Hello readers, I missed you all. Like I said in my author's note, I hope you all are still healthy and haven't gotten sick with that Coronavirus thing. No one here at home sick yet, though the news does say that the outbreaks have gotten much worse. Let's hope all this nonsense gets solved soon.
Also like I said before, writing is at a halt for now with all the school closures, but I can still give you all the last couple of chapters I had saved up. But before we get into the next chapter, let's answer some of Spades's questions.
Thanks for the nine my friend, and I'm glad you like it. Not gonna lie, I really didn't have those release abilities planned out; I actually had something else in mind, but these two just… popped up in my head, and they were too good to let go. As far as the dreamscapes, if you were trapped in the same situation and saw the eyeless bodies, or something along those lines, would you believe the 'dreams' to be real anymore? That was the point behind it, to fool their minds into thinking the dreams as reality.
And speaking of the anime coming back, and I'm still shaking in disbelief at this, but they have made an official announcement a couple weeks ago that the anime series is coming back with the 'Thousand Year Blood War' arc. Granted, the first episode isn't projected to be released until early or mid 2021, but by God the official announcement is more than enough for right now. I seriously can't flipping wait! So, questions…
1: Orihime is being given the type of food one would find in the living world, as I would assume the Arrancars need to eat as well.
2: He's not that stupid, since Renji would kill him; but he 'would' do something like use temporary dye. Kit, however, the sky is the limit.
3: I would prefer the soul reaper path.
4: No, I haven't.
5: An Avatar refence…? Yeah, ok. Well, even though he is an OC from my own mind, I honestly have not the slightest clue how he would react, beyond the 'Where the hell am I?' part.
6: Yes, to the anime series and the live-action knockoff. Pretty good series.
7: Sokka would be my favorite, because even though he trys to be a man, he's a flipping idiot, but a funny idiot. Lol.
8: I guess the portion of the story where the team was in the underground library.
9: I can't answer this one cause someone with a bigger brain than me would likely figure something out and ruin it. Sorry bro. And no, this is not a hint to something. It could be something like a dragon, or it could not be.
10: None, cause they're all too busy trying to find it. Lmao.
So, now that Spades's curiosity has been sated, at least for now, we can move on the story.
(A/N: There are references and uses of kidō techniques in this chapter that are not a part of the Bleach anime or manga. These kidō spells are the creation of 'draconichero18' from DeviantArt, and credit for it goes to him. The names and descriptions of these kidōs are used with the creator's permission.)
(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 45
(Shadows Revealed: Part 2)
Las Noches Tunnels, Present
A low hiss of pain escaped through Timothy's clenched teeth before he reached up and clutched his bleeding sword arm. Blood was dripping from his fingertips and the arm's movement was heavily sluggish.
He had a few other deep cuts and gashes along his body, including a near lethal hit above his left eye, the blood seeping into his eye and forcing it closed. Another deep and worrying wound he had ran along the back of his left upper leg, running from buttock to the back of the knee.
Ichigo, back to standing next to him, was in better condition, but by no means unscathed. He now had a matching gash to his back that Timothy had, and a second attempt at a jab to his stomach from the woman left him with a deep, four-point, stab wound.
The teen was still having great difficulties trying to attack and defend with his zanpakutō, even with the adjusted grip, and Timothy's own zanpakutō was still lying on the floor somewhere in the darkness.
Nel had still yet to wake up.
The teal-haired woman hadn't so much as twitched ever since Kaori threw here against the wall, knocking her out cold. Timothy had to regretfully admit that it was a bit ironic; the one person in their group that was suited to such close quarters fighting was the one person who was unable to fight.
The original plan for Ichigo to engage the demented woman in front of them and keep her distracted while Timothy prepared a kidō spell had quickly proved to be useless. Even with Ichigo doing the best he could with his oversized zanpakutō and attacking her ruthlessly, she still saw what the Lieutenant was doing and acted accordingly.
That was what gave him the injury to his leg after the first attempt. The woman tried to claw him again, but Ichigo was quick to block it and force her away. The duo took a few minutes to make another attempt with kidō, but once again the woman was quick to react; that time it resulted in the slash to his face.
Kaori was by no means as fast as Yoruichi was, but the two men had to admit that the woman wasn't that far behind the former Captain when it came to fighting skills in close quarters. A dark thought came to Ichigo's mind, and he realized that if the woman was this good in such enclosed spaces, he didn't want to imagine how good she could be in the open.
The teen rotated his off shoulder a few times to work out a tight nerve and glanced at his teammate. The Lieutenant was slightly hunched over and was clearly worn out and sluggish from blood loss.
"You doing alright, Tim?" he asked in a low voice.
Timothy gritted his teeth in anger but nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine once that bitch is done with. I don't know about you, but I don't think it's a good idea to try the kidō idea again. And without Kit's blade, I'm pretty much useless."
"Can't you try to get it back?" the teen inquired.
The Lieutenant shrugged his good shoulder. "Not unless I can find an opening to get past her without getting diced up. She ain't stupid, Ichigo; she knows that you can't fight worth shit down here, and I can't do anything either as long as she stands between me and my zanpakutō. Besides…" He turned his eyes to the teen. "Now that I think about it, why can't you use your Bankai? You'd have that witch on her knees in less than a second."
"There's nowhere for the energy I release when I do enter Bankai to go. The force from it might tear the ceiling down on top of us." He warned.
Timothy growled in annoyance. "Damn it." He grumbled.
"Can't you use 'any' of your zanpakutō's abilities?" the teen pleaded.
The man shook his head. "Her attacks are area-based, meaning if I use them down here, you, or one of the others, could be caught in the damage radius. I do have an idea that 'might' work, but it won't take long for the bitch to figure it out and adjust. Plus, I 'still' have to find a way to get my zanpakutō back."
Ichigo nodded slightly and turned back to the woman. "We'll get your zanpakutō back, Tim, just tell me what the plan is once we do."
While the men continued talking Kaori inwardly sighed in boredom. She would gladly admit that the two soul reapers were much better fighters than she usually went up against, but she was quickly losing interest in the fight and just wanted to get on with cutting them up.
If the orange-haired kid with the giant-sized blade would just release it, the fight would be so much better. And that was something else she noticed; the blade didn't look anything like a traditional zanpakutō for being in its sealed state, and she couldn't remember the man calling out a release command.
She ignored the thought and sighed as she inspected the metal claws of her left weapon. "Are you guys done yet?" she called out in agitation.
Both men glared at her. "Shut up!" Ichigo shouted back.
She glared right back. "You two are 'really' testing my patience now. I keep giving you guys all the time you could ever need to think of 'something', but over and over you keep proving to be a disappointment. If that's really the best the two of you can do, then I'll just end this now and go take a nap."
Timothy narrowed his eyes. "Just because we're having a hard time fighting you, it doesn't mean we're done yet." He pointed out.
Kaori rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Well, then hurry up and do something already. I'm bored as fuck here! Seriously, I'm halfway tempted to just let you idiots go, just to start the hunt over again. To be perfectly honest, the only reason I'm not doing it is because you're heading up to Las Noches, and I don't want you guys dying from Aizen; you guys are 'my' prey, not his."
The Lieutenant raised a brow, a wild idea coming to mind. "Okay…then…why don't you come with us? You know…'help' us? I'm sure there's plenty of Arrancar up there for you to hunt. Hell, you could even try hunting the Espada, or even Aizen himself." He proposed.
The woman crossed her arms with a thoughtful nod. "True, I won't deny that that would be a hell of a lot of fun, and I am so tempted right now to go along with it. But if I were to do that, go on a hunting spree like you're suggesting, what happens when the spree is over and all the Arrancar are gone? A lot of the hollows that come down here are from Las Noches, and if I've killed them all, I'd have to wait 'forever' for someone to show up again. Yeah, no thank you. I'd rather have a kill every few days for a long time, than have a hundred kills in one day and never have a kill again. Nice try though, I'll give you that."
Timothy's face fell instantly. "Well…it was worth a try." He mumbled.
She sighed heavily and raised one of her claws. "Alright, breaktime's over; let's get back to business."
Both men got into their stances and Ichigo side-glanced his teammate. "I'll try to get you an opening to get to your sword. As soon as you see the chance, take it."
Timothy nodded firmly. "Like I said before, I'm sure she'll figure my trick out quickly, so you'll have to act fast and finish her before she does. Just remember, 'watch your back'." He said with a flash of his brows.
Ichigo raised his own brows in confusion, but quickly figured it out and nodded firmly. "Got it." He replied.
