XxXx I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. I lost internet for a little while and then I just couldn't seem to get this chapter right; but after writing three times, I believe I have it right. Watching episode 219 like 20 times and Wikipedia helped with this. Thank you for the wonderful reviews from the previous chapter. I didn't realize that it seemed rushed, I apologize and I hope this chapter will be better. Most of this chapter will be in Shūhei's POV. Please review with your thoughts. XxXx
Chapter 29
Shūhei's POV
I stood in front the Arrancar that appeared before me after slaying the hollow attempting to crumble the pillar. His mask covered the upper half of his face with eyeholes that were yellow in color and a row of teeth etched across his chin. It almost was a helmet of some sort. I couldn't see a hollow hold anywhere, so I assumed it was under his clothing. His hair was long and blonde. "What rank are you?" he asked.
"Shūhei Hisagi, I'm the Lieutenant of Squad Nine" I replied.
"I see; well then, I to will fight at the level of Lieutenant"
"Huh?"
The Arrancar lunged in my direction and I lifted my sword to defend myself. Again, he lunged at me; but the attack felt weaker than a Lieutenant's power. It confused me, "I don't get it" I stated.
"Don't get what?" he asked.
"I thought you said that you were going to fight with all the power of a Lieutenant; but right now I'd say your power is at a fifth seat, if that"
"Exacta, you got it"
"I got what?"
The Arrancar smiled and continued to explain, "That was a test to see if you could accurately gauge my power level. There's no point if you can't tell the difference" he finished. His words further confused me.
I found myself becoming distracted by Reina's spiritual pressure. It was erratic and unbalanced. Was she upset or was she preparing for battle? I had to focus on my opponent; otherwise, I could wind up dead and then I wouldn't be able to do what I wanted, when we returned.
"You make it seem like there is a way for you to fight at that level" I stated.
"Exacta"
He lifted a small blade that was attached to his wrist and slashed a piece of his mask off. He attacked me once again, stating that he now was at a fourth seat. I noticed the difference in strength automatically. He broke yet another small section of his mask and again attacked me, stating he was at a third seat's level.
"Quit playing" I yelled.
He stood on the top of a small building and held the blade to his mask once more. The blade broke nearly his entire mask off, leaving only a small area around his right eye. "Get ready, because now…I'm at Lieutenant" he announced.
I wasn't ready for his increased power and he sent me crashing into the fake town below. He swung his zanpakuto and it crashed against mine. "This is a Lieutenant's power" he muttered. Overpowering me, his blade made a cut on my right shoulder.
"And this is a Lieutenant's blade" he stated again.
He slashed his zanpakuto over and over again, making me back up each time he swung. In the end, he sent me backwards towards a telephone pole. My feet landed against the pole and I used its base to gain speed, flying back at him with enough force to destroy the pole completely.
The Arrancar used Sonido to appear before me and his attack forced me into a pile of rubble. I got up again and returned to attack him once more; but my slash was easily blocked by his zanpakuto. I slid on the ground, swinging my blade at his legs; but he dodged it, balancing himself off the ground with his own zanpakuto.
I was starting to becoming frustrated with my lack of offense. We took the battle into the air; but his speed surprised me and he made a small cut across my back. "Damnit" I cursed mentally. The Arrancar fired a Cero; I dodge, only for him to tell me it was futile.
His wrist twisted and he slashed the air several times, creating small versions of a Cero. I flash-stepped over and over again, trying to avoid them all. "How long will you last?" he taunted. As it turned out, I couldn't avoid all of them; one hit me in the stomach.
"Those were Lieutenant leveled Ceros and Balas" he said.
Reina's POV
I was sensing the entire battle between Shūhei and the Arrancar 'old-man' Espada sent over to destroy the pillar. Izuru had already defeated the Arrancar sent over to him, so I didn't understand why Shūhei wouldn't release his shikai. I knew about his fear of his own weapon; but was it this strong?
