Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War
A/N: The Fourteenth chapter. I'm getting to the exciting middle part of this story. Even though Sora will be in this chapter with Nel, this will focus more about the star of Bleach. Please enjoy and I have another thing to say at the end. I don't own anything.
Cue 2nd Intro: Towa no Kizuna
(0:00-0:15): We see the entrance of Las Noches, where the camera zooms out and scrolls up the fortress. The title "Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War" appears. The entire image of Las Noches is shown completely.
(0:16-0:26): Inside Las Noches, Sora is seen staring off in the distance. Clutching his crown pendant, he turns around and sees the images of Riku and Kairi walking down. The Destiny Trio are seen uniting their hands together. Meanwhile, Ichigo is standing off on the other side, where he turns to see Orihime smiling at him.
(0:27-0:34): Various images are shown. Sora is seen hanging out on the Destiny Islands with Riku, Kairi, Terra, Aqua, Ven, Roxas, Xion, Lea, Naminé, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. Orihime is seen eating at the park with Ichigo, Rukia, Uryū, Renji, and Chad. Orihime's expression however becomes melancholic. The images then become distorted by the silhouette of Aizen, who raises Kyōka Suigetsu.
(0:35-0:48): The entire Hueco Mundo team (Sora and Ichigo's friends, and the Soul Reapers) is seen standing together. Ulquiorra walks down the corridor with a large shadow of darkness following him. Ichigo, looking determined, summons his Hollow mask. Orihime is seen looking at the sky, letting out a cry of anguish. Sora is seen on his knees with his head down, slamming his fist on the ground.
(0:49-0:56): Several shots are shown. Tōsen rapidly takes out his sword before sheathing it. Gin, smiling, swings his sword, causing a bright light to extend. Aizen, smirking, simply holds his hand open, revealing the Hōgyoku. Kenpachi, Byakuya, Unohana, and Mayuri stand ready for battle. Orhime and Kairi appear back to back, where Orihime's pupil shows the reflection of Ulquiorra.
(0:57-1:09): Grimmjow fires a Cero which Ichigo narrowly dodges. Zommari levitates his Zanpakutō in front of him as Riku, Byakuya, and Rukia stand firm. Aqua, Uryū, and Renji stand side by side as Szayelaporro walks towards them, smiling in glee. Nnoitra walks through a path of destruction as Terra and an adult Nel grit their teeth. Yammy smirks as his figure darkens and grows in massive size. Sora's group stand on one side while Ichigo's groups stand on the other side. All of them together, ready to battle.
(1:10-1:21): Sora and Ichigo are seen walking towards each other while staring off. They stop momentarily before the two give a smirk and cross their weapons together.
(1:22-1:30): Final shot shows the Hueco Mundo team standing in front of Las Noches. Rukia, Orihime, Uryū, Chad, Renji and Nel in the front. Riku, Kairi, Aqua, Terra, Ven, Roxas, Xion, Lea, Naminé, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in the middle. Kenpachi, Yachiru, Byakuya, Hanatarō, Unohana, Isane, Mayuri, and Nemu in the back. Sora and Ichigo appear to lead the group.
Ep. 14: "Ichigo vs Grimmjow! Survival of the Fittest!"
Sora stared off against Grimmjow while Nel and Orihime stood behind the person next to them. Sora, keeping his guard up, decided to ask something. "Tell me Grimmjow, what are you doing?"
Grimmjow simply let out a small smirk. "Well I was on my here to kill you. But as luck would turn out, you brought the girl here just like I wanted." This confused Sora. Grimmjow wanted to bring Orihime here? He knew it wasn't because he wanted to reunite them so what purpose did he have?
"Enough talk." Grimmjow said as he let Orihime go. "Alright woman, you just do your job and heal him."
Orihime looked a little hesitant. But after seeing Ichigo's condition, she summoned Ayame and Shun'ō, Orihime created a half-oval barrier around Ichigo. This was her technique, "Sōten Kisshun".
"What is she doing?" Nel asked.
"She's healing him." Grimmjow replied. "What do you think she was doing. Now then, while she heals him." He looked over at Sora. "I think could use a good warm up."
Sora narrowed his eyes. "You wanna fight me?"
"What else." The Blue-haired Espada sneered. "Don't think I forgot that stunt you pulled back there. This is the perfect chance for some payback. Besides, I I always wanted to fight you, so hopefully you'll prove a good challenge."
Sora wasn't looking for a fight, since he wanted to reunite Orihime with her friend and find Kairi. But he wasn't going to back down from one now. After all, if he was anything like Nnoitra, he might target the girls. "Nel, I want you to stay near Orihime. Got it."
Nel nodded as she went over to where Orihime and Ichigo were. Sora summoned his Keyblade and raised it into a battle position, ready to take on Grimmjow. Both fighters stared off at each other, then charged at one another. Sora's Keyblade colliding with Grimmjow's fist.
Running through a small corridor, Riku stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He had been running for so long, he was bound to become exhausted. He had arrived at the building he was heading towards but so far, he had not run into Sora or anyone for that matter.
"This place is like a maze." Riku groaned. "I thought by coming here I'd find Sora or the others but so far nothing.
The silvered-haired boy stared down at the dark hallway for a moment before saying. "I might as well keep going."
The Keyblade Master continued going through the corridor for a few more minutes before he could see the end. Running down the direction, he stopped when he noticed that half the room was completely covered in ice. He wondered what all this ice was doing here but then his eyes widened when he saw something.
Two figures were lying down on the ground. One of the figures was Aaroniero, who's head was completely severed. Riku inspected the body and could make out glass pieces where the head once stood. Next to the body were two smaller heads. One of the faces had a 9 tattooed on the left side of the mouth. While the other head had a 9 tattooed on near the right eye and was completely split in half.
Before he could investigate the area, he suddenly heard painful moans. Looking around, he spotted a girl laying nearby, with blood pouring out of her chest. She was short and petite with light skin and purple eyes. Her hair was black, with several strands of hair hanging between her eyes. She also wore a standard shihakushō. She was none other than Rukia Kuchiki.
Riku ran over to her and checked her pulse. He sighed in relief to see she was still alive. But he knew she would be dead soon if she wasn't treated. Deciding to act now, he summoned his Keyblade. His Keyblade was a dimple key for a pin tumbler lock, with a silver blade and two parallel grooves running the length of the blade at the center; several circular intents are etched along each edge asymmetrically. The blade juts out and then cuts back in just before it connects to the guard, which is black and blocky. The Keyblade's Keychain is almost identical to the Kingdom Key's keychain. This Keyblade was known as "Braveheart".
Riku pointed the Braveheart Keyblade at her. The tip started glowing green as a large green light surrounded her. Riku was using "Curaga."
"Healing magic wasn't really my forte but even so." Riku looked at Rukia, who's wounds slowly started closing. "Please let this be enough to save her."
Meanwhile, Nel and Orihime watched as Sora and Grimmjow began brawling with one another. Orihime was amazed that Sora was able to fight on even grounds with the Esapda. She remembered that He told her that he fought another Espada a while back who was ranked higher than Grimmjow. She wondered just how strong Sora was.
Sora could clearly see that this Grimmjow was no slouch, despite being ranked lower than Nnoitra. His Hierro was durable enough to withstand all his sword strikes. Grimmjow retaliated with a barrage of fast punches that Sora managed to block but was sent back. The Sixth Espada then fired numerous Balas, but Sora created Reflect barrier to block most of them. The rest he was able to avoid.
