Ch 125: Ichigo is a big bully.

An alarm sounded, and the ten members of the Espada quickly gathered into the main conference room. They took their seats around the long table made of sturdy black stone, and waited, quietly observing each other.

Shortly After, Aizen came, flanked by Gin and Tosen. All three of them had abandoned their Shinigami outfits and were now dressed in white, as if to signal their opposition to Soul Society.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the Espada." calmly announced Aizen as they walked closer.

"We are under attack. But first, shall we have some tea?"

As Aizen took place at the end of the table, Gin and Tosen remaining standing behind him, a few weak Arrancars came forward and served tea to the people sitting.

No one spoke until they were all served, and the waiters retreated. Aizen gestured to Tosen.

"Kaname, please."

"Yes, Sir." replied Tozen, activating an array in the middle of the table. A thick beam of light was formed over it, and four different scenes could be seen inside, running inside the underground maze by pairs.

"There are eight intruders. Yoruichi Shihoin, Uryuu Ishida, Sado Yasutora, Ichigo Kurosaki, and those four masked individuals."

"They look weak." said Yammy, picking at his nose with a little finger.

"Three of those I named are. However, you should not underestimate the masked ones. The black one in particular, if he is who I suspect him to be. He escaped from Kaname's grasp once using some kind of long-range movement technique surpassing Shunpo. I want you to take him alive for questioning if possible."

"Are they here for the new girl?" asked Szayel, his interest rising at the opportunity to study a movement technique more advanced than Shunpo.

"That is likely. Yammy, Szayel, Nnoitra, Ulquiorra, Luppi, Grimmjow, Zommari and Aaroniero, take positions around Las Noches, and deal with the invaders. Starrk, Baragan and Tier, get your Fraccion ready, please. We will make our move in twenty minutes."

The Espada nodded and Aizen stood, signaling the end of the short meeting. They all left the room to prepare for the confrontation.

…

"We're back on the surface." frowned Ichigo, staring at the outer wall. They were significantly closer, but still were a few kilometers away.

"We should go closer before we try another access to the maze." shrugged Noah. "But before that, we're about to have company."

"Ah?" Ichigo looked to the side and saw three hollows quickly coming closer. A thin one with an ant-like mask, a bigger one with a large mask almost covering his upper torso, and a huge one that looked like a worm from the dune Movie, but with buffalo horns and a human mouth.

They were pursuing a small person covered by rags hiding their head.

"Bahahahaha!" screamed the two humanoid Hollows as they waved their arms as if to get ready to grasp their prey.

Noah used Shunpo to scoop in his arms the small person and move some distance away.

"Eh?" shouted the rescuee. Her voice making it clear she was a young girl.

"I am Kitsune Ranger Black. You're safe now." said Noah, looking at the three hollows who were slowing down, as Ichigo was running to them sword in hand.

"Ah? Wait!" suddenly screamed the girl, waving urgently at Ichigo.

But it was a bit too late, and Ichigo slammed flat of his Zanpakuto into the face of the large humanoid Hollow, slamming it backward.

"Big brother!" screamed the slender Hollow, stopping on his tracks but not stopping.

Noah used Shunpo again to get closer.

"Ichigo, stop that. They aren't enemies." he said as he let the small one on the ground.

"How can you be sure?" asked Ichigo as he looked back at Noah, confused.

"They aren't releasing any killing intent."

"Ah!" Ichigo gave a start as he realized.

"What did we do to you guys? You're a big bully!" shouted the small one, pulling the rag she was wearing back and revealing her head.

"Please excuse my companion, all the Hollow we met so far were hostile. As I said, I am Kitsune Ranger Black, and this is Ichigo Kurosaki." Said Noah as he made a few poses.

"Yeah, sorry." said Ichigo with a lowered head.

The poses Noah was making had the effect he wanted, as the Hollows decided they had found a kindred spirit. They immediately moved into formation and adopted poses of their own. And from their seamless coordination, it was obvious that they had worked on it for a long time.

"I am Pesshe!" declared the slender ant-like Hollow.

"And I am Donchakka!" said the one who had gotten a taste of Ichigo's blade.

