Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach
Chapter 10: Rukia Dies?
Soifon ran towards yet another fallen member of the Punishment Force. Dammit, she thought. I trained these people to be among the best fighters in the Seiretei!
Soifon checked the pulse of the ninja, only to find that he was dead. Soifon sighed. Dammit. she repeated.
Soifon then spoke into the hell butterfly that accompanied her. "This is Squad 2 Captain Soifon, I've encountered a tenth member of the Punishment Force that has fallen in combat. That makes ten dead and seventeen wounded."
On the other end, Soifon heard a voice that surprised her. "That is disturbing news indeed," came the voice of Head Captain Yamamoto. "I believe that is among the most casualties you've had in a battle since the end of the Winter War."
Soifon nodded. "Yes, we usually do come out of missions with little to no casualties." She admitted.
"There is some good news, however." Said Yamamoto.
Soifon was surprised to hear good news in an attack like this. "And that would be..." She egged on.
"I've just received a report from Lt. Sasakibe that he was able to neutralize one of the Arrancar that are leading the attack. That makes two counting the one Lt. Ise defeated." Yamamoto told her.
"And what about the other leaders?" Soifon asked.
"Captain's Abarai and Kuchiki are fighting two, and Lt. Kuchiki is fighting another." Yamamoto continued.
"That makes five then. I wonder how many there are?" Soifon wondered.
"There are six of us." Came a threatening voice.
Soifon turned around to see Adalberto standing, arms folded, patiently waiting for her to finish talking. "Attention all Soul Reapers, I'm about to engage with one of the intruders." Said Soifon.
Soifon faced Adalberto with a steely glare in her eyes. "State your name scum!" She shouted.
Adalberto nodded. "I am Adalberto Ahogarse, Arrancar 48. It's a pleasure to meed you Captain Soifon."
Soifon grimaced, he must've been listening in on her conversation with the Head Captain. "Obviously I need no introduction, so I'll just go right to the point. Who sent you to attack us?" Soifon asked.
Adalberto chuckled. "Our new leader, of course."
Soifon wasn't satisfied. "Who is?"
Adalberto shook his head. "Why should I give out the name of our glorious leader to trash like you?"
Soifon drew her Zanpakutō in a fit of rage. Adalberto laughed. "Looks like I hit a nerve, eh?" He asked.
"Shut up!" Screamed Soifon. "Shut up you Arrancar scum!"
Adalberto shook his head. "I can't believe I got stuck with this screamer." He muttered.
Soifon heard this and was now curious. Angry, but curious. "What do you mean?" She asked.
Adalberto sighed. "The six of us were sent to kill six different captains. Unfortunately, two of our guys have already been killed. But I can't worry about those losers. I can only worry about killing you, my target for tonight."
Soifon grinned determinedly. "Okay then, but do you mind if I take you to a more wide open area?" She asked.
Adalberto raised an eyebrow. "Why would I want that?"
Soifon ignored it and used flash step to flee. Seeing where she was going, Adalberto used sonido to follow her.
"Some no mai!" Rukia shouted. "Tsukishiro!"
Gabriel quickly moved to the left to dodge a pillar of ice that came up. He then looked at Rukia, disappointedly. "You mean that's it, Lt. Kuchiki?" He asked.
Rukia panted slightly. This Arrancar is certainly a strong one, he hadn't even swung his Zanpakutō. Gabriel then raised his left hand and opened it up, causing it to start charging a green cero. "Allow me to show you a real attack my dear."
Gabriel then fired the cero. Rukia quickly dodged it, only to see that Gabriel had disappeared. She gasped in fear, realizing he could appear anywhere...and he did. Gabriel appeared behind her and raised his leg. By the time Rukia turned around, it was too late. Gabriel kicked her in the gut and sent her sliding across the floor. Rukia got up, writhing in pain. He's fast. She thought. Fast enough to dodge my Tsukishiro. This is bad.
Gabriel yawned, clearly bored. "Do you have anything else?" He asked.
Rukia nodded, determinedly. Gabriel smiled. "That's good," he admitted. "You see Lt. Kuchiki, I like to think of fighting as a show. If you don't put on a good show, then the fight is boring."