After fighting for a few minutes, both Espada and Keyblade wielder stepped away from each other, both of panting, trying to catch their breath. Orihime and Nel just watched, waiting to see what what going to happen.
Finally, Grimmjow said. "I gotta hand it to ya, Keyblade Wielder. You're a lot stronger than I gave ya credit for. No wonder Nnoitra's been gunning for you."
The spiky-haired boy merely looked at the Espada and replied. "Well, I've had experience and great friends to help me through the toughest times."
Grimmjow grinned at his remark before turning to Orihime. "Hey women, how's Ichigo doing?"
Both girls turned to Ichigo. Shockingly, the hole on his chest showed no sign of receding. Orihime closely examined the injury. "There's an incredible amount of spiritual energy swirling around Ichigo's wounds." She thought.
Nel looked at the injury then at Orihime. "Can you heal Ichigo?"
"I'm trying. But I can't reject it." Orihime said. "I don't understand. Who would do such a thing?"
"It was Ulquiorra." Grimmjow stated, before explaining. "He's got a style of fighting that is his and his alone. It's very particular to him, like a signature. But I doubt he's aware of it."
"What would that be?" Sora asked.
"When he finds prey who catches eye, he stabs them in the same spot where his hole is." Grimmjow said before saying. "I'm going to teach him the nature of punishment. For taking someone else's pray."
Sora looked down and noticed Ichigo's hand started twitching. "Everyone look!"
Nel, Orihime, and Grimmjow looked at Ichigo's body. Surely enough, his hole finally began shrinking and his eyes started showing signs of life. Ichigo slowly grunted as he started blinking.
"Ichigo." Orihime smiled in relief.
Ichigo looked surprised to see Orihime healing him and Nel with her. "It's Nel…and Orihime. And…" He was more surprised to see someone he didn't know. "Who are…you?"
Before Sora could reply, Grimmjow pushed him away. "He's not important right now."
Ichigo's eyes widened in shock as he saw Grimmjow near them. "What the…Grimmjow. Why are you with…Orihime?"
"Shut up Ichigo!" Grimmjow ordered. "She's healing you alright. And when you're completely healed, you and I are going one on one, Soul Reaper."
Sora, Nel, Orihime's eyes widened in shock.
"Wait a minute. You're saying you only wanted this guy healed just so you could fight him?!" Sora exclaimed.
"It can't be true. Is that the only reason you want him to heal!?" Orihime cried.
"Quit all your complaining!" Grimmjow said annoyed. "If it wasn't for me letting you save his life he'd be dead! Now get to work!" He said to Orihime, "Hurry! Ulquiorra will catch on to what's happening sooner or later and come back."
"And before he does…" Suddenly, everyone's eyes widened when someone appeared behind Grimmjow. Everyone turned and saw that it was Ulquiorra, staring at them with his usual emotionless eyes.
Nel turned to see Orihime looking at the Fourth Espada fearfully. Sora glared at the arrival of the Fourth Espada. After hearing what he did to Orihime to force her here and how he almost killed Ichigo, he started to hold a strong grudge at the Espada. Meanwhile, Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at the Fourth Espada, who found him earlier than he anticipated.
Ulquiorra walked towards everyone but his eyes landed on Sora. "So, it would seem that you have chosen to align with Ichigo Kurosaki."
"You can say that I have." Sora stated, glaring at the Espada. True, he didn't know Ichigo but if he was friends with Orihime then he knew he wasn't a bad person.
"Then your fate was sealed the moment you chose to defy Lord Aizen." Ulquiorra stated as Sora remained on guard, remembering that the Espada were sent to kill him. "Before I deal with you, I must first take care of the ruckus Grimmjow created." Ulquiorra finished as he walked over to Grimmjow.
"Ulquiorra." Grimmjow said.
"Tell me Grimmjow, what's going on here? What are you doing?" Grimmjow ignored his question as Ulquiorra got closer to them.
"It's seems like a simple question. Perhaps I need to rephrase it. Why are you healing an enemy I already defeated?" Ulquiorra ordered.
Grimmjow said nothing as he just smirked. Ulquiorra stopped as he noticed his smirk. "You refuse to answer." Ulquiorra then stared at Orihime, who lowered her head.
He stared at her for a while until he said. "Fine. Have it your way. Regardless, the bottom line is Lord Aizen has entrusted that girl to my care."
"Hand her over." He ordered.
The Sixth Espada sneered. "I don't think I will."
"What did you say?" Ulquiorra said. Though his emotionless demeanor made it difficult to tell if he was angered by it.
"You heard me. But just so we're clear about me position here. LET ME DEMONSTRATE!" Grimmjow reared his fist back and ran over to the Fourth Espada to punched him. But Ulquiorra effortlessly blocked the attack with his hand. The result was a large explosion of blue spirit energy.
When it died down, Ulquiorra's hand and sleeve were left unscathed. "Don't think I don't know what's going on with you Ulquiorra. You're scared of fighting me. You're afraid you'll lose and be crushed." Grimmjow yelled as he fired a Cero at the Fourth Espada, only for him to jump out of the way and deflect it.
"HA! You deflected that one." Grimmjow said. "Let's see how many it'll take before I get you."
Then, Ulquiorra used Sonido to appear directly above Grimmjow. He pointed his finger at him, about to use his own Cero. However, Grimmjow used one of his hands to crushed Ulquiorra's Cero, causing an explosion that destroyed part of the room they were in. Sora created a shield that protected himself along with Ichigo, Orihime, and Nel.
Ulquiorra tried to search for Grimmjow through the smoke. But suddenly, the Sixth Espada appeared behind him, grabbing his shoulder. Ulquiorra noticed Grimmjow used a strange cube shaped object that went into his Hollow Hole. He was planning to…
A cage then started to surround Ulquiorra. The last thing he said before the cage disappeared from view is "Dammit."
Grimmjow looked at the spot where Ulquiorra was before landing back to where everyone was at.
"…What the? What did he just do!?" Sora questioned. Nel or Orihime couldn't respond to his question as they were just as confused as him. Orihime decided to ask Grimmjow herself.
"What…did you just do…up there?" She asked.
Grimmjow said. "Aizen gave each one of the Espada something called a Caja de Negación. Which we can use to punish subordinates. I used mine just now.
"Caja de Negación?" Sora repeated.
"It's a powerful tool that can permanently seal away anyone into another dimension. But it's power is limited. It's not made to be used against Espada." Grimmjow explained. "Considering the strength of his spiritual pressure, we've got 2 or 3 hours before he breaks free. There's no time to waste." Grimmjow said as he looked over at Orihime. "Come on, hurry up and heal your friend."
Orihime narrowed her eyes. "I won't."
Just then, Sora got between Orihime as he blocked Grimmjow's hand with his Keyblade.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Grimmjow asked through gritted teeth.
"I should be asking you that!" Sora growled. "What's wrong with you! She won't give you what you want so you try to force her!"
"I don't have time for this." Grimmjow said as he looked at Orihime. "Maybe you didn't hear what I said but that wasn't a request. Get to work!"
Orihime shook her head in refusal. "I refuse. If I heal Ichigo, you'll just turn around and hurt him some more. I won't do it."
Grimmjow looked pissed. "You damn tramp!" He growled as he struggled to push Sora Keyblade away. Sora was also having a difficult time against his strength. Just then, a hand grabbed on to Grimmjow's arm. Everyone turned to see Ichigo shakily getting back on his feet.
