Zeroes and Ones. [Ahau, Closed]

Ahau was having a pleasant nap in his little hideaway upon the sands of Hueco Mundo. After all the events that had occurred over the past few weeks the Hollow felt he deserved it, fighting with Shinigami and narrowly surviving the destruction of Las Noches during his short visit there.

Yes Ahau deserved this. He had pushed past the fears that had clung to him for decades and started behaving as he should have all along. As a Hollow. Hunting across this world and that of the living. Expanding his own limits as well by interacting with others and learning from them, about them, off them. Ahau deserved his rest.

Then came the summoning. The primal call of the Alpha Hollow as it rang out across the desert. It was more than a word, it was a calling, it tugged at the Jaguar's soul and echoed mind over and over again.

Ahau.Ahau.Ahau.Ahau.Ahau.Ahau.AHau.AHau.AHau.AHAu.AHAu.AHAu.AHAU.AHAU.AHAU.AHAU.AHAU.

"I'm coming!" snapped irritably at no one. Unlike Iko's roar of power Ahau's annoyed response was just words on the wind, pointless and impotent. However the primal power, the call, seemed to understand his consent and the demanding presence shrunk to a mere niggling annoyance at the back of his consciousness.

Sighing he stood and stretched out before tilted his head slightly and looked around taking a moment to determine the direction from which the summoning had come.

Ah his cave. Of course.

Well he'd best not keep his current leader waiting. Ahau took a few steps before breaking into an easy run, the lithe form of the feline beast tearing across the land with effortless speed, ever so often he would accelerate with the telltale boom of his Sonido.

Ahau wondered what Iko could possibly want. To go over one of their last encounters with the mortals or Shinigami? Perhaps he had plans for their pack? Or simply orders for Ahau who prided himself on being the Pack's single Beta, the second-in-command. Of course there was only three of them at present but Ahau had plans to change that and was ever on the look out for new talent to join their ranks.

Iko may not know it yet but his right hand had plans to ensure that, one day, Hollows had a powerful being to look up to. One of their own not a mere half-breed. The current mess in Las Noches was the perfect opportunity but unfortunately they had not yet amassed the invidiual strength or collective strength to make Ahau's dreams a reality. The Jaguar was happy to wait though, he needed to get stronger, he needed Iko to get stronger and he needed the Pack to grow larger.

Thoughts for another time and another day.

There was, of course, another reason why Iko might be calling him.

Punishment.

Ahau had no idea what he could have done wrong but that didn't change matters, if he had displeased Iko in some manner then this could be the end of him. Despite how terrifying the thought was Ahau wouldn't run...there was no point, he'd never escape Iko's reach. In any case that was a minor possibility...he doubted that was why he was being summoned.

The last Sonido carried him to within sight of Iko's cave and the Hollow walked the rest of the way taking a moment to stretch out with his senses to see if any one else was nearby.

It appears Iko is alone. Of course most Hollow would avoid his territory anyway but it appears there are no nosey Arrancar about and he hasn't any guests...I wonder if Depredador will appear?

Almost at the cave he felt a sudden release of powerful energy. Iko's own. Whatever was he doing in there?

The feline Hollow's ears flicked and he frowned, could he could hear...voices? No only Iko's voice...talking to himself?

Hollow's went mad, especially the older ones, Ahau sometimes wondered about his own mental stability with the fearful voices gnawing away constantly. He trusted Iko implicitly otherwise he would not follow him but that faith didn't extend to the other Hollow's mental state. His whole race seemed half-mad really but he'd keep an eye on his Master...just incase, for his good as well as Ahau's own.

Stepping around the cave entrance he looked upon the Alpha and tilted his head. "You called me." he stated, it wasn't a query.

"What is your command?"

“Just imagine how easy it would be, use your armament and get him to attack you, then watch his flesh boil and blister! It’s a fool proof plan, a brilliant one. If you won’t I will” the voices continued whispering in his mind. Iko decided that the best idea was to just ignore him, Ahau after all had arrived.

“Called?” He questioned Ahau’s statement. Had he called him? Oh right he had. Exchanges with the voices in his brain seemed to stretch endlessly and go nowhere but they always seemed to be successful in distracting him long enough to lose his train of thought. For a moment he had completely forgotten why he’d summoned Ahau as well. Between the hunger and the never ending nagging the tiredness of remembering the present moment grew harder.

