AN: kinda short, sorry…but better than nothing, right? Cya and Enjoy
Chapter 14
The hollow was busy with Shuuhei and didn't notice Ichigo return to the fray. It suddenly realized it couldn't fight all four of them on his own and so he shot up into the air, retreating to catch his breath and call reinforcements.
Several rips opened around him and hollows stuck their heads through, interested in the tasty meal below. They were small fry comparatively, but it still took one of the shinigami to cut them down so they wouldn't try to get at the humans.
So Shuuhei was busy with the new influx of enemies while Renji, Toshiro and Ichigo continued to pound away at the injured hollow. Even without Shuuhei they were winning.
Desperation was clear in the hollow's eyes as Toshiro froze one of his arms solid and unusable. His gold eyes locked on Ichigo's.
"Stand by me and together we can rule Heuco Mundo!" he offered.
Ichigo sneered, blood still pouring from his own useless left side. "You think I would stand by scum like you? And why the HELL would I want to live in a place filled with nothing but sand?" he smirked as his sword descended on the frightened hollow.
As his sword passed through the hollow, he felt a stab of pain through his stomach. Smug eyes stared into his as the world flickered. He vaguely heard voices yelling his name, but all he could focus on was the dying hollow in front of him that somehow managed to stab him through the gut with his bone sword.
The hollow slowly dispersed and as Ichigo had been using his body to hold him upright, he started to tip to the side. Arms caught him and gently laid him on his side, as he was completely skewed through and couldn't lie on his back or his stomach. His mask started to break away off of his face.
Toshiro's face swam into view as well as many shapes and figures he couldn't quite get to stay still long enough for him to identify. He felt his hollow float to the surface of his mind and cluck his tongue.
'Look what you got us into, King. Now I gotta go and pick up the pieces.'
He would have argued that point if he could find the energy. Instead he felt himself be pulled into oblivion where thankfully the pain disappeared.
Toshiro and Renji were leaning over Ichigo and both jumped when the teen sat up and blinked open black eyes.
"Sup, Iceman." The hollow's distinctive drawl passed through Ichigo's lips. His breathing was labored and blood trailed down his chin, but he didn't seem to bothered by it.
"Hitchi?" Hitchi laughed at the concerned expression on the shinigami's faces as well as the confused faces of the wizards.
"My boy, we need to get you to a healer." Hitchi looked at the old man with one eyebrow raised and shook his head.
"Nah, hey Red…come pull this stick outta me, would ya?"
"You'll bleed to death!" Hitchi scratched his head with his good arm and looked at the boy who pointed this out.
"Ah, you look familiar…"
More voices were heard but Toshiro and Shuuhei blocked them from getting to the fallen orange haired teen. Renji squatted down beside Hitchi on the ground and looked at the long bone that was pierced through his comrade's abdomen.
"If I pull this out, how will you stop the bleeding?" He kept his voice low.
Hitchi licked the blood from his chin and smirked. "Let me worry 'bout that, just get it out."
Renji sighed before lifting head up and looking at Toshiro. "What do you say?"
"Hurry up, we don't have a lot of time," Hitchi remarked.
Toshiro nodded. "Do it."
Renji grit his teeth but nodded. Grasping the long white bone in one hand he braced the other against Hitchi's good shoulder. He took a deep breath, "Okay, one…two…THREE!" on three he pulled hard, sliding the bone out.
Hitchi swayed a bit, his teeth clenched and his eyes shut, before he did anything about he blood practically gushing from his midsection. Quickly he pressed a hand against the wound and concentrated.
The blood slowly turned white and slowed to a mere trickle before the wound was completely closed over by the thick white substance. His eyes half lidded, he smirked at the gob smacked expressions on the faces gathered around him.
"Didn't know I was so cool, now did ya?"
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Ichigo blinked open eyes and stared into a room he didn't recognize. It took him a few minutes for any kind memory to make it back to him and when it did he reached a hand down to feel for the hole that should have been in his stomach.
'I fixed it King, you could say thanks…'
'Thanks' he said, a bit dazed as he sat up in the rather large four-poster bed. He noticed the figure in the corner as the face turned at his movement.
"Ah, you're awake." Harry sounded relieved as he crossed the short distance to stand by his bed.
"Er, yeah I guess so." His head still felt fuzzy, as if he'd been drugged. He placed a hand against his temple and slowly shook his head, trying to remove the cobwebs that clogged up his mind.
"Here."
Ichigo blinked in surprise as the glass of water appeared in front of his face. He grasped it carefully in one hand. "Thanks. What happened? After I killed that guy? I kinda blacked out for a while."
Harry ran a hand through his hair, which was already standing on end, and gave him a wry smile. "We noticed. That…alter ego you got was…interesting."
Ichigo groaned. "What'd he do this time?"
"Not much, just talked a lot of shit until that redheaded guy managed to shove some dreamless sleep down your throat. That's why you feel like you've been drugged."
'Damn, Red…I oughta kill him…'
'Hitchi?'
'Hn?'
'Shut the hell up…my head hurts…'
'Hai, KING!'
Ichigo winced at the scream in his head, causing Harry to give him a look of sympathy. He just shook his head and swung his legs out onto the floor. "Let's go see what the other's are up to, and maybe get some food…I'm starving!"