A special message to Handsome Blue Beast: hi! I'm really glad that u like my fic so much! And you should kno, I ALWAYS reply my reviewers' reviews. Makes me feel happy loll. Anyways, I hope you like this next chapter.
Ahem. So…
Yay! It's the beginning of the final chapter of the shinigami vs shinobi! I'm sorri if everything was so short for you guys. It's just that u kno, this isn't the main thing, so I don't want to focus so much on this lol. Hope you guys don't get too disappointed or anything. Anyways, let's begin!
After the disclaimer.
I don't own bleach. If I did, hitsugaya would be in EVERY episode.
"Shit."
Ichigo looked at his useless left wrist. It hung in a strange angle, one that obviously wasn't what it was supposed to be. He didn't bother trying to move it. O well…At least I can still carry Zangetsu in one hand. He carefully shifted his weight over to his right. He winced when he felt the small pain in his left.
"Yo. Ichigo. You all right?"
Ichigo wiped the blood flowing down from his forehead. "Ya. Fine." Renji nodded, turning back to the eyebrow-shinobi. He had been faster than they had expected, but the shunpo had helped them catch up to his abnormal speed. He tightened his grip around Zambimaru. "You're alright you know that eyebrow man?"
The shinobi grinned, nearly blinding the shinigami with his row of teeth. "You are filled with youth yourself." Renji paused, not quite sure what it meant, but felt good about it. "Well let's get started again." Without any more warning, Renji pulled back his zanpakutou over his head. "Hoeru! Zambimaru!"
Lee ducked under the fast approaching blades, charging at Ichigo. Ichigo slashed down at the green beast of Konoha. Renji looked over at Ichigo. The pieces of the floor and dust flew around, blocking most of the figure from view. Renji squinted. Then he got ready with Zambimaru. He's fast.
Ichigo was staring at nothing except for the cracked floor. He turned his head this way and that, trying to find his opponent. Shit! Where is he? Ichigo flinched. "Don't move." Nevertheless, Ichigo did turn his head. The semi-Hollow had a kunai pointed to his throat, ready to strike down any time. Ichigo stared at Lee. He was so fast! He had seen Lee, right below him, but at the speed that Zangetsu was coming down, he shouldn't have been able to dodge it! But Lee was momentarily distracted. "I did it! I've beaten them! I did it!" The orange-haired shinigami had a sweat drop on his head. How could this shinobi be so good, so serious, but so awkward? "H-hey… ya… good job." The walking eyebrows in green leotard continued to jump around.
"Hoeru Zambimaru!"
Lee moved out of the way, landing several feet away from Ichigo. Ichigo glared up at Renji, Zangetsu parrying one of Zambimaru's many blades. "Idiot. Are you trying to hit me or him?" Renji scoffed, coming beside Ichigo.
"It's not my fault! He's too fast! Besides, you could have dodged that!" Renji swung Zambimaru carelessly over his back. Ichigo didn't say anything. Then he spoke, deciding on their basic motive. "We have to slow him down." The 6th squad lieutenant became serious. "How?" Both shinigami didn't say anything. Lee waited patiently.
"I don't know. I didn't come that far."
Renji face vaulted. "Don't say things like that when you don't even have a basic plan!" Ichigo immediately shoved his face into Renji's. "Shut up! I don't see you coming up with a plan!" They both growled, like they always do. Lee silently undid his bandages.
"It's time."
The two shinigami looked at Lee in confusion. "Wha-" That's all Renji got out before he was lifted up into the air by a kick on the chin. "Hey!" Ichigo tried to follow, but stopped when he realized he had fallen onto his butt. He would need both hands to get up with Zangetsu too far to use. Damn it… Lee appeared below Renji as he began to fall. Renji tried to turn in confusion. But he was tightly wrapped in Lee's bandages. "What is this!" He struggled, but to no avail.
Lee began to spin them around and around, going faster and faster. Realization struck Renji. He's going to crash us to the ground for a direct fall! Renji tried harder to remove his bonds, but failed. He could just barely move.
"Secondary Lotus!"
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Rukia felt intruded upon. The semi-Hollow's body had fallen unconscious in the ice, but she had done something. She could see everything, think the same way. But her movements were jerky, as if she was fighting herself to move. And she was. When she tried to step back, her body tried to step forward. Also, there was the presence.
It kept beating against her mind, threatening to break down the barrier between her and this thing. It felt like her head would pop from all the pressure.
Let go… Relax… Sleep… Let me…borrow your body…Let go…Relax…
Rukia struggled with the voice. I can't… I won't…I have too many things to go back to, too many people to see, if I even slip a little bit…Rukia gripped her head. It was pounding, and everything was losing focus. I can't…
"NO!"
