The Price of Power

"Alright, we're done for tonight," Yoruichi announced. "You're getting much better, Chad-kun."

"Thank you, sensei," the gentle giant rumbled lowly as he leaned against a tree to recover. "I appreciate you taking the time to train me."

"It's a sensei's privelige to help a student eliminate a weakness and turn it into strength," Yoruichi replied with a smirk. She was in human form now – it had been almost a week since Chad had arrived in Soul Society, and every day the young man was getting faster. They had progressed to spars today, and while Chad was still unable to land a blow on the Goddess of Flash, he was getting closer.

Chad, on his part, had realized that transforming his arm affected more of his body than just what the armor covered. His reflexes were faster, his body stronger and more durable, his mind processing information just a little bit quicker. This worried him slightly, but as he hadn't noticed any change in his own character, Chad figured that he wasn't slowly changing into a living Hollow.

El Brazo Derecha del Gigante had changed in his several spars with Yoruichi. Before, his arm had had white lines separating the black from the dark magenta, but those lines had disappeared. The shoulder extension had become more pointed as well, and the arm's design became far more intricate, with the red and black forming patterns. This upgrade had prompted a large increase in Chad's speed, durability and strength.

In regards to his search for his Abuelo, Chad felt he was getting closer. They had reached District 56 the day after he'd heard the tip from the kind stranger at the bar. Unfortunately, the district was far enough north that they sometimes had to defend themselves from more violent districts, and so most of the people who had been there at the time of Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa's presence had either died, or moved away. The others hadn't heard of him either, but Chad persisted in his search. Remembering the stranger's words, he and Yoruichi had continued northward, finally stumbling upon a promising conversation in District 68.

Flashback

"Its been quite some time since one of those lost children have stumbled in here," a kindly bartender murmured as Chad walked in. "Young man, do you come from up north? We hear precious little ever since children and old men stopped fleeing from those lands."

The shaggy-haired youth shook his head negatively, holding up a picture. "I am looking for this man, Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa."

"Can't say I've heard or seen him before, but in these parts that's not exactly unusual."

End Flashback

Chad was undaunted, however, as the conversation had hinted that Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa had succeeded in his plan to create a safe haven for children. He and Yoruichi had continued north, with Chad defeating yet not killing the various challengers that tried to intimidate or kill him. Today, they had heard from Districts 75 through 79 that there was a group who took it upon themselves to take in children, and the group was situated in District 80. Yoruichi had stopped Chad from dashing straight there, however.

Flashback

"We will go tomorrow, Chad-kun."

"But, why?" Chad questioned, clearly anxious to go.

"The nights out here in these districts are nothing we should take part in," Yoruichi had answered quietly. "Here, nights are considered the time for rapists, thieves, murderers, and turf wars. If we want to be looked at favorably by this organization, we should appear in daylight. Now, prepare yourself!"

End Flashback

Chad awoke the next day at dawn, fully rested. Eating some provisions that they had purchased a few districts prior, he was unsurprised to find Yoruichi already awake and waiting in cat form. "Shall we?" the cat proposed.

The giant of a man merely nodded and used his Paso del Viento, disappearing from the clearing. Yoruichi followed from a distance. Arriving on the outskirts of the outermost northern district, Chad slowed to a brisk walking speed. Yoruichi followed behind by quite some distance. He had barely been walking more than five minutes when a lithe shirtless, heavily scarred man approached. He appeared close to thirty, and had obviously not shaved in quite some time judging from the growing beard. "Who're you?" the man demanded. "Never seen you 'round here."

"My name is Sado Yasutora. I am merely passing through," Chad rumbled calmly.

"Just passing through my ass!" the man scoffed. "There's no district beyond this one! What could you possibly be looking for?!"

"I am looking for my grandfather," Chad replied honestly. "I have heard he may be in this district. Perhaps you have heard of him? Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa."

Instantly, the man's scowl grew deeper. "Yeah, I heard of him. He's changing this place, an' I don't like it! This is the district of men, where the only law of this land is the law you can make with your own strength!"

"Is he not following that law, then?" Chad queried. "If he is using his own strength to protect the women, children and the elderly, then isn't that the law he is enforcing?"

"Shut up! You don't know nothing, Sado!" He raised his left arm, using his right to trace a particularly nasty-looking scar on his left shoulder going partway down his side. "See this?! I got this scar fighting for my life against the monster of a man, and it was in that fight that I discovered the rush, the thrill of combat! If things keep up the way your damn grandpa wants them to, then everything will be too fucking peaceful!"

"Why is peace so bad? Is life not precious?" Chad contended.

The man spat on the ground to his left. "You don't sound like you're afraid to die, yet you're spouting that same bullshit," he said slowly, eyeing Chad. "You look plenty strong, you might even be good enough to survive out here. Why not just take what you want?"

"Why are you so quick to put down my grandfather's ideas?" Chad countered. He had to admit, he was slowly becoming frustrated by this man's constant degradation of his Abuelo's teachings.

"You ask an awful lot of questions!" the man commented, his voice coated in irritation. "Fine! If that old decrepit fart's ideas are so good, then let them beat me and my whole gang! You against all of us! If you win, hell, we'll even show ya where he is. You lose, you die!"

"I accept your terms," Chad said simply. "Call out your men."

The man turned to the side, put two fingers in his mouth and blew a shrill whistle. A mere half-minute later, Chad was surrounded by upwards of fifty men. "You ready, fucking tree-hugger?" one of the men taunted.

Chad raised his right arm, allowing the red and black armor to paint itself up from his hand to his shoulder. "El Brazo Dereche del Gigante," he murmured, "the manifestation of my faith in my Abuelo's teachings."

"What are you, some kind of Shinigami?" one soul asked, drawing his sword.

"Naw, can't be. Not wearing the robes, see?" a nearby one drawled. "But he does have a weird power, I'll grant ya that."

Chad shook his head. "Can we just get on with this?"

"Alright, men, attack!" the boss yelled. The mob roared its approval and rushed in.

The fight was over in hardly any time at all. All of Chad's speed training proved itself when he effortlessly knocked out the entire crowd, until only he and the boss were left. Chad had nary a scratch, and the men had all been knocked out and not permanently injured.

