FicWad

Three weeks ago

The Garganta opened under the dome of Las Noches, disgorging the four Espada and their new lord into the ruins of Aizen's former fortress. Shiro patiently closed his eyes as he descended down, feeling the flow of reiatsu in the air. Well, well. He thought with a smile, It seems that the Shinigami were smart enough to take my generous offer of a headstart.

Opening his eyes, he looked about. The massive palace was a wreck, now bearing the scars of close to a dozen different, heated battles that had been fought throughout it over the past twelve hours. Turning to his Espada, he spoke, "First thing is first. I require allies, both labor to fix this place, and soldiers to fight when the time comes." A brief thought occurred to him, causing him to pause. "But before that, tell me your names, you four." He nodded to the Espada who had fought above Karakura, "I am already familiar with Ulquiorra. But the rest of you..."

"I am Tia Hallibel." The female gave a small, respectful bow. "Thank you for allowing me to rescue my Fraccion, Shiro-sama."

"I'm Barragan Ruizenbān. I look forward to seeing you prove your worth as a king." The arrogant old man grinned slightly. "If nothing else, it should prove to be entertaining."

"The name's Coyote Stark. And this is Lilinette. Sorry for how bad she's shaking, but to be fair, you are fucking terrifying." Stark's eyes were sharp and uncharacteristically focused, even as his body stood completely relaxed.

Shiro chuckled lightly, the sound utterly without any empathy. "I suppose I'll have to try to learn to control this fear that everyone seems to feel in my presence. It could be a powerful weapon, or an obnoxious hindrance in the future. For now though..." He turned, inhaled deeply and let loose a roar of such magnitude that it literally shook the whole building. Ulquiorra felt his blood run cold as he recognized the shrieking, howl of the creature that had nearly killed him atop the dome barely two hours ago.

All across Hueco Mundo, hollows lifted their heads in curiosity and fear as the roar grew more and more powerful. The halls of Las Noches acted as an echo chamber, increasing it's strength until every hollow for thousands of kilometers heard the call. Such was the power held by the roar, that many of the lesser hollows disintegrated after a few moments, those that survived felt an almost primal need, calling them to gather. Something within them knew, this was the call of a King.

Finally, Shiro quieted. He could sense the hollows beginning to gather, all across the deserts beneath Las Noches, they came drawn by his might. Nodding satisfied to himself, he turned back to the Espada. "Hallibel, Barragan, I trust that I can count on you two to accommodate the forces that are about to gather? At least until I decipher how to actually use this." He held up the glimmering blue jeweled form of the Hōgyoku.

Hallibel nodded, desperately trying to not let her fear show. Barragan snorted, seemingly offended by the menial task he'd been assigned, but unwilling to speak up as memory of Shiro's power over him in Karakura returned to him.

Satisfied by the lack of arguments or complaints, Shiro looked to Stark, "The Sexta Espada should still be alive out there somewhere under the dome. I'd like you and your companion here to find him and bring him to me. Also, if you see a small, child-like Arrancar with green hair and a cracked mask, bring her as well."

Lilinette looked like she was about to complain, but Stark quickly stifled her with a hand on her head. "You got it boss." He grumbled, uncharacteristically ready to help.

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow as Stark and his Fracion vannished. Hmm... can he actually sense it? Or is he simply unwilling to complain in front of Shiro-sama? I wonder...

His thoughts were interupted as Shiro turned to him, "If this palace is going to become my seat of power, I'll need to learn it's ins and outs. You are going to help me. Also, tell me everything you know about the Hōgyoku."

"Of course Shiro-sama," He bowed, gesturing for the mighty Arrancar to follow him. "Come, we have much ground to cover."

*

Shiro spent the next week learning every nook and cranny of the city sized, labyrinthine structure. While he explored, Hallibel and Barragan quickly set about bullying the thousands of hollows that had gathered at Shiro's call into crews, swiftly forming them into something resembling an army. He found the living chambers quickly enough, and pilfered a change of clothes, finally stripping out of the destroyed remains of his former Shinigami kimono, and replacing it with a pair of comfortable white hakama pants, a white shirt, and a long white coat. He realized once it was on him, that the coat was very similar in appearence to the coat he'd worn as a Shinigami while using bankai. The more things change, the more they stay the same... He thought to himself with a small chuckle.

Once he was satisfied of his knowledge of Las Noches, he found his way to the infirmery where Stark had deposited Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. The blue haired Espada coughed violently upon seeing him.

