Bleach: Heart of a Hero

by Blackdrag-rose

Arrancar: Meeting the Visored

Yoruichi stayed near Sombra while they followed Ichigo and Rukia over to where Orihime was sitting, where it appeared that all the wounded Shinigami were currently gathering around her and having their wounds mended, all while discussing the sheer power that Gillian ranked Arrancars, created by the Hogyoku, possessed. From what he could determine, even though they were merely testing the power of their individual opponents, Ikkaku had nearly reached the point of death in his fight with Edrad, Renji had problems with Yylfordt until Ururu stepped in to assist him and then needed his limiter released to save both of them from his opponent, and both Captain Hitsuguya and Lieutenant Matsumoto had problems with their own enemies until they got permission to release the limiters. The fact of the matter was that Rukia, despite fighting the weakest of the Arrancar that had come to the World of the Living, had been the luckiest of them all, and that wasn't counting the fact that Sombra dominated his fight with Grimmjow, whose immense reiatsu the Shinigami had felt when he went into his Resurreccion in order to combat the sheer power that Sombra was putting out.

Yoruichi, despite not saying anything, felt that it was appropriate to think that the Shinigami that had come to protect the town were both shocked and terrified of the sheer unbelievable power that was now coursing through Sombra's body, as the return of his Arrancar blade seemed to have doubled his maximum power... and, as a consequence, it also brought back who he used to be, a person that was so cold and uncaring that it made all the other Hollows and Arrancar they had dealt with in the past seem like insects.

"Sombra, what in the world was that?" Ichigo asked, because he was concerned for his friend, though he was also worried about the fact that his friend didn't seem to care about the destruction he had caused while he was fighting Grimmjow, or at least that was the vibe he got when Sombra had been wielding his Arrancar blade and not Shokyo.

"Grimmjow somehow found and returned my Arrancar blade." Sombra stated, causing the Shinigami around them to nod their heads, as they had come to the same conclusion themselves when they noticed that he was carrying a second weapon on his belt, one that he seemed reluctant to look at right now, "Inside this blade rests all my memories, that much I could tell just from holding it, but at the same time it also holds who I used to be... and all I can tell you guys is that what I was, before becoming the Arrancar you all know, was a cruel, uncaring, and evil person. The moment I drew the blade and looked at it the old Sombra surged to the surface and knocked me to the side, like I was powerless to stop him, and he took control of my body to dominate the fight with Grimmjow, even going so far as to cut off one of his arms and reduce it to a pile of ash. He's like my polar opposite..."

"...where you prefer to hold back and gauge you're opponent's strength, before using more power." Hitsuguya said, though from what they had been told he was more surprised that Sombra, even if he had been taken over by who he used to be, had been able to topple one of the ten Espada, the strongest in Aizen's army, as that meant that they had a good chance at winning the upcoming war, whenever that happened, "Sooner or later you're going to have to go into your inner world again, find out where the old you is resting, and gain control of your powers... because, in all honesty, I don't think there's anyone in Soul Society, beside the Captain-Commander, that even has a chance at beating you now, and I'd rather not have you as an enemy."

Sombra didn't need to be told that, as by looking over at the area of Karakura Town that had been destroyed in the wake of his old self returning, and the following battle with Grimmjow in his Resurreccion, he knew that if his old self gained permanent control over his body he'd likely destroy Aizen and all of Soul Society. It wasn't a 'what if' scenario, it was what would happen, because at that point it would require both of their forces to combat the growing power inside him, one that could destroy everything that stood in his way, and he honestly didn't want that sort of thing to happen. The other side of the coin, if he were to gain control of his older self and remain in control, was that his power would be so great that he'd likely never be beaten by anyone ever again, or even come close to defeat, and he was worried that such a thing would be a terrible influence. Unfortunately, despite his own worry, he knew that the course of action that he had to take was reigning in his old self and maintaining control, reminding him of Ichigo's situation with his inner Hollow, which meant that the next thing they should do was seek out the Visored and see if they had any hints or tips to help Ichigo out in the long run... and see if he couldn't figure out how to smash his way through his own inner demon and regain control of his life, something that he didn't want the old him ruining.

Despite not knowing what his old life was like, something that he felt he wouldn't get until he bested the old version of himself in some manner, he liked the life he had made for himself, being a guardian of the World of the Living, maintaining the souls of the dead while defeating Hollows, and dating Yoruichi, who was great to be around and made him feel happy whenever they were together... and he wasn't about to let it all fall apart, which meant he needed to take care of this problem before it got much worse.

