Entry

Figuring they could cover more ground if they entered on opposite sides of Las Noches, Ohta told Ichigo, Renji, Chad, and Uryu to wait around an hour while he took Rukia, Orihime, and Karin around the perimeter of the megalithic structure.

Less than a minute after separating from the other group, Karin asked, "Say, Orihime, since when were you a Shinigami...?" while staring at the voluptuous ginger with a hint of suspicion.

Answering in Orihime's stead, Ohta explained, "I made her into one after she saved my life and helped me save Rukia." Then, before she could ask, he said, "I was willing to make you one as well, but only once you were a bit older. The higher your concentration of Reiryoku, the slower you age in soul form. That's another reason to reclaim your body and seal away your current power. I doubt you want to be caught in the middle of puberty for a hundred years."

"Ugh...yeah, that's a hard pass..." groaned Karin, borrowing a phrase from Ohta. She had only had to endure her period twice, but it was a harrowing experience. The thought of falling behind Yuzu in terms of 'development' also wasn't particularly pleasant, so as long as it didn't require her to give up her current power, she would revert to being human for at least a few years, maybe until she finished college.

Realizing there were still many things she wanted to accomplish in the human world, a grimace marred Karin's face. She and Yuzu planned to become fully-fledged Nurses, working at their family's clinic even after moving out to start their own families. Now that she knew just how 'big' the world beyond her family's clinic was, Karin wasn't sure she could ever be satisfied with such a 'mundane' lifestyle. Not when there was so much more to see and experience...

Though he had no idea what Karin was thinking, Ohta asserted, "You're overthinking things. Only fools think long-term when they don't even have control over their present. Focus on being happy at any given moment. If that proves difficult or impossible, focus on fixing or removing whatever it is that's making you unhappy..."

"I know what would make me happy..." contended Karin, staring at Ohta with half-lidded eyes as she added, "But I also know that's not an option right now..."

"You've got that right..." replied Ohta, meeting the petite Arrancar's gaze with half-lidded eyes of his own. She had become increasingly aware of her feminity during their training, and, thanks to her dumbass of a father, an otherwise ordinary crush became the seed of precociousness. It was perfectly normal for elementary and middle schoolers to have crushes on boys older than them, but because Isshin gave her 'permission,' Karin had expectations outside the norm, exacerbated by her induction into a world that defied general conventions and common sense...

Keying in on the 'tension' between Ohta and Karin, Rukia raised her brows before adopting a serious expression as she said, "You're much too young to have that sort of relationship with Ohta-kun, Karin-san. I could permit it once you reach your third year in Middle School, but not a day sooner..."

Blinking in surprise, Karin shifted her attention to Rukia, asking, "What do you mean you'd permit it? You allow other girls to be in a relationship with Ohta-kun...?"

Directing her gaze toward Orihime near the end of her query, realization struck Karin like a hammer to her head. At least, that's what she thought had happened. In reality, Ohta gave her a firm karate chop, stating, "This isn't a conversation that's going to happen right now..."

Turning to Rukia, Ohta made no effort to hide his displeasure as he said, "You crossed the line on this one, Rukia. I was fine with making Karin my protege, but now you've planted a dangerous seed in her mind that won't go away unless I crush it willfully..."

Realizing she had overstepped her bounds, Rukia hung her head, offering a faint, "It was never my intention to make things more difficult for you..."

Plopping his hand down upon the petite Shinigami's head, Ohta remarked, "Woman, if I didn't adore you, I'd have given your perky ass the boot the moment you started spouting crazy shit like having me 'gain experience.' Just let me decide when, how, and who I gain that experience with...I 'do not' need you scouting, much less grooming future lovers for me. I might be a monster, but I'm not a degenerate..."

Returning his gaze to Karin, Ohta firmly asserted, "I have no intention of entering a committed relationship with anyone but Rukia. If you overstep your bounds and attempt to force me to overstep mine, don't doubt for a moment that I won't cut ties with you..."

Though she furrowed her brows deeply, Karin didn't hesitate to respond, "I understand..." in an affirming tone. However, while she knew she didn't stand a chance in the present, she wouldn't give up. Not after what Rukia had just said...

Seeing the resolution in Karin's eyes, Ohta's frown deepened as he turned his gaze to the front. He knew the person most responsible for this series of events was Isshin, so while he was more than a little annoyed by Rukia and Karin alike, he didn't blame them. The former simply wanted him to be happy, and the latter was at an age where even normal kids were prone to delusions. Karin 'knew' she was special, and the more that sentiment was reinforced, the more disconnected she would become from conventional standards and reasoning. After all, there weren't exactly an excess of 11-12-year-olds that could fly around and fire off nukes at will...

("Looks like I need to give Isshin a piece of my mind once we return...") thought Ohta. At the same time, he increased the speed of his psychic construct, feeling a sudden urge to reclaim Karin's body and expedite her return to 'normality' before things became even more convoluted...

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After reaching the opposite side of Las Noches, using the imprints he had placed in Ichigo and the others as a point of reference, Ohta drilled a hole through its incredibly thick walls before leading the way in on foot. Inside, they found themselves in a seemingly well-lit corridor lined with torches, but if you looked up, the ceiling was so far away it was completely cast in shadow.

