BLACK SUN [Countdown to the End 1]
Aizen lurched, but Ulquiorra dug his hand deeper into the once-Shinigami's ribcage. Blood dripped down, splashing into the water that only he could walk upon. He raised his head, each of his unsettlingly misplaced eyes sneering in contempt of the Espada that once called him Lord.
How is this...possible? Aizen questioned, My defense are supposed to be perfect!
I am supposed to be perfect!
This cannot be allowed to continue!
"This is the end for you, Sousuke." Those black lips whispered, "It's time to wake up. The dream is over."
"Don't presume...to mock me..." Aizen gurgled, his attention grabbed again by a strange noise coming from Ichigo's direction.
The fully Hollowfied and Mugetsu-bearing Shinigami Substitute could actually be seen attracting the whirling reiatsu surrounding the Ouken.
Aizen's eyes were wide in disbelief, "Get away...from the Ouken, you filthy Ryouka...BOY-"
His attention was regrabbed by Ulquiorra as he felt a Lanza del Relampago form from within his body, the spear-tips shooting out of his flanks.
"You're not going anywhere."
Filthy Ryouka? Ichigo wondered silently, And I thought he wanted me here.
"Release...me!"
"No."
"You cannot have the...Houyoku...! Gin already...tried...and FAILED!"
"I don't want it."
Aizen again tried to pull away as he heard Ichigo yet still prying energy away from his precious key. Now, however, Ichigo's missing limb - rather, the red bloody swirl coming from the stump - began to come back together to reforge that right arm. His clawed hand outstretched, reaching directly into the vortex.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" Aizen barked, starting to feel the edge of fear that he may still lose this fight. "If you touch the Ouken...I will...tear you apart..."
Even though the small slits, Ichigo's eyes gave away his dry amusement at that threat, "Hmph. Whatever."
Sousuke reeled.
THAT INSUFFERABLE FOOL...
He raised his right hand, his fist clenched.
He has no idea what will happen if he tries to stop this!
Ulquiorra dodged, countering with a quick jab at Aizen's chin with this free left hand, knocking his head back. Aizen, of course, tried to repost, lifting his left hand as his body jerked backward, trying to hit the Espada in the cheek. Ulquiorra was quick to defend and grabbed the man's fist with his left hand. Aizen regained his footing and then reached back with his right hand, grabbing Ulquiorra's arm and proceeding to rip it from the smaller figure's body.
Ulquiorra regenerated in the same fluid motion and punched his former master in the ribs, but on the second swing Aizen caught the limb by the wrist in his left hand, reaching over Ulquiorra's embedded limb to do so, and pulled it back so the Espada's arms would be crossed. He then proceeded to reach back with his free right hand, ready to punc the Arrancar so hard that even the defense of his wings couldn't protect him.
Ichigo had Kyouka Suigetsu in his grip, looking as the Ouken melted away from the blade. He lowered his eyes to where Ulquiorra was having his face turned to mush.
Blood dripped from the splattered visage to Aizen's knuckles, and as he pulled that arm back to hit his enemy again, Aizen abruptly found that he had no arm to punch with.
Ichigo was in an attack stance...clear on the opposite side of the platform. He had moved so quickly through the fray that none could tell he'd even passed.
"Ulquiorra." He said quietly, Aizen's severed limb falling beyond the veil, "Why are you letting him beat the Hell out of you again?"
"I'm...busy." The Espada answered, his right eye so badly injured that it dripped out of the socket. Several cuts lined his cheeks. His nose was broken, and blood seeped forth from every part. "I'm focus...focusing all of my power... onto my Lanza... So long as he-... the Hougyoku...is trapped inside it...then he...he too is trapped..."
"So I guess that means...you don't plan on letting go. For any reason." Ichigo surmised, swapping Kyouka Suigetsu to his left hand as he stood upright again.
"That's...that's right..." Ulquiorra answered, his right eye starting to regenerate.