While he was busy thinking about what he and Ichigo needed to do, however, he discovered that Captain Hitsuguya was sending everyone back to the homes that they would be staying at, especially since Ikkaku and Yumichika managed to secure a few nights at Keigo's place somehow, before returning to school tomorrow, where he'd file his report to Soul Society and inform them of what happened. He was still on the fence of what to do about Sombra's power, as there was a chance that the Captain-Commander might come and deal with him personally if he felt that the Arrancar was still a threat to their side, but Sombra knew that he'd make the right decision in the end. Of course, while the Shinigami got rested up and started their training for when the Arrancar came back to fight them again, Sombra and Ichigo had other plans, as there was something that they needed to take care of before some more Espada invaded the World of the Living, and, as he knew she would, Yoruichi agreed with what he quietly asked her. Despite Ichigo's personal feelings about them, since Shinji did attack him in the middle of the night, he understood what Sombra's idea was and knew that it was only a matter of time until his inner Hollow won as well... so the three of them agreed to gather near where Ulquiorra and Yammy arrived, before heading out to where the Visored had set up their own base of operations.

Sombra knew that it was going to be easy to find them, as he could feel Shinji's reiatsu being mixed with several others that felt exactly like his, which told him that they were trying to lure Ichigo to their location... though what they were going to get was something different from what they were expecting.

---

The following morning, while Hitsuguya, the remaining Shinigami, and Orihime went to school, Sombra and Ichigo did no such thing, rather they waited for a few minutes before leaving the buildings they had been in after their battles with the Arrancar that had come to fight them. As he suspected Chad, heading his words, came to visit Urahara and pleaded his case to the shopkeeper, so that he could be able to assist Ichigo and the others when the Arrancar came back and not sit on the sidelines, and that, somehow, gave Urahara the idea to have Renji use his Bankai to train Chad. Sombra was happy to see that Chad was going to get ready for the incoming war with Aizen, if there weren't any additional battles between now and then, before he walked out of the shop and continued to the area that they had agreed to meet in, though along the way Yoruichi flashed into the area behind him and smiled as she walked beside him. It didn't take the two of them long to reach where Ulquiorra and Yammy landed, where they found Ichigo waiting for them, though that was when Yoruichi took the lead and beckoned for them to follow her to the lair of the Visored, so they could see what they could do about their own problems.

As it turned out the Visored lived in the area of Karakura town where all the warehouses rested, even one that seemed in worse condition than the others due to the fact that part of it's floors seemed to be falling apart, but as the three of them walked into the building the large door they walked through closed behind them... before the lights turned on and Sombra found Shinji, along with seven other people standing on one of the three floors that were above the one they were standing on, waiting for them.

"Good job finding this place, Ichigo." Shinji said, with a smile on his face, though that was quickly followed by a frown replacing it a few moments later, showing Sombra that the man was annoyed about something, "That's what I would be saying, if you had bothered to track the trail of reiatsu we left for you and came here on your own! Seriously, I told you that we were interested in recruiting you into our ranks, not you and two of your best friends! Can someone get the Shinigami out of here, before she attracts unwanted attention?"

"Yoruichi is with me," Sombra stated, as he knew from the way Shinji had reacted during his first meeting with Ichigo that he didn't like Shinigami, even though he was more than willing to come by Urahara's shop ever now and then for supplies, no doubt what he and the others needed to maintain their gigais, "If you have a problem with her being here, then I suggest that you bring it up with me... and trust me, I'm not afraid to fight any of you."

"Please, like we'd fight someone of your level anyway," someone stated, where Sombra glanced at the very short lady that was talking, as he knew that she wasn't a teenager considering what he knew about Shinigami, who happened to be wearing her blond hair in spiky pigtails and was wearing a red jog suit with the first Kanji of her name on the left side, "You might be an Arrancar, but at your current level we'd make short work of you in no time and send that Shinigami out before Ichigo can do..."

"Actually, you'd lose before you even had a chance to draw your Zanpakuto, Hiyori." Yoruichi replied, interrupting the Visored that was speaking, who growled in annoyance, and let Sombra see that the lady in question had an overly long fang protruding from the upper left side of her mouth, before she beckoned to Sombra, "You are speaking to Sombra, a Vasto Lorde ranked Arrancar that was able to defeat Kenpachi Zaraki in battle and dominated one of the Arrancar that was created by Aizen. If any of you want to try your luck then feel free to go ahead and give it a try, I just thought I'd warn you before someone did something that upset or annoyed him."

