The Lion, To Bewitch, An Elurophobe (Closed/Yuki)

The moment Yuki admitted her recognition of the name, Hanbeis heart fluttered for a moment. Finally, somebody who had some information that he actually wanted! But maybe she was lying, maybe this was a ploy to gain his trust. It was a risk he was willing to take though, he was alone in Hueco Mundo already. Some elation showed on his face and he quickly answered the questions she had.

“I want to know because I want sweet and simple revenge. Let’s just say I’ve got some invisible scars because of him, and I’m not one for just getting even. Being tortured and given no chance to fight back isn’t what I really call a fair fight, and since he was probably going to kill me, I thought I’d return the favor.” His tone was cool and collected: he had a plan, and it reflected in how he spoke about it.

“A certain Hollow told me some clues that were clear as mud. I’d tell you the name but I never bothered to ask for it. He also mentioned that there was only a chance of you being here, so encountering you is just good luck. I do have to wonder though, why hang around here? I know there really isn’t much for shelter in Hueco Mundo, except for Las Noches of course, but this landmark seems pretty random to me.”

The displeasure of the lion was obvious, but Hanbei tried to remain cool in front of it. He would’ve preferred a private conversation with her, but this would have to do if it was what would get him what he wanted. He removed his hand resting on his zanpakuto, hopefully signaling he wished to continue their parley.

“Ah, a true beast at heart here. Lion, it seems too fitting that after I offer my name, you would still refer to me by my job, which I’m not even doing right now, otherwise my blade would be drawn and we would not be speaking. For now, I’m only hunting to kill one, and their certainly not innocent. Let’s be civil, Shadow.”

He tried not to chuckle at the Arrancar reprimanding the Hollow, but it did seem a little ludicrous considering the circumstance.

“I appreciate your consideration Lioness, I admit I rarely attend to such pleasantries outside of the odd evening. I really prefer not to go into the specifics of my imprisonment in Las Noches though. At least that’s where I assume I was held. I assume Ipos isn’t Espada, otherwise more Hollows would recognize the name. Or perhaps the name inspires enough fear they refuse to acknowledge it?”

WC- 439/1061. GP- 8/20.

“Knowledgeable Hollows seem to be few and far between in Hueco Mundo. But I don’t question where they find their little tidbits of information, it got me here and that’s better than the constant wandering and lack of direction in these wastes.” He simply nodded to her refusal to expand on why she would be here, knowing well the feeling of not wanting to be bothered with certain questions and the stories that came as answers to them. He wouldn’t take the rejection to heart, especially since she could help him find Ipos.

He bit his tongue at the cheeky Hollows retort. He would’ve liked to boast that he didn’t even need an inch of his zanpakuto to cleave the pet in two, but that wouldn’t have been very diplomatic of him.

More bark than bite in that one I’d imagine. She must be quite the bitch to keep that one as tame as he is. Despite how guarded these two are, it’s still the best thing to real help we’ve had so far here.

Sabi Shokan was right, he wasn’t intimidated by the Hollow, the woman might pose a threat, but he would only cross that bridge if he came to it. And that smile of hers unnerved him. Could she really be trusted? He would have to go out on a limb, he either trusted nobody and made no progress, or took everything said at face value.

Not an Espada? That’s good news for me. Well, it might make him harder to find. She better have something I can pinpoint him with… his mask, zanpakuto, anything.

And takes a bitch to know a bitch dear.

“I want to know everything you do. Where can I find him? What kind of power does he wield? What does he look like? Leave nothing out and you can be done with me.” He was sincere about that, he probably wanted to be gone just as much as they wanted to be rid of him. He tried to remain collected with his words, but his tone hinted at how eager he was to find the Arrancar. Revenge, although a dish best served cold, was a meal quickly heated.

“Actually, how do you know of him? Personally, or by word of mouth?”

It was an important question, he glared at her face, looking for any betrayal of truth within her answer. If she knew Ipos, maybe she would serve him to his ex-captor on a platter. Nothing was a treacherous as blind trust in the land of Hollows, and such a plot wouldn’t be beyond any Arrancar. Paranoia was a constant when you were alone in a hostile land for so long, and more of it had just kicked in, maybe this entire meeting had been a trap. Arrancar below the level of Espada had been known to cooperate, and everything seemed to be staged right now. Were the Hollows staying away from this lone tree because it was Yuki’s territory, or were they waiting to ambush him?

His stance shifted, to that would let him be mobile instantly, yet refrained from putting his hand back on his pommel, that might be taken as a sign of aggression. His body tensed, and his breathing slowed, his whole being chilled with the feeling of impending danger. He tried to remain still, but being still for too long was death out here.

And in Hueco Mundo, death was everywhere.

WC- 574/1635. GP- 11/31.

The answer was not one he wanted, it was barely more helpful than any of the other hints that had been dropped. What was even worse, was that it was vague. Sure, Hueco Mundo was not a scenic landscape, but surely they had land markers and places to meet beyond caves, trees, and special dunes. It was almost infuriating how impossible this all seemed. But his thirst for vengeance would not waiver, there was no going back. His face contorted, showing his displeasure with her answer.

“Do you consider that helpful?” Her smile aggrieved him, she looked so damned smug with her impossibly general clues. “Somewhere, near a cave in a forest? How long ago was that? Or do Hollows not care for time either?” he spat, to the end of his patience at last. “Well, at this rate he may as well be on the fifth plane of hell!” An exasperated groan left his lips. “Great, now I get to take a field trip to a damned forest! How the hell do I find this cave?” At this point he didn’t really care, the forest would be a much smaller area so search than the vast desert, although that didn’t make him feel much better.

While he expressed his annoyance, his eyes had been focused on Yuki’s posture, following her hands as she gestured, then just so happen to settle one on the handle of her zanpakuto. It was all so subtle, natural even, but her were placed well enough that he could that it was a ruse. She asked if he wanted to know more- he told her just one more thing. A tension arose between them as he stopped speaking, his own hand finding his zanpakuto, readying himself to draw it, although it had been far from subtle like the Arrancar. His next words were slow and monotonous, their obvious intent building as both remained still.

“Now Yuki-san, why would we need to raise arms against one another?”

It was all expected of course. Only the weak one’s ever wanted mercy and to get away with their lives. The others, Arrancar mostly, had fought and died, or forced him to flee. He could tell what kind Yuki was, he doubted that she would fail to live up to her title. A breeze blew by, caressing his mostly intact personal shihakusho, stylized to Clan Abazu since he no longer served the Seretei, not that he served that family anymore either. The viper and badger, entwined in an ever bloody grapple, replaced the band of his previous division. Its coloring was mostly the same, just a faded gray instead of black, and saffron instead of white underneath. Stains and small tears could be found at a close distance, but that wasn’t much different from his regular uniform, never completely clean except for directly after a wash.

He hated waiting, and he hated not seizing the initiative even more, but his strategy wasn’t to kill her. Simply get far enough ahead so she wouldn’t bother chasing him. He planned on tripping her up then taking off, believing she would break off any pursuit if he managed to hit the edge of the Menos Forest. He would be much harder to follow once in the brush, and then she’d have to compete with whatever lurked in there. It wasn’t his style, but it had been effective so far, so he delayed drawing and only stared at The Lioness.

WC- 577/2212. GP- 11/42.