[Private] Enemy Territory

It had been almost a week now since Kurama had infiltrated Hueco Mundo and began his reconnaissance mission. He had taken on this mission after personal concerns over the odd decrease in hollow related activity in the human world: Incursions had been lower than normal recently and those that did cross over and attack humans had been rather weak. Of course, some exceptions had happened sporadically such as when a seated Shinigami encountered a Lt. strength Arrancar in Tokyo, which resulted in panic and damage to the surrounding area of Tokyo: Though this too seemed to lack any notable reason for occurring.

All of this had lead the division two captain to consider a few potential reasons, two of which were a worse case scenario: A power struggle in the land of hollows which could potentially lead to an upset in the balance of powers or the current regime was consolidating power for some kind of offensive against the human world. Based on his personal observations the latter option seemed unlikely, especially when paired with murmurings of some kind of Arrancar uprising that could lead to civil war. The prospect of such a war was worrying to Kurama: While it would weaken the enemy and leave them open to potential counter attack from Soul Society, it could also lead to a stronger and more aggressive leadership.

All of Kurama's information was a mix of personal observation, the capture, interrogation and subsequent dispatching of more intelligent hollows and a slight touch of intuition. Today was due to be Kurama's last day behind enemy lines, so he figured he'd spend it observing the enemies' main base though there has been surprisingly little activity as far as in and out traffic goes.

"What are they up too in there?" Kurama thought to himself as he looked through the viewing device he borrowed from R&D. Although, as the head of Division 2, Kurama was excellent at hiding his presence it was impossible to completely conceal yourself in a wide open desert like this so it wasn't safe to approach any closer than he was to the fortress and even then he has had to deal with weaker hollows who had wandered upon him.

Sighing and putting the device away, Kurama would sit himself down behind a dune, popping a cigarette into his mouth and lighting it before looking up at the dreary endless night sky of Hueco Mundo. "Well, I don't think I'm going to learn much more than I have. Probably should get going after this smoke..no need to push your luck Kurama. It's honestly a miracle things have gone as well as they have." Kurama spoke to himself softly as he exhaled a cloud of wispy grey. Although not a normal habit of his, it helped him feel slightly less isolated.

It was one thing to find shinigami of any rank anywhere in Hueco Mundo. It was another thing entirely to find one camped out,alone, near Las Noches. This one was either very stupid, very strong, or very much lacking mental stability. Either way, the hope here was that they were strong enough to back up which ever it was. All this guy had done was sit and watch, and it's been that way for a while. Maybe Rhydderch would pop on over to shake things up.

At the present, he had effective put a cap on his reiatsu, making him damn near undetectable unless he got closer. Or at least that's what he figured. If the guy was strong, maybe he'd work out his presence sooner, but for now he seemed to be hidden. The began his long walk down the dune of sand, pulling out a cigarette of his own. Maybe he could convince a fellow smoker to just leave? Who knows. ""Yo, tough guy? How's the view? Could use a light, if you don't mind."

Kurama cut his eyes over to the Arrancar who just spoke to him, sizing him up rather quickly. This one wasn't some no body hollow Kurama could simply dispatch and although his sensing abilites were dogshit, it was clear this one could potentially be trouble. That said, it seemed he was being friendly for now and Kurama would abide it, for now although he would be keeping his guard up.

"Sure." Kurama flicked his wrist and tossed him one of the lighters he carried around with him, a simple jet-torch lighter. Taking another drag he summed up a few possibilities before taking a shot in the dark. "Espada?" Kurama's voice was keeping it's normal cool and relaxed intonations, showing he wasn't phased by the turn of events. That said, Kurama was hoping the answer would simply be no. If this was just some random arrancar then he could let it go, he wasn't here to hunt down every arrancar under the sun after all. If he turned out to be one of the main enemy fighters however, that would be something Kurama couldn't simply ignore.

Standing up he'd brush the sand off himself and put away his binoculars, simply observing his new smoking companion, curious to how this encounter would go. If a fight did break out, it would have to be an affair Kurama had to end fast: A shinigami fighting openly this close to Las Nochas would be a death sentence if he wasn't quick about it. The device he used to enter Hueco Mundo was already prepped and ready to go if he required an escape route, but he would prefer not to risk being followed.

