CHAPTER 49: ALL-OUT WAR AND NOTHING LESS!

"I'm still waiting for the day... When I can poke your bastard of a leader... Aizen... Straight in his eyes... Kill him for hurting my friends..." Tayomi snickered. "Until then... I won't allow myself to die... I'll have to shove you out of the way... Viquierra Cifer."

Hitsugaya raised his eyebrow. He definitely never expected her to say that, but he understood her sentiments. However, that did not help much. He was still worrying. In fact, he was afraid that there was no way he could stop doing so, as he watched her blood seep through her white haori, creating a bloody red stain. Tayomi was pushing herself even harder than usual and he was not sure how long she could hold up. Even though her injury was not fatal, a stab in the gut was not easy to deal with. If she pushed herself to hard, she would be likely to end up losing her life. That was the thing he feared most. He could not lose her. Losing her was equivalent to having his own life taken away from him. After thinking it through briefly, he reached out his hand and grabbed her hand, pulling her behind him. She shot a shocked look at him and he shot a serious expression back at her. He shook his head and squeezed her hand.

"Don't push yourself. Let Kurosaki and me handle this. We'll be fine." He persuaded her.

"This is my battle too..." Tayomi stubbornly rebuked him. "I want to fight too. And I will!"

"TAYOMI!" Hitsugaya screamed at her. "YOU..."

"HITSUGAYA TAICHO!" She screamed back at him.

Hitsugaya was taken aback. Whenever she called him by his official title, it was either for sacarsm or it meant that she was furious. Looking at the fire burning in her eyes, he instantly cancelled out the possibility of sacarsm. She was angry. Angry enough to raise her voice back at him, which she rarely did.

"I..." She patted him on the head. "Sorry. I didn't want to shout at you like that but... I have to fight. I really have to. And you can't stop me. I promise I won't die... It won't be like what happened fifty years ago. I won't die so easily. I'll come back to you for sure."

With tears slowly dripping down his cheeks, he loosened his grip on her hand. I guess I have to think about her feelings... Now I have to protect her more than ever. I won't give Viquierra a chance to touch her. He pulled her in close to him for a quick hug, before the both of them rushed off to give Ichigo a hand and continue their battle with the Primera New Espada.

Soi Fon tried hard to keep her cool as her crazy comrades prepared for battle. One looked way too hyped up and the other looked as if he would be better off sleeping in a corner. They obviously aren't going to take this seriously, are they? Looks like I'm on my own... Releasing Suzumebachi, she charged towards the Espada without hesitation, determined to end the battle as quickly as possible. The Espada simply used her hand to grab Soi Fon's arm, shocking her completely.

"Geneva Jacquerain, Tres New Espada, pleased to meet you." Geneva smirked, before throwing Soi Fon backwards.

Landing perfectly on her feet, Soi Fon let out a snicker.

"2nd Division Captain, Captain of the Omnitsukido, Soi Fon."

Suddenly, Geneva sensed something coming from behind her and grabbed the unknown object coming towards her. She turned behind to see Shunsui shaking his head and laughing, before quickly using Sonido to avoid the incoming attack from Kenpachi. What a group of cheap fighters. I'll teach them a lesson for sure. Geneva fired a bright blue Cero right at the three of them, sure that they were caught in her immense blast of power. When the dust cleared, she noticed that all three of them had managed to avoid taking the full force of her Cero. Slightly shocked but unwilling to let it go so easily, she continuously fired a series of Ceros, all of which Soi Fon dodged neatly. Shunsui avoided them as well and Kenpachi narrowly missed it. Realising that it was not such a good idea to use her Cero against them, Geneva began silently thinking of a ploy that could get all three of them caught in her Cero and allow the Shinigami to suffer the wrath of her anger.

"Pantera Suprema."

Geneva transformed into a panther, with her lightning blue hair still intact. Her body was covered in white hollow bones and her arm transformed into a huge, gun-like object. Soi Fon's eyes widened. She never knew that Ressurrecions could look like that and even include armed machinery. It appeared that this New Espada had a fiery temper, judging by the fact that she released so early, after firing the few Ceros that failed to hit her. Her fiery temper... There was some way that it could be turned against that New Espada, couldn't it? Soi Fon did not intend to use her Bankai on such a foul-tempered enemy and she was determined not to.

Shunsui sighed. This opponent was exceedingly fast, especially in firing Ceros. The Ceros were rather huge as well, but inside, he wondered if the power of the Cero matched its strength. It would be risky to try out its strength using his own body, but he needed to understand his opponent's strength. Why was Geneva so stubborn, stubborn enough to stick to using Ceros against them? There had to be a reason for it. Shunsui could only come up with two possibilities: Ceros were Geneva's strength, or they were the fastest attacks she could pull off. It was rare to see a hollow so determined to use Ceros against their opponent, even more so in an Espada. Still keeping his heart in the battle, Shunsui dodged another Cero from Geneva, wondering if his opponent had any more tricks in the bag. Observing the ground, he noticed the depth of the depression caused by the Cero from Geneva. It was relatively deep. It would be rather safe to assume that Ceros were her strength then, since it could be fired with so much speed and power.

Kenpachi had only a single thought in his mind, as he lashed out at his opponent.

KILLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

Once again, Tayomi forced herself to her feet, after being knocked backwards by Viquierra. Viquierra had fired a series of Ceros and used Sonido to dash towards them, trying to catch them off guard. With her injuries, it was rather hard to keep her eyes open and remain conscious already. She forced herself to focus, aware of the weight of her responsibilities hanging on her shoulders, as well as the lives of her comrades. It was not advisable to use her Bankai when she was in such a state, yet she had begun to contemplate taking a chance on herself and wondered if she should release her Bankai anyway. Glancing at her, Hitsugaya was considering something as well. He hated to do this to her, but at the same time, he knew that he had to do it. There was no way he could let her push herself and endanger her life any longer. Quickly using Shunpo and getting behind her, he managed to catch her off guard and slammed his hand against her acupoints, effectively knocking her out. He picked her up and left her lying in a corner of the Seijotokyorin, away from the core of the battle. I'm sorry, Tayomi... But I had to...

"Kurosaki! Let's end this battle!" Hitsugaya shouted to Ichigo.

Ichigo nodded.

"GETSUGA TENSHOU!"

Viquierra responded with another huge Cero and the two sides watched the black burst of energy and pale green burst of energy fight each other, desperate to outdo each other. Viquierra's blank expression remained on his face, as he watched his Cero overpower Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshou, blasting both Hitsugaya and Ichigo straight in the face. The two were sent flying backwards at an unbelievably high speed, as they crashed against numerous pillars, before creating a deep depression on the wall. The rubble slowly rolled down the side of the wall and Hitsugaya cringed. He was definitely aware that a few bones in his body had been broken. Forcing himself up, he took a quick look at Tayomi to make sure that the impact of Viquierra's Cero had not affected her. Gripping the hilt of his Zanpakutou, he charged forward at his opponent recklessly.

"RYUNSENKA!"

He aimed his blade for Viquierra's chest, but missed. He watched the ice flower sprout in midair, without encasing his opponent in it. Gritting his teeth, he refused to give up. He would land a hit on his opponent. He definitely would, after what he had done to Tayomi. Ichigo dashed towards Viqueirra and attempted to cut him down. To his joy, he managed to slash Viquierra once and watched as blood spurted out of Viquierra's arm.

"I might not have the ability to regenerate like Ulquiorra, but it's not like I'll need this arm to defeat you." He spoke coldly.

Hitsugaya and Ichigo watched in shock as Viquierra unsheathed his blade and slashed off his own arm. It did not regenerate, but he began to glow pale green. His reiatsu grew significantly stronger and the ground rumbled with great force, as if an earthquake was taking place. I see... He doesn't mind losing his body parts to increase his power. Hitsugaya was not deterred by this and charged forward again, only to see Viquierra disappear out of his sight. Suddenly, he noticed Viquierra appear behind him, all ready to slice into his flesh.

Damn it...

Just when Viquierra's blade was about to slice into his flesh, a rectangular barrier activated and the purple bolts of energy glared into Viquierra's emotionless eyes. The purple bolts of energy escaped out of the barrier and surrounded Viquierra, before it self-destructed with him in it. Blood dripped out of his injuries, which covered his arm, chest and cheek. Hitsugaya was taken aback, as well as Ichigo. Neither of them had any idea who could have done so. Combining two high-level Hado and Bakudo spells to create such a devastating effect was the mark of a true Kido master.

"Danku...Hitsugi*..." A weak voice spoke.

Both of them turned behind to see who it was. Hitsugaya experienced the most shocking moment of his life, as he saw Tayomi forcing a smile onto her face, smiling at the both of them. Clearly, she was semi-conscious. Her eyes were barely open and she struggled to speak even a few words. And then again, she was the only person that could pull off such spells with incredible destructive power, despite being greatly weakened by her injuries. Letting his emotions overwhelm him during battle for the very first time, Hitsugaya instantly rushed to her, his heart filled with nothing but worry.

"Tayomi... You idiot..." He could feel himself tearing as her blood continued to pour out of her wounds, forming a huge red pool of blood on the ground. "Why did you..."

"I don't...care..." She shook her head, still lying on the ground in her pool of blood. "I just... find it important to protect... you... and keep... you alive at... all costs..."

"YOU IDIOT." He sobbed as he cradled her in his arms. "Why are you so stupid? Using the little energy left in you to protect me..."

"You idiot... Stop calling me... an idiot." She snapped back. "Get back there... and fight..."

"But I just..." He pulled her in towards him and kissed her on her lips. "I couldn't protect you."

"I'm not dead... And I won't be... Something like this... won't kill me... Don't cry..." Tayomi smiled and wiped the tears that clouded his beautiful turquoise eyes. "Now go... I'll be alright..."

"BUT..."

"Do you... want me to waste... my energy... by pushing you... back in there?"

Hitsugaya put her down slowly and reluctantly, before rushing back into the heart of the battle. Tayomi turned onto her side so that she could watch the battle unfold before her and lend them her aid whenever she could. Whether or not she could move, this was her fight. The least she could do now is guard them and that was what she would do. Susu-chan... Ichigo... I'll be guarding you both. Now, defeat Viquierra... For the sake of Soul Society!

TRANSLATIONS:
*Danku Hitsugi: Splitting Void Coffin (Combination of Bakudo 81, Danku, and Hado 90, Kurohitsugi)

Author's Note:
Sorry this took kinda long! Battle scenes aren't exactly the easiest things to write... I still had to decide the direction of the battles, which battles to include. In short, there was a lot of backstage planning XD
Next chapter will be the 50th chapter! :D YAY! And to celebrate, we shall take off the seriousness for a while and have a filler XD
I'll try and make it as funny and interesting as possible, so it can balance the severity and hardcore battles to come ^.^
We'll get more fluff from Tayomi and Hitsugaya, yay :D
Speaking of Hitsugaya, I couldn't bear to watch Bleach episode 293... T.T
I hope you all liked this chapter! Please review! Thanks! :D