Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach!!
Hi people!! Thankyou for your reviews and encouragement on the last chapter!! Here's chapter 14!! Read and review!! emichii!!
Chapter 14: Frustration
Another petal vanished.
Hitsugaya gripped his sword tightly as he growled angrily at Aizen. Dammit, he was exhausted. It was hard to sustain Daiguren Hyourinmaru, especially in this dimly lit narrow area. The area had already been ruined and opened up to a wider space by Karin and Grimmjow but it still wasn't the most terribly comfortable place to battle.
By now, countless blasts of ryusenka and cero-type shots had worn down the walls and a big hole in the ceiling had been opened. Hitsugaya could see the spotless perfectly blue sky of Las Noches through it and it frustrated him.
He still had the gaping hole in his stomach and the blood wasn't stopping as it poured out from him. He felt the pain more than ever now, suspended in the air with the wings of ice, seeing the blood slowly seep out and drip in the most grotesque way towards the ground so far below. He gulped uncomfortably as he fought with the urge to throw up.
Looking down, he could still see Karin's unmoving body lying on the ground. He worried infinitely for her but couldn't see to her. He was repelled by the horrific hypnosis Kyoka Suigetsu had placed on him before. He didn't want to think about it.
"-gyah!!" He spat out suddenly as Aizen came for him. The king of Las Noches flew down towards him from above, pressing down his blade into him with so much force; Hitsugaya truly believed he was going to die. He could feel his wrists shaking and aching as he struggled to hold up his sword and block off Aizen's blade. His fingers slipped as he fought back intensely, gritting his teeth so hard and glaring at Aizen, so much hatred exploding from inside him.
He struggled to push back Aizen's blade. And then Aizen gave out. Hitsugaya was shocked as Kyoka Suigetsu lifted and Hitsugaya's force knocked him off balance. In that split second of unbalance, Aizen's smile widened as he immediately pulled back his sword for a strike. The blade aimed for Hitsugaya and he used shun-po to move, at which Aizen matched his speed easily.
His blue-green eyes grew more intense and panicked as he moved again, yet again Aizen was right there beside him.
"There is practically no moisture here in Hueco Mundo," he said, "your bankai's abilities are useless."
Hitsugaya swung his sword and it came dangerously close to slicing Aizen's neck. However, Aizen somehow raised his spiritual pressure at that precise moment so that Hitsugaya froze in fear. The pressure rose again and Aizen's eyes were satisfied.
"You feel this pressure, Captain Hitsugaya? Well, let me tell you a secret. This pressure isn't just mine. Half of it belongs to the former shinigami you knew as Kuchiki Rukia."
"What?" Hitsugaya stared at him.
"I can use her however I like. The Hyougoku is a most helpful object; it's increased her abilities and spiritual pressure to make her the ultimate weapon. The best thing is I can use her powers simply. If I want, I'll just drain every last drop of her spiritual energy and use it myself." Aizen pulled out some item from inside his outfit.
Hitsugaya watched it and froze motionless. He didn't notice as the sixth petal vanished. The horrible object that sat on Aizen's palm was pumping and weary, exhausted and painful looking. It was so… repulsive and terrifying that Hitsugaya immediately threw down his head and felt nausea rise up inside him. It wasn't just the heart; it was the storm of pressure exploding from it. He wanted to throw up, he panted for breath, fighting for air.
He finally saw and felt the true weight of the wounds and cuts he bore. His eyes were finally open to the bloody wound in his middle and the huge gash that ran across his side. In addition to that, bruises, cuts, scratches all over him. He wanted to scream.
Aizen saw his opportunity and appeared right in front of him. He lifted his sword and flashed it over Hitsugaya so quick he could neither feel nor see anything. And when Aizen stepped away, Hitsugaya gaped as all at once, he saw the fine lines that criss-crossed all over his arms and legs and blood spurted out from them. Fine bursts and streams of blood came from his crying veins as more blood came out of his mouth as the pain enveloped him and tears burst from his eyes.
He was unable to see clearly. He could barely move, he could feel the next two petals fading and he saw Aizen smile maliciously at him through his blurred vision. What… what had he done?? Hitsugaya lifted an arm and was shocked at how light it was, how numb it felt to move and how strange that the pain of the blood loss was worse than the actual cuts themselves.
"You know, Captain Hitsugaya," Aizen's voice wavered in his ears. "I've always been curious about this shinigami I've never met before. Her spiritual pressure is… amusing."
And then Hitsugaya realized. His blue-green eyes, as tired and blurred as they were flashed open in anger and distress as he tried to move his wrecked body towards her. But he couldn't get to her, he forced himself forward but his body wouldn't cooperate and the pain was so great…
His mouth opened in a terrified scream as Aizen reached her.
His voice could barely make a sound. It was so raspy, pained and hoarse, yet he screeched out her name as best as he could; please, just to reach her. Just to wake her and warn her. Please. "KARIINNN!!"
