This chapter delay has been brought to you by: insurance issues, buying a new car, trying to re-negotiate my hours at work, the new semester at college, the weddings of two friends, a really boring filler arc, the (hopefully) temporary death of my computer (I am currently writing this on my sister's laptop...), losing the pen drive containing my backups, and frantically attempting to finish eight or so cosplays in the week before a con. And lots of writer's block. (And then NaNoWriMo hit, and all progress at our house was brought to a halt in favor of "daily wordcount.") On the plus side, I watched a lot of Bleach for inspiration, and therefore got 100% on my Japanese final! So all was not lost.
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If he doesn't finish this confrontation quickly, the King might be able to regain control, and all of the hollow's careful planning will have been for nothing.
And then he stops for a moment, his smile returning slowly.
There is more than one way to end a battle. And more than one way to break someone.
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Ichigo pounds on the barrier with his fist, knowing his efforts are futile but unwilling to give up. He has tried everything he can think of, but the hollow's plan seems foolproof; the barrier remains undamaged, no matter what he attempts. He punches the wall once more, then drops his hand, leaning against the wall with a sigh of desperation. He can feel the wrongness fizzing against his skin like static, but all he can think of is her. Rukia...
Biting his lip, he glances again at the pictures playing across the screen before him. A sudden movement catches his eye-Shirayuki slices the air, ice crystals glimmering in her wake-and he flinches, grimacing as flashes of the hollow's consciousness flicker across his mind. Half-formed words whisper in his ears; he can't quite make out what is being said, but the voices are unmistakeable.
It's always like this, he thinks, self-hatred echoing through his mind. I always try to save her, but somehow I can never seem to... I always need someone else's help. Ishida, Inoue, Chad, Renji, Ganju, Hanatarou... None of them are here now, and even if they were, what would they do? There's no one who can help me now...
And then he stops, looking up at the scene before him as an idea begins to form in his mind. There is someone here who can help him...
All he has to do now is wait for her to give him a chance.
Stepping back, he watches the hollow swing Zangetsu toward Rukia; she brings up her blade to block the strike, grimacing with the effort of holding him back. The hollow leans forward, smiling at her, then shoves her backward against the curb. Ichigo winces as she stumbles, then gasps as the hollow vanishes from the scene. Ichigo surges forward, intent on warning her, then realizes how foolish he is acting. It's not as if she can hear him...
The hollow reappears behind her, and Ichigo's eyes widen as she spins, releasing one of her binding spells before the hollow has a chance to react. Ichigo's heart starts pounding; this could be just the chance he's been waiting for...
Rukia walks toward the hollow; Ichigo cannot hear the words he says, watching intently as she reaches up to touch the hollow's face-his own face-and he knows that now is the time to strike.
He draws Zangetsu and walks forward; he lunges, burying the blade deep into the barrier as his own name reverberates around him.
The hollow's smile has faltered, and Ichigo thinks he knows why. If Zangetsu links the two of them, then the hollow isn't the only one who can use that link.
Smiling grimly, he concentrates on Rukia. Her face, her voice; the way she can always cheer him up, the way she knows when he needs to be alone; the way he needs to help her, to protect her, and the way she lets him help even when she doesn't need it; the feelings he has when he looks at her-respect, pride, hope, peace, love--
The moment passes, and he is left gasping from the intensity of his feelings for her. Why hadn't he realized before how much she meant to him?
Ichigo bites his lip and pushes this to the back of his mind. When he gets out of here-when he saves her-he will have time to reconsider this. Now, however, all he can afford to think of is regaining control.
Shoving the blade deeper into the pool, he focuses all his power upon his own body, willing it to move under his own commands. And slowly, so slowly, he opens his own eyes...
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The hollow shakes himself out of his thoughts, careful to keep the smile off his face. He feels the King beginning to retake their body, little by little, but the hollow has a new plan, one that no longer hinges on maintaining complete control. In fact, this is exactly what the hollow wants.
Rukia still stands before them, but her hands on their face have begun trembling with fatigue. The hollow feels a rush of elation; this battle should be over soon, one way or another. And he is determined to end it in his favor.
