Rukia chooses Harribel

Rukia thought long and hard on who to pick. So much so that captain Kurotsuchi became impatient, if the annoyed tapping of his finger was any indication. Easy for him to be so hasty. Not as if he was going to be fused to an Arrancar. She didn’t care if he had to wait; this was an important choice for her to make, with the probability of suffering lasting consequences.

And it was so vague too. Fusing two people together meant that they’d share traits, if she understood correctly. Rukia wanted to at least have a say in what she’d look like.

The young Shinigami carefully analyzed the four Arrancar, each still comatose and floating inside their tubes. As disturbing as this scene was, she couldn’t help but let her mind wander. This experiment was crazy, and there was no guarantee it would work, but at the same time it presented several opportunities. Rukia had quite a few insecurities, so to speak.

For starters, she wasn’t all too fond about her height. Ichigo had made fun of her height – more than once – but he wasn’t wrong when he said she was small. Standing at only 1.44 meters, Rukia was one of the shortest girls in the SWA. Truth be told, she wanted to know what it was like to be tall. Secondly, while she was proud of herself and nowhere as vain as Rangiku, there was this quiet voice inside her head; always comparing herself to more developed women. Her friend Orihime was a prime example.

The trip to the beach, with everyone wearing swimsuits that highlighted their generous curves, had been an eyeopener for the rather flat Kuchiki clan member.

So yes, if she could choose, she’d like to do something about her almost nonexistent bust. Rukia knew it was pitiful to think about it like that, but it was the truth. She was secretly jealous of the bustier girls in her circle of friends, and also wanted the attention that both Orihime and Rangiku got on a regular basis. Damn it, even Momo had bigger breasts! Being compared to them was utterly humiliating.

And lastly, Rukia saw this as an opportunity to get stronger. To go past her limits. She’d trained for a long time now, under the careful watch of her brother, yet grew frustrated with the pace of her growth. How was she supposed to stand at her friends’ side, if every enemy they encountered, could push her to her breaking point? The position of lieutenant was one she’d earned through hard work. There were no shortcuts – she knew that, and also believed in this wisdom – but getting help from others wasn’t forbidden.

Even if the person was unconscious and unable to say no; right?

“Well? Have you made your choice yet, lieutenant?” Kurotsuchi asked, now thoroughly annoyed by her stalling.

Isane gave her a concerned, yet questioning look. “Rukia?”

Alright, she knew what to do.

“I have, sir.”

Rukia’s declaration was met with approval. Her tone was firm, and her gaze unwavering. With all of the previous points in mind, it was easy to pick the right partner for the fusion experiment. She stepped forward, raised her arm and pointed resolutely at the one she wanted.

“I’ll pick her.”

Kurotsuchi’s yellow teeth gleamed as she smiled. “Oh, my… How adventurous of you, lieutenant Kuchiki. I can respect your ambition. No doubt this will prove excellent data for my research, which pleases me greatly. Nemu! Prepare the specimen for the upcoming procedure.”

“As you wish, Mayuri-sama.” His daughter bowed, and moved to carry out his command.

Nemu used the terminal again, as she expertly navigated the various controls. Suddenly the liquid inside the tank was drained away. It seeped into several small holes at the bottom of the tube, which had been opened by her. Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi grabbed the fusion gun, and prepared it for activation. The father and daughter combo were truly in their element here.

And as the final drops of liquid were removed from the tube, Tier Harribel, third ranking Espada of Aizen’s former army, dropped down to her knees.

Rukia expected her to awaken; her eyes suddenly opening, taking in her surroundings, and then swiftly attacking them. But apparently not. Whatever captain Kurotsuchi had done to her, it kept her docile. She breathed slowly as if asleep, her chest rising at a steady pace and large breasts swaying gently. The only thing keeping her upright in that position were two clamps attached to her.

“The subject is ready, Mayuri-sama. All vitals are stable.” Nemu said.

The captain nodded. “Excellent. Activate cameras so we can document the proceedings. Lieutenant Kuchiki, step over there if you will.”

With an encouraging pat on the back from Isane, who silently cheered her on, Rukia moved over to the designated spot. She was nervous for what was about to begin. No matter how much she tried to steel her nerves, there was some unease. Maybe because this would be a big change. Oh, and it was captain Kurotsuchi being the one to propose all of this, of course. There was a reason why most people avoided him like the plague.

Her heart sped up a little. Rukia clenched and unclenched her fists, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. She wasn’t just some weak academy student. She was a full-fledged Shinigami, who had reached one of the highest ranks available, and who battled countless enemies. From Hollows to rogue Shinigami, from bounts to brainwashed zanpakutou spirts, and even powerful Arrancar. Granted, none quite as powerful as Harribel, but the point remained – she could do this.

