Chapter 14: Trust Anaconda

"Hmm..." I hated waking up but...

My Mask was stuck on something.

Well...no way I was going back to sleep. I rubbed the back of my head into the pillows, despite the irritating sounds and the tugging from whatever gripped my mask. I didn't think the humans had it in them actually, but here I was, with the most vital organ that I had trapped, I steadily made progress in pulling it out.

"Urggh, fuck, the Hell's scratching me so hard? Am I sleeping with my face pressed 'gainst a rock?"

"Oh Apacci, wonderful. Mind keeping it down and helping me? My head's gotten stuck."

"Ugh, really? Sure just let me-" My mask suddenly popped free. "There we go, and I am keeping it down. So where are you?"

I looked upwards and behind me, right at her. "It might help to open your eyes."

She moved her body and arms as she looked around. Ultimately, it was the hands that did it. "Yeah yeah," she yawned. "I'm-huh?" She looked down at me. I in turn looked at her.

We were both silent and still for quite a few seconds until I spoke. "You know I don't mind this position but we have to do something about our masks."

"Uh well, hey! Its not my fault! You decided to curl up in your sleep or something!"

"I sense that you haven't let go of me yet either."

Her hands flew off me. "W-well I was getting to that!"

Now I was struggling not to smile. "You know I'm not exactly complaining right? Just keep it down or you'll wake-"

"Hmgn, too late." Mila gave a loud yawn. "What are you two fools doing making so much noise?"

"Emilou is cuddling up to me. Did you know she's actually some kind of tsundere?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" She flew off the bed as quickly as she could. Covers flying upwards as she rushed down the corridor and closed the door behind her as she kept on running.

"I see, it is good that you're all getting along. Does your festival continue even now Sung-Sun?"

"No Milady. I suppose I'll be outside then and leave you to it." I made a brisk departure but tossed a look around the room. It was a perfect square with almost no furniture unless you counted the quietly burning torch in one of the corners. I tossed a glance back but was disappointed when I saw nothing scandalous. Well, I suppose all the beds being lined up side by side was suitably suggestive for my tastes.

Maybe more risqué things would happen? I opened the door and slid it back into place. Seeing a lack of people to verbally spar with I decided to wander about the outside world, hoping to find a place to find artistic inspiration. Even then I didn't find Emilou.

Strangle To Death, Anaconda!

Now I may be able to find a scene worthy of an artistic effort. The radio that was placed outside was causing a ruckus. Playing some song called HOLLOWED?

Either way, I twisted my weapon as I caught the blade in between the prong and blade, successfully locking it in place. "And what will you do now Mila?" Our weapons vibrated in place as maddening force was applied to the weapon lock I put in place.

I was winning. I slid most of my palm off of my weapon and began to fire a Cero.

I could see Mila attempt to follow my action as she tried to punch me with her left fist in order to unbalance me and make me miss my Cero. I slapped it away and punched her in the kidney in turn before bringing my left hand back to guard, and then fired the Cero.

Brilliant pink light flooded our visions, I consumed the horizon with my point blank Cero for the both of us. My sai had long since crept back into my sleeve allowing the Cero to fire with impunity.

As it began to wind down I stepped back and manipulated my sai into falling into my hand again and threw it towards Mila, only to see a golden Zweihänder twirl and knock my own weapon to the sand, the bright orange hair of her sword waving in the wind as she did so.

Bruises and light burn damage along with some cuts were shown on her frame, even then she still stood there and calmly inspected me. I covered my mouth with my right hand as the wind reached back and moved both hair and clothing.

She decided to charge me with an overhead. Foolish mistake. I stood there so as to not give anything away and began to crouch as she came. As her sword came down I reached forward with both hands and caught it in between the palms and kneed her right in the stomach, as she lost some of her footing I began to elbow her in the throat, the cutting edge of her weapon being aimed at my chest as a result. I then put my leg behind her ankle and began to bring it back, successfully making her fall to the ground. Immediately I rushed back to my weapon, trying an axe kick or another Cero would be a mistake, she wasn't that useless that such a thing would hit her.

I crouched and prepared for the attack she launched at me. Her blade was already sliding off the prong and onto my arm, so I decided to charge her, slinking under her strike and rocketing towards her right shoulder and aiming to stab her there. Her knee and fist tried to hurt me but I blocked one and grabbed the other. As I repeatedly stabbed her in the elbow I saw a blinding burnt orange light appear at Mila's neck. And then another surprise came for me.

