Hello. Hello.
I've updated again.
Many thanks to xLilim and music fans for reviewing!
I hope you guy like this chapter and please do reveiw to tell me if there is anything I could improve on.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BLEACH
A shadow flitted across the star scattered sky. Briefly before they disappeared once again into the darkness. A light thud that was the sound of a single foot touching down onto a roof before vanishing yet again.
Rayne was once again airborne, the hem of her coat flapped loudly in the silent air, behind her and the cool wind whistled past her. Howling into her ears, as if urging her to hurry up.
Suddenly the smell hit her.
The smell of blood that had been faint before was now overwhelming.
Rayne skidded to a halt at the edge of a building, staring down at the destruction that met her eyes. Bodies were strewn across the crumbling tower that was smoking, splashes of deep crimson glistened thickly on broken debris.
"Geez, they sure trashed this place." She muttered before she stepped from the edge and leapt towards the ruined tower.
Rayne landed with a balanced kneel, but the smell of burnt flesh and blood nearly sent her reeling back. She glanced up, the sight that greeted her made her grimace.
Now that she was closer, she could see everything with more clarity. They were motionless at her feet, arms dangling lifelessly from the cracked concrete edge. Blood pooled around them and dripped from their limp fingers, splattering onto the ground metres below.
"They must be the members of the barrier team…" She muttered to herself as she knelt down beside a motionless figure.
Slender fingers pressed firmly against a limp wrist, as she searched for any trace a heartbeat or spiritual energy.
Anything would do.
A flicker of his life energy and a weak pulse was all she needed for each of them. To be truthful, she was surprised, it's a miracle that they were still alive considering the state they are in.
As carefully as she could, she half dragged, half carried the unconscious Shinigamis to a safer area one by one. Well, her 'safer area' was just a randomly selected building that happened to be close by.
No way was she going to risk healing them on the slanted tower only for the tower they had been stationed on to collapse and cause them to fall to their deaths. Rayne knelt down with a grunt, unwrapping the bloodied arm around her shoulders and carefully laying the Shinigami she had hauled over onto the ground.
He had been the last one.
Rayne flopped down with a groan, rubbing her arms and glaring with vengeance at the blood stains that had been left on her favourite grey coat.
"Umm…" A voice called out. "Are you forgetting what the more important issue at the moment…?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Rayne muttered darkly, yanking her coat off and kneeling beside a Shinigami.
She let out a sigh and closed her eyes briefly. Summoning her reiatsu, a pale green glow filled her palms and she placed it so that it hovered slightly above his gaping wounds. The energy gathered in her hands flickered and an arrow of doubt shot through her mind as the Shinigami she was healing let out a pained groan.
"Sorry about that…" She muttered an unheard apology to the unconscious Shinigami.
To be truthful, it had been quite a while since she had healed anyone and she was a bit rusty in her techniques. But oh well, its better than just leaving them here to bleed dry
"Why do I always stick my nose into things I know I shouldn't." Rayne grumbled as the open wound began to miraculously knit together by itself at a terribly slow pace.
Just as she finished healing the major injuries of the first Shinigami, something made her jump a metre into the air with a squeak of surprise. A distorted voice rang out from somewhere beside her.
"This is Hisagi from the rally point. Barrier team, what's your status?" Rayne's searching eyes fell onto a mini radio that hung around one of the Shinigami's neck.
'Don't scare me like that! I might just have a heart attack and die! And then who's gonna go and save you asses?!' She yelled in her mind as she stared at the small piece of technology with wide eyes.
"Hey, respond!" The voice demanded.
"What's wrong, barrier team?! Can you hear me?!" The voice grew louder, she could hear slight worry seeping into the masculine tone.
"Instead of just staring at it…maybe you should hurry up and get a move on so that the Hollows don't get to the rest of them." Her partner pointed out.
"O-Oh, right." Rayne muttered, her racing pulse slowing as the shock died down.
Shaking her head, she ignored to piece of technology that continued to sprout questions and focused on her current task of healing.
Once she had sealed the larger wounds on the unconscious Shinigamis, she stopped the flow of her reiatsu before switching her gaze to her grey coat which was lying in a bundle beside her. Slender, trembling fingers picked it up, her pale pink lips wobbled.
