Inside the Solace [Private]

It was eerily quiet. No sounds echoed in the poorly furnished room, the dimmed lights casting a shifting shadow as the flame of the candles that surrounded the man flickered back and forth. He made no sound, this figure whose eyes were closed shut to the darkened world. His body was leaning against the wall, the cracks in the stone edging out and digging into his back but he took no notice; he just continued to tilt his head back and will his uptight muscles to relax. The ebony haired man breathed in slowly, his chest rising and falling in an arithmetic manner that made the former shinigami drowsy. His heart rate slowed and as he drifted between reality and fantasy, he wondered idly where his vice captain was.

Haburi was supposed to meet with him five minutes ago, and yet Niamo could not feel his presence. Inwardly, he wondered if the man had faced any problems, but quickly batted the thought away, knowing that his second in command could handle himself with a simple assignment. They had been together for a while now, and the shinigami knew that if he would ever trust someone with his life, it would be that man. However, he wasn’t that type of person, so Niamo watched his back; knowing that to completely trust a fool with his life was stupid. He allowed Haburi to goad and mock him, but that was where their relationship ended. He was respected as a follower and maybe even a friend, but the ebony head didn’t know if he could ever sacrifice himself for the lavender headed man. It seemed very unlikely.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he continued to nurture the calm aura that surrounded him. He took slow, deep breathes that stretched out his diaphragm and then breathed out, continuing the pattern without break, his position on the floor slouched and seemingly tired. The zanpakuto was pressed lightly against his thigh, the hilt of the sword resting inside his lightly curled fingers. Occasionally he would tighten his grip and wait a few moments before letting go and relaxing once again. He appeared defenseless, the sword his only weapon that surrounded him in the sparsely furnished room. Its sheath gleamed whenever the light graced its cover before disappearing once again into the dark that covered the room. It was windowless, and as Niamo sat on the floor he could have sworn he heard a clock ticking down the seconds that seemed to pass by slowly.

What was taking him so long?

Haburi made his way down the long hallway and straight for Niamo's room, he was ready to bring Longmaul there a little bit later. He had told her to stay back and shown her where she could stay if that's what she wanted to do. He had welcomed her with open arms, and he was hoping that she would pledge her allegiance to Niamo-sama or Haburi would probably have to just go ahead and kill her. He didn't want to do that, she had potiental to become a great Espada. However, Haburi would need to make sure that whatever the case might be with what she wanted to do, she didn't say anything that might piss Niamo-sama off, for that would probably be the end of her life right there. Haburi was given the right to basically say whatever he wanted to his lord, simply because they had become more friends than anything.

Haburi finally reached Niamo's room, he was about to enter when he looked back. He thought that he sensed another reiatsu, however he felt nothing more so he figured that he was probably wrong. He stuck his hand out and grabbed the handle, slowing starting to open the door without knocking he simply walked in and looked around the room, it wasn't much of a place. Niamo was always a man that really didn't need much other than his little mind games for people. He grinned at Niamo who was sitting there, he hoped that he didn't displease him because of how late he was. He wasn't really particularly late, however it might have been enough to make Niamo get restless, not that he was a really impatient man, however Haburi didn't want to anger him in any way, so he tried to keep it hidden by being his normal self.

He walked over to a seat that was fairly close to the end of the room, there was an even larger seat farther away that he figured Niamo would probably want to sit in, he didn't mind though. He didn't really know who was going to start there little conversation, this was the beginning of their plans. All of the plans that they came up with for many years, too many years for Haburi to even count. He sat up in a comfortable position and stared at Niamo, his eyes obviously squinty just as they always were, his grin hadn't left his face either. "So, shall we begin?" He asked in a hush tone as he sat and waited for a reply.

Niamo felt his companion's presence before he felt the man's footsteps on the concrete floor. The light tremors that appeared after each step vibrated up his back and sent shivers down his spin. It wasn't cold or fear that made goose flesh appear on his pale skin, but the anticipation for the chat he knew was coming. From the confident stride he felt in his friend's steps, the raven knew that the assignment had been a success and although he had been left waiting, the results of his patience was better than he thought. Of course, he considered mildly, if this Hollow was not as strong as Haburi had preached that it was, then Niamo would have to feel an obligation of disappointment with the man for not providing him with willing and strong minds that he could control.

The door opened slowly, revealing his friend who walked in without thought; not even knocking on the thick wood. Usually, Niamo would comment on it offhandedly about respect, but today he was not in a joking mood. Haburi too knew this was a matter of business and as he sat himself down in the dark, windowless room, the shinigami rose from the floor gracefully and without thought. He stretched his back and after hearing a few satisfying pops, the man slowly looked over to his companion for the first time. Haburi seemed to look like his normal self, a sly grin playing at his lips as he looked out between slitted eyes that saw more then they gave away. Yes, this man who he somewhat trusted was dangerous and if Niamo didn't know that the man was devoted to him, the raven would have already killed him.