"Nice throw." Rhydderch praised the aim of the shinigami, his calm behavior definitely worth noting. Either this guy had no clue what he was up against, had come to terms with death, or was at the very least a captain. If we was a captain, this wouldn't be the stompfest that would allow him to resume his day. Hell, it might even be fun. He turned the lighter over in his hand. Nothing to write home about, but it was certain to get the job done. The definition of good enough. After lighting his own cigarette to a satisfactory level, he tossed it back to the shinigami. Never steal someone's lighter, especially if you borrowed it. That was just in bad taste.

Spotting a decently sized rock, Rhydderch leaned against it without fully sitting down. You could never get too relaxed around an opponent. Of course, any moderate release of reiatsu here would attract a lot of nosey neighbors. "Espada indeed, for what that's worth. Though I'm guessing you already had that cross your mind." Rhydderch smirked as he flicked some ash from the cigarette. His past encounters with shinigami were of the with the weaker variety and involved more... screaming. It was nice to be able to have a brief chat with one not pinned to the floor by his reiatsu. "Gonna guess by the confidence and general aura that you're a captain. Or a lieutenant in dire need it promotion. Also gonna bet on this not being your first arrancar rodeo."

Up close it was fairly obvious that this guy was pretty strong. Maybe even strong enough to give Rhydderch himself a run for his money. Things were too up in the air to determine who would walk away from a fight, though with things as they were, it wasn't likely that a fight would last long. As much as a good fight called to him, he wasn't wandering alone anymore. Things were at stake, plans in motion. No, it was better to be somewhat.

"Thanks" Kurama stuffed the the lighter back into his shirt. It seemed the general etiquette of fellow smokers extended even to beings such as hollows, surprising if nothing else but plesent. Honestly, Kurama was getting the vibe him and this hollow could've been friends in a different life. Still, for now they were enemies and nothing would change that.

Upon hearing the man was an Espada as Kurama had suspected he exhaled and sighed at the same time, smoke whisking through the air. "Well, that's a shame. I was just about to get out of here too so if you were just some random Arrancar I could have ignored you and gone on my way. Can't exactly turn my back on an enemy general though." Kurama spoke in response to his confirmation of being an Espada. Still, based off how their interaction has gone so far, he didn't see a need to rush the fight. They were both enjoying a smoke after all.

"You're right, I've assassinated many Arrancar, hollows, even a few Quincy if required. Though, this is the first time I've got to have such a nice chat before hand. Tell yah what.." Kurama lowered himself back down on the sand dune, leaning against the sloped landscape like a chair with one leg crossed over the other as he kept his eyes on the Espada. "How about as a courtesy from one fellow smoker to the other, we just enjoy our smokes, have a nice chat and save the fighting for after our smoke break? Good chance it'll be the last one we get to taste after all and for what it's worth, this isn't anything personal. Just a mission." Kurama's voice remained laxidasical as he offered the momentary cease fire to the fellow smoker, although despite this he wasn't trusting him - Kurama was still very much ready to counter attack if he suddenly attacked. He was just trying to be kind, they were both soldiers after all and although he couldn't speak for the man in front of him, Kurama never really carried any personal grudge. He simply had chosen a side.

"The name is Kurama Tōzaburō, captain of the 2nd division. How about yourself?" Assuming the Espada was knowledgeable of the Gotei and their general structure, hearing that Kurama was leader of the Stealth force should tell him all he needs to know about his personal capabilities. If nothing else, Kurama wasn't looking to be taken lightly but even then, he was only being so relaxed since he held full confidence in his ability to complete this mission, even with an opponent in front of him.

"Smoke break and a new perspective? I find that hard to say no to. Fuck it, might as well take a second." Rhydderch leaned back a bit more, crossing one foot over the other. Maybe he could dig an inkling of Intel out of this guy, maybe not. Given this guy's penchant for assassin and, assumedly more wetwork, lying and giving false Intel were also probably on his list of skills.