"Shit." He said, lying back on his bed, snarling at his still recovering wounds, "Stark told me that it was you... but I still wasn't ready for it. And yes," He said, noticing the look in Shiro's eyes, "He told me what you are. Kurosaki Ichigo is really dead huh?" Shiro nodded. "Heh. Useless bastard. Couldn't even wait to get killed by me."

"Are you going to be a hindrance to me Grimmjow?" Shiro's hand fell to the hilt of his Zanpakutō which was slid into his sash, "Or will you follow me? The only thing that I can promise is that if you try to fight me, you will die. Badly."

Grimmjow closed his eyes, weighing his options. Eventually he sighed deeply, "Looks like the only real option is to work for you." He said, a twisted grin appearing on his face, "At least this way, if you fuck up, I'll be close enough to get at your throat."

Shiro smiled, it reminded Grimmjow of a viper just before it struck, causing his blood to run cold. "That's what I like about you Grimmjow. You know Opportunity when you see it." He turned to the other side of the infirmary, "And now..." Walking up to the bed, he knelt, bringing himself to eye level with the small girl who stared up at him. "What about you, Nel?"

The child-like Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck gazed at him, a surprised expression on her face. Her two guardians and former Fracion Dondochakka and Pesche stood to either side of her bed, both clearly nervous in the presence of the Sexta Espada and the new Lord of Las Noches.

Nel's eyes glimmered as recognition as she saw Shiro's face. "Itsygo?" She asked, her light voice still mispronouncing the former Shinigami's name.

Shiro chuckled, surprised to find that he actually felt happy to see the little Arrancar again. Hmm... So not all of Ichigo's memories and feelings are completely gone... He smiled at Nel, "Not... exactly. I'm afraid that the Ichigo that you knew is gone. I am Shiro. You can think of me as..."

"You're Itsygo." The little girl interrupted, "I can see it." Shiro blinked in surprise, "You've got Itsygo's face, and his eyes. Even if you do look more angry. Did something bad happen Itsygo? Is that why you look so angry?"

"No, no." He chuckled lightly, the sound causing everyone except Nel to flinch in instinctive fear. "I just realized that you were right about what you said, about Shinigami being the enemy. So I decided to not be a Shinigami anymore." He motioned to the hole in his chest.

Nel's eyes brightened in glee. "Itsygo! You became a hollow?" She leaped off the bed, colideing with him in a massive hug. "Oh that's so wonderful!"

Shiro laughed as the former Espada hung from his neck, genuinely shocked at his almost human reaction. "Yes. But it's not 'Ichigo' anymore. My name's Shiro now, do you think you can remember that?"

"Mmhm!" She dropped back down to the bed, and grinned up at him. "That's way easier to remember than Itsygo."

"Good." He rose to his full height. "I'm going to need allies, Nel. Can I count on you to help me?"

Nel's expression suddenly became extremely serious, and the glimmer in her eyes told Shiro that she had not forgotten about her experience during their battle with Nnoitra. "Definitely. Nel will do everything she can to help Shiwo."

Shiro blinked at her mispronunciation of his name, and then burst out laughing. "Hahahahaha... Ahh... the times change, but you never do Nel." He looked to the girl's guardians, "And you two?"

Pesche knelt, his voice uncharacteristically solemn as he spoke. "If Nel-sama has given you her allegiance, then ours need never be questioned, Shiro-sama." Dondochakka did his best to follow suit, but his larger form made kneeling difficult.

"Good." Shiro said again, "I am working on a way to try and return Nel to her true form. Until then, I'd like the three of you to assist Hallibel and Barragan with the logistics. We are receiving a great many hollows to rebuild the Arrancar army, and the two of them are probably at their wits end." He chuckled evilly.

"Oye Shiro-sama." Grimmjow's voice echoed from across the room, "What do you want me to do? I'm going stir crazy in this fucking bed, especially with that brat as a roommate for the last week."

Shrio turned and considered the blue haired man, "You're recovered enough to work?" At Grimmjow's nod, he smiled. "Then once you are up and dressed, get some hollows together, strong backs, and strong arms, and get them working on the repairs to the palace. It's not a glamorous job I'm afraid, but it's one that needs to get done. I want Las Noches back to full functionality as soon as possible."

Grimmjow snorted, clearly disappointed by the order, but he was also clearly desperate to leave the infirmary. He said nothing as he nodded.