"That's enough." Ichigo said as he moved Grimmjow's arm away. "Orihime, please heal me." Orihime's eyes widened in surprise. "I'm asking you to heal my wounds."
"What!? But Ichigo…" Orihime tried to protest, clearly concerned for his safety.
"Are you sure?" Sora asked. "You can just take Orihime and Nel and get out of here. I can take care of Grimmjow." He offered, but Ichigo shook his head.
"Thanks, but no thanks. This is my fight and I'm seeing this to the end." Ichigo said.
"But Ichi-." Nel was interrupted when Sora nodded. He could tell be Ichigo's eyes that he was serious about this fight. "Alright then."
Ichigo nodded before looking at Orihime again. "But first, Orihime, I want you to heal Grimmjow's injury as well." He said, noticing the large burn mark on his arm that he received from Ulquiorra's Cero.
This request earned surprised looks from everyone, especially Grimmjow. He responded with a scowl at his Soul Reaper rival and said. "Listen kid, you'll find that's a big mistake. I don't need your pity." He declared.
"Oh, it's not pity." Ichigo explained. "I assume you want us to fight at our full strength, right? Or am I mistaken? Do you plan to use your injuries as an excuse when you finally lose?" Suddenly, Grimmjow drew his Zanpakutō and charged straight at Ichigo, who blocked the attack with his own Zanpakutō as well.
"Alright then, bring it on. Let's have a fight to the death." Grimmjow declared as he and Ichigo jumped away from each other.
"Sounds good to me." Ichigo as he and Grimmjow stared off.
It took about ten minutes for Orihime to heal Ichigo's injuries. During that time, Sora decided to introduce himself to Ichigo. He explained that about a month ago, he ended in Hueco Mundo with no memory of his life. Which was why Aizen swayed him into joining his army of Arrancar. How, Sora and Orihime quickly pointed that Aizen was lying to him and when he found out, Sora betrayed them.
As Sora explained, Ichigo had recalled Tōshirō and the others mentioning they were defeated by a masked person named Sora, who had joined forces with Aizen. He was surprised to see the identity of this warrior was a kid no older than him. Nel also explained the she, Pesche and Dondochakka knew Sora too, as he would stop by to play with them when he was on break. She even said he was like a third brother to her, which caused Sora to chuckle sheepishly, much to Ichigo and Orihime's amusement.
When Sora revealed that he was a Keyblade Wielder, Ichigo remembered then recalled that before they left, Kisuke said to them that they will be joined by "special helpers" and if they met them then they were to work together with them save Orihime. After a while, both Ichigo and Grimmjow's wounds were fully healed. Before their battle could begin, Ichigo walked over to everyone, wanting to talk to them before his fight began.
Nel had expressed her worries of Ichigo fighting, saying he may end up worse than what Ulquiorra did to him. Ichigo smiled softly at her consideration before patting her head.
"C'mon Nel. Don't look at me like that. I'll be alright" Ichigo reassured as Nel looked at him worriedly, with tears in her eyes.
"But Ichigo. Ichigo." She lightly choked between words. Letting go, Ichigo stood up. "The same goes for you Orihime."
He turned to her, smirking "Trust me, I'll win."
Orihime nodded her head, despite her concerns. "Ichigo…please…do your best." She said with a smile.
"You got it." Ichigo agreed, smiling back. Then he went over to Sora. "Hey Sora, was it?"
"Yeah?" Sora asked.
"I'll be honest: I don't know you. So, I'm not sure whether I completely trust you. But…can you look after Orihime?" Ichigo asked, an expression of concern on his face as he looked over at his female friend.
Sora nodded his head. "Don't worry, I'll look after her. Count on it."
Ichigo smiled slightly. "Thanks…" Finally, he walked over to an impatient Grimmjow. "Let's take this battle elsewhere. Grimmjow."
"Fine with me." Grimmjow said as both he and Ichigo flew away from everyone else. The girls did their best to endure the large amount of pressure from their jump while Sora looked unfazed. Orihime spared one last glance at Ichigo, wishing him best of luck.
Eventually, the two rivals ended up in a wide area outside of Las Noches with sand everywhere. Ichigo took this time to take out his Zanpakutō.
"Bankai! Tensa Zangetsu!" Ichigo yelled as he activated his Bankai. He held his Zangetsu, which turned into a sword that resembled a daitō, with a black blade instead. The cross guard had four prongs bent out to form the shape of the manji. In addition to his sword, Ichigo's robe was replaced with a long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat with red lining, which was closed at his chest and left to flare out into ragged ends
"Are you ready!" Grimmjow taunted. Instead of waiting for an answer, he and Ichigo charged forth and crossed blades, starting their battle.
As the two combatants battled with one another, Sora watched the fight quietly with Orihime and Nel at his side. Sora could tell that Ichigo's reason for fighting Grimmjow was personal so he decided to let him have this one. Though if it seemed that Ichigo was going to lose this battle then he will be ready to step in.
He looked over at Nel, who had her eyes closed and held her head in fright. He went over to her and asked. "Nel? What's wrong?"
"Ichigo." Nel said, sniffing. "Nel's scared Ichigo might..."
Sora could understand her worries. However, before he could comfort her, Orihime smiled as she got down and patted Nel on the head.
"It'll be alright. Ichigo will win the battle." Orihime reassured.
"But, you don't really know that for sure?" Nel asked.
"Because he said, 'trust me' and 'I'll win'." Orihime said.
"And that's enough for you?" Sora asked. "You really have so much faith in Ichigo? How do you know if he's not afraid and is just saying that to hide it?"
"That's right! Everyone says that when they're scared!" Nel exclaimed.
Orihime shook her head. "He wouldn't do that. He would never say he's going to win because he's afraid. And he wouldn't say it to fool himself, I can guarantee you that. Ichigo is a very focused person. Whenever he tells you something this important, he says it like he's swearing an oath. He did that when he appeared before me as a Soul Reaper for the very first time. The same thing happened when we went to the Soul Society to save Rukia. He does it to reassure us, but more than that, he's making a promise to himself. He makes a promise to himself and then he recites it out loud so it becomes a reality. So, it will be alright. If Ichigo says he's going to win, you can believe that's precisely what he'll do."
Nel couldn't help but stare in awe at Orihime. Sora was the same but then smiled as he decided to take Orihime's words to heart. "She's right, Nel. We should all believe in Ichigo. It's like what I always say, if you believe in something hard enough, then it will come true."
Orihime nodded before turning to face the battle. "Exactly, we just have to have faith. So, we'll stay here, and believe that he'll come back to us very soon."
On the other hand, Sora then noticed that Orihime's hands were shaking. It was as if she was saying that to hide her own doubts as well. Sora couldn't also help but contemplate on what she said. Truth be told, he kind of did the same thing himself and to Kairi. Whether it was leaving to fight Ansem, stopping Xemnas and the Organization, his final battle with Master Xehanort, and when he use the Power of Waking to find Kairi, he would always reassure his friends that he would win and return home safely. More of a vow than a consolation. He may not have known Ichigo for long, but he could feel a connection with him. But, the only way to know that Ichigo was going to win…is for him to come back alive.
Meanwhile, Grimmjow attacked with his Zanpakutō, but Ichigo managed to block his attack with his Zanpakutō. With a maniacal grin, Grimmjow tossed his sword aside and prepared a Cero with his left hand.
