7 - Taking Over Hueco Mundo - A new Enemy

It was dark as it always was in the Hueco Mundo base. Suzume walked down the halls, of the dark place, the sound of his own footsteps echoing against the silence that occurred heavier than any other sound in Hueco Mundo. It was so quiet that it almost seemed as if the lack of sound was the loudest thing imaginable. In a way it was loud. Foot steps faded into the intense silence, out powered in their own sound quality.

Yin and yang followed Suzume, making no noise at all, their foot steps not even existing it seemed. But he knew they were there. And he knew they knew what he was thinking. They always did. That was their ability. Sometimes he wished they could be shielded from the violent images that flashed through his mind and thoughts. But he could not, and it was probably for the better. They knew how serious he was when he had thoughts like this, and remained silent.

Another echoing foot step started to approach as the hallway started to become lighter and lighter, lights emitting something from the sides of the walls. The lights were it by fire in the form of torches. He was not about to sit back and let his plan fail. This was the ultimate purge. He knew where the Espada was going and where it should be going.

A door passed Suzume, as more and more rooms started to come and pass. He kept walking, nearing the other foot steps sound. It only took about another thirty seconds until the hallways bent into another direction and the other person came into view. Suzume recognized her. She was a fraction. A fraction of none other than Byakura. A small girl that looked as though she was related. She smiled, and almost cowered upon the sight of Suzume. She was nothing on the battle field aside from the fraction of Byakura.

“Suzume-san, I have been looking for you. Byakura himself requests your audience. He says it is important. Please allow me to take you to him in the conference room. There will be no one aside from you two, and he requests that the information be kept confidential.”

Suzume nodded his head, and allowed her to turn around and walk away, as if she was walking away from death. As she was. But she would not get very far. Fractions were considered a part of one self, and thus Suzume allowed them to come anywhere he did, even if it was called for just him. Furthermore, there was no point in trying to hide anything from a fraction that can read thoughts straight from people's heads.

More and more doors passed, until they entered the Espada branch where the Espada resided aside for him, where he remained closer to Byakura and his cell room for the more immediate protection. It made Byakura look weaker having to have protection near him Suzume thought.

At the ed of the hall, the small girl walked into a room. The room was lit up compared to the normal darkness of this part of Las Noches. Suzume followed the girl into the room to see him. Byakura. He sat at the opposite side of the table that took up most of the room, looking as fine trimmed as ever. No sign of happiness of anger on him at all, the same monotone look that he gave all other Espada fading away.

“Suzume-san, I am glad you could come to join me. Please be seated.” As Byakura said this however he did not look at Suzume at all, but eyed the cats that came in just after him, both of which pounced onto the table, and then once again to the top of the two chairs next to him on either side of himself. Byakura's fraction took her place behind him, reserved to his right side.

Suzume looked at Yin and yang as well, nodding at them both, and they did the same. Looking back at Byakura, Suzume spoke, “I hope they will not be a problem, Byakura-san,” Suzume spoke with an edge in his voice, almost a declaration that his fractions were going no where.

Byakura shook his head in response. “No. They will be no problem at all.”

Another silence occurred, as powerful as the silence that Suzume had noted before. The silence continued until Yin spoke, his small voice seeming to echo in the room.

“Why did you call us here Byakura-san?”

It was what Suzume had been thinking. He smiled.

“Ah yes, I have called you here to discuss a new plan for the Espada. As you know, the Espada were created under the proclaimed claim that having ten Vasto Lordes gathered together would be enough to destroy all of Soul Society. Well, we have all ten Espada now, and it is time we moved in this proclamation and carried it out...”

“We?”

There was a moments silence as byakura was confused by what Suzume was asking. Then Yang spoke.

“There has been no we Byakura-dono. It has always been us. It has always been Suzume-san.”

Byakura was taken aback.

“What are talking about Suzume-san?”

Suzume replied.

“I mean to say that you no longer are making adjustments based on the best way to go about the glorifying of Hueco Mundo. I have made plans of my own, and I do not want you to get in the way with your old ways, and weak tactics. Please step down Byakura-dono.”

Ruki, the fraction at the other side of the room placed her hand on her sword. But Byakura raised his hand in order to have her stop. Suzume replied to that action.

“No. I think she has the right idea Byakura-dono. It has always been the custom among Espada that if one Espada can beat another, they gain their rank and title. I am about to practice this ritual.”

“Very well Suzume-dono, if it has come to this. I had a feeling it would.”

