Hey everyone, hope it was a good week for you all. No reviews, but did get a response from Spades, and it's pretty much a combo between last week's chapter and this week's. So, let's get on to 'Spades's Banter'.
Thanks for the rating brother, glad you liked it. And…really? Locked out of your own house? Why would you do that? Let me guess…is that why you didn't respond last week? Lmao! Just kidding bro, it actually sucks a lot when that happens. Anyway, yeah…couldn't help it; I saw the perfect chance for Kit to have some of her usual fun, and thought, 'Why not?'. So, questions…
1: Well, between them, with how perverted Kit is, and how dominant Grimmjow is, likely a very long and heavy session of insults, both clean and dirty, and likely followed by an interesting romp session. But, for everyone else, well…let's just say that you better hope there's a fallout shelter somewhere nearby, lol.
2: Great movie! Loved it!
3: I've done some research, and it appears that there are no private quarters, even for higher officers. The only one who doesn't really stay in the barracks is Byakuya, and that is because he stays at the family residence. So I plan to keep it that way for this story, with the exception that I'll add designated barracks for married members and such.
4: Well, there's obviously no information in that regards; but from multiple…let me rephrase, from 'all' the fanfictions I've read that include her, she has a very hard time grasping the concepts of simple chores, (likely from the childish part of her). So no, she doesn't. (Sorry Nel)
Well, with that over, school starts up on Monday, so wish me luck on my next semester, (especially in chemistry, bleh) Here's the second and final part of the Karakura fight, and I hope you all have fun reading.
(I DO NOT OWN BLEACH; ITS CHARACTORS, NAMES, LOCATIONS, OR STORY! THAT HONOR BELONGS SOLELY TO TITE KUBO AND HIS TEAM! ONLY THE OC, AND RANDOM NAMES NOT MENTIONED IN THE BOOKS OR ANIME ARE MY OWN!)
Chapter 30
(Karakura Showdown, Part 2)
Urahara Shop, 5 Minutes Earlier
Nel and Kisuke sat patiently, albeit barely, at the dining room table; him with a calm, yet cautious look on his face, and her with her head down a bit in worry. She had her hands resting on her legs and was constantly tapping her right index finger on her knee.
Kisuke could plainly see that the woman was very on edge, quite obviously because she was worried about her friends, especially Timothy. Of all the Arrancars that had appeared, the man just had to choose the Sexta Espada to fight against.
The woman sighed heavily for the billionth time as she dropped her head back against the wall with a dull thud. Kisuke watched her closely as he fanned himself slowly, the brim of his hat just barely concealing the man's eyes.
He stopped waving his fan as he gave a light sigh himself. "I understand you're concerned miss Nel, and I'm sure you would like to give them a hand, but Tim did ask you to trust him and stay here." He pointed out.
Nel opened her eyes to him. "I know Kisuke, and I do trust him. But I doubt Tim understands fully just who it is he's fighting. Grimmjow is not just any Arrancar, he is the Sexta Espada, and he can be quite merciless if he gets serious enough. I know that Tim is a strong person, but he's simply no match for Grimmjow at his level. The only reason he's still fighting is because Grimmjow hasn't gotten serious yet, and is likely toying with him just for the fun of it."
She then lifted her head fully to him. "And to be honest Kisuke, I don't think the others can handle the fracción Grimmjow brought with him either." She added.
Kisuke lowered his fan a bit with a sly smirk. "Are you doubting Captain Hitsugaya and his team?" he teased.
The woman sighed. "No, I'm not Kisuke. And please don't take this the wrong way, but you soul reapers really underestimate how powerful the Arrancar Aizen created are. If you think that a Vasto Lorde is powerful, then there simply isn't a word to describe the power levels of an Arrancar, much less an Espada. I didn't want to say anything, lest the Captain and the others think I was insulting them, but from the amount of spiritual pressure I felt off of each of them, they simply don't have a chance against the Arrancar." She informed.
The shop owner dropped his fan to his lap. "I see. Well, perhaps it's time I let you in on a little secret, miss Nel. It is true that it would be extremely unlikely that Captain Hitsugaya and the others would be able to defeat the Arrancar; however…" The man paused and held a finger up with a smile. "…that's only while they are at their 'current' level." He stated calmly.
Nel tilted her head a bit. "What do you mean, Kisuke?" she asked.
The man dropped his hand and resumed fanning himself. "I'm sure Captain Hitsugaya would be quite upset at me for telling you this, but I personally don't see any harm in it. Have you noticed that, as it is right now, Tim's overall power level is actually 'higher' than Captain Hitsugaya's, who is a 'Captain', while he is a 'Lieutenant'?" he inquired, earning a nod from her. "Well, that is because Captain Hitsugaya, as well as Renji and Lieutenant Matsumoto, currently have a spiritual limiter, known as a Gentei Reīn, placed on them. This seal greatly reduces the amount of spiritual pressure Captains and Lieutenants exert while in the world of the living. Are you still with me?"
Nel nodded again, allowing him to raise his finger again before continuing. "Captain Hitsugaya, Renji, and Lieutenant Matsumoto all have one of these limiters. Tim on the other hand, does not." He stated, then dropped his hand again. "Because of the nature of his original mission that brought him here, a spiritual limiter was not placed on him. That is why, as it stands at the moment, Tim is currently the strongest person on Captain Hitsugaya's team. That is the main reason why 'he' is the one fighting the Espada, Grimmjow. But you don't need to worry, I'm sure either Captain Hitsugaya, or one of the Lieutenants, will request these limiters to be removed. Once that happens, you'll find that the tables would have turned against the Espada and his fracción rather quickly." He concluded.
The woman narrowed her gaze at him dangerously. "If that is the case Kisuke, then why is it that they are close to being defeated? Even the Espada are well aware that the soul society keeps a close watch on any soul reapers they have assigned on special missions, which this is. So, if the Captain and the others are at risk of being killed, why haven't they gone ahead and removed those limiters?" she questioned.
Kisuke hid his mouth behind his fan. "This is not a simple matter, miss Nel. A Captain's full spiritual pressure, even that of a Lieutenant, has enough power to cause damage to the area around them just by simply being nearby. So great care and consideration needs to be taken when deciding something like this. I'm sure you can understand."
Nel scoffed at him. "And yet, they all could very well be dead before they even 'make' that decision. I don't care what Tim said, and I know I promised I would stay here, but I'm not going to sit around any longer." She said, then stood up swiftly. "I'm going to give them a hand, Kisuke. And I'm sure you know not to try and stop me." She half threatened.
Urahara looked into her eyes to see that, although she would be very hesitant about it, the woman clearly meant what she said. Considering the last time that she was kept out of the fight, when she nearly shot Tessai with a Cero at point blank range, it was very clear that nothing, short of death, would stop her.
He stared at her for a moment longer, before snapping his fan shut to expose a wide grin on his face.
"Now why would I try to stop you from doing something I was just about to do myself, miss Nel?" he inquired in an amused tone.
She rose a brow at him curiously. "You intend to help as well?" she questioned.
The man stood up swiftly, grabbing his cane as he did. "Why miss Nel, do you believe a gentleman, such as myself, would sit by while a lovely lady like yourself goes out to fight? You wound me." He teased.
Nel's face dropped. "I don't know how Yoruichi can stand you, Kisuke. But it doesn't matter. I'm going to go help Tim." she stated, turning towards the door.
"Actually, miss Nel…" Kisuke started, causing her to stop and turn back to him. "…Tim is fine at the moment, it's Captain Hitsugaya and the others who will need the most assistance. So, I strongly suggest you give them a hand first. I will go assist Renji, while you help Captain Hitsugaya. It would seem that Ichigo is on his way as well, and is currently heading towards Rukia's location." He advised.
Her eyes widened a fraction. "Are you sure that is a good idea, Kisuke? I don't think the Captain would be very happy to see me out of the shop and helping him." She warned.
Kisuke nodded firmly at her. "That is true, however, helping him directly would not only save his life, but it would also show him that you are willing to fight for us, even against those who used to be your comrades. Once we have helped Renji and Captain Hitsugaya, I can go assist Lieutenant Matsumoto, while you help Tim. Sound fair?" he proposed.
Nel sighed heavily and closed eyes, but finally agreed. "Alright, then I'll go help the Captain first. But I still think it's a bad idea, Kisuke." She said defeatedly.
The shop owner held the hand holding his cane towards the door. "After you, miss Nel." He offered with a grin.
She nodded again, then turned and began walking out the door.
