Chapter 10. The Battle Begins

I am getting really tired of saying it because I do

NOT OWN BLEACH!

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Hitsugaya soared over the endless stretches of sand, a never-ending ocean.

He was using his fastest shunpo, thankful that the twister had ceased, for now. He had spotted a wide, mountain-like rock jutting out in the middle of his path. He had latched the image into his mind as a possible landmark.

Guided by the vile stench of the Arrancar, and the faint presence of Hinamori's reiatsu, Hitsugaya took advantage of the clean air at the current time. Now that the wind had stopped wafting around like a pool of rapids, it was much easier for him to trace the scent, and it was simpler to detect her spiritual pressure.

Ahead of him, Hitsugaya could see that the desert melted away into mountains, large boulders dotted the rock face. Suddenly, Hitsugaya was thrust backwards as the heavy winds picked up once again, but not because of the tornados this time.

Instead of the fury of the storm, he found himself face-to-face with a towering, Menos Grande.

"Damn it." Hitsugaya cursed, rising to his feet. "I don't have time for this!"

As the white-masked demon sucked in air, a red light began to glow around its mouth which could only mean one thing; cero.

As the lightning-fast attack was released, Hitsugaya dodged and leapt into the air, unsheathing his sword and bringing it down to effortlessly slay his foe. The low-level Gillian disintegrated into thin air, and became nothing more then a part of the atmosphere.

Hitsugaya dashed away towards the mountains, still sensing the faint spiritual pressure of his friend. Unfortunately, the release of his Zanpakutou from its sheath drew more Hollow to him like moths to the flame. Now, he was surrounded by at least twenty of them, and more seemed to creep forward out of nowhere. All types of Hollow and Arrancar alike suddenly appeared before him as if it were a nightmare.

"Damn!" Hitsugaya positioned his sword in a battle-ready stance.

He did not intend to release his ShiKai, let alone BanKai, but even so, he was going to save Hinamori, no matter what it took.

He jumped into the sandy air, aiming blows with his Zanpakutou wherever his eyes fell upon an enemy. Roars caterwauled through all of Hueco Mundo as the creatures went down and then dissolved into nothing.

But it seemed that for every one that the aqua-eyed taichou killed, two more took its place. He flew into the air once again, slicing any part that he could of the Hollow in front of him, blocking his path.

"You damn bastards! Get out of my way!"

He spun around, his blade piercing the rough flesh of many of the surrounding demonic spirits. Blood covered the ground, causing the ocean of sand to run red. However, Hitsugaya was fueled by so much anger and determination, that not a single drop of the blood that was spilled belonged to him.

He was too enraged to loose to these pathetic things, dodging swiftly and striking before they had a chance to react. They were hardly opponents, more like warm-ups for him for when he arrived at his destination and faced his true rivals.

Finally, the last of the Hollow disappeared and became one with the passing winds. Hitsugaya stood panting, the blood of his enemies dripping blissfully off of his blade. He raised his head and glanced towards the mountains; he was drawing nearer.

Gathering up his stamina and speed yet again, Hitsugaya raced away through the ocean of sand, kicking up drops of blood as he ran.

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Akuma stood in the center of the cave and gave orders to the others, telling them where to go to get into position.

The howls of the other Hollow far off in the distance was enough to tell them that he was near. The other five Vasto Lorde slid into the shadows near the cave entrance, ready to spring at the intruder if he got past the others.

Akuma dragged the body of the girl to the center of the path, so that when he came in, the boy would see her, thus giving them the element of surprise for the attack.

The brown-green-eyed leader of the Arrancar was surprised to find out that she was still breathing, but then he realized that that would aid their side in the upcoming fight. If the taichou boy was distracted in trying to keep her safe, then he would be easier to deceive and trick. Whereas, if she was dead, he could just turn back and give up without a fight, thus not letting the Arrancar take their well-deserved revenge.

"No matter," Akuma told himself. "Once I'm through with the two of you, neither of you will be breathing anymore."

He roughly threw her form to the ground, blood once again beginning to ooze from her broken body. Then, a warning cry echoed through the cave; he was here. Akuma quickly ducked into the shadows, keeping an eye on the girl.

Then, the entire cavern was filled with a freezing gust of wind; it was so cold that icicles started to form on the rocks almost automatically. But the hidden Vasto Lorde stayed where they were, not being signaled to move by their leader. All was eerily quiet, until a low voice shook the pebbles loose from the cave's ceiling.

"Where is she?"

There was no answer to his question, but then he went on, his voice was menacingly low.

"I know you're there! You can't hide from me! Get out here and face me!" He roared.

"With pleasure." Akuma's voice echoed throughout the cave. In an instant, the others were upon the intruder, but what they were not aware of, was the fact that Hitsugaya had his sword already drawn.

He was outnumbered, but not outmatched.

He could just barely make out the figures of his opponents, flying at him from all sides. Picking out the closest one, he sprang into the air and brought down his Zanpakutou, but the Arrancar dodged, leaving him cutting off rock from the cave.

Bright orange eyes danced with amusement, at his enemy's unfortunate luck and turned around to attack, but Hitsugaya kicked off of the wall of the cave, and as quick as a striking serpent, delivered a devastating blow, killing the Arrancar instantly. Then, he turned to the five, shocked remaining Vasto Lorde.

"Now you know,"

He growled.

"That I'm serious."

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A/N: The fight will become more intense in the following chapters!! Plz review!!