Born As One and Cruel Seperations

Nightmarish Tears, Human World
''Nightmares take their hold on us. And our fears bring forth our desires and realities torn away from us. Some dream of dying... some dream of others dying... some dream of losing their possessions... and the coldest nightmare is that one dreams of a solid darkness; leaving you empty, with no desires or fears. Trully; this is the worst nightmare.''

To sleep was a blessing.

His mind was nothing but a blank slate, a void of eternal peace. He never wanted to wake up - it was far too comforting. The darkness enveloped him in its warmth, soothing his mind with ignorance. To think was a curse; he would think about the day of life he would waste when he awoke, toil hard, and then fall to sleep again - such a trivial task. He knew, however, that sooner or later, he would have to open those eyes, for his body would not let him fall into such a deep slumber. It was one of the many curses he had as a "human"...

He felt his heart pulsate in his chest once more, and his nerves slowly come to life. Groggily, he opened his eyes up, not seeing anything at first. He grunted, vision hazy as he raised his hands to level with his head. Sliding on his stomach, he used his hands to grip the ground underneath him and push himself up--

Wait a minute.

Ground?

His eyes widened immediately, and he shot up like a light, blinking several times. All he saw was red, and he was beginning to think that he had somehow been blinded. But, as his vision came into focus, he could see the environment clearly. A bead of sweat dropped down his face, and he whipped around several times, horror going through his body. One moment, he had been sleeping soundly on a bed, with comrades all around him doing the same. And the next...

...he was in an apocolypse.

To his disgust, he had been sleeping on what were the remains of a man, torn apart and decomposing to the bones. All around him, there were several others, hundreds of corpses lying about. There seemed to be no end to them, coming in various forms; men...women...and children. Surprisingly, he could not pick out any Hollow masks in the area. Panic overwhelming him, he allowed for his voice to echo throughout the sea of death.

"HELLO?!"

Silence. Nothing but the soft winds blowing - a mockery to the trauma that was steadily growing within him.

"HELLO?!" His voice was getting desperate, pleading for anyone to come to his aid. His body began shaking, and he started making whimpering noises, hugging himself despite the fact that it was warm. He didn't want to be alone.... he didn't want to be alone with all of these... things! Aimlessly, he wandered, stepping over the decaying and mutilated corpses with the gait of a zombie. He repeatedly called out the same command, over and over, as if someone would come and wash the bodies away...

Where was his comrades...

Where was his mother....

Where was anyone--

He stopped... because he was seeing what he never should have.

Nnoitra.

Ggio.

Hermosa.

Melina.

Menoly.

Loly.

All of them were lying against each other, their eyes blank, and their respective weapons in their hands. They were the only ones who had seemed to remain intact. However, blood that stained their clothing, as well as tears and showing wounds on their bodies, made Senkaku come to the horrifying realization. His lips trembled, and he couldn't even bring himself to say a thing. Instead, he fell to his hands and knees, sobbing quietly to himself. No words were needed to be said... for they were being repeatedly voiced into his head.

"You failed them."

"You decieved them."

"Worthless...."

"Pointless...."

"WEAK!!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

He let out a raw scream to the sky...

...and then his eyes snapped open.

It was all gone.

Instead, he was now at the same place he had been before his drift to slumber. Only now, he was panting, sweat beading down his face. He held it in his palms, trying to steady his shaking nerves and body. Oh god.... he needed a breather.... disregarding what anyone would say if they awoke and saw him, he crawled out of his sleeping bed and staggered out of the area in which they were in.

Loly and Menoly had laid asleep; but something was amiss. Loly could hear a noise around the campsite. Her ears perked at noise occuring. Slowly her gaze drifted open and she stared upward and around. Senkaku is missing... her voice and mind too tired to speak yet, she could track where he was going... it wasn't usual for him to just leave. Pondering, Loly slowly stood up, making sure to keep quiet, she decided to follow Senkaku, but she was already a few minutes behind wherever he was.

His head was spinning violently.

He could barely walk straight.

And yet, he was making it.

His bare feet slapped the ground as he continued to stagger aimlessly, a wild look in his eyes, and a confused curl of the mouth. As he walked, his eyes started to drift. He was passing by several structures of the ruined city, making it through several structures that had long ago fallen. A fallen teddy bear there... a lost ring there... it was the signs of a civilization that had fallen, whether due to war, or simple natural disasters. And yet, even as he walked past them, his heart was tightening more and more. You see, there was no remnants of the past in his vision - it was already being sighted out in his mind.

Once again, he could see those corpses--

Oh, god...

Please no...

Desperate to shake off the memories, he took caution to the wind and started to run, his breathing becoming erratic. He felt so sick to his stomach... what was happening...?!

"Wonder why he's got up..." she began to kick her pace into action; wherever Sen was going, it might be to chase after someone, seeing as his signature picked up it's pace and the foot steps were notably staggering, maybe he was hit? Thinking of the bad in mind, she ran into a sprint.

....did he hear footsteps?!

In his right sense of mind, he would've known quite easily that it was an ally's. However, in the confused and panicked state that his mind was now drowning in, he didn't even recognize it in the slightest way. Was it real?! Was it a part of those fucking voices?! Oh, god he was going insane! He kept running blindly, everything around him becoming a blur. Where in the hell was he going?! Why was he even going anywhere?! All he was trying to do was get away from--

However, he skidded to a stop.

What he had come face to face with was the moon of the dark-lit night. In his running, he had finally reached the outskirts of the city, where the earth was now clear and barren. Nothing but grass and patches of the earthen plains had greeted him. His stricken eyes only saw the frightful red... in the sky... staining the ground as much as the corpses around his feet were! He staggered once again, taking in gasping breaths. Sweat fell down his face, and his motor functions were deteriorating... something was quelling within his stomach--

He couldn't hold it in anymore.

Falling to his hands and knees, he felt the disgusting bile build up within his throat... and vomited right then and there. His stomach was just about ready to split open in the heaving, contracting viciously to squeeze every bit of the vulgar material from his body. Four times he did this, and four times he felt like nothing more than complete shit. When he was finished, he pushed himself away and onto his side, lying there in the dirt...

Failure...

He raised his hands to his face, tears spilling from his eyes.

A failure for a leader.

A failure for a friend.

