14 CHAPTER 14: Cure for Prejudice

"Franceska Mila Rose, are you a coward?"

Kazuya's voice was soothing, yet his words were rage-inducing.

"Coward?!" Mila Rose roared fiercely, faint yellow Reiatsu flickering around her. The lioness' strongest show of Reiatsu couldn't intimidate him in the slightest. "Who are you calling a coward? I have been chewing Hollows for longer than you."

"Weird thing to be proud of." He shrugged. "Well, chewing bones doesn't stop you from being a coward. Only a coward would keep their thoughts contained for that long," he said slowly, his eyes piercing into her soul. "You have a problem with me, don't you? Say it to my face if you aren't a coward."

Mila Rose scowled. "I don't have a problem with you. You are the problem looming over us!"

"You don't have to repeat what I just said. I want to know your reasoning for labeling me the problem? Every phenomenon in this universe has a reason. Your hatred should have one too."

"It's because," Mila Rose paused and looked around. After making sure nobody was eavesdropping, she glared at him, eyes glowing menacingly. "Harribel-sama is putting so much effort into training you. She will make you strong, stronger than herself…"

"And?"

"You will betray us!" she growled. "All male Hollows are scum. You'll kill Harribel-sama, me, and Sung-sun, and eat us... I have seen that happen so many times. Men are disloyal, backstabbing pieces of shit."

The pack she belonged to was torn apart because of a man's megalomaniacal tendencies and the resulting internal strife. She would've been a casualty if not for Harribel's timely rescue. In her eyes, Kazuya had all the markings of the man who caused her former pack to go up in ashes, even though their personalities were worlds apart from each other.

She didn't have an ounce of trust in him.

Kazuya expected some intricate reasoning behind her hatred. However, what he heard left him baffled. Mila Rose seems like one of those women who develop a profound detestation for all men after suffering one heartbreak. Perhaps this was her condition before she passed away and her soul became the dominant one in Adjuchas.

"Gosh, you're so… strange. My image in your mind is that of an ambitious man who would destroy everything to gain strength. Right?"

He was a bit twisted, but he wasn't a psychopath without empathy. Mila Rose's image couldn't be further from the truth. After all, he adored all four of his Hollow friends.

Mila Rose nodded unconsciously, wondering how he read her mind so precisely. "Yeah…"

Taking a deep breath, he looked her squarely in the eyes. "Tell me one thing I did to deserve this assessment? Go on. Take as much time as you need."

He crossed his arms, tapping his left feet as if showing he was waiting.

"That's easy—" Mila Rose paused, finding herself at a loss of words. After all, she couldn't find anything tangible to fire back at him, no matter how much she thought. He had been quietly supportive like Harribel. None of his actions so far resembled the evil man in her mind, causing her fantasy to crumble like a poorly constructed house of cards.

'I was… wrong?'

A tide of embarrassment swept over her upon recognizing her error. The confrontation brought about an end to her clouded perspective, which was obscured by the haze of bygone tragedy.

She averted her gaze from his solemn eyes, looking remorseful for her immature judgment. "I'm sorry…"

She was quick to apologize as well, playing into her 'headstrong and quick to take action' archetype in his head.

"Mila Rose."

He raised his hand, index finger extended, sky blue Reiatsu enveloping his hand. Just when she thought he'd slap her as a punishment, he surprised her with a lightning fast flick on her chin. The attack wasn't vicious as Mila Rose expected. It still made her wince.

"That was your punishment. We're even now," he said, his voice low and calming. He reached up and stroked her mane. "I know there are terrible people out there, but their gender doesn't define who they are. There are just as many evil bitches out there as there are wicked men."

His face was a mask of compassion and understanding as he brought her astray from the path of sexism. She nodded, listening to him as if his words were the profound truth of the world.

He smirked. "But then again, I don't care what you think about others. They can burn in hell for all I care."

"..."

He let his fingers linger, massaging her mane before trailing down to her ears in a gentle caress. Stepping back, he smiled at her with a look of contentment. He cured her deep sexism with little effort. The achievement was worthy of celebration on its own.

'My voice is so unfair against these naive girls.'

He couldn't wait for the day his Hollow friends achieved the Arrancar stage and became humanoid. The day he would finalize his plans to take them.

'Is this considered grooming? Hmmm… Who cares.'

Mila Rose veered over and hit his leg with her head. "I'll keep an eye on you."

"You're going to stalk me? It's creepy."

"You wish! I will do it to make sure Harribel-sama is safe from you."

"Funny you say that. I'm worried Harribel might do something to me before I do anything to her."

Mila Rose recalled Harribel's extreme ways to train him. Harribel's interest in him bordered the lines of obsession. She felt like the chances of his words being true were higher than Harribel suffering at his hands. It was another aspect she had missed in her one-sided hate for Kazuya.

"T-Then I will make sure to keep you safe from Harribel-sama."

"Awww. I'm melting from your consideration."

"Why do you have to act so annoying?!"

"Because it pleases me? Does it—"

Suddenly, a Hollow emanating a dangerous Reiatsu entered his perception. Mila Rose involuntarily shuddered, the terror of a powerful Vasto Lorde coursing through her.

"We have a guest," he whispered, eying rapidly flying towards them in a blur. "A powerful one."

The Hollow landed on a mountain before him and their appearance became clearer. His mouth hung open in surprise. The Hollow was a striking sight in the darkness — a young woman with short, curly purple twin-tails and eyes of the same color. Her frilly dress clung to her body, its large puffy sleeves cutting off just above her shoulders, and two short wings extended from her back. The wings were a part of her dress.

She had paired her outfit with opera gloves, knee-high boots, and leg warmers connected to garters at her thighs.

A light purple teardrop marking painted onto each of her cheeks, violet lipstick, and black fingernails completed her voluminous Goth Lolita look. She was quite literally the embodiment of Gothic Lolita in Japanese fashion. (A/N: Check paragraph comment.)

Kazuya's brows twitched. "Fuck me. Baraggan sent an Arrancar after us."

She was what Kazuya strived to be - an Arrancar. The remnant of her Hollow form was a spiked hairpin. He wondered about his own Arrancar form. How would he look and what shape will his Zanpakutō take?

The woman's eyes widened before she nodded to herself. "Knowing about Arrancars won't change your fate. #5 Espada, Cirucci Sanderwicci is here to collect you and your friend Vasto Lorde."

A smirk stretched across her face as she reached behind her and pulled out a long whip with a large metal disc attached to it. Her look of haughtiness was almost intimidating, as she casually swung the whip, its tip slicing through the air with a sharp crack.

"Bring the other Vasto Lorde, boy," she said in a mocking tone. "or not, it doesn't matter to me. I enjoy watching pathetic losers try to resist me. That always gives me an excuse to teach them a lesson with my whip. Ahahaha."

Baraggan just had to send a sadistic one to fetch him.

(A/N: Force Espada Waifu into submission? Cirucci never had a significant role in the story, literally a stepping stone to introduce the real Espada. That won't be the case here.)

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