"Septima!" I shout before parring a well placed strike coming towards my achellies heel. I snapped my wrist around and pushed Zommari Rureaux back before shouting, "Noveno!" Aaroniero Arruruerie charged forward, spinning his trident around and sending a speeding wave of sea water towards me. I swung Michael in an arch and my reiatsu made a defensive wave of flame, evaporating the sea water, leaving chunks of salt on the ground.

"Sexta!"

"Shut up!" Training paused. No one has ever dared defy me after my show with Nnoitra. I turned towards the offending man, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. He stood unamused, his face a mask of simmering frustration.

"Sexta, strike me," I order. His lip curled in response.

"And what get my butt whopped? You've been doing nothing but ass whoppin ever since we got here so when the hell are you gonna teach us the important stuff?"

"If I'm able to whopp your butt it's because you're too weak. Why should I teach such weaklings advanced techniques if you can't even stand on two feet?"

"Weakling my ass! I'm 5 times stronger than you'll ever be in hand-to-hand combat! That's why you're always teaching us swordsmanship!" He challenged. I breathed in a deep sigh. Michael hummed as I sheathed him and unstrapped him to my hip. I tossed the blade to Septima and raised my fists up in a standard position for boxing.

"Sexta, strike me," I ordered. A cocky grin overcame his face before hurtling towards me.

"With pleasure!" I dodged every jab and kick he threw at me. Judging by his speed and technique, I could easily say that he might be one of the best Espada in hand-to-hand combat. He wasted not an ounce of energy in unnecessary moves and he kept his wits about him which is surprising. I flipped over his leg before taking notes. His only seen weakness as of now will have to be his left shoulder blade. He's a right handed person and even if both arms are strong it was obvious that Grimmjow's shoulder blade was weak because it had no protection. He doesn't move to defend it and keeps his movements right sided.

"Come on you stupid whore! Fight me!"

"Weakling," I said before ducking low, barreling my shoulder into his side and flipping him over my own shoulder so he lands right on his left shoulder. I spin on my heel before placing a well placed kick into his temple and I shoved the heel down on his diaphragm. All the air in his lungs leaves as I stare down at him.

"Time?" I asked.

".02 seconds," called out Octava. I lift my foot up and moved it until it hovered over his throat before crushing it.

"You know why I train you in swordsmanship?" I asked Grimmjow but I answer my own question anyways cause I know he won't be answering me anytime soon.

"It's because you have no chance in defeating me in a fist fight. At least you have a chance, however slim, to defeat me in a sword fight but you have none in a fist one. The next time you challenge me, know that I will win." I took my foot off his throat before retreaing back to Las Noches.

"Class dismissed."

...

My door barged open and in came a furious looking Grimmjow. My eyes narrowed as it saw the wide swinging door but I decide not to comment now.

"What the fuck was that?!" I sigh before placing a bookmark where I was reading.

"What are you talking about?" His arm swung in a wide arch, gesturing outside.

"Why the hell are you training crap to us when you're the best at something else!" I glare at Grimmjow.

"You entered my room without permission just to throw a fit. Get out of my room, knock on the door like a civilized person and wait for my permission to enter." I rose from my seat and released only 10% of my reiatsu. The sheer fabrics around the room shuddered as heat seem to fill the air. Grimmjow's eyes widened before he made his way out, snapped the door closed behind him and knocked respectfully.

"Enter," I said as I calmed down my reiatsu. Grimmjow entered once again, acting more civil than he was not 30 secounds ago.

"What can I help you with?" I asked.

"You can help me by teaching me to fight with my fists. Train me in hand-to-hand combat. Make me better than that...Nnoitra," Grimmjow spit his name out like it disgusted him. I moved to the window, looking out to the endless night of Hueco Mundo.

"I have a proposition for you. If you can give be the cracked mask of a menos grande hollow that you destroyed with your fists I'll train you." His cocky grin grew.

"Easy," He muttered before turning to leave.

"Without your reiatsu," I added. Grimmjow stopped before turning back to me. A menos grande hollow mask is probably one of the hardest materials to break with just your fist. A hollow's mask is made entirely of bone but is highly compressed of reiatsu and can't crack unless a massive force [2 tons worth of force] hits it or a sorce of highly condensed reiatsu hits it [such as a zanpakuto]. To crush a menos grande mask with only your fists and nothing more is a difficult task but I could do it. It took be a few years after being the Academy to learn but I did it.

