And this marks the end of the Arrancar Assault Ark. I'm sorry to say I didn't get around to plan the plot as despite being the Easter holiday and all I've been busy with my Architecture classes and cleaning and keeping my insane dog out of mom's way. I swear, that thing can eat anything.
Anyway, enjoy the reading!
Chapter 8
Green eyes watched stunned the ice spear blocking Roo's katana. Slowly, he followed the transparent blade down to a hand and then to its owner. He was met with two pools of blackness and an insufferable arrogant grin which could only be translated as: 'If I wasn't here you would be dead, so ha! You owe me!'.
His features turned into a scowl faster than Yachiru's mood swings. "Hey, Omi!" He greeted unenthusiastically.
"Hello Raimundo! I noticed you were in a bit of a difficulty and I thought I should be a good friend and lend you a hand." The smaller boy chirped happily ignoring the arrancar's befuddled expression.
Rai felt his eyebrow twitch. "I can handle this perfectly, thank you!" He groaned through gritted teeth.
"You weren't exactly handling this from where I was standing." Omi mentioned innocently.
"And where were you standing, to be more precise?" Challenged the brunet.
Roo sweat dropped hearing the conversation between the two shinigami. The two Captain shinigami, he suddenly realized. 'Wonderful! Just wonderful!' He thought sarcastically. With three captains, things would go slower than they anticipated. It was hard enough to distract two, how were they going to stall three?
"Clay is here?"
He turned his attention back to the two.
"Oh yes! He went to help Kimiko. Although, it would have been my pleasure to aid my female colleague in combat against such strong opponents…" He trailed off wistfully.
'Four? So not good!' Roo wondered if he would be able to sneak away from those two without them knowing.
"I can't believe you still haven't learned your lesson. I knew her punches would do you more bad than good…even if it's a hell of a fun to watch."
Beside his escaping schemes a part of Roo's mind speculated what kind of relation existed between those shinigami.
"It's just so hard to suppress my opinions. I always end up mentioning something about the inferiority of women."
"Omi, there is a saying: 'Silence is gold.'"
"Dude, you should know better than to anger a short tempered woman." Even he was surprised at hearing his own voice speaking. Raimundo and Omi stared at the Arrancar for a minute and Roo had to crush the nervousness blooming inside him.
"That's exactly what I've been trying to tell him for ages." Exploded the brunet shinigami to the hollow's great astonishment. "He simply doesn't understand."
"I can't help it if I'm socially awkward with females." Mumbled the bald kid slightly red in the cheeks.
"What you need to do is compliment them." Roo spoke to his even greater astonishment. "Ya'know, tell them how good they do stuff, and how amazing they are and all that shit. It's like a charm."
"He's right." Agreed Raimundo. "That's how I usually calm down Kimiko. I say something sweet and she goes all mushy."
Omi mulled over everything he has heard and smile as he came to a conclusion. "Yes! I should give it a shot. Thanks Raimundo and uh…"
"Roo. Roo Cuervo."
The short captain nodded. "I am Omi, Captain of the Fifth Division. It is nice to meet such a pleasant adversary once in a while."
The black haired hollow shrugged. "I suppose."
"But we still have to fight you." Omi added seriously.
Roo smirked. "I'm sure of that." He sonido-ed away from their position. "I don't really stand a chance against the two of you but I don't wanna go down without a fight, got it? So, bring it on, shinigami!
Reach for the greater, Ala!"
Raimundo frowned taking his stance while Omi twirled the ice spear like blade in his hands. When the spiritual pressure disperse, the winged form of Roo remained floating in the air, a sadistic smirk playing on his lips.
"It was fun and dandy to talk to you I admit…but the truth is we are enemies no matter what! Let's finish this already!" With a battle cry, the Arrancar flapped his wings and zipped towards them a cero already forming in both of his hands.
-Xiaolin Showdown-
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Hazy blue eyes glanced through the veil of red hair. Somebody was standing in front of her and looking closely she distinguished in horror the glistening bloody sword sticking out of them. She choked and strived to see through the tears cascading down her cheeks. The person that protected her was none other than Joseph she realized.
