Two weeks after their battle, Vados returned to Earth.
And then she returned again the next day.
And the day after that.
And every day for the following month.
At first, her excuses were plausible. "I'm here to monitor the dimensional anomaly." "Lord Champa wishes to understand Universe 7's warriors better." "The Grand Priest has requested preliminary assessments for a potential tournament."
But as the days wore on, her justifications became increasingly flimsy.
"I was passing through and thought I'd observe your training."
"The atmospheric conditions on Earth are particularly pleasant today."
"I forgot my... staff polish. In Universe 7. Somehow."
Kenpachi, for his part, noticed none of this.
"Oh, you're back," he would say each time she appeared, his attention already returning to whatever training exercise he was engaged in. "Wanna spar?"
And Vados would smile that serene smile—the one that now held something considerably less serene beneath its surface—and accept.
Capsule Corporation, morning...
Bulma stared at the readings on her scanner with growing confusion.
"This can't be right," she muttered, adjusting the calibration. "The energy signature is definitely Vados, but the physical dimensions are..."
"What's wrong?" Goku asked, peering over her shoulder with characteristic nosiness.
"Nothing's WRONG, exactly. It's just..." Bulma frowned at the data. "According to my scans, Vados's physical form has been gradually changing since she started visiting. Her height is the same, but her overall mass has increased by approximately 15%."
"So she's getting bigger?"
"In certain... areas, yes." Bulma's frown deepened. "I didn't think angels COULD change their physical forms like that. They're supposed to be constant, eternal, unchanging."
"Maybe she's just eating a lot? Earth food is really good!"
"Goku, that's not how angelic physiology works."
But the Saiyan had already lost interest, wandering off in search of breakfast.
Bulma continued studying her readings, unaware that the subject of her analysis was, at that very moment, watching Kenpachi train with an intensity that bordered on worship.
Vados hovered at the edge of the wasteland, her eyes fixed on the massive Shinigami as he moved through his morning exercises.
She had noticed the changes to her form, of course. Angels were acutely aware of their physical vessels. What she hadn't expected was for those changes to be so... pronounced.
Her curves had become more generous. Her figure had grown fuller. Her entire body seemed to be reshaping itself into something more substantial, more present, more THERE.
She had theories about why this was happening. Angels' physical forms were manifestations of their spiritual essence—reflections of their inner state made flesh. And her inner state had been... turbulent lately.
Obsessive, if she was being honest.
Completely, utterly, magnificently obsessive.
He's so beautiful, she thought, watching Kenpachi's scarred torso flex as he swung his blade. Every movement is perfect. Every breath is poetry. He is the most glorious being in all of creation.
These thoughts should have alarmed her. Instead, they felt natural. Inevitable. Like her entire existence had been building toward this moment—toward HIM.
"You're staring again."
The voice came from beside her, and Vados nearly jumped out of her skin—a reaction so undignified that she immediately pretended it hadn't happened.
Whis floated nearby, his expression a mixture of amusement and concern.
"Brother," she said, forcing calm into her voice. "I didn't sense your approach."
"I noticed. You were rather... focused." His eyes flicked to Kenpachi, then back to her. "This is becoming concerning, Vados."
"I have no idea what you mean."
"You've visited Earth every day for a month. Your physical form is changing in ways I've never seen before. And you just spent twenty minutes staring at a mortal without blinking." Whis's voice softened. "This isn't healthy."
"I'm perfectly healthy."
"You're obsessed."
"I'm INTERESTED. There's a difference."
"Is there?" Whis moved closer, his expression serious. "Vados, I've known you for billions of years. I've never seen you like this. The way you look at him..."
"The way I look at him is none of your concern."
"It IS my concern when my sister is losing herself to an infatuation that can only end badly." Whis reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He's mortal, Vados. Even with his remarkable abilities, his lifespan is limited. And you're an angel—eternal, unchanging. What happens when he dies?"
Something dark flickered across Vados's expression.
"He won't die."