He had failed to protect Hermosa all those years ago... he had failed to stop Ggio from being hurt by the vengeful Nnoitra... and most importantly, he had failed to retrain Melina when she had critically injured Menoly... he wasn't worthy of leading his team anymore. He sobbed silently right then and there, seemingly being the only individual there. Even if one did see him cry, he didn't care. He couldn't deny it any longer.

He would fail his team again... and they would die because of his stupid mistakes.

Loly soon caught up. Her head racing, she had left the entire group just to see where he had went, it was odd... why had he left? There was no blood... and it seemed more like he was running... or chasing. "What is going on with him..." her voice stale she continued to run, and decided it was time to use Sonido.

Her body vanishing and blurring as she made her way across the scape, she soon came into view of the plains of grass. The night's moon pale and grey, she made her way further; he was close. Loly glanced at him, she could hear... ''Crying? ''Her ears perked and Loly soon found him there. One word uttered out, amongst the many other questions she had...

What's wrong...?

Why are you crying...?

Are you okay...?

The only one that muttered out was: "Sen...?"

....crap.

Immediately, his sobbing stopped, and between his fingers, his eyes widened. Immediately, he shifted from that position to a less "pitiful" one. Now, he was in a sitting position, legs straight and stretched out in front of him. One hand and one forearm was propping him up. Though the tear marks was evident in the outer corners of his eyes, they were now narrowed at Loly, his mouth in a casual frown. "...you should be asleep." He remarked dryly, no denial or expression of his actions taking place.

Loly looked to him. "I woke up..." Still standing, concern in her voice. "You look awful...what happened?" the questioned were asked slowly. Her stance modest and tall, she was wondering what the heck had occured to make him like this; clearly it was bothering him badly enough to make him appear as the way he was.

"Umph..." The first thing that came out of his mouth was a grunt, along with the shift of his body. For a moment, he looked over Loly ponderingly... before he closed his eyes and sighed. "It's nothing... just a nightmare." He said dismissively, believing her to simply move on and head back. It wasn't as if he was aiming for her to do so... whether she pressed him or not was up to her. But he could hardly see what was the point of staying.

"Must have been one heck of a nightmare." Loly was thinking of heading back for such a small ordeal; but it must have been bad. He reaked of sweat and she could smell Bile also, not a good sign. "But your appearance tells me you need to talk about it, care to?" she would remain standing.

"..." It was here that Senkaku decided to be a little cryptical. "It was about what that woman had said to me. Before I reunited Melina and myself in order to use my hidden power, she called me a failure, one who would let her teammates down. A failure as a friend, and a failure as a leader. Right then... I could easily blow it off. But... now, when I think about it... it just seems inevitable. I'm going to keep making mistakes... and eventually, that's all going to cost you your lives..." His voice was becoming a bit bitter now. "Why did you and Menoly choose to stay with us? You both almost died in our company, and you should be well aware that there's only more to come...!"

"I realized one thing that day." "I wasn't going to shove off and quit just because of one mistake here and there. My life was threatened... and you saved me along with Ggio and Menoly." "You did so that day as well... whatever this Muerte-chan, person or whoever Aizen's name she was got to you; you honestly can't let you." "You have friends..." Loly continued on, this was so odd of her; but he needed to hear the truth if he was doubting. "I stayed because I knew you could lead this team; heck if you couldn't or I thought you were a failure, I would have challanged you by now or just take charge." "I follow you, because I know you'll make it places someday... your a born-leader, but you still have your rough-edges like everyone else does." Loly finished, "No one's perfect, but we all strive to be. It is a soul's nature." Loly was shocked at herself, this was almost philosophical.

She was right.

He was going to make mistakes, that was for sure. But, every time he had done so, he had managed to pull his team out of it time and time again... when Nnoitra had nearly killed Ggio, Loly, and Menoly, he had managed to bring everyone of them back and keep them from death's reach. When Menoly was severely wounded again by Melina, he had taken the liberty of healing her before she could pass on. However.... "There is no striving for me..." He answered solemnly, even as he stood up. "All it took was the mistake of me not judging Melina in time to get you to say, "I'm up and outta here". It took your partner's convincing, not mine, that made you change your mind. The potency of such a mistake nearly cost my teammates a good comrade!" Though his voice was still low, now it was showing frustration. "I can't strive to be perfect. I have to be, and right now... I'm not! If I make another mistake like that, it could cost me my life, your life, the lives of my teammates... Menoly's! I doubt you would want that on your conscience by risking such!!"

"I was angry and I'm impatiant Sen. I tend to deny that but I do, but I won't lie. I still feel tense around Melina, I probably always will; it might not be evident but I do." Loly pondered momentarly, he was striving to be perfect; no, he had to be perfect. It was his Vasto-Lorde getting in the way... "I can handle the risks. I'm an Arrancar, I'm born for this sort of thing; I take the tough times and move on, I won't quell myself over events of the past, and I live in the present. Not the future, whatever comes, comes." "You need to be that as well; perpare for the future, but live in the present and stop worrying." Loly finished her statement, gazing to the Moon as she crossed her arms, the breeze stroking her skin.

It was then that Senkaku just noticed the breeze coming in. He shuddered slightly, his own hair blowing in the direction of the winds. Damn... if he continued this conversation any further out here, he would really get sick. He closed his eyes and turned his head away, eyebrows furrowing. "Yare yare..." He muttered, the bitter tone in his voice having been contained once again to a more dry and casual one. "Well, when you talk about that, how about we worry about the fact that it's getting chilly?" He even smiled a little as he did so.

Loly looked to him, he was quick to get off the topic; but it suited her better, she was never one for sentimental moments or a 'pep-talk'. "Whiner." "Let's head back to camp then." making the first movement she began to walk back to the camp. Not much of a word was uttered, She was going to let him think now, he needed to clear it all out one way or another; time seemed best at the moment.

With a Sonido, he re-appeared right beside her, hands in his pockets. "You say to live in the present like it's so easy..." He said softly, eyes downcast for a moment. "I can't understand that... in my past, there has been many effects that put a path for my future. What're you trying to tell me... to ignore it completely?"

"It is easy if you let it be; that's the whole problem that most people seem to have." Loly affirmed, continueing to walk alongside with him. "Everyone's past is different; but the same in the factor that none is perfect and we all have ordeals. Those ordeals define who we become depending on how we choose to respond to them." Loly kept her pace, smooth and slow. "I'm saying; move on. Your choosing to stay stuck where you are with your thoughts. The simple fact is to realize the factors, and then move on" Loly frowned, "That's what puts most peoples in a rut, or people who can't let go of the past do." "Sad fact is, life leaves you behind while you stay in the past." Loly finished the statement.

