An End to Arrogance

In silent audience, the remaining Espada, and their Fraccion, watch as blood and anger spill along the skies of an artificial city. Neither of them seemed the slightest bit concerned or upset over the situation of their comrades, nor did they express any sort of remorse towards the one which had already been lost to them. This was simply the way of things; only the strongest deserved to live. This is what their master and Lord, Sosuke Aizen, had taught them.

But as the fights dragged on, one of the Espada couldn't help but become bored with being a meager spectator. He was a tall, dark-skinned individual, bulging with muscle and sporting the uniformed jacket of an Arrancar. Peculiar markings and lines tattooed his dark, golden-eyed complexion. Unlike most of his counter-parts, his Hollow hole, nor his rank could be seen by the naked eye. The only distinction lining him with the rest of the Arrancar was a row of spiked bones poking out of the crown of his head - almost like a Mohawk, and the attire he wore.

He scanned the Shinigami before them, attempting to ascertain which of them would be worthy of fighting him. He was growing impatient, but the fear of disobedience to his superiors kept him frozen in formation. He let his gaze wander the city, overlooking the intricate beauty which had been infused into the fake city.

Then, after further scrutiny, he noticed a group of men standing on a building several miles away from the battlefield. One of them in particular caught his eye. A being cloaked in a red and black coat and hood stood at the head of his entourage, who clearly were not with the Shinigami. This was perfect, he thought. While the Shinigami were currently insignificant to his interests, this little group might prove for some decent entertainment. At least he hoped...

Fukaku noted the being staring at him. feeling his prodigious reishi, he wondered idly whether this was an espada looking back at him. certainly, the being was powerful enough to gain the title... Fukaku wondered if his entrance to this fight was about to occur...

As the two of them locked eyes, the sounds of screaming men could be heard behind the cloaked the stranger. Blood sprayed through the air as each man slowly collapsed in death, and standing at the forefront of their ranks was the same man that had been watching them moments ago.

To the naked eye, it would appear as though their were two of him, twins which had ambushed his people...

"You're not with the Shinigami," he pronounced in a deep, yet calm voice. "So why are you here?"

"Murdering my subordinates and then asking questions? You certainly have a terrible grasp on negotiating for information, hollow." Fukaku says, not bothering to move at all. "I have little intention on telling you anything..."

"I see," said the Arrancar. "You're quite obstinate for someone who just lost his companions. Not that it really matters."

"And it seems you don't pay attention, either. I didn't refer to them as my "companions" but my subordinates. perhaps you could glean some information out of that if you were more intelligent, but as you just said that "it didn't matter" it seems you're already incorrect in your ideals." Fukaku says, turning to properly face Zommari. "If you were smart, you'd have deduced that the idea that these are my subordinates meant that I was likely their leader, and thus was likely going to prove more of a challenge than they. And perhaps, if you'd had the intelligence to realize that, you would have had the sense to run."

The towering Arrancar just stared at the cloaked stranger, seemingly unphased by his comments. "You are quick to insult my intellect, which only reveals your ire for what I've done here," he replied in a placid tone. "You attempt to shield your emotions so as not to appear vulnerable to your enemies. This is wise policy, but ineffective I'm afraid. I knew you were the leader of this group, which is why I chose to dispose of the stragglers. They were much too weak to pose any threat, and would only serve as a nuisance to both of us. I did this in mere strategy, not murderous intent."

"But I understand your ignorance. Your apparent rage is well-placed, as it seems you now wish to engage in battle, meaning my efforts were successful."

"What's this? Ire for what you've done here? You judge me incorrectly, hollow. But as for wishing to engage in battle, I've wished to do so since arriving here. It would be foolish of me to be here if I did not." Fukaku says, seemingly calm.
"Now, you've merely given me an excuse to finish you off." Fukaku says finally, turning to see Zommari, as he materialized his bow, making no additional movement. "I'll allow you a second to pray to whatever deity you give homage to before I destroy you utterly."

"You would announce your victory before you have engaged your opponent?" He asked the stranger, now armed with a bow comprised of pure reishi. "You are rather arrogant, Quincy." The bulking Arrancar suddenly grabbed his sword - a katana with a squared guard circumferenced by tiny spikes around the rim. "So I shall enlighten you to the true circumstances of the situation by introducing myself."

The Arrancar held his sword out toward his adversary, "I am Espada #7, Zommari Rureaux. Of the 10 ranked Espada, my powers are ranked 7th in all of Hueco Mundo."

"That term is improper, arrogant hollow." Fukaku says, raising his bow slowly in response. "One doesn't use the term "victory" when he exterminates a nest of ants. "Espada or not, you cannot hope to match the power of the quincy." Fukaku says, readying his other hand to fire his bow. "You wasted the time I so generously gave you, hollow. You'll regret it later." Fukaku said, firing a single, powerful arrow at the hollow, before readying a capsule for throwing.

Zommari didn't budge as the arrow raced toward the center of his chest. With a quick swing of his sword, he manages to completely destroy the reishi projectile. Silently, he stared at his foe with mild composure.

Fukaku's composure changes not at all, as the hollow smashes his arrow. Breaking the capsule open, he muttered "bakuhatsu raito." As a new arrow appeared in his bowstring, glowing brightly. Firing it at Zommari, it would create a gigantic bang sound, filling it's surroundings with light, and disappear. Fukaku, having his eyes closed, then throws another capsule, saying "Heizen!" as a much more literal explosion attempted to strike Zommari.

