Chapter 37: Fighting the Death III
As raindrops slid down her cheeks like cold tears, Likara resisted the urge to remove either hand from her zanpakutō to brush them away. She needed all of her concentration to control Tensō Toran, as the energy the now pounding rain had produced was surprisingly immense, maybe because Tōshirō had been the one to call out the clouds in the first place, and then she'd been the one to make it rain, giving the atmosphere a charge from both of them.
Turquoise eyes locked on the whirlpool of freezing water before her, whipping around and effectively trapping an annoyed Mika inside, the captain smirked visibly as she directed the flow of ice particles which had formed around her hand, towards the column of water.
The attack was a destructive one when executed in the right way, as if swirled around her opponent in a fashion which meant they were unable to breathe due to the fact that air was sucked from the whirlpool which water was pulled in. Then, while Mika attempted to escape, something seen in the way his scythe's blade would sometimes protrude from the wall of water, she would send particles of water and ice into the whirlpool, which would create deep, slashing wounds to her enemy's body. Sometimes that alone was enough to effortlessly slaughter an opponent, but in this case, she'd already decided that more would be necessary.
So after creating the necessary wounds, the ice particles would then travel through Mika's blood and freeze him from inside out, effectively killing him if all went to plan.
It was a sadistic technique, Likara acknowledged, and she had a fairly strong suspicion as to how such a technique had been formed. It was a brutal attack because death by this method was quite slow and shockingly painful. The last time she'd used it, had been the first as well, it had still been for practice in mastering her Bankai. Still, the Hollow she'd cut up had screamed like there was no tomorrow. Which, for it, was exactly true, of course, but anyway.
'Likara,' there was a slight warning in Tōshirō's tone, and when she looked closer at what was before her, she saw how more and more water was escaping the pull of the whirlpool and continuing on its downward path to the ground, 'I hope you have a plan, you know . . .'
'Of course. How are you going?' even though she could see clearly that neither Tōshirō nor Miku had gained an advantage, she still asked, just for the sake of hearing her voice that way it was supposed to be. Not filled with a manic lust for fighting or a sadistic urge to kill.
'Alright, I guess,' thinking that fights where conversation was frequent just seemed so unusual and even unnatural, the white haired captain blocked one of Miku's attacks before moving to stand closer to Likara, 'And it seems there are only four of them still standing,'
She was about to reply, and to ask him for a quick favour, when Mika burst free from the whirlpool, sending water splashing outwards before it returned to its original form, that being rain. His scythe was glittering with water, and his clothes were soaked with rain and blood.
Eyes narrowing, Likara raised a hand to direct her water and ice particles into Mika's wounds, even though he could probably dodge now that the water wasn't containing him, and then use his regeneration skills to fix himself up. She was about to take the risk of failure and make the hand motion which would complete the attack, when an icy blue dragon shot past her, causing her to blink, and met with the blade of Mika's scythe, ice shards flying out into the air.
Realising the intent of Tōshirō's attack was not to interfere with her fight as much as to create a diversion, Likara grinned uncharacteristically, the sudden change in her expression surprising her, and sent the tiny, deadly particles curling around Mika's form, seeking out his remaining open wounds. Many of them had already healed completely, allowing no entrance, which was annoying, but there were still places where a scratch or slash hadn't yet closed up.
Those were the places she took full advantage of and, as he continued to be distracted, fending off Tōshirō, and Tōshirō continued to dodge Miku's attacks as he tried to help his brother, Likara allowed the deadly particles to enter into the former Arrancar's bloodstream.
The teenager's crimson eyes widened as he registered an excessive amount of cold flowing through his body, and he pulled back, dodging Likara's water dragon, and then he put a hand to his arm, where the largest of his wounds had been, before it had healed up without a trace.
'What did you do?' it didn't matter that he'd healed himself, the damage was already done, and from the look in his eyes, he'd worked out what had happened, and gone through the list of possibly consequences before settling on the most likely one, 'That's an underhanded way to kill someone, ya know,' his body twitched, muscles reacting unconsciously as ice spread through his body, 'Heh, I'm not as smart as that guy over there,' he gestured with a quivering arm to where Miku stood, apparently torn by indecision, 'But I can tell this doesn't feel right,'
'It wouldn't,' there was a serene note in Likara's tone which was out of place and created solely by the stirrings of something bloody and dark inside her, 'That attack of mine is designed to kill,' her usually bright turquoise eyes had taken on a slightly reddish glow, 'And since I'm not going to pull back the particles of ice from your body, which would probably kill you anyway since you closed up those wounds, you're going to freeze from inside out,'
She sounded extremely matter of fact, despite the sadistic note deep in her cold, indifferent tone. Her posture was less that of a formal shinigami captain, and more so of a fighter from the Eleventh, perhaps, who lived for the thrill of battle.
Even if her eyes were ignored, then it was still clear to anyone around who bothered to look, that Likara was not properly in her right mind. There was something about her that would've put anyone on edge.
Tōshirō, especially, had instantly noticed the slow and almost subtle progression from her usual cool and collected self, to the almost irrational Likara he could see now. He knew she had a sadistic side, hell, he'd even experienced first-hand the type of actions she could perform when in that state, but he hadn't expected for it to show again. Not right at that moment. Not when they were fighting for Soul Society.
'Are you fighting my brother, the girl-captain, yourself, or me?' standing with one arm braced across his chest, the curled whip resting on his shoulder, Miku frowned mildly as he spoke.
Not allowing the subtle taunt to hit its mark, Tōshirō flicked his teal gaze up to where the former Arrancar was standing, 'One of the aforementioned people, wouldn't you say?'
'I did say,' completely serious personality making him unable to get the irony in the white haired captain's words, Miku was momentarily at a loss. Then he cast aside his doubt and lashed out with his weapon again, focusing more and more on outmaneuvering the quick-minded captain.
