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Almost done here~! Whew, I'm on a roll now that it's almost over, neh? O.o Ok, next chappie~!
Chapter 11: Lost
As Shiro fell past the chasm of chains, he was a bit uncertain as to what this 'Kokuto' looked like. C'mon Shiro...he's probably the only one down here...don't worry about trying ta recognize him or anything... He thought to himself as he landed on the chains. He slowly rose and looked around him. The chains seemed to breath around him, giving him this uncomfortable feeling. Damm this place is creepy...
"Well well, look what we have here." Shiro looked out of the corner of his eye to see a partially burnt man emerge from the chains, one eye glaring at him. "You are not Ichigo Kurosaki...yet you bear a rather annoying resemblence."
"Sorry to bother ya with my looks...Kokuto, correct?" Shiro said, turning to face the man. His body was heavily wrapped in chains, and from what he could see, they were very tightly wound around every inch of his body. "I do believe you called me a 'monster' not too long ago."
"Wait, are you-"
"You're very much out of the loop for recent events." Shiro said, pulling Zangetsu off his back. "I know I shouldn't do this...but I wish to make you a deal. Believe me when I say it's worth your time, considering you don't have much else to do anyways." Kokuto glared at him before sighing.
"i'm listening..."
"Ichigo's become a victim of Shuren's and he's possesed his body. I need to get into his mind to free him, yet I need a distration...plus I don't know where Shuren is. so this is where you come in. I free you from most of your chains, and you distract the body on the outside, whereas I fight Shuren from the inside. If it's anything like when I fought Ichigo in his mind for control, you'll know wheather I win or lose." Shiro explained. Kokuto grinned and strained a bit asgainst his chains.
"Ah, but what if you lose?"
"I won't lose. I have to win." Shiro growled out.
"Then what if you die?" Shiro remained silent, his eyes shadowed by his bangs. "Hmm...a dilema, no? i know quite well what you can be capable of...Hollow." Shiro snarled and pointed Zangetsu at the Togabito*.
"do we have a deal, Kokuto?" He asked, waiting patiently for a reply. Kokuto laughed and moved his arms up ever so slightly.
"Very well, monster. Release me from these infernal binds that your counterpart created." He laughed. Shiro took Zangetsu and closed his eyes.
"Getsuga...Tensho!" He slashed away at the chains, watching them crumble and fade. Once enough were cut, Kokuto fell to the ground, breathing heavily. "Well?"
"Shall we go then? I know precisely where he is." Kokuto sneered.
Shiro followed Kokuto quietly from behind, glancing around to see the lifeless souls that were constantly devoured by the monster's that roamed Hell. 'Man am I glad you guys are staying away...' Shiro thought to the Will.
'It is the least we can do for you. This threat MUST be stopped at all costs.'
'Yeah...I know.'
'You have released a powerful, dangerous Togabito. Are you willing to deal with the consequences?'
'Are you telling me you know how this will end, you annoying voice?' shiro heard the Will of Hell laugh, and he flinched at the sound. It sounded like a million screaming voices.
'Exactly how it will end for you, Hichigo Shirosaki. Interested?'
'No...lemme find out what I already know on my own, 'kay?' He could feel the being inside him nod.
'Very well then. Good luck, Hichigo Shirosaki. We shall speak again real soon.' He felt the presence fade and he sighed.
"You seem nervous Hollow...unusual for your kind." Kokuto commented.
"I ain't exactly 'usual' if that's how ya see me."
"Believe me, I know...you have an overwhelming power...such a shame it isn't being used."
"I have more control over myself then Ichigo had over me." He snapped. "Don't expect me to Hollowfy here as easily, understand?"
"Hmph...I believe I do understand." Kokuto grinned. He then looked ahead and motioned with his sword. "We're here." When they landed, it looked like a large palace made of bones, enough to send a chill up both men's spines.
"Wow, need redecorating much?" Shiro grumbled.
"When in Hell, decoration doesn't matter...although I will agree with you here." Kokuto nodded and they both entered the large palace.
I'm here Ichigo...hang on!
When they entered, thre first thing they saw was the throne in the center of the room.* Ichigo/Shuren was sitting there, tapping his foot impatiently.
"I was waiting for you to show up, monster." Shuren said. "And you brought that annoying fool with you." Both Shiro and Kokuto gripped their swords tightly. The merged being stood and pointed the black Tensa Zangetsu at them. "If I eliminate you here, then you can't stop me from destroying the human world."
"Ichigo! Snap out of this!" Shiro shouted. Shuren laughed and Shiro tensed up, preparing for an attack.
"He's stubborn, but he can't resist anymore..." Shuren sneered and swung his sword, sending green flames towards the two. They split up and Shiro ended up somewhere behind Shuren.
Alright Kokuto...you need to distract him! I need to get into his mind! He thought. Kokuto looked his way and nodded. He's gonna enjoy this way too much... He grumbled. Kokuto then shot forth with his chains and wrapped Shuren's armsd and legs.