Rukia knelt down on the ground, gasping and panting. She felt sweat forming on her hands. She had almost lost. She had… almost…
I almost lost everything. Every memory, every feeling, every sense, every place, every person… Rukongai… Soul Society… Renji… Nii-sama… Kaien-dono… Ichigo…Everything…If I don't have these things… at least… what will I have to look back to once all is lost? Nothing. I…
Ino stirred. It seemed as if she had come back to consciousness. Her face could not be seen, since she had it in her hands. Rukia prepared herself, zanpakutou in hand. Ino slowly raised her head. Rukia's eyes widened.
The white substance easily slid off of the kuinochi's features. Ino rubbed her head, confusion in her blue eyes.
"What… is going on?"
At that time, Hinata arrived.
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Ice was slowly receding… Almost unbearably slowly. Shikamaru's eyes bore into Hitsugaya's, willing him to hurry up. The Cero was still in his mouth. The captain's green eyes remained stoic and cold, but the ice still disappeared at the same rate. The semi-Hollow glared. Hitsugaya glared back.
"It would be more comfortable to do this… if I wasn't in such an awkward position."
Shikamaru made a sound in his throat that sounded like scoff. His Hollow eyes said it all. You expect me to believe that? Hitsugaya smirked. "Maybe." There was silence again after that. The ice had lowered itself to Shikamaru's knees, but it was still too strong for the shinobi to break. The white-haired captain noticed the Cero starting to dissipate, calming him down. At least he's getting rid of that… But there's still a high risk of dying in this situation… The ice continued its wary journey.
"Hey! Shikamaru? What's going on?"
Both shinobi and shinigami turned to the newcomer, except that Hitsugaya was facing the wrong way. It was another Konoha shinobi though. However, what set him apart was that he was riding a huge dog. The little captain could distinguish that because of the sideways of a dog he caught, with a partial of a leg in his sight. Hitsugaya blinked. Modes of transportation were more primitive here than he thought. The new shinobi turned to Shikamaru.
"Shikamaru? What… what happened to you?"
The semi-Hollow grinned and opened his mouth to speak.
This was all Hitsugaya needed.
In a flash, there stood a frozen statue of a Hollow shinobi standing in the crumbling training center. It shone in the afternoon sun. Hitsugaya sighed as the shadow combining his to Shikamaru's disappeared. He stretched, putting Hyourinmaru back into his sheath. He couldn't relax for long though. He was immediately grabbed roughly by the shoulders and shook by the new shinobi.
"What do you think you're doing! Are you trying to kill him?"
The red triangles on the shinobi's cheek made his already animal like features bolder. In other words, it made him look even angrier. Hitsugaya rolled his eyes and slapped a hand away from his shoulder. "Idiot. I'm not trying to kill him. This is too basic to kill anybody." The hands went limp, allowing the genius to face his ice statue. It began cracking, the deep lines moving from the head to the feet. In a moment, ice flew everywhere to melt in the sun. Shikamaru stood for a moment, finally mask-less. Then, like every normal unconscious person, he went down. Hitsugaya caught him midway. He turned his icy eyes to the dog-riding shinobi.
"Get some medics. Quick."
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Matsumoto stood on top of the unconscious shinobi. However, she leapt off, realizing he was quickly shrinking back into his normal size. She didn't miss the main event though. The slimy white substance peeled off of the face, lying on the ground in an unappealing pile. She wrinkled her nose in distaste. She supposed she would have to take that with her for evidence. She sighed. She didn't like dirty work.
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Neji had frozen.
It wasn't because Shunsui stood between him and Ukitake, but because of what he was seeing.
Ukitake was coughing still, blood overflowing his hand. Some dripped onto the floor, causing a puddle to form. Neji stared. This was… something familiar… he had seen it before. From where he wasn't sure, but he had definitely seen this from somewhere before. He continued to stare as Ukitake removed his hand from his mouth, showing the blood that had leaked from the side of his mouth as well. He looked at the figure, blood dripping from the mouth, a puddle forming in front. Slowly, he began to move forward. Shunsui regarded him cautiously. He hadn't sensed any killing intent when he had stepped closer to Ukitake, but you could never be too careful.
Neji stopped in front of the puddle. He crouched down and touched it. It stained his white fingers red. He experimentally touched it again. Then, he closed his hand into a fist, and held it out. He hadn't done it before. Someone else had done it. He couldn't remember. Nevertheless, he knew he had observed someone else doing this. Was it to him? He stared at the blood dripping from his hand. It's an oath. Yes, it was an oath. To what though? He opened his hand again, all red from the blood now. An oath to…
He never finished his thought. Neji fell forward at Ukitake's feet, unconscious. The white mask became liquid and seeped between the cracks of the wood.
"Sorry Neji-san." Ukitake and Shunsui looked at the jounin. The shinobi pulled out a book from his back pocket. "But it looked like you were going to kill important guests." Kakashi flipped open to a certain page, and hummed to himself as he began reading about his perverted little world.