“It wasn’t a command Ahau, a suggestion maybe. If you asked for me to come I would be curious enough to respond. I believe the pact of blood we made resonates somewhere within our Hollow existence. Causes us to have a direct line of communication to each other. It’s handy, no?” that blood bond they’d made in the sand. Powerful Hollow magic that interwove a channel of communication into their very existence. It was incredibly handy and an extremely powerful tool at all times.

“I’m here to teach you how to fight. You need to learn how to use the Cero and most of all learn how to use a technique of mine” he splayed his talons and let the energy gather over his flesh, the lattice structure of the Cero coated him like Armor forming the armament Cero rippling over the surface of his body. He tapped it and let the broken lattice explode outward with a beam of energy that quickly dissipated as fast as it erupted from the surface of his body.

“Cero Armament, you are the second being ever to encounter it. Cero that are so compacted and knitted close together that a single touch causes them to fire backwards at the attacker whilst protecting the users flesh” he let the armament wisp away like smoke, drifting into the winds as the spiritual particles that comprised it broke down and blew away into the winds.

“Cero is your first line of defence but everyone fights differently. I prefer to use devastating Cero to get the job done but you are certainly not kitted out for that. Your body? It’s that of an agile creature whilst mine is stocky and solid to deliver heavy punishing blows. It could be that Cero isn’t for you, but at least if you learn to master Armament you might be able to protect yourself” Becoming a capable fighter was about learning what suited your fighting style. A capable fighter learnt to dance amongst beasts and be as accurate as a dancer. Their movements were calculated and precise.

Cero was a destructive means of attack for a Hollow but Iko doubted that was Ahau’s calling. He didn’t seem to rely on it as much as Iko had when he was quickly establishing what he was.

517 

Concern and worry flickered across the Jaguar's mask for a brief moment at Iko's confusion. Ahau's mind returned to his early thoughts about the possible mental instability of his the Alpha Hollow, the following tension was likely noticeable only to the feline monster as he tried to decide if the issue was as severe as it may possibly be. Luckily the incident was resolved as Iko continued speaking as if nothing was wrong and Ahau give a subtle sigh of relief.

Fool. he reprimanded himself silently Don't jump to conclusions.

Turning his attention to Iko he tilted his head and give a sardonic smile "Of course." he responded drily. Not for a minute did Ahau believe that this was true, Ahau had a very clear mental picture of Iko firing one of those Grand Ray Cero's point blank range at him for ignoring a summon and that would be a relatively pleasant death for angering the superior predator. Although he did believe Iko when he said that he'd come if the feline called although he wasn't sure if that was due to loyalty or simple curiosity.

"It is useful indeed." Ahau agreed "Perhaps it might be worth investigating can such a process be extended to every member of a pack no matter it's size."

The Feline Hollow considered the possibility of a complex interweaving web of blood oaths between multiple pack members which would serve as an intimate communications method although the idea of utilising powers that he didn't fully understand to such an extent was obviously out of the question, who knew what mixing the power of words and blood in such a continuous abusive manner would lead to. Ahau give himself a shake and filed the subject matter away with the ever growing pile of topics that he was seeking to learn more about.

Talking about blood oaths was not why he had been called after all.

"I would appreciate that." Ahau responded respectfully "I know my fighting skills are limited to how I hunt, something which has been proven during unfortunate encounters with Shinigami."

The Jaguar Hollow watched as Iko summoned a Cero causing the feline beast to instinctively quail before the the primal power, centuries of hiding from stronger Hollows was a hard habit to break, however after a moment he leant in to look at the criss-crossing pattern of energy that was beginning to spread across the Simian Hollow's form. As the strange technique exploded outwards in a flash of light Ahau let out a yelp of shock and flinch visibly, the Jaguar took a few moments of silence to blink constantly trying to rid his sight of the floating dots left behind by the Cero's sudden flash.

"Fascinating." Ahau noted after a few moments "You came up with this on your own?" he asked with no little awe, Hollow's rarely made anything and such an act impressed the older Hollow to no small degree.

He watched the second demonstration, a little more wary and with some more distance, but thankfully it ended much more quietly. "That's a...surprising use of Cero." he noted with obvious surprise "I did not know that it could be used for anything beyond offence. This is sort of like a temporary, offensive, Hierro."

