Travels Through Hueco Mundo

Nelliel breathed in the fresh air and looked up at the sky. For a moment, she thought she would never see that sky again. "Why didn't you kill me?" she asked.

"Why would I kill you? I have no deep-seated hatred for you," Ye Yang said matter-of-factly.

Nelliel looked at Ye Yang with a strange expression. She couldn't understand why Ye Yang, who had just been murderous and wanted to kill her, was now letting her go. Looking at Ye Yang, who now seemed harmless, she really didn't know which one was the real him.

"Can you give me a reason?" Nelliel asked again, equally unable to understand Ye Yang.

Ye Yang revealed a smile completely different from before, as gentle as a spring breeze. "If I had to give a reason, it would be simple: I find you quite special. How could a Menos Grande say something like that?"

"We were indeed driven by instinct before, but now that I've evolved into Vasto-class Menos Grande, why should I still be governed by instinct? That kind of pointless killing is meaningless, so I'm going to stop them."

Ulquiorra listened to their conversation without interrupting. He still didn't understand Nelliel's so-called sense of protection. Perhaps he had been constantly experiencing killing since he became conscious, and he had become numb to it. In his eyes, the weak were just a bunch of ants, and he never cared about their lives.

Ye Yang looked at Nelliel, who exuded an aura completely different from other Menos Grande. Such a pure person shouldn't be Menos Grande. Even among the Shinigami of Soul Society, few were purer than her. She was out of place in Hueco Mundo, which was filled with killing. The word "innocent" was the most appropriate way to describe her.

Innocence—simply because we are born this way. Purity—simply because we have always been this way.

"Come over here," Ye Yang suddenly said.

"Huh? What?" Nelliel didn't react.

Ye Yang said slowly, "You shouldn't have anything to do lately, right? I'm planning to travel through Hueco Mundo anyway, why don't you come with me?"

"But... why should I go with you? I am a Hollow, and you are a Grim Reaper." She seemed very confused. Ye Yang's sudden question left her bewildered, unsure of what to do.

"Didn't you just say that Shinigami and Hollows have to be locked in a life-or-death struggle? Don't you want to learn more about us Shinigami? Besides, traveling through Hueco Mundo with me will allow you to see all sorts of places. You can also help more of the weak, right? It's beneficial for both of us, isn't it?"

Nelliel asked, "Then why choose me?" She pointed at Ulquiorra, "Isn't he good enough? I don't know you well." Clearly, she wasn't very willing to accept Ye Yang's suggestion.

"Ul has other things to do, but you are special. Your pure eyes are out of place in this environment. I want to understand why," Ye Yang said slowly.

Nelliel silent. Ye Yang simply smiled and looked at her softly, saying, "You can think about it first. I'm a little tired today. I'll wait for you here for an hour tomorrow at noon. If you've made up your mind, come find me. If you don't come, I'll travel on my own in an hour. Let's go, Ul."

Ye Yang and Ulquiorra vanished instantly, leaving Nelliel still pondering. To her, the trip Ye Yang proposed was entirely beneficial. Her original plan was to travel to more places and rescue more weak people, but she didn't know whether being with Ye Yang was good or bad.

"Lord Ye Yang, why did you let her go?" Ulquiorra asked. He really didn't understand why Ye Yang would do this. She was clearly an enemy, yet he wanted to let her go and even travel with her in Hueco Mundo. In his mind, enemies should never be let go!

Ye Yang sighed softly, shook his head, and said, "She's special. Someone like her shouldn't be here. I've never even had that kind of spirit."

Ulquiorra shook his head. "I don't understand, what spirit?"

Looking into Ulquiorra's emotionless eyes, Ye Yang thought, "Perhaps he never even considered these questions; he simply doesn't understand." He added slowly, "You wouldn't understand."

Ulquiorra wore a strange expression, still not understanding Ye Yang's actions. "Ulquiorra, although your strength and temperament are both quite good, you're lacking something."

"What?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Heart!"

What is the heart?

"On the surface, 'heart' refers to the physical heart, but there's another aspect to it: the inner self. This is something difficult to understand; only you yourself truly know what your heart is like," Ye Yang said slowly.

"Only... would I know?" Ulquiorra murmured to himself.

After pondering for a while, Ulquiorra still had no answer. He simply stopped thinking about it and said, "Lord Ye Yang, if there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."

Ye Yang paced back and forth. "Well, I'll be traveling around Hueco Mundo these next few years. If you hear any news about Aizen, let me know immediately. Okay, you can go now."

"Yes!"

