//------------------------------//
// Hueco Mundo: Rukia's Shocking Discovery 
// Story: Bleach: Heart of a Hero 
// by Blackdrag-rose 
//------------------------------//

Aizen sat in the second throne room of Las Noches, one that was far less formal than the one that he was usually found in and gave him a good view of Hueco Mundo, and thought about what was going on at the moment, as his plan had been put into action and his target took the bait like he had been hoping. He had no intention of using Orihime's powers to further his own goals, even thought that was the reason he gave her when he had her and her brother escorted to where the Hogyoku was located, and he had no intention of attempting to increase the power that Sora commended, even though he knew that the Arrancar would perish if he attacked one of the Espada. The whole reason he had Ulquiorra bring the two of them here was so he could deprive Soul Society of the powerful Arrancar that had allied with them, as Sombra could easily dismantle his other plan, to created to Oken and invade the Soul King's Palace, and that was without using his full power, something that he was still trying to figure out. Sombra was incredibly powerful, he had known that during their invasion of Soul Society and that was reinforced by his treatment of Grimmjow a month ago, but there was no telling just how powerful he'd be if he activated his Resurreccion and accessed his true power once more.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door on the opposite side of the room opening, telling him that someone wanted to talk to him, and he made no comment to say anything, not with Gin standing against one of the walls and observing what was going on, since he could easily give him an order and he'd follow it to no end.

"I have an update on the situation." the messenger Arrancar said, though at the same time he knelt with one knee on the floor and bowed his head towards the Lord of Hueco Mundo, the one person that everyone feared since his power was unlike anything they had felt before, even though he knew that there was another powerful force in Hueco Mundo, one that could easily threaten Lord Aizen's rule, "We've just received word that one of the Privaron Espada, Number Ciento Tres, Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio, was killed by the invaders. His opponents were Ichigo Kurosaki, who he dealt some significant blows to, a young Arrancar that we have no records of, and Sombra, who ultimately dealt the finishing blow to the Privaron Espada."

"I see." Aizen commented, as he had been told of the battle a few minutes ago, because the was the reason that Gin had stepped out and returned to him, as he was interested in what Ichigo and Sombra were up to, and that included his discovery of something very interesting, something that had been left out of the report as he stood up and faced the unfortunate Arrancar, "It seems that the battle was more troublesome for Ichigo Kurosaki than I expected it to be, as I was sure that he'd be able to finish off someone of Dordoni's level out without having to resort to Sombra stepping in to assist him. Either way, isn't there something that you left out of your report? Who ordered the Exequias to go after them?"

As soon a she asked that question his reiatsu filled the air and forced itself upon the Arrancar that had reported the situation to him, even though he had known about it ahead of time thanks to Gin's desire to check things out for himself earlier, and soon the poor Arrancar was sweating a good deal as his raised kneel fell to the floor as well... and, just as he was about to inquire if the question was too hard for the Arrancar to answer, he felt another reiatsu appear nearby.

"It was I who gave the order, Lord Aizen." a voice said, to which Aizen turned his gaze towards the open doorway and found Szayelaporro standing there, clearly knowing that the question would have been asked and came to tell him exactly what the answer was.

"Is that so?" Aizen inquired, as he wasn't too surprised that another Espada was acting without orders, especially since Grimmjow had done it once before, though he was a little surprised to find that it was Szaleyaporro that had ordered the Exequias to go after the invaders that had entered Tres Cifras.

"There is no excuse for what I have done," Szayelaporro replied, to which he dropped to his knee, like the fallen Arrancar who had delivered the message had done earlier, and bowed his head towards his Lord, as he knew that there would be some pain involved for what he had done, "I merely thought that since some of the invaders were weakened from their battles, that it would be wise to send the Exequias after them and ensure that they never reach their destination. I gave them the order to attack without permission and acted solely for your benefit, Lord Aizen. Because it was an action done without being ordered to do so, I await whatever punishment you see fit to give me."

Aizen stood there for a moment, as most of the Espada said something about how they acted for his benefit, despite each of them wording it differently, and were genuinely willing to submit themselves for punishment if they knowingly wronged him in some way, save for Grimmjow, who had gotten his punishment at Sombra's hands... but, even as he considered punishing the Espada in front of him, he decided against it, as he still needed him in place before the next stage of his plan could be put into action.

"No, it's fine." Aizen eventually said, though as Szayelaporro raised his head in surprise he took a seat in his chair and faced the stunned Espada, as it was rare for him to spare one of them from a punishment that they deserved, "You had a reason behind sending the Exequias out, so it's fine... I just hope that your reports in the future are more accurate and that you give them to me yourself, instead of inflicting pain on the messengers."

"Th... Thank you, Lord Aizen." Szayelaporro said, bowing his head in respect once more, as there was no reason to make his Lord even more upset with him, which might make him reconsider his decision, before he stood up and headed for the doorway, "If you'll excuse me."

"I trust that the reiatsu records that you extracted from Dordoni will be useful for your research, correct?" Aizen asked, to which his voice, and what he knew, stopped the Espada in his tracks, showing that he wasn't expecting that part of what he had done to be figured out so quickly, "Especially since you're currently working on a way to restrict Sombra's powers so he'll be easier to defeat."

"Yes, they will be useful." Szayelaporro replied, though at the same time he didn't bother to turn back, as there was no reason to do so at this point in time, because Commander Gin could move and strike him down before he had a chance to move if Lord Aizen so desired.

"That's wonderful news." Aizen said, to which a light smile appeared on his face, as it seemed like the Espada were keeping themselves busy, before he decided that it was time for Szayelaporro to head back to his lab and continue his various experiments and studies, "You can go now."

