Breaking Through the Storm [Toshiro Hitsugaya] Ch 22

Short recap: After everyone split their separate ways, most of them ended up encountering the enemy. Uryu vs. Cirucci Thunderwitch, Ichigo vs. Dordonii, Sayuri and Toshiro vs. Kira Akuma.

A/N: In the last ch I said Dordonii slashed Ichigo's shoulder, but I changed that to 'nearly kicked his head' cuz I was reading the manga for a recap and it wasn't very clear. Also, see announcement at the end.

xXxXx

"Don't underestimate your opponent, Shinigami," Dordonii said. "I'm a Privaron Espada just so you know."

"What?" Ichigo said.

"Privaron Espada; Arrancar with three digits; we are the fallen Espada. In other words, we were all Espada stripped of our titles." Ichigo decided it was time to fight for real. He hurled a getsuga tenshou at the Privaron, but he simply destroyed it with a kick. Ichigo's eyes widened. Dordonii brought his foot down on zangetsu. Ichigo struggled to hold him back.

'What's with this power?' he thought. "Bastard!"

"Do you understand my power now? We are the strongest group next to the Espada," Dordonii said. Ichigo finally got him off. The Arrancar sped up his pace. He flew threw the air, doing flips and turns as if he were dancing through the fight. Ichigo looked confused. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you thought that was the extent of my power?" Dordonii went to kick Ichigo again, but he blocked the attack with his zanpakuto once again. The two kept up the same sequence. Kick, block. Kick, block. It seemed like this stalemate would never end until Dordonii finally caught Ichigo with his guard down. He sent him flying through the wall behind him.

"Your movements are slow and your defense is weak. You can't even deal with a change in scenery," he said. "I can't fight with you! This is like fighting a baby! Use your bankai, boy."

"No..." Ichigo choked out.

"I see. Then I guess I have no choice. Whirl, Giralda!" Dordonii commanded. He grew long horns on his shoulders and armor on his feet that wrapped around his calves. The armor jutted out at his waist with two more spikes. His mask now framed his entire face. Two cyclones were coming out of the armor on his legs, making him float in the air. There were bird heads at the ends of them. He whirled around and sent two more cyclones at Ichigo. It was very similar to what Toshiro does with Hyorinmaru. Ichigo fell back into a crater in the ground. Dordonii laughed while his resurrección thrashed him around.

"Come on! Come on! Come on! Use your bankai, boy! Otherwise you'll die!" he said, but Ichigo didn't listen. "You're trying to conserve your reiatsu as you fight me? That's ridiculous!" The birdlike cyclone dove at Ichigo and captured him in its beak.

"You're being thickheaded, boy. Just use your bankai already. I want to see you at your full strength." Then Ichigo raised his zanpakuto a little. The look on his face turned to a more resolved one.

"Getsuga tenshou!" he commanded. A blue getsuga tenshou destroyed the head of the cyclone that was holding him, and he landed on the ground safely.

"Not bad... But you understand, don't you? You can't win the way you are now," Dordonii said.

"That's what you think," Ichigo said.

"I don't think anything. I just stated a fact!" The bird head on the end of Dordonii's cyclone regenerated. This time two of them charged toward Ichigo. He jumped up, and he blocked one as it almost hit him from behind. But the other came from his other side and engulfed him completely.

"Getsuga tenshou!" The cyclone head split open and Ichigo was freed temporarily. Dordonii used sonido to reappear behind him. Ichigo turned around to block his kick. "The same thing-" The Arrancar reappeared on the other side of him.

"Will work twice!" Dordonii grabbed Ichigo by his shihakusho as he looked down at him. "I'll keep this up until you use your bankai. I want to see your bankai. But if you keep holding back like this, you'll die!" He sent Ichigo flying into the wall once again with a powerful kick. "All your efforts will have been for nothing!" The two regenerated cyclones flew at the Shinigami. Again.

"Ichigo! Ichigo! Yous gonna die, Ichigoooo!" Nel cried away from the battle.