Her blade struck me in the back and she positioned it so that her other hand could grab it. For some reason I had the rather terrifying visage of a giant robed skeleton replacing Mila.

I snapped out of it and started stabbing her torso and as the Cero was about to fire I threw my hand into her jaw, my weapon piercing the bone and tilting her head a little. I thought I had more time but if her head wasn't going to give any more then...I buried my head into her chest and kept my arms as strong as I could in the grapple.

Her Cero consumed my skull, as it fired it began to take over the top right portion of my skull.

I gritted my teeth as I endured her Cero. Only once it was over did I bury my sai into her other armpit.

Only to fail.

As her sword began to cut into my back I began to speak. "I see...so that's what you meant when you were talking about enhancement." My sai notably pierced less than it used to.

"Yeah." She tried to cut into my spine despite the desperate grip I had on her. "I guess you could compare me to Nnoitra Gilga." She gave a grunt as she kneed me, finally allowing her to half-sword my spine. "I suppose comparing it to a resonance is accurate enough. Like white blood cells my body remembers your strikes and strengthens itself against it." She gave a grin as her sword was pulled into my spine. "Sorry if I'm not the most eloquent, but I think your screwed."

I stabbed my sai back into her jaw, right where I hit her before. "Cuenta Regresiva." I whispered.

The pain I was going through made her struggle to hear, but not to feel. Her eyes widened as she felt a Cero form on the tip of the blade...and the tips of the prongs.

My Countdown nailed her right where it hurt. "Grrraaaagghh!" As she went flying back I fell to the ground, my spine too damaged to support my legs.

It was then something happened.

"Hhurrhh?" Something reeking of *retard* breathed right next to my ear. Some insect must have been skulking around and came out now that we seemed to have ended the fight. It made another ridiculous noise and tried to grab me. "GHHURR!"

I gripped its hand and pulled it into the ground. "Please shut up. You're giving me a headache." I ripped parts of it off pulling its head closer to my hands in so doing. I finally wrapped my hand around its neck and crushed it in my small hand. "Finally..." I stood up. "It always feels longer than it actually takes. Healing that is." I looked across the field. "So how are you?" Rhetorical question, I could see her bleeding profusely from a missing jaw. At least, some of it was missing.

"Heh! Well now she can't bitch at me at least. You know that High-Speed Regeneration of yours may have made you cocky Sung-Sun. Anyone else would have been good as dead if an Adjucha came along." Emilou swaggered onto the scene and put her boot in the fool's corpse. "Heh, man it would've been embarrassing if you died to this guy." She struggled not to laugh as she spoke and looked around. "Man you sure ripped into this guy didn't you? I'm beginning to see why you hate these little nuisances, he popped right outta' nowhere!"

"Continue." At My Lady's command me and Emilou suddenly became tense and stared at the other.

"You know you ain't gonna make it past me right?" At her words I continued doing what I did before, staring at her.

"Rose, are you prepared to keep going?" I glanced over to the woman in question, her bleeding was slow but constant. Nevertheless she stood up and braced for a fight.

Hmmmm...I never expected her to have such an incredible pain tolerance. Even I, with such incredible regeneration could not stand so easily after that. I'm beginning to wonder if she would attempt to stand after a spine cut? Clearly without my regeneration I would have lost that fight. I'll have to cripple her fighting abilities rather than end it in a single strike.

I could hear Emilou scream as she charged at me. I leisurely looked her way. "Cuenta Regresiva." My three Ceros expanded and fired from my weapon and threw themselves at her. I was so stunned by the result that I did not turn to face Mila. "You know, I didn't expect that to actually hit you Apacci..."

"Then think again!" My eyes widened by a fraction as she came at me, more undamaged than even Mila. At best her clothing was damaged, there wasn't even any charring on her Hollow Mask. Faced with two Vasto Lordes rushing my front and left I decided to Sonido backwards with all haste to face the two of them head on. "Ha! You want to face us head on?! Where we're strongest?!" My eyes tracked Mila who went left, clearly not banking on her defence anymore. "Hey, what's wrong Mila? Did you lose your balls or something!?"

"You know Emilou, I think I'll go ahead and do us all a favour and take your jaw too. Just stand still." Both were close now, close enough for me to pull something off. "Cuenta Regresiva." I pointed my right hand, and sai at Emilou, I knew it would do nothing but it would slow her. And then I spun my right hand, my technique spinning to land on Franceska. My left hand covering my mouth as it all happened.

I flew at Emilou in a burst of speed and engaged in a proper fight. We traded punches, up until I hit her Mask that is.