Szayelaporro nodded his head for a moment before exiting the room, allowing Aizen to think about the various pieces that the Espada was in the process of creating, as he claimed to have something that will nullify Sombra's powers and make it that much easier to defeat him, the only problem was that he needed to test it before determining if it was ready.

"Man, even though one of your subordinates is dead, and defected to Sombra's side before his death, you seem like you're having fun." Gin commented, snapping Aizen out of his thoughts for a moment, though he found it odd that Aizen had only just sat down in his chair and he had chosen to get back up a few seconds later, so he could stare out at Hueco Mundo on his feet for a change.

"Is that how I look?" Aizen inquired, as Gin was one of the few people in Soul Society and Hueco Mundo that actually understood his expressions and mannerisms, something that he was still trying to figure out and couldn't seem to place how Gin had figured him out.

"The fact that Sombra and his allies are drawing near makes for something fun." Gin said, though at the same time he thought about something else that he had discovered when he was watching where the invaders had gone off to, as there was something interesting that happened outside Las Noches' walls, "There's also the fact that he's making allies with every Hollow and Arrancar he meets, as he managed to get those three troublemakers, their pet, and Runuganga to defect to his side by just displaying his immense power to them, as well as convincing Dordoni to defect after defeating him. There's also no telling what sort of state of mind Grimmjow is in, not after being restored to his former position and hearing that the being that wounded him is making his way towards Orihime and Sora's location."

Grimmjow was the least of Aizen's concerns, as all they had to do was wait for their foes to reach a certain point and then the next stage of his plan could be put into action, as he had the Primera, Segunda, and Tres Espada, including their Fraccion, at the ready for when he gave the command... he just needed Sombra to be in the perfect position for him to give the command and the next stage of his plan would begin, without his foe being there to stop him.





Rukia had been running along the passage that she had picked after she separated from the others for a good while now, somewhat surprised that she hadn't run into an enemy yet as she felt Ichigo's reiatsu fluctuate for a few moments as he started to battle someone that felt like an Espada, as well as Nel's suddenly spike for some reason. She did pause for a few seconds when she felt the sudden increase of reiatsu that came from Sombra, surprising her by the fact that his power was as large as it was, but she was certain that this was the height of his power when he wasn't using either his Bankai or his Resurreccion, making her wonder what his full power was. A few moments later, when she was sure that whoever they were facing was defeated, she continued up the path that she was following and eventually came to a staircase, one that she ascended and continued towards the top step, though at the same time she sensed both Uryu and Chad's reiatsu fluctuate for a few moments, but since she couldn't do anything to help them she continued running, keeping an eye on what she was feeling while keeping a hand on her Zanpakuto's handle.

After some time she found an opening at the top of the stairs and came to a stop for a moment when she noticed that the area of Las Noches that she was in actually had some light, as opposed to the area outside the walls, and immediately assumed that Aizen had created this for some purpose, before focusing on the building that was across the bridge that was in front of her. After a few seconds of staring at the clear blue sky, with clouds that belonged in the World of the Living, she started walking forward and glanced out at the area that was around her, as there were a number of buildings that were oddly shaped and had several windows, but she was sure that they were the type of buildings that would be built by either the Arrancar or Aizen himself. Before she got too far she paused for a moment, as this was too much to take in without any direct answers, and could have sworn that she detected a hint of reiatsu fluctuate in the area behind her, but she wasn't entirely sure what was going on at the moment.

"Want me to explain it to you?" a voice said, to which Rukia froze in shock for a moment, as she wasn't expecting an enemy to show up before she got to an arena to fight in, though that was followed by her turning to look behind her as the figure disappeared, where she had to glance back at the door that was in front of her and found the robed figure that had their back backing her, "Come with me."

Rukia watched as the door opened for a moment and the Arrancar walked into the building, as she was sure that it was an Arrancar, before disappearing, where she rushed forward and stopped at the doorway, to which she walked into the building and noticed that it was entirely dark inside the structure, and that the door started to close behind her.

"I can finally relax." the Arrancar said, where Rukia sensed that he was actually on the level that was above her as the room lit up, telling Rukia that this was like all the other buildings that she was familiar with, before noticing that it seemed to be bare of anything identifying, though his voice caused Rukia to turn and look up at him, "Sorry, but I simply cannot stand the sunlight. And the sunlight cannot make it in here. Allow me to take off my mask and greet your properly. My name is Aaroniero..."

Rukia watched as the Arrancar raised his right hand and gripped the bottom of his mask for a moment, though when he removed it she was stunned to see a youthful appearance with aqua green colored eyes and raven black spiky hair that she remembered, something that stunned her when she took in the familiar face that she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Aaroniero Arruruerie, the Noveno Espada," the Arrancar finished, where he lowered the mask that he had been wearing the entire time and stared down at Rukia, noticing that she was stunned by his appearance, something that he fully expected the moment he decided to show his face to her.

"It... It can't be... Kaien-dono?!" Rukia asked, as it was impossible for the former Lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division to be standing in front of her, as she remembered killing him all those years ago, before she took a few steps forward and stared at the Espada, "Please, answer my question! Are you... are you really Kaien Shiba?"

"It's been a while!" Aaroniero replied, though this time a smile graced his face, the same one that Rukia remembered seeing on that face all those years ago, and his voice took the same tone that she remembered him using all the time when she was nearby, "You seem to be doing well, Kuchiki!"

Rukia said nothing as Aaroniero jumped down to the floor some distance in front of her, as she was too stunned to do anything at the moment, before a frown appeared on his face as he looked down at the clothing he was wearing and tugged on it a little.

