On this morning, in late summer, I made a decision that would ultimately make me stronger...


Though for several hours, I debated it aloud and listed pros and cons to doing this. There was really only one bad side to this; that being death if I wasn't careful. After all, I knew that if I wanted to train and become stronger, I had to fight a war on my own. To do that, there was only one place in Hueco Mundo where legions of Hollow lived: Menos Forest. It was commonly wisest to go there only in organized groups, or teams, though I didn't have such a liberty. Therefore, I had to come up with strategies, so that I could get out of there in a rush if I had to. I likely wasn't going to allow myself to leave unless I was at risk of dying. As such, I had to plan as though I were actually in that scenario.

In the most common scenario, lets say I was surrounded and I was losing blood at a rate of 10 ounces per 5 seconds. Depending upon the level of Hollow I was surrounded by, I'd have a maximum of 20 seconds to come up with a decision and act on it before losing consciousness and being eaten. As such, I had three choices if I were to plan in the moment:

• The first and best option would be to dispatch the fastest first and then run out of the forest as quickly as possible. This would have the greatest rate of success considering I would be unable to run right away.
  
  
• The second and slightly more risky choice would be fire a cero through the weakest and try to outrun them. I could make it out, but I'd have lost more blood by that point. There's only so much one could do with their reiatsu to keep one's wounds closed.
  
  
• The third option is the one I'd least likely have to do, but it is the most simple. That being I had to wipe everything in my vicinity out and hope that I had enough strength to get out of the forest before more could come.
  

However, given that there was no rush, I had as much time as needed to prepare for it. As such, I prepared some bandages and wrapped 3 layers of it around the entirety of my body including my head. I may as well have looked like a living zombie. It wasn't stylish by any means but style wasn't anywhere near a priority. The bandages would help to soak up any blood that seeps out during the seconds before my reiatsu seals up the wounds. I also added some medicine to the bandages so that, when I get cut, the medicine will get into the blood and reduce the pain the wound would have caused.

"Hmm...what else do I need for this to go well? It isn't wise to plan too much, and it also isn't wise to rely on plans, for anything can happen in the midst of battle. Hmm..."
   

I thought, for a while, about what else I could do to improve my chances of survival for the coming "war." Minutes later, I had an epiphany and then I hit the palm of my right hand against my head, as I realized how long it took me to come up with it. Of course I had to warm up before going on an excursion. "Failure on my part. Major failure." I shook my head slowly and then put my feet together and closed my eyes, taking deep breaths and relaxing myself from head to toe. Gradually, I began to feel my joints stretching and contracting with my breath; the flow of my blood became very slow and steady, strolling through my body as though the liquid was intelligent on its own.

There was no sound except for the particles of sand being moved by the somewhat gentle breeze and the sound wind makes when it passes against one's ears. I could feel the wind caress me; it was not fighting my position, and my body swayed as though it were part of the wind. Some moments later, there was nothing in my mind and everything around me seemed very still and calm. I then slowly opened my eyes and looked straight out, toward the endless sands which eventually led to the Menos Forest. One motion after another, my arms moved freely in circular motions and my feet glided across the sand. If someone were to see me, they would likely compare me to one who was dancing without a partner. Every movement was fluid and graceful; every breath I took was deep and calm. However, as my body drifted about in this "dance," my movements gradually became more quick, abrupt, and fierce. Every movement changed from fluid to precise, gentle to forceful, graceful to animalistic. These movements became more and more prominent, until sand would crash out from every strike of my foot against the surface and until powerful waves of natural wind would blow sand in every direction that my fists flew.

For a solid hour, my body flew along the sand with a certain elegance combined with power. Similar to a lion catching its prey. From running to catch its prey up to the point of ripping out its prey's jugular, one cannot help but admire such a sight. The hour had passed rather quickly, since my mind was completely clear. When I brought back my consciousness, I was standing at the center of a large crater in which there was no sand. Everything of my body was both relaxed and warmed up; a chill ran up my spine and I bit my lower lip while grinning. I then dusted myself off and put on my Avenged Sevenfold shirt and long, black skirt. I wrapped a spiked collar around my neck and then looked again across the endless sand toward the Menos Forest.

"It seems I am physically and mentally prepared now. Time to do a checklist just to be sure I have not missed anything. Can't be too careful."
   

As it was time to do a checklist, I decided to head out to the enormous complex where my room was. It was going to be a pretty long trip back there but in the scheme of things, I needed to take my time. This was something that I had to have no blind spots for. "Well. Time to get going." I then took a deep breath and began running in the opposite direction, toward the estate in which I currently lived. As I began to run, I decided I would start compiling all the information that I had previously come up with, so that all I had I had to do was write it all down once I got there.

