(Las Noches: Starrk's Palace)
The new king of the Hollows made his way to the palace of the previous Primera, once again wondering what to do with the title of Espada when he had less than ten Arrancar, wondering what was on the mind of the one with the aspect of isolation. He was being led by a silent Exequias through the empty hallways of Starrk's palace, noticing a recurring element throughout Las Noches. The entire palace of Las Noches was gigantic and is populated by so few of anyone, barely more than twenty after the Winter War. Ichigo made a mental note to see if it could be rectified before they stopped in front of a doorway.
"Is this where Coyote Starrk resides?" Ichigo asked his guide, earning a mute nod from the figure. "Thank you. Dismissed." He said, prompting the Exequias to flash away, before knocking on the door. It was soon opened by a young girl Arrancar with a lopsided horned helmet covering her green hair and left eye along with wearing a rather scandalous outfit, given that she looked like a child.
"Lord Ichigo." She greeted with a bow of her head. "I am Lilynette Gingerback, Starrk's Fraccion. Follow me." She walked back into the tower with Ichigo close behind. "I appreciate you coming to speak with him. Starrk's been... he hasn't been himself lately."
"Ulquiorra told me he's usually lazing about or sleeping." Ichigo returned, going off what he was told about the Espada he hadn't met. "My dad said that his conversation with Starrk involved myself and my power. What is the problem he's having?" He asked before they came upon another door, Lilynette turning to the hybrid.
"I may be his other half, but he insists on dealing with this himself." She said, making Ichigo raise an eyebrow at the 'other half' bit. "Starrk and I only ever had each other before Aizen came along, and now you show up and reveal just how unlucky we were in the beginning." Without another word, she disappeared and left Ichigo with only one real choice: meeting with the Arrancar in question. He pushed the doors apart and found Coyote Starrk facing him, sitting on a pile of pillows with his fingers crossed in front of him.
"I can't remember how many times I wished to be weak." He suddenly said, looking to his king. "To no longer be so strong that everything around me simply died. One day, in an effort to escape that isolation, I split myself in two; becoming myself and Lilynette." He stood up and walked to Ichigo. "Not too long after that, Aizen found and approached me, offering the chance I longed for. I served him until the war and you appeared, proving to be like my complete opposite. I was alone because of my power, you had companions despite yours. Answer me this, how could you be so strong and still have companions? Was I just that unfortunate to be a Hollow? Would it have been different if I was a Soul Reaper? Would I have those same friendships that you do if I was a protector?" Ichigo took in everything Starrk said to him, closing in eyes in thought as he pondered the matter.
"It may be that it was your bad luck in being a Hollow." Ichigo admitted, opening his eyes to match Starrk's gaze. "But you also prove that theory wrong with the existence of Lilynette." He held up a hand and generated a large ball of Reishi. "The burden of the mighty has always been controlling their power. The common way is when Shinigami apply seals to ourselves." A random symbol appeared on the ball and it shrank to a quarter of its size. "That was because they've learned how to do so for the purpose of wandering the World of the Living without causing a disturbance." The sphere returned to its normal size before splitting in two, one big and one small. "From what I understand of the Arrancar, you've learned to separate yourselves into parts. However, it also seems that you were the first to do this practice and establish it for future Arrancar." The spheres disappeared as Ichigo refocused on Starrk. "You created something that didn't exist before, did so because you wanted something and found how to get it. You might be the greatest of the Arrancar, finding your own way when the others followed or stayed isolated."
"I certainly never felt great." The coyote returned, averting his gaze from the hybrid. "I hated every single day of that isolation." He soon felt a hand on his shoulder to see something he never saw before with Aizen, a genuinely kind smile.
"You are the only one isolating yourself now." The Hollow king told him. "You have your fellow Arrancar, Gin, so many more friends to make, and most of all, your other half." Ichigo looked to the side, prompting Lilynette to come out of hiding and joining Starrk's side. "So, if it helps, I now appoint you as the 'Protector of Arrancar'. Which means you now have to go and talk with the others." Starrk let out a quick snort of laughter at his king's subtle way of telling him his aspect no longer applied. "And while you're at it, gather more Hollows that might make for good Arrancar. This castle is way too empty!" He shouted as he turned and left, leaving the coyote alone with themselves.
