A/N: Okay, I'm so sorry this took so long. I was doing uni work ans then i just couldnt bring myself to write this because my writers block was severe and i felt like everything i wrote was shit quite frankly. But then one day i just had sudden inspiration and got this done in virtually one night. Kaboom! So yeah, sorry again and hopefully i will get the next chapters out in good time, the story is starting to come to an end and i refuse to leave it unfinished :3 I'm hoping old readers are still looking out for the story and hello to any new readers! Oh, and also, i reformatted the last chapter because the formatting was weird and a few people mentioned that it wasnt very good, something with whivh i agreed!:D Enjoy! And please read and review!
The sudden increase in Ichigo's spiritual pressure was staggering. It took Toushiro every ounce of strength to move when he did because, had he not, he would most probably be annihilated from the wide scale attack that Ichigo used. It wreaked havoc on the terrain, sending yet another slice of the cliff plummeting below.
"I hope the people down there are okay," Rangiku mused as she kept her eyes on the strawberry, adamant to not let her guard down.
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Toushiro replied absent mindedly, knowing full well that half of them probably weren't.
"What are we going to do? We can't really hurt him because it isn't really him." Ukitake asked.
"We're going to have to." Byakuya said simply, recovering from Akane's little distraction technique. "We can't fight her as long as he is fighting us. Scatter, Senbonzaukura."
A thousand blades took to the sky, flying towards their orange haired target. However, a simple swing of Ichigo's sword created enough wind to blow them off target. After several failed attempts, Byakuya's petals returned to his sword as Ukitake watched with confusion.
"I don't understand..." he said after a while, "Ichigo's attacks are fuelled by spiritual pressure, I know a swing of a sword stirs the air anyway, but it's like Ichigo's creating wind."
"Ah, that's my doing again." Akane spoke up, "I'm putting my power into Ichigo, so the power in his swing is stronger. It is as you can see. No new powers. Nothing special or extravagant. Though it will be damaging to his body"
"Well maybe my wind can out-do his." Kyoraku said before he went into attack mode. "Bushōgoma!" He called as he swung his twin blades in opposite directions. The two wind blades flew towards Ichigo at super high speed, enveloping him in a tornado.
Everyone held their breathes as Kyoraku used that moment to attack close range. "Luckily Katen Kyōkotsu feels like playing. Irooni." He launched himself towards. "Black."
Just as Kyoraku was about to slash through the wind, and through Ichigo in the process, the word 'black' was repeated just as a black blade broke through the tornado and pierced Shunsui through and through. The Eighth division captains eyes widened before they glazed. Ichigo pulled his sword back out as the tornado disappeared and the captain fell to the floor. Kyoraku's attacks had done nothing and been turned against him. Ukitake rushed to his side and confirmed that he remained breathing, despite his massive injuries. The fourth squad lieutenant appeared by his side, attempting to remove the danger.
"Really, you're all to easy to beat. I'm bored of your games." Ichigo frowned, wiping his blood-stained sword on his clothes as he spoke. "How about we change how this is working?"
"What do you mean?" Byakuya asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Well, one on one isn't really working for me. So how about you all attack me at once? Then I can really have some fun," Ichigo smirked, his condescension clear in his eyes. His body was visibly shaking with excitement as he pointed his blade at every person standing below him.
"Now now Ichigo, let's not get hasty. As fun as it would be to watch you destroy everyone, you have to let everyone else have their fun."
"Everyone else?" Ukitake asked, his eyes falling upon Akane once again. "Who else have you corrupted?"
She merely let out a girlish giggle as she raised her hand and clicked her fingers. Silence echoed around them for a few seconds or so until the sound of marching reached the congregated groups ears.
"It...It sounds like she's gathered a small army." Rangiku sputtered, wildly looking around.
"Something like that. With an entire squad at my disposal, I just HAD to do something with them."
A mass of black emerged from the derelict trees, marching in uniformed lines and, even from their distance, it was painfully obvious that the entirety of the third division's eyes would be devoid of their souls, just like Ichigo. The remaining captains and lieutenants tensed, taking up defensive stances as the crowd approached.
