Chapter 25: Orihime Inoue Vs. Toshiro Hitsugaya

A.N.: This is a request by Mart-0skart.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Orihime Vs. Toshiro

Toshiro hurled another dragon at the Human, only to watch as she cut it to pieces with her Rejection sword. He cursed as his attempts failed. Orihime's powers were far greater than he imagined. He remembered how easy it was for Nemu to apprehend her back when she infiltrated the Soul Society. To think she could become so strong.

'Hatred can be a hell of a motivator,' Toshiro lamented. He charged at the girl and locked blades with her. Orihime pushed back against him with Kenten Kōshun. Her spirit blade hummed as it pushed against Hitsugaya's zanpakuto. He'd quickly learned to his chagrin that her powers had evolved to the point where she could Reject a zanpakuto release, making her a difficult opponent.

Orihime slashed and chopped at Toshiro but her strikes were clumsy and amateurish, even with her training by Dordoni and Ulquiorra. For Hitsugaya, who was a master of Zanjutsu, parrying her blows was simple. Still, he was already worn out from fighting Halibel, the Espada whom he froze to death in his icy pillar and he knew that his strength would give out if he kept the fighting on the ground.

Jumping backward, Toshiro swung his sword. "Guncho Tsurara!" he shouted. A flurry of icicles shot towards Orihime. The orangette retaliated by stabbing her sword into the ground. From the cement arose a large triangular shield in front of her, protecting her from his attack. When she pulled her sword out of the ground, the shield descended.

"I'm sorry but I can't waste any more time with you," he said, huffing from exhaustion. "I have to prepare for the fight against Aizen." He pointed his sword at Orihime and focused his spirit energy. "Bankai!"

The air became freezing cold around Orihime as Toshiro revealed his ultimate technique. Wings of ice sprouted from his back and his hands and feet became covered in ice-claws. His sword hand and handle was surrounded by a dragon's head. Behind him were twelve ice petals. "Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"

Orihime gulped, hoping that she could handle the captain. Steeping herself she charged at the captain, hoping to Reject the boy's Bankai. Sadly, Toshiro had caught on to her trick and took to the air, flying over her. Pointing his sword at her, Toshiro turned it like the key to a lock. "Sennen Hyōro!" he shouted.

Pillars of ice surrounded Orihime and she soon found herself trapped by the encroaching ice. She swung her sword at the ice but it only bounced off of it, chipping away small chunks of it.

Toshiro watched as the ice slowly closed in on Orihime, crushing her. It pained him to do it but he knew he had no choice. Orihime and Ichigo had both allied with Aizen and now they were enemies. As a captain, he knew his duty. "I'm so sorry…" he said mournfully. His turquoise eyes widened, however when he saw golden light erupt from within the ice. The pillars shook and cracked as more golden light shined within the ice.

When the ice finally gave and exploded outward, Toshiro saw what had destroyed the ice. Orihime had thrown up her Sōten Kisshun to protect herself and when it refused to budge against his Sennen Hyōro the ice crumbled from the strain.

Icy fog surrounded Orihime as she lowered her barrier, thankful for her quick thinking. She summoned Santen Kesshun and floated up until she was level with Toshiro. Tsubaki floated next to her, ready to attack. As Toshiro took a stance again Orihime noted how several of his ice petals were gone. "Looks like we're doing this the hard way," Toshiro noted.

"Looks that way," Orihime said as she nodded. "Koten Zanshun!" Tsubaki became a blur of death as he shot towards Toshiro. The child cursed as he threw up a barrier of ice. Tsubaki obliterated the ice, sending more mist into the air. But she found that Toshiro was nowhere behind it. She whirled around to see the boy directly behind her. She jumped off her shield in the nick of time as Toshiro sent a wave of ice at her. As she rolled onto a rooftop, she saw him send a huge wave of icicles at her. "Santen Kesshun!" As the shield blocked the attack she realized what Toshiro was doing when she whirled around to find him at her back. Her shield only blocked her front and left her back exposed.

Orihime cringed as she dodged his attack by a hair, his cold blade hitting her shoulder. Staggering backwards, Orihime summoned her Rejection sword and swiped at the captain, who merely flew away on his wings. "Are you just going to keep flying away?" she demanded; she was becoming frustrated by Toshiro's style of fighting.