"Everyone dies eventually—"
"HE. WON'T. DIE." Her voice carried an edge that made Whis's eyes widen. "I won't allow it. I'll find a way to make him eternal. The Super Dragon Balls, the Grand Priest's authority, SOMETHING. He will NOT be taken from me."
Whis stared at her in silence.
"Vados," he said finally, "do you hear yourself?"
"I hear myself perfectly." Her smile returned, but it was wrong somehow—too sharp, too intense. "Don't worry, brother. I know exactly what I'm doing."
She turned back to watching Kenpachi, her eyes drinking in every movement.
Whis remained for a long moment, genuine worry creasing his features. Then, with a sigh, he departed.
He would need to speak with the Grand Priest about this.
Something had gone very, very wrong with his sister.
Inside Kenpachi's inner world...
Nozarashi was pacing.
The battlefield that represented Kenpachi's soul stretched endlessly around her, littered with the remnants of imaginary wars. But she paid no attention to the landscape. Her focus was entirely inward, churning with emotions that would have seemed impossible for a zanpakuto spirit.
That angel, she thought, her hands clenching into fists. That CREATURE. She thinks she can have him? She thinks she can take what's MINE?
From the moment Vados had first appeared, Nozarashi had felt threatened. This wasn't like Goku or Vegeta—fellow warriors who pushed Kenpachi to grow stronger. This was something else. Something that wanted to CLAIM him.
And Nozarashi did NOT share.
He's my wielder, she seethed, her spiritual pressure causing the inner world to tremble. My partner. My OTHER HALF. We've been together for centuries. What right does some blue-skinned HUSSY have to look at him like that?!
The possessiveness had always been there, she realized. From the moment she had chosen Kenpachi—had guided that nameless blade into his hands in the depths of Zaraki—she had known he was hers.
But it had been passive before. Assumed. Unquestioned.
Now, with competition appearing, it had become something fiercer.
I should warn him, she thought. Tell him what that angel really wants. He's oblivious—doesn't see the way she looks at him, doesn't notice how her body changes when she's near him. Someone needs to open his eyes.
But another part of her—a darker part—whispered something else.
Or I could eliminate the competition myself.
The thought should have horrified her. Zanpakuto were meant to serve their wielders, not manipulate them. They were weapons, partners, reflections of the soul—not jealous lovers plotting against romantic rivals.
But Nozarashi had never been a normal zanpakuto.
And her love for Kenpachi had never been normal either.
Next time he enters this world, she decided, we're going to have a conversation. About that angel. About us. About what happens to anyone who tries to take him from me.
The battlefield around her pulsed with dark energy.
Nozarashi smiled.
It was not a pleasant smile.
Back in the physical world...
Kenpachi finished his morning exercises and lowered Nozarashi, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Hey, angel lady," he called out, having long since grown accustomed to Vados's constant presence. "You just gonna float there all day, or you wanna go a round?"
Vados descended gracefully, her enhanced figure moving with that impossible elegance that characterized all angels.
"I would be delighted," she said, her smile warm. "Though perhaps we should relocate? Your current training ground has become somewhat... deteriorated."
She gestured at the landscape around them, which had indeed seen better days. Months of intensive training had transformed the already-barren wasteland into something resembling the surface of the moon—craters upon craters, shattered rock formations, fissures that stretched toward the horizon.
"Fair point." Kenpachi sheathed Nozarashi and stretched. "Got somewhere in mind?"
"Actually, yes." Vados's smile widened. "I've prepared a training dimension specifically for our sparring sessions. It's infinitely regenerating, completely isolated, and capable of withstanding forces that would destroy normal reality."
"Sounds useful."
"It also has living quarters. In case our sessions run long."
"Don't need much sleep, but sure."
Vados's eyes gleamed with something Kenpachi's oblivious mind completely failed to register.
"Then shall we?" She raised her staff, reality beginning to ripple around them. "I'm VERY eager to continue your... training."
Several hours later, in Vados's private dimension...
The sparring session had been intense.
