With the Captains suffering casualties and heavy injuries on their side, all hope seemed to be lost... until Shinji Hirako appeared, along with the rest of the former Shinigami. Though the aid of the Vizards certainly helped to draw the battle in their favor, it seemed Aizen's power alone proved too much for them.
It was a relatively beautiful day today. The sun was out, there was a cool breeze, and the birds were out and chirping. Well, it was a beautiful day for most. Jericho Cross had been walking all over Karakura in his Gigai looking for a specific brand of electric guitar strings since 6:00 am that morning and it was now 2:00 pm. Turns out, they stop selling them everywhere thanks to the brand going out of business. He now sat in a tree with his Gigai laying beside him in a pose that was reminiscent of someone sleeping in a tree. Not an often occurrence but he figured it would be a clue for any humans to stay away from it. He despised wearing but it turned out even though humans where truly weak creatures they did have a rather great music selection.
He didn't get it, for beings who truly had no place living in his eyes how were they capable creating such great things as the electric guitar, metal, or even rock. This puzzled him greatly. He continued to sit in the tree brooding over the loss of him ever coming across his favorite brand again. It looked like he would have to settle for a lesser brand, an unfamiliar one at that. It was about as disappointing as learning a favorite band of his broke up or someone dyed in the band making it never the same again. Today would be on his list of worse days ever. Or would it?
Veronica giggled as she walked around Karakura town in her gigai. It really wasn't much different from her normal attire, except that her normally white clothes were now a matching navy. On her arm was a teenage boy, who's cheeks were flushed, that she had found inside a local coffee shop. He had offered to buy her coffee, and she graciously accepted.
As they walked, he was complimenting her and telling her jokes. She laughed but not at his jokes. In her mind she imagined pouring her boiling hot coffee all over him, and then she released another giggle. If he only knew what was going on in her mind at the moment, then he wouldn't be so close. She was still deciding on how to take him back to Hueco Mundo, when a source of energy tugged at her mind. She looked to her left, and sure enough there was a man. She searched his energy and realized that he too was an arrancar.
"Oh gosh! That necklace is just beautiful! I would do anything to have it!" She purred suggestively.
As she predicted, the boy immediately unlatched his arm and ran inside the jewelry store. The moment he moved she disappeared and moved to the tree. She climbed up the tree with a lithe grace, and then knocked on the man's head.
"Knock-knock! Anyone home?" she asked with a smile.
Jericho closed his eyes concentrating on the wind blowing through his short white hair. He hadn't even really had a thought about torturing humans today or anyone for that matter. He was rather down and not too interested in bringing pain to the weak today. Which was odd for him, to an immense degree. Just then something was tapping him on his head. What the fuck? He opened his red eyes with the pitch black sclera surrounding them and looked upon the person next to him. She could see him. To narrow down the possibilities he looked at her reiastu. She was another arrancar, much like himself. It was possible that a while ago that her abilities could have been on par with his. He stared at her for a minute before speaking.
"I am," he said sarcastically with a smile across his face. He didn't really recognize her from anywhere but then again he was never good with faces or even names unless they were really strong, famous for something, or if he had an extended relationship with, like his best friend Dai. "Did you need something or where you just saying hi," he asked no longer smiling at this point, more just starring.
Veronica was extremely unnerved by the intense look in his eyes. Well not necessarily intense, but holy shit they were black and red. What the hell was he? The Devil? Despite the storm of question within her, she didn't even let out a single shiver. If she was scared, she wouldn't show it. If he tried to make her scared, he would regret it. The thought of her torturing him slowly brought a huge smile to her face. She coughed, to play it off, and then listened to him speak.
"Ew. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bark," she said sarcastically.
The dude was a major grouch. Some people learn to say hello. Gosh, if he didn't want to talk he should have just told her to leave. Now she was annoyed, and now she wouldn't leave until he was pissed off. She smiled internally, "After all, it's not a perfect day until you've angered someone else!"[/i]
She looked toward him again. He really did have an intimidating appearance, a demonic aura seeped around him, his hair, his eyes. It was like he was a personification of the devil. However, the Devil knew to bow to Veronica. And soon, so would this boy.
Was she making a joke? Its not like he was really sleeping he had only closed his eyes for a second and even then all he did was think and why had she said ew? "Ew? Why ew? Its not like I was sleeping, I was only thinking and that is all," he said defending himself, from wat he wasn't sure. Its not she was accusing him of anything and even if she was, so what? Also she didn't have to be so sarcastic about it, she walked over to him, knocked on his head, and, and who knows what else she was going to do. Not like she had the power to order him around, at least, not in his eyes she didn't. He sighed content with thinking for now and he wasn't really in the mood to fight this girl...yet.
"Do you have a name or should I just call you girl or woman," he asked rhetorically about the last half of the question but, serious about learning her name though, its not like he was gonna remember it for sure. "I guess I should introduce my self first huh? Well, my names Jericho Cross fraccion member under Nnoitra Jiruga...well only fraccion member now," he said, he would be generous for now he supposed amusing her with conversation. Its not like it would hurt him or anything...much.