"I can't do that."

The statement came out automatically, himself not even know that he would say such right off of the bat. However, he continued on, determined to keep his voice clear. "My past isn't something so easy to forget. If I was to discard all of that... where would I be? I would have discarded my reason for keeping this team together, my mistakes, and the consequences of them. That would simply increase the chances of me making them again. I can move on... but not completely."

Loly nodded, "Then I advise you do so." "A team has faith in their leader. You should as well." taking the walk back, they were close to the camp. Menoly was still sleeping, the same position she was in before, Loly had discussed with Senkaku about change, maybe it would help.

WHen they stepped to the locked door, Senkaku was courteous enough to push it open slowly in order to not awaken his friends. "You know what...?" He spoke again, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh. "I'm going to stay out here for a while, just to get my head clear and think about this. I'll be back soon... in the meantime, you might as well get some more shut-eye... or whatever." Stepping in only for a brief moment, he held open the door for her to enter - ladies first, after all.

Loly nodded, "I'll do just that." she headed off to her bed, taking courtesy of Senkaku's politeness. "I suggest you get some soon as well, night." soon she placed herself on top of her sleeping bag and procceeded to dream.

"Yeah...."

With that solo word, Senkaku shut the door behind him, leaving his teammates to fall asleep. Then, with a Sonido, he disappeared from the area in order to find his own peace and solitude to think about Loly's words.

Oddly enough; another presence was near this place... the remnants of Team Zealot. Bailarin and her lover, Tristeza Desgaste had already left the group just two days prior, leaving Fuerte Silenciar with Isabella Peleira and Nacido Soñador. Continuing to walk forward, they stood at the edge of a cliff, a city in the distance.

Senkaku's figure re-appeared in the skies above the city. For now, he would have no destination, though he would keep himself from leaving the city limits too far. Once again, his eyes resumed that blank slate, hiding any emotion but the ones based on the concept of nihilism. His mind was not only thinking of Loly's words... but also past experiences as a "leader". How often had he not considered such a high status he had and suffer the consequences for it. The first he could remember was the separation of himself... and Hermosa.

It was at the time of their birth... or rather, the start of their new lives. A side experiment performed by both his mother (who had been a Captain), and her Lieutenant, it proved to be very successful. The reasoning for such a separation was because of the newfound power they had both gained as a Vasto Lorde, making containment procedures nearly impossible. The separation would split the power and lessen its effects. However, for some reason, Hermosa had been severely weakened, barely left alive by leaving Senkaku. Reluctantly, Senkaku and Jasui both decided to leave her to die, in the belief that there was no hope for her.

How could he have been so wrong?

Isabella looked off the distance. What was the tiny signature in the sky above the city...? her moments stopped, she signaled for the team to advance forward. "Let's head a bit further... Nacido nodded, vanishing with Sonido. Fuerte reluctently followed; she was only staying for the next day, she couldn't stay Isabella, and Nacido was too stoic for her likings, ugh.

He wasn't allowed to drift for long...

...he had caught their signatures, too.

However, he could barely recognize them from the distance he was at. Curiosity filling him, he decided to pick up the pace. His flight speed increased, and he was almost shooting like a bullet towards their location, teeth gritted slightly. Too powerful to be simple Hollow walking around... and he could tell there were three of them. He doubted he was going to just simply face them head-on. After all, he wasn't one to simply bother strangers due to their spiritual energy. Once he saw who it was, he would just head out and wherever he was going...

Isabella glanced forward, she could sense the signature. Perfect, a flying target... charging pressure in her hand, a compressed Bala Orb. She kept her emotions calm as she flung the orb towards the target as a AA turret, as soon as the Bala reached near Senkaku; it exploded into spiritual shrapnel.

....or not.

Senkaku's eyes widened in shock as he looked down, just in time to see the Bala coming... but he never anticipated the sudden blast that enveloped him when it exploded. It connected, enveloping him in the blast completely. The result was a smoking cloud that enveloped where he had stopped flying.

"Tch; what a weak signature, but just strong enough to live through that..." "Time to give the fly a swatting..." building up a dark red and purple pressure, A Cero, Isabella perpared, launching this time a beam much like a laser into the sky; perparing to tear through the leftovers if any. Fuerte watched on at the aggresive nature of Isabella, clearly she was mad with superiority. Nacido just watched and added her own point of view, arms crossed, "I suggest you figure out who the target is before killing it..." Isabella gave a mental irritation; Tch.

....So that who it was.

His shock immediately faded, returning to his own quiet rage. He extended one of his hands, waiting patiently for the Cero to come. It came into contact with his skin, but its energy split and went around his body. Through the red and purple, he could sense the signatures down below... it was at least some of the members of Team Zealot... Isabella... Fuerte... and that girl that had not been heard out by the announcer. Why were they here...?

After he had fully dissipated the Cero, he used a Sonido to reach ground level, a distance in front of the trio, eyes betraying nothing. However, his quiet rage was now directed at Isabella. After the fight with Fuerte had been over with... she had been the one to brutally criticize the opponent he had defeated. And from the looks of it... the other teammates had seemed to take a distance from her. It was odd to him...

Isabella glanced at him calmly. "Oh; I guess we can see who the fly was..." "You look familiar... ah yes; your the one that put Fuerte back in her place." "Good show back then..." her tone chiding, she had her blade on her waist, and it was ready to be drawn. Nacido glanced to him, somewhat happy; maybe for the fact that if he was here... maybe Nnoitra was too? "Oh, hey Senkaku-san. Good to see you again; if I could apologize for my master's rudeness, I would." Isabella only 'tched' again. Fuerte looked at him, and just gave a smile; too timid infront of Isabella to do much at the second.

Senkaku's eyes narrowed, his hands clenching. "I don't need the small talk from you." He said vehemently, addressing Isabella and not yet her two teammates. However, he chose not to draw his sword this time. "You who opted to torture one of my comrades and berate your own. I would've been glad to see Melina kill you in the tournament." He was thankful Tristeza wasn't there at the moment, or he would've been even more ticked off. She was the one who had cost Hermosa one of her arms!

