Pride
Disclaimer: The only bleach I own is the gallon of chemical product I use to wash my clothes with.
He could feel the immediate pang in his heart as he watched her lift her sword and bring it down, cutting through Hanataro Yamada's shoulder, however, his pain was not for the young Soul Reaper of Squad Four. No, his pain was extended to the young woman and the mark on her head. He leaped forward, just in time for Hanataro to hit the ground. Rukia charged, and he stepped to the side, dodging her with ease. When she swung her Zanpakuto, he quickly dodged, moving behind her.
She would attack, he would dodge and parry. "Don't move!" The Arrancar shouted as Rukia positioned her blade to her own throat. Byakuya Kuchiki stopped, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still. For a moment, Byakuya found that he could not think, so when the filthy Arrancar told him to drop his sword, he did. His thoughts returned, and he did the only thing he could think to do. "Bakudo Number Sixty-One: Rikujokoro." The throbbing of his aching heart only increased as the magical blades pierced her from all sides.
"Nngh?!" Zommari activated his eye, willing the girl to move. "What…is this?! Damn it! Why won't you move?!" He frustrated. "Move! Move! Move!" "You wanted to control me?!" Byakuya asked, holding out his Zanpakuto. "Let me tell you," he spoke, barely able to contain the fury burning in his heart. "You don't have anywhere near enough power to make that happen!" Byakuya Kuchiki then made a very serious statement, a vow in his heart that he would not break.
Loosening his grip on the hilt of his blade, he watched as it sank into the floor. "Bankai: Senbonzakura, Kageyoshi!" A hundred blades arose from the ground, each one just as sharp the other. "What?" Zommari gasped. "What is this?!" One hundred blades shone a beautiful vibrant pink, shattering. One hundred blades birthed a thousand.
"Damn you!" Zommari cried as the blades swirled around him. "You want to see power?!" Clapping his hands, he activated his Ressureccion, attempting to take control of the blades around him. Opening each of his many eyes, he shouted, "I WILL CONTROL EVERYTHING USING EVERY OUNCE OF AMORE IN MY SPIRIT!" "Useless!" Byakuya stated, a calm fury now evident in his voice. "According to what you said earlier, you can control one object for each eye, and by my count, you have a total of fifty eyes on your body. Keeping that in mind, tell me, with those fifty, which of the hundreds of millions of swords covering the sky do you intend to control?" Zommari gaped at the Captain.
"You told me earlier it was meaningless to resist. That there was nothing I could do. I'm going to offer you the same advice now. Struggle as much as you like, but it's meaningless to resist." Byakuya explained. Zommari found himself trembling. "D-damn it! NO!" He cried, extending his arms. "I'm in control move as I command!" He shouted desperately, hoping and pleading for salvation.
"Do you hear me?! MOVE AS I COMMAND!" He shouted, screaming. Byakuya stood, watching this pitiful creature. "Gokei: Senbonzakura, Kageyoshi!" Suddenly, the blades began swirling ever faster, moving inward as though they were closing in. "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" Indeed they did, clashing with one another as they violently cut through flesh, gallons of blood spurting between them, even smashing through the walls, crushing the top half of the building. As the smoke and dust cleared, a storm of blades was revealed, rotating in never ending circles, ripping and tearing at everything within. "Gokei: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi is a billion blades, it engulfs the enemy in a sphere and tears them apart from every direction." Byakuya explained, stepping out from the swarm of blades unharmed.
"Be swallowed by a hail of steel and perish." The swarm of blades suddenly dived into the center of the storm, cutting and gnashing and tearing at everything inside, finally falling to the ground, leaving a mess of debris everywhere. Byakuya flash stepped away from it all, touching and dissolving the barrier surrounding and protecting Rukia Kuchiki, his little sister. He winced as suddenly his right arm moved, seemingly of it's own accord. "You're very stubborn." He stated, looking to the pink dome of severed and broken flesh the Espada had used as a shell. The creature erupted from it's opening, barely breathing.
"Bastard!" Zommari called. Byakuya lifted the hilt of his Zanpakuto, gathering his blade. "What you've done…is totally…UNFOR…GIVABLE!" Zommari shouted, willing open seven hidden eyes atop his forehead. The weakened Arrancar attacked. "Hado Number Eighty-Nine: Danku!" Byakuya chanted, a barrier appearing before him, shielding him.
"Ugh? What is that?" Zommari asked. "It is a wall that protects me from any Hado techniques under Eighty-Nine." Byakuya explained. "I was able to stop Rukia using Rikujokoro, therefore, I ascertained that your power is similar to Kido. It seems I was correct." Byakuya scowled. Gritting his teeth, Zommari attacked. "Damn! Accept my Amore! Accept it! Accept it! ACCEPT IT!" He raged.
So caught up in his foolish assault was he that he never saw Byakuya move until it was too late, and Byakuya was already behind him, ready to attack. "Your impatience limited your field of vision. I guess your not as fast as you claim to be." Byakuya mocked. "Show mercy!" Zommari rasped, pleading with all his soul. Byakuya looked to Zommari, contempt and hatred in his eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that?!" Zommari asked.
"You're going to refuse?! You're going to kill me!" Zommari accused. Byakuya said nothing. "Stop torturing me with your silence! Your arrogance makes me sick! MAKES ME SICK!" He shouted, shoving Byakuya's sword out of his way, using Sonido to put distance between them. "Did you ever stop to consider what you're doing?! You go around so righteously killing those who live in existence of complete futility! Have you thought about what you do?! About the meaning of killing Hollows like us as though it was a natural thing! Soul Reapers kill us Hollows without an ounce of remorse! As if it were a natural thing to do!" Zommari shouted. He began laughing bitterly, his eyes centering on the Captain before him.
"Who do you think you are?! Do you think you're a bunch of gods or something?! Who gives you the authority to kill?! WHY DO YOU TARGET US HOLLOWS?! Is it because we devour humans?!" Zommari asked. "Yes it's true! We do devour humans! But who gave the Soul Reapers the right to protect human beings?! Did someone give you that right?! I don't think so! The answer is NO! No one has given you any such right to protect the humans! You label us as evil creatures and go to great lengths to try and get rid of us! And all because you arbitrarily decided that justice is on the side of the Soul Reaper! That's the arrogance I speak of. That smug look you all have. It makes me want to throw up!" Byakuya moved, Flash Stepping behind Zommari, closing his eyes.
Zommari looked behind him, gasping. "It's funny. I don't recall saying that I would kill you because I'm a Soul Reaper." Byakuya said. "The reason I'm killing you is simple: It's because you aimed your blade at my only pride. Now, this is your fate." Byakuya said, envisioning Rukia. He sheathed his sword, blood spurting from Zommari's mid-section as he tried to breathe. "Bonzai! Bonzai! Bonzai! Long live Lord Aizen! Bonzai! Gughkaaagh!" Zommari's body suddenly burst into black Spiritual Energy, dissipating into the air. Byakuya stood for a moment, satisfied. Hisana… I made a promise to you, love. And I will keep it at all costs.
(A/N: This is one of my favorite episodes as it really shows us just who Byakuya really is. This is part of the reason he's one of the four favorite Captains. Hope you guys liked it!
