Title: Dysfunctional Camaraderie
Pairing: IchiHichi
Disclaimer: Not my compooper
Summary of Chapter: The mysterious Serpiente causes some chaos…
A/N: Yo! Today there aren't any reply to reviews since I've literally got only 2 minutes on this compooper and the teacher is glaring at me cause other people need it for Art.
Give a large round of applause for Na for Beta-ing it and making it decent! Thanks Na!
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"Ichigo, I'm simply trying to help you..."
Gold eyes glittered malevolently; a grin bordering on maniacal stretching the nine years old's face. "Feh. Like Hell ya are. King's-a sleepin' at th' moment, but I'm sure if ya leave a message I'll-a deliver it for ya."
Stupid idiots. The lot of them. They thought that their pointy sharp needles and little white pills would keep him away from his Little King. Crammed into that suffocating dark he was able to claw his way out and back to the sobbing, crying King, medications be damned. King wants, needs, him.
One word from Little King and he'd rip this idiot's throat out with his teeth.
"Look...uh...Hichigo, you've attacked an orderly-"
"Bastard deserved it. He tried ta hurt King."
The Doctor pinched the bridge of his nose. "The injections are part of the medication to heal 'King', Hichigo; don't you want King to get better?"
The golden eyed child's lips curled in a predator like smile, white teeth flashing. "Who says he's sick?" he said in a low purr, eyes gleaming unnaturally under the florescent lights. "He's perfect just the way he is." That...thing was mocking him, the Doctor could feel it.
This other personality gave the Doctor chills; he was eerily intelligent with predator like eyes only seen on ruthless psychopathic killers. The grin - which could be passed off as pleasant - was more of a show of teeth with an ominous unnatural shadow flickering behind molten gold irises. The psychiatrist couldn't stop the shudder that crawled over his skin when those golden eyes pinned him down.
"King…" Came the soft murmur from the golden eyed child. "Is perfect. He's the sun. Unlike me who's a…"
"A?"
The child's posture changed slightly, and though the Doctor knew that the straitjacket was on tight and that - really - a nine year old couldn't kill an adult bigger and stronger than himself, primal instincts screamed at him that this child - this unnatural child - was a predator and to flee or hide. He fought down the sudden upheaval of forgotten instincts, the child's golden eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Monster." The demon version of Icarus, the golden eyed child mused to himself. Holding the bright Little King in the palms of his hands and his wings turning into dust, he wanted to keep that sun all to himself. The child's eyes hardened. All his.
"You are not a monster, Hichigo." Though a small voice in the back of the Doctor's head hissed otherwise.
The child merely smiled innocently, golden eyes shining brightly.
"No. I'm a Knight in shinin' white armour."
EPISODE #05: RUMBA
Hichigo was once again in possession of Ichigo's corporal body.
It had been no easy task, mind you. It took an hour of squabbling, ten rounds of Rock, Paper, Scissors - in which Ichigo claimed that the albino Hollow was cheating - and a threat by the Hollow of singing that annoying ditty from the advert with the soda can in it continuously on loop until Ichigo gave up control to him.
Three verses into the song and Ichigo surrendered.
The reason why Hichigo was so adamant about being in control?
Because his King was so out of it he tripped down the stairs and almost gave himself a concussion. He did not want to die yet, especially in a stupid ass way.
This was also the reason why the Hollow possessed teen was locked in a staring contest with the toaster. Amber eyes narrowed in a suspicious glare, Hichigo stood in the centre of the kitchen, unmoving as he stared relentlessly at the innocent electrical appliance.
King's amusement was palpable. "It's a toaster, Hollow."
The light reflected off the shiny white plastic covering almost mockingly. "No...It's laughin' at me, King." His eyes narrowed further into slits, crossing his arms in an attempt to look more intimidating.
"...Yes, Hollow, it is laughing at you." This mental statement almost dripped with sarcasm as he felt King's presence push to the forefront of his mind, the mental messages becoming clearer. "Look at it; it's mocking you by simply being inanimate." Teasing laughter filtered down their innovative link making the Hollow grit his teeth.
"Shaddup." He groused under his breath, turning away and meeting the slightly worried eyes of Karin. Hichigo paused as a prickly silence befell the two, the younger Kurosaki sibling's left eyebrow hitching upwards.
"Are you okay, Ichigo?"
Ignoring King's groan the Hollow possessed teen nodded, face carefully blank. "Yeah. I'm fine." There was another pregnant pause between the two before Karin shook her head slowly and ambled away from the kitchen, mumbling something about weird older brothers.