With Nelliel and Toshiro, Present
Shawlong hit a wall on the side of a large building with a loud grunt, creating an indent in the brickwork, but not going through it. Before he even had time to recover, the air buzzed in front of him as Nel appeared with her fist held back.
She threw her fist forward, hitting the man in the chest and sending him through the wall into an empty office, his body crashing into a desk inside and snapping it in two as he fell to the floor. The air buzzed again as Nel grabbed the 11th Arrancar's ankle and threw him back out the way he came in.
He flew head over heel through the air several hundred feet, until Nel again reappeared, this time above him, and sent another fist into the man's torso. The punch changed the man's flight path and sent him straight down to the ground at near subsonic speed.
As his body flew downwards, Toshiro watched the entire ordeal with wide eyes on a nearby rooftop as he held his zanpakutō at his side. He knew that the Espada were tough, and not something to take lightly; but to actually see one fighting, and doing so completely unarmed, took it to a whole new level of disbelief.
Not five minutes ago, he was having extreme difficulty fighting the Arrancar. Even in his Bankai, he could barely put so much as a scratch on the man. Yet, here was Nel, fighting the same person he had so much trouble with, and she was 'unarmed'.
The woman was simply having no trouble in taking the fight to the man with only her fists as her weapons. And she had yet to even use any of her hollow abilities, besides sonído to get to him quickly.
Nel buzzed into place next to the small crater Shawlong's body had created, with him lying prone and face down in the center. She glared at the man with a calm, yet very serious look in her eyes.
"I'm sure you can now see that fighting me is futile, Shawlong. You should know better than judge your opponent by whether or not that person has a zanpakutō. In case you were not aware Koufang, each Espada is uniquely proficient in a certain aspect of combat. Zommari has the fastest, continuous sonído, Yammy is the strongest in terms of raw power, and Ulquiorra possesses the best self-healing capabilities." she informed, then narrowed her gaze a bit. "And mine was hand-to-hand combat. Out of all the Espada, no one was more proficient at unarmed combat than me."
She began walking down into the crater as Shawlong started moving to get back up to his feet. "To put it simply Shawlong, you stood more of a chance against me while I had my zanpakutō." She stated, before reaching down and grabbing the man at the base of the tail that protruded from his mask.
The woman lifted him up to her face, where she glared into his eyes. "I will give you this one last chance, Shawlong. Take your friends and leave. I do not wish to kill you, but you are greatly mistaken if you believe that I won't. So, tell me, will you submit and leave?" she questioned.
Shawlong opened his eyes to her and growled. "I'm afraid…that's not possible. I have been given a mission, and I would rather die, than to fail it." He declared firmly.
Nel's shoulders dropped a bit with a depressed sigh. "Then I am sorry for this, Shawlong." She returned in a sad voice.
She then let get of the man's head-tail, and as he dropped back down to the ground, she delivered a powerful punch to his stomach; sending the man flying back several feet over the ground. But Nel was already there ahead of him, swinging her leg under her and kicking him back up into the sky.
Shawlong grunted in pain as his body flew hundreds of feet into the air, only for it to be sent another direction by yet another swift kick from Nel. He continued to fly through the air until Nel again sent him going another direction.
Toshiro, now far overhead, watched as the woman's assault continued on and on. Every two or three times she kicked, or hit the Arrancar, she would either send him into a building, or back down onto the ground before repeating the whole process.
In his mind, although he was extremely loath to admit it, he knew that with his powers restrained like they were, he stood zero chance to ever come out on top if he and Nel got into a fight with one another.
And even though he didn't want to admit this either, he was actually a bit relieved that the woman was no longer fighting for Aizen. A small part of him was actually hoping that Timothy was right, and that she was truly fighting for them now.
The Captain's eyes suddenly widened when Shawlong's body started flying right at him. He was just about to jump out of the way, but Nel quickly buzzed into place in front of him and delivered a swift punch that sent the Arrancar back down to earth.
Toshiro's eyes followed the man's body to the ground as Nel turned her head to look at him. "Sorry about that, Captain. I didn't see you there until after I hit him." She offered with a kind voice.
He turned back to her with a firm face. "Don't worry about it. Just hurry up and finish this so we can help the others." He instructed.
Nel took a deep breath, but nodded. "I was hoping to avoid killing him, but I guess I don't have a choice." She said in defeat, then vanished.
Toshiro looked down to see that the woman was now standing next to Shawlong's prone body. She bent down and once again picked the man up by the tail, before vanishing again and reappearing several feet in the air.
She gave the Arrancar a pitiful look. "I am sorry about this, Shawlong. I may not have a choice in killing you…" she started, then rose her free hand in front of his sternum. She then began charging a Cero in the palm of her hand, holding the mass of energy mere inches from the man's uniform. "…but I can at least ensure that it is quick and painless for you. Is there anything you would like to say before this ends?" she offered.
Shawlong groaned as he rolled his eyes up to her, then started chuckling. "You fight quite well, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck. Truly a very competent warrior in your own right. But my death would do nothing for you. Lord Aizen's plans cannot be stopped, no matter what you, and your soul reaper friends do. Becoming a traitor has done nothing for you, except ensure your own death, by Aizen himself." He hissed dangerously.
Nel narrowed her glare at him. "I do not care if I live or die, Shawlong; I will be content with either, because I am fighting for what 'I' believe to be right, just like you." She returned. "Cero."
The violet gathering of energy in her hand shot out in a large, and wide beam as it tore through the man's chest, continuing on into the empty sky beyond. As the beam slowly vanished, her and Toshiro looked to see that Shawlong now possessed a one-foot-wide hole that went right through him.
The 11th Arrancar's eyes were wide open in shock, until they swiftly closed as his head and body went limp in her hand. Using a quick burst of sonído, she came to stand on a nearby rooftop, where she gently laid the man's body down on the floor.
She stood back up and spared a last glance at the fallen Arrancar with a bit of remorse. "I am sorry for this, Shawlong Koufang. Rest peacefully now, and hope that your friends will not meet the same fate as you have." She offered.
Toshiro flashed in next to her and looked down at the body. "It's unfortunate that you were the one to kill him. If I had done so, his soul would have been purified, and he would have gone on to the soul society." He stated.
Nel dropped her head and shook it gently. "No Captain, it wouldn't." she corrected.
The Captain looked at her with a raised brow. "What do you mean?" he questioned.
She looked at him with sorrow. "You may purify a regular hollow or Menos when you kill them, but that is not the case with Arrancar. We are not of natural creation, so our souls cannot be purified. If you were to kill me right now, my soul would simply vanish from all existence, just as his has. Shawlong Koufang is gone, forever." She said with a sad voice.
Toshiro lowered his stare a bit. "I see. That's unfortunate, but we still have a job to do, so let's hurry and help the others."
The woman nodded firmly. "I agree. I'll go give Tim a hand, and I think it would be wise if you gave your Lieutenant some help as well. Judging by her spiritual pressure, she's not fairing too well with her opponent." She observed.
The Captain huffed, then turned away. "I still don't trust you fully yet, Nel; but as long as you are willing to help us defeat these Arrancar, I'll let you be…for now." He stated, then vanished.
Nel sighed heavily as she stared at the spot he was just at. "I guess I can't really ask for anything better at the moment, but it is better than nothing." she commented, then vanished herself.
With Renji and Kisuke
A loud screeching sound filled the air as a sharp, red wave of dense energy flew across the ground, hitting the bull-like Arrancar in the shoulder, cancelling out his charge and pushing him back the way he came.
The Arrancar came to a stop and glared at the man in front of him with a growl. "Damn you, and that atrocious zanpakutō of yours!" he yelled in anger.
The hatted man placed a hand on top of his hat with a sly grin. "Aw, come now. There's no need to be so hostile, mister Arrancar. Sure, we may be enemies, but is it really necessary to call Benihime 'atrocious'? That's just simply not nice." He mocked teasingly.
Yylfordt growled louder as he tensed his body in fury. "You shut your mouth, brother! Your attacks are nothing more than a nuisance, they have little effect on me! As you have just seen, all your attack did was stop my charge; it did absolutely nothing to actually 'harm' me!" he declared.
Kisuke raised his head a bit, now with a smile. "Is that so? Well then, if that's the case, then perhaps I should put a little more effort into it. Kamisori, Benihime!" he yelled as he swung his zanpakutō out in front of him, creating a red wave of energy.
Yylfordt leaned forward as he lowered his head to take the attack frontally. But his brows rose in shock when Kisuke then swung his sword up, the red wave suddenly turning and shooting up into the sky.