The duo squared off against the woman and she got back into a stance as well. "I take it you two are finally ready to go again?" she challenged with a toothy grin.
Timothy bared his teeth with a low growl. "Don't be so quick to welcome your death, bitch." He hissed.
She shrugged a shoulder dismissively. "I'm not afraid of death, kid, but I do know it won't be my death that comes today." She returned and charged forward at the pair.
Ichigo swiftly stepped in front of Timothy and blocked the woman's assault, catching her left claw. Timothy tried to step around him and past to the woman's left side, but she simply twisted her body and hyperextended her arms to catch him with her right claw.
The Lieutenant managed to drop low enough for the attack to miss but was forced back behind Ichigo. Rotating her body back around as the teen pushed their weapons apart, she angled a roundhouse kick around and down onto the teen's shoulder.
Ichigo's body dropped a bit from the force with a grunt of pain. Timothy passed by his left side and sent his own kick at Kaori's, now exposed, legs, but she quickly hopped out of the way. She landed softly against the wall with one foot and pressed off it and back at the Lieutenant.
Timothy narrowly managed to dodge out of the way of her jab while Ichigo brought the back-end of his hilt down on her back. His attack sent Kaori down onto the ground with a huff and, seeing his chance, Timothy hopped over her body and made a run for his lost blade.
Kaori saw this, so she swiftly spun her body on the ground, catching Ichigo's feet with her own and sent him down onto the ground as she got back to her feet.
"Oh no you don't!" she growled out and started after the Lieutenant.
Seeing that she was faster, and that she would catch Timothy before he could retrieve his weapon, Ichigo snapped back to his feet. Grabbing the long, white ribbon attached to the hilt with one hand, Ichigo threw his zanpakutō like a spear towards the woman's feet.
The blade sunk into the floor only a few feet from her and she had no time to react before she tripped over the blade and landed on her face.
"Get back here, asshole!" he demanded.
Kaori raised her head and clenched her teeth at him before snapping back to see Timothy picking up his zanpakutō. Ichigo yanked on the ribbon in his hand, ripping Zangetsu from the floor and back into his waiting hands.
Timothy turned around and both men eyed the furious woman with matching grins. "Game's over, Kaori." He taunted, holding his blade out towards her in his left hand. "Tease, Moeru Kitsune."
In his inner world, Kitsune threw her hands and head up to the sky. "Finally! I get to have some fun with that sadistic bitch!" she yelled out in glee.
The woman watched as his blade made its transformation and got into a low stance, not sure what kind of abilities the man's zanpakutō had. Once the transformation was done, her eyes widened a bit when floating flames started appearing around them in the narrow corridor.
"Well, this ought to be interesting. Let's see what that puny sword of yours can do." She challenged.
Kitsune growled in his head in anger. "Oh…this bitch is sooo dead! I can't 'stand' cruel murderers like her! If only I could fight her myself!" she hissed.
Timothy couldn't help the snicker that escaped his throat and Kaori growled. "What's so funny, fucker?"
The Lieutenant chuckled a bit louder and shook his head. "Nothing much, except you managed to 'really' piss my zanpakutō off. Be glad it's me and not her you're fighting. She can be quite a handful when she's mad." He warned.
Kaori smiled at that. "Well, if it means you'll put up more of a challenge now, I'll be sure to keep 'pissing her off'."
Ichigo's face dropped a bit. "Please, don't. We're the ones who have to deal with her later." He moaned.
Timothy peered over Kaori's shoulder at him. "Oh, shut up! You're never around when she's in one of her moods, moron! You're always off doing your training, or whatever it is you do! It's Nel and I that have to deal with her!" he pointed.
The teen flinched. "What?! My training ain't all roses either, asshole! I can't tell ya how many times those guys have tried to kill me!" the teen defended.
"Like hell! It's a damn miracle that Kit hasn't put me in the insane asylum yet!"
"I'm not that bad, you bastard!" Kitsune upheld.
"Shut up, fox! And yes, you are!"
She crossed her arms with a huff. "Stupid, bastard of a partner." She mumbled.
"Quit your bitching and worry about the fight, vixen." He demanded aloud.
Kaori raised a single brow. "Huh? What the fuck are you talking about?"
Ichigo gave her a deadpanned look. "He's arguing with Kit again. Just ignore it." He mumbled.
The woman sweat-dropped for a moment but shook it off. "Whatever, let's get back to our fight." She insisted.
Timothy growled in annoyance. "Try telling 'her' that." He hissed and got into a stance.
She looked at the blade and scoffed. "Hey…zanpakutō...stop bothering your owner and let him focus on our fight." She instructed.
Kitsune's jaw dropped in shock. "Oh, I am so done with her! Kill that bitch!" she yelled.
"If you'll shut up long enough, I will." He mumbled inwardly.
"Fine! I'll shut up! Now kill her!" she relented.
Timothy breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, now we can get back to business."
"About damn time." Kaori returned and made a charge at him.
He held his blade up in a block, stopping her left claw. She was preparing to swing the right one at him, but it was caught by Ichigo's blade. She turned to him and grinned before flipping back in place and twisting her feet around for a double kick to their heads.
Ichigo leaned his head back, letting the attack miss, but the woman's left foot caught Timothy in the cheek. The man stumbled away a few feet as Kaori and Ichigo traded attacks with each other. Taking a second to rub his face, Timothy then held his good arm up and pointed two fingers at her.
"Bakudō #9, Hōrin!" he growled.
Kaori snapped around just as the kidō protrude from Timothy's fingers and swiped out with a claw at the approaching rope-like kidō, knocking it away before it could make contact, and made another charge at him.
"Nice try, kid." She said and jabbed at him.
Timothy turned to dodge, but the woman's claw caught him in his injured arm, only a few inches below the previous injury. He growled out in pain and stumbled away as she came at him again. He took a few more steps back and looked towards Ichigo.
"Watch your back, Ichigo!" he yelled.
This warning confused Kaori a bit, but she ignored it to continue after the Lieutenant. Ichigo got the message and quickly turned around and got ready to swing down. Timothy dodged to the side to avoid the claws, but the woman still managed to clip him a bit in the midriff and forced him back down to the ground.
She stood over him and reached back to run him through with an evil grin, but the grin fell when she saw him grinning right back.
"Later." He said calmly and smugly.
Before she could figure out what he was grinning for, her view suddenly changed, and she was somehow now further down the corridor from the downed Lieutenant.
"What the…?!" she spoke out, but instantly yelled out in pain when Ichigo's blade cut across her exposed back.
"Got ya!" the teen said in glee.
Kaori stumbled forward a few steps and swiftly turned around with wide eyes to see Ichigo was standing right behind her. Blood ran down her back and right arm as she clenched her teeth in fury.
"How the fuck did you get there so damn fast?! What the fuck is going on?!" she demanded.
She yelled out in pain again as another hidden attack caught her in the back. She fell to her knees in agony and glanced over her shoulder to see Timothy now right behind her. Her eyes were now saucers in shock and confusion when she looked back over to where she swore the Lieutenant was down on the ground, seeing he was no longer there.
"Play time's over, witch. Give up, and we'll let you go on with your pitiful life; as long as you don't bother us again." Timothy growled in anger.
Kaori clenched her teeth tightly and glared at him. "How the hell did you do that?!"
Timothy's lips rose into a grin. "That don't matter. You're done now. So, are you going to give up?" he questioned.
The woman growled and swung at him, forcing him to step to the side and allow her to run by and get some distance. She hissed in pain as she flexed her shoulders.
"I don't know what kind of trick you're playing here, fucktard, by this is far from over. I've never failed to make my kill, and I'll die before I do. Bring it on!" she yelled and charged at him again.
Timothy blocked the attack with his blade and stumbled back a few steps, and when she moved to go at him again, she felt a stabbing pain in her lower-right side. Acting instinctively, she turned her body and swiped a claw out at Ichigo, who was once again standing right behind her.
But her view suddenly changed again, and now she was somehow standing right in front of Timothy with her back to him. Her rapidly growing instinct was the only thing that saved her from being separated from her head as she dropped low to the ground.
She watched as the blade passed overhead and twisted around at the Lieutenant's legs. The man jumped back in time and she, again, howled in pain as her back was once again attacked from out of nowhere.
Turning her body around and ignoring the pain, she tried to catch Ichigo's stomach as she raised her body back up. She laughed inwardly, knowing she had the teen this time, but her shock and confusion only grew more when the teen suddenly vanished.
