SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 1 out, this is Chapter 2 of this fic. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.
Pairings: Ishida/Hasu, minor pairing Hitsugaya/Karin
Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny. Heck, even the pairings aren't mine.
Chapter 2: The Malicious Battle, Aizen's Trap
"When on earth is the one who knows about the Hōgyoku going to return?" Patros questioned the two kids inside Hasu's energy barrier "I'm starting to get impatient."
"He'll probably come back once you're dead." Renji pulled himself out of the wall he crashed into.
"Very well." Patros noted. "But I do believe struggling is pointless.
"You guys go get Urahara." Renji told Jinta and Ururu.
"Jinta, let's go." Ururu pulled the redhead off.
"Bringing him here for me would be a great help." Patros remarked. "But I wonder if you'll survive that long. Prepare for Level Three."
"Shut up." Renji retorted. "You're dragging things out, only going up one level at a time. You're gonna cry later if you keep thinking you have plenty of leeway. Gentei Kaijo!" he lifted the limiter. "Bankai! Howl, Zabimaru!" he let loose his Bankai, slamming Patros into the underground training area with the head of his manifested Zanpakutō.
"Get up." Renji headed to the underground training area. "You're not dead already, are you?"
"This is a rather interesting house." Patros noted.
"I'm glad you like it." Renji retorted. "We don't have to hold back here."
"You're out of breath already?" Menis taunted his opponent. "I can't believe you guys killed five Arrancar. Seriously, you're so lame." he lashed out his tail, sending Matsumoto flying to the ground. "What's wrong?" he mocked, using his tendril hands to stop Hitsugaya from coming to his Lieutenant's aid.
"Sōten ni zase, Hyōrinmaru!" Hitsugaya activated his Shikai after parrying off Menis. "I don't have anymore time to waste on someone who's not even an Espada." he instant-froze his opponent.
"Don't get cocky over a weak attack like that." Menis snorted, scattering the ice.
"Level Ten." Patros let loose his powered-up attack at the charging Hihiō Zabimaru, the attack barely even stopping the bone as it crashed into him. "What is this?" he gaped, using Sonido to dodge the attack.
"I'm not even serious yet." Renji mocked. "If that was Level Ten, then you aren't all that powerful."
"Lowly Shinigami, how dare you act so arrogant?" Patros spat. "You may think that you're worthy of being our enemy, but we've been killing Shinigami for a long time now. Despite that, we let someone like him..."
"Despite what?" Renji asked.
"Never mind, there's no need for you to know." Patros corrected.
"That so?" Renji echoed. "Still, I can't ignore what you said before that. You said something like 'lowly Shinigami'. Don't underestimate us."
"Very well." Patros declared. "I shall show my respect for how you fight without fear of death, by showing you a more suitable form. Pollute, Gerifalte!" he activated his Resurrección. "This is my maximum level. Apologies," his unleashed energy blast managed to knock Hihiō Zabimaru off-course. "I simply can't control my own strength when like this. So my time-killing fun ends here, huh? This time, my power will get through to you. Let's go, Shinigami." and released his attack, easily overwhelming Hihiō Zabimaru. "You sacrificed your weapon to save yourself." he noted, seeing Renji had used Hihiō Zabimaru as a shield.
"It isn't over yet." Renji declared.
"I see." Patros agreed. "So it would seem."
"He's in danger like this." Noba looked at the other two Mod Souls.
"There's something I wanna ask you." Renji started. "What do you plan on using the Hōgyoku for?"
"I shall hold the world in my grasp." Patros declared.
"So, you're rebelling against Aizen." Renji concluded.
"We don't acknowledge him." Patros sniped. "A lowly Shinigami must never rule over Hueco Mundo. What happened to you?" he case a look at Menis and Aldegor who had came crashing down into the basement.
"Back off." the injured Menis retorted, out of his Resurrección form. "Forget me..."
"Our pursuers will catch up anytime soon." the battered Aldegor leaned against a nearby rock. "Did you find our how to use the Hōgyoku?"
"You're not done yet?" Menis realized.
"Calm down." Patros assured.
"You've been wasting time with someone like him." Menis glared. "No way!" he gasped when his foot started to freeze.
"This sucks." Aldegor remarked, Menis was destroyed after the ice coffin engulfing him shattered.
"Patros, I kind of regret having taken you up on your offer." falling onto the ground, he died.
"You know that you were sacrificing them, weren't you?" Renji frowned.
"Yes." Patros admitted. "It couldn't be helped. They're of no use to me if they lack the ability to even slow down some Shinigami. It's all for the Hōgyoku and defeating Aizen. As such, I can't lose to you."
"The same goes for me." Renji countered, reactivating Hihiō Zabimaru. "Howl, Zabimaru! Damn!" he cursed, Patros' attack overpowered him and he crashed onto a rock.
"I'll praise you." Patros remarked. "Because of you, I have a little more respect for Shinigami. But all things, must come to an end."
