[REMINDER: This is where I start mixing DxD and the Fate series into Awakens. At the same time, Ichigo is in the Akame ga Kill world and that will be covered in Ichigo Awakens: Soul Conviction. Burn the Witch is already a part of Bleach canon.]
Protecting the Kingdom
(Hueco Mundo)
It was a quiet day in the endless deserts of Hueco Mundo, naught but sand and night as far as the eye can see except for one place. A single shining light, brightest light in all of Hueco Mundo, the Torre Estrella, standing above the palace of Las Noches and signaling all other cognizant Hollows to join the kingdom of Arrancar. A peace that was rarely broken by hungry Adjuchas that escaped the Forest of Menos and aim to evolve to the next stage, some hoping to be recognized by the court of knights that protect the palace and the Steward that governs in the absence of the King. All to end their own fear of being lost in the mindless drone of the Gillian or execution by the hands of the sixteenth squad of Soul Society. For many it was a simple choice, but there have been some rogue and stubborn elements that seek to conquer the kingdom for themselves. That quiet peace ended that day with powerful shockwaves of force, Cero blasts, and roars of anger.
"DIE!" Grimmjow roared, clad black in his Segunda Etapa, attacking another Arrancar. He dashed at his opponent, slashing with his claws and tearing through air and sand as the Arrancar dodged. The Arrancar had silver toned skin, chin length turquoise hair, yellow eyes, with his hole below his collar bone and Hollow mask fragment on his right cheek, just under his eye and wrapped around his head, and green wings of energy shooting from his back. Grimmjow glared at him with fury, but he just held that cocky smirk as he dodged Grimmjow's claws. "YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO STARRK! Desgarron!" The panther promised as energy blades from his claws appeared while he continued to slash at his opponent.
"Hollows, Arrancar, all serving a Soul Reaper. How pathetic." The man taunted as he continued to dodge Grimmjow. It was a normal day in Hueco Mundo, then he tried to invade and conquer Las Noches. Coyote Starrk was napping along the outer wall but still kept his Pesquisa up in case something happened but just when he did sense something, he felt something strike him in the gut and send him through the roof of the Palace. Rudbornne's Exquias squad of endless soldiers were little more than grains of sand against the attacker's storm and Runuganga wasn't permitted in the castle for safety reasons. It didn't take long for the others to storm in and retaliate, forcing him to retreat but not without issuing a threat that Las Noches would be his. Starrk was still unconscious and badly injured, Grimmjow had charged after him and while Gin and Ulquiorra tried to figure out who the Arrancar was, the others were on high alert for anything else attacking the palace. "Where's your pride as a Hollow?"
"In serving my king, the strongest of us all." The panther growled at his opponent, blasting a Cero at him that failed to hit as the Arrancar dodged and laughed the whole while. "If you want Ichigo's throne, you'll have to go through me first!" He attempted another slash at the invader, who generated a blade of energy from his hand. The two were locked in their struggle, Grimmjow struggling while his opponent showed almost no effort on his part.
"Is that Soul Reaper really so impressive?" The silver Arrancar asked, refusing to believe that any Shinigami could be stronger than he. "He didn't feel that strong when I attacked. And if he is as powerful as you claim, then why send a lackey here to fight his battles?" He continued to taunt, making Grimmjow grow more furious with the arrogant Arrancar, before he was suddenly blasted by a Bala shot from Ulquiorra's hand.
"His majesty, Ichigo Kurosaki, is currently away from Hueco Mundo undergoing a different sort of training." The most loyal knight announced while the Arrancar refocused, looking no worse for wear. "If our king was here, then you'd already either be at his feet or in his teeth." Ulquiorra himself was in his Segunda Etapa state, wanting to waste no time in fighting and ending this threat to his family in the Hollow kingdom. "Your ambition dies here, Arturo Plateado."
"If you wanted to know me, you could've asked." Plateado said, glaring at the upstart nuisance that dared to stand against him. It didn't make any sense to the Arrancar, Hollows and Soul Reapers were enemies and yet this force of Arrancar bow to this Ichigo? No existence was stronger than he is and he'll prove it, by killing all the Arrancar that stand against him and then killing whoever that Ichigo Kurosaki fellow is.
