Chapter 2: Blue Tinted Shock

I bit down on the foot. A loud groan came from the Gillian that I was eating. My fangs were not immediately rebuffed or shattered from eating its shoe.

It was the nature of this world. The laws of Bleach. The most prominent one being how fights between spiritual beings typically worked out. The law of Reiatsu and Reiryoku. That was the deciding factor between a fight of spiritual beings. When the dead fought the dead, be they Shinigami or Hollows, the one with the greater spiritual pressure won out. So no matter the skill you had or the tricks you deployed they could be rendered null with the few exceptions being certain Captain class Zanpakuto. Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Soi-Fon being the most notable in my mind. From the depths of my fragmented knowledge I recollected that Shunsui Kyoraku had a Bankai along those lines. I believe it was damage multiplication based on colours? The Bankai took its power from a children's game if I recall correctly.

Those two were basically the only ones who could ignore that critical rule of who had the greater Reiatsu winning out in a fight. Reiatsu simply being Reiryoku that was actually being put to good use. As it stood I held the combined Reiryoku of multiple Gillians, I just didn't have the body and the techniques that they could perform. Perhaps it was because I was lazy and didn't go out of my way to learn? I mean...what was the point in trying when I was evolving at the rate I was? It was better to just chow down and evolve and learn like everyone else instead of trying to be special.

As I began making way in devouring the gigantic beast I allowed myself to be weak. Dreams of succeeding and blossoming into a beautiful creature, dreams of tender love and being fussed over by someone who was my equal, or stronger than me. Those were my dreams as I began walking the path of evolution. Dreams and wishes from the bottom of my heart. Something so dear to me that I would take on the strongest characters this world had to offer for even the slightest chance of it coming true, I'd die for it as a matter of fact.

I had always desired to be cherished and taken care of. It was...a relic of my childhood. Yes, that was it...I remember that I was...scared...too scared to face the world or its people. Desiring constant comfort from the only person in the world that I cared about. Who I could trust with all my heart. Infinity with my loved one, not that I was lucky enough to ever have such a thing.

As I began to slowly eat its foot I remembered that little tidbit of mine. But how could I forget how I acted? How could I forget who I was? Did I remember my name? No...I didn't. I was...was...c...

Who...was I? I stopped eating immediately and began panicking. I couldn't...cyan?

I don't know why but that word popped into my head. Cyan...felt wrong and right at the same time. Like the colour was just some sort of code. Like my initials.

The moment I said that I began to calm down and felt relieved and resumed my eating. Those were my initials. Now I remember, if you said my initials quickly then you ended up saying the colour. But I couldn't quite remember what they stood for.

So...I was forgetting things hm? I slowed my eating to the point where I was essentially drooling on the foot.

I guess I had to put up with it. I wasn't fool enough to panic and think I could stop it or do anything significant or important in the time I had left as a mere Menos. Gillian's couldn't even talk. So I couldn't tell Ulquiorra that Aizen didn't care about him and would probably betray him or anything like that. I guess I just had to ride it out and hope I was quick enough, hopefully being able to reach the destination ordained for me by fate before I forgot anything essential.

Slow was the eating, in this underground cave. My mood, the atmosphere, was contemplative and somber. Despite my previous statement I was slow, just this one time. I would let myself be weak and mourn.

I had forgotten where I came from again. Ah...that was tragic. My previous knowledge was quickly becoming fragmented beyond what I knew of this show I was living in.

The foot was consumed now. I began to move up and eat the rest. Darkness consumed my view as I marched down the path of evolution. I crawled up the pant leg, eating his leg all the while. A sensation growing within me, I couldn't help but close my eyes and the rest of my senses as the feeling grew more intense.

In the end I fell asleep before I realized what exactly was going on. Evolution couldn't be witnessed with ones own eyes it seems. Only those on the outside could perceive you, at least, that's what seemed to be the case. My last thoughts before falling asleep was about how I never saw a mirror in this world. I never saw what I looked like in this new form of mine. That was criminal really. Maybe I should have stopped for a second and tried to peer into a buildings many glass windows to see...my...reflection...

Those were my last thoughts.

Strangle To Death, Anaconda!

I was gigantic, menacing and imperial.

I had woken up with this body. I guess being tall enough to hip check an apartment complex was really something you couldn't be awake for. It was probably not safe in the grand scheme of things.

I had to admit it, I admired my new form. I was an imperial sentry. The first sign for the so called Soul Reapers that doomsday was coming. No ordinary Shinigami stood up to one of us and lived! I stepped forward and felt the earth shake and scream, sand imploding and creating a sound that signalled my extreme power. I felt pleased and excited with my newfound figure and felt odd details that I was only vaguely aware of when I had woken up. I examined them before doing anything and found out that I was particularly tall for a Gillian. This was probably to make space for the tail. I still had it, and I towered over the typical Gillian, who typically put skyscrapers to shame. I glanced down at one of the Gillian's scattering the sandy floor and did an estimate.