Isabella grinned, "Oh little boy is still irritated about what occurred and did not occur, eh?" her voice chiding, she grinned somewhat. Nacido just continued to watch and frowned; why was her master such a prick? Fuerte sighed and decided to take a seat.

It had been a mistake in the past to let simple words get to him. Senkaku closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, considering his words. "Maybe so." He commented. "But it does tell me one thing... that I'm doing my part as a leader right." He opened his eyes once more to a half-lidded position. "Normally, I would have assumed that your missing teammates had just left simply because they felt like they didn't have a purpose under your service. But, considering what happened at the Hell tournament, I can now say that they left because you failed to give them the respect and leadership they needed. Even now, I can practically smell the tension between you and your "comrades". You're a pitiful excuse for a leader, and shouldn't even think of calling yourself one."

Isabella chuckled, "Ruling through respect? Really? Oh how charming; you rule through friendship." "Fear is the only emotion that your allies need to feel from you." Nacido grimaced, gritting her teeth. Baka. Isabella added once more with humor, "I guess that's how your partners die faster; your too busy cuddling them and worrying about their safety then training them." "That's why the blind-bat lost her arm."

"...you're wrong."

Strangely, Senkaku was feeling a bit calmer, his voice stronger as he spoke. "Fear is the emotion that drives your allies apart. With a leader instilling fear within their allies, a team can never exist. The only thing that would be highly likely to come out of it would be rebellion. That fear can bring out the anger within one, causing them to defy the hand that created them. The only thing they need of their leader is awareness of their power and strength, acknowledgement, if you will..." His eyes lightened up a little. "That's the other thing... I didn't "worry about their safety." We all were aware of our limits and strengths in combat, and we trusted in each other's abilities. If I were truly that worried, I would've stopped Hermosa from fighting Tristeza in the first place. With that concept, we've managed to survive not only as a team, but friends as well. Can you say the same... with your team falling apart at the seams...?"

"I can say that I never once had the thought in mind of keeping this tournament team together. I was there for revenge; nothing else. To kill; and leave. Whether the others left or not is none of my care." Smirking, she decided to add her own insult. "But trivial teams aside; I must ask, what makes you capable of staying leader..." "You may gather people and everything... but a group without a goal is lead by a fool."

He could've spoken out. He could've said simply that their goal was to stick together in such a harsh world, to fight together and not have to survive in the world alone. However, he only spoke these words: "That... is none of your business." He answered, reaching out to grip the hilt of his blade. "Right now... I'm concerned with this." His spiritual energy began to exude in the form of an aura around him, glowing a bright green. "Had you not attacked me, I would've gladly withheld my anger against you. But as of now, you just gave me an excuse to kill someone. I'll dispose of you right here and now, you bitch."

Fight Insueing
Isabella smirked, "Oh really now?" "I like you to prove that; then I'll finish off the girl, I didn't get a chance to last time." Nacido backed up, and so did Fuerte. Isabella unsheathed her sword. "Let's dance, shall we?"

Senkaku wasn't kind enough to grace her with a verbal response.

Instead, after unsheathing his sword and gripping it with both hands, he used a Sonido to re-appear slightly above her, but still in front of her. With a yell, he swung down the blade and put forth his full strength in it. Now wasn't the time to hold back... for one of the reasons he had for engaging her was not only just his personal vendetta. He felt as if he had to avenge the loss of Hermosa's left arm, as well as Melina's suffering in her own fight with Isabella.

Watching the attempt to attack her; the strength noted. Isabella began her adding motion; gathering Reishi to her Zanpakuto, she did a samurai type attack; placing her sword by her hip and then unleashing her attack in a quick and deadly manner; parrying his own attack with her speed.

Their swords clashed violently, sparks flying with the collision of spiritual steel. As Senkaku's blade recoiled off of Isabella's, he twisted the hilt in order to produce another swing - this time a diagonal uppercut that would slice through her torso. His movements were without hesitation, and nearly flawless; his mother had taught him well.

Isabella perpared her next defense; this technique was her beautiful Sonido motion. Only she knew it... Perparing her body; she applied a spike of pressure to her body; so strong, but only lasting a few milliseconds. This speed allowed her body to seemingly attack/counter a foe; and then in mid-stream, she had already done so and was completing a new motion. Infact, it was just their brain catching up with their speed; for every one motion they could bring up; she could perpare two or three more. And she did... Isabella parried; and her body phased, seeming to blur and vanish, then clearing and coming back with two vertical strikes, one down and one up. Milisegundos Sonido.

It was quite the impressive movement. In fact, it would've gotten Senkaku if he didn't act accordingly... taking one hand off of his blade, he decreased the power of the strike, but added speed to his own defense. The speed was no match for his vision, his eyes reading Isabella's movements. For every strike that she had performed, he managed to either block or evade, jerking up, down, left and right in order to avoid being cut by the dangerous blade. Loathingly, he was reminded that if he was aiming to kill her, this wouldn't be too easy. As the last of their swords were clashing, he summoned up an Espada Cero to enhance his cutting power. Hopefully, the combination of his Cero and his physical strength would cut through her defense this time...

Isabella continued to use her Milsegundos Sonido, dodging his blade, bending with flexability or leaping over attacks. The next effort would be fun for her. Using her first motion, she swung her blade, perparing to slice through his waist, the second attack coming straight up, and the third being a piercing motion; each entirely different styles. And lastly; her finale. Isabella seemed to phase and split in half, both her after-images committing another samurai-esque attack, both of them perpared a decapitation technique, their speed allowing them to rush on both sides and make a clean cut; if it worked, he would be two parts of one body.

At that moment, Senkaku seemed to have lost his footing.

Eyes widening, the blades slashed through him... but his figure immediately shimmered into non-existence. An after-image - a testament to his own immense speed. With the finish of the Sonido, he re-appeared behind her, thrusting his blade in towards the spinal chord. He would not allow hismelf to be overwhelmed by speed alone! It would be a disgrace to fall to the one who had been targeted to kill...

"Oh how the weak shall topple..." Isabella began to quote from a number of choices to demean Senkaku. It was true... Cero could be fired from the hands, the mouth, the head, and even one's chest. But the way Isabella had mastered hers... was oh so much more delicious. Forming a Cero directly infront of her back, she launched it at full strength. The ultimate defense was the ability to produce the offense from a full 360 degrees, Isabella could do so. "Let the domino's fall!"

"Kch...!"

It was the enhanced blade that allowed his blade to slice right through. The Cero separated into two parts behind him, keeping him from harm. However, his blade continued, cutting into the back of Isabella and out through the chest. It was a misjudgment in his strength... when he had deflected the Cero with only his bare hand, it should've been clear that wouldn't be enough to kill him. At her words, he allowed a wry smile to fall across his face. "Oh... I agree with you completely."

Clearly the pain didn't budge her; or atleast, she wouldn't show it. Producing spiritual pressure from the wound, she had a genius technique in mind, using Sonido she shot her body forward off the blade; and then by producing a drop-kick, she shot two additional Cero from her feet, more powerful then the last. Her body motion fluid, something was eerie about her movements... the fact that her wound was already healing.

"Damn it.... not again!"

Eyes widening, Senkaku was this time forced to evade the attack with a Sonido, re-appearing off to the side of the woman a few distance away. There was no doubt about it; something about her was starting to bug him... a bit of doubt was beginning to grow within him, even as he raised his sword defensively.

"You are..." her words appeared to have a 'glitch' as her words paused in mid-air and continued, a repeat, she had used her Milisegundos Sonido, her first action was to slice his arm, and the second was to pierce his ribs. "...You are strong, I'll give you that much, but so am I, if not more so!" the third act was a Bala coating her sword and used to bring her sword upward in vertical strike to tear his gut and chest open.

Once again, Senkaku (much to his irritation) was forced to stay back, skidding away on his feet with his sword poised back with one hand. He half-lidded his eyes and gritted his teeth slightly before allowing himself to stand straight. "I know that...!" He retorted, leveling the blade tip at her like a gun. Then, charging up reishi at her, he unleashed its destructive power on her, green light aiming to consume.

Placing her legs apart and spread, she stood in a horse-stance, perparing to stand firm. Blade placed vertically infront of her, she powered up her pressure for the defensive, watching as the energy clashed with hers, burning and stinging, but if he could block a Cero then surely she could block what he threw at her.

It was successful.

The energy was canceled out, leaving Senkaku standing there with his blade pointed at Isabella's direction. The forceful dispelling caused a slight wind to pass by. "You parried that well...." He remarked dryly. "Hyōga Seiran!" This time, he unleashed a wave of freezing ice from the tip of his blade similar to the manner he did of his Cero. If Isabella (as well as her teammates) was caught in it, she as well as they would freeze to death. It would also freeze the surrounding area.

Nacido instantly grasped Fuerte and vanished from sight, using Sonido to take them to a safer vantage point. Isabella vanished as well, taking her time to leap high into the air, gathering pressure in her sword, she swung it down as a gullotine and caused the pressure to hiss and scream, adding an acid effect to it.

Senkaku gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes, being forced to jump back. As he cleared the short distance, the wave itself slammed into the ground and kicked up a wide geyser of sand. Then, with that being created, he used another Sonido to rocket from the ground and through the sands, attempting to take Isabella off-guard and strike once more.

Isabella glared at him, pulling her sword up, she decided for one free-style plan. Improvising, she formed a series of Bala around her body in orb shapes, and shot them as beams around her in a full circumfrence. "Gaaah!" the dust burned her eyes, and she was trying to whipe it off.

For the first time in the night....Senkaku smiled. But it was far from the kind smile that he had always shown people. It was one filled with confidence, visually arrogant in nature. With one more Sonido, he managed to evade the Bala once more, being tipped off by the clear formation of the Bala. Readying another Espada Cero, he swung an uppercut to cleave through his opponent.

Isabella watched the attack, and her body motion split in half, she had to atleast move! Creating an afterimage, she burst off into a random direction to his side, her blinded eyes hindering a tactical use. Out of the way, her afterimage was cleaved in half and disintergrated into energy. Finally, she had rubbed all of it out her eyes! Isabella readied herself, offering a back-stance defensive position.

"Tch..."

Somewhat disappointed, Senkaku lowered his sword and shifted himself to face Isabella once more. As the lull in combat started, his mind was thinking back to the years long ago... how he had came across Hermosa. When he had found her, she was barely alive with several Adjuchas attempting to consume her. It had been all thanks to his former decision to leave her for dead... if it hadn't been for the time, she would've surely been killed, and his power permanently sealed away from use. He probably wouldn't have minded that side-effect... but he would've felt guilty over her death... what if he made the same with his teammates....?

She could sense his lowered guard. Perfect for an assault. Isabella perpared herself, She rushed forward to him, delivering a series of bone-crushing blows, her sword swipes long and hard to reinforce her way unto him; to push him back. In her mind; she ordered the thought: ''Garganta. ''As soon as she thought the words... a black empty portal opened behind him, silent and gaping. Where would it lead? To Isabella's blade if he fell through.

Crap!

The sudden change in the air tipped him off to the Garganta behind him. Raising his sword with one hand, he managed to block the strikes, but was pushed back against her strength. His concentrated eyes directed themselves from behind him for a brief moment, before he arched his back to keep himself from falling in completely. Then, he stumbled back, sliding himself off to the side of her and flipping away elegantly. But it wasn't long before he launched himself onto the offensive again, charging at Isabella with newfound strikes filled with his furiosity and animosity towards her...

....as well as himself.

He could still even remember their conversation....

''...and with that final sword strike, the beast fell into the sands, letting out a horrible wail as its head was split in two. Senkaku breathed in heavily, re-sheathing his blade. All around him were Adjuchas, dead and drowning in their own blood. His shirt had been completely torn apart, revealing harsh-looking but minor wounds on the skin and flesh. The remnants of his Hollow mask (a wide band wrapped around his mid-section), had been cracked widely by teeth marks. However, he didn't show any signs of grievous injury, with the exception of severe exhaustion. He looked down at one of the corpses.''

It was the one he had been looking for.

''She was still breathing, her blank eyes open as she stared up at him. She had suffered worse injuries, wounds that would've surely killed anyone else. Yet, she was still able to prop herself onto her hands and knees in order to support herself. "...thank you..." She whispered, her voice slightly pained. Yet, a small smile came onto her face - a sign of gratitude towards Senkaku for saving her life. It made Senkaku himself lighten up a little, giving his own small smile in return.''

''"No problem..." He spoke softly, allowing himself to walk over and kneel down to her position. "But... honestly, I'm surprised. Those wounds... they look like they'd be enough to kill you." As he spoke, he couldn't take his eyes off of the occasional blood drop that was staining the sands under her. "I thought I had lost you..."''