*

Several more days passed in a blur of work and labor. The gathered hollows were mostly just instinctual creatures, and operated with the efficiency of an army of worker ants while under the direction of the Espada. Steadily, the holes that had been blasted in the palace's dome were sealed, and the towers and chambers were rebuilt.

Every now and then, Shiro would select a hollow at random, and drag it away to one of the laboratories that had survived the battles. There he would experiment with the different uses that he had discovered for the Hōgyoku, slowly rebuilding the ranks of Arrancar. Finally, he decided to test his theory on it's primary subject.

Nel stood in a small chamber, looking around curiously. Shiro set the Hōgyoku down in the small slot connected to the chamber, and touched a finger to the small jewel, feeling it's alien will touch with his mind. Return her power. Make her whole once more. He thought, pushing with his considerable willpower against it.

The chamber filled with a blindingly bright light, before exploding outwards in a burst of heavy reiatsu. All across Las Noches, the work crews of hollows looked up as reiatsu filled the air, even the Espada raised an eyebrow at its density.

Shiro entered the chamber, followed by Dondochakka and Pesche, the latter held a set of white robes in his arms. The chamber was filled with a white mist, and there in the center, the torn remains of her green smock covering her breasts, stood Nelliel, the former Tres Espada.

She examined her hands as she stood, clenching and unclenching them. Her expression was almost shocked as she realized that she was no longer a child. "I-I'm back..." Her voice was still a light, musical tone, but it held an edge of maturity to it now that spoke of years of combat experience. "I'm really back!"

Pesche and Dondochakka knelt before her, offering her the robes. It was clear, even below the masks they wore that they were smiling radiantly. "Welcome back, Nel-sama." Pesche said, his voice full of respect. "We have truly missed your beautiful smile."

"Pesche... Dondochakka..." Her tone was warm, as she smiled gratefully, "You two stayed with me through everything... Thank you both." Taking the robe from Pesche's extended arms, she swept it on, before bowing to Shiro. "Shiro-sama, I, Former Tres Espada, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, hereby swear myself to you. You have saved me countless times in the past few weeks, and so, my loyalty is yours, forever."

She gave him a radiant smile. Returning it, he stepped forward, offering her a hand. "Welcome home, Nel." He realized that he felt genuine warmth inside as he spoke, Emotions...? Other than hatred? I had honestly forgotten what they felt like. He smiled softly.

"Ah! That's the first real smile I've ever seen you make Shiro-sama!" Nel squealed in glee, bringing him back to the present.

"Don't get used to it." He chuckled. Turning and walking out of the chamber, he retrieved the Hōgyoku from it's slot. He was examining the small jewel when Nel came up behind him.

"So that's the Hōgyoku?" He nodded, "Wow... it's pretty. And it's what let you heal me huh?"

"I suppose... It's an incredible creation. Urahara Kisuke and Aizen Sosuke were good for something at least." He led the woman through the halls of Las Noches, hollows and Arrancar bowing as they passed. "Hmm... I wonder..."

"What are you thinking Shiro-sama?" Nel seemed to be the only being that wasn't naturally terrified of him he realized. She walked behind him and to his left, adjusting her robe as she walked, and setting the scabbard of her Zanpakutō into the belt. It felt... natural for her to be there.

"I am wondering just what limitations the Hōgyoku really has." Their path eventually brought them to the recently repaired throne room. Shiro walked casually up the steps to the large stone throne and collapsed into the waiting seat. "It seems to be capable of so much more than just creating Arrancar out of Hollows. I just wonder how much more."

"Well, why don't you test it?" The voice of Grimmjow rung out across the chamber. Walking up the steps to the throne, the blue haired Espada grinned, "Let's go test the thing on something other than a Hollow." It was then that he noticed the green haired beauty standing beside the throne. "Eh? Who the fuck'r you?"

Nel's expression darkened at his apparent lack of manners. "Oh? You've forgotten your old 'roommate' so quickly?" She sneered, a sly grin spreading across her lips. "How hurtful Grimmjow-san."

Grimmjow snarled at the reply, realizing at last who she was, and reaching for his Zanpakutō "You cheeky b-"

"Grimmjow." Shiro's voice cut through both of their thoughts like a blade. "Don't try to fight her. I know you are strong, but you can't beat Nel." He hadn't looked up from the Hōgyoku in his hands. "What were you saying about 'testing' the Hōgyoku?"

It took Grimmjow several moments to regain his composure, glaring at Nel the whole while. Finally he took a deep breath and spoke, "If you wanna see what the thing's capable of, let's test it. Try it out on something that's not a hollow, see if it can turn them into an Arrancar."

