Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks for all the great reviews. I'll respond to them at the bottom of the page if you want to see.
Summary: The Final Getsuga Tensho was not enough to stop Aizen. With the last of his strength, he captured Ichigo and retreated to Hueco Mundo. Three months later, the Soul Society comes under attack by Aizen again, and this time they must cross blades with an opponent they never expected to fight.
Pairings: Ichigo x Orihime | Rukia x Renji | (Possibly) Grimmjow x Nel
Disclaimer: I don't own bleach or any of it's characters.
Warning: This story includes graphic violence, character death, and strong language.
Special Thanks: Lady Serai, co-writer of this story and who is and will be responsible for most of the battle scenes in this story. ;)
Enjoy!
Orihime opened her eyes, then winced almost immediately. It was so bright that her eyes burned. Only a moment ago it was the dead of night. What was this?
Eager to find out, Orihime opened her eyes again, slowly this time so her eyes could adjust. She saw the vast blue horizon, without a single cloud in sight.
She quickly sat up and looked around. All around her were Renji, Rukia, Chad, and Uryu, all unconscious. They all appeared to be on top of some type of platform made of concrete. She didn't understand. They should have died from that last attack. How were they here? In fact, where was here?
Getting up, Orihime looked over the edge of the platform, hoping to see something that could answer that question. She immediately regretted it. They weren't on a platform. There were windows on the structure beneath them, so it looked like a skyscraper. But that wasn't it. Underneath them were...clouds?
They were so high up that they were actually above the clouds. She immediately took a step back, her vertigo acting up.
Hearing someone groaning behind her, Orihime turned to see Renji getting up, the others not far behind him. She ran over to Renji since he was the first one up. "Are you okay?"
The redhead shook his head. "I've been better." He then opened his eyes and looked around, quickly having a similar reaction as he realized how high up they were. "Where the hell are we?" The others followed his lead and couldn't help but ask the same question.
"More to the point, how did we get here?" Uryu asked. The last thing any of them remembered was that giant Getsuga Tensho coming down on them. Now Lucifer was nowhere in sight.
"I brought you here." A voice said from behind them. Almost all at once, everyone whipped around to face the speaker and saw a young stranger. He looked around their age, but he had this aura about him that made him seem much more mature. He appeared to be pretty close to Uryu in height and weight and had wavy black hair that seemed to be brushed to the side by an invisible breeze. His attire didn't seem to match either Arrancar nor Soul Reaper. It was a robe-like overcoat with a hood that he currently had down.
The sudden appearance of this strange character had put everyone on edge, and as one, they all drew their weapons and pointed them at the dark-haired stranger.
The stranger didn't react in the slightest. "Who are you?" Renji asked with Zabimaru raised.
The young man blinked at his question before responding. "It's ironic that you ask that Renji Abari. Among everyone here, you are the only one I have met previously."
Renji's eyes widened and he felt everyone else's gaze shift to him. They had met before? He didn't see any reason why this guy would be lying. Renji quickly racked his brain to try and figure out what this guy meant. His eyes narrowed intently at his features.
Nothing. He couldn't place that face at all. He had never...
Wait. He may not have seen that exact face, but he did see someone similar, while he and Ichigo were training together to achieve Bankai. If you added a pair of sunglasses and aged this guy up a few years, he was the spitting image of...
"You're Zangetsu?" Renji asked, surprising the rest of the group. Everyone turned back towards the now identified teen, looking for confirmation.
Tensa Zangetsu shook his head. "Not quite. You see while I have introduced myself to Ichigo as such in the past, I am not his Zanpakuto."
Uryu narrowed his eyes and nearly pulled his bow back again. If he wasn't a Zanpakuto then what was...
The thought cut short when Tensa Zangetsu's next action threw everyone off guard, especially Uryu. He reached out his hand to the side and reishi quickly gathered together in his grasp and took shape. In a moment, Tensa held a bright blue bow. "I am the manifestation of Ichigo's Quincy powers." He said before allowing the bow to fade away.
