A.N.: This is a request by draxon.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
Chapter Nineteen
Ichigo & Halibel's Training Ground
All was silent as Halibel stood before her fellow Arrancar, Ichigo choking in Barragan's grasp as the Espada had the boy pinned to a tree. "Drop him," Halibel ordered, her hand squeezing her zanpakuto. "Now."
"Hmph!" Without even turning his head to look at Ichigo, Barragan let him go, the boy slumping to the ground. The color returned to the Substitute's face now that he could finally breathe but his relief didn't last long when Barragan grabbed his head and yanked him up. "Ah!" he cried out, feeling the man's thick fingers squeeze his skull. "Guhhhh!"
"So, you've decided to show yourself, traitor," Barragan said, his face stern as he looked at Halibel. "Lower your sword. Else I'll crush the child's skull."
"Aren't you supposed to be bringing him in alive?"
"He raised his sword at me. That alone warrants death," Barragan said gruffly. But regardless, he let go of Ichigo a second time, planting a foot onto his back to keep him from running away. "The boss gave you orders, Halibel. You were supposed to bring the boy back to Hueco Mundo."
"Yes," Halibel nodded. "That was the plan. But…" her hand subconsciously reached for her stomach, feeling her growing child within her. "Things changed."
"Hmmm…" Barragan's expression didn't betray his thoughts but after a moment he spoke his mind. "So Aizen was correct. You are with child."
"I am," Halibel admitted, the need to hide the fact pointless now.
"Halibel!" Ichigo groaned, trying hard to breath despite Barragan's heavy foot crushing him. "What are you dong here?! Run-Gahhh!" Ichigo screamed as Barragan took his foot off his back and stepped on his broken arm.
"Quiet, boy," Barragan growled. He turned back to his former comrade and glared with his one eye. "Surrender, Halibel."
"No," the blonde responded adamantly.
Growling, Barragan reached out with his right hand and flexed it. "I don't think you understand the position you're in, traitor." The throne of bones he'd been sitting on exploded and a huge battleaxe flew into his hand. "It's time to see where your loyalties lie." He held the axe over Ichigo's head. "Sheathe your sword and the boy will live. Refuse, and I'll drag you and his head back to Hueco Mundo." He saw the nervous look on Halibel's face and knew he had her in a pinch. "Well, Halibel? Whose side are you on? Ours?" he looked down at Ichigo's, "or his."
"Why do you care?" Halibel asked, "I was under the impression you hated Lord Aizen."
"And that has not change. But for the moment, I'll deign to serve under him until I can take back my rightful place as King of Hueco Mundo. The better question is why you would throw everything away for him?" he demanded, looking down at Ichigo. He increased the pressure to the boy's broken arm, making him cry out in pain again.
"Ichigo!" Halibel started, taking a step forward, only to be held back by Barragan's axe. She knew that she had to find a way to get Ichigo out of his clutches, preferably without him getting decapitated.
"Well, Halibel? I believe we're all waiting for your answer," Barragan repeated. "Are you with Lord Aizen or not?"
Taking a deep breath, Halibel gripped her sword ever tighter as her eyes went from Barragan to Ichigo and back again. "Lord Aizen saved my life and the lives of my subordinates. I owe him everything." She hung her head as she continued. "My loyalty to him has not changed."
"Halibel…" Ichigo started before Barragan's foot shut him up.
"But…" she put a hand over her stomach again and looked down at Ichigo. "Through Ichigo, I have gained something I thought I could never have. Something that Lord Aizen could never give me."
"And what's that?" Barragan questioned. "You're not going to tell me you abandoned us because you became pregnant."
"Wrong," Halibel told him, her hand balling into a fist. "Ichigo gave me a child. But he gave me something else." She closed her eyes and remembered the months she spent training Ichigo, growing closer from their time together. She couldn't put a finger on it back then but she could finally understand what it was that Ichigo did for her that nobody else could. She looked back up at Barragan and smiled behind her mask.
"He made me feel human again."
The area was quiet as Barragan stared at Halibel, his expression becoming angrier by the minute. "You…feel human again?" he questioned. "DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!" he shouted, his voice booming throughout the forest. "You are a Hollow! You are heartless!" He pointed to the woman's womb, where her Hollow hole resided. "Though you are Arrancar, you lack the heart to feel truly human!"
"That may be true," Halibel said, holding her sword up. "But not anymore. I feel, Barragan."