Both of them were more than capable of thinking on their feet, after all.
Guessing that, since there was really only four more able bodied ryōka to be dealt with, he should attempt to wrap up his fight as soon as possible, Tōshirō raised Hyōrinmaru straight before him, 'Hyōten Hyakkaso!'
He figured that, since those ice particles were already doing their deadly work, freezing Mika's blood, then it wouldn't affect Likara too much if the clouds were suddenly blown away. From what she'd said just before he'd sensed the Arrancar woman fall in defeat, she also had a technique like his Tensō Jurin, which would allow her to manipulate the sky whenever she saw fit once again.
Although hopefully that was after Miku was frozen.
'What is this?' uninterested tone coloured with a hint of alarm, Miku touched the petals of the ice flower which had bloomed on his arm. It was clear that, since Tōshirō hadn't explained the technique as he usually would have, the teenager couldn't work out what was happening.
Genius intellect he might possess, but when it came to zanpakutō techniques, the possibilities were always so varied that making an accurate prediction, or any prediction at all, was near impossible.
Even if Hitsugaya's katana had produced ice before, that clearly didn't mean he would always do so in one set fashion, that is to say, in the form of the ice dragon.
'Quite simply,' there was contempt in the young captain's tone, and his turquoise eyes were cold and crystal clear, 'When the hundredth petal forms, your life will be over,'
Raku was not at all happy with his Kyoraku's newest, and in his personal opinion most underhanded, attack plan. The kimono wearing captain had tried many morally questionable things, but it was only now that Raku was actually getting pissed because of it.
Naturally, he didn't consider the possibility that this newest 'plan' of his opponent's was actually not intentional at all, because he was basically a suspicious person.
Consequently, the fact that their fight had somehow gravitated towards where Yumi was lying, blood-splattered and well and truly unconscious, seemed in his eyes to be purposeful on the part of the shinigami captains.
Or Kyoraku at least, because he didn't think Ukitake would do such a thing. Clearly, he realised, he still held his former captain in some respect.
'Kyoraku . . .' Jūshirō was still wondering about why their opponent was glaring so viciously at his old friend, 'Do you also get the impression that there's been some kind of misunderstanding about current circumstances?' he waited for an answer, eyes drifting around the battlefield and noting who was doing well and, to put it bluntly and simply, who wasn't.
'Not really,' Shunsui shrugged, having become a lot more collected now that he was over the fact that his sake had 'died', 'But I do get the feeling that someone's trying to kill me with a stare alone. I don't suppose you sense such a thing, do you?'
'No,' resisting the urge to sweatdrop, the white haired captain motioned to where a large amount of lightning was growing around Raku's blade, mingling with the shadows, 'You know, I find myself wondering quite often where that lightning comes from,' looking up, he frowned faintly, 'And it does seem the weather has had an abrupt change again. Only a moment ago I could've sworn it was raining . . . but now the sky is quite clear and, over there,' he pointed with one of Sogyo no Kotowari's blades, 'It appears to be snowing,'
'Yes, yes . . . and I didn't think you swore,' having become completely distracted, a tsunami could've loomed behind him and he wouldn't have noticed – unless of course it was a tsunami of sake and then some kind of reaction would probably have been instant – Kyoraku nodded thoughtfully, 'I suppose the Department of Research and Development could provide some kind of explanation regarding the fickle nature of today's weather, indeed. They always seem to have an answer for everything. You'd agree with me, wouldn't you, indeed,'
'Yes, indeed,' not really noticing how both of them were saying 'indeed' at the ends of their sentences, and sometimes in completely the wrong places, Jūshirō smiled warmly at his old friend, completely agreeing with whatever almost-but-not nonsense that was coming from Shunsui's mouth. He'd been thinking the exact same thing, if that was saying anything.
Both captains jumped when a large and dangerous bolt of lightning shot past their heads. Turning to Raku, they sent him a jointly patronising stare, one which clearly rebuked him for 'interrupting a very important and intellectual discussion being carried out between his elders'.
The young Master of the Realm could've easily begun facepalming tiredly, but he refrained from doing so and instead prepared himself for a proper fight. He had to finish quickly so that he could aid one of the twins, or work out how to get those unconscious back to the Realm where they'd be safe. Not least of his concerns was Yumi, naturally, because he wasn't sure how long she could hang on to life, and he was certain she must be suffering psychologically.
It would be just like her to get hurt and then think it was all her fault if something happened to him. It was slightly insulting, but nevertheless partly true, that he could've lost it and gone insane again. How many times could you go insane and then recover your sanity again?
Actually, he'd personally always thought it was a one-way trip, but he'd proved himself wrong in a literal sense. Or he had, at least, done so with help from Yumi.
Kyoraku's smile grew slightly, and he internally collected his thoughts while still retaining the most idiotic demeanour possible. It was all a carefully formulated tactic, or so he told Nanao whenever she reprimanded him for being so laid back and casual all of the time.
As more lightning was drawn into Ukitake's Sogyō no Kotowari, Shunsui used a series of quick shunpo to appear behind Raku, slicing upwards with his smaller blade with more force than he generally used in a fight. The crimson haired man whirled around, his darkened zanpakutō clashing violently with Katen Kyōkotsu, shadows and sparks flying outwards.
Kyoraku knew that Ukitake would've figured out what he was planning as soon as he had himself, but the probabilities of the man having an attack of his illness were never low enough in these situations. It really was a 'poor Ukitake' moment. Still, even if the white haired captain did manage to remain in fighting condition, if he mistimed the release of the stored lightning by half a second, then he could potentially be frying his good friend Shunsui too.
And, quite frankly, and actually understandably, the Captain of the Eight Division didn't really fancy the idea of getting hit by unnatural lightning, augmented and modified further by his friend's katana.
