ITS OUT!
READ FIRST TALK LATER!
Disclaim : I don't own bleach
"Rukia… relax…"
The raven-haired girl pointed her hand at the shadow and concentrated her energy to her palm
"Hado 31: Shakkaho!"
The red ball of energy formed in her hands and fired
"Woah! Rukia! Relax!"
The lights flickered on and Renji stood in the room, his hairband burnt from her attack
"Oh… sorry Renji… I just thought… well… never mind…"
Renji walked over to his childhood friend
"What happened to you?" he lifted up her chin "You told us you were okay with the breakup. So why're you crying?"
"I'm not…"
She swatted his hand away
"Anyways… what are you doing here?..."
Renji looked away, his face reddening
" 'Ca-cause I was in the neighbourhood… an-and I saw that strawberry ass running out… so I thought… maybe I would drop by to visit you…"
"Oh… I see… well I'm not in the mood for your usual arguments Renji… so if you don't mind… could you get out?..."
He looked up and saw her putting on her headphones already
"Rukia! Listen to me!"
He grabbed her hand and yanked her towards his body
"Oww! Renji let go!"
Unlike Ichigo's method of dragging her around when he wanted to, Renji's felt more like he was about to crush her hand
"No. Look at me"
She did reluctantly, annoyed by his actions
"My time with Rangiku was short and stupid. I was angry with you that day and I'm sorry for hurting you okay?... Rukes come back to me…"
Renji pulled her closer
And she slapped him
"Right. Like I'm going to fall for that. You made your own decisions. I don't care." She was screaming so loudly that Renji flinched "What was it you said that day? Oh yea! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY LIFE!"
She grabbed the nearest book she saw and threw it at his face
The redhead suddenly jumped past her in his shinigami form
"Howl! Zabimaru!"
Rukia turned around and saw him swing his sword at another figure in the room
Brown long hair, which reached her waist, red eyes, with a mad glint in them
She remembered Hichigo's description. There was no mistaking it. Emihiro was in her room
Midget! It's my fault! Whatever you do… Don't die on me… Please…
Ichigo's black hair shortened as his Bankai changed form
His eyes were closed as he prayed for her safety
Then, he saw a familiar red-head thrown out of his room
Dashing over, he caught the unconscious Renji
For a second, he thought maybe Rukia had punched him out, but he realized that it just wasn't possible
For one, Rukia didn't have that kind of strength ever since Dieu drained her energy
And… she doesn't do that to her best friend…
Ichigo's eyes had noticed the injuries on Renji's body
His leg was reduced to nothing but a stump, with his bone broken and protruding out of the wound
His chest had bruises on his vital points, clotting up his flow of blood and screwing around with his reiatsu
Ichigo thought it could not get any worse, until he saw Renji's zanpaktou
Zabimaru was nothing but a handle and half a hilt, the blade itself nowhere in sight
He placed the lieutenant on the roof of a building, before hearing a scream
A shock went through his body when he recognized the scream
"Shit!" Ichigo swore as he dashed towards his house
Rukia was pinned against the wall
Renji was already thrown out of the window and her powers had barely recovered
Emihiro's eyes narrowed slightly and she clenched harder, making Rukia flinch
"This is the shinigami that the king's human form fell for?... pathetic…"
Rukia felt a blade slide through her arm and screamed out in pain
"Good… scream, and he will come for you…"
She twisted the blade sideways, Rukia's bone cracking as she did so
Emihiro blinked, and the girl was gone
"Oh?... Seems that you've gotten faster…"
Hichigo put Rukia down on the floor before looking to Emihiro
"You dare show your face before me?... I know what you've done, I've been to the forest and seen it for myself… you won't escape this time… this is revenge for Aikru, Ghiaccio and all the other hollows you killed…"
One moment, his arm was coated with his reiatsu and pressed against her blade, then whe was pushed forward from behind
She stumbled forward and saw his hand swinging down
Emihiro rolled aside, but barely made it in time
Hichigo turned his back on her and swung his hand down, a giant white blade appearing in it
He rested it on his shoulders
"You forget that even without training and choosing regeneration over strength, that I was nicknamed the beast for my speed and raw power"
Hichigo vanished and reappeared behind her
"So you best not let your guard down…"
She rolled again, avoiding his slash, but leaving her open to the next one
His blade cracked the floor, but he made use of it, turning his blade sideways and swinging it horizontally
"Getsuga Tenshou!"
Tsch… Ichi is going to kill me for this…
His attack had blown Ichigo's bed into nothing but splinters, with nothing but his wardrobe left in his room
"So the title of king isn't just for show huh?..."
Hichigo blinked and felt his hand swinging forward
Huh?... what just happened?...
He felt his body moving out of its own will, swinging the Tenshou once more
But this time, Emihiro jumped backwards and avoided the attack
I don't get it… what just happened?... didn't I get her with the attack just now?...