"I am Nell Tou the Arrancar!" shouted the girl. She had short, wavy pale green hair, a red mark on her face across her nose and cheeks, and a skull-like hollow mask covering the top of her head. However, the skull mask was fractured, a few teeth were missing, and was aligned with a scar on Nell's forehead, nose, and cheek. It was obvious she had been severely injured.

"And this is our pet Bawabawa!" shouted Pesshe. The big worm-like Hollow seemed to grin as he flexed his body behind them.

"Together, we are the Great Desert Bros!" they chanted together.

Noah nodded to them, feeling some vague relief at the idea that he would not be the only target of ridicule anymore.

"…It's spreading…" muttered Ichigo as he looked at Noah like he was blaming him for something.

Noah cleared his throat. "Anyway, we're heading toward that fortress over there." said Noah as he pointed to the side.

"Why do you want to go over there?" asked Nell.

"We have a friend waiting for us."

"Oh. Can we come with you for a while?"

"Sure. I'd appreciate the company." nodded Noah, thinking that he might get some useful information from them it they chatted. Ichigo blinked but didn't object.

"Then let's go!" said Pesshe, climbing on the top of BawaBawa's head.

Noah thought that Nell might have some difficulty climbing, so he just picked her up, used Shunpo to jump on top of Bawabawa's head and sat her beside him. Ichigo sat on the other side, and Bawabawa started moving forward, at the speed of a normal human sprinting.

"Wait, Nell, did you say you were an Arrancar?" suddenly said Ichigo.

"What are you saying? Can't you see my finely cracked mask?" asked Nell as the patted the top of her head with both hands.

"Yes, but you seem so different from the others we met before." mused Ichigo, looking away.

"They're the true fighting experts! They're as different from us garbage bugs as heaven and earth!" shrugged Nell.

"Garbage bugs?" asked Noah.

"But you look even less like Arrancar!" laughed Nell, pointing a finger at Ichigo. "You have no mask, and you wear a black robe… It's as if… as if you're… a Shini…"

Nell suddenly froze, and she started to tremble.

"Uh… what are you exactly?"

"I'm a Shinigami Substitute." replied Ichigo.

His words at the effect of a stun grenade, as Nell, Pesshe and Donchakka displayed expressions of abject terror.

"Aaaaah! It's a Shinigami! A bad guy!"

"Who is a bad guy!" exclaimed Ichigo.

"I'm not a Shinigami. Don't worry, Nell. I'll protect you guys from the big bully." grinned Noah, patting her shoulder with his Hands of Nirvana active.

This was Noah's plan. He was fairly confident that his Greater Healing ability would allow him to completely heal Nell and let her recover her original form and power, but he wanted to increase his favorability first, and protecting her while she was vulnerable was the fastest way to do it.

Could it be considered grooming? Noah investigated himself, and concluded that it was not.

If fate, of a certain Goddess, had arranged for Nell and him to meet, Noah felt it would be rude not to include her in his harem. And he didn't want to risk being rude to the Goddess. Yes, that was the only reason.

"Call me a bully another time, Blackie, and I'll kick your butt." said Ichigo, a vein popping on his forehead.

"Oh? Aren't you the one who initiated violence with those guys? But if you want us to fight, I wouldn't really mind, you know? But, are you sure you have what it takes?" said Noah with a slightly mocking tone.

Ichigo jumped to his feet, cracking his knuckles with a confident smile.

"You're on!"

Noah sighed.

"You do realize that your aggressive behavior is only reinforcing Nell's opinion of you as a bully, right? And if you want to fight, there's that thing underground. Or haven't you felt the killing intent?"

Ichigo blinked, forgetting his irritation. He hadn't paid attention, but now that his masked companion pointed it out, he did feel some diffuse killing intent emanating from the ground, mostly somewhere in front of them.

Bawabawa seemed to sense something, too, as he slowed down and stopped.

Then the sand in front of them started shifting and vibrating. Some of it started moving, quickly gathering together to form a giant, forty-meter-tall Hollow.

"T-The guard of white sand, R-Runuganga!" trembled Nell.

Noah sighed, and restarted his somersault and pose routine, placing himself some distance in front of Nell and her party. Ichigo wordlessly came forward as well.

