A certain someone (you know who you are my dear!) asked me about the scene where Grimmjow attacks Rukia, punches her in the stomach, was what was said actually. Well, I would like to point out that in the original manga that injury is a tad bloodier, just so you know.
So here we go with the second half of Grimmjow's attack on Karakura!
Chapter 29. Resistance
Ichigo knew, the moment his opponent introduced himself, that was one situation he couldn't goof in. He would have to take that fight seriously and not underestimate his opponent. Which also meant he better go all out from the very beginning.
Grimmjow cackled madly when he saw the orange-haired shinigami calling on Bankai even before they began fighting.
"Bankai so soon?" Grimmjow inquired with a smirk. "I don't know if I should be honor or think you're even weaker than I first thought, shinigami."
"You should know I'm not gonna underestimate you." Ichigo informed the Espada, ignoring his jibe against him. "And like I suppose the other Espada informed you, this isn't as far as I can go, remember that when you wonder about how powerful I might be."
"That's stupid, bankai is the highest level for a shinigami." Grimmjow declared.
He sounded really confident, almost proud of himself, and truth be told, he had researched that, fact, he knew it to be true, and it was…wasn't it?
Ichigo didn't answer, simply threw himself at the Espada, at the same time he focused his reiatsu and slashed the air with Tensa Zangetsu.
Grimmjow really wasn't expecting the power behind Ichigo's move, particularly since he hadn't actually called any attack; and then when Ichigo came at him behind the slash, striking at the Arrancar with such force the blue-haired one had to use both hands to stop the blade, and even then ended somewhat cut.
"Interesting." Grimmjow commented with a smirk. "You seem a bit stronger than I had anticipated, shinigami. Guess this fight won't be too boring after all."
Ichigo didn't answer to that, simply getting ready to attack again.
The fight went on for some time, no one was actually sure how long, just that it was a while. The more time that passed, the more each of the fighters became more daring, more reckless, each trying to end the fight as soon as possible.
Rukia, meanwhile, stood over a tall fence, watching, in a similar way as when Ichigo had watched her fighting the Arrancar before. Except her fight had been so short, so simple… while Ichigo's fight with Grimmjow was anything but.
Grimmjow was annoyed, he really was, he'd been fighting the orange-haired shinigami for spirits-know how long, and still he hadn't won. Not only that, it was impossible to tell who of them was stronger than the other, they just seemed to be too similar in their power levels, almost like…equals…and that ruffled the blue-haired Arrancar in the wrong way. He knew there was a way he would definitely be stronger, stronger than he was in that moment, stronger than the orange-haired brat. He also knew that if he used that power he would call undue attention upon himself, probably even Aizen's. If the bastard didn't already know where Grimmjow was and what he was doing that would definitely alert him. However, he wasn't about to allow a shinigami brat to defeat him!
"That's it." Grimmjow announced, making up his mind. "I'll show you who's King." He made a move with his zanpakutou. "Grind, Pantera!"
Ichigo certainly wasn't expecting that, he jumped back a good number of feet to avoid the backlash of the power; watching from the corner of his eye how Rukia jumped off the fence she'd been standing on, right before it collapsed, moving to the fire-escape stairs of a nearby apartment building, all the while looking worriedly at Ichigo.
The orange-haired shinigami knew he had to do something, while he'd managed to keep up with Grimmjow easily enough before, he knew it wouldn't be so with him in Resurreccion. Yamamoto had warned all the Nakama about the power of an Arrancar, and his stint in Hueco Mundo had given the shinigami some close and personal experience, not only with Arrancars, but with the different power levels of the various Menos. It had been, enlightening, to say the least. Still, it left one thing quite clear in the orange-haired's mind in that moment:
"More power…" He muttered to himself. "I need more power."
Grimmjow just cackled madly. He'd changed, substituting the mask fragment that had been by his mouth for one over his forehead, his hair much longer, his ears had turned cat-like and he had on white armor instead of his usual uniform.
"I will kill you now shinigami!" Grimmjow yelled at Ichigo. "I will kill you and prove that I'm the one and true King!"
Ichigo rolled his eyes, it was obvious Grimmjow had some obsession with power, which didn't explain why he followed Aizen then. It reminded Ichigo a little of Orihime, of the way she'd questioned Ulquiorra during that first encounter they had all had with the Espada, it also reminded him of Nel and her fraccion/brothers; could it be possible, was there more to the Espada than mindless hollows?
However, he wasn't Orihime, it wasn't in him to interrogate unknown Espada about their reasons for following Aizen; not that he thought Grimmjow would be likely to give him an answer anyway, he understood nothing but battle in that moment. Maybe afterwards…
"Cero!" Grimmjow growled right then.
The attack caught Ichigo a bit unaware, he barely had a second to process the fact that, while he could dodge, it wasn't a good idea with the apartment building behind him, another to charge his zanpakutou with as much reiatsu as he could in a moment, and the last to cut the Cero in half, dissipating the energy as harmlessly as possible.
The Arrancar was surprised by that move, particularly with the follow-up from Ichigo as the orange-haired fired a Getsuga Tenshou at him.
"I don't know what obsession you have with been King." Ichigo commented, getting ready for the next attack. "It seems stupid seeing as you're one of Aizen's lackeys, anyway…"
Grimmjow bristled, he got ready to insult and attack Ichigo again, not necessarily in that order, but the teenager didn't allow it.
"Anyway," Ichigo went on. "That's not what really matters. You're here to fight. So let's fight. Let me show you how far you're from being King of anything!"
So their fight resumed.
Meanwhile, Rukia stood on the fire-escape of the apartment building, holding onto the railing so tightly her knuckles looked as white as the tekkou that covered a good deal of her arms and part of her hands. She was so afraid for Ichigo, not because she doubted his strength, but because she could sense just how powerful the blue-haired Arrancar was; the way his reiatsu had rose exponentially when calling on his Resurreccion had been enough to destroy a fence, and almost enough to make her fall in shock. So in that moment she was afraid, and all she could do was wait, wait and pray that her beloved would be alright…
At the same time, Ichigo was considering how wise it might be to synch with Zangetsu, he'd never done it while in bankai; even against Grand Fisher, Zangetsu had told him it was too dangerous, and it could end up being counterproductive. He had synched with Shiro though, back then, he hadn't unsealed his full-power yet, not until he'd been fully in control, had truly become an Arrancar and an Adjuchas.
