Sorry that this took a bit longer to come out than the others. I was lacking inspiration, and I had to cram for school before the Christmas break. Also, in Word, this chapter is exactly 6 pages, and therefore shorter than chapter 2. Well, anyway, I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to point out mistakes or anything if you see them. How are you guys likin the plot?

Superfluous: (adj.) - Overexcessive, unwanted/in the way

Also: I own that gift I see under the Christmas tree, but I do not own Bleach. Kubo Tite owns that. (Unless, of course, he gave me Bleach in that box! *cross fingers*)

Chapter 3

Kurosaki and his crew were certainly taking their time getting to where I was waiting for them. I kept watching them out of the corner of my eye as they made their bumbling way along through the dark, keeping one eye on them and the other on the captains. Zaraki, as huge and tough as he was, was devastated to find Hitsugaya dead underneath the rubble and rocks. It was probably then that he praised his teachers upon his entering the Soul Society Academy for making him take kido classes. Those classes ended up paying off for him after all, for the intensity of his concentration allowed him to somehow keep the smaller captain from death… somehow. This disappointed me.

"This disappoints me," I said, repeating my thoughts at the screen that showed Zaraki finishing off his healing spell and watching as Hitsugaya stirred, but did not wake. The huge captain showed signs of relief, but then he settled back into his regular character as soon as he had stabilized his little friend and recovered him from the brink of death. He stood and looked around at the small room in an annoyed manner.

"I spend all my time wishing Yachiru was a quiet girl who didn't chatter in my ear all the time, but the minute you need her she's not there!" the man growled, looking around at the stones and rubble. "If that Toshiro kid hadn't gotten squished then we would just blast our way out of here. Now I have to do the freakin' work by myself!" However, instead of complaining further, he discarded his tattered haori and started clearing a path for them both to escape by using a mixture of physical strength and reiatsu. I gave a resigned sigh.

"I guess it will be somewhat of a pleasure to face the rest of you in battle later on," I commented to the screens, as the various captains began to figure out how to find their ways out of the rooms. The return of their spiritual pressures – save Kuchiki's – seemed to please the group that Kurosaki led, and they spiritedly picked up their pace, much to my bored relief.

"Seems like everyone's back up," Kurosaki said, looking back as their captains' spirits returned. Abarai kept silent, but the other two threw sympathetic glances at him as his own captain's reiatsu stayed as cold and nonexistent as it had before.

I was deaf to their words, as they continued. I wasn't listening, and had no intention to listen, as my mind was slowly wandering back to the white, blank sands of Hueco Mundo. In my mind's eye, I was standing on a huge sand dune, scanning the desert around me for any signs of a wander band of Hollows led by one Adjuchas. I had been searching for endless hours, endless days, almost forgetting to feed myself in the process. That sand dune had been the last one I had stood upon while I was searching, as I decided that this was all a hopeless cause. I had finally decided to give up. After too many long days that stretched somehow into weeks, I had seen no sign of my previous group, and decided that even if I scoured the entire desert three times over, I would probably never find them. They were always moving, they were always hiding – masking their spiritual pressures towards anyone.

They probably believed I was dead. They were driven away by the Soul Reapers before I could escape my bonds, and therefore most likely fell under the impression that I was killed by them shortly afterwards. My spiritual pressure had, indeed, plunged sharply after they used me as a mere example for a certain type of reiatsu-containing device, but it hadn't lasted long. I soon broke free from what they had caught me in, half out of fear, half out of my willingness to rejoin my group. However, I had no such luck, as the extraordinarily large band of Soul Reapers drove me in the opposite direction for what could have been miles. Yet how could only a few minutes drive us apart for eternity? I never found out.

But, I did find something else, as strange and harrowing as it was. And I found it only a month after I had been separated from my original group.

I was in the middle of stalking a Hollow, creeping upon it from behind. There was no wind, thank goodness, but if there had been, I would have been on the other side of the dunes, away from the beast. The beast itself was completely oblivious to everything going on around it, and was just tromping about acting like a Hollow should when it's out in the middle of the Hueco Mundo desert all by itself… and hungry. I lowered my body to the ground and began creeping like a cat- thanks to whoever had got me to Adjuchas level that I was half lion – and slipped around the edge of a small sand dune. Poking my head out a fraction of an inch, I saw the Hollow sniffing the wind for reiatsu intently, in search of food. However, my own spiritual pressure was fully masked and therefore this mere animal was completely oblivious to me. Excellent.

