Hollowsing

I have to rehome my cats saturday, which his stepmom is coming to get, and then on top of that I'm at the risk of being homeless while he's in Rehab because this apartment is no longer a good fit for him since he broke his pelvis.

We found a trailer that could work for him but 10k is a lot of money that we don't have, plus we'll have to worry about moving fees and all that jazz.

It's either that or I risk becoming homeless and I will NOT survive that because the moment I lose a place to live, I'm not gonna have anywhere to go since I literally have to be in a wheelchair 90% of the time.

I've set up a gofundme upon suggestion from a friend of mine which can be found here;

I also have commissions open on vgen and ko-fi if you'd prefer to do it that way;

ELDEST PROMPTS - [accepting] ᓚᘏᗢ

"Perhaps so."

"Truly, who would have thought that this realm's fate would ever intersect with that of the shinigami? Though, since Arrancars exist, perhaps it was bound to happen at some point in time..."

A sigh escaped them. The somber ambiance of Hueco Mundo felt quite appropriate for such timeworn thoughts, even if the event they had just referenced could be considered one of their greatest fortunes.

At least they didn't have to endure it alone. Having Armamur by their side would always make scouting for potential threats a little less dull, despite them not being very close yet. The thought alone of not being alone as an Arrancar working with shinigami was honestly pretty encouraging.

The silence that filled the void between the white dunes didn't bother them as it would before their recruitment, but nonetheless, Miele felt the need to continue, enjoying the chance for a conversation with their fellow Hollow.

"Whenever people ask how it feels to fight against our own kin, I always say there's really no difference between doing it for food or doing it for duty..."

Armamur hadn't joined Aizen as he had been under Gin before he'd even known about Aizen and his plans. Sometimes he looked back on all that happened in wondered if he should have? If Gin would still be alive if he was? But there was no way to know anymore. The past was the past and even Hollows must move forward.

"Sappy things? Like human light box stories? Armamurcielago has seen those light boxes with the sounds, lights and pictures. They don't work in Hueco Mundo though... I haven't tried in the Seireitei though." He stated in thought, revealing that he'd stolen a TV from the human world and brought it to Hueco Mundo, only to be very disappointed that it wouldn't turn on and light up.

It was a bit obvious that Armamur wasn't exactly normal. If he had been human before he certainly didn't seem to remember it or anything about it beyond what few things he "discovered" as a Hollow.

That had been a surprising, learning the green haired Arrancar had lived. He had assumed she died because she wasn't there anymore when Grimmjow brought him and the rest of the pack to Las Noches. She was lucky to have survived, some of Szayel's experimental subjects weren't so lucky.

He wasn't surprised about Aizen's betrayal though. He had a history of it in Soul Society so why stop there? There was also this feeling he got inside Szayel before being ejected. He'd tried to speak up about it to his sibling from within but had been ignored. In the end Ilforte had ended up questioning his own instincts on the matter. Maybe he shouldn't have and should have mentioned it to Grimmjow back then? But they did all become Arrancar out of it at the time and that had been a nice bonus at least.

Now that he should have figured, Shawlong always said that Grimmjow was stronger than he seemed. Ilforte had never really grasped what the smarter Arrancar meant back then. He got it now though.

Grimmjow spent a lot of his time with other Arrancar. Only until whoever he was with opted to leave to find someone easier. Someone they didn't need to work to keep. Fucking was fairly common back when Aizen was in Hueco Mundo but not since.

He'd not been with someone in a few hundred years now more than likely. He'd been drawn to someone once or twice but nothing came of it. Likely for good reason. He wasn't easy anyway and he never had been. Something Yylfordt may have recalled from his time beneath the ex-Espada.

He'd always been strong. Stronger than anyone gave him credit for, even. Few knew of his true level of strength and he was stronger now. Even more so than he'd been when Yylfordt had stood beside him the last time they saw one another. His pack meant a lot to him but he'd not been allowed to show that.