It sounded far too painful.
Likara was biding her time, dodging Mika's attacks as the Arrancar teenager tried to fight off the effects of the ice which would undoubtedly be working its way through his blood. She was planning to just wait until her attack did its work, but depending on how much energy her opponent managed to retain even while dying, she might need to take the offensive again.
From the flowers of ice blooming in a rapidly growing pillar a few metres away, she figured that Tōshirō must also be close to finishing up his fight against Miku too. That was, of course, if his technique was successful against the other red eyed teenager.
Annoyingly, her vision kept going funny, with dots dancing before her eyes and temporarily confusing her. It was dangerous, because even dying Mika fought as efficiently as ever, and it made her doubt her usually iron control over . . . all of that which she kept sealed.
To confirm her suspicions that she wasn't being as strong as she could be, she herself had noticed the change in the way she was swinging her katana and the power she was putting behind her attacks. Tōshirō had noticed, because she could see the concern in his eyes.
'Mika,' speaking formally, although that was as much to irritate him as it was to reassure herself that she was without a doubt, a mentally stable shinigami captain, Likara eyed the teenager carefully, 'I don't know if you'll listen, but I just thought I'd tell you something,'
'What?' snapping angrily, the pain and cold in his veins and his bad mood combining to make him far more volatile than usual, Mika glared at the captain, and the look was one filled with hatred.
'Yes . . . I just thought I'd tell you that you're going to die now,' the young captain's tone was serene and level, a calm monotone, 'Thank you for the fight, I enjoyed it immensely,'
As the shinigami sheathed her blade, Mika moved to decapitate her with his scythe when his muscles locked and that liquid ice, now coursing through every blood vessel in his body, hardened abruptly.
Red eyes looking like fresh blood against his white, white skin, the former Arrancar held Likara's emotionless gaze, even as he began to fall towards the ground.
It was only because of that eye contact, through which he cursed her with silent resentment, that he saw her clear turquoise eyes flash a gruesome red.
Miku watched his brother's body slam into the ground, creating a blood splatter which surrounded his form in a bright red disk, and then he slid his gaze to where Kuroiyami was staring down as well, one hand resting on the hilt of her zanpakutō. Before the last ice flower bloomed before his eyes, he noted that her reiatsu had, for just a single second, turned ugly.
Tōshirō wasn't going to let his guard down at all. Just because Miku was now frozen, unlike with Likara's internal technique, there was still the possibility that the Arrancar was alive.
Still, Mika, although clearly in the process of dying, was holding out to the extent that his hand had yet to uncurl from the staff of his scythe. However, that was hardly the point.
Using a quick shunpo, the white haired captain appeared behind Miku. He, after a moment's deliberation, let Hyōten Hyakkaso shatter. He then proceeded to slash outwards with Hyōrinmaru, not even flinching when he felt the sharpened blade pass through hierro and into the flesh below.
Miku, having just been frozen and then abruptly unfrozen again, was disorientated to the extent that he barely had time to turn his head before he felt his enemy's blade dig into his body before being drawn cleanly out again, flicking blood as it left from somewhere near his right shoulder.
He could picture the diagonal wound perfectly, with that brilliant mind of his, and he could easily figure out that he would soon be joining his twin in that bloody mess, unable to move and in intense agony.
Not one to curse an opponent, although his regret at not winning the fight was like a bitter taste in his mouth, the former Arrancar toppled over. His red eyes closed before he hit the ground, wincing from the impact, and then when he opened them again, he was staring into his brother's equally pained and crimson orbs.
Miku wanted to say something to the other teenager, his brother, but all he could do was feel the contrast created by the heat of his and Mika's blood which stained the ground, and the ice which was covering the Hill.
He watched as Mika's fingers seized once around his scythe, before relaxing. His brother's hand dropped to rest on the ground, only an inch from his own, and then it stiffened.
Together, when seen from above, they must have made quite the breathtaking picture. All that rich crimson from their blood and their eyes, and then the contrasting white of the ice and their hair and skin. The silvery grey of Mika's scythe stood out too, as did the black lash of his whip. Both weapons were now as useless as their former wielders . . .
'Mi . . . ka,' when the other white haired boy didn't answer, or even blink his half-closed crimson eyes, Miku felt a sharp pain in his chest . . . somewhere where his heart would have been had he not been a Hollow, or a former Hollow.
It didn't seem real that his twin was dead, completely frozen and now little more than an ice filled shell. It didn't seem real that he was dying, more and more of his life blood seeping away into the layer of ice which covered the earth beneath him. It didn't seem real that he couldn't regenerate the wound, no matter how hard he tried. Nothing seemed real at all.
But while he was hurting physically, the mental trauma of seeing his brother die before him, the usually sharp-tongued, rebellious but carefree Mika who'd been with him ever since they'd been born, and the feeling that he'd let Raku and Nanashi down, because he'd already calculated the likeliness of a victory and the statistics were no longer favourable . . . Miku was hurting on a whole other level.
Reaching out his arm, just slightly, the former Arrancar curled his fingers around his twin's frozen hand. His body was shaking now, from the exertion of staying alive and the cold seeping up from the ground. He'd never known ice could be so, so cold . . .
Closing his eyes, Miku exhaled softly, almost wishing he was human just so he could cry.
Because of his fifteen year old appearance, he might have been considered weak or childish, and been frowned upon by others of the same physical age, but at that moment in time, the whole world could have been watching and he'd still have made that sorrowful wish.
It wasn't always good . . . being unable to properly show any emotion . . . especially when those around you are so full of life and dreams . . . like Yumi, the other twins, even Yumeka and Hana, despite the latter technically being a former Arrancar like himself.