Uryu's head instantly began to spin. An inner Quincy? He had never heard of such a thing in his life. He then looked up to the manifestation and asked the question that everyone was thinking. "If that's true, then why did you ever tell Ichigo that you were his Zanpakuto? And how is it that you're a separate being from Ichigo?"
Zangetsu maintained his ever-blank expression at the younger Quincy's question. "I assure you, I had my reasons for lying to him. As for how I came to be, the unusual nature of Ichigo's power allowed me to manifest in his inner world as though I were a Zanpakuto. But I did not bring you here to answer questions."
"And where exactly is 'here'?" Rukia asked, annoyed by the fact that the Quincy would only speak in riddles.
"This is Ichigo's inner world," Zangetsu said, surprising them. "Aizen has done everything he can to silence my voice within Ichigo. But in his last attack, I was able to incorporate enough of my power into that Getsuga Tensho to allow me to bring you here."
Everyone seemed to accept this answer. Orihime still stepped forward and looked to Zangetsu with pleading eyes. "Please tell us, do you know how we can get Ichigo back to normal? What is it that Aizen's done to him?"
Zangetsu looked the girl over impassively. He had seen her a fair number of times through Ichigo's eyes. He also knew of her affections for him of course. She maintained that desire to be with him even after he had turned into a hollow before her eyes. "Good." Tensa thought to himself. "When all of this is said and done, Ichigo will need someone to help him through this."
Zangestu suddenly turned away from them. "Follow me, and all will be explained." Zangetsu then suddenly dropped through the clouds below.
Everyone rushed to the ledge to see what he was doing but he was already gone.
Renji snorted. "'Follow me'? And how the fuck are we supposed to do that?"
Orihime ignored what Renji had said and looked at the wall of the building they were standing on. Ichigo had mentioned something about this to her. That his inner world looked as though it were on its side. Orihime gulped before she decided to take a leap of faith. She stepped off the edge, alarming everyone there. But to their amazement, she didn't fall. Gravity seemed to shift around her and she stood up on the side of the building as though it were the right way up.
After some hesitation, everyone else walked onto the side of the building as well. Inoue then looked forward at the clouds and began to walk towards them. Experimentally, she reached her hand through first and pulled it back. Passing through them wasn't painful. In fact, she barely felt a thing. Orihime waited for everyone else to join up beside her and then she took a deep breath before walking through.
A moment later, Orihime's screaming filled the air as gravity shifted once again and they all began falling. Fortunately, there was another building not far below them that they landed on, narrowly avoiding falling to their deaths.
Orihime rubbed the bump beginning to form on her head when a sudden crashing noise took her attention away from her possibly cracked skull. They all looked around and what they saw was utterly horrifying.
The skies above were completely covered by dark clouds. The only light coming into this small world was a blood red glow that emitted from over the horizon. The streets were flowing with rivers of blood and water mixed together. Just above the tide was rubble from where tall buildings once stood. Lastly, bolts of pale lightning emerged from the clouds every few seconds, some crashing into buildings that were still standing. One hit the building they had just been standing on, which only seemed to damage it at first. But then another strike caused it to cave in on itself and crash, pieces of glass and concrete being sent into the blood below.
"What is all this?" Orihime asked no one in particular, completely stunned by the sheer carnage that was being laid to Ichigo's inner world.
"This is what Aizen has done to Ichigo," Zangetsu said, reappearing behind them.
Renji took a step towards the Quincy, not fully understanding him. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
Zangetsu sighed before answering. "You see, Arrancars and Vizards are not truly hybrids of hollows and Soul Reapers. Yes, both have gained some fraction of power from the other side, but they can never be equal in both Soul Reaper and hollow power. That is what separates Ichigo from them. The unusual circumstances behind his powers allow him to wield the powers of a hollow and Soul Reaper to their fullest extent. Aizen coveted this power, which is why he has turned Ichigo to his side."