Shiro's expression was thoughtful, "You mean like a human?"

"I guess. Or you could try it on a Shinigami for shits and giggles." Grimmjow shrugged. "It's really none of my business, but it sure beats sitting around here."

"You're just trying to get out of doing work, aren't you?" Shiro chuckled, finally turning his piercing, yellow-black gaze on the Sexta Espada. Grimmjow shuffled backwards, slightly nervous. "I'm afraid that I can't let you leave the repair teams just yet. They need a strong hand to guide them, and a fierce taskmaster to keep them on point. I can't think of anyone better suited."

"Hmph. Since you put it like that, fine then, oh fearless leader." Grimmjow threw up a mocking salute before shoving his hands into his pockets and wandering away.

He likes to think that he's better than everyone... Shiro thought, watching him go, But he's smart enough to know a fight he can't win when he sees it. That's good. Looking to Nel, he continued aloud, "He has a point though. Perhaps we should test the Hōgyoku on a human."

"Then I'll accompany you on your trip to the World of the Living." Nel said, with a bright smile. "It's been years since I've really had this body back, I'm eager to get some exercise."

"Alright then. Ulquiorra, I know you're there." The pale skinned Espada stepped out from behind a pillar behind the throne, "I leave Las Noches in your care while I'm gone. Try not to let Grimmjow slack off too much."

"Of course, Shiro-sama." Ulquiorra bowed slightly, before stepping around the throne and down the stairs towards the door.

Nel meanwhile looked down at her robe, "If it's alright with you, Shiro-sama, I'd like to go put some actual clothes on for this. A robe like this isn't really the easiest to move in if a fight brakes out."

Shiro nodded, smiling as the woman vanished using Sonido. "Now then..." He said, sifting through the memories of Kurosaki Ichigo. "I have the perfect candidate." His grin would have turned the blood of any who saw it to ice.

*

Present Day

Arisawa Tatsuki stared shocked as the face of Kurosaki Ichigo smiled back at her, the river drifted lazily past them to her right. "Yo, Tatsuki. Been a while." His voice was deep, and evoked a primal fear deep within her, from the predatory smile that stretched across his features, he knew it too.

Tatsuki gulped, trying desperately to make her body respond to her the way it should. "Y-you..." She said quietly, almost seeming surprised to hear her own voice. "You're not Ichigo." She tried to make her voice as scathing and hurtful as possible.

She was terribly surprised then, when the man grinned widely, bringing his hands together in small applause. "Hah..." He said with a small huff of breath, "Finally. Someone who can take a hint. No, Tatsuki, I am not really Kurosaki Ichigo. But yes, this was his body."

"Ahh..." The green haired woman sighed, draping herself across Shiro's shoulder, "Shiro-sama..." She said in a musical voice, "I'm bored... Are you sure this human is worth the time?"

"Get off of him you cow!" Tatsuki suddenly snarled, taken aback by her own fury at the sight of this other woman throwing herself across what looked like Ichigo. Even though she knew it wasn't him. Before she could speak again, Shiro's companion turned a glare on her, and she suddenly felt as though an entire ocean was pressing down on her from all directions. She collapsed to her knees, clutching at her chest, struggling to breathe.

"That's enough, Nelliel." Shiro's voice rang clearly through the haze of Nel's reiatsu. "She's no use to me if you kill her."

Nel pouted, but allowed her reiatsu to drop back to a level that was safe for a human to be near. "Fine..." She said, clearly unhappy.

Tatsuki hacked and coughed as the pressure on her chest disappeared, grateful to be able to breathe again, and staring at the two standing across from her with a new mixture of fear and hatred. "Wh-what... do you want with me?" She managed to croak out, before her eyes widened in fear.

Shiro's index finger pressed lightly against her forehead, directly between her eyes. She hadn't even seen him move! The point of contact was light, almost completely nonexistent, the tip of his finger just brushed ever so lightly against her skin. But it was enough.
Her eyes continued to widen as she felt pure, one hundred percent, primal terror course through her veins. The fear spread through her like some kind of wild fire, consuming all other thoughts and feelings, until her eyes rolled back into her head, and she simply collapsed. Just before she completely lost consciousness, she could hear Shiro's voice, though she couldn't tell if it was in her head of aloud, "I want you to become my new weapon."

Then she knew nothing.

*

Nelliel watched as the girl collapsed, her eyes gone completely blank with fear. Letting out a small whistle, she stepped over to Shiro's side, "That was incredible. How did you do that too her?"