He and Mika had always held a certain understanding of one another that gave them a deep insight into the other's thoughts. They'd had a seemingly unbreakable bond ever since they'd appeared in the world. As humans, as Hollows, as former Arrancar . . . it didn't matter what they were, because they really just stayed the same inwardly and that was all that mattered.
He and Mika had always been there to support and contrast one another artfully.
There was no such thing as 'always'.
Mika and Miku were dead.
The lightning emerged from Ukitake's right katana in a blinding flash of gold tinged whiteness. The beam was larger than when it had entered the left blade, and while it had been withheld from release for far longer than usual, the energy was equal, if not more powerful, than a usual attack from Sōgyo no Kotowari, something that all three involved in the fight instantly noticed.
Raku, despite having seen the blast, was only able to send back a returning bolt before continuing his intense sparring with Kyoraku. Those two were incredibly powerful captains, and their age gave them an amount of experience that was far from normal.
The black eyed man frowned noticeably when he felt a cut open up on his arm, but the expression was mainly caused by the realisation that Mika and Miku had fallen and, unlike the others, were never going to rise again. It was shocking, really, because those two had always seemed so untouchable in a fight, even to someone more powerful, like Raku himself.
The young Master had already decided that, if worst came to worst, he'd purposefully let his guard down and then, potentially, he would die. That was not something he wanted to happen, and before he'd ever give up his life, he'd make sure there was no way of escape for either him or his comrades. Since they were all unconscious, or in Yumeka's case, in a coma, there was no way for them to move of their own volition. Consequently, unless he could get them all back to the Realm while fending off the Soul Society's most elite fighters, he'd kill them all.
It sounded more than twisted, but they'd probably get executed anyway, and he didn't want to ever give Soul Society that power over them. And as for Nanashi, he'd make his own decisions, like he always did, because he technically wasn't a resident of the Realm.
Exchanging more fierce blows with Shunsui, Raku didn't realise that he was now only a few dozen yards from where Yumi was lying, albeit high in the air above her. If he had, then he'd have moved away faster than anyone would've been able to follow.
But since he hadn't, he stepped aside to dodge another one of Jūshirō's attacks, and only realised his critical mistake after he happened to glance to the spot where the lightning would undoubtedly hit in a very short amount of time.
Ukitake hadn't aimed that way on purpose. From his position, he hadn't realised that Yumi was there. If he had, he certainly wouldn't have attacked, because despite her being an enemy, she was wounded and unable to defend herself in any way. If he'd realised what he'd just set into motion, then he'd have been absolutely horrified. The effects of such a shock would then presumably have caused him to be bedridden for a few days at least and two weeks at most.
'Yumi!' not thinking, Raku hardly even felt Katen Kyōkotsu tear open his side. His shunpo was flawless as he moved between the blast and the white haired woman, and with a combination of lightning and shadows, not to mention using his body as a shield, he took the entirety of the attack head on, falling to his knees directly afterward.
Twisting to glance at Yumi, the young man was more than glad to see her completely unharmed. Or, at least, she hadn't received any more wounds on top of the ones she'd already sustained in her fights. Only a slightly shifting in her hair gave away the fact that she'd almost been caught in a full on blast of energy, one which, technically, was originally Raku's.
'I almost hit an unconscious young woman whose bleeding badly and needs medical attention,' Ukitake had apparently come up beside Kyoraku and was now looking quite faint.
'Calm down, old friend,' Shunsui attempted to smile reassuringly, but in the end he just sweatdropped, 'Look on the bright side . . . you dealt some definite damage to our opponent,'
It was true, of course, that Raku now looked quite strained as he staggered to his feet, katana still gripped tightly in his hand and black eyes glittering with fury. Still, he wasn't an equal to Nanashi for nothing, even if the latter would probably win if they fought, and it showed.
However, looking once more at Nanashi, and then to where the white haired twins lay motionless in a pool of red, Raku made his decision. Turning back to the two captains, he raised Kage-Ni, whispering everything he thought he should say in a low mutter, unintelligible to everyone in the universe except himself, and closed his eyes.
Yellow tinted lightning shot from the sky, curling and snapping around the black blade. Shadows swept across the surface of Sogyoku Hill to join in the mass of energy growing in sharp leaps and bounds around the man who stood there, shoulders bent but set, dark crimson hair whipping around in the sudden and forceful gusts of wind.
'I'll get it,' Jūshirō extended his first katana and focused his mind completely on the task of converting the devastating power of the attack into something he could use.
Kyoraku simply nodded before vanishing with shunpo and approaching the young man, still standing despite the pressure created by his own attack, black eyes closed and expression perfectly smooth. Not hesitating once, although why such young looking people always seemed to be out for a fight he didn't know, the captain cut out with the larger of his two blades, watching grimly as blood welled up instantly in the wake of the razor sharp edge.
The remaining energy around Raku began fluctuating wildly before blowing apart with far more force than Shunsui had expected. As the captain retreated to where Ukitake was redirecting the last of the lightning back to the skies, he watched the young man fall once again to his knees. Then, as if he had come to some prior understanding within himself, Raku slumped forwards fully, the hand holding his zanpakutō going limp, and the intense tension which had been contained in his body was instantly released.
'They look right together, you know,' Jūshirō, trying not to sound too old or too sentimental, two things which were often tied together for some reason, found it hard to look away from the pair, unconscious but beside one another, wounded but alive and together, 'Kyoraku?'
'Hnn,' turning away, the Captain of the Eight Division surveyed the last battle still being fought, 'Old man Yamamoto's doing alright on his own, but now that we're done, I guess it's our duty to get over there. Even if we just stand around looking impressive, we can still say we did out bit later, can't we now? Ah well, now I wish my sake bottle was still good and full,'
'I see,' shaking his head, Ukitake decided to follow his friend's idea, 'Let's go then,'
All of the captains and Lieutenants who had remained on the Hill after finishing their fight had moved into Division formation to one side of the Head Captain's fight. Members of the Fourth Division moved among them, asking who was injured and if they could help at all. And every single shinigami, no matter what their status or rank, had sustained some damage.
