, "The way you three trusted one another and focused your attacks was the key to your successes. You may not be as strong or as fast as me, but keep in mind that there are three of you and one of me. In a battle against multiple opponents, one is always at risk of being flanked no matter how good they are. The key to any victory is knowing your opponent and using tactics based on their composition. For example, If I were fighting to kill you three, I'd probably separate you first. Individually you're all powerful, but I can outmaneuver each of your strengths and exploit your weaknesses. You three should be aware of them if you want to progress."
"So what are our strengths and weaknesses then?" Loly queried somewhat nervously.
"Loly, you're the most aggressive. You have the greatest will to inflict harm on your opponent. Having that strong willpower means you are the most fearless. That coupled with your poison and you have a real potential to do some serious damage. However, the problem is that you are too impatient. Your movements appear unpredictable to a less experienced fighter, but I can tell by the way your body moves, where you'll be next. Not to mention, you have low awareness in regards to Apacci and Menoly. You're used to brute forcing weaker opponents and hoping those two will help. That will never work against someone stronger than you. You need to rely on them more and wait for an opportune moment to strike," Ichigo said to Loly causing to her eyes to widen as she reflected on the explanation.
During her silence, Ichigo turned towards Apacci, "Apacci, you can be dangerous if you catch an opponent off guard. You're the fastest of the three and definitely strong, but a foe like me would never take his eyes off you for long. The only way you could attack me is if you perfectly synchronized a combo with your allies. As for your weakness…it's your eyes. They betray every movement you're about to make. A smart enemy would be able to track your movements effortlessly. You need to work on that."
"What about me?" Menoly asked somewhat skittishly.
"Menoly, you have the strongest defense and easily the most physical strength. You do an excellent job at flanking foes, and are extremely dangerous at close range. Your presence is also the most easily noticeable. Most hollows would be wary of facing you head on. That gives you a huge advantage against opponents. Your issue however is the opposite of Loly's. You're not aggressive enough…if you focused more on front line fighting and left Loly to do support and defense, then you would have a better chance at keeping the enemy focused on you, allowing Apacci and Loly to break through and flank. If I were fighting to kill you three, I'd save you for last since you're the most cautious," Ichigo explained.
All three Adjuchas were deep in thought as a long quiet moment followed. Ichigo broke it as he brought his sword arms out, "This time I want to see results…let's go again."
Much to his approval, Menoly took his advice as she charged in first immediately putting pressure on him. Ichigo swiftly ducked and dodged her aggressive attacks and followed through with a slash. Menoly blocked it as she raised her claws just in time. This sent the scorpion sliding back through the sand against Ichigo's superior strength.
Despite this, she managed to hold steady as she stabbed her tail down at him repeatedly. Ichigo was forced to move as the stinger nearly grazed him. He reappeared behind Menoly with a sonido but was unable to follow up since Loly was waiting for him. The centipede launched a torrent of poison blanketing the area. Ichigo narrowly avoided the acidic cloud, but this reduced his visibility just long enough for Apacci to flank him.
He sensed her just in time to catch the deer's horn, but quickly let go when a clawed cero arced towards him. Ichigo laughed as he landed across from his followers, "Good…that's more like it. Keep it up. Once I'm convinced you have the fundamentals, we'll go hunting again."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The next day XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ichigo and his companions had made considerable progress in training, and after a short rest, decided to go for one of their routine hunts.
Apacci pranced excitedly as the four of them patrolled around the desert outskirts, "I can't wait to find more of Barragan's goons! We'll tear them to shreds!"
"You might hit a few…but I'll definitely kill more than you. My poison has become much more acidic lately. Pretty soon I'll be able to kill them all by myself," Loly bragged.
"Yeah…if you were lucky enough to blindside them with it. Not everyone's just going to stand there and take it," Apacci scoffed.
"The same can be said for your horn charge…" Menoly cut in causing Apacci to narrow her gaze.
The deer huffed, "I'm much faster with that than I used to be…obviously it won't work against Ichigo, but any other hollow won't stand a chance."
"Somebody's a bit arrogant…" Loly laughed.
Apacci glared at her, "Speak for yourself. How's about the next hunt, we compete for kills. Whoever gets the most gets to be the leader."
Loly laughed, "I thought I was the leader…right Menoly?"
"Well…she-" Menoly said somewhat nervously.
"Don't let her decide for you…this needs to be unbiased," Apacci interrupted.
The scorpion simply laughed nervously, "Well, I think Ichigo is the leader…so yeah I'm staying out of your little competition,"
"You heard her…we'll let the numbers decide which one of us is in charge," Apacci pranced enthusiastically.
"Well so long as Menoly keeps doing what she does then there's no way you'll kill more than me," Loly shot back.
Suddenly, Ichigo stopped in his tracks, "Wait!"
His three followers stopped abruptly and faced him. Apacci was the first to speak, "What is it, Ichigo? Do you sense something?"
Before he could even respond, an explosion of sand shot out of the ground immediately followed by the largest Adjucha Ichigo had ever seen. It had many legs and a very muscular body. He had few adjectives to perfectly describe this creature. He quickly disappeared a considerable distance away to watch how his Adjuchas would handle the enemy without him. The colossal beast laughed at the foes in front of it.
"What do we have here? Tiny little prey just wandering around for me to eat?! Ha!" the Adjucha cackled.
Loly immediately took offense and hissed at him, "Don't get so full of yourself! The four of us could trash you!"
"Four?! I only see three of you puny weaklings!" the hollow shouted back.
Loly, Menoly, and Apacci immediately looked around worried all wondering the same thing, 'Where is Ichigo?!'
Quickly regaining her composure, Loly glanced over towards Apacci, and Menoly giving them intense stares, "We don't need his help to take this guy down…he wants us to get stronger so let's do it."
"If you say so, Loly…but this guy is pretty big. I don't know how well I can keep him occupied," Menoly replied somewhat nervously.
"Grow a backbone will ya? Just do what Ichigo told you to and we'll handle the rest," Apacci reassured her.
"You three must not know who I am then…I'm Yammy, the terror of the sands!" the large Adjucha boasted.
Loly huffed at him, "Not like we care, you big dumbass! You picked the wrong Adjuchas to attack!"
"What's this…you're all female? This will be my easiest hunt today! Die!" the monstrous hollow bellowed as he smashed a fist down. Both Loly and Apacci disappeared opposite directions via sonido leaving Menoly up front. She narrowly dodged the large hollow's colossal fist, and jumped on his arm.
Menoly charged her claw and clasped onto the large hollow's forearm. With her other one, she focused a cero directly towards the other hollow's mask. The monstrous creature held his hand up to block the beam from hitting him, and followed up by trying to smash Menoly into the ground.
She swiftly jumped off of his arm and ducked under the other fist. Despite dodging it, she was unable to avoid the other arm. Menoly held both claws up and braced through the punch. She struggled with all her might to keep from getting crushed under the pressure.