"What the fuck?!" she yelled and turned back around to see the teen now standing next to Timothy. "How the fuck are you doing that?! What the hell is going on?!"
Timothy grinned at her in amusement; he remembered Sajin's look of shock the first time he used Kitsune's abilities on him, and it was entertaining to see the man's puzzled expression. But seeing the sadistic woman in front of him nearly lose her mind over it was forcing him to almost laugh out loud.
Ichigo was no better as he couldn't stop the loud snicker from escaping his mouth. "What's wrong, Kaori? Having trouble keeping track of us?" Timothy taunted.
The woman turned and faced them fully, her face red in the upmost fury. "I don't know how the fuck you two are doing this, but it won't save your asses from me. All your little stunt did is buy you more time to live. But don't worry, it won't save you for long." She hissed through her teeth.
Timothy shrugged a shoulder. "We'll see." He said, then vanished.
Kaori swiftly turned around and blocked the man's attack to her back, and her instincts saved her once again when she, almost automatically, turned her body and blocked Ichigo's back attack with her other claw.
The teen's eyes widened a bit in surprise at her reflexes. "Nice try, but I'm not falling for that shit again." She insisted before performing another roundhouse kick at the pair.
Her view changed once again, and she found herself a few yards away from the men and kicking at empty air. It was during the twist in the kick that she finally noticed that there was one of those floating flames next to where she was prior and that it was quickly going out.
She landed on her feet and blocked with both claws just as Timothy and Ichigo appeared in front of her, swinging down. She snapped her eyes to where they were just at and her eyes widened when the flame from before was completely gone, and a second flame was in the process of going out as well.
Her eyes returned to the pair and she swiftly charged full speed at them to try and stab them both. But just before her claws made contact, her view, yet again, changed. She quickly turned around and blocked an attack from Timothy and twisted to block Ichigo as well.
She glanced over to see another flame going out where they were before, and her eyes widened further in realization. 'So, 'that's' how they do it! They're using those fucking flame things to move either me, or themselves around in an instant! Fucking cowards!' she hissed inside.
She pressed against their blades with all her strength and forced them away from her. The fight came to a brief standstill and she took this time to look around the 'field' to see that there was a flame or two every few yards.
'That bastard's zanpakutō is doing this, so I need to find a way around his instant travel thing. They seem to go out with just one use, but only when the orange-haired brat does it, or I'm the one moved. I wonder if…'
Decision made, she charged at Timothy, faking an attack with her claws and drawing his blade to block, then changed direction and gave him a harsh kick in the side to send him into the wall. Seeing an opening, she darted past and went for the closest flame.
Arriving at her destination, she held up a hand at the flame. "Hadō #31, Shakkahō!" she chanted.
The burst of flame-like energy shot out from her palm and hit the floating flame head-on. She smiled with sadistic glee as the explosion from the kidō extinguished the floating flame before slowly turning her head back to the two men.
Timothy and Ichigo started sweating as the woman turned to another flame a short distance from her. Swinging one of her claws, she sent one of her air slashes at the flame and they all watched as the flames sputtered a bit and went out. The woman turned back to them fully and let out a maddening laugh.
"Shit, she figured it out!" Timothy hissed in worry.
Kaori chuckled madly as she continued to eye them with a predatory gaze. "I'll admit to you two, that was a pretty cool trick. Cowardly, but still cool. Looks like you two managed to be a good challenge for me after all. But I've figured your trick out, and now I know how to deal with it. All I gotta do is make sure I put out any flames near me, and goodbye instant travel. So, what do you two plan to do now that your flames are useless?" she challenged.
Ichigo side-glanced his teammate in worry. "Yeah, just 'what' do we do now? Even if she didn't figure your flames out, she's pretty much already adapted to our attacks now." He asked.
Timothy gritted his teeth as he searched through his head for another plan, but after a short moment, couldn't come up with anything. Short of Ichigo releasing his Bankai, or him using Kitsune's other abilities, which risked harming their friends, they were at their limit.
"I've got nothing, man." The Lieutenant answered.
In his inner world, Kitsune's eyes widened for an instant in realization before grinning. "Hey Tim, I've got an idea…let me out for a minute." She asked.
Timothy narrowed his eyes at the blade. "What for?" He questioned.
Kitsune rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Because I said to, dummy. I just said I had an idea, and it's not like you can prevent me from coming out anyway. I just don't wanna fight with you about it. Just shut up and let me out." She demanded.
The Lieutenant growled lowly, but finally nodded. "Fine." He relented.
Timothy watched as the remaining flames around them vanished and his blade returned to its sealed state. The act confused Kaori, but her confusion turned to surprise when Kitsune materialized next to her partner. The spirit grinned at the woman, exposing her pointed teeth.
"Hey. How ya doing, witch?" she greeted, placing her hands on her hips.
Kaori rose a brow in wonder. "Well well, never expected that one. So, who the hell are you?" she questioned.
Kitsune gave her a fake smile, hiding the upmost disgust she held for the woman. "I'm Moeru Kitsune, Tim's zanpakutō spirit. I would say 'nice to meet ya', but then I'd being lying now, wouldn't I?" she taunted.
The woman shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah, I guess you would. Not like I care, though. Though I am quite upset at your partner now." She informed.
The spirit rose a brow. "Oh? And why is that?"
Kaori scoffed loudly. "Because now I know the fucker's been holding out on me, and still is. I'm not stupid; I know that when a soul reaper is able to manifest his zanpakutō spirit, it means he's close to, or has already achieved Bankai. And from what I've seen so far, tsk, that shit was nowhere 'near' Bankai level." She fumed.
Kitsune chuckled lightly and patted Timothy's shoulder. "Yeah, he has been holding back a bit. But then, he has to. I mean, my Bankai is 'so' demanding of his spirit energy that he's trying to save it to rescue his friend. But seriously, if he was to release my Bankai on you, I doubt there'd be any ashes left of you. You'd simply vanish." She taunted further.
The woman chuckled in humor. "Oh yeah? Well, let's see it then. Show me this 'all powerful' Bankai of yours, spirit. Hell, I could probably bet my life that you're more entertaining to fight than those two weaklings." She said as she pointed at the men.
The spirit shrugged. "Probably. But, to change the subject for a moment, I've been wondering; just what is it you and your brother do down here when you've got no one to fight, or 'hunt', as you put it?" she questioned.
Kaori rose a brow. "What the hell does it matter to you?" she asked, confused.
Kitsune held her palms up. "Just curious." She answered, then crossed her arms. "I was just wondering what you two do when you're not having your 'alone time'."
Ichigo and Timothy's jaws dropped in shock while Kaori flinched and began sweating. "W…What the fuck are you talking about, you crazy witch?!"
The spirit glanced at the men, seeing their expressions, and rose a brow. "What? I just said I'm curious." She said, then turned back to the woman. "I'm not judging you or anything. I understand fully that being secluded in this dark and empty place, alone, for so many years can cause sexual tension to build up. Even 'if' it is your own brother, I get it that you gotta relieve that tension somehow. Regardless of what my partner thinks, incest with siblings don't bother me at all. In fact…" A wide, seductive smile formed on her face before she licked her chops. "I find it to be quite…exotic. Who knows, if I wasn't stuck to being a spirit like this, I might just join in on you two." She informed, flashing her brows.
Now Kaori's jaw was dropped, with the same look of shock and horror Ichigo and Timothy had; all three of their faces cherry-red. "W…What the fuck?! I don't fuck my damn brother, you disgusting bitch! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" she yelled, stamping her foot in fury.
Kitsune held her hands up with a calming smile. "Whoa, calm down, girl. I 'just' told you I don't judge. Like I said, I think it's hot."
Kaori balled a fist at her. "I'm 'not' sleeping with Hikaru! You overgrown furball!" she bellowed and turned to Timothy, pointing at the spirit. "What the hell kind of zanpakutō spirit is that?! She's fucking crazy!"
The spirit waved her off dismissively. "Forget about him; to be honest, you seem like the better partner in my opinion. Hey…wanna trade?" she offered.
The woman snapped back to her. "Wha…What?" she chocked out in slight fear.
"A trade. You know, trade partners? I'm sure there's gotta be some way to do it, and I'm more than willing to skip out on this loser. God, life back in the Soul Society is so boring, and this dummy is single; no lady action whatsoever. At least with you and your brother, I might be able to get in on some of the action." She proposed in a sultry voice.
Timothy and Ichigo stared at the spirit disbelievingly. They both knew now what the spirit was up to, what her plan was, but it was still one hell of a shock to hear the furry woman talk in such a manner, and do it so casually.
