Yes. Yes. I have finally finished this chapter. I am ecstatic after months of trying to write this chapter. I am sorry for the long wait, but here it is. The fighting ends in this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do own some of the characters in this fan fiction like Gild and Esteban.
Sado's lips curved into a cocky half grin. He could feel his encased fist dig deep into Gild's hardened stomach. The uncompromising steel like skin that deflected his fists before were now as fragile as brittle. As he sunk in deeper and deeper into the arrancar he could taste the agony Gild was experiencing as though it were a tasty dish he had sampled. It was so delicious. Gild's entire frame vibrated from the force of his own strike. He quivered from Sado's force. He gasped for air, at a loss for both thoughts and words. Eyes had grown two times the size they were before, exceeding their sockets. Overwhelmed by the sheer strength the human had that the former Espada finally fell to his knees and keeled over.
"….Ga…aaaahh…." How was the human this strong? He managed to break through his Hierro! He had one of the strongest if not the strongest Hierro of his comrades. Only the strongest warriors could actually get by it, warriors like Silva or Joaquin. While it was true that Sado Yasutora had managed to break through his dense skin before, it took him several attacks to stress his Hierro until it got to the point where he could break it. However, the human was able to harm him with a simple punch. Two months, that was how long it had been. Sado stated that he would show him just how much he had changed in two months. It was mind baffling that the human could increase his physical strength to this level. He looked up to see the armored armed human standing above him with reiatsu venting out of the pores of his body. It pulsated violently trying to tear apart his very molecules from the inside out. Sado's reiatsu felt almost entirely different from what he felt from the human two months ago.
He could not stop quivering. Pain was not the source of it. A more primal force commanded his body. Fear ruled over him. Fear that he could possibly lose. Fear that he could possibly die. The fear of dying here on the battle field excited him. This is what he wanted. At last he would have a battle where he did not know the outcome. Sado Yasutora did not disappoint. The human always surprised him. "This is more like it. You actually hurt me." The giant arrancar slowly got back up. Sado stood his ground and remained were he stood. "This is it. This is the battle I have craved for so long, to think that you have obtained the power to oppose me…..Ha…ha….HAHAHAHAHA!" He hollered with insane laughter.
Frightened by the arrancar's unstable behavior the hollow powered human could only stare. After what felt like an eternity the laughter began to die down. His face scrunched up in obvious disdain. Of course this was still just a game to him. The arrancar only sought to fight to satisfy his battle lust. He was completely devoid of any sense of purpose. This was not a game to Sado though. Winning was not an option for him. Sado had to win in order to keep his promise to Ichigo and Inoue. The last several weeks he and Inoue had worked so hard to re-forge their power into something that could protect the peace Ichigo had given them. He would not be defeated by one who saw battle as means of amusement.
"What is with the serious face?" Gild questioned. Mirth that surged through his body also drenched his words. "Shouldn't you be happy that you are able to harm me now? I never thought a human could improve so drastically in such a short amount of time. Now our battle can be enjoyable. We can enjoy our battle to its fullest extent!"
Sado growled. "I don't care about anything like that."
A surprised Gild's mouth opened slightly in response. The human did not care about an enjoyable fight? He could not understand that. People like them, who were strong, should only be able to find no greater joy than when they clashed with equally strong opponents.
"My power is meant to protect others." His brown eyes fell onto his right arm. Once again he could not help, but think its form was appropriate. It symbolized his abuelo's soul. He was a man who used his great strength to protect others. Sado practiced his teachings to this day. "I don't seek satisfaction in battle nor do I seek to challenge my strength. I trained with everything I had in order to gain more power, so I could use it to protect the bonds I cherish, to protect my comrades."
Those words were eerily familiar. Golden orbs of the former primera materialized in front of him. He remembered she said similar words.
"Gild, this not a game to me. I will defeat you with all of my power. I suggest you do the same if you want to win." He clenched his left hand tightly into a fist. His spiritual power was bursting through it just ready to explode when Sado needed it.
"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? I respect your desire to use your power to protect your comrades, but do not talk as though you have won already. Your punches have some power behind them now, but don't forget about my power. One hit from me at full power was enough to send you flying last time. Do ya believe you gained enough strength to handle me going all out now?" He charged at the human with all of his speed, pulling his arm back. He prepared to punch Sado Yasutora with his full strength. "Can ya really handle this?" he shouted again.
The tanned giant stood his ground. The arrancar charged down on him like a raging bull and just like a bull he hoped to stampede all over Sado. The enormous colorless fist skirted across toward him. "Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!" Sado cried at the top of his lungs. Reiatsu sparking from his left arm now flared into an intense blaze. Sado met Gild's fist with his own. The two giant sized men collided with one another. The opposing forces exploded, ringing throughout the atmosphere, frightening any unsuspecting animals that had not fled yet. Both combatants could feel the pressure their reiatsu created push them away. Neither man would yield to it. Their fortitude saw that neither would lose this clash. Instead it ended in a stalemate.
Frozen in stunned silence the arrancar gawked at the smaller giant. "Ya…matched my…..punch….." he muttered in hushed astonishment. He did it. He had actually done it. The human matched the power of his full strengthened punch. Words escaped him. The gap between them had completely dissolved when he wasn't looking. The strength that Gild was so proud of, the very strength that had taken him years to obtain, and underwent the experimental process to become an arrancar to enhance it, had been matched by a mere human. To add insult to injury said human had only trained two months to match it. Damn it all if Sado Yasutora was not gazing up at him with the same hardened expression as before. He was neither surprised nor boastful. One look into his human's foe's eyes told him that Sado had no intentions of falling here. Sado challenged him to use all of his strength on him. Failure was not even taken into consideration, not with those eyes. Again he was reminded of her. Why did she haunt him now? The arrancar's heart was dripping in fear. This could be his final battle.
There was no telling what would happen. "Aren't ya just full of surprises?" he jested. Unsurprisingly the dark skinned human did not respond. He threw a right hook to the loud mouth arrancar's left cheek. That hit knocked the taste out of his mouth. The former Espada's head was thrown back with such force that he almost had whiplash. There was no time to for him to react. A new pain shot through his stomach. Sado's fist dug through him for a second time. All he saw was gray blur as he was being assaulted by swift blows.
They tore through his once impenetrable skin with the speed and precision as a bullet. The hurricane that was Sado became relentless. Almost no part of his body was left untouched. His torso, shoulders, arms, legs, face, and even his back were all the hollow powered human's victims. The victimized Gild could not weather the storm. Hastily he threw his arms in front of his face and chest in a weak attempt to shield himself. It did little to aid him. With every blow he felt more of his stamina whittled away. He was forced back, while his rival took advantage of this and continued to move forward. Sado connected with Gild's cheek again. The arrancar attempted to counter he merely swerved out of the way.
This was not the battle he had imagined. Gild's distress worsened. There was no doubt that he was overwhelmed completely. His speed could not hope to match his enemy's already. Now that their strengths were near equal he lost his greatest advantage. He continued to be pounded away, while his Hierro crumbled before him. He had lost. There was no way he could win. His power had been overtaken by this human. The outcome was decided as soon as the battle started. It was decided before they met. There was always a difference in their strength. It was only now that Gild became aware of it. He battled for amusement. He loved to fight. He gained as much strength as possible to fight stronger and stronger opponents. The reason he became an arrancar and joined the Espada was to continue to fight.
Silva asked for his services he saw another chance to get into great fights. He cared not for claiming rule of Hueco Mundo as the other arrancar. He hardly cared for Silva's aim at first. He would have said yes to anything, so long there was a great battle to be fought. He was hardly a team player nor was he sentimental type, but being among former comrades, all of whom stood by Aizen's side at one point as the Espada was acceptable. He started to care about Silva's vision. He started to want to see that world where humans and hollows were mingled into one. His lust for battle was more overwhelming though. The former sexta sought this battle with one he deemed worthy. This was his battle, his last great battle.
Sado Yasutora was completely opposite of him. This battle was never one for joy. As the human said many times before this battle was meant to protect the comrades he had made. His strength was for others. Victory mattered to him. It decided everything to him. Sado Yasutora would never give up, because he had a vision of his own. In many ways he was like Silva. He valued his comrades above his own self-interest. Gild had nothing to be ashamed of. He was defeated by a man such as Sado Yasutora. He would embrace death. Just as the arrancar closed his stormy gray eyes she appeared before him. Golden orbs were marred with humility. She held out her hand before speaking.