They all respected their former opponents, some to a greater degree than others, for the fact that the fight hadn't been easy, and that even the youngest appearing ryōka had managed to injure shinigami of lieutenant ability level.
Nanashi jumped backwards abruptly, flipping in the air but landing gracefully with perfect balance, his shoes barely disturbing the dust on the ground. His black eyes were half narrowed, but if he hadn't been so determined to not show any emotion, other than contempt or confidence, they would have been as wide as wide in shock and utter disbelief.
He could hardly process the fact that all of his allies, even the ever confident and sarcastic Raku, had been defeated. It wasn't real. It couldn't possibly be real. They were all strong. They were all trained and experienced. How could they have all been defeated like this?
Granted, it was now past well twilight. Most people would probably call it nighttime. But whatever it was referred to, it proved that they'd held out for the better part of a day.
However, 'holding out' was never what he'd planned on doing. They hadn't either; he knew it from what they'd said and how they'd acted. It wasn't right for them to be so beaten up.
It wasn't right that Mika and Miku, the two former Arrancar with polar opposite personalities who'd become his closest companions and friends, were no longer even breathing.
No matter what else happened on the Hill that day, he vowed that none of his other friends, for they were far more than simple allies, would die. Their hearts would keep on beating, their breaths would keep making their chests rise and fall. Hana, who had been a Hollow, wouldn't have a heart, but the meaning was still the same. The meaning was still the same . . .
None of them could die.
They'd come along in such high spirits. They'd looked forwards to what was a head of them. They'd planned every detail of what was going to happen in celebration of their victory.
It was one of the cruelest tricks fate had ever played on him, because this time he wasn't the only one affected, something he could have dealt with. No, this time every one of his friends had been involved, and every one of them had suffered in stepping into Soul Society.
Not for the first time, and most probably not for the last, he cursed the Seireitei bitterly.
Thoughts running rampant and unchecked, mind shutting down in denial at what was happening in the present, Nanashi's hand clenched around the hilt of his zanpakutō so tightly that his knuckles were white and a trickle of blood ran from between his fingers.
Head snapping up, black eyes faintly tinted with teal burning with pure hatred and fury, the young man yelled out an incomprehensible word, one that was simply a raw noise conveying all of his disgust, all of his resentment, all of his anger, and his destructive desire for revenge.
A pillar of vicious reiatsu burst from his body, flaring and stretching upwards towards the skies. It was the embodiment of everything that drove Nanashi onwards. It was the unchecked power that resided within him, growing with every second that his eyes fell upon the body of one of his friends. The destructive force contained so barely within his grasp was held back from the world by a fragile thread of sanity which frayed and unwound as he fell in despair.
Looking directly at the Head Captain, standing some distance away as impassive and unruffled as he had been at the start of the fight, Nanashi swung his katana wildly, the literal movement severing that figurative link and allowing the torrent of raging reiatsu to burst outwards in a force as solid and tangible as a wall of stone.
I hate you all.
I hate you so much that I could kill every one of you and not regret it for a single moment.
The strength that my hate and anger has given me has allowed me to come here today to fight.
I will avenge the deaths of Mika and Miku, the duo who stopped me from giving up hope so many times in the past . . . the pair who seemed so contrasting that it was impossible not to feel more lighthearted whenever they argued. The two who listened when I talked, although the former hardly listened to anyone else. The twins who were as loyal to me as I'd always been to the Soul Society . . . before it betrayed me and killed the remains of my trust.
But I would never have turned against them, not even if they tried to duel me again.
Raku, Yumi, Yumeka, Hana, Midori, and Chidori . . . I didn't see them as often as I'd have liked to, but they were always so full of life that, once again, giving up was impossible.
They'd all suffered at the hands of Soul Society too, so we had a mutual understanding of each other right from the moment we met. And everything grew from there, as it does . . .
I hate Soul Society.
I hate Yamamoto.
I hate everything and everyone except those who came into this world with me today.
The wall of reiatsu crashed down upon the shinigami who stood rooted to the ground as it approached. Not even the captains had the time to dodge, although they all increased their own reiatsu outputs in order to give them some protection from the dense power which had rolled out from that dark haired man in the blink of an eye, while he shouted out.
Reaching out blindly, the reiatsu which had caused the already dark sky to go darker making it almost impossible for her to see or move, Likara could have sighed in relief when she caught hold of Tōshirō's hand.
It was an action that, in any other circumstances, she wouldn't even have considered, even if it was Tōshirō, but for some reason she was now completely free from the ugly hold that side had had on her during her fight. It was because of that, she reasoned, that she was now thinking with perfect clarity, something almost disconcerting.
'Tōshirō,' tugging on his hand and reaching out with her other one in order to locate his body, the young captain peered through the gloom of the still pounding reiatsu and tried to spot her white haired friend, 'Can you hear me?'
In the roar that the spiritual pressure was creating, she wasn't sure he could.
'I can hear you,' tone clearly indicating that he was wondering what in Soul Society's name she'd want to talk about at a time like this – that being while they were getting forced to their knees because of some insane former shinigami's freakishly strong reiatsu – Tōshirō nodded.
'There's something I've got to do,' something was off in her voice, 'So please don't interfere and make sure no one else does either. I don't want them getting hurt and I don't want you to get involved either,' her hand tightened almost painfully around his, 'Understand, Tōshirō?'
Although momentarily torn in indecision, Tōshirō eventually decided that he had to trust her, 'I understand,' there was a moment's pause, before he added, 'Don't do anything reckless,'
'Aha,' now he was certain something was wrong with her tone, and he wished he could clearly see her face because then he'd work out what it was instantly, 'I promise,'
'Good,' just as he replied, the reiatsu around them seemed to drop.