As soon as he was done talking, Byakura shot forward with a sonido, his sword drawn, and Suzume responded in the same way, both of their white clothes flashing to the center of the huge table until their swords met in the middle of the table. Reaitsu exploded outwards, snapping the table under the intense pressure. Ruki shot forward with a sonido as well, coming from behind Suzume who was in a swords lock with Byakura.

It was no use. Suzume saw it coming and used the sonido just a split second after the girl, landing just as she did, only his sword lay at her back. He was not going to to hold back at all in this fight. He could not afford to. Pushing the sword forwards, he penetrated Ruki, lunging at Byakura on the other side. Ruki screamed, as the blade ripped through her, and towards Byakura.

Byakura parried the blade, and used the sonido to come behind Suzume. He was so fast. Almost to the point that Suzume could not keep up with him, at his own level, which he had never experienced before. Byakura's blade swung down at Suzume in the second he had before Suzume too used the sonido traveling to the other side of the room. A second later Yin and yang did the same. Taking their same positions daintily on the chairs to each side of Suzume.

Ruki fell backwards on her back side, her hand covering the wound. She was not as advanced as Byakura obviously, and thus was easier to target. But thinking back, he should have pierced a more vital area. There was not ability for him to fight while holding back against Byakura.

Byakura looked up, and Suzume knew they were thinking the same thing. Release forms.

Jumping up through the roof, Suzume landed on the top of the roof of Las Noches, his fractions using the sonido to land on each shoulder. Byakura followed him, along with Ruki, slightly slower than him, and slowed more so with the injury.

To go into a released form here was forbidden because it would cause enough rieatsu out burst to notify all the other Espada and arrancars and even hollow that he was fighting, and the same with Byakura. Suzume was not stupid and knew that even he would not be able to take Byakura if he was being helped by the other Espada. Or even other Arrancars. He was the king of Hueco Mundo.

Once again, Suzume jumped, harder and faster this time, as if using the sonido. He flew upwards and even more upwards still at such great speeds. Looking down, he saw Byakura and Ruki after him.

Looking back up Suzume saw the ceiling of the Las Noches, making it appear sunny and with nice clouds until he ripped through it. Rotating into a back flip before landing on the roof of Hueco Mundo's Las Noches. He was free here to release his resurrection form. Byakura was there only a moment later. Landing in the same way he had, Ruki following his movements perfectly.

He was surprised Ruki was able to do so with such a wound like that. But she was Byakura's fraction after all. Thus he had to beware. She was a fighting type unlike his cats.

“There is no point in trying to fight me without your resurrection when it is two against one. Go ahead. Show me your power Suzume,” Byakura said in a challenging tone.

“I do not view this battle the same as you do. Even if this was a two on one battle, that is the perfect handi cap that equals this battle out for you. But I can see that this is serious enough and I have to do this quickly, so I will finish this.”

All the sudden the night air got colder than it had ever felt to Suzume. Both Suzume and Byakura held their swords forwards, and slanted them sideways. They were both going to release. This was going to get very dangerous. Both spoke at the same time.

“Impede your will, Tsu'tey!”

“Shred them into pieces, Kurayami!”

Reaitsu ripped at both of their clothes and dust shot up into the air as the building roof started to crack, and ripple with the raw power of both Espada releasing. Small and large pieces of the roof started to fall, Ruki, Yin and yang used the sonido to be carried far away, out of the reaitsu explosion range.

After about a minute of the intense energy, the dust cleared to show both of their released forms.

Byakura stood in the form of a huge lion, black as the night that surrounded them, a mask fragement still on his head. Contrasting him, Suzume stood, still in human form. Suzume looked darker than he ever had before. Dark short hair resided messily around his head, and two piercings were in his ears. One eye was patched closed, with a leather looking patch. It was sown directly into his skin, where his other shown with a haunting fading blue. A high black collar came up to Suzume's nose tight against him, with belts keeping it tight everywhere keeping his mouth covered. All the way down his trim and very skinny body, Suzume had dark and tight black leather clothing until his sword rested at his side, a now black sheath.

“So this is your released form Suzume-dono. I have only heard of it amoung the other Espdad.”

“No point in talking to me casually. We are enemies now. In fact, I do not wish to hear your voice again!”

The dust that flew around the air rose, and Suzume spoke.

“La Senpu.”

At once the dust turned green. It was inescapable.

Suzume lunged forward into the dust his sword raised high removed from the sheath now, a stab aimed right at Byakura's heart. The blade was blocked by Ruki and in another instant, a bara was fired, aimed at the ground. In affect, the smoke was pushed away, and when Suzume looked up again, Ruki had removed Byakura from the smoke. He could see Byakura struggle to move before it came easy to him again.

Damn that little fraction. He needed to do something about her.