"You won't get away." Renji swore.
"I believe there are times when one must accept defeat." Patros stated, closing in on Renji, but was forced to dodge the ice spikes that had suddenly spouted from the ground.
"I really do hope you haven't forgotten there is another guarding this shop." Hasu reminded, standing on top of the rock Renji had crashed into.
"Hasu-sama..." Renji gasped as the ice user jumped down. "That form..." he gawked at the sailor-suited female.
"A form I never had to bring out, until now." the Guardian of the Gates of Tartarus stated. "Shards of Winter." she blew a multitude of sharp ice shards at Patros who used his extended armor to deflect the attack.
"You weaklings are in my way." taking to the air, Patros engaged Kurōdo who had taken on Renji's appearance and fired off a wide energy arc, taking out every one of Kurōdo's clones, the real Mod Soul was saved when Noba pulled him into his portal.
"Sorry, Noba." Guardian Frost looked at the silent Mod Soul. "That saved us. Lieutenant Abarai." she looked at the redhead. "I found his weakness."
"Kurōdo, Noba, you know what to do." Ririn turned to her fellow Mod Souls. "Renji, we'll stop his attacks so you two can destroy that big oaf."
"What's wrong?" Patros looked around for his opponent. "Just how long do you plan to hide?"
"We aren't really hiding." Ririn corrected. "We've seen through your technique."
"Burst forth, Gerifalte!" Patros charged up his attack when faced with replicas of the three Mod Souls. "Fools." he blew all three Mod Souls away. "What?" he gaped when Kurōdo used his own body to stop him from resheathing his blade.
"You use the 'lai' style of swordplay." Ririn explained. "You always sheath your sword after drawing it. In other words, you store up energy within the scabbard and use your sword to release it. As long as you cannot sheath your sword, you can't start up the next attack. And the more powerful your attack becomes, the larger the motion was. No matter how you struggle, we can avoid the attacks thanks to Noba's powers. Now, you two!" she shouted, Noba moving in to absorb Patros' next attack.
"Make sure you dodge this!" Guardian Frost had already charged up her iceball. "Cryoblast!" she locked Patros into a block of ice, enabling the three Mod Soul to disengage.
"Hikotsu Taihō!" Renji's energy blast ended the fight.
"We're home, Abarai, Frost-sama." Urahara greeted the two fighters. "You guys did your best, too." he turned to the three Mod Souls.
"Abarai, are you okay?" Hitsugaya Shunpo-ed in, with the others in tow. "Hasu-sama, that form..." he blinked, seeing Hasu in her Sailor Senshi form. "Guardian Frost-sama, huh?"
"We managed somehow." Guardian Frost answered.
"It looks like you guys had it rough as well." Urahara noted, seeing the bruised forms of the gathered Shinigami.
"And them?" Ikkaku asked.
"Looks like they're dead." Urahara replied. "Aizen was manipulating them. Is that the Hōgyoku they had with them?" he looked over to the orb lying on the ground.
"That's..." Hitsugaya breathed as the jewel shattered into pieces.
"Aizen probably let them have a fake." Urahara reasoned. "I'm the one who made it, so you can believe me when I say it wouldn't break so easily. They were probably tricked by Aizen."
"Kyōka Suigetsu, huh?" Guardian Frost frowned.
"Otherwise, they'd have had a much harder time trying to steal the Hōgyoku from Aizen." Urahara concurred.
"So he let them take it?" Renji guessed. "But why?"
"I can't say for sure, but, maybe Aizen's side was after something and needed these guys to create a commotion so they wouldn't get caught." Urahara surmised. "Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a need for someone to follow them. He knew we would take care of them anyway, whether he ignored them or not. Even if the only goal was to purge his ranks of dissidents, a little act like this would prove more entertaining. That's the type of man he is, I suppose."
Omake: Kon-sama's Ultimate Shinigami Illustrated Guide
Ichigo: (In Shinigami form and cat mask vanquishes the Hollow with a hit from Zangetsu) What a wuss.
Karin: Ichi-nii?
Ichigo: (Stunned) Karin! Karin's here shopping? Good thing I'm wearing this mask. I'm not Ichi-nii meow.
Karin: (Deathpans) What are you saying? You're obviously Ichi-nii. (Activates Suzaku's fire powers and turns the cat mask to ash) Maybe you're not him. (Sees Ichigo in his Hollow mask)
Hiyori: (Aside) His transformations are getting faster. All thanks to our training.
SailorStar9: In the next chapter, Yumichika and Matsumoto are training in an attempt to achieve Bankai when the Arrancars Luppi Antenor, Grimmjow, Yammy and Wonderweiss attack. Ichigo encounters Grimmjow and uses his Bankai. In the training room beneath the Urahara Shop, with Karin acting as medical support, Urahara prepares to leave to enter the battle. Now that's done, read and review.