Kaori only gawked at the spirit. "Hell to the fucking 'no'! And for the last time, I am not fucking my Goddamned brother, you sicko spirit!"
Kitsune gave her a saddened look. "Aw…why not?" she pouted.
She took a few steps towards Kaori and the woman took two steps back, holding her hand up. "No! Stay the fuck away from me, you crazy bitch!" she yelled in fear.
The spirit held her arms out for an embrace. "Oh, come on. I know you and I could be the perfect 'partners', both in combat 'and' out." She pleaded, flashing her brows seductively.
Kaori held up her claws defensively. "Get back! Don't come any closer, you sick witch!"
Kitsune paused to look at the woman's torn garb, licking her teeth again with a ravenous stare. "My God, and you make me want to ditch this guy for you so much more, dressed like that. If only…" She held up her hand and flashed her sharp claws. "We could fix it up, 'just' a little. I can just imagine perfectly what you look like under all those rags." She taunted further.
The woman slapped her hands over her chest and groin, a look of horror on her face. "Get away from me! You're not laying a single finger on me, bitch! Hey! Brat! Get your stupid fox…thing…away from me!"
Kitsune stopped her movement and they playfulness fell from her face while the men's eyes widened. "Uh oh…you shouldn't have said that, Kaori." Timothy warned.
Kaori turned to him. "What? Why?!" she demanded, then glanced back at Kitsune and froze in terror at the spirit's dangerous, and deadly glare.
"What did you call me?" she hissed through her exposed teeth.
The woman was sweating now and gulped. "Uh…nothing?" she tried.
Kitsune bared her pointed teeth and flashed both sets of clawed hands at the woman. "I. Am. Not. A. Stupid. Fox!" she growled and dove at the woman, a feral, animalistic snarl on her face.
Kaori screamed loudly, bracing herself, as the spirit pounced on her. The sound of ripping fabric and terrified screams echoed through the passages as Timothy and Ichigo watched Kitsune release a new level of hell on the poor woman.
With Renji's Group
Uryū, Chad, and Hikaru stared into the darkness of the passage where Timothy, Ichigo, Nel, and Kaori were with fearful expressions, hearing the ear shattering, horrified screams of the man's sister.
"I wonder…what's happening…down there." Chad said in his low tone.
The Quincy shook his head slowly. "I don't think I want to know, Chad." He returned.
Hikaru turned his eyes to the pair. "My sister and I are over a hundred and fifty years old, and in all my life, I have 'never' heard her scream like that. Whatever your buddies did, will probably scar her for life." He commented fearfully.
Uryū glanced at Chad. "I have a feeling that Tim's zanpakutō spirit is involved in this." He said, earning a nod from the large teen.
"Zanpakutō spirit?" Hikaru wondered aloud.
The Quincy eyed the man. "Trust me, you are far better off 'not' knowing." He warned.
Hikaru swallowed and looked back into the darkness. "After hearing that…I'll…take your word for it." He relented.
He shook the matter off and turned back to face the teens. "Doesn't matter." He informed and looked over at Rukia's now prone form, like Renji's, twitching on the ground. "I'd say you've got less than a few minutes before your two friends here are too far gone to save." He said, then gave the teens his evil grin. "So, how do you plan to save em?"
Uryū turned back to the man and scowled. "Funny, you talk as if we'll fail in doing so."
The man scoffed lightly. "They've been in their little nap for almost twenty minutes now, and you have yet to come even close to beating me, let alone find a way to wake em up. Considering they're nearly gone now, I don't see any way you can save em. Do you?" he taunted.
The Quincy narrowed his eyes but refused to growl out in anger. "Uryu…" Chad spoke up, getting his attention. "I'll try to buy you time; do you think you can find a way to wake them up?" he asked.
Uryū glanced down at Rukia and Renji's forms, both still twitching and only getting worse by the minute. He knew that Hikaru spoke true, and that his friends were almost at the point of no return.
He then looked back at Hikaru. "I can try, and I have something that might work. But I'll need all the time you can give me. If I rush this, it may cause more harm than good." He warned.
Chad nodded slightly. "I think I can give you a couple of minutes, but you will need to hurry. I can't say for certain that I can keep him busy longer than that."
Uryū nodded back. "That should be more than enough. Just try and make sure he doesn't try to use that attack of his on either of us. If one of us goes down, it's over."
"Work on Rukia first, she would be in the worst shape by now." Chad advised, earning another nod.
The pair eyed the man in front of them, seeing a calm expression on his face. He smiled when he saw them staring intently at him.
"Oh, you don't need to rush on my account. Take all the time you need, guys. I'm far more patient than my sister is." He stated with a smile.
"No need." Uryū replied, then vanished with Hirenkyaku.
The Quincy reappeared behind Hikaru, bow drawn, while Chad came at him from the front with his armored fist held back and charged with spirit energy. Hikaru flinched in slight worry and jumped to the side.
Uryū again appeared through Hirenkyaku, this time in front of him. Hikaru reflexively swung his hilt out at the teen, sending a 'mind-cutting' blade out at him. Uryū released the arrow at the attack and watched as the arrow exploded in midair.
He quickly pulled back and readied another arrow as Chad thrusted his fist forward, sending a blast of dense spirit energy at Hikaru. Uryū fired his arrow as Chad's attack came closer, but Hikaru dodged again, letting the two attacks collide.
The explosion from the two forces raised a small dust cloud, hiding all three combatants. Chad waited until the dust cleared enough to attack again, but slightly gasped as he dove out of the way of a series of three 'mind-cutters' in random directions.
All three attacks missed him, and he had to dodge again as Hikaru shot a green, water-like kidō through the cover. The kidō hit the wall behind him and he turned at a hissing sound to see the kidō trying to melt the wall, prevented only by the dampening powers of the stone.
Chad turned back to see the dust clearing and he could just barely make out Hikaru's silhouette a few yards away. Charging his fist, he sent out another blast of energy towards the man. Hikaru ducked, letting it fly overhead, then swung hit hilt and fired another 'mind-cutter'.
The teen swiftly charged and fired another, but weakened, blast to intercept the attack. The blast hit, but it wasn't quite enough to stop the attack and he was forced to jump out of the way.
"Hadō #4, Byakurai!" Hikaru chanted to his left.
Chad turned to see that blue bolt of energy fly through the dust cover and he was unable to move in time. The kidō struck his shoulder, but with the teen's large size and endurance, he only stumbled back a step with a small grunt of pain.
"Heh, you're as tough as you look, big guy." Hikaru commented, this time from his right. "But that was one of the weakest kidōs there is."
Chad swiftly fired another blast of energy in the direction the man's voice came from, watching it disappear through the dust cloud and hearing an explosion shortly afterwards.
"Missed me." Hikaru taunted, back to his left.
The teen sent another attack in the direction, hearing another explosion. "Missed again. Come on, big guy, use your…"
The man was silenced, and Chad heard a growl of pain when he reflexively shot an attack at the voice in front of him. Silence followed for a moment before he heard a soft chuckle of amusement.
"Heh, not bad, big guy. I really felt that one. Gotta admit, those attacks of yours are easy to dodge, but they sure do hurt when they hit." He commented over on his right.
"But let me show you something that with 'really' hurt." The man said, now suddenly behind him. "Hadō #47, Yōgan rēzā!"
Chad glanced over his shoulder towards Hikaru's voice where his eyes widened a bit at seeing a trail of fire flying towards him. He was able to move out of the way at the last second, but the attack hit the ground in front of him, creating a large explosion and throwing him onto his back with a loud grunt.
"Bakudō #43…" Hikaru spoke to his right again. "Chika Yuwakū!"
The ground below Chad shook lightly before small splits opened to either side of him. Multiple, small vines of green energy erupted from the splits, dancing and twitching above him before coming back down and wrapping around his legs and torso, pinning his arms to his sides, before solidifying.
The large teen struggled and fought with all the strength he could, but the vines refused to give and left him immobilized on his back. He continued to struggle against the kidō as Hikaru stepped out of the settling dust cloud.
Chad stopped fighting to turn to his right, seeing a victorious grin on the man's face. Hikaru stopped a few yards away and crossed his arms loosely while staring down at the pinned human.
"Well, I gotta say that, at least for a human, you put up a pretty good fight there, big guy. What did you say your names was again?" Hikaru asked.
The teen was silent for a moment but answered. "I never did." He informed.
Hikaru shrugged a shoulder. "True, but still, what 'is' your name, big guy?"