He lion that was Byakura looked up. It would be hard to use another technique like this as he now lacked the element of surprise and all of his techniques revolved around the opponents being enveloped in the mist, which he was sure that they would avoid now. This was getting difficult.

“As I said Suzume, this is two against one. You cannot match us like this.”

“And as I said, this would be the perfect handi cap for this match. Dont flatter yourself. You would have been killed within the first minute of this fight if it had not been for Ruki. Your fraction. I do also remember saying that I did not want to hear your voice however.”

Suzume disapeared with the sonido, and reappeared directly in front of the girl known as Ruki.

“Good bye,” Suzume said as he shot above her, swinging his sword down at the girl.
“El Tagron.”

A misty looking smoke came forth from his blade, and surrounded them all. Ruki and Byakura both used the sonido to move away from the dust, but this was not to any advantage.

Suzume landed, eveloped in his own poison, smiling.

“This poison was not meant as the attack. This poison only works on me. I will show you.”

Taking a deep breath of the poison, Suzume released his breath and shot forwards, faster than any other sonido. It was as if he was in two places at once. Ruki cried out in pain as a blade shot through her heart, blood spilling on the ground. In another moment, Suzume was at the other side of the Byakura, blade swinging at the lions head.

There was an explosion of dust that erupted from the power of the slash. When the dust cleared, Suzume was there smiling, Byakura bleeding, a pool of blood below him. However, it was much different. The lion form was gone. Byakura only stood there, as himself, his clothes black but coated in blood from the deep slash that moved down his chest. Ruki lay dead on the ground beside him.

“What is this Byakura-dono? It seems without Ruki you do not have the ability to maintain released form. There is no winning for you.”

“Don't be so sure Suzume-dono. Look at your shadow.”

Suzume looked down at his shadow. His eyes widened. His shadow was completely connected to Byakura's. Byakura straightened, wincing from the pain. Suzume felt a power over take him, even in this form as his body moved as well, moving into the exact same posture as Byakura had taken. Byakura was struggling as well, as Suzume was in a released form, and thus more powerful and harder to control like this.

“I see. You knew you could not block an attack of that power, so instead you activated you ability to just make the attack damage less, and take control of me. It is to be expected of someone of your caliber, but not even you power can over take me when you are so fatigued as you are, Byakura-dono. You should know that by now. You are no match for me as it is. What do you plan to do with me now?”

Byakura made no response, aside from raising his hand side ways. The shadow that the dust created around him molded and bubbled until it raised towards Byakura, a sword forming as it did so. Suzume raised his hand to the side, a hand that lacked a weapon. Byakura then made opened his other hand, dropping his zanpakutou on the ground. Suzume did the same. Shaking, Suzume had to do so, trying his hardest to fight the control on his body.

The weapon made from shadow molded into a sword as Suzume had thought it would. He knew what Byakura was thinking. A mimicry of a stab, only Suzume had no sword to inflict damage with. It was a simple strategy, and would be very affective if it was against any one else, but Suzume smiled.

“Byakura-dono. You are not using your head. When I used my last ability, did you see me have to move at all? Did you think I cannot use all my abilities right here, right now? I can!”

Byakura realized what Suzume was saying and made a quick movement to stab Suzume. Suzume's hand made the same movement. Only he spoke.

“La Senpu.”

The dust turned dark green once again, and Byakura's hand froze. But it was a little to late, the blade entered Suzume, and pierced him in the chest. Suzume recoiled with a scowl, but could make no other move aside from that. The blade remained in him, both of them frozen, Byakura with a sword pointed in him, and himself with his bare hand pointed at Byakura.

“You are no longer a master to me, Byakura-san – Cero!”

Black energy gathered around Suzume's hand, and formed into a small ball before it shot out at Byakura, a beam of black cero, the most powerful in Hueco Mundo along with his fraction's cero.

The green mist was blown away, and more replaced it as a huge strip of the roof of Lasn Noches was ripped away from the power in a straight line, allowing Suzume to see Byakura standing there, a huge hole gaping in his chest from where the cero ripped through him.

“S-S-Suzume... San... H-how c-c-could y-you...?”

Byakura dropped, the shadow fading from connection, and pool of blood splashing as the man who had made the blood fall fell into it. He had been no match for Suzume this entire time. And yet, he had seemed to be so powerful before. Had he really grown that much power so quickly?

Looking back at Yin and Yang, Suzume's form started to fall, and he returned back to his normal form, the white uniform wrapped around him loosely, and his sword sheathed.

“It is time we rule Hueco Mundo, Yin-san, and Yang-san. It is ours to rule.”

...