The boss, instead of looking scared, only looked more excited. "Finally, a strong one! My name is Pretamaru! Show me what you got, Sado Yasutora!" He rushed in, throwing a right jab which was blocked, before trying to follow it up with a powerful kick to Sado's thigh, hoping to break the bone.

Chad showed little reaction to the blow – he'd been hit harder before, even before he'd manifested his powers. Instead, the gentle giant forcibly grabbed Pretamaru's hands and used his armored right arm to hold the mob boss up by the wrists. "Yield," Chad quietly ordered, his voice serious. "Yield, and take me to my grandfather."

The gang's boss may thoroughly enjoy fights, but he was not so stupid as to not know when he'd lost. Pretamaru felt as though he'd damn near broken his foot when he'd kicked Chad's leg – it was like kicking a steel girder. There's no way I can win. "Fine, but if he's really your grandpa, you're not gonna like this…"

"How so?"

Pretamaru sighed. "He's being held captive by a rival gang, and more people join him all the time. I've lost some of my best people to them, cuz they want to be part of the power that captured the heart of the revolution."

Chad's expression hardened. "Take me there. Now."

"Fine, but you gotta protect me! I'm no match for them! I hear that some of them used to give that Shinigami taicho, I think his name was Kenpachi, a good fight, and that means they're damn near gods of the sword!"

Chad set the man down and glared. "Move it."

Pretamaru swallowed hard. "Yes, sir."

Forty minutes or so later, Pretamaru had led Chad to a mansion on top of a large hill. "In there?" Chad questioned.

"Yeah. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm getting out while the getting's good!"

Chad let Pretamaru run. Eyes narrowed beneath his shaggy hair, he used Paso del Viento again to appear at the front door.

"Password?" came the test question.

In response, Chad used his armored arm to punch through the door, then twisting so he could open the door himself. The door answerer gaped at him, or more specifically at the arm. I suppose the arm is rather strange-looking to them, Chad admitted, but the staring is getting irritating. "Excuse me, have you seen this man?" he queried, holding up a picture of his Abuelo. "Someone out there told me you guys had the pleasure of his company."

The man in front of Chad visibly gathered his courage and smirked at the newcomer. "Yeah, I seen him. He's downstairs, but you do realize you'll never get to him, unless you're a prisoner yourself!"

The next instant, Chad buried his unarmored fist into the man's diaphram, making the gang member keel over as the breath was knocked out of him. "I'm sorry, but I can't have you calling for backup." Chad finished him with a chop to the neck, knocking him out. With that, he began running downstairs.

A few minutes later, Chad had made it to the chambers, where several people were kept prisoner in cells. "Who're you?!" the first one who saw him demanded. "You don't look like one of THEM!" There was suddenly much noise as everyone rushed to the bars to get a good look.

"My name is Sado Yasutora," Chad introduced himself. "Indeed, I am not part of any gang – I am merely looking for my grandfather." For what felt like the millionth time, Chad got another picture out of his pack and held it up. "Has anyone seen him?" He began passing them out.

One of the prisoners, a few cells down, began laughing as he received his copy. "You fool!" the prisoner cackled. "You're too late! He was here alright, but he was taken out this morning! They're going to kill him at noon in front of the building he made with his own hands, in front of the children he tried to save!"

Chad dropped the papers he had in shock, anger and despair and rage warring within him. I need to get there in time! "Tell me where he is, I beg you!"

"Not a chance; if my gang had caught him, we'd have done the same thing!"

Chad saw red as rage won out. He reached through the bars with El Brazo Dereche del Gigante and held the man up by his neck. "WHERE IS HE?!" he roared. He vaguely felt his left arm tingle, but ignored it for the moment. Every cell fell silent, even the prisoner. "Tell me, or I swear I will snap your neck, and the neck of every one here! You have ten seconds. Ten."

All the prisoners suddenly erupted in chaos. "Tell him!" "For the love of Kami, tell him!" "I don't wanna die!"

"Nine." The tingle in Chad's left arm grew more insistent. Chad steadfastly ignored it. I have more important things to worry about right now.

"Don't kill me!" "I'm only here cuz I didn't want to join these bastards!" "Come on, man, tell him!"

"Eight." Chad noticed the man held in his grip was glaring at him defiantly. "Anything to say?"

"Fuck you!" the man spat on his arm, and Chad tightened his grip, making it more difficult for the man to breathe.

"Seven."

The hall was suddenly quiet, watching in fear as the prisoner's hands scrabbled at Chad's hand futilely, trying desperately to get the giant's grip off of him.

"Six."

"I think I know where he is!" a small voice cried out.

Chad immediately let the man drop as he turned to the source of the voice – it turned out to be a boy, about seven years old. "Please, tell me," Chad asked gently, his anger gone as if it had never existed. He didn't even notice as the strange feeling in his left arm faded.

"I just remembered, there's a big farmhouse a few miles west of the town outside, you can't miss it! It's the only place where there are adults and children working together to make it bigger! If you let me out, I'll take you there!" the boy babbled.

Chad let out a smile. Finally. "Stand back." The boy quickly did so, with wide eyes. Chad stretched his arms for a moment before gripping the top of the thick bar with his armored arm and quickly snapped off the top. Then he did the same with the bottom, completely taking the bar off. Tossing it carelessly to the side, Chad picked up the boy and carried him in his arms. "We're going to be going very fast," the giant warned, "so don't be scared."

"Ok!" The boy snuggled into Chad's arms, but kept his head poked out so he could see. .

"Wait, aren't you going to free me too?" the stubborn prisoner whom Chad had choked for a short time demanded. "I told you when he was going to be executed!"

Chad looked over his shoulder and glared with his single visible eye. "And why would I free someone who would have just as gleefully killed my Abuelo?" With that, he used Paso Del Viento to disappear.

Less than a minute later, he was outside the mansion. "Which way?" Chad asked.

The boy pointed a little ways off from the city. "That way!"

With that, Chad dashed off with Paso del Viento, going as fast as he could. For his part, the boy was enjoying the ride. Once every couple of minutes, Chad would make sure he was going the right way. Finally, Chad could see the farmhouse himself. "It's a good thing Yoruichi-sensei pounded speed into me," he murmured, glancing at the sun. It's about ten o'clock… I've got some time.

