Chapitre 27: Las Noches (1)
" Hey, did you hear?"
" Hear what?"
" I heard master Bikou returned to the palace today."
In the middle of Las Noches, two young Arrancar women where in the middle of discussing the return of Bikou, who hadn't stepped foot in Las Noches in years, to the palace.
" No way. I didn't think he'd show up here. No one's seen him here since... Since Szayelapporro went crazy."
The young woman thought vividly back to the battle between Bikou and the former espada.
Szayelapporro had lost control of his battle rage and ended up killing a few members of the espada in a rage forcing Bikou to step in and put a stop to his battle rage.
" I don't like remembering that day. The spiritual pressure from those two was horrible. I've never felt something so crushing. What do you think he's here for?"
" I'm not sure, maybe lord Aizen called him."
The two girls suddenly felt a rather large presence looming behind them.
" Loly, Menoly... What are you girls whispering about?"
The two young women, turned around and nearly screamed when Bikou appeared behind them.
" Lord Bikou... We didn't know you were here."
" Please forgive us."
Loly, the raven-haired young woman, and Menoly, the blonde, both dropped to their knees in front of Bikou, sweat dripping down their faces.
The established Hierarchy made it clear that they were inferior in just about every way, and that's not including his god-like Spiritual pressure, which measured higher than even the strongest Espada.
A deep fear was put into the hearts of Loly and Menoly. However, instead of being ostracized and berated, a soft hand gently placed on each of their heads made the two women feel at ease.
" Relax, you two. I don't mind the talk."
Loly and Menoly looked up into Bikou's smiling face, their hearts fluttering with butterflies. The tense feeling of dread that had built up within them had lifted.
" Lord Bikou." Loly muttered. " You know my name?"
" Of course, I do. I make sure to keep track of all my people. And as far as to what I'm doing here, I'm just taking a break is all. Not much to do in Hueco Mundo now, with Aizen rounding everyone worth a damn up here." Bikou told the girls. He gave them an extra hard rub on the head and then started walking away. " Anyway, I'll see you girls around."
Bikou walked away from the two girls, waving his hand.
" That was... Surprising. I didn't think he'd be... So nice." Menoly muttered. " Loly what do you- huh?" Menoly looked towards her friend, only to discover her holding her head and smiling.
A disturbing sight since Loly hardly ever smiled.
" Are you alright?" She asked.
" Did you see that? He rubbed my head."
Loly let out a small squeak of excitement leaving her friend quite literally speechless.
" Wow, Loly. I didn't think I'd see the day."
" Oh shut up!"
................
Bikou found himself hanging around Las Noches more and more every day, the joy of hunting in the desert had lost much of its luster and there was just more to do within the palace. Especially with all the things Aizen brought to the world.
Drinks other than blood or booze. Food other than hollow meat.
It was all such a drastic change that those who could partake in it chose to do so.
" Bah this is boring." Bikou muttered. He looked around the halls and sighed.
Not a single soul in sight. Not one of interest anyway.
" How long has it been since I've been in a fight, huh? It's so lame."
" Well, you can't be mad about that. After all... Who would want to fight you?"
Bikou's ears perked up and turned to see Dordoni standing behind him.
" Dordoni. You've gotten stronger, good."
" Thank you, Nino. A fine compliment coming from you. One i sorely needed, especially after today." Dordoni muttered.
" What's up?"
" You haven't heard? I figured as much." He spoke. " Aizen has been busy, replacing the current ranks of the Espada."
" What? Is that right? Well, who didn't make the cut?" Bikou asked.
" Myself, picaro, and Gantenbainne." Dordoni explained.
" Is that right. So, everyone else is the same? Number four and eight got killed by Szayelapporro. I killed ten when he challenged me. And there never was a rank one. That means out of the ten spots, six of them are currently open." Bikou stated. " That's kind of lazy. So, who took your spot?"
" Ah, a young woman with long blue hair. I believe her name was, Nel." Dordoni muttered.
" Oh? That's a name I recognize. I might have to go pay her visit." Bikou muttered. " Anyone else that's new?"
" Number eight is now a man named Nnoitra, number ten has been taken up by a newcomer Yammy, lady Nel at 3, and number two now belongs to the former ruler of Hueco Mundo, Lord Barragan."
That name caused quite the reaction from Bikou. His eyes widened in pure shock upon hearing the name of the former king of Hueco Mundo.
" The old man actually agreed to sign on with Aizen? The man who took his throne from him? Now that's funny. He no doubt has some plan in mind to try and kill Aizen."
" You think so?"
" I know so, Dordoni. It's in his nature to rule over others. To submit to another being just isn't in him. Aizen probably recruited him for that exact reason. He certainly does like it when his subjects are motivated. Looks like this place might be getting a little interesting after all." Bikou muttered.
He placed his hands in his pockets and looked out over the vast horizon of Las Noches.
" Well, I better get going. Don't give up just because you lost your rank, Dordoni. Keep getting stronger and maybe you'll earn the right to fight Nel for the spot again."
" Where are you going, Nino?"
" Me? Oh, I'm going to meet the new kids. I want to see what they can do. And I also want to pay a visit to an old acquaintance. See ya around, Dordoni." Bikou bid farewell to the former espada with a wave.
.................
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone