Chapter 182 - The Red-Eyed Man

Itachi walked slowly and calmly into the horde of Hollows as if he couldn't be bothered by the swarm of Hollows all around them. 

"Kaien, Junpei. Get going, I'm right behind you." He said as he walked past them. 

Kaien and Junpei shared a nod and disengaged from the Hollows, leaving them to the other three Captains. Under the extended effect of Tsukuyomi, while not as potent, they were able to force their way deeper into the forest with relative ease. 

Itachi on the other hand just walked through the midst of the Hollows which from another perspective looked as if they were blatantly ignoring him, even after he'd set one on fire. 

As he walked, he reflected on his life so far. He'd spent almost a century as a Shinigami, having lived multiple times than the paltry time he was alive, and yet even in his death, this weren't all that different. 

He'd made different choices this time around and for one he was proud of the man he had become from those choices. His past as Shinobi would always be part of who he is, but for the first time in a long time, it wasn't the core of who he was. 

He had long grown out of Itachi Uchiha, The Clan Killer, and Itachi of the Leaf, and right now he wasn't exactly Itachi Uchiha, the Shinigami and Captain of 2nd Division or Commander-in-Chief of the Onmistukidō. 

At his core, at this very moment, he was Itachi Uchiha. 

He had created bonds because he wanted to. He's learned to cherish because he wanted to. He learned to lead because he wanted to. He had grown powerful because he wanted to. 

… He had a lot of people around him now. People that cared for him like he cared for them. 

Slowly and surely, Itachi had grown into a persona that his past self would never recognize save for mirror appearance. Other than longer hair and calm peaceful eyes, he didn't look that different from when he was alive. 

"Why the introspection?"  Tsukuyomi's ethereal voice filtered into his musings, melding with it naturally and never interrupting it. 

"This place. This instance. The choices that brought me here." Itachi said as walked unseen. "I don't think I would have changed anything."

"Truly?"  Even the way Tsukuyomi had a habit of replying with questions was something held dear.

"Yes." He answered resolutely. "I hold a strength incomparable to what I had when I was alive. I hold a station equal to few and above many."

He could feel Tsukuyomi's towering form lowering it's head to his eye level and blinking owlishly at him. "To what end?"

Itachi shook his head slowly. "To nothing grand. Just a chance to live a life with as little regrets as possible."

"And this?"

"The consequences of my choices, as well as his."

....

[POV: With Tier Harribel] 

Harribel stared at her girls and clenched her fist hard as an unwilling knot formed in her heart – if she were to have one. 

Her girls, her friends and comrades, had been harmed and it wasn't just the part where they were almost disintegrated to death. The damage to their psyche was the real deal. 

She would catch it every now and then, especially during times when topics of the red eyed Captain came up. 

It was as if he was torturing them without even being there, and now that he was here the effect was slowly becoming more pronounced. 

Worst of all was how they had narrowly survived the destruction of Las Noches. It had been nothing short of a miracle as even the Espada had been hurt. Some like her missing a limb or two, or missing a sizable chunk of their body. 

As for the fracción and Números, without exception, except for hers, all had been annihilated. 

They had barely survived a few seconds after meeting the man and before they even got themselves together, the same man blew up Las Noches, almost taking their lives with finality. 

And worst of all was this… 

"Listen to me, dammit!" Lilynette shouted as she drew on Harribel's hands. "You don't have to fight him."

"You don't have to worry about me, Lilynette. I have fought him before and while he's a tricky opponent, I am well used to how he fights. I won't lose since there's nothing holding us back this time around." She didn't lose the first round, in fact she would have won but he had escaped and destroyed Las Noches in the process, something that weighed heavily on her conscience. 

"Stop whining for once, brat! Are you with the Shinigami or with us?" Mila Rose stepped in Lilynette's face, poking the shorter Hollow hard on her chest. "If that doesn't tell you that they are here to kill us, then I don't know what will." And by that she meant the Reiatsu currently bearing down on the forest from above. 

"It's alright, Mila Rose." She knelt in front of Lilynette and took the trembling heart-torn girl's hand. "Lilynette, do you truly think that we can be at peace with the Shinigami?"

Personally, she didn't believe it one bit. Her heartfelt wish was for all this violence to stop but she knew that without the strength to enforce your steady voice, you'd only cry as you are trampled upon. 

Hueco Mundo taught her that. 

Sometimes there was no rational reason for violence. Everything was painted a predetermined white and black. 

The Shinigami taught her that. 

Lilynette looked down, her shoulders trembling even harder as she was close to the point of tears. 

"I don't know." She whispered. "But Itachi is different. He doesn't kill Hollows just for the sake of killing them."

She frowned in disapproval. Why was she and Starrk so headstrong on this Shinigami? 

"How can you be so sure? You only met him for a few days. We all know how cunning a Shinigami can be." This was the point that she couldn't really understand, she and Ulquiorra. How long or how little did it take to form a lasting impression? 

Lilynette sniffled, her eyes catching a few crystalline drops falling to the ground. "He is Starrk and Lilynette's first friend. He let Lilynette play with his cloak. He… he promised that we'll always be friends. Lilynette doesn't want her friends to fight."

The last part was barely toned above her breath but Harribel heard it. Coupled with Lilynette's tick of speaking in third person when she's feeling particularly vulnerable or emotional, she couldn't help but paint a mental image of how the little one was probably feeling. 

"If that is the case then I'll face him again and I will get an answer from him, even if I have to force it out of a half dead body." She said and stood up, the regal air around her testified to her intent. 

"Talk to him? Are you betraying Lord Aizen, Lady Harribel?" Apacci shouted in a whisper, her eyes widening scandalously, only to sigh in relief when Harribel shook her head. 

"I am fully intent on striking him down where he stands but that will depend on how responsive he is to having words with me." She finished and walked towards the door with her sword strapped to her back. 

... 

[POV: With Itachi] 

As Itachi walked deeper into the forest, he realized that the deeper parts of the forest spread wide open like an underground city with thousands of caves along the walls. 

He could feel Kenpachi coming his way, likely in search of stronger opponents, leaving Isshin and Byakuya to deal with the dwindling horde of Hollows. 

"I know you're there, show yourself." A voice he recognized called out to him even though he was walking down the middle of the road. 

Not answering he stepped towards her, still under the veil of his illusions, but she surprisingly jumped back before he could even attack. 

'Her instincts are sharp.' The illusion around him peeled away as he stared at Harribel. 

"I have one question for you." He spoke up before Harribel could, appearing lax as he took slow purposeful steps towards her. "Where is Lilynette and Miyako Shiba?" 

"For what reason do you ask?" She asked but he didn't answer, only keeping his lax pace as he came close to her. 

"If you won't answer then I have no idea –" She fell to her knees as pain flared up in her nerves. Horrified, she looked at the blade that had cleanly stabbed her through and shook as she raised her head through the pain to look at the red patterned eyes that were now a few feet away from her. 

"Lilynette and Miyako Shiba. Where are they?" 

The world spun and–

She had lost the moment she stepped on his path. Her main mistake was believing the lie he told her.

She was strong, truly strong, but so was he. Maybe it was because she's never fought an illusionist before because if she had, she would have questioned what she saw. 

… Or if her eyes had been special, she would have seen the smoky red-eyed crow on his shoulder and the silhouette of a woman walking beside him, both holding hands in the same hand he held his Zanpakutō. 

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