Title: A Shifting of Life
Chapter: 42
Fandom: Bleach
Word count: 1,461
Total Word Count: 57,911/60,000
Characters: Ichigo, Shunsui, Ryo, Sawatari, Komamura, Iba
AN: Well, well, well, chapter 42. We're starting to wind on down here people. Hope you enjoy this one and will enjoy the next one.
Mind you, I have started posting a Ghost in the Shell mini so reviews are nice on that one.
To the sweet guest who reviewed: Ichi did get a work out but you can't read it on this site. ;) Sorry. But I'm glad that you like the story, really. *snuggles on*
"They should be here soon, right?" Renji asked as he stroked Zabimaru's handle, gazing down at the dried water bed. "Are you sure Maruyi-taicho and Nemu-fukutaicho will be able to put the water back into the river bed when this is done?"
"Yes, don't worry about it," Byakuya stated as Ulquiorra rumbled lightly next to him, knowing that everyone was waiting for them to finish the fight and watching them via the cameras that had been scattered around.
"Ulquiorra-san, are you sure you're going to be able to handle them and their powers?" Renji asked, his brows furrowing as his lips thinned.
"Hollows lose a lot of what makes them human during their transformation, including losing quite a bit of their bodily fluids," Ulquiorra stated, flicking his wrist. "We have enough water to keep our blood flowing, but not enough to be very dangerous since it is spread so thin."
"Which make you a prime fighter against anyone who wields water," Byakuya stated, Ulquiorra nodding. "They will have a hard time trying to defeat you while we set up to finish them."
"I almost feel bad for hurting children," Renji mused quietly, rubbing at the back of his head and making his ponytail bob. "I know that they may be as old as us, but still..."
"You do not want a child to be hurt. No one wants them to and the Bounts Ho and Ban use that to their advantage from what Aizen-sama was able to tell us," Ulquiorra drawled.
"Who would have thought we knew all about them before but it was suppressed by the 46 in such a way," Renji snorted bitterly. "If it wasn't such a mess in the archives, we could have learned more about them before all of this happened."
"There is a reason why the new 46 had been disbanded and Unohana-sotaicho was chosen to take over," Byakuya stated. "The corruption went to far when it started to threaten the lives of every soul."
"I have always wondered why Aizen-sama would constantly complain about them," Ulquiorra snorted as the portal for Ho and Ban opened. "Let us begin shall we?" he asked. The two small figured looked much like near mirror images of each other with sweet faces and brown hair, and eyes. It was the hats and hair styles that showed who was who.
While Ho had shorter hair that was covered by a red baseball cap, Bans hair was longer and covered by a white hat cocked to the side.
"We shall," Renji drawled, he and Byakuya slipping further into the shadows to prepare for their parts of the attack. Ulquiorra stepped out onto the river bed, hand on Murcielago's hilt. The twins were glaring around them, hands clasped and their other hands holding onto their water bottles.
"Do you think…?" Ho asked, squeezing Bans hand.
"It's not…" Ban started.
"Possible. Perhaps," Ho finished, frowning. Ulquiorra tilted his head to the side as he waited for the two Bounts to notice him.
"Ho," Ban said sharply, eyes burning as he stared straight at Ulquiorra. "Who are you? You can't be a shinigami, not with the bone bits on your head."
"You are right," Ulquiorra stated as he moved farther away from the shadows. "I am not a shinigami, but instead, an Arrancar. My name is Ulquiorra Ciefer and I am the 4th Espada in Aizen's army. You two have invaded Soul Society due to a woman's madness and because of a man who is known to use those who are useful to his plans. Two of your comrades have been taken down, their bodies turned to dust. I am here to stop you."
"You're lying," Ho said, Ulquiorra smirking ever so slightly as he pulled Murcielago from its sheath, holding the sword down by his side.
"I have no reason to lie, twins," he replied as the twin Bounts called their Dolls forth, the water bottle caps coming to float in the heads of the water creatures.