"It seems I am physically and mentally prepared now. Time to do a checklist just to be sure I have not missed anything. Can't be too careful." I thought back to the three most likely routes I could come up with, in terms of escapes, before I received fatal damage. I didn't want to have to use my ressureccion in this bout. It would most definitely attract even more attention than if I had just not activated it. Moving on from that, scoped the area around here. Of course there wasn't much to see, but chances were that I wouldn't be safely away from Menos Forest until about this point. Assuming I had enough strength to propel me this far, I'd likely be close to passing out from the strain I put my body under. I found myself grinning delightfully at the thought of being pushed to my absolute limits.

Several minutes later, I finally began to see the large estate that was my destination. Seeing such, I picked up the pace a bit; I could hear sand flying through the air behind me as I headed forward. Ultimately, it was going to be a very fun day for me. To fight all of those Hollow and come out of it stronger. "All that pain..." I licked my lips and groaned a little while clutching my torso with my arms. I was a bit more than excited about this, it seemed.
   

Just as I arrived at the gigantic estate, I was greeted by a female arrancar. She wore a long black dress, a pair of geta, and a spiked collar around her neck. I stopped a few paces away and then walked fluidly toward her. The girl then bowed and greeted me with a gentle, yet disciplined voice. "Welcome back, Master. How was your walk? What shall I assist you with?" I smiled and then nodded my head as a sign for the girl to rise from her bow. I then answered politely and without stuttering. "Thank you, young one. For now, I would like you to prepare some tea for me and then come to my room to assist me with a checklist." I walked forward and into the building as I spoke, the young girl opening the door for me and following behind me inside. She simply said "yes, master" and walked down an adjacent hall toward a nearby kitchen to prepare my favorite tea. I walked to my room to prepare for the checklist.

It was very lonely in this estate. Several buildings towered over the living quarters in which I lived, many of them being vacant and unused for perhaps several millennia. There were a great many rooms in the living quarters as well as four separate kitchens which may as well have been their own rooms. My room was perhaps the brightest in the entire estate. A chandelier hung down from the ceiling and provided much light for every inch of the room; it was activated by a switch which resided near the door. An extremely large bed took its place at the center of the room. To the left of the bed were two walk-in closets which were side by side and these closets held all of the clothes I owned, as well as my footwear and other not-so-important-items. Also to the left, hung on the wall, was a large portrait; the portrait was of a meadow surrounded by large evergreen trees, a seemingly gentle river flowing through its center. To the right was far less "full," as all there was over there was a fairly large, rectangular, maple-wood table with 6 chairs around it. Behind the table against the wall was a five-foot tall dresser which contained several different things. In one drawer was paper and pens and pencils, which was the drawer I was after. I grabbed three pieces of paper and a pencil; then sat down at the table.

It was at that moment that the girl knocked and walked into the room with the tea I had requested. The tea today was Earl Grey, from the smell of it. I smiled as the girl set a cup down and poured in the hot tea. Then, I thanked her and requested that she sit down in the chair across from me. As she went and did so, I spoke clearly about the current little task. "The tea is perfect once again. Now, for the little task. Today, I am going to journey into Menos Forest to train my body and mind. I have since become rusty the last few centuries. This is a little checklist to make sure I am as prepared as I can be for it. I would like you to write these things down and check them off as we go through them." I could tell that the girl paid close attention as she kept eye contact with me. She then nodded and spoke gently to me. "Yes, Master. You may always count on me." Then, I smiled again at her and immediately delved into the checklist.
   

Roughly fifteen minutes had passed, and two of the three pages were filled regarding the list. Since that was done, it was time to get everything prepared, which meant first preparing the clothing I was going to wear. I stood up from my chair after having drunk the last bit of Earl Grey tea that was in my cup and then addressed the woman across from me. "Dear, please retrieve the clothes that I specified on the list while I get undressed." The woman nodded, bowed, and then walked toward the other side of the large room where my clothing closets and cabinets were. I then nodded to myself, walked over to the foot of my bed, and undressed -starting from the geta and working my way up. As I finished undressing, the woman returned with the items I requested her to bring and then she spoke to me. "Here are the things you requested. By the way, Master. Have your breasts grown a bit?" I paused for a moment and looked down at them, blushing just a tiny bit and then answering. "I'm not sure...perhaps I need to be measured when I return." I then sighed as I thought to myself, And I just bought new bras, too...oh well. They will have to do for now. The woman nodded and began tightly wrapping my body with the bandages, starting with my feet and moving all the way up to the top of my neck. As in the list, she did a second wrap. After that was done, I put on the clothes I decided I would wear for the event. The clothes I chose weren't even worth describing since I hated them.