"Captain of the Second Division, huh? Gonna take a shot and say that's the stealth force or something? Given your resume, that'd make sense." Ok, so this guy was absolutely a captain, and this smoke break was absolutely going to end in a fight. Figured, it was just one of those days from the start. He let out another cloud of smoke from his nose, taking the cigarette from his mouth to shake the ash off."Nice to meet cha, Kurama. As for me... Rhydderch Skolopender, Espada Segunda. Second place for assholes, though including the king, I guess I'm 3rd." He couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Heh, king of the assholes. Fitting title for the lord of hollows.

Kurama smiled a little as he knocked some ash off his own cigarette, about half way gone already, as the Espada asked about his division. The question revealed more to Kurama than he hoped. It seems the information even this far up the chain was disorganized, which boded rather well for the Gotei as a whole.

"Something like that, although this mission was somewhat self imposed." Kurama admitted as he leaned back, relaxing and staring at the night sky. Lets see if he could dig for something a bit deeper though. "Low level hollow incursions into the world of the living have been lower overall but sporadic as of late. Furthermore there have been increased sightings of Arrancar, probably Fraccion. To someone like me, that says something is wrong. So, curious I thought I'd check it out." Kurama cut his eyes over to his temporary smoking buddy, gauging for any reaction to the things he says.

"I've been here a week or so now and I have to say. Things seem very disorganized and crazy. Arrancar acting of their own accord, Espada almost absent from the scene and wild hollows huddling down as if a storm is coming. At first I was worried about an amassing of centralized power but from what I see..it's more trouble in paradise. I figure either the Cero king has grown complacent and weak or more likely.." Taking one more long drag he would sit up to face the Espada fully, with small smile. He was rather confident in his information gathered so far and if it was accurate, Kurama knowing and reporting on this would be extremely dangerous for the Espada as a whole. He was hoping to get some kind of tassid confirmation for his theories based off this man's reaction.

"A rebellion is brewing, hm?" Kurama's eyes narrowed almost like a fox as he watched the Segunda. It wasn't so much he was doubting his own conclusion but any type of confirmation was always welcomed. Of course, he'd have to return with that information to matter but Kurama himself was likely the second strongest Captain in the Gotei. So if nothing else he was sure he'd at least be able to escape if required, although he didn't see himself losing. Then again, Kurama never did, he didn't accept defeat as viable option. He knocked off another section of ash. Almost gone.

"Honestly, not sure what you're expecting from a group that's inherently selfish and violent. Order and loyalty are always difficult when ones own nature seems to gravitate towards a hunger for power." There wasn't much cigarette left at this point. As nice as this was, things were going to have to come to a close here soon, and settled in a different way. "Course, I suppose it isn't much different where you're from. Just got a shiny polish over the wild hunger for control. Make it look presentable and what not. You guys can't even confirm that you killed all the Quincy a while back, considering there are still a handful running around today. You guys are disorganized, you're just... sloppy."

Rhydderch rose to his feet, brushing the sand and dust from his pants as he burned the rest of his cigarette to ash, right down to the filter. He was done, though he wasn't sure about the other guy. Might as well wait until he was finished. "Sorry, not exactly good a pacing myself with smokes." No sense in lighting another one, wouldn't finish it in time, and then this Kurama guy would be waiting. "Well as fun as that was, all good things come to an end. No rush, finish that cig up, take your time. The filter had started to smoulder. Why did he even smoke filtered? Not like lung cancer was gonna kill someone who was technically already dead.

"Well, I wasn't around back when the whole Quincy thing was going on. Probably would have been different had I been. I have had a lot of cleaning up to do in my own backyard since taking over this position after all." Kurama spoke as he stood up to his own feet as well, his smoke having finished at just about the same time as the Espada. Seemed they both were men of culture when it came to their hobbies. Hearing the Espada..no..the man saying there was no rush and to just enjoy the smoke only went on to prove it. It caused him to sigh a little.

"Damn shame. I bet we could've been buddies under different circumstances. Captain Commander is the only one who usually smokes with me. But, it is what it is." Kurama placed his hand upon his sword, ready to fight. "Well, we're gonna have to make this quick. I don't mind playing with you but I rather not have to fight the entire Espada." Kurama said, cutting his eyes off towards the palace for a moment.