"Please lend me your strength. If I have your strength I can make my vision a reality. We will no longer be forced to dwell in the darkness of this dead world. No longer will our fate be bond to be prey of the shinigami. We will no longer be subjected to the shinigami's rule nor will be force to live apart from the humans! I do not seek to replace Aizen-sama. I have no desire for more power for powers sake. Let Hueco Mundo fall into the hands of whatever arrancar foolishly fights to claim it. Gild, the time has come for us to break these chains we have and go into the light. I ask you again to please lend me your strength, Gild. Stand with me as my comrade once more."
No! This could not happen. If he were defeated here not only would he lose, but Silva's dream, their shared dream would also shatter. This battle wasn't just for him. It was for all his comrades. He had strong comrades who he could aim to surpass. Never once did he use this strength for their benefit, even now. He believed in Silva's dream of the future, but a bigger part of him followed her in order to fight stronger opponents.
He was on the verge of defeat. He still found joy in the battle. A part of him was ready to accept defeat. Perhaps he had been looking for someone who would defeat him and now that he found him he was ready to just accept it. Silva would not accept that though. The woman haunted him as a specter. She shattered his delusion of his invincibility and instilled a sense of comradeship. He saw her bow to a man who was far from being her equal to request his strength for their use. She swallowed her pride for their dream. She was everything to him without even realizing it. The loyalty or admiration for her was as great as he had for Aizen. The giant arrancar had no choice, but to respect Aizen's power. The sheer volume of the renegade shinigami's power could not be anything, but respected to one such as he who placed value in strength. Silva's power could not compare to Aizen, but it was her ideals that kept him gravitating toward her.
She did not deserve to be imprisoned in the darkness. Hueco Mundo would kill such a flower as her. If he could not enjoy this world of light he would make sure that Silva and their other comrades would. Gild stopped. The human went for another attack when Gild howled, startling the human. With speed surprising himself Gild punched Sado straight in his torso and rammed him back down. The smaller giant collided with the earth with a loud crack. Sado Yasutora laid there unmoving. This was his chance. Gild hit him in his back with his massive fist. He hit him again and again and again. Each time the human's body was slammed into a growing crater. "Ya think ya are the only one fighting for someone?" He beat the human's back. "We are fighting for something to. We want to leave the darkness. My comrades want to live in this world of light that you take for granted." He stomped onto Sado, causing another loud crackle. "She….she wants to give us arrancar and hollows the chance to leave the darkness. The truth is she wants to liberate us from the shinigami that condemn us and the humans that look down on us! Today I am going to fight for her!" He lashed out at the human to no avail. His punch was stopped by his rival. All the blows he had landed did not so much as blemish Sado's dark brown skin. Damn if the human's hand wasn't steady. It just held his larger fist in place as though he was some pitiful child.
He understood Gild's heart now. He understood the arrancar's new found conviction to defeat him. No longer was Gild's fist without purpose. A fist without purpose was incapable of harming him. However, now there was a need for Gild to win. With reason and conviction to match it the 106th arrancar's strength returned in full force. The hollow powered human slowly rose never leaving his enemy's eyes once. "I won't lose," he stated. It was a fact. There was no other possibility. Sado saw the disgust on Gild's face as if he reeked of something putrid. He knew it sounded like arrogance, but it wasn't. The former Espada was not even in his sights. His vision extended beyond Gild and onto the two he swore to. They stood there waiting for him to catch up. God knew he was so damn tired of trying to catch up to him.
"Are you so arrogant as to think your victory is absolute, human?" he sneered. The child-like glee dissipated from his aura. Something darker boiled within him. It was on the verge of erupting from the massive muscle bond husk of a body.
"Arrogant, no that is not what this is. I just can't lose."
"And you do not call that arrogance!" He backhanded the human with his free arm. The force was enough to make him turn the other cheek. "What makes your comrades more important than mine?" he shrieked.
Sado could hear the aggravation spewing from his words. Blood trickled on the human's now swollen bottom lip. He wiped it away. He remained un-phased, which only infuriated the 106th arrancar, even more. "Whether your comrades are more important than mine or vice versa the only thing that matters is the strength of my conviction and my pride. The pride I have in my own skin of my proud heritage, the pride I have in my strong comrades!" He clenched his left hand into a fist. His power flared freely. It resonated with Sado's unshakable resolve.
Gild gritted his teeth. Rage threatened to overtake him there was something else lurking beneath it. This something was deadly as they come. It had the ability to bring men and women to their knees, as it predicted their downfalls, and showed them their deaths. In many ways it was even worse than fear. Gild doubted his ability to win for the first time in his life. When he looked into the human's eyes he could see they were so clear. He could see his own reflection in brown spheres. Unlike him Sado did not have any doubt behind those eyes. "No….I….I….I won't lose to someone like you! My comrades are just as important! I will win for their sakes! My strength is still greater than yours!" He unleashed a roar as great as it was terrible. He slammed his fists together as he gathered all of his reiatsu into arms. With his strength he would win. With this strength Silva and his comrades had given him he would win! For the first time ever he looked to others for strength. The comrades he had made were the source of his strength! "No more playing around! I will hit ya with everything I got, you hear!? This is everything I have on the line here!"
Sado made his arrangements. Lightning like reiatsu crackled on his armored fingertips, so loudly that it deafened Gild's booming voice. He returned his hand to a fist. Lightning instantaneously consumed it. The dark brown haired man glared at Gild. He would accept the arrancar's challenge he would win it. "Let's go, Dagoberto Gild!"
Didn't Sado ever doubt himself? He was like this the last time as well. Despite Gild's clear advantage and Sado's inability to even so much as take a punch from him he still believed he could win on that night. Pride is what the human said was the source of his strength, pride and conviction. Gild had always prided his strength. Now that he had conviction to follow Silva's dreams he should be his equal. No. He should be this human's superior. "I hate that look in your eyes now."
"Hmm," Sado replied, a little taken aback by his enemy's odd remark.
Gild continued, "Those eyes used to amuse me, because it meant I would get a good battle out of you. But now I despise those eyes. I WILL RIP THEM OUT OF YOUR HEAD!" The human flinched at his outburst. About damn time he shook up this brat a little. "You believe your strength is greater than mine now! You believe your conviction to protect your comrades and the pride you have in them makes you superior to me! I possess that same conviction and pride. Silva is greater than me. She is greater than all of us! I am proud to serve under her. Her strength will change our destiny! My belief in that is what makes me go against my own way of battling. I won't draw the battle out to enjoy it this time. I won't draw on my strength alone. I will fight to win for her. I will draw on my comrades' strength to fuel my own. And I will keep on winning, even against you or that woman or the Quincy or even the human who defeated Aizen himself!" The giant planted his massive fist into the earth and shot off for a second time. The human was quiet. He chose not run this time. He charged straight for him. The idiot was going to try to match his strength. Sado Yasutora had become full of himself. He thought he was strong enough to defeat Silva?
'Unacceptable. He cannot defeat me or else he will defeat Silva. She should not even be touched by someone like you. I won't let your power ever reach her! I will show you that your strength isn't enough!'
On the opposing end the giant of a man nicknamed Chad was engrossed in his own thoughts. 'I am so weak. In the Soul Society I was unable to go far enough to back up Ichigo. I was defeated so easily by one of the captains. Ichigo you were overshadowed by them too, but you found a way to surpass them and win. I couldn't stop Inoue from being abducted. I couldn't even defeat an Espada. I told you to trust in my strength, told you I could help you shoulder the burden, but in the end I couldn't do anything. I was rescued by Captain Unohana. All I could do was make a path for you to rescue Inoue. I was crushed by that Yammy guy of the Espada and had to be rescued by you again. While I was licking my wounds you defeated Aizen all by yourself and because of it you lost your powers. That shouldn't have happened. I should have been able to watch your back. I should have been able to help you. The gap between our strengths only grew wider and wider. It was impossible for me to help you at all Ichigo. Now you are powerless and I can't even help you regain your power. The very least I can do is protect Karakura Town and defeat the man before me with my own hands. I will become strong for your sake. Do you hear me Ichigo? I will become strong enough to help you no matter who you fight in the future!' he promised. The two hollow powered warriors prepared to strike. Two forces of nature were inches from colliding. They threw their arms forward.