“Now then; you might experience a strange sensation.” Kurotsuchi said. He paused for a second, tilting his head. “Actually, you will without a doubt feel as if your entire soul is being changed. Whether it’s painful or not, we’ll see. That’s one of the purposes of the experiment after all.”

Rukia winced. “That’s great…”

The captain quickly finished his preparations. Once Nemu was ready as well, holding some sort of camera in front of her, he raised the gun and turned a dial on its side. Kurotsuchi aimed the gun at the bound Espada, who was still in a daze, and fired.

A beam of flashy colors struck Harribel in the chest, enveloping her in a radiant light. Everyone shielded their eyes from the intensity. The bright light engulfed the Arrancar woman, before she then disappeared. Just… gone. Almost as if she’d been broken down to the same light particles that had hit her. When the beam was sucked back into the gun, and there were no remains of Harribel, captain Kurotsuchi smirked viciously.

“Absorption of the specimen was a complete success. Her spiritual energy was broken down without a hitch; now safely stored away in the container.” He turned his eyes to Rukia, who gulped nervously out of reflex. “Let’s continue. The next phase will be the actual fusion. Make sure you record this, Nemu.”

“Of course, Mayuri-sama.”

Alright, this was truly it. Rukia stood firm as the bleached captain aimed the gun once more; its barrel pointed at her. Time seemed to slow down. She could hear her own heart beating inside her chest, her breathing calm and paced. Rukia felt oddly calm, somehow. While there was no denying that she was scared, she also felt strangely excited, though the lieutenant did not get the opportunity to reflect on this emotion. Because the very next second, the multi-colored beam struck her.

And it was unlike anything she’d ever felt before.

Rukia couldn’t move; her muscles were locked tight. Every nerve inside her body was on fire as the energy poured into her. It was strange. There were simply no words to describe the experience. However, her mind could grasp the concept and sensation in some way. The initial clue was her mind; it began to remember memories of a woman surviving in Hueco Mundo on her own, before forming a pack with others, and then joining Aizen. These memories were not hers – they were Harribel’s.

But the fusion broke down the barriers – every single one – between them, and Rukia was in awe of how every aspect that made up Harribel became hers. Aside from memories and knowledge that she had never thought of before, she could also feel her body changing. Almost as if the transformation was guided by her own perception of what they should look like together. Rukia’s mind was the blueprint; Harribel’s body was the building material.

Absorbing someone was weird, unnatural and strange. Yet at the same time, it was also fulfilling in a way that the mind could not comprehend. Rukia saw it as being completed with that which you never thought you needed. An unknown commitment. This wasn’t just gaining Hollow powers, like the Visored did. No, this was something more; special. Rukia felt her unwilling partner’s consciousness become dormant, while she took control.

The light diminished and faded away. What felt like an hour was in reality only a few seconds. To Rukia it felt so much longer, and when the fusion was finally complete, she opened her eyes to a whole new world.

“Oh my…” Isane whispered; shocked and awed.

The others reacted differently; Kurotsuchi cackled like a maniac, shouting his joy for all to hear. It was Nemu who remained levelheaded, and considerate enough to bring out a mirror. The quiet lieutenant put the object down next to Rukia, who quickly shared her friend’s astonishment. She didn’t even recognize the figure in front of her eyes.

Rukia was taller. Of all things, that was the first she focused on. She’d gone from her previous diminutive height to a more respectable 1.75 meters. Other than that, Rukia seemed to have inherited many traits from Harribel; either by accident or subconsciously. Her skin was no longer its usual pale, but a healthy tan instead. But the icing on the cake was without a doubt the sheer sexiness of her body. Happiness and pride surged within Rukia as she inspected her curves; her breasts were massive, just like Harribel’s had been.

Then again, she did receive them from said Espada.

She was stacked and had inherited Harribel’s fitness, which was made evident by her killer abs and toned legs. And damn, she had one hell of an ass! Rukia could hardly believe how sexy she’d become. And somehow she had retained her former slenderness too; her waist was definitely thinner than the Arrancar’s. But while her body had transformed drastically, her face remained relatively the same – save for the skin color.

Rukia’s eyes, nose and general facial structure were the same as before. However, her eyelashes were thicker; lips a bit plumper. Even her hairstyle was the same – cut short and styled in a bob – if you didn’t count the three braids that were obviously Harribel’s. Although her hair was a bit wilder than before, the most noticeable difference was its color. As if to complete the exotic look, Rukia’s hair was now a golden yellow. Only her braids were still black. Obviously, her Shinigami outfit was still intact, but had been adjusted to her new size. Strangely enough she wanted to modify it. To show some skin, like Harribel used to.

She reached out to touch her face, running two fingers over a blue lightning tattoo on her face – another inherited trait. The woman in the mirror was a fusion of her and Harribel, yet it felt like this was her.

A new Rukia.