Disclaimer: I do not own BLEACH.
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Chapter 7: To Choose and To Fight
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It was as if time had stopped for her.
Or maybe not stopped, but slowed down to the hundredth degree.
Time was not the issue. The real problem was what was happening around her. Yeah, that was the real big problem.
For a moment Kikyo felt as if the whole world stopped at that moment. She saw everything with amazing clarity and superior disbelief. She couldn't possibly believe that what was happening to her was possible.
At that exact moment, at that exact second when she had laid her eyes upon the frost haired boy and the menacing monster he confronted, something exploded within her. It was nothing physical, it didn't hurt one bit but it was a startling amount of force that created an absurdly big hole beneath her. So strong that it had created a crater underneath her while walls and infrastructures that were five miles away manifested an ominous crack.
It was completely insane, she knew, but she couldn't deny the fact that it was really happening. She couldn't tell herself that she was just hallucinating because what she felt was real to the purest sense of the word. She felt something coming out of her body like a strong, steady breeze, invisible yet filled with destructive power. She could feel energy rushing through her veins and adrenaline pumping quickly all through out her body. Kikyo felt excited, energetic, heavenly and powerful at the same time. What was that? She had no time to answer herself, because at the corner of her eye she saw someone approaching her. Kikyo didn't know who it was, but the murderous intent that pulsated disgustingly from the creature's body was enough to alarm her. She didn't know if she could get away in time.
But then the strangest thing occurred to her. She was so sure that the creature was running towards her, by the way its feet were moving, but its speed made it seem as if it was just strolling. She could see the vista rush by, as if they were both in a freight train that was whizzing through the valleys, but the creature continued to move against the rushing movement and seemed to be running but quite so slow. Kikyo found herself frowning in confusion as she tried to contemplate on what was happening. She looked up once again and found the creature seemingly diving towards her, a fist sticking forward, and she bit back a giggle as she noticed how ridiculous the creature looked. He was floating through the air as if he was flying on a descending path and not really diving at all. But then, when she sensed the inhuman aura the creature emitted and the sadistic, almost mad blue eyes he had, she stepped aside.
Just stepped aside.
Grimmjow's fist crashed on the ground where he had seen Kikyo a split second earlier. He looked aside and found her casually standing their, her eyes in a confused frown, as if she was wondering how a monkey was doing its magic tricks. A snarl escaped his lips. He didn't like that kind of look.
"Pretty fast, aren't you?" he leered then twisted his body to strike a kick on Kikyo.
But Kikyo saw it differently. Her confused frown deepened as she heard Grimmjow's comment. She wasn't at all fast. It was him that was slow. All she did was step aside. But now she saw him twist his body, and after spending years of watching his older sister – now stepsister – practice her martial arts skills, Kikyo knew what Grimmjow was trying to do. And so she stepped away again. Not ran away but just casually stepped away. His kick missed her by three inches.
"You bitch," Grimmjow hissed, getting more and more restless as he watched Kikyo's undaunted, wondering face. He growled as he saw her raise her eyebrow in almost pure confusion, but Grimmjow thought he saw mockery in it. "Eat this!"
He pointed his palm towards Kikyo, and she momentarily wondered what sort of trick he was going to do next. Until she saw something glow at the center of his palm. Something dark but shadowed by a deep red color. Every fiber of her body told her that danger was coming and she looked around to find a place where she could avoid it. Her intuition told her that the safest place was the top of the commercial building that was just beside her, and so, as ridiculously as it may be, she tried to jump to the roof.
She jumped and she almost knew that she was going to fall right back but, as she checked herself again, she found herself incredulously suspended in the air, moving upward and toward the roof top. As soon as her feet touched protective rim that surrounded the open roof, she heard an explosion that almost made her lose her balance. She looked back and found a huge, black beam shoot out of Grimmjow's palm, destroying everything it touched.
What the heck –? She thought, bewildered at how the street, the trees and the surrounding walls of every house disintegrated under the beams strength. She watched as one of the houses got dissolved into ash and wondered with growing horror what became of the people that were living inside.