"The little one over there is really worried about you. You gonna use your bankai yet, boy?" Ichigo raised his zanpakuto as if he were to change into his bankai, and Dordonii's face lit up. But he shunpoed in front of the Arrancar and brought his sword down on his arm. He drew no blood from the arm that Dordonii blocked with.

"Getsuga-" Before Ichigo finished, he was pushed away.

"Don't insult me, boy! Naughty children have to be punished." Dordonii began to gather a cero between his fingers. As he released it, Ichigo's eyes grew wide. He thought his death was coming for sure.

xXxXx

Rukia's path down the corridor of Los Noches was unlike the others'. Of course the hallway was rather long and repetitive, but eventually she came to a door. When she opened it there was a bridge and a sky. Not the night sky they had seen before they entered Aizen's headquarters, but a bright, blue sky with clouds. She looked up at it in awe.

"Why is there a sky coming out of a wall...?" She didn't notice that someone had come up behind her.

"Would you like me to tell you?" a masked figure with a long head and a white mask with holes said. Rukia's eyes widened. "Follow," it said as it went into the building ahead of them.

"Wait!" she chased after it into the building. It was dark. There was barely any light in there. It sighed a sigh of relief.

"I can finally be myself... Sorry. For a long time I haven't been very good with the whole sunlight thing. The light won't reach in here so I'll remove my mask." It, or he, removed his mask as he introduced himself. "I'm Aaroniero. Aaroniero Arleri, the 9th Espada." Rukia saw what she never thought she would see.

Kaien.

She thought her vice-captain was dead, but he was standing right in front of her. Or so it seemed. She looked at him in awe and a hint of sorrow.

"Kaien-dono..." she said in a voice just above a whisper. "Are you really Kaien-dono?"

"It's been awhile, hasn't it Kuchiki?" He gave her a goofy grin. "What's with that look?! Everyone's favorite vice-captain is alive! Aren't you happy?! Well, have a seat. We have a lot to catch up on." She sat down and listened to how he ended up in Los Noches. It seemed that he lost control of his body to that Hollow and had regained control. He was just waiting to strike at Aizen then.

"You may be the only one who can help carry out my plans, Kuchiki. I'm glad you're here," he said. "Now come here so we can strategize." Rukia moved closer to him (she was pretty far from him already), and he suddenly pointed his zanpakuto in her face. As she jumped back he cut her cheek. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Looks like you've gotten better, Kuchiki. What's wrong? You have a strange look on your face."

"How much of what you said was true?" she said.

"All of it. Is there something strange about my trying to kill you? You haven't forgotten have you? I am Shiba Kaien, former vice-captain of the 13th division. You are Kuchiki Rukia, the girl who killed me with her own two hands. Do you understand why I tried to kill you?" Rukia felt like her heart had been crushed. She wanted to forget that. "Are you prepared to be killed by me, Kuchiki? Are you prepared to offer your life as atonement for your sin?"

I am, but not yet. I came to Hueco Mundo to save my friend, Inoue Orihime. I can't die until I've completed that mission. I can't die until I save her no matter what you say!" Rukia said.

"Just kidding! Sure I want you to atone for your sins, but I wouldn't kill you for it! I would never dream of doing such a thing!" he joked. "If you really want to 'atone for your sins against me', then you have to do something that only you can do for me."

"Only me?"

"You have to bring me the heads of all your friends." Kaien put his hand on Rukia's head, treating her like a little girl. "Don't worry. If you catch them off guard it won't be hard at all! Then the whole 'me killing you' thing will be water under the bridge!"

"You're not joking this time," Rukia said darkly. "'Hand over your friends and you'll be excused.' That's not something you joke about. Don't you ever insult Kaien-dono! Kaien-dono would never pit you against your friends! There's no way you're him!" She smacked his hand away from her head.

"What are you talking about, Kuchiki? I am Kaien-"

"Don't you EVER say that name again! Mai, Sode no Shirayuki." Her zanpakuto changed into its shikai. White blade, white hilt, and white ribbon. He just smirked. [1]

xXxXx

"Well, Sayu-chan, Hitsu-kun... I hope you're ready." The smile on Kira's face was replaced with a serious look. She unsheathed her zanpakuto and looked at the two Shinigami grimly. Sayuri unsheathed Rai-Joshin. She shunpoed to Kira and clashed blades. Rai-Joshin sparked out of Sayuri's fury.