He felt her blade cut down on his arm and jumped backwards looking for anything that was amiss
Her hands… orange light?... is she messing around with the time stream?... Only one way to find out…
Hichigo started unwrapping the black bandages on his Zangetsu, before wrapping them around his own hand
"What are you doing?..."
Hichigo didn't reply, instead, holding the bandages in both arms, he twirled Zangetsu in midair
After about three cycles, he changed his stance mid-spin, sending Zangetsu flying at her, like throwing a spear
Emihiro tried to dodge, but was a second too late, the blade piercing her
Hichigo blinked
He felt the sword spinning above his head and saw the orange sparks
He smirked
This time, Hichigo jumped forward after throwing Zangetsu towards her
As expected, she avoided it
He grabbed the handle and swung it in a wide arc at her
"Getsuga Tenshou!"
Right after firing the blast, he grabbed her by the hands and an orange light engulfed them
Hichigo blinked
Emihiro was standing at the same spot again, but this time, he wasn't swinging his sword
A shocked expression crossed her face
"Ace in the hole, cracked"
Hichigo grabbed her neck and dashed outside, where he could sense a familiar reiatsu arriving
Ichigo sensed his hollow's presence and lifted his head up
Sure enough, he saw the pale-skinned hollow outside his window, lifting up what seemed to be another girl
"Ichigo, target practice. C'mon"
"Who is that?..."
"Tsch…didn't you tell me to protect Rukia against anything?... strike first, ask questions later"
Brown hair?...
Then he saw the mask hanging on her belt
His hollow had a point, when it came to enemies, attack first, ask questions later
The length of his chain fell off his arm and wrapped itself around his blade
"Getsuga Tenshou!"
Hichigo held on to her neck till the last second, before just barely evading the attack
He used sonido and disappeared, re-appearing next to Ichigo
"So, mind telling me who that is?"
"Obviously, you weren't listening when I described all our enemies…"
"Uh-huh… I got better things to do…"
Hichigo turned to the smoking mass
"You can try reversing the time, but since I released so late, it'd be a waste of you energy wouldn't it?"
"Time?...woah woah… hold up a sec here… you mean that's?..."
"Took you long enough to realize…" Hichigo shook his head at the shinigami's late realization
Emihiro stepped out of the smoke, her arm already regenerating
Both Hichigo and Ichigo's hands tightened on their swords
"Let's go"
They charged at her
Rukia clutched her bleeding arm and stumbled towards the open hole in the wall
She could only see flashes of white and black surrounding Emihiro, both in perfect synchronization, one attack after another
Once or twice, she managed to catch Ichigo's face, full of determination
Hers, in contradiction, was of uncertainty and worry
Her hand clutched her heart, as she sat amongst the rubble, the other arm hanging limply by her side
Ichigo… be careful…
Ichigo kept up his relentless attack, looking for loopholes in her defence
His previous training with Hichigo had not been in vain, he didn't seem as tired after using two Mugetsu blasts
His senses also seemed sharper and he was paying attention to every small detail in Emihiro's movements
Hichigo had already told him Emihiro's abilities, so he knew that brute force was pointless
Then an idea hit him
"Hichigo! Come 'ere for a sec"
The three of them took a pause from their fight and Ichigo told the hollow his idea
"Not bad Ichi, not bad at all"
His hollow grinned widely and gave him a high-five
Emihiro's eyes narrowed, as she took in deep breaths, suspicious of what they were up to
Hichigo placed both hands on his Zangetsu, as a white reiatsu wrapped around him
The hollow emerged from the smoke wearing a white cloak and wielding a white blade
"Bankai : Shingetsu"
Black chains wrapped themselves around Emihiro
She turned around and saw Ichigo, who easily sneaked behind her while she was distracted
Another chain flew to her and wrapped around her body, a white one this time
Both Ichigo and Hichigo grinned, before letting out a barrage of Tenshous
White and black energy met at one point, crushing the female Lord
Ichigo released his black energy, blast after blast
He nodded to Hichigo and they let loose one last blast, larger then the rest
The orange-haired captain breathed heavily as he waited for the smoke to clear, then his jaw dropped
Ichigo could easily watch horror movies like SAW without flinching, but what he saw sent shivers down his spine
Emihiro trashed in the chains, her body a wreck
Despite her high speed regeneration, a mere quarter of her face remained, her neck connected to her body only by the skin
Her legs were nowhere in sight and her chest was torn into bits, scattered all over the place, exposing her insides
She attempted to raise her hand for a rude gesture, but her fingers were all missing, save the middle one
We totally let loose! How the hell is she still alive!...
Ichigo was at a loss for words
"Don't you see? You will never be able to beat the Lords! Dieu and Ukito were merely fakes! You think we would let such weak people be Lords? HA!"