When the wave was nearly fifty feet in the air, the shop owned then swung back down, causing the wave to change directions again, now sailing straight down towards the Arrancar's fully exposed back.
The wave hit the man midback and sent him down to the ground with a loud grunt. The force of his body hitting the asphalt of the street caused it to crack, with the cracks spreading outwards in a large circle.
Kisuke brought his hand down off his hat and grabbed the hilt of his zanpakutō with both hands, still smiling profoundly.
"Is that good enough for you, mister Arrancar? If not, I'd be happy to show you something better." He taunted.
Yylfordt lifted himself from the ground and snarled at the man. "You dare to mock me, brother?! Just who the hell do you think you are?! If you think you can stand a chance against me, think again!" he yelled.
The man instantly vanished, leaving a large trail of dust behind, before reappearing several feet closer as he yet again charged head on at the show owner. Kisuke simply stood there as his opponent dove right at him at breakneck speed.
He then grinned more, before letting go of the hilt of his zanpakutō with his left hand, lowering the blade to his side as he raised the left hand towards the incoming Arrancar. The man then grabbed onto one of the long horns on the top of the Arrancar's mask.
Kisuke was pushed back as his feet dragged against the asphalt nearly ten feet. His body came to a stop, forcing the Arrancar to do the same. The whole time, Kisuke's composure had never broken.
Yylfordt stared wide eyed at the man in complete shock. Not only was the annoying man completely unharmed, but the man had managed to successfully stop his charge with his bare hand.
"What?!" he said in a low voice.
Kisuke's smile then dropped to a serious glare. "You should head on home, mister Arrancar. As I'm sure you can now see, it's 'your' attacks that have no effect. You cannot possibly hope to stand up to me with the amount of power you possess. Such an action would be completely pointless. So, will you submit?" he questioned.
Yylfordt's eyes then clouded over with pure rage as he yelled out at the man. "Don't think that because you managed to stop my charge like that, that you can defeat me, brother! I'll kill you where you stand!"
The shop owner narrowed his stare. "You just don't get it, do you?" he inquired.
The man swiftly swung up with his zanpakutō, not only hitting Yylfordt in the chest, but also sending out another red wave that carried the Arrancar away as it flew. The fracción was pushed into, and through the wall of a nearby building.
Kisuke looked at the large hole the attack had created with a dangerous glare. "There is absolutely zero chance that you could ever defeat me. Leave, or die." He hissed lowly.
As if in response, Yylfordt swiftly charged out from the hole in the building at the shop keeper with a loud yell. He had his head down with his horns positioned to run the man through.
The former Captain sighed as he lowered his head and placed a hand on top of his hat. "I tried." He said in a low and defeated voice, then held his zanpakutō up in front of him. "Cry, Benihime."
A broad, red, hexagonal barrier then appeared right in front of the man's zanpakutō. Yylfordt's two horns collided with the shield, completely stopping him in place without moving either the shield, or Urahara an inch.
Kisuke looked the Arrancar in the eyes to see complete shock in his eyes. "H…How?!"
"Shred, Benihime." Kisuke commanded.
The shield then began to glow a brighter red, before several dozen bolts of red energy shot out from the front surface of the barrier. Yylfordt was unable to react as the numerous energy bolts that struck him exploded upon contact.
The volley of energy bolts seemed endless as the Arrancar's body was steadily pushed back with each successive hit. By the time the barrage had finished, the 15th Arrancar's body was now several yards away.
Kisuke diminished his barrier and began slowly walking towards the downed fracción. "This fight is over, mister Arrancar. If you submit now, I'll allow you to return home in one piece. But if you persist in fighting me any further, I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to eliminate you." He warned as he came to within twenty feet of the man.
Yylfordt laid there completely sprawled out on the ground and Kisuke could see that the man was bleeding in several spots; both of his horns were now broken off, and pieces of his mask were missing, exposing patches of hair and skin.
The Arrancar raised his head to the man and snarled. "I am…not done…brother! You will die…for doing this…to me!" he declared loudly between breaths.
Urahara looked down at the man with a calm demeaner. "So, you still wish to continue fighting, mister Arrancar? Well, I'm afraid that I cannot give you that chance. You should have taken my offer to return to Hueco Mundo, but I guess this is to be expected." He said lowly, holding his zanpakutō's point above the man's hollow hole. "I apologize that it has to end this way, but you brought this upon yourself. My condolences, Yylfordt Granz." He concluded.
The man then stabbed the Arrancar just above his hollow hole, before swiftly swiping down and splitting the hole in two. Yylfordt gave a last yell of agony, before his eyes rolled back and his head dropped back down to the ground.
Kisuke withdrew his blade from the man's body, allowing it to returned to its sealed state, before returning it to the bottom end of his cane. Dropping his hands to his sides, he spared a last, pitiful glance at his fallen opponent, before turning to look at a still recovering Renji.
"Are you alright, Renji?" he inquired.
The Lieutenant nodded with a smirk. "Yeah, I'm good for now. Thanks for the help. So, what, got bored of tending to the customers you never have?" he teased.
Kisuke returned the smirk with a sly grin as he pulled his fan from his inside pocket and began fanning himself.
"My dear Renji, must you be so cruel?" he teased.
Renji's scoffed at his remark. "Just pointing out the truth here." He returned. His face then lit up with wide eyes. "Wait a minute, if you're here, then where's Nel?"
Urahara smiled widely. "She 'was' giving Captain Hitsugaya a hand in his fight, but I'm sure that by now she is on her way to assist Tim. Which is where 'we' should be heading right about now. Can you stand, or do you need some help yourself?"
The Lieutenant chuckled lightly before giving the man a wide grin. "Don't go counting me out just yet, Kisuke. I may be a bit beat up, but I still got some fight let in me." He declared as he stood up. "Let's go give the runt a little break for a bit." He mocked.
Kisuke chuckled lowly before they both vanished with shunpo.
With Ikkaku
The 3rd seat of Squad 11 stood in the empty street hunched over a bit, his breathing heavy and labored, as he held the segmented form of Hōzukimaru. He held the bladed section in his left hand, and the blunt end with his right.
The bottom portion of his hakama was ripped off, while the upper portion was in no better shape. The entire right side of his kosode was missing, and the left half was barely sitting on the man's bleeding shoulder. Both of his waraji were long gone.
His opponent, who was standing proudly a few yards in front of him, was in a far better shape than the officer was. Besides a couple scratches to any exposed skin, and a few small tears in his uniform, he was relatively unscathed.
Black, sooty smoke bellowed out of the small hole on the Arrancar's right shoulder plate as his right hand was glowing red with flames dancing around over it. He had the hand held back just a bit as he stood in place, waiting for Ikkaku's next attack.
Edrad had learned fairly quickly that with the unique makeup of the 3rd seat's Shikai, attacking the man directly would normally result in him getting countered from an odd angle. Instead, it was best to let the officer attack, then counter himself with his Volcánica.
"What's wrong, Madarame? It looks like you're quite tired. Have you had enough already?" Edrad taunted.
Ikkaku took two quick pants, then grinned. "I'm just getting warmed up, my friend. So, don't be so quick to count me out, I've still got plenty left to go."
Edrad chortled loudly. "That's good. Then let's continue."
The officer gave a throaty laugh. "With pleasure." He returned, then launched another assault on the larger man.
The Arrancar narrowed his stare. 'Here comes another one of his low attacks to draw me down, then followed by another to hit me from above. Predictable.' He thought.
The brief instant before Ikkaku swung out at the man, he took a quick step back and to the side, letting the officer's attack hit nothing but empty air. Using the already charged attack in his right arm, he then swung out at the spot he knew his opponent would go next.
It worked out perfectly. The larger man's fist hit Ikkaku in his left flank as he was attempting to swing down. The explosive, fiery blast from Edrad's Volcánica sent the 3rd seat back the way he came.
Ikkaku's damaged body flew through the air several feet until he finally landed back down on the ground, rolling along it a few yards further before coming to a complete stop, lying face down on the pavement.
Edrad buzzed up next to him and stared down at the, now badly burned, man. The officers kosode was now completely gone, and his hakama was barely hanging on to the man's waist. The chain between the bladed and mid-sections was broken, with the mid-section hanging by the chain of the butt-end.
"You have fought well, Madarame. You are truly a skilled warrior, and you clearly possess a great amount of honor during battle. That is why I am giving you a chance to admit defeat, and return home. Whether or not you choose to believe it, there is no shame in doing so." Edrad offered calmly.