Much to her relief however, Loly had wrapped around the hollow's throat with her serrated legs and squeezed as tightly as she could. The hollow immediately pulled his fist back attempting to reach for the centipede Adjucha.
Taking advantage of his distracted state, Apacci ran beneath him with her charged horn and left a massive slash all the way down his midsection. Deciding to take them more seriously now, Yammy jumped into the air and smashed back down nearly crushing Apacci beneath his legs.
He managed to peel Loly off his throat and started to squeeze her as he pursued the retreating Apacci. She got a considerable distance away and began to charge a cero between her antlers and over her horn. It swelled to remarkable size.
Yammy just stared at it amused, "You think that pathetic cero will hurt me? It'll hurt your little friends more than me!"
Apacci remained still with the attack ready as Yammy held the struggling Loly in front of him. Loly was unable to break free from Yammy's grip as she writhed angrily. The centipede bit his arm, much to his annoyance causing him to rear an arm back to punch her.
Thankfully, before the attack could hit, Menoly leapt in front just in time to grab his wrist with both of her claws. Menoly held it just long enough for Loly to spit poison at Yammy's face. At first, all it did was shroud his vision, but he soon was forced to release Loly as it began to burn his skin.
"Arrgh! You damned insects!" Yammy roared angrily. With his clubbed tail he swung around rabidly managing to throw off Menoly. The scorpion went flying back. Yammy wasted no time pursuing her, nearly trampling Loly in the process. The centipede was forced to burrow into the sand to avoid him.
As he exited the acidic poison cloud, Yammy began to regenerate. He charged the downed Menoly with bloodlust in his eyes. However, before he could reach her, the Scorpion held up both claws and unleashed a strange arc like cero from her them. They immediately wrapped around his front legs forcing him to stop momentarily.
He scoffed at her effort, "You think this pathetic attack will hold me back!?" The large Adjucha began to break free and continued to advance like an unstoppable juggernaut. Unfortunately for him, he was so consumed in his rage that he forgot about Apacci.
Yammy howled in agony as a powerful cero fired through him from behind. It visibly seared a large portion of his hide and halted his advance. Before he had a chance to recover, Loly wrapped around his neck again and squeezed tightly. She added to it by coating his injured body in more acidic poison.
The colossal Adjucha thrashed dangerously as he tried to fight off the three opponents. Trading self-harm for results, Yammy aimed both fists at Menoly despite the devastating follow up slash Apacci was inflicting.
Loly and Apacci both watched worriedly as both of Yammy's fists nearly crushed the scorpion. However, much to their amazement, Menoly's claws began to glow. The glowing extensions clamped shut over both of his fists right before they reached her.
This sent the scorpion sliding back a considerable distance. She struggled with all the strength she had to hold him back. Yammy seemed shocked by her strength, "What the hell?! How did you stop my attacks? A puny weakling like you can't be strong enough to stop both of my fists!"
He seemed angered by Menoly's fortitude as she managed to finally plant her legs and hold him steady. Menoly couldn't hold him for long as Yammy added more and more strength behind his push. Much to her relief however, Apacci began to assail Yammy's front legs.
He was unable to add more strength to his push as the deer repeatedly stabbed each one of his ankles with her charged horn. Blood poured from his wounds as Apacci ran down the length of his abdomen doing as much damage as she could to his legs.
Yammy tried to kick and trample the swift deer, but she successfully avoided his efforts. Unfortunately, Apacci was too focused in her avoidance that she failed to see Yammy's clubbed tail in her blind spot.
She was immediately sent flying towards the ground. However, during this time, Loly had managed to inflict countless wounds on Yammy's upper body. With Menoly holding both of his arms, he was unable to peel Loly off this time. The ravenous Adjucha inflicted as much damage and cruelty as possible.
Yammy howled in agony as Loly viciously ripped apart his flesh. Seeing as he was in trouble, Yammy charged a cero in his mouth and aimed it at Menoly. The scorpion stood there unsure of what to do as it grew larger.
Much to her relief however, Apacci had recovered just in time to charge her own. As Yammy released his cero, Apacci fired an intersecting one. This threw off its trajectory just enough to spare Menoly the direct damage of the attack.
The colossal Adjucha, Yammy, was beyond furious by the redirection of his attack and lifted both arms above his head bringing Menoly up with him. He flung her back towards the ground with tremendous force completely breaking free of her grip.
With his arms now free, he tried to reach for Loly again, but before he could grab her this time, Menoly leapt up and stabbed her stinger through his hand. At first it seemed to have no effect, other than drawing some blood.
However, he was soon surprised to find his hand as well as his entire lower arm had gone numb. His arm soon became immobilized as Menoly stung him again. With only one hand reaching for Loly, Menoly had no trouble grabbing it with both claws.
Yammy was shocked to say the least as he was now unable to move one of his arms whilst the other was being held back. His stung arm hung there motionlessly limp. Before he could even react to the situation, he felt a large spiked cero impale his stomach. Yammy looked down in disbelief as he saw a red horn sticking through him.
"Hold him off for just a few more seconds!" Apacci commanded her friends. Loly Squeezed Yammy's throat as tightly as possible forcing him to gasp for air. To say he was wounded, would be an understatement. Blood poured form all over Yammy's body, and many of his wounds appeared to be slow to regenerate due to being coated in Loly's poison.
Holding him still as commanded, Loly and Menoly looked up just in time to see Apacci leap recklessly into the air with her charged horn pointed directly at Yammy's mask. Before Yammy could even process what had happened, his mask was impaled by the horn sending him crashing into the ground.
After they were convinced he wasn't getting back up, Loly and Menoly released him. Both looked over towards Apacci approvingly.
The deer panted heavily as she walked over towards them, "Did we…do it?"
Menoly looked over the downed Adjucha for a moment and cocked her head, "I'll find out."
She rabidly began to sting his downed body all over. Adding to her overkill, Loly spit more poison over the body. They watched eagerly as they saw his wounds no longer regenerating. "We did it!" Loly shouted joyously.
"Serves that overgrown bastard right for messing with us!" Appaci chanted in agreement.
Menoly sighed in relief, "I'm just glad it's over…let's eat up."
As they each consumed a piece of Yammy's mask, his body dissipated into Reiatsu and dispersed evenly amongst them, greatly empowering the trio of Adjuchas.
Afterward, Loly cackled wickedly, "We're even stronger now!"
"So where do you think Ichigo went?" Menoly asked uncertainly causing her two allies to wonder as well.
However, before either one could comment, a strange figure appeared before them. They all immediately tensed worriedly at the newcomer. It was clearly a Vasto Lorde judging by the humanoid appearance and female. The creature's blonde hair and green eyes were quite distinguishable.
The Vasto Lorde looked over them curiously. She immediately looked at Apacci somewhat surprised, "I've seen you before…"
"T-that power…is she a Vasto Lorde?" Menoly gasped.
The blonde creature spoke with a tone of approval in her voice, "Are you three responsible for killing that large hollow just now?"