"Man, these clothes are too tight!" Aaroniero said, even taking a moment to glance at the ends of his jacket for a moment, as if he was really seeing them for the first time, though that was before he noticed the stunned look on Rukia's face and put his hands on his hips, in a fashion that Rukia recognized immediately, "What's with that look? C'mon! Aren't you happy that everyone's favorite Lieutenant, Kaien Shiba, is alive?"

Aaroniero stood there for a moment, staring at a stunned Rukia as she remembered something from her past, before he pulled out two wooden swords, though the movement of him collecting them snapped her back to reality and she seemed to think that he was actually drawing on her, since she reached for her Zanpakuto, only to stop when he told her to 'think fast' as he tossed one of the wooden swords to her, which she caught.

"We haven't trained together in a while." Aaroniero continued, to which the lights faded and they appeared in a training room in Soul Society, though they were both wearing normal Shinigami clothing, instead of what they had been wearing moments ago, surprising Rukia even more, "What's with that dumbfounded, blank look on your face? Hurry up and take your stance! Because if you're not going to go, then I will!"

Aaroniero went on the offensive immediately, attacking Rukia with an attack pattern, movement of the feet, and even weight behind his attacks that her body remembered, as it seemed more and more likely that Kaien had somehow survived what she had done to him all those years ago as her own body defended herself... up until Aaroniero swung at her and knocked her into the wall that was behind her, just like what happened in the past when she and Kaien trained in the old Thirteenth Division's dojo.

"Don't tell me you're giving up already!" Aaroniero said, to which he heaved his wooden sword onto his shoulders as he stared at Rukia, who was sitting on the floor at the moment as she thought about what was going on, though she got up a few seconds later and charged him with a slow attack, "Too slow!"

In the following instant he swung his wooden sword and knocked Rukia's out of her hand, causing her to stand there as it fell to the ground some distance from where she was standing, causing the room, and the clothing they had been wearing moments ago, to reappear as he pointed the tip of his wooden sword at her neck.

"If this had been a real fight, you'd be dead right now." Aaroniero stated, giving Rukia the same look he had given her when he first took of his mask, before moving the wooden sword to the side and used his gloved left hand to ruffle her hair for a moment, just like Rukia remembered him doing, "Still, it does look like you have gotten stronger. You haven't changed either. You always look like you're about to cry after I beat you."

"Kaien..." Rukia said, though at the same time hope filled her eyes, as everything she had seen up to this point lead her to believe that her eyes were not deceiving her, that she was actually standing in front of her former mentor, despite the odds since she remembered killing him.

"So you finally believe it's me, huh?" Aaroniero said, to which his gloved hand came to a rest against the top of his head for a moment, while looking relieved that he had convinced her that he was who he said he was, before he walked off to the side and opened a hidden compartment in one of the pillars that the room had, where he kept some items for occasions when he had guests, "Let's see, I know they're here somewhere... there we go! Here, catch this, because we have a lot to talk about."

Rukia barely had time to react, even though she caught what was thrown to her, but she was surprised to find that Kaien, as she disliked the new name that he had called himself earlier, had tossed a cushion at her, and that he happened to be holding one himself, indicating that they were going to sit down and talk about what was going on. She nodded for a moment and sat down in front of Kaien, who seemed to be thinking of an appropriate place for them to start, before he opened his eyes and stared at her, indicating that he was likely going to start from the moment that she stabbed him in the chest and killed him, when he had been possessed by the Hollow that destroyed his Zanpakuto.

"That night, my spirit body started to decay after the battle, and it completely disintegrated after you gave my farewells to the Shiba Clan." Aaroniero said, noticing that it took only a second for Rukia to understand where he was starting with his tale, but she made no move to stop him and seemed to be listening to his every word, "That Hollow was one of Aizen's experiments. After being destroyed, it returned to Hueco Mundo and regenerated itself... apparently that was how it was designed to react to being killed. Since that Hollow had fused together with me, when it regenerated it actually took my form. I figured that all went according to their plan, but somehow my mind was the one that gained control of the new spirit body, not the Hollow. Basically, my nerves of steel threw a wrench in their plans!"

"Kaien-dono, I thought that this was supposed to be a serious conversation." Rukia stated, as the moment Kaien said that he 'threw a wrench into their plans' he started to laugh, like he was trying to lighten the mood or something, but she wanted to remain on the subject that was important to her.

"You were looking depressed, so I was trying to lighten the mood." Aaroniero replied, though at the same time he guessed that he couldn't win every battle, but at the very least it looked like his efforts were paying off, as Rukia truly seemed to believe what he was telling her.

"I look that way when I'm taking something seriously." Rukia said, as she couldn't believe that Kaien would do something like this, especially when they were in the middle of enemy territory and since it was only a matter of time until Aizen figured out where she had disappeared to.

"Okay, okay. Don't be mad at me." Aaroniero replied, to which he sighed as he rested one of his gloved fingers on the floor in front of him, where the fact that he was returning to the conversation seemed to appease Rukia since she calmed down and stared at him, "At any rate, that's how I got my body back. I took one of the Espada's places and have been waiting for a chance to get my revenge on Aizen. You saw the sky outside, before I invited you inside my domain. Aizen had that sky put into the ceilings of Las Noches, basically allowing him to monitor anything and everything that the light touches. That is why we came in here, so he couldn't see what we were doing... but you know what, Kuchiki? I'm glad that out of all the people that could have come here, you're the one that arrived. I've got a plan, and right now you're the only person that might actually make it work... but first, there's somewhere we need to go. Follow me."