"Never done that before with anyone, Yylfordt." Kissing was intimate. Intimacy was confusing to the Arrancar. It wasn't too odd given that it was Yylfordt who kissed him, he'd felt close to the blond back when they were both Arrancar. The blond was a Shinigami now, so that was interesting, but he could visit sometimes. He wasn't banned from Soul Society, he could go visit people there as often as he wanted to.

"I think I might have back when I was alive, but your the first I have in a really long time. I, uh, wanted ta do that for a while. Just never seemed like a good time to." He stated, hinting that he had these feeling since he was an Arrancar at least. He might have even had them as a Hollow too.

Even if it was dangerous, Modo had to know!

She gave up with a huff, sitting next to him.

“Wake up.” Pe finally poked Ulqui’s face with a finger.

Ulquiorra had laid motionless. For how long he couldn't recall. He should be died, but he had awoken somewhere in the dunes of Hueco Mundo. He was sore, movement was painful and so he'd closed his eyes again to sleep, to heal.

That was when he felt the reiatsu of another. A hollow presence? No, it felt more like an Arrancar. A minor difference but he could make the distinction. It wasn't strong so he allowed it closer, the footsteps, the sniffing... before the sound of someone sitting near him signaled they were not intending to leave.

First Meetings Sentences, Vol. 3

"Hmm? I thought we were meeting here for that academy demonstration...?" Ilforte replied puzzled. Was he early? Or late more likely. Still he was sure this was the spot but he couldn't see any of the other Shinigami trainees. The note even said to meet here at this time today too. Wait... did those bastards give him the wrong location on purpose! Hell! He knew that his classmates didn't like him because he used to be an Arrancar (and under Aizen's employ, indirectly as it was) but this was bullying!

"I got another week they say, assuming I can get through the written crap. I'm above average in combat though." He grinned with pride. It would be a small surprise there though. He had been a warrior in life and in death as a Hollow and Arrancar after all.

“I don’t care for paperwork either.” She attempted to relate. The designer would rather be working or socializing. “Do you think you could beat your future vice-captain & captain?” His smile made her a little shy, playing her with hair. The woman wished she had his confidence.

"Shawlong Koufang, Di Roy Rinker, Edrad Liones and Nakeem Grindina. At least that was their Arrancar names. Mine is the same as it was in life and I'm no sure that's the case for them though." He knew it wasn't the case for all Arrancar to use the name they had in life. It was possible that they might use different names now, especially if they for got their lives as Hollows or Arrancar, which he heard was very common. The blond wasn't about to give up hope though.

"Right now? Naw, I'm too weak now. When I was an Arrancar I might have been and my King definitely could have!" He boasted, no way Grimmjow had died or would die to any Shinigami. "When I got cleansed all I lost all my reiatsu and had to build it back up from the bottom." Ilforte explained. It sucked but at least he was permanently destroyed or sent to hell like some of the really powerful Hollows were.

Send 🌙 to take a nap with my muse!

Armamurcielago was nothing if not a cleaver Hollow. He never slept up on the surface of the sand dunes of Hueco Mundo. Instead he had created something of a den under the sand. Within were fluffy pillows made of velvet and collection of odd things he'd collected from the living world. Most of it worthless but all were things that he'd found interesting. There were also a few old fashioned music boxes that looked well maintained.

"Speak with humans? Not often. Most can't see or hear us anyway. And those that can... well, they tend to be dangerous!" He stated referring to Quincy in particular. They had been a time long ago he was chased and hunted by Quincy. He would never forget the blue-ish light of those Quincy arrows whistling past him as he narrowly avoided their attacks. That was all before he made his deal with the Shinigami though.

Rather than answer her inquiry with words he pulled a Dongo ball off the stick and pressed it to her lips. Making it clear that he was sharing it with her. A rare thing among Hollows. It was normally something reserved for those that were in packs or as a romantic gesture to a potential mate. Though that was typically with souls that were being consumed.

"I watch and listen. I learn what is going on and what to watch out for." He answered with a chuckle. He also had a little help from the Shinigami from time to time, but that was something he earned by studying his environment first. He knew what fights to pick and who to avoid simply from watching and waiting.

Lips accepted his offering. “Oh! It’s sweet! And chewy!” Pe said with her mouth full. After swallowing, she looked happier than before. “What is it? I will have to find more.”