She needed bandages, but she couldn't use the Shinigami's uniform because they were already tattered and bloody, practically useless rags now. So it was up to her coat now to serve as bandages, a terrible fate for her favourite coat. A sigh sounded within her mind, but she ignored it as she stared at her poor coat that she was about to condemn.
"I'll miss you." She hugged her favourite coat one last time before grabbing hold of it and with her eyes closed, ripped it into strips.
With the strips of her coat, she bandaged the Shinigami before moving onto her next patient. It was a slow and gruelling task that required both time and effort.
After what seemed like hours, she was finally done, tying to last ends of the bandages together before sitting back with a groan.
"The others…"
"I know, I know. I'm going right now." Rayne grumbled lowly before standing back up and stretching her aching back.
With that she glanced over the nicely wrapped up Shinigamis one last time to conform they were okay and then strolled out of the building. She turned back, a hand lifting up and pointing towards the building where the Shinigamis from the barrier team remained unconscious.
"Bakudou 8 Seki." She murmured and flicked her wrist, immediately, a spherical barrier encased the building in pale blue.
"Stay there and don't move, okay?" She called out a hand on the side of her mouth.
Obviously there was no reply and if a building could sweat drop, it would have, as she spun around and pushed off from the ground.
Launching herself up and landing steadily on a building before continuing on her journey.
'Let me make it in time…'
Meanwhile
A body was thrown roughly against a wall, hitting it with a sickening crack before it fell to the ground. Hisagi nearly crumbled to the ground but managed not to by propping himself up with one hand.
Blood dripped onto the ground from his chin, splattering like a crimson flower painted across the floor. He wouldn't see properly, everything was tainted with a haze of scarlet.
'Dammit, I can't…see ahead clearly.' He pushed himself up forcefully, sweat mixing with blood as he glared ahead.
The Huge Hollow turned its hideous head towards him, eyes glinting through its skeletal white mask. Its mouth gaped open, the unmistakable sign that was marked the firing of a cero as energy concentrated towards its wide jaw.
Arrows of energy shot towards him, ready to turn him into ash, but he wove through them in wild somersaults before darting forwards with a yell in a desperate attempt to slay the Huge Hollow. But he was batted away as simply as a human batting away a fly with a flick of a hand.
The sixth round student let out a deep growl, watching as its single claw split into multiple claws that glinted threatening in the faint moonlight.
"Even better." Hisagi growled, not caring even as daggers of pain penetrated his senses, not caring even as his body protested against every breath he took.
"Don't underestimate me!" Snarling, he raised his zanpakutou as if challenging it.
Claws lifted into the air.
Pausing, before striking downwards in a relentless attack, an attack he knew, he could not avoid.
Suddenly there were three blades that flashed out, effectively blocking the incoming claws that were a second away from shredding him.
"You guys…"
Renji, Kira and Hinamori stood beside him, katanas drawn and a mask of determination across their faces.
"Our deepest apologies We are disobeying orders!" Kira gritted out, sweating from the force the Huge Hollow's attack.
"We came to save you, so overlook it, alright senpai?" Renji muttered before they shoved the claws away and brought their hand in front.
"Ye lord. Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man, inferno and pandemonium. The sea barrier surges, march on to the south!" The crimson glow that built up in their hands burned stronger.
"Hakusou 31, Shakkahou!"
With that, three separate blasts shot towards the Huge Hollow and exploded on impact. A cloud of dust erupted and the four swiftly used their chance and fled away from the distracted Huge Hollow.
"But how could such as big ass Hollow get so close?!" Renji demanded as he sprinted as he sprinted.
"I don't know. I've never heard of it, but…it can probably hide its spirit force."
"We can't defeat that Hollow with our power!" Kira's panicked voice cut in. "What can we do?!"
"I requested assistance from Soul Society. We'll just have to evade it until help comes." Frustration brimmed from Hisagi's voice as they continued to run, trying to escape from an energy they knew that would crush them as easily as crushing ants.
Suddenly their surroundings shifted, drawing them to an abrupt halt.
"What is this?! The surroundings are staring to deform!"
It was then.
Hell broke loose.
Yep.
A slight cliffy.
How was it then? Please tell me what you think!
A lot of thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing and I will update again soon!