"What the hell are you doing, you bastard!" Kikyo screamed wildly, startling all the other Arrancar and shinigami who were starting to approach. Even Grimmjow was taken aback by the shrill voice. "There are people living there! Stop blowing them up!"
She had no idea what overcame her, and the onlookers had no idea how she did it, but she suddenly jumped off the roof and landed right in front of Grimmjow, and slapped him. Hard.
Grimmjow couldn't, at first, comprehend what was happening. After he heard a scream, he turned to look at the source but the moment he laid his eyes on the roof, Kikyo was already gone. And then he felt a sudden presence in front of him but before he could react, something flat and heavy connect with his cheek, with an incredible force that twisted his face away and Grimmjow found himself flying until he collided against the hard asphalt.
Kikyo stared at Grimmjow's flying body with great shock. She had not meant for her slap to be that strong. Actually she never thought her slap would be that strong. She had just wanted to teach that strange creature a lesson for killing all those innocent people. That was all. As she watched collide violently against the street, Kikyo wondered if he was dead. I just wanted to teach him a lesson, she thought, horrified. I never meant to kill him.
"Kikyo!" she heard a voice call on to her. A voice so familiar and so comforting at that situation. A voice that she would have given up anything just to hear.
"Ichigo?" She asked incredulously as she turned around. She first watched the tousle of bright tangerine locks sway around his head in a chaotic mess. And then she saw his beautiful, mahogany eyes that she had longed to see that day. His appearance was unexpected to the degree that Kikyo saw him as an angel amidst her day of hell. She saw him running towards her, and unlike the way she saw Grimmjow, Ichigo was not moving in an eerie slow motion environment. He was running normally, and fast, as he made his way towards her.
"Kikyo," he exclaimed as he reached her. Before Kikyo was able to say anything, Ichigo had pulled her into a tight, partly choking embrace. "I was so worried," he gasped and Kikyo almost thought that he was weeping. "I was so sure that he had killed you."
"I'm okay, Ichigo," Kikyo whispered back, her heart beating wildly. She was sure that her face was red and that she looked really stupid right now. But Kikyo couldn't help it. She was with the boy she had been dreaming about, his arms wrapped around her protectively, the way he did in her dreams. It's like a fairytale, she foolishly thought as she sneakily wrapped her arms around Ichigo as well. Where everyone lives happily ever after.
"It's not over yet!" A roar snapped her out of her thoughts. Ichigo gently pushed her away and told Kikyo to run to a safe place. Kikyo looked at him with worried indigo orbs and Ichigo gazed back at her, his confident eyes overwhelming the fear in her heart. "Go and hide somewhere. Just make sure he won't see you. I'll take care of him."
"But Ichigo, what if you get hurt?" Kikyo inquired, her voice broken and uncertain. She didn't want to leave his side. She didn't want to leave Ichigo alone and face that monster.
"Trust me," Ichigo said, giving Kikyo a brief smile before charging towards a wounded Grimmjow. She just stood there for a moment, staring at the deadly battle between Ichigo and that white monster that she feared as well as hated. And then she moved away, the sound of swords clashing together still ringing in her ears.
She looked up towards one of the buildings again and decided to jump up. The miracle repeated itself and Kikyo found her self perched on the top of the commercial building once more. She looked up and again spotted the rude, white-haired boy a little farther way, looking worse and weaker than ever. His opponent on the other hand, didn't even have the slightest scratch. On one of the buildings, she spotted a woman dressed in the same black garment that Ichigo and the boy were wearing. She was struggling against the weight of one of the white monsters, which seemed quite overweight. Her voluptuous breasts were threateningly bouncing around, in danger of complete exposure. From a few miles away, she sensed people, no, inhuman creatures, battling against each other. She felt as if she could feel their pain, their desperation, and their dedication to win. She closed her eyes in concentration, as she tried to look for others, to find out where they were.
Shinigami.
Kikyo opened her eyes in startling shock, staggering back a little. The voice in her mind was talking. Yes, it was the same anonymous voice in her dreams. That gentle, enchanting voice that made every word sound like a song.
"What did you say?" she muttered to thin air.