Blood dripped down her neck as she laughed at them, the madness in her eyes more obvious than usual
Hichigo nodded at the shinigami before turning into the shadows, entering her mind
Unlike Ukito, Emihiro did not struggle, but closed her eyes, placing the Hollow in a time lock, within her mind
As soon as Hichigo's white chains disappeared, she pulled her hands up, breaking Ichigo's chain
She disappeared and re-appeared next to Rukia, grabbing the petite girl easily
"Now that the king is within my body, I have no use for this girl. Let me return to Hueco Mundo, or I'll kill her"
"NO!"
Emihiro lifted her blade to Rukia's face
"Wait! I'll trade it. My life, for hers"
Ichigo pointed Zangetsu down, leaving himself open to an attack
"Hmm…. Of course, if I kill you then Hichigo will have nowhere to return to…"
"Tsch… I don't want to. What's my life to you?" Rukia spoke for the first time throughout the fight
"It doesn't matter to me, but you seem like that hollow…. The one Hichigo would have died for…" Emihiro's eyes closed with understanding
"No wonder he chose this human, they are so much alike, willing to die, just to protect"
"We have a deal, she has nothing to do with this! Now let her go!"
"I don't want to!"
"Rukia, shut the fuck up!" His words were like a slap to her face, silencing her immediately
Ichigo's head hung low
"I don't care… Emihiro, honor your words"
He stuck his right arm out, as a gesture for her to slice it off
The Lord put the girl down on a nearby roof and dashed forward, reappearing behind the shinigami
Ichigo did not flinch as he felt his arm being separated from his body
"There, you've already taken an arm. Now leave her alone"
Rukia absent-mindedly lifted her hand up, as though trying to reach him
Gash after gash appeared on his chest as Emihiro toyed with her prey, careful not to cut any vital organs
Rukia felt tears slowly slide down her face as she sat there, unable to do anything
Emihiro stopped in front of the shinigami
"This isn't fun unless you scream, like a whimp"
She pulled her hand back and plunged the sword into his chest
He fell down on one knee, coughing up blood
"Ichigo!"
Rukia motioned to move forward, but found her legs bound by an orange light
Ichigo coughed again and shook his head, before using his remaining hand to cover his new wound
Shit… that definitely went through my lung… fuck… I can't let her see me like this… she's been in enough pain…
He looked up at Rukia and smiled, his eyes watery and his mouth covered in blood
"I'm okay… Rukia… sorry for everything… just… forget about me, okay?... I don't ever want to see you in pain…-" He paused to cough again "- I've only got a few more seconds to live huh?... seesh that's annoying…"
He sighed and looked up again
"Hey Rukia… did I ever tell you… that I love you?..."
The ghost of his last smile etched on his face, his head drooped down and his chest stopped moving
"Ichigo?... ICHIGO! GET UP! You can't die on me!... ICHIGO!"
Emihiro just laughed at the scene
Ichigo's reiatsu slowly disappeared and he fell to the ground
Rukia bit on her lips and closed her eyes
No... He can't be dead…. No….
She pointed her hand at Emihiro
"You're the one that caused all this! Hado 33: Sokatsui!"
Emihiro easily deflected the blast, still grinning
The attempt at another kido was too much for the petite girl and she collapsed to the ground, barely conscious
Emihiro laughed at them
"Hahaha! What a pathetic couple! Neither can stand up straight against me and I'm not even one of the stronger Lords!"
She pointed to her elbow, showing her as the North-West Lord, weakest of the eight
Then the headache started, a crack sound in her mind
She fell onto the roof, clutching her head
Hichigo appeared from her shadows, looking exhausted
"A time lock inside your own mind?... You bitch…" Hichigo spat before entering Ichigo's shadow once more
Ugh… Why is it so heavy?... Is this what it feels like to die?...
Ichigo felt as though he was suspended in the water, like when he was training with Zangetsu in the Dangai
"Oei, Ichigo! U ain't dyin' on me man"
He felt something lift his arm and turned around to see his hollow lifting him upright
"Emihiro was locking me up in her mind with those bloody time things. That's why I couldn't get out to help earlier. That said, it still wasn't easy getting out"
Hichigo paced around in the empty space and looked at the shinigami
"I'm going to use it. I'll take the risks. If I just stay like this, you won't be able to escape later. They'll take us both"
"But can you stomach the price? I've already warned you"
Ichigo took in a deep breath, but his gaze did not falter
"I don't care"
"Well then you know what to do, and focus on what you want, it is the only thing that keeps you sane"
Rukia almost passed out when the air suddenly became denser making it hard to breathe
Ichigo's body started emitting its usual black reiatsu, this time accompanied by an unfamiliar red one
His arm raised up and slammed the ground, cracking it
He pushed himself off the ground, the smile no longer on his face
The hole which Emihiro pierced grew larger and made up the center of his chest
When Ichigo opened his eyes, they were black, with yellow irises
Ishida, Inoue and Chad all turned their heads in the direction of the energy, two of them recognizing it
Ishida's mind flashed back to the top of Las Noches, when Ichigo had beaten Ulquiorra, the reiatsu had been the same
He clenched his teeth, hoping he was wrong
Ichigo stepped forth through the reiatsu, now looking exactly like his hollow, the only difference being their colors
"Won't…let…you….touch…her…Must…protect…Rukia…"
His voice sounded like a mixture between his own and his hollows, an underlining authority in it
Emihiro scoffed at it
"You must be desperate Hichigo! Asking the human to use 'Instinct'? Ha! What a joke! He probably couldn't beat a Gillian!"