"Everyone seems to experience terror in my presence." Shiro said, before snorting out a small laugh, "Well... Everyone except you it seems." She giggled musically, "I've been experimenting with that reaction over the past few weeks, trying to figure out how to use it as a weapon. Looks like it worked perfectly." He knelt down, placing a finger against the human's neck, "She still has a pulse. That's good, the fear didn't outright kill her."

"You really want this one Shiro-sama?" Nel pouted, still angry about Tatsuki's earlier insult. "I say we should just feed her to Bawaba and find someone better."

"No." He shook his head, rising to stand once more. "Arisawa Tatsuki is the perfect choice. For a couple of reasons." His gaze suddenly flicked up towards the road, and a wicked smile appeared on his face. "Well then, time to begin." He said, raising his voice just slightly, and pulling the Hōgyoku from his pocket.

As he moved to kneel over the unconscious human once more, a figure rushed forward from the road. "Cry out! Benihime!" Urahara Kisuke swung his Zanpakutō in a cleaving ark, a blast of blood red energy whipping toward the two Arrancar.

Shiro leaped back, with Nel close behind him, landing several paces away, with Kisuke landing between them and the unconscious Tatsuki. "Hmm? Well well... Look who's here." Shiro chuckled, "It's been a while, Sensei." The mockery in his tone was obvious.

Kisuke's eyes were just visible beneath his hat, and they made Nel's blood run cold. They were filled with a fury that she had never seen before, that she had never thought possible before. "You have no right to call me that, monster." His voice was low and dangerous, as he leveled Benihime once more, preparing to strike.

Shiro didn't seem to care, his Zanpakutō stayed sheathed in his sash. Chuckling, he said, "Oh come on. You can't say that you aren't thinking of old times, sensei." Again his tone was mocking, almost as though he wanted to goad the older Shinigami into attacking, "Although you're right I suppose. You never really did teach me much, you just tried to kill me. Now, Yoruichi-san... she was a great teacher. Hot t-"

At the mention of the darker skinned woman, Kisuke's eyes flared with hatred and he lunged forward. He crossed the distance between them faster than Nel could have thought possible, his blade aimed right at the grinning Shiro's throat. But Shiro had been ready for it. As the strike closed in, he leaned backward an to the side, coming up inside of Kisuke's reach, and smashed a palm strike upwards, catching the Shinigami on the chin and knocking him away.

Kisuke landed several yards away. To his credit, he had recovered in the air, landing on his feet. His eyes were wide and hate filled as they once again took in Shiro's relaxed form, the Arrancar had even gone so far as to put his hands back into his pockets, and was smiling wickedly back at the Shinigami. "Don't you ever mention her like that again." Kisuke snarled, "Now what is your intention here?"

Shiro laughed, gesturing over to the fallen Tatsuki, "I'd have thought that was obvious to a man as intelligent as you. I am eliminating Kurosaki Ichigo's memory from this world." Nel frowned slightly at her lord's words, slightly confused, but chose to say nothing. "You wouldn't happen to know where Ichigo's family is would you? I'd just love to pay my little sisters a visit." He licked his lips as if to emphasize the point.

"Your sisters are well beyond your reach, monster." Kisuke said, moving to stand once more between Shiro and the fallen human girl. "And if you think you're going to hurt this girl, you are dearly mistaken."

"Hmm, looks like I already did hurt her." Shiro observed, just as Tatsuki's unconscious expression scrunched in fear and pain. "So I guess I win round two as well, Kisuke-san." He emphasized the familiarity as much as he could, laughing at the other man's grimace. "I'll tell you what, Kisuke-san. I'm feeling generous today, so how about I give you a five minute head start. You can run anywhere you want, hell, go ahead and take Tatsuki with you. I won't chase you for five whole minutes."

Kisuke tried to read into his enemy's statement. Tried to get a read on Shiro's true intention. But no matter what he did, his thoughts just continued to jump back to Yoruichi. The way that Shiro had talked about her had caused him to snap, and he couldn't stop wondering what his intentions would be if she were before him instead of Kisuke. The possibilities turned the man's blood to ice.

Dammit... He thought, glancing back to the unconscious human girl, I can't fight at full power here. Not if I also want to protect her. No choice then. Sparing one final hate-filled glare at Shiro, he jumped back to Tatsuki, picked her up gently, and vanished away in a quick series of shunpos.