"Come on Starrk!" Lilynette shouted, pulling along her other half. "You heard the king! Time to get to work with our allies!" Starrk let out a tired groan of irritation, trying to disguise the smile he was now wearing.
(Urahara Shoten/Squad 15 Barracks: With Isshin)
"They have been doing well in class." Yamamoto said to Isshin via video communication, who had just told him what his daughters wanted. "But, while I certainly believe that they've had plenty of experience and training, I still disagree with letting them in on the live exercise."
"With all respect sir, I wouldn't have it any other way." Isshin returned to the dragon. "In comparison to their brother, their training has been far easier. Which isn't even taking into consideration the difference in power and ability, which was like comparing a match to a bonfire." He said while thinking back to the years of training he put his kids through. Ichigo was almost half their age when he started and they got started in junior high, all while trying to keep it to a hidden minimum to avoid suspicions. "I'll break the news to them-"
"I didn't say 'no' Isshin." The Head Captain interrupted, earning a confused look from the father. "I simply disagree with the idea. They are still far too young but they do have the potential, and whether I admit it or not, they are Ichigo's ultimate vulnerabilities. I dread to think of what might happen if Yhwach got his hands on them." He said, making Isshin think about reliving his worst nightmare with someone more vile than Aizen.
"So you'll have them participate?" The squad 15 captain asked.
"They'll watch first." Yamamoto answered. "I'm going to ask Gin and Ichigo to gather the weakest combat capable Hollows possible to increase the difficulty of the exercise. Since it's happening in your jurisdiction, I trust your division will be there to contain the matter." Isshin nodded in affirmative of his leader's orders. "Good. Afterward, we can have Yuzu and Karin get their practice in."
(Las Noches, Training Grounds: With Ichigo)
Ichigo found himself in a rare moment of solitude and peace. Gin received the order to gather cannon fodder Hollows for the latest live exercise of the academy students and instead of joining him, like he was asked, Dordoni insisted on doing it instead. Starrk was getting better acquainted with the other Arrancar while Ulquiorra and Grimmjow went out to recruit more Arrancar so the coyote could learn to bond with his allies. Thus, with nothing better to do, Ichigo tried to work on visualization exercises to better utilize Kyoka Suigetsu's Shikai. He sat in a meditative state, trying to create the image in his mind as Reishi gathered and took form in front of him. It was a black feather from his Bankai state, or that was what he was going for. It was the general form but none of the finer details, just a shape with an aura of red around it. He released a sigh of frustration as the Reishi dissipated.
"Trouble, lord Ichigo?" He heard from behind, seeing Halibel with her Fraccion coming toward him. "Difficulty in your training?"
"Unfortunately yes." He said, rising from his seat. "It's just like when I tried to manifest my bow." He activated his Quincy bow, only getting an ethereal cloud of black Reishi shaped like a bow. "I could get by with my power but Kyoka Suigetsu demands finer control, demands that I think more in battle and I've always fought with my instincts. Acting without thought."
"And if you're in a fight, you'll need to focus on your thoughts." Halibel added, understanding the difficulty her liege was facing. "If you would have me, I'll spar with you." She offered, earning a raised eyebrow from Ichigo.
"You are aware of my power, right?" He asked, getting a nod in return. "So why ask?"
"I also know that you are being restricted in the power you can currently access." She said, pointing at the seals on his clothes. "And I've been wanting to fight you myself." She grabbed her hollowed blade and stood ready to fight. "I've heard what others say about you, but I want to see for myself the kind of person you are." Ichigo unsheathed Kyoka Suigetsu and readied himself to fight.
"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu." He whispered as Halibel charged at him. He tried and failed at creating an illusion of him moving one way as the Arrancar intercepted him and tried to slice his side. Ichigo growled in frustration while the blade failed to cut through the clothes Senjumaru made, getting more and more irritated with his failures. 'What am I doing wrong Kyoka!?' He roared mentally, dashing away from Halibel and attempting another illusion where he went off to the side.