"Hearing you talk just pisses me off." Grimmjow returned, going to Ulquiorra's side. "I'd prefer you never talk but if I had to listen to you, I'd like to hear you choke on your own blood while my claws tear into your throat." He turned his attention to his partner. "So we got a name, do we have a history?"
"We almost didn't, only Yamamoto and Unohana remembered him." The bat answered. "Arturo Plateado: a one thousand year old Arrancar, naturally made one at that, that was also sealed away in Soul Society by the Gotei after destroying half of their military, freed after the destruction of the Sokyoku. Seems like he now decided to attempt to finish what he started and destroy all of the Shinigami."
"So was he before or after the Quincy war?" Grimmjow had to ask because either way would tell him which was the more dangerous foe, the Arrancar before them or the Quincy Emperor.
"After Yhwach but the Gotei had some time to recover." Ulquiorra answered, while Arturo seemed somewhat confused by the conversation. "Still, even taxed by their previous battle and launching a surprise attack on an unsuspecting force, he survived the original Gotei and had to be sealed away. The worst news, his power is similar to Ichigo's in that he absorbs the Reishi of anyone he kills."
"I do not know who this Yhwach or Ichigo is, but it makes no difference to me." Arturo spoke up, getting the pair's attention while Ulquiorra circled around the rogue. "I will kill all who stand against me and use their power to strengthen my own. That's all your precious Soul Reaper King will be in the end." He promised while a lance appeared in Ulquiorra's hand.
"Then there's no point in this conversation." Grimmjow said, flexing his claws, growling, and charging his Reiatsu while Ulquiorra charged his Lanza del Relampago with screeching lighting. Arturo grinned, ready for the next bout, until a blade stabbed itself into his chest. Gin soon appeared with his fox mask on and reached for Arturo's chest. The silver Arrancar, however, knocked Gin's hand aside and attempted to stab through the Shinigami's chest himself. Ulquiorra wrapped his tail around Arturo's neck while Grimmjow slashed into his gut with his Desgarron, the bat now throwing the injured Arrancar with all of his might as far as he could. "Gran Rey Cero!" The panther roared, firing a blast that shaped itself into a panther's head.
"Lanza del Relampago!" Ulquiorra joined, throwing him spear with another and another in quick succession. The sky was set on fire with the fury of the attack before Ulquiorra and Grimmjow finally stopped their assault. 'This likely didn't work. He did survive the original Gotei.' Ulquiorra thought, trying to focus on where Arturo may appear next. The unfortunate answer came when Ulquiorra was stabbed by a blade of energy from behind, Arturo looking none the worse for wear aside from a torn and burned outfit.
"I'm impressed. That actually stung." He hissed, tearing out the beam blade from Ulquiorra's chest, punching Gin aside, and blasting Grimmjow with a Cero of his own. "You could've made great underlings, but this would've been your fate either way. Serving to make me stronger." Grimmjow was unconscious from the attack, Gin was dazed and stumbling about, and Ulquiorra felt his strength leave him. "But in the end, like all things before me, you are nothing. Your Shinigami King will be nothing, and I will use him to fuel my continuously growing power. Die now and add to my strength, nameless traitor." Arturo conjured another blade and held it to Ulquiorra's throat.
'Ichigo... is this how I'll die? Failing you again?' The bat thought, it was all he could think about. He thought back to when he swore his entirety to the hybrid after their rematch and Ichigo refused to kill him, to when he protected and watched over the child that would become a king, to the king in action promising a new future for those under his command, to his order of keeping the peace. Now he was about to die and fail his master. Fail his king.
"Who are you?" He heard a voice call out, one that was utterly unrecognizable. "Why do you fight? Do you seek power? Why?" It just asked as time seemed to slow down.
'I... want to keep my promise to my king.' Ulquiorra answered. 'I promised to serve him, he ordered that Las Noches and its people would be safe and I want to ensure that.'
"Would you give him your life?"
'If necessary, even if he'd be furious with me.'
"Then try not to die." It finished before Ulquiorra exploded with power. Arturo was blasted back as Ulquiorra erupted into a pillar of green and black energy.
"What the hell? What is this!?" The Arrancar demanded as the energy slowly died down.