Her head did not move even a centimetre, my hand came off the worst from that exchange. She hit my chest and I kicked her in the stomach, batting her left fist away with mine and threw my right hand at her, aiming to stab her in the face.

It was then her right hand retracted from my chest and intercepted my arm, it rose to meet mine, but the hand was in no position to stop me. But then her hand spawned a red destructive disk that was hollowed out.

As my arm ceased to be connected to my body I let out a scream as Emilou's victorious face only got a light stab from my weapon.

"You're not the only one to have some fancy technique Sung-Sun!" Her face was rapturous as the large cymbal sized weapon aborted my attack. "What are you going to do now?!-" Her spiel was interrupted as bone ejected itself from my arm and pierced the roof of her mouth. Creating another sai in the process and falling to the ground since my arm had yet to grow back, the first sai I ever had disintegrating into the night sky.

I quickly hid behind her and use her as a human shield against Franceska, grabbing the scruff of her neck to move for as long as she was dazed. As my one left hand threw her this way and that. It wasn't to be.

Emilou elbowed me in the stomach right as Mila appeared at our left.

I felt only crushing force against my back as my body was cut open. My body bowed and folded to the pressure. But this time, something went a little differently.

My spine was completely cut open.

Unlike last time when my spine was only damaged it was completely cleaved open now. I could only think as I was forced to the ground. My eyes were wide as I lost all feeling and yet felt only hellish pain.

I could register my own screaming and a cry of exclamation but my own thoughts ran ahead of me. Resonation, she's doing more damage to me the more our Spirits clash and fight she's even taking less damage from me...

I could think no more. My almost split in two body was placed against the ground.

I had...one arm and a bone missing, and not only that but I had almost been folded like a cheap broomstick against a knee.

But Hollows are creatures of instinct, my body rolled as much as it could under a Zweihänder in order to have me facing Mila. Now that my intelligence had caught up to my instinct I deliberately sped up the regeneration of my missing right arm and sacrificed a bone in my left arm to get back my sai and use my Countdown once again.

I stabbed her sideways in the wrist, accounting for the way a Cero expanded as it fired. "Cuenta Regresiva." I held onto her wrist with my left hand, but it was all for naught.

"Christ!" She stepped on my third weapon this night. "Hey Lady Harribel! Are we still fighting? Cuz if so I had no idea Sung-Sun was actually this spunky."

"No. I believe that's it for today, you've all done well. Take some time to yourselves to rest."

I could hear a sigh come from above me. "Phew, that was some crazy shit. How are you two feeling."

Mila was silent.

"Famished." I said. I struggled to get it out even as I pushed more energy into my High-Speed Regeneration.

"You wanna eat this retard? I dunno where he is actually, has the body colour of sand."

"God no," I said. I fell back and sat there. "Never." I looked at Emilou and the lack of bone in her mouth. I guess she curled her tongue back when I hit her in order to keep talking. "So either you do possess a regenerative ability or I didn't mutilate myself well enough."

"Yeah," She gave me a sly grin. "You didn't mutilate yourself well enough."

"Wonderful, so how did you do what even the lion woman had trouble doing and resist my technique? I already have a suspicion but your ability can't be that stupid."

"Heh." She snorted. "My Hierro is stupid huh? My Mask is the hardest part of my body! It may make my attacks a bit limited but it's unbreakable!"

"I think I'll cover for Mila since she can't talk anymore, but I'm really not that sure beating something to death with the most vulnerable part of your body is a wise idea, even if it is the strongest part of your body."

"Nah, you bitches are just jealous that you don't have a Hierro."

The sound of Mila's sword was accompanied by my own sai being brought up in turn. "Yes Mila, I think Emilou needs a lesson in manners too."

"Uh, hey wait!" The country bumpkin cried out. "Haven't you two had enough of this?! You shot me with your freaking bone for crying out loud!"

"Yes, and I won't grow those back until a day passes no matter how much Spirit Energy I put in my regeneration, but its still going to be worth putting you in your place. If it just so happens that you become quieter well..." I narrowed my eyes. "That's just a bonus."

Strangle To Death, Anaconda!

"I see you didn't take the time to rest. If you're that eager to improve yourselves then perhaps I should join in if you feel this Arrancar is such a big threat."

"Hm." I set my work down and drummed my fingers across the table. "Well he replaced all of his skill with brute force so I wouldn't say we're safe, we could probably beat him but it would end up being the toughest fight of our lives."