Not as in a decrease in pressure, unfortunately, but more like the figurative someone who'd been holding the wall up above their heads, had suddenly decided to drop it completely.
Both Tōshirō and Likara went sprawling into the ground, the hard dirt and rock pressed against their bodies painfully. Behind them, they could hear Matsumoto groaning in pain (that or she'd almost suffocated because of the largeness of her own chest) and Izuru moaning something before apparently passing out. And it wasn't just them, all along the previously proud line of Seated Officers, people were getting knocked out or ground into the dirt.
Suddenly, as if the sun had just come out from behind heavy clouds (the fact that it was night and the sky was actually still completely devoid of cloud was ignored), the reiatsu vanished and everyone felt strangely light when the weight of it was suddenly lifted from their backs.
Tōshirō and Likara sat up slowly, careful not to let the blood rush back into their heads too quickly. Looking around, Likara almost sweatdropped when she saw that almost all of the other captains and most certainly all of the Seated Officers had been knocked unconscious.
In the end, however, she decided it really wouldn't have been the appropriate time.
Members from the Fourth Division appeared suddenly and began to cart most of the unconscious people away. How they'd managed to time their arrival straight after all the danger had disappeared, neither young captain knew, although they suspected Unohana had something to do with it.
But more importantly, while still on his feet, Yamamoto looked quite stunned. Not as in a 'surprised' sort of way, but more like some kid had just slapped him in the face sort of way.
Nanashi, seeing how efficient his reiatsu had been at removing most of those annoying shinigami from the scene, at least temporarily, grinned and got ready to attack the Head Captain again. He was too deep in the mindset of a battle to wonder about the morality of attacking a stunned old man, not that he really would have cared either way anyway.
Using shunpo to dart forwards, he swung his zanpakutō . . . only to have it blocked instantly.
'Wha-,' black eyes narrowing further, Nanashi flicked his gaze to the wielder of the long zanpakutō. To his surprise, and irritation, it was the black and silver haired kid-captain who'd been fighting Mika. No . . . who'd killed Mika.
'You!' disengaging their blades, he took a step back, his rage threatening to overpower his common sense and he felt like pointing at her accusingly, 'You killed him!'
Once again, Likara had the slightly out of place urge to sweatdrop. Not least because she hadn't really expected the black haired man to have actually have cared about his allies.
'Er . . . I guess I did,' once again, red flickered in her turquoise eyes, 'So now, whatcha gonna do about it?'
'I don't need help!' brushing off the timid Fourth Division member, Soifon sat up, not looking at all like she'd been unconscious only seconds before, 'What the-!'
After looking to where the Head Captain had been fighting that last intruder, she now saw said intruder clashing blades fiercely with none other than the Captain of the Third Division.
'What the hell does she think she's doing?' jumping to her feet, she got ready to release Suzumebachi again, 'If the Head Captain hadn't already dealt with that man-,'
'Please don't interfere,' zanpakutō sheathed on his back and expression as neutral as ever, Tōshirō spoke in a cool tone and met the other captain's gaze squarely.
'What?' although they were both captains, she hadn't expected him to speak so frankly to her.
'I asked you now to interfere, and I was polite about it, so I suggest you don't,' not knowing where his sudden attitude was coming from, but now rather distracted watching Likara fight, Tōshirō sighed briefly before turning to walk away. He was glad he and Likara had been at the edge of the range of the reiatsu, because it looked like, closer to the source, there'd been some more serious casualties.
Matsumoto and Izuru had already been taken off to the Fourth. Actually, all of the Lieutenants had, and the Seated Officers too. Strangely enough, the female Kuchiki had appeared along with the shinigami from the Fourth, and now she was arguing fiercely with one of the healers about . . . something.
Looking away, the white haired captain couldn't help but feel slightly anxious about what Likara was planning. She wasn't all that reckless normally, but he knew she had another side to her, and if it came out, then who knew what she'd start doing.
Rukia glared angrily at the plain faced shinigami before her, 'No! I'm telling you I'm not coming back to the Relief Station!' she'd only just managed to sneak out and return to the Sogyoku Hill, so she didn't really want to return just yet, 'Can't you leave me alone?'
'I could, Kuchiki-san, but I can't let Captain Kuchiki continue like . . . that,' shuffling his feet nervously, the shinigami gestured to the Sixth Division's captain, 'He needs some help,'
Ukitake had already been whisked away from the battlefield, unconscious and suffering from a bout of his illness. Kyoraku had also been taken away when he'd started hallucinating and shouting random things in all directions. The only captains who were still on the Hill were Hitsugaya, Kuroiyami, Soifon, and Yamamoto, who had almost recovered from being stunned.
'We have orders to get everyone off of Sogyoku Hill and to the General Emergency Relief Station as soon as possible. They all need to be healed or at least examined immediately. The only people allowed to stay are those still fighting and the Head Captain himself,' the young man was clearly determined to stick to his orders, 'Only captains are allowed to stay-,'
'My Nii-sama is a captain!' Rukia interrupted furiously, only just resisting the urge to wring the guy's scrawny neck, and she twitched violently, 'So what's your problem?'
Completing his sentence deliberately, although he could sense that angering this petite shinigami was not a smart thing to do, the healer frowned faintly and waved his hands around in the air again, 'Only captains are allowed to stay here, and if they do, they have to be in good fighting condition. Like the Captains of the Second, Third, and Tenth Divisions for example. Although I must say Captain Soifon needs some medical assistance for those woun-,'
'Shut up,' getting angrier by the second, Rukia once again demanded to know the reason why both she and her brother were apparently needing to vacate the Hill, 'Give me a proper expl-,'
'Captain Kuchiki isn't in a fit state to continue fighting here, and it looks as if the remaining captains will be capable of finishing up alone,' noting that Soifon was finally accepting medical treatment for her injuries, the man nodded approvingly, 'And you can't stay either,'
Turning around in a quick and sharp movement, Rukia stared silently for a long moment at her equally noiseless brother, and then she frowned. Clearly wondering what was wrong with the stoic captain, the petite shinigami moved forwards slightly and tried to work out what, apart from the relatively minor injuries he'd sustained during his fight, his problem was.