I was head and shoulders above them, and even had a tail tucked into the massive black garment, hidden away by the huge cloak that enveloped me. I wrapped the tail around my leg in order to conceal it further.

But that was enough of my mental reevaluation, now was a time to think about the mechanics of Bleach. A mental checklist of evolutionary hurdles that I had to face was what I focused on first. Adjucha and Vasto Lorde. Only Vasto Lordes were safe in this world. Adjucha on the other hand had a rocky road to victory. If they didn't fulfill yet another invisible quota then they reverted back into a Gillian. A quota all about time, so if I didn't evolve quickly enough them I'd revert back into a Gillian with no hope of evolving again. They also couldn't afford any mistakes in a fight. I knew they couldn't evolve if they...er...lost a piece of themselves?

Okay. It took a few seconds to recall. Not bad, maybe I can make it to Adjucha in time to not forget that important bit of information.

It was, I quickly found out, even easier to eat Gillian's with the new increase in size. I really was like a snake, swallowing something whole in a single bite. I used the ability that destiny granted me and searched for the next source of food, casting out Serpientes Veneno Inexistente. I needed to evolve, and I needed to do it quickly. Now I couldn't afford even a moment of weakness if it might stunt my evolution. Which is why I was flailing about in the cavern, waving my arms and legs as I ate another Gillian, both of my limbs bringing another body closer to me. Gross and vulgar movements and actions, but I had no choice on it with this barely manageable time limit hanging above me.

But no, it was not nearly enough, I knew it wasn't, and my net hadn't found much outside the cave. And as I took my first colossal steps into the outside world I ruminated upon my progress.

I had no doubt I was in the database of the Soul Society, probably with my ability noted down somewhere on my profile. If they could create a file on a worm like Grand Fisher then I had to be on it. I didn't always kill the Shinigami on patrol, and spiritual entities were capable of sensing Reishi, so it was inevitable that by the third or the fourth town or maybe even the first, that they noticed something had drained an entire populace of their spiritual potential.

For a brief moment I worried about how many I killed being a sign too before I face palmed myself. How I could I be so stupid? A few thousands would surely slip through the cracks right? Did I even kill that many?

By the sixth step outside the den of Menos I had resigned myself to cannibalism being the only way to make it within the time frame. Crushing an entire town and draining their Reiryoku and their Souls was hardly worth it. Not with the amount of Shinigami such an option would attract. Either too many or none at all, suboptimal plays could neither be tolerated or performed.

I did have Cero now, but that was hardly worth the actual quality reinforcements that would be sent my way. I did remember that Squad Twelve had detection equipment. I'd call it a satellite but it wasn't that. Not sure how they surveyed the world of the living actually.

The moon had evaded my notice for a second.

I ceased all of my thoughts and gave all of my attention when I saw the mouth of this gigantic underground cavern. I took my first steps under the beautiful moon and left a giant cratered footprint in the sand and roared my majestic triumph all across the land. Emotion struck me like nothing else. I faced the moon and screamed at it for what felt like hours. I gave in to my euphoria and cast aside all thought for the simple, flawless, and effortless victory I had carved for myself in this world. I screamed my beautiful and refined voice across Hueco Mundo. For who else other than myself could be so beautiful and so powerful with barely a modicum of effort? No one, because no one was as smart as I was, as strong and as lucky as I was, as agile and blessed as I was, for now that I had removed that useless barrier and evolved into a Gillian I could now recognise my own glory.

Was I mercurial? Perhaps, but all I knew was that I embraced every emotion and rode it out to its end. I wallowed in sadness the same way I bathed in happiness, despair, and joy. To its ultimate, extreme end.

Even my tapering wails sounding beautiful to my own ears. But that made sense. Of course it did, I was a splendid example as a man and I would be a wonderful example as a woman. With my sonorous sounds and words of victory I extolled myself as the most beautiful being in existence, I then lauded myself as the most eloquent, and all in a single scream. To signalize my beautiful appearance and world destroying powers I screamed out a beautiful Cero into the world. But not just one, two of the most majestic dark pink orbs would explode into the world from the tip of my tail and from a mouth that was equal to the voice of the gods.

I aimed both at the same target, whatever useless landmass that I was originally facing when I exited the cave of my rebirth.

And as I watched my dark pink beams of destruction scream into the distant horizon where the night met the sands, I laughed my power induced rapture across the sands. And as I left the cave, I spared a distant thought, wondering if anyone as majestic as myself might exist.

When I lifted my foot I decided that no, no one as grand as myself could exist. And when my foot landed and crushed the ground beneath me, I also crushed that thought and all memories of it.

Emotion gripped my heart and soul, with the imprint of my rational plan behind its movements.