"I see." My Lady looked at us from across the room. "I'll think about heading to the Living World again then, I suppose I might be able to install some showers then. Tell me how much power you gather from our rangings."

My eyes widened and my hand dropped a little lower from my face. "How?" By the time I asked the question she already went up the stairs and out the home. It took awhile but I eventually got back to work.

I picked up the pawn piece made out of stone and proceeded to cut the fluff, removing all unnecessary parts until my work resembled a real pawn. I sometimes removed the more unnecessary parts with my thumbnail.

Although Mila hadn't asked politely to do this, or indeed at all, I decided to go ahead and do it anyway. She did give me the stone after all, even going so far as to gesture at the chess set. She may not have had kindly body language whilst doing so but it's about what I expected from her spoilt attitude. I had a cleaved spine and you don't see me being so stroppy about it.

I spent the next few minutes cutting off all the parts until my own standards were satisfied and I unlocked the chess board, holding the board up and putting the piece I made into a cut out with the base of the board. I locked it again and decided that I might wander around. Now that only My Lady and I were capable of talking perhaps it might do well to pay her a visit? I no longer had those two to weigh in on a conversation between myself and Lady Harribel anymore after all.

Strangle To Death, Anaconda!

Tatsuki was concerned. Her little body was feeling more adrenaline than it was ever meant to handle. She had saw that crybaby's scars, four of them the size of her palm on his shoulder. She had screamed and consoled him in order to know what happened to him. And when he told her...well...

She didn't doubt him, not really, but how on earth do you see something you just can't see? She saw the riverbank where his mother died, she knew that something was up but...

She just had no idea, but she knew she had to look out for him after what those...scum did to him!

She began to train, to push her body to the limit and push her mind to it as well, to imagine the creep that did this to her friend and give it a lesson in manners!

As time passed however she realized that she still couldn't see anything, that what she was doing wasn't working. So she took her teachers Mumbo-Jumbo advice and started practicing the soul and opening her third eye or whatnot.

And she saw it.

She stared in faint horror, her body's flight or fight instinct having taken over her body.

She stared in faint horror at the thing and she finally realised that everything she heard was a lie. That the bridge didn't get those indents because something exploded underneath it, that all those jokes about shoddy workers wasn't true.

That everything was caused by these giant creatures.

She beheld mist where she saw the latest "technical failure." She could get the impressions of some colours from the giant form of gas that she knew was actually some solid form. She could hear some gutteral growling, echoing with some mystic power.

And then she began to see a Mask form from nothing, its features barely discernable but a corruptive acidic feeling and unmatched malevolence seeping from it. This thing was as a tall as a house and must have had arms wider than tree trunks.

What she didn't know was that it was hunched over. It was a fair bit taller than your average house.

She could barely bring herself to move, but she was about to when she saw the Mask be split in two, another presence having taken care of it. She felt only relief as her body felt right again.

And then she yelled. "Hey! C-can you hear me whatever you are?! Tell me what's going on!" She could faintly see the colours of this thing, whatever it was. Black hair, and some sort of silver clip in his hair. It was all she could get from what she could see.

In the end...she never got her answer.

As the years passed she truly began to see the play of David and Goliath happening more and more, began to see the spirits of the deceased from some of the books she read and her own mentality. Those small people who battled titans with a sword in hand.

She began to grow a Spirit.

She finally judged herself ready.

"Hey!" She yelled at the monster by the bank. "Why don't you try picking on someone your own size?!"

The green skinned monster turned to her, yellow madness in its eyes as it screamed in hunger.

She held her fists at the ready and prepared herself to fight mindless evil.

Strangle To Death, Anaconda!

Ahahahaha! What passionate reviewers! I'm glad I can entertain you. Much more so than Hollowed Gamer. I'm still upset about that, only ever updated twice and he has far more readers than I do.

Anyway, it is time to address you! Firstly...

Hallow! BOOM! How's this for affecting canon, baby?! Tatsuki is gonna be my ultimate hanger. By the way, about the Tres Bestia all becoming Vasto Lordes there is one story that did it. Vasto Of White. The author is an excellent writer and I hope you check out the rest of his stories, but I don't think he did it right.

And about the Most Wanted thing, I'm fairly certain they have that? If Rukia knew about a worm like Grand Fisher then it must exist right? The wiki for Institute of Research and Development also had something in one of its links...but I'm always happy when you review! I'm glad you like how I write the enemy characters. Honestly Yamamoto has become one of my favourites, I like to think I got him spot on somehow. Izuru and Gin were okay as well I think. Hope you have a good time man.