"Yes, sir!" Rukia said, slipping back into her role when Kaien had been alive, as he had been her superior when Captain Ukitake wasn't around, and as Aaroniero got up and turned so he wasn't facing her, no doubt to take her to where they needed to go, she got up and ran towards him.

What Rukia wasn't expecting, however, was for Aaroniero to draw his Zanpakuto and stab at her, where her reflexes kicked in and the blade barely missed the right side of her head, where she put some distance between the two of them as she wondered if he was testing her again, to make sure that his estimates that she was the only one that could assist him were accurate enough to stop Aizen... only she felt a shallow cut appear on her left cheek and blood touched the side of her face, causing her to stare at his backside.

"Well, well, you've improved more than I expected, Kuchiki." Aaroniero said, to which he glanced back at Rukia and found that some drops of blood had fallen to the floor, while at the same time she looked completely stunned by what he had done, before he faced her again, "What's wrong, Kuchiki? You look so surprised. This makes me happy, because back in the day an attack like that would have killed you instantly, and there's nothing more gratifying to a leader than to see their subordinates grow."

"H... How much of what you just told me was true?" Rukia asked, because now she was doubting her own memory and feelings, as while Kaien did try attacks like that, to improve her skills in battle, she really thought she had proven that she believed him, unless she was terribly and horribly wrong.

"Everything." Aaroniero replied, to which he noticed that Rukia's expression and stance didn't change at all, as she still seemed shocked and she was still kneeling on the floor while she ignored the bleeding cut he left on her cheek, "Is it so strange that I'd try to kill you? Did you forget what happened? I'm Kaien Shiba, former Lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division, and I have lived in Hueco Mundo ever since I fused together with that Hollow. And you are Rukia Kuchiki, the woman who killed me with her own two hands. You understand what I'm doing now, right? You haven't forgotten what it felt like to stab me, have you? All of that really happened."

Rukia looked down at the floor for a moment, as it appeared that her earlier feelings were correct, this was Kaien and, instead of helping her like she thought he was suggesting, he was trying to kill her to get revenge for what happened all those years ago, maybe to present her body to Aizen and get close enough to kill him.

"Are you ready to die by my hand, Kuchiki?" Aaroniero asked, though at the same time he held his Zanpakuto at the ready, because regardless of what happened he was going to make sure that he put an end to this, even though it was going to end with Rukia's death either way, where he noticed that Rukia looked at him in surprise, "I said, are you prepared to atone by letting the man you killed all those years ago kill you?"

"Normally, I would have said yes, but not right now." Rukia stated, though at the same time she glared at Kaien for a few seconds, as she knew what she needed to do before she was attacked once more, "As long as I keep running the burden of my sin will never disappear, no matter how many years pass. If killing me would do anything to alleviate your grudge against me, then I would gladly give my life to make things right. But first I intend to aid my friends in bringing both Orihime and Sora Inoue home, back to Karakura Town where they belong, and I need to be alive for that to happen. Until that happens I cannot give up my life, even for you, Kaien-dono."

Rukia sat where she was for a few moments, staring at Aaroniero as she thought about what she had just said, and braced herself for what was going to happen next, as there was no telling what the Arrancar was going to do in response to what she had done... but when he raised his hands, like he was surrendering to her, but that only confused her for the moment as she stared at him.

"Sorry. It was a joke... I was just kidding." Aaroniero replied, doing his best to look like he had been kidding and that he actually wasn't trying to kill Rukia, like it was just a test that she had passed with flying colors, and if she followed the pattern he had established already he knew that he had her without even doing anything, before he walked over to where she was sitting, "Of course I would like you to pay for what you did, but there's no way I'd do something as stupid as killing you. I told you earlier, remember? I have something I wanted to ask of you, for my plan to topple Aizen. If you really want to atone for what you have done, there's only one thing you can do for me, Kuchiki."

"Really? Something I can do?" Rukia asked, though at the same time she was beginning to wonder just what was going on at the moment, because based on what she had seen so far there might be a trap or something waiting for her, and she slightly ignored the few seconds Aaroniero ruffled her hair.

"Yes... bring me the heads of your friends, including Sombra." Aaroniero stated, where he noticed a look of shock appear on Rukia's face the moment he told her what she had to do to appease him and get rid of the sin she committed by 'killing' him all those years ago, "It shouldn't be too hard for someone like you, since you should know all of their strengths and weaknesses... and, with the help of an 'ally' of mine, you can easily catch them off guard before they notice what's happening behind them. Do that and I'll forgive your sin, and it will give me the opportunity to take out Aizen while he's distracted by the fact that his greatest foe is dead."

"Even if you say your joking, you just crossed the line." Rukia said, to which she stared up at her opponent's eyes for a few seconds, as she knew what was going on and cursed herself for being so foolish to believe that this was Kaien, since he never would have asked her to kill anyone that she considered her friend, "You have no idea what you're asking of me, especially since you're asking me to kill Sombra, a Vasto Lorde ranked Arrancar that is in the process of ascending to a level we have never seen before, and you think that I know enough about him, including the vast amount of powers that he has access to, to even have a hope of killing him? Please, Sombra would sense me before I got near him and would feel my attack coming before I even had a chance to get close to him... also, Aaroniero Arruruerie, I wont stand for you for insulting Kaien-dono any longer! A monster like you would never be Kaien, as he never used tests like that to test the soldiers beneath him and he would never make someone choose between themselves and their friends. Arroniero, for everything you have done in my presence, I'm going to destroy you..."

