Chapter 28
In Vain
"Are you the one named Kurosaki Karin?" the voice asked and Karin froze.
Slowly, she turned around. What met her was the gaze of a male Shinigami. "What if I am? How do you know that name?" she asked and tried to remain calm.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "Why have you come to Soul Society? Why do you wear a Shinigami's outfit?"
Karin narrowed her eyes. "None of your business."
"I see," he said calmly. His eyes were serious. "Then I have no other choice." He drew his Zanpakutō. Karin mirrored his movement.
For a moment, none of them moved. Karin studied the Shinigami in front of her. He had short black hair and dark grey eyes, much like herself, and he wore a sleeve-less Shihakushō. He had three scars over his right eye and the number '69' tattooed one his left cheek.
The moment passed, and the two of them attacked each other. His blade met hers and he pushed her backwards. Karin knew this was a fight she had to take serious. This person wasn't just some Shinigami. This was a high-raking officer.
"Who are you?" he asked. His Zanpakutō clashed against hers.
"Apparently, you already know that," Karin replied and pushed him away. Their katana met once more. This time it was Karin who asked: "Who are you?"
"Lieutenant of the 9th Division, Hisagi Shūhei," he answered simply. He swung his Zanpakutō in an arc. Karin jumped away. She thought she had dodge it, but a moment later she felt a sharp pain on her left cheek. A single drop of blood trickled down her face.
"Who are you?" he asked again after a while.
"You already asked that," Karin replied.
"You never gave me a real answer," he said.
"Touché," she said, and she could swear she saw a smile play on his lips.
The fight went on. Karin was beginning to feel the affect of his attacks. She had avoided most of them and had no serious injuries, but she had small cuts all over her. He was just playing. None of his attacks were serious. She gritted her teeth.
"It was stupid of you to come here," Shūhei said when she didn't answer. "What is important enough for you to be willing to throw away your life for it?"
Karin barely blocked his next attack. The way he wielded his Zanpakutō was amazing. Every move he made was planned and she was unable to predict any of them. His attacks seemed to appear put of nowhere.
"I'm not throwing away anything," Karin said through clenched teeth as she blocked another attack.
Shūhei had the upper hand. This was getting serious now. There were more power in his attacks and he moved faster and faster. She was having a hard time keeping up with him.
His next attack sent her flying and she crashed into a wall. She felt something wet trickle down her forehead and cover her vision. She touched the place with her hand and unsurprisingly, it was blood.
"Yes, you are. Invading Seireitei, especially alone, is suicide," he continued. "Give it up, and I won't have to kill you."
Karin got up on her feet again. She wiped the blood away from her face with her sleeve. "I'm not done yet!" she said angrily and attacked.
He blocked with ease. "I said: give it up already! You're no match for me. And even if you won, what would you do? Whatever you're planning, it's doomed to fail."
This time, it was his turn to attack, and this time, Karin was unable to block. His Zanpakutō hit her on her right side and left a deep cut. She coughed, and blood came out of her mouth.
"I'll give you one last chance. Give it up." His voice was calm. There was no arrogance or cockiness in it. He was dead serious.
"I'll never give up," Karin mumbled.
Even though it turned out to be someone else's execution, she didn't want to give up. Karin wasn't a person who gave up. But his words made her waver. Even if she won, what would she do? She had no purpose here anymore. All her effort seemed to be in vain.
All she had achieved was endangering Tōshirō. He had been just fine until she came and made a mess. If they found out… then it would become his execution. Then it would be her fault.
She couldn't let that happen. She had to win.
Slowly, she got up on her feet again. "I'll never give up!" she shouted and pointed her Zanpakutō at him.
"Shigetsu!" she shouted and the place went purple. Her Reiatsu was so immense that it became visible. It flared around her like flames. Shūhei's eyes widened.
Her Zanpakutō had taken a new form. The blade had extended, as had the hilt. The guard was gone and in the end of the hilt, a smaller blade had taken form. The Zanpakutō was now the same length as herself.
She took a frim grip around the hilt with both hands. The right, she placed closest to the longer blade, and the left closest to the smaller one. It came natural, as if she had done this all her life.
In the beginning, she had found it difficult to wield Shigetsu's new form. It was longer than the blade she was used to, and she always had to watch out for the smallest blade, so she wouldn't stab herself. Now, it came natural. When she held the Zanpakutō, it felt right.
Karin felt the energy return. Her wounds even stopped bleeding. She was no longer panting. "This is not over," she said, her voice no longer shaking with exhaustion. She held Shigetsu out in front of her, as a challenge.
Her opponent tightened the grip around his Zanpakutō. "As you wish," he said and attacked.