Deciding to take command of the situation, Loly spoke up confidently, "That's right…Yammy or whatever his name was couldn't beat the three of us."
"Then you have my approval…I've been looking for him for quite some time. He is a cruel brute who enjoys preying on the weak. He is especially cruel to females. The fact that three defeated him is justice if I have ever seen it," the Vasto Lorde replied.
"Who are you supposed to be anyway? You say you've seen me before?" Apacci asked uncertainly.
The blonde nodded, "That's right…you're the hollow that White saved from Barragan's minions."
"You saw that?!" Apacci tensed surprised.
"I did…and I was quite surprised to be honest," the Vasto Lorde said distantly.
Two additional Adjuchas quickly approached from the distance with excitement. One was a golden masked lion and the other was a lavender snake. They both stopped upon reaching the blonde Vasto Lorde and stared over the other three Adjuchas suspiciously.
The lion was the first to speak, "Lady Harribel, what happened? Did you kill that brute already? We didn't even get to see the battle?"
"Obviously she did…maybe if you were a bit faster you could have seen the battle," the snake sassed.
The lion growled in response, "It's not like you were ahead of me, Sung-sun!"
"Don't put this on me…Mila Rose. You're always so quick to anger," the snake giggled.
"Oh shut it, you bitch…" the lion shot back.
Harribel sighed, "Quiet you two…I didn't kill Yammy. They did."
"What?!" Mila Rose jaw dropped.
Sung-sun's eyes visibly widened, "Did I hear you right, Lady Harribel…you said these three did?"
"Yeah that's right," Apacci bragged, "we're unstoppable as a team."
"That's preposterous…Yammy's killed hundreds of Adjuchas. Only a Vasto Lorde could kill him," Mila Rose said disbelievingly.
"Or three powerful Adjuchas…" Menoly added with a tone of amusement.
Harribel stared over the three of them, "I am curious how you three managed such a thing. Yammy is no pushover…I let him live once out of pity, but all it did was allow him to inflict more harm on others. Hueco Mundo is better off without someone like that."
Before they could reply, an orange blur appeared before them. Standing in front of his followers, Ichigo spoke cautiously, "Who might you be? I don't see other Vasto Lordes very often."
Mila Rose and Sung-sun immediately paled upon seeing Ichigo. The snake gasped, "L-lady Harribel…t-that mask, those horns! H-he's White!"
Mila Rose shook her head, "Isn't White a dragon?"
"Look at the hair, Mila Rose…it's orange! How many hollows have orange hair? That's got to be him!" Sung-sun replied worriedly.
Harribel held her hand up to calm them, "I know who he is, you two…calm down."
Both gulped worriedly as Harribel and Ichigo stared each other down. The blonde spoke first, "I've heard a lot about you, White. They say you've killed thousands of other hollows. I had a fairly low opinion of you until I saw what you did for her."
Harribel pointed towards Apacci, "I must say…it's very unusual to see a hollow of your infamy and power to go out of his way to help others. You are not what I expected you to be."
"Why would that change your opinion of me?" he countered with an evident curiosity in his voice.
The blonde shrugged, "It's just strange to see a hollow known for mercilessly killing others to protect those weaker than himself. Why are you helping them?"
"Do I even need a reason to protect my pack? From what I can tell, you've got a pack of your own." He countered again.
The other Vasto Lorde looked back at them for a moment, "Sung-sun and Mila Rose are females like me. Because of this, other Adjuchas always make them a target. I saved them both and we all look out for each other. As females we have to."
"I protect my Adjuchas…but I also train them. I want them to become strong so they can protect me as well," Ichigo replied.
Harribel seemed intrigued by his explanation, "You appear to be successful in that regard…though I am surprised to see that your only followers are female. Is there a reason for that?"
"Not particularly…but I saw potential in these three," he explained.
Harribel nodded understandingly, "I see…well if that is the case, then we are not very different. Helping the weak is not something I ever would have imagined to have in common with you."
"I guess I'm just full of surprises then. By the way, what's your name?" Ichigo asked as he examined the other Vasto Lorde head to toe.
The blonde replied calmly, "My name is Tia Harribel…I never thought I'd say this, but it is nice to meet you."
"Hmm…and who are these two behind you?" Ichigo asked.
Mila Rose and Sung-sun both gulped somewhat fearfully as Ichigo approached them. The lion spoke first, "I'm M-mila Rose."
"Sung-sun," the snake barely managed to mutter as Ichigo's intimidating presence caused them to remain frozen in fear. His mere presence was a bit overwhelming. Realizing this, Ichigo tried to repress some of his power to ease their worry.
Harribel gave Ichigo a strange look. He turned towards her somewhat confused, "What is it?"
"Since we share the same desire to protect our followers, perhaps we could join forces," the blonde suggested.
"L-lady Harribel are you crazy?! White would never agree to something like that!" Mila Rose interrupted.
"I was actually about to suggest that myself," Ichigo cut her off. All five Adjuchas present jaw-dropped dumbfounded.
"Are you for real?!" Loly shook her head with disbelief, "we just me them. What makes you think we can trust these other hollows?!"
Ichigo shook his head, "We obviously do the same thing…so it would only make sense to merge our packs into one."
"A-are you sure about this, Lady Harribel? I mean…White's as ruthless as they come. Would answering to him be any different than Barragan?" Mila Rose cut in.
Harribel stared at Ichigo seriously, "There is one complication though…I don't believe in eating other hollows. It makes us no different than hollows like Barragan."
"Maybe you don't…but if you want them to become stronger then I would recommend you reconsider that," Ichigo stated as he examined Sung-Sun and Mila Rose.
The blonde pointed her sword at him, much to the disbelief of Ichigo's companions, "Is that what you have done to your followers? Turned them into hunters like yourself?"
"Before you go assuming the worst…we don't go after the weak. We mostly kill Barragan's hunting parties. They're in high supply these days. I actually let these three do the killing. I only intervene if necessary," Ichigo explained.
Harribel's eyes lit up with surprise, "So you four are the ones responsible for thinning out his army? He's been extremely agitated as of late. Barragan tried to coerce me into joining him recently. I refused…I despise his reign and everything it stands for."
"Then we agree on that as well…if that's the case, then we have no reason to not join forces. I have another suggestion if you don't mind," Ichigo responded.
Harribel followed his words anxiously, "What is it?"
"I can also help you train those two if you want," Ichigo eyed Mila Rose and Sung-sun, "they seem feisty enough."
"You intend to train them?" Harribel asked surprised.
"If that's okay with you…" Ichigo said slowly.
The blonde seemed to contemplate the situation for a moment before nodding, "So long as you protect Sung-sun and Mila Rose the way you protect those three, then we have a deal. I am curious how you intend to do it though…"
"You two come here," Ichigo commanded. Both Sung-sun and Mila Rose traded looks of concern before approaching. The Vasto Lorde looked back and forth at the two Adjuchas, "You have nothing to fear from me…just listen to what I say and you'll learn a lot."