''"It's an ability that most other Hollow gave up...." She explained, trying to be as clear as possible. "Regeneration. Mine isn't as evolved as the high-speed regeneration variant, but it...it suits me. Had that not kicked in, I would've surely died...." That made Senkaku wince a little, his eyes drifting down to the ground. But before he could wallow in self-loathing, the girl spoke up again. "The best thing was that you came here at all!" She insisted, bowing her head so that her eyes would be shadowed, and her expression was hidden. "I'm indebted to you... stranger."''

''That caused him to look up from the ground. "Well... that works out perfectly, then. You don't remember me... do you?" He asked hesitantly, causing her to look up in surprise. "I thought not... you were unconscious when Kaa-san separated us from each other...."''

''"W....what're you talking about?" Now her voice held surprise in it, as well as shock, despite the weakness and pain that was muffling it. Senkaku took in a deep breath.''

''"I'll tell you when we get back... I'm sure that Kaa-san will explain everything and heal you once we do... for now...." He decided to take off the cloak he had been wearing in order to avoid the pesky sand flying around him, and tossed it to the wounded girl. With one hand, she managed to catch it and wrap it around herself. ''"What's your name?"

....Hermosa."

''....that's a nice name. Ningensei Senkaku....''

Defeat is only for the fool. To obtain; act through cruelty... devour the weak, punish them physically, then mentally. Shatter their very being to the point of no return. This was Isabella's Code.

Isabella swung her body motion into a spin, pulling two parries into the motion. Taking two slices of his Zanpakuto to her shoulder and under-arm, it stung, but she had to continue through... closing the next step, she produced stabbed her sword forward his stomach; but the surprise appeared. A Garganta appeared where her blade stabbed at his stomach, and appeared behind him, perparing to pierce into his shoulder with it's keen sting.

He never saw it coming.

His irises shrank, the light being lost from his eyes as the blade tore through his shoulder. What a frightening use of Gargantua! He had only assumed the technique could only be used for longer distances. But, clearly, he was very wrong... oh, so very wrong. Recovering, he raised a finger behind him, a beam of reishi forming at the tip. He was going to send the message straight back to her... with a stronger force. Condensing the energy this time in order to decrease size and increase damage, he fired it into the Garganta.

Her eyes glinted open as the energy blast entered her own Garganta and exited from her first one, glowering over the blade and plummeting into her form, crashing her into the dirt and rocks as she skipped for a few yards before gaining balance once more and standing on her feet, wobbling somewhat. With this, her portals closed. "Clever use of my own technique, but tell me?" "Have you ever considered the fact that your team doesn't want you? Or how about: doesn't need you?" "Do they really? They didn't before, why now, what makes you so damned special?"

"....they don't need me."

His voice was slightly bitter, his conflicting feelings coming to the surface despite the dry tone that sounded from it. "Each and everyone of them are powerful enough to rely on themselves. The goals were trivial at first... win a lousy tournament and break up soon afterwards. But... as time progressed, we began to see ourselves are more than teammates. Rather... we started to see ourselves as the assets of maintaining what morality we had in the world of Hueco Mundo. After all, all of us Hollows are seen as scum of the Soul Society. What better place to keep our society than with each other? We're not considered a team anymore... but rather, I would call us comrades-in-arms."

However, he closed his eyes. "But what's the point of explaining this to you? It's clear that we think too differently. How could a cruel woman like you ever understand?" He asked vehemently, mild venom in his tone.

"Oh, so much optimism and love for your friends, eh?" Isabella goaded, "Last question for you... what will you do if one of them dies? Will you mourn, will you move on? As I can see... your the leader of your group your culture. Your actions produce value and meaning to your ''comrades." ''Isabella added once more, "If this is the case; if you make one mistake, you've failed, not only yourself, but all who believed in you. Your being built on a pedestal, and with that, comes your immeniant fall." Isabella tensed, she was ready to attack once more. But a reponse was in order...

And he had made more than one...

"Shut up..."

Senkaku gripped the hilt of his sword, his eyes narrowing dangerously. His spiritual pressure made itself known to the environment, slight winds billowing from the aura of his person. If you make mistake, you've failed not only yourself, but all who believed in you... No. He couldn't have failed them so easily... why was she saying such things to him? Gah! It made him want to kill her even more! But if he wanted this fight to go seriously, he had to get serious himself... he raised his blade in the air, his spiritual pressure increasing in the area by the second...

Isabella watched his pressure rise. "I'd hurry up... and perpare yourself." '''"Higeki, Strike!" 'the words translated as Tragedy Strikes. ''She prepared her form, the area bursting forth into red and purple energy, the energy even causing unnatural flames to form all around her and the area in a short-distance. The change of pressure was drastic, and she would hold nothing back. "Time for you to die now, since you haven't seen my true-form, I doubt you'll win." "Me on the hand, I have seen yours..." "Clearly... you lack leadership material." Her succubi form in stage, dark wings spreading, curved horns on each side of her head. She opened her hand, spreading it wide, causing a burst of purple flames to form into her palm. Creating her Zanpakuto. "Ready?" Licking her lips seductively, she played them over her fangs. "Play time..."

"Equalize...Agua."

Upon those very words, Senkaku himself being enveloped in green energy. For a very short moment, the winds around him seemed to emit shockwaves, blowing gusts of sand everywhere. Once it cleared up, he was seen in his newfound form. His clothing gained more of the Aizen Espada look, with a bone-plated armor on his chest, parts of his arm, and shoulders. The remnants of his Hollow mask had shown up on the top of the left side of his head. In his hands were two blades nearly identical to his sealed state. However, there was only one chemical difference: they were made of thick ice. Although he was readying his blades in defense, he couldn't help but eye the form a bit. Especially the legs--

Ok, he had to stop thinking about how she looked before he shoved his mind in the gutter.

Still, it eased him a little at the humorous thought. Though his tone was dry when he spoke, it also held slight mirth in it. "Play time?" He questioned, smirking slightly. "As...distracting...as you look right now, I just don't feel that way about you."

"Aww... and to think I would have let you." Isabella smirked, moving her body to add the emotion of allure. "Too bad..." somewhat of a pout in her voice. But it didn't change her inner deception. ''"Acido Ducha!" ''her words whispering violently, she placed her free-hand upward, pointing the palm directly at Senkaku's new form. The jet of acid sprayed at high-velocity, it's venomous and lethal nature coated in a manner to devour Hierro or Kido alike. A Direct hit would prove as a handicap... a point-blank shot could tear a hole through him.