Ichigo blocked the hand with his sword and prepared to counter the attack. "Getsuga…"
Unfortunately, Grimmjow blasted him with a Cero with his other hand, causing a large explosion.
"Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha!" Grimmjow laughed before smirking as he said. "Nice! I've been waiting a long time for this. A chance to crush you while you're at full strength. Bet, you feel the same way don't you? Ichigo Kurosaki."
Ichigo emerged unscathed and said. "You're wrong. I didn't come here to take you on so I could crush you." Ichigo replied.
"Don't give me that pathetic lie!" Grimmjow scowled. "Now say it! Say that you can't wait to get a hold of me and rip me apart for tearing up that friend of yours." Ichigo narrowed his eyes, remembering what he did to Rukia during their first encounter. And how he was powerless to do anything about it. "The truth is you want to kill me, don't you?"
Grimmjow then pointed at the scar on his chest. "Now I get my revenge. You'll understand why I kept this scar on my chest. To remind me of my humiliation." Both fighters suddenly recalled their first battle. How Ichigo's attack had left that scar on Grimmjow's chest. "Let's get started. I'm gonna choke the life outta ya. And finally prove, which one of us is stronger!"
Grimmjow went to retrieve his Zanpakutō. When he got it, he looked down and frowned as he noticed Ichigo's expression. "What now, you little weakling. After all this, you still look like you don't want to kill me."
The two stared down for a moment before Grimmjow said. "You are so pathetic."
"Is that right." Ichigo coldly said.
Not saying anything, the Espada used Sonido to attack Ichigo from behind. Ichigo sensed the attack and dodged in time. The fighters then went at it once again. Ichigo and Grimmjow clashed with their blades repeatedly to gain an advantage. As they locked in combat, Grimmjow frowned as he said.
"I have a question for you. Why did you bother coming here in the first place?" Grimmjow questioned.
Ichigo glared at him. "Are you some kind of idiot Grimmjow!? I came here to rescue Orihime." He declared.
Grimmjow didn't look convinced. "Oh really? Well if that's true, then why didn't you grab the girl and run the moment you saw her?" Ichigo eyes widened as he was unable to answer. Honestly, why didn't he? His whole purpose for coming here was to save Orihime. He could've taken her and ran off while Ulquiorra battled Grimmjow but instead he chose to stay and fight. Sora even offered to fight Grimmjow in his place to give him a chance to escape.
"Tell me. Were you relieved to see that she was unhurt? Or at least appeared to be on the surface?" Ichigo's eyes slightly widened as Grimmjow sneered. "Are you naïve or were you just born that way?
Ichigo immediately scowled at the Espada. "You bastards! What did you guys do to Orihime?"
"Good. That's more like it Ichigo." Grimmjow moved his sword away from the Substitute Soul Repeat. "You said you came here to save that girl right." He repeated. "Let me enlighten you since you don't seem to get it." Ichigo said nothing as the Espada continued. "You're wrong. The only reason you came here was to fight."
"C'mon Ichigo." He continued. "Aren't you even aware of the path as which your instincts have lead you. You're a Soul Reaper, I'm a Hollow. The loser of this battle will be slaughtered. It's been that way for over a thousand years."
The Espada then shouted. "THAT'S ALL THE REASON YOU NEED TO FIGHT! GOT IT! SO COME ON! It's pretty simple, the last one standing gets to live."
With that, the combatants began their sword fight, clash their swords till the other gave in. after backing away, Ichigo reared his sword back, which began to generate black and red-outlined Spiritual Energy. Grimmjow prepared to fire a Cero at Ichigo.
"Getsuga Tenshō!" Ichigo yelled, as he launched a powerful slash attack that took the form of a crescent moon. Both attacks collided and seemed evenly matched in power. However, Grimmjow's Cero broke through, but Ichigo dodged it in time. Suddenly, Grimmjow appeared behind him, rearing his sword back, slashing Ichigo in the torso.
The orange-haired teen stayed in the air while Grimmjow landed on the ground. Placing his sword on the ground, Grimmjow frowned as he said. "You've got a nice murderous look in your eyes now. But…" The Espada then slashed his own hand, drawing blood. "It's not good enough!"
"You're not at the level yet where I want this battle to take place." Then, Grimmjow began charging a large, powerful, blue Cero. Unknown to them, it was a Gran Rey Cero. "This is the ultimate Cero which only the Espada can use." He informed Ichigo. The Substitute Soul Reaper had made to dodge, but realized if he did then Sora, Nel, and Orihime will get caught in the crossfire. "Hold on! Don't release it!"
"Gran Rey Cero!" Grimmjow fired his ultimate cero, which headed straight for Orihime.
"ORIHIME!" Ichigo screamed as he flew back to the others. From where he was it looked like he wasn't going to make it. Unless he uses it. Before he could, someone appeared in front of the Gran Rey Cero and blocked it. Then, when the dust settled down, Ichigo saw that Orihime and Nel were okay. The person that blocked the Cero was Sora, who held his Keyblade horizontally.
"Orihime! Nel! Are you guys OK!?" Ichigo questioned. Orihime and Nel both nodded as Sora put down his Keyblade.
"Of course they are. I promised you I'd look after them." Sora said. "Focus on your own battle! I'll handle thing from here!"
Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, thanks. Now get behind Orihime. I can't guarantee your safety by what I'm about to do." Sora nodded as he ran back.
Turning around, Ichigo knew that was too close for comfort. Of course, that meant he had to take this battle more seriously now. Meaning he would have to use that technique. He had been training for a month to control that power ever since he lost to Grimmjow. Now, was the moment of truth. He only hoped he could hold it for a longer period.
Ichigo placed one of his hand over his face, causing black spiritual energy to manifest over it. Then, pulling his hand away, he summoned a mask that covered his face.
"Well, it's about time." Grimmjow said, seeing his plan paid off.
From where he was standing, Sora could make out some of the details the mask Ichigo was wearing. To him, it resembled a mask like the Hollows. It was pure white on the right side while the left side had ten red stripes. He also noticed his eyes had changed color, they were now black with the pupils being yellow. Sora then turned and saw that Orihime's eyes widen in fright after seeing this. Nel also noticed and wondered why she was afraid.
Ichigo glanced back at the others, causing Orihime to flinch. Seeing her expression, Ichgio turned back and said. "Sorry, this frightens you, doesn't it?" Ichigo asked, his voice sounding distorted. Orihime said nothing as she continued to stare at Ichigo with wide eyes.
"I know it's pointless telling you not to worry when I look like this." Ichigo spoke with a bitter tone. "But I'll tell you anyways, there's nothing to worry about. I'll finish this quickly."
Orihime didn't know what to say, until Sora held her hand. Looking at her, she could see Sora having a small smile while also looking determined. As if telling her to have faith in his words. Knowing that, Orihime slightly calmed down and looked back at Ichigo.
Grimmjow began laughing madly at the sight of Ichigo's mask. Calming down, Grimmjow grinned as he shouted. "It's about time! Now we can get down to business!" Taking his Zanpakutō out of the sand, he held it with his right hand like the start of a low sweep stroke. The sword began glowing light blue as he puts his left hand up to it.
"Grind, Pantera!" He shouted as he raked his hand along the length of the blade with a swift motion. Then, a massive amount of spiritual energy was released that created gusts of wind with tremendous force around the area. Everyone saw that he began releasing a torrent of spiritual power that created tremendous gusts of wind in the immediate vicinity.
"What's going on now!?" Sora asked, seeing the display as he held Nel from being blown away.