Mila Rose seemed uncertain, "Lady Harribel…are you sure about this? I mean are you really okay with us following him around?"
"You're right to be wary, but I sense no malicious intent…not to mention, an enemy of Barragan is an ally of ours. We can't afford to turn away help in Hueco Mundo," Harribel said soothingly.
"Forgive this brute for her lack of appreciation," Sung-sun gestured towards the lion, "I for one look forward to the pleasure of your company."
Loly glanced over at Menoly, "Get a load of this kiss ass…"
"Hey hold on a second! I thought you were training us!" Apacci protested.
Mila Rose appeared to regain her confidence as she shook her head at the deer, "Looks like somebody's jealous…"
"Jealous?! Ha, don't make me laugh!" Apacci scoffed.
Sung-sun giggled at her outburst, "It seems she's not very appreciative of White. What an inconsiderate hollow she is."
"OH I can already tell I'm going to hate you two!" Apacci fumed.
The snake laughed at her angered state, "You're a hot-headed one aren't you? Are you and the bug girls all like this?"
"Bug girls?! You better take that back!" Loly interrupted as she made her way towards the snake. Before the situation could escalate, Ichigo held up his hand, "Enough…we should get moving before trouble finds us. You three can come back to our cave this way. Once we're there I'll start training Mila Rose and Sung-sun right away if you want."
Harribel nodded, "Alright…let's go."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Hueco Mundo Loly and Menoly's Cave XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So let me get this straight…you want us to what?!" Mila Rose shouted.
Ichigo sighed, "Try to attack me…I want to see what you're capable of. Plus that's the best way to determine what you need to work on."
"Lord White, we can't just…fight you. That's suicide," Sung-sun said
"Oh so it's 'Lord White' now?" Mila Rose laughed.
Sung-sun looked away embarrassed, "Ahem…well excuse me for showing respect. He is training us after all. Maybe you should be more grateful."
"Maybe you should just stop talking and listen…" the lion shot back.
The snake laughed, "Speak for yourself…I'm not the one starting arguments here,"
"I hate you so much, Sung-sun," the lion growled.
Sitting to the side, near the cave entrance was Harribel and Ichigo's Adjuchas. They all glanced between the scene in front of them and the blonde Vasto Lorde numerously.
After an awkward silence, Apacci spoke, "So how long have you been a Vasto Lorde, Lady Harribel?"
"What's up with the title there?" Loly cut in giving Apacci a disapproving look.
The deer glared at her, "She's our superior now…so it seems fitting. I mean those two are already calling Ichigo 'Lord.'"
"That name…Ichigo. Why do you refer to White by that name?" the blonde interrupted their argument.
Menoly being the civil one, answered for her, "Ichigo is White's real name…but he doesn't like other people to know. He just lets us call him that."
"His real name? Hmm…that would make sense I suppose. White sounds more like a nickname anyway. What were your names by the way? We were never properly introduced," Harribel asked calmly with a look of interest.
Apacci was the first to answer, "My name is Emilou Apacci…but everyone just calls me Apacci."
Menoly followed suit, "Menoly…that's really all I go by."
The third Adjucha sighed, "Well if you must know, my name is Loly…I'm her sister."
Harribel stared at their masks curiously, "Your masks are identical to each other…are you twins? Or did you used to be the same person?"
"Uhm…well we've just always been together since we were Adjuchas. I don't really know," Menoly said distantly.
Loly seemed annoyed by the observation, "Don't cross-examine us."
The blonde sighed, "If you insist, then I won't…"
"You're so calm and relaxed…how do you put up with those two?" Apacci gestured towards the lion and snake who were embarrassing themselves trying to catch Ichigo.
Her green eyes focused on the deer, "I enjoy having them around…I was alone for a long time before I found them."
"I know what that's like…it seems like another lifetime ago before we met, Ichigo. He's always so determined and focused. It's nice knowing that someone is looking out for you," Apacci nodded with a distant look on the horizon.
"I'm sure it's nice for him as well…he and I are more alike than I thought," the blonde noted.
"Sung-sun, stop being useless and do something!" Mila Rose groaned as she repeatedly pounced towards Ichigo just barely missing him each time.
The snake coiled around him and tried to bite, but was shocked when Ichigo simply grabbed one of her fangs. She remained frozen in disbelief as he easily let go and reappeared by her tail. Ichigo grabbed her tail causing the snake to yelp, "Aeeyeh! Mila Rose help!"
The lion leapt for Ichigo again with claws poised to strike but hit nothing except air. Before she knew what had happened, Ichigo appeared on her back and rode her around with Sung-sun's tail still in hand.
"Lady Harribel! Help!" Sung-sun cried for help as she was drug through the sand. Mila Rose tried to buck Ichigo off, but was unsuccessful. Thinking fast, she rolled on her back to flake him off, but soon found he was standing across from both of them still on the ground.
Harribel remained sitting, but kept her eyes focused on Ichigo wondering what he was doing.
Ichigo simply chuckled, "You two need a lot of work…that was ridiculous."
"Why you! I thought you were going to train us, not humiliate us! What were you doing riding on my back?!" Mila Rose protested.
Sung-sun regained her composure and sighed, "That was…uncalled for."
The Vasto Lorde shook his head, "I've learned enough about you two from that little skirmish. Now we can really start training."
"Skirmish?! Is that what you call riding me around like mount?!" the lion said disbelievingly.
Sung-sun simply giggled, "Knowing her, she probably enjoyed it…"
"What was that snake girl?!" the lion shouted.
"Enough you two…I'm sure White doesn't feel like watching you argue all day," Harribel announced from her seated location.
The orange haired hollow paced as he examined the two Adjuchas, "Surprisingly, you two are pretty fast…more so than I expected. Though, even if you had hit me, I wouldn't have been affected. What kinds of offensive capabilities can you do other than cero?"
"Well…" the lion began, "there is one thing I can do, but it's not very useful yet."
"Just do it…I won't dodge. I want to see what it is," Ichigo said.
Mila Rose sighed, "Alright, but don't laugh…" She inhaled deeply as she faced Ichigo down.
Apacci watched the sight with amusement, "This ought to be good,"
Loly simply shook her head, "What'd you think it's going to be? Some kind of pounce attack?"
"That'd be real original," Menoly laughed sarcastically.
Harribel watched curiously, 'Mila Rose has an ability I don't know about?'
Sung-sun watched her companion curiously, "Well don't keep us in suspense…are you going to do it or not?"
Much to everyone's surprise the lion exhaled a stream of fire from her mouth. The flamethrower engulfed Ichigo right away, but appeared to have no effect as he calmly walked through it.
"Is she spitting fire?!" Loly said disbelievingly.
"What are you eyes broken?! Of course she is!" Apacci shook her head at the other Adjucha.
Harribel's eyes widened at the sight, 'Since when has she been able to do that?'
