Chapter 8

Author's note: Finally! I deeply apologise for the long wait, especially for this particular chapter. For having taken so long in the middle of the battle. But here it finally is. The good news, I have just begun writing chapter 11. I'm trying my best to get ahead with writing, so I then simply can post chapter after chapter while still keep working. After all, I have not only the writing to do, but the translating as well.

Here goes chapter 8. Please enjoy, peoples! ;) And SOTE NI ZASE! DAIGUREN HYORINMARU!

With a moan, Toshiro sank to his knees. Pain like he hadn't felt in millenia coursed through his body. He could sense the hardness of the demon's claw piercing his chest, and his own hot, red blood drench the fabric of garmment.

For the mere fraction of a second, the demon had managed to distract him. But it had been enough. And before he had even realised what was happening, Toshiro had charged after his enemy, his body moving on its own.

The blue-winged angel had made it just in time.

Unfortunately, Toshiro had not been fast enough to keep himself from getting injured. Hyorinmaru's blade had not actually blocked the demon's claws, but rather deflected it and slowed it down. With the result that instead of hitting Karin, it had pierced his chest.

„TOSHIRO! NO!"

Once more, the human girl yelled his name. But… what was that panic, that utter terror in her voice? She wasn't hurt, after all.

Ah… of course… she was panicking for him.

Already he could sense her warm hand supporting him, preventing him from falling to his side. And now he could sense that her preoccupation and her fear were indeed for his sake, not for her own.

„Bastard", the demon interrupted his thoughts. „This is the last time you've interfered."

Toshiro struggled back to his feet, ignoring Karin's protest. His legs were so weak and the pain was still pounding through his body, that he swayed. Through sheer willpower, he managed to steady himself and lift his swordarm defiantly.

„Back… off…", he wheezed.

By god, how he hated his voice sounding so weak. If his body would just heal faster than it did… He needed to be strong. He needed to protect Rangiku and his other subordinates. He needed to protect the humans from this menace.

He needed to protect… Karin.

In truth, when Toshiro had seen Karin summon those flames, he had felt proud of her. It didn't matter where those power came from, although they surely were going to look into that. But the fact that Karin so easily handled those powers despite nobody teaching her properly, had made him feel prouder than he should of someone he had known only for a day.

And yet…

The demon gave a malicious laugh. „Good one, little angel! Look at you, the state you're in! You don't truly believe you can beat me like that, do you?"

He lifted his right arm, menacingly pointy claw poised for the final blow. Through the throbbing pain, Toshiro tried to focus, to summon the last bit of his strenght and his speed.

„Defiant until the end, ey? You angels are so annoyingly stubborn. Now die!"

Claw and steel flashed. But against Toshiro's expectations, they never met.

A wave of grey ash rushed past him. Rangiku. The red-winged angel had unleashed her full power. And she was not the only one. Two of the other angels followed straight behind her, unleashing their devastating energy at the humanoid demon. With grim satisfaction, Toshiro noticed that there weren't many lower demons left, of which the remaining five angels were taking care of.

,Good. Thank you… Rangiku.'

As if sensing his thoughts, even though he hadn't used their telepathic bond, she threw him a glance. After working together for so long, they understood each other without words, spoken or telepathic. This was such an instance. Once more glance and Rangiku understood. The two angels nodded at each other.

Rangiku and the other two warriors engaged the demon, which roared in anger about his escaping prey.

,Be careful, everyone.'

Then Toshiro turned to Karin. „Heal me. As quickly as you can."

A rare expression of shock appeared on the black-haired girl's face. „You're not telling me you want to keep fighting that thing, are you?" She studied him for a second. „Wait… you are serious."

„Of course I am."

„You can't, Toshiro!", she all but yelled at him. „Even if I heal you, who can tell me youwon't remain weakened until you fully recovered?!"

The white-haired angel stared into her dark eyes. They looked like a stormy sky, emotions swirling like clouds. Yet, he could also see the fire burning behind those storm clouds. A fire, he realised, he never wanted to see getting extinguished.

He wanted it do remain burning. No matter the cost.

„Just do it, please. This is the only chance we got to slay that monster." When she still hesitated, he added: „You really don't want this thing to start rampaging in your world."

That seemed to finally convince Karin. She sighed.

„Very well. But don't you dare die on my, you got that?"

„Don't worry. I don't intend to."

The mortal lifted her hand until it was above the wound in his chest. A faint, reddish glow appeared and warmth began to spread from the wound through his entire body. It chased away all pain. Slowly, the wound began to close.

,This girl… she's truly quite something.'

Noone ever before, neither human nor angel, had expressed such concern for his well-being. Except for Rangiku. The respect his subordinates had for him? He had to earn it through years and years. It had taken him a fair share of time until he was truly accepted into the ranks of Cherubim. Karin, on the other hand, had accepted him the way he was from the very start. Unafraid of his powers or his appearance.