In the following moment she gripped the hand that was on top of her head and shoved the Espada backwards as she stood up, surprising her foe for a moment since it appeared that he wasn't expecting her to figure out the truth that he wasn't who he said he was, before she grabbed the handle of her Zanpakuto.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" Rukia called out, to which her Zanpakuto transformed into it's Shikai form as she readied herself for what she was going to do, which she followed up by jumping towards her opponent and swung down at him, where she forced Aaroniero to use his own Zanpakuto to block her attack.

A few seconds later Aaroniero knocked her backwards, where she sailed through the air and touched the side of the building that they were in, before she rushed towards her opponent once more and attacked him again, this time actually forcing him backwards for a few seconds, which was all she needed.

"Some no Mai," Rukia said, holding her Zanpakuto to the side as she readied herself for the first dance, as she fully intended to kill the Noveno Espada because he was the enemy and because he was sullying Kaien's memory, before she flashed to the area right behind her foe, "Tsukishiro!"

Second before the pillar of ice was able to form Aaroniero jumped out of the area and ran away, but once the pillar formed she growled and followed after the Espada, because she wasn't going to let him get away after everything that had happened since she entered this building. For a moment she thought that she had cornered her opponent and started to use her next power, Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren, but before she could even start the movements Aaroniero used his speed to slip by her and headed towards the area behind her. Rukia blocked the attack that was coming her way and then launched into a series of attacks that were supposed to hurt her opponent, who simply blocked her attacks while taunting her by saying that she had some nerve to kill the same man twice, but at this point she refused to believe his lies and used her power to knock him backwards. As Aaroniero sailed through the air Rukia made the necessary movements and started puncturing the ground four times, though as the ice formed in the air around her she focused on her foe and then, before he had a chance to do anything, she loosed Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren, and let the ice ripple through the air as it sailed towards the Espada that she was fighting.

When Aaroniero dodged the attack and landed on the ground, however, he proclaimed that she would never be able to defeat him with the way she was fighting, before laughing like a madman for a few moments, as if he believed that he would actually defeat her without any resistance.

For the next few minutes Rukia did her best by going on the offensive, as she lashed out at Aaroniero with everything she had, but as the battle progressed, as the Espada apparently commanded some obscuring mist to appear in the air around them, she had to be careful and not let her opponent take control of the fight. Unfortunately her opponent was faster than she originally thought he'd be and he seemed to be playing with her, as he grinned regardless of what she tried to do and seemed to be having fun as he attempted to kill her by stabbing at her, sometimes even aiming at her chest like she had done to Kaien. Even though her focus was on Aaroniero she still cursed herself for falling for his trap, as there was on way that the person she had killed could have been alive and should have known that something was wrong when he introduced himself to her as 'Aaroniero' and not 'Kaien'. She even tried to use the first dance, Tsukishiro, on her opponent when he disappeared into the mist and charged back at her, but, as she was starting to figure out, he simply avoided the pillar of ice and she was forced to follow after him again, all while he taunted her and asked if this was all the power that she could muster for their battle... and he continued to claim that he was Kaien, since she had practiced the movements for both of the dances in front of Kaien before his eventual death.

She felt Uryu and Chad's reiatsu again, as well as the fact that their opponents were definitely Espada level enemies, and Aaroniero told her that her friends were fighting the Privaron Espada, former Espada that were officially stripped of their Espada rank and demoted to a three digit number, but she knew that they couldn't be taken lightly, since they used to be part of the group that she and her friends were trying to take out.

While Aaroniero was talking Rukia performed the steps necessary for Hakuren, and fired it at her target so he would jump into the air, she followed through by attacking from a different direction, which seemed to interest her opponent for a moment, but he still blocked the attack that she used against him. Unfortunately Aaroniero forced her backwards and landed on the ground near where she had landed, where he declared that he was tired of her not believing him when he said that he was Kaien, before holding his Zanpakuto out to the side with the blade facing the ground.

"Surge through the seas and rage through the skies," Aaroniero said, to which he started to spin his Zanpakuto like Rukia remembered him doing, meaning that she had missed something in the entirety of their battle, just as the blade glowed and started to take the shape of a trident that was crossed with a Japanese spear and a Chinese halberd that also bared a crystalline appearance, an appearance that wasn't as crystalline as Sombra's Zanpakuto, "Nejibana."

Rukia remembered this Zanpakuto, as it bared a horsehair tassel that was blue instead of the normal red that was connected to the Chinese halberd and it also contained the power to manipulate the water in the area that Kaien had been in, meaning that the Hollow that had eventually become Aaroniero, who fused with Kaien all those years ago, had also taken his Zanpakuto, and she knew that 'Nejibana' also meant 'Twisted Flower'. Aaroniero told her to take her stance as he finished the Zanpakuto's transformation into it's Shikai form, before charging at her and lashed out at her, where Rukia guarded against the attack and was once more reminded of the fact that each attack that Nejibana did was followed by flowing water that Kaien would then eventually use against whoever he happened to be fighting. Despite the fact that she knew that Aaroniero wasn't Kaien, regardless of what he said, she also knew that her opponent had all the skills and techniques of her former mentor, as he was attacking her like he would and that was forcing her to guard before something happened to her. The terrible thing was that she had never figured out a perfect style that could counter and defeat the dance like techniques that Kaien had developed when he was using his Zanpakuto, especially the crushing power that he used in his attacks, meaning that the best she could do was block and dodge the attacks as she looked for an opening to exploit... and, if she really needed to, there was always the option to call Sombra to the area that she was in and see if he could smash Aaroniero for her, even if she hated calling on someone for assistance in what was supposed to be her personal battle.

