Chapter 12: Screaming Invader
Hinamori ducked to the side, avoiding another punch from the young punk-looking man, the tree he punched groaning in agony as it broke in twain, falling to join its' brothers and sisters on the forest floor, 12 and counting.
She frowned as he turned and yelled at her. "Stop moving! If you let me hit you, this'll be over in a flash!"
'This is strange...his punches do not pack enough power to break a wooden sword, let alone an entire tree trunk. Yet he's felling them left and right with a single punch...'
She ducked another punch, and the bandages around his hand fell away, revealing brass knuckles shaped in the form of a slot reel, with three 7's lined up in a row.
Eyes widening slightly, she deflected another punch aimed at her gut, gasping when Tobiume's blade cracked.
Shishigawara laughed. "Ha! You're pretty lucky, girl. Had that punch hit your stomach, you'd be coughing out blood right now. Unfortunately for you, however, your sword wasn't so lucky."
Lashing out, Momo attempted to cut his arm off, but he leapt away, laughing as he landed on a tree branch. "Jackpot Knuckle. That's the name of my Fullbring.See, that last attack I made hit the jackpot. Your blade "just happened" to crack from wear and tear. Just like those tree trunks "just happened" to break from old age." He grinned, thrusting his fist out in a fistbump motion. "Lady Luck is on my side, girl. You don't stand a chance."
Momo glared at him, holding her blade out in front of herself. "Hajike, Tobiume!"
A large cloud of dust erupted from her position, and Shishigawara used his forearm to cover his eyes, coughing from the sudden kickup.
When it cleared, Momo's Zanpakuto was completely repaired, with 3 additional prongs jutting out from her main blade. Snapping her wrist forward, Momo let loose a fireball at Shishigawara, forcing him to dodge lest he get roasted.
Momo continued to hurl fireballs at him, forcing him to dodge them or punch them with his Jackpot Knuckle, the flames immediately dispersing upon impact with the Fullbring.
"Hahaha! Is this all you got, girl? You can't hurt me with this!"
Momo said nothing, only continuing to hurl fireballs at the punk. He ducked behind a tree, then barrel-rolled out of the way as the tree erupted in flame. Bringing his arm back, he punched the next one, and leapt back as it exploded in flame, as well.
Panting, he hit the ground running, only this time heading towards his attacker, arm cocked back. "Don't you mess with me!"
Momo merely ducked the swing, bringing her blade up in an upward strike meant to cleave him in two. Shishigawara leapt back, but his shirt bore a scorching slash up the middle, indicating how close he came to being bisected.
Growling, he lashed out again, only to roll out of the way of another fireball. Cocking his fist back, he punched the next fireball, and grunted in pain as the skin on his hand blistered from blocking the attack.
'What? H-how's this happening? My Jackpot Knuckle...the probability of me hitting a jackpot is going down?!'
He ducked the next fireball, and attempted to punch the following one, only to cry out when it seared the flesh on his hand, the skin turning a sickly brown as it was burnt by the attack.
'I've never used my Fullbring this much, so I never knew the probability could go down like this! It's always been one-hit KO's before, but with this girl...she's pushing my Fullbring to its' limits.'
Rolling away from another fireball, he took off at a dead spring towards Momo, fist cocked back in an attempt to end this before his probability dropped off completely.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, BITCH!"
"Not likely, punk."
A large, searing diagonal cut appeared on his torso, Shishigawara's gasp of agony echoing though the air as he slumped to his knees.
"F...fucking hell...I...lost.." he gasped, his eyes wavering between states of consciousness. "Sorry...Tsukishima-san..."
He fell forward, his body hitting the ground as he passed out from the pain and exhaustion. Momo shook her head, and calmly sheathed her Zanpakuto. The forest they'd been in dissolved, revealing the REAL forest surrounding Karakura Town. Sparing Shishigawara one last look, she dashed off into the trees in the hopes of finding her comrades.
Renji stood on the rock with a neutral expression, the roar of an engine cutting the silence that permeated between him and his foe.
"You're not going to attack me?"
Renji scoffed. "I don't attack women first. Personal policy of mine."
Jackie chuckled. "I see. What a gentleman. Yet, perhaps your world's a bit close-minded? I bet you've never met a woman stronger than you before."
Renji rolled his eyes. "Stronger or not, I'm still not attacking first."
Jackie smirked. "Oh? Then it's not just your world, but your understanding that is small."
"What's that motorcycle engine doing on your shoulder? If you rev it, do you power up or something?"
