Chapter 12:
Normal POV
The real Roxas charged at the fake Roxas, who stood there smirking. He flash-stepped behind the real Roxas and tried to swing Oathkeeper at him. Roxas whirled around and landed a clean blow with Oblivion and Oathkeeper. The fake Roxas stood his ground and lunged at the real Roxas once more. The real Roxas swung Oathkeeper at him, striking him hard on the back. The fake Roxas turned around and swung Oathkeeper at him only to hit air as the real Roxas ran in back of him as swung Oblivion at him, throwing him across the room.
While Roxas was busy fighting his clone, Ichigo and Axel dealt with Aizen. Ichigo swung his humongous sword at Aizen, who easily dodged his attack. Axel threw one of his Chakrams at Aizen, who jumped up avoiding the attack. While in mid-air Axel threw his other Chakram at Aizen, which got a good hit on his arm. Taking no notice of his wound, he swung his sword at Ichigo who met match with it. Aizen swung his sword at Ichigo again but he met match with it once more.
Axel lit his Chakrams ablaze and threw them at Aizen. Aizen had barely enough time to turn his head slightly and duck low, avoiding the blazing Chakrams. Axel caught his Chakrams as Ichigo attempted to swing his sword at Aizen once more. Aizen flash-stepped next to Axel and swung his sword at Axel. Axel tried to dodge but Aizen was too swift, the blade slashed against his arm. Axel dropped one of his Chakrams and gripped his injured arm. While defenseless, a small red dot began to charge up in the palm of Aizen's hand.
"Cero," Aizen whispered as he fried the red beam at Axel.
Suddenly, Axel saw the room zoom past him in a blur. He turned around and saw Rukia standing behind him, holding onto the hood of his coat. Axel smiled at her as he stood up again.
"Thanks, I owe ya one, Rukia," Axel thanked.
"No problem, once we finish this you can re-pay me," Rukia replied.
Roxas's POV
I was still dealing with my annoying double. The fake Roxas was covered in scratches as his trip across the room. He swung his Keyblade at me, hoping to draw blood. I dodged and swung Oblivion at the fake Roxas. He whirled around and met match me as he held out his hand as a red dot began building up in his hand.
Crap! I thought as I jumped up, avoiding the attack.
I flipped in mid-air and dove at the fake Roxas. I caught him off guard and swung Oblivion at his head, knocking him to the ground. The fake Roxas stood up and wiped the blood off his chin. He began to charge at me and disappeared before my eyes. I turned around and scanned the room for him. Losing sight of him was dangerous because if had the abilities of these people then he could catch me off guard and-
"Over here!" A voice called.
Before I had the chance to turn around I felt some slam into my back almost knocking me over. Before I could react, again I saw Roxas flash in front of me and smack me with Oathkeeper. I fell backwards and landed hard on the floor. I turned my head to the side and coughed up blood. I felt cool metal brush against my throat; I looked up and saw the fake Roxas standing above with his Keyblade against my throat. He had a creepy smirk on his face and his blue eyes were filled with the thought of killing (In fact I think I'm going to have nightmares about this for MONTHS, if I live that is).
"Good luck in hell!" He yelled at me as he swung Oathkeeper at my throat.
I shut my eyes as his Keyblade struck my throat. I felt myself drift away as if I was dead. I opened my eyes and found myself lying on the floor beside Zexion. I stood up shakily beside him and examined the fake Roxas. Ice had crept up his arm and legs, keeping him frozen in place.
"Thanks Zexion," I told him. "What do you plan on doing now?" I asked him as I gripped Oblivion's handle.
"Attack!" Zexion replied shooting a fireball at the fake Roxas.
The fake Roxas could only gasp in horror before the fireball landed a direct hit on him. He screamed out in pain and held onto the side of his face with his free hand. I charged at him and swung my Keyblade at him. He held up his free hand and tried to shoot a weak red beam at me. I easily sidestepped to the left avoiding it and landed a hard hit on the fake Roxas's shoulder. He yelled out in pain once more as the ice around his legs cracked and broke. The fake Roxas fell over clutching his, now bleeding shoulder.
He looked like he was in terrible condition. Charcoal black splotches covered the left side of his face and he had dried blood all over his shoulder. Scratches also decorated him from head to toe. His blue eyes were filled with rage and pain from his wounds.
"You, Roxas, are going to die here and now along with your pathetic friends!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as became cloaked in a pale white light.
Aizen smirked as a HUGE explosion shook the room. The group could only gasp in horror as the fake Roxas formed into the most gruesome monster they had laid their eyes upon. It was white with black burn marks on the left side of its face and at least twelve feet tall! Its blood-red eyes stared at us angrily and a long jet-black stripe ran from the top of its head to the tip of its tail. He tossed his head back and let out an ear-splitting howl.
Aizen smirked at the monster before he turned back to us. "Good luck," He told us before he disappeared.