Rukia was the next to speak. "But how did he do that? And what does it have to do with what's going on here?"
"I don't know all of the details of how Ichigo has changed so drastically. However, I am privy to how he was turned into an Arrancar." Zangetsu explained. "You see, Aizen used the Hogyoku to actually fuse Ichigo and his hollow into a single personality."
"And that's Lucifer." Uryu finished, finally catching on.
"Correct," Zangetsu said with a nod. "Ichigo and his hollow are now one. But while his physical body is able to withstand the strain of this, his soul is another matter entirely."
"His soul?" Chad repeated.
"Yes. Ichigo and his hollow were made separately for a reason. Hollow and Soul Reaper are conflicting existences. No single soul can house the two. So when he was born it split into two. Now Aizen has made them whole once more, and that is why this is taking place." Zangetsu said as he turned to the storm behind him. "Ichigo's inner world is breaking down because it cannot withstand this unstable fusion of hollow and Soul Reaper. If this is allowed to continue..."
Zangetsu left a pregnant pause between his words as he turned back to the group. "...then Ichigo will die."
Orihime felt her heart skip a beat. Die? If they didn't get him back soon then he would be gone forever? Orihime prayed that someone was about to step forward and call him a liar. But silence had passed over the group, save for the violent storm raging around them. "D-Die?"
"I'm afraid so," Zangetsu said as he slowly descended to stand on the building with them. "It may take some months, perhaps even a year. But eventually, his soul with give way under the power that is flowing through him. You must separate him back into Ichigo and his hollow before that happens."
Rukia managed to let out a sigh, gaining some small sense of relief now knowing that they had more time than they thought. "Okay, how do we do that?" She asked.
"That is beyond me," Zangetsu admitted. "But one thing is certain. Lucifer must be stopped. When he expands his power the way he does, it accelerates the process. I must beg you, do you accept this, knowing full well what kind of power Lucifer possess?"
Of course. They knew what Lucifer was capable of going in. That wasn't going to change now. They would defeat Lucifer, and get Ichigo back if it was the last thing they did. This came as no surprise. What was a shock was that it was the usually timid Orihime who stepped forward to vocalize this. "If it means we get Ichigo back, then of course."
Then Orihime noticed something odd. Zangetsu, the normally impassive and stoic spirit, actually seemed happy. She could have sworn she saw a ghost of a smile pass his features.
"Thank you, Orihime Inoue," Zangetsu said gratefully. "You are the part of Ichigo that remains here. The small light inside of him, it's how he feels for you."
Orihime's eyes widened at Tensa's declaration. Th-the way he felt for her? She could already feel her heartbeat go up and her face flushed. Did he mean that Ichigo, the real one, felt for her the same way that she did for him? Orihime was about to beg him to elaborate when the corners of his mouth fell back down and his serious expression returned.
"You must go now," Zangetsu said quickly. "I was able to spare you from that single attack, but this will be the only time."
Everyone nodded. They all understood now. They had to get Ichigo back to himself, and the clock was running. One by one, they all faded away from the inner world, returning to the material plane.
Once they were gone, Zangetsu let out a sigh and look back at the wasteland that Ichigo's inner world had become. "Please hurry." He whispered as lightning brought down another skyscraper.
Everyone opened their eyes, feeling as though they had just awoken from a deep slumber. They were now all back on the roof of the building where they had been fighting Lucifer, but now they were all laying down.
As they got to a standing position, they noticed Lucifer still in the air looking at them and then his Zanpakuto in bewilderment.
"What the hell was that? Why didn't my Getsuga kill them?" Lucifer asked while he examined his sword, his reflection appearing in the white blade. He had seen the Getsuga envelop them in its black light but when it had passed, they were all simply laying down with their eyes closed, and they came to not a moment later. There wasn't a scratch on them.
Orihime looked up at Lucifer, but he didn't notice her as he was paying so much attention to his blade. It was so hard to believe that as powerful as he was, he would die soon if they didn't do something.