"DIE!" screamed Gild.
"LA MUERTE!" Sado shouted.
The arrancar's fist connected to the frail human's soft skull (soft to him anyway). The human quivered from the sheer force of his blow he did not yield. However, the human continued with his assault and managed to land his strike directly in the center of his torso. An overwhelming jolt shot through his body. He felt like squirming, but instead his bones shattered and his skin burned. The burning became so strong that it was unbearable. Tears formed in his eyes due to this pain. It was to laugh. This wasn't pain. No. Soon he would learn what true pain was. Sado's Brazo Izquierda del Diablo tore through his dense rock like skin and went straight through his chest, accompanying it was a powerful explosion that disintegrated his massive body. Every inch of his body felt as though it was stabbed by miniature blades. How his brain was able to comprehend such excruciating pain was beyond him. He did not care at the moment. All he heard was deathly howl that he suspected came from him.
God when would this unspeakable torture end? It was enough to last several life times when in reality it only lasted seconds. The worse of it was over. However, his skin or what was left of it felt as if it had been scorched right off his bones. His bones felt as though they never existed to begin with. They weren't broken. They felt like they were a myth. The battered Gild slowly fell to his knees with his eyes unfocused. Everything was becoming a blur, except for one figure. Before his eyes as clear as a bell was Salvador in his black mask carrying on his superior demeanor. Soon he dissolved and the brash and crude Antonio rolled his eyes. He could have sworn he heard the phantom whisper a typical under his breath. An even bigger annoyance was that shrill of a woman who outranked him. He still never understood how she could be stronger than him! He could barely tolerate her even more so than that upstart Antonio, but never the less he saw Cirucci snickering at him no less. Before he could hurl an insult she had been replaced by the third strongest member of their group. The burly and dynamic, Dordoni already acting a fool with his ridiculous dancing and cheering him on, he did not miss that. Or so he told himself, yet there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. Was this how he met death? Seeing the faces of long gone comrades greeting him as death he fell into death's cold embrace was a cruel joke. Seeing those people again meant he had failed Silva.
How cruel was life's sense of humor. All this time he had fought for his own amusement and won meaningless battles. The first time he fought for others and now he was defeated. But what did he expect, some new power given to him for doing a good deed? Nonsense, he had outgrown such childish thoughts or so he thought. Didn't he make bold claims on how he was drawing strength from his comrades? They both fought for others sake, but he was still defeated. The reason he was defeated was because his human enemy had surpassed his strength. It boggled his mind that anyone least of all a human could gain such power in only two messily months. The almost downcast expression belonging to the man who he had desired to fight to bitter end stared down at him. Streaks of red flowed down his forehead, covering the skin he took pride in. A small sense of satisfaction arose. At least Sado did not escape completely unharmed. His warrior spirit could take some very small victory in this. The dark brown haired man left his side. "W-wait," he called. Gild tried to move his arm to reach him, but his arm could not move even an inch. Damn he was pathetic.
Sado halted, hearing the defeated 106th arrancar summon him. The overzealousness he despised was nowhere to be found, yet sorrow or self-pity where absent as well. What he heard was regret. Regret wasn't entirely for this battle. Sado's instincts told him it was directed somewhere else, somewhere he would never know.
"Tell me." He was forced to stop and coughed. Curse his faulty lungs. His breathing was so fucking heavy now. "Tell me how you became so strong."
When he heard the arrancar he almost chuckled aloud. "I am not strong at all."
"Don't give me that bullshit!"
Sado shook his head at the misguided arrancar. "I really am weak. In the past my strength has never been enough to go the distance. I hated my weakness, but I continue to move forward. I will get stronger and stronger until I can finally catch up, until I can finally watch his back again. You think I am strong." He almost laughed again. "This level isn't enough I am afraid. I will have to get a lot stronger than this. I'll become strong enough to fight opponents like the Espada."
"Your goal is to become as strong as the latest incarnation of the Espada?" Gild coughed out.
Sado denied this. "My goal is to become strong enough to face anything that might come in the future. I won't drag Ichigo down with me in the future, because I am one of his comrades. It is my duty to protect him and everyone else."
Stunned by the human's bold declaration Gild blinked twice, even that hurt to do. He and the human could not be more different. Sado Yasutora was a man who possessed great power, but he used it entirely for other people, his comrades. This Ichigo who he placed in high regard meant so much to him. If only he had always held such devotion to Silva, than he may not be the one experiencing defeat. They were two warriors, but they were not equal in any sense. Sado was a greater warrior than he could ever hope to be.
'Sorry, Silva, but it looks like this is far as I can go. My power wasn't enough for you. Why the hell is it that even though I am about to die I can't stop thinking about how fun this battle was? In the end I abandoned my love for the battle to fight for others. I am such a…..' He let out a gentle breath. "….worthless fool," he finished. The fallen warrior's eyes fell shut.
Reiatsu no longer emitted from his body. Sado knew that could only mean two things. Gild was either near death's door or he had already crossed the threshold. They were enemies. By all reason he should not mourn his passing in anyway. No. His victory over the 106th arrancar was reason to celebrate. He had contributed to keeping Karakura safe. However, Sado felt an odd sense of admiration toward him. The arrancar understood what it meant to fight for precious comrades' sakes. Never being a sentimental man and with all the hollows roaming around Sado turned his back on Gild and headed toward the direction of the Gillian. He used his sixth sense to locate the overgrown hollow, but found nothing nearby.
This made no sense though. He wasn't terribly far from the Gillian when Gild intervened. It should have still been close unless….
"Don't worry about the Gillian. We took care of it."
Startled the dark brown haired giant jumped. He hastily threw his guard up and turned to his right. Two men stood there, completely relaxed. One man had long flowing golden blond hair. He wore a frilly shirt, which in Sado's opinion did not suit a man at all, along with a black suit. The man had an elegant atmosphere around him. The second man was taller than the first. He wore sun glasses and a green jogging suit. He possessed a spiked afro. Unlike the first man he felt more rowdy and manly to Sado. What held his eyes' interest were the two swords they carried in their hands.
'Are they carrying zanpakuto?' he wondered. Both men were giving off excessive amount of spiritual power. Where they shinigami? Their attire wasn't what shinigami commonly wore, but neither Urahara-san nor Yoruichi-san wore the black robes of the traditional shinigami uniform.
"Don't worry we are allies to Ichigo and Kisuke," the afro man spoke up. The human youth who exceed his height raised an eyebrow at his claim. Love understood why he would still be wary of them. If their situations were reversed he probably would be as well. "Didn't Kisuke tell you anything about us coming to help you out?" One look form the human told him otherwise. Love ran a hand through his spiked afro in frustration. "I doubt Ichigo said anything either right?" He received the same blank stare as before. Apparently their so called allies did not see it fit to tell their comrades about them.
"Now, now, Love there is nothing to get all worked up about," Rose assured. "Neither Ichigo nor Kisuke are the type of people to share everything with people. It is not in their character to do so."
Love grumbled at his companion's prattling about artistic flare. Rose could be such a pain in the ass about that stuff. "If Kisuke is going to ask us for help you would think he would tell them about it."
Rose pushed a stray strand of hair out of his face. He had to concede to Love's point. The muscular giant continued to stare at them. The mistrustful glare he threw at them was enough to unsettle him. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. Will that put you at ease?" The silent giant gave him a nod. The golden haired vizard gestured for his old friend to go first.
"Aikawa Love," he kept it short and to the point.
"And I am Otoribashi Rojuro, but those close to me call me Rose." His manner of speech was elegant, but it also dressed up as if he was giving a presentation. "We are also known as the vizards."
Wait. He heard that name before. Inoue had told him once that Hirako who came to their school was a part of group of shinigami with hollow powers known as the vizards. She explained that Ichigo trained with them in preparation with the war with Aizen. He had met that Hirako character and the loud mouth girl who was berating him, but no one else from the group like Inoue did. Finding nothing suspicious about the two men nor sensing any deceit from them he decided to let his guard down.
Sensing the younger man's tensions melt put a smile on Rose's lips. "It would seem Ichigo did mention us."
"Actually it was Inoue," Sado corrected. Both vizards chuckled at his statement. They may have only known Ichigo for a short time they knew him well enough to realize he didn't share with people unless it was necessary.