"I AM KISTUNE RANGER BLACK! I WILL GIVE YOU A BEATING, BECAUSE YOU'RE A BAD GUY!"

"…Are you a fool?" asked the giant Hollow, pausing as he doubted his ears.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" yelled Ichigo, using his shikai like the one trick pony he was. He was at least smart enough to exploit the psychological attack delivered by his eccentric companion.

The blue blast of energy struck the head and torso of the Hollow, bisecting Runuganga's head, but the Hollow didn't collapse. Instead, more sand was absorbed from the ground, and the Hollow healed itself.

Noah extended his hand toward the Hollow's chest.

"Fidezon (Earth Scorching Devil Flame)." muttered Noah, and a red magic array quickly formed against his open palm. A torrent of yellow flames came out of it, focused into a large beam. The flames were so hot that Ichigo lifted his arm to shield his face from the radiant heat, and the giant Hollow roared in pain as its upper body began to melt.

Runuganga tried to punch Noah with a giant arm, but its right arm collapsed as it's shoulder joint melted.

When Noah estimated that at least half of all that mass of sand had melted, he stopped the advanced flame magic and started another.

"Ice Blizzaia (Hell Freezing Wave)."

A blue magic array appeared this time, and a stream of extremely cold air and ice fragments replaced the previous stream of flames. quickly enough, the half-melted body of Runuganga froze into a giant blob of silicium.

Noah stopped the attack, and waited, observing the sands around the Hollow and his own feet. The killing intent he had felt was gone, and Runuganga showed no sign of activity.

"Looks like that Hollow is dead." said Ichigo, nodding at Noah.

"Don't jinx us. They always make a comeback when you think they're done for. Still, we should be on our way."

Noah actually knew that Runuganga was dead, because he had just gotten a lot of Yin points for it. But it was an opportunity to share a few tips with Ichigo, who had a lot less battlefield experience.

Turning away, he saw Nell who was looking at him with awe, like a kid sitting in front of a TV watching the protagonists of a Sentai series.

"Kitsune Ranger Black, you're strong!"

"Thanks." said Noah as he nodded to her, then turned toward the two people running to them.

"Ichigo!" called out Rukia.

"Rukia? and Renji?" exclaimed Ichigo, his eyes wide.

Rukia was the first to reach him, smiling, and Ichigo smiled back, happy to see his friend.

"Oof!" he suddenly gasped as Ruki hit him with a splendid uppercut.

She turned, fist bumped Renji, and the later then delivered a beautiful punch to the side of Ichigo's jaw.

"Why did you enter Hueco Mundo on your own? Why didn't you wait for me to return?" scolded Rukia, looking down as Ichigo who was sitting on his ass.

"But, I didn't know if you were going to come back or…"

"Of course we were going to come back, by any means necessary! Orihime is my friend too!"

Rukia crouched beside him and let go of her anger.

"We are your allies. Aren't we, Ichigo?" she softly asked. Renji was looking around, as if searching for threats, but it was obvious to anyone that he was waiting for Ichigo's answer as well.

"Yeah, you're right." apologetically said Ichigo.

"As long as you understand." nodded Rukia, helping him get on his feet.

"And who are your companions?"

Noah took a deep breath, sighed, and did his routine again. When the whole thing was over, he would set fire to that blasted costume, and enjoy watching it burn.

He landed closer to Nell, and she moved closer to him, afraid of the Shinigami.

"Ichigo, who's this weirdo?" warily asked Renji as he pointed a finger at Noah.

"This is the result of a lost bet. Please don't make it harder than it already is." sighed Noah.

"I recognize your voice! You're Kuro-san! Thank you again for saving me last time!" smiled Rukia.

"You're welcome. But according to the rules of that bet, please call me Kitsune Ranger Black, or just Black, until we save Kitsune Ranger Pink, who you know as Orihime. After that, I'm getting rid of that costume, and I'll deny anything ever happened."

"Oh... I see how it is. You have my sympathies." nodded Rukia. "This Urahara-san's doing, right?"