"Fine then!" He turned his attention back to the helpless Ichigo. "Then let's see if you can feel despair!" Bringing his axe up, Barragan swung it to take off Ichigo's head.
But Ichigo, still gripping Tensa Zangetsu, was waiting for this moment. His body pulsed with black spirit energy as he unleashed his signature move at point-blank range. "GETSUGA TENSHO!"
Though the attack did little to wound Barragan, it did make the large man stagger backwards as he caught his blast right in the face. Halibel used the moment to grab Ichigo and take him away from Barragan, using Sonido to get him away from Barragan's foot. Ichigo found himself cradled in Halibel's arms, amazed at his mentor's speed. "Halibel…"
"Don't speak," the woman warned. "We're not out of this yet."
Barragan emerged from the plume of dust and smoke, a scratch on his cheek but no other signs of injury. "So, it's treason then," he said, gripping his axe tightly. "I'm going to kill you both," he declared.
Putting herself between Ichigo and Barragan, Halibel took a stance and readied herself for battle. "Wait! Halibel!" Ichigo insisted. "You can't fight! Kisuke told me that-"
"I have strength enough for this, Ichigo," Halibel told him.
"Hmph! Insolent wench!" Barragan seethed. "You think you're a match for me?" he asked as Halibel undid her jacket, revealing her number and mask fragment. "Need I remind you that you are the number three Esapda, while I rule as number two?"
Ichigo's face turned white with horror. 'What?! He's that strong and he's only number two?!'
"I don't care if I'm the Third Espada or not," Halibel replied. "I'm going to fight you anyway."
"Correction," Barragan said, his strong muscles tensing to strike. "You're going to die fighting me."
The air itself shuddered as the two clashed. The sound of ringing steel echoed across the mountainside as Halibel's sword met Barragan's axe. Barragan chopped and slashed at the woman, his axe tearing chunks from the earth as Halibel over and over again dodged death by a hair. Ichigo watched with bated breath, nursing his broken arm. He gasped as Halibel dodged Barragan's strike and went in for the kill. However, like Ichigo before her, Barragan's abilities let him dodge the strike. "What insolence!" Barragan mocked as his fist smashed into Halibel's face, cracking her mask. Halibel staggered to one knee but quickly found her footing. "Have you forgotten, Halibel, that I rule over time itself?" he mocked. "You cannot touch me anymore than your student can!"
"Grrr!" Unabated, Halibel charged at Barragan. She was no fool. She knew of Barragan's abilities. However she wanted to see if she could slip through his defenses. Now that she knew she could, she would make the next strike count. Her sword's hollow center glowed yellow as she closed in on Barragan. "Too bad you can't dodge this!" she taunted, ducking another slash by Barragan and taking a lunging stance. "Aura Azul!"
She thrust her sword forward and a blade of energy shot out of her zanpakuto. Too close for even Barragan's senescence ability to be useful, the strike hit Barragan square in the chest. "Urghh!" went the number two Espada, blood staining his robes as he staggered backward.
"I'm not done." Halibel held a hand out and a ball of yellow energy swirled in her palm. "Cero!"
Ichigo watched as Barragan was swept away by the attack, completely in awe of his teacher. He knew from the sparring practices that Halibel was always stronger than she appeared but he'd no idea she was this strong.
"Not yet," Halibel warned, knowing what Ichigo was foolishly thinking. "This isn't over, Ichigo. If it were that easy, you'd have been able to kill him."
From the smoke came a bloodcurdling growl. Barragan's heavy footsteps proceeded him. He emerged relatively unscathed from Halibel's attack. "You're starting to irritate me, Halibel," he growled. "Why do you fight? You know you cannot best me." His eye darted over to the wounded Ichigo. "Or has the boy made you soft?"
"Hrmmm…" went Halibel, trying to come up with a way to get herself and Ichigo to safety. She knew that she was fighting on borrowed time and every move she made only hastened her dilemma. 'Do I dare?' she asked herself as she looked at her zanpakuto. Her eyes glanced over at Ichigo and she knew she had to make a decision. 'I must. For Ichigo. For our child.'
Barragan's eyes widened as Halibel spun her sword around and pointed it downward before he scowled. "You wouldn't dare…"
"I will do what I must. You of all people, Barragan, should know that about me." Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Hollows don't pray to any god, but she prayed nonetheless that she could see this through. "Hunt: Tiberon!"