"Great, now Karin thinks I'm insane." Ichigo sighed. Hichigo sneered, exiting the kitchen and heading into the hallway towards the entrance.
"Everyone already thinks yer insane, King, so not much change there." As he walked out of the automatic glass doors and a little ways down the street, a sudden increase of spirit pressure in the atmosphere caused the Hollow possess teen to lurch to a halt. "What-?"
"Ichigo!"
The call went unnoticed to the Hollow as did Ichigo's curious questioning. Hichigo narrowed amber eyes to the west, hairs on the back of his neck prickling as his instincts screamed at him that a 'threat' was near. "Who...?"
"Ichigo!" Tugging at his arm made him jerk, turning startled bronze eyes at a panting Rukia. Blue eyes flickered upwards, mouth open to speak before she froze. "Ichi...go...?" Suspicion tainted her cerulean gaze and the Hollow possessed teen rolled his eyes.
"Jeez, I'll get 'im for ya already." The albino Hollow scoffed, switching places with King so abruptly that Ichigo swayed dangerously, momentarily dazed by the sudden change. "Whoa." Rukia's death grip on his arm prevented him from an embarrassing fall on his rear.
"Ichigo," She decided to leave the fact that the substitute Shinigami's inner Hollow was wandering about in his body alone for the moment. "'Nii-sama is here, and he was informed about the...thing that happened a few days ago by the IS." She paused. "He told me to tell you to keep a low profile for a while, since he wasn't the only captain informed about it." Noticing the redhead's anxious look she shook her head. "The 12th Division Captain hasn't been informed."
Well that was a relief at least. "Well, there haven't been any Hollow attacks lately, so that shouldn't be a problem." He shrugged, not at all concerned. "And I doubt the same thing will happen twice, right?"
Rukia nodded and turned to leave. "Well, I guess I'll-"
The rest of Rukia's statement was cut off by Ichigo's inner Hollow suddenly scrambling for control as he shrieked loudly down their link, "THREAT AT 5:00!" The sudden assault on his control and the warning made him reflexively grip Rukia's slim wrist and leap in some random direction that wasn't where they currently were. The female Shinigami's shout of surprise was drowned out by a massive explosion that obliterated the area they had been standing in; as debris rained down on the street, Ichigo - still struggling to maintain control - dragged Rukia further away from the epicentre of the explosion and gripped the Spirit Medallion tightly in one hand.
"Where the - stop fighting, Hollow - hell did that come from?!" Within the dust cloud from the explosion, crimson eyes glittered back at Ichigo sadistically. "Damn."
Raising the Spirit Medallion he shot out a quick, "Look after my body, Rukia," before slamming it onto his chest, his corporal body falling into Rukia's expectant arms and Ichigo in Shinigami garb swinging Zangetsu before him and at the silhouette in the dust cloud.
"I don't know who or what you are, but attacking from behind was a cheap shot." He was able to beat down the Hollow's attempt for control and focus entirely on the new threat, seeing Rukia drag his body and herself away from the Dangerzone in his peripheral vision. His eyes trailed down the street slightly. Damn, still too close to home. Hope my family doesn't try to investigate...
"Ichigo Kurosaki."
His bronze eyes snapped back to his opponent with unnerving speed.
The figure stepped out of the fading dust cloud, white waist length hair tinted a slight earthy brown from the explosion. "I have been searching for you." Rustic orbs glittered malevolently in black sclera, a crimson patterned ivory Hollow mask shaped in a way similar to that of a masquerade shielding the top half of his face from view.
Ichigo's eyes were drawn to the round hole directly where his heart should be. "Who the Hell...?"
Hoarse laughter made the redhead substitute Shinigami grip his Zanpaktou tighter. The mysterious figure raised his own weapon, a strange kunai with a weighted chain. "This is Veneno, and I am the 78th Arrancar, Serpiente. That's all you need to know, Kurosaki."
'Veneno's' blade was two feet long, an ebony black curved kunai with an ominous razor sharp edge. The weighted chain seemed, from Ichigo's vantage point, to be roughly four meters long - bad news for someone who used close combat such as himself - with the sharpened edges dripping a dark green viscous fluid. Ichigo didn't need his inner Hollow's hisses of caution to know that coming in contact with the fluid would be bad. Especially when it began eating through the pavement.