Ikkaku, without lifting his head, grinned and let out a small chuckle. "You're a hell of a lot stronger than I pegged you for, my friend." He stated, then began pushing himself up to his hands and knees. He then lifted his head to the Arrancar with a very pleased grin. "It appears that if I leave things the way they are, I'll really end up dying." He added.
The officer finally managed to push himself up to his feet, a bit hunched over, and gave the blunt-end of his zanpakutō a flick. The midsection instantly retracted into the back-end, returning to a straight pole.
"I guess I really don't have a choice here. I really don't want to use this here, but considering that everyone else is far away at the moment, I doubt that they would notice anything. So, watch closely my friend, and make sure you don't tell anyone you saw this." Ikkaku instructed.
He then slapped the back end of the bladed section to the top of the other half of his weapon in front of him.
"Bankai!" he hollered.
Edrad quickly took two steps back with eyes wide in shock as Ikkaku's body was surrounded by a vortex of wind and dust. The vortex completely obstructed the Arrancar's view of the man as the whirlwind grew wider and taller in front of him.
He watched as two red bolts of energy in the shape of dragons flew out from the sides of the vortex; flying high to the top of the whirlwind before flying down inside the center of it.
Not two seconds later, the whirlwind began to die down, growing smaller and smaller with each passing second, until it completely dissipated; Edrad's eyes growing a bit wider when he looked at the man that was standing in the center of it.
You're going to use…Bankai?!" he asked in shock.
Ikkaku gave the man a toothy grin. "That's right, my friend. Bankai." He answered.
Edrad looked closely at his opponent's new appearance. Although the man's clothes were unchanged, his weapon was a completely different story.
In his right hand, he held a very large spade-like weapon, with a blade that spanned over two feet in width. In his left, was a bladed weapon similar to the one in his Shikai state. At head of each weapon was a long red tassel of hair.
Both weapons possessed a large pummel that seemed to act like a counter-balance to make the weapons even in weight. At the back of each pommel was a long, very thick chain that connected to a center piece that hovered just behind the man's head.
The center piece looked very much like an axe blade, a cloth wrapped handle on the blunt side of the weapon between the chains. On the broad side of the centerpiece, was a long etching of a Chinese dragon that ran from one end of the blade to the other.
"Ryūmon Hōzukimaru." Ikkaku said loud and proud, twirling the weapons in his hands around a few times before pointing them both at the Arrancar.
Edrad relaxed his face a bit with a very slight grin. "An impressive display, I'll admit. But I doubt that it will be enough to save you." He informed, although he was actually sweating a bit.
Ikkaku snickered darkly. "Save the flattery. I haven't released enough spiritual pressure yet for you to be truly impressed, but you better believe me pal, it's coming. I'll let you be the judge on whether it's effective or not…" He then charged at the man with his left weapon held up high. "…after I use it to cut off your ugly head!" he yelled as he swung down.
The larger man lightly gasped before holding his arm up to block the attack. But his eyes went wide as sauces when Ikkaku's blade simply went right through the man's arms, even while it was fully charged for another attack.
Before he could react, Ikkaku thrusted forward with his left weapon, hitting him in the chest where the blade sunk deep into his skin. Luckily, his Hierro managed to hold just enough to prevent the weapon from going clean through him.
He was launched off his feet and sent flying into the air at a high speed; Ikkaku leaped from the ground as well to follow the man. The Arrancar was able to recover quickly enough, where he charged the Volcánica in his left arm and threw his fist out to catch the officer before he could attack again.
A massive blast of fire shot out from the man's fist, sailing straight at the incoming 3rd seat. Ikkaku reversed his grip on his right weapon, throwing it like a spear at the incoming inferno.
Edrad gasped loudly when the spaded weapon cut right through the attack, and continued on until it sailed through the pauldron on his right shoulder, slicing the large piece clean off the man's shoulder.
Ikkaku then yanked back with his right weapon, pulling the chain taught, and forcing the spade-like half of his zanpakutō back to him. He caught the weapon in his right hand and held both of them at his sides as the mid-section returned to its position behind his head.
He then dropped both weapons and grabbed the middle piece by the handle before charging at the larger man. Edrad kept taking step after step back as the officer twisted the middle weapon side to side, causing the attached weapon to fly by in random directions.
The man attacked the Arrancar nearly a dozen times, slashing him twice on the legs, and once on the left arm. After his last attack, Ikkaku jumped back several yards, tossing the middle blade up and catching the two attached weapons again before returning to a ready stance; the middle piece again returning to its position above him.
The Arrancar looked at him with complete shock and horror. 'That's impossible! He cut through my Volcánica not once, but twice! And rendered my right arm unusable! Not only that, he managed to go right through my strengthened Hierro several times!' he panicked.
The 3rd seat chuckled darkly at the larger man. "What's wrong? Already too much for ya? I haven't even gotten started yet, pal." He taunted.
Edrad looked down at the man's weapons to see that both of them had considerable amounts of the blades chipped off. Both of them also had long cracks that spread out from the chipped areas all over the weapons.
'His Bankai is strong, there's no denying that; but it is also very weak in its durability. That makes him fearless and smart. He knows his Bankai won't last long in a fight, so he's going all out to finish this quickly, before that power breaks on him.' He observed mentally, then looked up to see that Ikkaku now had a few cuts and slashes on his own body, obviously self-inflicted.
'A Bankai is nothing more than raw power, and it's only as good as the one who wields it. He clearly hasn't possessed his Bankai for very long, as he's also causing harm to himself while using it. That means this could go either way. Either he'll cut me to pieces and win, or he'll cut himself up and lose. And that's only if his Bankai lasts that long. If he wants a fight for raw power, then I will give it to him. I'll destroy his Bankai, and put an end to this before he gets the chance to cut me up." He concluded.
But something then donned on him that caused him to raise a brow in surprise. 'Wait…his spiritual pressure…it's much higher than it was before. Something's not right.'
"It seems you pulled a fast one on me, Madarame. I really didn't expect you to have a Bankai, and I 'truly' am impressed with its power. But I doubt that power will last long. After only a few attacks, your blades are already starting to fall apart." He stated cautiously.
Ikkaku chuckled again. "Yeah, my Bankai is always weak while Hōzukimaru's not fully in it yet. He's a lazy brute, and he's usually asleep when I use my Bankai. The only way I can force him to wake up is by cutting up my enemy, or letting him cut 'me' up." He informed.
He then raised his right weapon and tapped the blade's tip against the dragon etching on the center piece. This was when Edrad noticed that the etching was glowing a bright red; nearly the entire emblem lit up from tail to neck.
"I can monitor his progress by watching the dragon slowly light up on the blade. That's when he's fully awake, and I can fight at full force."
He lowered his right weapon and brought the blade of his left weapon up to rest it against the top of his forearm.
"And when that happens, I can start cutting you up like a turkey on a platter!" he yelled as he dragged the blade against his arms, cutting open a long gash.
When he did, Edrad's eyes went wide open as the remainder of the dragon emblem lit up. Ikkaku's spiritual pressure then shot through the roof, nearly threatening to push Edrad back from the force.
Ikkaku got into a ready stance and gave his opponent a wicked smile. "So, are you ready for the big one?" he asked tauntingly.
His opponent gave him a pleased smile. "I recall saying that I would tell you my name if I found you worthy. You have proven yourself to be quite a formidable opponent. You have earned my full respect, so allow me to tell you my name. I am Arrancar #13, Edrad Liones," he greeted finally.
Edrad then charged the Volcánica in his left arm with everything he had, then got into his own stance, returning the man's grin with his own.
"Let's finish this, once and for all, Ikkaku Madarame."
The officer snickered loud and long. "Oh yeah, let's do this, Edrad Liones."
The two warriors charged at each other at full speed; Edrad with his left fist held back, and Ikkaku with his right weapon back and his left weapon held behind to slash forward.
Edrad threw his fist forward as Ikkaku swung with his left blade. The blade connected with the Arrancar's fist, the entire blade shattering as it cancelled out Edrad's Volcánica, before thrusting forward with his spaded weapon.
The two men sailed past each other several feet, before coming to a stop with their backs facing each other. The weapon in Ikkaku's right hand, just like his left one, had completely shattered; leaving the officer with only the middle piece left.
That is, until it, too, began quickly cracking in random places. The cracks spread throughout the entire surface, before the red hue on the dragon emblem died out and the entire weapon shattered on its own; leaving the man holding the two broken handles with the large chains hanging loosely from the pommels.
He slowly stood straight, though a bit hunched over, and turned to see Edrad standing tall and looking over his shoulder at the man.
"Ikkaku Madarame…you fought with honor…I am glad…you gave me…your name." he stated.