*It is still risky for us to synch Ichigo.* Zangetsu informed his wielder. *I don't think your spirit is ready to handle that kind of power yet. Same can be say for Shiro now that he has his full power and can grant it to you.*
*Which doesn't mean you cannot use my power.* Shiro added. *We do not need to synch for my powers to be available to you, Aibou. You just need to want them*
Ichigo knew that, he had used Shiro's powers before after all; though never fully consciously, always as a last resort, in a situation where he didn't have the chance to get any other attack ready. While charging a cero wasn't easy, or fast, it was still easier and faster than dealing with a kidou incantation or focusing enough for either kidou or a proper Getsuga Tenshou.
*That attack of mine you usually shoot is more like bala than cero.* Shiro commented. *Except you can't really use bala, it being so small, requiring so much control…*
Ichigo sighed internally, trust him to be incapable of even that.
*You need to choose Ichigo, we cannot keep dancing around the enemy like this.* Zangetsu declared. *Even with your improved control, you're still exerting reiatsu at a rather fast pace, you won't be able to keep going forever…*
Ichigo knew he was right, but he still didn't know what to do. He kept parrying all of Grimmjow's blows as best he could, at the same time considering his options; and the risk each of them implied, for him and everyone else.
*I know you don't want to be discovered as someone with a hollow, don't want to be tagged and hunted down like the Visored were all those years ago.* Shiro said solemnly. *I understand, Aibou, because I do not want that either, for you, or I. However, remember what you said when we revealed to the rest of the Nakama the truth about us?*
Ichigo remembered, with absolute clarity, and even if he hadn't, Shiro was there to remind him of every word:
*I'll always protect.* Shiro recited what his 'twin' had said back then, word for word. *If that makes me reveal things they don't like…well, too bad. They'll just have to deal with it, we all will, I will never put others at risk just for the sake of keeping a secret.*
*Do those words still hold true, Ichigo?* Zangetsu wanted to know.
*They do.* Ichigo nodded seriously.
In that moment, Ichigo's focus finally slipped, as he accepted that a part of him had already known he would be revealing his hollow-powers sooner or later, and how he'd promised not to risk others for the sake of keeping a secret. He had also promised, himself most of all, that he would deal with whatever came; after all, he had Rukia on his side, and with her, he needed nothing and no one else.
However, his momentary loss of focus cost him, as Grimmjow managed to deliver a slash at the back of his left leg. Ichigo dropped to one knee, biting back the groan of pain while focusing on his hollow powers to heal himself. He tried to be as fast as possible, before Grimmjow tried attacking him again.
He wasn't fast enough though, and everyone in that empty street could see it, as they all began moving at once.
Ichigo tried to reach his zanpakutou, which he'd dropped in reflex when he was wounded, and yet, he knew he wouldn't be fast enough, Grimmjow was about to reach him already, one of his claws extended…and then it hit, but not Ichigo, instead it hit against a yellow-hued shield.
"Rukia!" Ichigo cried out in shock.
His beloved was standing before him, having been the one to call on the Enkosen shield to protect him from Grimmjow; it was the most powerful shielding hadou she could call on without having to recite the incantation. And yet, they soon realized it wasn't enough.
The shield began cracking too soon, Rukia didn't have time to call on another, or the chance to even draw her zanpakutou. A second later she was flying through the air, a set of gashes across her midsection where Grimmjow had clawed her.
"Rukia!" Ichigo cried out in horror.
*Snow-princess!* Inside his head Shiro was just as livid.
Ichigo tried to reach his fallen wife, who was laying against a bent bus stop, she was bleeding, and the orange-haired could clearly see where her shihakusho had been slashed, where her wounds most likely were located.
"Ah, ah." Grimmjow shook his head and chuckled darkly as he blocked his way. "You still have to finish that fight with me."
Ichigo really didn't care that much about any fight right then, Rukia was his priority. However, Grimmjow's insistence forced him to at least defend himself, moving away from his fallen beloved as he evaded any attack he wasn't sure he could parry.
"Rukia…" Ichigo muttered, frustrated at not being able to help her.
"Leave the bitch where she lays, she should have known better than to interrupt our battle." Grimmjow declared with derision directed at the injured shinigami.
That was it, Ichigo snapped. Reiatsu began swirling on his feet and getting stronger and stronger as his fury pushed him beyond his usual limits.
*Yes King!* Shiro cried out inside his mind. *Lets show this bastard the kind of mistake he made attacking the Queen! Take my power! Make him pay!*
As those words were said, Ichigo suddenly felt a power fill him; it was Shiro's power, he knew that much, even if it didn't really feel like it did usually. Then Ichigo became aware of something beginning to form on his face, begin to obscure his features. It reminded him somewhat of Shiro's fragment of mask when he'd dominated, but it also felt wrong, like it shouldn't be there. And then, before it could actually begin forming, he understood why.
"No, not King." He said aloud as he shook his head slightly. "Aibou, Nii-san. We will make him pay for what he's done to Rukia, Shiro. And we will do it as equals."
*You know we still cannot synch Aibou.* Shiro said, somewhat more calm than a few seconds before, even if he was still as angry. *But I put all my power at your disposal. Make that bastard regret ever hurting the snow-princess!*
"I will." Ichigo agreed, he raised a hand, and began gathering power.
Meanwhile, Grimmjow was watching the shinigami; he'd seen how angry he'd gotten at the fact his partner was hurt, he'd seen how he wanted to go help her and then…then Grimmjow had seen him act strange, had noticed something begin to appear on his forehead, but it disappeared before the blue-eyed Arrancar knew for sure what it had been. And then…
"Wha the…?" Grimmjow was in shock.