The remaining six Visored, not counting Shinji or Hiyori, glanced at each other and seemed to consider what Yoruichi had told them, as it had been a long time since they had heard of a Vasto Lorde ranked Arrancar being made, one that seemed to be of it's own making and not being aided by someone like Aizen, before Ichigo stepped forward and caused all of them to turn their attention to him once more.

"Shinji, let me make one thing perfectly clear: I didn't come to join the Visored." Ichigo stated, staring right at Shinji for a moment, while at the same time the Visored seemed annoyed by his reaction, especially since all of them knew that it was only a matter of time until his inner Hollow broke free, "We came to ask for your help in reigning in my inner Hollow, or at the very least some tips if you aren't willing to lend me your help. Besides, I might work with the Shinigami from Soul Society, but I'm just one of the people that wants to keep Karakura Town safe from harm, and to do that I need your help in taming my inner Hollow."

"See, now you're the one underestimating us." Shinji stated, though this time he was getting annoyed with Ichigo, as this wasn't how this meeting was supposed to go and his comrades knew that it wasn't supposed to be like this, before he flipped his scabbard into the air and caught his Zanpakuto, "We're not teaching you anything, dumbass. If you agree to join the Visored, and stop acting like those Shinigami are your friends, then we might have something to offer you and might just help you out... but if you want to stick to thinking that they're your friends, like you seem to be, then we'll just part ways and watch as you self destruct on your own, before we kill the Hollow that you'll become."

"Ichigo, I think it's time for the direct approach," Sombra commented, to which Ichigo nodded and reached into his back pocket, withdrawing the badge that he had been given, before his friend pushed his soul out and he caught the fallen body before it could hit the ground, where he glanced up for a second, "Go get him."

Not even a second later Ichigo pulled Zangetsu from his back and charged forward, forcing Shinji to take to the air as well before the two of them started swinging their Zanpakutos at each other, causing the very air around them to shudder as their reiatsu came into contact with each other. At the same time Sombra and Yoruichi moved Ichigo's body to a spot where it would be out of harm's way, though once that task was done they walked to the edge of the fighting area and stared at the two combatants as they battled each other, but not even a few moments into the fight Sombra could easily see that Shinji was holding back. As they stood there, watching Shinji command the fight since he was forcing Ichigo to come to him while also using his own reiatsu to slam him into the ground or the boxes around them, Sombra also noticed as the remaining Visored dropped down to the area they were standing in and were now watching the fight as well, each of them studying the duo as they fought and making their own impressions on what was happening in front of them.

"That Ichigo boy is doing very well, since he's fighting on par with Shinji." one of the Visored commented, who was wearing a black suit with a thigh-length, black jacket, along with a white frilled shirt with frilled cuffs and an untucked high collar, though Sombra noticed that he actually seemed a little bored at the moment.

"Idiot! Take a closer look." one of the others said, a young lady that was dressed in the female version of a student uniform that was different than what the students at Ichigo's school wore, though she also sounded upset over what was happening at the moment, "Shinji isn't taking him seriously."

"It doesn't look Ichigo-kun isn't fighting seriously either." a third Visored, who was a very large and rotund man that happened to be wearing an olive-green colored tuxedo with a yellow bow tie, though he sounded very kind and gentle, as opposed to the others he had heard talk so far.

"He's definitely scared." the next Visored stated, who Sombra noticed was wearing a green jogging suit and a pair of mirrored sunglasses, while at the same time his hair was styled in what he knew to be was a spiked afro, even if he wasn't impressed with Ichigo at the moment.

"Scared? Of What?" the fifth member of the Visored asked, who happened to be a young lady as well, and she happened to be wearing a white bodysuit with orange gloves, boots and scarf, along with a set of goggles atop her lime green hair, though Sombra wasn't sure if she was kidding or not.

"His inner Hollow." the last Visored stated, who happened to be wearing a dark purple A-shirt with a white trim, in addition to a pair of green colored cargo pants, black combat boots, and a pair of orange fingerless gloves, though Sombra also noticed that he had a series of piercings, with one on his left eyebrow and three on his left ear, "That punk's so scared, he's trying to fight without calling out his inner Hollow. We've been trying to recruit this guy, and this is the level that he's at? It's pathetic."