Chad came to a stop outside the farmhouse and set the boy down. "That was fun, Sado-san!" the boy said with a wide smile.

The giant of a man smiled back. "Come, let's see if they'll let us in." They walked to the door and knocked.

"Password?" came the query. The voice was masculine, experienced but not particularly old-sounding. Chad had to guess middle-aged.

Chad rolled his eyes behind his shaggy hair. "Why does everyone keep asking that?" he wondered with a little exasperation leaking into his tone. "Listen, I heard that de la Rosa was captured, and I want to help."

"How do we know your intentions are as you say?" the man behind the door demanded.

"He's ok!" the boy piped up. "He came and rescued me from that gang you keep warning me about!"

"What? Creoro, is that you?"

"Yep!" the newly identified Creoro chirped.

The door opened cautiously, as the man peered out. He let Creoro in quickly before staring at Chad, trying to judge his worth. "What's with the arm?" he asked bluntly.

Chad blinked and glanced at his right arm. "Oh."I left it active…"My apologies, that's my power. I used it to save Creoro. Excuse me." He deactivated his power, and the black and red armor seemed to melt down his arms to his hands, where it disappeared, revealing his normal arm.

The man took another few seconds, but finally nodded. "You can come in. The others are outside working the fields at the moment, but they'll be back for lunch at noon or so."

Chad quietly entered and closed the door behind him. "I apologize for making you uncomfortable, but Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa… was my Abuelo when he was alive. I was looking for him to help me with a troubling problem before I heard he was in trouble. Please allow me to help."

"Why didn't you help him then when you rescued Creoro, then?" the stranger questioned suspiciously.

"The old man had already been taken out by then, oji-san!" Creoro told him, tugging on the man's shirt. "I like Sado-niisan, please let him help? Maybe he can stay after?"

The door guard stiffened, then looked at Chad sternly. "He wasn't there?"

Chad shook his head. "Not according to the other prisoners. He'd apparently been taken out by then. Supposedly, he's to be publicly executed in front of this farm, at noon today."

"… when all the men are tired and weary of working the farm," the guard connected. "We won't be able to stop them then, not without help."

"That's where I can help," Chad told him with a small amount of pride leaking into his voice. "As long as there aren't any Shinigami in the gang, and they don't expect me, I should be able to just grab him and get him away. I have a speed technique much like the Shinigami Shunpo."

"That could work…" the guard finally sighed. "I'm sorry for treating you as I have; I've lived in this district for so long, it's become instinct to be hostile to everyone new. Listen, my name's Lonace. I haven't used a last name in so long, I'm afraid I've forgotten it."

"Sado Yasutora." Chad inclined his head. "Creoro, would you go tell the other workers everything? Ask them to come back as fast as they can. I'm sure they want to help too."

"Sure thing, Sado-niisan!" With that, the hyper boy was off and dashed through the door.

Chad sat down in a nearby chair and ran a hand through his long, shaggy hair. "Something wrong, Sado-san?" Lonace questioned.

"I'm… a bit nervous about seeing my Abuelo again. What do you say to someone who you've buried, mourned over, and moved past many years ago?"

"Well, I imagine he'll feel the same way," Lonace replied, seating himself opposite his visitor. "It's been just as long for him as it has for you, and in his perspective, he lost you the same way you lost him. We don't get to watch over you from here in the afterlife."

"Never thought about it like that…"

His arms burned, his fingers bled as he blinked a mixture of blood and sweat away. Ishida Uryuu stared calculatingly at his almost too-calm parent in the secret training room underneath the hospital. Ishida Ryuuken was mostly untouched, though there were a few holes in his clothes due to near misses on Uryuu's part. However, Uryuu had multiple scratches, including a shallow one directly above his left eye.

"Have you only grown this much, Uryuu?" Ryuuken asked tonelessly. "I would think that you would be far stronger, with how long you have trained."

Uryuu grit his teeth. "Then let me show you my skill."

"Show me." The two of them disappeared using Hirenkyaku once more.

Uryuu fired almost three dozen arrows at once at his father, having realized by now that it was only doing this that would grant him any chance of a hit. Ryuuken countered by firing over a hundred at him with a single shot, over an area twice as wide as Uryuu was tall. What was even more impressive, however, was the fact that Ryuuken had not used his other hand to draw the arrow, merely his reiatsu manipulation. Uryuu flashed away yet again, firing more arrows even he began murmuring an incantation.

"Tilt the goblet to the west…" He fired another few arrows before snatching one of his Quincy silver tubes from the utility belt around his waist. "Emerald Grail!" Uryuu called out, flinging the liquid-like spiritual energy at Ryuuken, which then transformed into a powerful blue blast, obscuring his view of Ryuuken. Not waiting to see if that worked – which he doubted it would – Uryuu used Hirenkyaku again, readying several more powerful arrows in his bow and quickly firing them into smoke where Ryuuken had been, in the hopes that he would connect with a lucky shot.

However, when the smoke cleared, Ryuuken was not there. Now where is he? Uryuu thought grimly, looking around and feeling with his spiritual sense.

"That was better, Uryuu." The calm voice coming from directly behind him would have surprised the teenager in question if Uryuu hadn't already sensed him. The boy turned around to see the appraising look Ryuuken was giving him. His clothes were certainly far more damaged, even if Ryuuken himself appeared unharmed. "Perhaps I can fight a little more seriously."

Uryuu's eyes did widen at this, before narrowing as he blinked more blood-tainted sweat from his eye. Shit, he's still not fighting seriously?! Resolutely, he pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Glad I could give you a good fight," he bit out sardonically, trying to ignore the pain from his bleeding fingers. I need a better glove…

Ryuuken sighed and shook his head. "You'll need to be far better than this to 'give me a good fight,' Uryuu. Prepare yourself!"

Halfway across Karakura Town, in a different secret underground training room… "What do you mean, Ichigo became a Hollow and disappeared to Hueco Mundo?!" an outraged Tatsuki demanded.

"Maa, maa, it's not that bad, really," Urahara tried to reassure.

"How did this happen?" Inoue asked quietly. She'd guessed, ever since Ichigo's reiatsu had suddenly disappeared from her senses, that he'd disappeared from this world.