He observed as the shinigami began gathering power in his left hand, a sphere of pure, dark-feeling reiatsu forming between the tips of his loosely held fingers…
"That cannot be…?" Grimmjow didn't want to think it was what he thought it was.
His doubt was confirmed a second later, creating even more at the same time.
"Cero!"
xXx
A perfectly delivered spinning kick threw Menoly into the mess of bended iron and broken concrete that had become the corner of the empty construction site where their battle was taking place. The réalta tried her best not to let the damage extend to other parts, but it wasn't easy, particularly when it seemed like her punches and kicks weren't being as effective as they'd been during their first fight, a bit over a month ago.
"What the hell is wrong?!" Keeva demanded, furious with herself.
Her muscles ached, that fight had already lasted longer than any other she'd been involved in her whole life, and the opponent was certainly no pushover.
"You're weak brat!" Menoly yelled in glee as she got back up. "That's what's happening. You aren't strong enough to defeat me, and you never will be."
"I took you down easily enough before!" Keeva retorted.
"That was a fluke!" Menoly said with a mad giggle.
"Was not!" Keeva was truly affronted at the insinuation that she could only defeat the Arrancar with luck, or that she wasn't really strong enough.
"So you say." Menoly deadpanned. "Yet the proof of how right I am is right here, in what's happening right now. You cannot defeat me, brat! Because you're human, and humans are like insects, small, insignificant, and utterly weak!"
Keeva let out a shriek of fury as she launched herself against the Arrancar to keep fighting. She was angry, so angry, but more at herself than at Menoly, if she was completely honest. Truth is, Keeva had been fighting hollows for so long; and ever since she'd learnt the truth, since Serenity had told her about the réalta, about the powers they wielded, their history, their tradition, Keeva had took great pride in it all. After a while, seeing what she was capable when she honed her somehow inherited abilities through martial arts training and dancing practice, she began to see herself as more than human, as a superhuman entity, almost like a superhero, like those she'd read about in comic books and seen in the movies. The girl had distanced herself from her own humanity, ignoring it, and her own fragility. She'd fathomed herself as something more, something beyond mortal existence…and in that moment, she was being harshly returned to reality. She had powers, true, she had great strength, she was special, she was a réalta; and yet, at the same time, she was still human…
"I am a réalta…" The gray-eyed girl mumbled to herself out-loud. "I am a réalta iarann, and at the same time…I'm still human…"
It was as if that acceptance, that affirmation, released something inside her, something that had been sealed inside her for a very long time, probably since forever; and in that moment it was free. In a rush, she felt power, such power, like none she'd sensed, or possessed, ever. And it was all suddenly hers…
Keeva felt ecstatic, at the power suddenly in her, she knew in that moment, without a doubt, that should she want to tear through something with a single punch, she would be able to do it. So she wished for that exactly…
The scream that was torn from her throat was loud enough to make everyone who heard it flinch and feel goose bumps; it also distracted Orihime from her already precarious situation in her own fight, which didn't make things any better.
Menoly stood on the air, a hole (which hasn't her hollow one) open and bleeding on her side; and yet that didn't seem to be enough to stop her from continuing the fight, it only made her angrier with Keeva.
The réalta, for her part, was holding her right hand against her chest, her badly burnt hand. It was like the same kind of power that had blasted the Arrancar had nearly torn her own limb apart. And it hurt, it hurt so much…
"You'll pay for wounding me like this, brat!" Menoly roared, absolutely furious.
She shot straight at the sixteen-year-old, who could do nothing but stand in place, trying to find strength she no longer had, to move, before she was totally annihilated.
"Dust all who stand against us, Chitania!" a strong voice called from a side at the same time. "Initiate: Wood!"
Both the Arrancar and the young girl who, until that very moment, had been her opponent, blinked in shock at the new arrival. Tatsuki was standing there, in her usual worn yukata and handmade sash; the difference was that in that moment her usually bare feet and ankles had dark bandages on them, while some kind of plaques seemed to have been placed over her knuckles, before being covered themselves, as well as her hands and wrist (but not her fingers), by bandages similar to the ones on her feet.
"Tatsuki…?" Keeva muttered, shocked by everything.
For all response, Tatsuki delivered a punch, followed by a high kick, to the still rather shocked blonde Arrancar, injuring her very slightly, but at least managing to push her away several feet, giving her the chance to check on Keeva briefly.
"Are you alright?" Tatsuki asked, all the while keeping an eye on the Arrancar.
"I hurt my hand, not sure how." Keeva admitted, showing her a bit of her charred skin. "It almost feels like my own power turned against me."
"Maybe it did." Tatsuki replied simply. "It happened to me several times."
"Really?" Keeva was surprised.
And she had reason to be, ever since she'd met Tatsuki she'd seemed like this powerful woman, with power so similar to her, to a réalta iarann, Keeva had stopped more than once, trying to imagine what it would be like, if she was exactly that. But she wasn't, Tatsuki had told her once that her abilities weren't part of some bloodline, they weren't in her blood, instead they were her zanpakutou.
It was true. Those bandages, and the reinforcements in her knuckles were actually the shikai form of Chitania, Tatsuki's zanpakutou. It was part of what made them so strange, one of the few zanpakutou that wasn't a blade of any kind; which was a good thing, since she was absolutely awful at kendo or any kind of fighting that involved blades.
"Anyway, we'll have time for chatting later." Tatsuki said with decision. "Right now I have an Arrancar to finish." She turned to look at Keeva briefly. "Take care of yourself and we'll have either Yuzu-chan or Orihime treat your wound once its over."
"Ok." Keeva nodded and began putting some distance between herself and the fighters.
She hated not being able to finish the battle herself, but after her acceptance of her own humanity, of her own mortality, she could swallow enough pride to feel thankful that Tatsuki had appeared when she did. She was still alive, she would heal, train, and fight another day.