Rukia was angered by this. She knew quite a few people who enjoyed fighting (Squad 11's Kenpachi Zaraki), but to hear him treat it like it was some form of entertainment sickened her. In truth, Rukia only fought when necessary, like against D-Roy and the Espada, Aaroniero. But to fight simply for the fun of it was never what she had in mind. "Well then," Rukia said, confidently and angrily. "Then I suppose you won't mind if we start the 'grand finale' already?"
Gabriel smiled. "I was just thinking the same thing."
Byakuya Kuchiki jumped back as Idelfonso swung downwards. The Arrancar was curious as to why he did this. Usually the Squad 6 Captain blocked his attack and then tried to counter it with his own. Byakuya then held his Zanpakutō close to him. "Scatter, Senbonzakura." He said calmly.
Idelfonso watched as Byakuya's blade broke apart into many cherry blossoms. He then watched the cherry blossoms fly towards him. Realizing they were a danger to him. Idelfonso swung his blade in a circle, blocking the cherry blossoms. Byakuya just stared as his enemy blocked his Shikai. Idelfonso was shocked that Byakuya wasn't angry. He then saw the blossoms fly at him again. He barely dodged them, but was cut in a few different places. He glared at Byakuya in response. "That's an impressive power Captain Kuchiki." Admitted Idelfonso.
Byakuya simply replied. "Flattery will get you nowhere Arrancar."
Idelfonso was surprised that he was being referred to as 'Arrancar.' But that was when it hit him. "That's right, I never gave you my name." He remembered.
Byakuya nodded in agreement. "Well then I should, I believe that you should know the name of your killer." Idelfonso explained.
Idelfonso raised his Zanpakutō. "I am Arrancar 60, Idelfonso Heliodoro. And this is my Resurrección..."
He ran his hand across the blade. "Cut em' up, Hoja de Hombre."
Blades then started to grow out of Idelfonso's body. Idelfonso smirked confidently, he was now covered in silver blades. The most noticeable being the two blades that grew out of his arms. Obviously, he used them as his main offensive weapon. "Let it be known that your body is going to be unrecognizable when I'm through with you Captain Kuchiki!" Idelfonso shouted.
Hipolito knocked Renji's Zabimaru out of the way again. He had to admit, there was a lot of power in the strange-looking sword, but he was still quite confident he could defeat him with no problem. Renji was thinking the same thing despite obviously underestimating the Arrancar's power.
Hipolito also noticed that the Squad 3 Captain was good at hiding his openings. That provided a problem for him. He had always hated his Resurrección because of a superiority complex he had carried for years about Soul Reapers. Unfortunately, it was now clear to him that Captain Abarai was not going to go down without the use of his Resurrección. Hipolito then got into a fighting stance. "I hate doing this. I usually never need it against a Soul Reaper. But it seems that you're a rather stubborn one, Renji Abarai."
Hipolito glared murderously at Renji. "Clamp, Langosta!" He shouted.
Hipolito's body then started to change. His hands started to change into claws, he grew what looked like a lobster-tail. His body even started to become a lobster's body. Renji couldn't help but snicker at how ridiculous he thought his opponent looked. Hipolito then charged Renji, claws snapping. Renji swung Zabimaru, but Hipolito grabbed the blade with his claws and clamped down, breaking his Zabimaru in half. Renji's eyes widened as Zabimaru broke. He was then grabbed by Hipolito. Hipolito gave him a maniacal grin and then threw him into the air. Renji screamed as he flew up. He then saw Hipolito appear in the air in front of him. Crap. Was all Renji could think.
Hipolito grabbed him again and threw him into the ground. He then landed on the roof. "Remember this name Captain Abarai: Hipolito Isidoro, Arrancar 57. That is the name of your killer!" He shouted.
Hipolito laughed maniacally as Renji laid before him, looking beat.
Rukia felt it. The sudden drop in Renji's spiritual pressure. He was still alive, but he was hurt. I have to end this. She thought. Renji needs help.
Rukia raised Sode no Shirayuki. "Tsugi no Mai!" She shouted. "Hakuren!"