Shinigami.
"As in Death God?" she asked in her mind, as she strained her mental ears to listen for the voice.
"Shinigami," the voice repeated. "The people in black that you see around you are called shinigami. They are the ones who give rest to lost souls and slay Hollows; souls that have lost their hearts and have turned into monsters."
"Why are they here? Why are they fighting here?" Kikyo continued asking, desperately in search for answers to the confusing situation she was in.
"To fight for the safety of the human world," the voice replied, and deep within Kikyo's mind, she saw a figure step out of the everlasting darkness. Kikyo gasped, both mentally and actually as she stared at the person coming out of the ominous pits of her mind.
A girl, no more than seventeen years old, stepped out of the darkness with as much lithe and grace as a ballerina or a deadly panther. She was dressed in a tattered white kimono that looked more like rags than clothes, but it hung delicately on her slim and statuesque figure, masterfully following the flawless contours of her body. Nevertheless, it was her face that struck Kikyo most of all. It was absolutely, the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
Beautiful glowing, red eyes stood out from the clear, almost transparent complexion of her skin. Her perfectly straight nose was conspicuous on her heart shaped face, and lusciously full red lips opened slightly and turned into a warm, friendly smile, exposing her perfect, white teeth. Long, waist-length ebony hair hung elegantly on her shoulders, so black that it almost seemed nonexistent with the dark background.
"Hello, Kikyo," she said, in the same melodic and mesmerizing voice. "I'm Kira."
Kikyo couldn't react. She was too flabbergasted by what she had seen. It was such a shock for her to find out that an impossibly beautiful creature was living inside her the whole time she had been alive. When others would have been normally proud, Kikyo felt as if a bucket of ice-cold water was thrown on her. For her, the situation was something to be ashamed of. It was like placing a priceless diamond inside a garbage bag. How could such an amazing creature be imprisoned in an ordinary person like me? She thought, bewildered by Kira's unearthly splendor.
Kira laughed lightly, as she heard Kikyo's thoughts. "Don't insult yourself Kikyo. You are more than worthy to be my host."
"I don't think so," Kikyo sulkily replied and another stream of giggles escaped Kira's lips. Kikyo found Kira's laugh a wonderful and pleasant thing, and so the self-hate and envy in her heart grew.
"Stop saying that you insecure little girl," Kira said as she gently patted the mental version of Kikyo on the head. "I chose you because I saw the strength in your soul, even before you were born. And those who placed me inside you also knew of how great your potential capacities are. So now, at this time of need, show me that you are indeed strong, that we did not make a mistake in choosing you."
"How? I don't know anything about this. I can't understand what's happening to me, and I damn well know that I have no strength against that!" Kikyo protested, pointing at finger at the bloody fight between Ichigo and Grimmjow. Grimmjow was cutting up Ichigo pretty badly and every time he was hit, Kikyo would gasp in pain.
"You can do it Kikyo," Kira insisted, gazing at her with gentle, red eyes. "What the heck, you even got the guts to slap that Arrancar."
"Arrancar?"
"Hollows that gain shinigami powers, child," Kira explained. "It seemed that they were able to get that power somehow, though I do not know much of it. I could not get much information while I'm inside you, though."
Kikyo's eyes flickered back at Grimmjow, and she had to bite her tongue just to keep herself from shouting as she saw the wild Arrancar land another vicious hit on a weakened Ichigo. She winced as she heard Ichigo gasp in pain and cough another fit of blood. Her stomach lurched as she saw Ichigo's blood, stained on every place where he crashed and collided with. Kikyo lips trembled and her hands began to shake, clencing into tight fists. But what was happening to her wasn't because of fear. No, it was because of hate. A pure, relentless feeling of hate for Grimmjow. She wanted to stop him. She wanted to kill him.
She turned back her attention to the girl in her head. "Please!" she begged. "Help me stop him! Help me defeat that Arrancar!"
"I can only give you power, Kikyo," Kira replied, her scarlet eyes hard. "That is all. It is up to you on how you will use it."