"I'm well aware of your sword's power. I've no wish to see you dispel my Bankai," Toshiro explained. "I'm sorry if I'm being dishonorable, Orihime, but I must win at any cost. And one other thing?" he pointed his sword at the ground beneath Orihime. "While you were trapped in my Sennen Hyōro I laid a few traps about."

" Wha-" Orihime gasped before a pentagon of ice crystals appeared beneath her. A line of ice traveled from each of the snowflake crystals, freezing Orihime in place.

"Rokui Hyōketsujin."

Orihime became frozen in place as Toshiro's ice trap surrounded her. The beautiful teen lay trapped inside the prison of ice. Toshiro looked at his ice petals and frowned, seeing that he was done to half of them. Deciding that the battle was over, Toshiro flew away from the frozen Orihime, leaving her to her icy fate.

He only made it a little way when he heard a cracking noise. "Impossible!" he whirled around in shock as the prison of ice suddenly burst open. "It can't be!"

Orihime shivered as she stepped out of the ice, wondering herself how she survived that. When she gripped her sword she realized that when she was frozen, Kenten Kōshun was with her and it rejected the ice. "Whew! That was close!" she breathed. Rubbing her cold arms, she turned and saw Toshiro flying back towards her. She gathered her courage and summoned her sprites again. It was clear that she wouldn't get close to Toshiro since he was so wary of her powers. She decided she would have to change tactics.

"Rokuten Yumishun!" she shouted, summoning her bow. She aimed at Toshiro and shot at him. Toshiro moved out of the way but wasn't fast enough. Her attack struck his left wing, shattering it. Hitting the rooftop, Toshiro cringed before realizing that Tsubaki was making another round, heading straight for him.

"Sennen Hyoro!"

Using his ice pillars, Toshiro protected himself from Tsubaki's strike. He dove out of the way as Tsubaki broke through the ice. Orihime saw Toshiro dash out of the hole in the pillars and summoned her spirit to her side. She pulled the bowstring again and aimed it at Toshiro, only to hesitate when he saw his haggard, roughed up appearance. She noted that he was down to just one ice petal now and it was on the verge of breaking. "What…just what's with the ice petals," she asked out of curiosity. "Is it some time limit?"

"Yes and no," Toshiro reluctantly admitted, getting to his feet. "My Bankai…is immature. Like you, I'm young and my power hasn't reached its full potential. Twelve minutes is all I can manage with my Bankai."

Orihime hesitated from firing. If Toshiro's power was about to used up, then there was no point in fighting him further.

Ultimately it was Orihime's hesitance that would prove her undoing when the ice petal crumbled and Toshiro disappeared in an icy mist. "Orihime," a voice came from behind the mist, "I never said my Bankai ended when the last petal broke. When the last petal fades…" he stepped out of the mist and smiled, " Daiguren Hyōrinmaru reaches full maturity," said the boy.

Except he wasn't a boy anymore.

Orihime gasped when she saw that the small captain had become a young man, tall and lanky. His arms and legs were covered with ice and as he reached for his sword the metal blade became covered in frost. "You…you grew up?"

Chuckling, the now adult Toshiro Hitsugaya nodded. "Yes, though truth be told I'm not fond of my older self. Orihime," he looked at her with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, but what I do I do for the Seireitei. You're angry and you've every right to. I should have opposed Mayuri's treatment of you but I didn't. Nothing I say can take away the pain my inaction caused but…" he pointed his blade at Orihime, "I'm sorry. I promise it'll be quick."

Orihime cursed her hesitance and drew her bow back. She knew that she could survive being frozen thanks to her powers…or so she thought. "Rokuten-"

Before she could even finish her sentence it was over.

"Shikai Hyōketsu," Toshiro said as he walked past the frozen statue of Orihime, the girl frozen completely before she could finish drawing her bow. "Sorry, Orihime. But I can freeze anything provided I have four seconds to build my strength. Even your powers can't stop it; no power remains functional when it is frozen. " He looked at the frozen Orihime sadly before walking away. "Goodbye, Orihime. I'm sorry. In another life, we could've been friends…."

To be continued….