The large man's body then fell from the sky, his torso separating from his hip as it fell down to the ground below. Ikkaku watched as it did, then turned back front when he heard a wisp sound in front of him to see Yumichika standing there.
"So, you decided to use your Bankai. So, I assume that means you had a wonderful battle?" he inquired with a smile.
Ikkaku grinned madly at him as he chuckled. "Damn right, it was. I gotta hand it to the guy, his power was something else. I just hope Tim…"
He was unable to finish, as his body suddenly felt very weak and he began to fall towards the ground. But a swift step of shunpo, and Yumichika had the man's arms draped over his shoulder and was holding him up.
The 5th seat looked down to see his friend's zanpakutō reseal itself back into sword form in the man's right hand, with the weapon's scabbard in his left. He looked back at the man and offered a smile.
"I think we should call it for now and let Tim have his own fun. It wouldn't be fair to our friend if you had all of the fun now, Ikkaku. Why don't we just stand by and watch. I'm sure the Captain would love to hear about his new Bankai. Don't you agree?" the 5th seat proposed.
Ikkaku raised his head to his friend with a wide smile. "Yeah, that's a good point. Besides, I'm a little interested in the guy's Bankai myself." He returned.
Yumichika smiled back, then carried the man away in a wisp of shunpo.
With Ichigo and Rukia
A transparent, high-pitched wave of sound tore through the wall of the three-story warehouse that Ichigo and Rukia were currently fighting Di Roy in; the teen wisping away at the last second and reappearing above the Arrancar's head.
The young man growled as he swung his cleaver-like zanpakutō down on the released Arrancar's head. But Di Roy was quick to react, raising his right 'arm' up and catching the teen's blade on the side of the prong.
Di Roy glared at the man with deep annoyance. "Damn you! Quit moving around and hold still!" he sneered.
Ichigo scowled back as he tried to push back on the man. "Like hell! I told you that I'm gonna put an end to you!"
The Arrancar gave him a wide grin. "Ha! I'd like to see you try, soul reaper. You're nothing more than an annoyance at this point, so allow 'me' to end it." He returned.
He then swung his other arm up at the teen, hitting the man's side with the flat side of his fork. The attack knocked Ichigo back, sending him flying through a second story window just as Rukia appeared right behind the Arrancar.
"Some no mai, Tsukishiro!" she called out.
Di Roy growled in anger as he looked down to see the ground in a large circle around him begin to freeze. He quickly jumped out of the area a brief instant before Rukia's pillar of solid ice shot up through the roof of the building and into the sky.
"Damn you!" Di Roy hissed as he landed on his feet.
He turned to face her and pointed one of his forks at her. "Getsuga Tenshou!" a voice growled from above, causing the Arrancar to swiftly look up.
His eyes widened a bit when a saw a familiar, blade-like wave of energy crashing through the roof towards him. But a quick buzz of sonído allowed him to leave the area before the attack crashed down on the ground where he once stood.
Di Roy looked at the hole the attack had made to see Ichigo flying through it with his back held above his head to swing down. He pointed his right fork at him, while pointing the left at Rukia, the hammers on both of them slamming down.
Two powerful waves of sound erupted from the tips of the forks, flying straight towards his intended targets. Rukia flashed away just before the attack meant for her hit, but Ichigo was unprepared for it.
The attack caught him in the chest and sent him flying through a structural girder that helped support the roof of the building, before colliding with the railing of a third-floor walkway and falling back down to the ground.
"That'll teach you, soul reaper!" Di Roy sneered.
Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" a feminine voice chanted from behind.
Di Roy knew what followed those words, so he didn't even spare a glance behind him before he darted to the side. But it was a split second too late, as the beam of ice from the woman's attack caught his right foot mid-stride and locked him in place.
He turned around and growled loudly. "Damn it! This is getting very annoying!" he yelled.
The Arrancar pointed a fork at the ice that trapped his foot, and slammed the hammer down. The waves of sound hit the ice, the pulsating vibrations causing the ice the quickly shatter and allow the man to free his limb.
He then turned to face the two soul reapers who were now standing side by side. "I've grown tired of this bullshit!" he declared, then held his left fork out wide to his side. "Since you won't stop moving around so much, I'll make you unable to move effectively!" he added.
Rukia and Ichigo's eyes widened as the Arrancar's left fork suddenly started growing in length. Before, it was roughly three feet in length; but now, it was reaching out to nearly five by the time it stopped its growth.
Di Roy grinned madly, his serrated teeth fully exposed as he snickered darkly. "Let's see you try to move around with this." He said, then slapped the hammer down on his left fork.
The two soul reapers quickly covered their ears, clearly expecting another one of the Arrancar's high-pitched sound attacks. But it surprised them both when instead of a high-pitched and very loud noise, they heard a very low, and dull vibrating sound.
What was odd though, was that the vibrations of the sound seemed to course through their bodies, like a mild massage from the inside. They didn't feel any pain or discomfort, it just felt exceedingly weird.
"What the hell?" Ichigo barked out.
Rukia narrowed her gaze at Di Roy. "Ichigo…if you can still hear me, we need to eliminate him quickly. I don't like this odd feeling his sound is causing, and I'm sure it's gotta be doing something. Keep him distracted, I'll try to get around behind him again and lock him down with a kidō." She instructed, then looked at him for a response.
The teen nodded, then turned back to Di Roy. "Got it." He answered, then flashed away.
The room was instantly filled with the dull sound of something hitting a large piece of metal. Rukia just happened to turn at the right time, and her eyes went wide at the form of Ichigo now plastered against one of the metal support beams.
Ichigo groaned in pain before he took a single step back and fell down on his rear, a very large, and red lump on his forehead. He then reached up and started rubbing his head furiously to try and soothe the pain.
Rukia blinked once, then twice, before she finally recovered from her shock enough to speak. "Uh…Ichigo…did you just…run into that beam using shunpo?" she inquired.
The teen then tried to get back up to his feet, but the instant he did, he started to wobble around before falling right back down on his butt. He shook his head a few times and rubbed it even more, as if trying to clear it.
"What the hell is going on?! I can't stand up without falling the hell back down!" he announced.
Di Roy then started laughing crazily. "What's wrong, soul reaper? Having trouble with your balance?" he questioned, gaining the teens attention. He then presented his elongated left fork. "Didn't you know? The longer a tuning fork is, the slower the tines move. And the slower the tines move, the lower the sound, and the more dense the vibrations. And with my fork now as long as it is, the vibrations it creates is enough to throw off your equilibrium. Meaning that you can't maintain your balance while trying to walk, or even stand up. Guess that means no more jumping around for you, huh?" he informed, then laughed evilly.
Ichigo scowled deeply. "Damn you! That's cheating!" he accused.
The Arrancar only laughed more at his remark. "Who ever said a fight was supposed to be fair? The only purpose of a fight is to kill your opponent, and as long as you come out on top, it doesn't matter how you fight. And now that I've managed to keep you from jumping around, I can kill you." He stated, then pointed his right fork at him. "Die, soul reaper."
"Ichigo!" Rukia yelled, then tried to take a step forward.
But she staggered quickly, loosing her balance and collapsing down to the ground. She then looked back up to see the hammer of Di Roy's right fork slam down, creating a loud, high-pitched wave of sound that flew straight towards her now helpless friend.
"Ichigo!" she yelled again.
Ichigo scowled heavily at the incoming attack. 'No choice!' he concluded.
He then raised his hand to his face, quickly pulling down in front of it where his hollow mask suddenly appeared. He then quickly swung out towards the sound wave with impressive force.
"Getsuga Tenshou!" he growled, sending, not a blue wave, but instead a black wave of spirit energy out.
The two attacks collided with each other, Ichigo's attack cutting straight through it and continuing on towards where Di Roy was standing. The Arrancar's eyes went wide before he quickly used sonído to move out of the way.
He then looked at the teen with shock. "What the hell?! A hollow mask?! How the hell is that possible?! Soul reapers can't have hollow masks!" he yelled.
Ichigo then managed to get to his feet. The sudden increase in his spiritual pressure from donning his hollow mask proved to be just enough to clear his head and cancel out the residual sound vibrations around him.
Rukia also found that she could stand back up again without swaying and falling over. She quickly held a hand out towards Di Roy while the man was distracted looking at her younger friend.
"Bakudō #61, Rikujōkōrō!" she chanted.
Di Roy turned to face and stop her, but it was already too late. Six blades of yellow spirit energy suddenly appeared all around him before swiftly stabbing him through, locking the man in place and completely unable to move.