The light spreading from his next arrow, forced the Espada to shield his eyes; not allowing him to track it's trajectory. The arrow struck true into it's target, blasting an aura of ambient blue into the sky, filled by a more fiery explosion immediately after.

As the smoke cleared, the Quincy's opponent was nowhere to be seen. It appeared as though the Espada had been incinerated by the combination used against him. No sooner than a second later did Zommari reappear behind the Quincy in a sonido, and aimed to drive the blade of his sword through his back.

Fukaku sniffs, surprised himself at the disappearance of Zommari, but with the aid of Hakkatekkenkidzuku feels the energy of Zommari's sonido. Moving to his side with the aid of Hirenkyaku, he dodges the blade just in time. A speed user?" Fukaku thought to himself, skidding to a halt as he fires a few arrows at Zommari.

As the next barrage of arrows came at him, Zommari disappeared in another sonido. He would emerge even quicker than before, hunched forward directly in front of his adversary - his blade at the ready. He made a quick and precise slash at his chest that had enough strength and speed to slice the Quincu in two.

Fukaku felt the extra speed, but responded with hirenkyaku, his hakkatekkenkidzuku giving him advance warning of the strike. He pulled back just enough to dodge the blade, firing a full barrage of five hundred arrows at Zommari, in a wide pattern, in the hopes of entrapping him in a thicket of arrows. as he fired, he disappeared in another hirenkyaku, appearing to the side of Zommari, as he fired another blast of arrows at the arrogant espada

Zommari's eyes widened in mild surprise. Somehow, in spite of increasing his speed a bit further to match the Quincy's reflexes, his opponent managed to evade his blade. Next thing, he saw a flurry of arrows zipping toward him in great numbers. However, they weren't grouped tightly together, allowing him to deflect and block the arrows threatening his body.

But before he could slice through the first barrage, a second battalion came at him from the sides, catching him by surprise. The Quincy was remarkably fast. In a matter of moments, his body had become a pin cushion of reishi arrows. He let out a quiet groan as he fell to the ground.

"Your speed and skill are impressive," his voice suddenly resounded behind the Quincy's left shoulder. Standing only several yards away, stood Zommari - alive and well; as though he had perfectly identical twin. "I have to admit your insticts are sharper than I originally anticipated, Quincy."

Fukaku's eyes widened himself, amazed at the speed of Zommari. Turning, black energy charged in his hands, as he threw a swift punch at this new apparition of Zommari. "Toketsuken!" Fukaku yelled, the black energy changing to an ice coating around his fist, as he struck at Zommari. Fukaku had a more determined expression, a tightness around his mouth, as he struck.

The Espada waited for the attack, remaining completely at ease despite of the furious amount of energy surrounding the technique. Before the blow landed, he snatched the Quincy's outstretched wrist. Just then, a second Zommari appeared behind him.

"Like you, I am also very efficient when it comes to using speed," said both Espadas in complete unison, "Of all the Espada in Hueco Mundo, my sonido is the fastest. As you have witnessed, I am able to move with speeds capable of creating a clone by adding an extra step to my technique. This technique is called Gemelos Sonido." With that, Zommari brought his blade down over the Quincy's left shoulder in an effort to slice right down the middle of his heart...

"tch..." Fukaku grunts, pulling his arm back and thrusting it upwards to escape the hold, and attempting to use hirenkyaku to dodge the sword strike. the strike misses his heart, but a spray of blood from the quincy's arm indicates that a hit was scored nonetheless, as Fukaku appears several feet away from Zommari, holding some cloth in his hand. "How shameful..."

The twin Espadas both stared mildly at their wounded adversary. "There is no shame in utilizing your skills to best your opponent," they said in contrary. "Although, I understand your frustration; it must be quite vexing to see your enemy use such a prominent technique. This is a natural reaction. There is nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I refer to the shame of a quincy allowing himself to be injured, by a mere hollow. Truly, I must have let myself grow lax to lose blood by the actions of one of your level." Fukaku says, seeming to pull the item to his face. "That an ant such as yourself would be allowed to strike one of such pure blood, is the shame I carry." Fukaku says, pulling the item around his face, revealing it to be a bloodred bandanna, tying it around his eyes. "and the shame of giving one as low as you false hope, a cruel trickery, to be sure." he says, facing Zommari, able to sense him perfectly, as he raises his bow. "That is the shame I speak of."

"Although I've informed you that among all of the Espada in Hueco Mundo I am 7th strongest, you still label me as a 'lowly Hollow'," said Zommari as he observed his Quincy adversary fix a bandana around his eyes. "You are quite arrogant indeed. Even though you are at a clear disadvantage, you believe you're capable of defeating me without the use of your sight. A bold, yet irrational move."

"All that tells me, is that hollows as a species are weaker than I initially thought..." Fukaku says "And I apologize, for it seems I have misled you to think you have the advantage." Fukaku continues, readying his bow. "Yet you're the arrogant one, to think that a hollow could ever come close to the strength of a quincy. Let me show you the error... of your incorrect train of thought." Fukaku says, disappearing in a flash of hirenkyaku, firing from above Zommari, before moving again in a flash, behind him, and moving again twenty feet away from Zommari, a black charge readying itself in his whole body.