Kensei hadn't taken more than a few steps with Stark and Lilynette when he suddenly remembered something and abruptly stopped.
"Wait!" He turned around, his face showing an expression of almost forgetting something important. "Before we head back, there's another one of your kind I need to show concern for."
"Double the trouble..."
Stark's eyes half-closed as he looked up at the sky helplessly.
Lilynette, however, was interested. She sidled up to Kensei and asked curiously: "Hey, you Shinigami, how do you know so much about Hueco Mundo?"
She looked him up and down, suspicious expression. "Could it be you're some ancient Hollowfication that turned into a Shinigami and went undercover in Soul Society?"
Kensei was amused by Lilynette's wonderfully strange thought process. He lifted his chin, flicked his hair, and flashed a smug grin.
"Heh heh, don't underestimate my intelligence network." Kensei wagged a finger in front of Lilynette's eyes. "I am a great one who knows all—past, present, and future. Never mind Hueco Mundo, I even know who the strongest in the Three Worlds is."
"Hmph! Liar! Then tell us who's stronger than me and Stark?"
Lilynette naturally didn't believe him. She planted her hands on her hips, ready to test whether Kensei was telling the truth.
"Why, that would be me, of course."
Kensei pointed his right thumb at himself, his face full of confidence.
"So, who are we looking for?"
Stark reached out and held down the head of Lilynette, who was about to retort, and asked slowly. Though it was troublesome, this could help him figure out whether this Shinigami's words were true.
"A Vasto Lorde named Ulquiorra." Kensei recalled Ulquiorra's background and experiences. "By the way, you've been in Hueco Mundo a long time. Do you know where to find those large, semi-transparent structures?"
He remembered Ulquiorra, during his wanderings, had encountered something similar to his birthplace and walked inside to complete his Arrancarization.
Stark lowered his head in thought for a moment. Kensei hadn't held out much hope for this old shut-in, but unexpectedly, he nodded. "There's something like that near the Forest of Menos."
"Stark, how do you know that?" Lilynette looked puzzled. She and Stark were essentially the same person—how come she didn't know?
Kensei's eyes lit up. When you need to find someone, you really have to ask the locals.
He draped one arm over Stark's shoulder and grabbed Lilynette by the scruff of the neck with the other. To save time, he used Kūkon to travel quickly.
"W-wait!" Stark's face showed a reluctant expression. "I thought you said it was on the way? This direction clearly goes the long way!"
"Don't worry about it."
Kensei's figure, carrying the other two, continuously flickered. Lilynette, experiencing this spatial shuttle for the first time, raised her hands and cheered.
Before long, an eerie, towering forest appeared before them. From a distance, they could see numerous Gillian unconsciously wandering inside.
Occasionally, some opportunistic ones would begin devouring passing, unawakened Gillian, providing nourishment for their own evolution.
Kensei had no time to care about that. Following Stark's directions, he found the semi-transparent structure, now reduced to dim fragments.
At the center of the fragment traces, a figure sat quietly.
Kensei's first glance made him inwardly nod: Mm, that melancholic, artistic aura—definitely Ulquiorra.
When he blinked and looked again, his expression froze.
Black hair. Two striking, dark green tear-track-like markings on a pale face. And the obvious curve on the chest...
By the Soul King above!
Kensei had thought Aizen was the only surprise. Now here was another. Did His Majesty the Soul King have some strange fetish?
One in Soul Society, one in Hueco Mundo... Could there be one in the Living World too?
Kensei glanced sideways. Stark was yawning, uninterested in the figure before them. Lilynette, however, opened her eyes wide with curiosity, looking over this newly encountered fellow being.
They'd spent so long without meeting any Hollow unaffected by their spiritual pressure. Now, following this Shinigami, they'd met one so easily.
Kensei took a deep breath, looking at Ulquiorra, who held crystal fragments and seemed to be contemplating life. He forced himself to calm down.
Whatever. Female was female. Let him bear this burden.
Ulquiorra sensed Kensei's approach and slowly raised her head. Her green eyes first swept over Stark and Lilynette behind, then stopped on Kensei.
Her gaze was calm, devoid of emotion, as if the uninvited guests before her were merely rocks.
"Shinigami." Ulquiorra spoke, her voice cool and clear. "Have you come seeking battle?"
"No. I've come to invite you to become my companion."
"Companion?"
"Exactly." Kensei nodded. "If you want to understand the nature of 'heart' and comprehend the meaning of existence, I think I can provide help."
Ulquiorra looked silently at Kensei for several seconds before slowly speaking: "Companions... I have never possessed them, so I cannot lose them. Why do you think such a thing would help me understand 'heart'?"
Kensei's head was spinning. He should have brought Sōsuke to communicate with her. Beside them, Lilynette's eyes were already spinning from listening to their incomprehensible conversation.
"You'll only know if you experience it yourself." Kensei patiently suppressed the urge to knock Ulquiorra out and drag her back. "How can you draw conclusions from mere fantasy? Practice yields true knowledge."
Ulquiorra lowered her head in thought. She had always believed that things unseen were equivalent to non-existence.
She had no emotions, but her wanderings in Hueco Mundo had exposed her to various emotions in other Hollows: greed, desire, etc. Unable to understand, she had developed a desire to comprehend "heart."
The silence stretched on. Long enough for Stark to consider taking a nap right there. Long enough for Lilynette to assume it was a silent refusal and try to pull Kensei away.
Finally, Ulquiorra gave a small nod, so subtle it was barely visible.
"Agreed." She spoke. "I will observe by your side."
Kensei sighed in relief and extended his hand to Ulquiorra. "Kensei Kenzuru."
"Ulquiorra." She gave her name, taking his hand and standing up.
Thus, their returning party gained another member.
With Ulquiorra's joining, the atmosphere became somewhat delicate.
Stark still wore his usual unenthusiastic expression, but inwardly, he felt more anticipation about the companions Kensei had described.
Unable to sit still, Lilynette sidled up to Ulquiorra, trying to strike up a conversation. "Hey, Ulquiorra, what do you usually do?"
"Think."
Ulquiorra glanced at the curious little girl with her peripheral vision, then refocused on Kensei ahead.
"Think about what?"
"The meaning of existence. The source of emotions. The significance of heart."
Walking ahead, Kensei listened to their conversation behind him. He felt like the director of a mental asylum. How come so few in his gathered group were normal?
Oh well. He'd recruited them. As long as they could fight.
With Hollows, the natural enemy of Quincies, Yhwach would dutifully polish his shoes with his head.
With this thought, Kensei's mood improved slightly.
***
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