Any further observation of his opponent and weapon was abruptly halted when Ichigo had to rip off the Matrix to avoid being castrated.
Byakuya and Hitsugaya's heads snapped in the same direction at the explosion of Spirit pressures emanating from near the substitute Shinigami's home. A second later and Hitsugaya was out of his seat and running out of café that the two captains had met in - in their gigais of course - with Byakuya hot on his heels.
Halfway down the street they were ambushed by a large group of Hollows, a bestial Vasto Lorde in the lead. Explosions cleared the street quickly of bystanders and the lion-like Vasto Lorde stepped forward, grinning hungrily.
"WELL, WELL, I WAS HOPING FOR A LITTLE SNACK!"
Byakuya's blank face twisted into a barely perceptible frown. "Kurosaki can hold his own, correct?" The sixth Division captain asked, already procuring a gikongan.
Hitsugaya grimaced, his own gikongan halfway to his mouth. "Yeah. But it would've helped if my team and Abarai-fukutaichou hadn't had to go back to the Seireitei today!"
The two gigais with the gikongan fled the scene leaving the two Captains facing off against a horde of Hollows and one Vasto Lorde. Hitsugaya unsheathed his Zanpaktou. "Think we can take them?" He drawled derisively.
Byakuya raised his Zanpaktou, a flash of humour flickering in his grey eyes momentarily as he took in the reinforcements plummeting from countless Gargantua's in the sky. "If one more shows up I'm not sure." A snort was his answer as Hitsugaya made room. "At least leave some for me."
Byakuya didn't answer. "Scatter-"
Sado slugged another Hollow in the face as it came too close, the large Mexican examining the almost infinite horde of Hollows crawling out of everywhere - the ground, the sky, alleyways - with his usual emotionless face. "There are a lot." He pointed out simply to his orange haired female companion as another Hollow bit the dust via an armoured punch to the face.
Orihime nodded as her shield blocked what could've been a fatal attack to her mid section by a bigger then average rhino Hollow. "I hope Ichigo is okay."
The two humans were cornered by the canal, amphibious Hollows crawling from the bubbling water spitting out harmful looking fluid which splattered harmlessly on an orange field erected by Orihime. With only Tsubaki and Sado's fist as the offensive power, they were slowly being overrun.
A screaming bolt of blue cut through the static air as the rhino Hollow died in a burst of azure, releasing a final dying screech. A heartbeat after, Ishida squeezed between the large Mexican and Orihime, shooting off more energy bolts. "Have either of you seen that idiot, Kurosaki?"
Sado delivered a haymaker to another attacking Hollow, shaking his head in negative. "No."
The Quincy scowled in irritation, from either the missing substitute Shinigami or the dirt that had just been splattered onto his glasses was unknown. "Well isn't he useful?" He practically snarled, roughly wiping off his glasses.
The Hollows just kept swarming in.
This is just insane! Ichigo thought frantically as he nimbly evaded another quicksilver strike that seemingly came from nowhere; it didn't help that he also had to avoid attacking Hollows as they flanked him, though Rukia was handling them from interfering pretty well.
"Are you getting tired, Kurosaki!?" Came the cruel laughter of the Arrancar, the kunai breezing just past his right cheek. He could feel his skin burning from the dark green fluid as droplets spattered onto his cheek. "I thought you were faster than this?!"
His inner Hollow was thankfully silent, broken only by the occasional warning that saved him from suffering a missing limb or severe wound. He quickly twisted in midair and did a somersault to avoid being sliced open from the shoulder to groin.
"BAN-!"
The whistling of a blade slicing through air cut him off and he moved again, cursing loudly to himself. Dammit! Can't he back off for a little bit! As he rolled from another strike his footing slipped on some loose stones, throwing him off balance and into the line of fire.
"Oh shit."
The blade sunk into his torso, but that wasn't the problem. Agony flared from where the blade buried itself into soft flesh, fire igniting in his veins and scorching its way throughout his body. He didn't know when he started screaming, but it must've been around the same time that phantom, dulled rusted blades tore into his skin and shredded through muscle, the air in his lungs evaporating from the searing heat and the crushing agony around his heart as it beat faster and faster with adrenaline, threatening to collapse as the
painpainpainpainpainohgodthepainmakeitstopmakeitstoppleasepleasepleasestopitstopitstopit-
Then freezing cold ripped through his body, leaving him gasping for air on the dusty ruined pavement as the blade wrenched free from his side, taking the searing burning agony with it. He could only pant, fingers scrabbling at the rough surface for traction. When...how did I get on the ground...?
