Strength and Determination. [INV]

Sure enough, the Arrancar was indeed in the bar. There were no grand meals to be prepared today. With plenty of leftovers, the girl could throw something on a plate and heat it up in the microwave. As for the man himself, it'd been a couple days since he slept. Paranoia and pure, unadulterated anger kept him awake. Every moment, every beat of his heart surged with a constant stream of adrenaline. Too focused on what or who he would kill next, he knew there was one thing that would pacify taught nerves. Alcohol, and plenty of it. Though the variety was...slim these days, a stiff drink was a stiff drink all the same. With a whetstone in hand, Theocelese sharpened his blade and ran a polishing rag over it. He'd been doing this for hours now, waiting for the moment to bring the sharp edge home to someone or something.



"Are you still cross with me?" The Arrancar asked as Shiro entered the bar. His work paused, and he knocked back the nearly disgustingly pungent, clear liquid in the shotglass.

Theocelese eyed the girl as she poured herself a shot of the homebrew drink, and look to regret her decision. He didn't laugh at her, and he certainly didn't scold her. Instead, he matched her shot, then took another. The moment he stood up, it was going to hit him like a ton of bricks. Despite having become addicted to being at the bottom of bottle as of late, even the Grecian had his limits. "I want you to recall the last time you were hungry. I mean truly hungry. Then I want you to imagine it is so severe, you'd be willing to kill and eat another human being. Now take this sensation...and make it all that drives you." The words were cold and bitter, spoken lowly and in a manner that screamed her face and his hand would be well acquainted for being so...casual about this subject. With a growl, Theocelese knocked back a third shot, and following this, a cigarette. That calmed his nerves. Not much, but just enough.



"The beings outside these walls gave me a name when I first joined their ranks. They called me The Nightmare. In a world of daemons, who have been around for centuries, shrunk at the thing I became. When I joined the masses to birth a new Menos Grande, it was not a fight for supremecy. The others cowed and were so terrified of my soul, I assumed control of the monolith and continued the feasting. We all have our demons, child, but being a Hollow is the worst fate one could experience. With Tyrannus as her captor, she is as good as dead. And if you think this is some heroic deed you plan to achieve, know that you are setting yourself up for loss. I told you, I begged you live a normal life. To put this chapter behind you so that you would never have to make the decisions I was just forced to make. You did not listen to me. How long will it take for you to crack, I wonder. You've lost one--someone barely you could call a friend. With her demeanor and how she spoke, I am sorry but she did not want to be your friend.



And do you know how many I have lost? Who I have lost?! Brothers and sisters, friends, sons and daughters, lovers, my own wife! My own daughter!" The darkly spoken rant soon became enraged shouting. He stood, and surprisingly did not succumb to the effects of his drinking. His blood boiled, and would not suffer the consequences of ingesting several shots too many.



"Do you understand how many I've had to kill in my time? Do you realize that this is not some game you get to play as some adventurer?" He paused, raising his blade up to the girl now. "Oh...do you think you'll have me aid you in getting stronger, so that you can go off to save that little shit? She screamed 'Look at me, I'm this era's Dahmer'. Too many have died with my aid. I will not take part of it any longer. What you..." He stopped suddenly, the spike of red-hot agony in his brain forcing him to drive the blade back into its scabbard.



"I'm going to show you what this will lead to with your stupid bravado and aspirations for wanting to rescue someone who would otherwise do nothing more than blink at news of your death too soon. Come." It was not a question. It was a blatant command, and if Shiro knew what was best for her, she'd realize either her own two legs would take her with the Arrancar, or there was the very real chance he'd grab her by the back of her neck and drag her to wherever he was heading.

"No. They do not." He could not be mad at an honest question, even if his blood still ran volcanically hot. The girl did not know, and the seeking of knowledge was not a thing to scold Shiro for. "When you die, there are two possibilities. A Shinigami will purify your soul and you will go to the Soul Society, or your chain of fate will eat away at itself until you become a Hollow." He finished the cigarette, flicking it in the hallway to be picked up at a later date. "What happens from there...there are some variables. If sent to the Soul Society, you could be recycled and be born anew. Or you could become a Shinigami. As a Hollow...it's eat or be eaten. Evolve, or stagnate. Either way, if you should die and have committed grave sins in your human life, you will go to Hell." He didn't tread on that subject anymore, knowing full well what his fate was if that day ever came. A fitting place for a name echoed throughout the centuries, and said to have been there by Dante himself. Thankfully, that was not so.

