A/N: I was reading another fic and listening to a good song when I got the idea for this. I write this for my friend Angel Saiyan 22, being a derivative from an RP we're doing. Not all the details are the exact same as the RP, and we haven't finished it yet, but I was in the mood for this fic.
The soul reapers were a formidable force, but Nixx was proving to be even more so. Ichigo's hollow, Ogichi, had been taken down first, then Grimmjow. All that remained were Renji, Ulquiorra and Toshiro. Renji and Toshiro hadn't hesitated to join in battle after Grimmjow's release form failed to eradicate Nixx. However, the two reapers were having a hard time staying upright and conscious. It took every fiber in Katie's body not to rush in; with her interfering with the shinigami, Nixx would do something horrible to the two boys, just to get to her. Cell and Ulquiorra stood, stone faced and at attention at her sides. Katie gave them both short glances out of the corners of her eyes every now and then, looking for a reaction to the beating the reapers were receiving. Cell's magenta eyes flickered with silent rage every time Nixx let out his cold laughter, every time either Toshiro or Renji uttered cries of pain. Only the espada remained completely stoic, even when his companion had fallen.
Toshiro pulled himself up to his knees after being taken to the ground. He gripped his Zanpakuto with bloody fingers, his vision blurred. He forced himself up, barely taking the time to notice that Renji was doing the same.
"Unn…" the red head breathed a moan of agony, his eyes squinted shut. He was on his hands and knees, having received a hard blow to his mediastinum. With every shallow breath, he could feel, as well as hear, his ribs crackle, the bone and cartilage broken. He struggled to fill his compressed lungs with air. He risked a deep breath. Pain vibrated through his thoracic cavity. He coughed wetly, blood spraying from his throat.
"Renji," Toshiro said hoarsely. "Take a break. Let me take over for a bit." Renji faintly nodded, staying down. Toshiro raised his blade, deciding that risking bankai when his power was already so low was a poor move to make.
Nixx grinned, barely even scratched. He'd taken most damage from Grimmjow's release form, but all it amounted to was a faint bruising and a couple of minor abrasions. Toshiro knew that he was no match for the demon, but it would serve no purpose to just stand down and let the creature do whatever he pleased. He charged at Nixx, his blade at the ready.
The demon waited, then side stepped. Toshiro skidded to a stop and turned. Nixx raised a hand and Toshiro blocked the blow with the blade of his sword. The blade vibrated from the attack, and for a few brief seconds, Toshiro was afraid it would break. When it didn't, he risked a sigh of relief. Nixx laughed softly, and faded from view. Toshiro perked up, his muscles tense.
"Where did I go?" Nixx's voice echoed. Toshiro ground his teeth. "You can't see me…" Suddenly, he was right behind Toshiro. Before the young captain could even react, Nixx raised a hand, his index finger extended, touching the middle of Toshiro's back. He fired off a small, but fatal ki blast, through the young boy. Katie's hands shot to her throat. Ulquiorra's fingers twitched. Toshiro's eyes widened as the burning pain spread through his chest. His hands went slack and his sword dropped noisily to the floor. He let out a faint whimper as his white shirt began to turn a deep crimson at an alarmingly fast pace. Blood poured down his chin, and his legs gave out. He fell forward, his vision fading to black. Katie's eyes followed him as he fell, in what seemed to her, slow motion. He lay on the floor, a pool of crimson spreading beneath him. Katie could tell, even without having to sense it, that he was dead before he even hit the floor. His once radiant blue eyes had faded, part way open.
"Toshiro…" Katie breathed. He was so young; she felt that this wasn't his deserved fate, and that only added fuel to the ever burning inferno that was her rage towards Nixx.
"Son of a bitch!" Renji shot up, his own sword at the ready. He literally growled deep in his throat. First Ichigo was put out of commission, then Grimmjow, HIS Grimmjow was taken down right before his eyes. And now, his friend, at such a young age, was killed while he watched, helpless. He ignored the stabbing agony in his ribs and dared Nixx with his eyes to do something. The demon took the invitation. He shot forth towards the red head, and before Renji even knew it, he was eye to eye with Nixx. Renji brought up his blade with both his hands. Just as he was about to bring it down on Nixx's head, the blue skinned demon grabbed his wrist, holding his arms in the air as he rammed hs knee, hard, into Renji's gut.