Luckily, Senkaku had sharp reflexes. Narrowing his eyes and gritting his teeth, he raised one of his swords upward, a trail of water coming from the blade itself. When he swung down, a wave of water as tall as him was created from the arc of his swing. Timed right, he was able to cause the acid to collide with it and suspend itself for a moment. Then, hidden from Isabella's view, he twisted one of his swords down and stabbed it into the ground. From the depths of the ground, boiling water erupted underneath the succubus's feet in an attempt to incinerate her.

Isabella's eyes widened. She perpared her next move. Moving out of the heat, the boiling water glanced her shoulder, hissing as her skin was burnt. "Ssss..." her own voice hissing in unison. Perparing her attack, she sent out two swing of her sword, propelling Bala towards Senkaku. But her Bala were special. With each single Bala bolt, she sent two. Therefore; four were slashed towards his form.

A wave of nostalgia raced through Senkaku.

Kneeling down behind the water shield, he concentrated and solified that energy in order to freeze the ice, strengthening the power of the shield. As the Bala were colliding with him, he used a Sonido to move behind Isabella, swinging his blades down consecutively in order to cut off at least one of her wings.

Watching the attack, she had to make a plan. Isabella raised one clawed hand, talons of a demoness combatting his Zanpakuto's blows, coupled with her twirling and using reversals from her Zanpakuto to alternate her parrying style. Snickering, smirked as she charged a Cero infront of her chest, perparing to launch it at him. A few feet away. "Cha!" The energy let loose... now she would claim offensive.

"No pose or anything?!"

That was the only thing running through Senkaku's shocked mind. Instinctively, he jumped back, but he knew that wasn't going to take him out of the Cero's range. Lifting one of his sword hands, he pointed a finger at the oncoming Cero, a white orb of reishi forming at his fingertips. He hadn't used the Cero during his battle with Fuerte, for fear that he would've ended up destroying a lot more than he could reckon with. However, against this kind of enemy, he couldn't show any restraint. This would be the first time that Isabella would witness such a powerful attack.

"Cero Pintor."

The white laser was fired, colliding with her Cero... and consuming it in a mass of white light and a wave of destruction.

Isabella's eyes widened in shock. She absorbed excess energy from the air. Amplifying her cells. Grafting her frame, she spread her wings, and burst away from the blast. With her progression in her Resurreccion, she could make it out of the blast zone. Seeming to vanish from sight, only the visible display of her wings raising alerted to her performing a spike ''Sonido. ''

She soon appeared a good distance away... watching the explosion make it's berth.

It could be described as nothing but beautiful. Although its nature was nothing but consuming and deathly, its brilliance lit up the night sky like fireworks. The shockwaves intensified the winds, gusts spreading throughout the area. Loly would probably remark on how Senkaku was once again bringing even more ruin to the city. But, hell, the guy was pissed off. What got in the way were nothing more than Gillians and the like. All he was focused on was killing her...

However, it wasn't long before the Cero's energy signature reached the spot where he had so recklessly abandoned. His camp.

Loly could feel something... a signature... what was going on? She had just found sleep, and now... this energy. So high... oh dear... Senkaku.

Isabella stood there, wings flapping subconciously in a bored-manner, her demoness tail swaying from side to side. Hand on her hip, a figure of beauty, but nontheless shocked at the display of powre shown just recently. Sword hand lowered lazily to her leg, she perpared herself. As soon as she could spot him through the blast... combat would be rengaged.

Some of the people, however, had been jarred by the energy signature more than others.

"SENKAKU!"

Immediately, as if just waking from a dream, Hermosa shot up like a lightning rod, her voice loud and panicked. It was enough to startle the rest of them awake, as they were close by. However, as they groaned and managed to sit themselves up, Melina had been the only one to awake just as panicked as she was. Only, it was for a different reason.

"W...what?!" She spluttered, raising up to her feet and recklessly lurching forward. "Who's talking--?!"

WHAM!

Unfortunately, she had the bad luck to run straight into the nearest rock wall. Eyes dizzied, she stumbled onto her back, almost out like a light.

Loly walked up to Hermosa's side. "It's Senkaku..." glancing to Hermosa. Looking for a response. "He's in trouble..." signatures were a flare... and Sen was facing a foe, or a group of foes.

Isabella twirled her blade around. "Impressive display, but it's time to come out." She had energy charged for her next 360 degree Cero...

However, Senkaku wasn't done just yet.

As the light faded away, he was seen standing on the ground, hand outstretched towards the airborne Isabella. His entire body was glowing a white aura, the same color of his Cero. It seemed as if Isabella was capable of dodging the first attack... now it was time to see how she faired up against this one. Once she was caught, there was little to no way out... how long would she survive, once she unleashed this technique? He whispered the words:

"Cero Pintor... Eterna Lluvia."

Then, out of that outstretched hand, a barrage of closely connected lasers were fired, artillery directed towards the sky.

Isabella grinned as the hundreds of the blasts of Cero Pintor Eterena Lluvia came forward. One command was stated, it was the perfect timing. '''"Espiritual Circo." '''suddenly, the orbs that threatened to kill her, now merged with her aura. Orbs of her own soon took his blasts's place. If he put more effort; she'd only have more ammo and stronger orbs of her own. Cackling as his pressure converted to hers. She would wait for him to see her own... ace in the hole.

"...!!"

The disturbance was given off by the forceful shifting of the Cero made him stop firing, his eyes staring forward. However, a chill went down his spine when he stared upon the newfound scene... all of those Cero had been fired had been stopped in their tracks, forming together under his every enemy's command. His eyes wavered, and his mouth quivered a little out of disbelief and fear. "N...no way...!" Was the only thing he could stammer.

Isabella sent them outward, thrusting them all back towards his very being. Such power! Surely he had to be exhausted. If not... this game could last all night if she wanted. Watching the orbs blast forward one at a time at high-speeds, seeming to move all together in a row. The blast would be his undoing...

"Damn it...!"

That was all he could manage to think of, before he swung his swords upward, too panicked to avoid the blasts. However, of course, they were not meant to cut through all of the Cero - it was a feat that he would never achieve. Instead, the wakes of his sword left behind a forward water shield which immediately solified into ice. No sooner had he placed the shields upwards than the Cero blasts hit...

