Sorry for the late post! Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Angels & Demons
Renji cursed out-loud as he paced up and down next to an annoy Rukia, because both of them didn't expect to be separate from the other angel and devil. Now they are on a deserted floating wasteland in the middle of no where and hundred of lands similar to this one float around them, but since the little angel girl couldn't turned into her angelic form to carry the red hair teen to the other land anymore, they got stuck here.
'Renji! Could you just sit down instead of walking around me! You are giving me headaches!' Rukia screamed out after Renji's fiftieth turns in front of her.
'Oh, of course! Miss the great angel who can't fly! How long are we going to be stuck in this stupid floating rock? Don't know! How long have we been stuck on it? Don't care!' The red hair boy cried out.
Can't stand the complain of Renji, Rukia decided to kick on him hard, but as if he knew her intension, he immediately stepped back, making the girl jumped into the air instead. The red hair boy was about to reach his hand to grab the girl back by the collar, but a stone platform materialized under her feet and saved her from falling into the abyss. Soon a pathway made out of stone was created leading directly to an oak door.
The two of them stared at the stony road for a moment, considering what they should do, stay on this floating wasteland or take this road towards the unknown? They decide to take the latter, since they don't know how much longer must they might stay on this deserted land if they don't take this way.
They slowly make their way to the door and entered to the unknown chamber that's behind.
After walking about a few hours, Ichigo and Grimmjow finally found the exit of the garden and entered a round crystal hall where there are six other paths, three on both side and large giant doors in front of them.
'Seems like, we're only a few steps away from Aizen.' The orange hair boy deducted as they walked to the center of the hall.
Suddenly, Grimmjow pulled the angel to his chest, his arms curled around him protectively and he quickly whispered into his ears: 'Ichigo, I want you to promise me that you'll come back to me no matter what happens, promise me that.'
The orange hair teen was confused at the sudden action and request of the teal hair man, but when he sensed the present of someone else in the hall, he slowly whispered back: 'I'll definitely come back.'
The devil was just waiting for that answer, when Ichigo finished his sentence, he fired two ceros to left pathway next to the giant doors and a white form jumped into the air and fired a cero towards them that they easily jumped aside to evade it and the attack hit the ground.
'I'm glad that you came, King! It saves me a lot of trouble to find you!' A familiar distorted voice shouted behind the smoke and dust created by the hit.
Then a moon-shape energy blast cut through the smoke screen towards Ichigo, before the angel could react, Grimmjow jumped in front of him and cut the attack into half with his sword, the attack hit the wall behind them.
The dust slowly settled to reveal the hollow of Ichigo who wore a long-sleeved, ankle-length white coat with a elegant white katana with a square hand guard and a short broken chain dangling as the sword's tassel, let out a little whistle before he said: 'Oh, that's interesting, you got a little stronger since last time we battled, I see. And you became King's bodyguard too, huh? You are so pathetic, King.'
Ichigo was about to turn into his angelic form, but the teal hair man stopped him and told him to save up his strength as turned into his beastly form and charged towards the counterpart of the angel. The battle was almost like the one back at the graveyard.
Suddenly, his friends, Rukia and Renji, came into the hall near the pathway that was destroyed by Grimmjow's ceros and were surprised by the engaging battle of the devils.
'WATCH OUT!' He cried out when he saw one of the hollow's attacks hit the ceiling above them, he quickly lunged towards them and spreads his wings wide enough to shield all of them from the rubbles that are falling on them.
As the angel shielded them from the falling stones, the hollow used this opportunity to fire three ceros that directly hit the back of the orange-haired boy who bit hard on his lower lips to prevent himself to shout in pain.
'ICHIGO!' Both of his friends screamed when they saw the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
'You're mine King!' His counterpart yelled as he fired another cero more powerful than the previous three at the injured angel, but before it reached its target, Grimmjow placed himself in front of the attack. The devil held up his left hand to stop it and fired a cero of his own at the white hollow who easily dodged it.
Ichigo was about to apologize to Grimmjow to have been careless, but when he saw the state that his left arm became, his eyes immediately narrow, his arm was deeply burned and the devil was breathing hard, the attack had did more damage than he thought.
Then the white hollow lunged toward his weaken opponent with his white katana in his hand, he was about to pierce the heart of his advisory, but the katana had instead of meeting flesh met the metal of a cleaver blade.