"No, but the culprit and Urahara-san would surely get along well. I shudder to think about the abominable things those two depraved souls would cook up together. Anyway, those are Nell, Pesshe, Donchakka and their pet Bawabawa. They're helping us reach that fortress."

"We are?" blinked Nell.

"Yes." said Noah as he patted her head. "We were traveling in that direction, right? you were acting as our guides."

"Hum, that's right. Of course we are!" nodded Nell, convincing herself.

"I know that place." said Pesshe, pointing to a distant entrance. "this one is the shortest path to enter inside."

"Then we should go without delay, or the others will do the work for us."

Soon after, they were all sitting on Bawabawa's head again and were on their way.

"So, you received Urahara's message?" asked Ichigo to Rukia and Renji.

"Yes. Soul Society is mobilizing. We have gone ahead because we were worried for Orihime and you, but a few captains will soon enter Hueco Mundo. And the others are getting ready. They think they have found out what Aizen is going to do, and they have prepared a countermeasure."

Noah suspected that Soul Society's prediction had a lot to do with the information Noah provided them, but he didn't care if they claimed credit for that. Still, there was always the chance that Aizen would take Noah's influence and predictive abilities into account and would choose to do something entirely different.

He used Promise to check on the others' progress. Ren and Uryuu had just defeated their first Privaron Espada, former Espada members who had been demoted when stronger Arrancars joined in. More accurately, judging from the countless punctures and gouges on the floor and walls, the single crater, and the unconscious female espada in its center, it seemed like Uryuu had started fighting, then Kitsune Ranger Red had lost patience at the fight lasting longer than she wanted and slapped down the female Arrancar.

Fubuki and Yoruichi had yet to face a serious opponent and were about to go under the wall already. As for Chad and Kitsune Ranger Green, aka Asuna… they were about to enter a room guarded by another Privaron Espada.

…

Chad and Kitsune Ranger Green entered a large room with a high ceiling, slowing down to a walk as they kept their attention the human sized Arrancar standing in the center.

He looked like a middle aged man, with a pointed beard and thin mustaches. his forehead was covered by his mask, and his short black hair in a swept back style had two strands pointing up like horns. His pure white outfit, like those that all members of the Espada were wearing, didn't hide his very fit body.

Overall, the man gave an impression of devilish beauty and elegance. He nodded his head at the newcomers.

"I am Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio, Privaron Espada number 103. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Chica, Niño."

"Huh." complained Asuna, before steeling herself, jumping with a somersault and making a few kung-fu poses.

"I am Kitsune Ranger Green. Pleased to meet you, too."

"Hum… Chica, do you perhaps need medical attention?"

"Who needs medical attention!" yelled Asuna, her embarrassment flaring.

"Please step aside, Dordoni-san. We would rather not hurt you." said Chad.

"I'm afraid that's impossible, Niño. I am here to stop you after all."

"Understood." sighed Chad, before running toward Dordoni. His right arm transforming, covering itself with a black texture with red patterns. The part covering his forearm widened, forming a shield.

Chad tried to punch Dordoni with his arm turned shield, but the Privaron Espada easily avoided the strikes without having to resort to Shunpo.

"It seems like I am being underestimated here, Niño." smiled Dordoni.

Chad tried to hit another half a dozen times, then the Arrancar delivered a strong kick to his side, sending him sliding a few meters away.

"Chad-kun, do you mind if I take over? You don't seem suited to fight against fast opponents." suggested Asuna, drawing her Zanpakuto.

Chad rose to his feet and nodded, vexation all over his face.

"Oh?" Dordoni raised an eyebrow, but also shifted his posture, growing more serious. He could feel from her aura, stance, and relaxed voice that the green-costumed opponent was very different from the inexperienced youngster.

Asuna started by using Shunpo, appearing on Dordoni's left and slashing diagonally. The Arrancar barely managed to block with his own sword, and kicked toward Asuna's midriff.

She swiftly jumped back, then made another probing attack.

They both exchanged blows with increasing speed, but it quickly became apparent to Chad that Dordoni was under intense pressure, and was receiving shallow wounds.

"Enough! Whirl!" growled Dordoni, and strong air currents instantly formed a protective barrier around him. Asuna retreated some distance away, observing him carefully.