"I am Ulquiorra Cifer, loyal knight to the King of Hollows, Ichigo Kurosaki. I swore, that I would serve him loyally and I will NOT let his kingdom fall when he is away Arturo Plateado, know your end." The bat promised as the energy dissipated, revealing Ulquiorra in a new form. His hair grew longer and turned white, his horns were replaced with burning Reishi of green and black, gained another set of wings and his fur turned to black robes, and the end of his tail burned with his Reishi as well.
"Hmph, change all you want, it makes no difference in the end. No one may exist who are stronger than me." Arturo declared as his wings changed color to red and his Reiatsu grew more intense. Ulquiorra stood unaffected by the Arrancar's increase in power, he merely raised his hand at Arturo.
"Tormenta de Murcielago." The bat said, enveloping Arturo in a vortex pillar of winds so fast that the fine grain of the sands of Hueco Mundo tore at Arturo's flesh. When Ulquiorra finally ended it, Arturo was a shredded but still healing mess. The silver Arrancar glared and growled at the bat, only to feel a hand on him and Gin finally say one phrase.
"Korose, Kamishini no Yari." Arturo was helpless as his body disintegrated from Gin's poisonous Bankai. "So... what is that?" He asked Ulquiorra, as they both examined the new form.
(Time Skip: That night)
"That voice was the Hogyoku and it empowered Ulquiorra." Kisuke explained at the captain's meeting after collecting all the data. "From what we gather, though the Hogyoku is sealed and sleeping, it can still reach out to those it feels a connection to. Ulquiorra wanted to help Ichigo, the Hogyoku wants to help Ichigo since it's linked to his soul, it must've felt a connection to Ulquiorra and gave him the power up as a result of Ulquiorra's own desires."
"So can anyone access this potential?" Gin asked, speaking for the court of Arrancar knights in attendance. "Or do they have to pass some kind of test?"
"Like I said, it's up to the Hogyoku." Urahara repeated. "We don't even have a clear idea on why it chose to strengthen Ulquiorra other than 'wanted to help Ichigo'."
"This new development must be understood." Yamamoto declared, coming to a decision on the matter. "If the Hogyoku is indeed able to reach out beyond its seal then we must study it. Since it has some measure of sentience that seems to grow more with time, then we'll have to ensure that it does not turn against us. Without the one it is linked to, I demand the utmost caution be taken while studying this phenomenon. Dismissed."
Tatsuki's New Teacher
(Somewhere in China)
The fiery martial artist was making her way through China, slaying Hollows, doing various odd jobs to sustain herself, picking up various martial arts techniques to add to her skillset, and like her friends, hunting for any traces of the Vandenreich. She was unable to contact the others, but she felt a strange sixth sense that reminded her that they were doing alright. She spent a few months in China trying to absorb all she could before moving on through the West, doing all she could in her quest. She eventually came to an old abandoned temple where she took the chance to focus on the spirit aspect of her abilities.
"Shunko!" She shouted, wearing the outfit she had on for the Hueco Mundo assault. The power surged through her arms and back as she trained to maintain the state, only for her control to break and release it. "Damn, still too rough." She groaned, feeling her shoulder.
"That's quite a feat though kid." She heard a weathered and mischievous voice from behind her say. She whipped around, got into her combat stance, and found the source of the voice. A short old man with gold hair that resembled a monkey in a monk's cassock with a staff in one hand and a pipe in the other, cyber shades, a large prayer bead necklace, and a simple headband. "Not a lot of humans can harness that kind of power and appear out of nowhere. So, I'll ask some simple questions; Who are you and which side are you on? And do me a favor, tell the truth." He said before releasing a powerful aura and remaining cloaked in it.
'Okay, no way can I take this guy on.' The teen quickly realized, feeling the power of the old man. 'Can I escape? Probably not. I didn't even sense his approach. Maybe I should play along for now.' "My name is Tatsuki Arisawa, and I side with the Soul Reapers." She said, dropping her stance and banking on the chance that this man was not a Quincy. The old man sucked on his pipe and blew out a cloud of smoke.
"Shinigami usually stay in Japan." He said, keeping his focus on the martial artist. "What would bring one of their number all the way here? Also, I thought you had to be a soul first before becoming a Soul Reaper."