It must have been this, he realised, what had drawn him to Karin so he felt those feelings he wasn't supposed to feel.

„Say, Toshiro…", she interrupted his thoughts. „Can angels heal too? Or is that power uniquely mine?"

„We can", the blue-winged angel replied. „Some have greater healing powers than others, but we all have them. When it comes to our own wounds, however, that's not so easy. Technically, we could heal ourselves. However, often the injuries weaken you too much to use those healing powers. And in combat, there is seldom enough time to do so in the first place."

„I see…"

After that short comment, Karin remained silent. Toshiro gazed up at the raging battle.

It looked great. Almost all of the lower demons were gone now, and two more angels had joined the battle against the humanoid demon. They were struggling, however. None of them landed a blow, not even Rangiku and her Haineko's ash. In turn, they had trouble dodging the monster's incredibly fast attacks.

He needed to get up there.

Toshiro had actually to keep himself from urging Karin to hurry up. He knew she was working as fast as she could, which, untrained as she was, was still at an impressive speed.

Glancing down at his chest, he noticed that the wound was almost entirely healed.

„This is really astounding", he murmured. „You really have already a good grip of your powers."

A brief smile flashed across Karin's face. „Thank you. I'm certainly glad about it."

To that, Toshiro simply nodded in agreement.

He was just lifting his eyes back to the fight, when a scream tore through the night. A winged figure crashed to the ground in a rain of blood. The demon's claws had done a terrible job. Karin gave a noise of horror.

That was it. There was no time left. A quick glance at his chest showed Toshiro that the wound had closed, even though the flesh above it was still new and shining red. But at least the bleeding had stopped.

„Enough." He laid a hand on Karin's shoulder. „Now, take shelter. We're going to end this, once and for all."

For a few seconds, Karin upheld the stream of healing energy, staring into his eyes. Then she lowered her hand. The red glow disappeared.

„Fine. But remember what you promised, ice statue."

Despite the grim situation, the nickname coaxed a short smile from Toshiro. Once this was over, he had to ask her how he earned it. „My name is Toshiro, not ice statue. And I recall telling you that I don't have the habit of breaking my word."

He opened his wings, pushed off the ground and shot through the air – towards the demon.

By now, all the remaining angels were battling it. The last of the lower hellspawn had been vanquished. However, taking down such a large number of enemies and now having to battle such a strong foe was starting to take a toll on the winged warriors.

As naturally as he breathed, Toshiro tapped into his energy. While Karin had healed him, he had been constantly storing it, comprimating it into a dense ball. Now he grabbed it and released every single ounce of his power.

He summoned an actual snow-storm. The white flakes whirled around him in a frenzy. With a roar, he swung his sword and released a tsunami of ice, which took the shape of a massive, serpentine dragon. This was Toshiro's strongest technique, one he only used in the most dire of situations.

It hit its target with full force.

The demon had been perfectly occupied by Rangiku and the others. This time, its reaction came way too late. The ice dragon opened its massive mouth and the demon vanished in its maw. It hadn't even time to scream.

Panting, Toshiro landed back on the ground. Above him, the solidified ice shattered, leaving no trace of the demon behind.

It was finally over.

This time, it truly was. There was not a single bit of the monster's vile aura to be felt. It was gone for good. The battle was won, Karin and the rest of humankind were safe from this deadly epitome of evil. The relief he felt was so big that all tension just flowed out of his body from one moment to the next.

He heard running footsteps. However, before he could turn around, his knees buckled and gave in. But even without seeing her, he knew who came running towards him. Already, he could feel her warm hands steady him once more.

„Hey ice statue… you alright? Take it easy now."

Again Karin called him by that nickname she had given him, and if he had wanted, he could have felt offended about it. However, there was no malice in that word. In fact… he wouldn't mind hearing her call him that for many more times.

„I… I am", he answered her question. „Just… exhausted. But nothing a proper rest can fix."

„You did it", Karin said and squeezed his shoulders. „You really did it, Toshiro. I can't believe it's over now."

Her voice was filled with the reliefe that he felt. She actually had tears of happiness glistening in her eyes. Not that he'd blame her for that. With everything she had gone through, it was a miracle she hadn't yet collaped by this point.

With the quiet rustling of feathers, Rangiku and the other angels landed around them.

„Sir", the red-winged angel spoke up. „I can't believe you used that technique while still weakened by your wound. I thought you had something else in mind when you gave me the signal."

„I had no choice, Rangiku."

Before he could reply, Karin interrupted him. „What do you mean by that, Rangiku?" Her voice sounded alarmed.

„That technique he used to kill the demon is his strongest and quite formidable even for an angel of his rank", she explained. „However, it also uses a lot of energy. If he uses it in a weakened state, he runs danger of suffering heavy consequences."

„What?!" The black-haired mortal sounded incredulous, if not downright indignant. „That sounds to me like you could die from this! Toshiro! Never do something as foolish as this ever again, you hear me?!"