Orihime stared at the display before Ichigo turned back to everyone and said. "Orihime, use your Santen Kesshun to protect yourself and everyone until this is over. No matter what happens, don't take it down."
Orihime still looked concerned however. What was going to happen to Ichigo if she didn't protect him?
"Do it now!" Ichigo ordered, snapping her out of her thoughts.
Orihime decided to do what he advised. "Yes! Of course, Ichigo! Santen Kesshun, I reject!" Calling Hinagiku, Lily, and Baigon, she created a triangle shaped dome to protect herself and everyone. Sora and Nel looked impressed at this.
Ichigo and everyone looked down to see that Grimmjow was finished with his transformation.
They saw that Grimmjow's whole appearance had changed drastically. In Sora's eyes, he looked something more like a feline with a predatory appearance. His teeth became jagged and sharp, his hands turned into black claws and his feet became black clawed paws, similar to that of a cat, along with a slender whip-like tail that was longer than his body. His hair became very long and flowing, and the markings around his eyes enlarged and extended to the tips of his ears, which became swept back and cat-like. He lost his distinctive jaw mask, which was replaced by a sort of a headgear upon his brow covering his forehead. His clothing changed to become a form-fitting white segmented armor and had blades protruding from his forearms and his calves.
Grimmjow had entered his Resurrección.
"So that's Grimmjow's Resurrección." Sora noted. Looking at his appearance, Sora noted that it definitely fitted him.
Suddenly, Grimmjow let out a mighty roar that caused an enormous shock wave. Ichigo barely stood his ground against that wave. Then, with increased speed, Grimmjow flew towards Ichigo and dealt a heavy punch on him that send him crashing through several red towers.
"ICHIGO!" Sora shouted as Orihime and Nel gasped. As soon as Ichigo recovered from the blow, Grimmjow reappeared and kneed him on the stomach, sending him higher into the air. Then, he appeared above the Substitute Soul Reaper and punched him with his claws, causing him to plummet down to the building below.
Grimmjow looked throughout the dust cloud, but saw no sigh of Ichigo. Was he done in already? He scowled, displeased at this. "What's wrong with you! You can do better than that!" He shouted.
"Come out and fight!" The Espada ordered. Then, to his surprise, Ichigo appeared behind, his sword generating spirit energy large than the last one. "Getsuga Tenshō!" He fired a more powerful Getsuga Tenshō at Grimmjow.
Ichigo hoped that attack would slow him down. However, to his shock, Grimmjow was able to survive that attack without receiving so much as a scratch. From the dust cloud, Grimmjow laughed manically as he saw Ichigo's expression.
"Yes! That's what I'm taking about!" Grimmjow screamed with excitement. "Those eyes…I hate those damn eyes! AND THAT'S WHY YOU GOTTA DIE!" With that, Grimmjow and Ichigo resumed their battle once again.
Meanwhile, Sora, Nel, and Orihime weren't the only ones watching the battle. From their chamber, Halibel and her Fracciónes had been watching Ichigo and Grimmjow's fight from the start. From what they could see so far, the space between their battle had become distorted.
"Look at that, he's distorted the atmosphere." Apacci pointed out.
"Gran Rey Cero? You'd think he'd know better than to use that from within the confides of Las Noches." Mila Rose frowned.
Putting her foot over the ledge, Apacci glanced back at her with a smirk and said. "Hey! What's the deal!? Are ya scared, Mila Rose!?"
"Not me. But I'm surprised you can hear anything with your teeth chattering so loudly Apacci, you coward." Mila Rose responded with a taunting grin.
This act caused Apacci to scowl at her comrade. "What did you say!?"
"You heard me!" Mila Rose retorted. Both female Fracciónes began glaring at each other as usual.
"Would you please stop bickering, both of you." Sung-Sun asked. "You raise your voices like that, it only makes you look weak." By her normal expression, it was hard to tell if she was taunting them or not.
Both Mila Rose and Apacci begged to differ however, as they both glared at her. "STAY OUTTA THIS, SUNG-SUN! MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!"
"It's so very unattractive." Sung-Sun said, looking away from them.
"Listen you-"
"Don't turn your back on us-"
Suddenly, a strong wind caused by Ichigo and Grimmjow reached their area, interrupting their argument. The girls struggled to keep themselves together, while Halibel remained unaffected by the strong wind.
Mila Rose scowled as she said. "What does Grimmjow think he's doing? This is starting to get out of hand!
Halibel, who had only been watching silently until now, spoke up. "Try to relax. This battle is being fought by an Espada in his Resurrección form. Your fear is understandable. But it is primordial fear…relish it."
Apacci, Mila Rose and Sung-Sun looked both confused and concerned but agreed with their master's advice. Halibel continued watching the fight between Grimmjow and the half Soul Reaper named Ichigo Kurosaki as a thought came to mind. "The question is…is the person he's fighting really human? It's hard to believe that any human could possess spirit energy as dense and darkly powerful as his. It's almost as if I'm watching a battle between two Espada."
"The only time I felt that way was when Sora battled Nnoitra." Halibel's eyes snapped as the thought of Sora came to mind, though her Fracciónes didn't notice her reaction. They were also too focused on the battle to pay attention to the spectators. Halibel had spotted Sora, along with the child Arrancar she saw him with and the girl know as Orihime Inoue. Even though he had betrayed them, and despite Aizen's orders to kill Sora, Halibel admitted that a small amount of hesitation was growing in the pit of her stomach.
"Sora, I pray that you...flee far from this war...as possible." She thought.
"I'm gonna take you down Ichigo Kurosaki!"
Grimmjow charged at Ichigo and slammed him into one of the red towers. Ichigo groaned in pain as blocked Grimmjow's hand with his Zanpakutō. As they locked onto each other, the Espada sneered at him. "It seems you've increased the amount of time you can sustain that mask since we last met. Have you been training since then? Or have you been ignorantly gaining experience in the battles you had since the last time we fought?"
Ichigo didn't answer, as he was struggling to move Grimmjow's hand away. "It doesn't matter." Grimmjow stated. "In fact, I'm glad. It wouldn't be any fun if you're mask cracked too quickly. LIKE IT DID LAST TIME!" He made to destroy Ichigo's Hollow Mask, but the Substitute Soul Reaper grabbed his arm before he could.
"So, you're worried about this fight being boring?" Ichigo rhetorically asked. Then, increasing his spiritual pressure, Ichigo said. "I'll spice it up for you then!" Using Zangetsu, he slashed Grimmjow in the chest, causing blood to flow out.
The Espada gasped in pain. "Know what I think would be really boring?" The Substitute Soul Reaper asked. "If you weren't in your release state. So do me a favor, and stay just the way you are!" Ichigo proceeded to cut Grimmjow, but he blocked the attacks with the blades on his forearms. Grimmjow then delivered a kick to Ichigo's side, then punched him in the arm. Ichigo tried to slash him, but Grimmjow jumped high and spun around to deliver a kick down Ichigo's head. He dodged the attack but was caught off guard by the surprise claw swipe that send him crashing down to the ground.
Grimmjow laughed sadistically. "C'mon, Ichigo Kurosaki! Is that all you got!?" The Sixth Espada started to fly towards him, but Ichigo surprised him by dealing a large cut on his arm. Both of them charged at each other again, a large explosion resulting from the collision of their attacks.
Sora, Nel, and Orihime watched in awe at the ongoing battle.