The chuckling stopped. The one known as Love spoke, "We arrived just as your battle with the arrancar began. We were going to step in to help, but it sounded like you had personal history with him. It is not really my style to butt into other people's fights unless it is absolutely necessary." He always found people butting into his fights too be presumptuous. They usually jumped in without any inkling of what was going on or if the person they saved had any sort of strategy or plan that was ruined by their intervention. He scowled remember Shunsui stuck his nose in his fight with the Espada known as Starrk. Sure he was bloody and wounded, but he still had his bankai to fall back on. "You handled him well. Your strength was impressive."
Rose scanned Sado's arms. The armor had piqued his interest, particularly the design on the shield. It was shaped like teeth, hollow teeth to be exact. The human boy's power had no relation to shinigami abilities. He wondered.
"What's your name kid?" Love asked.
"Sado Yasutora," replied the giant dully.
The giant of a man was stern and straight faced. Rose didn't like it. The kid was young. He should be more relaxed. Life would give him reason enough to be so serious. Of course he realized the boy was already dealing with problems more stressful than the average human adult dealt with. He glanced at the defeated arrancar. With Sado's victory there was only one arrancar left in Karakura. He could no longer sense the reiatsu from the arrancar near Hachi and Orihime, signaling their victory. The Menos were dropping like flies as well. "The number of hollows is rapidly decreasing. There is one arrancar left."
"We are in the final stages of the attack," Love said.
"I would say so," Rose reinforced. He turned to Sado. "If the three of us work together we can get rid of the remaining hollows in this area. Your other friends are handling things well enough." Sado grunted to show he understood. "Kisuke moved the people without spiritual power to his bunker. There is no need to hold back."
"Understood," Sado said.
Short and to the point, Love liked him. Sado could stand to be more talkative, but it was a nice change when one lived with constant bickering of Shinji and Hiyori. "Do you think you can keep up," he challenged. Sado's brow furrowed just slightly, accepting Love's challenge. The dark brown haired man closed his right hand into a fist. Yes. Love was going to like Sado. Without another word Sado and Love rushed off to the nearest hollows they sensed, leaving an offended Rose by himself.
"How uncouth," he complained. "Rushing off into battle without declaring their intentions and leaving me here, there is no sense of rhythm at all." The artistic vizard set off to catch up to them.
Another hollow fell. Her sword sliced through the head, easily breaking through the skull like mask as if it were paper. These hollows were child's play. If that dumbass Shinji had heard her say that he would have made some smartass comment just to piss her off. He was annoying like that. Hiyori looked around to search for some sign of friend or foe. When she saw neither she gave an ugly scowl that most would think was unappealing for a young girl. "Where the hell did Lisa go?" The pig tailed blonde's eyes scanned of the area for a second time. "She said she was just going to finish off some more hollows. I bet she ditched me." Not liking the idea of her companion leaving her behind the vizard used her sixth sense to search for the taller girl's reiatsu.
Normally it would be easy to find Lisa given the vizard's unique type of duo reiatsu of both shinigami and hollow, but it was difficult now. The human town was cluttered with the spiritual powers of many different combatants that it caused her to discern who was who. She felt the familiar emptiness from the hollows, some her friends like Rose and Love with someone she was unfamiliar with, the utter despair that radiated from the remaining Gillians that had dwindled down to four. There three large concentrated reiatsu. One of them was less than the other two. It was similar to her duo typed power. 'Must be an arrancar,' she thought. The other remaining two felt restraint, holding back their emotions. Further probing allowed her to find anxiety leaking through, despite how much effort was put in holding it back. One she had no idea who it belonged to, but the other one was without a doubt Lisa.
"That bitch. She is fighting an arrancar without me!" Hiyori screamed at the sky as though it were at fault. She further victimized the sky by stomping at the air, expressing her anger. She should never have trusted Lisa. She said she was just going to finish off hollows. How stupid could Hiyori have been to fall for that one? She wanted to fight one of the arrancar and Lisa being spiteful at losing a Gillian to her sneak away to find arrancar! She stopped fuming long enough to realize that Lisa was fighting alongside someone who was not one of the vizards. This was curious. From what Hiyori felt Lisa was more powerful than the arrancar. She should have been able to win on her own. Why did she need someone to aid her?
"What is the arrancar's ability?" she wondered aloud. Before she could ponder her question a hollow emerged from the shadows. Unlike his mindless kin he had enough intelligence to hide himself, while the shinigami finished off the idiots who could not sense her incredible power. She was distracted. It was the perfect time to strike. He jumped into the air. His luck was very good. The loud mouth brat did not notice him. Now he was inches away from her. He could sink his claws into her so easily. Just as he was about act he felt a shearing pain right through his chest.
The masked beast coughed up blood, while his vision dimmed. What the hell did this to him? Little did he know it would be the last thought he would ever think. His head split open, ending his life. Hiyori's ears instantly picked up sounds of red life sustaining liquid splatter. She turned just in time to see the dissected hollow sink to the ground. Damn it all. She was careless. If the others knew she had let a common hollow get the drop on her she would never hear the end of it.
"My, my, that was a close one."
Hiyori's eyes widened, in unbridled surprised. That voice, she would recognize that voice no matter how much time passed. It always brought her so many headaches and worry. Surprise thawed. For an unknown reason her heart skipped a beat. That despicable bastard would always be a plague upon her body. As far as Hiyori was concerned her reaction was evidence that the man made her sick. The pig tailed vizard slowly crept around.
"You really should keep your guard up, Hiyori-san."
Hiyori fully turned around to see the sickening face of her old captain, Urahara Kisuke. His cane was pointing in her direction and smoking at the end of it. It gave him away as her rescuer. The thought of being in debt to this dick was nauseating. It was bad enough she owed him for stabilizing her shinigami-hollow hybrid body, but now she owed him for this save. She could just kick and scream, preferably at him, but a sense of gratitude held her back. She hoped it passed so she could give him an ass whopping. Instead she crossed her arms and pouted. "Hmm, why the hell are you butting in? I didn't need your help at all you know! Don't expect me to go thanking you or nothing!"
He laughed to himself. A century had passed and Hiyori still treated him like he was a diseased scoundrel. He hadn't expected his old vice-captain to treat him any differently. When he visited her during her recovery from Ichimaru Gin's attack on her she rather rudely asked why he was there. She had given him the cold shoulder his entire visit or attempted to. She couldn't resist picking him apart for every little thing he did, like watch her or make small talk. He didn't mind though. Hiyori's harsh criticism of him was a finely crafted melody after the deathly silence he had to endure for days when she was recuperating at his shop, after the battle. After a hundred years he still had a soft spot for the foul mouthed girl.
The shopkeeper beamed down on her, a fact that was had not gone unnoticed by Hiyori. She loathed whenever he looked at her with those caring eyes. They were never close during their ten year run as captain and vice-captain of the 12th Division. He shouldn't act like they were. True he became less annoying after nearly a decade and he wasn't the worst captain imaginable as she had first thought, but he was still annoying! 'Ah! He was still smiling at me.' The vizard socked him in his stupid wide grin mouth as hard as she could. She took such satisfaction in seeing his head wobble backward. A hundred years and the impression his face made on her knuckles was still familiar as if she had just punched him yesterday. "Hmm, that will teach you to quit looking at me all weird. It gives me the creeps," she said as she messaged her now sore knuckles. Was his face made of steel or something?
It was his fault. He should have expected her to be so violent. Kisuke's sore nose almost swelled to twice its normal size. The stinging sensation was something he could live without, but he was fortunate that Hiyori did not hit nearly as hard as Yoruichi. "Hiyori-san, you do not have to be so mean," he whimpered in his over dramatic fashion.
A decade together with this man taught her how to see through his facades. Hiyori ignored his so called whimpering. "What are you doing here anyway? Wasn't the reason you asked that dick, Shinji for help, is because you wanted us to help out?"
He took the time to rub his sore nose before answering her. When he was pleased that the soreness was dissipating he answered her, "I did come to Hirako-san for help, in hopes of enlisting all of your aid. However, I did not intend to sit out of battle myself. The stakes are still pretty high. The Spirit Keystones could be in danger." The pig tailed girl looked him in his eyes, with transparent interest.
"I don't sense anything out of the ordinary. The hollows are almost gone and there is only one arrancar left. If this attack was a distraction they waited too long to act. We'll notice if they try anything now," she reasoned. One look at the grim expression Kisuke wore told her he thought otherwise. She had known him long enough to be familiar with this expression. It was never good.