"They've lightened up on some restrictions, now you need sufficient Reishi and demonstrated ability to use it." She returned, now knowing she was talking to someone that knew about Soul Reapers and Soul Society. "Especially with the coming Quincy war."
"Now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time, though I thought that the Shinigami wiped them out."
"It turns out that they hid themselves away, gathering knowledge and strength to restart the war they lost long ago, for the past thousand years." The old man took another puff of his pipe, blowing out another cloud of smoke.
"Does that mean Yhwach still lives?" He said with audible disgust, giving Tatsuki more confidence that the man wasn't an enemy.
"Yes. Some of my friends are traveling the world looking for anything and everything Quincy related and to bolster our side for the fight to come." There was a silence as the old man thought.
"How long do you have?" Tatsuki shrugged.
"Less than two years." The monkey man smiled and tapped his staff against the ground.
"That should be plenty of time to teach you how to harness Touki." He said happily, surprising Tatsuki. "What? There are other powerful forces in the world, we've just been staying out of each others business for the most part. Personally, I hate people like Yhwach and would rather see them crushed like the bastards they are." The martial artist weighed her options, the man was certainly powerful and the Vandenreich put the whole of Soul Society on alert. It didn't surprise her that Yhwach would have enemies beyond Soul Society, given what she's heard about him, and if she could learn this 'Touki' she could be bringing back a great boon to all Shinigami.
"Okay, I'll be your student. What should I call you old man?" She asked, gaining another smirk from him.
"Just call me Sun for now." The now named Sun answered. "If you survive, I'll tell you the rest."
Battle in France
(With Chad and Jackie)
It was quiet in the months since they left Japan, doing their part in the search for Quincy related matters. When they set foot in France, they agreed to split up and contact each other in the event they came across anything of relevance. Riruka immediately went out to browse for 'cute' things, Giriko said something about 'preparations' before disappearing, leaving Jackie and Chad alone to do their search. However, without any leads and no real plan, they just toured around the country. Seeing the sights, talking about the experience, always keeping an eye and ear out for what they were looking for but not coming across anything noteworthy. It was like they were on dates instead of doing their mission, not that either could complain since they were enjoying the experience anyway. That all changed one night.
"Another day come and gone, and still with nothing to show for it." Jackie sighed out, bored from the inaction, while holding onto Chad's arm as they walked along. "Still holding up all right big guy?" She asked her teammate and partner. It had been a few months since Chad utilized the new technique of the Fullbringers and did a severe amount of damage to his own soul.
"I'm doing fine Jackie." Yasutora answered, clenching his hand and flexing his arm to prove he was okay. "You don't need to hold onto me and help me walk around all the time." He sounded sincere, gentle, like he didn't want to burden anyone with his 'supposed' problems.
"I don't." She admitted. 'But I like doing it.' She thought to herself as they ended up by a shipping dock, where they both stopped and looked into the dock area. "Guess today might actually yield results.." She said, just before jumping the fence with her partner in tow. The man inside had long, silky, purple hair, blunt yet pointy teeth, and looked absolutely ready to tear the two apart. "So, who the hell are you?" She asked the dark armored man, who held a savage grin as he grabbed onto a lamppost.
"Lancelot... Sternritter W.... I kill... For KING!" The man growled as the lamppost turned black with red tears along the body, charging at the pair when it finished its odd transformation. Chad pushed Jackie behind him and brought out both shield arms and took the brunt of the attack, grunting under the effort as the blow pushed him and cratered the Earth. But Lancelot was only getting started as he maneuvered the lamppost around to hit him with a home-run swing, sending Chad through a building or three. Jackie shrouded herself in her 'Clean Boots' shield and danced around the Sternritter's attempts to attack her, each one slipping away from her harmlessly while she pulled out a syringe filled with Hollow Reishi. Another experiment of Mayuri's in regards to seeing just how toxic it would be if injected directly, hoping for good results that would lead to a more efficient weapon against the Vandenreich.