It was as if bombs were hitting the ground, destroying everything in their wake.

And Senkaku was the epicenter.

Dancing Spiritual Flames
Isabella watched on in glee, a wicked smile on her lips. Whatever defense he had... she was sure she could triumph over. Time to die.

He had expected to die. He had expected all of those Cero to annihilate him where he stood. One hit... one direct hit from one of them would be enough to disintegrate him entirely. A thousand would ensure his complete demise. He shut his eyes, fearing for his life and dreading the feeling of the reaper closing around his non-esxistant soul. He heard the Cero collide with his ice shields, smashing through them too easily for any resistance at all... once again, he had failed himself...

He opened his eyes slowly once it cleared, knowing that he would be welcoming only dark--

Wait a minute.

It wasn't darkness.

When the smoke cleared, he could only stare in shock at a slightly shorter figure that was in front of him, arm outstretched. A Negacion field was in front of both her and him, the reason of why he hadn't been slaughtered in his standing position. His mouth quivered in disbelief. "H...hermosa...?!" He managed to say, to which the said girl only replied with a look of acknowledgement in his direction.

"It's good to see you're OK, Sen-dono." She commented.

Loly was soon behind, thrusting her blade forward, her motion a blur, she perpared to stab her foe in the spine. Isabella almost didn't catch it. Her eyes turning to the corner, she could see the action, concentrating a Cero directly infront of her back, she shot it at full power to Loly. Luckily, with a blast of Sonido, she vanished to a safe position near Senkaku and Hermosa after the explosion's aftermath...

"Loly?!" He almost took a step back out of surprise. "W...where's the other--"

"We didn't need the whole team for this..." Hermosa stated calmly, this time craning her head to look in his direction. "Besides... consider this as payment for saving me that day." She gave a small smile in his direction in order to emphasize the assurance. His own gaze softened under her look, and he took in a deep breath. "T...thank you..." He whispered to both of them, grateful for their support.

Loly continued to stand there. "Welcome." "Now it's time to attack her all together." She already had her blade drawn, she was ready for the attack.

Isabella's eyes glared as she watched the protection and aid... "Great... cavalry." Forming a long-swipe Bala, she hurtled it towards all three in a horizontal stroke to decapitate anything in it's path.

It was time to wrap this up.

His motivation slowly returning to him in the presence of allies, Senkaku allowed himself to push forward, his robe billowing in the winds. In his hands, his ice swords dissipated, even as he moved to avoid the Bala. However, their replacement was much more dangerous - around the other two partners, two separate waves of water erupted from the ground in Senkaku's wake. His eyes narrowed as he willed the water as his weapon, the pressure enough to crush every bone in a human body.

Meanwhile, Hermosa herself had taken on more of a dangerous role - facing Isabella up-close. Using Senkaku's head-on charge, she used a Sonido in order to re-appear off to the side of Isabella to engage in sword combat with her. She started off with a two-handed swing, vertical and capable of cutting the woman in half.

Isabella's eyes flickered to the side, she raised the side of her arm up. "Oh... look a fly that thinks it has a sting." Her Hierro wouldn't protect her all the way, but she had a side technique. Using her arm, she allowed her body to roll with the momentum, leaping to the side as the blow from her foe's Zanpakuto pushed her. "Tch." her tail snapped foward like a whip, flicking across Hermosa's cheek with a snap, it's sharp barb capable of cleanly slicing into a wound. Charging a Cero on her sword, she was perparing to deal with the water next...

Loly was already perpared, pulling spiritual pressure to her, she hurled alternating patterns of Slicing Bala and Bolt Bala towards Isabella, each right after the other to take her down from long-range on the opposite side of the group. Isabella wouldn't see it coming. She couldn't handle all sides at once.

"Kch!" The blow certainly surprised the blind woman, the barb managing to cut across her face. However, graceful movement allowed for the wound to become less fatal to her. She was able to turn her head in the direction of the swing towards her person, wincing as the barb cut her cheek. However, that didn't stop her from jumping away in a forward roll... as Senkaku's water wave had appeared right over their heads. With a swift movement, Senkaku hid several ice needles within the massive water wave, waited for a few seconds, and then unleashed them like rain upon his enemy. During all of this, he had chosen to take to the air incase Isabella decided to take shelter to the skies.

Isabella frowned, "Time to step it up." Unleashing her Cero on the blade, she made a 360 spin of her body, causing the beam of spiritual pressure to destory anything from a horizontal level, it would halt Loly's ''Bala. ''Now she had the ice to deal with. She pulled her wings over her entire body, the Hierro would be enough... the pressure around her would only help crush the ice into pesky cold pebbles. Hopefully...

However, Senkaku had other ideas.

Combined with the needles of ice, he decided to send down a crushing pressure down to meet Isabella while she was attempting to defend herself. The rest of the water followed the rain of ice in a gravitational speed. His eyes widened, victory sighted in his grasp. "I've got her!" He thought, witnessing the wave crash down upon the ground with a loud SPLASH! The force was enough to force the sands apart, and the amount of water was enough to create a small lake.

Isabelle knew what she had to do.

As the waters crashed unto her form, perparing to crush her to death. "Sutoraiki o Mōichido." her thoughts screamed her new form released, she sent out a shockwave of distrubing pressure, the energy in nature enough to cause suffucation, and clearly enough disrupt the water, sending it outward as aquatic shrapnel. Her new form spreading her wings, horns more curved, and now a floating glyph of dark origin was placed behind her head.

Loly's eyes opened wide... something was wrong, why hadn't it worked... and then realization hit. She was in her second state... a Segunda Etapa.

Once again, Hermosa was facing down the very power that had nearly killed her so long ago. However, this time she held firm, only taking in a sharp breath as she felt the very power ripple against her. Right beside her, Senkaku re-appeared, one arm shielding him from the winds created by the pressure. So he had been right in his guesses - the leader did have a Segunda Etapa! Now all Senkaku had to do was take Hermosa and--

However, his eyes drifted to Loly.

She was still in the area. In order to activate his own Segunda Etapa, he would have to ask her to leave the area. For some reason, he was now reluctant to do so. They had both come all of this way only for him to send her back? It just wasn't fair! He closed his eyes, sighing to himself... what a tough decision to make!