Moving toward the chair that Haburi had walked right by, he sat down slowly, his movements slow and lazy. it was interesting how he contradicted himself about never wasting time while in reality, for the small tasks, he took forever to complete them. No one seemed to bring this up to him, but the man noticed it none the less. He really didn't care about it however. Licking his lips, he crossed an ankle over his knee and leaned back into the soft plush. Steepling his fingers, he cocked his head to the side, his golden orbs blank and waiting. Niamo never spoke unless he had to or thought the time was appropriate, know Haburi the man would have picked up that the silence and undivided attention was his que to continue on with his report on what had happened in the Human world.

Haburi noticed that Niamo didn't say anything, not a word after he had asked him a question. He took that as a yes, so he began to clear his throat. "I got to the Human World only to find that our Vasto Lorde was in battle with a Captain Shinigami." He stated with a smirk, he couldn't want to get to the good part about who the Shinigami was and what Haburi had done to him. "For some reason, Longmaul the Vasto Lorde hadn't even heard of you, which lead me to believe that she obviously had lived in isolation away from the rest of the Menos Grande Hollow." He said, his grin stayed on his face. He loved to tell such stories, it was really enjoyable for him to give these reports like Niamo always wanted of him. For a second he forgot where he was at, but then a moment later began to continue.

"I stayed back for a while and had my reiatsu hidden while I analyssed their abilities and made sure that they were nothing that I couldn't handle if things had gone wrong." He said, he always had a plan for every situation that he was put into. After he did analyss their abilities he found that the two of them probably wouldn't be a problem in battle for him if something actually were to go wrong in one of their plans. "After determining that they wouldn't be any kind of match for me, I decided to confront them. I told the Vasto Lorde that you had need of her and as expected she first flipped out but them began to get interested in what I was talkin about." Haburi stated, his eyes now opening up a little bit. His grin yet again turned out a large smirk, as if he was proud of himself for what he had done.

"It just so happened that the Captain that was there was by Ex-Vice Captain. He has gotten better, but he was still no match for the Vasto Lorde, therefore I didn't think that his power would benifiet you Niamo-sama." he stated, he didn't know how he was going to put the next part into context. "After seeing that I was still alive, he tried to send in a message to the Soul Society and requested assitance for himself. That was when i decided that I needed to dispose of him." He said and then thought back on what happened. Seeing his old subordinate so weakened like that, it almost made him ashamed of himself for obviously not training him the right way. "I immediatly killed him with a blast of Cero, also making sure that there was no body left of him that could be found, he was blasted to pieces by my Cero no Joukai. I then continued to bring the Vasto Lorde back here, she is in a special room that I picked out for her. The mission was a sucess." He stated, finishing his report.

He didn't move; resembling a beautiful sculpture. The flicker from the candle's flame sent planes of shadows across his chiseled and defined face, bringing out the starkness of his skin. He blinked occasionally, the golden orbs that held a hint of malice disappearing for a moment before reappearing again. They focused solidly on his second in command; the area around him seeming to blur into the background. At this time, it was all unimportant; nothing but the good news he knew would come from the man in front of him the only thing he cared about. Niamo knew, even before Haburi spoke that things went as planned, because if they hadn't, the sly man wouldn't have returned.

His Vice Captain knew the consequences of failure, but he also knew Niamo well. He was known to not accept anything that strayed too far from perfection, no matter who it was from. The ebony man was constant in his punishments, not showing favoritism to anyone or anything. He saw things as black and white, not caring for the shades of gray. This was the only way that he could stay on top of things; the only way he was always one step ahead. Even now, as Haburi finished speaking, Niamo was forming a plan in his mind. He was satisfied with the 'capture' of Longmual, the Vasto Lorde but it annoyed him slightly that she did not know who he was. It would make for a discussion that he had no time for.

The lean man would simply give her his choices and watch as she chose. If she picked the right one, then she would become another notch in his bed post, but if she decided against him; well... that would be a pity and a waste of his time. Hopefully, Haburi had been smart and picked rightly. Blinking, he tilted his head to the side, the dark as night locks following the motion easily. They shaped his face messily, and he idly blew a piece out of his eye, a small smile pulling at his lips as he heard the end of the report. So Raito was dead, eh? Niamo had never really thought of him as competition or a threat, the man too weak in character to even be considered, but it still pleased him endlessly to hear of his death by his Vice Captain. It showed their growing power, and now; the Soul Society would know something was up. There was only one thing that he wasn't sure about...

"Haburi," he began, his voice soft and musical; a small caress that caused women to swoon, "Did the message send successfully?" He was referring to the little calling card that Raito had sent about his second in command's survival. Although it did not matter to him if it did go through or not; Niamo needed to plan and that would mean taking in every little piece of information and using it against them. For him to succeed, the ebony knew that there could not be mistakes or things overlooked. Either way though, the man knew he could use it to his advantage.

If the message went through, Seireitei would up the security around them and become cautious. With them being on guard, he could use his inside members of the Gotei 13 and create an inner chaos by releasing them. That would only be when he was ready to move, of course. But if they were left ignorant, then a surprise attack from the outside could work to his advantage by still letting the inside members remain hidden and continue to spy on the Commander. There were so many choices, he mused to himself, a sinister spark filling his eyes as his grin broadened. It was only a matter of time before he unleashed his power on the Soul Society. All he needed to do is bide his time.