He could faintly hear his inner Hollow scream at him, but the sound buzzed oddly, like bad static on an old radio, and the whole world was off kilter; the sky above, peeks of blue between closing Gargantua and falling Hollows, swirled dizzyingly, and muted sounds of battling reached his deafened ears.
The Arrancar was talking, so Ichigo forced himself to focus on the rising and falling noise, but his mind refused to cooperate properly and make sense of the words and the world continued to swirl.
"...Veneno...lity...po...ony...par...zed...st...ions..."
He wheezed, rolling himself onto his stomach and tried to push himself off the ground on violently trembling arms. The Hell...did he...do...? They buckled beneath his weight and he landed face first on the gritty surface, choking on air as his body refused to function normally.
His mind registered the whistling of a blade and he immediately renewed his efforts, a burst of adrenaline enabling him to scramble onto his knees. Unfortunately he was too slow and the kunai buried itself deep into his back, bringing with it the agonizing pain once again.
He screamed a second time, collapsing onto the pavement as molten flames seared his insides and the phantom knives ripped through his flesh and muscle. He writhed in agony for what seemed like an eternity before the blade was forcibly yanked from his back and a very familiar distorted voice roared in anger.
He lay panting, fuzzily hearing a three way argument before a washed-out black nailed hand gripped his shoulder and rolled him over roughly; causing him to cry out in pain when the wound on his back collided excruciatingly with a rock protruding from the ruined pavement.
Blinking the cobwebs from his mind and fighting off the black spots in his vision, he was somewhat surprised to see annoyed golden eyes glaring at him.
He didn't know how he came to be separated from King and not in his inner world, vying for control, but at that moment, he didn't quite care.
He glared at his King blinking somewhat stupidly, limbs twitching from the torture Serpinto or whatever his name was inflicted. The female Shinigami shouted at him but her attention was quickly diverted to the attacking Hollows. He sighed.
"Who...are you!?" Serpentindo snarled, swinging the kunai in a centrifugal arc with the weighted chain. Hichigo gave a feral grin at the unnerved Arrancar.
"Well...I ain't really got my own name but...ya could call me Hichigo if ya want." He turned his interest back to his King only to see that he had conked out. "Tch. Bastard."
A low growl and the whistling was the only warning he got as Hichigo reacted purely on instinct.
Easily scooping up his comatose King into his arms he leapt away, golden eyes roving the battlefield for the fallen Zangetsu. Tch. That idiot! Droppin' 'is weapon like that! He jerked his head to avoid having his cheek sliced open and quickly ducked as the blade returned.
Sientipo chuckled, the kunai once again spinning in a centrifugal arc. "You can't keep dodging forever, Hichigo, you'll slip up like Kurosaki there." The Arrancar pulled his arm back.
Hichigo grinned, legs tensing. "Well, we'll jus' see won't we?" The faint whistling signalled the attack and the albino Hollow narrowly avoided the ebony blade, cringing in pain when the viscous green fluid stung his cheek as droplets flew from the passing blade.
The albino Hollow had to resort to avoiding the lightning fast movements of the kunai with an armful of Ichigo and Zangetsu-less. He ignored the burning ache in his arms from carrying his King whilst twisting, ducking, sidestepping, and Shunpo-ing from the poisoned blade's path, unable to get close enough to attack - not that he could without a weapon and holding King - or flee, his escape route always getting blocked by a Hollow or Serpietro's Veneno.
Being forced to pull off intricate footwork and unrealistic flips to keep up with Hichigo, the Arrancar was steadily getting more and more infuriated; the mocking grins and catcalls the albino Hollow was sending his way didn't help matters either. "Fancy footwork won't save you!" he called angrily.
"Keheheheheheh! Well, I've always wanted ta be a Dance Instructor!" Hichigo cackled as he hopped over the kunai and quickly brought his foot down, locking the chain in place under his foot and causing the blade to clatter onto the ruined pavement. "Oops."
The Arrancar fruitlessly pulled Veneno's chain, but it wouldn't budge underneath the albino Hollow's black sandaled foot. "Damn you! Why do you want to save Kurosaki!? You're a Hollow! You should be following Aizen-sama's orders!"
The albino Hollow simply adjusted Ichigo in his arms and sneered. "Ya see, bastard, I'm King's Hollow, not Aizen-teme's, and... I'm the one who will kill King! Not some albino psycho freak!"