He took Shiro to main terminal area of the now-dead Szayel's portion of Las Noches. Since then, and still now, it belonged to the pink-haired lunatic's killer. The computer itself was like something out of a Sci-Fi movie, the screen was the size of a living room wall, and the computers, keyboards and mice were multiple in number. "Sit." Another command given, though who could honestly complain at being told to take a seat in the type of chair a multi-billion dollar CEO could own?

Theocelese typed away at the center of the console, until a video file was brought up. Nineteen minutes and twenty-eight seconds was the length and was dated about eleven years ago. He pressed play, and took a few steps back. The video, or this one it seemed, lacked audio. He didn't want Shiro to hear it, and hoped just seeing her mentor's demise would suffice. The angles came from CCTV footage, and changed to keep the three people in view at all times. In the middle stood...well, if Shiro didn't know who else was toting the large, concave shield in the center, he might as well have discarded her as a student right then and there. The only difference was he lacked hair, whether from shaving it on his own or maybe he'd gone bald. The truth, if the girl ever asked, was from the extensive chemotherapy. To his left, a woman with long, black hair sporting a greatsword. She looked to be around the same age as he was back then. To his right, a man appearing to be younger than the human holding a sleek rifle with various attachments. Other guns were present on his body, they wore the same uniform. Shiro would recognize it easily, as it was the one she was wearing now. All three seemed to carry some form of a main weapon set, and a few side arms. They looked to be on patrol.

The camera shifted again, showing shambling, zombie like creatures emerging from manholes and the very few run down buildings in Karakura. More changes in the cameras revealed they were attacking people at random, but not simply just eating them. Their forms expanded in grotesque, horrible things which swallowed their victims whole once they were rendered helpless. Men and women, boys and girls of all ages were coming to life this night to wreak havoc upon the otherwise quiet town. A flash of light came from out of view, and one of the creatures dropped to the ground. The rest honed in on the source of the hostile act, and from their hair-rising steps to a full on sprint, they attacked.

The three fought in unison, with the woman remaining hidden partially behind the shield-bearing, human Theocelese, lashing out at whatever came into range. The bald Theocelese punched and pushed back with his shield, his spear punching holes in the bodies that tried to bring them down. Their gun-toting ally played the role of suppressing fire, aiming for knee, throat and head shots. He switched from rifle, two twin-pistols, to shotgun, depending on what seemed to be called for at the time. For the better part of six minutes or so, the three fared well. They eventually split off, taking on multiple opponents with ease. The ghoulish creatures were stabbed, slashed, and blown apart. Their flesh and limbs were parted with relative ease, no matter if it was a weapon, a fist, or a foot which did the job. When the creatures attacking them became a stream of claws and teeth, they withdrew to a corridor to better stand against their out-numbered position. When sword swings and spear thrusts looked to start getting haggard, it was like someone blew a dog whistle. The swarm retreated, and the camera view changed to a single being. It looked like a young man, perhaps the same age as Shiro, but he shared characteristics of the monsters on screen. Split, bloody cheeks revealed rows of razor sharp teeth, contorted, elongated fingers came down to shape into tapered claws. Its clothes were rags, and its form expanded as the creatures ran into it. Flesh stretched and bloated, as the thing took its pawns back into its body. And then...it walked.

Back to the trio, they looked to be talking. Theocelese looked to be doing so frantically, aiming his spear in the opposite direction they faced. The woman seemed hesitant, looking to fight back with her own words against whatever he was saying. The firearms expert grabbed the woman, pleading with her. And with reluctancy, the woman began crying as her and the other young man left off screen. It wasn't a moment sooner that Theocelese hefted up his spear, and launched it with such force and power it was nothing but a blur to the camera. He drew a revolver from the holster at his hip, and charged.

The ensuing fight consumed much of the video's time left, but it was not an epic last stand as one would think. The creature drew a blade from its guts, and changed forms. It was...an Arrancar, and had just released its Zanpakutou. Whatever the mortal did to it, from bullet to the eventual drawing of his blade, to smashing it in the face with his shield, was all in vain. Missing chunks of flesh, bullet holes, and even its head dented inwards all regenerated in a disgusting fashion. As a mortal, Theocelese looked capable of using his little disappearing act, but the creature was either matching him, or exceeding what he was capable of. Eventually, his weapons were broken or shattered, and there was no more ammunition to be expended. The Arrancar toyed with the mortal, cutting him upon and battering his form in return just enough to allow him to keep fighting. And he did so, with fists and feet, Theocelese unleashed torrents of bone-shattering punches and kicks.