"Ichigo, you pick your target, our friends will handle the rest."
With another click of her fingers, the squad began their charge.
"Your mine Toushiro!" Ichigo roared, starting his own assault. "In love and in death, isn't that how the saying goes!"
"Isane!" Unohana called, "Bring the wounded to me!"
"Yes captain!"
"Protecting the injured? Wouldn't it be better to leave them to die and save your own skin?" Akane goaded. Something which Unohana chose to ignore as she called upon her Zanpakuto Minazuki.
The squad washed over the others like a black tidal wave.
"We cant attack them all, it would be devastation that we don't have the man power to heal!" Ukitake called to the group at large as he dodged the zanpakutos that were swung his way. "We'd end up killing innocent people!"
"We can't do anything like this," Byakuya retorted, stopping a blade with his own before his sword disintegrated into Sakura petals just in time to cover his back from the four swords that were inches from impaling him.
"Incapacitating them is our only option," the Head Captain finally spoke up.
"It just doesn't seem right." Ukitake offered.
"It's a waste of spiritual pressure to wait them out. We have to do something."
Rangiku and Rukia soldiered on, awaiting the captains' decision as the they spared glances up at the sky where, while an argument took place on the ground, a fierce battle raged on in the sky.
No words had been spoken between the two yet. Toushiro hadn't so much as been given a chance with all of his concentration being focused stopping the black blade from cutting him.
"What's the matter Shiro-chan? Cat got your tongue? You don't wanna talk to me no more?" Ichigo laughed, pausing in his assault and propping his sword on his shoulder. He looked totally at ease, his breathing normal and seemed completely unfazed. Toushiro, on the other hand, was breathing large and uneven breathes. He seemed as if his stamina had maybe decreased in the years of peace that had followed Aizen's defeat and, adding in the fact that he did not want to fight his lover, this was a losing battle.
"Do you need a little break? You seem out of breathe." Ichigo continued to chide, "Maybe you should just give up."
Toushiro hung his head, his hair casting a shadow over his eyes as his anger over the situation increased. But this only fuelled Ichigo's fire.
The strawberry laughed almost uncontrollably, "Are you hanging your head in shame Toushiro?" He laughed even more. "Look at me! I want to see the pain and sadness in your eyes when I kill you!"
"SHUT UP!"
Ichigo froze, the pure volume and tone of the voice actually taking him by surprise. His face clearly showed his shock as Toushiro raises his head, his rage reflecting in his eyes to the point that they almost seemed to glow an icy blue. The temperature dropped to subzero level and Ichigo was even more astonished when he could see his breathe clouding in front of his face.
"You're NOT Ichigo!" He roared, his grip on his sword turning his knuckles white. "The real Ichigo is inside there somewhere and I know he will fight and fight until he regains control of his body! Ichigo is not capable of being this evil!"
The shock faded from Ichigo's face and his lips twitched before turning up into a small smile. A chuckle escaped and turned into a full blown laugh. He even threw his head back and laughed into the sky. When he regained his composure his eyes were wide and his mouth was contorted into a feral grin.
"Oh, how naive do you want to be Toushiro? You all see me as some sort of saviour of the damned world but I'm not invincible you know. I can be beaten. Or should I say he could. He was weak and let emotion and love and relationships cloud his judgment and addle his brain, making him susceptible to these so-called 'petty tricks'. But I? I won't fall from the same weakness as that pitiful fool. I am superior and, to prove it, I'm going to kill you!" He flew at the 10th division captain once again. "No more holding back Toushiro!"
"Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyorinmaru!"
The sound of their swords meeting was lost to the massive explosion of spiritual pressure that exploded from the point of impact. Half of the weaker squad three members fighting below were either blown away or frozen from the force of the spiritual pressure that came crashing down around them. The ice dusting that rained down on them from the ice dragon Toushiro had unleashed caused goose bumps on bare skin.
