Isn't This Just Bullying the Old and Honest?
Geo stepped forward.
His pupils glowed pale gold, piercing through the thick darkness, drifting woodchips, and warped space left by the explosion.
Even as an onlooker, he felt a tremor of fear. The fact that Nelliel had survived at the very center of such destruction was astonishing.
With a swipe of his blade-like claw, he tore away the curtain of dust and splinters, revealing Nelliel within.
Her body swayed in the wind. Through hazy gray-brown eyes, she strained to focus on the newcomer.
"You are… Baraggan's subordinate, Geo."
"That's correct. If Fendor were still alive, that's what he would say."
Geo halted three steps away. Towering at nearly three meters, he wore the skull mask of a saber-toothed tiger, black tattoos snaking across his torso, his hair tied back in a thick black braid.
"Baraggan thinks he can kill me?" Nelliel straightened, her expression hard.
"I certainly couldn't before," Geo sneered, "but now, even a gust of wind could topple you, Master Nelliel."
The address was not respect, but mockery.
"Stop pretending!" Nelliel's voice deepened. "You're trembling. The spatial distortion from my Gran Rey Cero—the lingering pressure alone is enough to frighten you."
"Gahaha!" His teeth chattered even as his golden pupils flared. Veins bulged across his face, his voice roaring:
"Don't underestimate me!"
He raised his claw and slashed down with murderous force.
Nelliel did not defend. Her sword's hilt rested in her grip, but her strength was spent—she could not raise it. Words were her only weapon.
Failure meant death.
A sigh welled in her chest. So this is how I die. Perhaps it suits me. Those who devour their own kind cannot escape being devoured.
Her gaze steadied, calm in the face of the dark.
Pshh!
Blood spattered across her cheek.
Geo froze. His claw halted mid-strike. His pupils widened as he looked down at the golden blade piercing through him.
"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind," a voice murmured, drawing the blade free.
Three hundred and twenty experience points earned.
"…!" Geo's eyes bulged. He collapsed with a dull crash, golden pupils dimming into nothing.
Nelliel stared forward into the dark. Her lips parted to ask who, but her body gave way.
A strong chest caught her, her cheek pressing against his, chin resting on his shoulder.
"Go," the man whispered, his breath warm against her ear.
Her bones softened.
"As you command, Antelope Knight~"
The gentle voice carried a teasing lilt, yet it was unfamiliar. Nelliel was certain she had never heard it before.
The whistling wind shifted. Darkness lifted. The silver sea of Hueco Mundo's endless white sands spread beneath the moonlight.
Compared to the Great Hollow Forest's suffocating dark, this place was breathtaking. Even if the sky above Las Noches was false, its beauty still enchanted the Hollows.
Nelliel turned her head, taking in the man's profile and silver ponytail. "Who are you?"
"People call me Shiraishi, the Swift Swordsman. Those who know me call me Husband. You can call me Husband."
He said it in all seriousness, taking advantage of Hollows' ignorance of the word.
Nelliel blinked, confused. She did not know the meaning.
After all, Hueco Mundo knew no reproduction. Hollows were once human souls, now cursed to devour one another. Even Arrancar who reached Adjuchas grouped together only to devour more.
Before Aizen's rise, Hueco Mundo was nothing but an endless wilderness of hunger. Baraggan's self-styled kingship, claiming the sky as his roof, was born from ignorance.
So she only found the nickname strange.
"…Husband."
"I'm here."
"Why did you save me?"
Suspicion filled her. "You must be that Shinigami's companion, right?"
"Not companions—more like allies. He wants to purify Hueco Mundo and kill all Hollows. I only want to hunt them, not exterminate them."
Shiraishi was honest. He had already decided not to kill Nelliel. There were plenty of Hollows left—why kill someone like her?
Experience points could be earned from other Adjuchas.
Besides, he had always admired Nelliel in the anime—the fierce warrior against enemies, the playful child with Ichigo. Two sides of her he couldn't help but love.
Her confusion deepened. "I'm still a Hollow. Why save me?"
Shiraishi shrugged. "Because I'm a gentleman who cherishes women. I won't harm a beauty like you."
"…I'm a Hollow."
Nelliel gave him a strange look.
"A true gentleman's appreciation of beauty knows no race. Hollow, Shinigami, human—it doesn't matter. Beauty deserves kindness."
She couldn't fully understand, but she sensed sincerity. This man bore her no malice.
"Then… Husband, can you do me a favor?"
"Of course. Just ask."
"My saliva has healing properties. I don't have the strength to apply it. Will you help me?"
Nelliel wanted to heal quickly, to rally the Espada and stop the Segunda Espada's plans.
Shiraishi straightened, speaking righteously. "I never refuse a friend's request!"
"Thank you."
Nelliel etched the favor in her heart. Her "Husband" was truly a good man.
She parted her lips, letting her healing saliva flow into his palm. He smeared it gently across her wounds—legs, waist, chest, back, arms.
"Hnn…"
A soft sound escaped her throat. Comfort washed over her as the wounds closed. Exhaustion claimed her, and she drifted into sleep, head resting on Shiraishi's lap.
Her peaceful face left him reluctant to move her. Stroking her long lake-green hair, he murmured:
"So this is what it's like to give someone a knee pillow… tsk. Let's hope no one comes to ruin it."
He glanced toward the cave entrance, ready to flee at the first sign of danger.
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