Here's another chapter coming right up! This is so cool getting reviews from more different people. It's amazing how a two sentence review can make endless hours of typing and thinking all worth it. Thank you! (Now enough from an annoying feeble minded fool here's the next chapter!)
Chapter 16- The Eight Legged Monster's Attack, Miho's Greatest Fear Will be Overcome?
Miho stepped back in utter fright as the spider-like hollow spawn crept towards her.
"G-get away!" Miho cried as she swung her blade wildly.
"Miho-san!" Sakura cried.
Miho didn't even hear her friend's voice much less listened to it. Ever since she was a girl she feared the eight-legged beasts. When she was alive she was bitten by one of the monsters and that was how she came to Soul Society. Ever since then she was always afraid of them. Even now as a shinigami she could barely even stand. The sight of these massive spider-looking hollows nearly made her hear stop.
Flashback
"What a pretty color!" A five year old Miho cried as she leaned down and watched the black spider with a red hourglass like pattern on its back.
"Miho!" A woman's voice cried, "Don't go near it!"
"Why?" Miho asked.
The spider sprang forward and bit her arm. Miho stared at the two tiny puncture marks in shock.
"M-mom?" Miho whispered weakly, "Help…"
End Flashback
"G-Go away!" Miho screamed lashing out wildly.
One hollow stepped back while another pounced onto her while she was open.
"Stop!" Nanu cried.
The spider caged Miho in with its legs trapping her completely.
"Hehe…do you like spiders?" The hollow's voice asked from the spider's mouth.
"P-please, go away!" Miho whimpered.
It crept closer and opened its jaws causing a thick ooze to pour down its mouth and dribble across Miho's chest.
"Damn you," Nanu snarled, "I said stop!"
She stepped forward but two ore hollows intercepted her.
"Double-handed knife strike!" Nanu cried as she spilt into two copies and preformed a somersault intending to jam their blades into the hollow's heads.
Both hollows suddenly spat out a stream of thick sticky strands that enmeshed Nanu in a tangle of thick sticky webbing.
"Damn!" Nanu cried as the two hollows encircled her wrapping her up in the thick web until she was completely sealed in a cocoon.
"Nanu-san!" Sakura cried, "Get away from her!"
She set her hand to the back of her blade and her ring widened slicing into the hollows. The ring passed through Nanu's cocoon without making a scratch.
"My ring only cuts what I wish for it to," Sakura declared confidently, "And you're my targets!"
The ring continued to cut forward scattering the massive spiders like dust balls.
Suddenly two spiders came in on stands of webs tied to strings and flew down onto her.
"Kyaaah!" Sakura screamed as the hollows landed onto her.
She tried to fight them but her concentration was lost and her energy ring dissipated. Without the protective ring to guard her, the spiders all converged onto her.
"No!" Sakura cried as two hollows pinned down her arms while a third pinned her legs down.
"Time to eat," The massive spider grinned as one of its minions bit down onto Sakura's shoulder.
The blood flowed from her shoulder into the hollow and through a web cord attached from its back to the main hollow's head.
"Delicious," The main spider grinned.
Sakura continued to scream as the spider's fangs bit deeper in.
"S-Sakura…" Miho whispered as she cringed at the one hollow that pinned her down, "I'm being held down by one spider while she's being eaten and held down by nearly ten spiders!"
Sakuhana's pure melody began to die down till it was nothing more than a faint whisper.
"I thought we were partners," The beautiful voice murmured, "When you said my name we joined together, why do you not ask me for help?"
"S-sakuhana?" Miho whispered as she tried to lift her sword.
"You're friends are dying…why do you not help them?"
Miho saw Nanu sealed away in a cocoon, and Sakura being eaten alive while screaming in agony, and Shinn unaware as he was being wrapped in webs himself.
"I-I-'m sorry everyone," She whispered feeling hot tears run down her face, "Please forgive me…forgive me Sakuhana,"
"You are forgiven," The voice whispered.
Suddenly Sakuhana's pure melody suddenly grew louder and it glowed in pink energy.
"W-w-what is this!" The spider hollow that pinned her cried.
A blast of pink energy obliterated the pest in seconds.