Jackie smiled. "Ara, Shinigami know what motorcycles are?"
Renji shrugged. "Hisagi-senpai got his hands on one, once. Brought it into Seireitei and got into a whole mess of trouble with it. Ended up destroying 2 buildings, 7 vendor stands, and a chicken coop. Got his ass thoroughly whipped by his taicho."
"But I digress. What's it for?"
Jackie patted the engine. "This little baby is what's going to help me open up your small, pitiful world. It's going to allow me to show you just how weak and powerless you truly are."
As if on cue, the engine roared, motor oil spewing from the exhaust as it began to cover her body, her smile growing wider and more demented as she got more and more covered in it.
"My Dirty Boots become stronger the dirtier they get. But thanks to my recent 'upgrade', the boots are only part of it, now. ALL of the filth that covers my Fullbring adds to my overall power."
Bringing a foot up, she smirked. "Your sword. You really should draw it, Shinigami."
Slamming it down on the ground, the entire cliffside behind her exploded into chunks of rock and debris, causing a small wave to wash over Renji. Said man only blinked to get the water out of his eyes.
As soon as he did so, he ducked, Jackie's leg sweeping over where his head had just been.
"Nice reaction time, Shinigami. But..."
Bringing her leg around in another arc, she grinned wildly. "REACTION TIME ISN'T ENOUGH WHEN YOU'RE FIGHTING ME!"
Her foot connected with his stomach, her laugh of triumph followed by a gasp as Renji slid a few feet backwards, before standing straight once more, a bored expression on his face.
'I-impossible...I got him! I GOT HIM!'
Renji brushed off his robes, cracking his neck a few times before speaking. "Alright. I've seen enough. Give me everything you have on your next attack. Hit me with everything you got. All of your so called 'power'."
Crying out in rage, she shot towards him once more. "That kind of arrogance...IT'S GOING TO GET YOU KILLED, SHINIGAMI!"
Cocking her leg back as far as it would go, she swung with all of her might, intending on separating his head from his body...only to stop dead when the back of his hand blocked her attack.
Not to say it wasn't strong, though, as the entire plateau behind Renji simply shattered like so much glass from the shockwave, the stone and rock splashing into the water as Renji, for the first time in the entire fight, gripped the hilt of his sword.
"I've been training...for 17 months...to be on par with Aizen." Drawing his blade, his sword hadn't even left his scabbard before he slammed the hilt into Jackie's stomach. Her expression of surprise belayed her wheeze, as all the air left from her lungs.
Letting his blade slide the rest of the way back into his scabbard, Renji watched as Jackie limply fell to the ground, gasping for air as she tried to regulate her breathing.
"Someone of your caliber...doesn't even BEGIN to have any hope of fighting me. Man or woman, you just don't cut it."
Yukio watched as Jackie's SPR (Spiritual Pressure Reading) dropped to zero, and he sighed as he deactivated the spacial dimension around the red-haired Shinigami. "And another one bites the dust...these Shinigami are carving through us like wet paper. First Giriko, then Riruka. Shishigawara, and now Jackie. Maybe I should up the difficulty settings-"
Yukio was interrupted by a loud crash, as the door to the room burst inwards, a thin coating of ice covering it.
Turning, Yukio put on a fake smile as he saw Toshiro walk through the frozen entrance.
"Well done. VERY well done. You finally managed to find me. I was beginning to think you'd given up. Since you got here, you must have powered up somewhat, right?" Giving Hitsugaya a cursory one-over, his smile dimmed slightly. "You're not hurt at all? Not even a scratch? How dull."
Toshiro merely stared. "Tedious talk. Let's finish this." An ice dragon was sent hurtling towards Yukio, who brought up a pixellated shield. The dragon impacted the shield, and the wall behind Yukio exploded with ice, the wall directly behind him actually bursting open.
"Ara, what would you have done if there had been a bomb in the next room? You would have activated it with that attack. You should really be more careful how you use your sword."
Hitsugaya shrugged. "My Zanpakuto is an ice-type. Any bomb I hit will be instantly frozen solid."
Yukio grinned. "Ice-type? So cool."
"Enough frivolous banter."
"I agree, the time for talk is near an end." As he said this, the walls around them repaired themselves, pixels filling in the holes, cuts, and marks as the walls returned to looking brand new.
"You can repair the rooms? How convenient."
Yukio smiled. "It is, isn't it? You see, while in here, my will is absolute. I am a god in this space."
Hitsugaya frowned. "A god, you say?"