Barely unsheathing his blade Kurama would softly utter the familiar term "Bankai." causing his previously repressed spiritual presence to explode out with it's full weight while cladding Kurama within his Bankai: His hands become covered in clawed metal gauntlets, same for his feet in greaves. Armor covered other important parts of his body such as the elbows, shins and knee caps, all tinged a bright yellow with electricity visibly cracking across them. Despite the heavy metal appearance the greaves and gauntlets flowed and flexed as if natural skin and bone as opposed to rigid metal.

"You were kind enough to take the time to smoke with me, so the least I can do is let you release so we can fight evenly. That said at the end of this when I end up purifying you, lets meet up again sometime for another smoke, hm?" Despite the arrogant sounding words, Kurama's tone was one of a completely serious man. It was never that he figured himself unbeatable, simply he wouldn't allow himself to envision the defeat.

---

The notion of being friends under different circumstances was somewhat amusing. Rhydderch couldn't really see a world where we wouldn't end up how he was now. Even wondering how he'd have ended up as a shinigami were out of the question. No way his life as a human would let him escape the Gates of Hell to make it there. Oh well, for the sake of conversation, he'd play along. "Yeah, maybe. Impossible to say for sure though. Maybe if I was a shinigami or something. Might be a captain myself. Or too damn lazy to get promoted, who knows." He pulled his sword form his back, jabbing it into the sands in front of him. If his opponent had unleashed the Bonk Eye or whatever the fuck it was, he's just have to follow suit. With both hands on the handle, he smiled and whispered to it.. "Raise you head and awaken."

With a bright flash of light, molten sparks, and the sound of warping metal, Rhydderch cracked his neck. Resurrection wasn't always necessarily painful, but it wasn't exactly a comfortable process when you went from 2 to 8 arms. 4 of these arms carried copies of the sword, the others were free and folded across his chest. Chitinous armor covered most of his body, heat radiating off of him and eyes glowing yellow. As an answer to the opponent's reiatsu, he unleased his own. The colliding fields blasted sound around them, disrupting the dune's shape. "Tell you what. If we both survive this shit, I'm not gonna say no to another one of these little smoke breaks. 'Course, you could just leave things well enough alone and go home."

Without giving much much indication of what he was doing, his swords began to glow like suns as his reiatsu surged. Immune to the blinding light himself, he launched a gran rey cero from his mouth. If it hit Kurama, then that was a big ole bonus. If it missed, then the intense spiritual pressure from this dune in addition to the cero blasting through a dune and arcing across the sky over Las Noches would be a decent alarm that something was going on. All of Hueco Mundo would know he was here.

Moves used:

"Well shit I know where this is going.." Kurama thought as the blinding light from the Espada's swords began to radiate - it seemed the two had more than smoking in common, they even shared some combat tricks. Kurama responded to the light by kicking off into the air with as much force as he could muster sending a shower of white sand in all directions as he soared into the sky, a choice which was quickly justified as a powerful beam of energy blasted through where he had just been standing, arcing into the sky and seemingly barely missing the dome of Las Noches. Honestly, that might be worse for Kurama's predicament than if he just tried to block the damn thing, because there wasn't a chance in hell that would go unnoticed.

Focusing reiatsu into his feet Kurama momentarily air-walked just long enough for him to kick off downwards towards the Espada. Kurama's foot was crackling with electricity as he flipped forward using the momentum of his jump as to bring his heel down towards Rydderch's head with a crushing axe kick. The moment the kicked made contact with something -Rydderch, the ground or otherwise- a bolt of lightning would streak into the sky causing damage not only at the point of impact but in an electrical shockwave that reaches out in a 8 meter dome, the sand of Hueco Mundo easily turning to glass in response.

Not to mention the constant building charge within Kurama's body, should the Espada happened to be struck would discharge like a secondary wave into him. No matter the immediate result of the attack however Kurama would finally find time to respond to his opponent's earlier comments.