Ichigo charged at the monster and swung his sword at it, sending a blue shock wave at it. He monster roared before it shot a red beam at Ichigo. Ichigo gasped as he disappeared and re-appeared beside Rukia. Rukia quickly drew her sword and ran into front of the beast.
"Dance Sode No Shiroyuki!" She yelled as a circle of white appeared beneath the monster. "Tsukishiro!" She yelled.
The monster didn't have a chance to do anything as ice began to creep up its leg. It tried to wiggle free of the ice, but it quickly crept up its arms and neck. The monster let out another loud howl before it became completely incased in a column of ice. The ice stood still for a few moments before it cracked and broke apart into billions of pieces. Rukia smirked but her joy didn't last long. The monster suddenly re-appeared right before our eyes!
"What?" Rukia screamed. "I thought that Tsukishiro took care of it!" She exclaimed.
"I guess it didn't," Ichigo agreed in shock as well.
I saw Demyx back up in fear, remembering his last encounter with a hollow. I saw Axel and Zexion were also looking a bit scared, I can understand why. Out of all of the missions I've went on, I've never encountered anything like this. I took a step back as it howled once more before it attacked me. It swung its mighty tail at me; I jumped up barely missing it. I jumped up and swung Oblivion at its chest. The monster roared out in pain as it swiped at me with its tail again, throwing me against the wall. I chocked up a mouthful of blood as the monster wrapped its tail around my body and squeezes it tight.
I try to free myself from its death grip, but its tail crushed me with what feels like a ton! Draws in a simple breath is getting harder and harder as it continues to constrict me. I start to black out as the monster smirked at me, reveling its gruesome pointed teeth. I see a blur of blue slice through the tail as the world turns black and I faint.
"Roxas, are you okay?" A voice asks me.
I see the blurry outline of Axel I begin to stir. It feels like there's a lead weight on my chest as everything continues to clear up. Axel and Demyx are beside with concerned expressions on their faces. One of the sleeves of Demyx's coat is ripped off and Axel has dried blood all over his shoulder.
"Yeah…" I replied just talking hurts my chest. "What's going on?"
"We're hitting at it with everything we've got," Axel answered. "Ice isn't doing a thing, so Rukia is, more or less, useless. Ichigo and Renji are using Bankai and trying to weaken it. We're not making good progress, we're down by one and that had lead us to a disadvantage," He explained.
I slowly sit up as Ichigo dodged a red beam and slashed it the monster with his, now black, sword. The monster tried to slash at him with its large claws, but Ichigo disappears and re-appears a couple yards away. Renji swings his sword, which is now a giant wooden snake, and sends the giant snake diving for the monster. The snake fires a red beam at the snake as the monster spits a red beam at Renji's sword as well. The attacks met match before a huge explosion shook the room.
When the smoke cleared the monster still stood up tall. Ichigo disappeared and re-appeared behind him and slashed his sword across his back. The monster whirled around as Ichigo disappeared and re-appeared in front of him and proceeded to swing his sword at him again. The monster turned and swung its mighty tail at Ichigo, throwing him against the wall. The monster wrapped its tail around Ichigo, making him drop his sword.
"Ichigo!" Renji cried as he swung his sword at the monster.
The giant snake tried to wrap around the giant hollow, but the hollow used its claws like a sword, cutting through his sword. Wooden pieces of his sword scatter everywhere, but then they quickly re-form into a giant wooden snake once more. The monster is, literally, squeezing the life out of Ichigo who lay lifeless in its tail.
Rukia growls under her breath before she jumps up and slashes straight through the monster's tail. Axel grabs Ichigo and runs back to us. Renji used his wooden snake to shield us from the hollow's dangerous attacks. Ichigo moans as he catches his breath and opens his eyes. He glances around, dazed, before he meets Rukia's eyes.
"Rukia? Did we defeat it yet?" Ichigo wondered.
"Not yet," Rukia sighed. "I cut off a bit of its tail, but we're far from defeating it. We're toast," She mumbles in fear.
"Not yet!" I yelled at her. "We're still standing and fighting! If we can still fight, we're not finished yet!"
"Face it, Roxas. You and Ichigo are wounded and I can't fight to save my life," Demyx pointed out.
"I don't care! I'm taking this thing out!" I yelled summoning Oathkeeper and Oblivion. "I started this mess and I'll clean it up!"
I was dead tired and my voice was cracked. Yeah, I'm screwed but at least I'll die trying to save my friends. I take a step towards the monster before Axel puts a hand on my shoulder stopping me. I stare into his eyes as a flood of memories washes over me. Eating ice-cream together, fighting heartless side-by-side, we share so many memories its almost impossible to count them. I try to look away from his teal eyes as guilt washes over me.