After her flame breath subsided, Mila Rose panted heavily watching the unscathed Ichigo for any sort of response. The Vasto Lorde laughed much to her embarrassment.
The lion held her head down in shame, "Figures even that isn't all that useful…"
"So much for the big reveal. I can see why you kept this a sec-," Sung-sun chided, but was interrupted mid sentence.
"Actually, that was really, really impressive," Ichigo cut her off, "with a little bit of refinement, you can make that extremely useful in combat."
The snake looked away nervously, now feeling the pressure of having to show something as equally impressive.
"So she shit a bit of fire…how's that supposed to help at all?" Loly scoffed.
Ichigo glanced over at her, "Do you know what happens when poison and fire mixes?"
The Centipede shrugged, "Umm…no? What are you getting at?"
"Come here Loly…launch a blanket of poison that direction. Mila Rose, after she lays it out, use your flame breath on it," Ichigo instructed eagerly.
Loly did as commanded and fired a torrent of poison over the sands. It seemed to sizzle as it corroded the sands. Mila Rose inhaled deeply and spit another barrage of fire in the same area. Everyone minus Ichigo and Harribel immediately took cover as the fire ignited Loly's poison causing a tremendous explosion.
Burning poison began to rain all around them in the aftermath. The Adjuchas all ran into the cave to avoid it. They peeked out anxiously as Ichigo walked towards the entrance looking at the stoic Harribel.
The blonde gave him a strange look, 'I can see how this will bring them all together to work as a team…but why does he want everyone to be so powerful? What's he training them for? What would he possibly need protection from?'
Ichigo took notice of her expression and spoke seriously, "You've done well to protect them, Harribel…but I think you've been holding them back."
She stared at him surprised by his comment, "You think so? Why is that?"
"They're strong, but they suck at fighting…I can understand your need to keep them safe, but they'll never become strong unless you let them fight their own battles as well," he said distantly, "I know you're not fond of the idea, but it'll be more beneficial in the end."
Her green eyes stared into his golden black ones, "That's rather bold of you to say…but I suppose there is truth in it. Though if you don't mind me asking, why are you training so many hollows? Survival is one thing, but you seem to have other priorities."
"Shinigami…they've already tried to kill me twice. It's only a matter of time before they strike again," Ichigo answered darkly.
Harribel seemed shocked by his statement, "Shinigami? And here I thought you were training them to overthrow Barragan."
"I will eventually overthrow Barragan…but not out of my own vanity. I need to unite Hueco Mundo against the Shinigami," Ichigo explained.
The blonde cocked her head curiously, "Why? They never come to our world."
"I recently ventured to the world of the living some time ago. During my visit, four Shinigami captains tried to kill me. They hunt us like animals and condemn us to death just for being what we are. It disgusts me…" Ichigo said bitterly.
Harribel seemed deep in thought, "Have you told your followers yet?"
He shook his head, "They're better off not knowing…for their sake and mine, we need to be ready for anything. Eventually, the Shinigami will come after me again. I hope I can count on you whenever that time comes."
"You have an interesting cause…it's not my place to say whether it's right or wrong, but promise me you will not treat any of them as expendable," Harribel pointed back inside the cave where the five Adjuchas were arguing.
Ichigo looked over there before focusing his gaze back on Harribel, "I would sooner die before anyone took their lives."
"That's commendable…if you truly mean that, then I will gladly fight by your side," Harribel nodded approvingly.
Ichigo gave a curt nod as he made his way towards the cave entrance. Looking inside, he gestured for Sung-sun to come out, "Come here, Sung-sun…it's your turn now. The rest of you can come watch…the fire stopped raining."
"Ahem…well I'm still a bit shaken from that explosion," she tried to dissuade him.
Harribel glanced over at her, "Do as he says, Sung-sun…obey White as if he were me."
"Yes, Lady Harribel," the snake said subserviently. As she followed Ichigo back outside the cave, the others gathered around the blonde Vasto Lorde again.
The green eyed hollow glanced over at Mila Rose, 'I've been holding them back by being too protective…it only would have been a matter of time before something caught me off guard and then they would be defenseless. I think White is right about this…but I hope he knows what he's doing. Starting a war with the Soul Society is dangerous.'
"Alright Sung-sun…show me something special," Ichigo instructed.
The snake looked away shyly, "Well that would be my charms of course…"
"Something useful for fighting," he specified unnecessarily.
Ichigo watched her curiously, 'She definitely doesn't want to show us…unless she doesn't have a special move?'
Sung-sun remained still as she took a deep breath.
"Any day now!" Mila Rose taunted her.
The snake looked down and sighed, "Okay okay…here goes."
They all watched curiously as she did not move. Suddenly Ichigo jerked his sword arm to his side and looked over. Before anyone could figure out what had happened, Sung-sun's body fell over and dissipated.
Where Ichigo's sword was pointed, she suddenly reappeared with a shocked look on her face. Ichigo looked back where she had been previously and chuckled, "So you molted and turned invisible? That's a good way to substitute yourself in battle and catch an enemy off guard."
"Gross…" Mila Rose shook her head at the sight.
Sung-sun jerked her head towards the group, "It's not THAT gross…I am a snake after all."
"No wonder she didn't want to show us…that's not something I'd expect out of miss prissy here," Mila Rose noted.
Ichigo pat the adjucha's side much to her surprise, "Good work, Sung-sun…now since you two have these additional abilities, I'm going to help you refine them into more effective combat tactics."
"So you're not grossed out by it?" Sung-sun asked.
"Why would I be?" Ichigo replied amused.
The snake beamed proudly, "Well, Lord, White, I thank you for your objective appreciation of my natural abilities. Some brutes wouldn't understand…" The snake glanced back at Mila Rose and Ichigo's followers.
"Mila Rose, come back over here…now that I've seen your special abilities, I think it's time we work on them."
"Why do I get the feeling this is going to suck?" Mila Rose groaned.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX One week later XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The following week had been spent on mostly training and teamwork. With the five adjuchas working in better synchronization, Ichigo felt confident that they were ready for a good hunt.
Harribel had been mostly silent in the days that followed her joining forces with Ichigo. The two spoke on occasion regarding the well being of the group, and had grown more trusting of each other. Harribel didn't feel the same uneasiness she had originally, but her mind was still preoccupied with Ichigo's future plans.
She stared at the sands deep in thought, 'Unite Hueco Mundo…is such a thing even possible? Barragan has been trying for ages, but none of the other Vasto Lordes have ever accepted his rule. White has my help…but how does he intend to unite so many powerful hollows? Not all of them will simply stand down. No doubt many will simply see him as another Barragan…but what if he's successful? Could we really stand against the Soul Society?'
Ichigo sat on top of a rock next to her as he watched the five Adjuchas train together. His thoughts drifted off as he contemplated how he was going to unite Hueco Mundo. The blonde stared at him seriously, "Something's been bothering me lately, White…how are you going to unite the other Vasto Lordes? The few that exist are all scattered across the world far from Barragan's gaze. Have you ever met any others besides me?"