Rukia and Renji looked over at each other and nodded their heads. "Let's beat this idiot to the ground," Renji said placing Zabimaru over his shoulder.
"I agree. It's now or never."
Uryu pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Well, I can't let you two have all the fun. Count me in. Chad?"
"For Ichigo," the giant agreed.
Rukia nodded her head in satisfaction at her friends' resolve. There was no other chance they'll have if they want to beat Ichigo. But, if they fail Ichigo will be lost to them forever.
"Good. Let's go." Rukia flashstepped towards her target hoping that she would be able to catch the agitating Hollow-Soul Reaper hybrid off his guard.
Renji followed after Rukia and flashstepped a few feet away from Lucifer and raised Zabimaru. "Bankai!" he shouted. Lucifer jerked his head around in surprise. He sonidoed away just as the head of Zabimaru went past him. Rukia flashstepped next to Lucifer just as he reappeared.
Lucifer laughed as he dodged Rukia's and Renji's attacks and sonidoed behind Rukia. "When will you twits ever fucking learn?" he sneered as he raised his sword to slice at Rukia.
As their swords collided, Lucifer noticed Rukia's arm beginning to tremble, then realized with a start why that was. She only had one hand on her sword. The other was charging a kido and pointing at him.
"Hado number 33, Sōkatsui!"
Lightning burst forth from her hand and blasted Lucifer at point blank range. However, Rukia was left to look on in amazement as the light seemed to encircle yet bounce off Lucifer's hierro, like the water of a river working itself around a stone.
Lucifer smirked at her befuddlement and raised Tensa Zangetsu again only to bring it back down on her with even more force. The impact completely shattered Sode no Shirayuki, allowing the blade to continue it's path downward. Rukia did her best to side step out of the way but the sword moved with such speed that it still managed to take off a chunk of flesh from her arm as it passed. Rukia howled in pain as she collapsed on her side.
"RUKIA!" Renji voice broke through the air as he rushed towards her. He was so invested in whether or not she was okay, he barely noticed Lucifer, even as the Primera charged a bala on his index finger and fired it.
The bala made contact with Renji's right shin, and hit it with such force that a hole the size of a baseball was torn through it. Renji gasped in pain as he fell to the ground next to Rukia.
Lucifer laughed madly at Renji's pained groans as he continued to try and crawl over to Rukia. He raised his hand, intending to strike him again when he heard something hum through the air.
The Espada growled in frustration as he turned around and saw an arrow flying towards him. In a split second, he swiped at it with his sword and split the arrow down the center, causing the two halves to fly to either side of him. Lucifer then rushed towards the Quincy only for Chad to put himself between the two, with Brazo Derecho del Gigante in its defensive form.
As he approached, Lucifer wrapped a Getsuga Tensho around his sword. But rather than firing it, he allowed it to coat his blade as he swung his sword at Chad.
Uryu watched as the blade seemed to come a few feet shy of its target. He nearly let out a sigh of relief when he noticed Chad's forearm beginning to shift while the rest of his body stayed still. Uryu felt sick when he realized why that was.
Chad's forearm which bore the shield had been severed. It slid off the limb and hit the ground beneath them with a nauseating splat. Uryu looked up at Chad's expression, no longer wanting to see the severed limb. He looked equally shocked and dismayed, no doubt the surprise was keeping him from feeling the immediate pain.
"Trying to defend yourselves is pointless." Lucifer's voice cut them from their collective daze. "Whatever my Getsuga touches will be cut through cleanly and without prejudice."
Uryu shifted his glance towards Lucifer, who seemed to have lost his gleeful expression. He quickly got to work in trying to form a bow, but before he even came close, Lucifer turned his blade around and shoved it beneath Uryu's rib cage.
In the center of all this gut-wrenching violence was Orihime. She stood frozen in place as Lucifer ripped his sword out of Uryu, causing the Quincy to fall to the ground. He then delivered a quick and devastating slash across Chad's chest, who now had no way to defend himself with his arm dismembered.