Despite her focus on the battle Aaroniero used another one of Kaien's favorite techniques and hooked the head of his trident around the blade of her Zanpakuto, where he pulled it back and stole it from her hand, where she stood there for a few seconds as her weapon hit the ground to the right behind her. When Aaroniero claimed that she was finished, and readied himself to do just that, Rukia jumped forward and called out her next attack, as she used Hado Number 33: Sokatsui point blank and tried to hit her target, who moved out of the way and let the attack hit the wall behind him, only for her to notice it punched a hole all the way through the structure, though when the light shined down on the Espada he jumped out of the way and landed some distance away from where she was standing. In that moment Rukia wondered if there was another reason behind why the building had been built in the manner that it had been, as she had to believe that the real reason was that light was Aaroniero's true weakness and that staying in the light would weaken him, hence his jumping out of the way, even if the actual Kaien would have stood in front of her and finish the fight... though as she considered what was going on she decided to test her thoughts, as she brought her hands together in front of her as she focused on her opponent.

"Bakudo Number 4: Hainawa!" Rukia called out, noticing a look of shock appear on Aaroniero's face for a moment, as she loosed a rope made from pure reishi that surged towards her target and wrapped around him, but she ignored his following statement as she prepared the next stage of her attack, "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. Bakudo Number 61: Rikujokoro."

In the following instant Aaroniero managed to break out of the first Bakudo, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid the empowered six beams of light that struck his body and pinned him to the area that he was standing in, allowing her to drop into the stance for her final Kido that was part of the serious that she had started.

"Hado Number 73: Soren Sokatsui!" Rukia called out, where she made a pushing motion with both of her hands, with their palms touching, as she loosed a powerful torrent of blue energy at the stunned Espada, where she watched as she hit both him and the wall behind him, meaning that her attack had to have worked.

Of course her true target was never the Espada, rather it was the wall behind him, and as the light flooded the area that he was in she watched as he screamed in pain as the light tore into his face, because his face literally started to melt and break apart... until at last she saw the true face of her opponent, a cylinder that could have belonged in Captain Mayuri's lab that had two spheres floating inside it, both with parts of a Hollow's mask and both baring the number nine in the part of their heads that weren't covered by their mask.

"I suppose the jig is up." Aaroniero said, though he took a moment to touch the side of his cylinder, just to be sure that it was there and that Rukia had done exactly what he thought she had done, before he stood up straight and stared down at her once more, where Rukia noticed that the two heads either talked in unison or one after the other, which was actually a little creepy, "What's done is done... we might as well reintroduce ourselves. We are the Noveno Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie. Please, don't make us repeat ourselves for a third time... and don't ask about our faces, as we have grown tired of hearing people's opinions about them a long time ago. Now then, you used Rikujokoro, or Six Rods Prison of Light, against us, when among the current Captains it is your older brother, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, who is the most skilled in using this particular Kido. A double incantation with both Rikujokoro and Soren Sokatsui... unfortunately, we do not possess any memories of you being able to perform that type of technique, or the individual spells that you used to create the double incantation. But, just like we told you earlier, you're a fool... you could have seriously injured us if you just targeted our body and not the wall, as the result would have been the same either way."

"True, I could have done that." Rukia replied, though she didn't take her eyes off of her opponent, as he shattered one of the six rods and broke out of the prison she had put him in, meaning that he was gearing up for the next round of their battle, which had to be his Resurreccion, which was why she reached for her Zanpakuto as she spoke, "I realized that the sunlight would rob you of your shapeshifting powers and decided to force you to take your true form once more. It may not seem important to you, but it's very important to me that I verify what your true form looked like... and, now that I know that you aren't Kaien, without a doubt remaining that you might be who you said you were, I can fight you without holding back any of my own power."

In the following moment Aaroniero disappeared from where he had been standing moments ago and appeared behind her, confirming that he was definitely one of the Espada based on the speed that he was demonstrating, but she glanced back at him, all while he started to change shape again.

"Don't take us lightly." Aaroniero stated, though at the same time the cylinder that his heads were contained in were sucked into the new head that was forming, the same one that Rukia had been seeing the entire time they had been fighting in this building, "We can't use your power when in the sunlight, that is true, but as long as we stay in the shadows we can use it as much as we want. Honestly, I don't know if it's there for security or because he wanted a sky similar to what he used to see before coming here, but I still can't believe that he tried to recreate the sunlight from the World of the Living... especially when Hueco Mundo is so conveniently covered in nothing but darkness, and that includes the fact that there are others out there that are like me, who can only use their abilities in the natural darkness of this world. However, you said that you believed that my ability was shapeshifting, right?"

"That's right." Rukia said, though as she said that she turned around and faced her opponent, as while talking allowed her to form a plan of attack it also gave her foe time to decide whether or not it was time to release his Resurreccion and bring this fight to an end.

"Well, that's not quite right... you should know what it really is." Aaroniero said, though he was pleased to see that Rukia was taking this seriously, especially since his original plan to use her to kill some of the invaders had fallen apart before he could actually put it in motion, before he decided to get the show on the road, "Let me tell you something; I am the only Gillian among the Espada. Alone, I didn't have nearly enough power to become a member of the Espada, but here I am, a full-fledged member, given the number nine. The reason that I am in the Espada is because out of all the Arrancar, I am the only one that is capable of evolving without any limitations! The power to merge with another spiritual entity originally belong to Metastacia, who used it to take over Kaien's body when they fought, and when Metastacia died, and his body returned to Hueco Mundo, I ate him and absorbed his power for myself!"