The man struggled fruitlessly against his restraints for a moment, before turning back to Ichigo. "How the hell is that possible?! There's no way you can have a hollow mask! And how is it my attack is no longer affecting you two?!" he demanded.
"That's very simple, Di Roy…" an odd, and very sinister voice said from behind him. Di Roy glanced over his shoulder to see the teenage soul reaper standing right behind him and glaring at him with his golden, sinister eyes. "The only thing that can stop sound waves is something that has even more powerful waves of pressure. For someone who uses sound waves to attack, this should be something you already know. The spiritual pressure of my hollowfied Getsuga Tenshou was more than enough to cancel out your attacks. Now, it's time to end this." Ichigo announced as he narrowed his deathly gaze at the man.
He then held his zanpakutō high above his head, glaring dangerously at the now defenseless Arrancar. Di Roy glared right back, but with a look of terror as he knew that there was nothing he could do.
"Getsuga Tenshou!" the teen yelled as he swung down.
A large, and very powerful black wave of spirit energy shot out from the teen's blade and sailed right at the Arrancar's fully exposed back. Di Roy yelled out in fear as the wave struck him full on, exploding in the air.
Ichigo watched for a moment before waving his hand past his face and causing the mask on his face to diminish and vanish. Rukia then appeared at his side as she, too, looked at the cloud of dust and debris his attack had caused.
She looked at him with a raised brow. "Do you think you got him?" she inquired.
The teen didn't answer, he kept staring at the dust cloud as he waited for it to dissipate. But luckily, he didn't have to wait long. Both of them looked closely into the cloud as a lone figure slowly came into focus.
Ichigo scowled heavily as Di Roy's body came into view. "Damn. How much does it take to defeat this guy?" he hissed as he brought his hand back up to redon his mask.
But Rukia turned to him and stopped his hand. "Wait Ichigo." She instructed, then turned back to the Arrancar.
The teen rose a brow at her, then looked back as well. Both brows rose in surprise when he saw that Di Roy's entire left arm was gone, and the top tine of his right fork was missing as well.
Not only that, but over half of the left side of the man's mask was completely gone, exposing the man's bloody face, and revealing that he was missing a considerable number of his jagged teeth. The man was breathing very heavily with his upper body slouched over.
"Damn…you…soul reaper." He hissed between breaths.
Ichigo looked down at the man's chest, and he could see why Rukia had stopped him from hollowfying again. There was a large, and very deep gash across the man's chest that ran right across his hollow hole. It was obvious to him now that the Arrancar was on his last breath, and would die very soon.
"Damn…you…" Di Roy hissed again, then suddenly began falling from the sky and into the warehouse underneath them.
The teen watched and waited for a moment to see if the man would get back up. Once he was sure that the Arrancar was truly done for, he glanced out to the distance for a second before looking at his friend and tapping her on the shoulder.
Rukia looked at him with a raised brow to see him pointing at his ear, then pointing at her. She smirked at him, getting what he was referring to.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just annoying not being able to hear right now." She answered.
He nodded, then gestured behind him with his thumb. She looked in the direction that he was referencing, and could feel a slowly fading spiritual pressure towards the north side of town.
The woman looked back at him. "Tim?" she inquired, getting another nod back. She then looked over to the north-western side of town. "Rangiku seems to be in trouble too. Big trouble" She observed, then returned to the teen. "You should go help her out first. In my condition, I can't really do much. As much as I hate it, I'm gonna have to return to the shop. Once you've helped Rangiku, then give Tim a hand. But be careful, the person he's fighting is way stronger than Di Roy was." She warned.
Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, I know exactly who he's fighting. And it's time for some payback." He growled.
Rukia grinned at him, then pointed at her ear. "Sorry Ichigo, but could you speak up?" she teased.
The teen turned to her. "I said, I know who…" He stopped when he suddenly remembered that she wouldn't hear him, and he scowled at her for tricking him. "Damn you!" he growled. The woman laughed for a minute before vanishing in shunpo. Ichigo growled even louder. "Damn you, you midget!" he yelled.
With Rangiku
Nakeem stood straight on the roof of a tall building, holding a barely breathing Rangiku by the throat with his left hand with her feet off the ground. She held onto his hand with her own left own, while her right hand, that loosely held onto her zanpakutō, hung limply at her side.
Her hair was a total mess, and had blood streaks soaked into it a random spots; and her shihakusho, if you could even call it such anymore, only had enough left of it to preserve her modesty.
The woman's zanpakutō was broken in half nearly two feet from the hilt, rendering its Shikai unusable. Her opponent hadn't even released his own zanpakutō, and here she was, completely defeated and about to be killed.
"You fought well, Lieutenant, considering the enormous difference in our powers." He held up his sword hand to her chest, his index and middle finger outstretched, and began charging a Cero. "I commend you, but now it is time to kill you, so I can move on to one of your friends." He added calmly.
Rangiku closed her eyes as she waited for the inevitable. "I don't think that's going to happen." A dangerous voice calmly stated.
Rangiku's eyes shot open before they both turned to the right to see Toshiro standing a few yards away in his Shikai state. He was standing in a ready position, holding his zanpakutō in one hand, and the long chain with a crescent moon-shaped blade that was attached to the hilt with the other.
Nakeem dissipated his Cero and dropped his hand. "Who are…" he opened, but immediately yelled out in pain when the hand that was holding the battered Lieutenant suddenly separated from his body.
He swiftly held onto the bloody stump as he turned to the left to see an orange-haired soul reaper now crouched down several yards away and holding onto the Lieutenant bridal style. He glared at the man and growled.
"What the hell?! How did you do that?!" he yelled.
Ichigo glared back for a moment, then looked at Toshiro. "I'll get her somewhere safe, you deal with him, Toshiro." He said in a scowl.
Toshiro's face twitched. "I told you, it's Captain Hitsugaya to you!" the shorter man corrected, then vanished.
Before Nakeem could react, he found himself wrapped up by the long chain that was attached to the Captain's zanpakutō. The Arrancar simply glanced over his shoulder at the smaller man in anger.
"You think you can stop me with something like this?" he questioned.
The Captain narrowed his gaze at him. "No, I don't. I plan to hold you with this." He corrected, then swung out with his blade.
A large dragon made of solid ice was subsequently sent out at the entangled Arrancar. Nakeem struggled to get free, and managed to get the chain loose on him, but was unable to get fully free in time before the dragon 'swallowed' him, encasing the man in a prison of ice.
Toshiro stared calmly at the frozen man, who turned his eyes to look back. "Normally, I would allow you the chance to retreat; but I can tell right away that you are far less considerate than your slender comrade, and would definitely try to continue fighting." He informed.
Before he could go on, Nakeem quickly charged a Cero in his hand, releasing it and causing the ice around him to explode. He then ripped the loosened chain from around him, tossing it to the side before glaring at the Captain again.
"Is that the best you got? A little chill? Not even that can stop me, soul reaper." He informed dangerously.
The Captain scoffed lightly at the man. "I don't recall ever saying that was meant to 'stop' you, Arrancar." He stated.
Nakeem's eyes widened a bit before looking down to see that all of the ice chunks had melted, then re-solidified at his feet, completely encasing them and locking him down to the roof.
"I said that that was meant to 'hold' you." The Captain corrected.
"Just long enough for me to get back." A sinister voice added from above.
The large man quickly looked up to see Ichigo standing in the air and holding his zanpakutō at his side with both hands; a large mass of black energy twirling around the blade. The man's eyes became saucers when he noticed that the teen was wearing what appeared to be a hollow mask over his face.
Ichigo gripped his hilt tighter as he gave a low, rumbling growl. "It's over." He announced, then started swinging up and across with his blade. "Getsuga Tenshou!" he yelled, sending the mass of energy out at the disabled Arrancar.
With how close Ichigo was at the time he launched his attack, Nakeem didn't even have time to contemplate what was going on before the large wave of black energy hit the building he was currently frozen to.
Nearly half of the building was instantly reduced to dust and fragments as the Getsuga Tenshou continued on and collided with the ground, creating a large crater in its wake and covering the entire area in a cloud of smoke.
Toshiro flashed up next to him and kept a close eye on the area. "I'm not detecting his spiritual pressure anymore." He informed the teen.
Ichigo shook his head slowly. "No, he's done." He affirmed in a voice that threatened to send chills down the short man's spine.
The Captain glanced at the teen with concern. "Where's Rangiku?" the short man inquired.
The teen swiped his mask away and pointed to a nearby building. "She's over there. She's in really bad shape too, so I think you should take her back to Urahara's."