A sudden numbness spread in her limbs. She still cried but it all was mute. The katana leisurely was pulled out of the blond and he staggered. He fell on his knees and all she could do was watch in morbid hopelessness how the man stepped forward and grabbed a fistful of his golden locks. Her lips quivered trying to form a sound. Any sound.
'Call his name.
Call Kimiko!
Call somebody dammit!'
She flinched when the man shoved the boy to the ground and continued his way towards her. Eyes wide open, wildly searching for a way to get out of his reach, to use as a barrier between them…to do something that would stop it!
She was frozen. Her legs wouldn't respond, her brain simply shut down. She exhaled frightfully. Her hands made their way to her head, grabbing smooth strands of hair, eyes fixed on the body laying a few feet in front of her. She vaguely took in that the man stopped. She didn't care. All that it matter was the anguish slipping in her heart. The merciless view that was placed in her face.
And she yelled.
She bowled hysterically at the truth.
She heard her heart break like glass and her soul crumble like a burnt paper. A wave of terror crept on her being, a torture which she had no option than to take solace into. She deserve it. It was her fault.
Her arms wrapped around her, mud stained nails digging holes in her flesh farther deepening her agony. But it was only physical pain. What she experienced was a world shattering certainty.
She was a worthless burden.
"You are broken."
Indistinct words. Empty. Meaningless.
She wailed her pain for the world to hear.
"He was everything for you I understand."
The sense of his talk was lost on her.
She could only see his body. Unmoving. Frozen. Dead.
"Humans are so frail."
Bloody fingers persisted on drawing long reddish lines on her skin.
'So frail…'
"Do you want to stay with him?"
'Stay…him…Yes!'
"Come with me then."
'…Yes!...'
-Bleach-
Kimiko grunted as another lowly hollowed disappeared in contact with the flamming edges of her zanpakuto. She sent a wave of fire to some approaching beasts before leaping back in the trees and trying to get away from them.
She lost Auzric some time ago, instead being greeted by a horde of hollows that she knew were meant to keep her occupied. A bird swooped down on her and she jumped away from the sharp beak as it broke through the wooden limb. Slashing with the swords, the hollow was gone in seconds, however, in its stead appeared some sort of monkey-rhino hybrid. A pair of muscular arms plunged from above but Kimiko was fast as she quickly stepped in front of the monster and cut cleanly through its abdomen.
She growled slipping through the branches and evading a clawed hand. She flipped back up in the next moment and slashed vertically at the pestering hollow. A spark of spiritual pressure announced her of an impending attack and she swiftly formed a shield that stopped the cero. Vanishing via shunpo, the black haired shinigami appear in front of her foe decapitating it.
"God, dammit!"
Again, flipping over the branches, Kimiko landed lightly behind a pair of hollows swiftly spinning on the spot and cutting off their legs with a blade while the other one sliced through their backs.
She rolled out of the way of a blast springing to her feet in no time when a black axe descended crushing the head of her offender. Her eyes widened a second before a smirk formed on her pretty face.
"I knew I wasn't hallucinating."
The black clad, blonde cowboy tipped his hat smiling knowingly at the woman as he balanced his weight on the axe still stuck in the sturdy branch. "Always a pleasure, little lady!" He suddenly grew serious. "Ya should better take yer leave. Ya lost enough time already."
Kimiko sheathed her kodachi blades and nodded. "Thanks Clay."
Lifting the heavy blade on his shoulder the man grinned. "What are friends for?" He then proceeded to swing the axe around like a bat hitting any forthcoming hollow. "Come here ya good for nothing parasites!"
Kimiko smiled fondly at the tall blond and took off. She remembered perfectly Auzric's spiritual signature so finding him proved to be nothing short of too easy. What worried her was that she could feel smaller, weaker, spiritual pressures beside him. Frowning darkly at the thoughts swirling in her mind, the shinigami captain quickened her pace.