"You're going to get hit with everything I have." The teen warned, "The reiatsu I drained from the Ouken...it's more than I've ever held at any given point. You'll be annihilated alongside Aizen, and I don't know if Inoue will be able to bring you back again."
This can't be happening, Aizen growled, refusing to let go of Ulquiorra's broken arm lest the Espada try hitting him with it again. I can't regenerate. Without my other arm, I can't attack in any meaningful way. "This is...preposterous. THIS IS RIDICULOUS."
Aizen's mouth opened so wide that the strip of flesh around his lips ripped apart, enabling him to widen that sharply lined maw wide enough to clamp down onto Ulquiorra's neck and shoulder. Ulquiorra's eyes were wide at the bite, as were Ichigo's.
"ULQUIORRA!"
"DON'T!" He ordered, "YOU DON'T HAVE THE...LUXURY OF GETTING TO WORRY ABOUT MY...WELL BEING. I WON'T ALLOW IT."
Ichigo was mortified, but turned his head.
"QUIT STANDING AROUND!"
Ichigo looked up, having to use every fiber of his will to not try to step in and pry the Arrancar free.
"KUROSAKI! GO NOW!"
"DAMNIT!" Ichigo yelled, crouching down that instant. The water around his feet erupted in outward waves, and then were drawn up into a spout as it followed the flow of Ichigo's massive leap. The entire platform shuddered at the force of the jump, and the waves forced Aizen, and Ulquiorra in tow, out into the open air.
Bloodied, but no longer attached to the Espada's throat, Aizen looked up to where he could see the start of a Cero forming in the sky.
The Ouken was right there... IT WAS RIGHT THERE!
Water and foam flew around them as the platform dissolved, once and for all.
It just slipped through my fingers... In the blink of an eye...
It was gone...
Aizen could see the look on Ulquiorra's face. He could tell that the Espada had made peace with his fate and would not let go for any reason. The Lanza was so well entrenched in his flesh, so perfectly surrounding the Hougyoku within Ulquiorra's fist, that Aizen couldn't even gather the reiatsu necessary to avoid free-falling.
He reached out his hand towards the sky, letting go of Ulquiorra's shattered wrist in doing, and grasped for the reiatsu swirling above him.
Gone...
...just...
...gone...
The Cero continued to form between Ichigo's mask-horns, and soon, the teen brought Kyouka Suigetsu up into it, plunging the reiatsu-imbued blade into the red light. The added energy caused the Cero to expand in size, easily now as big as a stadium. But it wasn't over yet.
Ichigo raised his right hand towards the glowing orb.
"Mugetsu."
Again, the sphere roared with size and power.
The Black Sun rose.
. . .
The golden dome remained over Nel's tiny form, and Orihime was still as determined as ever to make it do what she wanted.
Nel looked down and sighed, "I don't think it'th going to work. You can thtop now if you want."
Orihime sighed, looking rather sad, "I'm so sorry, Nel-chan... I guess there's a limit to what I can change."
"It'th okay. Thank you for trying anywa-"
POP!
Orihime was stopped dead.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Nel-chan!? Nel-chan!" She paniced, looking left and right and everywhere in between to try to find the small Arrancar. A brief second pop caught her attention and she stopped, looking behind her to where Nel had originally been sitting.
Within moments, the stunned girl could see the adult form of Neliel tu Oderschwank reforming itself...without her scar or broken mask.
"I don't believe it..." Nelliel said quietly, looking at her gloved hand. She could see the rest of her old self reforming in turn, right along with her former Espada uniform, "...It really worked!"
"THAT'S AMAZING!" Orihime cried excitedly, "IT EVEN FIXED YOUR SCAR AND MASK! EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE SO SURPRISED WHEN THEY SEE YOU!"
Nelliel's expression changed. She could only look at the woman...rather...past her with an odd look on her face.
Orihime was confused, "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
The sky behind her darkened enough to catch her attention, and the orange-haired girl finally turned around. Far in the mountains, well beyond the farthest edges of the city, the massive black Cero could be seen...and then it plunged itself into the earth.
The two women braced themselves.