Meanwhile, Tatsuki took a deep breath, getting mentally ready for her fight. She knew that the level she was at in that moment wasn't enough, but she wouldn't be able to push herself or her zanpakutou higher until she had warmed up. In that way her powers worked very much like a martial artist, needing warming up before being fully ready; though in their particular case, warming up meant fighting already. She just hoped she could move forward fast enough to actually be able to handle it. She hadn't used her zanpakutou in so long, Chitania and her weren't as in-tune as they had been back when she'd been Shu-Yung; and yet, she had to go back to fighting at some point, and that day was as good as any.
"Let's go Chitania!" Tatsuki declared, making her dark bandages sparkle with a strange dark light. "We have an Arrancar to dust!"
xXx
A bright explosion of light and reiatsu lit the roof of an office building that stood beside Karakura General Hospital, upon which's roof Uryuu stood.
"Good job." Ryuuken said seriously.
Uryuu bowed his head in thanks, it was so rare for his father to hand out a compliment, especially to one of the teens, he believed if he did it too often it would lose value…or it would go to the teen's head, whichever.
The young Quincy wasn't really that surprised to see the older one there, after all, his father was the director of the hospital upon which's roof they stood. And the whole battle had taken place dangerously close to it. It was the whole reason why Uryuu had decided to use Sprenger when his usual volleys of arrows proved not to be enough. There was another attack he could have used, but it would have been too destructive, and considering all the people that lived in that neighborhood, and especially all the patients in the hospital, it wasn't a good idea. So yeah, Sprenger might have been a bit of overkill, particularly since the Arrancar, had been so focused on evading as much of Uryuu's shots as he could (not an easy thing when the young Quincy could fire up to 1200 at a time), and he'd never noticed the seele schneider Uryuu was shooting and arranging in a pentagon, all the while making sure the Arrancar didn't leave the area. It had made the use of his special technique particularly easy in the end. Just a matter of cornering the Arrancar, and then throwing a gintou in the last moment. Yeah, pretty easy, at least considering the situation.
"Did anyone end up hurt?" Uryuu asked his father.
He worried, since when the fight began he had been unable to stop of redirect all the attacks the Arrancars sent his way. The creature had taken advantage over the fact that they were in a particularly populated area, knowing Uryuu wouldn't want innocents to end up hurt. It was also the reason why Uryuu right arm was currently lying limply by his side. He'd used ransoutengai to keep his arm moving so he could fire the necessary arrows to finish his work, but he still needed to find someone to heal him.
"A few scares, minor bruises and scratches, nothing really serious." The older Quincy and doctor informed him.
Uryuu nodded, deeply relieved at that.
With a sigh, Ryuuken brought out a syringe and injected it into his son's arm without a single word of explanation. Uryuu didn't need it either, he knew what the syringe contained, for his father and even he himself had used it before, he just hadn't had any with him in that moment. It was a mix of a sedative and a special medicine meant to slow his blood flow in the injured area; it was the best way to make sure he wouldn't bleed out or be in too much pain until the wound was fully treated.
Ryuuken was a doctor, that was right, but he was a human doctor, he knew no spiritual healing techniques. And while under normal circumstances he would have said human healing methods were good enough, he knew that the situation his son was in was anything but normal; with the threat of war hanging over his head, and that of his nakama, and with the battles that even in that moment were already taking place, they couldn't take the risk of not getting healed as well as possible, as fast as possible. And when it came to healing, there were two who were truly the best: Inoue Orihime and Kurosaki Yuzu.
"I think I'll go find Yuzu." Uryuu announced to his father. "I sense she's closer, near where Karin seems to be fighting another Arrancar."
"Do not lower your guard." Ryuuken warned his son. "Tonight's battles haven't ended yet."
"I know." Uryuu nodded.
Without further ado, Uryuu nodded once at his father, in thanks to the belief, the trust the older man had in him, and also the help he'd given to Uryuu; before jumping off the roof and using hirenkyaku to get as fast as possible to where he could feel the young Kurosaki twins. He wondered how strong that Arrancar might be, seeing as Karin wasn't done yet with it, and she was quite powerful herself.
xXx
Karin narrowed her eyes as she observed her opponent, one of his claw/hands/whatever was ruined, thanks to her constant use of fire. However, he wasn't defeated just yet, and precisely because of how often she had called on her basic attacks, and how hot she'd made Tenreikou's fire each time, she was already beginning to run low on reiatsu. Nothing to truly worry about yet, but she couldn't lose any more if she wanted to have enough for the technique she had in mind; the only one she could think that might be enough to actually get rid of the annoying Arrancar once and for all.
"Done, Karin-nee!" A soft voice called right then.
It was Yuzu, and she'd actually noticed the preparations were ready, a fraction of a second before her twin had spoken. The preparations being a special kekkai, which sealed her and the Arrancar in what, for all intents and purposes, could be considered another dimension. It was what she needed in that moment, because she was about to call on an attack so strong, without the kekkai it would have been total chaos.
"What do you intend to do now, little girl?" Shawlong inquired, confused about the energy surrounding him and his opponent.
"To put an end to this farce already." Karin answered stoically.
She was such a proud person, and the fact that she'd had to spend so long fighting the Arrancar, unable to actually destroy him, rubbed her the wrong way. She knew the hollow was powerful, especially in comparison to most of those attacking Karakura that night; but she also knew she was stronger than him, however, being in the World of the Living, when it was still afternoon, with so many potential victims way too close for comfort, she hadn't been able to truly release her power until Yuzu had everything ready.
"Farce, what are you talking about li…" The Arrancar began.
"I already told you, I am no little girl." Karin interrupted him, her reiatsu beginning to build around her. "Though I guess it doesn't matter anymore, soon enough you won't be making fun of me, or anyone else, not ever again."
Then, before Shawlong could say anything else, Karin spun around once, while holding her naginata tightly, blade pointing away from her; then, as she closed the circle, she raised her zanpakutou, pointing it at the sky.
"Honou no Arashi!" She called in her strongest voice.
For several seconds dark clouds seemed to gather above them, in a loose circle, over their heads. Then they opened and one could almost say a rainstorm began…except it wasn't water falling, no, the storm was one of fire instead.