'Just need to get it in!' She thought as she got within striking distance and disabled her shield. Before she could stab his neck with the needle, a black helm with a ponytail covered his head. The needle snapped against the spirit metal and the berserker knight threw a back fist at Jackie, sending her flying. Before Lance could do much else, Sado reappeared with his left arm in attack mode and he began attacking the Sternritter. The Devil's arm was blocked, with the shockwave still pulsing through and hitting the Quincy, but was less effective than Chad had hoped. He pressed the attack with a fully charged El Directo, blasting into Lance and sending him flying with the wave of Reishi. The knight righted himself, throwing the two broken halves of the lamppost at Chad with Jackie coming to the rescue with her Clean Bubble shield.
"Try to get in contact with Giriko, I'll hold him off." The giant said, using the speed boost of the Fullbring to shoot himself at the knight, circling to the right at the last second to catch the Quincy off guard. The Fullbringer managed to strike true, creating a painful screech as the metal warped and caved around his hand with the skull shockwave pulsing through the knight and sending him flying into a building. Before Chad could prepare himself for the next bout, he felt a warm wetness at his side that was followed by intense pain. He looked down to see he was cut, leaving a deep gash in his side, from something. Looking back to Lancelot would reveal a spear in his armored hands that was pulsing with the twisted powers that affected the lamppost.
"W... Weaponmaster." The Quincy said before throwing the spear at Chad, followed by several others. The Fullbringer brought out both of his shields and dodged or blocked every spear he could, still getting slashed by the occasional spear and getting more sluggish as a result while the spears tore apart the area around and behind Chad. Apparently displeased with his lack of progress, Lancelot stopped throwing spears and flashed in front of Yasutora with a bearded ax in hand. Chad threw his arms up to defend himself, wincing as the blade bit into his flesh past his shields, and wrestled with the mad knight. As the blade of the ax slowly sank into his arms, Jackie appeared and kicked Lancelot in the side of his neck. Thanks to being completely covered in filth from her Fullbring, the attack managed to do enough to send the Quincy tumbling away.
"I found Giriko and he said he finished a new contract." She informed her partner. "Thirty seconds and time will reset in a small area, ten meter radius at most and it can only work on what's not dead." Lancelot rose back up to his feet, wings of pulsing angry swords sprouting from his back, and glared at Jackie. "Think you can risk it?" Chad knew what she was asking, and it certainly was a gamble. If it worked than they had a pretty useful ability and he could be less concerned about the strain of his power, but Giriko would almost certainly have some nasty side effects of his own to deal with. Was it really worth the try, just for one Sternritter?
"I'm ready when you are." Giriko said, appearing behind Chad and clad in his Fullbring with a timer ready. Jackie said nothing to the pair as she charged at Lancelot, immediately flowing into series of fast and acrobatic kicks. The berserker's own speed, durability, and violent unpredictable moves kept him from getting pounded by the Fullbringer's punishing kicks.
"Arondight!" Lancelot yelled out suddenly, with a sword appearing in a burst of black flame. It was more than just a Reishi construct, like Uryu's bow and Ichigo's blades, this was something far stronger and the blade was glowing with power. The knight's speed increased suddenly and almost cut Jackie's leg off, leaving a long and deep gash in her thigh. Chad's mind was made up the moment he saw his ally injured.
"Do it." Chad growled, his hand going to his medallion. "Diablo Gigante." Giriko set the timer, a bubble enveloping the area around them, while Chad created his giant avatar. It wasn't the full sized one that he used against Yammy and was mainly the upper body, but it still dwarfed the Quincy. The moment he noticed its existence, Chad used Bringer Light to accelerate his movements and smashed his Devil's Fists into the knight. Jackie barely managed to get away just as the giant landed the first blow. Lancelot held his sword up to hold off the massive fist, which left him open for the other three. A La Muerte from above, El Directos from the sides, another La Muerte from above and Lancelot dropped from the punishing blows, unable to stop the continued punches and shockwaves. Chad only stopped because he suddenly wasn't in his giant state, immediately dropping as he got a skullsplitting headache.
"Sado!" Jackie called out in concern, rushing to his side to check if he was bleeding. Chad turned to see Giriko, laying on the ground and out, along with Lancelot's mangled body. After a quick check that revealed nothing, Jackie calmed down slightly before going to her other Fullbringer ally. Soon after that, Riruka found them and permitted the lot into her hospital dollhouse that was designed by Unohana and Urahara, where Jackie ran a more thorough test on the pair. Lancelot was kept in a separate dollhouse, meant to preserve 'samples'. "Good news or bad first?" Jackie asked Chad while Riruka made their getaway.