I pulled my head back around the end of the sand dune and pondered for a moment. Which would be the best way to attack? By leaping onto it from behind on the ground, or latching onto it from above by using my spiritual wings? Tough choice, but I finally decided that a simple attack from the ground would be best and probably the easiest way to get a chomp out of the thing. That's really all I needed – one bite out of a Hollow and the rest was easy. My stomach grumbled in hunger and interrupted my thoughts, so I got close to the ground once more and glanced around the edge of the sand dune once more.

This was going to be tasty.

But, I had to wait for the right moment. I couldn't just go barging out there right in front of the thing and make a big show out of it, leaving myself open for the Hollow to lash out at me if it chose to. Really, they can do a lot of damage if they want to. Plus, if it even got one bite out of me, then I would never be able to ascend to Vasto Lorde level. I would have to plan this out or suffer the consequences. One last look around the edge of the sand dune was all it took, and I saw that the Hollow had turned away from me and was facing the wide open desert, still on the lookout for reiatsu. A satisfied grin crept up my face as the pleasant thought of a good meal in the near future drifted through my mind. I licked my lips. Time for the fun to begin.

Without a sound, I turned and crept around the corner of the dune soundlessly, and began stalking up towards the Hollow from behind as it raised its boar-like head towards the sudden breeze. Luckily, I was downwind of him, and was therefore safe. Keeping my claws and/or paws spread out on the sand for silence, I started up at a run towards the beast, lifting my wings and keeping my back arched, so that I could hopefully get a little lift as I struck. Still at a run, I launched myself into the air with a roar (it's hard not to roar when one is lunging for a Hollow), when suddenly…

WHAM

Eyes wide, I suddenly realized that the horizon had tilted at a catastrophic angle. Not only that, but I was flying sideways through the air with another Adjuchas right on top of me. What? Had I let my guard down? This was impossible. We landed on the ground with a loud thud, sending up clouds of sand in all directions, as the uncharacteristically huge Adjuchas-level pounded me to the ground mercilessly, sending us both tumbling across a short stretch of land. We rolled for a few yards, and upon stopping I leapt to my feet and backpedaled away from my attacker, still dumbstruck.

This monster was indeed huge. The thing stood on two feet instead of four, rising majestically above me a good six or seven feet, with a strangely large amount of pairs of arms sprouting from its middle. Its head was large, and its mouth spread literally from ear to ear, with both the top and bottom jaw sporting more teeth than could barely fit in them. Its eyes were mere slits, narrowed at me hatefully with black sclera as two wing-like protrusions carved off his face and spread out like antennae. All of his six arms sported long, evil claws, and his whip-like tail was snapping back and forth as it stood in front of me. Needless to say, my eyes widened and I backed up a pace or two.

"And just what do you think you are, tiny?" the monster spat at me in a scratchy voice that was just as huge as its body. The Hollow behind him had turned and was now watching us, its attention caught. I must have shrunk two sizes as I scooted away from the monstrosity. I had never seen an Adjuchas so large.

"I'm hungry, that's what," I said back, slowly turning sideways and trying to slink away from the thing. However, it matched my every step as it stared me down, keeping itself between me and the Hollow behind it. We both scowled.

"Well why don't you go find someplace else to find a meal, shorts," the monster said, emphasizing on our size difference. The Hollow in the background chose to stay where it was, for some reason, and watch our little proceedings with curiosity. Stupid beast.

"I was just leaving, I said, backing away as fast as I dared. However, the Hollow behind the Adjuchas suddenly spoke.

"Nnoitra," it said in a relatively young-sounding voice. The huge Adjuchas turned its head in the smaller one's direction.

"What now, Tesla? Can't you see I'm in the middle of eating someone? And I thought I told you to call me Master!" he shouted. I raised my eyebrow, both at the fact that they were speaking to each other on friendly terms, and that the towering Adjuchas was going to endeavor to eat me.