"The arrancar possess a special cloak that can completely mask their reiatsu." The snow blond heard his former subordinate cry in astonishment.
"They have technology like that!" Hiyori exclaimed. "Why the hell didn't you mention it?" The despicable man spoke no words. This infuriated her to no ends. "They are probably acting now then!"
"If the Spirit Keystones are their main objective than it is a high probability."
"How can you act all casual about it!?" the vizard screeched in a tone that would erupt ear drums. "This entire battle was a distraction. That means they probably already destroyed the damn thing..."
Kisuke cut her off, "No. If they had destroyed the Spirit Keystone they would have retreated already. The only reason for this attack is to keep us off balance or distracted as you said. The Spirit Keystones locations are one of the upmost secrets that few individuals in the Soul Society know of. I only discovered the location of one here by chance. Even someone as brilliant as Aizen probably would not know the exact location, at least not unless he was actively seeking out that information. His research on the King's Key and the Spirit King most likely turned out some information on the Keystones themselves. The extent of the arrancar's knowledge is most likely the extent of Aizen's knowledge. The Privaron Espada have summoned reinforcements can only mean one thing."
Hiyori's face lit up even brighter than a megawatt light bulb. "They are still looking for the Spirit Keystone's location!" Kisuke nodded solemnly. "Did you think that they still haven't found it?"
"I am uncertain." She snorted very loudly, drawing his full attention to her. The genius scientist raised an eyebrow to inquire her motives.
"Don't give me that shit. I know you too well. You have some idea on what is going on and don't you try telling me otherwise." The pig tailed vizard crossed her arms and furrowed her brow.
Kisuke chuckled. Hiyori had not changed at all in a century. He smirked at her and to his surprise she smirked back before she kicked him right at his backside. "Ah! Hiyori-san, you need to stop doing that." He rubbed abused buttocks.
"Shut up you dick and tell me what you got planned already!" She fought back a laugh. There was one good thing about Kisuke. He brought her many unique forms of amusement.
His body felt like it weighed a ton. Keigo had to actively force his body to move. His breathing was still ragged and his poor aching muscles. The brown haired boy pushed himself up. The challenge was keeping his body up. "Ha….ha…..ha," Keigo took slow breaths. His cheeks red from strain and moist from sweat he had worked up. This was doing no good. Keigo decided to see if Mizuiro was having any better luck. The cellphone enthusiast was lying on the floor unmoving. "Mi….zurio." He reached for his friend. They were only three feet away, yet to Keigo it felt as though they were miles apart.
That damn hollow or whatever the hell he was left both of them as weak as newborn babies. He never experienced such a feeling before. He never had to fight so hard just to keep his cells from being ripped apart or keep his heart beating. Keigo had experienced what few beings experience a mere battle just to exist.
"Mizuiro…..get…..up." He might as well have been talking to a wall. Mizuiro was not responding. "Shit…." He bemoaned at his powerlessness. If he knew the after affects from that guy's spiritual force would last for this long he wouldn't have told Ishida to go on ahead. "At least things can't get any worse." He immediately regretted saying those words. If he learned anything from movies and television it was that things always got worse when someone said they couldn't.
"Gaaaaaaahhhhh!"
Keigo wept. If his body wasn't so damn heavy he would have been shaking indiscriminately. 'Things always get worse when you say they can't!' The inhuman roar was evidence of this. The ground beneath him rumbled, forcing him to fall flat on his face. He wallowed in pain. Two hollows approached both him and the unconscious Mizuiro. "Why do bad things always happen to me?" Keigo whined. This would be the time Ichigo told him to stop whining. He gulped. No one was around. Chad, Ishida, and even Inoue were all somewhere else. No one was coming to their rescue. The slow and devastating realization sunk in. "We are going to…..going to…..d-die," he muttered. There was no emotion in his voice. It was almost dead. He couldn't feel his beating heart. This was how he felt when that Aizen guy chased them. This was what it felt like when your body lacked in conception of hope.
"Raaah," the beast growled.
The usually nonstop talking Keigo was left speechless. This was how it ended? He hadn't even gone all the way with a girl yet! How could it end like this? He shut his eyes, clenching them so tightly that the corner of his eyes stung. He couldn't bear to see his life end with his own eyes. The brunet embraced ignorance. He was blind to when the hollows hovered over him. He was also blind when cold steel sliced through their necks, liberating their heads from their torsos. The now dead heads rolled down the streets. The headless beasts fell just when Keigo chose to open his eyes, curious as to why he continued to breath.
To Keigo's immense relief the hollows were indeed dead. He felt something wet brush down his cheeks. Using a finger to sample the wetness he discovered that tears were streaming down his face. Tears of imaginable bliss ran down his cheeks, a testament to his super, fantastic, amazing luck that saved his life. "Why can't my luck help me meet girls?" Grieving at his misfortune with women and celebrating his survive at the same time Keigo came to a revelation. "Who saved us?" He searched around for any hide or hair of his rescuer, but found nothing. The person had disappeared in thin air.
Unknown to Keigo his rescuer was several stories above him. He stood on the roof of the building. Beside him was young man who looked to be nearing the end of his teen years and quickly approaching adulthood. The young man was tall and lean. He wore a blank expression that guarded any emotion from the outside world, keeping it trapped inside. His hair was short and combed, leaving no strand out of place. His eyes were stormy gray. His skin was dull as though he had not seen the sun in some time. Despite this he was handsome. He clung to the shadows, which obscured his full body. His companion shared similar traits. He too was tall and lean. His height exceeded the young man's. He possessed wavy black shoulder length hair that concealed left part of his face. He sat on the ledge of the roof. While still a youthful man it was clear he was older than the young man.
They had come to the town to buy some supplies and explore. When the mass wave of hollows invaded the small town, it became a training mission for the young man. The older man who had become his teacher tasked him with killing ten hollows without bringing any attention to them.
He had succeeded in his task. He was able to take care of the hollows and kept himself hidden from any of the inhabitants of Karakura who were special. You would never have guessed it from his teacher's behavior. He absent mindedly praised him, while his eyes did not grace him. Instead they found the written words of his book to be far more entertaining. If his teacher's eyes did not dart back and further he would never have known he was alert. The young man was stunned when his teacher moved at lightning like speeds to dispatch two hollows in one swift motion before returning and opening up his book without missing a step. Truly it was a sight to behold.
The young man pushed his admiration back. He was not a child any longer. Standing there in awe served no purpose. "I do not understand. What was the point in rescuing those two?" he inquired.
"Are you saying you wished me to have let those two boys die?" His mentor asked. The young man could hear mirth hidden in his words. He turned the page to his book. His teacher's lips were curved upward into an impish smirk.
He shook his head to protest his benefactor's sense of humor. "I only mean to ask what purpose they serve. I could have easily killed the two hollows, yet you saw it fit to dispatch them yourself. You risked being exposed in order to save the likes of those two."
The mischievous smirk widened slightly. It would have gone unnoticed by all, except for him. He had been around his mentor long enough to read his moods and expressions, no matter how insignificant. "It would be unfair of me to ask you handle those hollows after you had already killed ten. We cannot have those two be killed. They are cherished friends to him after all."
"Those two know Kurosaki then." The pieces were starting to come together. The sole reason they were interested in this town was because of the man known as Kurosaki. "Why did you not use that, if they are friends of Kurosaki?" His curiosity got the best of him.
The man closed his book. He ripped his eyes away from it and focused them on him. He could see playfulness in his benefactor's brown eyes. "Now is not the time to act. In his current state Kurosaki Ichigo is of no use to us. Our time would be better spent locating others like us."
"I understand. Should we be concerned though? Whoever is controlling these hollows is powerful. If they are going after Kurosaki they could pose trouble to us."
"Always mindful, Kiyoshi-kun," he jested. He enjoyed seeing his student eyebrow twitch as he said his name lovingly, as though he were a child. Kiyoshi did not like to be treated as a child. "We will watch from the shadows for now. I trust you do not object to this." He smiled kindly to Kiyoshi. It conveyed kindness it felt empty, as though it was foreign to him.
It did little ease Kiyoshi. His heart sped up just the same. Warmth burst through his chest. The smile was for him. He was being acknowledged. Kiyoshi readily took it. "No." His teacher continued to smile at him. The book was reopened and he returned to the fictional world he adored so much.