A giant ran into the horizon with its heart beating out of control, its body moving to perform a half-remembered plan as it praised itself without limit.

The emotions had caught up to the soul.

But time moved on.

And a suspicion was being proven correct in a place beside these vast and beautiful dunes of sand.

Night had come to place itself over the Soul Society's sky.

The Gotei Thirteen was becoming agitated.

A cane slammed into the floor. Signaling that the Captains meeting had begun. Two columns of Captains stood shoulder to shoulder, looking at the floor as the Head Captain looked between both the columns.

"Have we still yet to deal with the Hollow causing us so much trouble?" An old and deep voice rang out through the room. The Head Captain, Genryusai Yamamoto, had spoken.

Toshiro Hitsugaya was the one to speak up this time. "I'm afraid not Head Captain. We've yet to catch it. Furthermore it seems to have...disappeared."

Genryusai was quick to respond. "Do you mean to tell me that none of you have actually caught this new Hollow? That it has disappeared into Hueco Mundo, where we can no longer reach it?" He raised his voice to the point where he was a step away from shouting. "This is unacceptable! We have had multiple Squads placed on this single Hollow and its murderous rampage and yet not a single one of you has yet to stop it! How could such a thing happen?"

Mayuri Kurotsuchi was the only one to respond, taking a step forward as he did so, turning his head to face the Head Captain and just so happening to poke Captain Kyoraku's forehead as well, the pointed tip of the accessory he wore doing that. "Well you see Captain this new Hollow that cropped up was rather selective in its unique ability. It was actually smart enough to be selective in its uses and thus avoided the measures that were put in place to try and detect and catch it. Even with a helping hand from Squad Two we did not have an easy time of trying to locate it."

Yamamoto turned his head a little to face his subordinate Captain. "What do you mean Captain Mayuri? Explain." The close-eyed and stern face of the Head Captain looked at Mayuri, who had extravagant makeup by any standard and wore a rather strange accessory on his head.

A jet black face and orange eyes were the most outstanding features. The only part of his head that was white was the strange accessory he wore and the white paint that completely covered the nose.

One of the Soul Society's greatest sociopaths walked in order to face the rest of his Captains. Although, calling an ignorant barbarian like Kenpachi Zaraki a Captain, an equal, was truly a flaw in the system, not one he could be bothered correcting however. Especially considering that he held some interest when he killed a Captain with only his Shikai, it would be interesting to examine what form his Bankai might take. He looked down both aisles full of..."peers." And when he looked at Toshiro he looked down his nose at him. Couldn't be helped however. When looking at a child in a crowd of adults there was only so much give to your head.

He began speaking to his inferiors. "Depending on the amount of Hollows in the surrounding area and the estimated strength of the Shinigami, it would only absorb the Reiryoku of certain places and beings in order to avoid detection. Furthermore...It is Reiryoku we are talking about here. It's not Reishi." He threw his hands out, they too were painted completely white with the fingernails being blue. "Reiryoku for the simpletons that somehow don't know this, is literally the spiritual capability of individuals. So even if an entire town was drained of its Reiryoku there is still the Reishi to deal with. It is NOT a Quincy. If so then it would be much easier to find. And its not as if the pitiful amount of Reiryoku that some random human has in comparison to the Reishi in their surrounding environment is going to be significant." He clasped his hands behind his back and prepared to step back in his spot in the line.

The Head Captain spoke again. "This does not answer my question. There were multiple Squad members from multiple Divisions within the Gotei Thirteen placed within the world of the living solely to hunt this Hollow down. Are you all telling me that not one of them had spotted this monstrosity? Are you telling me that even with the helping hands of the Second and Twelfth Divisions that you could not find a single Hollow?!" The cane banged against the floor.

Shunsui Kyoraku pulled his hat down and didn't speak up. Jushiro Ukitake didn't speak either. No one did. The Head Captain spoke again. "Unbelievable. Were all the Soul Reapers that were sent out simply incompetent? Why did any of the Divisions bother sending them out in the first place?!" He was silent for a handful of moments before his fists tightened upon the cane and he began speaking again. "Dismissed. If this Hollow ever appears again then we will change our strategies since they clearly did not work this time. Hopefully it will be killed by its own kind this time, since we cannot seem to track it. If it ever appears again then I want the Second Division to lend their full assistance this time, and more seated officers from the Divisions to be sent out on the hunt this time. Do not make me send a lieutenant for this! They are meant to tackle more serious things, not one meager Hollow. It is already a disgrace that a seated officer must be sent to tackle one Hollow alone. Dismissed!"

After the meeting was dismissed Shunsui and Ukitake were walking back to their offices, they largely had to walk the same route, which let the two friends discuss and commiserate on many things that had happened lately.

