To Whom It May Concern [No death, Comas are okay]

Colin rubbed his temples in frustration as he stood before a very contrite-looking group of low-level Arrancar. While he enjoyed the power he now possessed, reining in the reeling ranks of his Queen’s army had proven more vexing than he had anticipated. He had known it wouldn’t be easy. The invasion had been an utter disaster. It had left the army depleted, bitter, and eager to either break apart entirely or throw itself against Soul Society again in suicidal vengeance. It was taking a lot of effort and wheedling and flat-out threatening to pull things back together. The pace was almost too slow, forcing the new lord to continually remind himself the value of patience and perseverance. And in the meantime, the more restless ones were being…well, restless. So restless, in fact, that they had felt it necessary to duke it out with one another over some trifling matter and tear several holes through his personal palace near the edge of Las Noches.

Needless to say, he wasn’t pleased by the damage. So he had patiently gathered the idiotic Fraccion together, patiently explained to them that wreaking havoc within Las Noches was not acceptable, and patiently told them that if they had enough energy to break his home then they were going to be sent on a scouting mission to the human world. The objective: seek out any shinigami, assess their strength and obliterate the opposition if necessary. And he knew this group would consider the final option to be necessary. At least they wouldn’t be accidentally blowing holes through the walls of his palace anymore. That was the important part.

He told them to stay gone until sunset in the human world. Only then could they return and give their mission report. Once he had all but tossed them through the open Garganta, he had retreated to his bedroom suite. He informed his underlings that he was not to be disturbed unless there was an emergency or the expedition returned prematurely from the human world. He figured that would give him at least a few hours of peace. After all, there was always some sort of ‘emergency’ cropping up in Las Noches. Fortunately, the underlings understood what actually constituted an emergency requiring Master’s attention. Confident that things would be alright, he stripped down, flopped into his bed and allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

It was with great displeasure that Colin returned to wakefulness. He looked around groggily, wondering what had disturbed his slumber. For the moment, it was quiet. There was no readily apparent reason for why he was not out cold still. But the answer to his question did not remain a mystery for long as loud, sharp knocking echoed through the suite. He cursed vehemently. Sometimes all he wanted to do was sleep. He hadn’t even been out that long – he didn’t feel rested enough. At most, three hours had passed. Muttering darkly, he dragged himself out of bed and lumbered over to the door. He jerked the door open as an Arrancar raised its hand to begin knocking again. The Arrancar jumped slightly, but quickly regained composure – completely unfazed by Colin’s current state of undress. “I am sorry, Master. I know it has only been two short hours, but you said you wished to be informed if the expedition returned early.”

He grunted and retreated back to where he had tossed his clothes before. As the Arrancar dutifully waited outside the door, Colin tugged the outfit back on, quickly brushed his hair straight and holstered his bullwhip to his waist. Once he felt presentable, he exited and closed the door behind him. He locked it for good measure before gesturing for the Arrancar to lead him. After several moments, they arrived at the meeting hall where he had first given the expedition their mission. Standing in the center was a battered female. She stared with terrified eyes as Colin quietly strode in. He stopped several feet from her and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’d better have a damn good reason for being back so soon.” The girl visibly cowered before stuttering out what had happened. His face remained expressionless as she detailed how they’d quickly fell upon a group of shinigami, ripped the patrol to shreds and caused quite a bit of damage – there had still been wounded shinigami – before some sand-wielding freak had joined the fray.

“He tore us apart without even trying! I…I was the only one to get away…”

“You mean you fled like a coward and disobeyed an order by returning to Las Noches instead of running to some other part of the world.” Colin rolled his eyes as the girl winced at his sharp words. “Pathetic.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The girl shuffled her feet slightly, her eyes downcast.

“I am sorry, Master…”

“Sorry for your weakness or sorry for your disobedience?” He waved away her attempts to answer. “It is irrelevant. If there were wounded, then perhaps that individual may still be there. He may even prove interesting.” He pointed at the girl. “You will come with me back to Karakura Town and take me to this man – this ‘sand-wielding freak.’ Understood?” The girl nodded and Colin promptly opened a Garganta. Ushering her through, he turned to the Arrancar that had summoned him. “I should not be gone long. When she returns, tend to her wounds and then set her to some mundane task. I care not what.” The Arrancar gave him a sharp nod. Satisfied, Colin followed the girl through the Garganta. He stepped out somewhere high above Karakura and surveyed the area. The girl was shivering as he stood calmly beside her. “Can you sense him?” he asked, glancing at her.