"I've met several. They were all so similar, yet different. One of them was Barragan, another was a hollow called Nel, and the last one was…well I don't know his name," Ichigo responded as he recalled the mouthless, green-eyed hollow.
Harribel cocked her head interested, "Why not? Did he not tell you? What were these encounters like?"
Ichigo shook his head, "They were all different. Barragan tried to kill me when I was an Adjucha. Nel actually healed me…but she's different now. As for the one whose name I don't know…he was the most unusual of all. He showed up when he sensed my transformation into a Vasto Lorde. I met him far out in the desert…near the edge of the world. He was unlike any other hollow I've ever seen…"
"How so?" the blonde perked up with an evident interest.
The orange haired hollow shrugged, "It's hard to explain…but he had no mouth. He never spoke to me…but we had an understanding with one another. We spent some time traveling together. He showed me where he was born, and I showed him where I was born…that was the last time I saw him."
"Where were you born? Why were you two separated?" Harribel questioned.
"I was born in the world of the living as a human…supposedly I died a few years ago. When I took the other hollow there, we were attacked by four Shinigami captains…I covered his escape and eventually left myself."
"For you to have evolved in such a short time, is nothing short of impossible. Not that I'm calling you a liar…but that would mean you possess an immensely powerful soul. I've never heard of such a thing…" the blonde said seriously.
"Who could say…" the hollow grunted.
Harribel shrugged, "So what about the mouthless hollow? Do you intend to find him?"
Ichigo sighed, "I've actually been looking for that mouthless hollow ever since I returned…but I got a bit side-tracked when I started training them. I figure he'll show up eventually."
The blonde nodded, "I see…why do you think he hasn't found you yet?"
"Probably because he can't sense me…I've been keeping my power concealed so they can progress. Though now that I think about it, he might have sensed my battle with the Arrancars a while back," Ichigo thought.
"Arrancars? What are they?" Harribel asked confused.
The horned Vasto Lorde snorted, "Hollows with Shinigami powers and attitudes…that Vasto Lorde Nel, I encountered actually became one."
"How does one do that though?" Harribel cocked her head.
Ichigo shrugged, "Something about accepting humanity and removing your mask…I don't know. I mean it was interesting, but not something I can afford to experiment with."
"That makes sense…" Harribel nodded as she turned her head forward again.
The orange haired hollow stood up, "Let's take them hunting…I can sense a large pack of hollows that way."
"Alright…" Harribel nodded as she stood up as well.
"C'mon ladies…it's time to go hunting!" Ichigo announced catching their attention.
They all had the reactions he expected. Loly, and Apacci seemed excited. Menoly appeared focused. Mila Rose and Sung-sun however were somewhat nervous, but kept it to themselves as the seven hollows made their way towards the hollows in the distance.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Several Hours Later XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"That was a good hunt!" Loly laughed joyously. Menoly and Apacci nodded in approval. Mila Rose and Sung-sun were both a bit worn out, but had somewhat relieved faces.
The snake was the first to respond, "That was a bit brutish for my tastes…but not as bad as I imagined."
"I could actually get used to this…it's been forever since we last ate," the lioness said complacently.
Leading the pack, Ichigo and Harribel traded looks with one another. The blonde raised a brow, "You don't think this is a bit much?"
"Not at all…see how easily they took down twenty hollows? I told you we wouldn't have to intervene," Ichigo replied.
She shook her head, "I understand there's safety in numbers, but traveling in a group this big makes us a big target."
"That's the point. That's also why we go with them," Ichigo sighed.
Harribel stared at him blankly, "Interesting…"
"Well I'm pretty tired…so I-" Apacci stopped mid sentence as she jerked her head towards an incredible source of Reiatsu. Loly and Menoly both followed suit, as did Ichigo, Sung-sun, Harribel, and Mila Rose. The horned Vasto Lorde stared into the distance interested, "What is that?"
"I don't think it's a good idea for all of us to go…you should go see what it is. I'll stay with them," Harribel replied.
Ichigo nodded at her, "Good idea. Listen girls, stay with Harribel. I'm going to see what that power source is."
"You'll be alright on your own?" the blonde checked.
He nodded, "Yes…head back to our cave. I'll meet you there later."
"Very well," she nodded before motioning the Adjuchas to follow her.
"Wait, you're going without us?!" Loly said shocked. The look in her eyes was one of worry.
Menoly seemed to share her concern, "A-are you sure? Why can't we go with you?"
"That power source is incredible…Vasto Lorde level. If it is, then he's better off dealing with it alone," Harribel explained.
Apacci shook her head, "I'm going with you!"
"Apacci…stay with Harribel for now…please. I'll be back," Ichigo said calmly.
The deer sent a glare his way, "You better be! We haven't been separated since…" She couldn't find the words to finish her statement and stood there worriedly as Ichigo vanished with a sonido.
Harribel gave the Adjuchas a calm look, "He'll be fine…let's go."
'I wonder what that power is?' she pondered.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX In the distance XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ichigo landed in front of the power source and was surprised to see it was a single hollow. Countless surrounding hollows were dead on the ground nearby. Judging by it's humanoid figure, there was no denying it was a Vasto Lorde, and clearly one of great power.
Ichigo stared at the hollow taking in its appearance fully. Its hair was long and brown, and he had a broken mask fragment hanging by his neck. Ichigo's eyes widened upon noticing this feature, 'Wait, he's not a Vasto Lorde. He's an Arrancar?'
The Arrancar looked at him cautiously. He said nothing as he examined Ichigo with a curious expression. It didn't take long for Ichigo to notice a smaller Arrancar behind him. The smaller one was female and had blonde hair with purple eyes. Both appeared to be curious about Ichigo's immunity to their power.
"How are you still alive?" the smaller hollow spoke as she stared at Ichigo surprised, "nothing that comes near us survives for long."
'Are they threatening me?' he wondered.
"Be careful Lilynette…this one seems different." the brown haired one said lazily.
The blonde girl rolled her one visible eye at him, "Are you seeing this Starrk? This hollow isn't even affected by us."
"Arrancars…what are you doing out here?" Ichigo asked darkly.
Lilynette stared at him confused, "What'd you just call us?! What the hell is an Arrancar? Starrk get over here."
The larger male Arrancar approached Ichigo and gave him an uncertain look, "I've never seen you before…you must be powerful if you're not affected by our spiritual pressure."
"Hey, what's your name?" Lilynette piped up enthusiastically. Ichigo was rather surprised by her eagerness to talk to him.
Starrk on the other hand was less obvious about his interest, but he walked up behind the small blonde.
"My name is White…I'm pretty infamous around these parts. Maybe you've heard of me?" Ichigo replied.
The male Arrancar's blue eyes watched him with uncertainty, "I've never heard of you…but we don't really talk to anyone else."
Ichigo glanced over at the large pile of dead hollows before looking back, "I can imagine why…did you kill all of these hollows?"