This dude was either trying to play mind games by acting stupid or he was genuinely stupid. She doubted he was playing though. She really wasn't worried about what he was doing, just his attitude.
"By ew I was referring to your attitude," she said with a dismissive hand.
She was in no mood to argue with the man. She took a few silent, calming breathes, then listened to him talk again. Girl? Girl? Did he just ask if the title 'girl' was okay? She looked down to her breasts. Now, she was no girl. She was a woman, but she'd be damned if he called her that.
"First of all, if it had to be one or the other it'd be woman, thank you very much. Second, the name is Veronica Dos-Santos. Don't forget it 'cause I'm not repeating it," she announced, a bit peeved about the girl/woman issue.
Then she listened as he introduced himself as well. Jericho Cross, eh? What a weird name. She would try to remember it at least, but in any case the next few words he spoke truly made her giggle.
"Nnoitra, huh? Well that explains it!" she exclaimed, jubilant over her assurance.
Jericho just smirked at her remark of his attitude. The fact was he didn't care what everyone thought, only the strong and the espada. Plus it seemed to him that she was having quite the attitude problem herself. He began to chuckle as it was quite obvious she didn't like the title of girl. After looking her over a bit he supposed she was right she wasn't a girl, she was indeed a woman. Though, unlike his espada higher up gender didn't really matter to him when judging a person. "Well I'm sorry to have offended you Miss Veronica Dos-Santos," he said with a legitimate smile. He never really had conversations that lasted long, even with his best friend he would soon find himself sparring with him, even if it was a friendly spar they would always go all out.
"Also, don't worry I'm pretty sure I'm gonna remember you," he said his smile appearing once more. She then made a remark about his Nnoitra. What was wrong with him? Sure Jericho found it tiresome when he talked down about Halibel or any other stronger espada but, he tended to look past it not really caring about those moments. "What do you mean by that," he said raising an eyebrow. He wasn't like his espada, at least not completely, he did enjoy his fighting.
She merely smirked when he apologized, addressing her with Miss before her name. It was entertaining, at least. She flicked her hair to the side and looked down at the people while he talked. She wasn't bored, but his face was getting pretty boring to look at. She did wish she could sit down, but that would just reveal what was underneath. No way would she show that! She decided fro a compromise and sat her legs underneath her to sit.
"I wasn't worried," she said honestly. After all, she doubted they'd even become friends.
Then he asked what she was talking about, and a sly smile crept into place. She flicked her hair back once more, and a serious face took place of the smile.
"Well I felt as if my intelligence was being lowered while talking to you. Now I know that's correct. Nnoitra, as well as his Fraccion are all power-hungry morons," she spoke nonchalantly.
It was true, and every one in Hueco Mundo knew it. Yes she liked battle, and torture, but she had brains. Big difference.
Jericho smirked at not being worried. Whatever its not like he was trying to worry her anyway though it could have been fun if he had. Oh well the time had passed and its not like it would be worth it anyway. Her smile caused him to become suspicious, why what was she smiling about? Her answer caused his right eye to twitch with irritation. He would have gone off at her but he was feeling rather forgiving today, strangely he had been doing that a lot these days, once with that vizard and again with those idiots who called themselves fraccion. Swallowing his anger he put out a rather malicious smile. "Is that so? Well, it sounds more to me that you hate Nnoitra's shovenistic outlook on women rather then think he and his fraccion are stupid. Whether thats true or not doesn't really matter to me," he said with a razor like tongue.
He didn't really wait for her to respond and instead continued. "Besides, though the fighting is grand I'm getting a little tired of working under him anyhow," he said raising his arms into a shrug. Then relaxing his arms he continued again. "The other fraccion are idiots compared to even that Wonderweiss guy, but I am not like those morons and have far more compability in combat. Anyone who says otherwise is lying to you," he said a sense of destruction coming across his face. It was true he didn't care about the other fraccion as of late and found them rather testing to be around.
Veronica almost busted out laughing to the point where she would have start crying. Again, she almost did. The sight of his eye twitching was just too funny! However, she stayed consistent with her too-chill facade and just let an arrogant smirk slide across her features. She had said it with only a slight bit of malign, and she hadn't expected such a reaction. It was hilarious! She listened to him talk, and this time she did let out a small giggle. Had he meant to offend her? Frighten her with his tone of voice? Fail.
"The fact is, I really don't care about his out look on women. Another well known fact is that Tia Harribel is the 3rd Espada. She could easily kill him. So compared to her he is nothing, but an insignificant pest. And so are all of his fraccion," she said, making a point to say that he was included in the all.
But before she could continue anymore, he barreled on and began to insult the other fraccion. She listened while he spoke of how he was a bit tired of working with his Espada. And then she snorted as he finished.
"Well, first off is that it was your choice to serve under him. Moron. Second of all, you're not famous. Nobody talks about you. Third, your intelligence level is measured by who you choose to serve under!" she finished with a burst of vocal intensity.
She flipped her hair once more and waited for his response.