Haburi hilted his head up a bit in confusion, he thought about it for a second. He wasn't really that sure whether or not the message had actually gone through however if he remembered correctly the 3rd division was incharge of any incoming messages that come from divisions that were on duty. Unless one of Raito's subordinates had been on it at that exact moment, the message would not have been received. However, it might benifet them if it did, for Seireitei would probably be in a weak state because they would be freaking out so much. If they put up their guards and made everyone be extremely cautionous, they would fall apart because of the already known trust issues among all of the captains. They would all turn on eachother thinking that they couldn't trust the other person and ti would all go into chaos.

Haburi hoped that he had brang that hollow there for a reason, however if it didn't work out he couldn't really be to blame for it because he simply picked her out because she was the easiest found. There was very few Vasto Lorde in Hueco Mundo and she was the one with the biggest information they had on, therefore she was pretty much the only one that they were able to find easily. If it didn't work out with her, she could simply be replaced, however it wouldn't be easy to find another Vasto Lorde. They weren't running in packs around, they were actually extremely hard to come by. He directed himself back to Niamo's question, not really sure what he could tell him other than the fact that he was entirely sure. "It's possible that it did, but the probibility is low. Either way, it's nothing we need to worry about, for in some cases if they do find out that I am alive, they either will or will not feel that threatened." Haburi stated, he was ready to explain.

He sat upright abit after slouching for a second. "There are two things to consider. The first one is, they would only know I'm alive, and knowing the Captain Commander, they won't really take that seriously because they never had the chance to see what I'm really capable of. However, I killed that captain fairly easily, therefore they might figure that I have adapted my abilities, and they wouldn't know exactly how powerful I have become." he stated and his smirk came back, "Either way, they don't know anything about you or our plans, even if they do know that I'm alive, they don't know if what I'm doing is against them or not, because if they recieved the message, they will probably still assume that it was the Vasto Lorde who killed him, not me. Infact, for all they know I tried to help my ex-vice captain." he stated.

Haburi was pretty good at analyssing situations such as the one they were in, and from that he could decide their plans are infact in no danger, they could go on just like before, but now they would be ready to steal what was nessecary. They all had everything planned, they had someone set up to be sacraficed inorder to create the Hougyoku and make it strong, and they had a person that was going to do it without knowing who exactly they were serving. Everything was all going well, and soon they would be able to create the Arrancar. After that, Soul Society would be doomed, more than they have ever been.

The shadowed man listened to his Vice Captain quietly, not making any comment as the man spoke about the pro's and con's of his knowing existence. Haburi was a well known analysis who covered the basics and delved even deeper into a problem to insure he would not be blind sided. Niamo appreciated the man's thoughtfulness on most subjects and his capability to come up with different situations to create a counter attack. Continuing to blankly stare as the shinigami finished his observation on the predicament, the man merely smiled slightly at his friend and let out a sigh; his hand reaching out to grasp Haburi's shoulder. "I trust you," he stated quietly, his voice an alighted monotone.

His back as straight as a broomstick, he leaned forward, patting his friend's shoulder once more before he smiled graciously and pushed himself upward. Standing, his shoulders back and head tilted toward the window, the man quietly made his way over to it, looking out at the darkened sky that seemed to be as constant as the wheels which turned in his brain. Silently, he contemplated his statement; wondering if what he said was really true. Rarely he spoke without first thinking of the costs, but around his Vice-Captain who he had known for many a years, Niamo always found himself speaking without thinking. it troubled him somewhat, that he had that kind of faith in the man, but it was nothing he would dwell over.

But yet, he still found himself thinking about it. Sighing inwardly, the raven head looked out of the corner of his eye, his stony gaze finding itself zoned in on Haburi. It narrowed slightly, like a lioness concentrating on her prey, studying its movements before it decided to pounce. He was leaning against the cold stone of the room, feeling it suck the warmth from his body but he ignored the shivers that threatened his spine. They were nothing but a primal reaction that he had no use for. Looking at Haburi who seemed so calm and collected, Niamo knew that his judgment on the subject would simply conclude that the time they spent created a unique bond that could easily break, just as well as strengthen. It would be decided by each move or path they decided to take.

Smiling broadly, he distanced himself from the window and the infinite dark, coming back toward the still sitting shinigami, his eyes laughing. A dark excitement bounced around him like a protective blanket or aura and as Niamo stood tall, his eyes sparking and lips spread apart he said slowly, his mind contemplating, "Haburi... I wonder who will come out victorious in this battle for control... You? Me? Or something of greater power that has slipped past our radar...?" He smiled, the thought of a challenge making him crave for a battle, "Time seems to become a constant answer."

Making for the door, he looked over his shoulder, his hand placed on the knob, twisting it, "Now... I must meet the Vasto Lorde. Let us hope she is capable of the power of an Arrancar. If not, Haburi; I ask you to dispose of her." Turning back around without another thought, he opened the door and stepped out of the room into the hallway, disappearing from view.