The creature's body morphed, a loose tendril of flesh and bone lashing out and severing the man's tabard at the stomach. Fabric, blood, and intestine fell. Several more pieces of the Arrancar's body shifted into hooked claws. It stabbed into Theocelese's shoulders before launching him forward and into a nearby building. Still attached to its organic weapons, the Arrancar drew in closer like a possessed doll, and once within a few inches of its apparent, soon-to-be victim, there was a brilliant flash of purple light. The Arrancar was sent flying, smoldering and on fire, it tumbled to the ground. He remained planted to the ground, arm extended and body writhing in agony. Clutching his innards...Theocelese stood, and began limping towards the now-smoking Arrancar. An aura, the same color as the human variant of Cero he fired encompassed his body, and he fired again. And again. Each torrent of manifested energy looked weaker and smaller than the last, but from the looks of it, he died killing this thing.

A charred, and bloody flesh bolt shot from the matted and abused Arrancar's body, and it was that single return fire which stopped the man in his tracks. It lodged into his left Achilles' tendon, and from the camera's view, Shiro could see the man letting out an audible gasp. The Arrancar's form regenerated again and rose. Multiple lances of dripping sinew and fangs erupted from its form, impaling the mortal and throwing him about, smashing him against tree and concrete and car. There was so much blood, it was impossible to think how he managed to still move after the thrashing. When all released weapons retracted back into the Arrancar, it finally spoke. There were no words, and only Theocelese would have known what was said to him that night. On screen, and on his back, he lifted one arm. Defiant until the end, another ball of energy formed--only to be snuffed out by a sudden set of teeth that ripped the man's arm off at the elbow. Several more flesh lances impaled him afterward. For whatever reason, the person who took it upon him or herself to capture and put this together, zoomed in on the man's face. His glowing, purple eyes faded to dark brown and mouth agape, exhaled one last time. Curiously...this was not the end of the video. From the body, Theocelese's form as a Plus Soul emerged. A single and loosely connected half chain link jutted from his chest. The Arrancar did not eat him, but instead...seemed to wait. The half-link turned in on itself, the appearing teeth rapidly eating away at the rest of the chain until there was an explosion. Shiro would now see Theocelese turn into a Hollow, and if she happened to look back, she'd seem his face white as the desert outside, and the cigarette in his hand was trembling. Even after all these years....it looked difficult for him to watch this.

What he turned into was not some hulking behemoth, but a muscular being wrapped in shadow. The mask formed looked similar to the helmet he donned during the battle this night, and from it, a whisping, black plume. Red eyes pierced from the darkness inside the mask, and wings with the span of at least fifteen feet stretched fully. It took all of twenty seconds for the metamorphosis to finish. The newly birthed Hollow roared, and the camera shook in response. The ensuing fight took the last few minutes of the video, and as to be expected, the Hollowfied Theocelese made short work of the Arrancar. The flesh monster was ripped open with claws and torn asunder, smashed and dragged throughout the streets and beaten into a pulp faster than it could regenerate. With one bite, he ripped the Arrancar in half. With the second bloodied bite, the fight was over. But something...odd happened. The Hollow's clawed fingers grasped at the mask with such force that the bone cracked and shattered, revealing half of his face. He punched at the ground, and his form contorted, claws raking into the earth below. Whatever he was doing, it was stopped as the mask reformed, and a cold, murderous composure took over the Hollow again. With a stab, the fabric of the human world was torn open, and the creature disappeared from Karakura. Just before the video cut off, crudely etched into the ground were the words 'Goodnight my sweethea'.

He'd hoped by showing this, it would get the point across. She asked only one question, to which he answered by taking a seat close to the human. A long pull from the cigarette was taken, and he let the smoke out off to the side. "The answer to that is...who wasn't it for." Between his fingers, he snuffed the cherry out and scooted in just a little bit closer. "In that month, those so many years ago, I was living off of borrowed time. My powers staunched and empowered the cancer that was killing me. The spread ground nearly to a halt, but no treatments could rid me of it. It," He was referring to the Arrancar which took his life, and so stupidly allowed him to turn. "It told me it killed my brother, and consumed his soul. You do not see it, but the mask it wore that day was of him. After, me, it was going for my child. Then it would have gone after Joanie and Jeremy. You saw the hundreds we took down, and there were still scores more. Families were shattered in the week that thing arrived. I died to protect others from such a monster, and look what I became. A monster myself." It was now he took both of Shiro's hands in his own. He was no stranger to fatherly acts of affection, and this was just one of the many he'd shown.