In the following moment Aaroniero set Kaien's Zanpakuto to the side for a moment and grabbed onto his gloved hand for a few seconds, before he pulled the glove off and revealed a terrifying looking appendage that seemed to have a mouth at the very end, along with some tentacles that moved in the air in front of him.

"My power is named Glotoneria, and I can gain a Hollow's abilities after they die." Aaroniero explained, though at the same time Rukia's eyes widened in shock, as it made sense as to why he also asked her to bring him a dead Sombra, as he wanted to become the strongest Arrancar in all of existence, "Like I said, when Metastacia came back with Kaien's body I ate it and gained this ability. You weren't wrong to feel a familiarity to this body, because this body really did belong to Kaien Shiba, until his demise at your hands! The muscles retain all his experiences and his reiatsu retains all it's memories... I simply studied the data that I was given and acted accordingly to what I knew. You're finished... it's time that I showed you what an Espada's sword release lo..."

"There's no need to brag about showing me your Resurreccion," Rukia said, though at the same time she was terrified of what was going on, so much so that she wondered if Sombra would come running if she sent the command that he had told her and the other about, "I saw Grimmjow's Resurreccion when he fought Sombra in the World of the Living."

"Swallow her whole, Glotoneria!" Aaroniero called out, to which his lower body transformed into a huge, purple blob-like mass resembling an incredibly bloated invertebrate or octopus, Rukia wasn't sure which, with dozens of stubby  tentacles, large red eyes, and large mouths complete with teeth, leaving the upper part of his body resting on the top of the massive creature, before he stared down at her shocked face, "That's a nice expression on your face... you're terrified, aren't you? Fear me even more! This form is the result of combining the strength of every Hollow I have ever eaten. And don't think that the Resurreccion of an ordinary Arrancar, like the ones that followed Grimmjow to the World of the Living, even compares to that of an Espada. My Glotoneria can call upon the powers of all the Hollows that I've consumed at the same time. I've eaten thirty-three thousand, six hundred and fifty Hollows. You're all alone, against someone that commands the powers of some many Hollows!"

"That's where's you're wrong." a voice said, to which Rukia's fearful expression disappeared and a smile replaced it, because Sombra stepped out of the nearby shadows and stared at the massive creature that was standing in front of Rukia, where he glanced at the Espada she was facing, "Don't bother explaining anything to me, I can guess, based on the various emotions that have been racing through Rukia for the last few minutes, that you have been attempting to mess with her mind and get her to do something that she doesn't want to do... besides, I was able to beat Grimmjow in his Resurreccion, and you're on a lower level than he was, so you don't stand a chance of defeating us."

"How... did you get here?" Aaroniero asked, though at the same time he could feel a sinister feeling in the air as he finally realized who was standing nearby, a sensation that Grimmjow had explained when he told the rest of the Espada, and that included his replacement, about his fight, before he noticed the ebony blade in Sombra's right hand.

"Sorry, I'm not going to explain my powers to you." Sombra replied, though at the same time he glanced at Rukia and noticed that she had tightened her grasp on her Zanpakuto, where she nodded to him for a moment, before he faced the enemy that was in front of them, "Here we come, Aaroniero."

Aaroniero frowned as both Rukia and Sombra charged at him, as it was hard for him to decide who he wanted to kill since he wanted to consume Sombra and take his power for himself, though at the same time he also wanted to kill Rukia to calm the part of him that was Kaien. In the end he focused on Sombra, waving the tentacles of his lower body at the powerful Arrancar that was his target, while at the same time he let his upper body focus on defending himself against the couple of attacks that Rukia sent his way when she thought he wasn't paying attention. He still had no idea how Sombra had found his way here, not when the doors didn't open, but it appeared that Rukia knew about the ability that the other Arrancar had used and that he'd be able to get the information once he consumed Sombra and his power, but first he had to catch him and kill him. At the same time he noticed a few things, as the shadows around the room actually moved as if something was manipulating them and either shielded Sombra or lashed out at the tentacles that came at him, Sombra also used the ebony Zanpakuto he was holding and cut off the tentacles that he didn't use the shadows on, and he even disappeared sometimes and moved to a new location. Rukia, on the other hand, continued to follow the same predictable pattern that the part of Kaien in him remembered, allowing him to counter the attacks that were coming at him and used the water based abilities of the trident he was holding in his right hand against the ice abilities of the Zanpakuto that Rukia was using against him.

Sombra, on the other hand, watched as something annoying happened, as it appeared that Aaroniero grew tired of Rukia's attacks and swung the trident like he had been doing earlier, only this time he did so in a manner that actually broke Rukia's Zanpakuto in half and cut a deep gash into her chest... before he raised his left hand and grabbed onto her weakened form as the top half of her Zanpakuto fell to the floor and she appeared to be lifeless, where the Espada glanced over at him once more.

"This will be your fate soon enough," Aaroniero said, to which he grinned for a moment, because with one of his enemies taken care of he knew that he could win, so long as he prevented his opponent from releasing his Resurreccion and his full power.

Sombra stared at the Espada for a moment, wondering why he thought that he was in a position that he could win this fight, before he sighed and his power surged forward, causing the entire area around him, just like he did when he showed all of the Hollows before this point his power.