Urahara sighed. "Ichigo-kun had to fight his Inner Hollow again last night, and he lost. His Inner Hollow, apparently calling himself Cazador, said he'd be sating his hunger on Menos Grande in Hueco Mundo, the Hollow dimension." He paused to scratch his chin. "He must really respect Ichigo if he's not gonna go after Ichigo's loved ones like normal Hollows do…"

"So, how long till Ichigo takes over again?" Tatsuki queried.

Urahara shrugged. "Cazador mentioned that they fight once every other week, so probably in two weeks time."

"Two weeks?" Tatsuki repeated. "What if Aizen takes advantage and attacks?"

"What are we going to tell the Shinigami?" Inoue pointed out.

"I'll tell them that Ichigo's undergoing two weeks of non-stop training with Yoruichi," Urahara replied, having already thought of that eventuality. "As for Aizen Sousuke… I think, once he hears the news, he'll try to recruit Cazador with the lure of power." He gave a downright mischievous smirk. "But he'll be in for a surprise…"

At that very moment, Cazador sat back against a "tree" in a forest he'd found, his hunger fully sated for the time being. The trees in this forest were made of quartz, however. "Ah, that hit the spot." He'd just finished eating a few dozen Gillian – Cazador didn't want to fight any Adjuchas yet until he'd gotten the hang of his Bankai form. For that matter, he wasn't quite sure how to get to that form again. He'd tried using Bankai the way Ichigo and he used to, but nothing had happened.

Cazador sighed, and with a few moments of focus, summoned Zangetsu's spirit to manifest in front of him. "Oi, Zangetsu, what's the deal? Why can't I use Bankai?"

"Bankai is a Shinigami skill, and you are not a Shinigami. You are not even Vizard. You are Arrancar, and therefore must release the way they do," Zangetsu explained simply.

"And how do I do that?" Cazador demanded, frustrated. "And does this mean I can't use any of the old Shinigami skills anymore? No Kido, no Getsuga Tenshou, no Shunpo, nothing?"

"My power is still the Getsuga Tenshou," Zangetsu informed his Hollow wielder, "and your Kido is still usable, though weaker than if Ichigo were using them. Shunpo may be a bit more difficult, though I would look into the Hollow equivalent. In regards to releasing as an Arrancar, perhaps you should go ask." With that, he disappeared.

Despite his irritation, Cazador knew he'd get nothing more out of the sword spirit. He couldn't help but get the feeling that he should already know the answer, like it was on the tip of his tongue, but Cazador just couldn't put the words to it. He suddenly snorted. "I wonder if Ichigo felt like this when he was trying for Shikai, and he couldn't hear Zangetsu's name?"

Cazador sat and crossed his legs, thinking back to when he remembered Grimmjow release. "Grind, Pantera," he murmured. "Huh, that sounds like a Shikai release more than anything else… Ichigo and I got our Shikai with just Zangetsu's name… Well, worth a shot."

The Arrancar stood up, brushed off his pants, and gripped his blade. "Zangetsu!" he cried out. His sword thrummed in his hand, but it did not suddenly become Tensa Zangetsu. "Damn it, I'm close, I can feel it!"

Urgh… my head… I wonder if this is what a hangover feels like?

Ichigo, that you?

Who else would it be, you overgrown infection?

Yep, it's you. You certainly recovered faster than I did! I was out for a week, you were only out for a day! Color me impressed.

You have no color, remember?

So it'll be easy!

Cazador grinned when he heard Ichigo groan. I think it's because you and Zangetsu were originally part of my soul, not the other way around. And I don't have to fight Zangetsu to manifest, we are both here at the same time. Or at least, I think he is… Oh, there he is, fighting off a… Is that…? Kami damn it, Cazador! What are all these Gillian doing in my head?!

Our head,Cazador corrected.

Fine, granted, you ARE in control… so let me reiterate. What are all these Gillian doing in OUR head?!

That's cuz I ate them. Their power is supposed to be added in mine, though I haven't felt any boost yet.

Ignoring the question of just how you eat a Hollow the size of a skyscraper when you're only the size of a human being, I suppose I'm just going to have to put down those Hollows, ne? Zangetsu, hold up a sec!

Have fun!Cazador replied cheerfully. Still feeling rather full, and not wanting to risk a stomach ache, he decided to go explore the forest a bit. He hadn't gotten far when suddenly he felt an extremely minor boost to his power. Ichigo, did you just finish killing one of the Gillians?

Getsuga Tenshou! Yeah, why do you ask? Keep it quick, I'm a bit busy here!

Cazador once again felt another boost, though like before, it was tiny compared to what he already had. Never mind, just keep doing what you're doing.

Why, thank you for giving me permission! Hado 33: Soukatsui!

Cazador mentally cut the connection, thinking privately now as he continued on. Interesting. Apparently Ichigo and I have to work together for me to get stronger. I eat the Hollow, he slays it in the Inner World so it doesn't have a chance to take over. I get the power, he gets the experience I do. So we're both going to get stronger from this. He grinned. Now I'm looking forward to that fight even more!

A figure suddenly appeared a few meters in front of him. "Who are you?"

The figure was human-shaped, with an antelope-like Hollow mask, a fur coat, and a heavily used, torn Shinigami robe. Cazador's eyes narrowed, betrayal in his eyes. "Vizard! I should've known it was too good to be true!" He leapt back and readied his Zanpakuto for battle.

"Vizard?" The figure shook his head. "No. But who, or rather what, are you? You appear human, yet your reiatsu has elements of both Hollow and Shinigami."

Cazador quietly assessed the figure's reiatsu. It was quite high, but didn't have a trace of Hollow power in it. Huh, just a powerful Shinigami then."Have you never heard of an Arrancar? Broken mask, Hollow hole, Zanpakuto, human figure?" he asked, using one hand to point at each characteristic as he identified them. "Otherwise known as a Hollow with Shinigami-like powers?"

"I have heard of them, but you are the first one I have ever seen," the figure admitted. "All the Arrancar I have heard of live above here."

Cazador blinked. "Above?" He looked straight up. Sure enough, there was a ceiling, which appeared to be supported by the thick quartz trees growing around. "Huh, imagine that. I'm new here, only arrived yesterday or so, so I'm still learning my way around."