"I am interested in seeing how this development will shape him," his teacher added. The two men spoke no more. The next chapter should prove to be fascinating. When this installment ended he could scarcely wait for the next installment. That one held so much promise. For now he would simply enjoy this chapter. What a chapter it was forming to be. Miles away he could sense a battle raging on.
Esteban landed on his hands and feet to a nearby rooftop, having nearly avoided a sword strike. The arrancar's serpentine hair hissed violently, obviously reacting to someone or something. He raised his head upward into the sky. The steel faced Lisa charged from the skies in pursuit of him. She flicked her wrist, swinging her zanpakuto down, but he had anticipated her movements. Esteban scurried away on all fours. The girl he had proclaimed sexy cut through air, while he had put great distance between them.
Her body was definitely slowed down. Her left leg and arm had been transformed into stone by that conceited pretty boy. The extra weight was throwing her off balance as well. The fact that she had no use of her left leg at all only hindered her more. It was most troublesome. The former vice captain sprung off her remaining good foot, gathering the spiritual power from within herself to glide forward.
The former Adonis zigzagged from left to right, slithering almost as a snake would as it hurried away. His Sonido was not the fastest among his comrades, but it was more than adequate. Certainly it was enough to outrun Lisa who literally only had one good leg. Esteban snickered. The ironic humor of him running away from an attractive woman was not lost on him. He was tempted to turn around and see just how far behind Lisa was. Better sense told him to watch out for the Quincy. The raven haired man was wounded, but he was still able to use a bow. Though the archer had not made a move toward him since the battle renewed, but it did not mean he would stay out of it.
There was no need to give his enemy an easy target by standing in place. Once he got a lock on the Quincy he would proceed to finish him off than deal with Lisa. Although, he may have qualms about killing a lovely woman he did not share the same dilemma about killing a man. The human was cunning. He was nowhere to be found. No doubt his enemy had been on the move as well, as suppressing his reiatsu, in order to avoid his ability. It may have been wiser to handle the dark haired beauty than the Quincy after all. Facing one opponent was easier than two. Esteban skidded across the skies and came to an abrupt stop. Lisa was not terribly far behind him.
The 109th arrancar was impressed by her abilities. Her Shunpo could follow after his Sonido after all this. His deadly gaze was cast on her. This time however, she was prepared for him. Lisa threw her body sideways, evading his technique. "Impressive. You were able to completely evade my gaze this time. Will you be so fortunate a second time?" Esteban followed where she went.
Lisa was again forced to push her body to just nearly miss being turned into stone. The deadpanned woman rose higher into the skies. The arrancar's range was almost all encompassing, while her range was limited. If she didn't get close enough she could not hope to defeat him. The question was how would she do that? Her speed had declined as she saw for herself. Her strength was in close and melee tactics over her long range capabilities. Any Kido she could think to use would take time for her to use. If she omitted the chant she could be faster, but the reduced power did not guarantee she would be able to defeat or even wound him. No. Her best bet was to get close enough to finish this. She needed an opening. Her new partner would hopefully provide her with one.
He had gotten into a prime position on top of the highest building he could find in the nearby area. He was never one who valued luck. He believed in preparation, but Uryu would have to say luck played a small part in his success of escaping Esteban's notice and get into a position where he could strike. Hawkeye vision allowed him to spot a fleeing Lisa and a puffed up arrancar chasing after with his eyes alone. It was frightening to think that all the arrancar would have to do to harm them would be to look at them. One slight miscalculation or misstep and it could all be over. From what he could see of the battlefield his new ally was in danger of making a misstep. She couldn't keep up her swift moves forever. The way she was pushing her body it was only a matter of time before her movements became rushed. Rushed movements would become carless, and that would lead to a mistake.
Blue energy consumed his cross, taking the shape of Uryu's spider web like bow. The arrancar had stopped moving. He wouldn't get a better chance than this. It was perfect, too perfect. The snake haired menace was baiting him, so that he would give away his position. 'He is cleaver. My shoulder's injury will not allow me to fire arrows rapidly. I won't be able to fire multiple arrows at the same time. In a matter of speaking I only have one shot. Hmm, that is more than enough.'
The Quincy pulled his bowstring back. The trade mark blue arrows took form. Without hesitation or doubt Uryu released the bowstring and watched the arrow streak across the sky in a blue blur. The arrow raced to its target. The arrancar's face grew larger and larger as the arrow came closer to it. Beads of sweat began to trickle down his forehead. Uryu clenched his teeth. A moment longer and it would connect. One of the many snakes that composed of Esteban's hair hissed. His reptilian foe leapt, dodging the arrow.
He snorted. Humans were so gullible. He actually bought his act and fired an arrow. The human completely gave away his location. Esteban's eyes went to the path the arrow traveled on and found the lone Quincy, just as he expected. "It was too good to be true I am afraid. Did you honestly think I would leave myself vulnerable to your attack by staying in one place?" The ice blue eyes stayed glued to him, but he said nothing. "I was told be cautious of you, especially, but now I think that Joaquin was giving you too much credit. Is this the limit of a Quincy? No wonder your clan was exterminated by the shinigami!" he taunted.
He expected to see the raven haired boy's scorn, not to see his lips curl into a half smirk. What was a river of confidence became a flood of worry. Lisa materialized right in front of him instantaneously. His eyes widened as fear crept into them. She quickly stabbed at him. It penetrated his abdomen.
"You are fighting two people, remember?" Lisa said drolly. Like the Quincy she too was smirking like a fiend.
"A distraction?" he mouthed out soundlessly. He was overconfident. The vizard girl and Quincy boy used it to their advantage. He underestimated them and he paid for it. It was a simple and effective strategy. Now it was his turn. "Nice try."
Lisa frowned. The face she was staring at was not of one of defeat, but of victory. A dark crimson vapor seeped out of his wound. It sprayed all over her. She hastily covered her mouth, however it was too late. Her head was dizzy. She pulled her zanpakuto out of him and used Shunpo to retreat. The light headed sensation worsened. Her body trembled on its own, rebelling against her commands for it to cease. Images her eyes took in became murky. Damn it. She couldn't even hold her zanpakuto steady. "Wha….What the hell is this?"
"Poison," answered the arrancar. His wide smirk returned. She glared something fierce. Those little creases made from her furrowed brow were cute. The spiteful turquoise eyes were endearing. It was inappropriate to think these thoughts, but he was an admirer of female beauty. His sights turned south to her chest.
She was going to be ill and it wasn't because of the poison. This bastard was a true lecher, right down to his smile. She hastily blocked her chest from his view. Silently she cursed herself for wearing a school uniform that exposed her figure.
"My blood is poisonous. When I bleed the poison is emitted and anyone who breathes it in will feel its effects. Your head will feel dizzy then your body will start to shake. I can tell you are experiencing those effects now. If you were to breathe in enough of it your body will start to feel numb. From there it will only get worse. Breathe in enough of it you will eventually die. I am the ultimate shield. My technique will turn you to stone and if I am wounded the one who inflicted the damage will be poisoned. There is nothing you can do to kill me."
"That is a rather bold claim," she stated.
"It is a true claim." He closed his eyes and shook his head condescendingly. "Why not just submit to me? It will be less painful for you if I am allowed to turn you into stone."
The former vice captain aimed her shaking blade toward his heart. She refused to be easy prey. Amused by her actions the conceited arrancar sighed exaggeratingly.
"You cannot hold your sword steady. How do you intend to defeat me?" She answered him by charging forward like a mad bull. The woman wasn't predictable. He would give her that. Esteban's eyelids opened up. The lethal gaze once again set itself on her again when a sharp pain had emerged from his back. Before he could investigate an identical pain burned on his right shoulder, then his lower back and up against his spine. "Ga…" The reptilian eyes belonging to the serpents on his scalp spotted four blue spirit arrows sticking out of his body. Esteban rushed around just in time to see the smoking bow of the Quincy's bow. He was standing only 20 feet or so. The smug human must have raced his way over to him when the woman attacked.
His cold blood was gradually rising in temperature. What was once amusing was becoming very bothersome. The human had the undeserved arrogance to smirk at him! Oh he would fix him. Let him see how proud the Quincy would be when he was encased in stone! "The way you smirk is unsightly. Erase it, so I do not have to gaze upon it when I seal you in stone!" The many eyes of Esteban rested on the human.