"What the hell is the meaning of this? !"
"Even you can't escape my chains." Kokuto teased and motioned towards Shiro. "Now!" Shiro nodded and Flash Stepped towards Ichigo/Shuren and placed his hand on his forehead.
I must enter! Ichigo! He called out with his mind. He felt it then, a tiny crack in the mental wall preventing him from entering and he slipped his consiousness inside. Kokuto watched as Shiro actually dissapeared from the area and leapt backwards. Ichigo/Shuren shrugged the now loose chaions off and snarled.
Ok then...time for a bit of fun... Kokuto grinned and lunged for the merged being.
As Shiro found himself decsending again, he closed his eyes to see the Will of Hell standing in his vision. "How long do you believe I have?"
"Thirty minutes at best, no more than that. The strain on your soul will kill you if you do not escape before then. Your connection is but a brittle old chain now." The Will said.
"Yippee...this will be a piece of cake..." Shiro grumbled. "What can I do?"
"Hell's chains are being manipulated by Shuren. Ichigo is trapped in them. Free him and destroy Shuren."
"The ultimate punishment?"
"Complete annihilation of the soul and mind." Shiro couldn't help but flinch at the cold voice The Will had. "Good luck..." Shiro saw the familiar skyscrapers and landed, yet the moment he did he wished he hadn't looked around. The sky was a blood red color, the rain falling from above seemed like blood as it coated the ground red.
Ichigo...what's happaned here?
"So you managed to sneak your way into thisd place...not too bad, using Kokuto as a distraction." He whipped around to see Shuren standing there, a firey arrow in his hand in front of a large tower of chains. He looked up and felt his new heart stop. Ichigo was tied up in the chains above them.
Ichigo... He gripped his zanpakuto in anger and held it out in front of him. "BANKAI!" He felt the familiar spiritual pressure surround him and he slashed it away, revealing his bankai. "Tensa Zangetsu..."
"My, you never cease to amaze me." Shuren laughed. "You think you can stop me here?"
"I have to, for Ichigo's sake and his friends..." He placed his hand in front of him and pulled down, forming his mask. "You will not stop me either. I will suceed here!"
"Oh really now? He seems to disagree." Shuren laughed. Shiro narrowed his eyes before appearing suddenly before Shuren, aiming to hit his head with his zanpakuto. Shuren blocked it with his arrow and pushed Shiro back. "Tsk, not enough here." He taunted and threw the arrow at Shiro. Shiro felt it graze his cheek, making a thin cut and he hissed as it burned.
He blocked as Shuren appeared in front of him and dug his heels into the ground as he was being violently pushed backwards. He could feel the skyscraper crack under the pressure and he shoved back hard enough on Shuren to make the Togabito falter.
I have to reach Ichigo first! Shuren's too powerful for me on my own...unless I... He shook his head clear of the image of himself as a full Hollow. No!
"Having difficulties, Hollow? If I were you, I'd Hollowfy."
"No...I won't destroy Ichigo's soul that way! I won't let you do this to him!" Shiro snarled angrily. He rushed up again and managed to make Shuren stumble enough to cut his arm, but only a shallow cut as the Togabito backed up. Shiro took the moment and launched himself towards Ichigo When he got close enough though, he felt chains wrap around his waist and arms, making him drop his zanpakuto. Shit!
"You think that's enough to stop me? You're an idiot." Shuren sighed. Shiros truggled and turned to look at Ichigo/
'Ichigo...can you hear me in there?' He thought, hoping that their mental connection wasn't broken yet. He felt an odd tug on his heart that made him cough. Shit...already? !
"Hmm...seems ytour time will be up shortly. Perhaps I'll leave you here until the chain that binds you two chockes your heart to death." Shuren smirked. Shiro struggled in the chains, attempting to raise his spiritual pressure and shock Shuren enough to free himself.
'Ichigo, you can't let this asshole win! If he does, everyone you care for will be killed! Worse, they'll end up here because of it! don't let Shuren beat you this easily King!' He shouted in his mind, praying that Ichigo was hearing him. 'If you give up, who will protect everyone? ! I can't do it alone!' "Fuck you Shuren! I'll snap these goddamned chains!" He felt a glowing feeling in his palms and was surprised when deep red beams shot oput them. C...cero's? He thought as the chains vaporized around him.
"Hmph, seems you can acess those powers without going insane. Very interesting..." Shuren murmered. Shiro shrugged the remaning chains off, but found it hard to move as he looked at his chest. The chain still connecting him to Ichigo looked brittle and completly rusted over.
Shit...shit not yet! He quickly looked at Shuren and launched another cero at him. "I won't let you trap us here! I can't let you win!" He snapped angrily as he attempted to strike Shuren. He's too fast for me! He felt a burning sensation at his throat as Shuren held a flame like sword at his throat. "Ngh..."