Ichigo braced himself as a torrent of water suddenly emerged from out of nowhere, forming the shape of a heart behind her. "Halibel…" he grunted as she disappeared, transforming into her true self.
When she emerged Ichigo was rather surprised. Unlike Barragan's minions, Halibel's transformation was more of a change in wardrobe. Clad in white shoulder guards with ribbons behind them, Halibel's attire had become even skimpier. The fragments covering her breasts became smaller and she wore a skimpy bone miniskirt. In addition she wore white gauntlets that went up to her elbows and thigh-high boots. But the most impressive part of her transformation was the huge white sword in her hand.
Her sword glowing yellow, Halibel brought it down on Barragan. The Espada was knocked away by the blast, her sword cutting deep into the earth. But Barragan was not impressed. "So, you wish to die in the worst of ways?" Barragan asked, holding his axe out and turning it. "If you insist. Rot…"
"Don't try it," Halibel warned. "You'll only earn Lord Aizen's anger if you release your zanpakuto here."
"And what makes you see that?"
"Lord Aizen requires Karakura Town. If you release, you'll undoubtedly destroy it."
Ichigo blinked, confused as hell. "Wait, Halibel, Aizen needs Karakura Town? Why?"
"I will explain later," Halibel simply said.
"There will be no later for either of you," Barragan said as he lunged.
Halibel shot into the air, eager to take the fight away from Ichigo. Barragan attacked her with cruel viciousness, his axe clashing with her huge sword, the sound of their weapons colliding was like thunder in the air. Thanks to her power boost, Halibel was able to fend off the man's strikes, dodging him with increased speed.
Water swirled around her huge sword and she pointed at Barragan. She couldn't go all out unfortunately, Ichigo was too close. But she could still fight with other techniques. "La Gota!"
Blasts of water shot out of her blade. Barragan narrowed his eye as he dodged the attacks. Batting away the last shot with his axe, he merely shook his head. "You're so much stronger than this!" he taunted. An attack from her in her released state should have been more powerful.
"Tch!" Halibel grimaced as a slow pain started to build inside her. "Gotta end this now." Hoping that Ichigo wouldn't be hurt by her recklessness, Halibel swirled her sword and summoned what energy she could. A huge torrent of water spun around her, her strongest attack.
"Cascada!"
Ichigo, watching far below, watched as Halibel hurled the attack at Barragan. However, the Espada didn't even budge as the attack collided with him. "Did she get him?" he wondered aloud. But in a few moments, Barragan emerged completely unharmed. The water evaporated before it even touched him.
"Disapointing," was all he said before he disappeared.
Halibel brought her sword up in time to block Barragan's strike but her strength failed her. "Gahh!" she cried out as the huge force knocked her to the ground. But before she could impact, Ichigo caught her.
"Halibel! Are you okay?!" he asked. He saw the look of pain on Halibel's face and his fears came true. Halibel had spent too much energy and now it was all her body could do to sustain their child.
A swift blow from out of nowhere knocked Ichigo to the side. Halibel looked up to see Barragan standing over her. Setting down his axe, the Espada grabbed Halibel by the hair and yanked her up. "The brat inside you is draining your energy. Here," he said with a smirk. "Why don't I help things along?"
"NO!" Ichigo screamed when Barragan put a hand over Halibel's womb. He charged at the man with reckless abandon, using all of his enhanced speed and snatched Halibel out of his clutches. Cradling her in his arms, Ichigo looked down at her, afraid of what Barragan had done. To his horror, he saw a large bump in her belly. Barragan didn't age her. He'd aged their child right to the second trimester!
"What a pity. A few more moments and the child would have been born. Of course, they both would have died but it would have been a fitting death for a fool like her."
Ichigo laid Halibel down on the ground, rage swelling every part of his body. That dark voice inside him returned, this time louder than ever. "Shut…up!"
"Foolish words, boy," Barragan taunted, pointing his axe at the two. "I don't care what the boss says. She's dead weight to us."
"Shut! Up!" Ichigo shouted. The voice was louder now, screaming into his ear. Slowly, his vision began to blur.
"Your master is as feeble as you are," Barragan taunted vainly, preparing to cut the boy down to size. Standing over the two, Barragan swung his axe down.
A burst of blood filled the air. But it wasn't Ichigo's or Halibel's. Barragan took a step back, blood leaking from the cut on his arm. Ichigo whirled around, his eyes black and yellow and a hollow mask on his face.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
To be continued
