FicWad

The entire space was baffling. All around me, my senses were assaulted. My vision was entirely focussed on the swirling mass of grey waves that expanded endlessly. My ears were filled with the roaring of the surrounding landscape. My entire sense of smell was occupied by the smell of sulphur and rotting flesh (probably remnants of the hollows dragging their prey through here). Even my sensing of spiritual pressure was attacked. The reishi that was swirling around me was baffling.
It was then that I felt it. The sensation that I was falling. This sensation was then proved to be correct. I was falling.
Concentrating with all of my might, I attempted to solidify the reishi beneath my feet. Just like I was taught at the soul reaper academy. Thankfully, it worked.
Realising what needed to be done, I continued to concentrate until a path of spirit energy was formed beneath my feet. Focussing on the area in front of me, I began to run. Every step I took resulted in the construction of a new piece of the pathway.
Then I noticed it. Ichigo and his friends had disappeared. I had lost sight of all of them in the swirling waves of reishi.
“Oh well…” I muttered to myself. I didn’t have time to worry about them. Despite the fact that my sole purpose of this decision to enter Hueco Mundo was to assist them, I couldn’t do that if I was dead. I needed to escape from this swirling, suffocating, darkness.

*

As the shards of the dimensional fabric swirled around me, I wrapped my arms around my torso in order the shield myself from being slashed. Touching down on the ground, my feet slid though the dust that seemed to line the floor.
Pausing my advance, I stared around myself. So this was Hueco Mundo. I had broken into, what appeared to be, a long hallway. To be honest, this wasn’t what I expected. When I had, initially, pictured the land of the hollows, I expected it to be more…slimy.
There was no sign of the orange haired soul reaper and his cohorts. Needless to say, they had probably broken in to a separate area.
For some, inexplicable, reason I found myself reaching for the hilt of my sword. All around me there was a feeling of unease. I was sure that my entrance couldn’t have gone unnoticed. I thought it best to proceed with caution.
Continuing down the hallway at a snail’s pace, I continued to grip the hilt of my nameless zanpakuto. It seemed like the safest option. Hollows were unpredictable at the best of times. God knows what they’d be like in their own world.
“Who’re you…” echoed a voice from behind me.
Whirling around, I found myself face to face with a vaguely humanoid creature. It wore a uniform that consisted, predominantly, of white. Around the visible area of it’s face, it bore strange markings tattooed onto his skin. Pinned to it’s brow and right cheek, was a mask-like structure that appeared to be constructed from bone.
“Damn…” it muttered to itself, raising it’s top lip. “I wondered what kind of enemy you were…but it turns out you’re just an insect.”
Leaping backwards, I barely avoided a rapid strike from the figure’s large hand. Drawing my sword, the bare blade of my zanpakuto glinted in the dim light.
“A zanpakuto?” it grunted, fixing his eyes on the glittering silver of my blade. “So you must be a soul reaper!”
“What’s it to you!?” I spat out. The figure was obviously some kind of arrancar. However…he didn’t seem like any arrancar I’d seen before.
“First time I’ve seen one since I was in a mask!” the arrancar said breaking into a grin.
“First time I’ve seen such a weak looking arrancar,” I retorted back.
“That’s harsh…” he muttered. “And I thought soul reapers were supposed to be respectful.”
“But it’s the truth,” I smirked, tightening my grip on my zanpakuto.
“Well if I look so weak, why don’t you fight me!” he roared, lunging towards me, swinging his fist in a wide arc.
Hurriedly jumping backwards, I avoided the swing and struck back with my sword. Slashing through his white uniform, my blade seemed to grate up his torso and over his shoulder. He was, however, unharmed.
“Hahahaha!!” he laughed, breaking into a wide grin. “That’s what you get for underestimating me! We arrancars have skin if hierro!! Of iron!! It’ll take a lot more than that to cut me down!”
Suddenly running forwards, he struck out again with his hand. This time it connected. Flung backwards by the force of the strike, I staggered down the hallway. As the tingling, sticky, sensation ran down my face, I came to the realisation that I was bleeding.
“Ha!” the arrancar laughed again. “You’re going to meet your end, soul reaper…At the hands of arrancar #21: Minikui!!”
As he rushed forwards, his hand almost seemed to begin to glow as he took another swing at me. Dodging the attack, I retreated to my left. The result of this was Minikui’s hand slamming against the wall behind me. As he did so, it began to crack.
So that was his trick. He was filling his hand with spirit energy. No wonder the attack to my face did so much damage.
“Come on you insect!” he laughed, advancing towards me and closing the distance. “Stop buzzing around, you pesky fly!!”
“Even an insect has the will to fight for it’s life!” I hissed, suddenly running forwards and raising my sword. “And even an insect can be deadly!”
Thrusting the blade of my zanpakuto forwards, it began to shine as I aimed for the only spot I could think of that would be unprotected by his hierro. I aimed for his mouth.

*

Wiping the blood from the blade on my shihakusho, I cast a thought back to the arrancar. He seemed different to the ones I’d seen in the world of the living. The first thing that caught my attention was how astoundingly weak he was, in comparison to the ones I had encountered earlier. Needless to say, he probably wasn’t an Espada.
Then it happened…A high toned ring suddenly began to emanate from my blade. It was as if it were finally trying to make contact with me…Trying to tell me it’s name.
KRACKKK!!!!
Above me, the ceiling began to crack and splinter. What the hell was going on? Was it going to collapse on top of me?
“Wait…” I muttered to myself, rapidly staring around. “there are no windows here!”
It suddenly dawned on me. The hallway I was in was underground. If the roof continued to crack, it could collapse and bury me alive!!
Taking off at top speed, I sprinted down the hallway in an attempt to get out. All around me, the walls began to splinter and crack.