"We are in Menos Forest. Here is where general Hollow, Gillian and some Adjuchas reside. The other Adjuchas, all the Vasto Lorde and Arrancar live above," the figure explained shortly.

Cazador merely nodded. This is good information to have. "So, what do I call ya, stranger?"

"Ashido."

"Cazador de la Luna."

"Tell me then, Cazador… at what level of Hollow evolution are you?"

Cazador looked up, thoughtful. "If I had to say, Gillian. Maybe Adjuchas. It's impossible for me to tell for sure, as I can't exactly look at myself and go, 'Oh, I'm hundreds of feet tall! I must be a Gillian!' or 'Oh, I was a Gillian once, but now I'm smaller, faster and stronger. I must be an Adjuchas!'"

"I see. Your reiatsu levels betray you, though. You have sufficient reiatsu to be considered a low- to mid-level Adjuchas," Ashido pointed out.

Cazador looked a bit sheepish of all things. "Well, ya didn't ask me how strong I was, just which level of Hollow evolution I was at. As for my high reiatsu levels… long story, don't want to get into it."

The Shinigami appeared to stare through the mask at Cazador, as if assessing him. "You seem different from most Hollows. Much less crazed, at the very least."

"You haven't seen me get battle-lust yet," Cazador replied with a wave of his hand. "I do enjoy my battles, but you're the first intelligent conversation I've had in quite some time."

Hey!

Cazador had to suppress the urge to laugh at Ichigo's offended tone. "There is also the fact that I am quite sated with the Gillian I ate earlier. Still digesting, as it were. I would imagine that the fact that I have Shinigami powers also lessens the hunger that Hollows feel, but I wouldn't know for sure as I don't recall ever being a normal Hollow."

"I am Shinigami, the Hollow's natural enemy. Why aren't you attacking, to make sure I don't purify you?" Ashido sounded almost puzzled behind the mask and nigh-emotionless voice.

Cazador grinned. "For one, you aren't a sufficient threat. While I'm sure you would make for an interesting battle, the fact that you aren't attacking me says that you're not interested in a fight, which makes me uninterested in fighting you."

"I see. Do you plan on returning to the human world?"

Cazador noticed that the man had subtly tensed. He'll probably attack depending on the answer. No matter, I'll stick with the truth."Not really. Complicated situation, that."

The Shinigami relaxed. "Then we have no reason to fight. Goodbye." He Shunpo-ed away before Cazador could say a word.

"Huh." Cazador scratched his head. "Odd guy, that Ashido." Wonder what a Shinigami is doing here, though?

Aside from Aizen and his group, you mean. Didn't you see his bare feet and torn robes? He's obviously been here for quite some time. Probably left for dead by Soul Society,Ichigo reasoned.

Yet another reason not to like them. How ya doing on those Hollow?

They're dead now. They weren't that hard, Cazador, you know that!

Yeah, yeah. Say, any idea how to release Zangetsu?

What, you can't use Bankai?

Indeed he cannot. He is an Arrancar, and therefore must use the Arrancar release, Zangetsu explained.

Makes sense. Care to join us, Cazador? It's a little strange talking at the sky.

I'll be right there.With a mental tug, he pulled himself into the Inner World.

"Welcome back, temporary King," Ichigo greeted with a bow. "Nice outfit. Glad to see you're finally looking different from me. Was beginning to think you had a thing for me."

"Wouldn't that make you a narcissist?" Cazador shot back with a smirk. "Anyway, any ideas?"

"What the hell happened to your voice?" Ichigo asked, surprised. "You sound, well, a lot more like me!"

"Ah, I think that's because I'm in my Arrancar form," Cazador postulated. "I'm pretty sure I'll get my old voice back when I use Resurreccion. Speaking thereof, answer the damn question!"

Ichigo looked up at the night sky in their Inner World and scratched his chin. "Well, Grimmjow used a release phrase and the name of his Zanpakuto, like a Shinigami using Shikai…"

Cazador shook his head. "I already thought of that! We got our Shikai just by knowing and saying our sword's name. Tried it, nothing happened."

"Well, seeing as how Zangetsu looks the same, and appears to have the same name, it's not a problem with that part…" Ichigo reasoned. "Zangetsu, I've wondered for a while now. Everyone else seems to have a release phrase. I mean, Hitsugaya has that, 'Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru,' and Rukia has 'Dance, Sode no Shiraiyuki.' Hell, even Byakuya has 'Scatter, Senbonzakura.' Do you have a release phrase?"

"I do," Zangetsu acknowledged. "You did not need it as a Shinigami, as I am a constant release type Zanpakuto. You would have only used it once, which I find… impractical. That, and you were extremely new to the Shinigami business. Would you have really taken a pose and said some release phrase with my name?"

Ichigo looked away, silently answering the question.

"So, what's the release phrase?" Cazador asked eagerly.

A minute later, Cazador re-emerged from his Inner World with a maniacal grin. "Now, who to test it on…" He suddenly sensed a large increase in reiatsu. "Ooooh, someone strong's fighting! Feels kinda familiar, too…" He dashed in the direction of the reiatsu, grin even wider than before.

A dimension away, Chad checked the clock. 11:45… "It's almost time." A couple of the farmers peered through the windows.

"I see the bastards," one of them said. "Everyone ready?"

The group nodded as one. Chad stood up and activated El Brazo Dereche del Gigante. "Remember the plan," Chad rumbled lowly. "You all distract, I use my high-speed technique to dash in and save him, then we all present a show of force."

A few minutes later, they heard a voice. "Come on out, you pacifistic cowards!"

Several people's fists clenched, but once more they heard Chad murmur, "Remember the plan." They quietly exited, and several of them gasped.

"Oh sweet Kami."

"How could they?!"

"Those bastards!"

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

Time to go. Chad slipped out the back and used Paso del Viento, speeding towards his Abuelo… only to be stopped by a Shinigami blocking his path with Shunpo. What the hell?

"You will go no further!" the Shiniigami stated with a bloodthirsty grin. Once more, Chad felt his left arm tingle as anger filled him.

"That is my grandfather there," Chad protested with a deathly calm, his eyes narrowed as he surveyed the situation. Two more Shinigami, both apparently low level. They don't have fukutaicho sashes… A couple of dozen normal gang members. He couldn't see his Abuelo yet – everyone was blocking his sight.