"I have no idea why you're holding back Hollow. Why not let your anger control you as it did him?" Shuren teased.
"I will not damage Ichigo's soul just because of my own anger!" Shiro snarled. The blade grew closer, and he could feel blood trickle down his pale neck.
"You...care for him, don't you?" Shiro's eyes widened and he aimed a kick at Shuren from behind. Shuren gasped as Shiro kicked his chest and backed away, rubbing at the burn on his neck. "From what I've seen, he sure as hell doesn't care about you."
"...I know that..." Shiro sighed. "But I won't let that stop me from doing what I feel. I've learned that all emotions are tied to an instinct...and my instinct now is to help him...protect him for a change...and I'll be damned if I let you prevent me from doing this!" He aimed another cero, and almost hit Shuren with it, but he dodged at the last second. It had struck his arm however, and Shiro watched as it faded. What...? He looked at his hands and smirked. So then that's how I can...
"Tsk, you have the power too then...should've wondered why his powers were incomplete." Shuren tsked. Shuren smirked as chains shot up and wrapped around Shiro's legs. Shiro struggled against them as Shuren launched at him. "This is it for you, then, monster." Shiro's eyes widened before something black and red slashed the ground in front of the two. Shiro looked up to see Ichigo there, panting heavily and shrugging chains off his shoulders.
"Ichigo!" Shiro grinned as Ichigo landed next to him, slashing at the chains.
"Man...you get in some bad situations without me around, huh?" Ichigo chuckled. Shiro looked away however, unable to meet Ichigo's eyes. "We'll talk later...promise." Shiro looked at Ichigo, who nodded towards the fallen Shuren. "Are you gonna finish it?" Shiro smirked and pointed his fingers at Shuren.
"Burn with the flames of Hell itself..." Shiro hissed and launched a large cero at Shuren. Although it didn't destroy him immediatly, he was begining to fade. Ichigo smirked as Shiro turned to face him. "Ichigo...Ichigo I-"
"Not now. We need to get out of here before you kill yourself in here." Ichigo noted, pointing at the chain apparantly only they could see. Shiro nodded and could feel both of them fading from his repairing world. But at the last second, he turned and saw a flaming arrow aiming directly at Ichigo. "Ichigo" Ichigo's eyes widenefd as Shiro pushed at him just as they faded from the mindscape and Shuren faded from reality.
Kokuto looked around as the body he had been fighting went limp and the palace around him crumbled. Best get out of here... he thought. He smirked as the body glowed and he smelled blood. So then...one of you will remain here...good. With that thought in mind, he raced out of the palace.
When Ichigo opened his eyes, he saw the palace crumbling around them. Dammit... He heard a wet cough from behind him and saw Shiro, blood pooling from his mouth and clutching his chest tightly. "Shiro!" He rushed over and attempted to help the albino to his feet, only to have Shiro crumple almost instantly as he cried in pain. "Hold on, ok? I'll get us out of here."
"I...Ichi-go." Shiro attempted to speak, wanting desperatly to tell him how he felt. He grippe donto Ichigo's shihakusho as Ichigo managed to lift him in his arms and began to Flash-Step out of the crumbling building. He began heading up towards the sky and out of the many layers of Hell as fast as he could go. "I...I..."
"Don't talk ok? We'll get out of here and have Orihime fix you up, ok? !" Ichigo said. He felt the grip tighten on his shihakusho as Shiro struggled to breath.
"Ichigo...I l-l-..."
"Hush! We're almost there." He looked up and saw the actual gates and noticed they were open slightly. But how... he shook his head and was almost there when he felt an odd tugging sensation, preventing him from going any further. Shit...what is this? !
"L...let me g..." Shiro coughed, blood splattering on Ichigo's face as he reached out for Ichigo. "I...I lo..." Ichigo shook his head and continued tugging. Shiro sighed and tried to keep his eyes open for a bit longer, allowing his grip on Ichigo to loosen. Goodbye...Ichigo... He felt everything slow as something seemed to tug him towards the ground and he let it. Unaware of what was happening, Ichigo felt the tug cease and he launched them into the gate.
When he landed, he recognized that he was in uptown Karakura Town. "We...we made it out..." He sighed. "Ok, let's get you-" He froze when he felt how limp Shiro was in his hold. He looked down and saw Shiro's eyes staring up at him, unblinking and unseeing. A purple chain was sticking out of Shiro's chest and through his school clothes, which he knew hadn't been there before. "Sh...Shiro? No, you can't..." He felt his arms tremble and he fell on his knees, pure agony seeming to rip him apart. "Shiro!" Nothing happaned as he tried desperatly to shake the Hollow. He buried his face in the cooling chest and couldn't stop the scream from tearing out his throat. "AHHHHHHHH!"
Chapter 11 end
God there~! Best dammed chapter~! Oh it isn't over just yet either. I mean, I'm not that evil~! Review? I did this in one sitting ya know!