Antex The Legendary Zoroark! You were so excited about my story you got me excited to read my own story! That was when I saw qn equal in Ch. 2. Your name also reminds me of a shiny Pokémon that I couldn't catch in Soul Silver. Pissed me right off, and I'm still bitter as hell about it. But I hope you continue to enjoy my story!

Raikaguken!...Did I get the name right? I'll...leave that question of yours for a later time.

Gruntsbreeder! Hope you keep working hard at your namesake buddy! But yeah, my old man is actually a favourite to write, I have no idea how on earth that even happened but it's great. Hope you enjoy the story man.

Blakeho123! You basically waited for 15 days. I hope it was worth it, and hopefully the next chapter will be good enough you can forgive my laziness.

2000 words or so added on the 27th and 28th, will probably add more when I wake up again. ~4000 word total when I woke up. I deemed it sufficient to publish. Editing may be necessary. Chapter was delayed due to Red Dead Redemption. I was doing the challenges...

Strangle To Death, Anaconda!

Omake time!

"Have you finally returned? It's about damn time, why'd a simple Hollow infestation take you so long to do?" Mila spoke.

"Shut up, I don't see you doing anything." The bald man replied.

"Hmph, that's because I'm Vice-Captain Madarame. I have more important things to do. I hate to say it but I'd prefer Emilou in your place." Mila shook her head. "How she got in Second Division is beyond me."

"Yeah well, go talk with your gal-pals Mila, stop pestering me."

"By the way Mila," Yumichika interrupted. "Do you consider those two your friends? I heard a lot of gossip come from the other Lieutenants about such a thing. It seems they can't make heads or tails of it."

"Hmph." She gained a discomforted expression. "Well I don't particularly care to shed light on that, why don't you two get going?"

"I was you harpy." Madarame shot back.

"Only because your incompetent."

"Y'know you should probably pay me more respect, I'm only one seat behind you y'know."

"And you'll never take it either, stop wasting my time with such pointless threats."

"Oh yeah?" He became even more aggressive and gruff. "And what if I had a Bankai huh?"

"Then that's even more pathetic." Derision and scorn was all that was written across her face.

"Tsk, you don't know that for sure, what if I'm hiding it because the rest will hound me huh? What then?"

"Then I'll cut you open here and now, pull your damn weight and do something or I'll make you look like Mayuri's freak show."

He scoffed and moved on, Yumichika leisurely following until they got out of her hearing. "Why did you have to do that? You knew that response would only make things worse, all my efforts to get her to let us go, wasted." Yumichika gave a deep sigh.

"Cuz she pisses me off."

Yumichika shrugged. "Well, personally I'm rather interested what she considers Cyan and Emilou. The gossip surrounding them is quite intense."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Madarame sounded disinterested, he even looked it.

"Well, there's rumour there in some kind of love triangle of sorts. Had Momo blushing up a storm." He tilted his head and smiled thinking back on it. "It was actually rather cute, it'd be nice to see that face again, or perhaps I should just throw her in front of one of them."

Madarame stopped dead in his tracks with one of the most dumbstruck expression on his face. "No shit?"

"Indeed, I heard from Apacci and Sung-Sun that their Captain Soifon has actually been acting somewhat strangely, and it just so happens they complained about it not so shortly after the love triangle came up."

"Hmm well...if its true then it isn't happening often enough. Rose, hmph! All ya' get are the thorns!"

"My my, I had no idea you were like that."

"Yeah yeah, she just pisses me off is all. So what about the rest of them?"

"You anger her too you know? But let me think...well Izuru seemed happy for them as well as puzzled. In fact he asked how such a thing could possibly work only to stop caring once he figured out it wasn't real, well mostly anyway. Renji was curious I'm sure but got redfaced and demanded a change in subject. I hadn't expected him to be so prudish actually, but Rangiku had the best reaction."

"Oh I can imagine, she loves gossip more than you do."

"I heard she already approached Apacci about it."

He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Yumichika. "Are you kidding me?! That idiots going to get herself killed!"

"Oh I don't know about that, but it could be interesting to find out ourselves don't you think? Imagine what will be on the papers!" He put his hand on Madarame's shoulder and put the other hand out there. "We'll be rich AND famous! We'll be number one on the Seireti communications!"

"And why do you care so much? Emilou is too violent and Sung-Sun is too slippery."

"That's not a no, and what about Mila?"

"I'm not talking to her, you know that."