“He moved away from the battlefield…but he’s still here.” She pointed towards the outskirts of the city. “Over there somewhere. I think there’s still some of the wounded still there with him…”

Colin nodded and jerked a thumb at the still-open Garganta. “Then go back. You are no longer needed here.” He turned to her. “I will consider the thrashing he gave you punishment enough. Disobey me again and I will take care of the matter personally. Do I make myself clear?” The girl’s eyes widened in horror before she frantically nodded. He waved her off and she disappeared through the Garganta. He closed it up before sonidoing towards the three reiatsu the girl had pointed out. He was a little disappointed that the strongest signature didn’t really feel that impressive. Honestly, it felt about the same in terms of strength as that blood-tree Jun’s. He supposed he could live with that. Jun was one of the reasons he had sought greater strength. That battle had been an embarrassment. The thought made him scowl. He should have trounced those two shinigami with ease. And one day, he would rectify that.

But today…today, he would just have to settle for the blondie he discovered sitting against a wall. He set down gently on the grass ten feet away. There was nothing around but some noisily chirping birds – no other sound besides the gently whistling wind. He tucked his hands into his pockets, spread his feet and cocked his right hip slightly. “Are you the one who decimated that group of Arrancar about…oh, an hour or so ago?” he asked casually, as if commenting on the fine morning weather.

HAN:14 REI:21 HAK:22 SEI:22 BUK:21 HOH:25

Colin stood patiently as the shinigami rose to its feet. He wasn’t in any particular hurry. For the moment, there would be no interference from Soul Society. They probably believed, if they were aware of his arrival, that this man could handle him. They were wrong of course, but it would cause enough of a delay for him to finish this matter in a timely fashion. As he waited, he took a closer look at the shinigami. Several inches shorter than Colin, its hair was longish and its eyes were a startling golden color – almost black in hue. Its clothes were a little tighter fitting than the other shinigami he had faced. Really, they were the right blend of comfortable and functional. Even the captain’s jacket was a bit on the snug side.

“Why, yes. I suppose I did.”

The monotone voice filled the silence that had fallen upon Colin’s arrival. It wasn’t quite the voice he’d expected to hear. Devoid of emotion, it seemed better suited to a lingering spirit than a shinigami. It made the shinigami – Micah Strauss, as it soon introduced itself – all the more interesting. Even its introduction was both amusing and intriguing. There was no trace of sarcasm or contempt. It was almost as though the shinigami respected him. That alone was a boggling concept. A shinigami respecting a Hollow? What was the world coming to?

He tapped his chin thoughtfully as he looked the shinigami in the eyes. “Odd that you would consider our meeting an honor.” He shrugged. “I do not care for what reasons you did it. Those Arrancar were here under my orders. However, I would like to clarify some points. I did not send them specifically to dispatch your unit. I believe I asked them to seek out shinigami in the area and merely observe – only to attack if it became necessary for survival. You see, I am trying to assess Soul Society’s strength in light of the recent invasion. I have no intention of making the same mistake as the Demon Queen did.”

He bowed slightly, never taking his eyes off Micah. “Well, Micah Strauss. As you have been far more polite than the other shinigami I have faced, I shall give you the same courtesy. I am Colin Ualas, Incubus of Las Noches.” He straightened up and reached his right hand out to the side. As he tore open a Garganta, he continued. “While I am not particularly upset that you slaughtered the fools, it is the principal of the matter.” He tossed the bullwhip into the Garganta and pulled out the blood-red scabbard of Estampido Supersonico. The Garganta closed. “As you could not stand having people you knew ruthlessly and ‘meaninglessly’ destroyed, neither can I abide the same.” He smoothly unsheathed the sword and pointed it at Micah. “Now, then. Shall we begin?”

Without waiting for an answer, he leapt forward and slashed upward – aiming to leave a gash across the man’s torso like a macabre sash.

HAN:14 REI:21 HAK:22 SEI:22 BUK:21 HOH:25