Previous: Unwanted Change
Toshiro returned to the Forest of Menos and took a few days to figure out his new abilities while he tried to come up with a plan to enter Los Noches. One would not believe how relieved he was when he found out his Cero came from pointing his finger......well except maybe the poor tree he tired it on. He tried to release Hielodragón, but the zanpakuto would not respond much. He could still do high level basic attacks though, and that would have to suffice.
On the third day he was sitting on a tree branch at the edge of the forest starring at Los Noches in the distance. He needed to find a way in, but how?! Just as he was about to jump down, he spotted an arrancar running towards Los Noches. It was strange because this one did not have on the usual uniform. He decided to follow this strange arrancar. Who knows, maybe the chance he was waiting for.
Occasionally the arrancar would glance behind him, but Toshiro made sure to not be seen. He watched from a distance as this arrancar scouted around the building until he found the place he was looking for. Toshiro watched as he knocked out a guard and take his uniform. He waited for a while giving the strange arrancar enough time to not impede his mission before entering Los Noches. He walked through the giant white halls, occasionally passing others who paid him no mind. Toshiro only knew of one Espada. Ulquiorra. Perhaps he could use this espada to get close to Aizen and find out the identity of the Seraph.
He came up behind an arrancar with dark hair and what looked to be half a helmet on his head. He figured this guy was as good as any to ask about the Espada he was looking for. "Excuse me sir, but may I trouble you for a moment?"
Ulquiorra looked out of the corner of his eyes at the arrancar. "I do not have time to waste on you."
"I am looking for the Espada called Ulquiorra. It is urgent that I find him."
Now with his attention drawn away from his task, Ulquiorra turned to face the shorter being. His hair covered an eye and his demeanor spoke of nonchalance, but hardly anyone ever looked for Ulquiorra without a death threat written over their hearts. "Proceed."
Realization hit that the being he was speaking to was Ulquiorra. That was faster than he thought. Toshiro quickly bowed to the espada, "AH! Forgive me, Sir. I did not know it was you!" He looked up at the pale arrancar and said, "Sir, it is my duty to inform you of a break in!"
A break in. Here? No one was foolish enough to break into Los Noches. Or that bold. "Your manners are intact, but your chain of command does not end with me. I have important things to do, so don't trouble me with your problems."
"It was an Arrancar that came from the Forest of Menos!" Toshiro replied hoping that information would halt him.
"I don't have time for inane antics of arrancars attempting to make a name for themselves. My priorities are elsewhere." Ulquiorra could sense the urgency in the boy's voice, yet something was... off. That's the word. Off. "Answer me this," The number four espada paused. "Who sent you? If it were important they would have relayed the message them self."
"That's the thing, I saw this myself when I was debating on how to join Lord Aizen's ranks. I came to Los Noches for this purpose. I am currently not the subordinate of anyone. It's odd though....the arrancar that broke in was carrying a choker with a bell on it. Why," he had said the last bit more to himself than anything else.
This fact may be true, considering Aizen did not require his elite espada to be held accountable for the lesser ones. With the bulk of Aizen's army growing, the number would exceed 200. Yet this one had let his tongue slip. "You came to Los Noches for this? To tell me of a thief you can dispatch yourself?" He paused in his musings.
"A bell?" The only arrancar he knew of that had a bell choker was Kita.
"You misunderstand Sir. I came to Los Noches for the purpose of joining Lord Aizen. I happened across an arrancar stronger than I breaking in and thought I should notify someone. The only one whose name I knew was yours."
"You swear fealty to Aizen, yet you do not consult him first? If this arrancar is more powerful than you, then he must be weak." Ulquiorra ignored the fact that the arrancar had mentioned knowing only his name. After all, who didn't? Kita's repeated disobedience had tarnished his honor and caused his name to become common trash on the lips of petty fools.
Toshiro opened his mouth to counter Ulquiorra's statement, but the cuatro Espada held up a hand. He could feel the spiritual pressure of his fraction quivering, almost anxious, down the hall. He looked at the diminished boy and scowled at him.
"You are nothing but a nuisance. I will deal with you later." Toshiro followed after him curious why this particular Espada found a choker with a bell on it more important than the actual break in. Without premonition, Ulquiorra whipped around and shoved the small boy against the wall and replied with annoyance, "Do not follow me; you will get in my way." The boy's feet dangled a foot and a half off the ground. Ulquiorra turned still holding on to the boy by his jacket front.
Opening a near by door on any empty room, Ulquiorra deposited the arrancar closing and locking the door. Ulquiorra turned sharply on his heel and began walking away, slow and full of purpose. Kita was his and his alone. Any trouble would be his and that was a fact that could never change.