"From this point on, the three of you must remain together at all times; is that clear?" asked Ohta.

Representing the group as its de facto leader, Rukia answered, "We'll do our best to stay out of your way. However, unless a powerful enemy like an Espada appears, you should let us deal with them. Orihime and I need the experience, and Karin clearly needs to acclimate to her powers as an Arrancar..."

Punching her right fist into the palm of her left hand, producing a tiny shockwave, Karin exclaimed, "Right on! These assholes kidnapped me because I was weak. Now that I'm strong, they deserve to experience what it feels like to be helpless...!"

Noticing Karin's vest open to a dangerous degree when affected by the shockwave she produced, Ohta promptly removed his cloak, throwing it over her head as he said, "Put that on. Also, unless you have no choice, you should avoid killing anyone in your current state. I'll let you fight, but if I determine that things are getting out of hand, I'm pulling you out and grounding your ass. Understood?"

While donning Ohta's cloak with a smile, Karin half-heartedly responded, "Whatever you say, boss man. So long as I get a kick on that creepy emo bastard that abducted me, I'm fine with protecting Orihime and cheering from the sidelines."

Though it was a little awkward hearing Karin state she would protect her, Orihime pumped her fists and said, "Let's do our best to provide the best support, Karin-chan~!"

Raising her gaze to stare at Orihime's breasts, noticeably even with the cloak she wore, Karin clicked her tongue and repeated, "Whatever you say..." before averting her gaze to scan their surroundings. Her spiritual sense was unrefined, but her instinct and other senses had been amped far beyond their natural limit, compelling her to remark, "I think someone is watching us..."

"More than one..." affirmed Ohta, raising his gaze to the darkness above and peering into it without issue. There were hundreds of large, beetle-like Hollow 'slumbering' on the walls, but what caught his attention was the complex network of tracks resembling a miniaturized railway on the ceiling. He had seen similar setups in the factories of his previous life, but this particular setup seemed to be for surveillance as there were hemispherical devices resembling security cameras...

("The technology here is pretty advanced...") noted Ohta. ("An advanced monitoring system, and I'm assuming these beetles function similarly to maintenance drones or some kind of automated defense...")

Though he was tempted to extend his hand and trash the entire system, the circumference of Las Noches' outer wall was approximately 500km. It would take significant time and energy if he wanted to do any meaningful damage to it, especially if the slumbering, beetle-like Hollows really were maintenance drones. Considering the almost incomprehensible size of Las Noches, it made the most sense...

"What are you looking at...?" asked Karin, unable to sense the slumbering Hollows. Instead, what she felt was the figure wearing a skull-like Hollow mask, standing motionlessly atop a support beam that ran about halfway up the inordinately tall wall. Similar figures stood on every other support beam, functionally identical in terms of height, appearance, and Reiryoku.

Instead of responding to Karin's words, Ohta asked, "You assholes going to come down and say hi, or should I be the one to greet you...?"

In response to Ohta's words, an Arrancar with a bull-like mask appeared around a hundred meters away, his body garbed in a long-sleeve jacket with a high collar, a soot-black sash, white hakama, and black gloves. As for his Zanpakuto, it had a pale blue, practically white hilt, a rectangular tsuba, and an inordinately straight sheathe that matched the color of his grip.

Standing with his hands behind his back, the bull-masked Arrancar introduced himself, declaring, "I am Arrancar #61, Rudbornn Chelute of the Exequias. The place you have infringed upon is near the domain of Lord Barragan, the Segunda Espada. Lord Aizen advises that you leave and resume your conquest elsewhere..."

"Sure," replied Ohta. "Just tell me where the Primera and Cuatro Espadas live, and I'll be on my way..."

"Lord Ulquiorra's palace can be found near the southern gate, opposite your current location," replied Rudbornn. "As for Lord Starrk, he does not have a palace of his own but guards the entrance to Lord Aizen's..."

"Then I'm guessing that Harribel chick can be found in the East...?" asked Ohta, assuming the most powerful Espada guarded the cardinal directions while the weaker ones defended the intermediates.

"That is correct," replied Rudbornn, adding, "However, I would advise you to remember Lord Aizen's warning. If you attempt to eliminate-"

"I'm going to 'advise' you to shut the fuck up," interjected Ohta. "I didn't come here to play your Master's game. Once I'm finished with Ulquiorra, that gunslinging bastard will pay for what he did back in Karakura Town. Now, piss off before I fuse every single one of you into a sphere the size of a grapefruit, perfect for shoving up your Master's ass."

".."

Though he had been ordered not to engage Ohta, Rudbornn's body trembled with silent fury as he suppressed the urge to unsheathe his Zanpakuto. He was among the most loyal of Aizen's subordinates, so he couldn't stand hearing Ohta badmouth him. Fortunately for him, his loyalty also meant he wouldn't dare disobey Aizen's orders, so after a very tense silence, he abruptly disappeared along with the entire group of identical, skull-masked Arrancar...

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(A/N: Could this be the start of Ohta's speedrun...?)