She reached a clearer area indicating a crash. She was soon to find the source and it only made her stomach churn with anxiety. Dojo lied on his side, a bleeding gash adorning the side of his head which Kimiko checked and made sure it wasn't serious, but no xiaolin warriors.
Despite that, Auzric's presence was nearby. She figured he was up to something. No one would flare their existence so much without a reason. She sighed in resignation and headed in his direction. A few leaps over the forest and there he was.
Standing straight and impassive, the man was a perfect statue. Behind him was something Kimiko dreaded to see though. His black orbs met her azure ones and the shadow of a smirk lifted his lips. A swift shunpo and she was in front of him, eyes never leaving his cold look.
"What have you done?" The inquiry was spoken calmly and soullessly.
"I tested them." He replied in the same tone. "One passed, the other failed, but their fate was the same."
"Why are you still here then?"
He didn't answered right away, taking a moment to formulate his response. "The stars mentioned your death and I intend to be the cause of it."
Despite the cold exterior, her insides were burning. The last word of the sentence embodied the last straw and Kimiko swiftly pulled out her swords and activated the shikai while on the other side of the battlefield Auzric released his real spiritual pressures sky rocketed as both combatants took their position, glaring at each other, ready to fight to the end.
-Xiaolin Showdown-
Everything swam in his vision; blurred colors and indistinguishable images. He couldn't make head or tail of them but he didn't feel like doing it either. It required too much concentration when all he wanted was to stay motionless, unresponsive…resting.
A state of tranquility reigned over him. His mind felt numb. He wanted to leave it at that, however, an annoying buzz in the back of his head kept disturbing his peace. It warned him. Commanded him to wake up, open his eyes, pay attention to whatever was going on around him.
He tried to ignore it but it didn't go away. He tried to remember what had happened. It all was fuzzy. He could discern something red, though. A lot of red now that he made an effort. Although he couldn't tell what exactly was red. Everything was too distorted. He tried to make a sound but his body was like lead. He didn't know, was he even breathing? His throat was dry and completely frozen. He didn't believe he could breathe like that. But he was coherent…at least in thoughts. Did that count? Did that mean he was still alive?
If yes, then he had to get up. But he felt tired. Exhausted, actually. Was it whatever he was doing that important? The throb in his head intensified. That must have been a yes, he decided. And he forced his eyes to open. Or attempted to because, apparently they didn't wanted to listen. He release a mental growl. He could have just given up. But something was harassing him not to.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the mess of pictures arranged themselves in his mind and he made out a few scenes which sparked his memory. The forest, the giant monsters, Auzric and Kimiko, Dojo falling '…Suna! What happened to her?'
An unbearable hot pain suddenly appeared in his abdomen. A gasp – So I am alive! – escaped his lungs as the burning spread around his middle. A coldness lingered on his skin, sticking to his skin the material of his torn t-shirt. 'Red…Blood. My blood.'
'Shit! At this rate, I'll bleed to death.'
Trying to push the pain away was simply impossible. It consumed his very being, but he strained his eyes to open. Finally, they obeyed. He grunted as a wave of agony washed over him while he blinked through the cloud of tears and dust. He could see the blue sky overhead and vaguely hear clangs somewhere in the distance.
He tilted his head, a grimace passing over his features. He was in a clearing, further away there were blurs and sparks that he came to associate to a fight between, he supposed, Kimiko and Auzric, and nearer to him a mass of red hair. His heart would have most likely skipped a beat if it weren't for the fact that he needed all the air he could get.
Breathing in and out, as the pain pounded relentlessly in his front, he swallowed and turn on his side. He bit back a scream when the fresh wound switched to full on blazing and blood began streaming out. He paused momentarily struggling to regain his breath before starting to edge bit by bit to the girl's side. Each movement caused his head to spin and his heart to thunder in his chest. It was agony but managed.
He reached out with his hand, fingers soaked in blood and grime brushing against Suna's arm. The girl's tear streaked face scrunched up in a frightened expression and she curled up in a tight ball whimpering. For a second, Joseph hesitated before he gripped her bloody fingers, brown eyes trailing miserably the long crimson scratches adorning the girl's forearms.