I knew my spiritual pressure was uncontrolled at this point and I soon felt a comforting hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Captain Ukitake standing there, his soft eyes staring into my own.
"Calm down, Reina. He'll be just fine" he said softly.
The three Espada's looked on at us, waiting for the results to appear around the pillars. The old man in the center sneered in amusement at me. "You are Lord Aizen's daughter and it would seem that you have lost your heart to a weakling" he stated.
"You might want to watch what you say while in my presence" I replied.
My hand reached for the hilt of my zanpakuto and flicked it up a little with my thumb. "My my, you are aggressive aren't you" he taunted and I just smiled wickedly at him, allowing my power to surge through my entire body.
"Like I said, you might want to watch what you say; otherwise, you'll end up dead"
The two remaining fracción's next to him immediately moved in front of him, to protect him as if I had attacked. "How dare you speak to Lord Baraggan that way" a young Arrancar stated. He had scruffy black hair, a short braided ponytail and golden eyes. His mask reminded me of a saber-tooth cat.
The old man seemed to enjoy these taunts and as far as I could tell, he was the one calling the shots now that my father, Gin and Kaname were behind a circle of flames. Did that mean he was the number one Espada? It would made sense if he was, considering the fact the other two weren't challenging him.
I felt a slight drop in Shūhei's spiritual pressure and I turned my head in the direction of the pillar he was defending. "Shūhei" I whispered praying that he would be safe.
Shūhei's POV
I started to breathe heavy and then I felt Reina's swirling spiritual pressure. Something was going on with her and it was unsettling to me. I needed to defeat this hollow, so I could be at her side for the rest of this war.
"How are you holding up? You look a little tired" he observed.
Using Sonido, he appeared directly in front of me. "Don't you think it's time you got serious here, Lieutenant" then hit me in the head with the hilt of his zanpakuto and kicked me. I used Shunpo to get behind him, swinging my sword down at him. He caught my arm before it made contact.
"This is the speed you should possess. Look at you, you're exhausted. You sure you're going to be okay, Lieutenant. In a battle between equals, you wouldn't expect one man to be so worn out" he commented.
He threw me into the town below while firing a Cero at the same time. I landed on a cable bridge, kneeling down on one knee. Again, I was starting to breath heavy. I stood back up despite feeling out of breath. He appeared on top of another roof. "It's interesting, what could this mean I wonder. You're fighting an opponent whose abilities are at the level of a Lieutenant and yet for some reason you're the only one who's lagging"
His words caught me by surprise; but it did hit close to my heart. I've always wondered if I deserved to be a Lieutenant in the first place; but Captain Tōsen refused to remove me as a seated officer. "Would you care to warrant a guess as to why?" he asked.
"Man you're a pain. What are you trying to say, that I don't have what it takes for the job?"
"Exacta, you don't disappoint Lieutenant. Provided that I haven't misjudged the strength of you and you're Court Guard Squad, then you are correct that's precisely what I was getting at"
"You can quit calling me Lieutenant already. It's Shūhei Hisagi; I told you that at the start"
"I beg your pardon, guess it slipped my mind. Really where are my manners? I should have introduced myself. Allow me to do so now. You may call me Findor Calius. I'm am one of Lord Baraggan's fracción's"
I watched him carefully as he slightly raised his arm just a little. "Anyway, now that I've complied with etiquette it's time I put an end to this battle."
He pointed his sword directed at me, "In the very manner, you are most accustomed to dealing in. In other words, this dance will end with me slicing you into ribbons Shūhei Hisagi" he stated and I couldn't seem to move. This whole thing was unnerving to me.
"Carve upon the water" he called.
An eruption of spiritual energy engulfed him in the form of purple waves. I held my arm over my face, shielding it. "Pinza Aguda" he announced and the waves broke open. He stood with large crab-like claws that covered both of his hands; however, the right claw was much larger than the other.
"So that getup is an Arrancar's Resurrección huh?" I asked.