At first, the blue-winged angel was so perplexed by this, that he stared at her for a few seconds before he could even answer. Karin kept surprising him again and again. None of his subordinates would have ever dared talking to him like that. This girl, however, was absolutely unafraid of speaking her mind to anyone.

When he regained his composure, he threw Rangiku a sharp glance. „Angels don't die so easily. Besides, would you have wanted me to use a weaker technique which the demon could have survived? One he could have recovered from, allowing him to kill us all and start wreaking havoc among humanity?"

Rangiku lowered her head, a guilty look on her face. Toshiro hated being so harsh on her, but it was true. Also, he needed to remind them all that he still was in charge here, despite his weakened state.

Suddenly, clapping echoed across the plaza.

„My, my, how touching. Sorry we have to interrupt this heart-warming scene."

The voice sent dread down Toshiro's spine. It was calm, almost cultivated. However, it had an underlying tone of malice, wily slithering in the shadows.

All feeling of victory instantly evaporated inside Toshiro.

His eyes flew to where the voice had come from. And there, on one of the buildings, stood four winged figures. They were clad in the black garmments which the inhabitants of hell usually wore when taking human shape. Which of course they alreay when said inhabitants were like these four – fallen angels. Their wings, unlike those of Toshiro and his men, were leathery, shaped like those of bats. The membranes were the same color of their hair, a trait they had retained from their time as angels.

„Gin!"

That hissed word had come from Rangiku. Toshiro threw her a glance, suddenly worried for his right hand. Her face betrayed nothing, but her eyes did. They were a blazing storm of emotions.

He too had recognised the silver-haired fallen angel with his cunning grin. And he also knew the other three with him. The bad news: Even as an angel, he had been powerful. And no telling how strong the demons that were with him were. In a fight, Toshiro's group might not stand a chance. Not when he himself was still so weakened from his previous fight.

„Toshiro?" A hint of fear swung in Karin's voice. „Who… who are these guys? They… they are so powerful…"

Of course she could sense their auras. Not taking his eyes off the enemy, he said: „They're fallen angels and demons. After Lucifer was cast into hell, there was a second rebellion among angels. The one who staged it is named Aizen. Though not as many followed him as they did Lucifer, he has his loyal underlings. These are four of them. The silver-haired one is Gin, an angel fallen at Aizen's side. The other three are demons, imbued with angelic power by Aizen, which gives them their current appearance. The blonde woman is Harribel, the one with blue hair is Grimmjow, and the last one is Barragan."

A pause from Karin.

„How bad is our situation?"

This time, Toshiro did not answer. He himself had yet to accept what was happening. His group had barely managed to take down that humanoid demon. Against these four, who were among hell's strongest warriors… they were lost.

Anger rose inside him, and he clenched his fists and teeth. Had they defeated one deadly threat at such great cost, only to get struck down now, in the moment of their victory? The unfairness made him want to scream.

He had to try something. Anything.

„What brings hellspawn as strong as you into the human world? Has Aizen sent you to do some dirty work?"

„Tsk, tsk, where are your manners, my dear Cherubim?" Gin wiggled a finger. „But oh well. Since these are your last moments in this world, I can tell you. Not that it will change anything wether you're alive or dead. Aizen's plans always come to fruition. Simply put… that strong demon you killed had a task. And he failed. We are here to correct his mistake."

„What task?"

„Sniff out people with strong spiritual power and bring them to Aizen."

„What?!"

So this was what they were after. It was good, then, that they had taken care of the demon before it could do harm. Who knew what he would have caused if he had remained unchecked.

„So Aizen has created him?" Rangiku almost spat out those words.

Gin shrugged. „Of course he has. This one, however, turned out defective. Instead of capturing that girl, he almost killed her."

This time, Toshiro glanced at Karin, who paled visibly.

,Curse it. Of course they're after her.'

For a moment, the blue-winged angel forgot all logic and rationality. He summoned Hyorinmaru to his hand. „You'll never get her."

He had no idea of how to get out of this. But he certainly was not going down without a fight. If it meant to keep Karin's flame burning, he would gladly give his life. Although… no. Loosing or dying was not an option. Not right now, at least. He needed to find a solution, and fast.

Gin shook his head almost sadly. „A valiant effort, but pointless. Grimmjow, Harribel, Barragan… if you'd kindly do the honors."

The three demons took to the air. The angels around Toshiro summoned their swords as well and took battle stances. The air seemed to spark with tension.

But the attack never came to happen.

Dozens and dozens of energies flared to life. This time, however, they were familiar, gentle and warm. Angels. One after another materialised everywhere, just like the demons had before. Metal clanked as the three attackers got intercepted by three familiar angels. Directly in front of Toshiro, two more familiar pairs of wings appeared. One white with electric blue sprinkles and one black with dark turquoise sprinkles.

„Sorry we're late", Jushiro said, turning his head to him.

Toshiro's knees wanted to give in a second time – this time from relief.

The reinforcements had arrived.