He dropped his head on the ground, at last feeling the fatigue his endeavor provoked. Unfocused eyes followed the two moving shadows on the other side of the field and for the first time he didn't wish to be there. He closed his eyes and let the blackness take him.
-Bleach-
Everyone knew not to mess around with Kimiko when she was like that. The flaming edges of her blades flared angrily in tempo with her ravaging emotions. She was a hazard and the only thing on her mind was to unleash it on the man in front of her. A long chink resounded as her sword crashed against the Arrancar's armored hand and she rapidly swung the other one upwards.
Auzric leaned back, nonetheless, still affected by the heat of the sword as it passed by his face. He fixed his clawed limbs in the ground and lashed out with a right punch that Kimiko blocked with the side of her sword and swerved it around his arm effectively leaving gashes on his hierro. The blue haired man didn't flinch as he caught the second blade before planting a kick in her stomach.
The woman skidded back and sooner than she could recover Auzric was behind her delivering a harsh elbow in the back of her head followed by a kick to her ribs. Kimiko cussed at her sluggishness and tried to redeem herself midair but the Arrancar didn't allow her. She was only fast enough to form a shield with her blades before she was drove downwards in the ground.
She pulled herself fast out of the crater and shunpo-ed in the air, swords placed in an 'x' as she yelled: "Tsuin Chourui!"
The blue bird shaped attack soared through the air while on the other side, Auzric ran his fingers in a triangle pattern. The attack collided with the white shield and dissolve.
Kimiko smirked. "…the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hadō no sanjū ichi! Shakkahō!" The red large flame rocketed through the smoke resulted in the last explosion hitting the Arrancar head on.
Kimiko didn't waste a second. She plunged after him bringing the blades on her side and then flipped in the air gracefully cutting vertically and releasing droplets of rain like fire. "Nenshou Heki!"
The continuous blasts devastated the forest ground turning it to ashes. She panted, azure orbs shadowing every inch of land in search of the man. Her hands gripped the handles of her zanpakuto, anger barely subsided. Her body ached from the bruises forming from the hits she has received but her mind didn't comprehend the pain at its real level.
Acting on pure instinct, she ducked. A fist passed over her head and Kimiko's eyes widened as she spotted the burnt figure of Auzric leaping at her with a furious scowl. Her eyes narrowed right way and she steadied her stance. Blurry strikes beat upon the blades of her swords as she slowly stepped back, every time an opening was revealed slashing at him with meticulous sways of her hands.
Kimiko grunted as one of the spikes on Auzric's hand tore through the skin of her wrist. She waved her arms throwing off his hits and bounced back to put some distance between them. However she only had a few moments when seven rays of red energy shot towards her. She evaded them and they crashed against the ground but she was too slow when Auzric aimed a kick at her. He smacked her in the shoulder at the same time driving through her flesh his sharp claws. Kimiko yelled stiffly and spun around steering a sword to his chest, eyes blazing with rage. He redirected it with his hand and stepped back from the other one.
"Tsuin Chourui!"
Blades flashing blue, the flames engulfed the Arrancar and Kimiko used his distraction to shove her leg in his gut. She flipped with a roundhouse kick to his head that sent him flying to the ground and shunpo-ed after him promptly driving her zanpakuto in his chest.
Auzric growled in pain and pushed the woman off of him. He jumped up, a cero prepared in his palm that he released swiftly. Kimiko called upon a bakudō spell that stopped the devastating attack and before she could reply he hurled his fist in her face. Kimiko was thrown backwards, blood spraying out of her nose but she recovered fast and flung her leg in his jaw hearing with pleasure a distinctive snap.
"You bitch!"
"The bastard is talking!" Replied Kimiko heatedly. "Shakkahō!"
The swirling ball of flames was met by the blinding light of Auzric's shield, however Kimiko leaped forward swinging her ablaze swords. Auzric crossed his arms grunting slightly as the blades dug in his hard skin. He pushed her back launching a punch. Kimiko sidestepped and he hit the ground with an echoing bang. The woman finally saw her chance and with a battle cry she lunged at his unprotected back.