"Exacta, right again. You're a sharp one"
"If you think you guys are the only one who've done your homework, then you're surly mistaken"
"Oh trust me; we weren't fool enough to believe that"
He laughed and used Sonido to attempt to get behind me; but I used flash-step to avoid his attack. His arm slashed the cables from the bridge off. "Exacta, you evaded my Sonido perfectly"
"Save your critiques for someone who gives a damn"
"Seems like you have a decent bit of fight left in you"
The cables on the bridge collapsed behind me. I swung my zanpakuto, only for it to be blocked by his large crab-like arm. "To live is to face one difficult dilemma after another. The ones who survive are the ones who come up with answers in this sea of adversity. It's only logical therefore that we all strife to possess as many answers as possible. Am I wrong?" he continued to talk.
"So you've got all the answers and you're gonna shove them down my throat huh? Talk is cheap"
I released one of my armbands from around my arm. It exploded upon his arm. "Bakudō number 62, Hyapporankan" I called and threw a bar of purple energy that scattered into hundreds of bars, pinning him against a building wall.
"You're through loud mouth" I yelled rushing in for the finish.
Findor freed his arm, "Don't underestimate me, Soul Reaper" he held his the larger claw out and shot a stream of water. I moved slightly so it would miss me completely; but I turned around to see it slice the building me behind me. I turned back around to see him fire another stream; I moved again and saw it slice the ground under me.
"High pressured water?" I mentioned to myself.
"Exacta; but it's not a good idea to take your eyes off of your enemy" he replied.
He broke completely free of the Bakudō spell and moved to attack me. I flash-stepped into the air. "Come now, you don't think you're going to get away" he yelled and fired more of his high pressure water streams at me.
Hundreds of them scattered into the sky and I moved to avoid them, slashing my sword through them. There was just so many of them; but eventually hey encased me in a shell of water.
"It's all over" he yelled laughing hysterically.
Inside, I knew the only way I was going to be able to win this was to release my zanpakuto's shikai. I hated the thought of using it; but if it was the only way to get back to Reina, then I had no choice.
"Reap, Kazeshini" I called.
The scythe blades slashed though the shell of water and it returned to my hand. Findor looked on at my newly released zanpakuto. My spiritual pressure increased, giving it a green aura around me.
Reina's POV
I felt Shūhei's increased spiritual pressure and knew that he had released his shikai. Captain Sui Fēng smiled knowing the Arrancar didn't have a chance now. I relaxed a little and reveled in the fact that I knew he would win now.
"It seems that Soul Reaper has some power" Baraggan commented.
"It wouldn't matter to me if he didn't. I'd love him all the same"
"Pitiful, you are Lord Aizen's daughter and shouldn't have such pathetic emotions"
I found amusement in his statement. What the hell did my father tell his subordinates? "You must be pretty stupid" I said with a sly smile. His eyes narrowed in annoyance and that's when I realized that I had gotten under his skin.
"My so called father had labeled me a mistake since my birth and to be honest, it's made me stronger knowing he doesn't give a damn"
"Reina…" Rangiku whispered behind me.
Behind the circle of flames, I could feel the three former Captains conversing; but out of all of them, my father never said a word. It felt like he was watching me and made me smile. I wondered what he thought of me now.
Shūhei's POV
"I see, so that is your zanpakuto is it, Shūhei Hisagi" he said.
"Yeah, this is my zanpakuto…Kazeshini; although to be quite honest, I'm not too fond of it"
"Hmm, what are you talking about?"
"You heard me. I don't like it. I mean it works and all; but I can't stand the look of the damn thing"
He looked at me completely dumbfounded that I would even say such a thing about my own weapon. I lifted one of my blades to show the shape of it. "Look at the shape of it, like it was made for reaping lives" I stated.
He sucked in a surprised gasp of air and I threw the blade at him, cutting his hair on the left side of his face. He used Sonido to get behind me. He touched his face and noticed the lack of hair he had there. I threw my blade again and once more he used Sonido to move out of the way. I used Hyapporankan. He landed on the ground and quickly avoided the spell.