"No you don't!"
In panic the arrancar met Lisa. With one sweep of her zanpakuto his already injured back was sliced open. More of his blood gushed out along with mild pain. "Unwise lovely, Lisa!" Poisonous vapor rushed out engulfing the fine specimen of a woman. "I already told you that my blood is poisonous. The more you cut at me the more you infect yourself."
The raven haired girl shot up into the air like a rocket, with speed surpassing Esteban's expectations. It was inconceivable that Lisa would be able to move at such speeds having taken in his poison and her stone appendages. What he did not see was that Lisa's face was glistening from the sweat that covered it. Her lungs were smoldering, making breathing all, but impossible. Everything was murky to her. She was lucky to make out shapes. The trembling only got worse.
She refused to succumb to this. No. She could take much more than this! If she were to be defeated here by an opponent of this caliber how could she ever face Shunsui? She would be damned if she were to explain to that no good lazy bastard how she allowed herself to be defeated like this. Her white diamond mask took form. The vizard shimmered out of existence as she threw in as much energy as she could into her Shunpo, striving to attain a speed greater the slow movements she had been using previously. She fixed her silver blade in front of her body. Lisa materialized right in front of her shocked enemy. The vizard hacked away at him. She could feel her loyal partner, Haguro Tonbo carve through the scale armor.
Crimson liquid seeped through, so did the toxic substance rush over her body. Lisa's body screamed at her to get away, but she refused to listen to it and forced it to continue its assault. Haguro Tonbo even snarled at her stubbornness. It bitched about being covered in poisonous blood and how its shape was being eroded by it. Lisa ignored him as well. The ultimate shield's form had blurred into a white smudge, but she could make out one thing. A sizable red was dead center on his chest. Her brain was incinerating in what felt like a roaring fire she took comfort in the fact that she was proving he was not the ultimate shield.
He let out a howl more savage than any wild animal. His body wept. His Hierro was not absolute. Lisa had proven that with her quick strikes. Her blade hacked away at the scales that covered his torso and drew much blood out. His body became an instrument solely for pain. It recoiled in both fear and pain. Esteban could not comprehend how Lisa was able to take in so much of his poison and still strike him with such power. Any other opponent would have certainly been killed by now. What was so different about her? Did her hollow abilities make her resistance to toxins and poisons stronger? The more spiritual power a person possessed the longer their body could resist it, but even someone of Lisa's spiritual power would have fallen by now.
A loud thumping startled him and deafened out all other sounds. It shamed him to admit it an icy chill ran up his spine. Fear's teeth were nibbling on his legs, threatening to grind him up and swallow him. He slapped her face with the back of his hand, forcing her away from him. He did not wait for her to retaliate. Esteban rammed his fist straight into his enemy's stomach. He heard the breath escape her mouth. Her mask broke apart. She grabbed her stomach, nursing it in the best she could under the circumstances. Satisfied with her defensive position Esteban activated his greatest power. It was that moment Lisa chose to back step. She avoided becoming a complete statue, but not without consequences. Her right thigh and the lower part of right torso was lifeless gray stone.
Defiant even now, Lisa's eyes betrayed now sign of weakness or vulnerability even in her current situation. Her body was not fortified. It shook so hard that he could her bones shiver from where he stood. His poison was having an effect after all. Out of the blue more arrows flew at him forcing him descend from the sky. His injuries from both the sword and arrows were taking its toll on him. He ripped the lodged arrows from his back. He was bleeding profoundly. If this kept up he could die of blood loss.
Once the arrancar landed to the ground Uryu went to Lisa's aid. The fellow raven haired was dripping in sweat. Her cheeks were rosy red from a fever that built up inside of her. "Can you continue?" He took note to how shallow her breathing was.
"Ha….Of course….," she said, wheezing. "He is….ha….w-wounded….now is….ha….the time to strike."
"I agree, but you have taken in so much of his poison. Moving around will only make it worse." They landed on top of a rooftop. "I haven't breathed in any of it, due to my long range attacks. It is better if…."
She interrupted, "No. We have to keep…ha….working together. If he focuses on just one of us we will be turned into stone." He opened his mouth to argue, but closed it. He realized that what she said was true. "Look at him. His movements are becoming sluggish. He is also bleeding heavily."
Uryu saw exactly what Lisa was talking about. The arrancar was picking his arrows out of him. His once stainless white scales were riddled crimson from his own blood. The fact that he had not pursed them yet was evidence that he too needed to recover. "If we continue to push onward we will be able to create an opening to…."
"…finish him off," Lisa finished. She pushed off of the Quincy. She looked into his blue eyes. Without any words the two had conducted a plan. With a swish he disappeared with super speed. She followed behind him. The Quincy got into position in front of the arrancar without missing a step.
He unleashed an arrow. The former Espada returned to all fours and leap out of the way. Uryu only fired a second arrow in response. Esteban strayed to the right, escaping another deadly blow. He continued to fire shot after shot. The 109th arrancar veered left and right, almost gliding. Esteban knew that by running away he put himself at a disadvantage. He was out of range for his technique to be any effect and the Quincy's strength was in long range attacks.
'The moment he stops firing I will turn back and strike him down. I will have to make my way toward him now and lessen the distance if I am to strike him down.' The reptilian turned around to his surprise the barrage of arrows had stopped. Did the Quincy's shoulder give away already? If so he had to act fast before the human recovered. Darkness blanketed over him. Instinctively he looked above him. His eyes widened and mouth dried. Lisa, wearing her mask gliding through the air gracefully. 'Shit!' he thought. He flipped backward just barely missing her blade.
As he found out Lisa was not a woman easily deterred. Instantly she followed him. He attempted to turn her head stone she threw her zanpakuto straight at his throat. He parried it away with his forearm. That is when the Quincy materialized to his side. Before he knew it two arrows were sticking out of the area his ribcage were. Esteban groaned. The pain was beginning to overwhelm him. Driven by fury he transformed the human's right arm and bow into stone. The human's horror stricken face was palpable.
"Too slow this time." He grabbed the baffled human's face and lifted him into the air. "Without your bow you have no means of…." He silenced by a piercing sting of blade in his right breast. He assumed Lisa was the culprit, but when his fall downward they discovered a silver rode embedded in his chest.
"Seele Schneider," squeaked a meek voice.
His gaze returned to the man in his grasp. What he saw quickly angered him. The insignificant speck of a human was laughing. This was his doing! Rage not only blinded him, but it also sent his thoughts into disarray. He had forgotten about the bladed weapon the Quincy used on him. He did not even think to turn the human into stone. He decided the Quincy's fate would be much worse. He would crush his skull with all his might. He would relish seeing those damned blue eyes pop out and his brains squished on his palms. The thought summoned a perverse smirk onto his lips. He added more pressure. The human's anguished screams were music to his ears.
"Not cheeky now are you, Quincy. Where is that laughter now?" He squeezed down harder.
"AH!"
"Come on and laugh now! It's not funny anymore? I think it is very funny that you think you can stop my beloved Silva's plans. This world will be ours. It will be our turn in the light. Come on and laugh with me. Laugh with me human!" The human denied him, fueling his rage. "I said….." A blade sprang out of his forehead. The last sensation he felt was cold steel rammed through his head. Life slowly evaporated from his eyes. His strength disappeared instantly. The human was free. 'Silva….' It was Esteban's final thought.
The deceased arrancar fell down. God his head would kill him tomorrow. It would probably start later that evening. The still masked vizard freed her zanpakuto from their enemy's head. Her body was steadier. He hypnotized that like with Kurosaki her hollowfied form provided her with greater resistance to pain. Apparently the resistance carried over to toxins and poisons infections. Her breathing was still uneven. Slowly the mask dissolved. Without her hollow induced strength she almost immediately surrendered to the poisons effect. Her legs gave away and she fell only to keep herself up by planting her sword in the pavement.
Being the chivalrous young man he was Uryu reached out to help her. "I am fine," she stated. Her voice was louder than her normal tone and almost authoritative. She had her own pride. He respected it by retreating, but stayed close in case she needed it.
Their alliance had come to end, at least officially, but he still felt obliged to stay with her given her current condition. His Quincy pride would not allow him to leave a wounded and poisoned woman to fend for herself. Her partial stone body would make it difficult for her to move around. Wait her body was still stoned. He examined his right arm to discover it too remained stone.