As was typical, Shunsui was the one to initiate the conversation this time. And he did so by pulling out a small picture of the target he sent out his unseated officers to investigate. Along with three seated officers. "She's a mean one isn't she?" He was silent and cupped his chin as he stared at the picture. "Quite a looker though. That's some good makeup, first I've seen on a Hollow anyway. Gotta wonder how much it cost though, with the size of her an' all.

His friend Jushiro Ukitake, Captain of the Thirteenth Division glanced at him amusedly. "What do you mean Shunsui? Many Hollows do come with makeup. Just...not as well done as this one."

Shunsui tossed his arm out in a gesture. "That's exactly what I mean. She's still a little ugly of course but I bet she could be a real treat if you know what I mean?"

Now Jushiro looked exasperated, even going so far as to sigh, as a small breeze blew back Jushiro's long silver hair. "Honestly Shunsui, you're unbelievable. She's even deadlier than she looks. I mean, you can hardly hit on her in the middle of a battle now can you?"

"I don't know about that Jushiro. She might be more receptive than she seems. First I think we'll have to start with with some food to sate that appetite of hers, I mean just look at those fangs, there ain't gonna be room left for a salad let me tell you that."

His friend sighed. "Shunsui..."

He glanced at his friend. "What Jushiro? Snakes are carnivores. I can hardly give her a sundae now can I?"

"Say whatever you like, but she's going to eat you before she eats whatever food you gave her."

"Well yeah, that's true I suppose." he pulled his hat down and really payed attention to the photo. "She's certainly taken a lot of poor souls hasn't she?" He shook his head, his emotions finally on display, and getting the best of him. "Thousands in just a couple of days. Took us quite some time to find her in the first place, and that's not counting what a disaster that the search for her ended up being."

"Indeed. It was quite the trial and error process I suppose." Jushiro Ukitake promptly brightens up as he said his next words. "Well, at least we won't have trouble finding her next time with Mayuri around. No one gets the best of him twice, or even the once in some cases. Still..." He looked at the photo as well. It was taken at dawn from a rooftop, the Hollow clearly visible by it's gigantic size and the markings it had. It was tall enough to tower over the buildings it was wedged between on the road. Its space having displaced some materials from both the buildings and the street that it was travelling on.

The most striking thing apart from the rather large size was the three pink dots under its eyes.

"She'll be a tough opponent if she ever gets far enough."

"Oh?" Shunsui tilted his head back to face his friend, exposing his grey eyes from the cover of his straw hat. "I didn't think you were the fighting type Jushiro. We typically leave that stuff to Squad Eleven."

"Yes, I know. But I'm not sure any of the seated Shinigami within any of our Divisions might be able to actually handle this one if she turns into a Menos Grande, if Mayuri's suspicion is proven to be right and she does keep that Reiryoku then..."

"It won't be that difficult Jushiro. They certainly won't be capable of handling her if she was an Adjucha, but a Menos Grande version of this Hollow will certainly require some coordination from our lieutenants."

"Yeah..." Silence passed before Jushiro spoke again. "By the way, speaking of coordination..." He reached out and tilted his friends straw hat even further and exposed the red spot on Shunsui's forehead. "How are you holding up after Mayuri stabbed you with his headgear?"

He sighed. "Well...about as well as can be expected." He started rubbing at the small bleeding eyesore on his forehead. "Ever since he figured that out he wont stop doing it. Everyone keeps making fun of me for it, would ya' believe that?" Shunsui experienced flashbacks of all the times someone insulted him for it. "Nanao gives me a hard time over it, says I'm supposed to stick up for myself, Soi-Fon told me to 'clean up my stupid forehead.' And even Old man Yama and even Saijin Komomura give me looks about it. And the last one's got an awful lot of nerve over it since he hides his face under a bucket."

Jushiro chipped in, even as his expression changed from it's usually bemused setting. "Yes, It's spectacular how even Kaname and Gin pick up on it. Especially since one of them is blind."

"I know right? Unbelievable. Even Aizen seemed to poke fun at it...at least he didn't do it literally."

Their conversation for tonight would only be about how Mayuri had...devestated Shunsui's life by stabbing him in the forehead with a toilet shaped helmet. They already had this conversation five times before.

"And the old man doesn't even speak up when it happens! I know he can see even if his eyes are closed, him and Gin see somehow, I know it! It's like they find it funny Jushiro!"

Strangle To Death, Anaconda!

Post Script...This chapter never used to feature the Soul Society, but then I wondered how Toshiro Hitsuguya would handle this alone in his office. How it came to showcase the two friends is beyond me...perhaps it was Mayuri? In any case, I should mention there is a small stockpile of chapters left for me to upload. And the main character determined her actions to be of no consequence due to Hollows being so frequent.

I'm also going to use my title as a line break. Just...not when she uses it to...you get the point. I also meant to upload this sooner, every stockpiled chapter is to be realesed every two days.