She would have continued, but Ichigo just appeared next to Rukia and opened his palm
His black blade flew to his hand and he swung it down
The only thing remaining of the roof was the point where he stood on, Rukia behind him
"Don't… move… I'll… protect…"
His head spasmed as he turned it slightly to catch a glimpse of her
When he turned back, Emihiro had already fired a cero at him
Ichigo just opened his hand and blocked it, barehanded
He lost it and let his hollow's instinct to kill take over
Rukia covered her ears as he let out a demonic scream, cracking the nearby walls
The hollowfied Ichigo swung his sword towards Emihiro, sending air currents at her, which shattered all the neighboring houses
The Lord barely avoided the attack, rolling aside, finding her face landing into his palms
He grabbed her by the head and dragged her through the town, finally throwing her back after reaching the end of the street
As she crawled on the floor trying to escape, a foot stomped on her head
Rukia stumbled and leaned on a wall, seeing Ichigo place his horns on either side of her neck as a cero began to form, already ripping Emihiro apart
"You will never win! Fuck all you shinigamis!"
As she swore for the last time, a red light exploded, reaching up to the clouds above
The dust soon cleared, leaving only Ichigo standing, his transformation still intact
The Quincy arrived first, eyes widening in shock when he saw Ichigo's form
Inoue and Chad arrived mere seconds later and saw their friend pointing his arrow at the hollowfied figure
Inoue recognized the form, but Chad, oblivious to it, saw it as a threat
The Mexican pulled his fist back
"Rukia! Duck!"
The young Kuchiki did as told, pulling her head down and avoiding the blast of energy
Ichigo stepped forward shakily, his human consciousness unable to control his hollow's killing instincts
He pulled up his blade and swung it forward once more, this time faster then before
Chad was getting ready to block the hit when another figure dropped in front of him, a haori with the number 13 on his back
Ukitake caught the blast with one end of his blades and transferred it to the other, before firing it back at the hollow
Ichigo waved his hand at the oncoming blast and it disappeared
He was about to attack again, and suddenly found two hands wrapped around his waist
"Ichigo… stop…"
He turned slightly and saw her burying her face in his side, cheeks still wet from her tears
A large palm rested on her head
"Ru...ki..a…"
She tilted her head up and saw his mask fading away
Her violet eyes watched as his hollowfied body changed back to its usual form
Ichigo turned around and wrapped his arms around her small body, his thoughts completely focused on her as his eyes closed
In the shadows, a person stood watching the whole thing
He grinned and took a step back into the darkness
"You want to beat me with that, Hichigo? you're going to have to do alot better..."
Spoiler : Obviously Ichi doesnt die, i dont like sad endings =(
lets get down to the usual dry questions =x
1. Why did i take so long?
Well, i have not been feeling the best lately, getting minor headaches every other day and having one major one just last week. If you felt that something was amiss with this chapter, you were right, because i didnt write this chapter, what i wrote is in a bin. this chapter was written by my 3 friends and i merely edited. when i let them see the original one, they said they would work on another and asked me to wait. i re-edited the orginal 20 over times, but it just wasnt good enough for u guys =(
2. Will I be posting again anytime soon?
Highly unlikely. I have finals coming up to decide if i can get into a college. That means super mugging... =( although i will write whenever i have the time to =x
SickMinded : I didnt do much really
Player : Romantic scenes were mine and i'm still single if anyone is wondering ;)
KempachiNo.2 : I luved this chapter. mainly cos i wrote most of it. and i love Emihiro's look after taking the hits. cos it made the rest of them throw up ^^ WHIMPS~
Bit confusing for some of you? it'll be explained in next chapter =3
Oh ya, and for any of you who wonders why Emihiro didn't die when taking so many fatal hits, its cos my idea was for her regeneration to be wayyyyy better then Ulqiorra's, so even if there is a speck of her left, she'll be back. *hint hint*
PLS REVIEW! HELPS ALOT! - i dont know how many times i've said this, but it really does help
