CHAPTER 27: Mating?

Mila Rose halted a few paces from the cave entrance and locked eyes with Kazuya.

Caught off-guard by her fierce gaze, Kazuya gasped dramatically. "Such aggressiveness! Have you gone into heat after your transformation? Am I going to be pushed down and violated in the Amazonian position? I-I refuse to be defiled in such a manner!"

Rolling her eyes, Mila Rose scoffed, "Amazonian position what? I swear, I'll violate your ass if you don't stop spitting nonsense."

He instinctively placed a protective hand over his rear, shivering. "That place is off limits. If you insist on violating my rear, I will fight you to death. It's not a question about my fetish or my affection for you. It's about my honor as a man!"

Mila Rose laughed at his melodrama and gripped his shoulders. "Shove your manliness down the drain. I didn't bring you here to mate or whatever filthy stuff you're cooking in your mind. Besides, what's the point in two Hollows mating? We can't make babies as far as I know."

She saw no logical reason for Hollows to engage in reproductive activities.

"Ahem, sex is an act of pleasure… I think?" He slipped into his naive, innocent personality and assumed a thoughtful look oozing with curiosity. "I believe sex feels good."

Mila Rose's brow furrowed in confusion. "Did you remember some significant memory?"

If he was as handsome as he looked in his human form, Mila Rose could imagine Kazuya having a beautiful partner when he was a human. He must be recalling some memories of his past life.

'Hmph, I am miles better than anyone he ever had in his life.'

A dark, envious urge overtook her, compelling her to put down anyone who had been close to Kazuya.

Lost in thought, he murmured, "Why does that matter? I'm a ruthless, bloodthirsty Hollow now, just like you."

"That is true." She playfully punched his chest. "Hey, how did you come to learn about mating?"

"How do you know about mating?"

"I was born with the memories," Mila Rose mused, her fingers scratching her chin as she delved into the depths of her mind. "Or I overheard it in my Hollow tribe. Yes, that must be it. Someone mentioned the legend of a Hollow tribe living in the darkest shadows of the abyss. They all belong to the same species and engage in mating rituals, spawning more Hollows of their kind… that's how the legend goes."

Kazuya's eyes flashed with recognition. Ulquiorra might be born in such a tribe, surrounded by Hollows of a singular species. That's how he believed Ulquiorra's story went.

"You claimed Hollows can't bear offspring. But now you speak of a Hollow tribe capable of reproducing. What are you trying to say, Rose?"

Mila Rose widened her eyes. "I never thought about it before."

Grinning slyly, Kazuya spread his arms wide, beckoning her. "Well then, shall we attempt to create some offspring of our own?"

"Absolutely not." Mila Rose shuddered at the thought of having babies. "Even if I am capable of it, I am not having a baby. Not ever."

He mockingly sneered at her decision. "Why not?"

Mila Rose spread her arms. "Look around us. We're barely scraping by here. Our child will only suffer if we bring him into this hellhole of a place."

"You want a better place for our child?" He raised a brow. "Let's wait until I kill Baraggan. That should make Hueco Mundo more peaceful."

He wasn't in any hurry to get into a relationship. After all, he would miss out on the rest of the group if he got too deep in a relationship with Mila Rose and others decided to give up. He had to seduce each and every one of them and open their eyes to the wonderful world of romance and sex.

A tough but equally rewarding task.

Mila Rose hesitatingly nodded before she widened her eyes. "Wait, why am I discussing having babies with you?! Fuck, run after me! We have something important to talk about."

Without waiting for a response, she leaped gracefully over the hill and sprinted toward the next one. He chuckled and trailed after her, using his Sonído to keep up with her shenanigans. Together, they sped across the stark white expanse, covering kilometers in mere minutes before halting near a cliff's edge.

She laughed, pure bliss on her face. "Tell me. That was fun, wasn't it?"

Kazuya stared at her, unamused. "What do you want to do here?"

"This spot is quite lovely for sitting and relaxing." She settled down on the edge of the cliff, her legs dangling over the side. She patted the space beside her. "Join me, Skull."

Mila Rose had gone to great lengths to keep this conversation hidden from the others, especially Sung-Sun, who would never let her live it down. As skilled as Mila Rose was in combat, she couldn't outwit Sung-Sun, Kazuya, or even Apacci in a verbal spar. Her only chance of victory lay in a contest of words against the soft-spoken Harribel, which had never happened to this day.

Kazuya quietly sat down beside her. She clearly had something on her mind, but instead of addressing it, she whistled, swinging her legs back and forth like a carefree child.

"La lala la la la~."

"Can you try stating your point before I die of old age?"

Mila Rose cleared her throat and looked at him, her green eyes reflecting his vicious skull mask. "Skull…"

"Yes, I love you if you are thinking about confessing to me. Let us fly to church and put rings on each other."

"PLEASE BE SERIOUS FOR ONCE. It's about my transformation." Mila started slow, her voice husky with emotions, and her heart rate hiking. "Everyone's Reiatsu was fluctuating wildly when it happened… But you, you didn't show a single change… Why was that?"

His apparent indifference to her life-and-death struggle made her uncomfortable. Despite their recent conflicts, she had hoped that he would show some concern after they had resolved their misunderstandings. She was willing to risk her life to protect him and Harribel. A minor concern in return was nothing much.

Kazuya tilted his head back, his gaze settling on the silvery moon above. "I had unwavering faith that you would succeed."

Mila Rose had no idea that he had known her long before their first encounter in Hueco Mundo, that he had recognized her potential as an Arrancar from the start.

Somehow, she felt her cheeks becoming hot. "Where the hell did that trust come from?"

He chuckled, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Can you explain every emotion and thought that courses through your mind? No, right? Some things simply exist without explanation, or for reasons beyond our understanding."

"Ohhh… I—"

He leaned in, gently cradling her chin in his hand. In an instant, his mask vanished, revealing his human form beneath. The instantaneous transformation happened at his will. After a lengthy first time, he could switch between both races at will without even opening the Race Editor.

"Rose."

"Y-Yeah?"

Their close proximity and his sweet, whispery voice clouded her thoughts, causing her to stammer.

"Instead of questioning me, shouldn't you reward me for helping you?"

"Yeah, you're right."

"So let me," he whispered, drawing nearer until their lips hovered a hair's breadth apart. "Embrace you."

Mila Rose closed her eyes, allowing herself to be swept up in the moment's intensity. Their breath mingled as their lips met in a sweet, innocent kiss.

A/N: Blame them for sitting on a cliff.