Seeing her final friend fall was enough to snap Orihime back to reality. She immediately ran towards Uryu and Chad to heal them when a sword flew next to her and stopped just an inch before it struck her throat. "Don't think I've forgotten about you."
Before she could even turn, Lucifer reached out and grabbed a fist full of her hair and gave her a painful yank before the two ascended into the air.
Orihime struggled against Lucifer's grip as the Espada held her in the air by her neck. She couldn't let this happen. She couldn't go back to Las Noches. But Rukia, Renji, Chad, and Uryu were all injured, as were the Vizards. And she alone didn't have the power to stop him.
Suddenly, Lucifer pulled her close and stared her down, his mismatched eyes tearing into her brown ones. But it wasn't an expression of anger that marred his face. It was a smile. The same one he had been giving whenever he was in the middle of his vindictive acts.
"Thanks by the way," Lucifer whispered, ominously.
Orihime's eyes widened. "F-for what?" She asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.
Lucifer's grin widened. "For going back on our deal of course." He said. "I made a pact with you that I wouldn't kill your friends if you came along quietly. But you violated that pact. So I plan to-" He was cut off by his own sick laugh. "-go back on my word as well."
Orihime looked at him with a pale face. "No." She whispered. Her friends lay splayed out all around them, and they certainly were not in a position to defend themselves. He would slaughter them.
"Yes." He responded as he sonidoed up to a light post near them. He then hung her there by the back of her shirt, tearing the fabric on the tip of the pole. Orihime had to remain still, unless she wanted to fall to her death.
Lucifer then drifted back a bit and made sure that she was able to see them from there. He then turned back to her one last time, seeing a frightened and pleading expression on her face as a tear cascaded down her cheek. "Please. Don't do this. I'll go with you, I'll do anything you want. Just don't hurt them."
Lucifer smiled again as he wiped her tear away. "Awwww, you really do love them don't you?" She nodded so quickly that her body shook and the back off her shirt ripped again. He leaned in again to whisper in her ear. "How about this? After you do what Lord Aizen wants, I'll make sure you get reunited with them."
He pulled back and saw a shocked and appalled look across her face. He was satisfied with how much pain this would no doubt inflict on her and turned back to her friends. Rukia was healing the others, despite her own injuries. Renji was the only other one to remain conscious, although he was still on the ground soaked in a pool of his own blood.
Lucifer snickered as he went up higher into the air and pulled back his Zanpakuto. "Getsuga..." He said calmly as black energy charged on his sword.
Orihime looked up at him with tears running down her face. "Please! I'll go with you, I'll do whatever Aizen wants, I swear to God! Please don't hurt them! PLEASE DON'T HURT THEM!"
"This'll only hurt a little." He assured her in a whisper. "Tensho!" Then, Lucifer swung his sword in a powerful slash that unleashed the full force of the Getsuga at them.
Rukia and Renji turned sharply in the direction of the large blast of energy. Their faces immediately twisted in horror. They didn't have the strength to flash step, the Vizards were out cold, and Zangetsu couldn't save them now. What kind of fate was this? To be killed by the same man that had saved their lives on more than one occasion.
But there was no time to dwell on the irony of the situation. They could do nothing but look at the Getsuga approaching them. But clearly, some higher power was looking out for them.
A flash of white shot before their eyes and stood in the way of the Getsuga Tensho. Lucifer saw this as well, but could not make out any details past the blinding black light of his own attack. But when the attack hit this newcomer and should have turned him into ash, it simply vanished, leaving the newcomer bare before Lucifer's vision. The Primera looked at him in surprise but an instant later, the Getsuga reappeared. But, now it was directed at Lucifer and moved even faster than before The dark-haired Espada snarled in frustration as he was forced to sonido away from his own attack.