"I was hoping you'd recognize it for yourself," She told him as Halibel shot blasts of energy at him, "but that probably won't happen since you've always pushed yourself." The shark charged a Cero in her blade and swung it at her king, which Ichigo cut through with ease.
'You've got to be kidding me. I'm trying too hard? That cliché!?' He roared angrily as Halibel activated her Resurreccion. 'I actually fell into that!?' The dark skinned Arrancar shot a barrage of water droplet bullets that Ichigo either dodged or deflected.
"You seem to think that Aizen created images out of nothing. That there was never anything when you thought you saw something." The Zanpakuto returned as Halibel closed the distance and tried an overhead strike on Ichigo. "But that was not what he did to make himself so dangerous. It was always misdirection, seeing one thing as another."
'That's what I'm trying do to.' Ichigo knocked the massive blade aside and thrust his palm into Halibel, sending her flying back.
"You forget how much you need to alter. A single feint can end a fight instantly." She said before going silent, confident that her wielder could figure out the rest. Faith that wasn't misplaced as Ichigo closed his eyes, focused his mind, and got ready to strike. Halibel raised her blade to her right side to block a swing, only to change and block from a different angle despite Ichigo not moving. Physically at least, in his mind he was readying a new strike to Halibel's shoulder. She blocked, only to see the blade coming for her opposite side and getting cut. She took a step back as she saw Ichigo pull his blade away and into a high stance. Reacting automatically, she prepared for an overhead strike and was rewarded with a cut across her thighs that she only saw at the last second. For her, Ichigo was moving one way one second and another the next.
'A single feint can end a fight and a single second is all it takes to change one completely.' Ichigo recited one of the many main principles of combat that his teachers drilled into his skull, that the course of a fight can change instantly. The spar continued with Ichigo getting as much practice with his illusions as he felt comfortable with, trying to avoid damaging his partner too much. Halibel was benefiting as well, her reflexes sharpening with every strike. She was able to see the real attack at the last second and successfully block about twenty-five percent of the time. She was about to perform another attack when Ichigo sheathed his blade. "That's enough. Thank you Halibel." He said, freezing her on the spot.
"...Are you sure lord Ichigo?" She asked, surprised with the thanks. Baraggan would toss away lives without care while Aizen would offer his kind words, which were always hollow to the observant. This was the first time the Arrancar heard someone with such power say such words and actually mean them. "I feel we're making progress in this spar so should we not-" Ichigo lightly pushed her and she felt a sense of vertigo from blood loss.
"You're covered in cuts and this is your Resurreccion." He said as the Tres Bestias came to their mistress's side. "I heard your aspect was supposed to be 'sacrifice'. I understand the meaning, but do not make any sacrifice if it can be avoided. You are not my pawns, you are my comrades." He looked to the amazon of the Fraccion. "Get her to Roka. It's late for me." And with that, he left to go to his bedchambers.
(Karakura Town: With Chad)
Night fell upon the city as the peace following Aizen's defeat continued to reign. The knowledge of the coming war with the Quincy did put an edge on everyone, but for now they all took what they could get. Chad had finished doing what Kisuke referred to as 'Spirit Rehabilitation' to try to recover from his use of Diablo Gigante and was now walking home with Jackie. Ever since his fight with Yammy, she's been spending more time with him and helping as she could. The two were sparring earlier and are now ending the day.
"How soon before you think you'll be back to a hundred percent?" She asked as they made their way through town, enjoying the rare silence of the city since Isshin gave his squad some leave time. "Think you'll be ready in time for the Quincy?" Sado brought his fist up and looked at it, feeling the power inside his being.
"I'm not sure I'll actually fully recover, but I will be back in fighting shape before they attack." He said, sounding confident though he might've been trying to convince himself that he'll be fine. The setback was such that he could only use his Giant's Right and Devil's Left, not his Doble Brazos and he couldn't even consider his max. "I'm just glad that the fighting is over for now." He said just before sensing a familiar presence. 'Wait... do I know this Reiatsu?' He thought before Jackie pushed him away as something slammed down between them.
"I found you~." It sang in an all too familiar tone, one Chad swore to remember as he beat the owner to near death before Ichigo sent it to Hell. "Now, time for some payback." Jackie appeared by Chad's side and helped him up.