"Oh really?" The Shinigami cackled. "Hey boys, we got the old man's grandson here to watch the show!"

"I'm taking him."

"No you're not," the Shinigami grinned, drawing his Zanpakuto. "You're going to stay right there and watch him die."

"You're in my way," Chad commented, his voice beginning to thicken in anger, El Brazo Dereche del Gigante tense, his fists clenched. "Move."

"Make me!" the Shinigami taunted. "I'm a Shinigami, you're just a fucking peasant! Hey boys! Get the old man ready!"

Without warning, Chad's right fist slammed into the Shinigami's head, empowered further by Chad's reiatsu. The Shinigami went flying. "Here's how things are going to work," Chad said quietly, his anger palpable as his reiatsu levels rose. "I'm getting my Abuelo. You are all going to move, or I will smash you the same way I did that Shinigami. Am I understood?"

"Perhaps you should see your Abuelo first, before you make any decisions like that," a second Shinigami suggested with a smirk. "Bring him out front."

As soon as Chad saw Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa, his eyes widened. The poor man's body bore the scars of intense torture, he was emaciated, but worst of all, his arms had been cut off, and then his shoulder burned to keep the man from bleeding to death. He was thrown to the ground by the two people who had brought him out front. "Abuelo…" The man was unconscious.

Chad's eyes closed as hot tears trailed down his cheeks, and cold rage filled his soul as he kept his head bowed. "You… you are all…" Chad's head came up, his sole visible eye burning with an unholy anger. "You are all going to pay for what you've done!" He held his left arm up, and a white substance emerged from his left first, traveling up Chad's arm to his shoulder, and forming a slightly curved spike. A single red stripe traveled from his fist to his shoulder as well, circling the spike. "El Brazo Izquierda del Diablo," Chad named his new arm, making a fist with it and feeling the sheer power flowing through it. "Symbol of my will to attack."

"Fancy name," a random gang member commented. "What's it gonna do?"

Following his instinct and his desire for vengeance, Chad focused his reiatsu into the tips of the five fingers of his left hand, and then clenched his fist. With a single reiatsu enhanced jump, he was above the mob, falling directly towards the center, his left arm cocked back.

Everyone moved out of his way. It won't matter, Chad thought darkly. You will all pay dearly. He punched the ground as he landed. "La Muerte."

For a moment, nothing happened, but then the ground was pressed down over a meter deep in a pattern that was not immediately recognizable. But Chad knew that if someone were to take an aerial look, it would be easily seen as a huge skull, a circle two meters wide surrounding the point of impact forming the mouth.

A moment later, the screaming started. In that single move, Chad had obliterated the majority of the gang members who had come. Those who had been caught in the pattern, had been crushed into an almost unrecognizable mass of flesh, blood and bone. Only two lucky gang members had had the foresight to move further away, both of whom were the conscious Shinigami.

"M-m-monster!" one of the Shinigami cried out in horror, turning to run away. The other quickly joined him.

Chad used Paso del Viento to appear directly in front of the Shinigami, scaring them even further. "And where do you think you're going?" Chad queried in a pseudo-calm voice. "Do you honestly think you can run from me?"

The Shinigami, in their panic, drew their Zanpakuto and tried to cut Chad down from either side, hoping their teamwork would pull them through. Chad merely blocked with his armored arms. They weren't even scratched. "I will have justice," Chad announced loudly. "You have tortured, maimed, and almost killed my Abuelo. And for what? Fun?! To simply kill you seems far too quick a release for monsters like you."

Chad quickly snatched the Zanpakuto and broke them in two in one stroke with his empowered arms. Then he gripped each Shinigami by the neck tightly and held them up. "No. Instead, I will hunt you. You will never know peace. The first time I catch you, you will lose your thumbs, denying you the use of your swords. The second time, I will break every single bone in your fingers before I crush them into powder. The third, I will do the same to your toes. If I see you again after that, I will cut off your hands, and then your feet. You will lose more and more parts of your body until you are nothing more than a torso and a head, and then I will leave you for a few years with these gentlemen before I have my friend restore your body so we can do it all over again."

Chad glared at them with all his might, putting on his most demonic aura, letting his Hollow-like reiatsu flow freely around him. Judging by the slowly growing wet spots on the Shinigami robes, he had made his point. "Live in fear, always looking over your shoulder, and you may survive another day with all your limbs intact. And if you dare to commit suicide… let's just say that not even death can save you from my fury," Chad uttered, throwing them to the ground. "You have fifteen seconds to get out of my sight. Take your friend with you."

Eyes wide, both Shinigami scrambled to their feet and high-tailed it out of there, quickly gathering their friend before using Shunpo to go as fast as they could in any direction. Chad sighed before releasing his arms' transformations, returning them to normal. He had no intention of following through on his words. "Yoruichi-sensei, I know you're there."

A black cat appeared by his side as though it'd always been there. "Chad-kun, you can be pretty scary when you want to be."

"Yoruichi-sensei, please alert your protégé, Soifon-taicho, to take them in for questioning, please."

"One step ahead of you. Those Shinigami have already been caught by the Onimitsukido." Yoruichi's voice sounded almost smug in her cat form.

"I have one more request. Please travel to the human world and get Orihime… she can restore his arms. I… wish to stay here to care for my Abuelo in the meantime."

"No problem. See you soon, Chad-kun." The cat Shunpo-ed away, and Chad sighed again to himself before turning to the people who Oscar Joaquin had recruited to help in his vision.

To their credit, they had already begun carrying their leader inside. Chad quietly approached, unsure if he was welcome after the gruesome display he'd put on. "How is he?" he murmured.

"Not good at the moment, but you'd be surprised what we can live through now that we're dead," one of the stronger-looking men said firmly. "We can mostly fix him up with enough time, but his arms are gone for good I'm afraid."

"One of my friends is capable of restoring his limbs," Chad contradicted. "She'll be here in the next few days, depending on how fast the messenger travels. Would you mind if I stay here with you for the moment? I will earn my keep. I… I want to see and talk to my Abuelo, when he awakens."

Several of the man exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, one of them shrugged. "You did what you did because of your anger, right? As long as you keep your temper under control, and help us out in the field, it's fine by me." One by one, the others voiced their agreements.

