Hell On Earth - Extended Edition, chapter four. Enjoy and review!
4: 'Rukiaaaa!'
Rukia only managed to stare dumbfounded at the fist which slammed into her, sending her light-weight body hurtling into a wall. Shrieker laughed mockingly as he hurled punch after punch sending crimson sprays from Rukia's nose and mouth. She grunted from the pain which increased tenfold with every hit. His seemingly endless barrage ended abruptly and Rukia fell back into the wall.
"Ha! It seems that while I got stronger you got weaker! At least you could run last time!"
The obscene monster wrapped his bony fingers around Rukia's delicate throat, inadvertently scratching her with his sharp talons. Rukia sobbed quietly, trying to stifle her emotions as best as she could.
Shrieker opened his mouth and to Rukia's surprise a new tongue snaked out and began swaying back and forth. Her eyes were glued to the disgusting appendage which stroked her cheek, lapping up her tears. If she weren't so afraid she would have screamed, but all she could manage was a pitiful whimper.
"Hmmm for so long I have yearned to taste you...I finally know why. I want to make you cry more of these delicious tears before I taste your beautiful flesh! Mwahahahahahahah!"
Through gritted teeth Rukia gasped "D-destructive a-a-ar-art thirty three"
"What are you babbling?" The beast asked lifting her up until she was eye-level with him. It was then that Rukia raised both arms with her palms flat out, directed at Shrieker. She then cleared her throat and roared as fiercely as she could muster, "Blue fire crash down!"
A blue fireball erupted in Shrieker's face and in his shock he threw Rukia down onto the road where she hit with a jarring thud. The vile hollow grasped his face and screamed. "Argh! You fucking bitch! I'll kill you!" He stared straight up at the sky and his jaws stretched open. One hand plunged down his own throat and reached deep down inside to retrieve something.
Rukia just looked on, stunned.
When he found what he desired, he began drawing his arm back out, bringing with it, a long, thin katana dripping with bright red blood.
"Ha! This time I won't give you a chance, bitch! GRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"
Rukia squinted through the red haze as blood dripped into her eye. It made it difficult to see, but she clearly saw the glint of steel and the sudden blur of movement as the revived hollow vanished from sight. Before Rukia could even express her shock, Shrieker was standing before her.
"Impossible! That was Shunpo!" Rukia wheezed. "How could you possibly do that?"
"Shut up!" Shrieker kicked her in the chin so that her head tilted upwards and her near lifeless eyes squinted at the blade hovering only inches from her throat. For a moment, the beast appeared sympathetic. He dropped his sword and squatted down until he was level with her. There was a hint of sadness and regret in his eyes and Rukia actually believed it. She felt hope flood back into her. A little ray of light in which Shrieker would spare her for now.
Her hope was torn to scraps in the blink of an eye.
His serpentine tongue lashed out and ran along her leg up to her thigh. Lost to his base instincts, the wild animal tore at her shirt and eyed his helpless prey with lustful eyes. His tongue rolled back into his mouth and then he licked his fleshless lips. "Delicious...I can't help myself any longer. I must taste you!"
Rukia winced at his words. Fear kept her eyes closed, unable to comprehend what sick tortures her depraved captor could perform.
Shrieker's twisted pleasures were put on hold when a bright flash of light soared past, tearing through his arm. He jumped up and looked around frenziedly.
"AAAAAGGGHHHHH fuck! What now?"
In his manic search he spotted the intruder...Yet another familiar face. The boy with bright orange hair. The hellion who ended his reign of terror in the past. The boy smirked.
"If you were having a reunion then why didn't I get an invitation?"
Shrieker scowled and bunched his fists. "You! You fucking killed me!" No longer interested in the girl, he threw one last mighty punch, knocking her out of the way. He then turned his attention to this new enemy, his past executioner. He stooped down and snatched his sword from the ground. Without hesitation, he charged, sword raised and eyes glowing with maniacal rage.
Ichigo darted forward and swung his sword in an arc, meeting his opponent's blade at halfway. Using the momentum of the colliding swords Ichigo spun around and slashed on the opposite side where Shrieker's defence was full of holes. Unfortunately, Shrieker was not so careless as to leave himself exposed. He had another ace up his sleeve. Ichigo's mighty sword clashed with one of Shrieker's wings, used as a shield.
Ichigo frowned at the sudden ingenuity of his opponent but incidentally left himself open. Shrieker used Ichigo's lack of concentration to his advantage and jabbed his blade straight through Ichigo's right arm.
The boy cried out in agony as he clutched at the gaping hole in his arm. Ichigo gritted his teeth and cursed.
"Got ya now shinigami!" The maniacal beast screeched, holding his katana proudly above his head.
Ichigo slowly raised his sword flat in front of him. His shaking hands struggled to hold the unwieldy weapon in position, nevertheless he soldiered on. In painful gasps he uttered one word: "Ban-kai!"
A great explosion rocked the neighbourhood and black reishi erupted from Ichigo and sent powerful shockwaves out, forcing Shrieked to back away. The beast stared at the incredible feat of power and for once in his life; a look of pure terror crossed his face.
"What the...? That's impossible!" Shrieker stared dumbstruck at his opponent who was still lost within a column of blazing black reishi. "How? Only captains can achieve Bankai!"