Toshiro nodded. "And what will you do?"
"I suck at the spiritual pressure thing, but from what I can tell, Tim's fight is the only one left; so, I'm gonna go give him a hand. Besides, I owe the guy he's fighting." The teen informed.
The shorter man nodded again. "Alright. Once this is over, we'll meet up at Urahara's to discuss everything that's happened. Be sure to let the others know." He instructed.
Ichigo nodded in understanding. "Got it. See ya later, Toshiro."
A vein pulsed on the Captain's head. "It's Captain Hitsugaya to you!" he corrected for the umpteenth time.
The orange-haired man scoffed as he waved the Captain off. "Yeah yeah. Whatever." He said dismissively, then vanished.
Toshiro growled in deep annoyance. "Damn him." He hissed, then vanished himself.
With Timothy
Grimmjow stood proudly with one hand on his hip, and the other holding his zanpakutō at his side; a small bit of blood dripping off the blade as at ran down the sharp edge and gathered at the tip.
He was giving Timothy a calm and pleased grin as he stared at the man. Timothy's shihakusho was in complete tatters; with the right sleeve torn off his arm and hanging loosely at his side, and his left pant leg completely missing.
His whole body was littered with cuts, scrapes, and gashes, with the most notable ones being on his arms and chest, and a large slash along his entire back. His left eye was barely open as blood had seeped into it and was greatly irritating him.
The man was breathing very heavily, and was currently struggling just to even stand in one spot, let alone attack or defend. His attacks had come to be so weak and slow, that his opponent barely had to lift a finger to block and counterattack.
"Give it up, Tim. You put up a hell of a good fight, one that I am certainly pleased with, but you obviously can't go on anymore. You're doing nothing but killing yourself at this point." The Espada informed.
Timothy took a few shaky breaths before finding the strength to reply. "I'm not…going…to give…up. I'll die…before…that happens." He declared firmly.
Grimmjow scoffed heavily at the man. "Jesus Christ kid, don't you know when you're defeated? You've used up all of your flames, you can't even use your damn Shikai anymore. You're barely standing, and you honestly think you have a chance at defeating me? Wake the hell up, Tim. It's over for you. Call it fucking quits, and leave so you can fight again some other time. Your persistence is really starting to piss me off now." He warned.
The Lieutenant glanced down at his resealed zanpakutō. The blade was starting to chip away in random locations, and he could no longer hear from Kitsune, telling him that she was very clearly done and out of the fight, meaning that he really couldn't use Shikai anymore.
He took a few more breaths before clenching his teeth tightly. "I don't…care." He stated, then returned to his opponent. "As long…as I'm alive…I will…never…let you…hurt my…friends." He affirmed in a dangerous tone.
The Espada narrowed his stare and growled lowly at him. "I'm warning you Tim, give it up now, or I'll really end up killing you. To hell with what Aizen wants." He sneered.
Timothy brought his zanpakutō forward and held it with both hands. "Bring it." He taunted weakly.
The Sexta scoffed once more, then got into his stance. "Fine. You wanna die so badly, then I'll help you out." He stated, then charged at the Lieutenant.
The man gripped his zanpakutō tighter as his opponent approached, before bringing it up to swing down on the man. When the Espada was only a few yards away, he initiated his last attack, swinging down to try and catch the man's shoulder.
But his attack never hit his target, and neither did Grimmjow's. "Whew, made it just in time." A cheery voice announced.
Both the Lieutenant's and Espada's eyes widened when a figure was suddenly between them, his zanpakutō holding back Grimmjow's, and his free hand holding back Timothy's attack by his wrist.
Timothy breathed in a couple times before speaking. "Kisuke? What…are you…doing here?" he inquired.
The shop owner glanced at him with his cheeky grin. "Well, you seemed to be in a bit of a pickle, soooo I decided to come and give you a hand." He responded a bit mockingly.
Grimmjow recovered from his surprise and quickly buzzed back several yards, returning his zanpakutō to his side. He gave the shop keeper a once over, then scoffed.
"So, it's you again, huh? I heard you gave Ulquiorra a hard time the last time we were here. You're that Urahara guy, right?" he inquired.
Kisuke turned to him as he released Timothy's wrists. "That's me. Although I wouldn't exactly say I gave your friend a hard time, rather more like just playing with him a bit. Did you want to have some fun as well, Grimmjow I believe it was?" he returned.
As he finished, there was a buzzing sound, followed by four wisps as Nel, Ichigo, Renji, Ikkaku, and Yumichika all appeared around Timothy in a protective formation, with Nel standing slightly in front and to the side of the Lieutenant.
"Stop this now, Grimmjow. This fight is over." She demanded calmly.
The Espada chuckled at her. "Well, hello there Nelliel. Nice to see ya again. I see that these soul reapers managed to fully corrupt you." He mocked.
The woman furrowed her brows. "They have corrupted nothing, I am fighting with them because I 'choose' to. Aizen has done nothing besides bring pain and death, while they have fought endlessly to try and protect." She corrected.
The man then laughed at her. "What a bunch of bullshit. Even if, in the end, you guys win this thing, surly you must realize that they'll just kill you off as an enemy, right?"
Nel's brows dropped further. "I'm aware of that, but that doesn't matter to me. As long as I have served my purpose, I could care less as to what happens to me. This discussion is over. Leave now, or we will destroy you." She warned.
Grimmjow laughed even harder at her threat. "Seven against one, eh? Now 'that' sounds like a great fight to me. I can tell right away that fighting you in my current state is suicide, so allow me to show you all an 'Espada's' Resurrección." He declared as he held his zanpakutō up and sideways, resting his fingertips on the broad side of the blade.
Everyone was shocked when his blade began to glow a bright, bluish color. "Grind…" he started.
A hand on the man's shoulder suddenly stopped him, and caused everyone's eyes, including his, to go wide. He glanced over his shoulder to see Ulquiorra standing right behind him with his left hand resting on his shoulder.
"We have completed our mission, Grimmjow. It is pointless for us to remain here any further." He informed, giving the Sexta a cold stare.
Grimmjow stared right back for a moment, his blade still glowing and waiting for him to finish his release command. After a few moments, he scoffed lightly at the Quatro and let the glowing in his blade diminish.
He then stood straight and returned his zanpakutō to its scabbard. "Fine. But what about the woman?" he inquired.
Ulquiorra turned his glare to Nel, who simply glared right back. "She is of no concern to us at the moment. Our instructions were to only kill her if it the opportunity arised. Seeing that it would be seven against two, with Kisuke Urahara being one of them, this is quite clearly not that opportunity. We will leave her for now. Now, let us return." He stated, lifting his hand from Grimmjow's shoulder and flicking the air, opening a garganta in front of him.
Kisuke opened his fan and started waving it at himself. "You don't want to have some more fun, mister Ulquiorra?" he taunted.
The green-eyed man stopped and side-glanced the shop owner. "Goading me is pointless, Kisuke Urahara. I have no intention of being a victim of your childish antics. We will continue our fight another time, but that time is not now. Enjoy the peace and quiet while you can, for Aizen's plans are nearly complete, and he will soon deliver your punishment personally." He warned, then looked back at Nel. "Especially yours, traitorous woman." He hissed, then walked into the garganta.
Grimmjow followed behind him, but stopped and glanced at Timothy. "You did well Tim, but your persistence is only going to get you killed." He stated, then grinned widely. "Try not to let that happen before we have our rematch, got it?" he taunted.
Timothy narrowed his gaze at the Espada. "Oh, trust me, you'll get yours, Grimm. You can bet on it that we'll see each other again. I'll put your damn face in the dirt." He shot back.
The Sexta laughed loudly at the remark. "Tell that vixen of yours I said bye. I'll have to have some more fun with her another time. But for now, she can wait her turn." He announced, then walked into the black void.
As soon as he cleared the opening, the black portal instantly snapped closed and disappeared from sight, leaving nothing but a clear sky behind it.
Everyone finally relaxed and breathed easy, where Nel turned to Timothy and looked him over. "You're hurt badly, Tim. We should get you back to the shop." She advised.
Timothy didn't respond, as he was still looking at the spot where the two Espada had left intently. Nel tilted her head a bit and rested a hand on his shoulder, finally gaining his attention.
"You okay Tim?" she asked.
He smiled lightly scoffed and smiled. "Yeah, I'm a bit tired, but I guess I'll be okay." He admitted, now starting to feel the effects of post-battle.
The woman smiled back and nodded. "Alright."
Ichigo let his zanpakutō returned to its permanent Shikai state and returned it to his back. "Toshiro wanted to meet up at the shop once we were done, so I guess we should all head there." He informed.