"I'd like you to meet Guhl…" Ho started, one of the Dolls moving in the odd fluid motions of water.
"And Gunther, our Dolls," Ban finished as the other doll mirrored its partners movements.
"You control water, that much we do know," Ulquiorra drawled, watching the twins stiffen before him. "The Bounts, at one time, had been heavily watched but due to the last council and sotaicho the information had been hidden from everyone. You and yours are proving to be dangerous to not only Soul Society but also Los Noches and Hueco Mundo.
"You won't be able to stop us from taking over and going through with our plans," Ho snorted, fixing his red hair, uncomfortable with the way Ulquiorra was smiling.
"Yes, I shall," Ulquiorra stated, voice not showing his amusement at the blustering. "I shall take you down, not going above my resurreccion, if that," he continued, bringing up his free hand, a red glow appearing on the tips of two fingers. Taking careful aim, he fired a cero, watching as it sped through the dolls and landed behind Ho and Ban, the wave of power blowing their hats off of their heads.
The twins scowled at the attack and suddenly the dolls combined into one giant creature and shot out several tentacles of water, Ulquiorra darting out of the range, eyes carefully watching and mind planning his next moves. He and his Shinigami back up did not want t to kill the two young Bounts, but if they did not surrender soon, they would have no choice but to destroy the dolls.
"Hold still, would ya?" Ban muttered as Ho scowled heavily and split off Guhl, sending him after Ulquiorra as his brother had Gunther hunt for any possible liquid in the dried lake bed. Sending a low powered cero at them once more, Ulquiorra slashed a water tentacle that got to close from Guhl before sonidoing out of the way of the debris as the cero landed and tossed up clumps of dirt and dust around them.
Byakuya's release command for Senbonsakura of "Chire" reached Ulquiorras ears just before the blades that looked like thousands of sakura blossoms surrounded Guhls and Gunthers heads where the caps floated.
"One last time, give up," Ulquiorra stated loudly, unsurprised when the dolls tried to shift out from under and through the blades. The pink blades moved in such a way that the two were forced to move towards the serrated blade of Zabimaru as it twisted and bounced off of the ground and trees, finally slashing through Gunthers head. It surprised everyone when it destroyed the small target, the water that made up the dolls body splashed to the ground to soak into the dirt.
"Gunther," Ban cried out in shock as he felt his connection to his doll shatter with the destruction.
"I was not expecting that to happen but good for us," Renji muttered, Byakuya smirking lightly next to him.
"We did give you a chance to surrender to us," Ulquiorra said, holding a hand over his arm, blood sluggishly seeping from a cut that Guhl had given him with a lucky hit. Guhl was easily taken out while Ho was distracted by his brother's pain, Senbonsakuras blades encasing the water created body and sliding through it to destroy the cap quickly.
"What happened?" Renji asked as the twins feel to their knees, pointing to the cut as Ulquiorra pulled his hand away to look at the cut.
"I wasn't fast enough to dodge an attack from one of the dolls," he replied, shrugging before wincing as his ribs protested the move. "I was also unfortunate enough to get a water tentacle across my ribs."
"So we see with the way you are moving," Ise said, her beads clinking as she landed, several 2nd divisoners taking the twins away from the lake bed. Holding up a softly glowing hand, she stopped the bleeding before allowing one of her people to clean it and finish closing the cut. "Come to the 4th and let us check on your ribs."
"I will be there. They are already healing though," Ulquiorra said as Byakuya walked over.
"Don't let Ichigo make you forget about your report," the noble stated, watching as Ichigo arrived and jogged over to them.
"I will have your report later," Ulquiorra promised as he moved to greet Ichigo with a smile. The two headed to the 4th followed by heading to Rangiku's home, indulging in the post battle adrenaline. Leaving Ichigo in bed to doze off their rounds together, he wrote out his report. He was soon back in their shared bed, waking her up with his tongue and hands, making her fall over the edge before she was completely awake.