Harribel's gaze drifted up, her brow furrowed in deep thoughts. Even though she was looking at the pale, round orb of the moon, her mind was elsewhere. "Reflecting on your growth… and what else to teach you."
She was invested in her role as his mentor to the point of obsession. This very obsession pushed him to delay his plan of seducing her, that and the fact both of them had yet to become an Arrancar. He felt weirdly turned off by the notion of having sex in his current body, even if he looked mostly humanoid.
'Guess I am not into monster sex.'
It wasn't a bad thing per se as even Harribel, the closest to having a humanoid form, had most of her body covered in Hollow fragments.
He rested his head on Harribel's thighs, looking utterly comfortable in his action. The white shell covering her legs was cool and soft to touch. "I'll be here while you wreck your brain for ideas."
He had been on the receiving end of some lap pillows after she wrecked him in training. She also loved showering him in care after beating the hell out of him. They had developed quite a strange relationship.
He closed his eyes, trying to maintain a steady breath as if he was sleeping. Harribel let out a soft sigh, and her fingers glided through his disheveled, white hair with a light touch. He sneakily opened his right eye and saw a tender look in her eyes. It was all the confirmation he needed.
'I was right about her.'
In the month they spent together, he had noticed many abnormalities—the way she always came up with things to teach him, the way her protective nature materialized every time he faced a Hollow, the way her eyes softened when she looked at him, and the way she never let him out of her sight for long time. All the signs pointed to Harribel loving him; like a sister loved her brother, or a mother loved her child.
Familial love.
That was why back then Harribel's demeanor had shifted dramatically upon knowing his age as a Hollow. A young one like him would be the perfect person to pamper and spoil. She subconsciously chose him as the target of her nurturing. It all made sense when taking her Hollow Hole's placement into consideration.
'Her Hollow hole is where her womb should be.'
Harribel's death was most likely related to her child or a similar cause. Her instincts unconsciously sought a replacement for her missing child, and then she found him.
'Family-zoned by a Hollow.'
The situation was so absurd that he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was truly 'one of the experiences' of all time.
'What am I supposed to do now? Call her mommy? Shark mommy?'
He shook his head. There were more important tasks to fulfill than romancing Harribel, such as increasing his strength and starting the evolution chain of his other races. Because…
'Baraggan will come after us, eventually.'
Baraggan was a slave to his arrogance, expecting everyone in Hueco Mundo to view him as Godking. He wouldn't allow two Vasto Lorde to roam around unshackled, as that would be akin to challenging his authority. Kazuya was bound to stick out on Baraggan's radar at some point.
He needed strength if he hoped to survive Baraggan's wrath. After all, no short-term training could help him defeat Baraggan and his army.
'The only other choice I have is Shinigami Academy... the den of hypnotized souls and its secret ruler Aizen. It'll be fun stirring the assholes there.'
Aizen would be everywhere until he gets humbled by his own creation. Until then, he would be a nuisance to every race.
Leaving also meant saying farewell to Harribel, Apacci, Sung-Sun, and Mila Rose. A temporary farewell but still a farewell. He had gotten too used to teaming up with Sung-Sun, the two of them trying to tease Apacci into a miserable state.
Mila Rose still hadn't opened up to him, holding a grudge against him for destroying their group dynamic or perhaps something else. Still, he had a strange fondness for her grumpy whinings—more than he did for any of the anonymous Hollows they had encountered in Hueco Mundo.
'I wish I could take them away from this hellhole.'
But his dream couldn't come true. Not with the Soul Reapers harboring deep prejudice for every Hollow. They saw Hollow as lost souls to be purified in the afterlife. He couldn't blame them either, as most Hollows lived to devour the souls of innocents.
'Let's delay it until I help them get strong enough to survive.'
"Yoooo, what do we have here?" Mila Rose strode up to them in a haughty demeanor. Seeing that Kazuya was asleep, she heaved a sigh of relief. "Harribel-sama, you're pampering him too much."
Harribel looked at Mila Rose and back at Kazuya before drawing her hand back. Mila Rose was certainly right, but she couldn't stop herself.
It was like her instinct to spoil Kazuya the same way a Gillian's instinct was to devour other Hollows, or a bird's instinct was to soar into the sky with its wings.
"It's fine…" she smiled gently. "Kazuya needs to rest. Otherwise, his training will bear no fruit."
She justified her 'instincts', wholeheartedly believing her behavior of spoiling Kazuya was the right way.
"Oh…" Mila Rose's head drooped and her body sagged as she lowered herself to the ground. Harribel's matter-of-fact response was like a gust of wind, blowing away her courage. She couldn't bring herself to speak her mind.
After a few minutes of pretending, Kazuya stirred and got to his feet. He gave Mila Rose a surprised look. "When did you arrive?"
"Been here before you were even born…" Mila Rose whispered. "Harribel-sama saved me first, before all of you."
His presence had become a negative influence in Mila Rose's life. But she had been unable to voice her discontent because of her unwavering loyalty to Harribel. Their leader adored him to the point that Mila Rose feared she might get kicked out for saying anything bad about Kazuya.
Kazuya realized he had to address this before this became a deeper issue, which he didn't want.
He stretched his arm and beckoned Mila Rose. "Come with me. We need to talk."
Harribel sharply narrowed her eyes, realizing his intentions. "Don't push her too much."
Being the quiet, observant leader, she understood Mila Rose's problem with Kazuya, but she had nothing regarding it. She looked forward to Kazuya's way of handling Mila Rose. From her observations, Kazuya wasn't rash, but he also wasn't kind toward strangers. While she spared those who obstructed her path, he mercilessly killed them and fed them to Apacci, and sometimes Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun.
'It'll be an excellent lesson for him,' thought Harribel, like a mother watching her child's growth. 'I expect him to get to her, eventually.'
He was too stubborn to admit defeat—one of the qualities she found admirable alongside his willingness to protect his people.
Mila Rose gritted her teeth. The way Harribel worded things, it seemed as if she was the problem here. She didn't like this feeling. Not one bit. Even so, she followed Kazuya like a pup, each step taking them further away from Harribel. When he was sure they were beyond Harribel's sight, he stopped and turned to face her.
"Franceska Mila Rose, are you a coward?"