Kisuke turned to him as he hid his face behind his fan. "Should we give miss Inoue a call?" he asked.
Timothy shook his head. "It's the middle of the night, and our injuries are not life threatening. Let her sleep for now, and we can call her in the morning. She does enough for us that the least we can do is let her get a peaceful night's sleep. Besides, that gives us time to discuss everything that's happened tonight." He suggested.
Ichigo started rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess you've got a point, Tim. Okay, we'll hold off and give her a call once we know that she's awake for school."
Urahara then snapped his fan shut. "Okay! Now that we have all that settled, let's return to the shop and have some tea." He said in a 'happy' tone.
Timothy and Ichigo both gave him a deadpanned expression. "I really hate you, you know that?" the Lieutenant moaned, getting a nod from Ichigo in agreeance.
The man's face dropped to one of mock sadness. "Aw, don't be like that, Tim. I'm just helping things along is all." He 'pouted'.
The short man turned to the teen. "I'm a bit worn out at the moment, so could you do me a favor and kill him now?" he pleaded.
Ichigo rolled his eyes to him. "Trust me, if I could, I would." He moaned.
Timothy dropped his head in despair. "I hate my life." He whined.
Nel chuckled in amusement. "Let's go home and get you fixed up, Tim." she instructed.
The man sighed heavily in defeat. "Fine."
Everyone then started flashing, or in Nel's case: buzzing, away until only Kisuke was left standing alone in the open air. His face then became serious as he turned to where the garganta had been opened.
He stared at the open space for quite a while, pondering the events from before in his head over and over. As hard as he tried to think on it, something just wasn't adding up to him, and was constantly leaving him to suspect that something wasn't right.
"I wonder…" he said in a whisper, then vanished himself.
Throne Room, Las Noches, Hueco Mundo, Present
Aizen sat peacefully in his large chair, slightly leaned over to the side with his jaw resting on his closed hand. He had a very calm, and rested smile on his face as he awaited the return of the two Espada from the world of the living.
He opened his eyes halfway and smiled more the brief instant before the loud ripping noise sounded in the empty hallway, followed by the air in front of him tearing apart to reveal the Quatro and Sexta Espadas.
The two men stepped out of the dark portal, allowing it to close fully before Grimmjow took a knee before him and Ulquiorra bowed deeply with an arm across his chest.
"We have returned from our mission, Lord Aizen. Though, I regret to inform you that all five of Grimmjow's fracción were killed during the mission." He reported.
Aizen closed his eyes and gave a very slight hum. "That is unfortunate. I assume the mission was a success?" he questioned sternly.
Ulquiorra rose and returned his hand to his pocket. "Yes, Lord Aizen. The person in question has agreed to your terms, and will meet at the directed location in two days." He answered.
The former Captain's smile then grew wider. "That is excellent news, Ulquiorra. I trust that none of the soul reapers assigned to Karakura town are aware of your mission?" he pressed.
"No, Lord Aizen. They did not appear to be aware of the true objective of our presence in the world of the living. It would seem that, even though the five fracción assigned to the mission were defeated, they were successful in keeping the soul reaper's attention from our true goal." The Quatro affirmed.
Grimmjow growled a bit at the remark, causing Aizen to look at him. "Your fracción had served wonderfully, Grimmjow. And they had fallen while ensuring your mission was a success. You should feel proud for them."
The Sexta growled a bit more, but lowered his head. "Yes, Lord Aizen." He answered.
Aizen continued to stare at the man. "For the sake of curiosity, might I inquire as to who it was you fought against, Grimmjow?"
The man raised his head to the former Captain. "I fought that Durn kid, the one with all those damn flames. And now that I think about it, there was something different about the way he used his zanpakutō."
The former Captain raised a brow in wonder. "How so?" he questioned.
Grimmjow turned away a bit as he ran the fight through his head. "For one, that recording of yours showed him fighting with that fox lady that you said used to be his wife, or something." He then looked back at his superior. "From what he told me, and by what I've seen, that's not the case anymore. He said that she can't come out while his zanpakutō is released anymore."
Aizen's eyes widened just a hair for a split second, then returned to normal. "Interesting. Anything else?" he pressed further.
The Espada nodded. "Yeah, the kid's Bankai was also different than what we saw before in your recording. He didn't have a sword, but instead had a pair of metal gloves of sorts. Not only that, the kid could absorb his flames into them and shoot them back out at you like an exploding fireball. Damn things are painful as fuck. Each one of them makes a whole bunch of these tiny little flames that spread out everywhere after the fireballs explode, burning everything they touch. But it seems that the kid has to sacrifice the flames he uses, meaning that the more he uses those fireballs, the less flames he has to use to move around."
He then turned away again. "That last attack though was painful as a bitch. He seemed to collect just about all of him flames into the gloves, then use them all at once to punch the ground, creating a ridiculously large explosion around him, making millions of those tiny flames. I doubt you can avoid it, unless you're miles away when he uses it." He warned.
Aizen listened to the man's explanation, very intrigued by what he was hearing. He had expected some form of change in the young Lieutenant's situation regarding his wife, but this was something he had not predicted.
"I see. So you're telling me that his zanpakutō and Bankai had behaved just like that of a normal soul reaper's?" he inquired.
Grimmjow looked back at him and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. One last thing though, his spiritual pressure has greatly increased since the last time we were there. At a guess, I would say that it's more than doubled. He's definitely stronger than the way Yammy described." He informed.
Aizen grinned a bit wider. "Is that so? Then it would seem that everything is still going according to plan. Thank you for all your hard work, my dear Espada. I have nothing further for you, so you may retire for the night. I will be postponing tomorrow's meeting until the afternoon, so that you may be fully rested before you deliver your reports to the rest of your comrades. You are excused." The man concluded.
Grimmjow lowered his head, while Ulquiorra gave his usual bow. "Thank you, Lord Aizen." The Quatro responded.
The two men then rose and turned to leave, making it the edge of the stairway before Aizen called out.
"Oh yes, I almost forgot. How did my little device turn out against your opponent, Grimmjow?" he asked.
The Sexta stopped and turned as he pulled the device from his pocket, looking at it closely. "It didn't, the damn thing is broken." He stated in annoyance.
Aizen's eyes went, almost noticeably, wide. "Are you sure of this?" he inquired in a dangerous tone.
Grimmjow began to sweat at the man's tone, swallowing hard before answering. "Yeah, I pressed the button on the side, and nothing happened. The kid was still able to use his zanpakutō." He assured.
The former Captain stared at the Espada for a moment, then held out his hand. "Please give it to me, Grimmjow. I will return it to Szayelaporro for him to inspect." He instructed.
The Espada walked back towards the man and gently laid the item in his hand. "My apologies, Lord Aizen." He said in worry.
Aizen looked down at the device in his hand. "It is fine, Grimmjow. These things do happen, so I cannot fault you for something that is not of your doing. You may go." he reassured.
The Sexta then turned and briskly walked back to and down the stairs as quickly as he dared. Aizen meanwhile continued to stare down on the device, before rotating it in his hand and pressing the small button on the side with his thumb.
His eyes grew just a hair wider as he suddenly felt his inwards connection with Kyōka Suigetsu interrupted, now completely unable to hear or speak to the spirit of his dangerous zanpakutō. He pressed the button again, turning the device off, and he could instantly feel the connection again.
'Interesting…either Grimmjow was lying, and covering up not using this device; or, somehow this Timothy Durn is immune to it's effects. Both scenarios I find highly unlikely, as not even Grimmjow would dare to lie about something like this, nor should it even be possible for this child's zanpakutō to be immune. Could this be a side effect of the Hōgyoku's use on him and his wife? I will have to have Szayelaporro take a look into this.' The man pondered.
He then set the device down on the arm of his chair and closed his eyes in thought. "Timothy Durn, you are quite an…interesting subject."
Well, that concludes the fight over Karakura Town. Hope you all liked the overall battle, including the few additions I made to the characters.
Nothing more to put out as far as posting delays or the such due to school at the moment, but as promised, you will be informed of any changes as soon as possible.
One last note to mention, although it really doesn't affect the story at all, is the I have removed Sajin as a primary character from the story tags, and will be replacing him with Kisuke and Yoruichi. I'm sure you all can guess why.
I have also changed the genre from Adventure/Romance, to Hurt/Comfort. With how much pain and sorrow that Tim, Kit, and Nel have gone through, with each of them comforting each other, the Hurt/Comfort genre fits better.
Till next week, laters.
