The cat returns to the Night

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Ren was already out of her release form. She had returned from the World of the Living after her battle with two Soul Reapers. The Arrancar was clutching her bleeding shoulder and her stomach which had started bleeding. "Darn it. I need to get this bleeding to stop." she fussed.

Shizu couldn't help but chuckle slightly, forgetting all her troubles in the presence of the Adjuchas.
"So who is this?" she asked, nodding to the ferret that was now a dragon. She ignored the ball of fire he had just fired.

Ren easly blew the Ball of fire away with her hand into the sky. "This is Dago. This is what I wanted to show you." she said in a board tone and looked back to the Dragon before her, "How long do you plan to stay up there?" she called to him.

"Untill you admit that I'm stronger then you!" Dago raored trying to itemadate the two Arrancar.

"Dago huh?" she muttered, glancing up at the Dragon, safe up in the sky. She smiled to herself, wondering what his reaction would be to her own true form.

"You know Dago, yours and Ren's powers are significantly different from each other. There isn't really a proper way to gauge them. So instead, why don't you say you are more powerful when it comes to fire. This much would then be true."
The younger Arrancar tried to split the difference as she had an inkling that neither would give way in this.

"I'm the strongest one here!" Dago roared charging at Ren with a smirk on his face.

Re sighed and moved out of the way and caught the dragons tail and flipped him onto his back. "Still think your stronger Dago?" she asked with a smirk of her own. The other Adjuchas were watching that "fight" going on. They saw Dago flick his tail slightly and went charging out with battle cries. In the moonlight they were nothing but what looked like animal cubs and takled Ren to the ground.

Shizu rolled her eyes at the dragon-like Adjuchas. "Whatever floats your boat I guess," she shrugged, deciding not to argue with Dago as he charged at Ren again. She watched as they fought like baby animals.

Ren let out a small yelpas she was takled to the ground. "Submit Arrancar! You have no chance of escape!" one of the smaller Adjuchas said as she placed her small paw on ren. "Ok I surrender you win!" Ren said trying to get up.

"Ok you guys that enough. Let her up." Dago said turning back into a Ferret. The child like Arrancars groaned in dissapoint ment.

"Lots of small Hollows....." commented Shizu absentmindedly as she watched them. She couldn't help wondering when and how Ren had come to meet and befriend the childlike hollows. But then again, when they weren't doing jobs for Ulquiorra-sama, they did have a fair amount of free time.

"Everyone say hello to Shizu-sama." Ren said to the small hollows. "Hello Shizu-sama." they all said to the other Arrancar. Ren chukled as she sat up. "I met them when I was an Adjuchas so in a way we were a family. Dago is like an older brother to them." Ren explained.

Shizu smiled from underneath her scarf as Ren introduced her to the hollows. She turned to her friend as she explained how she'd met them.
"It must have been nice, having friends like these," she said quietly.

Ren nodded at Shizu, "To be honest thier more like a family. But it doesn't really matter as long as we are together." Ren said picking up one of the small hollows. "Did you have a group when you were an Adjuchas, Shizu?" Ren asked tilting her head to the side.

"No," she replied bluntly, as if she didn't care. In truth, Shizu did in fact used to have one companion when she was an Adjuchas, but she had disappeared a long time ago. In fact, Shizu sometimes couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her.

The other Adjuchas shivered, "No wounder she's so depressing, she didn't have any companions with-- Ow!" one of the Hollows yelped as Dago hit him of the head. "Don't be rude, Ren has brought someone for us to meet. You will treat her with resped. Understood?" he asked the hollow while he rubbed his head. "Yeah yeah, whatever." he muttered.

Shizu didn't react to the comment, other than to glance at the Hollow who had said it. She was used to being called 'depressing' and 'emotionless' by other arrancar. They often compared her to Ulquiorra too.

"Don't worry about it."
The night born Arrancar didn't particularly care for what others thought of her. At least the Hollow who had spoken up wasn't hiding their true opinions. They were being honest. That, she appreciated.

"Mama let's go play." a small cat-like Adjuchas said hopping on Ren's shoulder. Ren laughed, "Ok Shironeko. What do you want to play?" she asked the small hollow. Shiro thought for a moment and said, "I want to play with Shizu-sama!" she squeked runing to Shizu.

Shizu blinked at the little white cat-like hollow. "With...me?" she replied, her tone, though quiet, sounded almost like it was disbelieving. She watched as the hollow scampered over to her.

Shiro jumpped high enough to reach Shizu's head and tapt her with the white paw, "Tag your it." Shironeko said giggleing. She took of to the others and was telling them that Shizu was it, "Come on Shizu ypur it." Ren said said also running.