"You're all wrong." Sombra spoke up, causing the Visored to glance over at him for a few seconds, as they were curious as to what he was talking about, before he glanced at the fight that was happening at the moment, "Allow me to reveal something; the power that I command when I draw my Arrancar blade, and not release my Resurreccion, is so great and terrible that I was able to destroy a great deal of the area around me... and, in the process, the sheer sinister feeling that my reiatsu had was enough to shock Ichigo and maybe even frighten him as well. Sure, he's frightened by the prospect of his inner Hollow taking over and fighting his battles for him, but I think he's more frightened of what the old me could do if he gained control again... especially given what happened last night, when Aizen's Arrancar showed up and attacked both us and the Shinigami that came to aid us."

"Hachi, add another five layers to the barrier." Hiyori commented, deciding that it was time for them to get the show on the road and see just how strong Ichigo's inner Hollow really was, because if the fight dragged on for too long she was just going to draw her Zanpakuto and cut down all three of their guests.

In that moment Sombra discovered that 'Hachi' was actually the large Visored that was wearing the olive-green colored tuxedo, though before the man had a chance to acknowledge the command, as it sounded like a command, Hiyori walked forward, removed one of the sandals she was wearing, and slammed it into the side of Shinji's face, knocking him outside the broken windows and breaking the already existing barrier in the process, before she turned back and glared at Hachi for a few seconds.

"I told you to add five more layers!" Hiyori stated, her tone revealing that she was annoyed at the moment, since Hachi didn't do what she told him to do, but at the same time Sombra felt that she was being rude, since she barely gave him any time before she attacked Shiniji like that.

"I didn't have enough time!" Hachi replied, though at the same time he was sweating a little, because while he and the others were used to how Hiyori acted he was still taken aback by how quickly she had attacked Shinji, barely giving him a few seconds since the command was issued.

"Well, that's fine." Hiyori said, to which she turned her attention to Ichigo, as if everyone else at the moment didn't matter at all, because she had something that she wanted to say to him before they got started, and she wanted to be sure that she had his full attention, "Ichigo, lemme tell you something. You've got the wrong idea. You see, we're definitely thinking about letting you become one of our comrades, one of the Visored, the thing is that you don't have a choice in what we decide. We get to decide whether or not you get the right to join us and become one of the Visored, and it doesn't matter if you want to join us or not. After we see the height of your power, we'll decide whether or not you get to join us... so let me make myself clear: if you're powerful, then we'll let you join the Visored and we'll even teach you how to suppress your inner Hollow. If we decide that you're weak, and that you're unworthy of joining us, then we'll leave you to become a Hollow, where you'll die a pathetic death and we'll move on with our lives."

"Why you..." Ichigo growled, as he couldn't believe that the group that sought him out, both while he was at school and while he was trying to protect the town, was now saying that they would only teach him what he needed to know if he was powerful enough to impress them, and, judging by how they didn't react to Yoruichi's claims of Sombra being a Vasto Lorde ranked Arrancar, he knew he was in trouble.

"How that you get the picture, transform into a Hollow and let us see just how strong you really are." Hiyori stated, to which Sombra determined that she was used to getting her way in matters such as this, because the other Visored, even Shinji, didn't look like they wanted to interrupt what was happening, though that was before her reiatsu flared and a Hollow mask formed just above her head, as it appeared to be resting on the upper right of her head, "Though if you're too scared to do that, then I'll have no choice but to drag your Hollow out of you and see how strong it is for myself."

"Ichigo! Use your Bankai!" Sombra said, causing everyone to turn towards him for a moment, though at the same time he knew what he was doing, because he had figured out what had happened during the fight with Byakuya and knew that Ichigo's inner Hollow was listening to him as well, "Show her just how strong you and Zangetsu really are."

For a moment Ichigo couldn't believe that Sombra was suggesting that he use his Bankai against Hiyori, even though her reiatsu was so much stronger since the mask phased into existence, telling him that if he managed to do what they were doing, and gained the mask as well, that he'd have a significant power boost as well. At the same time, however, he could hear his inner Hollow telling him to 'do as their Lord commanded', and that was incredible odd considering that it was the first time he had heard the Hollow say something like that, making him wonder what actually happened to Sombra when his blade was returned to him. A few seconds later, after thinking about it, Ichigo found himself sighing as he held his Zanpakuto out towards Hiyori, who seemed excited about what was going to happen next, before he called out the one word that Sombra had told him to use and soon he was enveloped in a surge of his own reiatsu. Not even a moment passed before Ichigo cut through the dust that had formed around him and revealed his Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, to the Visored and Yoruichi, though the look on Hiyori's face told him and Sombra that she was excited about what was happening and that she wanted to see just how powerful he really was.