--
"Dance... Sode no Shirayuki."
Rukia had released her zanpakuto, something which Ichigo had never expected to be fighting against himself. She had flash-stepped towards him and tried to attack many times but he had been able to avoid her. It was only then he noticed.
The way her fingers trembled as they gripped the sword handle, the way her shun-po was always a little too far away from him, the way her swings always happened to be wide and miss the vital spots. And the unreadable emotion in the one blue eye he could see.
Ichigo stared at her, his heart aching for her. She was fighting an inner battle. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to fight him. She didn't want to have to swing her sword at him.
He wanted to say something; he needed to tell her that she could fight Aizen's control. Surely… her own will could fight Aizen's puppet strings. That hollow mask on her forehead, she could get rid of that, couldn't she?
And then the pressure rose. He froze and inside it felt as though his heart and organs had shrivelled up inside him and he couldn't breathe. Rukia's eyes also widened as the wave of intense and highly concentrated spiritual pressure flooded in, rough and painful. Rukia was still as the spiritual pressure in the room built up. Her face was deathly pale and suddenly she let out a painful breath.
Ichigo fought against the pressure and managed to glance at Rukia, as she bowed over and stared wide-eyed at the stone floor.
Her fingers trembled again on the sword hilt and then the pure white zanpakuto fell from her hand and clattered to the ground. A tingly inside her from the Hyougoku made her hakudo unsteady and she knew that her power as Aizen's 'ultimate weapon' had rose again. And then her heart thumped. Once. And again. The second time was so heavily painful and she gasped out. She automatically clutched a hand to her chest and then recalled that her heart was no longer inside her, it was separated from her body.
But… it hurt!! Rukia stared down at the ground, her whole body shivering as she felt a freezing cold blanket fall over her, the dark coldness of Hueco Mundo that she still couldn't face. And inside… like a twisting, draining, bleeding squeeze of her heart.
Kuchiki. She was unable to move as she felt Aizen's sneering voice erupt over her mind. His voice was all powerful, thunderous in her thoughts. Didn't I warn you?? I still have your heart in my hand, remember? You can't escape from my control, Miss Kuchiki and you know it.
The pressure around her and inside her swirled and rose uncontrollably and then stayed like that, finally settling a bit and keeping the room full of her immense spiritual power. If I tell you to kill Ichigo Kurosaki, you'll do it. No second thoughts about it, nothing. I told you before, didn't I? Soon, you'll feel no physical pain or any emotional pain. His sword will not affect you no matter how hard he swings it at you. Your thoughts and emotions about fighting him are nothing. It is irrelevant. My ultimate weapon… will not bow down to such petty matters… your own thoughts and feelings are not significant. They will be rid of soon.
And then a final mind-blowing stab of pain erupted inside her as he smirked and gave her heart and invisible puppet strings one last squeeze and tug. I don't want less than your best, Kuchiki. Go on. Don't be reluctant.
Suddenly, Ichigo was aware that she had straightened up, quite primly and confidently. She didn't meet his gaze. Her stare settled on her pure-white zanpakuto, which in her mind had developed numerous stains and was dirty, darkened and dull. The side of her mouth twitched as a tiny smirk seemed to appear.
You'll have no need to regret and hate yourself over it later. I promise. If you kill Ichigo Kurosaki, then your abilities will have woken by then and you'll no longer need to feel the unnecessary burdens of emotion.
He stared at her with wide brown eyes as she reached down and her fingers closed around the sword hilt.
"Heh. It seems I can't mess around any longer… Ichigo." Her hand tightened over the handle and her eyes grew firm as she stood to face him. "I'm going straight for the kill."
His own hands began to sweat and feel uncomfortable over Zangetsu's handle as he met her powerful stare. Her mouth made a tight line as she said calmly, "Let's… make this last as long as it possibly can. In other words… come at me with everything you have, Ichigo!!"
"I can't hide my newly gained strength anymore." She held her sword out, pointed towards him and the room's pressure intensified and Ichigo felt his body grow tense.
Ichigo saw how she no longer looked at him anymore, and wouldn't meet his gaze. But he thought he saw a final flicker of emotion in her blue eye and it was a painful sorrow that he saw. She gritted her teeth in frustration as she attacked.
"Goodbye, Ichigo." She whispered, so soft she could barely hear it herself.
This is a lot like a filler chappie because Aizen and Hitsugaya's fight was meant to end here, but because the end is very explosive and would take up a whole chapter I delayed it till next time. Because it I ended it here then Hitsu wouldn't have gotten a very good fight, since last chapter was basically all illusion. So here we are. The whole Aizen and Hitsu fight wasn't going to be broken by segments of Ichigo and Rukia's fight but this is how it ended up. I wanted to put them in since you wouldn't see them for a while if they weren't in this chapter. Next chappie will be INSANE, people!! Be sure to check it out!!