Shawlong tried to evade the falling burning rocks, almost like meteros, but they were just too many, too fast, too hot; in less than a minute, he was done for.
"Guess you weren't such a little girl after all." Shawlong declared.
They were his last words, not that Karin paid much attention to them in the end; all she cared about was that it was done, she had defeated her enemy…now if only the rest of her nakama could hurry and finish with theirs…
"Are you alright, Karin-nee?" Yuzu asked as she rushed over to her sister's side.
"Fine, just exhausted." Karin added as she took deep breaths.
"I know how to do the reiatsu refilling kidou." Yuzu commented. "Unohana-san taught it to me when we last visited Seireitei. I can help you, if you want."
"Maybe you should see to Uryuu-san first." Karin commented as she sat on the roof of the small space where the building's stairs ended. "It seems he's hurt."
Just like she'd said, Uryuu appeared on the same roof the sisters were on, holding his injured arm tight against his torso; while the 'medicine' his dad had injected him helped a great deal, moving as fast as he could when using hirenkyaku shook his arm, causing rather small but still quite bothersome sparks of pain to run through him every few seconds.
"Uryuu-san!" Yuzu cried on when she saw him injured.
The gentle twin barely stopped long enough for Uryuu to stand comfortably on the roof, in front of the elevation where Karin was sitting, before she got to work on a healing kidou.
"Thank you, Yuzu…" Uryuu told the girl with a smile.
"It's always a pleasure to help Uryuu-san." The girl smiled brightly.
The healing went on for a few minutes as, even though the wound hadn't been life threatening, it still was pretty deep.
"How do you think the others are doing?" Yuzu asked after some time in silence.
"I'm sure they're doing well enough." Uryuu commented.
"They're all strong enough to fight their opponents, even if there's a chance two might not be defeated." Karin declared stoically. "Those Espada…we still do not know just how powerful they might be. And considering that one of them seems to have called on Resurreccion…"
"Ichigo is fighting that one." Uryuu declared as he focused on the reiatsu.
It was hard, to fell out specific reiatsu when there was so many in the air already, with all the fights that had happened, and were still happening.
"And Chad seems to be the one fighting the other one…" Yuzu added. "And, am I really feeling what I think I am…?"
"He managed to summon his 'devil' power, as he calls it." Karin confirmed.
"Wonder what happened that got him mad enough…" Uryuu commented.
It was in the minds of all three of them. What could have possibly made Chad, one of the calmest, most tolerant people they all knew, get truly angry?
"Orihime and Castelo are fighting too." Karin added. "Though I cannot get a good enough reading to know how they're doing."
"Tatsuki is about to reach them as well." Uryuu added. "Trust them, they'll be alright."
"I do." Karin declared confidently. "I trust them, and I trust Chad, Ichigo and Rukia as well."
"What do we do now?" Yuzu inquired as she finally finished healing Uryuu's wound.
"We wait." Karin replied in a somewhat reluctant tone.
"Nee-chan…" Yuzu began.
"I don't like it any more than you do, Yuzu." Karin told her. "But neither of us are in any condition to fight another battle, not right now. We've all used too much reiatsu already." She sighed. "So we have to trust the others to win their fights, and wait."
Yuzu nodded with a sigh.
Uryuu did the same, with a slightly petulant undertone; he really didn't like not being able to help but, on the other hand, he supposed he'd already done his part, he'd defeated an Arrancar; and the Nakama were all strong enough to deal with the same.
xXx
Orihime stepped gingerly off her Santen Kesshun and back to the steel column of the half constructed building. It was a good thing she'd such good balance, agility and fast reflexes, or she wouldn't have lasted as long as she had. The fight had turned out to be much, much harder than she could have ever expected.
In that very moment Loly shot another Cero, and Orihime mentally directed her Santen Kesshun to dissipate the red beam at the same time she jumped high, flipped backwards and slightly sideways before landing on a scaffold the workers had been using and left there.
"Stay put and die already, monster!" Loly screeched at the violet-gray eyed girl.
The dark-haired Arrancar with pigtails called Orihime that because she claimed the human girl had powers no one should have, that Orihime was a freak, and should die for that. Not like Orihime didn't know Loly would have found another excuse for her own actions if that one hadn't worked, but still.
Orihime had learnt throughout her battle, how different it was fighting normal hollows, and she was even considering Gillians in that category; those could be hard enough, but then there were the Arrancars…it was like nothing she'd faced before. Even her Shiten Koushun hadn't been enough. While it had dealt a serious injury to her opponent, it just wasn't enough. Loly was still there, and Orihime was covered in bruises and scratches and some wounds deeper than that, she was already pretty low on reiatsu and she knew that unless she found a way to win the battle in one move, she might not make it.
The Rikka wielder knew that under most circumstances she could have expected Tatsuki to arrive at any moment, save her, and if not her Uryuu, or Ichigo, or someone else. But Tatsuki was already there, fighting against another Arrancar, to keep herself and the injured Keeva alive. She could sense Ichigo was fighting somewhere, and Uryuu remained unmoving, at a distance, his reiatsu very low, same as the Kurosaki twins.
Yes, she'd been saved again and again in the past, and she'd been alright with that; but in that moment, as she stood there, giving her all, Orihime realized she wanted more than to just be saved by others, she wanted to be the one doing the saving…she wanted more than to just keep waiting, watching another life pass…
She wanted to be strong, she wanted to be a protector, so she chose to stand, to fight.
"One more attack…" Orihime muttered as she got herself ready, focusing all the reiatsu she'd left. "We need to win this with one more attack…"
Right in that moment, the spirits of her Rikka whispered into her head, and suddenly she knew exactly what to do. It was a powerful technique, one still within her basic level, but powerful regardless. She would have to focus, and to put her all in it if she wanted it to work, but she knew she could do it. So she centered herself, placed one open hand against her chest and the other pointing at her opponent, before she called:
"Shun'o, Ayame, Tsubaki, Heiten Hanshun! I reject!"
It was strange, so much Loly actually stopped to watch, wondering what was going on, what the human was doing now.
