AN: sorry its so short…next chapter will be longer, I promise…enjoy! And review!
Chapter 12
Ichigo felt the normal anxious pre-battle energy. They were crowded in the basement kitchen of the old house once again, the screen on the far wall lit up with Yamamoto speaking to Dumbledore. Ichigo amused himself for a few seconds comparing the two bearded men. His eyes scanned the rest of the crowd and landed on the scowling Snape.
Their eyes locked across the crowded room and Ichigo was surprised to feel Hitchi push to the front of his mind.
'His soul would be tasty.'
Ichigo recoiled physically, breaking eye contact in the process. 'WHAT THE HELL?'
He felt the mental shrug and the smug smirk. 'He will become a hollow when he dies…too much regret and sorrow. Unless he finds peace before then. Unlikely.'
Ichigo rubbed his temples. 'Just…shut up for once before you drive me completely insane.'
'You are already insane, sorry king.'
Ichigo growled.
"Nervous?" The voice made him jump, nearly falling out of his seat in the process. His wide eyes fell on the impassive face he had been studying earlier when his hollow decided to freak him out.
"No." Scowl now firmly in place, he forced Hitchi further into his conscious and muted his voice down to a bearable level. "It's not my first battle, and I very much doubt it will be my last."
"You enjoy fighting?"
Ichigo shrugged. "Whether I enjoy it or not…" he let the sentence hang. He was surprised when the dark man took the seat beside him. He felt Toshiro's eyes on him from across the room and knew the short captain was ordering him to behave.
"For one so young…"
Ichigo snorted and shook his head. Did this man undergo a personality change or something? "I may be young, even younger compared with my comrades, but I've already fought and lived through one war, killing my share of enemies and standing at death's door a time or two myself."
"You are confident we will succeed tonight?" Ichigo's head swung around to face him. He could have sworn he heard a hopeful tilt to the man's voice, but that must have been his imagination as the man's face held nothing but bored impassiveness.
"He's not the first egomaniac who thought he could rule the world that I've encountered. Frankly, I think their all idiots…I mean, how many people over the years have tried to rule the world? And how many have succeeded?"
Snape raised a single eyebrow. "That's very, intuitive."
"Well, what do you think, we going to die out there tonight?" Ichigo scowled, thinking he was being mocked.
"Some will." Blunt as ever. "But we'll take a few down as well I'm sure." A smirk flashed across his face and Ichigo felt himself sporting one in answer. Strange that he could feel any sort of camaraderie with the man.
A cleared throat brought about silence and every eye turned to the screen where Yamamoto looked calmly at the crowd in front of him. Ichigo recognized that look. It was the look that was on Yamamoto's face every time he sent his men into battle.
He addressed his four soldiers. "Do not hesitate to destroy whatever monstrosity that arises when that accursed man dies. You have permission to remove your limits; the area has been shielded so that the surrounding area will be protected."
The four bowed their heads once to show their understanding. Yamamoto switched to English and addressed the rest of the crowd. "Tonight you will fight an evil; an evil that you refuse to bow down to. In my long life I have noticed that those who stand firm in their pursuit of what is right will achieve their goals in the end." He bowed his head once and all eyes then turned to Dumbledore.
"Tonight we end the this war. Tonight we take back our world and make it the peaceful place it was meant to be where the people aren't living in fear. Tonight…we will defeat the one who believes himself to be undefeatable."
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Ichigo heard Toshiro's voice crackle in his ear through the earpiece.
"We are in position, wait for Dumbledore's signal. Remember to stay out of the actually battle until the 'hollow' appears."
Ichigo voiced his agreement as one with Renji and Shuuhei. He was at the north point of their circle while the others were positioned at the other points of the compass. In the center was a large mansion surrounded by imposing grounds. When Ichigo first laid eyes on the ostentatious house he understood why Malfoy was such an ass.
The Order members were scattered between the four shinigami. Harry was on Ichigo's right, Ron and Hermione on his right. One of the redheads was to Ichigo's left and the pink haired lady, who now had dark hair and complexion to blend in with the darkness, was to his left.
Toshiro had explained how they had dismantled the wards from Soul Society but Ichigo didn't understand half of what he was told. Something to do with adding their own barrier and disrupting the 'something flow' or some other technical crap. Ichigo didn't really care; he just wished the signal would come before his hollow drove him up the wall with his eagerness for bloodshed.
His eyes snapped to the right as the air lit up with a red flash of light. The signal. He smirked as the circle tightened around the mansion, heavy breathing on both sides as the group rushed forward.
He jumped to the nearest tree and continued leaping until he had a bird's eye view of the starting battle. Black cloaked figures swarmed from the mansion and spells were fired into the invading crowd. Ichigo's eyes watched over Harry and his two friends, noticing they were holding their own quite well.
He felt the ominous pressure approach and his eyes quickly sought out the source. He could feel his hollow screaming in anticipation, as his eyes locked on the tall figure that looked like a man, but couldn't possibly be one.
Ichigo gripped Zangetsu tightly in his hand and announced tensely. "He's here."