-Xiaolin Showdown-
"Hyokai!"
Shards of ice flew in the air clashing against the bony feathers previously thrown by Roo. Omi leaped with his transparent blade at the Arrancar who blocked it with his claws only to tiptoe a second later around Raimundo's slash from below. The two Shinigami charged at the winged young man who released cero after cero in hopes of slowing them down.
The fight had gone on for too long and with the blasts coming from the battle farther away they decided to cut theirs short. Raimundo clashed his blade against Roo's forearm hearing a slight crack and pushed forward ducking under the Arrancar's desperate attempt to get him away. He recoiled with a smirk, leaving Omi to dive in after him. The short captain exchanged slashes at a rapid pace while Raimundo snuck up from behind aiming his hand at Roo's back.
"Hadō no sanjū san, Sōkatsui!"
The blue lightning bolt cracked through the air speeding towards the man who could only watch in surprise as the beam of energy neared him. The blast sent him plummeting to the forest with Omi following closely. The bald young man twirled the spear around as his spiritual energy swirled in the air.
"Bakufuu!" A torrent of water sprung from the tip of the blade.
Beside him, Raimundo raised his zanpakuto above his head as the sky began to bloom with thunders. "Hageshii Arashi!"
The combination of wind and water created a vortex that swallowed the forest where Roo crashed. The Arrancar growled as he shakily stood up, centering his reiatsu in a last discharge. He wasn't going to be defeated without adding his mark. His wings spread as a red aura gradually surrounded him.
"Jigoku Iki!"
A flamethrower shot upwards clashing with Omi's and Raimundo's whirlpool. The two attacks pushed forcefully against each other for dominance putting down the neighboring trees. Roo snarled sending out his remaining energy into one last push. The pillar of fire eventually shot through the frozen waters resulting in the Shinigami having to split up in order to avoid it while down on the forest floor, the Arrancar panted tiredly.
"That was one mighty show!"
His head shot up at the unknown voice. Glancing around nervously he spotted the source: a black clad, blond Shinigami wearing a big, weird hat who was smiling down at him.
"Piss off!" He shot back.
"Can't do that, partner!"
Roo smiled sourly. "Why don't you just kill me then, Shinigami! I'm done for."
"Begging to get killed now? That's pathetic, Roo!" The Arrancar looked up seeing the figure of the brunet Shinigami. Raimundo watched him with apathy resting his sealed zanpakuto on his shoulder in a manner similar to Kenpachi.
Beside him stood Omi, a somehow depressing spark dancing in his deep black eyes. "You cannot fight anymore."
Roo sighed, eyes drifting to the ground. "Maybe…or maybe not!"
Light blue eyes glanced at them roguishly, his hands twitching as they gathered whatever energy he had left. He didn't had time to do anything, though, as three blades suddenly impaled him through the chest.
His stunned look melted in a smirk. "I wasn't going to do anything anyway." Were his last words before he collapsed at their feet.
The three Shinigami looked at him blankly for several moments. Finally Clay exhaled loudly gaining the other two's attentions. "We should find Kimiko." Raimundo and Omi nodded and wordlessly shunpo-ed away tracing their fellow female's spiritual signature.
Translation:
Tsuin Chourui – Frozen Twin Birds
Hadō no sanjū ichi! Shakkahō – Way of Destruction Number 31! Red Fire Cannon
Nenshou Heki – Burning Tears
Hyokai – Frozen Sea
Hadō no sanjū san, Sōkatsui - Way of Destruction Number 33, Blue Fire Crash Down
Bakufuu – Blasting Waves
Hageshii Arashi – Raging Storm
Jigoku Iki – Hell Breath
Quite some many fights around here, ne? Hopefully things will slow down a bit in the future. As I said in the beginning, I still don't have a good idea of the finale so the next update will be…I don't know. Whenever I can find time and inspiration. I left an opening in there in case I can make a twist and ease the flow and logic of the soon-to-be plot. Either that or I'll simply not gonna use it and that's not a problem.
Well then, see ya next time!