"Then give me power," Kikyo replied, her teeth clenched and her indigo eyes ablaze with determination. "Lend me your power, Kira. Lend me you power to protect the person I love."
In the dark interior of her mind, Kikyo saw Kira's eyes narrowed uncertainly. A great wave fear swept upon her. It was not the fear of death nor was it the fear of defeat. It was the fear of being refused of a chance. A chance to save someone's life.
"Please!" she begged once more. But Kira's eyes remained hard.
"I said I can give you power," Kira whispered, in a voice no longer melodic. It was strained and afraid. "But I cannot give you control. You can run wild there, Kikyo. There is a great possibility that you will. You can be so wild you might even kill Ichigo."
"What are you saying? That will never happen!" Kikyo cried out in solid protest. She knew that she would never hurt Ichigo in anyway. But as she looked at the uncertain and afraid eyes of Kira, doubt began to seep into her. Would she be able to control herself? If the power was so great, was there really a possibility for her to be dominated by it and just run around, killing everyone, unable to distinguish friend from foe?
"You have a choice, Kikyo," Kira added, staring at her with the same hard eyes. "If you would choose to accept my power, you would be faced with the risk of losing control and killing your loved ones. But if you would decline, Ichigo would get hurt further and probably die. But if you did decline, then the possibility of staining your hands with his blood would drop to zero. What do you choose? To fight with the risk of becoming a murderer, or to hide and watch a murderer take away the person you hold dear?
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Haruma Izumi ran through the streets, his emerald eyes frantic and desperately searching for Kikyo. Only a few minutes after Kikyo had ran away, he felt the presence of creatures he had once sensed before, sixteen years ago. He had never seen them – thank goodness – but he could not fail to identify the heavy reek of menace and undaunted bloodlust. And what was worse was that Kikyo was out there in the streets, all alone and defenseless. He had to find her before they did. He had to find her at all costs.
He continued running, his head turning sharply at every sound, hoping that he would find Kikyo. He glanced alarmingly at his watch. It had been fifteen minutes since Kikyo had left. Izumi fervently hoped that those monsters were too busy to notice her presence.
He turned a corner and found himself at a dead end, where no other house was available except a small, old-fashioned store. He swore silently to himself and was about to turn around when he noticed a man wearing a weird white and green-stripped hat and an olive green kimono, standing at the middle of the road, casually blocking his path.
"Excuse me," he called to the man, who stared at him with strange, sparkling eyes. "Have you seen a girl with long, black hair and purple eyes? She's around five feet four inches tall and was wearing a white shirt with purple roses on it. She was wearing khaki shorts and mint green rubber slippers too."
The man scratched his chin for a while before a beam appeared on his face. "Yes, I guess I've seen her."
Izumi's eyes brightened up and he walked closer to the stranger, anticipating the continuation of his reply. When he didn't continued, Izumi asked again. "Where is she?"
"She's at the roof of the commercial building beside Inoue Orihime's apartment. There are probably two to three shinigamis fighting around her," the man casually replied, looking out at the sky thoughtfully. "But I think more are coming. They are getting very attracted to her reiatsu you know. One shinigami was indulged in a battle in front of this store a while ago. What a shame you didn't catch him. He probably would have shown you the way."
Izumi stared at the stranger with a struck expression on his face. "W-What are you talking about?" He managed to stammer. The man raised an eyebrow at him and looked at him skeptically. "I think you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, I suggest you stop looking for your daughter. It's highly unlikely that she would die. We have over six shinigamis protecting her you know. Why don't you come in and have some tea?" he offered, giving Izumi a friendly smile.
"No way!" Izumi suddenly bellowed, slightly startling the stranger. "My daughter is in danger! I have no time for tea, do you understand? Now, take me to her! Take me NOW!!" Izumi had never shouted so loudly and so fiercely his whole life. He glared at the strange man with a mad form of desperation, already planning to strangle him if he still refuses his demand. He could almost imagine his helpless daughter, shaking in fear as she was trapped in the center of a battlefield, blood constantly spurting on her and her clothes. He had to save her. He would save her at any costs.