"I see it in your eyes. You wonder why I chose to show you the night of my death. I needed you to see that this life, the one you have chosen, starts and ends with a sacrifice. You give yourself, pledging soul and blade to the Eternal War....and then you give your last breath for the life of others. You give it to enact revenge upon the wicked, and the unrighteous. You will die so others may live. Many think this is the most noble thing one can do...and I was, and still am one of those types of people. I have the power to unmake entire cities, to kill the strongest beings known to have existed, but even I am one to feel fear. I fear for the life I so desperately want to live being taken from me and my family. I fear I will lead you astray, that all the things I have said and shown to you will be for naught. I fear you will die as I died. And it is with these fears I must beg you to reconsider going after a person who would never give herself for you. Do not let hate and vengeance fill your heart, lest you lose it just as I have lost mine. Never seek conflict. If you act in the defense of others, never do so alone."



He'd released the hold on the girl's hands, moving back now to give her some space. Theocelese looked to see what was in her eyes, what her facial expressions belied to him, if it even did. As for the Arrancar, there was nothing in his face, and nothing in his eyes. He merely existed at this moment.

"It is not so hard to do when you are truly threatened, yes? This is how I learned much in my early days." That was all most seemed to need, that little kicker to get the spirit going into over drive. Shiro didn't get too far, and he could tell there was much to be desired from it, but that could be worked on. And he didn't need to threat bodily harm to get that particular skill. He walked up to Shiro, hands in his pockets for the moment, but one withdrew and was held out towards the girl. "Your sword, relinquish it. When we're done here I'm going to give it some life so it isn't just a generic blade." He turned to face away from the girl, his other hand coming out and aiming out into the desert.



"When I first transcended from Hollow to Arrancar, not many wished to spend time with me. I did not have my Fraccion yet--subordinates under the Espada, so I needed to devise ways to train myself. I honed my Sonido by out-racing my Cero. You're going to do the same, soon enough. But for now, we'll do some barrage training. I'm going to shoot clusters of Bala at you, and either you are able to successfully Step to safety, or you get hit. If I see anything else...Well, I'm going to start stealing muffins back." He said the last part in a sinister tone, as if her life were about to be taken away from her...but he was serious, but not finished. "And you'll only get gruel to eat. No more good breakfasts, lunches and dinners. With stale biscuits, yes..." The fake threat did get him to smile, and if Shiro knew him well enough by now, could guess that last part was just a joke. The muffin stealing bit, though, he was dead serious. He gave the girl a pat on the head, and before he took some paces away, an idea came to him.



"You know, you should learn how to forge your own weapons too. We'll do equipment maintenance later as well, okay?"



Using Sonido to get some distance from Shiro, approximately ten meters or so, he launched a single Bala at Shiro. It, like the other ones fired at her before, were not full powered and to say he was holding back would be an understatement. The training from here was simple. If Shiro took a hit, he'd fire another one right then and there. If she Stepped out of the way, he would fire another one...right then and there. The idea was to keep her on her feet, to keep her moving. And the Bala, while lacking punch, would begin to travel faster and faster.

"Your enemy will not care if you are ready or not. You should know how this goes by now, girl."



Those were the only words offered to Shiro. It was something, as he had said, she should have known by now. When Shiro pushed to learn something new, he was so cold and distant, he might have been a stranger, but as her skills developed, his iron heart softened. Not completely, but enough to garner some laughter. For the time being, however, Theocelese would keep the girl fast on her feet and always thinking about her next move. As her mind shifted more tactically, he allowed the misfiring of Bala, giving her the impression that she'd completely threw his aim off. It would give her a few moments to breath easily, but as it seemed so common when training with the Arrancar, when he thought she was ready to step it up, it always started in a way that would immediately put Shiro at a disadvantage.



In one moment, Theocelese disappeared. In the next, he appeared behind Shiro, not a word or warning to give away his own position. Three Bala would hit the girl in the back, sending her skittering several yards in front of her. The tabard would be scorched and shredded at the back, and dozens of chain links would scatter across the sand. If she was to learn proper maintenance of her things, it was best to do so with actual practice.



"You seem to forget that I can sense your presence. There are many who will be able to do the same, so do not use the same trick more than once. The enemy will catch on, and adapt to the situation, which you have failed to understand. Now get to your feet!" He commanded, the arm holding her sword arching as he threw it roughly several hundred more yards from their position. The blade landed ever so dramatically in the sand, stuck perfectly straight up. It was time for a new training exercise.



"You've lost your weapon. If you know what's good for you, you better retrieve it." Had the girl not gotten to her feet before, he would have begun firing Bala anyways. This time, it was a steady and constant stream of red bullets. The waves varied in location. Sometimes they were aimed directly at her, other times they would be launched ahead of Shiro and always at random, a scattered blast of Bala would blanket the area. No doubt she was going to take more than a few solid hits, but this had become a simple task for the girl. Push her into overdrive. She needed several good leaps using her new skill to get the job done.