"O...kay.." she replied looking slightly confused. The principal of the game was simple, though she wasn't exactly sure what the rules were. She seemed to have to tag one of them to lift her status as 'It'.
Shizu shrugged and used Sonido to get close to Ren. She tagged the taller Arrancar, though the way in which she did it portrayed her slight confusion at the game. Why would you want to tag people. What was the purpose of it?
She then disappeared again, re-appearing on top of a rock not far away. She sat down, as if suddenly deciding that she would rather watch instead of play.

Ren was quicky tagged. "Shizu-sama, that's not fair." Shironeko said as she saw that shizu was sitting on a rock. "It's ok Shro. Maybe she never played before and doesn't know how to play. We should of explained the rules first." Dago said to shironeko. Ren chuckled, "the point of this is like serviving out here. "Tag" may be a game but it also helps them. They need to be fast and they need ot think how to outfox the one that is "it". " Ren explained.

"It seems like a pointless game to me." she replied quietly, still in her seated position. She sighed deeply and leaned backwards. She let her back fall until she was half laying down on the rock with her legs pulled up, knees pointing upwards. Her arms were cushioning her head as she watched the sky, the thin white fabric of her trench coat splaying out beside her.

"Well maybe we could play something that Shizu-sama wants to play." Shironeko suggested as she hopped on Ren's shoulder. The other Adjuchas went into the caves while Dago stayed with Ren. "They should show more respect to others." he said with a sigh. Ren chuckled and looked at the Ferret-like Adjuchas, "You were like that at one time aswell Dago."

Shizu didn't remove her gaze from the dark cloudless sky as she spoke, "You can still play 'Tag' if you want," her tone was blunt, "You don't have to include me in your games."

The hollows that inhabited this area kept bringing up odd memories from before she became an Arrancar. Maybe it was their seemingly endless reserves of energy?
As the younger Arrancar lay on the rock, her thoughts wandered back to when she was an Adjuchas.

-Flashback-
A black dragon sat on a rocky outcrop, flicking her long, lithe tail as she watched the ever present crescent moon. The blue rings and spots stood out against her jet black fur and scales, seemingly glowing in the moonlight.
She was sat with her tail curled around her, the feathers on its tip resting over her front legs, which were crossed in front of her. Her hollow mask covered her pointed snout and protected and strengthened two of the four horn like appendages on her head.

"Heeey Shizuuu~" a singsong voice smiled behind her, "Whatcha doing?"
A bird-like hollow landed next to the dragon, giggling at something that only she seemed to find funny.

Shizu blinked and glanced over to acknowledge the hollow's arrival, but stayed silent, knowing that her friend knew full well that she liked to watch the moon sometimes.

The bird-like Adjuchas sighed and rolled her eyes, deciding not to prompt conversation from Shizu again. Instead, she ruffled her feathers, turning her own gaze to the white amongst the black of the sky. Her blue eyes studied the landscape. The bland colours that they were used to seemed to be boring all of a sudden.

"Do you ever wonder if there is a purpose for us out there?" she asked suddenly. "I mean. We never really seem to have a goal in life.. other than to protect ourselves.. and eat...."

Shizu turned to her friend once again, "Everyone has a purpose... you just have to find it."
The line was over used a tad, but the philosophy remained the same. Everyone does have a purpose. But to find it, they have to be willing to acknowledge it. Without that, you could unwittingly pass up the opportunities that give you a purpose. Your purpose.

The bird-like hollow smiled as Shizu explained her thoughts on the topic of discussion. She always knew what to say to cheer her friend up when she began to lose hope. And she was glad for that.
-End Flashback-

Shizu still wasn't sure if she had truly heeded her own advice since that time. But she felt like she truly had a purpose now. Even if others would argue differently.

Ren looked at the moon, "It's getting late we should be heading back before Ulquiorra-sama sends someone to find us. But that may not happen." she said with a small sigh. "Aw do you have to go Mamma?" Shironeko asked as Dago was watching the moon. "Yes but don't worry I'll come see you guys as soon as I can. Maybe we could go somewhere special just you, me, and Dago." she promised as she put the small Hollow on the ground. "Ok it's a promis." she said as she started to head for the cave along with Dago..

Shizu vaguely listened to the conversation Ren and her hollow friends were having, though her thoughts were focused on her own friend. Her family.
Though she had at first disregarded the thought, what Ren said was also true to herself. The friend she had had when she was an Adjuchas... she did think of her as almost family.

I'll find you.