“I do that already.” Modo sighed. “Find easy prey & strike. Hide from stronger foes. I think those are basic things. I want to know if there’s something more to being than hunt or being hunted.” The female was searching for meaning, though it wasn’t apparent to her yet.

"Humans make for poor food. They don't have much Reishi until they die and become pluses. But not all humans become pluses, so hunting them is a lot of wasted effort." Armamur explained. He'd tried that before long ago. It had been how he had attracted the attention of Quincy's in the first place.

"The human's make it. They call it Dango. There are other places to get it too... if your careful enough." The hollow told her. Best not to tell her he got it in Soul Society, specifically in the Seireitei. Pe would try to go there and it was dangerous enough for him to go there, she would likely be killed quickly. The only reason he wasn't was because the captains and Vice captains and all of 3rd division was aware of him being a spy for their side.

"Hunting and being hunted is the life all Hollows lead. It is the way of things in Hueco Mundo and always has been. At least as long as I can remember." He stated in thought. "Some Hollows breed though... but other than that, the Shinigami are the ones that live differently." He told her without elaborating on how he knew that things were different for them. Instead he stated, "They live more like humans, very strange." He concluded.

"You saying he can do worse than me? Pfft, as if. Besides, what fun would it be to not mess with people if they think their are three of you?" He was totally up for including ichigo in his fun. It was more the chaos that he was looking for than who had to pay for it after all.

He'd sigh. "Considerin' he tried to fuck someone IN my body? Yeah, he can do worse than ya." That was why he didn't let Kon use his body anymore. He didn't want his body to get used for sex. Kon was a pervert and Ichigo wasn't going to let him dirty his body like that.

He wouldn't let anyone screw up his reputation again. Least of all Kon. The mod soul wasn't allowed in his body. He was left at the Kurosaki Residence while the redhead lived in his own apartment. He didn't need some random chick telling him anything about his body doing things to her. Nope. He wasn't interested in that nonsense.

"I thought Kon had more sense than that? Little pervert." He stated, somewhat impressed by the balls Kon had in trying that. He always thought he had limits that he wouldn't cross. White was a lot of things but even he respected Ichigo enough not to go that far. They were connected more closely though too, so maybe that had something to do with it.

"Heh, might have been better if you had though." The hollow stated. If Kon was going that far in Ichigo's body than who knew what he was doing as a stuffed toy. Not that White cared, but if someone was going to stir up trouble in town, he wanted to be at the forefront and weird perverted crap wasn't his thing.

Starrk nodded. "She's short, energetic and has light blond hair." He stated making a gesture at about how tall Lilynette was. She wasn't very big at all. "She's like a little sister to me." He stated, describing their relationship as best he could. Really she was a part of him though, literally but that probably was odd to think about.

Starrk's appearance was far more haggard than it had been back in those days at Las Noches. His Arrancar uniform was tattered and worn, and a plain brown poncho was worn over it. His eyes had large bags under them that sort of gave away that he hadn't been sleeping or at least not properly at any rate.

Lilynette would rank in the Vesto Lorde class. She was a part of him and together they had made an extremely powerful Vesto Lorde. "Lilynette would have a similar reiatsu to mine maybe a little weaker but not by a lot." He stated with a sigh, knowing that meant she wasn't running around in the living world somewhere.

Ichigo pushed the last thought aside, focusing on the hope Starrk still clung to.“Lilynette Gingerbuck, short, blonde, high energy, Vasto Lorde-class with reiatsu close to yours,” Ichigo repeated, committing the details to memory.

“Got it. I’ll pass the word to my friends—Orihime, Chad, Uryuu, and the Soul Society. They’re all over the place, so if she’s in the Living World or even slipped into Soul Society, we’ll hear something. I’ll check with Kisuke too; he’s got ways to track reiatsu across dimensions.”

Ichigo paused, scratching the back of his head. “Hueco Mundo’s a big place, though, and if you can’t sense her there, maybe she’s somewhere shielded, like in one of those old Arrancar hideouts or a weird pocket dimension Aizen’s experiments left behind. Have you checked Las Noches or any of the old Espada lairs? I can come with you to Hueco Mundo if you need backup. Been a while since I stretched my legs there.”He glanced at Starrk’s tattered uniform and the bags under his eyes.