The moment Ichigo was ready, and Hachi had enough time to weave together a barrier between them and the two combatants, Hiyori rushed through the air and started attacking Ichigo, who was surprised by her speed while she was wearing the Hollow mask, but at the same time the power of his Bankai allowed him to sort of keep up, even though the first time she did it she ended up touching his stomach area and knocked him back a little. Sombra and Yoruichi stayed on the lower level, with Hachi and the bodysuit wearing girl, who introduced herself as Mashiro Kuna and that the tuxedo wearing man was actually called Hachigen Ushoda, and that 'Hachi' was a nickname that everyone called him by. As Ichigo and Hiyori, or Hiyori Sarugaki as Sombra discovered, continued their battle that shook the entire warehouse Mashiron also introduced the other members of the Visored to him; the man with the piercings was Kensei Muguruma, the man with the spiked afro was Love Aikawa, the lady that was wearing the school uniform was Lisa Yadomaru, and the man wearing the black jacket was Rojuro Otoribashi, though everyone apparently called him 'Rose' for some reason.

Once he had a firm understanding of who was who, thanks to Mashiro telling him all their names, Sombra introduced himself as well, since they had no idea who he was while understanding who Yoruichi was since she helped them and Urahara escape from Soul Society all those years ago, though when he did that the girl near them looked at him like he was strange, and not because of his appearance.

"What about your last name?" Mashiro asked, though at the same time she ignored the shudder that went through the barrier that was in front of them, as she was more focused on why Sombra was so different than everyone else, since he was the only one that didn't have a last name.

"I... don't have one." Sombra admitted, though while he said that he glanced down at his Arrancar Zanpakuto, knowing that the answer to that question truly rested inside his old memories, though since he had no idea just how strong his older self was he couldn't go digging into the past without figuring out how to bypass the power that was blocking what he wanted to know, "Though I'll have to get back to you on that later... there's something I need to figure out before I can say anything else about myself."

Mashiro looked disappointed in the fact that Sombra wouldn't tell her another else, though it was more of a case of he couldn't without telling everyone here that he had lost his memories and the only way to get them back was to fight who he had been before he became an Arrancar. While he thought about this, however, the air shuddered as Ichigo and Hiyori continued their 'battle', to which he turned his attention to them once more and watched as they moved around the air, one of them attacking and one of them defending, though he instantly noticed that Ichigo, despite using his Bankai, was still losing to Hiyori, as she was still faster and stronger than him without using the Release Call for her Zanpakuto and transforming it into her Shikai. Ichigo, on the other hand, was using the fight as an opportunity to gleam some information out of the Visored that he was fighting, as he wanted to know how she remained in control without succumbing to the power of her inner Hollow, but at the same time he continued to show her his power, just in the off chance that he couldn't get any information on his own. Sombra knew that Ichigo was showing off his power as much as he could, without using the Getsuga Tensho in such a confined area, and also believed that Hiyori was sort of impressed by the power that he already commanded, though it was only a matter of time until she decided to send this and determine Ichigo's fate, which meant that he might have to ask a certain someone to come out for a few seconds.

When Hiyori's reiatsu got serious, and caused the whole area around her to surge with activity as the wind followed the currents she was creating, Sombra knew that the time for playing around was over and that she was going to try and pull Ichigo's Hollow out the hard way... to which he glanced at his friend and knew what he had to say, because since the Hollow seemed to be listening to him he might be able to coax it out for a few seconds to show Hiyori what sort of problem Ichigo really had.

"Ichigo, now's not the time to be holding back." Sombra called out, though at the same time he felt a slight shift in the air, as the Hollow inside Ichigo had taken notice of him speaking again and was listening to his words, "Go ahead, let him come out for a few seconds and show her your true power."