Hisagi had to say, the change in her power level surprised him. How was it possible to have such an immense Reiatsu?
When she released her Zanpakutō, she had released her Reiatsu as well. He was shocked by how much Reiatsu the kid had been hiding. It had increased tenfold, at least.
He should have finished this when she still had her Zanpakutō sealed.
Hisagi was the first one to attack. The girl dodged. His eyes widened. She was moving so fast! He barely saw her move. She disappeared out of his vision.
He shunpoed away. Where was she?
She appeared in front of him and swung her blade. Hisagi shielded himself with Kazeshini. The kid's Zanpakutō hit his, and the power in her attacked overwhelmed him. Again he had to jump away.
She followed, ready with her next attack. This time, he was unable to block, and her Zanpakutō hit his left side. Blood flowed from the wound. Hisagi narrowed his eyes. If this continued, he would have to release his own Zanpakutō.
His opponent wasn't slacking around, and was ready with her next attack. He tried to dodge, but her blade still hit him. He managed to get away with only a cut on his leg.
As the fight went on, it became clearer and clearer that this was hopeless. He was loosing. "I guess I have no other choice," Hisagi said with a hoarse voice. He held out is Zanpakutō.
"Kare, Kazeshini."
The form of his blade changed. He grimaced. Hisagi never liked his Zanpakutō's Shikai and avoided using unless it was absolutely necessary.
They attacked synchronized. Their blades clashed once again and they looked each other directly into each other's eyes.
Hisagi was the first on to jump away. His Shikai wasn't meant for close combat. It was a long-range weapon. He threw the blade in his right hand at her.
Karin blocked and Hisagi used the chain to drag his blade back. Before he even was able to grab it, Karin was there, ready with her next attack. He blocked with his left blade and caught his right one. She jumped away.
She was the close combat type. Her blade had a small range. If he managed to keep her at distance, this would become his victory.
She made a move, but Hisagi's spinning blade kept her at distance. After a few more of her failed attacks and a few more of his successful ones, the battled seemed to be over. He was about to deliver the finishing blow when she suddenly changed tactics.
She moved closer and Hisagi threw his blade at her. She sunpoed away, but not towards him. She moved closer again and Hisagi was forced throw his other blade. He caught the one he threw a moment ago and dragged the one he just threw back.
She kept going like that, and Hisagi was starting to realise what she was trying to do. She wanted to create an opening. She had to get closer to him if she was going to have a chance of winning.
He wouldn't let that happen.
He changed his own tactics. Instead of keeping her away, he let her get closer. This way, he was able to remain in control of the battle.
His opponent seemed to believe that she finally succeeded. She attacked, but Hisagi was prepared. He threw his left blade while stopping her attack with his right. The blade he threw flew in a wide arc.
Kurosaki realised what he was up to. The spinning blade approached her from behind. She jumped away, but Hisagi predicted her movements. He pulled the chain towards himself and the blade changed course. She didn't notice the approaching blade until it was too late. She was able to avoid most of the damage, but the blade gave her a deep cut on her arm.
Then she did something he hadn't expected her to. Instead of jumping away, she jumped forward. Her sudden attack surprised him and he was unable to push her away and was forced into close combat.
Kurosaki was fighting offensively. How was she able to still fight with her wounded arm? She still had just as much force behind her attacks as she had before getting the wound.
She attacked him over and over again and Hisagi felt how he was slowly running out of Reiatsu. She didn't seem to have that problem. How was it that she had so much Reiatsu left anyway? She was using a lot more than he did, so why was he the one running out?
He had to finish this while he still had some left.
He was about to make his move when something changed. Kurosaki lifted her Zanpakutō. He felt how her spiritual energy was building up. She was preparing some kind of attack, he realised. He also knew that if he let her go through with it, he wouldn't stand a chance.
She was wide open. One shunpo, and this would be over.
He jumped at her, but was too late. She swung her Zanpakutō and there was a flash of purple light. The attack was pure spiritual energy formed like a crescent moon.
He didn't have a chance.
The attack hit him and blew up. He was thrown backward and slung through a wall. He coughed, and blood came out of his mouth. His vision was foggy.
How? he thought. How was this little girl able to fight him, a Gotei 13 lieutenant, like an equal? She was just a kid!
He wasn't able to fight any longer. This was it. He had lost.
He sent the girl one last glance before everything went black.
In another place far away, in a big dark room, three dark figures stood in silence. One of them stood in the front, and the other two waited behind him. Waited for him to say something.
"What now?" one of the two asked when he didn't. "What do we do?"
The man in the front smirked sadistically.