"Old friend?" She asked as they looked at the figure. He was rather large with long protrusions on his forearms that Chad knew held wings with small lengths of chains hanging off his arms. He wore a big black cloak that concealed his body and had white gloves and boots with a light bulb shaped mask that was expressionless and split between white and gray.
"One that should be in Hell." Chad said, immediately activating his Fullbring. His shield didn't manifest, but he would make due. Jackie quickly joined Chad in going to her max level and getting herself covered in filth. "How did you get out?" He demanded of the returned Shrieker.
"That's my little secret." He said, jumping at the Fullbringers. The two dodged using Bringer Light, Chad was charging an El Directo while Jackie started attacking as hard and as fast as she could. The grunts of Shrieker echoed through the air as he withstood each attack until she kicked him upward and into the clear for Chad. He was about to fire the energy blast when he saw something come out of Shrieker's mouth. Chad recognized the tongue and looked to see him and Jackie surrounded by the little monsters Shrieker always had.
"Jackie run!" Chad cried out as a high pitched noise rang out, after the imps started spraying the explosive leeches. The two barely managed to escape the explosions and get to the air, where Shrieker was waiting for Chad. The sinner immediately started punching Chad, throwing him back to the ground, before holding out his arms and firing a barrage of explosive bullets at him.
"DIE! DIE! DIE!" Shrieker cried out, wanting to taste sweet revenge as much as possible but not risk too much exposure. "Feel my suffering!" He yelled as Jackie blindsided him with an ax kick to his head, stunning the man as she delivered another kick and sent him flying down. "That bitch!" He growled as he examined his cloak, making sure he was still covered. "I'll take my time with her next." He turned and received a hard punch to his mask, sending him flying and almost breaking it.
"That did hurt, but I went through worse." Chad said, panting heavily due to all the explosions he withstood. He was burned and bleeding, but he refused to drop. Shrieker rose back up and felt his mask, grunting in annoyance.
"Damn it! Guess that's it for now." A ring of blue fire appeared behind him as he slowly sank into it. "You won't be so lucky next time. I'll come back from Hell as many times as I need. Until I finally-" Jackie interrupted him with a kick to his side, knocking him away from the portal, before she jumped away from it out of fear. Chad took the chance to dash to Shrieker and grab him by the mask, guessing that it had some importance to the sinner's presence out of Hell.
"You are going back to Hell." Chad promised, strengthening his grip until the mask shattered. "The way you deserve." The visible eye looked at the Fullbringer in fear as Chad lifted and threw him into the air. The Gates of Hell soon appeared and opened, chained wrapping around Shrieker as a massive blade stabbed into him again, the cries of the damned falling on deaf ears all the while. Jackie used her Clean Boots to remove the filth before going to Chad's side, just as he collapsed. Meanwhile, on a rooftop overseeing the pair, Isshin took full measure of the situation.
"We're never gonna catch a break are we?"
(Illustrated Guide to Soul Reapers)
Halibel's Opinion
"So lady Halibel, what do you think of our new king?" Apacci asked her mistress as they helped her along.
"I want his children." She said almost instantly, shocking her three subordinates.
"That must've been a rough fight, she's not thinking clearly." Mila Rose followed, not believing what she just heard.
"I've never felt this hot before." The water Arrancar said, prompting both Mila and Apacci to pick her up and rush to Roka, certain their leader was delirious from blood loss, with Sung-Sun by herself.
"I didn't think a shark could get so thirsty."
Mayuri's Progress
"What are these readings?" Urahara asked as he went to his lieutenant to help analyze something new popping up in the Living World, only to find Mayuri buried under crumpled balls of paper. "Are... are you okay Mayuri?"
"Other than another dead end with the Arrancar experiments... peachy." The psychotic scientist grumbled out. He then screamed in frustration and burst out of the pile. "So close and it was just another dead end! At this point, I'm tempted to clone their missing parts and surgically implant them!"
"Odd way to make a Hollow whole." Urahara returned, forgetting about his unknown scans. "Did you try it?"
"NO! BECAUSE IT'S RIDICULOUS!"
"...Wanna try anyway?"
"Yes, actually." Kurotsuchi said, calming down immediately. "I could use the distraction."