"Good." He quickly responded, still wincing from the pain. He felt like he could use some form of good news, the battle was rough enough with just that one Sternritter.
"Good news is that that gamble paid off." She answered." Your soul is still as damaged as it was before you used that technique. No worse and no better." That actually was somewhat good news. "The bad news is that Giriko is now in a coma and nothing I've done has woken him up. His soul was heavily strained and his Reishi was almost completely depleted. I don't know if he'll wake up." That was decidedly very bad news. Nothing they could really do other than rest and hope for the best for now. Riruka had to get them out of France before the authorities showed up, they did tear up a street and a few buildings.
Saintly Hearts
(Somewhere in Italy)
She hasn't heard much from her friends since they went on the journey, each one keeping to themselves until the agreed time to contact each other and make a report on their Quincy hunts. Though she does miss them all dearly, she knows they are all hard at work with their mission so she must be as well. She managed to track down an odd concentration of power and energy around Rome and the Vatican so she's been searching in that area, playing the part of a wide eyed tourist. However, she still needed a place to stay and she didn't want to stay in a hotel. Instead she came upon an orphanage where she started volunteering at, helping to take care of the children in it.
"Okay kids! It's time for lunch! Come on inside!" Orihime called out to the group of children she was overseeing while the Head Nun went to speak with one of the priests in the city. Seemed like the folks in the Vatican were interested in some of the children, Orihime could sense that some had a power locked away inside of them. One that caught her eye in particular was a young girl with sky blue eyes and blonde hair that she wore with a few ponytails and had her bangs frame her face. Her name was Jeanne and she was already close to the Onmyoji Exorcist.
"Coming big sis!" Jeanne called out, running in her white sundress with the other kids following close behind. Orihime enjoyed this time with the kids, she thought it was good practice for when she and her future sister wives had children of their own. She wouldn't mind leaving the fighting behind to be a mother, and peace could not come soon enough in her opinion. She retreated to the kitchen and brought out the simple meals she had made for the children, when she suddenly felt a strong presence appear. Wordlessly and silently, she had Tsubaki ready himself to strike down whoever and whatever was making its way over to the orphanage.
"Hey! What smells so good?" The presence loudly called out as a young teen male appeared. He was dressed similarly to a priest with blonde hair, green eyes, and a tear drop mark on his forehead. "Hey kids, I'm back!" He said with a smile, followed soon by a series of excited breaths and cheers as the children rushed to him.
"Dulio!" The children cried out as they rushed him. He began to greet them happily and Orihime relaxed her own guard, though Tsubaki remained at the ready. "Come on! Big sis made some choconomiyaki!" They said, showing him a chocolate brown pancake covered in fudge and chocolate syrup topped with shredded cabbage. Wordlessly, Dulio grabbed a fork and sliced into it before taking a bite.
"So chocolatey!" He said in delight, taking another bite from the odd creation. "It feels like I'm eating Hong Kong style fried noodles as well! How did this work!?" He demanded, looking at Orihime in wonder.
"Just comes out that way." She replied simply, keeping a serene smile. Thus the group enjoyed a nice lunch, most of the kids went to take naps while Jeanne wanted to run about a bit more, Orihime was washing dishes, and Dulio was helping. "You're really close to the kids, aren't you?" She asked, keeping that smile, while Dulio dropped his own disguised calm.
"I am, so I wonder what someone of your power is doing here." He said, his presence getting heavier in a way similar to Reiatsu. "I don't recognize you as a member of the Church, but you don't feel like a demon. That leaves the Fallen or Pagan. You don't feel too malicious, despite that spirit that's watching me. Who are you and what are you doing here?" Orihime weighed her options and what she knew of the kid from what she saw, genuine care for the other orphans and the drive to protect them from physical threats as well as emotional ones. That was enough for her to trust him, especially since her already knows that she has power. She still had Shun'o and Ayame get ready in case things went south and she needed to 'reject' him entirely.