'…'
Rukia blinked confused violet eyes, 'Excuse me? I didn't catch what you said just now,'
While the officer from the Fourth facepalmed and tried not to give up and walk off, as leaving this pair of siblings to their own devices, or to another healer's care, seemed like a very favourable option, he figured that sooner or later the Unseated Officer before him would work out exactly why the Captain of the Sixth Division needed urgent medical assistance.
Byakuya's slate grey gaze shifted from staring out somewhere far into the distance, and instead he almost frowned when his adopted sister came into his line of sight, '. . .'
'Eh?' there was a long, long pause, in which Rukia maintained a completely bewildered expression, before suddenly she jumped back in shock, 'EH!' rounding on the almost sighing healer, she grabbed his shoulders violently, 'What in Hell's name is wrong with him?'
'No need to shout, Kuchiki-san,' extracting himself from her death grip, albeit with some difficulty, the young man gestured once more to the captain, who was now murmuring something under his breath and staring at the ground fixatedly, 'Captain Kuchiki here is suffering from the same symptoms that Captain Kyoraku was experiencing not long ago,'
'He's hallucinating?' Rukia could hardly believe something like that could even happen to her brother, and her shock registered on her face, 'Did Captain Kyoraku recover alright?'
'He's . . . still recovering, but we think his Lieutenant will be of assistance in speeding up that process,' now sounding as if he was choosing his words very carefully, the healer stared intently at Rukia, before shifting the focus of his gaze to the still muttering captain, 'Kuchiki-san,'
'Don't san me,' sounding distracted, the violet eyed shinigami finally turned to nod at the healer, 'Alright then, I'll go to the Fourth Division with you and Nii-sama,' she glared suddenly, making the young man flinch, 'But you could've just explained why the captain needed to go, because it would've saved you a lot of time. Shouldn't a healer have good communication skills? I'd hate to be fixed up by someone who didn't explain what they were doing and why they needed to do it. Being kept in the dark leads to misunderstandings,'
'I-I'm sorry, Kuchiki-san,' he got glared at again for his slip up in formality, 'I-I'll make a note of that and t-try not to be so indirect again. Now l-let's go to the Relief Station, yes?'
'Fine,' as she helped the nervous healer direct her brother off the Hill, Rukia sighed.
I don't really look that much like Hisana, right? The hallucinating thing must be pretty bad for Nii-sama to think she was alive and then mistake me for her, she blinked suddenly, hardly noticing when some other healer shinigami guided her to a chair in her brother's hospital room, Well, if Byakuya was thinking about Hisana, then what was Captain Kyoraku thinking about when he got affected in such a strange way because of that reiatsu? It was so powerful. I felt that wave of pressure from here, and the Fourth Division isn't exactly right beside the Sogyoku Hill.
Glancing to where Unohana was now examining the captain and telling her Lieutenant that this case was 'very much like Captain Kyoraku's, so we shall treat them in the same way', Rukia pondered saying something before deciding it was too much effort. After fighting so hard for such a long time, even taking her brief rest when she was getting healed into account, she was absolutely exhausted. Now without any sort of adrenaline rush to keep her going, she just felt like going to sleep. But she couldn't because she might need to help, or-
'Kuchiki,' Unohana's kind voice brought Rukia out of her almost sleep, 'You can sleep in a spare bed, or you can go back to the Thirteenth Division's barracks,' the captain paused, 'Or back to the Kuchiki Estate for that matter. What would you like to do now? You deserve a long, quiet rest, I believe, for working so hard today,'
'Nii-sama?' too tired to wonder about how she should refer to her brother when talking to another captain, Rukia tried to focus her eyes but gave up after the first two attempts.
'He'll be just fine, don't you worry,' seeing as the petite shinigami was not going to move, Retsu called out to someone from her Division, 'Could you please put her in that spare bed over there, I think it would be best to keep her here while Captain Kuchiki is being treated,'
As her orders were carried out promptly and without fuss, Unohana nodded before turning back to the Sixth Division's captain. Like Shunsui, he was clearly still hallucinating, but unlike the other captain, Byakuya wasn't shouting out whatever he alone was seeing for the whole world to hear. It was, to be honest, a nice change, because a Relief Station was supposed to be quiet, and having such a noise-maker within its walls had turned out to be quite troublesome. Kyoraku was unconscious now, as two members of her Division continued healing him, and soon Kuchiki would be in the same boat . . . not literally, of course.
'Isane, you stay here and make sure these two don't start causing a fuss,' at her Lieutenant's bewildered glance, Retsu smiled and elaborated, 'I doubt any great trouble will be caused by the captain there, but his sister might create a fuss when she comes around,'
'Oh?' clearly hoping that wouldn't happen, Isane just bowed as her captain left the room before turning back to her work.
The number of injured people certainly wasn't of usual battle proportions, but some of the injuries were unusual and tainted with reiatsu which made them hard to treat. Cases like the Captains of the Sixth and Eigth Divisions were also rare, but when such versatile ryōka appeared, they couldn't allow themselves to think along the usual lines.
Healing people was all that mattered.
Likara's gaze was locked with Nanashi's and their blades flew and clashed together relentlessly, interspersed only by a few moments to catch their breath or cast some kidō. She had no idea what had compelled her to attack the man who'd just caused the unconsciousness of so many Lieutenants and even captains. She didn't know why she wasn't retreating, especially now that she could see the Head Captain had recovered.
