Despair
The air felt cold against Ichigo's skin as the wind ripped through his hair, though his face remained untouched by the chill, because of his hollow mask. The white sands seemed to be just a little bit brighter in the Forever Night light of Hueco Mundo, Ichigo eyes quickly adjusted to the starless night as he stared upon the figure that struck pure terror to some part deep in his heroic heart.
Standing on a pillar a little ways above Ichigo, stood the number four Espada Ulquiorra Cifer. The man stood 5'6", his half helmet shaped mask proudly bestowed on his unkempt black hair.
If this man had not come to kill him, Ichigo might have both envied and admired his immense strength and cunning.
"Do you know why I didn't just release my Zanpakuto in Las Noches?" Ulquiorra asked the masked Ichigo, but knew that the dumbfounded Ichigo would not know.
Ulquiorra sighed and stated, "It is, because Espada four and above are strictly forbidden to do so, the release of such high spiritual pressure would reduce the gigantic fortress to ruble."
Ichigo stared at the number four Espada showing no mention of how he truly felt deep down. He just knew one thing, this man was the one thing standing between him and bringing Orihime home safely.
"Let me show you, Ichigo Kurosaki, the true difference between a human and Espada." The temperature of the air between them began to drop as Ulquiorra raised his sword from his side to point it directly at Ichigo.
"Do not lose your composure, do not break your stance, stretch out your awareness, and do not let your guard down for even a second." Ichigo straightened his posture waiting for whatever Ulquiorra was about to do.
"Enclose, Murcielago," black and green light erupted from where the man once stood and almost as fast as it erupted, it dispersed and the sky began to cry a deep green liquid.
Ichigo could feel Ulquiorra's spike in spiritual pressure as he had to fight his knees from buckling under the underestimated pressure of this one man.
"Getsuga…" before Ichigo could slash down Ulquiorra was immediately in front of him holding a glowing pale green glowing spear.
"If you had not blocked that you would be looking at your headless body right now" Ulquiorra said all matter of fact like.
Ichigo was stunned Ulquiorra had changed appearance like Grimmjow had done in his last fight, except Ulquiorra resembled more of a bat with his full helmet that had its two horns pointing skyward. He had huge long black wings, blacker than the night, his once short shaggy black hair was now to the small of his back. The lines on his face are black now, broader, and more triangular; his fingernails are also longer, reminding Ichigo of an old hag.
I pushed my sword harder against his, quickly pushing him back away from me, he flew towards me again except this time I could see him. I swung down at him, but it was useless he quickly swung out and blocked my attack.
Ulquiorra grabbed the blade of my sword seemingly unaffected by how sharp it is and threw me across the top of the bone white dome and into the solid concrete pillars that surrounded the entire dome in a circular pattern. I felt one of my ribs snap out of place as I smashed into the pillar causing a huge me sized crater to form.
"Why do you fight, when you know you can't win?" Ulquiorra's words slipped out like I slap to the face.
I took a minute to breath out the pain before I spoke and I lifted my head up so I could look him straight in the merciless yellow cat eyes, which made no since to me, because he was so far from being a cat it wasn't even funny.
"I don't fight because I want to win; I fight because I have to win"
Infuriated with my response Ulquiorra forced me the rest of the way through the bleached white pillar and through the air head over heels.
Before I could stop myself from flying out of control I got a hard kick in the gut sending me flying back to Las Noches. I felt another one of my bones break as I collided with the domes roof, again creating another me sized crater.
"Even with your mask you can't defend yourself" Ulquiorra said appearing in front of me again.
I quickly went on the defensive slashing repeatedly at Ulquiorra, but nothing seemed to work. I kicked Ulquiorra back and pulled my cold mask back on, feeling the familiar power of my inner hollow envelope me as it gave me more power.
"Getsuga… Tensho" the brilliant black and red wave of concentrated, but pure spiritual pressure leapt off the tip of Tensa Zangetsu and hurled itself at the waiting Ulquiorra.
The black and red crescent mooned attack erupted against Ulquiorra and when the attack dispersed Ulquiorra stood unharmed.