"Sorry Master Nnoitra," replied this so-called Tesla. "I was just going to ask, do you think it would be wise to consume him?"

"Yeah, do you think?" I asked, continuing to circle around in an attempt to get myself away from him.

"You shut up," scowled Nnoitra at me, sneering. I sneered back, and he looked back at the strange Tesla Hollow curiously. "And you! Whaddya mean, is it wise to consume him?"

"I mean, sir," replied Tesla. "That he is a higher level than you. If you try to fight him he will beat you."

"What kind of lousy statement is that ya moron?" the huge Adjuchas asked, giving Tesla an annoyed glance. "I can beat anybody, anywhere! No matter what, too!"

"Yes but Nniotra-sama…" Tesla started to say, but he was cut off when his 'master' turned away abruptly to face me again.

"Besides," he hissed at me. "He looks… filling."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, giving him a strange, half-sarcastic look. He rolled the slits that were his eyes and then pulled himself up to full height.

"That means I'm going to eat you," he said calmly, as if this was no trivial matter. I was inclined to disagree.

"I would rather you not," I replied, still circling around him low to the ground. "And besides, your friend is right. I am a higher level Adjuchas than you are. You wouldn't be able to defeat me."

"Oh, ya think?" asked Nniotra through his many, many teeth. I didn't respond as I continued to circle him. "Well I think that you're wrong, little fella. I think you're goin' down, and right about now, too. Hope ya enjoyed life!" he made to lunge at me, but suddenly his friend, Tesla, jumped in between us, facing Nnoitra.

"Master Nnoitra!" he cried, at his superior/friend.

"Tesla!" Nnoitra yelled at him, his voice enraged, as he abruptly stopped his attack. "Get out of the way you idiot! What do you think you're doing?"

"I refuse to let you kill yourself!" he shouted back, in a very loyal tone. Had I been watching from a distance it would have brought patriotic tears to my eyes to see one Hollow so loyal to another, but since I was right in the middle of the whole thing it didn't really occur to me to feel in such a way. All I wanted right now was to get out of here.

"Kill myself? Kill myself?" Nnoitra screeched, not at all happy with the way Tesla had just described how the fight that we didn't hold would have turned out. "I'm the toughest Adjuchas alive! What could possibly happen to me?"

"Nnoitra-sama, his reiatsu surpasses yours," Tesla stated meekly. "If he were to get only one bite out of your Hollow mask, then you will never be able to become a Vasto Lorde."

"You don't think I know that, you idiot?" Nnoitra roared at his friend Tesla. The smaller Hollow backed up a step, but didn't give up.

"Master Nnoitra, determine his reiatsu!" he shouted. "It would only take him a few minutes of battle to defeat you." Scowling deeply, the huge Nnoitra beast turned and gave me a sizing-up look. He raised his eyebrow when he found that my spiritual pressure did indeed exceed his, and by a substantial margin, too. His already angry expression got angrier.

"So it is true," replied Nnoitra. "That your reiatsu is strong. Perhaps stronger than mine, even… but that still doesn't mean that you can beat me!"

"Hey, listen to your friend there," I said, suddenly going on the offensive. I pulled myself up to full height and spread out my wings as I stalked around him instead of slinking. Now that I realized that I was more powerful than him, my wariness of his size lessened and I lost my submissive stance. "If I end up having to fight you I'll just consume him as soon as I'm done with you."

This seemed to strike a nerve somewhere.

"What?" Nnoitra roared, swinging around to face me abruptly, sending a little cloud of white sand up around his clawed feet.

"I said that as soon as I'm done killing you, I'm going after your friend," I repeated, my tone now even and calm. "Because now I can see that although your size would have given you an indefinite advantage over anyone that was ranked under you, I have the advantage here because I have consumed more Hollows." Nnoitra growled.

"Is that the only reason that you think you can win, eh?" he spat at me as he continued to follow me in the circle we were implanting into the dust. "You seem to be a little bold about your own power."

"Tch," I scoffed. "Says the person who only a moment ago thought he was going to consume me. 'I'm the toughest Adjuchas alive', hm?"