"…Yasutora Sado. Ichigo calls me Chad for short." Chad replied.
The man nodded. "I got ya. Like I said, you're pretty strong for being a human and I'm honestly impressed you lasted this long, especially here in Hueco Mundo. You've got my respect, big guy. I'll be honest with you, a small part of me is almost regretting having to kill you. But, it's gotta be done." He stated, then lowered his arms. "Because of the fact you've got my respect, I'll do ya the favor of just killing you right away, without having to be tortured by your nightmares."
Hikaru raised his free hand and pointed two fingers at the downed teen, then smiled. "Sorry about this, big guy. It's actually a shame we had to run into each other. Hadō #51…"
"Bakudo #61…" a familiar, feminine voice growled out, making him gasp in surprise. "Rikujōkōrō." The voice finished.
Before the man could react, six yellow blades of energy formed around him and stabbed through him in each direction, locking him in place. Fighting the spell, he was able to turn his head and eyes enough and they widened in shock.
Standing behind him, small trickles of blood dripping from their ears, eyes, and noses, was Renji and Rukia; the woman was grasping her head with her free hand in pain while still pointing at him with her extended fingers, sword in hand.
With Timothy's Group, 5 Minutes Earlier
Ichigo and Timothy stared in disbelief with slack jaws, while Kitsune stood next to them with crossed arms, her nose lifted up in the air in disgust, as she also stared at the disheveled form of Kaori.
The zanpakutō spirit had really 'gone to town' on the sadistic woman. What had previously remained of her shihakusho was now reduced to a few strips of cloth that was really only enough to give the woman a moderate amount of decency.
The pantleg of her hakama on the right side was completely gone, and there was only enough left on the left side to go down to her midthigh; the ties for the garment were barely holding it in place.
Her kosode was far worse, because there was no kosode. The upper portion of her shitagi was missing as well, and her chest wrappings were the only thing keeping her breasts from being fully exposed.
She stood there a short distance away, breathing rapidly in ever-growing fury and staring vindictively at the furry spirit in absolute hatred. She gritted her teeth to the point of shattering before pointing at the spirit.
"You crazy-ass bitch! How dare you do this to me! I'm going to cut you up slowly, making sure you're alive for every single second of it!" she yelled.
Kitsune rolled her eyes to the woman and looked her over. "What are you complaining about? All I did was make you look like the slut you really are, 'brother'-fucker." She sneered.
Kaori stomped her foot several times as she spoke back. "I told you, I do not fuck my Goddamned brother! Quit saying that I am!" she demanded.
The spirit sighed and waved her off. "Fine, fine, if it'll make you feel better, I'll lie for you. Afterall, that's what lovers do, right?"
The woman reached up and grabbed clusters of hair on her head and growled in annoyance. "We're not fucking lovers, stupid fo…bitch!" she quickly corrected.
Ichigo slowly leaned over, keeping his eyes on the fuming woman, and brought his mouth to Timothy's ear. "Not only is this chick crazy, she's retarded as well if she still falling for Kit's taunts like that." He stated quietly.
The Lieutenant glanced at him with a deadpanned expression. "You're one to talk when you keep falling for Yoruichi's own taunts, Ichigo." He returned.
The teen turned red in embarrassment, the golden-eyed woman's multiple comments and 'suggestions' flooding into his mind. He growled and turned to the man fully.
"S…Shut up! I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" he defended.
Timothy rose a brow. "Oh really? I've heard some fairly interesting stories about you and her, 'strawberry'. Like you two's time in a particular hot spring back in the Soul Society?"
Ichigo flinched and at least had the sense to blush at the reminder before growling with a clenched fist. "I'm going to 'kill' that damn cat!" he fumed
The Lieutenant narrowed his eyes at the teen. "Get in line, Kurosaki." He hissed, then returned to the arguing women.
"I'm not your sweetheart either, damned, furry bitch! I want 'nothing' to do with you!" Kaori insisted with a swipe of her hand.
Kitsune scoffed with a roll of the eyes. "How many times do I gotta tell you, you don't have to hide anything from me, my lovely Kaori. I know you want some of this." She said with a striking pose.
The spirit knew she should have stopped by now, but the truth was that she was simply having way too much fun messing with the insane woman. And the logic in her mind was: If she couldn't poke fun at Timothy and Nel, then she'll poke fun at someone else; especially if it was an enemy.
Plus, she was finding Timothy and Ichigo's expressions in reaction to her actions quite entertaining in their own right. The only downside to it all was that Nel was still out cold on the floor, so she was denied the pleasure of seeing the, somewhat naïve, woman's own reactions to her shenanigans.
Kaori's eyes widened in shock at her words, where she pointed at her accusingly. "You're calling me a slut, when 'you're' the one who's trying to offer yourself in such a shameless manner?! What the fuck?!" she returned.
The spirit scoffed again. "It's not being a slut, stupid; it's called being 'horny'. Get with the times, dummy. Now, quit bitching and let's find ourselves a nice, secluded spot so we can have our 'fun time'." She pressed.
The woman stomped again and yelled. "That's it!"
Timothy's face fell in worry. "Kit…I think you've managed to 'really' piss her off now." He informed.
Kaori's body slowly started to glow in condensed, purple spirit energy and Kitsune's playful grin fell instantly. "Uh…I think…you might be right." She confirmed.
The woman in front of them yelled out again and started rapidly swiping her claws left and right, sending wave after wave of 'air-slashes' at the group.
Kitsune tensed at the sight. "Shit!" she said, then quickly vanished back into Timothy's inner world.
Ichigo and Timothy moved side-to-side, crouching and jumping in trying to avoid the onslaught of attacks the woman was sending at them. Both of the men would receive a close call with every few that they managed to dodge, but only managing to cut up their clothes.
Ichigo landed on his feet after a successful jump in avoidance, then reflexively brought his zanpakutō up in a block when he couldn't dodge the next one in time. The 'air-slash' hit the broadside of his blade, the force pressing against him and pushing his whole body back a few feet before pushing him to the ground.
"Ichigo!" Timothy yelled as he jumped in front of the downed teen to block another attack that would have likely killed him.
He was pushed back like Ichigo was but managed to stay on his feet. Recovering from the attack, the Lieutenant grabbed Ichigo by his collar and swiftly yanked him back up to his feet before they were forceed to split to avoid another attack.
"Thanks." The teen said, dropping down to a crouch from yet another attack.
"Forget it." Timothy returned, blocking another hit.
"That bitch has gone insane! All thanks to that zanpakutō of yours who can't keep her trap shut!" Ichigo accused.
Timothy dodged to the side then back, letting two attacks pass by. "Yeah, thanks for pointing out the obvious, moron! You think I didn't see that?!" he returned.
He jumped over another attack but was clipped in his good arm by one he couldn't dodge in time. "You are sooo fucking dead when we get home, vixen!" he yelled inwardly.
"Oh, shut up! It's her fault for being so damn touchy!" she defended firmly.
"Like fucking hell!" he returned, then crouched under an attack. "Everyone's touchy when it comes to your damn teasing, damned fox!" he added.
"Now is…not the time…for bickering…She's coming!" 'Johnny' warned.
Sure enough, the flurry of 'air-slashes' ended with the woman charging at them even faster than she had previously. She came up to Ichigo and started delivering a flurry of stabs, slashes, and kicks, the teen holding his zanpakutō up with the broadside to her and trying to avoid getting hit.
The woman was obviously in a rampage fueled with anger, and it was only getting worse by the second as Ichigo's arms started to quickly tire out from the earlier fight, the constant dodging of 'air-slashes', and now her relentless assault.
Timothy leaped over to try and draw the woman's attention from the struggling teen, but a quick triple slash and roundhouse kick sent him back and to the ground with a grunt. She instantly returned to the struggling teen and continued her assault.
His arms now having a hard time holding up his blade against the woman, his reactions fell just enough for her to get past his defenses and deliver a deep gash to his right forearm. The injury, along with the fatigue, was enough to make him lose his grip on the hilt of his zanpakutō.
A maddening grin came to Kaori's face before she struck out as hard as she could on the blade and knocked it fully out of his hands. The blade clattered to the ground as she jumped up a few feet and delivered a cross-swipe across the teen's chest.
Dark-red blood sprayed through the air and Ichigo gave out an agonizing yell of pain as he fell down to the ground holding his torn chest. Kaori used her claws to pick up the teen's zanpakutō and sling it into the darkness and out of sight.
Timothy had to quickly hold and support his blade up when she instantly turned and came back after him. His blade managed to stop both of her claws and the two were now face-to-face, the woman giving him a look that could kill.