The Arrancar snarled and tossed Veneno's chain aside. "You leave me no choice!" The masquerade Hollow mask began to creep over the rest of his face and the albino Hollow swore, eyes flickering to Zangetsu who was far too close to Serpiento for comfort.
At that moment, however, a flash of white reflected the sunlight and the Arrancar's mask shattered, Serpiente giving a scream of pain before dissolving into spirit particles. A panting Rukia sheathed her Zanpaktou, glaring at the spot the Arrancar had previously occupied.
"Tch. I coulda handled 'im." The albino Hollow whined, shifting the unconscious Ichigo in his arms. A disbelieving look was all he received and Hichigo scowled in response. "I could..."
The albino Hollow stiffened when he felt the cool metal of a Zanpaktou press against the back of his neck, his grip tightening almost possessively round the still unconscious Ichigo. He kept his gaze on the female Shinigami before him however, the maniacal smile still plastered across his alabaster face as he greeted the attacker. "Yo."
"So you're Kurosaki's inner Hollow."
The pressure of the blade lessened the on the back of his neck and Hichigo took that as a sign to turn around. He blinked when he saw no one at eye level, looked around then looked down.
A disgruntled Hitsugaya glared up at him, the tip of Hyorinmaru disturbingly close to the albino Hollow's jugular. "Oh, hey Midget. Didn't see ya at first." Hichigo loosened his grip slightly on the eldest Kurosaki sibling in his arms. "A little late?"
The 'Midget's' eyes narrowed into slits at the degrading nickname. "Don't call me Midget, Hollow." Was the cold warning. "What happened to Kurosaki?"
As Rukia joined the duo Hichigo gave a wide shit-eating grin. "Ah! Ya see, th' bastard Serpindento or sumthin'-"
"Serpiente." Rukia helpfully injected.
"-whatever, used his freaky weapon, Veneno that did...sumthin'..." His pale eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Not sure, hurt a lot though." He adjusted Ichigo in his arms again. "Then I somehow got outta King's inner world and kicked Serpietro-"
"Serpiente."
"-Yeah, Serpiente's ass." He nodded.
Hitsugaya eyed him for a few seconds, obviously looking for some grain of deceit before grudgingly nodding. "...Kuchiki-taichou went on patrol throughout the city after we were ambushed." The young Captain lowered his Zanpaktou but did not sheath it. "Apparently, you were attacked as well."
Hicihgo hummed. "Tha' means King's friends were prob'ly eaten or killed."
Rukia shot a flat look at the grinning Hollow. "There is no need to sound so happy."
"Anyway," The young Captain interrupted. "What I'm getting at is that this was a planned invasion, most likely by the traitor, Aizen."
"Well, they didn' plan th' attack very well, eh?" The albino Hollow snorted contemptuously. He adjusted Ichigo in his arms again. Man was King heavy.
Hitsugaya noticed the movement and raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to place him back into his body?"
"I would if I knew where 'is body was." Dammit, his arms were beginning to cramp. "Yo, female Shinigami! Where is it?" Rukia sighed and wandered away, presumably towards her gigai and Icihgo's body. "This way."
The young Captain followed the conscious two, noticing the lack of the behemoth Zanpaktou usually located on the substitute Shinigami's person. "Where is your weapon?" He asked, looking around the battlefield and spotting it a little ways away.
"Oh, yeah, Zangetsu. Can ya get the old man for us, Midget?" Hichigo shouted over his shoulder, ignoring the snarl Hitsugaya sent his way. "Thanks kid." He snickered quietly to himself when the young Captain's reiatsu spiked angrily.
As the young Captain struggled with Zangetsu who was a good foot taller than him - the weight was no problem but he wasn't going to hold it aloft like some idiot - Hichigo was slightly bothered (not worried) by the fact that he couldn't hear anything from King's end of their newly awakened mental link.
The dark green fluid that coated Veneno's blade coated the wounds on Ichigo, the poison mixing with the blood staining the albino Hollow's shihaksho an almost blackish colour; the broken skin around the wounds looked raw as the poison burned the skin, but didn't eat through it - which was strange as when the fluid splattered onto the pavement it ate through the pavement similar to that of hydrochloric acid.
So no, Hichigo wasn't at all worried for King, even when the redhead's skin gained a slight chill though his face was flushed.
Admittedly, he was ready to go into a slight panic when he began to feel the effects of the poison himself.
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Hope y'all enjoyed!