'Why' had always been a question which puzzled her to the utmost extent. When she tried to answer, she was always presented with more and more questions, and her original goal seemed to drift further away.
But anyhow, the strong pull she'd felt towards the dark haired man had strangely lessened now that they were actually fighting, and she was glad it wasn't always there to annoy her.
It seemed ridiculous, but Likara felt like she had to be the one to fight this ryōka, that she had to be the one to end his life.
Why? . . . once again, that question baffled her completely.
'Who are you?' tone sharp, Nanashi glared at his new opponent, irritated that she'd gotten in his way and prevented him from attacking the Head Captain, 'And why are you fighting me?'
Likara's own gaze was cold and level, 'Captain of the Third Division . . . Kuroiyami Likara,'
Shiroiya Yuuki
'I'm fighting you because . . . you're a danger to Soul Society,' her voice wavered slightly.
You're a danger to us both, you're unnatural!
'And that's your only reason,' he sounded sceptical and his expression matched the tone.
I wish I'd never given birth to you, demon!
'O-of course,' turquoise eyes slightly glazed over, Likara barely lifted her blade in time to block a vicious attack from Nanashi, one which brought their forms into close proximity.
'Are you sure?' she nodded from behind their crossed katanas, and Nanashi smirked, 'Then why are you hesitating whenever you answer?'
As he darted away again, surprisingly not turning to Yamamoto, but keeping his attention on her, Likara shook her head, 'I'm not hesitating. You're a danger, you need to be eradicated,'
Just die would you, then we'll be able to move on with our lives . . .
The young captain froze, skin going white, and her hands clenched around MitsuRyu's hilt.
It hurts, it hurts so bad . . . why are you doing this to me? I'm not a demon, I'm not from hell . . . please stop hitting me now, I won't do it again, I won't say anything ever again. I promise, I really mean it. I'll never tell you I can see spirits again . . . please stop hurting me now, I'm really pained. I don't like hearing your hands hitting me, I can't-
'Whoa, are you okay?' speaking in a laid back, almost monotone, voice, Nanashi stared at his opponent, wondering why she looked like she was about to burst into tears, 'I never imagined you to be the crying type, hmph, maybe I was wrong,' he paused, 'And if I'm not mistaken, Mika wasn't hitting you, he was trying to cut off your head, so who exactly are you referring to with all the stop hitting me crap? If you were hurt, you shouldn't have come to fight me,'
Head snapping up, Likara glared at him, a grin appearing on her previously drawn features, and she forcefully pushed aside her mental pain for a while, 'Hah! Don't think you've won just yet, my friend,' why in Soul Society's name was she speaking in such a confident way, and with so much . . . bravado, too, 'I'm still going to kill you, just you wait and see,'
'Mood swings much,' raising an eyebrow in something akin to incredulity, Nanashi grinned in return, raising his own zanpakutō casually and moving in a way that suggested he was ready to attack, 'Oh well, not that I really care. So you think you can win, eh? Let's put that to the test,'
'Yeah, let's go,' all thoughts of the past vanishing from her head, Likara's grin didn't falter as she and her opponent clashed blades again, the powerful blows and perfect defence on both sides making it hard for either of them to gain any sort of advantage.
'This mightn't be as dull as I thought it would be,' as he swirled around in a seemingly endless flurry of attacks, Nanashi spoke conversationally, still smiling in a friendly way.
'You bet,' Likara was most certainly not going to let him prove her wrong.
Tōshirō, standing some distance from the other two captains who'd stayed on the Hill, stared up at Likara intently. From the expressions on both of their faces, it was like they were playing a fun game instead of trying to kill one another. Even he'd never seen Likara grin like that, although the expression wasn't such a friendly one. It was more of a Kenpachi like one.
Glancing further upwards, his turquoise eyes scanning the skies, Tōshirō nodded to himself. Even if he wasn't going to interfere directly with Likara's new fight, he could still help out indirectly. As in, he could still bring back the clouds to save her from having to do so herself, because he knew it always taxed her energy greatly to use her corresponding technique.
'Tensō Jurin,' as the dark clouds swirled inwards to blot out the night sky, Tōshirō sighed before sheathing Hyōrinmaru again. There wasn't much more he could do but wait and hope nothing drastic would happen to Likara, or to the whole of Soul Society itself.
Her expression, before, had been changing from shocked to scared to pained. In the end, however, she'd started smiling and then they'd kept fighting. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if she was thinking of what she'd never really told him outright.
It was unusual, most definitely, for a soul to remember his or her past as a human.
But that didn't mean it was impossible.
Thinking that way, Tōshirō couldn't help but feel sick, although whether it was with worry or because the ground seemed to be shifting beneath his waraji, he couldn't tell.
'Captain Hitsugaya!' Soifon, surprisingly, sounded mildly concerned when the white haired captain suddenly dropped to a crouch, 'Go to the Fourth if you're not well,'
No, she wasn't actually concerned, in reality, she was just annoyed that someone weak might be seen by the remaining ryōka, especially after he'd been fighting so well against Miku before. She wasn't heartless, but weakness was something she did not tolerate.
'I'm fine,' not rising, but not making any move to go anywhere, Tōshirō continued to watch the fight from his new position, 'But for a moment there I was sure the ground moved,'
'You're just dizzy,' wondering why in the world she was talking to the captain she practically never exchanged words with, and didn't see except for captains meetings, Soifon frowned.
'I'm fine,' repeating himself, Tōshirō proceeded to zone out until the only thing he could see was Likara and Nanashi fighting, and the only thing he could hear was the clash of their blades and the beating of his heart.
Author's Note:
Well, coming up to Likara's fight against Nanashi now, aren't we? I wonder how that's going to turn out ^-^
As usual, sorry for the late update, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Thank you very much for reading ...