CHAPTER 26: Jealousy

Tap. Tap. Tap. Footsteps echoed through the cave as their newest ally, Cirucci, emerged from the shadowed depths, her long tail trailing on the ground like a serpent. She couldn't find rest with the chatter swirling around the cave, so she came out to greet her new teammates.

Cirucci's eyes widened upon seeing Kazuya's human form. "It can't be—Kazuya? How did you become a human?"

"It's one of my abilities."

Kazuya's vague response hung in the air as he transformed back into his Hollow form. With a deft flick of his wrist, he tore through the fabric of space using his Descorrer ability. The black fissure expanded, its gaping maw akin to a ravenous beast, unveiling an infinite, abyssal void.

(A/N: Garganta changed to Descorrer.)

Kazuya's face contorted with unease as he gazed into the boundless expanse connecting all realms in this world. "What am I looking at?"

Mila Rose nudged his rib, her voice tinged with apprehension. "Are you sure you want to go there?"

"I haven't been there."

"Me neither."

Apacci and Sung-Sun confessed their ignorance of Garganta and its hidden dangers. They never had any desire to explore the Living World and incur the wrath of Seireitei's Shinigami.

Kazuya turned to Harribel, the oldest and wisest among them. "Do you have any experience with this?"

Harribel shook her head, her golden hair softly bouncing to her movement. "I can pave the path for you. You won't be harmed that way"

He immediately rejected her offer, sensing her willingness to sacrifice herself for his cause. She was a truly admirable mother figure. One he couldn't handle in the current situation.

Left with no choice, Kazuya walked over to the lovely goth girl and gently gripped her shoulders. Cirucci didn't appear as beautiful in her current battered condition. "Cirucci~, help out your friend, will you?"

Cirucci felt a shiver running up her spine. His sweet, pleasing voice may as well be the whispers of a demon.

"Fuck," Cirucci cursed under her breath, regretting being curious about their talk in her absence. "Where do you want to go?"

As an Espada, she had been to the Living World numerous times. Instead of lying, she decided to help him out. She had to show her worth as an ally, otherwise, he would deem her useless and cast her aside. She couldn't let it happen under any circumstances.

Her survival hinged upon him, after all.

Unaware of her inner turmoil, he answered, "The Living World."

"To flaunt your new form?" Cirucci's brow arched, her face etched with skepticism. "Give me some time. I don't have the required Reiryoku to reach there…"

Kazuya closed the Garganta and patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Rest as much as you want. Call me when you're ready."

Cirucci departed to her resting place without wasting another second.

Mila Rose suddenly snaked her arm around his shoulder and yanked him into a playful headlock. "Harribel-sama, I'm borrowing him for a moment."

Without waiting for any response, Mila Rose dragged Kazuya away from the group, her laughter echoing through the cave.

…

Once Mila Rose left, the others exchanged curious glances, a mixture of bemusement and intrigue playing across their faces.

Apacci poked Sung-Sun with her horn, her eyes narrowing in thought. "Where did she take him? What do you think will happen?"

"What do you think?" Sung-Sun replied, her tone full of teasing. "I'll let you guess."

"She'll probably ask him to fight," Apacci guessed, recalling Mila Rose's eagerness for swinging her sword. "What do you say?"

"Not out of the question, considering the musclehead Rose. However," Sung-Sun trailed off, her voice laced with suspense, drawing Harribel's curiosity. "Have you not noticed Mila Rose giving him those lingering glances? This private meeting might lead to a deeper, intimate bond between them."

Sung-Sun partially believed in her words. But she still said her piece to rile up Apacci and Harribel, who seemed to be brewing different kinds of relationships with Kazuya.

"Ridiculous. He wouldn't—" Apacci paused, her mind flashing back to Kazuya's undisguised admiration for Mila Rose's new form. She gritted her teeth, frustration evident in her eyes. "Fuck, good for them, I guess."

Sung-Sun could tell the underlying meaning of Apacci's goodwill. "You can't blame him for being drawn to Mila Rose. She is beautiful and loyal beyond words."

Sung-Sun poured oil on the burning flames of jealousy, anticipating the outcome to be chaotic and entertaining.

Apacci nodded quietly and stumbled back to her section of the cave.

"Ara, when did Harribel-sama leave?"

Both of them were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice Harribel quietly slipping out of the cave to follow Kazuya and Mila Rose.

Sung-Sun looked at the cave's entrance. "This is getting interesting."

…

Apacci yearned for sleep after relentlessly unleashing Cero Rays upon Dordoni, but the tempest in her heart raged on, plaguing her with restless tossing and turning.

"Goddamn Kazuya…" she grumbled, her voice heavy with frustration. "I met you first… I rescued you. Why would you go to her…?"

She felt like a child whose prized toy had been snatched away, but she couldn't lash out at anyone. It wasn't her fault Kazuya stopped giving her much attention. In her mind, Mila Rose and Harribel were to blame. They possessed something she lacked, a quality that ensnared Kazuya and held him captive.

A humanoid body closer to Kazuya's own.

Apacci slammed her head into the soft sand in a fit of exasperation. "I can't… fuck, why am I blaming my friends?"

She caught herself before the darkness of her emotions could drag her down further. Rising from her resting position, she ventured out of the cave, hoping the fresh air would clear her mind.

The walk did indeed rejuvenate her, sweeping away the clouds of negativity. As she wandered, a shadow flitted across her path. Raising her head, she saw a horde of Gillians moving in eerie unison, their ghostly glide sending shivers down her spine.

Curiously, they didn't regard her as prey, as though something else took precedence over a powerful Adjuchas. Intrigued, she sprinted after them, soon discovering the source of their hunger — a fresh Arrancar corpse brimming with Reiatsu.

'These thieves are stealing Kazuya's Game. How dare they?!'

Gritting her teeth, she stepped forward, her Reiatsu surging to its limits, which wasn't much after using everything on Cero. She couldn't overpower the combined Reiatsu of a dozen odd Menos Grande. "Get away, now!"

The Gillians encircled themselves in their own Reiatsu, repelling Apacci's razor-sharp energy. One by one, they twisted their necks in her direction, their long noses pointing at her like swords.

"Kiii."

"Kiiiii."

"Keeee."

Vicious screeches left their mouths as they drifted to Apacci, their giant forms towering over her relatively small dear form.

Undaunted, Apacci charged a small Cero at the tip of her horn. "Don't force me to kill you losers."

In response, the Gillians opened their maws wide, conjuring a Cero far larger than Apacci's. Even so, she refused to back down. She couldn't let these lowly Gillians steal Kazuya's hard-earned prize. This particular corpse, an Arrancar, offered the only chance to strengthen Kazuya among all the Hollows they had found. She would fight tooth and nail to keep it here.

"Fine, I'll kill you all."

Fueled by passion and recklessness, Apacci hurled herself against the dozen Gillians, even though her Reiryoku barely reached a quarter of its maximum capacity.