Renji couldn't breath, and at the same time, felt like vomiting. He loosened his grip on the sword, letting it drop. He himself fell to his knees, one arm wrapped around his middle. He gasped for breath, but the air around him seemed unattainable.
Katie's legs tensed, ready to go between the two, but Ulquiorra gave her a look that said not to move. She let out a shuddering breath, and willed her adrenaline-fueled body to stay still. Cell wrapped a hand around her wrist in a gesture of reassurance. She could almost feel the worry he felt. Bad things happened when Nixx was around her, and he'd try everything to keep her safe. She slid her wrist from his grip and intertwined her fingers with his. She noticed that Ulquiorra's own hand was at the hilt of his sword.
"Hollows, Arrancars and Soul Reapers, oh my," Nixx said mockingly. "So similar to cockroaches. Take one down, and another crawls out of the hole in the wall." He stood above the pain wracked reaper, gazing down at him with amusement in his eyes. Renji uttered a horrific retching, and unloaded a mass of blood onto the floor. Nixx had done considerable damage to his insides.
"Fuck you…" Renji forced out, blood spraying from his lips at every syllable. Nixx leaned down and grabbed Renji's collar. He lifted the damaged reaper up to his level, let him dangle weakly, then tossed him down. Renji landed on his back, his breathing shallow. Nixx grinned maniacally. He lifted one booted foot, and placed it over Renji's crushed ribcage. He added pressure, causing the reaper's bones to snap horribly. Katie flinched at Renji's weak cries of pain. He was fading fast, she could sense it. She turned to Ulquiorra, who was no longer at her side. He had used Sonido to appear at Nixx's side. He placed a pale hand on the demon's shoulder. Nixx froze, then eased off of Renji. He turned his head towards the espada.
"Yes?" he asked. Ulquiorra took his hand back. Katie noted that his other hand had never left his sword. Now, his thumb clicked the blade from its scabbard. Nixx also noticed and backed away, but not fast enough. Ulquiorra had successfully sliced the front of Nixx's clothed open, and landed a superficial wound on his chest. The entire time, Ulquiorra's face never changed. He faced Nixx fully.
"My turn," he said simply. "Bind…" He began. "Murus Hierago." He was suddenly enveloped in blackness. When it cleared, he had changed. His release form was a sight to behold. Even Katie had to admit, he looked the part of a devil. His hollow mask had changed to a horned helmet and giant black wings sprouted from his back. His hair was longer and his sword changed to a long spear like weapon. His face still held no emotion of any kind. 'Makes the perfect soldier,' Katie thought grimly
Nixx scoffed, not knowing what he was in for. "Playing dress up?" He said smugly. The insult was ignored.
"You fought Grimmjow's release form, and sustained damage, even though it was minimal," Ulquiorra said. Nixx's smirk faded a little. The fact that the other espada could even hit him unnerved him slightly. "Grimmjow is only number six," Ulquiorra continued. Nixx's smirk faded a little more. "I am ranked at number four," Ulquiorra finished. Suddenly, he was right in Nixx's face, the spear impaling through his shoulder. "That means I'm stronger." Ulquiorra started running, the speak still embedded in Nixx's flesh. Nixx expression changed from smugness to panic. Ulquiorra's pace was too fast for him to run in sync with. His heels dragged along the floor. Finally, Ulquiorra stopped, but only when Nixx was slammed into the wall, the spear pinning him to the wall. Ulquiorra stepped to the side, revealing a now awake Grimmjow, in release form. He looked none too pleased. "Here," Ulquiorra said to him, gesturing with one hand. Grimmjow flexed his clawed fingers and stepped forward.
"I'm going to slowly kill you for what you did to MY Renji, fuckwad," Grimmjow all but growled. And then, Nixx knew fear.
END.
A one shot. My own twist to the RP. I highly doubt it will end this way, but hey, I had fun with this.
Gotta love Ulquiorra's release form! To all who haven't witnessed it yet, get ready to behold true beauty that only Ulquiorra can posses.
Not very accurate on Nixx's part, but I wanted to do something cool with the espada guys, and Nixx deserves to be tortured by a crazy panther guy. I stayed true to my love of the Grimmjow/Renji pairing