Chapter 12. The Spell Of Death
I so do not own Bleach!
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Akuma stood over Hinamori's body, blood slowly trickling from her crumpled form.
Hitsugaya guided his gaze to where he thought the Vasto Lorde would be standing, knowing that Hinamori would be there as well. He curled his icy talons into a fist, gripping the hilt of his sword, his fangs bared in a menacing growl.
He shot forward to where the faint outline of the Arrancar stood, the blade of his Zanpakutou stretched forward, ready to make contact and tear flesh. But being able to see in the dark, the Vasto Lorde dodged easily, leaving Hitsugaya to strike the rocky wall of the cave. But at least now he was near Hinamori, and now he would be able to protect her.
He could smell her blood, and his tail brushed her shihakushou ever so slightly. He heard the echo of a snicker, and made out the blurred shapes of the two Arrancar.
How am I going to win this battle?
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Warm blood dripped over Hinamori's eyes as she attempted to stand.
She tried to push herself up, but her weak arms gave in beneath her. Everything was dark; she could hardly see anything, only the outlines of shapes and shadows. She was aware of a cold tail, hovering protectively over her, wings shielded her from unseen enemies.
"Hitsugaya…kun."
Her voice was barely an audible whisper and she knew that he did not hear her. She kept still, not moving and not making any more sound and she almost stopped breathing altogether. She heard the overlapping echoes seep into the air throughout the cave.
"Don't touch her." Hitsugaya was growling.
She then heard a curt, taunting laugh, followed by a familiar voice that made her shiver.
"Well, well, it seems that we have a bit of a problem. Rei, now is the time, I want you to use your spell on that girl."
Hinamori's blood ran cold at the words, and she could sense Hitsugaya tense. He stayed where he was however, not daring to leave her side. He shifted; making sure that his wings completely shielded her.
A few soft mumbles of some form of incantation were spoken from the lips of the female Arrancar, and in the meantime, Hinamori managed to maintain a kneeling position.
But before she knew any more, she realized her breath shortening, and her heartbeat almost ceasing altogether.
A desperate gasp escaped her body.
"Hitsugaya-kun!"
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Hitsugaya whipped around at the sound of his name, and her voice. He could barely see Hinamori kneeling behind him; her hands were raised to her throat in a movement suggesting that she could not breathe.
"…H-Hitsugaya…kun…h-help me…" She gasped.
She spoke quickly her breath was short and rapid. He could see the gleaming of her eyes, they were filled with terror and pleading; her once peaceful chestnut eyes were corrupted by emotions of helplessness and fear. He clenched his teeth.
"You bastards! What did you do to her?!" He spat.
He heard them both snicker again, and almost lunged forward to kill them, but he would stay put until he found out how to help Hinamori.
"Its just a little spell."
The voice sounding of a dying animal rang through Hitsugaya's ears. Anger flared inside of him, and his grip on his sword tightened. The Arrancar went on,
"Rei here has a special ability that allows her to block her victims breathing, as you can clearly see. That girl has maybe half an hour at best before she suffocates."
He laughed cruelly. Hitsugaya's eyes widened, but he tried to stay calm, worrying was not going to help him at all.
"You bastards. How do I undo it? Tell me!" He shouted.
There was a pause, but then Akuma responded.
"The only way for you to cancel the spell is if the caster and all same-level Arrancar within 10 yards of them are killed in the amount of time before the victim dies. Meaning that every other Arrancar that is a Vasto Lorde in 10 yards from here must be destroyed. In other words, you have half an hour to kill both Rei and myself. This little trick is most commonly known as 'The Spell of Death', because no one has ever exceeded in disabling it. Everyone that has been hit with this technique in the past has died, and this time, it will be no different."
Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes into slits like a cat's, anger clouding his once aqua eyes. He lifted his wings and took off at top speed towards the two partners.
"DAMN YOU TO HELL!" The white-haired boy roared.
His Zanpakutou collided with the wall of the cave once again as he missed his targets, rocks clanked and tumbled down the wall and onto the ground. Then, he cursed himself silently. He had left Hinamori wide open and unprotected.
He turned again, getting accustomed to the cave and the darkness, and his eyes made out Hinamori's frail form, still kneeling on the ground. Thankfully, the Arrancar had not gone for her; yet at least.
Suddenly, the cave was full of light once again, telling Hitsugaya that it must have been daytime again, whatever daytime was in Hueco Mundo that is. He had half an hour, only half an hour before Hinamori died of suffocation and he swore, that he was going to save her.
Now he could see the Arrancar quite clearly, and the advantage of sight was his once more. He smiled with satisfaction at the shocked looks on the Arrancar's faces. He raised his sword once more and aimed a blow at Rei, for she controlled the paralysis spell, but he greatly underestimated her agility and he wound up once again striking the cave wall.
"Where are you aiming boy?" The blue-eyed Vasto Lorde laughed.
Hitsugaya snorted, but then remembered that he had hit her before, and that she was wounded, therefore she could not keep up her speed forever. He lashed out swiftly with his sword, and this time managed to hit her shoulder, but the wound was too shallow.
Akuma, on the other hand, had been being ignored at the time, and when Hitsugaya turned around, he saw a red glow shimmering off of the cave walls, as the Arrancar formed a fiery cero in his palms.
Aiming at Hitsugaya, he smirked and fired the attack, not even giving Hitsugaya enough time to react, the red, firey glow increased and brightened and he could only close his eyes.
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A/N: Bwahahaha cliffhanger!! I feel evil right now! Oh and again everyone, if there are any errors or mistakes please do not kill me. I do not have a beta...er... as of now. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, then please feel free to ask! And Please Review!!