A/N-There's gonna be a part that's italicized (Ikkaku's fight) - that's Ikkaku telling what happened/flashback (if that makes sense). I just wanted to point that out because I also use italics for 1st person thoughts.

Chapter 11

A Reappearance of an Impossible Hollow

Yumichika drew in a sharp breath as he looked out past the trees from atop the Kurosaki's house. He wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed, but he knew it was closing in on the five minute mark, and Ikkaku had yet to return. To say he was worried would be an understatement. Ikkaku was his best friend- they had been together for years and years. And, Ikkaku had told him countless times not to worry when he fought- if he died, then he died and if he lived, well then he lived. That was that. But, Ikkaku still took the time to reassure- in a rather arrogant matter- that he would not die.

Yumichika had seen Ikkaku on the verge of a few times before, but still the bald man pulled through. So, he wasn't exactly sure why he was so worried- probably the fact that Ikkaku was taking longer than usual to fight a single hollow, or the fact that the battle thus far was quiet. The lack of sound frightened him the most. He witnessed how excited Ikkaku was for the fight right before he left. And, if anyone knew about Ikkaku's fighting style, they knew he had the tendency to shout curse words on the top of his lungs- shouts that were either anger induced or solely for the purpose of expressing his enjoyment.

Enough was enough. Yumichika moved his hand to clutch the hilt of his zanpakutō before turning to give Rangiku one small nod. They both turned and prepared to race back to the battle, only to halt at the sound of a bush rustling a few feet away.

Yumichika narrowed his eyes, pinpointing the exact location the sound came from. He gasped, completely unprepared for the sight he was now witnessing. "Ikkaku!" With speed he was not even aware he was capable of, Yumichika lunged off the roof and raced towards the limping man with Rangiku right on his heels.

"Dammit," Ikkaku cursed weakly before toppling over- falling into Yumichika's steady arms rather than the hard ground.

"What happened?!" Rangiku examined the soul reaper- cringing at the sights of blood gushing from his side and head as well as dark bruises forming on his arms and neck. She did not even want to begin to think of the condition his legs may be in.

"We need to get help." Yumichika looked over at the entrance of the Kurosaki residence, frantically trying to remember what Urahara had told them before they departed. "A clinic! That's right! The house doubles as a clinic!" He shifted his gaze back to Rangiku- who offered a quick nod. "Let's just hope his father answers the door."

The trio walked- or rather, Yumichika and Rangiku walked while supporting Ikkaku- up to the door step. Rangiku used her free hand to ring the doorbell once, silently praying that Karin's sister didn't answer.

"Come inside," Isshin spoke lowly as soon as the door was opened wide enough to see his late visitors. He stepped aside and ushered the three in, tossing his thumb over his shoulder to point to the staircase. "Upstairs. Last room on the left." He turned to make sure the soul reapers were heading in the right direction before making his way to the medical closet, stopping briefly to give a quick kiss to the memorial poster of his beloved Masaki.

Ikkaku groaned before slowly forcing his heavy eyelids open. He blinked once, twice, three times before noticing that he was staring at a ceiling instead of the night sky. "What the hell?" He lifted his arm to rub at his eyes, only to wince and let his arm fall back down on the bed. "Bed?" He forced himself into a sitting position, ignoring the pain piercing at his side. He placed one hand on his head while the other clutched the bed sheets. "Shit," he wheezed out as the whole room began to spin.

"Take it easy, Ikkaku." Yumichika gently pushed on Ikkaku's shoulders until said man's head fell against the pillow. "Let me just go ahead and answer the questions that you are going to ask. We came to get medical assistance from Isshin because you were badly injured during the fight with the hollow. Isshin's letting us stay in Ichigo's room until you are healed."

"We need to be watching for hollows." Mere seconds after Ikkaku pointed out their duty, Rangiku hopped through the window, letting out a noisy sigh when she saw Ikkaku awake.

"All clear," Rangiku spoke confidently before peering down at the wounded man. "Do you remember what happened?"

Ikkaku squeezed his eyes shut, steadying his breathing. "Yea," he began.

"Bout time something fun happened!" Ikkaku laughed as he closed the distance between he and the hollow. He stopped right before it, eyeing it up and down.

The hollow was a lot bigger up close- almost the size of a two story house. It stood on two long, thick legs, supporting a bulky torso. Its arms were the longest arms the bald man has ever seen on a hollow. They curled into a pile on the ground when hung at the sides, giving off the idea that they have no muscles in them. Its mask's was a bright white that stood out against the hollow's black skin. While the mask itself was bare, the rest of the hollow's body was covered in yellow, vertical lines, starting from the neck and stretching all the way down to its feet.

Despite all of these features, Ikkaku could not help but gawk at the mask. No eyes and no teeth. It looked as if someone cut an oval out of a blank sheet of paper and pasted it on the hollow's head.

"Ugly," Ikkaku mumbled. No more than a second after the words left his lips, the soul reaper heard a smack, felt a sharp pain on his side, and then flew straight into a tree- he had no time to react. "Ugh!" He hacked up a good amount of blood before regaining his composure. "What the… Hell?" He dropped his head to see one of those snake-like arms pinning him to the tree. "Bastard," he cursed before wiggling his arm free. He reached down for his zanpakutō but was only greeted with air. "What?!" Lifting his head back up, the bald man saw his zanpakutō lying on the ground where he was standing just moments before.

'Shit," he muttered under his breath before allowing a small smile to play on his lips. "No worries," he reassured himself as he dropped his head once more, preparing to chomp on the arm holding him against the tree. As soon as his teeth made contact with the thick skin, the arm loosened just enough for Ikkaku to lift his leg and kick it away. He dropped to the ground and let out a loud grunt as he raced towards his zanpakutō, unaware that the hollow's head was following his every move.

"Ha!"Ikkaku grabbed his zanpakutō and spun around, pointing the sword at the hollow. "You're mine now!" He charged forward, easily dodging the swinging arms. Pushing off the ground, he bolted upward until he was level with its mask. "See ya later!" Raising his arms high above his head, he smirked as he swung his blade down on the mask, only to be shot back a few feet from the impact.

"Dammit," he whispered as he wiped the blood dripping down his temple. "It's one of those…" He allowed his mind to quickly wander back to the hollows they fought before- the ones that could not be harmed no matter how hard they tried. "Think." He muttered under his breath as he began to ponder his options- all leading to the use of his bankai. "Just for one hollow...?" He sighed, closing his eyes and focusing his spiritual pressure. "Bank-"

Ikkaku's eyes flew open as he felt the hollow's arms wrapping around his arms. Pulling tighter and tighter until the bald man was sure that his arms were going to fall off. "You can't stop me," he called out weakly before opening his mouth to try once more with his bankai. But, to his dismay, one of the arms slid up his neck until it covered his mouth.

Ikkaku grunted against the thick skin covering his mouth. He bit down again, hoping it would loosen its grip, but instead, the arm only tightened-appearing unaffected by the bite.

The soul reaper felt his mind growing foggy as the arm tightened around his neck, preventing him from breathing. He was pissed- no, more like furious. What would the Soul Society think if they were told that he, a member of the 11th Squad, was killed be a single hollow? What would his captain think? What would…. What would Yumichika think?

"No," he muttered against the arm's hot skin. He squeezed his eyes closed and pushed those thoughts away from his mind. "Not…Gonna…Die…" He breathed out. He could feel his end approaching, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was scared. He didn't want to die- especially not from some stupid hollow.

However, it appeared luck was on his side as he found himself gasping for breath as he collapsed to the ground. Panting, he lifted his heavy head to see that the hollow had vanished- just like the others. "Why?" He breathed out as he reached for his zanpakutō, using it to push himself up off the ground.

Slowly turning on his heel, Ikkaku carefully made his way back to the Kurosaki residence.

"And, that's about it." Ikkaku sighed and draped his arm over his eyes. "These hollows are really starting to piss me off."

Yumichika sat silently, replaying what Ikkaku said over and over again in his head. He was relieved that his best friend was still alive, but he was also frightened. He knew how strong Ikkaku was, and the fact that he was willing to resort to bankai worried Yumichika deeply. In all the years that he's known the man, he's only seen him resort to bankai twice. The 11th Squad was a physical strength squad- simply put, they didn't want to rely on the power of their zanpakutōs until absolutely necessary. And, Ikkaku was a man who followed that idea closely- maybe even a little too closely.

"Yumi?" Ikkaku moved his arm from his eyes to peer up at his friend. "What's up? That frown doesn't suit your face."

Yumichika let a small laugh escape his lips before lifting his head to look at his friend. "Just thinking about these hollows," he responded.

"I should contact the Captain," Rangiku noted before pulling cell phone out from in between her breasts.

"Why there?" Yumichika groaned.

"Where else?!" Rangiku pushed her chest out in Yumichika's face. "It's the perfect place!"

"Just call the captain!" Yumichika fell back against his chair.

"Right." Rangiku began punching buttons on the phone before a muffled voice was heard through the static. "Captain?"

Toshiro snapped his phone shut before turning to the others. "Ikkaku is injured."

"What?!" Ichigo and Renji questioned in unison.

"It appears he fought one of those hollows that cannot be harmed." Toshiro responded.

"What about Yumichika and Rangiku?" Renji asked.

"They stayed to guard the house upon Ikkaku's request." Toshiro sighed and stood up, walking towards the entrance of the cave.

"Of course he would want to fight alone," Renji griped. "Where are you going, Captain?!" Renji and Ichigo hopped up as they watched Toshiro step outside of the cave.

"I just need some air. I'm not going far. Stay and watch Karin." Toshiro looked over his shoulder at the two soul reapers watching him. He let his eyes fall to the sleeping girl by the fire.

"Toshiro," Ichigo whispered- voice low, displaying a warning tone.

"It's Captain Hitsugaya, Ichigo. And, I said I will be back shortly. Stay put. That's an order." That being said, Toshiro disappeared into the darkness outside of the cave.

I'm sorry this took so long! And, I don't really know how to write fighting scenes, but I'm trying! So, forgive me if it's bad.

Sorry in advanced for any grammar errors! And, I hope everyone enjoys!