The observation was made with keen interest, Hierro was something that Ahau had been thinking about lately and so anything even distantly similar drew his interest.

At Iko's talk about Cero the subordinate creature nodded "Cero is definitely a secondary form of attack for me, I prefer the mundane." he admitted lifting a paw and extending his claws for a moment to punctuate his point "However even I have made use of it to help tip the scales of battle in my favour."

Nodding he smiled "So how do I begin?"

“What is in a pack? Tell me Ahau. These sparks of genius are they Cero or are they Hollow? Why are they so hard to find. I keep asking myself this because our pack is sorely lacking. We only have found Depredador and I hear that Obsession himself once had a Hollow companion that I never met despite the odds. It seems to me within our race there are simply only fools and Hollow” he said with a heavy sigh. Displaying the flickering lights of Cero that he snapped to life between his fingers and made them dance like beautiful comets across the Hueco Mundo sky. Of course the second they made even the closest contact with each other they exploded.

“Watch the Cero Ahau. From the Cero you will learn. Are Bala and Cero any difference? No, not really. A bala is a twitch of motion, a flicker of disturbance taken form. Whilst a Cero requires coalescing like a flame and then shuddering sent into the world with a roar” the comets danced for a bit more. Lost in the mysterious nature of the Cero Iko let them dance. One by one they roared, changing colour from what would be considered a “true” Cero and more into lights in the sky. Blues, greens and reds. All Cero, all “power” yet all inherently different.

“Cool lightshow! Will you make him explode now before he stabs us in the back?”

“Indeed. I myself am one of the Hollow that was born without the “Hierro” my skin simply lacks the natural properties to harden and protect myself. I however was endowed with regenerative tissues so you can imagine how much of those tissues were destroyed in the creation of a Cero so unstable that it can make contact with your skin and explode yet not harm you” the comets twisted and whirled, exploding one by one. Eventually there was nothing left but wisps of spiritual energy in the sky.

“You begin how you want to begin. This is a learning process. In truth I thought to myself when I brought you here, “Why not Cero?” yes why not? But if a Cero can be used so defensively, why cannot Ahau Kin use it to enhance his speed. Tell me Ahau, have you ever considered the concept of shooting Cero from your paws” as if to demonstrate the Hollow steadied himself and gathered energy below him, combining it with the boom of a Cero. The roar of a Cero guided his mighty propulsion upwards. For a moment he was in front of Ahau. Then a flash of black mixed with purple. Then suddenly he was all the way up in the air.

“See? A Cero is the most flexible tool a Hollow has. Yet none choose to utilize it. If I can understand the tiny explosive inconsisitencies in the structure of a Cero so it doesn’t harm me when I propel myself with Sonido. Why can’t others? That is of course the purpose of the lesson Ahau. Use cero and find who you are”

511

Ahau tilted his head looking obvious confused by Iko's query. "What is in a pack?” he repeated the question before remaining quiet for several minutes “A pack is a collection of Hollow lead by the most powerful who has enough intelligence to lead. Subservient Hollow will depend on that leader’s preference. Only those intelligent enough to be of use? Only the strong no matter the intelligent? Perhaps a variety with differing powers that suit the Alpha’s needs? No matter the members they should look out for one another and strive for ambitions that would have otherwise been beyond their reach.”

The feline paused and tilted his head “Of course weakness should not be tolerated.” He added “If say a Hollow injures itself then the others should protect it until it can heal, if however one of us where to show consistent weakness and an inability to grow…” he trailed off with a smile that showed too many teeth “Well the natural order should still be preserved.”

Ahau nodded in agreement “I have been seeking out members that might be worthy.” He sighed “I have only come across a single promising Hollow however she was…odd and incredibly powerful. Stronger even than you. She also belonged to the Las Noches Pack and served alongside Arrancar.” He told Iko thinking of Xiaobei “I met her when travelling to the Fortress before…the Chaos started.” He said shivering slightly at the thought of that burning place “I still can’t believe I survived that madness.” He murmured.

Straightening up he nodded to Iko “I swear I will find us worthy brothers and sisters.” He said seriously. Numbers and talent would be needed to support Iko for Ahau’s plans.