"Shut up," the Nnoitra Hollow seethed, following me with his slits of eyes. "Now look here, if you plan to battle me, than it'll only be with me, got that? You don't have any business going after a helpless Hollow like Tesla." Tesla huffed in the background, but we paid him no heed.

"Yes, actually, I do," I said, tilting my head at him in an antagonizing manner. "Why would I just pass up the opportunity of feasting on a protected Hollow? Surely, since you are looking out for him, he is well fed. But since you are protecting him, this means he is also relatively defenseless. Am I right?"Nnoitra gritted his numerous teeth and chose not to respond. I gave a low chuckle. "I figured as much. He wouldn't last two minutes without you."

"Enough," he hissed under his breath as I cocked my head the other way. I glanced at the Tesla Hollow.

"You seem to rely on him quite a bit," I said.

"He is my master," the Hollow said back flatly. "I live only to serve him."

"Oh, is that how it is then?" I asked, glancing back and forth between them. "Seems unlikely to have the master protecting the servant instead of the other way around."

"It usually is the other way around, for you information," Nnoitra Adjuchas snapped. Seeing him get all worked up about the subject amused me, for some reason. Having my friends driven away and being forced to forage alone for a few months must have made me irritable and thirsty for violence. I just felt like I needed to take my anger out on something – or someone. After bottling it up inside of myself for so long I just wanted to… hurt someone, make them feel the pain that I'd been feeling for these past few months.

"How about…" I said slowly, glancing at the Tesla Hollow and then back at Nnoitra, slyly. "I just consume him now!" Without another word I crouched low to the ground, quickly calculating my next move. Without letting Nnoitra get a chance to figure out what I was doing, I lunged straight up into the air above the Adjuchas' head, launching straight away from the huge beasts' claws as he lashed out at me.

"No!" Nnoitra cried, trying to catch me as I leaped over his head. It was no difficult task to clear him, and although the claws on all of his hands were extraordinarily sharp, I managed to evade them all easily. The Hollow I was after was too slow to react to me coming, and I smashed into him at full speed, sending him down in a cloud of sand. One, quick bite out of his mask, and I leaped off of him just as fast as I had tackled him, taking away the key to his evolution with me.

"You bastard!" Nnoitra roared as I leaped into the air and flew up into the sky. I glanced back down to find him standing beside the Tesla beast, roaring up at me with that extraordinarily large mouth of his, his expression furious. "You're going to pay for his, I'm going to find you!" he cried.

"Heh," was all that came to mind for me to say. As I spiraled away into the distance, enjoying the bit of power that I had gained from the Hollow's mask, my subconscious somehow said that I should keep an eye out for that Nnoitra person. His threat to find me didn't sound as empty as I'd like it to sound. Still, as I flew away with the frustrated roaring still reaching my ears, it seemed to me that I had made a clean getaway. If I was in luck, I would never see their faces again.

I snapped suddenly back into reality when the sound of falling rock ground with extremely loud static hit me. I jumped, and whirled to face the screen from which the sound had come from, and was surprised to find the whole screen blanked out in white with nothing but dust. I walked up to it swiftly, trying to figure out whose it was. I glanced over at the screen that still showed Kurosaki, and luckily found him and his friends unharmed. I would need them that way. Giving a sigh of relief, I turned and looked back at this screen.

"Curse the world!" I heard Zaraki yell, and then watched as he rose from the rubble. "Stupid Couldn't those Central 46 idiots have built this place with a little more care! Well come on, shorty. Let's get back to Squad Four."

I gave another sigh, but more of an exasperated one. I watched as the monstrous captain lifted the smaller one onto his back, and then picked his way out of the destroyed room. Finally deeming the matter over, I turned away and paced back to stand in front of Kuroski's screen. As I watched them, my mind turned back to my most recent flashback.

"Well," I said to myself, running a hand through my turquoise hair as if to help the memory disappear. "I'm glad we never did meet again, Nnoitra." I let out another breath of relief. "And the chances of us meeting again are so slim, that it most likely won't happen. Lucky me."

Well folks, that's chapter 3. This is what my Honors English teacher defines as 'Dramatic Irony', when a character doesn't know something but the audience does. Hooked? Hm? Oh, and P.S. if you review, not only will I turn out chapters faster, but you will get mentioned in the next installment. Thank you for reading!