"You friend's out of the fight now. It's just you and me." she growled out.
"Tim! Look out!" Kitsune yelled in warning.
But she was too late. Kaori, with a slight twist of her wrists, managed to lock his blade in place while pointing the tips of her claws at his chest. Swinging a foot underneath his, the woman flung him onto his back, using the momentum and sudden stop from hitting the floor to run the claws deep into the man's stomach.
His blade pinning his arms down, Timothy was unable to stop the woman from leaning down to his ear. "And I'm going make you suffer for every single…disgusting thing that fox-thing of yours said to me! I'm going to make you die, 'very' slowly, as I cut up your body into hundreds of pieces. You'll be begging me for death before I'm done with you, but you won't get it; not until I've had my fill of your painful, agonizing screams. Now…"
Kaori leaned back, moving one claw inside him to keep his blade locked down while withdrawing the other. She brought it up to her face and gave one of them a long, slow lick and grabbing his blood on the sharp weapon with her tongue.
He watched in horror, and for the first time in a long time, genuine fear, as she swallowed his blood and grinned sadistically. "Let's get started with the 'real' fun, shall we?" she said and thrusted the claw back down towards his chest. He closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to come.
But it didn't.
"Get. Off. Of. My. Boyfriend!" a feminine voice hissed out.
Timothy's eyes snapped open, recognizing the voice, and nearly gasped when he saw Nel standing over top the two of them and grasping Kaori's wrist in a death grip. Kaori turned over her shoulder and growled.
"You!" she growled as she gave the teal-haired woman a sinister glare.
Nel didn't move an inch under her gaze, and when Timothy looked into her eyes, her felt a cold shiver run down his spine. What he saw in her eyes was controlled, but unparalleled fury that he had never seen, nor thought possible in the normally calm and, at times, almost childish Arrancar.
The former Espada narrowed her eyes and her anger only seemed to grow in intensity. "Do 'not' make me ask you again, Kaori Morita." She said in a dark voice.
Kaori growled again, removing the claw still rammed into Timothy's stomach and swiping out at the woman. Nel leaned back calmly to avoid the attack and Kaori was able to rip her hand from the Arrancar's grip and jump back several yards.
Nel turned to face the woman and, without looking at him, offered her hand. The Lieutenant took it, and with a hiss in pain, pulled himself back up to his feet. Nel took a quick moment to briefly look him over and her anger continued to grow worse as she saw the damage Kaori had caused to him.
"Are you ok, Tim?" she asked in as kind of a voice she could manage with her rising temper.
The man nodded, then looked over at Ichigo's prone form. "Yeah, but me and Ichigo are pretty banged up. You think you can handle that bitch on your own?" he asked.
Nel's gaze returned to the woman and narrowed. "I'll be done with her in just a moment. Take care of Ichigo in the meantime. Where are Renji and the others?" she inquired.
Timothy scoffed and glared at Kaori. "Dealing with the bitch's just-as-insane brother." He informed.
Her eyes widened a bit as she glanced at him. "Then we'll need to hurry. I'm not sure if they can handle him."
He raised a brow. "Four-on-one and you don't think they can handle him?" he questioned.
Nel turned back to Kaori and sighed. "With her brother's zanpakutō abilities, I can't say. To be honest, I'd rather fight her than her brother. Take care of Ichigo, and I'll deal with her."
Timothy nodded and stepped away to do as told. Meanwhile, Nel reached down and grabbed Gamuza by its scabbard, pulling it out from her sash and kneeling down to gently set the sheathed blade on the ground.
Kaori watched her actions with a mild confusion. "What do you think you're doing, bitch?" she questioned.
Nel stood back straight and took a few steps forward, away from her blade and now unarmed. "It's been a long time, Kaori; about seventy years if I remember correctly." She half-greeted.
The former soul reaper clenched her teeth tightly. "Seventy-six, to be exact. Way too long for me to finally sink my claws into your gut, filthy beast that you are."
"I thought you were dead, after Aizen discarded you; just like he did me." Nel commented.
Kaori snorted loudly. "I lived because the bastard didn't have the balls to kill me himself. Instead, he sent the Espada after me. But hey, at least I managed to get two good kills out of the deal. So, who replaced those two losers?"
Nel growled lowly. "Do not speak ill of the fallen, Kaori. Kašpar and Xanadu, although they were hollows, were far more honorable than you would ever be. And Tier Harribel replaced Kašpar as the Tres Espada, Zommari Rureaux replaced Xanadu as the Séptima."
Kaori scoffed. "Whatever. So, old Nnoitra still around?"
The former Espada closed her eyes with a sigh. "You two and your brother were always the most bloodthirsty of everyone under Aizen's command. To be honest, I never did understand how Aizen thought it would be beneficial to have you three in our ranks. Speaking of your brother…" She opened her eyes and growled again. "I hear that he is still alive as well?"
The other woman chuckled darkly. "Oh yeah, he's still kicking. In fact, he's busy playing with your other friends. I'm kinda upset he got more people to play with than me, but I can forgive him. Afterall, he's usually nice enough to let me have the kill, so I guess I can be nice back and let him have the bigger group this time."
"…I see. Sadly, neither of you two will be alive for much longer." Nel stated, earning a grin from Kaori.
"Oh? So, can I take that to mean you're finally gonna give me a good fight for once? Not gonna chicken out saying that 'killing is pointless'?" she questioned.
Nel slowly shook her head. "No, the only way that this fight will end, is if one of us dies. I have never liked killing, Kaori, but I knew, from the moment we met, that if you and I ever fought as true enemies, I would not have any regrets about killing you, or your brother. Both of you have committed shameful, and honor-less actions with horrid cruelty. Ordering your death was one of the very few things Aizen had done that I agreed wholeheartedly with."
Kaori shrugged a shoulder. "I could care less. Enough with all the yapping, the family reunion is over. Let's finally finish this and see who the better fighter is. You'd better pick your sword back up, Nelliel, because I won't hold back."
The former Espada dropped into a fighting stance and glared at the woman. "I will not have a need for Gamuza to deal with you, Kaori. My fists will be more than adequate to defeat you."
The woman cackled and got into her own stance. "Tsk, I know about your hand-to-hand skills, bitch; even I won't be foolish enough to simply dismiss them. But if you think that your fists will be enough to handle my claws, then by all means, bring it on. Just make sure you prove not to be a disappointment."
"I can assure you, that disappointment will be the least of your worries, Kaori." Nel returned.
The conversation ended as the two women charged at each other. Kaori started by attempting a slash with her left claw, only for her wrist to be caught in a tight grip by the Arrancar as she sent her fist towards Kaori's head.
The woman tilted her head to the side, letting the appendage pass by. The attack was returned by swinging her leg out in a high kick at Nel's own head, but Nel chose to fall onto her back, pulling Kaori with her.
Planting her foot into Kaori's sternum, Nel vaulted the woman's body over hers and behind her. With a quick flip, Kaori landed on her feet while Nel spun around and up to her own feet. Kaori chuckled at the Arrancar and flashed her claw.
"Nice to see you've still got skills, Nelliel. I thought with all that sitting around reading, like you did in the past, would have made your skills drop." She taunted.
"I see seventy-six years down here has somehow improved your own skills." Nel returned.
Kaori rolled her eyes. "What would you expect after seventy-six years being stuck here? Can't go back to the Soul Society or the world of the living without a garganta, and I can't exactly go hunting hollows out on the dunes or Aizen would find me again. Living in total darkness all these years has only made my hunting skills more perfect, more precise. And now that we've established that, let's 'really' get into this."
"Very well." Nel responded and sped forward where the two women continued trading attacks.
A short distance away, Timothy had pulled open Ichigo's kosode and was busy wrapping up the teen's wounds. He had him sitting up for better access to the wounds, allowing the teen to see the battle between the two women firsthand.
The substitute was instantly impressed with Nel's hand-to-hand fighting skills; so impressed, in fact, that he could almost swear that either the woman was a former student of Yoruichi's, or worse, possibly related in some way.
He could tell the former Espada didn't have the speed the former Squad 2 Captain possessed, but it would have been a safe assumption that the two women's skills were nearly on par. In short, the teen was now a bit fearful of the woman.
"Damn she's good, almost as good as Yoruichi." He commented.
Timothy side-glanced the fight and nodded before returning to his task. "Yeah, she can kick some ass alright. I've seen her fight Yoruichi a few times for training, and I'd say your comment would be pretty accurate. At least…it used to."