"Do you see the true difference in our power Ichigo Kurosaki?"
I stood almost stunned as I went over in my head what I could have done wrong, what I could have done better to make an impact in the Espada's flesh.
"If you do not know it, then I shall enlighten you. This is the form of True Despair" Getting truly annoyed that this man was not getting it.
Darkness seemed to expel from his body as he spoke those last few words, my vision turned completely black as if I were in and enclosed room. The darkness was so thick that I felt like I really was in a room, I reached out my hand and expelled some of my own spiritual pressure to see where I was at.
I still stood on the top of the dome of Las Noches, but there was something that completely bewildered me, I could not feel exactly where Ulquiorra was like I could always do before. Ulquiorra had a certain feel to his spiritual pressure that was unique and right now I could not feel it, all I could feel was despair, true loneliness, and the urge to kill myself, but I tucked that feeling away deep inside.
I slashed my sword out releasing a huge wave of white Reiatsu dispelling the darkness completely in its wake. What I saw before me would make stronger men cower and Kenpachi grin, standing before me was no man as a matter of fact he took on the appearance of a beast.
Ulquiorra stood a few feet in front of me no longer a man of true power, but more of a hollow in human looking skin. His pale skin clashed with his green and yellow eyes as he no longer had his hollow mask looking helmet to cover his head.
Ichigo couldn't react as Ulquiorra was beside him almost immediately grabbing his head and throwing him through three of the pillars that stand around Las Noches. Ichigo quickly grabbed hold of the air and balanced himself out standing quite a bit away from Ulquiorra this time.
"Getsuga… Tensho" Ichigo slashed at the standing figure, but before he could move to try and capitalize on the situation Ulquiorra kicked him in the face almost immediately shattering his mask.
This time before he could fly away Ulquiorra wrapped his tail around Ichigo's neck and threw him hard into the dome of Las Noches.
Ichigo coughed up a great amount of blood before trying to stand again only to have Ulquiorra wrapped his tail around his neck again holding him in midair.
"I told you it was pointless" but Ichigo was no longer paying attention to Ulquiorra.
On the other side of the dome Uryu and Orihime ran to him in a desperate hope to stop what came next.
"Ichigo!" was the last thing he heard as Ulquiorra shot a cero through his chest at point blank range.
Ichigo's lifeless body fell to the ground as he slowly lost conciseness, his vision slowly going black.
Then there was a bright white light and he was in his sub concise staring upon his inner hollow that had a grin from ear to ear literally, it was disturbing.
"Hello kingy"
It was freaking him out how happy his inner hollow was and he was beginning to wonder why he was so happy.
"Why are you so happy I am dying, which means you are dying with me?" Ichigo spit out anger leaking into his voice.
He pointed behind him as a screen seemed to materialize out of mid air Orihime was trying her best to heat him with power. Ichigo never felt its warmth a she rested a hand on his chest wondering where the hole had gone. He could feel emptiness in his chest, but there was no visual hole there. His body felt cold as it only began to get colder as he looked upon the image as he saw Uryu slide into view.
His hand was completely gone and blood was seeping out of it, but when Orihime turned to say something to him he said he was fine try to heal Ichigo.
"Help them!" Ichigo said feeling fear wrap around his heart as he witnessed Orihime begin to cry.
He watched with tear filled eyes of his own as Orihime began to shake with fear of losing him.
"Please do something to help them! I don't care if I die, just don't let them die!" Ichigo began to beg as he fell to his knees in true despair.
"Sure kingy, but what is in it for me?" his smile never left his face as he spoke the words
"What is it that you want?" Ichigo felt his face drain of any and all color as he contemplated what exactly he might want.
"I want to be more treated more like a man than a hollow"
Ichigo couldn't believe what he was hearing the seemed to be heartless hollow in front of him wanted to be respected as an equal. Ichigo knew only one thing had ever came from his hollow trying to help him out was pure death and destruction, but Ichigo didn't care right now, because his friends needed his help.
"Do it" Ichigo said reluctantly.
Hichigo grinned showing his black teeth and blue tongue as it stuck out between his lips, slowly Hichigo began to fade and Ichigo could see from his own eyes again.