'His power remains even after his death. This is problematic. My bow is stone along with my right arm. I cannot use it to attack or defend. She is in no condition for battle either. We have to go back to Kojima-kun and Asano as well. They cannot be left alone with hollows still about. We will be delayed on our journey to Inoue-san.' Already he started to formulate plans to get there with the least amount of resistance.
"Hachi."
What or who was Hachi he wondered. As if to answer his question a round and tall pink haired man arrived. As odd of a sight as this was Uryu was focused on the person who was with him. "Inoue-san!"
The goddess of Karakura High waved at him. "Hi, Ishida-kun," she said in heavenly tone that could only come from her. Her sunny disposition was shattered when she took notice of his arm. "Oh no! Ishida-kun, your arm!" The renowned healer activated her Shun Shun Rikka. Uryu found his right arm encased in the golden dome. She jogged up to him, concern evident in her dazzling brown spheres. "I will heal you at once."
"Thank you, Inoue-san, but you should heal her…." He pointed in Lisa's direction. "….first. She took in poison as well."
"Do not worry. Hachi-san will heal Lisa-san."
The big one, Hachi was one of her allies. The vizard, who he now knew as Lisa was encase in a similar construct. He picked up on her improved condition. The raven haired girl's cheeks were losing the red fever she had before. Her stone features were being undone.
"He has similar powers to you?" He directed his question to Orihime.
"Hachi-san is an excellent healer. He even repaired Tsubaki-kun for me."
"I see. They are all Kurosaki's allies then."
"Uh huh," she replied absent mindedly. She was making great progress. Ishida-kun's arm was returning to its flesh and blood form. Red stained bandages captured her eye. She would heal that once she finished restoring his arm. "Hachi-san, Hirako-kun, and their other friends are all here to help us repel the arrancar and hollows."
Rose, Love, and Sado became a three man wrecking team. The trio took out every hollow that went after them. They easily crushed all their opposition. In another part of town, former captain and vice-captain of the 9th division, Kensei and Mashiro had cut through hollows. Kensei used his Shikai to cut them down. Mashiro favored using her hollow based abilities to kill her foes with melee combat, treating it as a game. Hiyori also favored using her hollow form to kill the remaining hollows in her area. The de facto leader of the group found himself fighting side by side with Isshin. The vizards arrival had turned the tide to Karakura Town's favor. The hollows were becoming fewer and fewer.
Orihime continued, "Hachi-san, helped me rescue Tatsuki-chan. She is safe at the school."
She flashed him a bright smile. There was something also in the smile that he was unable to decipherer. It was suspicious. Perhaps Inoue-san was less forward as he originally thought she was. "That is good to know." He chose his tone and words carefully. It was odd how he was now on guard with the kind hearted girl. "I was traveling with Asano and Kojima-kun." She gave him a brief nod, fully understanding where they were going next.
A spider hollow's head was split in two, nonchalantly by a bored Shinji. "So you're Ichigo's father?" The black robbed man behind him wore an equally bored expression. Like Shinji he mindless mowed down a generic hollow.
"Yes," Isshin replied. "You are the guy who trained him to control his hollow powers?"
"That would be me," Shinji in his usual comical fashion. He ducked out of the path of an incoming claw than sliced it clean off, before stabbing the owner's head. "Bastard," he muttered under his breath. The bastard hollow fell he turned his attention back to the mystery shinigami he knew nothing about. "Kisuke never mentioned Ichigo's father was a shinigami."
"If it makes you feel any better he did not give me a lot of information about you." Isshin liberated his zanpakuto from a dead hollow.
"Is that so?" Shinji almost laughed. He had known Kisuke for a century and the man was still hard to read. He was never sure who was more deceitful Aizen or Kisuke. Two geniuses who saw the world in a different way from others, it was a wonder they were not cohorts. He always thanked his lucky stars they were not. They never would have won the war if they had to contend with Aizen and Kisuke.
"I knew the basics from before, about a group of shinigami that had obtained hollow powers and were branded criminals by the Soul Society. Urahara was the one who told me you were enemies of Aizen, but never who you were or how you obtained your powers. He just said Aizen betrayed you."
"I am not sure I should be thankful that he guarded us against shinigami or not," joked the vizard leader. "Seeing as how he has said nothing about you it seems like he is keeping you a secret too." He cast a minor Kido to incinerate a hollow. "This certainly explains where Ichigo got his power."
Isshin finished the last hollow. He sheathed Engetsu. "Urahara didn't even tell me he asked for you, vizards help. Things have settled down a lot faster with your help."
The blond vizard shrugged. "The least we could do, considering how much Ichigo and Kisuke."
"It is more than feeling indebted to them. You see them as friends."
"Ichigo is one of us, powers or no powers. He wants to protect this town, so we'll do the same."
"Thank you." Shinji shot him with a curious look. "...for helping my son," Isshin finished.
"Well we weren't being entirely noble. We wanted another ally in our battle against Aizen," he pointed out. "These guys, the remnants of Aizen's army are out of moves. If they want to make their move it is now."
"We'll know soon enough. Knowing Urahara he has something up his sleeve."
"I don't doubt it."
"It is complete," Calputto announced. He understood why Silva needed his expertise. Finding the exact location of the Spirit Keystone took considerable more time than he had anticipated. They had tracked it down to one of the caves in the area. In there they found an invisible barrier they had opened that led them down this stone corridor. At the end of it they stood at iron sealed iron door. Silva and Joaquin stood behind him observing his work in their dark cloaks. He felt a tingle of pride in his work.
"It is done than?" Joaquin asked.
Calputto's lips curved into his empty smile he was known for. Joaquin always felt uneasy when the scheming arrancar presented this smile. His senpai told him it was a good thing for him to be wary of Calputto. In the past the arrancar had proven to be ambitious.
"It is indeed done, Joaquin-san." The iron door unsealed itself. The spiritual barrier erected over it had been torn down. The door opened up. It rumbled, causing the earth to shake. The Privaron Espada studied the opening door. None of them said a word. Instead they were each contemplating their own thoughts. Months of careful planning they had at last reached a major point of their plan. No one was more entranced than she. At last it was coming into fruition. The world of darkness would be nothing, but a bad memory or the unpleasant times they had to endure. The door fully opened.
The wolf in sheep's clothing of a man stepped aside and invited her in. "After you, Silva-sama." The golden eyed woman nodded her head crisply. She took him up on his invitation and eagerly went through the door. She was confident she could handle whatever lay behind the door. Her two comrades followed her not long after, Calputto being the very last one. His cautious nature prevented him from going in there too far lest he fall for a trap designed to keep unwelcomed visitors out. She found it odd considering he had spent so much time carefully disrupting the Barriers and spells the shinigami put on the cave to keep the Keystone hidden.
Golden eyes shimmered. Tears almost fell, almost.
"Senpai," Joaquin muttered in pure astonishment. Calputto stared, losing any form of discretion.
Silva's elation was reined in. Now was not the time. Her eyes remained glued on the rectangular stone. It emitted a smothering amount of reiatsu. It tried to drown the trio with its spiritual pressure. Common hollows would be intimidated by such a phenomenal. She was not. Aizen had often given her courage to fully take hold of her destiny and shape it. She would do that now. Destiny would be molded into what she wanted. Silva took a step forward. A tanned skin woman with purple hair appeared before her in a loud swish. She wore a half grin that reeked of utter confidence, while her eyes burned with a wild proud gleam that demanded any who saw it to challenge it. Silva found herself intimidated by this woman, when even the ancient keystone did not.
"Sorry, arrancar, but we cannot allow you to take one step further," the proud woman spoke.
Silva frowned. What did the woman mean when she said we?
"Yoruichi-san, you beat me here." The trio arrancar turned around to see a man wearing sandals and old hat walk slowly to them.
Silva's frown worsened. 'Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi,' she thought.
"You are being really naughty sneaking here during all the commotion, Arrancar-san." Kisuke drew Benihime from out. "We will have to do something about that," he said in a deathly low tone.
Did I mention I am extremely happy at finishing this chapter? I am extremely HAPPY! Gild and Esteban have gone down. Everyone is regrouping. Shinji and Isshin have met. Kisuke and Yoruichi have run into Silva, Joaquin, and Calputto. What is going to happen? I apologize for the long wait and grammar mistakes. Next chapter should have Ichigo in it again. I hope you guys like the chapter. Please review as well.