"Is that even possible?" He asked in disbelief. I grinned.

"Why not we take a little feild trip to the hollow forest shall we?" I went out of my bedroom door, not even looking back to make sure Grimmjow was following. Grimmjow will follow, his curiosity won't let him to throw away this chance to learn something new. As I walked, I was so intercepted by Ulquiorra.

"Cuatro, do you need my assistance in anything?" He looked down at me before casting a glance at Grimmjow.

"Going somewhere?"

"Special tutoring. Wanna join?" Grimmjow groaned in annoyance but I ignored it as I made my way outside. When my foot makes contact with the sand, I flashstep away towards the forest. It doesn't take long for Grimmjow and Ulquiorra to catch up with me but we speed away towards the forest for an extra special lesson. When we get to the edge, I launch myself up a tree and race through the branches. It was always a strange skill of mine to be able to run in tree branches. Where this skill is acquired, I don't know but what I do know is that no one else in the Shinigami Academy is able to do it but me. It's the same for Arrancar's too cause now Grimmjow and Ulquiorra are still running at full speed but on the ground. When we near the middle of the forest, I stop and flare my reiatsu, drawing in any nearby Menos Grande.

"So how the hell am I supposed to do this?" asked Grimmjow. I gave him a grin.

"Watch and learn," I waited until the menos was directly under me before falling backwards. It didn't take that long to reach it's mask but when I did, all I had to do was give one good punch before the whole thing broke like fragile glass. The Menos gave a cry of pain before dsappearing into nothing. I took a look around and an excited smile crossed my lips.

"Why not we have a little contest? Whoever is able to kill as many hollows as possible without their reiatsu wins."

"Deal!" Grimmjow cried out. I don't bothering looking in Ulquiorra's direction. I already knew that he'd find it a waste of time and energy. Grimmjow and I stormed forward and started killing hollows. After first, Grimmjow would rip them apart but after the 20th hollow, he tested out punching their masks. At first, he couldn't even make a crack but after a while he started breaking their masks bit by bit. When all the hollows in the surrounding area were dead, Grimmjow was frowning in fustration while looking at his knuckles.

"How? How could you do it but I can't?" He asked me when I walked closer to him.

"You're thinking like a hollow. A hollow breaks another hollow only to be eaten. But now that you have Shinigami powers, you have to think a little bit differently. A shinigami like myself doesn't punch and break a hollow's mask to end it's existance forever. It does so to change it's fate. And how do you change fate? With your will. Next time when you train, put your will behind your punches and see how you do." I take a look around me before going back to Las Noches.

"I'm guessing that you're staying here to train?" Grimmjow just nodded his head before flaring his reiatsu, calling for more mindless menos to appear. I flashstepped away, giving him time to practice by himself. As I ran, Ulquiorra ran beside me, as silent as ever. When we arrive at the palace, he broke his silence.

"Do you favor him?"

"What do you mean?"

"He's right when he says that you show favoritism towards your students. Do you favor him?" I smile.

"Yes, I do. He shows more life and thought in him than one could guess. I first thought he'll just be another mindless Nnoitra but by both his actions and words, I can see that he has more self-control."

"Who else do you favor?" We are at my room now and Ulquiorra follows me inside.

"Starrk, you, and Grimmjow are my only favorites. Everyone else I either tolerate or wish I could end their miserable existence." I went over to my small library before picking out a book I was reading. I move to my window ledge that I sit on and flip to my bookmark.

"If you could, would you?" I paused. Would I?

"No. I wouldn't."

"Why not? You have the power." I gazed out the window.

"It's easier for me to kill than it is to have self control. If I kill without a single thought, kill by impulse, what does that make me? A monster. It makes me a true bred monster. Not something that people can just look over. I'll be nothing but..." A dark thought came to me. My stomach dropped and dread welled up in my throat.

"Nothing but a..."

"I'll be nothing but my own inner demon. Diabolos." Like a calling, I can sense the dark presence of Diabolos form behind me. He placed a cold hand upon my shoulder and I put a hand over his. The truth hit me like a ton of bricks.

If I were to forsake myself, I would be Diabolos. Not THE Diabolos ... Diabolos. I would cease to exist and Diabolos would rule. I would be Diabolos.