He sonidoed back down to Orihime, who seemed equally shocked by the new arrival. But before either her or Lucifer could react, the figure flash stepped past the Espada and gathered Orihime up in his arms before heading back to Rukia and Renji. Lucifer was stunned silent at the newcomer's speed.
Meanwhile, once they had settled on the roof of the building that the others were on, Orihime finally let her gaze fall on her rescuer, who was lowering her to a standing position. She had been so thrown during the whole thing that she didn't get the chance to see him. Her gaze was met by a pair of copper brown eyes, and white hair that put the purest snow to shame. The man carried two Zanpakuto, one in each hand, and his smile gave off the warmest aura.
Rukia had never felt so relieved in her life. "Captain Ukitake!"
Ukitake turned to Rukia with the same kind smile. But his lieutenant was caught off guard when he suddenly coughed violently into his hand and saw red droplets scattered about his open palm. "Are you alright?!" She asked, startled. There had been plenty of moments like this back at their Division's Barracks. But she had never seen Ukitake's illness come out in the middle of an intense situation like this. She had remembered being told that her captain would take no part in this battle as his health would be an issue. So why was he here?
"I'm fine Rukia." He assured her with his smile returning, though it lacked the light it had moments ago.
"No, you're not." Renji countered as he got to a standing position. "Captain Kuchiki told us all that you were in bad shape and shouldn't fight. So what do you think you're doing here?"
Ukitake's smile faltered and his face dawned a serious expression. "I couldn't simply let you all die, now could I? As soon as I heard what was going on, I raced down here to help in any way I could." The white-haired man explained before another ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "Ironic considering I have nothing to live for. Even if I survive this battle, Retsu will no doubt have my head for leaving bed rest."
Rukia frowned despite her Captain's attempt at humor. His illness was no laughing matter. He could be in serious danger if he exerted himself too much in this fight.
Before she could vocalize this, however, Jushiro turned his attention to Orihime. "Inoue, would you please heal the others?"
Orihime looked startled as though she had forgotten there were people to heal. She nodded and got to work right away on healing the Quincy and Fullbringer. She still couldn't help but keep a wary eye on Lucifer though, who was staring her down as though he was plotting her death in great detail.
Ukitake caught wind of her distressed look and followed her line of vision to the Espada he had just saved her from. He couldn't help but sigh. It was a travesty to see such a bright and exceptional young man twisted into the atrocity that was Lucifer Sombra. He especially couldn't stand that it happened to Isshin's child of all people.
With a renewed determination, Ukitake turned back towards Orihime. "Don't worry. I swear on my sword I will bring Ichigo back to you."
Orihime looked at the elder Captain with a stunned expression but managed to whisper out a small thank you. The white-haired captain smiled, but he had no idea the kind of burden he had just laid on Orihime's heart. Her friends, the Vizards, Hanataro, everyone around her was getting hurt to protect her. If Ukitake suffered even the smallest of wounds, she would never be able to forgive herself.
Not noticing her internal turmoil, Ukitake flash stepped back towards Lucifer, earning a glare filled with malice and blood lust from the Espada.
Lucifer narrowed his eyes, observing the Captain. "You're no doubt Captain Ukitake of Squad Thirteen," he observed as he laid his hand on the hilt of his sword again.
"And you are Lucifer Sombra, the Primera Espada," Ukitake responded. "Or should I call you Ichigo Kurosaki."
At hearing his former name, Lucifer completely flipped. He dashed at Ukitake with his sword drawn and tried to bisect the older man. If it weren't for Ukitake blocking with both swords, Lucifer would have succeeded in doing just that. Despite blocking the strike, he was still pushed back a fair distance.
"That is it! Now you die for sure!" Lucifer screamed as he took out a small golden cube from his jacket.
Rukia's eyes widened as she saw it. That was the Sello Negación. The same device he had used to seal off their powers. "Captain! Look out!"
It was too late. Lucifer had already tossed the seal at Ukitake with immense speed. However, unlike other instances, in which it had formed a seal on their skin, the cube shattered when it hit Ukitake, taking no effect.
