Chapter 3
"What IS this?" yelled Renji ballistacally as the beast swung its humongous hand at him. "Four holes in his chest?"
"Mai, Sode no Shirayuki," Rukia said unsheathing her zanpakto. "Tsugi no Mai, HAKUREN!"
"The attack barely grabbed the hollows attention. Turning around it sent a wave of darkness towards the three. Dodging it, Ichigo sent a Cero. To his satisfaction it hit him. To the trio's dismay, the hollow looked like he had been hit by a moth. Renji, being the reckless lunatic he was, attacked the hollow at full force with Zabimaru. Said Lieutenant earned himself a free ticket to pain. Sure he had managed to slice the hollow's leg, but he received multiple pierces in his skin and was thrown nine feet to a rocky zone.
"RENJI!" both friends chimed at the same time. Ichigo ran to the hollow at full force while Rukia went to heal a broken-back Renji.
"Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo hollered. A blast of blue. The hollow had only been harmed in his left arm. The beast seemed to laugh. For him, that attack was rookie's play. Sword v.s. Claws. Ichigo could feel his reiatsu sinking and his legs becoming heavy. Was the beast absorbing their power with every attack? No! He wouldn't lose to a hollow. Immediately he slashed off the hollow's arm. Blood splashed all over. A blood-curling scream. Then suddenly, Ichigo was being grasped by the hollow's right hand. As if to mock him, the beast held Ichigo by his slashed left arm and regenerated it. The beast was tired of playing. Ichigo was sent flying downwards, crashing into multiple sharp objects. He injected his claws into his stomach and blood seemed to explode in the air. Right before the last draw, Rukia attempted to slice the hollow's right arm. Too bad for her, it went halfway. Before she could shunpo away, the hollow grabbed her tightly in his left hand. He crashed her onto the ground, lifted her up and crashed her downwards again multiple times. Bloody galore. Red liquid seeped from her head. The hollow seemed to smile as it prepared to kill her. Rukia forced her eyes open and uttered a two-syllable word, "B-Ban- KAI!"
A white explosion and both Ichigo and Renji felt the air become 30 degrees colder. Rukia was standing in mid-air with the hollow screaming at his permanently frozen hand. Her Bankai outfit was similar to Sode no Shirayuki's outfit except it was sleevless and completely white. She lifted her zanpakto and said, "Sode no Shirayuki, Shiroi tsuki no Dansu." She made a circle with the hilt of her sword then proceeded by poking various holes inside of it, resulting in icicles popping out of a sheet of ice. "Kogeki!" she yelled while pointing at the beasts head. Icicle after icicle, various pierce into the hollow's head. She put her hand in front of her face and snapped it shut, causing all the icicles to explode while inside of his head. The hollow disappeared into ashes as Rukia's Iceland disappeared. The air returned normal as Rukia fell downwards. She had no strength left. Her body head-dived into the ground and blood gushed from her head. After months of secret training, she had achieved Bankai. So she smiled…
When Ichigo opened his eyes again, the first thin that crossed his mind was Rukia. He had seen her be slammed on the ground and saw her go Bankai. But, where was she? Why had he been so weak? As he was fighting, he felt his powers being vacuumed up.
"Kurosaki-kun?" asked a sugary voice.
"Inoue," he responded as he sat up and stared at Renji. "Where is Rukia?"
Orihime looked at Ichigo for a while. He became more worried by every second. He got up wobbly. "Where is she, Inoue?"
"K-Kurosaki-kun," she said, her voice cracking. "K-Kuchiki-san is..."
Uruhara entered the room and said what was too difficult for Orihime to say. "Rukia-chan is sadly missing."
A massive reiatsu filled the whole room. He had failed to protect her. He'd make sure that it was the last time that he'd ever let anyone harm her.
(A/N Review for another chapter :D Enjoy!)