I then sat down once again and waited quite some time for the woman to prepare everything else. I wondered to myself if I was really ready for this. I had come a long way, and my desire to be strong and my desire for Hueco Mundo to reside under one banner had not waned in the slightest. I had lived a long time and yet I had never truly put in a whole lot of time into training myself. After all, if I were to lead the denizens of Hueco Mundo, I had to be at the very top. My decision to do this was absolute the moment I thought about it. No regrets remained in my mind. Roughly three hours had passed and the woman finally walked into the room and addressed me. "Pardon the long wait, Master. Everything is prepared for your departure. When you arrive in front of the forest, you will see a path that I have laid out for you to lead you inside. After that, you're on your own until you return." I rose from where I was sitting and nodded toward the woman as I walked out my room door and toward the outside of the building. A couple of minutes later, I arrived outside the building where my room resided in and then I spoke to the woman. "I will return, young one. Watch over this place while I am gone. I leave it in your care." As I finished speaking, the woman bowed in silence with a smile on her face, and then I darted toward the direction of the forest with a vigorous haste.
   

Minutes rolled by swiftly, the large complex fading into the background as I headed to Menos Forest. My mind had already committed all scenarios to memory, and so I cleared my mind and focused on the task at hand. Twenty minutes had passed while running, and then I stopped abruptly, the large amounts of sand and dust trailing to the ground behind me. It was in this spot that I decided I would warm up and physically prepare myself for the war I was about to start. I began the warm-ups by letting my spiritual pressure come out freely. I closed my eyes and released the blocks in my reiatsu, the spiritual pressure coming out slowly in increments of a few seconds. It took a couple of minutes for my body to be released and relaxed. It wasn't often that I was able to let loose completely, so I wasn't quite used to the feeling -hence why I needed to warm up-. I then started in with daily exercises, which were: 500 of push-ups, sit-ups, leg lifts, handstand push-ups, and squat kicks. It took me thirty minutes to finish all of it, and boy was I sweating hard. Finished with that, I started going through my fighting style. By doing this, I was loosening up my joints and muscles from the work-out and relieving any mental stress I had during that period of time.

I took a strong step out, into a perfect horse stance and brought my arms outward; the palms of my hands facing forward, perpendicular to the sand's surface. From there I began going smoothly from form to form, sand flying up into the air around me as though it wanted to dance. As the motions progressed, my movements became more fierce; my feet began to form small craters below me and my arms began to move the sand by sheer force. At the same time, however, my body became more loose and fluid; it began to remember its strength and fluidity. My body began to metaphorically fly through the sand, almost dancing to the rhythm of my very existence.

After one hour of this, I stopped and took a deep breath; I then exhaled slowly while opening my eyes. 360 degrees around me there were small craters and the sand dust looked like graffiti throughout the air. I felt so light and relaxed; I smiled at knowing this was necessary for me to achieve the next level. I then turned toward the direction of Menos Forest, barely able to see the tall and withered trees off in the distance. A grin filled with insane lust for blood as I dashed once more toward Menos Forest.

"The gloves are off, younglings. Here I come!"
   

As I continued on the final stretch toward Hueco Mundo, I felt a familiar reiatsu signature. It seemed Graven Fel was in the area, taking part in some tracking games considering many Arrancar knew it as part of Dante's territory, though I didn't too much care about the young misfit. If he got in my way, there was going to be a problem on his end that he would not have liked at all. I was able to tell that Graven noticed my spiritual pressure, since I could feel him getting closer. I had slowed down a little so that he could catch up more easily; he was a great runner, but it was still too early for him to have beaten me yet.

My continued sprint did not stutter, but it allowed Graven to get to my side much more quickly than if I had continued at my previous pace. He had started by saying hello, though I wondered if he was really trying to strike up conversation while I was loosened up. If he wanted to tag along with me, he was going to be in for quite a treat for where I was going was going to be Hell metaphorically speaking. Graven was one of the first members Anamist and I had found in our search for like-minded individuals to join Simetria, and he was a fine choice considering other candidates we had in mind. I had picked up the pace a little to test his legs and then I spoke in response to the greeting while still looking forward.

"Isn't it a little late to be referring to me by rank, Graven Fel? I suppose you're curious as to why I am heading toward Menos Forest."

I was certain to not be off base about that, but he was likely going to say it in his own words. I doubted he liked when people finished his thoughts for him aloud. As we got closer to the forest, I leaked out my spiritual pressure more until we had reached the "front entrance." If I was going to start a war, it didn't matter where I went in, so I simply decided on knocking the front door down and saying hello. A few hundred yards away from the entrance, I stopped immediately by slamming my right foot onto the surface of the sand. Doing so forced a large amount of sand outward 360 degrees around the point of impact. I them turned my head toward Graven who was hopefully still next to me.

"If you have the resolve to die in return for more power, then you may join me. So you know, I will be assessing your fighting capabilities while we're at it. I suggest you do your very best. That is, if you're okay with going through with joining me."

I grinned, knowing he was going to accept from the start. It was not going to be easy by any means, but at least it would be easier with another person along for the ride. I had then cut myself completely loose in preparation for the war I was about to start, my spiritual pressure causing the Menos Forest to scream back. I had woken them from their beds, and now it was time to put them to bed. If Graven accepted the challenge -which I knew he would- I would speak once more before heading toward Menos Forest with heavy footsteps.

"Now then, young one. Lets fight us a war. Two versus millions."