Grimmjow had been minding his own business, in his own room once more like Aizen had ordered the Espada to do once he told them that Sombra was here, and he sweated a little as he felt the reiatsu he was searching for fluctuate every now and then, just as he suspected since it appeared that Sombra was gaining allies every now and then. For a moment he felt Sombra and Ichigo stop when they reached the chamber of Dordoni, in Tres Cifras, and his sweat was justified when the sheer power of the powerful Arrancar caused the air of Hueco Mundo to shudder, the sign that the Dios Hueco was slowly approaching their true power. He actually felt back for Dordoni, as he knew the feeling of fighting Sombra when he was angry at something, even if it happened to be his own friends' ignorance or dense nature, and knew that the Privaron Espada was gone, but not by Sombra's hand, indicating who had been behind Dordoni's death. It was some time before he felt the sheer power return in full force again, but this time he felt the sinister nature of the reiatsu that he was feeling and knew that it was like when he fought Sombra the first time, meaning that whoever he was fighting was either going to emerge from the fight in a wounded manner... or they were going to die a very painful death at the hands of the Dios Hueco, and this time it was all Aizen's fault that this was happening.

He honestly couldn't believe that Aizen thought it was a good idea to bring the most powerful Arrancar to Hueco Mundo, or more specifically Las Noches, and expect something else to happen, and it was only a matter of time until Sombra tore his way to where Aizen was waiting and struck him down.

"Damn it! I can't take this anymore." Grimmjow growled, though at the same time he got up from where he was sitting, grabbed his Zanpakuto, and headed outside his room, as there was someone that he needed to see before he let the building and sought out the soon to be ruler of Hueco Mundo, "I refuse to serve someone that's going to get us all killed... and it's time to announce my true intentions."

He knew that once one of the other Espada figured out what he was doing, and who he was going to see before he sought out Sombra, they were going to either tell Aizen or come at him with everything they had, and hopefully his next actions would convince Sombra that he wasn't on his enemy's side anymore... otherwise he was sure that the powerful Arrancar would exterminate him and finish what he started in the World of the Living a month ago.





"You think that you have the strength and power to kill me?" Sombra inquired, though at the same time the shadows surged forward and pierced a good number of Aaroniero's tentacles, where they morphed into hooks that prevented the large body of the Arrancar from moving, along with a few more piercing the larger part of his body, spilling blood in the process as he focused on his opponent, "Please, you barely have the power to do anything."

"Oh, you think you're so powerful that you can't lose to a Gillian?" Aaroniero asked, though that pissed him off, as the words that were said annoyed him more than he was willing to admit, but at the very least this situation allowed him to target Sombra without having to worry about Rukia anymore.

"I know that I'm stronger than a Gillian ranked Arrancar," Sombra replied, to which he sighed for a moment as a slight smile appeared on his face, as he knew what was coming next as he caught the glance that Rukia gave him without even alerting Arroniero to what she was planning on doing, "but it doesn't matter that much, not when we've beaten you."

Aaroniero glanced over to Rukia for a moment as she seemed to regain consciousness, something that he wasn't expecting since his strike should have killed her, but he grinned as she coughed for a few seconds and moved her hands until the shattered katana was pointed at his head, making him wonder what she was trying to do... though as all this happened he also noticed that some bits of ice actually started to form on the hand that was gripping the collar of her Shinigami attire.

"San no Mai," Rukia said, though at the same time she lifted her head and faced Aaroniero, who seemed surprised that she was still alive and was still fighting, but as she did that she wasn't going to waste the opening that had opened itself to her, "Shirafune."

Sombra watched as the ice in the air around them formed the upper part of a katana blade, extending from where the Zanpakuto had been broken, and since the blade was near Aaroniero's face when it reformed it also pierced the Espada's head before he was able to do anything. A few seconds ticked by as the area around the icy blade froze, revealing the Arrancar's true face once more, and Rukia informed him that she had been entrusted with Kaien's head, before she swung her Zanpakuto and cleaved apart the cylinder that the two heads were resting in. The result was that the cylinder shattered and green liquid erupted from parts of Aaroniero's body as the mass in front of him dissolved into nothing, like he was reverting back to his base form, though the green liquid surged into the outer parts of the area they were in as Sombra caught Rukia and gently placed her on the floor, all while ignoring the rants of the remaining head, since the one that Rukia had hit was now cut in half... until he grew tired of listening to it and used one of the shadows to pierce it, forever silencing the Noveno Espada, before drawing in his power as he sheathed his Arrancar Zanpakuto.

"Do you want me to mend your wounds?" Sombra asked, because he could shift into his Bankai for a moment and use the healing power to rapidly repair the damage that Rukia had been dealt, even though he knew something that she didn't and didn't say anything about what he knew.

"No. Give me a few minutes alone with Aaroniero's remains so I can let go of the past," Rukia replied, though at the same time she did let Sombra prop her up against the side of the wall that they were near, giving her the ability to stare at the Espada's remains, while the pieces of her Zanpakuto were placed near her, "besides, I'm sure that Ichigo needs your help more that I do... it feels like he's heading for a powerful foe."

"As you wish, Rukia." Sombra said, though at the same time he wondered why his friends were so stubborn, as he saw no reason to refuse his healing services before he left, but since Rukia wanted to take the hard way out he simply sighed and vanished from where he was standing, so he could see what was happening with Ichigo.

Rukia chuckled as she stared at the Espada that she had defeated, while using Sombra's presence as a distraction to get the killing blow, and knew that the ones that came after Aaroniero, those with the numbers eight and higher, would be much more difficult than she and the others were expecting... but if they were anything like Aaroniero they would underestimate Sombra when he appeared, letting her friends kill them in the process, and then they would be able to leave Aizen to their more powerful friend. A few seconds later she closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall that she was leaning against, as she needed a few minutes to herself before she did anything else, and she hoped that she was able to get moving again before one of the other Espada found her.