At first it looked like the Souten Kisshun, her multiple wounds even began to heal, slowly at first, faster as seconds passed. Orihime had actually resisted the temptation of using her powers to heal herself, not wanting to risk losing too much reiatsu; but in that moment, things had changed. Shortly before her wounds and the tears on her clothes fully vanished, Tsubaki appeared in the very center of the shield, and as he began floating a distance away from the other two Rikka, it looked as if he were pulling something from them. It was the hurt, the pain, all the damage that Shun'o and Ayame had just taken away from Orihime, Tsubaki absorbed it, using that, instead of his wielder's reiatsu to power the attack that followed.
Loly didn't even know what hit her, the moment the beam of orange light Tsubaki had created touched her, all the injuries that Orihime had had became the Arrancar's, only they seemed somehow worse, courtesy of Tsubaki's own contribution to the technique.
"Time to finish this." Orihime announced as she focused what was pretty much the last of her reiatsu. "Koten Zanshun! I reject!"
Tsubaki actually sighed, he knew it wasn't a good idea for the Rikka wielder to push herself that hard, that far; but even then he couldn't ignore the push of her will as she gave her order, as she gave him her reiatsu, strengthening it with her belief, so Tsubaki did as Orihime wished. He spun around, forming his shield around his small form, before going straight through the black haired Arrancar's head.
Orihime smiled slightly, before collapsing where she stood. The Rikka having just enough reiatsu left to help slow her fall, leaving her half-unconscious on the scaffold.
On ground level, Tatsuki actually faltered during a double-punch-scissor-kick combo the moment the felt Orihime's reiatsu fall to almost nothing.
At the same time, Menoly screeched in defiance, noticing how her sister's reiatsu had been extinguished, she'd been killed.
"Monsters!" She screamed as she threw herself at her opponent with the same defiance and recklessness her sister had been known for. "You're all monsters!"
"Spirits…'Hime!" Tatsuki screamed, unable to pronounce her best friend's full name with the knot that had allocated itself in her throat rather suddenly.
On the scaffold, Orihime was lost in half-dreams half-hallucinations when, abruptly, Tatsuki's voice broke through it all, her scream somehow resonating with one last scene in her mind:
It looked like a hallway, a huge empty hallway, the floors and ceiling were made of dark hardwood, the kind that clanks noisily with every step that is given on it, unless the person walking is careful enough and wearing only socks or cloth shoes, the walls were made of lighter wood and rice paper. Or at least, that was what the place probably looked like once, in that moment everything was red and hot, as a huge fire consumed everything in a way that seemed too slow, yet too fast at the same time.
There were screams that could be heard around, of pain, of fear, of horror; it was absolute madness, and in between the whole cacophony of horror, one voice rose, sounding just as desperate as all the others, yet somehow stronger, managing to rise above all the other noise, holding a totally different purpose:
"Hime!"
Orihime's eyes snapped open as she heard Tatsuki's pained groan as she was thrown to the ground with a particularly hard kick from her opponent; her distraction and worry for the Rikka wielder had cost her.
"I'm…fine…" She called as loud as she could, which wasn't very loud at all, doing her best to inundate what little reiatsu she still had with reassurance of her own well-being.
The moment Tatsuki jumped back on her feet, doing a brief handstand, along with a twisted kick to push Menoly backwards, Orihime knew her friend had received the message.
"You hang in there Orihime!" Tatsuki called to her best friend as she got in a ready stance again. "I'll finish this, and then Keeva and I will get you to Yuzu, so we can all get healed."
On the scaffold, Orihime smiled, mostly to himself, reassured by Tatsuki's words; then she focused her best on not losing consciousness.
"You? Finish this?" Menoly scowled deeply. "I'll show you monster. I'll crush you, and then I'll do the same with the other monsters…"
"I'll be the only one doing any crushing." Tatsuki rolled her eyes, but then her tone became almost coy. "Though, I actually prefer to dust them." She punched her fists together and kicked her feet against the ground. "Chitania, Master: Diamond!"
Her shikai glowed once more for an instant, and in the next, she vanished from her spot.
The fight was very fast paced for the next couple of minutes, Menoly tried to either dodge or block Tatsuki's attacks, but they were just too many, and suddenly exponentially more powerful than before; and she was so lost in her rage over her sister's death she wasn't as careful as she should have been. In a handful of minutes she was done for.
Tatsuki was taking deep breaths as the rests of Menoly Mallia disappeared ever so slowly, when Keeva approached her.
"Thank you." The réalta told the older girl. "For saving my life."
"It's alright." Tatsuki reassured her. "It was no problem." She signaled to the burnt hand. "How are you?"
"Badly burnt, but I'll live." Keeva replied as she kept holding her hand against her body.
"We need to get Orihime." Tatsuki commented.
"I'll go." Keeva offered. "Only my hand is burnt, and I still have enough reiatsu in case of an emergency. Also, if she wasn't too badly hurt I might be able to help her, or just stay with her long enough for her to move on her own."
Tatsuki nodded, it wasn't her favorite plan, but since she was a bit too tired, there wasn't much she could do about it.
Then, right as Keeva was halfway up a new dark reiatsu settled over Karakura, right as a new Garganta opened in the middle of the sky.
xXx
On another part of Karakura, Renji couldn't quite believe what he was seeing, the way Chad was keeping up with the huge Espada, when just a few minutes before it had seemed like he would be killed any moment.
The surprises had begun, in fact, when white armor with a dark red stripe had covered Chad's left arm suddenly, high enough to reach his shoulder; it was somewhat like the black and dark magenta one on his right arm, yet at the same time so different, and then the name he'd called that power: Brazo Izquierdo del Diablo…
The young man wasn't so powerful that he was able to actually downright defeat the Espada, and Yammy still hadn't called on his Resureccion; but still, the way the human was keeping up with what was supposed to be one of Aizen's ten most powerful Arrancars, it was shocking, and almost scary, as far as Renji was concerned.