Once again Ichigo was surprised that Sombra was suggesting that they do something like this, and Yoruichi seemed to have nothing to say since she was nodding her head in agreement, though the strangest part was his inner Hollow pestering him to let such a thing happen, before he sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. In the following moments, despite his desire never to open his soul to his inner Hollow, Ichigo decided to put some trust in Sombra and did the one thing that he was trying to prevent, though oddly enough his inner Hollow, while taking control, also made sure that he wasn't knocked out in the process. Unlike the last time, when he fought Byakuya, Ichigo watched as the white strands formed in the air and started to assemble themselves in front of his face, above his left eye like usual, and before he knew it the area around that eye was covered by the Hollow's mask. The result of the addition of his inner Hollow's reiatsu to his own, making it seem more like the Visored's now, caused the assembled group to gasp in shock as Ichigo rushed forward and grabbed Hiyori by the neck, breaking most of her mask off in the process before slamming her into one of the support pillars of the floor they were fighting on... and yet, while that happened, Ichigo knew that it was his inner Hollow doing all of it, and the creature growled as he applied a little pressure to Hiyori and broke her connection to her inner Hollow, as her eyes returned to normal.

A few seconds later Ichigo felt a hand on his shoulder as Sombra flashed into the area behind him, along with his inner Hollow feeling the gesture as well, and he found that his body had stalled, indicating that they were waiting for the Arrancar to say something before they smashed Hiyori into the floor.

"That's enough. She gets the picture now." Sombra said, though at the same time the inner Hollow once more confirmed that he was listening to what he was saying, as not a few seconds later he eased his grip on Hiyori's neck and let her fall to the floor, "Thanks, Zangetsu. You've been an excellent assistant in showing them both your and Ichigo's power... and showing them why they should have listened to us in the first place."

"I'm happy to be of assistance, Lord Sombra." the inner Hollow replied, surprising the Visored for a moment, as they had never seen an inner Hollow that used the one they were taking over to speak to someone else, before he sighed for a moment and seemed to relax, "At least someone cares about me."

The group watched for a few seconds as the mask fragment that had formed on Ichigo's face broke apart on it's own and faded away in the same manner that it had been created in, though Ichigo had to take a few deep breaths as he regained control over his body, just as Sombra pulled his hand off his friend's shoulder and glanced at the Visored that had gathered around them, to study Ichigo and assist Hiyori.

"You know, I wasn't sure we were going to do this in the beginning, but you pass." Shinji said, staring at Ichigo for a moment, because he wasn't sure if Ichigo's inner Hollow was like all of their's, as in the creatures that they had sworn to purify as Shinigami, or if it was something else entirely, since it was able to converse with someone for a few seconds, to which he sighed, "We're going to pound the knowledge of how to suppress your inner Hollow all the way into the heart of your soul... and let me tell you something, it isn't going to be easy for fun."

Ichigo sighed as he dropped out of his Bankai form and reverted back to his normal Shinigami form, because after all the training he went through to get his Zanpakuto back, and then his Bankai, and then the necessary endurance training to use his Bankai without shattering his body in the process, he knew that this wasn't going to be easy either... and, despite the fact that he wasn't going to be partaking in this training either, he knew that Sombra understood that this wasn't going to be easy for him either.

---

As it turned out the Visored's method of preparing Ichigo for the intense training that they were going to put him through, before he could even think about gaining the knowledge on how to suppress his inner Hollow, started with them putting him in a handmade machine that looked like it was an exercise machine, a 'rowing' machine as it were, for the rest of the day and the entirety of the following day. Sombra, by staring at it and studying it for a few seconds, easily determined that the Visored were measuring the amount of reiryoku that Ichigo had and that there was a specific time limit, or a number of days, that he had to row it for before they would even consider giving him the knowledge that he sought. Once he came to that conclusion, and kept it to himself since this was Ichigo's training and not his, he moved to a corner and took a seat, as there was something he needed to do and someone he wanted to meet before he considered what he was going to do when Ichigo was done with his own training. Yoruichi sat near him, to prevent the old him from taking over if he suddenly started to emerge, and nodded her head to indicate that she was ready, to which Sombra laid both of his Zanpakuto out in front of him and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to drift as he headed into his inner world to seek out some answers.

A few moments later, after a familiar feeling washed over him, Sombra opened his eyes and found that he was back in the Crystal Empire, his inner world, and it looked the exact same as it had the last time he was here, though at the same time he noticed that there was a light blue colored barrier separating the empire from what appeared to be something dark and sinister, and he had the feeling he knew what he was staring at.

"He moved in last night," a voice said, to which Sombra turned his head for a moment and found Shokyo standing beside him, though her eyes were focused on the part of the barrier that he had been staring at moments ago, "the spirit of your Arrancar Zanpakuto... the old you."