Ye Yang said nothing more. He would have to figure it out himself. Perhaps understanding the meaning of the heart wouldn't necessarily benefit him; someone as empty and Menos Grande as him was perhaps destined for loneliness...

A person who doesn't know what the heart is isn't necessarily bad. Although they may lack emotions and joy, at least they won't experience heartache or sorrow. Such a person lives a very simple life, but isn't that just like a walking corpse?

The next day, Ye Yang arrived at the agreed location, but didn't see Nelliel. Ye Yang muttered to himself with a self-deprecating laugh, "Wasn't I good enough? Let's wait a little longer."

He then set up a defensive Kidō Mirror Door, a high-level barrier that could reflect external attacks back, but its interior was very fragile and could be easily destroyed from the inside.

He lay down and quietly looked at the Hueco Mundo sky of Hueco Mundo. Gradually, a sense of weariness came over him. Since the barrier had already been set up, he decided to sleep. Even if it couldn't stop the Menos Grande, it would be enough to wake them up. There was no need to worry.

For some reason, Ye Yang entered a deep sleep. You should know that he had never been in a deep sleep in Hueco Mundo before. He had to be vigilant from time to time, otherwise he might not even know how he died.

He seemed to be having a very long dream, in which he saw many people: his parents, relatives, friends, the captains of each division, Hirako and the others, as well as Yoruichi, Kisuke...

When Ye Yang opened his eyes, a crescent moon hung in the sky, a symbol of night in Hueco Mundo. He hadn't expected to sleep until now. Ye Yang had always had to keep his mind on edge in Hueco Mundo, and now that he had relaxed, he felt so exhausted.

"You're awake?" Suddenly a woman's voice entered Ye Yang 'Ye Yang ears, causing him to spring to his feet and use Shunpo to leave his original spot, drawing his Zanpakuto. However, he saw Nelliel standing where he had been standing.

"What are you doing here?" Ye Yang asked instinctively.

A sweet voice came from her mouth. "Didn't you ask me to come? Don't you remember?"

Ye Yang remembered; he had come to wait for her. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Have you thought it through?"

"Since you're here, you must have thought it through, but we've waited way too long," Nelliel, a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice. How could she not have complaints after waiting for so long?

"Excuse me, when did you arrive?" Ye Yang asked.

"Yesterday at noon!" She made no attempt to hide the dissatisfaction in her tone.

"Huh?" Now it was Ye Yang's turn to be confused. What happened yesterday? Could it be...? Ye Yang cautiously asked, "How long have I been asleep?"

"One and a half days"

Despite having anticipated this outcome, Ye Yang was still secretly surprised. Normally, Ye Yang would never sleep for such a long time; it seemed he really hadn't rested in a long time.

At this moment, Nelliel up. "You were asleep when I arrived, but a barrier was set up around you. Although it was quite troublesome, I was still able to pass through it. I waited by your side until you finally woke up."

Ye Yang couldn't help but curse himself for being careless. He thought that setting up a barrier would make him worry-free, but this kind of barrier could still be broken by Vasto-class Menos Grande. If the person who came was not Nelliel but Baraggan, he probably wouldn't be standing here talking right now. He looked at Nelliel and felt a little grateful to her.

Hollows and Shinigami are mortal enemies, yet she showed no intention of attacking a sleeping Shinigami, which made Ye Yang look at her with even greater admiration.

"Hey, Shihoin, now that you're awake, shouldn't we set off?" she asked.

Ye Yang stretched and said, "Soon. Don't call me Shihoin anymore, it feels awkward. Just call me Ye Yang, that's what people who know me call me. Also, Nelliel is too long, how about I call you Nel instead?"

"Nel? Sure," Nelliel replied. The name was not only pleasant to hear but also easy to remember, and she personally liked it very much.

"Ye Yang, can you tell me your opinion on us Hollows? Are Hollows and Shinigami truly mortal enemies?" Nelliel asked, not understanding why, even though they were both transformed from human souls, they were mortal enemies.

"The Grim Reaper and the Hollows, I don't know what kind of hatred they have. It's probably a hatred left over from history. Why bother with so much? We just need to do our own thing. Aren't we getting along well now? Why should we restrict ourselves? Just follow our own will."

"Then why..."

"Didn't I already say that I only attacked them because they wanted to eat me? Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered with them," Ye Yang said calmly.

"Can you promise me something?"

"What?"

"Please don't slaughter the innocent without cause, okay?"

"As long as they don't mess with me."

"Thank you"

Then Ye Yang stood up and said, "Let's go, our trip begins..."