He smirked. "Exactly. For example, a god has the power to create beings from nothing, correct?" Even as he said this, a monstrosity appeared behind Yukio, hulking in size and shape. "Well, so can I."
"Huh, you really can create creatures from nothing. Then surely you must be a god. Forgive me for doubting you." quipped Hitsugaya, a small grin on his face.
A frown marred Yukio's, however. "Are you mocking me? You FOOL! You still don't understand the full extent of my power, do you?"
Hitsugaya leapt forward, dodging a fist the size of his entire body as he sprinted away from the creature.
"What's the matter? Are you scared? Frightened? Why don't you turn and face my creation?"
"You could limit my ability to dodge, can't you? Considering you're a god and all. That should be an easy feat for a god."
Yukio clenched his teeth in anger. "Mocking me still, are you? Fine, I'll show you what happens when a god uses all of his powers."
Toshiro looked behind himself to see the very room morphing into tentacles, claws, mouths with gnashing teeth and giants with hands the size of cars.
"It's useless to run now. I've programmed this entire room, the walls, the ceiling, even the very floor, to chase you down until you're dead. There's no escape from their relentless onslaught."
Ducking under a claw swipe, Hitsugaya kept his distance and changed directions.
"What's the matter? Afraid that my creations will catch you? Devour you? Rip you apart and feast on your flesh? You must have grown up in a loving household, right? That's why you're such a weakling, I take it?"
Hitsugaya spared a look at Yukio. "So, you're an abandoned child? How sad."
Yukio's eyes widened, before hardening in rage. "What the FUCK are you spouting?! I wasn't abandoned! I left THEM! It was MY choice, MY decision! Those foolish people couldn't understand, and neither can you! My stupid foster parents never suspected that I'd steal their company away from them! They hadn't a clue that I siphoned every last cent from their bank accounts! The looks on their faces when they learned their company had gone bankrupt in a single night! You cannot even imagine the pure, unadulterated JOY I felt when I learned of their suicide-"
"How pathetic."
Eyes widening in surprise, Yukio whirled around to face Toshiro, a look of disdain on his face. "You're stuck in the past, unaware of the present." Reaching out, he gave Yukio a shove, forcing the boy to backpedal until his foot stepped on something.
Ice immediately shot up his legs, freezing him in place. Reaching for his control gauntlet, Yukio paled to find it frozen solid, his fingers unable to operate the buttons.
"I wonder...if it's really okay..."
Yukio turned to regard Hitsugaya, that same bored expression plastered to his face. "Is WHAT okay?"
"I was wondering if it's still a good idea for you to keep the setting, "Chase me until I die" on. That's all."
Mouth opening in horror, Yukio turned around to see the entire room of monsters that HE created...barreling down on him with the strength and ferocity of a freight train. At once, he realized that the only thing between his creations and Toshiro...
Was him.
A shrill, bloodcurdling scream shot through the room as the monsters descended upon their former master...
Only for them to shatter as they were turned into ice, limbs as large as tree trunks scattering across the room while the entirety of the band of monstrosities crumbled and broke apart.
Staring in shock, Yukio began to laugh, a tinge of insanity echoing forth as a grin plastered itself on his face.
"Haha hahahahaha hahaha! What?! That's it?! I knew it! You're just like all the others! You took pit-
The tip of a sword came within an inch of his left eye, and Yukio's laughter died in his throat.
"Were you about to say pity? Don't tempt me to kill you out of spite. I have no interest in your sordid past." Hitsugaya turned his head to regard the silent youth. "However, even if I kill you, there's no guarantee that your death will lead to the opening of these spatial dimensions. Therefore..."
Ice began to creep up the rest of Yukio's body, and he screamed as he was nearly frozen solid.
"How about we compromise?"
Yukio blinked as the ice halted, his gauntlet unfreezing on its' own. "Make this dimension vanish in the next 5 minutes, and I will let you live. If you fail to do so..."
Ice began creeping again, and Yukio whimpered. "I'll kill you without a second thought."
Chapter 12. Cut, Print, and off to the papers.
My life's been rather hectic lately. I've just recently moved into a new place, and I'm still adjusting to my new surroundings. It's not like I've never moved before, but with all the stress regarding the sale of my grandmother's house, setting up my financial aid for college, getting a dorm room, scheduling classes, etc, I haven't had a lot of time to simply relax.
Hopefully I'll get to do a little more of that before I start college in the spring, but one never knows.
-Sgt. Assassin