"I know. I came to see him and at least learn his name." Sombra replied, because since he had taken the name that had been etched on the crystal he had woken up near, thinking that it was his name, he wanted to know what sort of name his past self would have come up with, just to separate the two of them from each other, "Come on, let's see if we can't find where he's hidden himself."

Together the two of them walked forward from the area that Sombra had appeared in, the middle of the empire, and started the walk towards the part of the barrier that he had been staring at earlier, though as they did that he noticed that it was getting slightly darker the more they approached the area in question. It didn't take them very long to reach the area he had been staring at, as they had decided to pick up their speed after a few moments of walking, though when they reached the barrier he saw nothing that indicated where his past self was waiting for him. The two of them stood there for a minute or two, staring out at the winter filled area that hadn't been there the last time Sombra had been here, as it now looked like the Crystal Empire was trapped in a frozen tundra or something and the barrier was keeping the snow from entering the empire itself, before something happened. The shadows that had been gathering in front of them, which they had been staring at, parted as a figure walked out and approached them, though Sombra was expecting a Human or even a Hollow to walk out of the shadows... what he got, however, was what Ichigo, every other Human, and even Shinigami would call a pony walking towards the barrier.

Despite his size, as he was roughly half Sombra's total height, Sombra could tell that the pony was a stallion, simply because of his body style, though that was also when he noticed that the stallion was wearing a iron suit of armor of some kind over his neck and the front part of his body, as well as four metallic leg protectors that wrapped around his hooves and rose halfway up his legs. The stallion was also wearing a lush red cape, like he was a ruler of some kind, and he had a iron crown resting behind the same curved horn that Sombra possessed, though that was when Sombra's eyes widened as he realized that he was staring at a unicorn version of himself, only he didn't look like a Hollow at all.

"We meet at last." the stallion said, to which Sombra heard the same uncaring and cold voice that he had been using when the spirit of his Arrancar Zanpakuto was in control of his body, allowing him to come to the conclusion that he was staring at his past self, before the stallion glanced at Shokyo, "And you, my dear, remind me of the Crystal Heart."

"That's my name," Shokyo replied, though at the same time the stallion raised an eyebrow, showing that he had some interest in what was going on at the moment, before she decided to explain herself, "My name is Shokyo; the 'Sho' meaning Crystal and the 'kyo' meaning Heart... my name means Crystal Heart."

"I see." the stallion said, though that was when he returned his attention to Sombra, who was trying to understand why his past self looked like a pony, before he opened his mouth again, "I know that you are the one going by Sombra these days, just as I once went by the same name before I lost my memories and became what you are right now. I would enjoy taking back my name and body from you, and reducing you to what I am right now, but for the moment you may called me 'Rey de la Oscuridad'... I believe it means 'King of Darkness', in the language that Grimmjow used when he named his blade during our fight. Or you may simply call me 'Rey', just King on it's own, or even King Sombra."

"Well, at least the two of you are consistent in giving me your names without having to go through a trial to find out what they are," Sombra commented, to which he sighed for a moment, as he didn't know if this was common among Arrancar, that the spirit of their Arrancar Zanpakuto resembled an animal, but he did know that there was one other thing that he needed to learn from the stallion, "Rey de la Oscuridad... Rey... what's the Release Call I need to use to call upon our true power?"

"Oh, there's no reason for me to tell you right now." Rey replied, showing that he didn't care what Sombra wanted at the moment, as he had his own agenda that he wanted to stick to and that didn't involve giving him anything more than his name for now, before he flashed them a sinister smile, "But, if you really want to know, then come at me... I'll tell you the magic words, but only if I decide that your worthy enough to wield my great and terrible power, as well as take control of both my memories and keep possession of my body."

Sombra stared at the stallion for a moment, who had just laid down his ultimatum on the subject, before sighing and took a step back, as he had gotten enough out of the spirit of his Arrancar Zanpakuto for now and there was no reason to press his luck, not when he'd be coming back later to finish what he started. Shokyo understood that he was going to take some time and think about what he had just learned, to which she followed behind him in silence for a moment, even though she could feel the stallion standing at the edge of her domain, patiently waiting for a battle to break out, and she feared that he'd be the one to start the fight, regardless of what Sombra did. Sombra was more concerned with how the stallion acted, because it seemed like they were polar opposites in every sense of the phrase, and yet he knew that Rey's power was undeniable, not after seeing what happened to Grimmjow during their battle. He barely noticed as they reached the center of the empire and Shokyo bid him farewell for now, to which he said the same to her and let himself be pulled out of his inner world, as he had more questions and Rey clearly wasn't in the mood to answer them... and even if he was in the mood he wondered if the spirit of his Arrancar Zanpakuto would lie to him, just to have some fun.

