Bleach: Starting as a Vasto Lorde

Chapter 69: Visión del Diablo

Kazuya let out a sigh, running his hand through his silver locks. "I'd honestly prefer it if you were a busty chick sitting on my chest." he said, the corner of his mouth pulling into a slight grin. "Well, do you have a name, or should I provide one for you?"

"My name... what was my name again? ...Nami? It's only a fraction of my name... Just call me Nami. Not the Nami from One Piece mind you." She scrutinized Kazuya's expression, finding it calmly unsurprised. "You already knew, didn't you?"

"It's only logical that my Zanpakutō will get access to my memories."

"My partner is as calculating as I'd anticipated," Nami mused, her praise tinged with a hint of reluctant respect. "This intelligence works against you sometimes. Take, for instance, your recent incident with the Hogyoku... Your instincts were screaming at you to consume it, yet you perceived this urge as a potential trap. You suspected that the Hogyoku was tricking you... or you were scared of becoming an actual monster."

"Kinda. I don't want to end up like Aizen. Harribel and others won't like it."

He'd never cast away Harribel and the others for a surge of power, no matter how tantalizing the temptation. For a woman who'd sacrifice everything for his sake, it was a negligible price to pay.

"Halting your natural growth for your women? You aren't cold enough, Partner. You—we missed a massive opportunity to evolve to our next stage. What's more, I burned my blood essence to awaken the Hōgyoku. My sacrifice turned out to be meaningless."

The Reiatsu that was the catalyst in Hōgyoku's awakening — it was drawn from her life essence, the crimson drops that glistened on her feathers.

"Relax. It's not like I can't get the Hōgyoku again."

"You absolutely can."

"So, why do I feel anger from you? Like 'you'll throw a punch at me if you had hands' type of anger."

He was able to sense her emotional state, likely an effect of their deep connection. Her internal state was chaotic, a storm of conflicting emotions.

"Forget it." She tilted her head towards the unseen ceiling, eyes closed as if she was having the inner monologue of a protagonist. "It's raining outside..."

"Even though you're a part of me and I can sense your emotions, I can't understand you. My Zanpakutō is such a mystery."

"Hmph!"

"Quit being such a tsundere." Gently, he picked her up by her sides and sat up, nestling her comfortably in his lap. Like soothing a child, he patted her head. "There, there. Everything will be fine."

She stared back at him, rendered speechless by his actions.

"Just out of curiosity, do I get a release form now?"

"No, you don't. Not until I finish my evolution. As things stand, I'm about the level of an Adjuchas. We both need to be on the same level to trigger a Resurrección."

"That's sad."

"Sad indeed, Partner. I could've hatched as a Vasto Lorde in a few weeks at max... now, I have no idea how to evolve my form."

Kazuya gradually understood the root of Nami's anger — her premature awakening had disrupted her evolution. However, he harbored no regrets about his decision not to consume the Hōgyoku.

"You are like that... Partner." She let out a puff of fire as a sigh. "I'll rest in your inner world and try to find a solution... Let's forget about eating Hōgyoku until I evolve."