Okay, guys, here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long, but I hope you'll like it. I'm really enjoying writing it.
Chapter 13—Rage of the Mimic
Finding the rogue Reaper was easier that Koji thought; the pressure of his presence was too easily recognizable, to quickly found. They approached it carefully on the waterfront, just beneath the bridge. The Soul Reaper seemed to be captivated by the full moon—which looked relatively eerie to Koji, especially when it's light reflected from the water.
They approached cautiously, with the captains in the lead and Koji standing between them.. Rangiku and Rukia came up behind them, swords withdrawn and Sode No Shirayuki released.
The Soul Reaper's head turned and faced them as they approached, Koji keeping close to Komamura for moral support. He needed it, he was too afraid to do this alone. The Soul Reaper, dressed in a long black coat and black trousers, seemed more intimidating, now that they could see his face. He was young, with short, unkempt black hair and eyes the color of blood. Through his trouser's belt-loop was his zanpakuto.
"So you found me," the Soul Reaper murmured. "I'm surprised it took so long."
Hitsugaya's hand went to his sword. "We can do this one of two ways, rogue. You can come back to the Seireitei with us willingly, or we can cut off your limbs and drag you back."
"Really, little captain Hitsugaya?" the Soul Reaper chortled. "Do you really believe that's what's going to happen? I beat you easily last time. Can you defeat me now? The dog and the child hardly did any better."
Hitsugaya withdrew his zanpakuto and held it in front of him. "Bankai..."
A burst of cold air swirled around them, creating a small mist. When Koji looked, Captain Hitsugaya's shoulders had wings of ice attached and his limbs had been armored in the same ice. Hitsugaya pointed his sword at the Soul Reaper.
"You can't defeat me with the likes of a Bankai, but you're more than welcome to try, little captain," the Soul Reaper remarked as he drew his own sword. "Copy, Nomanake."
It happened nearly instantly. The Soul Reaper's zanpakuto released a same kind of mist as Hitsugaya's and when the mist was gone, the Soul Reaper had the same wings, the same icy armor, the same Bankai.
Hitsugaya charged...
It's time.
Koji drew his sword and Komamura dashed into the fray. It was captain-class combat, and he was interested to watch two captains duel with this Soul Reaper, but he had a job to do. He withdrew his sword.
"Flash, Hikari no Inu."
The sword flashed before it transformed into its Shikai and he took a bracing stance, the sword's tip pointed at the renegade Soul Reaper. The sword began to glow and Koji looked over at Rukia, who moved up to his side. She stabbed the ground four times in an arc in front of her.
"Tsugi no Mai: Hakuren."
"Hikari no Inu: Kessho."
Two similar waves of white energy—one of light and the other of ice—charged forward towards the captains and the rogue. Koji smiled; his plan could work. At the very last possible moment, Komamura and Hitsugaya jumped out of the way. The rogue turned... and was trapped. Two layers of material—ice and crystal—encased the rogue, his face frozen into fear. Koji's smile was so wide that it hurt. His plan had not only worked, it had worked perfectly.
"That's done with," Hitsugaya said. "Open a Senkaimon. We need to get him back to the Seireitei before he thaws."
"Take me back to the Seireitei?"
The voice—so hauntingly familiar—made them all look closer at the crystalline-ice prison. The rogue's face was no longer visible; a white and red Hollow-like mask covered his face... an earsplitting crack echoed through the dark night as the prison started to break...
And it shattered like glass, leaving the Soul Reaper standing there, Hollowfied and still with Captain Hitsugaya's Bankai.
"Really, now?" he mused, his voice distorted by the Hollowfication. "Did you really believe that you had enough power to stop me? My powers transcend that of Soul Reaper's, whether you are a captain or a lieutenant. And I still haven't shown you everything I have."
"A Resurrección?" Komamura asked.
"No," the Soul Reaper remarked. "The fact that a worm like you could irritate me to this extent and force to me to Hollowfy to kill you... That's enough for me to not hold back anymore, little doggy. You aren't worthy of Resurrección; I'll kill you here, Hollowfied. The question isn't 'Am I going to kill you'. The question is 'Who do I kill first'."
That mask, Koji thought fretfully. The body was different, but the mask was undeniable. His legs started to shake and his sword trembled in his unsteady hands. That was the mask of the Hollow who had killed his father.
The familiar fear of that day flooded him, the desire to run starting to overpower him. He couldn't move. He knew that, if he did, he would run away like a coward. He was too terrified by this Hollowfied Soul Reaper, too haunted by that memory.
"Komamura, we can't hold back," Hitsugaya stated. "We need to—"
It happened so quickly that Hitsugaya narrowly avoided it. The Soul Reaper's sword slashed just inches from his face and Hitsugaya jumped backward before taking flight, hovering above with surprise... blood dripped from the shallow cut on his nose.
Komamura attacked, and the Soul Reaper matched the captain's movements perfectly, blocking them, toying with him until, finally, he slashed. A quick, clinical move that slashed Komamura's shoulder. Like Hitsugaya, Komamura had only barely dodged a fatal blow by moving back and going upward.
Then the Soul Reaper's gaze turned on Koji.
"I know you," the Soul Reaper noted. "I remember that fear." He started to walk closer. "Ah, yes... Mimic's memory serves me well... He remembers the day he killed your father... Ten—no, eleven—years ago." He held his sword out. "That's right; you ran away like a coward... By the looks of it, you haven't changed... Wearing a Soul Reaper's uniform doesn't disguise your own cowardice."
He covered the distance almost immediately. Koji had stumbled backward and had fallen as the Soul Reaper's sword lifted.
"Once a coward, always a coward," the Soul Reaper noted.
Koji closed his eyes and waited for the final slash, the burst of pain that would accompany his death... It never came. He slowly opened his eyes... and sucked in his breath as droplets of blood fell onto him.
Captain Komamura loomed over him, his back slashed by the Soul Reaper's sword. The Soul Reaper had been forced back by Hitsugaya, Rukia, and Rangiku but it was too late. The captain had already been cut deeply and was barely standing as it was.
"Are you... alright?" Komamura inquired.
"Why did you...?"
The captain collapsed, having enough strength just to keep himself from crushing Koji. Koji hurriedly flipped him over, tears streaming down his face as he looked at Komamura's inert body...
Rage replaced fear and hatred replaced sanity... It happened too quickly. Koji could feel his own power spiking to an untouched high, and he turned. The others had noticed it too, and they were watching him carefully. His body began to glow with a bluish light... but it was dark, hateful, evil. He ran forward and slashed... slicing the rogue's shoulder. The rogue stumbled backward, and looked carefully; his wound was already healing visibly as the skin stitched itself back together...
The sun started to rise.
Light began to slowly bring life back to the sky, and the rogue looked up; it was impossible to tell his expression behind the mask.
"We'll finish this later."
He lifted his hand and snapped; the very air seemed to open up into a dark void. Koji ran forward once more, but hte rogue slipped into the Garganta and was gone, the Garganta closing behind him. Koji tripped as he slashed at the air where the rogue's head had been, and fell (face-forward) onto the grass.
"Forget him," Hitsugaya ordered, his Banaki melting away now. "We need to tend to Komamura."
They moved over to the captain and Koji had only one thought: This is my fault.
Well, there's Chapter 13, for my favorite people. Enjoy, read, and, if possible, review, because Chapter 14 should be up no later than the end of this week. Might upload it as a Thanksgiving present to my wonderful readers.