"Hmph looks like you haven't got me yet."
The reishi cleared and revealed Ichigo's Bankai. The great sword he once wielded was now gone and in its place he held a thin jet-black katana.
"Tensa Zangetsu" Ichigo smiled confidently. "How about we finish this for the last time?" Ichigo gripped his blade with both hands and roared as reishi flowed into the blade.
"GETSUGA TENSHO!" He roared as the spirit energy was released in a massive blast. A huge explosion shattered the surrounding area and spewed dust up into the sky.
Even though he couldn't see through it, Ichigo still felt confident. He left the battlefield and approached Rukia.
The small girl was lying under a large piece of concrete, moaning pitifully. Ichigo slashed once and the concrete block disintegrated, freeing Rukia. Ichigo scooped her up in his arms and studied her wounds. He hurriedly tore off parts of his clothes and made makeshift bandages for her wounds. When he was done dressing the many wounds he began to walk off. He only made a few steps before sickening laughter assaulted his ears.
He turned sharply to witness Shrieker emerge from the rubble almost unscathed excluding one wing which was now reduced to a tattered mess of burnt flesh and bone.
"Ha! I thought the power of a Bankai was supposed to be unstoppable! Was that really it?"
Ichigo cursed under his breath. "You bastard! Next time I'll kill you!"
Shrieker chuckled menacingly. "Sorry, but there won't be a next time!" He clicked his fingers and in a matter of seconds the gates of hell appeared. The skeletal guardians cried out mournfully as they split apart to reveal a massive, three headed silhouette hidden behind a thick layer of fog.
"Cerberus! Arise and consume his soul! " Shrieker's fanged jaws twisted up into a grin as he spoke. At his very command, the immense shadow walked out of the gate. The beast snarled aggressively and Ichigo backed away from the monstrous creature.
The beast was twice Ichigo's size and covered in dense fur. Its three growling heads each somewhat resembled a wolf's head, only stripped of flesh. Their skull masks were adorned with spiked and markings just to make them look even more intimidating.
The three heads roared in unison, each one drooling black saliva which splattered the concrete, which quickly began to corrode.
"This is hells greatest guardian. His drool alone could kill a soul reaper but he's too spoiled to hunt on his own. My task is to feed him!" Shrieker smiled venomously. "You and the girl would be perfect as dog food! hahahahaha!"
"I'll never let you, scum!" Ichigo spat the last word with utter hatred. "I don't know why you're here with that thing but I'll kill you before you do any more damage!" He clenched his sword tighter and tensed.
"Well then you'd better hurry, that girl's injuries are pretty bad, won't be long before she bleeds to death!" The obscene monster laughed mockingly, spilling salt into the wound.
Ichigo gazed forlornly at the still body of Rukia.
"Just hang on Rukia! I WON'T LET YOU DIE!" He set her down gently and glared with pure hatred at his opponents.
"You chose the wrong guy to mess with! It's over now!"
Ichigo hooked his fingers over the side of his face and then swiftly dragged them across his face. Black reishi surrounded him and began to ripple wildly.
Shrieker watched in awe as Ichigo's face was consumed by a skull mask...Just like a hollow.
"What! That's.... that's a..... Hollow mask! "
Ichigo's voice was now distorted and raspy. "That's right! It's over Shrieker!"
"This is crazy! How can a shinigami get such power?"
Ichigo snarled. "I don't have time to waste on you anymore. I'll end this in one hit!"
Ichigo flash stepped behind Shrieker with such a blinding speed that Shrieker couldn't even hope to trace his movements. Ichigo caught the bewildered hollow off-guards and thrust his katana through Shrieker's spine. He then followed up by slashing the blade outwards, slicing through ribs and organs before erupting out of Shrieker's side. Torrents of blood gushed out from the gaping wound flooding the concrete below.
Shrieker desperately flash stepped out of harms way. He winced from the agonising pain and wiped blood from his mouth. His body was shaking and his wound was still gushing like a crimson waterfall. He stumbled but caught himself before he fell. He couldn't possibly fight for much longer. He had to slay Ichigo quickly before things got out of hand.
He roared like the beast he was and charged head on at Ichigo, exchanging furious blows relentlessly. Shrieker fought his hardest but he was still getting overpowered by Ichigo's immense strength. He cursed and spat out a mouthful of blood. He realised he was no match for Ichigo in his current state. For now he would take a back seat and let his 'pet' take care of things.
He retreated to a safe distance and called forth his beastly companion.
"Tear him to shreds! Kill him!"
The creature obeyed its master's command and lunged, all three heads baring their unnaturally sharp fangs. It charged straight into Ichigo, slamming its large body into the much smaller boy. Ichigo was knocked back and he stagged around for a moment trying to regain his bearings.
The beast lunged again, this time barrelling into him with extra force effectively throwing Ichigo to the ground.
The creature roared triumphantly and walked over to its prey. Ichigo writhed about helplessly as the creature pummelled him with its huge paws.
All the while, Shrieker howled with delight.
Come on! Where are the reviews? There are so many of you reading and none of you care enough to write just a short little comment? Please end my misery and review, I'm not asking you much, just to give me an indication of whether this story is worth re-writing or not.
REVIEW DAMMIT!