"No, they just died…" Starrk shrugged. Although he appeared to not care Ichigo could see a somewhat troubled look in his sad blue eyes.
Lilynette nodded, "Yeah, we didn't kill them on purpose."
"Can you two not control your spiritual power?" Ichigo asked perplexed by the scenario.
As he looked between them something bothered him about the two Arrancars, "You both share identical spiritual power."
"We used to be the same being…" the male Arrancar said lazily.
Ichigo cocked his head confused, "Really? That's unusual. I take you were once a Vasto Lorde then?"
"A what?" Lilynette interjected.
"A Vasto Lorde…a fully evolved hollow. I think we were once one of those, but Lilynette and I aren't the same as the being we used to be," Starrk explained.
"How did you become Arrancars if you were once a single Vasto Lorde?" Ichigo asked curiously. Part of him couldn't help but ponder some of the things Nel had told him while awaiting their answer. 'She said when a Vasto Lorde has nothing to live for it goes feral…I wonder if this was the result of that? Could it have split its soul in an attempt to regain its humanity?'
"All I remember is being alone…I can't really answer your question because neither one of us really know. Like I said, we're not the Vasto Lorde," Starrk replied with a sigh.
"What was that power spike just then? I sensed you from very far away?" Ichigo asked trying to piece the mystery together.
Lilynette shrugged, "I don't know…Starrk just fired a cero for no reason into the sky."
"Why? Were you hoping somebody would come?" The orange haired hollow began to theorize.
Starrk simply shrugged, "I don't know…it's just really boring out here. There's nothing to this desert. I honestly didn't expect it to attract so many hollows."
"So that's what happened here?" Ichigo said examining the dead, "you're looking for other powerful hollows? If that's the case, I'm surprised you haven't joined the other Arrancars then…" Ichigo said deep in thought.
"Others? You're saying there are hollows as powerful as we are that all live together?" he asked interested.
Ichigo shrugged, "Well yes and no…I've only encountered a few Arrancars in my travels, and you two appear a lot stronger than most of them. Though I'm sure they wouldn't mind one of their own joining them."
"You seem to know a lot…you said you were infamous? What for?" Lilynette questioned anxiously.
Ichigo looked into the distance and pointed towards the direction of Las Noches, "In the center of this desert…resides a palace. I've never been there, but supposedly the King of Hueco Mundo built it. I battled him once as an Adjucha…and he's hunted me ever since. His minions fear me because I don't fear him."
"I wasn't aware such conflicts existed here…" Starrk yawned, "but why did you battle in the first place?"
"He demanded that I submit to him…and I refused. I don't like it when others try to control me," Ichigo replied.
The brown haired Arrancar seemed distant in thought, "I've never been that close to a palace. It sounds interesting though. I'm surprised you would turn down an offer like that."
Ichigo gave him a confused look, "Are you saying you wouldn't?"
Starrk shrugged, "Being all powerful and uncontrolled isn't what it's cracked up to be…I'd trade my power for companionship any day."
Upon hearing his comment, Ichigo's eyes widened in an epiphany, 'I get it now…so that's why he split in two. He was lonely? Maybe he never learned how to restrain his power? Could it be that these two have only ever known each other's company?'
As he reflected on this information, Ichigo thought about all the different Vasto Lordes he had encountered. They all shared one fundamental similarity…they didn't want to be alone and they wanted others to acknowledge them. Barragan surrounded himself with armies and built a palace, Nel joined the Arrancars and helped others to do so, Harribel and himself gathered and protected Adjucha companions, and now these two…who literally became two beings to cope with the loneliness.
Ichigo took a step back and stared at the two of them. He couldn't find the words to say as he processed all of this information. Starrk crossed his arms, 'He must be insanely powerful…I wonder if he's experienced the same loneliness as we have.'
Lilynette broke the silence as she spoke up excitedly, "So you must be really strong if you want to fight the king."
"Yes…I've been training my followers and gathering allies for the day I do," Ichigo responded.
Starrk tilted his head, "You have followers and allies? They don't die in your presence?"
The Vasto Lorde shook his head, "No they don't…I use my power sparingly around them."
"How? The way weaker hollows die when they come near us isn't something we can really control…" Starrk noted.
"That's probably because you've never needed to learn how. Were you born a Vasto Lorde? Have you ever fought anyone before?" Ichigo asked.
Lilynette glanced back at Starrk who seemed distant in thought, "I don't remember anything…"
"I don't know if it'll help, but the best way to control your powers I think is to use them and fight someone," Ichigo said as he charged a cero between his horns. Lilynette's one visible eye widened, "What are you doing?"
"Catch this," Ichigo said as he fired his cero at the Arrancars. Starrk was somewhat surprised by the colossal red beam that fired at him. Instinctively, he charged a blue one over his mask fragment to counter it.
The red and blue beams were deadlocked for nearly a minute before Ichigo added more force to his. The desert rumbled from the force, and a sandstorm kicked up from the pressure. Winds exploded in all directions carrying seared sand which quickly turned into glass. Both ceros intensified the longer the deadlock lasted.
Starrk could barely believe the unusual sensation he felt from the standstill. Ichigo's power continued to soar much to his surprise as it slowly began to push Starrk's cero back. His eyes widened, 'What the? Is he stronger than I am? I can't push his cero back.'
He continued to be pushed back and wondered what to do. Lilynette, who was standing right next to him quickly voiced her opinion, "What are you doing Starrk?! Push him back! Stop being lazy and put some effort into it! You're not even trying!"
'I am trying though…there's just no stopping this attack,' he thought grimly. The Arrancar quickly realized he had no choice but to fight back. He held up both hands and fired two additional ceros. Added to his original one, he managed to stop Ichigo's colossal red cero from pushing him any further. At first they even managed to push Ichigo back a bit.
Ichigo was surprised by the sheer power behind it, 'This guy isn't even trying that hard…he might have been more powerful than Barragan before splitting in two. If the girl is his other half…then he must be very powerful.'
Both of his swords shot out and channeled blackened spiritual energy over them. Ichigo swung them in a cross slash torrent empowering his own cero. This completely overwhelmed Starrk's much to the Arrancar's disbelief. His eyes widened as he grabbed Lilynette and narrowly avoided the powerful attack now freely firing into the distance.
After it subsided, Starrk exhaled the breath he was holding and shook his head, "That was…unexpected."
"What the hell was that?! He overpowered you?!" Lilynette said shocked.
They both looked over at Ichigo who turned towards them again, "Fire another one…"
"I'd rather not…" Starrk said as he dusted himself off.
Lilynette seemed to be in a state of disbelief, "He's super powerful Starrk…"
"Obviously…" the man replied as he pat her on the head. She brushed his hand back annoyed, "Aren't you going to say something?!"
"I think we should leave…" Starrk said as he looked into the distance.