A consensus had been reached among the captains on the ground. Incapacitate. Don't maim or kill. Byakuya swept at a large portion of the black sea of bodies with his Senbonzaukura, his Sakura petals wipe out at least half of those he hit. In an attempt to measure her reflexes, he sent the sea of razor sharp blades flowing towards Akane, who had remained silent after she had sent her cavalry into action. She was unaware at first, her eyes fixed on the battle raging above with a small smile on her face. It was a flash of light reflecting off the sea of pink that caught her eye and gave her just enough forewarning to avoid the attack.
She smirked at the noble. "It will take much more than that to hurt me."
Byakuya took a step forward, fully intending on engaging her, but stopped as he used his zanpakuto's hilt and guard to stop a squad members blade, his Sakura petals coming and taking it out from the side.
She returned her gaze to the battle above once she was convinced the captain was reabsorbed into the messy fray. Once Ichigo killed Toushiro, his true consciousness would never resurface and she, with him at her side, could do what she truly came to do. The fought made her giddy, making her grin and chuckle happily to herself. They would show no remorse and certainly no mercy. Toushiro did he best to avoid another blow, but merely succeeded in stopping it from being fatal. The black blade sliced down his left arm, leaving a gaping wound and an unusable appendage. Blood sprayed through the air but Toushiro didn't have time to comprehend the pain. A moments hesitation for any reason would mean his death. Next was a cut to his leg. Then a nick on his right cheek. He was struggling to take a breathe and his movements were becoming slower and the power behind his zanpakuto was diminishing. All the while, he had been yet to cause a single wound to Ichigo and the strawberry's breathing was barely even affected by the continuous actions he was conducting. The perfect picture of ease.
The strawberry took a head-on charge at him but disappeared at the last minute so that blade met thin air. The smaller man just say had time to turn around as Ichigo swung his sword down from above his head in an attack from behind. Toushiro deflected it with his own blade, but the sheer force of Ichigo's blow sent him spiraling downwards. He dropped at such a speed that he didn't have the time nor the energy to stop himself from hitting the ground with a sickening crunch. Clouds of dust filled the air from the point of impact and Ichigo and Akane both watched with expectant eyes as they waited for the dust to clear. The other captains spared a glance where they could. Everyone wanted, nay needed to know what the outcome of the attack was going to be. The dust cleared and a crater could be seen in the earth around the 10th division captain. The captain himself had managed to pull himself to one knee, leaning heavily on his zanpakuto which was clearly the only thing still holding him up. His spiritual pressure was weak. All most gone completely.
"You disappoint me." Ichigo stated simply, his sword hanging limp by his side. He flash stepped to a few steps away from Toushiro and walked so that he was standing directly in front of him. "I thought you'd provide a bit more fight than that."
Toushiro didn't speak. His raged breathing making it almost impossible anyway. He looked up at the body of the man he loved. His eyes raked over the tanned skin and bright orange hair. The chocolate brown eyes, ignoring the soullessness and remembering the warmth and love they once held when they looked at him. He remembered the inviting laugh instead of the manic one he had been hearing today, and the warmth of his embrace. He remembered all the good things he had felt in their time together, seeing as how this was probably going to be the last time he could. If he'd had the energy he would have stopped them, but regardless, tears rolled down his dirt, sweat and blood covered cheeks as he stared into the empty eyes of his lover.
"Are you really crying? Are you that pathetic?" Ichigo laughed.
Toushiro remained silent again. He merely continued to look into those eyes. Forcing himself to maintain their gaze.
"Ichigo!" Akane's voice rang out, her impatience getting the beat of her. "Enough. Just finish him."
Ichigo sighed audibly. "Any last words Captain?" Silence. "No? Fine."
Her raised his sword high above his head with the intent to cut him right down the middle. Toushiro finally closed his eyes.
"I love you." he whispered as the sword was brought down upon him.
MisaxMisa: *covers eyes and screams*
Ichigo: Chill out Misa...
MisaxMisa: Ahhhh mind control! *hits Ichigo over the head with frying pan*
Renji: Hey Misa, what's gonna- OMG what did you do?
MisaxMisa: I thought he was Akane's bitch 3':
Renji: o_O oooooookayy...