Nel however, still remained concerned for Ichigo's safety. "Ichigo." She whispered.
Orihime wrapped her arms around herself as she worried over her friend's safety. "Please let him be alright…Please."
"Don't worry." Orihime and Nel turned to Sora as he watched the battle, analyzing both combatants. "I don't know what Ichigo did but that mask has also increased his abilities. I'm sure he'll be fine."
While she didn't doubt his judgement, Orihime couldn't help but have a feeling this fight was going to turn against him.
Ichigo kept on attacking with several sword attacks but Grimmjow countered with kicks and punches. He also displayed acrobatic skills by executing several spin and flip techniques, which combined with his hand-to-hand combat skills, made him more formidable. Ichigo then began gliding up the tower, Grimmjow grinned as he lifted his elbow forward. Shockingly, five dark-green crystal shaped darts came out of his elbow. This was one of Grimmjow's special attacks; "Garra de la Pantera."
He fired them at Ichigo, which he dodged by a split second. However, he realized that Orihime, Sora and Nel were right in front of the trajectory. Sora would have countered those attacks but saw that the barrier was getting in the way.
Before he could do anything, everyone watched in shock as Ichigo appeared in front of Orihime and took the full force of those attacks. The hit his back very hard and caused him to spit out blood in the process.
"Ich...Ichigo!" Nel cried.
"Why did you do that!? I would've protected her!" Sora yelled.
"Sorry." Ichigo said, panting. The way he was talking, Sora could tell how bad Ichigo's condition was. "I j-just acted on instinct."
Orihime meanwhile, stared at Ichigo with worried eyes.
Ichigo noticed and said. "I'm alright. Don't worry. This is nothing." Ichigo said as he looked at her eye-to-eye.
Seeing his eyes caused her to think back of the time she encountered her brother who had become a Hollow. Just the thought of that caused her to become frighten by his appearance.
Ichigo then went back to the ground where he saw Grimmjow waiting for him. The Espada smirked as he saw Ichigo breathing heavily.
"That was quite impressive." Grimmjow commented. "Was saving you friends worth the pay?"
Ichigo just glared, continuing to take deep breaths. "What's wrong? Looks like you're out of breath."
Ichigo narrowed his eyes and said. "Might wanna spend less time running your mouth, and more figuring out how your gonna survive."
"Hah. You can drop the tough guy act." Grimmjow fired one dart, aimed towards one of the red towers. The result of the attack destroyed it completely. "I hit you with five of those attacks already. Your body has taken significant damage." Ichigo didn't respond, but a small crack appeared on his mask.
Grimmjow noticed this, proving his point. "Your mask must be at its limit?"
"Limit!" Ichigo waved his hand over his mask, repairing the crack. "Not even close!"
"You just don't give up!" Grimmjow lightly shouted. "But that's the way I like it." Suddenly, a crack appeared on his forehead as well.
Ichigo noticed that and smirked underneath his mask. "Hate to break it to you, but you're looking pretty banged up yourself."
Grimmjow scoffed at the remark. "Afraid not! I've never felt better in my life!" He and Ichigo started to fight again.
The spectators continued watching as the opponents battled with intense speed. Sora had his arms crossed as he kept up with their movements while Nel was having slight trouble with it. Orihime however, was still feeling scared for Ichigo.
"I mustn't…be afraid." She thought while clutching he right arm. "I mustn't." Seeing his eyes again, she remembered the incident with her brother, which increased her worries over Ichigo. "No! When I think about those eyes…they're not Ichigo's at all. It's like they belong to someone else. And when Ichigo looks at me with those eyes…It's like he doesn't even see me. Just like my brother. The same eyes. Ichigo."
However, to their horror, it seemed that the battle was turning against Ichigo's favor. They saw that part of his mask began breaking and that Ichigo was having a harder time keeping up with Grimmjow's attacks as he kept beating on him. The last attack knocked Ichigo straight into another red tower, demolishing it in the process.
"Oh no." Nel said in shock. "Even with his mask on, Master Grimmjow is still beating him." Sora looked at her questionably as she went on. "In his fight with Master Dordoni and against Master Ulquiorra, whenever Ichigo put on his mask, there was never a doubt that he was going to win. When Ichigo was masked, there was no one who could beat him. But now..." Nel continued to watch Ichigo struggling to hold his own as Grimmjow began overpowering him. "What's happening to Ichigo? How can he be losing like this?"
"There's a limit." Nel turned to Sora has he looked on with narrowed eyes. "From what I see, Ichigo's mask uses a lot of energy to maintain and it can't last forever. His mask has clearly hit that limit but he's using all his strength just to keep it up. His condition was already worse when he took on those attacks. If his mask breaks now, it's over."
Nel's eyes widened in shock. "Then…Zola you have to do something." She said, pleadingly. "Please Zola, you have to help Ichigo."
"I can't." Sora said seriously.
"But…why?" Nel asked, confused by his action.
"Because." Sora replied. "This is Ichigo's fight. Right now, he's doing everything he can to protect all of us." He then looked at Nel with a small smile. "Remember, we just need to keep on believing that Ichigo will win."
Nel looked at him for a moment, before she looked and saw Orihime hugging herself in fear and sadness with her eyes closed.
Knowing she needed faith, Nel started inhaled deeply and shouted. "HEY, YOU CAN DO IT ICHIGO!"
Sora smirked while Orihime snapped out of as she stared at the little girl in surprise. The Keybearer then joined in. "Come on Ichigo, you can win! I know you can!"
Sora then looked at the confused girl and said. "What are you waiting for? Aren't you gonna cheer for him too."
"…Huh?" Orihime said, confused.
"That's the best you can do!?" He shouted incredulously. "HE'S OUT THERE RISKING HIS LIFE FOR YOU AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS HUH!?" Seeing she was still confused, Nel continued. "Why are you so afraid of him? You think he's some kind of monster!?"
"You know that he has a kind heart, you said so yourself. It's as plain as night and day. Even Nel can see it!" Nel stated. "And Ichigo cares about you too. He cares so much that when he heard your name he attacked Master Ulquiorra with everything he had."
Orihime was shocked to hear how far Ichigo would go for her. "Nel's right." Sora said with Orihime turning. "You should at least support him. I've noticed that you've been looking like you're afraid of Ichigo? Sora questioned.
Orihime eyes widened as she stared at Sora, not saying a word.
"I'm not gonna ask you why you're feeling like that." Sora said earning a surprised look from Orihime. "To be honest, I don't really know him all that well, but I know the kind of person he is. The type that feels they need to shoulder everyone's burden and face everything head on. He reminds me a lot of my friend Riku, who tried to do things on my own because he wanted to protect me." Sora said, recalling how Riku protected him from the Organization when he was asleep, even taking on Ansem's form to defeat Roxas just so he could wake up and had Mickey promise to never tell him what Riku had to do.
"But eventually, I told him that you don't have to do everything on your own. Because I learned that I have friends who supported me and through their support, I was able to become stronger." Sora continued. "Ichigo said he came here to save you. He must have gone through a lot to make it this far. And right now, he's using that power and getting himself injured because he's fighting for you."
Nel nodded in agreement. "Zola's right. Every time he uses that mask, he exposes himself to its insane power. He has to be suffering. But he's doing it for you so he doesn't care. He uses the power and endures all the pain and suffering for you." Orihime listened as Nel urged. "How will he feel...how will he feel if he doesn't even here your voice cheering him!"
