Chapter 15. The Final Attack

I do not own Bleach.

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The darkness had consumed Hitsugaya once again as he followed the shadowy path that the Arrancar had taken, deeper into the heart of the cave.

He pounded his wings as fast as he could against the rocks that marked the walls of the caves. Once again, as his vision blurred and worsened, his other senses all enhanced.

He could feel the walls of the cave, brushing against his wingtips and steering him on ahead in the right direction, like a cat's whiskers. He could smell the vile stench of the Vasto Lorde further forward, mixed with the tangy, rain-like scent of blood. Above the sounds of his wing beats; he could hear his enemy's feet scuttling about before him.

Suddenly, the narrow tunnel widened into another large, open cave, giving him more wing space. He halted when his wings told him that he was out of the tunnel, then he stayed deathly still, like a concrete statue, listening.

Nothing could be heard now, no cackling, and no footsteps.

And then, what seemed to be out of nowhere, Hitsugaya was struck on the side of the head and stumbled. He crashed into the cave wall, icicles and rock flying everywhere with the rough collision. Blood seeped from the side of his head and trickled over both of his eyes, blinding his red vision.

He wanted to give up.

He wanted to give up now and just have it all over with.

But he could not.

He could not just give up on her, for he had come all this way, and she needed him now more then ever.

As the Arrancar sprang at him once more, Hitsugaya blocked the razor-sharp claws, thanks to Hyorinmaru. The blade of his Zanpakutou was soaked in blood, dripping a liquid as red as his malignant eyes. He was transforming into a completely different being.

His rage, his blood lust, his determination, his fighting spirit; they were all coming together. They were changing him, and he did not know if it was for the better or the worst. Something in the very center of his soul, the very core of his being, was transforming him into some exponentially vicious creature. Ice was storming around the cave like a frothing mass of liquid cotton. Some primordial ferine wrath that he had kept locked away in himself for so long now thrashed uncontrollably inside of him.

He was not going to let her die, no matter what.

His massive wings churned in the frozen air, slowly lifting him up to tower above his enemy. His eyes were emotionless, no fear resided there, just nothing but endless pools of crimson. This metamorphosis had turned him into a loathing, revenge-possessed being.

As he rushed in, he extended his right arm, letting his Zanpakutou score the tough flesh of the Arrancar. As a cero was thrust back at him in a counterattack, Hitsugaya maneuvered the blast of energy and rushed in once again. His speed was unimaginable.

As Hitsugaya plunged downward once again, his enemy just managed to dodge, but the wind moved by the force of his plunge made Akuma stagger. Hitsugaya saw his chance and darted forward once again, succeeding in knocking his rival off of his unsteady feet.

Now, Hitsugaya was inexorable, he could not, would not be defeated. He turned and whipped his colossal icy tail into the ground, aiming for Akuma. But somehow, the Arrancar had again managed to get out of the path of the furious boy's attacks. He stood to his feet, but did not get one moment of rest, for Hitsugaya rushed him again missing, this time only by centimeters.

Akuma struggled to keep up with his opponent's incomprehensible agility, but to no avail.

So he tried something else.

As quickly as he could, before the dragon-like boy could react, Akuma gathered all of the spiritual energy that he could possibly muster. As the red particles clustered together like magnets, they grew larger and larger in size, and it all happened so fast that Hitsugaya did not know what hit him.

When he opened his eyes from a blink, hundreds of thousands of ceros were tearing towards him. Without even thinking, his body dodged for him, swiftly darting through the endless deadly rubies.

But it was impossible, for anyone, to dodge them all.

The scarlet balls of energy did not cease to form in the Vasto Lorde's palms, and likewise, he did not cease firing them. Eventually, the ceros began to pound Hitsugaya's tired wings as he shielded his body from the deathly strikes. The ice of his wings leisurely chipped away, piece by piece.

Finally, unable to keep hold of his stamina, Hitsugaya was forced backwards into a rocky cave wall. What was left of his wings unfurled, leaving him exposed and vulnerable. But even though he was clearly defeated, the attacks did not cease striking him.

Then, after countless, torturous blows, Akuma let fly the final particularly excruciating blow that he had deliberately been holding back. As the frightful attack met his flesh, Hitsugaya's eyes stretched wide and then dangled shut limply, as his body collapsed onto the frozen ground.

His Zanpakutou was left to skid un-authorized across the sheet of ice. His wings and tail crumbled into small molecules of frost and his claws and fangs disintegrated into the atmosphere. Hitsugaya was half unconscious, blood spilling freely from every wound on his mangled body.

Akuma advanced slowly, keeping a weary eye on the boy in uncertainty. But as he saw the deplorable condition of his opponent, he relaxed his shoulders and walked slowly forward.

Hitsugaya tensed, not sure if he was bracing himself for the final blow, or bracing himself to leap up at his unsuspecting foe.

But his injured body allowed him to do neither, just lay there as the victorious Arrancar glared tauntingly down at him.

"Pity. You were so close, but you've wasted too much precious time. The girl only has about 5 more minutes to live as of now. You have failed boy, you have failed both yourself and her. I cannot believe that you would let her die so easily, whereas I cannot believe that you, Hitsugaya Toshiro of all people, would die so easily. You really are pitiful."

Akuma turned and made his way across the frosted cavern, not looking back, knowing that he was victorious.

However, silently, the ice crept back onto Hitsugaya's skin, once again forming the claws, fangs, tail and wings which he had become so accustomed to within the past few weeks.

Without his Zanpakutou, Hitsugaya gathered the remainder of his willpower, and soundlessly rushed at Akuma from behind.

But the Vasto Lorde had anticipated his action, knowing that he would not go down so easily.

He spun to face the white-haired boy at the very last second, and the sounds of iron scraping concrete echoed throughout all of Hueco Mundo.

Claw met claw, and seconds later, blood pooled out over the ground of the cave, staining the once pure, clean ice.

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A/N: Okay this is really where I went insane with the vocab lol. So, sombody got hit, who was it? Find out next chapter! Plz review!