Lucifer looked at the result in surprise and tried to contemplate why this had happened. Before he could though, Ukitake charged at him, and now it was Lucifer who was on the defensive as Ukitake delivered strike after strike with all his strength.
"As I said before, I'm aware of everything that was going on in this fight!" Ukitake said as Lucifer did his best to get the upper hand, but was still pushed further away. "The Senkaimon has two settings. One places a seal on the bodies of lieutenants and captains who enter the World of the Living. The other allows us to bypass that and use our true power from the start!"
Lucifer's eyes widened before he composed himself and pushed against Ukitake's dual swords, forcing himself out of the clash. "Screw that!" He shouted as he sonidoed some yards away to put some distance between them. "I swear on my soul I'll kill you! Even if I have to turn you into dust!" Lucifer then charged a powerful cero on the end of his horn before firing an instant later.
Ukitake sighed. He knew what to do. He knew it would most likely allow him to win this battle. But if he did, Ichigo could die. But if he didn't, the rest of them would die for sure. He had no choice. Jushiro raised one of his blades in the direction of the cero. And when they met, the cero was actually taken into the blade, giving it a red glow. The silver prongs along the band that connected the two blades then lit up one by one until it reached the other sword, at which point Ukitake pointed it back to Lucifer and fired.
Lucifer stood shocked at what he saw take place. Once again his attack had been turned against him, but this cero was much faster and larger than the Getsuga, not to mention more powerful. He would never get out of its range in time.
And yet, fate seemed to have a poetic sense of justice. Mere minutes before, Rukia and Renji had been saved by a newcomer who would do anything to protect them. And now, Lucifer was about to be saved by one completely devoted to him.
Another sonido sounded, but not from Lucifer. This one came from someone else who appeared just in front of him. The light of the cero obscured their appearance though. And they neither hid nor ran from the cero. Instead, they reached out a hand and caught it. The large red blast was stationary in the newcomer's grip, as though they had frozen it in midair.
The Soul Reapers stared in disbelief. That cero would have vaporized Lucifer, and now someone else had caught it with their bare hand.
The cero remained stationary until something even more hard to believe happened. The figure appeared to open their mouth and in a moment they...
They ate the cero.
Everyone looked in utter shock as the cero gravitated towards this newcomer's mouth and worked its way inside. Orihime gasped into her hands as she had seen this technique before, but never imagined it being used against them. After the cero was completely absorbed, the newcomer threw their head back before opening their mouth again and letting the cero loose. It sped towards Ukitake so fast that it put bullets to shame.
Not sure that he could reabsorb it, Ukitake opted to get out of the way. He flashstepped back to the group as the cero sailed past where he had just stood and collided with a building, completely obliteration the structure.
After a moment's pause, Orihime was able to let out a sigh of relief as she sensed no people inside that building. But there was something else that had her on edge. She turned her gaze back towards Lucifer and the newcomer, no longer obscured by the light of the cero. She let out a whimper as her fears were confirmed.
A flash of dark green and golden eyes. There was no mistaking who it was that saved Lucifer.
The aforementioned Espada, looking at his savior, smiled slowly as he too came to realize her identity.
"Why thank you for the assistance...Neliel."
I'm Back!
This took Lady Serai and I (mostly Lady Serai) A lot of hard work so I hope you enjoyed it. Remember, most of the thanks for this chapter go to her.
BTW I celebrated my birthday this past week so you know...Happy Birthday to ME!
Also Hey! Just broke 100 reviews!
Lord Jaric - There's your answer.
Jem - Mas o menos. Gracias.
Sephy-Chan - Sorry, no Urahara. YET!
Hime Ichi Ulqui Grim - hope you liked the result.
West of the Glass - I'm glad you found it too.
livelybliss - Don't worry, I'm going to start the Espada fights now.
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Aelita of the Wolves - Sorry to make you wait so long.
Until Next Time ;)