Starrk gave a nod, he didn't like being a burden but was grateful at the same time for any help the redhead could provide. "I checked the outposts, as for any pocket dimensions, only Aizen would know where they are or how to access them." He stated as sometime Garganta wasn't enough to get into such places. He paused at the mention of Las Noches, he'd been avoiding going there. It was a reminder of all the friends he'd lost. "No, I haven't been to Las Noches yet." Was all he said at first then gave a surprised look at Ichigo as he offered to go with him.

"If your sure, I..." he paused recalling all Ichigo had gone through in Hueco Mundo and Las Noches in particular. He was about to say he didn't need to but instead, "I'd be glad for the company."

Starrk was already laying down on the floor, hands behind his head when Ichigo mentioned how hard Soul Society worked him. "All the more reason to enjoy the bed, right?" He suggested. Back under Aizen he hadn't been worked to hard, but then again, Aizen never intended for any of them to survive. As for after that, well, the sands of Hueco Mundo weren't bad as a bed.

"I suppose so yeah." He would grumble in agreement. He wouldn't lie there were other reasons he also didn't get sleep. The spirit inside his head for one. That would give him random bouts of insomnia that he couldn't quite get past. Or random nightmares that would keep him from even closing his own eyes. "But even so this isn't exactly how I pictured me getting my first good night's sleep you know." Especially not with the primera of all people.

Continued from here.

There was the tenderness of the redhead's kiss followed by the bite to his lower lip. Starrk had been shocked by it. His lips tingling from the sensation that he had been without for so long. He craved more, needed more. Then game the word, "Sorry" from Ichigo's mouth.

"For what? Making me wait so long or this little nip?" He replied softly, the question more rhetorical. This time he kissed back. His hand shakes, hesitated at first before becoming more sure and confident as he lifted it to cup man's cheek. His thumb gently caressing the living man's skin as if he might break apart and be lost forever.

"Ah... no, because I kissed ya without permission." It wasn't just a human thing, Ichigo felt that it wasn't a good look to just randomly kiss someone without asking first, but the way the brunette had been looking at him made him think that he wanted it.

The feeling of Starrk's hand on his cheek was unexpected but nice all the same. He let out a slightly shaky breath before chuckling for a few short moments during the kiss, and shortly thereafter. "I don't feel anythin' painful from your Reiatsu." He had a large well of Reiatsu himself and he was finally good at keeping it close to himself.

"Hmm? I didn't really notice, maybe it was because I wanted it too." Starrk replied, confirming that Ichigo read him right and he had wanted it. The concept of asking was a little bit new as he was an old western soul. Body language had said a lot, as did instincts in those day and maybe Starrk still had a lot of that old stuff in him even if he didn't really remember it. It didn't mean he wasn't still learning or adapting to the times though.

That made the former Primera relax, he was always worried about that. After being alone for so long and everyone you tried to get close to crumbling away, maybe he had a little PTSD of it happening to others? He was glad Ichigo was ok though. He was one of the few that could potentially be intimate with him.

"You better not, that girl will cry." He stated referring to Orihime. He didn't much liked the whole plan involving her, but it also hadn't been his place to really object at that time. Things were different now though. Not only was Ichigo stronger, Starrk was no longer beholden to another's will. He was free, alone again and more so than ever before, but he was free.

It was the middle of the sidewalk. The Arrancar's tattered clothes spoke of his seemingly restless search as his body just up and told him enough was enough and quit on him, leaving him passed out in the open. It was a small boon that most humans couldn't see him and just avoid the area he was in, be it instinct of danger or something else.

Ichigo wasn't sure exactly what led the primera to be here. And perhaps he didn't exactly want to know. Either way he should probably help him right? The good deed side of Ichigo told him as much. Sleeping out here couldn't be comfortable right? Or at least it probably wasn't the best place to be. Even though Ichigo was certain that asleep the primera could probably scare off anything that tried to mess with him.