I Hate That I Love You - CH 10: Mask
The others looked at Ichigo with sharp gazes, knowing what he was going to say next. "I'm going to have to kill you then," he answered firmly.
"I'll take that chance." I shrugged.
Kurosaki's grip tightened around his Zampaktou in anger to seeing me think so lowly of him.
"I'll make a deal with you, Shinigami. If you win, I'll bring the girl back here. But if I win, we keep her. Is that fair?" I said.
Ichigo nodded confidently. "Sounds fair enough."
"Hold on, Ichigo! We don't even know why he's here. How do you know he's going to keep that deal? He's under Aizen's command!" the short, dark-haired girl pointed out.
"I always keep my promises. You can say, it's punishment towards me for losing if I have to give the girl back to you. I'll deal with Aizen on my own," I explained. "All I can say now is, believe my word."
"Espada, you can't only be here to challenge us. What's the reason behind this?" the Quincy asked suspiciously, as if thinking this was some sort of trap I was setting up.
"I'm challenging him, not all of you," I corrected.
"Why are you here?" the tall, male human with the shaggy hair asked.
His friends were getting annoying by the second. How this, how that. What this, what that... They were in my way. I gave Kurosaki a look that told him just that.
"Guys, would you mind leaving? It's a one-on-one challenge," he told them as gentle as possible.
The others looked at him in surprise, choking on words to reply. They hesitated on the spot. They couldn't let him fight alone when they knew they could all help him out. That was what a team was for.
"Go! I'll have Orihime back in no time at all. Trust me on this."
The word "trust" seemed to do the trick. They nodded and soon left to direction in which they came from. Finally, it was only him and I. I forgot why I was here for a second. I got so caught up in planning to kill this asshole.
"Tell me something first. If you knew Aizen had the girl, why didn't you just come for her?" I questioned as soon as I no longer saw his friends' retrieving backs.
He seemed to get angrier when I asked that as he gritted his teeth. "Because she's considered a traitor now! We're not given permission to cross to Heuco Mundo by the orders of the Captain-Commander."
I smirked. All Shinigamis have to be so loyal to one another, don't they? It was a load of crap how "trust" was everything to them. As if everything was explained in the five-letter word. Disgusting.
"Don't you dare give me that look on your face!" he shouted, already charging at me. Kurosaki's weapon shimmered in the sun light, looking menacing. He swung it at me. With a quick move, his blade was caught in my palm, completely immobile there. He gawked at me. Kurosaki was asking himself how I was able to stop his Zampaktou by the looks of it.
"Is that the best the guy who fought Shinigami level captains can do? Or is that all it takes to defeat one?" I laughed darkly, mocking him.
I could just leave if I wanted to. I got all the information necessary: They won't do anything since they're not allowed to save Orihime. There were no specific questions I was asked to do—just getting the knowledge of their current activities was needed. I got an answer for you: no where at all.
Kurosaki swung at me immediately after pulling his Zampaktou free. He moved more like a blind-folded child trying to get candy out of a piñata. I dodged every single one without doing more than manoeuvring on one foot. He got that same stupid look on his face when I purposely let the blade touch my skin and see no blood pouring out.
"How are you...?" he trailed off.
"How am I winning?" I finished for him. "Well, you suck. We'll put it that way."
Ichigo ignored that. "No. I mean," he shook his head, "how are you able to stop my blade from cutting you?"
I stepped back a few meters absently. "You're Zampaktou is dull. Its blade can't cut through Espada skin." I pointed to my chest. "It's like steel, you see."
Every now and then, he glanced at my Zampaktou, possibly wondering why I haven't pulled it out yet. If I used it now, the fun would end too soon. Kurosaki in the other hand was holding back some secret power or something and I felt that about him. Aimlessly slashing your weapon around wasn't all he knew, right? Maybe he was trying to read my moves. I decided to test that...
I charged at him—head-on—with an ominous Cero rolling on my palm. His face hardened as he used his weapon to block himself as he held it horizontally. Then I pushed my palm at him with great force. Kurosaki used his sword to divide my Cero and his chest. Then I picked up speed and made the effort to force the Cero to push against the blade. This caused him to skid on the grass, leaving trails of brown soil. I pressed on him harder, so quickly that it surprised him.
With no option left, he finally decided to do something. "Getsuga Tenshou," he roared.