When he emerged from his inner world, however, he found that Ichigo and Hiyori were shouting at each other and lashing out at each other as well, though it appeared that they were mainly arguing over the rowing machine that Ichigo had been asked to use and he already figured out it's purpose... though at the same time Sombra stretched as Shinji began to explain the purpose behind this training, before he picked up his two Zanpakuto and slipped them back into the spots they had been in earlier, before he started his meditation.

"Sombra, did you have any luck getting anything out of your meditation?" Yoruichi asked, as she had noticed some slight disturbances in Sombra's reiatsu while he was meditating, though all she could determine was that it was the last bits of his original powers coming back to him.

"No, Rey was no help to me at all." Sombra replied, thinking back to what little he had learned during his meditation, before he sighed as she realized that Yoruichi had no idea what he was talking about, "The only thing I was able to gleam is the name of my Arrancar Zanpakuto, Rey de la Oscuridad, and a potential form that I once took before becoming an Arrancar... though right now I don't know if Rey's messing with me, or if the form he used was what I used to look like. Though it seems like I missed some excitement while I was trying to get some new information."

"It looks like Ichigo is ticking off the Visored, though I'm not surprised by their reactions." Yoruichi said, as she had seen Ichigo hurl the rower at Hiyori earlier and she, in turn, grabbed Shinji and used him as a shield to block the incoming 'attack', before lashing out at Ichigo by calling him stupid and baldy since she didn't believe that his hair was natural at all and that he had to be wearing a wig, "It seems like they might be taking the same route that Urahara and I used when we were training him for his Shikai and his Bankai respectfully... that being that they're just going to charge into the technique and see if he sinks or swims."

"So force him to battle his inner Hollow and see if he survives, and I'm guessing his body will start to be taken over and changed by the same Hollow on the outside," Sombra stated, to which Yoruichi smiled, as Sombra was always quick to figure things out before others did, before he got up and walked out into the open once more, drawing attention to himself in the process, where he glanced up at the Visored, "Look, it seems like you guys are going to do things the hard way and force him into the technique that will allow him to battle his inner Hollow for control over his body, which I'm going to assume that all eight of you did as well. Let me make things easy for you: let Ichigo do what he needs to do and I'll be the one to hold off his inner Hollow until he emerges victorious."

Ichigo smiled as Sombra said that, because despite the return of his Arrancar Zanpakuto he trusted his friend to be able to fight off his inner Hollow when it emerged, giving him more than enough time to deal with the truth threat in the safety of his inner world... and then, once he was back to normal, he'd help Sombra figure out how they were going to do the same for him and stabilize all of his powers, even if it meant forcing his friend to fight his past self for control, which he felt that Sombra would be able to do on his own.

Comments

[Emperorxeno]

Moar

[TheArcticWolf]

9188518
Nyasssssssssss mooooooooar!

[develdragon13]

Rey de la Oscuridad

and I was thinking the sword's name was Miedo meaning fear

[Xarmar13]

Interesting, Sombra's relation to Rey puts a more literal meaning to a reference to something Ichigo's inner Hollow said about Kings and Horses.

[Magos Xenos Disathairne]

9288455
"Ichigo, what's the difference between a king and his horse? I don't mean kiddy shit like "One's a person and one's an animal" or "One has two legs and one has four." If their form, ability and power were exactly the same, why is it that one becomes the king and controls the battle, while the other becomes the horse and carries the king?! There's only one answer. Instinct! In order for identical beings to get stronger and gain the power they need to become king, they must search for more battles and power! They thirst for battle, and live to mercilessly, crush, shred, and slice their enemies! Deep, deep within our body lies the honed instinct to kill, and slaughter our enemies! But you don't have that! You don't have those pure, base instincts! You fight with your brain. You try to defeat your enemies with logic! And it doesn't work! You're trying to cut them with a sheathed sword! That's why you're weaker than me, Ichigo!"

[Black--Soul]

Wow... This Chapter give me real chills... Bloody hell! Mindblowing writing!

Guess Good Sombra & King Sombra are on a collision course...