"What why?!" his other half pestered, but her question was quickly answered when a green cero fired out of nowhere. It nearly rivaled the size of the one Ichigo fired. Starrk held up his arms and fired a counter attack.
He managed to throw off its trajectory after a short struggle, causing another surge of spiritual power to erupt. Starrk's eyes widened as a white figure landed next to Ichigo. It had wings, horns, and oddly enough no mouth. Though the green eyes were haunting.
Ichigo recognized the green spiritual energy and turned towards Ulquiorra surprised, "It's you? So you finally found me?"
The green eyed hollow had a strange look of relief upon seeing Ichigo, 'It feels like an eternity since we last met…it's good to be in his company once again. I'm glad he made it back in one piece.' Ulquiorra gave the orange haired Vasto Lorde a curt nod before turning towards Starrk with a stoic glare.
"Who's that?" Lilynette gasped.
'These two appear to be Shinigami…but they have fragmented masks. They're clearly powerful, but are they hollows? Why are they attacking White?' Ulquiorra wondered as he looked between the two powerful Arrancars.
"He's a friend of mine…we met after I became a Vasto Lorde," Ichigo answered Lilynette.
Lilynette traded a strange look with Starrk, "He doesn't have a mouth…what is he?"
Ulquiorra charged another cero on his finger and pointed it at the Arrancars. Ichigo quickly reached up and grasped the cero closing it shut in his grip. It soon dissipated leaving Ichigo holding Ulquiorra's fingers. He looked at the green eyed hollow calmly, "They're not enemies…"
'White…I wonder what his interest in these beings is?' Ulquiorra wondered as he lowered his hand.
Starrk simply stared at the two of them somewhat anxiously, "So you two are both Vasto Lordes? He follows you?"
"Not just him…I have other companions as well. I'm gathering allies," Ichigo said as he glanced over at Ulquiorra.
Starrk seemed interested, "I see…and you want to become the King of Hueco Mundo? What for?"
"To unite the hollows against the Shinigami…and so none of us have to endure this place alone," he stated seriously.
Ulquiorra turned towards him with a look of approval, 'He's like a light in the darkness…drawing all of us to him. If any hollow was meant to rule here, it'd be him.'
The Arrancar seemed genuinely amazed by the statement. Starrk looked over at Lilynette uncertainly before turning back towards Ichigo, "Can we join you? Lilynette and I have always wanted allies."
"Of course you can…I'll look out for you if you look out for me. There's no reason why we shouldn't stick together," Ichigo nodded.
"I never properly introduced myself…my name is Coyote Starrk…and this is Lilynette Gingerback," the Arrancar spoke.
"I go by White, but my real name is Ichigo…feel free to call me either," the Orange haired hollow responded.
Ulquiorra tilted his head curiously, 'Ichigo? That must have been his human name…'
"What's his name?" Lilynette piped up as she pointed at Ulquiorra.
Ichigo glanced over at his long-lost companion and shrugged, "I don't know…he doesn't talk, but that doesn't matter to me. We're kindred spirits of a sort…"
"What's that mean?" Lilynette asked.
"It means they're alike," Starrk answered for her. The Arrancar narrowed his gaze at Ulquiorra cautiously, 'If a hollow like that came all this way to join up with him then this Ichigo guy is definitely worth following. Not to mention…I was not expecting him to be that powerful. Things will definitely be interesting with him around.'
"Hey Ichigo…" Lilynette tested his name eagerly, "when are you going to fight the King?"
"Very soon…" he said, "but first, I want to regroup with everyone."
Starrk looked away somewhat distantly, "I don't know if me being around them is a good idea…my spiritual pressure might kill them."
"If mine hasn't killed them then you have nothing to worry about, Starrk. Besides…they're tougher than you think," Ichigo reassured him. It seemed to be effective in relaxing him.
Lilynette wasted no time jumping on Ichigo's back and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pointed forward, "Take us there!"
Ichigo simply chuckled at her newfound excitement, "Alright…but you better hold on, I am fast."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Back at the cave XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"I'm worried about him…how long has it been?" Apacci paced.
Mila Rose shook her head at the deer, "You're all worked up…will you stop pacing already?"
"I can't! I've been with Ichigo for so long now that I feel weird with him not being here," she shot back.
Sung-sun lowered her head, "Been with him huh? You have a funny way of saying things."
"You just had to make this more awkward didn't you?" Menoly sighed in annoyance. Loly was silent much to everyone's surprise as she simply sat near the entrance with Harribel. The Adjucha looked over at the Vasto Lorde concerned, "What do you sense? Is he okay?"
"I sense several strange spiritual signatures out there…I can't tell if what's happening, but it's definitely very strong."
Apacci ran towards the entrance and looked in the direction of a strange power surge, "That's it, I'm going! I can't just sit around here and wait any longer!"
"Stop…he wanted us to wait here for him, so we will. White will be alright…in fact, it feels as if that power is receding. Maybe he's resolved whatever it was already," Harribel theorized.
Close to an hour passed as everyone sat in uncomfortable silence. Apacci continued pacing nonstop before finally shrieking, "Oh c'mon! It's been forever! When's Ichigo coming back?!"
Answering her hysteria, said hollow suddenly appeared in sight. Apacci charged out towards him happily but stopped in her tracks when she noticed the three hollows behind him. The rest of the party followed suit and shared her surprise as they examined the very unusual newcomers.
Neither side spoke for an awkward moment, until Ichigo decided to break the ice, "I'm back…I recruited some new allies too."
"Some of them look like Arrancars! And what's with the mouthless hollow? Jeez…where'd you find this lot?" Loly announced.
For some reason Ulquiorra began to get more and more annoyed every time someone referred to him as "mouthless hollow."
Harribel made her way to the front and examined Ulquiorra and Starrk almost amazedly, "So you're actually going to do it then…"
"Do what?" Sung-sun interjected curiously.
"Unite Hueco Mundo…" she replied.
Ichigo nodded, "Defeating Barragan's just the start…though I think it's about time I confronted him."
"This is so cool!" Lilynette cheered. Starrk simply chuckled to himself, 'Where has this guy been all our lives? I'm surprised he wasn't the King already…'
'I wish I could say something to him…' Ulquiorra thought as he placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. The orange haired hollow glanced back at him. Though no words were exchanged, Ichigo could tell that it was meant as a gesture of approval.
The horned hollow grinned as he faced towards Las Noches. His power soared momentarily traveling a great distance towards his destination to be. A considerable distance away, sitting on his throne, a bony Skeleton hollow stood up and faced Ichigo's direction. Though they were leagues apart, they could sense the other was issuing a challenge. Barragan laughed as he turned towards his nearest servants, "Ggio…spread the word; White is coming."
The saber tooth Adjucha paled, "Y-yes sir…should I call for our forces to fall back to Las Noches?"
"Not just our forces, but every hollow is invited…I think's it's about time I put an end to this arrogant fool. If he wishes to fight me, then it will be witnessed by all," Barragan stated.
Ggio nodded, "As you say, my king!"
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