The redhead had known the Nakama were powerful, he'd seen just what Ichigo was capable of, and experienced Uryuu's might in his own skin. Yet, in the case of those two, and the twins, it was understandable, they were born with their powers, even his girlfriend, since she was the reincarnation of a zanpakutou-wielding spirit herself; but the others, like Orihime and Chad, there just was no way to explain, to justify their powers, that they could be so strong, and that Ichigo had suggested they might become stronger yet, that was definitely scary.
"La Muerte!" Chad called as he delivered a very hard punch to Yammy's torso.
He'd already used a couple of such attacks to badly injure one of Yammy's arms, and one more to break or at least crack his cheekbone; regretfully, the punch hadn't hit low enough to break the mask, which is what the tall teenager actually been aiming for.
Yammy, for his part, was evidently furious, a human, an insect was keeping up with him; and not only that, the boy was actually managing to injure him! That, in the Espada's mind, was absolutely unforgivable.
"That's it!" He roared as he unsheathed his zanpakutou. "I've had enough. I'll squish you like the bug you are!"
Chad took a few steps back, he knew that a Resurreccion was never good; and somehow, instinctively, he knew Yammy was somehow worse than most.
Renji, getting the same feeling as Chad, unsheathed his own zanpakutou yet again, hoping Zabimaru wasn't too injured still after the last battle. However, he never got to find out.
Right as Yammy was about to give the command for his release, a new dark reiatsu settled over everyone, as a new Garganta opened up in the sky.
"Shit!" Renji cursed, mostly to himself.
A couple of seconds later they all heard the distinct signal of sonido, as a figure appeared a few feet behind Yammy. It was tall, taller than Renji, and even Chad, though nowhere as tall as Yammy, with a wiry-build and a lizard-like form from the middle down. It was impossible to know if his mask was broken or not, if he was actually an Arrancar or not, he'd more mask on his face than any Arrancar the Nakama had seen thus far; but where his true face should have shown he wore a piece of cloth, somewhat like a veil; it was as if he were trying to hide something on his face, maybe even his identity.
"What the hell are you doing here, minion?" Yammy demanded. "Can't you see you're interrupting my battle?"
"I can see." The concealed hollow declared. "I'm here under orders. You and Grimmjow are to return to Las Noches, immediately."
"Me and Grimmjow?" Yammy asked, somewhat puzzle. "Why just us?"
"Because you're the only ones still alive." The hollow deadpanned.
That actually caught Yammy by surprise. It's not like he cared for any of the Arrancar that had invaded Karakura with him, not at all, he just couldn't believe that the 'insects' could be strong enough to defeat them all.
"I'll just kill this trash and get going." Yammy declared, as he prepared to attack again.
"No." the hollow interrupted. "The orders were clear Yammy, you are to return, now."
"If you're here, where's your master?" Yammy asked, curious.
"Getting Grimmjow." The younger hollow replied. "I was ordered to get you."
"If you weren't that bastard's Fraccion…" Yammy began in a threatening tone.
"But I am." He interrupted again. "And orders have been given."
"Enjoy what time you have now, pieces of trash." Yammy told the shinigami and the human in a derisive tone. "Because next time, you won't be as lucky. Next time, I'll destroy you, and all the other pieces of trash that live in this fucking place!"
Renji and Chad didn't reply, they just watched as the unknown hollow disappeared in another small boom of sonido, closely followed by Yammy; both of them wondering what exactly had just happened.
xXx
Grimmjow was still having a hard time wrapping his head about everything that was happening, about the abrupt way the battle had changed right after he'd half-gutted the shinigami girl and the stopped the orange-haired one from going to her side. The Sexta Espada had no idea how it was possible, but the shinigami seemed to somehow be keeping up with him! With him, who was supposed to be as powerful as the Cuarta! Who was meant to be a Vasto Lorde! To be King!
It took a while, but eventually Grimmjow noticed that as fast as the shinigami was, he never got too far away from a particular apartment building, or to be more precise, from the still injured shinigami gal that was propped against the wall of said building. The Espada wasn't stupid, he wouldn't have gotten that far if he'd been; he knew instantly that the orange-haired one was trying to protect his partner, and knew exactly what to do.
Grimmjow shot a Cero at Ichigo, knowing the orange-head would use his zanpakutou to cut it in two and then send the pieces up to the sky, where they couldn't hurt anyone. The Arrancar followed that attack with half a dozen balas in quick succession; getting rid of those made Ichigo move, ever so slowly, away from Rukia. Then, once the shinigami boy had moved far enough, Grimmjow put his true plan in action:
"Garra de la Pantera!" Grimmjow attacked.
It took half a second for Ichigo to realize the attack wasn't aimed at him, but at his wife.
"No!" Ichigo cried out in panic.
The shinketsu shinigami called on his darker half's power to make his usual shunpo even faster, half-combining it with a sonido. It was that move which allowed him to get right in front of his beloved in time to receive the strange projectiles Grimmjow had shot himself.
"Ichigo!" Rukia cried out in panic.
Ichigo opened his mouth to try and reassure her he was alright, he wasn't able to lie to her, as in that very moment he couldn't help but cough, blood coming out of his mouth, as a consequence of the wounds, both internal and external, Grimmjow's attack had caused him.
"Ichigo!" Rukia cried yet again, even more panicked than before.
"I'll be fine Rukia." Ichigo assured her with a deep breath. "Trust us."
It took just a heartbeat for Rukia to realize what Ichigo was talking about, Shiro would take care of it; he would protect her beloved when she couldn't.
"Thank you Shiro…" Rukia whispered, barely loud enough for Ichigo, and those inside his own soul, to listen.
In the Inner World Shiro smiled slightly, still fully focused on his regenerative powers, on healing Ichigo.
Grimmjow just had a few seconds of satisfaction, as he watched the shinigami boy receive the wounds for his partner, like he knew he would; but then that satisfaction turned to confusion, shock and anger, as he watched how those same wounds healed right before his eyes, leaving not a scar behind…
"Who the hell are you shinigami?!" Grimmjow demanded, furious.