He leaped across the river and started to run as fast as he could to his shop. She'll be safe in Soul Society. He thought as he ran, If I can just get her to my shop, and through the gate... The captain's can protect her. And then I can come back and cut Shiro's head from his shoulders.

When the Shinigami was gone, Nel turned to Shiro, "Why did you let him get away Shiro-sama? Now we won't be able to test the Hōgyoku on that girl." She paused at the satisfied, sadistic grin on Shiro's face. "Shiro-sama?"

"It's alright Nel. We don't need to worry, because I already did my 'test'." She blinked in surprise, "And now, Kisuke is being kind enough to deliver Tatsuki right to where I want her to be. I'll really need to remember to thank him, next time I see him." He turned, and began walking back down the riverbank the way the two of them had come.
Then the Shinigami reiatsu began to fill the air, and he began to laugh. "And now Kisuke has called in the reinforcements! Oooh, this is too perfect. He doesn't even know how flawlessly he's just been played." He turned back to Nel, "Well Nelliel my dear, it's time for us to go." He flicked at the air, causing a Garganta to open, "After you."

Nel smiled, happy to see Shiro-sama in such an uncharacteristically good mood, before nodding and stepping through the portal and into the waiting darkness. Shiro followed her in, pausing as the entrance began to close to look back at the river bank. Several captain class Shinigami were rushing towards him, Zaraki Kenpachi in the lead. He grinned as the Garganta snapped shut, just as Kenpachi had raised his blade to strike.

*

"So, what do we know about Shiro?" Yamamoto Genryuusai addressed the gathered captains. Isshin, Yoruichi, Kisuke, and three of the Vizards were also in attendance. "Urahara Kisuke, Kruotsuchi Mayuri, what have you discovered?"

Kisuke stepped forward first, "Given the incident yesterday afternoon, we have reason to believe that Shiro intends to destroy Kurosaki Ichigo completely. Not just his life, but also his memory." This caused several murmurs all around the room, Kisuke waited for them to calm down before continuing. "As a precaution, I took the liberty of moving the human girl whom Shiro was toying with here to Soul Society, so that she would be out of his immediate reach. I would also like to have Shinigami watch Kurosaki's two remaining human friends, and be ready to intervene should Shiro or one of his subordinates try to attack them." He took a deep breath, "I also believe that he is experimenting with the Hōgyoku."

That caused more than just murmurs. "Shit!" Kyoraku swore.

"If he unlocks the Hōgyoku's power, we'll have to deal with another Arrancar army!" Komamura felt his fist clench tightly, wishing that Shiro's skull was beneath it.

"I am afraid that the news only gets worse." Kurotsuchi Mayuri now stepped forward. "After examining the wreckage of the fake Karakura town, I have come to a conclusion that may... disturb you all."

Mayuri paused, almost as if uncertain how to proceed. Which was something that did not go unnoticed by the rest of those gathered. "Captain Kurotsuchi?" Yamamoto urged.

"I have come to the conclusion that our innitial thoughts of the creature known as Shiro were... wrong." Mayuri said, his expression darkening, "All reports involving Shiro state that the creature has no reiatsu. This is incorrect. My investigations have led me to believe that Shiro does indeed possess reiatsu, however such is it's magnitude, and density, that it literally short-circuits a person's ability to feel it. He literally has so much power, that we are completely numbed by it's proximity." he paused, to let the revelation sink in.

The expressions across the room were a potent mixture of horrified shock. Nobody, not even the Commander seemed willing to believe that such a phenomenon was even possible. Mayuri continued, "I have not been able to deduce how or even why his presence doesn't stop us from still sensing any other source of reiatsu as usual, but I will continue my studies. However, there is one thing I do now know, thanks to the human girl Urahara Kisuke rescued yesterday. There is a physical reaction to Shiro's overwhelming reiatsu: Fear. In every report of Shiro, all involved claimed to feel a sense of terror or dread whenever they were near him, even moreso when he focused on them. That was the individual's body and nervous system reacting to it's overwhelmed senses. Given Urahara's report of the events yesterday, it would seem that Shiro is developing this reaction into a weapon. A very potent weapon."

Yamamoto's expression was dark. "This is bad... Shiro is proving to be a very dangerous adversary." He slammed the end of his staff down against the floor, "This is a top priority order. No Shinigami below the rank of captain is to attempt to fight the Arrancar known as Shiro. We cannot risk the immense devastation that he would reap if he perfects his ability to cause fear with a touch."

The others nodded. The commander was about to speak again, when a burst of reiatsu interrupted him, and a hollow cry echoed across the Seireitei.