Chad bowed low to them. "Thank you." His emotions were a whirlwind, but right now he felt grateful and confused. That power… He stayed outside as the everyone else either went to continue their farming, or stayed behind to help nurse Oscar Joaquin back to health. He sat down on the porch and looked at his now bare left arm. What… happened to me? I would never act like that normally. I don't kill! Then again, I'm never that angry, and it did happen to my Abuelo… That made it personal.

"No," Chad murmured, shaking his head. "Abuelo's teachings… my vow to never use my strength for anything but defense of another… I'm glad Abuelo didn't see that." He hung his head in shame. "He would be so ashamed of me… I'm glad I finally activated the arm, but is this power worth the price?" He stood up again. "It's a good thing I saved Abuelo; I could use his advice." I hope he wakes soon. Determined to keep his mind off his troubling problem, he set off to go help the other men in the fields.

That night, in Karakura town, Hitsugaya Toushiro raised one brow in skepticism. "Urahara-san, you honestly expect me to believe that Kurosaki Ichigo just up and left for a two-week session with Yoruichi?"

"Does it matter if you believe it?" Urahara asked cheerfully. "That's the official report you have to make to the Soutaicho. 'According to Urahara Kisuke, Kurosaki Ichigo agreed to spend two weeks with Shihoin Yoruichi for emergency training, leaving Karakura town in the capable hands of several other Shinigami.'"

"Fine, that'll be the official report," Hitsugaya grumbled. "Now can you tell me the truth? What happened to Kurosaki-san?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Urahara replied, pulling out a small fan and holding it up to hide his mischievous smile.

"Urahara. I know he has Hollow powers, and I'm not going to tell the Soutaicho," Hitsugaya said bluntly, hoping the shock factor would cause the shopkeeper to reveal something. "What. Happened?"

Urahara blinked, folded his fan and sighed. "Very well. This must stay with us, I hope you realize. And if I find that you have told anyone, even another taicho…" He narrowed his eyes, giving his most serious look. "I will find you. Not even the Soutaicho would be able protect you from me, and no one from Soul Society will ever find us again."

Hitsugaya merely nodded.

"Ichigo-kun has temporarily become a Hollow."

"What?!" The 10th Division taicho yelped uncharacteristically. "How did this happen?! How do you know it's temporary?! Is he still here, is he going to fight us?!"

"Maa, maa, keep it quiet," Urahara shushed. "In order, his Inner Hollow fought him for control and won. I know it's temporary because the Hollow form of Ichigo said it was, which matched up with what Ichigo himself told me. No, he's in Hueco Mundo, and is more interested in eating other Hollows to get stronger right now."

Hitsugaya took a deep breath and resumed his normal calm features. "Is he going to join Aizen?"

The banished Shinigami shook his head negatively. "No, Cazador – that's the name of Ichigo's Hollow form – said he didn't like taking orders from anyone but Ichigo. So relax, go with the official story. He'll be back in a couple of weeks, stronger than ever."

"Alright. I need to go file the official report now, so goodbye, Urahara-san." Hitsugaya Shunpo-ed away.

Blood dripped freely onto the floor as Ishida Uryuu fell to his knees, physically and spiritually exhausted. His Quincy bow flickered, then dissipated into spirit particles as Uryuu's concentration slipped. His fingers had been cut into so much that he had no strength left to pull back and fire arrows, he had used all of his Quincy spirit capsules, and his body felt like it was burning from the inside out for gathering large quantities of spiritual energy from his surroundings for such a prolonged fight. Uryuu had nothing left – he had gone far past his limit, and it was all he could do to stay conscious. Even that fight, he was slowly losing, as blood slowly poured from his wounds. From now on, I will bring more medicine, he weakly swore to himself.

"Hmph," Ishida Ryuuken said calmly, though he was not without wounds himself. He had been pierced a few times in his legs, and once in his left shoulder. The wounds weren't deep – his own reiatsu gathering skills allowed him to absorb Uryuu's arrows before they could punch completely through. I won't admit it aloud, but my son has progressed very quickly during this fight. It looks like he's reached his limit though. "Perhaps next time you will actually be a challenge." While he said it in his usual monotone, he meant it as a compliment. To have progressed so quickly now, I wonder how skilled you will be when you heal from this encounter?

"Next time…" With that, Uryuu lost the fight, and fell over, unconscious. Ryuuken swiftly picked him up and used Hirenkyaku to take him to the medical station in the Quincy underground training chamber. With modern medicine combined with Quincy spiritual healing skills, Uryuu would be completely healed in a day or two.

"Foolish Uryuu…" If anyone was nearby and conscious enough to hear that, they might have heard the undertone of parental concern as Ryuuken tended to his son's wounds.

Cazador finally made it to the source of the reiatsu he'd sensed before – he had been sidetracked by a fit of hunger, and gone on another Gillian eating spree to satisfy his appetite. By the time he'd finished, the reiatsu was gone. At first, Cazador had been disappointed, but after a while the reiatsu clashed again, this time nearer than before. Hiding behind a tree and suppressing his reiatsu as best he could, he got a good look of who was fighting.

To his surprise, he saw two Arrancar going at it, one of whom Cazador recognized. The Sexta Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, was fighting a tall, lean Arrancar. The Arrancar had an eyepatch on his left eye and had a spoon-like hood that looked more decorative than anything else, as it did nothing to hide or protect his bone-straight black hair. The Arrancar also wielded a unique weapon that would have resembled a spear, were it not for the crescent moon-shaped blade pointing outwards from the end. There was an identical blade pointing inwards, fused to the back of the other blade. In Cazador's opinion, it was a very impractical weapon for most things. I mean, seriously, that looks like it's meant for beheading, seeing as the sharp end in on the inside of those blades.

I could see it being on a wall somewhere as a ceremonial weapon, Ichigo contributed. And I dunno, if someone knew how to use it that could be quite useful.

I suppose you could use the tips of that thing for stabbing and tearing, Cazador conceded, eyeing the weapon.

I was thinking that in order to block it with a normal sword, stop it in its tracks, they would have to get inside that crescent, Ichigo pointed out. A quick sideways tug and then SLICE! Off with the enemy's head.

Fair point. What about the inside blade then, the one pointing back at the guy?