Gabriel Fortunato's eyes widened as a sudden white flash rushed towards him. He couldn't dodge this one. Within seconds, he was frozen in an enormous block of ice. Rukia grinned. He wasn't as strong as Grimmjow, so that meant he should be frozen longer. That gave her enough time to rush to Renji's aid. Something that was a bit more important to her then her own fight.
Before she could turn away, however, she saw the ice crack. It then shattered, revealing a furious Gabriel. "That was cold!" He shouted.
He then raised his Zanpakutō. "You will pay you brat!"
Gabriel used sonido again. Rukia grimaced when this happened. He was certainly one of the faster Arrancar when it came to the use of sonido. Gabriel appeared behind her again, but Rukia managed to block it. However, she quickly found that he was better with a sword then he was hand to hand. Gabriel quickly knocked Sode no Shirayuki out of her hands and slashed Rukia across the chest. Rukia cried out in pain as the blood spewed out of her body. Gabriel then disappeared again and went behind Rukia. He then slashed her across her back. Rukia then fell forward, crying out again. Gabriel smirked evilly. Good, he thought. Now she can start dying painfully.
Byakuya's eyes widened as he felt Rukia's spiritual pressure drop dangerously low. No, Rukia. He thought.
Idelfonso threw a bladed kick at Byakuya, who barely had enough time to block it due to the shock he was experiencing from sensing his sisters peril. Idelfonso noticed this and spoke up. "What's up with you Captain Kuchiki? You don't exactly strike me as the type who is disturbed by something."
Byakuya grimaced upon hearing this. In truth, he was disturbed by certain things. And he was especially disturbed when the well being of his sister was brought into question. Idelfonso then raised his bladed arms. "Come on, Kuchiki, regain your composure so we can end this fight for crying out loud!"
Byakuya glared at Idelfonso. "You want the fight to end?" He asked dangerously. "Very well then, I have other business to attend to anyway."
In another part of the Seireitei, Renji regained consciousness as he felt Rukia's spiritual pressure drop. "Rukia..." he muttered, getting up.
Hipolito was shocked. "Whoa, you're still standing." He muttered.
Renji turned around and glared murderously. "If you don't mind Hipolito, I would like to get this over with. A friend of mine needs my assistance!"
Hipolito raised an eyebrow. "Really, you know, you should really worry about yourself. Considering the situation at the moment, the reason your friend is in trouble, is because he...or she, is far too weak to survive."
That was the last straw. Renji held out his now-reformed Zabimaru and screamed out. "Bankai!"
Meanwhile, Byakuya Kuchiki dropped his Zanpakutō into the ground blade first. "Bankai." He said quietly, but dangerously.
Idelfonso watched as the Zanpakutō melded into the ground. His eyes then widened when he saw several large swords rise out of the ground. "Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." Byakuya said, introducing his Bankai.
Meanwhile, Renji's Zabimaru started to grow. He was then covered by a fur coat as his Zanpakutō changed into a what looked like a dragon out of a chinese parade. Only the body was made of bones and the head was a snake skull. "Hihiō Zabimaru." Renji introduced.
The large swords then shattered into cherry blossoms. Idelfonso watched as they started to fly towards him like Senbonzakura's Shikai form. Idelfonso then got an idea and swung his two arm blades, launching a wide cero at them. The cherry blossoms scattered when they made contact. "Impressive, Idelfonso Heliodoro. You can use your blades to create more powerful cero's." Byakuya said.
Byakuya then charged him as more cherry blossoms formed. "But can you destroy even more? Senbonzakura Kageyoshi creates even more than just a thousand cherry blossoms." He explained.
Idelfonso fired another cero from his blades. This time, aimed squarely at Byakuya. However, the blossoms seemed to have a mind of their own and defended the Squad 6 Captain. Idelfonso saw more cherry blossoms come at his sides. Idelfonso reacted quickly and fired two ceros at both sides, only to realize that he had played into Byakuya's hand. By the time he realized this, Byakuya was right in front of him, a sword materializing out of several blossoms. Idelfonso's eyes widened as Byakuya thrusted the sword through his chest. Idelfonso started coughing up blood. He immediately realized he was finished. "Kuchiki...you bastard..." Idelfonso choked. "I won't accept this..."
Idelfonso attempted to raise his arms to attempt one more strike, but found he had no more strength left. "Dammit..." He choked out.