The hollow feels the pressure building in his mind, and knows that the King is beginning to regain control. It's time to set his plan into action.
He closes their eyes...
And Ichigo opens them.
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Rukia gasps as the hollow's reiatsu pulses around her, jagged and sickening. Her breath catches as the pressure builds, but she is beginning to sense something else beneath the crushing strength; Ichigo's reiatsu is rising rapidly, and she can feel it begin to overpower the sensation holding her in place. Her eyes flick upward, and hope rises within her chest with dizzying rapidity. The black is receding from Ichigo's eyes.
Her lips part in wonder as the yellow darkens to familiar brown, as the smirk fades from his face. And although she can still feel the hollow's presence, the person standing before her is unmistakably Ichigo.
He blinks once, twice, then looks down at her. His eyes widen, and a sudden blush spreads across his cheeks as he realizes how close the two of them are standing. Rukia's smile turns to a grin; yes, this is definitely him.
Ichigo begins to speak, voice cracking, then clears his throat and tries again. "Ano, Rukia... could you, um, drop the spell, please?"
Startled, Rukia pulls her hands off his face; her own cheeks begin to burn. Stepping away from him, she releases the reiatsu binding him in place, swaying slightly as her exertion begins to catch up with her. Within moments, Ichigo is there to support her, preventing her from falling. She clutches his arm for a moment, then regains her balance and lets go. Silence falls for a moment, the two shinigami carefully refusing to look at each other.
Ichigo is the first to speak. "Rukia, I..." he begins, then bites his lip. "I don't..."
And then he gasps, hand flying to his head as the hollow's reiatsu flares again. He backs into the nearest wall, doubling over as if in pain; Rukia looks up at him and gasps, horror building within her as bits of bone begin to creep across the left side of Ichigo's face.
She takes a hesitant step toward him, unsure of what she can do to help. Her reiatsu is severely depleted, and exhaustion is beginning to set in; she doubts she will be able to raise her sword for much longer. And she doesn't know how long she can stand to fight against the hollow while he wears Ichigo's face.
His body tenses; heartsick, she draws her sword once again as he turns toward her. Moving with astonishing speed, he readjusts his grip on Zangetsu's hilt and swings the blade toward her. She blocks the blow, but the force behind it throws her backward and she lands hard on the pavement, the breath knocked from her lungs. He slashes again, and she barely manages to block in time, raising her sword above her head. He presses down and she tries to maintain her grip on Shirayuki's hilt, but her wrist gives way and the sword falls from her grasp, landing on the ground beside her as Zangetsu's tip slices deep into her arm. Rukia gasps at the bite of cold steel; her vision wavers, but she can still see Ichigo-no, this isn't him, he would never want this-withdraw his sword. A feral smile spreads across his face, and the hollow swings Ichigo's blade toward her unprotected throat. Rukia tries to roll away from him, but her strength is spent. Steeling herself, she closes her eyes, waiting for the kiss of the blade as the hollow ends her life.
It doesn't come.
Her eyes open and she blinks, clearing her vision. Zangetsu is mere inches from her throat. Her gaze travels up the blade to its wielder, and she gasps. Ichigo is once again fighting for dominance, his fingers curled around the mask that has formed over his features. As she watches, transfixed, the mask begins to crumble, dissolving in the wind as Ichigo pulls it free. As soon as the last fragments dissipate, Ichigo drops to his knees. Rukia pushes herself up, ignoring the pain in her injured arm and shoulder, and crawls over to his side.
Ichigo is breathing hard, and the battle is still raging in his eyes; the left one is almost completely black, and the iris is fading to yellow. Reaching up, Rukia grabs his shoulders and pulls herself up so they are face-to-face. She bites her lip, then forces herself to speak.
"Ichigo, I know you can do this. I know you can win! I believe in you..."
He turns toward her, and her voice trails off. His face is pained, his eyes despairing as he looks at her and lifts his right arm toward her, Zangetsu clutched firmly in his hand.
"Rukia, please. I'm begging you... Kill me. It's the only way you can stop him for good."
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I really thought I would be able to end it in this chapter.
Next one will be the last.
Definitely.
I hope...