A red aura surrounded the edge of the blade. It flicked like lighting. Before I knew it, I was the one sliding back on the earth. I watched the red arch of light chase me, already touching my arms—which I used to cover my face—and my unprotected chest and abdomen. I felt the pain that stung as it dug through my flesh. Shit! I cursed. I was looking up at the sky now; then I realized it knocked me over. I was sure I smelled my flesh burning. With a quick jump, I got off the lawn to examine myself. A wide pink mark etched vertically across my arms, chest and abdomen. It felt like I was lit on fire there.
"Now that's what I'm talking about," I muttered and complacently grinned. I was right—he was holding back some power. But right now, he was going to pay for leaving this permanent scar on me.
I pointed a finger at him. "You're holding back, aren't you? Show me more of your abilities, Shinigami!"
"It won't. Be worth it," he said between pants.
"Are you underestimating me?" I demanded.
"What I mean is, you're not worth showing my full abilities. I might accidentally kill you anyways." He didn't sound like he as bluffing, he sounded like he was serious and confident about himself. But to my ears, he was trying to pull off stand-up comedy.
My ass he could finish me off. "I'll have to force you then," I stated. I knew that this was when the real battle started.
How long was this going to take? How many more hours have passed by? Though, it was thrilling to fight a Shinigami that held back great power. All my "forcing" had led him to using Bankai. Those red lightning attacks were five times bigger than their original size. I got cuts all over my body as his speed and strength increased. I was bleeding all over the place. He had burns in his body by my Cero, of course. I gave him a kick to the gut which caused two of his twiggy ribs to break. I wanted more action that was enough to cause me an adrenaline rush. This shit I was feeling now was nothing but a little excitement. I wanted to push him to the limit, and I knew exactly how to do that...
"Aren't you wondering what the girl has been doin' in Heuco Mundo since she came?" I asked between a punch to his face.
Kurosaki's neck snapped back and he landed on his stomach after he did a flip across the ground. "Wh-what?" he asked as he staggered on his feet.
"Being beaten into a plump."
This seemed to release more of his reiatsu. "What the hell did you just say?" he asked firmly through his teeth.
"All the chick does is chatter on about how badly she wants to be rescued." I gave him a sadistic smile.
His heart pulsed heavily, trying to break through his ribs. Kurosaki stared at me with deep animosity. Then he launched himself at me without thinking. Instead of dodging his swing at me, I grabbed hold of his Zampaktou again and threw it—along with him—through the air. Kurosaki landed on two feet after doing a sloppy cartwheel twice. I ran along the humid air like there were steps there and joined him above ground.
"Yeah, Shinigami! That's what I'm talking about! Those eyes! I hate those damn eyes! And that's why ya gotta die!" In lightning speed, I raced toward him with a dark laugh escaping my throat.
"Getsuga Tenshou!" he bellowed and sliced the space in front of him to form that same technique.
I faced my palm out to it and began to create a red Cero of my own, and continued to build it up until his Getsuga Tenshou made contact with it. It was his Zampaktou's very own power against my Cero. When the two energy forces touched, a great wave passed through us. It felt like my stomach lurched upward. Then I began to laugh wildly as my Cero won and blasted toward him; his eyes full of surprise. Kurosaki was pushed back to the ground like a meteorite. When he met the hard cement, there was a crater on the street made by the impact he brought. The other humans hurried away from the scene in haste of an invisible force, screaming.
I slowly drifted down toward him just to see that expression of disappointment drawn on his face. The concrete's particles created a mist-like sheet, covering him from meeting my gaze. Behind the cloud, his reiatsu busted through like a bomb thrown directly at me. I'll admit, I was appalled that he was keeping all that back. As the cloud of concrete particles cleared, there stood a new Kurosaki Ichigo...
On his face was a white Hollow's mask coloured in red patterns; his eyes were piercing gold. It was in the nick of time when I pulled out my Zampaktou, because his strength towards sinking his weapon into mine was great. I would have had been in two pieces. He slowly advanced on me as I struggled against this enormous strength.
"This is the secret power you have been dying to see. So, here you have it," he said in a peculiar voice.
I drew back to regain balance. The sense of adrenaline rush poured over me as I got enraptured by it. Then we clashed swords again in the form of an X.
"Sorry, Espada, but this is where you are finished," he said smugly.
After a nanosecond passed, he disappeared. Shit! He's too fast...
Then an over whelming pain branched out from my back. I began coughing out red blood; it smelled of salt and rust. I looked down to my chest to see the sight of Kurosaki Ichigo's blade through me.
A/N: I was able to use one of my favourite quotes from Grimmjow in this chapter! Yes, it was the "Yeah, Shinigami! That's what I'm talking about! Those eyes! I hate those damn eyes! And that's why ya gotta die!" one.