"ICHIGO!" called Orihime as she screamed out to him one last time and this time Uryu got sent flying into a nearby boulder.
Orihime turned around just for a moment to see if Uryu was ok, a darkness fell upon her form as she turned around to see if Ichigo had moved any. Ichigo was standing now except he had completely changed appearance.
His hollow mask changed into something more beast like, it had two horns and razor sharp teeth Orihime could believe that this thing standing in front of her was her Ichigo.
"Ichigo?" she asked, but he did not move.
Instead of giving her a comforting smile he soon learned he had no control of his body as to try and prove this to himself he tried to lift his arms, but nothing happened. All Ichigo had to go on about his appearance was the reflection in Orihime's terrified eyes, her eyes were full of horror and confusion.
Ichigo saw himself, but was mortified at the sight of himself. He still wore the same close that he had when Ulquiorra had beaten him senseless. His shihakushō is completely gone now from the fight and his lower half has cuts throughout the fabric. He has nothing on his feet and freakishly long hair, but that's not what really caught his eye as they fixated to his face.
Instead of his regular hollow mask he had become so fond of it had to rather large horns jut out and forward from what he guessed was his temple. Two dark red lines came from opposite sides of his upper mask traveled down to meet at his eyes and then went from the bottom of his eyes to his hollow teeth, which looked rather sharp and ended at the opposite sides of his jaw line. His eyes were there traditional black and yellow except the yellow was glowing and he no longer had pupils.
His mouth opened without permission and lit out a transparent white smoke, nothing he could say or do would apparently allow him to control his own body as he held his hand out and Tensa Zangetsu flew into it from were ever it had imbedded itself into. Zangetsu black blade, hilt, and handle seemed to vibrate in his hand as he felt raw power flow through him, it oddly felt cold instead of its usual warmth he loved so much.
"What is this, a shinigami acting like a hollow?" Ulquiorra said in his usual mocking tone.
As if in response of his own anger his body let out a blood curdling roar and slashed at the ground not touching it and cutting part a section of the dome behind him off.
Quickly this time I was behind him and grabbed hold of his arm cutting it off in a single not so quick slash. Before I could think I had the upper hand his arm quickly began to grow back showing no evidence that I had even scratched him.
He pointed his finger at me and began to charge his cero, but instead of using Getsuga Tensho like I would have done I began to charge a cero of my own. I couldn't believe that I would have been able to do such a thing in my entire life, but I guess anything is possible when you are fighting for everyone's survival.
He blasted his and I released mine obviously feeling that it was not fully charged to its full potential.
The two collided exploding upward lighting the night sky in the deepest crimson and a even darker forest green. The two colors quickly faded and the battle continued furiously the two clashed blade to claw with malicious content.
Ulquiorra lunged backwards and concentrated his Reiatsu into another lime green spear except this time the tips were like flowing fire and the tip came to a very sharp point. Quickly Ulquiorra threw the spear at the beast that represented Ichigo, but was a failed attempt as Ichigo leaned to the side dodging it.
Ulquiorra tried again, but this time Ichigo wouldn't allow him as his hollow self grabbed the end of the spear with his bare hand. Ulquiorra looked into his evil yellow eyes and seemed surprised as he stared at the creature behind the mask.
He somehow understood that this creature wasn't in fact Ichigo, but something else, something truly to be feared. White smoke left his mouth as his mouth opened and his brow furrowed. With a quick squeeze of Hichigo's hand the spear exploded in a flurry of green.
When the smoke cleared Ulquiorra was struggling to stand and Hichigo still stood, Ulquiorra slowly stood and felt a slight pain as Ichigo's blade slashed through the Espada in one simple slashing the Espada through the shoulder down to his opposite side hip.
Hichigo grabbed Ulquiorra by the still attached arm and slammed him into the ground pressing a foot to Ulquiorra's stunned face.
"How very hollow like Ichigo" Ulquiorra said, but noticed that the phrase didn't really reach him.