"I'm Orihime Inoue, and I came here because I felt a spiritual disturbance." She admitted to the church soldier. "This place in particular had some strong energies to it, but they aren't quite what I am looking for. That said, I don't mind being here and helping to look after the children." She said with a smile, making the other Exorcist relax.
"If that's the case, why not come with me and devote your service to God?" He asked, smiling at the girl. "I'm certain you can find a place among us and we can help you in your task. So long as it's righteous." Orihime smiled and was about to turn it down, when a sudden scream alerted the two of them. "That was Jeanne." He realized, concern coloring his voice, as the two ran outside and found nothing. "Jeanne!" Dulio called out, feeling very scared for the young girl.
"That way. Ventus!" Orihime said, pointing toward a forest before the wind gathered at her feet and shot her forward. Dulio was surprised for a moment before following suit, keeping up with the older girl using his own wind. With Orihime's guidance, the pair soon came upon a late middle aged man in white robes with blue lines that seemed militaristic and rough looking skin, almost like sandpaper. In his hands was a scared and struggling Jeanne, desperate to get out of the man's iron grip.
"Now calm down child, soon you will be filled with his majesty's divine power." He said to the girl while licking his lips. "Don't you want to devote yourself to such a holy task as aiding the Quincy king?"
"What's holy about this!?" Dulio yelled out as the two landed in front of the pair, both looking at him with a cold and focused glare. "What's divine about kidnapping children and... I don't even want to think about what you're planning." Orihime wasn't interested in talking, she found her Quincy target and it was time to go to work.
"Koten Zanshun." She immediately said, the three sprites of Tsubaki flying around to cut him to pieces, only to stop dead on contact. "What the!?"
"Physical attacks can't hurt me!" The Quincy laughed hysterically, holding the scared Jeanne tighter to him. "I'm Sternritter F, the Friction! I can make anything immobile by either removing or maxing out friction. Too much, they can't move their feet. Too little, they slip too much!" He laughed, lifting Jeanne and licking her ear in mocking the pair. Jeanne looked so terrified that Orihime's glare turned downright murderous while Dulio got an idea.
"Just physical attack then? Something like fire can work?" He asked, surprising both the Quincy and Orihime.
"Uh... I guess. But you wouldn't dare-"
"Orihime, got a fire spirit?" He asked, making the Quincy's eyes widened in recognition of the name while Orihime seemed to have caught on.
"Ignis, come forth!" She summoned, a red light coming from one of her rings before taking humanoid form.
"Contain my flames." Dulio said as he held his hand out to the Quincy, causing him to erupt into flames. The sudden fire shocked the Quincy into releasing Jeanne, who immediately ran to Orihime. The spirit concentrated the flames into a sphere around the Friction, while Dulio increased the fury of the fire. The cries ended quickly as the Quincy was burned to ash, Jeanne was now safe, and Orihime had a lot to explain. But for now, a crying child needed comfort.
"There there Jeanne. Big sis is here." The spirit user said, holding and gently patting the sobbing girl as they made their way back to the orphanage. After an extra sweet snack and a hairstyle makeover, a messy bob with a single thick pigtail braid, Jeanne joined the other kids for a nap while Dulio was filled in on the Quincy matter.
"But it sounds like this Yhwach is a parasite. Why do the other Quincy serve him and why do they consider it 'holy'?" He asked after Orihime gave him the full story as she knew it.
"Why do you consider anything you do for the Church to be holy?" She returned, stunning the boy. "Is it because you truly believe in the cause, or because you were told to do so?" He never once thought of it like that. "My enemies are the Quincy, but two of my best friends and trusted allies are Quincy as well. Ones that turned against Yhwach. Should they suffer the same judgment as those that serve Yhwach despite going against him?" If he applied that train of thought to his life, then what was he doing? "As for why they think it, it's because they believe in Yhwach. Believe in his mission and end goal. Belief is a powerful thing, and if you control that then you control the people."
"I can see that." He admitted as the children woke up from their naps.
"Just try to focus on doing the right thing for everyone and not blindly follow." Orihime advised as she returned to the children playing with them and making happy memories while Dulio was left to ponder her words. Orihime stuck around for a few more days after Jeanne suddenly began to create blades from nothing but would soon leave to continue her mission.