Bleach: Awakened — Chapter 83 - Fine, Let It All Fall Apart

"Waoooh!" Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck cried out as the surroundings registered, voice bright with wonder. "So this is the inside of Las Noches! Nelliel has never been here before!"

"Sure haven't, sure haven't." Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne chimed in together.

"We're not really inside yet." Ichigo looked around, taking stock. "Was Las Noches built by Sosuke Aizen?"

The corridor stretched on without end, rock walls pressing in on every side. A moment ago, Ichigo hadn't simply opened a door, everything behind it had been obliterated by his spiritual pressure, carving out an artificial passage through the stone.

"That's right!" Nelliel answered. "I heard there used to be a Las Noches before, but it wasn't really a building—just chunks of rock piled together or something."

"Completely different from the Las Noches Lord Aizen built!"

"I see." Ichigo nodded and walked on at an easy pace. "So, Nelliel—do you know the layout inside Las Noches?"

"No idea." Nelliel shook her head, entirely unembarrassed. "I've never been here before, so how would I know?"

"Fair enough..."

Before long, they arrived at something resembling a grand hall. Everything in sight was white. Ichigo walked to the center and looked around. Five corridors branched off from the space, each heading in a different direction.

"Ohh... so this is the real interior."

The surroundings were a vast expanse of white, every corridor disappearing into the distance without showing an end. Outside, Hueco Mundo was a wasteland of white sand. Inside Las Noches, the atmosphere was white and suffocating.

"Every direction has Captain-level spiritual pressure." Ichigo rubbed his chin, thinking it through. "Ten Espada, five corridors, two Espada per corridor?"

"Go toward the strongest pressure... or..."

"Ichigo... let's go that way?" Nelliel pointed at the middle corridor, something unreadable crossing that face. "I get a feeling from that direction. Like something familiar."

"Sure." Ichigo sensed briefly, then smiled. "The two sources of pressure over there aren't bad either, right in the middle of the range."

Ichigo pulled his spiritual pressure in tight. No point in giving himself away this early. Nelliel and the other two were already faint enough that suppressing theirs wasn't necessary. The group moved toward the middle corridor.

Stepping inside, the oppressive feeling pressed down harder. Nelliel lay draped across Ichigo's shoulder, staring blankly ahead, a faint tremor running through that small body. The two elder companions had dropped their usual banter entirely, pressing forward without a word.

"Hey, are Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne actually your siblings?" Ichigo spoke up. "The three of you look like completely different species."

"No, no! Nelliel was picked up by Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne!" Nelliel said cheerfully. "And then the three of us became siblings... Ah! And Bawabawa too! Bawabawa is also a sibling! And a pet!"

"...What a strange combination." The corner of Ichigo's mouth twitched. "Have you ever actually met Sosuke Aizen, Nelliel?"

"Nope!" Nelliel said. "When Nelliel woke up, Nelliel was already outside! And then Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Birstanne found me and took me in!"

"Is that so..."

Ichigo nodded, glancing at the broken mask fragment on top of Nelliel's head. That told him most of what he needed to know.

"If a fight breaks out, Nelliel, stay hidden." Ichigo's tone was serious. "The Espada's spiritual pressure is genuinely at the level of Soul Reaper Captains. If you three get caught in it, you'll die."

"Okay!" Nelliel agreed, then frowned in puzzlement. "But isn't Ichigo close with Lord Aizen? Why don't you just, wait, no!"

Something clicked. Nelliel froze on the spot, face going blank, and stood there unable to say a word for a long moment.

"What's wrong?"

"Nelliel... Nelliel just realized..." Tears were already spilling down Nelliel's face. "Didn't Ichigo kill Runuganga back there...?"

"That means in everyone else's eyes, Nelliel, who brought Ichigo here, is a traitor now!"

"...You're only realizing this now?"

"If we don't find Lord Aizen first and explain everything..." The image forming in Nelliel's mind was apparently horrifying, because Nelliel's face went pale with dread. "The Espada will see Nelliel as an enemy... I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die..."

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Come on, what are you crying about." Ichigo couldn't help the exasperated grumble, but his voice softened. "Relax. I'll keep you safe."

"Absolutely."

"Re... sniff... really...?" Nelliel wiped at the tears, nose running freely. "Ichigo will protect me?"

"Of course. You're my friend."

"Fr... friend?" Nelliel rubbed both eyes, snot still smeared across that face. "What's a friend?"

"That's... actually kind of hard to explain." Ichigo thought for a moment, then smiled. "I've honestly never tried to define it. I don't have that many friends."

"But to me, a friend is someone very important. Someone worth putting your life on the line for."

"Then... then Ichigo is Nelliel's friend too!" Nelliel pumped a small fist, sending a long trail of snot flying in every direction. "Nelliel will protect you too! Ichigo!"

"Much appreciated." Ichigo laughed. "Speaking of which, Sosuke Aizen and I are enemies, you know."

"Oh, enemies with Lord Aizen, huh, that's not such a big—UWAAAAAAAAAAAAH?!"

An even louder wail than before erupted. Snot and tears flew everywhere, landing all over Ichigo as the howling refused to stop.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Ichigo held back his disgust through sheer willpower. "Don't wipe your snot on me!"

"Sniff... enemies with Lord Aizen... that makes you a villain, Ichigo!" Nelliel wiped a hand clean on Ichigo's clothes without hesitation. "And now Nelliel is a villain too... uwaaaaaaaaah!"

"Stop crying!" Ichigo pressed both hands over his own head. "It's not that black and white!"

"Nelliel, just remember one thing: your friends are the good guys. The ones who want to hurt you or your friends, those are the bad guys."

"Oh... I see..." Nelliel looked up with an expression of complete, open innocence. "Will Lord Aizen hurt Ichigo?"

"Well..." Ichigo smiled. The smile didn't reach his eyes. "I already mentioned it, Sosuke Aizen used to give me guidance. I'm definitely going to return the favor."

"By cutting him apart."

"Then... then the Aizen who hurt Ichigo..." Nelliel caught the meaning, and that small fist clenched tight. "Is a villain! Nelliel will help a friend! Beat the villain!"

"Hahaha! Alright!" Ichigo burst out laughing and gently patted that little grey-green head. "You'll have to work hard for that, though."

"After all, I'm pretty strong..."

"Mm-hm!"

"Mm."

Wait... how did things turn out like this... Lady Nelliel... somehow it feels like she's been led even further astray...

Pesche Guatiche thought this privately, then caught sight of Dondochakka Birstanne's face, wearing an expression of deep, heartfelt relief, the look of someone marveling that a little sibling had finally found the right path.

...Forget it. Let it all fall apart. Whatever happens, happens.

➤ Next: Overwhelming Power