Ichigo charged his cero at point blank range and with an eruption of flames the cero exploded taking out most of the dome in the process. When the smoke cleared Ichigo still stood over his victim and a badly bleeding Ulquiorra who didn't seem to move, lay there lifeless. Ichigo started to walk away when Uryu stood up and walked over towards Ichigo's general direction.
Before Uryu could react or question Ichigo's intentions Tensa Zangetsu embedded itself into Uryu's midsection.
"Ichigo No!" Orihime screamed she could only stop and feel guilty of some kind, because she had begged to have Ichigo live, but now he was going to kill everyone.
Ichigo pulled his sword out of Uryu leaving a line of crimson in its wake causing Uryu to cough out more ribbons of scarlet ribbons.
"Ichigo how could you, or are you even Ichigo anymore?" Uryu's question was answered by Hichigo turning towards the bleeding Quincy and charging one more crimson cero.
As he charged it the air between the two went cold and Uryu leaned harder against the boulder he was slammed against and braced himself for what he expected to be the killing blow. Before it could be fired, a thought to be dead Ulquiorra appeared next to hollow Ichigo and slashed one of his horns off causing the cero to blow upward.
Ichigo's mask shattered into a million pieces and disintegrated causing Ichigo to return to collapse to the ground in a dead heap.
"Well it looks like he really was dead all along he just bestowed that awhile mask all along, but how it kept him alive puts me in a state of bewilderment" Ulquiorra said still half the Espada he claimed to be. The scars of the battle showed though Ulquiorra didn't seem to really notice half of his torso, a arm, and one of his legs were gone.
As Ulquiorra spoke something began to happen above the dead Ichigo that quickly became a spiraling vortex above the hole in Ichigo's chest.
"Hyper Regeneration" Ulquiorra said eyes almost bugging out of his head in his surprise.
Ichigo coughed the death out of his mouth, it was sour and nothing he had ever wanted to wake up to again.
He propped himself up on his elbows until the pain in his chest left and when he finally stood up straight every muscle in his body screamed in agony as they burned with new found pain. When his eyes adjusted from being in a yellow world to the normal one he had grown so fond of and his eyes quickly went to work surveying the area.
The dome was scared with slash and explosion marks turning the once white dome into a pale grey. His eyes quickly shot to the bleeding Uryu and crying Orihime at his side trying her best to heal his wounds.
"What did Ulquiorra do?"
"It is not what I did, it is actually what you did Ichigo" Ichigo turned to the object of true despair as he took in the man's form. He couldn't believe that the man was missing both and arm and a leg.
"Who did this?" Ichigo asked already knowing the answer, but asked anyways as he heard Hichigo in his head laughing.
"You did or better yet a hollow you" Ulquiorra winced at the though.
Orihime quickly joined Ichigo's side after healing Uryu's wounds only to see Ichigo was completely fine much to her belief she would have loved to heal Ichigo, but would settle for seeing him all better.
"Now let us finish this" Ulquiorra said in a demanding tone.
"If we are to continue this fight, let it at least be on equal terms. Cut off my arm and leg so that we can fight as truly equals" holding out his arm Ichigo never broke eye contact with the injured Espada.
Orihime's heart sank at the thought Ichigo wanting his opponent to cut off his arm and leg.
Ulquiorra nodded and resurrected his pale green spear being more than happy to cut down the hollow impersonating man, but fell short as he felt a tight pain in his frozen heart.
"Hurry and kill me" Ulquiorra fought back a scream, he felt his end near and he wanted it to be by the edge of a blade not from his body failing him.
"No I will not kill a enemy who was brought to close to death by someone other than me" Ichigo stated.
"Orihime can you heal him" Orihime nodded and began to use her power, but Ulquiorra stopped her.
"The damage is too great you will not be able to heal me" Ulquiorra said knowing his death was near.
He stared into Orihime's deep auburn eyes only to notice she was crying at his being close to death and he began to feel something he had never felt before as an odd warmth filled his chest.
"So I guess this is what a heart feels like." Ulquiorra said as he quickly began to fade away in a cloud of ash, but before he was completely gone Ulquiorra reached out his hand to Orihime.
Orihime reached out to grab it, but before she could grasp it in hers his hand disappeared into ash along with the rest of him.