But the stranger did not move. Instead, he countered Izumi's glare with a cold, striking stare of his own. He glared at Izumi mercilessly, and Izumi could see that the man standing before him was no ordinary man. He held the same inhuman aura the two women emitted sixteen years ago, but this time with a bigger scope of power.
"If I bring you there, what will you do?" He asked, his voice sharp and icy. "Will you fight off all the enemies with your bare hands and save your daughter? Will you scream at them, or glare at them until they die? Is that it? Is that your ingenious plan? Do you think it would work, just charging into that battle with no weapon or experience whatsoever?"
"I-" Izumi tried to reply but he was cut off by the man's glare.
"I can bring you there," he continued, his voice high and eerie. "But if I did, you would undoubtedly die. And if you die, that girl, Haruma Kikyo would probably go insane, lose control over her powers and massacre as all, your family included." He paused and a ghostly, terrifying smile – that sent chills down Izumi's spine – appeared on his face. "But I would bring you there if you still want to."
Izumi stared at the man with shocked eyes, his mind processing the meaning and the threat behind his words. For a moment he thought of pressing on, ignoring the man's warning and still go to where Kikyo was. But then he hesitated, and thought of how weak he was against all those invisible forces of evil that he didn't fail to notice. And he also knew how tender Kikyo's mind was. Seeing blood would scare her but seeing someone she knew die, die right in front of her, would be enough to drive her mad to the extreme. Izumi's lips pressed into a thin line.
"How about some tea?" the man offered once again, the scary look disappearing from his face, replaced by a friendly smile as he realized that Izumi had surrendered.
"One question," Izumi said, never keeping his gaze away from the stranger's eyes. "Who are you?"
"Wow, that's an easy one," the man answered, a grin on his face. "It's nice to finally meet you, Haruma Izumi. My name is Urahara Kisuke."
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"I choose to fight," Kikyo finally replied after a long moment of indecision. Kira's lips pressed into a hard line and her eyes tightened in nagging uncertainty. But she nodded in affirmation to Kikyo's decision and gracefully waved her right hand.
Kikyo watched, awestruck, as the beautiful katana that she had seen once before in her dreams materialized out of the darkness. Its golden hilt glowed like the pure, powerful sun, while its glowing, silver blade shone like the delicate light of the full moon. Delicate but deadly. The patterns of fire that were encrusted on the shiny surface of the golden hilt seemed to dance like real tongues of fire, burning passionately. Power radiated from it. Mysterious and unpredictable… but undeniably strong. Stronger than those of the Arrancar.
"Take it," Kira said, as she held out the sword. "Take it Kikyo, and stab it through your heart. This way, my powers would flow into your soul, and then you would be able to fight."
She held the sword and pointed the blade towards Kikyo, its razor tip pointing directly above her heart. For a moment Kira hesitated, and she once again looked back at Kikyo with anxious crimson eyes. "Are you really sure?"
"Yes, I am," Kikyo firmly replied, although her fear and uncertainty were just as big as Kira's. When she had first seen the sword in her dreams, she knew, sub-consciously, that it stored a frightening amount of power, so monstrous that she had small chances of retaining control. However, in that moment of indecision, she vividly remembered one of her father's famous quotes, a quote that she had lived by everyday of her life:
Those who believe attain more than those who doubt. Therefore, continue believing as you run through life and pursue the impossible. Because only through belief can the unachievable be achieved.
I believe that I could do this, Kikyo thought as she reached out and grabbed the blade of the sword. Her fingers bled as the thin, fatal blade made contact with her soft, fragile skin. She slightly winced in pain but continued to firmly hold on.
I believe that I would be able to protect those who are dear to me. She pulled the blade closer to her chest. Kikyo could feel her heart beating rapidly, as if it somehow sensed that something was threatening it. She felt fear as she looked at the razor, lethal point of the katana, but that was not enough to make her let go of the blade. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, somewhat wondering if that would be her last.
I believe that I would win. And without further hesitation, she plunged the sword deeply into her heart.
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A/N: Pretty short, but enough I suppose…XD Hehehehe….
Read, review and Enjoy!
ovalkyrievamp289o
