Hollowed Epilogue

Epilogue

It had seemed like hours to the lone three survivors of this long incident. Yammy, Grimmjow, and a now-conscious Szayel had managed to escape at the last second by using sonido to exit Las Noches only instants before it collapsed, and now they stood side-by-side on top of a sand dune and watched as the large cloud of dust and sand rose from the spot where their home had once stood. The only sound was silence as they looked on solemnly, knowing deep in their minds that Arturo and Ulquiorra had been inside. Were they dead? By the dimness of their reiatsus, the answer appeared to be yes. They were all deep in mortification, musing on how delicate the balance of life and death really was. Could it really only be three, four days since Arturo Plateado first attempted to infiltrate Las Noches, and had met Aizen face-to-face?

"How did this happen so quickly?" Szayel eventually asked quietly, as they stared at the crumbling form of their former base. "It only seems like yesterday that we were all just… the Espada. Now we're only Vasto Lordes again, and with nowhere to go or nothing to do." The scientist gave a deep sigh that practically voiced everything he was thinking at the moment.

"It happened so quickly because of fate, would be the best way to put it," Grimmjow butted in with his loud, rough voice, upsetting the moment harshly.

"Fate?" Szayel asked, looking up at the 6th in mild surprise. "That doesn't sound like something you'd believe in, Grimmjow."

"I know," replied the pantera gruffly without taking his eyes off what remained of the white building. "That's how you know that that's what it's gotta be."

"Huh?" Yammy asked, suddenly looking down at them in surprise because he hadn't heard the first half of their conversation. "What you crazy dogs talking about?"

"Fate, Yam-Yam," the 6th replied irritably.

"Eh?" replied the 10th.

"Yes, please do explain," Szayel put in. Grimmjow snorted.

"Think about it," he said roughly. "The only way that an upstart Arrancar that nobody's ever heard about before can take out Aizen and three-fourths of his ten Espada in three days is if he's Ulquiorra's brother."

Szayel blinked.

Grimmjow glanced at him.

"Oh c'mon think about it!" he said loudly. "How else could they have BOTH ended up here after so long of being dead? I mean, the odds are way against impossible!"

"Um, well, I had a brother," the pink-haired scientist pointed out.

"And so did Nnoitra, apparently," replied the pantera in a slightly confused way, having just remembered the odd scene he'd witnessed just before the 5th's death. "And I think that the 5th's explanation for it was valid, too. You were probably fused to him as an Adjuchas when you both died."

"That's right!" the scientist yelped, leaping backwards and staring wide-eyed at the pantera king. "But how did you know?"

"Because Nnoitra told me," he muttered, eyes still on the chalky white scene before him. "But look, the important thing is that Ulquiorra would have stuck with his brother if they'd been fused together, just like Nnoitra and his brother, or you and Yldo-something."

"Yylfordt," Szayel said.

"Whatever," Grimmjow replied, waving his hand dismissively. "The main thing is that they obviously didn't remember each other until Aizen did whatever it was that he did in the throne room while we were gone, which I'm guessing was mind probing."

"Probably," replied the 8th.

"And so then," the 6th said. "It means that the only possible way they could have met up again in that time span was fate!"

"Eh…" said Szayel, giving them a long pause. "As much as I'd like to contradict you with scientific evidence that states otherwise, I think that your answer is the right one."

All this time, however, that they had been talking amongst each other, Yammy had been staring off into the distance, apparently not taking any interest in the conversation they had been holding. He appeared to be in a deep thought of some sort, and was not paying attention to anyone around him. In fact, he was having a brief flashback….

***

"Yammy," someone had said, to the 10th's right, as they stood on the side of a sand dune and waited for Arturo to finish convincing Grimmjow and Szayel that they were still on the same side. Looking down, the huge Espada actually took a couple of seconds trying to locate the 4th in all the sand, but eventually found him standing directly next to his side and slightly behind him, as if trying to hide from sight.

"Yah?" he asked, turning to face the small figure questionably. The cuatro's voice had been extraordinarily low, and hard to hear over the clanging din right across from them.

"We are going to go back and infiltrate Las Noches again," Ulquiorra replied sternly, as he watched his brother and the two Espadas bicker. "I want you to promise something to me before we go."

"Wha-?" Yammy asked. "Promise you what? And why?" The fourth glanced up at him with pleading emerald eyes, something that the 10th had never seen before.

"If anything happens to my brother," Ulquiorra replied, motioning at Arturo solemnly. "I want you to try and heal him."

"Wh-?!" exclaimed Yammy, a little flustered. "You want me to heal him? But… what if I can't?"

"Then you can't," replied the cuatro, closing his eyes and looking away. "But I at least want you to try."

Then the 4th had turned away and stepped forward to break up the fight before them without another word to the last Espada. Blinking, Yammy took this in like water, but didn't really enjoy it. How was he supposed to heal a dead person? He shook his large head. For someone as logical as Ulquiorra, it was certainly a surprise to hear something like that coming from him. But, as he watched the slim Arrancar split the battling groups apart effortlessly, he realized that he had also been completely sincere, and that he truly meant what he had said.

***

Back on the sand dune, in the present, Yammy grinned a large grin. Without a word to his two fellow Espada, he started tromping down the side of the dune and casually strolling back towards his former home. The livid conversation behind him ground to a halt.

"Uh… Yammy?" Grimmjow asked as he and Szayel caught up with him. "Where are you going?"

"Over there," the 10th said, pointing at Las Noches.

"Yeah, but WHY?" Szayel interrupted, trying not to trip over the shifting sand. "There's nothing to go back to!"

"Oh, but there is!" he exclaimed, most confusingly. He realized now that Ulquiorra had requested this of him because he was aware that Yammy would have the biggest kido spell, and that he would indeed be the best one to ask for help in any situation like that. His grin widening, Yammy started up a small, glowing red ball in his palm as he walked, heading for the last spot he felt the two brothers' spiritual pressures.

This was going to be gratifying, if nothing else. He couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces when they woke up.