Orihime looked at them in shock and surprise as she heard this. She glanced over at Ichigo, seeing him struggle against Grimmjow. "That's right" She thought. "I whole reason that I came here…was because I wanted to protect everyone. I thought I was ready to make whatever sacrifice. But then, when I heard that Ichigo and the others had come to save me…somewhere deep in my heart, I felt such happiness. But then I saw Ichigo wearing a mask and his eyes, they looked like my brother's eyes that night. I was so scared. I thought that…maybe he didn't come to save me after all. But I was wrong. All of my fears…they mean nothing. None of that matters anymore. I'm…I'm not afraid of Ichigo. I'm only afraid that Ichigo will…"
Sora smiled as he saw that the fear in Orihime's eyes were gone. Sora placed a hand on her shoulder and said. "Orihime…I think it's time he heard your voice?" Orihime looked at Sora and nodded, smiling while tearing up.
Ichigo crashed into the tower that was below them. Grimmjow walked over and stared at Ichigo with a frown. "It looks like you were wrong again. You've reached your limit." He said. Ichigo shakily got up as he was completely out of breath. He had lost almost the left part of his mask. "It was fun. But now it's over." Ichigo glared at Grimmjow. He hates to admit it but he was right. His mask was almost gone and he felt completely out of spirit energy. What was he supposed to do?
"Don't die." Ichigo's eyes widened as he thought he heard Orihime's voice. "DON'T DIE ICHIGO!" Ichigo looked up and saw that it was Orihime, who was looking at him from above.
"…You don't have to win. And you don't have to fight for me." Orihime choked as tears ran down her cheeks. "Just don't get hurt. I couldn't bear it." Ichigo continued to stare at Orihime with eyes of astonishment. He looked over at Sora, who nodded his head in encouragement.
"Kurosaki!" Grimmjow roared as he attempted to attack Ichigo from behind. However, without even turning, the Substitute Soul Reaper grabbed Grimmjow's arm. The Sixth Espada looked bewailed as Ichigo turned to him, smiled and said.
"So Grimmjow, here's the deal." Ichigo said. "You see…I've had a change of heart. And I can't allow myself to get beaten by someone like you."
Grimmjow's eyes widened as Ichigo brought Zangetsu down, and slashed Grimmjow's across the chest, causing blood erupted instantly.
Aqua had her hands on her knees, catching her breath. She had been running for almost twenty minutes but had yet to find Sora. Then, she suddenly felt a sudden increase in power between two people and it was escalating really fast. Aqua turned and to the direction of the power increase and saw a distorted atmosphere not too far from where she was.
"This power. There must be a battle happening over there. I can tell both opponents are giving it there all." Aqua state as she felt the power between Ichigo and Grimmjow. She assumed if she felt it then maybe the others did to. She was tempted to investigate the area, when she felt the presence of more people near her location.
Looking around, she spotted a large building a few feet in front of her. Aqua stopped to closely inspect it. The building was dome shaped with a green roof with multiple bumps on it.
Closing her eyes, Aqua sensed the presence of five people from beneath it. Four of those held light while one of them was filled with malice. Aqua also sensed that this dark heart was stronger than the four and they would not last long on their own.
While finding Sora and the others was her priority, Aqua wasn't the person to leave people to fend for themselves. The bluenette opened her eyes, looking determined. "Wait for me a little while everyone. I have to see this through."
With that, she made her way to that building.
In another area of Las Noches, the Corridor of Darkness opened in the middle of the desert. A second later, Kairi dashed out of the portal and landed on the sand. The red-haired girl shielded her eyes because of the brightness, due to having spent a month in an dark room with little light. After her eyes adjusted, Kairi looked around and saw nothing but an endless desert for miles.
"This must be Las Noches." Kairi recalled Aizen telling her the name. "I never expected Aizen's fortress to be like this. Still, I should start looking for Sora. Where could he-"
Kairi was interrupted when she sensed two powers increasing, the pressure nearly knocked her off her feet. After regaining herself, Kairi asked. "What was that?"
She looked at the direction where red towers were sticking out of the sand, which was where Ichigo and Grimmjow's battle was taking place. Upon closer inspection, Kairi had a feeling that this was the place she needed to go.
"I don't know if it's the right place or not but it looks like I can find some answers there." Kairi said as she began making her way. However-
"CRASH!"
Kairi was forced to stop when two Adjuchas rose from the sand. Not having seen Hollows before, Kairi was a little creeped out by their appearance.
"Looks like we've found ourselves a new meal!"
"Let me have her. I'm sure she'll taste good."
"You get the top and I'll take the bottom!"
"Deal!"
The red-haired narrowed her eyes as she summoned her Keyblade. "Sorry, but dinners been cancelled."
The first Adjucha lunged at Kairi, only for her to jump high and flip over behind him. Before he could react, Kairi swung her Keyblade.
"Flower Shoot!" Kairi released a large orb of light that struck the Adjucha hard in the face.
"AAARRRGGGHHH!" He scream as part of it's mask was destroyed. Kairi smirked in satisfaction before large shadow surrounded her. It was the order Adjucha that brought down his fist. The red-haired barely reacted to block the blow but was knocked off her feet. As she got up, the Adjucha regained himself.
"Now, your mine!"
However, before Kairi could react, the Adjucha stopped in its tracks as it was bisected. The other one looked in confusion until a person with blinding speed sliced his head off. Both Menos Grande fell to the ground dead.
"That was a close one. Good thing we made in time."
"And it looks like we found someone we were looking for."
Both people smiled at Kairi as she also smiled in relief of the people who came to save her.
"Terra. Ven."
Everyone looked to see Grimmjow frozen, staring up in the sky. He fell on his knees and looked as if he was about to collapsed. However, he grabbed his rival's Zanpakutō. Ichigo looked in shock to see Grimmjow glaring up at him, despite his wounds. "You're a fool Ichigo. I'm still here!"
Grimmjow started to get up as he said. "You think that you've won!? You think you've beaten me!? I'll scatter your bones to the sand!"
"Ichigo, Look out!" Orihime warned. Too late, Grimmjow ran his hand through Ichigo's stomach, drawing a lot of blood.
"ICHIGO!" Orihime screamed in fear. Nel covered her mouth in horror while Sora gritted his teeth. They were foolish to believe the fight had ended that early.
As he stared at Ichigo, Grimmjow suddenly remembered his life before becoming an Arrancar. Back when he was an Adjuchas-class Menos, he came across a group of other Adjuchas-class Menos that would later become his Fracciónes; Shawlong Koufang, Edrad Liones, Yylfordt Granz, Nakeem Grindina, and Di Roy Rinker. Di Roy had attempted to eat him, but he attacked him and ate a chunk of his head before Di Roy could react. They were impressed at his strength and then introduced themselves. Shawlong, who was their leader at the time, asked him to join them, where the group bowed to him. He remembered Shawlong explaining to him that they had no intention of remaining Adjuchas or Gillians, vowing to become Vasto Lorde. But in order to do that they needed strength that they could use to pull themselves up. Having seen his strength, Shawlong asked that he lead them as their king.
Eventually, the two jumped away from each other. Ichigo clutched the wound in his stomach as he glared at Grimmjow. Grimmjow frowned as he saw the expression on Ichigo's eyes. "What! Those eye's…they keep mocking me!" He seethed, looking back to their previous battles. "No matter how badly I beat you, somewhere deep inside you think you can beat me. You always believe you're superior to me!"