Dordoni's body was changing, with large white horns growing from his shoulders and thighs, and white boots made of the same material as his mask appearing on his legs. Those boots had large holes constantly blowing compressed air, forming two small tornadoes that didn't seem to agitate the surrounding air, and instead acted like huge tentacles. Some air currents separated from the tornadoes' main bodies, their ends tipped by some bony bird beaks large enough to swallow Asuna whole.

"Is this that Resurreccion things I heard about?" asked Asuna.

"That's correct, Chica. You should be proud, to have forced me to use it. I will show you my respect by fighting you will all my strength." smiled Dordoni.

"I see… Then I should do the same." nodded Asuna, before holding her Zanpakuto horizontally in front of her.

"Pierce, Hikari No Tsurugi (Swords of Light)." said Asuna, and her Zanpakuto shone with a blue light, changing its shape. The blade straightened, abandoning the natural curvature katana blades acquired during their forging, and became thinner. The hilt and guard didn't change, but Asuna's weapon now looked more like a rapier.

A rapier whose blade was surrounded by a blue aura, some of it constantly separated from the blade, drifting beside Asuna's left shoulder, and coalescing into the shape of a sword, pointing downward.

A very small sword at first, barely the size of a dagger, but it was steadily growing as more and more blue particles from the Zanpakuto's aura kept feeding it, and Dordoni felt danger coming from that blade. He formed more tornado tentacles and sent them to try to pin down or distract his enemy, while placing the tips of his indexes and little fingers together in front of his mouth. Red light gathered between his fingers, as Dordoni charged his Cero.

Asuna jumped to the sides or slashed at the bony beaks to fend them off as she extended the palm of her left hand toward Dordoni.

"Hado n°31: Shakkaho (Red Flame Cannon)." She muttered.

A ball of red light grew in her palm, much quicker than Dordoni was charging his Cero, and flew at her target with the speed of a bullet.

This Hado, a staple of Shinigami offensive magic that every recruit learned early, typically was barely enough to injure a normal Hollow. But Asuna, with her spiritual power, wasn't a typical Shinigami, and its impact was enough to interrupt Dordoni. The compressed energy of his Cero escaped his control and burst violently, causing him more damage than the Red Flame Cannon itself and stunning him for a moment.

The light sword beside Asuna was now the size of a claymore and kept growing.

Dordoni used the wind blowing from his boots as boosters and tried to hit Asuna with a mix of flying kicks and his tornado tentacles, but she kept avoiding using both her natural agility and short bursts of Shunpo, until the light blade reached two meters in length.

"That should be enough, I think." muttered Asuna, as the light blade suddenly pointed toward Dordoni, and flew at him.

Seeing the threat, Dordoni used his six air tornadoes as a layered shield. The sword of blue light penetrated the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth tornado, before shattering into dozens of fragments.

"That was close. A pity for you, Chica. It was a magnificent attack." sighed Dordoni with a smile.

"A pity, is it?" asked Asuna.

Dordoni couldn't see his enemy's face, but he could hear the grin in her voice, and he felt a sudden fear as he noticed the anomaly. The light fragments from the broken sword were still drifting apart, but they weren't dissipating. Worse, they all altered their shape, and in a mere second, dozens of small swords of light were pointing at him from all directions but his rear. Before he had time to retreat or create more tentacles, they flew at him.

He did his best, trying to block as many as he could with his single surviving tornado tentacle, but more than half of them still managed to pierce his body.

Dordoni collapsed, his tornadoes dissipating and his body returning to his original form.

"I admit… defeat." painfully said Dordoni, struggling to turn his head toward Asuna and Chad. The injuries he suffered were numerous, but he wasn't in danger of bleeding out, and none has hit a vital organ. His enemy had deliberately spared him, he realized.

"Thank you." replied Asuna, letting her Zanpakuto revert to its original form. "We'll be on our way, then."

"Chica, be careful. You are stronger than me, but some of the Espada… Someone like Ulquiorra wouldn't give you an opportunity to use that move."

"Thank you for the warning, Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio. Farewell." said Asuna as she ran down the tunnel Dordoni had tried to defend, Chad closely following her.