The teen turned his gaze to the man and raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
The Lieutenant gave him a firm stare. "You didn't see the look in her eyes, Ichigo. That's not Nel at the moment; that's a very, 'very' pissed of Arrancar. The look in her eyes alone should have put that crazy bitch in her grave. I've never seen her that mad before. With all that in mind, it's easy to tell she's holding back quite a bit on Kaori. I've seen her go all-out before, and that's not it. She's holding back so you and I don't get hurt when she lets go, so we need to get you patched up quickly so we can get out of her way." He stated.
Ichigo's gaze snapped back to Nel in shock where he nodded. "Yeah, I agree."
With Renji's Group
Hikaru stared unbelievingly at the pair of soul reapers, unable to figure out just how they managed to break free of his zanpakutō's ability. He continued to fight against the binding kidō as he spoke.
"H…How…How are you standing there?! How are you not still under Yumemiru Rengoku's trance?! You both should be braindead by now!" he demanded, anger building behind his voice.
"That's simple." Another voice answered in front of him.
Hikaru snapped his head back and gasped again at seeing Uryū knelt down next to Chad; a blue, flashing blade of energy was in his hand and cutting the kidō vines holding the large teen down with ease.
The man's anger only grew more, but at himself more than anything. Somehow, in dealing with the large teen and with the field covered in a dust cloud at the time, he had completely forgotten about the Quincy, his focus solely on the larger human.
"What are you talking about?! There's nothing simple about this! Both of those bastards should be dead right now! Are you telling me you managed to free em?!" he questioned.
Uryū scoffed lightly, pressing his glasses up as he stood straight now that Chad was free. The large teen stood up next to him, holding his unarmored arm where he had received the brunt of the explosion that sent him to the ground.
"I thought the answer would be obvious to you. Who else is down here 'to' free them?" Uryū asked rhetorically.
Hikaru gritted his teeth, his face starting to turn red in fury. "Don't give me that shit! Answer my Goddamned question, asshole!"
The Quincy smirked snidely. "Like I said, it's quite simple. I missed it when you used your 'mind-cutting' attack on Rukia, sending her into her nightmarish trance, but I picked something up when you used the same attack on Renji. I had my suspicions at first, but when Chad's attack managed to intercept and stop your attack on him, and again with my arrows, my suspicions were confirmed."
He pointed at Hikaru's bladeless hilt. "Your zanpakutō's attack uses spirit energy that's slightly different from your own. Instead of cutting through a person's spirit energy, as is typical, it cuts 'into' that person's energy, allowing your zanpakutō to, as you said, cut into that person's mind and put them in a trance."
His smirk grew wider as he lowered his hand. "After doing a little thinking, I came up with a possible solution to breaking that trance." He stated and presented the weapon in his hand. "This is a unique, and quite rare, weapon used by Quincys in the past. It's called Seele Schneider, or soul cutter. It's unique as it is the only bladed weapon in the Quincys' weaponry. Like your own attack, Seele Schneider doesn't cut through spirit energy, but rather cuts into it. By doing so, it loosens the bonds of a person's spirit energy, making it much easier for the Quincy using it to absorb."
The teen lowered his weapon and, again, adjusted his glasses. "Since you were taught a bit about Quincys when you went through your soul reaper academy, you should know that Quincys fight by absorbing and using the spirit energy around them."
Hikaru growled and gritted his teeth tighter. "Of course, I know that! But that still doesn't explain how the fuck you were able to break Yumemiru Rengoku's hold on them!" he pointed out.
Uryū gave him a questioning look. "Oh really? I thought you would have pieced it together by now. But then, I guess a simpleton, who's only thoughts until now have been on mentally torturing his victims, would easily miss it. Like I told you, Seele Schneider cuts 'into' a person's spirit energy. All I had to do was use it on Rukia and Renji, then use it to absorb any spirit energy that didn't match their own."
The man's eyes widened in realization and Uryū smirked. "I see you've figured it out now. By cutting Rukia and Renji with Seele Schneider, I loosened the bonds of their spirit energies, including the trace amounts of your zanpakutō's energy. With the bonds loosened, I simply had Seele Schneider absorb 'only' the trace amounts of your zanpakutō's spirit energy that was mixed in with theirs. Once all traces of that energy was removed from theirs, it broke the trance and freed them."
He spared a glance at the exhausted forms of Rukia and Renji. "It was a dangerous risk to take, as it could have resulted in absorbing 'all' of their energy, but after seeing the results, I'm glad I made the call to take it." He relented, then turned back to Hikaru and glared.
"You are quite a despicable being; preying on others by torturing their minds. I may despise Captain Kurotsuchi, but I do hold a slight bit of respect for him, because, as much as I hate to admit it, I know everything he does has a purpose behind it, no matter how atrocious. But you, on the other hand, are the epitome of evil. You prey on others, using your powers, just for the fun of it. I hold no respect for you; you disgust me. That's why I have no remorse in what I'm about to do to you." He said with a dark glare.
The teen began stepping towards the immobilized man and Hikaru began sweating. "What are you talking about? What do you plan to do?" he said fearfully.
Uryū came to a stop next to him and narrowed his eyes. "I am not a fool, Hikaru Morita; I know exactly how binding kidōs work, especially this particular kidō, being the soul reaper Captains' favorite. Not only does it cut off all movement, but it also cuts off any control over your spirit energy and zanpakutō. Meaning, at this point, your zanpakutō's abilities are still active, and you are unable to stop them until you break free of the kidō to do so."
He raised his weapon up to the man's face and glared darkly into his eyes. "Seele Schneider normally absorbs spirit energy, but, if needed, it can also release any spirit energy it contains. And as of this moment, it still contains the trace amounts of your zanpakutō's own energy."
Hikaru pieced together what the teen was implying, and his eyes became saucers as he stared at the Quincy in horror. "No! Don't! Please!" he pleaded.
Uryū narrowed his eyes. "You said so yourself that you left the Soul Society; meaning that, even though you possess soul reaper powers, you are not considered one of their own. Therefore, the Soul Society would have no right to object or scorn me for delivering punishment to a sadistic murderer. And as punishment for the cruel crimes you have committed against others, I think it would be quite fitting for you to experience the same torture you placed on others."
He turned his eyes to a slowly recovering Renji. "I doubt either of you have any qualms against this, or have anything to add, correct?" he challenged.
The Lieutenant shook his head and waved him off. "Nope, this is out of 'our' jurisdiction." He said.
The Quincy turned to Rukia, seeing her shake her head with nothing to say, then glanced back at Chad to see him with his own head turned away from the scene in disinterest. Turning back to Hikaru, his face covered in sweat and fear in his eyes, he held Seele Schneider to the man's lower chest.
"It seems all parties are in agreeance with the verdict. Enjoy the same level of hell you found so pleasing to place on others." He hissed lowly.
The teen gave the weapon a quick thrust, pressing only a few inches of the tip into the man's body; more than enough for the weapon to do its job. Waiting for only a moment to make sure the bonds of the man's spirit energy were successfully severed, he then released the trace amounts of the zanpakutō's own spirit energy back into its master.
Hikaru's eyes shot wide open, then slowly dulled out as his own zanpakutō's abilities began to take effect and send him into the same, horrifying trance that he had forced hundreds of others into in the past.
Removing Seele Schneider from the man's body, Uryū took two steps back and watched as looks of horror flashed through his face. Tears quickly built up and ran down his face as he felt the same pain and anguish as his victims over the past century; the same pain that would soon lead to his own end.
Uryū turned away from the man and gave Renji and Rukia a concerned look. "You two alright?" he asked.
Renji rubbed his temples with his free hand but nodded. "Yeah. We'll probably have nightmares about this for a while, but we'll get over it eventually." He assured.
"I can't believe a zanpakutō like that existed. Just why the hell would the Soul Society allow something like that? It's barbaric, and inhumane." Rukia said in fury.
The Quincy scoffed and began cleaning his glasses. "You ask that like your Soul Society ever cared. Afterall, they allowed a man like Aizen to join their ranks, didn't they?" he challenged.
Renji gave the teen a firm glare. "Now hold on, Uryū. Aizen tricked everyone, 'including' Central 46 and the Head Captain. Aizen lied about how his zanpakutō truly worked, and that bastard, Hikaru, could have easily done the same."
Uryū scoffed again, but louder, as he replaced his glasses. "Then that just proves that your leadership is incompetent. I find it difficult to believe that a pathetic being like Hikaru Morita was able to easily fool someone like your Head Captain. He doesn't exactly strike me as the kind of person to be easily fooled." He pointed out.