Maybe for if he gets too close? Ichigo suggested. After all, the weakness of any spear user is if someone gets too close for them to stab. More than that, I'm wondering who that other Espada is. He's gotta be an Espada if he's giving Grimmjow a hard time, though the latter hasn't used Resurreccion yet. We should keep watching, see if one of them kills the other. That would make our lives a lot easier in the long run.

Cazador frowned. Ichigo had a point. If their enemies were killing each other off, why interfere? They do seem to be somewhat equally matched, he observed, seeing Grimmjow use his Zanpakuto to knock the strange weapon upwards long enough for his left hand to fire a red Cero blast at point-blank range. The unknown Arrancar was mildly burned, but had a manic grin on his face as he continued attacking Grimmjow from out of the smoke, landing a cut on the blue-haired Espada's left arm.

Grimmjow did say before that he was on par with the 4th Espada, Ulquiorra, Ichigo recalled. Since this is obviously not Ulquiorra…

This is probably the 5th Espada, Cazador finished with a grin. Unless he's gotten strong enough to take on the 3rd, which is doubtful.

Do we have the power to take him on?

We might, if I use Resurreccion. If we let them weaken each other first, though…

Cazador could sense Ichigo considering. While it could work, I don't like the idea. That's not how I want to fight my battles.

Me either, but it's an unusual opportunity to eliminate an Espada. Cazador rationalized.

After another moment, Ichigo made his decision. Let's not attack yet. We don't recognize that 5th Espada, right? That means he's not attacked us, and I don't think either of us wants to just kill someone like that when he's not ready to fight at his best. Who knows? Maybe he'll work with us.

What if Grimmjow wins? He DID invade earlier with the sole purpose of killing us and your friends.

Ichigo's voice hardened. If Grimmjow wins, I'll leave it to you. If you want to kill him and eat him, fine. His power will be a good addition. If not, then maybe he'll make an appropriate ally against Aizen. He did seem to hate him when we fought.

Cazador nodded silently.

"I've had it with you, Nnoitra!" Grimmjow yelled, frustrated. "I'm trying to get a good bite to eat, and you keep attacking me!"

"Then kill me if you can, kitty!" the now-name Nnoitra replied with a wide grin, attempting to skewer his opponent, who skillfully dodged. "Or let me kill you!"

Grimmjow slowly began to smile. "Aizen won't like this…" he said seriously, although his own lust for battle was beginning to make itself known as the pressure of his spiritual energy grew larger.

"Aizen can kiss my ass!" Nnoitra replied. "Now get serious! I want to see if you really have the power to take me on!"

"You asked for it!" Grimmjow jumped back and brought his blade across his body, as though going for a sweeping slice. He took his other hand and ground his nails across the blade. "Grind, Pantera!" Reiatsu surrounded him, and when it disappeared, he was in his Resurreccion form, exactly how Cazador remembered it.

"Oh, good. Let's see if your might compares to mine! Pray, Santa Teresa!" Nnoitra howled. When the smoke cleared, he looked almost exactly the same, except he now had four arms, and a curved pair of horns atop his head, the left longer than the right, resembling a crescent moon. The spoon-like hood was gone, and Nnoitra's unique weapon was gone. Each hand held an enormous scythe-like weapon.

Interesting… Cazador thought with a grin. Looks like speed versus power. Who do you think will win, Ichigo? My bet's on Grimmjow.

That depends. Is Grimmjow strong enough to punch through Nnoitra's Hierro? Or is Nnoitra fast enough to catch Grimmjow with at least one of his arms? Grimmjow was on par with our single Bankai Vizard form, Ichigo reminded him.

Grimmjow stiffened, his panther-like senses alerting him to a new smell. "Nnoitra, there's another Arrancar over there. A strong one, too. Might even be a challenge for you. Maybe it's one of Aizen's?"

As much as Nnoitra wanted to fight Grimmjow, he wasn't stupid. If there was a strong Arrancar nearby, that meant two things. Either Aizen was spying on them, or there was an Arrancar that could be competition. In either case, he had to die if Nnoitra wanted to continue his fight with Grimmjow. "Pesquisa," he murmured, putting a finger to the ground and pulsing with his reiatsu. A few moments later, he stood up again. "Yeah, definitely a strong one. Feels like a complete Arrancar, like us. Come out, Arrancar!"

"Gladly, I was getting tired of sitting and watching." Cazador leapt out and stood a distance away from the others. Even I know these are bad odds.

Grimmjow was agape. "What, Kurosaki?! You're an Arrancar?!"

Lie! Tell him I'm not here! Ichigo practically screamed in his head.

No shit. "Actually, I'm Cazador. Kurosaki? Who's that?" Cazador queried convincingly.

"Must've lost your memories when you turned into a Hollow," Grimmjow muttered, thinking aloud. "Also explains your power, and could explain why you're an Arrancar… although who was powerful and gutsy enough to turn a Shinigami of your old strength into a Hollow is someone I don't want to mess with."

"Speak for yourself!" Nnoitra argued. "That sounds like a great fight!"

"As much as I enjoy being talked about right in front of me," Cazador began irritably, "why don't you introduce yourselves?"

"Grimmjow," the blue-haired Arrancar introduced himself, feeling a little odd for speaking to someone who looked exactly the person who he was training to defeat. "Quinta Espada, working for Aizen Sousuke."

"Nnoitra, Quarta Espada," the other said easily.

"How long have you been a Hollow?" Grimmjow queried.

"Not long," Cazador replied. "Maybe a day or two. Hard to tell time here…"

"A day, and you're an Adjuchas?!" Nnoitra asked incredulously. He has to die! He might even become Vasto Lorde before me if he continues like this!

Cazador shrugged. "Adjuchas level, maybe. I think I'm just a Gillian though. Was eating those earlier, and they filled me up."

"Die!" Nnoitra cried out, as he used Sonido to attack Cazador from the side, swiping at him with his two left arms.

Cazador's eyes widened, and called on his Shinigami power to use Shunpo, just managing to get out of range. He grinned. "You want a fight, you've got one!" He drew Zangetsu from his back, the cloth wrapping around his right arm as he held Zangetsu horizontally, in the same position in which Ichigo would use Bankai. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he looked down his sword at Nnoitra. "Tear the sky asunder, Zangetsu!"