'You won't harm anyone I care anymore.' The orange-hair boy hissed through gritted teeth as he pushed the hollow back and jumped into the air. 'Getsuga Tensho!'
The black wave with red outline attack charged toward the white being, but it was soon split into two by the hollow's katana. His counterpart yelled at him: 'You think that stupid sword and trick of yours is going to defeat me?! You have lost this fight since the beginning! Because you lack the most important key to victory, which is…'
He disappeared for a second before he reappeared in the air with only an inch away from the angel and thrust his white katana into the chest of Ichigo whose eyes widen in shock. He learned closer to the orange-hair boy's ear to whisper: 'Instinct. That is what you lack and you die because of it.'
'Next Dance, White Ripple!' Someone below them yelled and the hollow looked down just in time to see a massive wave of ice coming to his direction. He let go of his sword still buried in the chest of the angel and jumped out of the range of the attack while Ichigo fell to the cold marble floor.
'YOU BASTARD!' Another voice yelled behind him, he looked over his shoulder to see Grimmjow standing a few feet away from him with his injured arm out-stretched was ready to fire a Gran Rey Cero.
With his incredible speed, he caught the burned arm before the devil had time to fire his attack and snapped the devil's waist back, breaking the bones instantly. Before Grimmjow could do anything, he kicked the hard at the stomach which sent him crashing towards the wall and fires a cero at Rukia and Renji, who jumped into the middle of the round hall to evade it. Then he landed quietly on the broken floor, just a few feet away from where the teal hair man had crashed.
He laughed manically at Grimmjow who got up painfully from the ground as he said: 'A devil with a broken arm, a rookie little angel and useless human tried to beat me! How amusing! You guys should try your best to entertain me!'
The white skin hollow would have continued to laugh at his broken enemies, but his laugh stopped abruptly when he felt his lungs had slightly tighten and it became more difficult for him to breath. His golden eyes slowly looked down to see the blade of his white katana tainted with his black blood through his chest.
Then he looked over his shoulder to see the orange-hair angel holding the hilt of the sword tightly as he spoke in rather deadly low tone for someone who never seemed to be a big threat: 'It's over.'
'Tsk. In the end, you choose death over life. You're pathetic King.' The hollow whispered weakly as his body turned into black ashes which were slowly absorbed by the white wings of Ichigo and they were quickly turned into black. When the wings were completely turned into black, they enveloped the orange-hair teen like a cocoon a few minutes before they spread apart to reveal him again.
The boy was no longer wearing his uniform and his hair was no longer long and straight. Instead, he was wearing the same clothes and holding the same katana as his hollow does in the opposite color. His wings were no longer pure white, but in pitch black, his hair became the same as when he is in his human form, spiky and bright, and his eyes were golden yellow.
'Ichigo?' Grimmjow eyed the angel's new form, not sure if it's Ichigo in control or it's the hollow, but when the dark wings angel took his broken arm in his hands, he somehow knew it was the orange-hair boy he knows.
Ichigo's hands started to glow and the wounds over the broken arm were slowly healing, the bones were mended. After he had healed the arm, the orange-hair angel learned closer to the teal hair devil until their foreheads touched and both bodies glowed brightly. Grimmjow didn't know what is happening to them, but he felt as if he was finally complete.
'Now, I understand.' Ichigo whispered as he backed away from Grimmjow who couldn't understand the meaning of his words, but he felt like being incomplete once more when the warmth of the boy left him.
Then the giant doors opened, a silver hair man with a fox-like grin came out and greeted them all, before he addressed to the orange-hair angel.
'Kurosaki Ichigo, Lord Aizen wants to meet you. So please.' The man invited the dark wings angel with a little bow and his hand pointed at the opened entrance.
Ichigo was about to head towards the entrance which will lead him to the Lord of Hell, but he was held back by Grimmjow who stared at into his eyes intensely and silently begging him not to go. For once, the boy saw fear inside the eyes of the man in front of him.
He shook his head lightly before he pulled off the arm which held him back from his fate, he didn't dare to look at those icy blue eyes again as he walked to the doors, for what reasons he didn't want to, he doesn't know. Perhaps he was afraid to regret something again, just like the moment when he told Byakuya that Grimmjow was thousands times better than him, or being hurt again.
When he was only a few steps away from the entrance, the one person who he didn't want to see before he finished his business with the Lord of Hell appeared. Why couldn't Byakuya just leave him alone since he had already broken his heart?