'Calm down, Sayuri! Anger only dulls the blade!' Rai-Joshin said.

"My, my. What a temper we have," Kira said. "I guess I can't go easy on you, can I?" She pushed her zanpakuto harder toward Sayuri.

"Strike from the heavens, Rai-Joshin!" Sayuri said as she forced the other's zanpakuto away. Rai-Joshin transformed into its shikai, her reiatsu sparking dangerously close to Kira. Once it did touch her, she jumped back a little.

"A nice trick you have there, girl."

"Shockwave!" She sent a shockwave flying toward Kira, but she easily forced it back. The female Arrancar laughed.

"Don't think you have a chance with me, girl." A cero started to gather in the palm of her hand. She was about to release it when Sayuri remembered her new move. She raised her zanpakuto in front of her as Kira released the cero.

"Rebound!" Her zanpakuto absorbed the red cero, and then she released it. It was just like a shockwave, only red with some spark to it. Unfortunately, Sayuri's aim was a bit off. It didn't hit her chest like she had originally aimed for, but instead left a deep gash in her left arm as well as her left leg. Kira looked at Sayuri with great hatred.

"I'll make you pay for that, you little wench!" she spat.

"How cliché... You bad guys really need to get some better lines," Sayuri said. That only angered Kira even more.

"Manipulate, Ningyoutsukai!" [2] Kira said. Suddenly her zanpakuto formed into gloves on her hands. They were long and white, and the left hand had short blades at the tips of her fingers. The other glove looked normal aside from the silver strip along the inside of her arm.

"That's really your resurrección? What, are you going to claw me to death?" Sayuri looked at her dully.

"How dare you underestimate me!" Kira said. She put her left hand out, spreading her fingers wide. The blades at the ends of her fingertips shot out, and it looked like they were attached to strings. Before either of the two Shinigami could comprehend what was going on, the blades curved around to the back of Sayuri and plunged into her back. She screamed.

'What's going on?! Make it stop! Make it stop!' Sayuri could only think about the pain and the numbness that was slowly starting to spread throughout her body. She could barely speak. "W-what the-"

"Just wait a few seconds. By then you'll be completely useless." Sayuri's body went completely numb. She couldn't move; she couldn't speak; she couldn't hear. Suddenly everything was black. She was all by herself. Sayuri was free to move again, but there was no one there.

-

"HELLOOOO!" she called into the darkness. "Hello! Is anyone here?!" No one was there. Then she heard something. She heard the clash of blades and a voice.

She knew that voice.

It was a boy's voice, and it was sad. Pleading almost. He was calling her name. Then Sayuri began to remember. Memories came back to her.

-

Back in the material world of Los Noches, Toshiro was fending off Sayuri. After Kira stuck her blades into Sayuri's back, she became a puppet. She lost all control and started to attack Toshiro.

Toshiro didn't know what to do. He couldn't fight Sayuri, but he couldn't block her attacks forever. It was hard for him to deal with. After the blades sunk into her back, the strings had disappeared. Kira just stood back and let Sayuri fight him.

"Sayuri! Get a hold of yourself!" he tried to get through to her. Her reiatsu was different now. It had changed from its usual gold to purple, although the spark was still there. Sayuri pushed harder against him. Had she gotten stronger? Then Toshiro noticed something.

She was crying.

A couple tears slid down her face. You would never tell that she was sad from the stoic look on her face, but it seemed that she was hurting inside. Like she was fighting a battle with herself. Despite her tears, her attacks became stronger. Kira became more into her work as she had her puppet cut a leg, a shoulder, and stab his side.

"Sayuri... please," he said in a sullen voice. Kira laughed.

"Don't bother with her! She's lost now! Just kill her off while you can," she said.

-

'Hey! Stop it! Stop moving right now!' Sayuri tried to regain control of her body. 'No, this isn't right! This isn't what you're supposed to do! Just stop! