Ashido was on guard duty, and the Forest of Menos looked as bleak and lifeless as ever. Nothing ever changed there. The walls and floors and everything was always white, always stark, always blank. The Menos trudged along through the 'trees' with their beady red eyes burning with hunger, and the smaller, lesser hollow scampered around their gigantic feet, focused on simply surviving in the harsh environment they called home.
But...something had changed for Ashido.
Hitsugaya Toshiro, a shinigami from the Soul Society, had arrived, and for the first time in what seemed like a thousand years, Ashido felt hope as a fraction of the horrible loneliness was crushed by Toshiro's presence alone.
Ashido knew very little about Toshiro apart from his name. The boy was very vague about his position in the shinigami ranks. He was strong, very strong, Ashido could tell by the vastness of his reiatsu, but when asked directly, Toshiro would beat around the bush, and eventually avoid talking about his rank altogether. It was frustrating. Ashido desperately wanted to know if more shinigami could be following Toshiro into the darkness of Hueco Mundo, and that if it was at all possible that the suffocating loneliness he had dealt in for so long could be defeated once and for all-
Tap
Ashido's entire body tensed as he leapt off the ground and his hand flashed to the hilt of his zanpaku-to, and his back bent low, his shoulders hunched and his feet evenly spread, as he prepared himself for battle.
"Who are you?" He demanded icily of the female arrancar balancing on the edge of the cliff on dainty feet, the sharp heels of her shoes tapping steadily against the rock face. Down her back cascaded a somehow puffy pony-tail of thick blond locks, and her eyes were cold and blue and piercing, like daggers, digging into Ashido's forehead.
"Ino." She answered, and her voice was like a whisper, soft and high-pitched.
"Why are you here?" He questioned.
'Ino' was silent. She glanced at Ashido, studying his every feature, right down to the shallow lines that creased his face; and then suddenly she disappeared, faster then lightning, and reappeared right in front of Ashido, so close their noses almost touched. Ashido gave a violent start and lashed out with his sword, and the glinting blade sliced through the air, but Ino danced away and landed lightly on the ground a few feet away.
And then she was behind him, and in a flash a sword resting in a pale blue scabbard appeared in her hands. She ripped the sword from its scabbard and flung it forwards, and the blade carved into Ashido's arm. Blood splashed against the rocks.
Ashido gritted his teeth as pain seared through him and he stumbled backwards, and his vision momentarily clouded over, the blood loss getting to his head. He vaguely noticed Ino moving, and the pain was awful and fiery as she kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying. His body smashed against the rocky wall and he gasped in pain, and blood squirting out between his teeth, dripping down his chin. He slid down the wall and slumped against it, and blood poured from the gaping wound in his arm, pooling at his side.
Ino loomed over him, sword in hand, but instead of killing him like Ashido had expected, Ino crouched down and cupped her face in his hands. She stared intently into his eyes, blue locking with aqua, and Ashido found himself unable to look away.
He felt something touch his mind. Something cold, something sinister, and suddenly his world exploded into a rapid sequence of colours, blurs of blue and red and green and pink and orange. He saw six arrancar-like beings, fiery-haired man sprouting horns; a red-haired demon with a snake for a tail and monkey fur sprouting from his shoulders; a petite woman with rabbit ears; and three more equally horrific beings, with hollow masks and mocking sneers...
And suddenly the fiery-haired man was standing over him, and his bleach-white fingers were grasping Ashido's throat. The foggy haze clouding Ashido's mind vanishing and his strength returned, and with a strangled cry he lifted his sword and jabbed at the arrancar's arm. The arrancar, cursing, released him and jumped away, his long, orange hair flapping with his movements.
Ashido barred his teeth and growled like savage dog, and tried to ignore the throbbing pain in his arm, reminding the red head that he was indeed wounded. But...how had he been wounded again? He couldn't remember...everything was so hazy...it must have been the arrancar, he decided. Who else could have wounded him so severely?
The arrancar was a mass of bleach white skin and violent flashes of red. Its hands were clawed, and the clawed twisted inwards, as though they were gripping at the air. Two dark black lines ran vertically down its mask and two long tusk emerged from the top, curving elegantly into sharp, lethal spikes. It's orange hair was waist-length and wild, and flowed like liquid fire. It's eyes were beady and red and burned with a furious hunger and irrational rage.
An arrancar through and through, it seemed.
The arrancar suddenly lunged forward, claws flashes, and Ashido dived to the side, and the claws racked through his shihakusho, exposing the skin but leaving no marks. Ashido struggled to regain his balance and the arrancar took the chance and kicked out, aiming for Ashido's head. But the man dropped down and swung his sword at the arrancar's feet; and the blade gorged through the tough white flesh and severed the muscle tissue, and the foot clattered to the stone floor.
The arrancar through back its head and roared, a roar filled with pain and rage and hunger, and Ashido cringed backwards, though his face remained unchanged. And then another, higher sound spilt the air, like a shriek, and something petite and pale-skinned materialized behind the male-arrancar.
Ashido's aqua eyes widened in shock and horror.
Behind the male was a female arrancar, clad in tight-fitting white shorts and sleeveless shirt, with a thick black collar that covered her neck completely, and black gloves that left her finger tips visible, and dainty white shoes that hugged her skin, not really shoes but socks. Sprouting from her head of raven hair were skeletal rabbit ears, hollowed out and bleach white. At her waist was a sword wrapped in a standard scabbard.
She hissed at the male arrancar, her voice low and harsh and cold, and the man snarled back. He was leaning heavily against the wall as blood gushed from his horrific wound; and then the skin began to bubble, to sizzle and to hiss, and with a sickening squelch bones burst from the muscle and formed into the skeleton of a foot. Muscle appeared, veins criss-crossing over the bloody surface, and then skin formed, and was followed by the hard white shell, and, just like that, the arrancar's foot had returned.
Ashido gaped.
The female rabbit-arrancar thumped her feet against the ground and barred her teeth, showing off her sharp fangs, and the male arrancar sneered. Then she hissed and twitched her head in the direction of the forest, towards the shadowy depths. The male arrancar fell silent, and rage flared in his eyes, and the female's cheeks rose in a mocking grin. The male, reluctantly, stalked over to her, and he extended his arm to her. She snatched it between her tiny fingers.
Her reiatsu surged...and then they vanished.
0-0-0
"Urg..." Toshiro groaned, and he rolled over, and tossed his cloak off him, sitting up and stretching his tight muscles. His back ached and his head felt hot, and his mouth was dry. Where could one find some water down here? Ashido had never once mentioned water, even with all his talk of eating...
Good morning, Master, Hyourinmaru greeted him cheerfully. Too cheerfully. Annoyingly so.
Morning, Hyourinmaru, Toshiro grumbled and he leaned back on his hands and sighed, staring at the ceiling.
He had spent an entire day with Ashido. Or, at least, what he guessed was an entire day. During that time, Ashido told him as much about Hueco Mundo as he was willing, and Toshiro had sat in respective silent and nodded his head and widened his eyes at the appropriate times, patiently waiting for the elder men to finish.
When Toshiro had grown tired, Ashido proclaimed it night, and sent Toshiro to find a area to sleep while he kept watch. Toshiro offered to keep watch and insisted when Ashido refused. Frowning, Ashido agreed to wake Toshiro later. Toshiro seriously doubted the man would and he had been right; Toshiro had slept through the entire 'night' without being roused.
Stupid over-protective red-haired idiot.
Toshiro was a shinigami, too, abandoned his post or not. He could go without sleep for days! Paper work had only reinforced the standard shinigami trait!
Toshiro rolled his shoulders, wincing as his tense muscles screamed protests, and reached out and grabbed Hyourinmaru off the wall, and ran his fingers gently over the scabbard. Hyourinmaru made a sound alarming similar to purring as Toshiro brushed the dust and rock fragments away, his icy reiatsu washing over the tired sword. Hyourinmaru, it seemed, was fairing no better then Toshiro when it came to rest.
Sorry, old friend, Toshiro murmured sadly.
And then the sound of laboured breath and heavy steps reached Toshiro's ears and, whirling around and leaping to his feet and drawing Hyourinmaru in one swift motion, Toshiro tensed his body and stared wearily at the entrance, his azure eyes narrowed. Then a man clad in a deep black shihakusho stumbled into view, and Toshiro's breath caught in his throat.
"Kano!" He exclaimed, and he carelessly tossed Hyourinmaru aside and raced to help Ashido, just as Ashido's legs gave way and he tumbled towards the floor, his sword clattering uselessly against the stone. Toshiro caught him just in time, and the man weighed heavily against the smaller boy, and Toshiro laid him gently against the ground. Ashido's face was covered in sweat and dried blood crackled on his chin and arm; and fresh blood seeped from a deep, savage cut, and already the skin around it was turning purple as tiny blood veins burst beneath the surface.
"Shit," Toshiro cursed. Ashido's arm was completely saturated with blood, both drying and running; and Ashido's body was feeling the affects of the blood loss. Toshiro needed to act now.
Quick as a flash, he summoned his reiatsu, and water formed in his palm, bubbling and shimmering, and he pressed it gently against the wound. The liquid seeped into the skin and washed the drying blood away, and Ashido barely suppressed a wince. Then Toshiro, calling on all his knowledge of healing kido, pressing his hands against the wound, and imagined Ashido's arm perfectly fine, at a hundred percent, free of cuts and bruises, its appearance unmarred by the sick, sleek crimson flow that gushed from the wound. The skin on his arm began to quiver, shivering, and then reached out, zig-zagging over the gap, and the muscle tissue bulged, sucking up the blood and churning together. And suddenly, just like that, the wound was gone, leaving nothing but a stretch of chalk-white skin surrounded by a purple stain, and Toshiro almost fell backwards, just managing to catch himself on his hands.
He let out an exhausted huff, and closed his eyes, breathing hard. He felt like all his reiatsu had just vanished, leaving him empty and weak.
Hmm, Hyourinmaru hummed from across the room. It seems you haven't improved in your healing kido in the slightest, Master. It still drains you completely. How pathetic. The dragon snickered.
Shut up, Toshiro snapped, twitching. He had never been very good with healing kido, despite once being a member of the Fourth Division, right back when he'd first joined the Gotei 13. He was a fighter, not a healer, and Unohana and Hyourinmaru both knew that very well.
Sighing, Toshiro shifted his position so he was sitting against the wall, and dragged Hyourinmaru off the ground, ignoring the dragon's heated complaints about the rough treatment, and laid it on his lap. His eyes fell upon Ashido's face, where lines of fatigue were etched into his features, and Toshiro sighed again.
Now what was he going to do? He would have to stay with Ashido. The man's wounds were healed, for the most part, but blood loss was serious and left you horribly weak, unable to walk or even stand in some cases, let alone fight off hungry hollows. Toshiro glanced out at the forest, and wondered where Ichigo and the others were; how they were doing, if they were still alive. Faintly, he could feel their reiatsu, Ichigo's being the strongest, and smiled weakly. They were still okay.
Unbeknownst to Toshiro, standing on a ledge high above them was a blond girl dressed in white, with her pale blue lace skirt fluttering about her thighs and her silky blond hair cascading over her bare shoulders, caressing affectionately against her chalky skin. Cunning blue eyes watched them a moment longer before suddenly disappearing as her shapes twisted and churning until what once had been a girl was a hollow with beady red eyes staring glassy out at the forest. With a strong kick, the hollow scampered off into the darkness, disappearing into the unknown.
0-0-0
"Who are you?" A six year old Hinata wondered curiously as a small child stumbled towards her, eyes wide with fear and confusion. She was the same age as Hinata, with heavy, glossy black locks and eyes as red as fresh blood, but the ominous colour scared Hinata none. She was used to seeing people with strangely coloured eyes, with her own eyes being a pale shade of white-lavender.
"Don't...know...no...name..." The red-eyed girl mumbled, and she threaded her fingers together and watched them intently, trying to force her thoughts to drift else where, to think of something other then the suffocating blackness that awaited her if this visit went wrong...
Hinata frowned sadly, and reached out and tapped the girl's cheek, white as chalk and icy to touch. The girl jumped, startled, and Hinata smiled cheerfully.
"How about Hitomi?" Hinata suggested, and she took the nameless girl's hands and held them tight between her tiny fingers, grinning from ear to ear, her chubby cheeks going rosy. "Hitomi-chan is cute!"
The girl stared at Hinata for a moment, silent, with only the whispering of the wind and the melodic chirping of the birds to fill the gap in conversation; and then she broke out into a grin, and then her red eyes swelled with tears, and with a cry of sheer glee she threw her arms around Hinata's neck, shaking free of her grip.
"Okay!" She sang. "Hitomi! I'm Hitomi!"
Hinata giggled and hugged her back. "Hitomi-chan! I'm Hinata."
Hitomi pulled back and they held hands again, and the folds of their kimonos rustled and whispered as they moved away from the compound and towards the stream that wound its way through the grounds, the stream where Hinata often spent hours on end playing, a place where she could ponder over other things besides her father's bitter rage and harsh training and her mother's crippling illness and rapidly decreasing health.
"I know." Hitomi murmured.
Hinata blinked. "Huh?"
Hitomi smiled, and patted Hinata's cheek. "Nothing!"
The red-eyed she-arrancar opened her eyes, and the crimson hues of her personal quarters assaulted them, a room drenched in red sheets, as though soaked with blood. She was sitting in her favourite chair, the big one with puffy arms and a high, squishy back, and she was gazing out into the silvery sands of Hueco Mundo with mild interest. A soft, gentle sigh slipped through her pale purple lips, and she threaded her fingers through her long, raven locks.
"Hinata-chama..." She whispered.
The man that loomed over Hinata was wearing a sooty black hakama and a fluttering white haori, and it flapped in the breeze. His blond hair ruffled and shifted, and his intelligent grey eyes examined her closely, studying her every feature, right down to the hairs on the back of her neck.
"Are you sure?" He said softly.
Hyuuga Haru stroked her daughter's silky locks and nodded firmly, and her lavender eyes were ablaze with a fierce determination.
"Yes." She replied in a voice thick with emotion, and Hinata looked up at her mother worriedly, lavender eyes swimming with questions and concerns.
"Kaa-chan?" She said experientially, and she tugged slightly at the hem of her mother's kimono, hoping desperately for a response, but Haru ignored her attempts at communication and kept her fiery eyes locked with the man's.
"It will work, won't it?" She demanded icily. "This will protect Hinata."
"Kaa-chan?" Hinata said again, and her voice was shaking, but again she was ignored.
"It will." The blond man promised in a deathly calm voice, shadowing his sadness. "But her powers are vast. Trouble with eventually find her."
"But, at the very least," Haru sighed and, at last answering Hinata's plea, she swept her child into her arms and hugged her close to her chest. "she will be old enough to fight it."
"Perhaps," The man murmured, and he leaned forward and touched a hand to Hinata's forehead. Something hot and electric shot through Hinata's body and her mouth opened as a scream rose in her throat, but abruptly the pain faded, and the world around Hinata began to flicker and waver. And then she fell limp in her mother's arms, and, as the man withdrew his hand, connected to his finger was a string of silver energy, emerging from Hinata's forehead. He pulled it out and cupped it in his hand, and his eyes narrowed into slits as the energy swirled, chasing itself in his palm, until it formed a shimmering orb, glinting and glistening like seven suns.
"Perhaps."
Hitomi's red eyes burned with hatred. She would kill that man; rip him to pieces with her bare hands. She would. No matter what happened...
And suddenly the door to her quarters was bashed opened and, panting and cursing, some female arrancar appeared in the door way, a woman clad in the standard arrancar uniform of stark white, with a low cut shirt and a head of oily blue-black hair and odd-coloured eyes, one lined with blood red ink. Sweat glistened on her forehead and rolled down her smooth cheeks, and Hitomi frowned faintly, annoyed by her sudden appearance.
"Apache," A stern voice said, and a busty, chocolate-skinned she-arrancar appeared behind the shorter one, with her wild brown hair curling out in every possible direction, snaking down her back. "stop this! Harribel-sama-"
"Just shut it, Mila-Rosa!" The one called Apache snarled, and the brown woman, Mila-Rosa, twisted her features in rage and lifted her hand, posing as though to strike out at her comrade, but the fire in her eyes faded and she let her arm fall. She cast one terrified glance in Hitomi's direction before backing away, blending in with the shadows, where another woman stood, one with long, straight green hair and luminous purple eyes, and her hand was raised, hiding her mouth from view.
"Hello," Hitomi said cheerfully, and she bounced from her seat. "do you need something? Ulquiorra-chan isn't here, and I didn't call anyone to play, so I don't know-"
"Shut up!" Apache roared, and Hitomi cringed, shocked by her tone of voice. "Don't talk to me like I'm your freaking play mate! I'm here to put you in your place!"
"Apache-" Mila-Rosa began, but Apache cut her off with a low, menacing hiss, like metal scraping together, and Mila-Rosa's face went sober, her expression dark.
"You," Apache rounded on Hitomi and stormed forward, her face so electric with anger that Hitomi took an unconscious step back. "Harribel-sama was the strongest woman here until you showed up. You didn't even work for you power, if you even have any!" Apache spat venomously. "You just sit up here telling us what to do but, no, I won't put up with your shit any longer! And I will not allow you to order around Harribel-sama!"
"Tia-chan?" Hitomi mumbled to herself. She had only seen Harribel once or twice; and, true, she had ordered the busty blond to carry out some trivial errands. But Harribel had been emotionless through the entire procedure, cold and calm, like waves washing gently against the sandy beach shore. Not once had she questioned Hitomi's authority and had completed all set tasks to the best of her ability, leaving not a second to spare.
Hitomi frowned.
Harribel hadn't launched this attack.
This stupid woman was acting on her own, lacking the support of her sister arrancar.
Something dark and sinister flickered in the depths of Hitomi's blood red eyes. Something that triggered a sick sense of glee and brought a cruel smile to her lips. Her movements uncannily gracefully, she clapped her hands and threaded her slender fingers together, earning herself a furious glare from Apache, and a nervous glance from Mila-Rose. Beyond Mila-Rose, the other woman, currently nameless, simply watched with an expression of perfect indifference. Her eyes betrayed none of what she was feeling.
"It's Apache-chan, ne?" Hitomi giggled. "Okay. Apache-chan, go away. I don't like being interrupted. I like Tia-chan, so I don't want to kill her precious underlings-"
"Shut up!" Apache roared, and with inhuman strength she charged forward, face livid with rage, and she swung a punch, aiming to break something, anything, on Hitomi's face. But Hitomi dodged, ducking low and twirling around on the tips of her toes, and her smile never left her face. Apache cursed and kicked out, once, twice, thrice, and Hitomi jumped away, her glossy locks sailing through the air, and landed lightly on her toes. Then, in a lightning fast movement, Apache drew her weapon, a round blade with spikes emerging from the sides, and flung one at Hitomi, the blade glinting cruelly in the dim lighting. Hitomi gasped and stumbled backwards, but not before the blade slashed her cheek, and left it's mark in the form of a deep, throbbing cut.
"Apache!" Mila-Rose cried out and rushed forward and grabbed the smaller woman, crushing her in a restraining hug. Apache snarled and hissed and spat like a ticked off cat and tried to smash her foot into Mila-Rose's shins, but Mila-Rose kept her legs out of reach by holding Apache high off the ground, rendering her kicks powerless.
"That's enough," She hissed urgently. "you'll get yourself killed!"
"Oh, shut it!" Apache shouted. "She's treating Harribel-sama like her pet!"
"I don't like it either, but there's nothing we can do!"
"Urg! Let me go!"
"Shut up! You've done-...done enough..." Mila-Rose trailed off and her eyes went dull, losing their flare, and the air around her was heavy as bricks and dragged her shoulders down. Her body sagged, her legs robbed of their strength, and she and Apache crumbled as one mass, the colour draining from their faces. Outside, Sun-Sun's purple eyes widened in alarm, and she took an urgent step forward, intending to assist them, but then the sheer pressure of Hitomi's reiatsu came crashing down and she crashed to the floor, her breathing suddenly laboured. The air felt somehow wet, thick like liquid, making it difficult to breath in.
"You cut me," Came Hitomi's infuriated hiss, and her expression was twisted painfully, eyes sizzling and limbs shaking with rage. Blood trickled down her cheek and splattered against her clear white garments, staining them red.
"You cut me, you cut me," She repeated those words like a mantra, and, though it seemed impossible, her anger was actually growing. The air seemed to be solidifying, suffocating the three helpless arrancar trembling against the smooth, glassy titles.
All but Apache, anyway.
She was trembling, sure, but not out of fear. She would die before she allowed herself to be even slightly intimidated by the child standing over her, suffering from a serious fit. No freaking way.
"I-if you're looking for an apology," Apache said and there was a sharp, victorious edge to her voice. "then you gonna be sourly disappointed."
Hitomi snapped.
In a flicker of raven-black reiatsu, her finger nails went dark, almost grey, and elongated into claws, and they were very nearly the size of her forearm. Her eyes flashed a vampric gold, but there was something strangely animal-like about her pupils, stretching out and dilating, faintly resembling the eyes of a cat.
Apache and Mila-Rose only had a moment to stare in utter horror at her newly grown claws before they came down on their heads, and sliced straight through their skulls, like a knife through butter. A great load of blood burst from the wound, creating something akin to a fountain, and the blood was joined with a number of grimly coloured body parts, a mass of pink-grey flesh and bleach white skull, clattering against the now bloody titles. As one, the two women's now lifeless bodies went limp and fell in an unmoving heap, blood seeping ominously from the grotesque gouge that had once been their heads.
Outside, Sun-Sun gaped, fear pulsing through her, but, astoundingly, her body refused to function. Whether it was Hitomi's reiatsu or the gore oozing across the floor, Sun-Sun wasn't sure, but neither was helping her current predicament. So, unable to flee to the safety of Harribel-sama's side, she simply lay, staring, and waited for Hitomi to decide whether her life was worth sparing or better off snuffed out.
Apparently, Hitomi had exhausted her brief flare of rage, and almost unconsciously reeled her deadly claws back in. The dangerous light left Hitomi's eyes, and they went back to their usual scarlet without so much as her blinking, and they served her damage, the wreckage reflecting in her eyes.
"Hey," She said, and for a moment, Sun-Sun wondered who she was talking to. Both Apache and Mila-Rose were dead, so trying to provoke a response from them was ridiculous. Then she realized Hitomi was talking to her, as she was the only other person alive.
"H-hai?" She stammered.
"Go tell Tia-chan to come clean this up." She commanded, and then, with a flap of her dress, she swept out of the room and charged down the hall like a tsunami, surging towards the shore line.
0-0-0
It was during Ichigo's watch that the group of shinigami (and human) were attacked on all sides.
Ichigo leapt to his feet the moment the sickening reiatsu of a hollow prodding his field of awareness, and tugged Zangetsu free of its encasing bandages, sending them swirling and twirling through the air, just as the hollow lumbered into view. It was noticeably large, with a bat-like form, two leathery black wings slapping at the air in what looked like a great attempt to keep its muscular body afloat. Its vast jaws snapped in silent fury as it sped towards him, the intent to rip him to shreds burning in its beady red eyes.
Ichigo darted forward, low on his hunches like a prowling tiger, and the hollow swerved downwards and ripped its jaw wide, roaring at a deafening level. At the last second, Ichigo kicked at the ground and forced himself back, leaving the startled hollow room to plough itself into the stony earth. Then he swung his sword in a large arc, and sliced straight through it's mask, and watched, sword resting on his broad shoulder, as it materialized into nothingness.
His amber eyes flickered to the sides and, seeing nothing, he allowed himself a small victory smile.
"Alright," he muttered to himself. "back to guarding-"
And suddenly another hollow was there, a hollow with its features consorted terribly, its skin stretched too tight against its bulging muscles, and with one great swipe of its tail, Ichigo was sent flying, leaving a sizable creator in his wake. He slid down the wall but managed to regain his footing and quickly slipped into his battle stance, with Zangetsu pointing menacingly towards the target.
The hollow observed him for a tense few seconds, before throwing its head back and screaming bloody murder, and Ichigo cringed. In a flash, hollows of all shapes and sizes seemingly melted out from the darkness, rolling their shoulders and twitching their tails, as though shaking away the few lingering shadows. Ichigo's eyes went only wider and wider as the sea of hollows spread further and further towards the sandy sky, with the dense shroud that was their reiatsu falling almost bodily upon his shoulders.
"Shit," he cursed.
In the cave, the dark reiatsu began to cause the others to stir. Nel's big eyes popped open, and a look of sheer horror crossed her face, and she let out a shriek that caused Rukia to jump ten feet in the air, face pale with shock.
"N-Nel?" She spluttered, while Renji jolted out of his sleep and whacked Yumichika in the process, who's sparkly eyes fluttered open in the most beautiful way possible, and Ikkaku rolled over onto his side, scratching his chest. Sado blinked himself into reality, and his expression turned stony as he noticed the reiatsu.
"Hollows," He murmured, and Renji nodded to him in silent confirmation.
"Nel, what's wrong?" Rukia demanded as the aqua-haired child began to wail in her arms, rolling back and forth wildly, erratically, as though trapped in some horrific nightmare. She blubbered out a load of unintelligible gibberish, in which the words 'capture' and 'brothers' reappeared a number of times as her words tumbled over each other. Rukia let out a soft exasperated cry as her confusion and alarm soared right over her head.
"Renji," she turned to the crimson haired man, and he was already grasping for his sword, nudging Sado out of the way with a rude jab in the ribs. "what's going on?"
"Hollows," Renji replied nonchalantly, but that was all Rukia needed to here. Bundling the sobbing Nel in her arms she reached out and snatched her own sword of the wall, and left Nel to fill the gap. The others rushed past her, swords at hand, and disappeared into the battle beyond.
"Nel," Rukia said in the gentlest tone she could summon, lightly shaking the girl's shoulder. Nel eyes were electric with fear, but, somehow, she managed to push aside her hysteria and at least partly absorb what Rukia was saying. "You need to stay in here. Understand? It's too dangerous for you to go out there-"
"Rukia!"
Rukia blinked, surprised by Renji's sudden call, but no sooner had she processed this information did a blinding red light fill her vision, and the burning agony of a cero boiled in her blood. Rukia screamed out in pain as she was brutally bashed against the wall with Nel held tight against her chest, shielding from the past by her body. Her skin felt like it was being cooked, hissing and spitting, as the full blast of the cero's energy clawed and dug and gouged into her back-
And suddenly the ground gave way and she was being pulled away by a strong hand. But her body went weak, pain numbing her senses, and for a moment everything was hazy, a white, nauseating fog settling on the world. Then an icy cold, tingling sensation washed over her back, and Rukia shuddered, and the blurry fog was suddenly snuffed out. She blinked one, twice, then gave a gasp and whipped round, only to wince as pain coursed through her.
"Don't move," Renji hissed. "I'm not done."
"A-are you healing me?" Rukia gasped incredulously. "You? Abarai Renji?"
"Shut up," Renji snapped. "I'm almost done."
Rukia, settling down and allowing Renji to do his work, quickly assessed the situation, and discovered Renji had ripped a whole through the wall, tugging Rukia and her sword through, which now rested on Rukia's lap, held tightly between her tiny fingers. The force of the cero had caused their little hide-away to crumble into non-existence, something which Rukia wasn't particularly upset about, since had sucked in the first place.
They now sat in what was not so much a cave but an ally way of sorts, concealing them from the raging battle but giving him a bird's eye view of it; Ichigo and Ikkaku raced as one terrifying mass to slice and slash at the hollow, only to have the wave replaced with another, just as fierce and blood-thirsty. Yumichika danced through the blood field with his multi-bladed sword moving as a black-grey blur, and Sado punched hard at the air, sending a brilliant blue ball of pure reiatsu hurtling towards the attacking hollow. And Nel-
Nel was no-where to be seen.
"Nel!" Rukia screamed, and she jumped up and ignored both the prickling pain in the base of her back and Renji's heated protests. She searched the area with her eyes desperately, but she saw nothing but rocks and shadows, nothing even faintly resembling the aqua-haired arrancar.
"Nel! Where are you, Nel! Nel!"
"Rukia, calm down!" Renji shouted as he stood. "I'm sure she's fine-"
"Renji! Rukia!" Ichigo appeared outside the newly made cave door, and his face was absolutely livid, with deep red blood that was not his own dripping off his chin. "Get your asses out here!"
"Nel!" Rukia shot back. "Nel's gone!"
"Deal with it later!" Ichigo snarled back, shocking both with his rage. "There's no end to these hollows! Chad's injured, and we can't-"
But before he could finish a hollow the size of his house reared up, dropped its jaw and fired a cero the colour of fresh blood, devouring all three in its fiery blast. A moment later they broke free of the fiery beam with their clothing steaming and blood oozing between their teeth, but relatively unharmed.
Rukia landed unceremoniously atop a short ledge with barely enough room for her, of all people, to stand. Her violet eyes flashed from left to right, and dread swelled in her stomach. There were hollows everywhere; they covered every inch of the stone walls, sweeping across the landscape, like a page from Hell. A thousand pair of bloody red eyes seemed to latch onto her form as one, and Rukia, swallowing hard, took hold of her zanpaku-to and attempted vainly to prepare herself for the blood-shed that was about to come.
0-0-0
High above them, Toshiro awoke with a start as the cave shuddered with aftershocks, causing dust and pebbles to rain down from the ceiling. Toshiro gave himself a quick shake, forcing his senses to awaken to reality, before leaping up and speeding to the cave mouth. Before he even reached it, the horrible black cloud of the hollows' reiatsu pressed ominously against his senses, and, eyes narrowed, he peered around the bend and cursed.
Hollows! Everywhere! What in world was happening?-
"Kurosaki!" He gasped, just as Ichigo's form bounded into view with what seemed to be a hundred hollows chasing after him. Ichigo fired Zangetsu in a feeble attempt to destroy the mass, but only two or three fell victim to his attack, and the rest surged on. Toshiro reached for Hyourinmaru and made to rush into the fray, but a quite, strangled cough forced him to stop.
"Kano," he whirled round and his turquoise eyes immediately fell on the carrot top's unmoving form. His face had regained some colour but he still looked furiously ill, with dark purple bags circling his eyes and sweat running streaks through his skin. Ashido couldn't fight off even the weakest of hollows in this condition. Toshiro's ever present frown hardened. What was he-
Kido! Toshiro darted outside the cave and then placed his fingers upon the cold stone surface, and muttered an incantation under his breath. His fingers began to glow a dull blue that gradually strengthened as he whispered more of the complex verses.
"Kyomon." He finished.
For a brief, fleeting moment, a bright orange shield was visible as it curved across the opening and sealed it tight; and then, as quickly as it had come, it vanished, but Toshiro knew it was still there. It wasn't the strongest shield, but it would be enough to keep out low-level hollows, and hopefully keep Ashido inside; he was, after all, in no condition to fight, so, even if he had been conscious, he shouldn't be able to come barging through the shield like Hinamori had, back when she's still assumed Toshiro had murdered Aizen.
And with that he turned and threw himself over the ledge.
The moment he vanished, a high-heeled foot clapped softly against the earth, and a creamy-skinned leg followed, with a lacy blue skirt fluttered by the thighs. Ino marched into the light, the slightest of smiles playing on her silky lips, as she gazed through the shield and watched as Ashido began to rouse from his sleep, his sub-conscious senses spiking at the presence of hollows. She glanced at Toshiro, charging off into the battle and despatching hollow after hollow with a simply flick of his sword, and then, her movements elegant and smooth, she tapped her finger against the shield and it shattered into a million pieces, like broken glass.
She wandered in, and her fingers danced across the man's grave wounds, and suddenly the arm was good as knew, and his cheeks flushed, the colour rapidly returning, his strength in tow.
Ashido's eyes opened, sharp and battle-ready, but Ino was already gone.
0-0-0
Matsumoto gazed sadly at the pale, narrow sky of the Soul Society, with her chin resting on her hand and her wavy strawberry locks cascading down her shoulder, twisting and twirling, and her icy eyes were far away.
It felt like years had passed since Toshiro had up and left. Where, no-one was completely true, but any sane and knowledgeable person could guess. He'd gone to Hueco Mundo in search of Hinata, his personal damsel in distress, and he'd dragged Kuchiki, Ichigo, Ikkaku and Yumichika alone with him, off into the alien realm of hollows. At times, Matsumoto fretted constantly over their well beings, her thoughts mostly revolving around her baby captain; but, at other times, she wished the four death, her rage was so intense and fiery and irrational that she couldn't think straight. Immediately afterwards she would feel defeated and exhausted; and more then a little bit guilty.
He could have told her, she thought bitterly. Toshiro. He could have informed her about this little plan of his. This great big show he was putting on. Was Hinata really that important? To risk everything he'd worked for? Surely, that couldn't be the case. But why else would he have left his haori..?
Matsumoto sighed, a soft, whispering sound that left her body sagging.
"Why?" She muttered darkly. "Why does everyone leave without saying a word to me...?"
"H-Hitsugaya-taichou is nothing like Ichimaru-taichou, Matsumoto-san!" A shaky voice piped, and Matsumoto, startled, whirled round to see the blond, blue-eyed form of Kira Izuru standing by the door, and his hand was resting on the frame. His eye brows were furrowed and his expression was tight, and a gentle smile caressed Matsumoto's lips.
"I know, Kira," She murmured, and she flicked her wrist, granting him permission to enter. He did so slowly, his steps cautious and tentative, and Matsumoto placed her chin once again on her hand and stared glassily out at the Seireitei, a glistening mass of golden roofs and stark white walls. "I know."
"Soi Fon-taichou sent word out to the taichou and fuku-taichou," Kira started, shifting awkwardly. He took a few hesitant steps into the room and softly closed the door behind him. "but the Hell Butterfly never reached you..."
"I turned it away, actually." Matsumoto chuckled. "I wasn't in the mood for bad news."
"But it wasn't bad news," Kira argued weakly. "she knows for sure that Hitsugaya-taichou went to Hueco Mundo."
"I was already sure of that myself," Matsumoto shot back.
"...I-it also seems," Kira continued uneasily, "that Sado Yasutora-san accompanied them. Hitsugaya-taichou and the group."
Matsumoto's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, the only indication that she was listening to the nervous vice-captain at all.
"Ah." She said mildly.
Kira stared at the back of her head incredulously, longing to say something, to shout something, that might heave her from this revive that she had fallen into, but his mind was blank, and his determination shrived and, helpless, he looked away and glared at the ground, his fists balled and trembling.
Why was he so useless? He couldn't help her at all-
And suddenly the door was flung open and a panting Hisagi appeared, his face dripping with sweat and his chest heaving. Matsumoto jumped up, snapping out of her depressed haze, and Kira straightened, muscles tense and alert for danger.
"Shuhei, what's wrong?" Matsumoto demanded urgently and she darted forward, gripping the man's shoulder and steadying him as his legs wobbled dangerously. Her eyes flickered over his form, and to her horror she saw several angry red cuts and deep purple bruises, scarring his arms and legs and what little torso was exposed. "And what the hell happened to you?"
"K-Kuchiki-taichou," Hisagi rasped. "Kuchiki-taichou has gone crazy. He's trying to leave the Soul Society."
"Kuchiki-taichou is?" Kira blurted.
Hisagi nodded firmly. Matsumoto took hold of his arms and led him over to the coach, where he slumped against the soft fabric and let out a sigh of relief, all the stress and pain melting from his features.
"Why? What's wrong with him?" Matsumoto inquired as she examined the vice-captain, her eyes flashing over his wounds. There was one particularly red cut that bothered Matsumoto, just below the centre of his upper left arm, and blood dabbled the edges. She eyed it anxiously.
"He wants to go to Hueco Mundo and find Rukia-san," Hisagi explained and his voice was slightly strained, slightly hoarse, and Kira quickly fetched him some water, which he sucked down without missing a breath. "but Yamamoto-so-taichou refuses to let him go. And he just snapped." Hisagi shuddered. "I've never seen Kuchiki-taichou so furious before. He was about to activate his bankai when Soi Fon-taichou and Komamura-taichou arrived."
"His bankai!" Matsumoto gasped, and her eyes popped wide. "That would have killed everyone there!"
"Like I said," Hisagi said bitterly. "he was seriously ticked off."
"God," Kira breathed. "how would he react is Rukia-san ended up dying?"
"Don't talk like that," Matsumoto snapped, and her voice was harsher then intended, making Kira flinch. "she'll be fine. They all will be."
At least, she desperately hoped so.
! I own neither Bleach nor Naruto !
Okay...I'm so, so, soooooo sorry that I haven't uploaded in so long, but hopefully I made up with this long chap! I was half-finished this when suddenly I found myself unable to fight anything Bleach/Naruto related...and all I could think about was Tsubasa!
I got the blood results back. Apparently, I'm fine, but I'm still getting pains -_-; It's very annoying. The doctor wasn't all that, um, with what was going on either. He took a minute to remember whether it was my mum or me who had the problems...I'm starting to get paranoid...
Anyway, next chapter everything will be cleared up! Most of it, anyway. The she-arrancar finally has a name! And, heh, I find it kind of funny, but I named her Hitomi a few weeks before I discovered that Hitomi means 'beautiful eyes' or something in Japanese xD The bit with Matsumoto at the end was just to tell you guys what was going on the Soul Society. And, no, sorry, but Matsumoto and co. aren't going to get involved in Toshiro's heroics :[ They're staying where they are. But Yoruchi, Urahara, Ishida and Orihime, currently side characters, will make their dramatic entrances soon enough! And Hitomi's killing Apache and Mila-Rose isn't just a random act of violence: it does have a lot of relivence in the plot.
Thanks for reading! Please review!