In the Cat’s Ear Ch4 Ficbit – Arrancar

“I’m going to guess that makes you two Contractors. What’s that?”

“Very, very nasty,” Mao said cheerfully. “I’m not sure what caused it. I’m not sure any Contractor ever is. Although we do all seem to have some kind of massive trauma hit us weeks, even months before it happened. Mostly violent trauma, but not always; I researched one Russian Contractor whose trigger seemed to be the accidental death of her child.” A furred shrug. “One day – night, whenever – there’s just a shock. And part of you, the part that cared and laughed and hated people and wanted to be with them forever… it’s gone.” Fur trembled. “And in its place there’s a star in the sky, a power that wants to be used, and a price you have to pay for it. The Contract, and the Remuneration.”

“Empathic amputation.” Ichigo swallowed hard. “It sounds almost like….”

“A soul becoming a Hollow?” Ishida finished. “As far as I can tell, it is. There’s severe damage to the plate connecting the soul chain; the metaphysical heart of every emotional tie we have to other human beings. Yet they still have physical bodies. I believe that allows them to maintain rational thought, where a Hollow would be raw spiritual hunger. Dolls and Contractors are the closest beings I’ve seen to living Arrancar.”

Hei tensed. Ishida had used that word before, but he’d been too focused on Yin and Ichigo’s background-of-holes father to ask. What?

Mao slid a glance his way, then stalked closer to the doctor. “You told us what Hollows are; spirits who by obsession or attack lost their hearts, and now try to eat anyone they can get their claws on. But what are Arrancar?”

“Majorly strong Hollows – Adjuchas-level or more – who rip their masks off and get more powerful,” Ichigo rattled off, quick as Hei could run down caliber differences. “They look a lot more human, and they are damn dangerous. Aren’t many of ‘em. Thankfully. About a dozen of them just about took Karakura apart, even with everybody fighting them.” He stared at all of them. “You guys aren’t anything like Arrancar, though… well, maybe like Nel. Kind of.”

“Nel?” Ishida beat them all to the question. “Who was Nel?”

“Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck,” Ichigo shrugged. “She didn’t want to fight anymore. She was strong enough she could just hang out in Hueco Mundo and live on the reishi in the air. She didn’t need to hunt humans. So she just didn’t. All she wanted was to live with her Fracciones, have fun playing tag, stay away from shinigami. Then Aizen had to screw with everybody.” He waved a hand; what can you do about homicidal idiots. “She saved our lives a couple times. She was… nice. Dangerous as heck, she was an Espada, but if Aizen had just left her alone she would have kept her Fracciones safe and stayed out of it. He didn’t, we needed help, she helped us.”