"I probably will have to leave soon after that little alarm you just sent blasting, not looking to fight the entire army. But I can't just leave and ignore an enemy general either. My old Captain would never let me hear the end of it. Apologies for the inconvenience, it's a pain in the ass for me too. But that's the job." Kurama's voice was it's normal smooth and serious tone, though it held a hint of sarcasm as well. Honestly if the situation wasn't so dire he'd be enjoying this. It was rare to find a good match for Kurama so the challenge was enjoyable.

Ability Used:

Passive Ability:

---

Whatever that ability was, it hit like a damn truck. While it was aimed for the head, Rhydderch had shifted just enough for it to hit his shoulder instead. It wasn't the kick that had the punch, it was that damned lightning. Looks like the Gotei had it's fair share of elemental wielding freaks at it's disposable too. Then again, with what Rhydderch had planned, he wasn't honestly much better. He spit some of his blood on the ground as he felt his feet sink Into the crunchy glassed sand from the blow.

"Former captain of the spy division, eh? I'm sure he would have also told you something else reeeaaallly important." With a smirk, Rhydderch grabbed the shinigami's leg, or as much as he could grab. Shinigami uniforms were so damn baggy. As the blood he'd spit on the ground burst into flames, he dropped jammed his swords into the ground, revealing toothy maws in the palms of his hands. "Never fight fair on your own turf!" four streams of burning blood, one from each hand mouth, were fired off. Two of them were aimed directly at the captain that was hopefully within his grasp. The other two flung blood around them in an effort to make a labyrinth of fire out of the dune around them.

Ability Used:

A look of panic spread across Kurama's face as he was grabbed onto and soon after engulfed in pillars of flame as he slowly burnt up into nothing - or at the very least this is what it would appear to look like as a now jacketless Kurama stood behind Rhydderch, although his right arm did show burns from where two of the pillars had managed to singe him. Normally now would be the perfect time to try and take his target out, but Kurama was well aware he was running out of time. It wouldn't be much longer before reinforcements arrive and while he was confident he could handle this Espada, 3 2 and 1 at the same time would be asking a little too tall of an order, even for Kurama.

"Well, that was spooky. Didn't expect you to grab me like that. Though I agree, fights aren't about fairness." Kurama commented. He was curious to if he realized what he just burnt up was only his jacket and a speed clone essentially or if hearing Kurama would startle him.

"Well, it's been fun but I doubt i have much time left before I'm outnumbered and I don't feel like going all out today. I'll take you up on that offer for another smoke sometime, although hopefully I won't have to run and ruin the fun then. Ciao." Kurama sealed his Zan, suppressed his presence to be next to nothing again and started Shunpoing as far as he could. Once he was far enough away and sure no one knew his exact location, Kurama would use the device he got from R&D to leave Hueco Mundo back to the Soul society.

As much as he'd love to stay and try to finish the Espada off, fact is it wasn't the mission he was given and completing that took prominence. If he had managed to kill an Espada simply would've been the cherry on top.

---

Ability Used:

Apparently speed had its benefits, as this guy had somehow literally escaped from his grasp. Despite teleporting behind him, Rhydderch was sure it was nothing personal. Regardless, he had a few explosive options for if he should attack again. However, when words came from this shinigami's direction and not a sword, he chose to listen instead, ready to jab his blades into the ground juuuuust in case. The offer of another smoke break was considered, so that was a plus. With a wave, he simply muttered a flat "Sure thing, pal."

As the shinigami began to do that weird jump step speed retreat thing, reinforcements arrived. Fashionably late as always. Several medium tier hollow and a few arrancar that were children in comparison to him poured through the hole in the dune he'd carved with his cero, looking around for a chance to prove themselves in battle against a shinigami. "Oi, there the hell d'he go? You let him get away?!"

Rhydderch's awakened form crumbled away into fragile crystal pieces, leaving him shirtless. He had spares, but damn if he was getting tired of stealing extras. "Let him get away? Absolutely not. You fucks were just slower than hell getting here. They say to be on time is to be late, and I'd say it's worth the effort to grind that into your thick damn skulls." As Rhydderch's fist gave a nice concave shape to a slow hollows face, he thought about his new smoking buddy. Soon enough, new friend, soon enough.