Idelfonso fell backwards, he was dead before he hit the floor. Byakuya sighed. He then walked away, with one thought in mind: He was going to save his sister.
Hipolito managed to block the large skull of Renji's Hihiō Zabimaru with his claws. However, he was still pushed backwards. He panted, staring at the increasingly confident Captain of Squad 3. "Do you know what the problem is with you Hipolito?" Renji asked.
Hipolito glared at him, he had no problems in his mind. "I can't believe I didn't see this at first, but now I see it," Renji smirked. "Your Resurrección, despite those claws, is a defensive Resurrección. "Why? Because all your claws can do is clamp down on enemies. Once they get the hang of it. It's incredibly easy to dodge."
Renji pointed a finger from his free hand at him. "I've got your number Hipolito Isidoro!" He declared.
Hipolito glare became even more menacing. "We'll see!" He shouted back.
Renji swung the snake at Hipolito once more. Hipolito jumped out of the way and placed one claw in between the joints. This'll stop 'em. He thought.
Hipolito clamped down, only to find that the joints had separated. "That's impossible!" He screamed in disbelief.
"Yeah, that's something I forgot to mention." Renji said smugly. "I can use my spirit energy to disconnect and reconnect the joints any time I want."
Renji then gave Hipolito a cocky grin. "And you know what the worst part is? You fell right into my trap!"
"What trap?" Hipolito asked angrily.
Renji pointed behind him. "That! Hikotsu Taihō!"
Hipolito turned around and his eyes widened. Renji's Bankai was just finishing up charging red spiritual energy. The snake-skeleton Bankai fired the shot, but Hipolito managed to block it with his claws. He then chuckled, feeling safe. My claws are among the best defense in Los Retazos. He thought. There's no way this'll break through.
No sooner had Hipolito thought that, his claws started to crack. What? He thought, surprised.
The claws started to crack even more. No, he thought in disbelief. That's impossible!
The claws then shattered, and the blast of red spirit energy made contact with Hipolito's body. The Arrancar screamed as the pain tore through him. As he started to fade away, one question came to his mind. Are the captains really this powerful?
And with that thought, Hipolito Isidoro faded from existence, his body completely destroyed by Renji's Hikotsu Taihō.
Gabriel watched amusedly as the puddle of blood continue to grow bigger. "Geez," he said out loud. "Just die already. The pain will go away you know."
Rukia, however, wasn't ready to die yet. I can't die. She thought. I have to live. For Orihime, for Renji, for...for Ichigo.
Rukia then saw Sode no Shirayuki, lying on the ground. Maybe I can use the chain and surprise him. She pondered.
Rukia had a special trick she could use with Sode no Shirayuki. If she couldn't reach her sword, she could create an ice extension from the rope to connect her hand to the rope. "I guess you're right Gabriel." She said, feigning defeat. "I guess the only thing I can do, is die."
The ice connected to her hand and Sode no Shirayuki shot back to her. Gabriel instantly saw that something was afoot and stamped down on the ice, breaking it. Rukia was shocked, she was such a good actress, how could anyone have seen through her act. "Idiot, do you really think I'm stupid? The show doesn't end until one of us dies. And until you're dead, you can pull any trick you want to pull."
Gabriel then pointed his Zanpakutō downwards. "However, since I'm getting bored waiting for the curtain, I'm just going to make it fall." He said dangerously.
Rukia couldn't help the tears that had begun to fall. She was, indeed, going to die here. Ichigo, she thought. I'm sorry.
Gabriel prepared to stab down. But suddenly, he felt new spiritual pressure. And it was powerful. He then turned around just in time to see a large blade come down. Gabriel's quick reflexes allowed him to block the large Zanpakutō. A newcomer? He thought. But who would...
He then saw who it was. It was a man in a captain's haori, he had orange hair and carried a blade that was as large as his body. Gabriel's eyes widened. It was him, Squad 9 Captain Ichigo Kurosaki...and he looked pissed. "What the hell do you think you're doing to my lieutenant?" He asked.
A.N: And Ichigo joins the fight! Hope you're enjoying the story. And keep those reviews coming folks, be it positive or constructive.