"My name is Kurosaki Ichigo." Ichigo replied, without turning around yet. "Remember that well Arrancar, especially when the time comes for you to pay for daring to hurt one of my dearest nakama…" With that he spun around, daito arching dangerously, glowing with a high concentration of reiatsu: "Getsuga Tenshou!"
Grimmjow was actually thrown back several feet as a gash appeared right across his chest, blood falling at his feet. The blue eyes were wide, showing that the Espada hadn't been expecting that, hadn't expected the attack to be suddenly so much more powerful, hadn't expected to be injured that badly.
"I'll kill you, shinigami!" Grimmjow yelled, almost mad with fury.
"Ichigo, the sky!" Rukia yelled right then.
Over their heads, a new Garganta had just opened, and from it had emerged a figure that exuded even more reiatsu than Grimmjow, whose own pressure had been hard enough to swallow; at the same time, it was familiar, Ichigo and Rukia knew who it was that had just arrived to Karakura…
"Ulquiorra…" Ichigo muttered in a low tone.
"Ulquiorra, what the fuck are you doing here?!" Grimmjow snarled, it was obvious that he didn't like the fact that his fellow Espada was interrupting his fight.
"This fight is over Grimmjow." Ulquiorra told him in a plain, almost apathetic tone.
"No, it damn well isn't." Grimmjow refused, ready to attack Ichigo again.
"Do you not understand Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra inquired in the same tone. "Invading the World of the Living, leading a group of eight Arrancar besides yourself in an attack, and then losing all but one of those in said attack. You were acting against orders. Aizen-sama has found out, and he's not happy. Actually, I think he might even be furious. You and Yammy are to return to Hueco Mundo, your punishments shall be decided there."
Grimmjow actually growled, but began following Ulquiorra to where his Garganta remained open in the sky.
"You follow him like a lapdog, on Aizen's orders?" Ichigo called in a taunting tone. "And you insist on calling yourself King?! Don't make me laugh Grimmjow. You're King of nothing, not even yourself!"
Grimmjow growled even louder, but a small sound from the higher ranked Espada in front of him reminded him what it was he had to do. Yammy was already crossing the Garganta, along with Ulquiorra's new Fraccion.
"Be happy that our fight was interrupted shinigami, for that is the only reason you're alive." Grimmjow said as he looked over his shoulder. "Next time we meet you won't be as lucky."
Ichigo rolled his eyes. He knew he probably wouldn't have been able to defeat the Espada as he was in that moment; but he had also been doing his best to reign in his power so as not to affect any innocents.
Right as the two Espada were about to reach the Garganta, Ulquiorra couldn't help but look around, he saw the rest of the humans he'd seen on that first 'visit' to Karakura, as well as a couple more; standing on roofs, empty lots, etc., all looking to the sky; but there was one in particular, who was looking straight at him instead. Sitting, holding herself up with both arms, her eyes fixed straight on him, a look he couldn't help but find strangely…intriguing.
Grimmjow, noticing how Ulquiorra's attention had been diverted couldn't help but follow his line of sight. What he found there intrigued him as well, the girl that was looking, not at the Garganta still a few feet away from them, but at Ulquiorra; the same girl that had called his attention earlier, before her own fight had taken place…a fight which apparently had left her a little worse for wear. And yet she'd won…and for some reason, Grimmjow liked that.
Ichigo waited for several very long seconds after the Garganta was closed, before he began powering that, first releasing his hold on the power Shiro had put at his disposition, then deactivating his bankai.
"It seems like we won." Rukia commented from her spot on the concrete.
"It does seem that way, doesn't it?" Ichigo agreed as he turned to look at her.
Rukia nodded, they knew, since Ulquiorra had confirmed what she herself had sensed, that all the Arrancars who'd invaded Karakura that night, except the two Espada, had been killed. Even if Yammy and Grimmjow still lived, the Nakama had managed to defeat and destroy seven Arrancars. They had most definitely won.
"Well, now we need to get you up." Ichigo declared as he placed the sealed Zangetsu on his back. "I'll take you to Yuzu, who will be able to treat you…"
"It might not be that easy, Ichigo." Rukia commented. "I can sense that Yuzu-chan is already low on reiatsu, we do not want her to push herself too far…"
"True." Ichigo agreed, he would never want that. "In that case, we might have to go with my father, or Urahara…" he grimaced. "I won't like it, but you, and the rest of my nakama, are more important than any grudge of mine."
Rukia nodded, she understood how much Ichigo truly disliked Urahara, as well as the rest of the members of the Shouten, and even his own father, for all they had done, all they had tried to keep from the younger generation, and the way they constantly went behind the teens back. However, hard situations made necessary for hard decisions to be made; and nothing would ever be more important to Ichigo than to keep his nakama safe, especially not his own pride.
"Let's go midget." Ichigo declared as he stepped closer to her.
"Shut it, you giant strawberry!" Rukia replied in the expected manner.
However, the whole situation changed in an instant. One moment Ichigo was approaching her, the next, he was gone, and all Rukia could see was a trace of yellow and black and turbulent reiatsu moving away so fast she knew that, even if she'd been in perfect hell, it would have been nearly impossible to catch up.
All the stress the young-looking shinigami had been in in that day, the pent up emotion, suddenly became too much, she snapped:
"ICHIGO!"
Don't kill me! I know some (probably most, if not all, actually) of you hate cliffhangers, but the chapter just had to end somewhere, and better here than at the middle of a fight... again. Promise next chapter won't be as stressful. Some of you might have some fun even! (and that's all I'm saying on that front!).
Also to point out that Heiten Hanshun means Third-Heaven Opposite-Shield, it's a compound technique, the first of two completely original ones I gave Orihime (I'm not counting the Nybankyuu ones because those are, essentially, variations of techniques that already exist). Essentially, as is shown in the fic, Shun'o and Ayame negate the damage done to her, but instead of just erasing it entirely, Tsubaki then takes that damage and turns it into an attack against the enemy. The basis for it was the one compound shield that was shown in canon the Shiten Koushun (it was also the basis for one more original technique that will appear later on).
So, that's that for now, hope you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to review/comment and I'll see you all next week!