"Roxas…good luck. If you die fighting this thing, I'll defeat it and avenge you," He tells me. "I'll be by your die, even at death,"
I may not be able to feel, but I can feel tears running down my face. I throw my arms around Axel and hug him tight. My mentor and my best friend…this may be the last time I see him. I wipe away the tears from my eyes and charge at the giant hollow, praying for my life. Let's hope I didn't make the biggest mistake of my life.
I charged at the hollow, gripping Oathkeeper and Oblivion tightly. I jumped up and swing both of my keyblades at the massive beast. The hollow swats me away with the tiny stub of its tail, knocking me to the ground. I flipped in mid air, landed on my feet before I jumped up again, and slashed at its hollow mask with Oblivion. The creature screamed out in agony as red flowed from its face. I jumped off its shoulder shot a huge fireball at it as I fell to the ground.
The creature screamed out in even more pain as I landed a few yards away from it. I could easily beat this thing. I run up to the beast again jump up as it tried to swing its massive tail at me. I blocked its attack by making an X with my keyblades. I let myself fall to the ground and shot a strong beam of lighting at it. The giant hollows brushes off the lighting as if it were dust and fires a HUGE red beam at me.
I tried to block the blast with my keyblades, but the force was too strong. It blew me off my feet and I rolled head over heels until it hit the wall. I lay there, trying to catch my breath, when a giant hand grabs me and lifts me up. Its fingers curl around my body and begin to literally squeeze the life out of me! I try to break free, but it just squeezes harder when it feels my weak attempt to escape. I gasp for breath as I wriggle my arm out of its grasp.
I slash at one of its fingers, making the hollow release its grip on me. I fall to the ground painting heavily on the floor. The hollow growls at me before it opens its mouth. I muttered a curse under my breath before it fired cero at me. I climb to my feet and run around the room, the deadly red beam hot on my heels. I can feel sweat dripping down my temples and my legs want to collapse from all the running and jumping I've been doing, but I keep moving.
I turn around and jump up, praying this wasn't going to be a huge mistake. I slash at the hollow's face with both of my keyblades, making an X in the middle of its face (like Saix's). The hollow roared loudly before it slashed at me with its massive hand. I grip my shoulder as I begin to fall to the ground. The creature scream out in agony again before it fires cero, straight at me. I shut my eyes tightly as pain shoots through my body. I slam hard onto the ground coughing up blood. I can feel blood running down my shoulder, but I try to ignore the pain as I climb to my feet. I'm so dizzy I nearly fall over again.
"Roxas! You can't continue to fight that hollow like that!" Demyx yelled, concern in his voice. "If you do you'll get killed!"
I know what he means; he was the one who was nearly killed by one. I grip my keyblades tighter, feeling reassured when I hold the two keys.
"I know! I started this mess and I'll fix it, even if it costs me my life!" I screamed back as I charged at the hollow again.
The hollow fired another cero at me, but I dodged and jumped up. I try to stab it with Oathkeeper, but it slaps me away from its body. I flip in mid-air and jump off the ground again. I slashed at the hollow's shoulder, but I was so weak, it barely made a scratch. I hollow grabbed my limp body in mid-air and chucked me against a wall. I let myself fall to the ground, moaning in pain. I just want to lie down and go to sleep…
I snap out of my two-second nap as I see the hollow beginning to fire another cero at me. I stand up and draw in my breath as I began to gather up my remaining strength. Axel is still on my mind as I feel my body growing lighter and I block out the pain from my wounds. I can only feel my keyblades' power flowing through my veins. My eyes open as the hollow fires cero at me, the beam now dark red.
"Roxas!" Axel lets out a shrill, frightened shriek.
I hold up Oathkeeper and Oblivion in an X, blocking cero. I feel powerful, like a god. I push back with all of my might making the beam of cero bounce off my keyblades and fire back at the hollow. The hollow lets out a terrified scream as the beam hits its chest. I jump up and slash at the hollow's body with my keyblades multiple times making dark red liquid flow down its body in thick streams. I smirk as I feel even more power in my veins.
I hold my keyblades to the ceiling as a small orange dot begins to form between them. The hollow charges at me again, bloodlust in its eyes, ready to kill. I jump up, the memory of Axel and I eating ice cream in my head, and fire the giant fireball at the beast. The hollow lets out one last, terrified shriek, as if yelling out, "I don't want to go to hell!" Before it fades away. I feel my eyes beginning to close as the power fades from my veins.
I fall to the ground, utterly weak and exhausted. My keyblades dissappear in a flash of white light as Axel rushes to my side. I paint heavil and try to focus on his face, but everything I blurring into one big ball. Ichigo, Rukia, and Axel yelling fractically to the other is the last thing I see before everything goes black and numb.
Author: Hope you enjoyed! I spent a lot of time typing this chapter, and I had fun typing it too! Thanks for all your kind reviews and for all the favs!
~yukihikari99