Toshiro stood in the dark room by himself, "Well shit...that didn't go at all like I had planned." He looked around the room that was now his temporary prison and decided to take a look around. Who knows maybe there was information on the Seraph in here. The room was rather dusty and full of cobwebs, but nothing else to speak of. ".....Damn....." He sat down in the center of the room and placed his zanpakuto in front of him. He might as well meditate with this modified Hyourinmaru......I mean Hielodragón while he waited for the Espada to return. As he meditated a red glow formed around him as opposed to his usual blue, this must be the converted spiritual pressure of Hielodragón.
It felt like hours had passed since he had been locked alone in the dark, during that time he was unable to make contact with the zanpakuto spirit. He got up, stretched a bit, then placed his zanpakuto back at his hip. He was about to start sword training when he sensed a very familiar, and highly infuriating spiritual pressure walking his way. He quickly calmed his rage and waited for his hated enemy and hopefully future boss to appear.
Aizen opened the door to the locked room quickly. His annoyance had reached its limits for the evening. One arrancar breaking into Los Noches for the reason of Ulquiorra’s fraction and another following him in like he was walking into the park. Then turns and reports the arrancar he followed in. Something was not right and Aizen was going to get to the bottom of it. Tonight. He looked at the wayward arrancar as he stood no more then a few feet in front of him. He seemed familiar to Aizen as he searched for any fowl play. Walking toward him to his left Aizen circled around him.
“Who are you and where did you come from?” Leaning in closer to the arrancar Aizen ask again, “or should I say ‘who’ sent you?”
Toshiro stood firmly still as Aizen circled him and kept his gaze straight ahead. When he was asked a question he bowed and replied, "My name is Zeshin Oimi and I came from the Sands of Hueco Mundo. I was sent by no one, I came of my own free will, my Lord." The last words were like poison to his tongue.
“No one?” Aizen stopped in front of him looking down his nose at the arrancar. His bright turquoise eyes, quickly he grabbed the arrancar by the throat and lifted him from the floor. “Tell me again? Where did you come from and who are you? The right answer this time or tonight will be your last.”
This guy knows how to piss someone off, but Toshiro kept his calm appearance. Slightly struggling to gasp out the words he repeated, "M-My name is........Zeshin Oimi............I c-came from the Sand.........I was sen by no one.......my............Lord." His eyes began to roll to the back of his head and his mind started to become fuzzy.
Aizen held on to the arrancar for a few more seconds then dropped him from his grasps. He turned his back to the arrancar looking over his shoulder at him, “Zeshin?” Aizen could not shake the feeling of knowing this creature or person standing in the room with him. He narrowed his eyes and started walking from the room. “Come with me, Zeshin and if you prove yourself as worthy, you may join my army.” Aizen walked from the room. There was only one way to bring the truth to the surface of a lie and that was to put the lie to a test.
Aizen walked the halls of Los Noches, turning left, right, right and left. His pace never slowing or picking up, the arrancar that wanted to swear allegiance to him followed silently behind. Aizen never once went up or down a flight of stairs, but the path they followed went deeper under Los Noches with every step they took. Aizen glanced from the corner of his eyes every so often getting a glimpse of the wayward arrancar.
“He is lying to me I can see it in those eyes of his, however, I can’t place the boy. Seeing the boys’ powers and fighting techniques will tell me who he is ‘if’ he wants it to show or not. It will be his death once the truth has come out.” Aizen thought to himself. Aizen turned one more corner and stopped in front of a solid wall a couple of feet in front of them. He then turned looking at the arrancar.
“Here I will test your powers and fighting skills. If you can allude and, or kill the ones that are trying to stop you from getting to the end of the labyrinth. I will allow you to join my army.”
Aizen reached to his right and touched the wall causing the wall in front of them to open into solid darkness. He then gestured for the arrancar to enter. If he did not, Aizen would kill him where he stood. If he did the hidden door would be sealed once more and the test would begin and only the strongest would walk from the labyrinth.
Toshiro peered inside the darkness past Aizen. So this was the test. Kind of a battle royale. Rather barbaric in his opinion, but he stepped into the dark room without a moments hesitation.
Aizen was stunned by the boys’ courage as he watched him walk into a void of blackness. “He is bold I will give him that,” Aizen spoke softly as the door sealed behind the wayward arrancar. Turning Aizen made his way to Szayel’s lab to inform him to keep his eyes on the boy as he fought.
Let the test begin!
Next: TBA