Kenpachi lay on his back, staring up at an artificial sky that shifted through colors no natural atmosphere could produce. His body ached in that satisfying way that spoke of limits pushed and exceeded.
Vados sat nearby—closer than strictly necessary—her staff laying across her lap.
"You've improved significantly since our first encounter," she observed. "Your Bankai control has become nearly flawless."
"Still can't match you, though."
"Few beings in any universe can match an angel." Her voice dropped slightly. "But you're closer than anyone I've ever encountered. Given time..."
"Given time, what?"
Vados was silent for a moment, considering how much to reveal.
"Given time," she said finally, "you might become the strongest mortal in existence. Perhaps strong enough to challenge even the Grand Priest himself."
"The Grand Priest?"
"Father of all angels. The most powerful being beneath the Omni-Kings themselves." Vados's eyes grew distant. "He created us, guides us, sets the rules by which all angels must live."
"Rules, huh?" Kenpachi sat up, wincing slightly. "Never been much for rules myself."
"No. You haven't." Something warm entered Vados's voice. "That's one of the things I find most... admirable about you."
Kenpachi missed the implication entirely. "Thanks, I guess. So this Grand Priest—is he strong enough to give me a good fight?"
"He would annihilate you utterly." The statement was matter-of-fact. "At your current level, you wouldn't last a microsecond against his full power."
"Current level, huh?" Kenpachi's grin sharpened. "Sounds like I need to keep training."
"Indeed you do." Vados leaned closer, her enhanced figure entering Kenpachi's peripheral vision. "And I would be honored to assist in any way I can. My knowledge, my experience, my... personal attention. All of it is yours."
"Appreciate that." Kenpachi climbed to his feet, completely oblivious to the offer's subtext. "Same time tomorrow?"
"I'll be here." I'll always be here, she added silently. From now until the end of time itself.
That night, on Earth...
Kenpachi had returned to Capsule Corporation for dinner—Bulma's automated kitchens produced food in quantities that could actually satisfy his appetite, and the company wasn't terrible.
Goku sat across from him, inhaling his own mountain of food with characteristic enthusiasm. Vegeta brooded in the corner, as usual. Piccolo meditated nearby, presumably absorbing nutrition through photosynthesis or sheer stubbornness.
"So," Goku said between bites, "you've been training with Vados a lot lately."
"Yeah."
"How's that going?"
"Good. She's strong." Kenpachi tore into another rack of ribs. "Pushing me harder than anyone else."
"That's great!" Goku's enthusiasm was genuine. "Vados is super powerful—probably the best training partner you could ask for!"
"Mmph."
"Hey, have you noticed anything... weird about her lately?"
Kenpachi paused his eating. "Weird how?"
"I don't know. Just..." Goku scratched his head. "She seems different. More intense, maybe? And I could swear she looks..."
"Bigger?" Vegeta supplied from his corner, finally deigning to contribute. "Because she definitely looks bigger."
"Yeah! Her whole body seems more... substantial?" Goku struggled for words. "Like she's MORE there than she used to be."
Kenpachi shrugged. "Didn't notice."
"HOW COULD YOU NOT NOTICE?!" Vegeta's outburst made everyone jump. "She's practically OVERFLOWING every time she appears! Her dimensions have changed DRAMATICALLY!"
"I mostly look at her staff," Kenpachi admitted. "Trying to figure out how she channels energy through it. Might be useful for my Bankai control."
Vegeta stared at him in disbelief.
"You're looking at her STAFF."
"Yeah."
"While she's standing right in front of you."
"That's where her staff is."
"I..." Vegeta seemed to struggle with something fundamental. "Are you BLIND?!"
"Got two working eyes." Kenpachi tapped his unscarred eye for emphasis. "One of them, anyway."
Piccolo finally spoke, his eyes still closed in meditation. "He's not blind. He's just... focused differently than most beings. Combat is all he sees. Everything else is background noise."
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Vegeta sputtered.
"And yet, accurate." Piccolo's expression held something like amusement. "I've observed Vados's behavior for weeks. Her interest in Kenpachi is... concerning. But he genuinely doesn't notice."