I wasn't far behind and threw the blade once more; he moved and landed on top of another roof. The blade moved at him and once again he moved, laughing; but the laughter stopped once he was pushed back into buildings. Using the other blade, I used it as a distraction to get behind him. I slashed down against his large clawed arm. He used his other arm to attack me.
Moving back a little, I avoided contact and fell downward. I pulled the chain attached to the second blade and caught Findor in the back. He spun into the ground below. Slowly he walked out of the rubble and I landed on top of another telephone pole, circling the blade above me over and over again.
"Hard to predict huh; this things trajectory I mean"
I stared down at him with intent to kill eyes. The blade swung around above me, making it seem like a threat to him. He never moved and it seemed like he was afraid of my blade now. Which would make us equals.
"You afraid?" I asked.
"Like hell" he snapped.
"I see, well I know I am"
"Afraid, afraid of what? You own colossal mountain of power"
His smile returned to his face and I knew he was in denial. He knew that he had no chance of winning now. "Narcissistic dribble, you're dreaming if you believe that Soul Reaper. Allow me to wake you from your slumber" he countered.
I watched him shatter another piece of his mask off and the aura of spiritual pressure surrounded him. He laughed, "It's over" he said and lunged up at me, attacking me.
"With over ninety percent of my mask broken away now, I'm just as strong as a Captain. You haven't a prayer of winning, Lieutenant" he stated.
I pulled the chain attached to my blade and it cut his claw clean off his arm. The claw smashed into the ground with a loud crash. He was completely shocked at what had just transpired. "The thing is, any man that doesn't fear his own strength or the strength of his enemy…is no man at all"
He stared at me again, wondering what my logic was for saying such a thing. Kazeshini swung above me, waiting to be used to make the final blow against him. "Wielding a sword without fear of it is to be unworthy of the blade" I said again remembering what Captain Tōsen had taught me.
"You see that's how I was taught"
Findor finally had the expression of fear on his face. The memory of Captain Tōsen dug into my heart and it was hard for me to concentrate. The man was someone I looked up to and respected above everyone else. Findor watched as my zanpakuto swung around. "Finally afraid huh. You're equal with me at last" I stated.
He screamed in fear, "Take this" he screamed and opened the last remaining claw to fire a cero. In that moment, I threw Kazeshini through the energy slicing it straight through. In the end, my blade went through his head and he crumpled to ground. I landed on the ground, putting my sword back inside the sheath at my side.
"Strong as a Captain you said huh, sorry pal you weren't even close"
I looked down at his defeated body. I mentally prayed for his soul to return to the cycle of rebirth. One of the pillars crumbled and I swiftly turned to see who's had fallen. Ikkaku's energy was faint and I knew that it had been his.
Reina's POV
Ikkaku's pillar had crumbled and I clenched my hand around my zanpakuto, ready to stop the Arrancar that had defeated him. "Wait, Reina" a voice stated. I turned to see Captain Komamura with Lieutenant Iba next to him.
"Let us go" Lieutenant Iba said.
"But…" I argued.
"Stay here, they need you here"
"Alright"
I watched as Captain Komamura and Lieutenant Iba set off in the direction of Ikkaku's fallen pillar. "Damn you Ikkaku, why didn't you use your bankai. You selfish prick" I mentally cursed. I knew he didn't want anyone to know about it; but this was a much bigger thing than his own pride.
Aizen's POV
I sensed what was happening on the outside. Reina had grown in strength and it was pretty well controlled. Baraggan had mentioned her losing her heart to someone. That made my calling her a mistake even more justified. "Reina is such a spit fire. Wouldn't you agree Lord Aizen" Gin asked.
"She's more than that, Gin" I replied.
"Do you think it was Shūhei that Baraggan was talking about?"
"I would assume so; but it doesn't really matter. She'll die just like the rest"
XxXx Well I hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter. Please review with your thoughts. XxXx
