Chapter #22 - Childish

All right... I have no excuses. I just wrote a couple chapters at once, so I could throw it out every other day. So this week's gonna be a little busy. I hope you enjoy it and spend your stones on it. Kisses, dear readers.

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"Pesche~! Dondochakka~! Where are you~?"

Neliel wandered through the building with slow steps, slightly curious. Her long, wavy green hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her hazel eyes scanned the surroundings with curiosity. The red stripe on her face accentuated her serious and determined expression. As a habit, she held the sheath of her sword with one hand.

Her long-sleeved shirt, with its shoulder pads and puffy cuffs, was striking. A black stripe ran from the collar of the shirt down the left side of her chest and towards the sides. Two thin black sashes, one of which held her Zanpakutō, were worn. She wore white gloves, open-ended white pants, and standard Arrancar shoes.

But as she looked into the rooms and couldn't find Pesche and Dondochakka, she began to worry. Both were no different from her loyal comrades. Pesche's slender body contrasted with Dondochakka's large, bulky frame. Dondochakka's massive size and cute facial expression always made Neliel laugh.

The sound of footsteps echoing between the gray, cold walls sent shivers down Neliel's spine. Usually, they were the ones worried about her. Where had they gone now? She continued to roam the pale green walls. Her steps quickened, her curiosity mixed with concern, and her eyes sparkled with worry.

Suddenly, her stomach growled embarrassingly. After her last meaningless battle with Nnoitra, she was hungry. She wanted to eat something, but Pesche and Dondochakka were nowhere to be found. This situation was quite strange.

She stepped outside the building with slow steps. Maybe they were nearby. This thought seemed logical in Neliel's mind. Her steps were slow and cautious, constantly checking her surroundings.

"Hey!"

She saw him again right in front of her. Holding his strange Zanpakutō with a crescent-shaped blade on his back, Nnoitra stood grinning, with his mantis-like long body. Nnoitra's tall height and slim build made him even more intimidating. At that moment, Neliel didn't notice the treacherous gleam in Nnoitra's eyes.

Neliel sighed with the fatigue from their recent battle. She tried to ignore him and move forward but hesitated for a moment.

"Showing your weapon openly is intimidation. If you want to appear strong, try hiding your weapon."

Nnoitra didn't respond. He just looked with a sinister smile. Neliel looked around with a curious expression. At that moment, the wall next to her exploded with a boom!

When Neliel saw the silhouettes emerging from the smoke, she froze. She couldn't believe her eyes, and her heart started to race.

"Nel-sama…"

"We're sorry…"

Her two comrades, their masks removed, appeared on the brink of death. The marks on their bodies indicated a fierce battle. The pain and desperation in Pesche's eyes, the slow bleeding of Dondochakka... Neliel's blood ran cold, and her gaze turned icy.

She looked directly at Nnoitra and asked:

"Did you remove their masks?"

Nnoitra laughed. His laughter echoed in the darkness, becoming even more menacing.

"Yes! Now you have a reason to fight, don't you?"

She hadn't killed Nnoitra all this time because she had no reason. But now, now she was furious. As she quickly evaded the approaching slash, she swung her sword to stab.

At the last moment, Nnoitra blocked the attack. At that moment, Neliel responded:

"No. I have no reason to fight."

Neliel pointed her sword down while looking at Nnoitra with anger and hatred. Speaking with determination and rage in her eyes, she said:

"However… you will pay for this. You will pay for what you did to my friends."

She attacked once more. She attacked fiercely. She swung her sword, and Nnoitra blocked it. Amidst the violent sword and ax clashes, there was a clear superiority. Neliel was clearly overpowering him and cornered him against the wall. When her sword was blocked by Nnoitra's axe, Neliel delivered a kick.

Nnoitra fell. He quickly recovered and thrust upward at Neliel. Neliel blocked this attack too and attacked once more, but this time…

She passed right through Nnoitra!

Neliel froze in shock. Her eyes widened; she felt a presence behind her but it was too late to react.

Ding!

As the sound of metal clashing with metal was heard, an equally mocking male voice accompanied it:

"Ara~! Ara~! Truly a vicious move, isn't it?"

Neliel could feel someone pressed against her back. As she turned slightly and reacted, she saw the owner of the voice.

He was grinning with wolf-like sharp teeth. His white hair cascaded down his back while his wolf ears stood erect. It was hard to claim he was a Hollow. Without his facial expression, one might think he was some strange life form. The primal fighting instinct in a Hollow… that fighting-hungry expression…

The three razor-sharp blades emerging from his fingers had blocked Nnoitra's blade, and Nnoitra quickly retreated. The young man, whose hair was flowing with reiatsu, whispered just loud enough for Neliel to hear:

"Remember what I said? If you need help, I'm here. And it looked like you could use some help."

With a slightly mocking tone, he took a few steps forward. His reiatsu surged wildly as Kizuna narrowed his eyes. His molars were practically gleaming.

"I heard you couldn't bear the thought of a woman being superior to you. How childish. And on top of that, you think of attacking someone viciously whom you couldn't defeat. Truly unaware of the ethics of fighting, you're just an animal."

As his silver reiatsu shone, a pleasing golden gleam appeared in the golden part of his hair. As the sand rose with his reiatsu, a mini tornado formed around him, and Kizuna disappeared. When he reappeared, Nnoitra took a punch to the chest before he could even react.

As Nnoitra staggered back in shock, Kizuna's elliptical pupils turned to the equally surprised Neliel. Glancing sideways, Kizuna spoke in a normal tone:

"You had no reason to fight, did you? But I do, and…" Without looking at Nnoitra running towards him with the crescent-shaped blade, he smirked slightly. As the shockwave spread in light ripples, the blade seemed to be lodged in metal. He held Nnoitra's blade between his fingers and, while pulling it back, turned to Nnoitra.

"It's as childish as this guy's."