Back to square one again?

"So, what are we going to do now?"

After putting Nnoitra down, Subaru met his gang outside Las Noches. When he met them, he got worried and relieved at the same time. Relieved that all of them were alright. Worried that Nel had some complications. Her form changed, she was now a child. Seeing her as a child chasing a butterfly, he sighed.

"We are going away from Las Noches. Far far away. Nel-sama doesn't remember anything. I think that's for the best. She has always been a pacifist. Never to want a fight, never to want a war. The least we can do is to keep her safe & away from that place."

He could understand them somewhat. Yet his feelings didn't agree to them. This uneasiness was eating him from the inside. But there's nothing he could do.

'It feels like no matter where I am in the world misfortune always finds me. Sigh, am I just that adorable?'

<NO! You aren't adored by misfortune. You have got the most awesome sword spirit for that. That's right, Me!>

'I guess…. then again….'

"....this is it. Slick bro, Big bro I won't be going with you guys."

All of them were silent. Yet the moment wasn't awkward. It was sad but yet the feeling of understanding was there in the air. None of them were against his decision. Subaru stood up and turned to leave. His eyes set to the horizon across hueco mundo. His destination, unknown.

Subaru turned back to say his goodbye only to see Pesche and Dondochakka with their fist raised in front. Subaru's eyes teared a bit.

<Ugh! Can we end this drama already please? Let's just go Master.>

He was ticked off by the spirit's word. Ignoring it, he bumped his fist with his brothers. Nel came running and enthusiastically asked, "Can I, can I do it too?"

Subaru carried her in his arms. It's going to be a long time after they are going to see each other again or this might even be the last time. They bumped their fist and shouted, "We are THE GREAT DESERT BROTHERS OF NELLIEL TU ODELSCHWANCK."

It was funny to see the little Nel shout that after they had done. Subaru put her down and she was busy chasing the butterfly again.

He had complicated emotions seeing her lose her memories.

'Once again, once again I am running away….'

<Subaru! Let's go.>

"I know. Take care of her, you two. See you guys next time." He murmured.

"Oh wait! She is no longer Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck. She is now Nel Tu. We gotta change our group name. What should it be, Subaru?"

"Pesche, He already left."

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His destination was unknown. No ambition, no determination, no reason, only guilt and grief he was again back to square one.

There's nothing for him here but he will never stop. Move forward, that was the only left desire. Keep on walking in this windy desert across the mountains of bodies, never stop, never look back. These were the only things he could do.

"Grrr!" *Slash

And hunt hollows. His reiatsu was small, that's why hollows kept on attacking him. He was thankful for it. Killing them was the only thing that kept on making him feel alive besides improving his haki. The hollows kept on coming towards him and he would keep on killing them. Waves after waves, kills after kills, endless. He kept on swinging the blade. Bodies upon bodies stacked, swarms after swarms with each kill made him feel alive.

A sign of madness? Maybe that's why the mask on his face was increasing in size. Before it covered just a little less than half of his face but now it almost covered all of his face. Only his upper right portion of the face left. His madness, his killing spree no one stopped him. Red covered his eyes as a hollow tried to escape creating a portal.

<Wait! Subaru Don't!>

It was already way too late. He chased after through its own portal into a void. The hollow created another portal and escaped through it while immediately closing it this time. Subaru himself didn't know any such technique. He was trapped in the void, Garganta.

The turbulence of reishi woke him up from his stupor of madness. Reishi turbulence blew him away. Each turbulent force of reishi on his body was painful but at the same time his connection to the surrounding reishi was getting stronger and stronger. There was nothing else he could do else than endure the turbulent reishi.

While this was going on, a shadow hand slowly was creeping behind him.

<NOOO!!!> Shriek of the sword spirit jolted him.

He immediately used haki and dodged the shadow hand. It had almost caught him. He could see it, that blue black shadow coming towards him. He clenched his hands, tightening his fingers around the sword. Subaru was trepidating at its sight. He took a deep breath. He relaxed himself and attended to the spirit in his spirit world.

<Why? Why is it here? How can that be? Impossible!!! Why? Why? Why? Why does it have to be now? Just a bit more! Damn it! WHY!>

His spirit partner seems to be in a worse state. He called out to her.

"Oi, Ariel! ARIEL! Calm down. It's no time to be panicking." His shout bolted her from anxiety she was having. "What are we going to do?"

<I don't know. But don't let those hands touch you.>

"I can't get a proper footing in these turbulent reishi. Any other idea?"

Hearing no answers from her, he knew he had no other choice but to adapt as fast as he can. Fortunately, the hand stopped moving towards him. Slowly, the shadow of a girl came. It seemed she was struggling to move towards him. Multiple hands came towards him slowly.

Their movements were slow. Thanks to that he had enough time to make reishi footings and so easily dodged them. The shadow girl turned towards him and spoke, "Su...ba...ru….why.....are you…..running away…..?"

Soul King. There on the top of a palace he lies in a crystal. Shinigami had cut his limbs and sealed his main body in the crystal. Rightnow, He was acting as nothing but a lynchpin in holding Soul Society, Human World, Hueco mundo and Hell separated from each other.

Reiō was a god…..wait that's incorrect, he is a god. In his life what has he not achieved; The power of omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience, everything was in his grasp. Or it was supposed to be. He is a god, everything was supposed to be in his grasp but the emotion called loneliness in his grasp ate away his dependency. Then he lost companionship, then love, then happiness. By the time he realised, he had lost the meaning of emotions. That's why he held on to his very first desire, to protect.

He gave souls the power of Shinigami and created quincy and separated the realms. It was by his own wish he decided to stay in stasis. The seal only served to help him sleep. He had decided to not interfere in the matters of living or dead. But right now he is awake. The seal had shattered. The zero squad were alerted by it. All of them immediately came to check the situation but were barred from entering the room. The sheer spiritual pressure was enough to crush them. They dared not enter the room right now. Every corner of the soul society felt the incredible amount of reiatsu for a short time.

Something evil had invaded his dimension. He won't tolerate it. As long as he is alive, no otherworldly beings will interfere in his dimension. He didn't want to come out from the crystal. Fortunately, it wasn't necessary for him to kill that thing. He just had to throw that evil thing away from his dimension. So he did, he was met with lots of resistance but he successfully threw that thing out and barred it from entering.

Why did that thing come here? He looked at the one that it was chasing. He was surprised to see him. He will give this one a little favour.