As he spoke the Hollow watched the dancing lights of Iko’s Cero with a smile, it was quite the beautiful display. However it was also informative, as he watched the other Hollow manipulate the power with such ease he started to wonder in what other ways Cero could be used.

When Iko spoke about his regenerative abilities and lack of Hierro making Ahau nod “I have yet to display either.” He admitted “It will take time to see if I’m capable of either.”

With every day Ahau understood his nature better and the Jaguar was convinced that he’d develop one of these abilities if he could just work out how to apply them to his own physiology.

Ahau watched in silence as Iko demonstrated the flexible nature of Cero the Beta Hollow tilted his head. “Interesting.” He noted with a tilt of his head. “So can Cero be used to augment physical attacks too?” he asked.

Ahau gathered spiritual power in his throat and after a few seconds of charging the Hollow opened his mouth to reveal Red light spilling out, a small ball began to form before dissipating harmlessly. Then he gathered power, much more quickly this time, so that power began to flow up his tail and with a flick towards the cave’s exit he sent an unstable Bala sailing out into the desert which exploded in the air with a weak bang due to its weak nature.

“These are sadly the limits of my ability right now.” He admitted.

Ahau let power gather in his tail once more however instead of creating a Bala he just let the raw spiritual energy wreath his tail which he flicked from left to right with powerful swings, the energy burst outwards after a few swings as he lost control with a bright flash.

Frowning he wondered how else he could use Cero although he was fairly certain that he’d also need to learn to control the primal energies better first.

Well, that was amusing. Ahau hadn’t picked up on the question being rhetorical, oh well. He wouldn’t berate the other Hollow. Iko himself admitted he asked a lot of questions so Ahau answering one in a dozen didn’t really surprise him too much. Ah, but he had highlighted the problem of their pack. Their simply wasn’t anyone.

“Natural order. I’m beginning to think we’re growing outside of it Ahau. We should still preserve the natural order, if things die they die. If we heal them, we heal them. It’s all a question of time and the impact it has I suppose. But the struggle to find those of notable use to us is dwindling. Perhaps we aren’t looking well enough?” Yes, Ahau mentioned the one that followed the former King. He’d heard of her as well. The mysterious “other” Hollow of note that was brought up in conversation. They’d never met but Iko still respected the other hollow. He doubted she’d join them though, somehow Iko was under the opinion that she walked alone.

“The burning of Las Noches was fascinating. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many Arrancar scattered and lost in all my days. I hear there’s some that are pulling together the wreckage, forming a seal on their society until another King is found” the energies that radiated in the air coiled into his palm as he recalled his encounter with Obsession and all the events that followed. A hazy mist in his mind now, almost a lucid dream. He’d seen things he’d never realised he didn’t actually want to see and even more terrible things that the mind couldn’t even imagine.

“I stared into the heart of the former king. I saw the future of us all – death. It is inevitable, perhaps that was why I brought you here? Because I don’t want you to die like everybody else. Perhaps. Perhaps” he mused in his head and raise an arm, gathering the energies to his limb they coated it in what appeared to be a black armour that acted as a secondary skin. The Cero Armament had been created and it shimmered in the light of Hueco Mundo, a myriad of purples flickering across its surface.

“Cero Armament. I admit, I use it for defence more than attacking. I imagine you could perhaps learn it with practice and then use it to augment your own attacks, there wouldn’t be too much of a different I imagine” he let the energies shimmer and move about his arm. Still marvelling at his own creation, a Cero that simply waited to leave it’s user through a disturbance. But “A Cero” was incorrect, it was a lattice of many. Much like plate armour that Human Knights wore, the Cero acted similar waiting for the right moment to be unleashed on the unsuspecting and deliver a punishing blow.

“Your limits are only limits. But they can be surpassed with greater knowledge. All the limits of the world can be unlocked with practice and determination”

504 10 gp

Ahau tilted his head "We influence the natural order...we expand our role within it but I'm not sure if we ever escape it. I don't believe even the hybrids who have fled the natural laws of evolution can truly be free of it." he paused to make a sound of annoyance in his throat "You are correct however. I will have to dedicate more time to hunting for those that can join us. If we can't gather talented brethren to us then we'll never achieve anything of note. We need quantity but that quantity must also have quality." he sighed softly "I fear many of those who had the talent to grow threw it away to break the mask for quicker power gains."