"What is that?" The massive spider hollow growled.
"Unleash, Sakuhana 2, Ascend shikai!" Miho cried as she stood up and raised her sword.
An image of a beautiful pink-haired woman garbed in resplendent clothing and wearing a silver tiara arose from behind Miho.
"Let our powers gather and join!" The vision cried.
Her sword glowed bright pink and her shikai's pure melody began to grow louder.
"Get her!" The main spider screamed, "Kill her now!"
Four of the spider hollows pounced forward.
Miho swept her extended blade into a wide arc slicing the hollows in half.
"Release my friends," Miho whispered as her eyes, wet with tears, flared bright pink.
Her hair shimmered then it slowly shimmered into a rich pink color.
"W-what's this?" The spider-hollow stammered.
"Release my friends!" She cried as she lashed out cutting a massive fissure through the pavement.
Two of the spider minions fell into the pit while a third was split from head to toe by the swinging blade.
"Damn!" The hollow screamed, "I'll kill you!"
He suddenly inhaled deeply. All the spiders were sucked into his gaping mouth causing him to swell in size.
Sakura's captors were flung off of her and sucked right in allowing her to struggle to her knees.
"Miho-san!" Sakura cried, "Look out! He's spirit pressure is increasing!"
The hollow was now much bigger than he was originally. Each leg was as thick as Miho and twice as tall. Tightly corded muscles bulged under the weight of his body.
"Die!" The hollow screamed as he spat out a massive stream of thick webbing.
"Sakuhana, pierce," Miho whispered thrusting her blade forward.
The blade shot out and stabbed through the thick shot of webbing cleaving it in half.
"What!" The hollow screamed as the tip of her sword rammed down the monster's throat ripping out through his back.
"Scatter," She whispered.
Suddenly the sword dissipated into a shower of cherry blossoms shot out from the hollows body causing him to convulse as his body simply fell apart from the wounds.
The petals flew back towards Miho's empty handle and reformed into its original blade. The glow left her eyes and her hair reverted back to its original brown.
"Its done," She sighed as the hollow began to disintegrate.
She turned to her friend and knelt next to her.
"I'm sorry," She whispered, "Please forgive me, Sakuhana, I beg you to spare a bit of your power,"
Her hand shimmered in white energy and she could feel the warmth emitting from it. She placed it onto Sakura's shoulder and the wound faded away.
With her hand still aflame she split open the two cocoons and waved her hand over Nanu's unconscious form. Nanu's eyes snapped open in shock and she immediately began chocking as she gasped for air.
"Dammit!" Nanu cried, "You could have been a bit faster!"
"Sorry," Miho replied kindly, she turned around and knelt over Shinn's beaten body.
She passed her hand over his body and his bruises and cracked ribs mended themselves easily.
Shin's eyes fluttered open as he felt the warmth coat his body.
"M-Miho-san?" Shinn whispered.
"Welcome back, Shinn-kun," She replied smiling.
Elsewhere Urahara was busy finishing up closing Chad's wounds.
"Hmmm?" Urahara murmured, "That lady's spirit pressure is impressive,"
"Eh?" Koji called out poking his head through the door, "What was that massive level of spirit pressure?"
"Oh-oh it was nothing!" Urahara laughed as he flailed his hands wildly causing Koji to step back in confusion, "Now go away and find something to do!"
"Okaay?" Koji replied confused.
The moment Koji left Urahara's face turned grim again.
"That was an impressive level of spirit pressure," he muttered, "I wonder what triggered it?"
"You sure there's nothing going on?" Koji asked poking his head back in.
"Aaah!" Urahara cried, his face instantly reverting into its comical expressions, "Go away! Leave!"
"Jeez, what a weird guy!" Koji sighed as he scampered away.
"Oy!" Jinta called out, "A group of weird people are in front of the shop! They wanna see you,"
"Hmmm?" Urahara murmured, "Who is it?"
"Dunno, but they insist that they were ordered to come here," Jinta replied.
"Okies!" Urahara sighed as he hurried out of his room.
The sound of the continuous clacks of his wooden clogs could be heard fading down the hallway.