"Concerning how?" Goku asked.
"The way she looks at him. The frequency of her visits. The physical changes to her form." Piccolo's eyes opened, fixing on Kenpachi. "She's exhibiting signs of obsessive attachment. And you're either unaware or unconcerned."
"She gives me good fights," Kenpachi said simply. "Don't really care about anything else."
The room fell silent.
Finally, Vegeta threw his hands up in frustration.
"I give up. You're hopeless."
"Probably." Kenpachi returned to his food. "But at least I'm getting stronger."
Later that night, in Kenpachi's inner world...
"We need to talk."
Kenpachi found himself face to face with Nozarashi the moment he entered the battlefield of his soul. Her expression was serious—more serious than he had ever seen it.
"About what?"
"About that angel."
"Vados?" Kenpachi shrugged. "She's a good sparring partner. What about her?"
"She wants you."
"Yeah, for training. I know."
"No." Nozarashi stepped closer, her golden eyes blazing. "She WANTS you. Not just as a sparring partner. Not just as a curiosity. She wants to POSSESS you."
Kenpachi blinked. "Possess me how?"
"In every way possible." Nozarashi's voice dropped to something dangerous. "I see it every time she looks at you. That hunger. That obsession. She wants to own you, body and soul."
"That's... weird."
"It IS weird. It's also a THREAT." Nozarashi grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to look at her. "Don't you understand? She's trying to take you from me! From US! Everything we've built together—she wants to replace it!"
Kenpachi stared at his zanpakuto's spirit, genuinely confused.
"Take me from you? Nozarashi, you're part of my soul. Nobody can take me from you."
Something flickered in Nozarashi's expression—hope, perhaps, or the beginning of reassurance.
"You mean that?"
"Obviously. We've been together for centuries. We're partners. That doesn't change just because some angel wants to fight me a lot."
"But she doesn't just want to fight you—"
"Whatever she wants, it doesn't matter." Kenpachi's voice was firm. "You're my blade. My other half. Nothing changes that."
Nozarashi was quiet for a long moment.
Then, slowly, a smile spread across her scarred face.
"You're an idiot," she said, but there was warmth in the words. "A complete, oblivious idiot."
"Probably."
"But you're MY idiot." She pulled him into an embrace that was probably inappropriate for a zanpakuto spirit. "And I'm never letting you go."
"Wasn't planning on going anywhere."
They stood like that for a while, warrior and weapon, partners and something more.
And if Nozarashi's embrace was a little too tight, her eyes a little too possessive, her smile a little too sharp...
Kenpachi didn't notice.
He never noticed.
In her private dimension, surrounded by images of Kenpachi...
Vados was planning.
Her quarters had become something between a shrine and a tactical command center. Images of Kenpachi covered every surface—training, fighting, eating, sleeping. She had catalogued every expression, every movement, every word he had ever spoken in her presence.
It wasn't enough.
She needed MORE.
"Phase one is complete," she murmured to herself, adjusting one of the floating images. "Regular contact established. Physical proximity normalized. He now expects my presence—would perhaps even miss it if I disappeared."
Her fingers traced the image of his face.
"Phase two: deepen the connection. Make myself indispensable. Ensure that his training, his growth, his very EXISTENCE becomes intertwined with mine."
The images shifted, showing Kenpachi in various states of combat.
"Phase three: eliminate alternatives. Any being who might draw his attention, any potential rival for his affection... they must be discouraged. Permanently, if necessary."
Her smile became something that would have terrified any being with survival instincts.
"And phase four..."
She caressed the image, her enhanced figure pressing against the dimensional display.
"Phase four is forever."
The images pulsed with divine energy, responding to her emotional state.
Outside her dimension, universes continued their eternal dance, unaware that one of their guardian angels had fallen into the deepest obsession of her eternal existence.
And at the center of it all, completely oblivious to the cosmic forces focusing on him...
Kenpachi Zaraki slept peacefully, dreaming only of battles yet to come.
End of Chapter 9