Rukia turned to her longtime friend with a fallen face. "I hate to say it, Renji, but he does have a point. It does seem like the Soul Society has become a bit complacent over the past century."
Renji growled in annoyance. "Fine, I guess you're right. We've made our mistakes, but at least we're paying for them."
Chad lowered his head a bit. "But at what cost, Renji?" he asked lowly. "Many innocent people were killed because of Hikaru and his sister."
Rukia sighed and held up a calming hand. "Look guys, regardless of how much we want to, there's nothing we 'can' do about what happened in the past. The Soul Society messed up on a lot of things, me and Renji will both admit that, and all we can do now is learn from others' mistakes and try not to make them again. Hikaru got what he deserved, and because of it, no one else is going to suffer from his sadistic nature. Let's move on from all this and work on taking care of that other sadistic nutjob. Then we can get back to rescuing Orihime." She proposed.
The two teenagers nodded while Renji glanced at Hikaru's frozen form. "If you ask me, that bastard had it easy. He only has to deal with that shit for a short time, when he should be stuck like that for much longer."
"Agreed." Uryū mumbled.
Suddenly, the room was filled with the agonized scream of Hikaru. Everyone turned to the man to see his head tilted back, his blank eyes staring at the ceiling while he yelled. He started to fight against the kidō still binding him and everyone's eyes widened when cracks started to appear on the yellowish blades of energy.
"What the hell? He's breaking lose from the kidō?" Renji asked in a shocked voice.
Uryū materialized his bow and Chad prepared an energy blast in his fist. "Something's not right." The Quincy stated.
Rukia gave him a curious look. "What do you mean?" she asked.
The teen narrowed his eyes at the screaming man, watching him fight harder as more cracks appeared on the kidō surface. "His spiritual pressure…it's unstable. It's barely noticeable at the moment, but his pressure feels like it's being…pushed aside by something."
The woman's head snapped back to the man and saw he was on the verge of breaking free from her kidō. Swearing to herself, she prepared to bind him with another kidō, but she was interrupted when Hikaru finally broke free.
The group watched and waited, expecting him to stop his zanpakutō's effects and free his mind again. But as the seconds passed by, the group grew more and more confused when the man simply stood there, looking around aimlessly.
Renji rose a brow and turned to Uryū. "Hey, what's up with him?" he asked.
Hikaru instantly turned to him and glared with, to his and Rukia's shock, completely emotionless eyes. The man tilted his head side-to-side, staring intently at Renji, as if he was studying him.
Uryū furrowed his brows in wonder. "Hey." He called quietly.
Hikaru snapped his eyes to the teen, giving him the same curious, empty look. A thought came to the Quincy, and deciding on it, took a slow step to the side next to Chad. It shocked everyone when the man suddenly snarled and got into a low stance.
"What's wrong with him?!" Rukia asked in confusion.
Before he had a chance to answer, Kaori's battered and bloody form charged through the room and came to stand between them and Hikaru. She glared at everyone in fury before turning to her brother and grabbing his shoulder.
"Hey, Hikaru, what's wrong? What happened?" she asked.
The man responded only by turning and looking at her, giving her the same look he had done with Renji and Uryū. Kaori's eyes widened when she saw the dead look in his eyes, like she was staring at an empty shell that resembled her brother.
She shook his shoulder again, a fearful look in her eyes. "H…Hikaru…come on…this isn't funny, brother. Tell me what's wrong." She said in a calm voice.
Renji turned and got into a ready stance at hearing approaching footsteps, but relaxed when Ichigo, supported by Timothy and Nel on their shoulders, came into view. He let out the breath he was holding as the group looked at the siblings in the center of the room.
"What happened?" Timothy asked.
Rukia glanced at them and saw the near-fatal states the men were in and the several gashes on Nel's face and back. "I could ask the same thing of you."
"S…Shut up, midget." Ichigo grumbled, turning his head away.
Nel sighed heavily and shook her head. "She proved to be a bit harder to handle than they thought. She almost killed them until I managed to come to and stop her. I took over the fight, and she was about to defeat me, when we heard this loud scream echo through the tunnels."
Renji nodded and looked at Hikaru. "Yeah, that was him. We're not exactly sure what's wrong with him. It's like he's…not even there anymore."
Uryū continued to watch as Kaori tried to bring her brother back into reality. "I don't like this." He said, getting everyone's, minus Kaori's, attention. "His spiritual pressure doesn't feel right. In fact…I don't feel 'his' at all."
"What do you mean, Uryū?" Chad asked.
The Quincy didn't answer, only watched the siblings even closer. "Hikaru! What's wrong?! Please, speak to me!" the woman pleaded.
Her brother only tilted his head from side-to-side at her, as if looking her over closely. Something in his eyes suddenly changed and Uryū noticed, making him narrow his own eyes in wonder.
Kaori shook her brother's shoulders vigorously, tears in her eyes. "Hikaru! Please, tell me what's…"
The woman stopped talking and everyone's eyes went wide in shock when the man ran his, now sealed, zanpakutō's blade into his sister's sternum.
"W…What the hell?!" Ichigo gasped out in horror.
Kaori's eyes were wide as saucers as the unexpected pain flooded her body. She slowly lowered her gaze down to her brother's blade currently implanted in her lower chest, then looked back into his eyes.
"H…Hikar…ru…" she spoke in chocked breaths. "W…What…"
The man glared at her with, surprisingly, an animalistic snarl, before turning the blade inside her and pulled to the side; the blade cut through her body and exited out her side with a spray of blood.
Her strength suddenly leaving her, Kaori fell to her knees, still clutching her brother's shoulders and gazed up at him. "Hi…karu…why…?"
The woman's voice failed her as her body lost all its strength and her vision blacked out. Her hands fell from his shoulders and her body fell to the floor in a lifeless heap. Hikaru simply watched with blank eyes as his sister's life left her.
Nel held her free hand up to her mouth and spoke softly in horror. "Oh my God."
Hikaru's gaze snapped to her and gave her another, deadly snarl as Rukia turned to Uryū. "What the hell is wrong with him?!" she demanded.
Uryū's eyes narrowed back again at the man. "I would seem that he's no longer there." He informed.
Ichigo glared at the Quincy. "Hey, what the hell do you mean 'he's not there'?"
The dark-haired teen turned to him. "It seems his mind is gone. The man known as Hikaru Morita is completely gone; his body is nothing more than a living shell with nothing but instincts driving it."
Timothy rose a questioning brow. "What, you mean like a damn zombie; like in the movies and shit?" he questioned.
Uryū turned back to Hikaru's form. "I think there might more to it than that. If it was just his basic, human instincts, he should have recognized that woman as a sibling, but he didn't; he killed her like she was just another person…another prey."
Rukia narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you saying, Uryū?"
"I'm saying, that the person…or 'thing' in front of us is not Hikaru, but instead a shell with his instincts and drive to hunt. That thing in front of us is nothing more than a mindless, hunting machine now." The teen answered.
Timothy turned back to the mindless being. "So…what the hell do we do with him…it…whatever?" he asked.
Before anyone could answer, the being, formally known as Hikaru Morita, quickly snapped his head from one person to another in quick succession, his body language giving the appearance of a cornered animal.
Moving faster than they had ever expected, the being snatched his dead sisters resealed zanpakutō and darted towards Nel, Timothy, an Ichigo. Carrying the orange-haired teen on their shoulders, they were unable to draw their weapons to defend themselves.
Renji and Chad moved to protect their friends while Uryū readied an arrow. Renji moved to strike with his blade, and Chad with his fist, at the being. But just before their attacks connected, the being leaped up and over Timothy's group. The being landed a few yards behind them and just as swiftly took off at full speed into the darkness.
So, the battle with the group's stalkers has finally ended. Or… has it? Will 'Hikaru' make a future appearance? Or will he be cursed to stalk the darkness of the tunnels with a destroyed mind for all eternity? We shall see.
With the introduction of Uryū's Seele Schneider, I'm sure some of you might be wondering if the fight between him and Cirucci Sanderwicci will still happen. Well, I can tell you that Cirucci, Dordoni, and Gantenbainne will not make an appearance in this story. I'm sorry if that upsets anyone who likes those three, but they simply wouldn't match up in the story.
Other than that, nothing else to comment on for the moment. I will be reposting the author's note after this chapter, so do not be fooled by the two 'new' chapters posted announcement I'm sure you'll get. With that, I bid you all a safe and healthy day. Laters.