Ahau didn't add the rest. They needed a core group. He would build a small faction of powerful and pure Hollows around Iko. He would then help Iko realise his true potential, potential the feline felt his Alpha had yet to realise, the talent to pull together the true Hollows and lead them. To give his people enough organization and will to stand as equals with the Arrancar instead of being seen as mere wandering beasts to be constantly trod on by the Half-Breeds.

We will not be seen as the lesser breed. We are the origin of their power. We are the blood of Hueco Mundo. We are the Hollow and the world will learn to fear us again.

Turning his attention back fully to Iko he give the other Hollow an angry glare "Fascinating to you perhaps. I was busy hoping I could avoid the King's traitorous attack and that the the damn building wouldn't collapse and crush my skull." he added peevishly before shrugging "I have no idea. I don't know enough about the upper echelons of the Half-Breed society to know who might be take the throne. Hopefully someone with a little more sanity."

He paused and frowned as a sudden thought came to mind "I wonder what will happen with Xiaobei." he murmurred with a frown "She seemed to care a great deal for the King...I believe he was her Alpha. If she survives I wonder will he abandon her."

Shaking his head he pushed the thoughts aside. The female, so very powerful, had left an impression on Ahau with her curious personality and he hoped she survived the mad king's actions. It would be a shame for their race to lose one with so much potential.

His attention was drawn back to the present as light began to gather at the edge of his vision and looking up he saw Iko was gathering power to use his Cero Armament again. It really was quite an amazing power and Ahau felt a mixture of pride and envy for his Alpha.

Tilted his head at Iko's words he nodded "You may be right." he said "Physical attacks are more my kind of attacking but if I can augment them with an ability such as this..." he trailed off and grinned "That would be quite useful."

Iko's last words caused Ahau's smile to fade slightly. Surpassing limits...for some reason that reminded him of how the female Hybrid at Las Noches had described the transformation from Hollow to Arrancar.

"I'll keep that in mind." he informed Iko "I am sure I have yet to unlock my true potential."

Time and Knowledge...that was all he needed.

“Quality. Ahau Kin is why you are my successor. It is why I chose you to go out and find those who are most relevant to our cause, to find the pure, the inspirational and the potential. We? We are the lucky few, the ones with awareness of the Arrancar condition and I believe you will do great things. Am I not your mentor as much as your pack leader? That untapped potential you have, we will find it” for Ahau Kin was quickly growing into more than just a student or an unwavering pack member. He was becoming significant. A necessary person in Iko’s life to further his path forward in this world. The hollow in front of him was a keystone for change, a testament to what Hollow could achieve together.

“We will change with each passing day Ahau. We will learn and develop and it’s about embracing that change that we can make change” a Cero flare in his hand and he launched it into the sky, he broke it into two mid-air and let the two halves fly around a bit before they crashed back into each other. Cero came easy for him, but for Ahau? He had no doubt that Ahau had talents that Iko simply couldn’t teach him but could provide him the guidance to strive towards.

“Sanity the Arrancar lack. I went back to check on Las Noches a few days ago. The Arrancar haul wanton stones up slopes they made in an attempt to repair a castle that refuses to be repaired. Great power must restart the fires of Las Noches, a great power that understands as much as it witnesses. A new order must rise for Las Noches to be strong again so even we play the waiting game” he tapped the fabric of reality and felt for the familiar disturbance in the ripple of space and tugged on it, tearing open a garganta. Their training was done. The discussion was fresh in Ahau’s mind along with his advice. No doubt that Ahau given him would come to understand.

“Xiaobei, is that her name? Granted I never meet her only heard of her. If she was so close to the King I wonder what will become of her. Perhaps she was scattered to the wind, perhaps something else? Who knows? I’m not too interested in Hollow that find themselves subservient to Arrancar and most definitely not her” he stepped through the garganta into the rippling void and into the blackness of the beyond. A world was before them to explore and seek together.

“The former King will die and we will witness the flames be reborn. But come now Ahau, I have a Quincy to track down. Wars to fight. A boy to meet and a history to write. But do remember dear Ahau, no matter how I might change and how much you lose your way. I will always be your pack leader and I will always give you guidance when you need it’

TOTAL: 2644 = 52 GP
//THREAD EXIT