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"GO KEN-CHAN!"
A part of the ceiling fell on Anko as Yachiru cheered. Luckily for Anko, she was quick enough to dodge it. That didn't mean the danger was over though. There was even more falling debris now. Zaraki's attack had started a cascade of roof tiles, falling randomly and cracking. Zaraki lifted his zanpakutou. "Not bad."
Anko smiled. "You're wrong. I'm not good." Anko was suddenly standing on Kenpachi's shoulders. "I'm bad." She threw a kunai at his unprotected head. She smiled. First blood… goes to me. However, this wasn't what fate had in store for her. Fate was planning a much crueler and unfortunate series of events.
She had unfortunately underestimated Zaraki's speed. Before she knew it, a zanpakutou had come over Zaraki's head; blocking the kunai and sending it right back at Anko.
If she hadn't been gloating at her 'success', she might have dodged it. But today was not her day. The dull side of the kunai hit Anko on the forehead, causing a classic K.O. Zaraki turned and stared at the kuinochi. The mask had disappeared, sitting beside her head with Yachiru already poking at it with a stick. Zaraki scratched his head.
"The freakin' hell…"
And this was how Kurenai found them: a large devilish looking man hovering over an unconscious Anko, with a pink-haired little girl playing in his shadow. You can guess who she thought was the victim.
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Renji climbed out of the crater, dazed but completely unharmed. Ichigo blinked from his front row seat. "What the… Hey Renji! Are you okay?" Renji stood beside the crater, confused, with Zambimaru in his hand. "Y-yeah… I'm fine. I think." He scratched his head, obviously baffled. Hadn't he just been going on a ride from hell to the ground? Then why wasn't he hurt? And where was the semi-Hollow?
"I see my skill has saved you shinigami!"
Renji turned to see the freaky shinobi from before. The eyebrows made him twitch involuntarily. Hairy… eyebrows… Ichigo also recognized the shinobi. "You're the shinobi from before…" He stopped. He couldn't remember his name. Gai looked behind him at Ichigo and smiled his blinding smile. Ichigo blinked a couple of times, seeing spots. At that moment, Lee walked out of the dust.
Gai turned his attention back to Lee, losing all of his cheerfulness. "Lee! I thought I told you! You may only use Lotus to protect an important person! You may NEVER use it for harm against the innocent!" The semi-Hollow only stared. "Who are you?"
Gai stood, amazed. He has forgotten who I am! Gai had never dreamt it in a million years. His greatest student… had forgotten him. "I see." Gai looked down at the ground. "Then I have no choice." He glared at Lee, as if he were a true enemy. "I shall defeat you! And get Lee back!" Soon after, Gai began to glow with a green aura. Both Ichigo and Renji observed quietly. Is this… his reiatsu? Ichigo's eyes widened. It kept increasing too! Renji was in a similar state of shock. The way his reiatsu kept climbing, it was disturbing. It was like seeing Zaraki Kenpachi when he was serious.
"Fifth Gate! Open!"
Gai shot up with powerful green chakra. He looked at Lee with white eyes like Neji. "I shall get you back Lee!" He immediately appeared below Lee and kicked him up, the same way that Lee did with Renji. "Primary Lotus!"
Ichigo and Renji watched the show as Gai went back and forth in high speed, kicking and punching Lee in mid-air. Finally, Gai sent a final kick down to Lee, causing a great crash on the earth. The two shinigami blocked the wind and pieces of the floor as best as they could.
When all the dust had disappeared, Gai stood beside his crater. He looked down at his unconscious student. The mask had disappeared. He sighed.
"It's over."
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Gin's smile widened. "Well, I guess that's the shinobi fer ya…" He crushed the now useless piece of machinery. He was satisfied with when he had pressed 'the pretty button'. He jumped up to the black hole which connected the material world to Hueco Mondo. He glanced back at the village.
"See ya… Konoha."
Doooooooooooneeeeeee! That was quite long for a hurried finishing up chapter lol. Anyways, other stuff will start soon now. Sorri if u guys thought that it ended too fast. So the next chapter will be beginning a new arc! YAAAAAAA! Aren't you guys happy! If you're wondering, I'm sugar high on cookies again.
And I know this is random, but Omg! Has anyone read the recent bleach manga chapter (ch 224)? POOR HITSU-CHAN! How could Hinamori be so NAÏVE! Don't worry to the ppl who read it. I won't make Hinamori like that. Oh, didn't I tell u that Hinamori would be in here too? Well I guess u kno now lol. Expect the next chapter soon!
And OMG! The amount of review i get for one chapter keeps going down! its gone down to 7! can u believe it ppl? it was 14 too...so sad -eats cookie to comfort self- is it because i update too fast? aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! so depressed. not quite my sugar-high self -sniff- o well... ill see...