Grimmjow immediately ran towards him. "I CAN'T STAND THAT!" He punched Ichigo, knocking over the sand a few times. Not finished yet, Grimmjow swiped his claw at Ichigo but he blocked it with his sword.
Surprisingly, Ichigo laughed as he and Grimmjow locked on. "Just what is it you can't stand!? Are you upset that a lowly human like me would have the nerve to treat you as an equal?"
Angered, Grimmjow once again ran his hand through Ichigo's stomach, causing the Substitute Soul Reaper spit up blood. Not done yet, Grimmjow went to kick Ichigo high in the air. Watching him soar, Grimmjow said. "That has nothing to do with it! It doesn't matter to me if you're a Human, a Soul Reaper, or an Arrancar! They're all the same! Anybody that looks down on ME will be crushed!"
He took off after Ichigo, who saw him for a moment before disappearing. He had used Sonido to get behind Ichigo. "As for you Ichigo, you're gonna be the first one to go!" Grimmjow shouted as he moved all his claws together, causing each of them to grow into long, sharp blades composed of blue spirit energy.
"…Are you ready?" Grimmjow grinned.
"What is that!?" Sora questioned in shock. Nel and Orihime gasped as well. Ichigo was also in shock as he recovered and faced Grimmjow. Grimmjow grinned manically as he said. "Desgarrón! It's my ultimate technique."
While preparing to attack, Grimmjow recalled another event from his past. After a while, Shawlong had told him that they were all giving up on there mission. Yylfordt had explained that they had already given up on their quest to evolve into Vasto Lorde after having eaten over one thousand Hollows and haven't felt their power increase anymore. And after having eaten three thousand, they knew that it would be pointless to continue. Grimmjow told them that if they wanted to give up then it was fine, but he wasn't going to have anything to do with it. Shawlong then asked him if he would eat them, and noted that since Grimmjow had already taken a piece of Di Roy, he would never evolve into a Vasto Lorde and that in conjunction, their evolution would end where it was at as well. He had called them cowards for resorting to such measure, but Shawlong explained that they have become enlightened. It was not only to the fact that they would never become Vasto Lorde, but it was something they knew even before becoming Hollows. They knew that they would always only be Adjuchas and that Grimmjow would have been the only one to evolve beyond that stage.
Drawing five of his claws, Grimmjow threw them down at Ichigo. Not wasting time, he blocked them with Zangetsu, but the attack proved to be too powerful as Ichigo was having a hard time blocking them. Ichigo gritted his teeth in frustration as the technique pushed him back.
Grimmjow laugh madly at his predicament. "It's Over! You're finished Ichigo!" However, his mind had wandered off elsewhere. "They make me sick. I'm gonna wipe that smirk of your face. They're all cowards. Fine, if that's what you want I'll eat you all. Become my flesh and blood and see what lies ahead. I am…"
"I AM THE KING!" Grimmjow shouted. But then, to his shock, Ichigo began cutting threw one of his energy claws. Ichigo started flying towards him as Zangetsu shattered the attack into pieces.
Ichigo panted as he said. "You know…I got news for you. You're not only one who wants to win."
"What's that!" Grimmjow growled in agitation.
(Bleach-Number One Instrumental)
"You want to kill me because of how I look at you." Ichigo then shot a determined glare at Grimmjow. "Well…I know how you feel."
Grimmjow used his Desgarrón once more, but Ichigo charged forward with his Zanpakutō ready. "You were right before, when you said that I came here because I wanted to fight!" Raising Zangetsu, he began cutting through the attack. "The real reason I came here was to defeat you!"
As he started to move towards the Espada, Ichigo continued. "So, I'm going to destroy you! And Ulquiorra! I'm going to defeat Aizen! And then I'm going to take Rukia, with Chad, and Uryū, and Renji…I'M GOING TO TAKE ORIHIME!"
Orihime's eyes widened at his declaration.
"All of my friends…AND BRING THEM HOME SAFE WITH ME! I WON'T LOSE TO YOU!" Ichigo shouted as he got closer to the Espada. Grimmjow stared with a stunned expression until…Ichigo finally arrived and stabbed him straight through his chest.
Neither person said anything until Grimmjow said. "…Damn you…" Ichigo then pulled his sword out from his chest. The Espada started falling to the ground, until Ichigo caught him by his arm. At that moment, Ichigo's Hollow Mask had vanished completely.
Ichigo gently landed on the ground and placed Grimmjow down. Looking at him, he could see that he was unconscious, clearly meaning that he was defeated. With that, he went and flew back to Orihime, Nel, and his new friend. Orihime shyly watched as Ichigo appeared in front of them. Afraid, she timidly asked. "Are you-?"
"Hurt." Ichigo interrupted, giving her a kind smile. "I was…gonna ask you that. I'm fine."
Orihime stared in shock before forming a smile in relief. "Thank goodness. He's…he's my Ichigo again." Orihime thought before saying, "I'm okay too. Thank you."
Ichigo smiled with relief. He was about to make his way towards her when-
"ICHIGO!"
Nel tackled Ichigo which caused him to skid across the air. Regaining himself, he grabbed Nel. "ARE YOU CRAZY!? I'M STANDING IN MIDAIR!" He shouted, feeling miffed. "YOU WOULD HAVE FALLEN HUNDREDS OF FEET TO YOUR DEATH IF I HADN'T CAUGHT YOU! DID YOU EVER THINK ABOUT THAT!"
"Nel so happy." Calming down slightly, Ichigo looked to Nel, who was weeping in his chest with joy. "Ichigo is alive. Nel so happy you didn't die."
Smiling, Ichigo gently rubbed Nel's head and said. "Thanks Nel. I appreciate it." Flying back to the others, Ichigo put Nel down and returned his attention to Sora.
"Man, Ichigo, you look beat up." He jokingly stated.
Ichigo chuckled. "I guess I've seen better days. Anyways, I just want to say thanks…for protecting Orihime. It means a lot."
"No problem." Sora said "I'm also glad that you're alright." Ichigo smiled and nodded his head as he walked over to Orihime, who smiled, "It's good to see you."
Ichigo then reached his hand towards her. "We should go. Everyone is waiting for us."
Orihime nodded her head. She took his hand and soon, the two of them looked at each other for a moment. Sora stepped back and took Nel along with him. He felt like this was a moment they shouldn't get involved with, though seeing them together made him feel happy for them. He hopes that he and Kairi will be able to have a moment like that, when they are together again.
Ichigo and Orihime then looked on into the distance…smiling…holding hands…happy that despite the chaos and hard times they've endured, they were finally together in the end.
To Be Continued…
A/N: In that's one battle over. I'm sorry if this wasn't entirely different but I wanted to give Ichigo a chance to shine. After all, he's the star of this story to. I also did my best to incorporate Sora in this, giving his own comments on Ichigo's battle. Meanwhile, Kairi has united with Ven and Terra, which means she is close to returning to Sora.
Now, let me just say that Ichigo's victory against Grimmjow was what I think one of the best moments in Bleach. And to think it's almost one year since the series ended. While I like the manga, it did have some fault. One of them being how Grimmjow completely disappeared after the whole battle. I had hoped he would've showed up to help Ichigo's friends but it didn't come to be. But I plan on changing that in this story. So, stay tuned.
Next Time: Grimmjow has been defeated. But more trouble awaits as Nnoitra enters the battle. Meanwhile, Aqua joins forces with a Quincy and Soul Reaper as they take on Szayelaporro. But the Eighth Espada proves to be full of surprises.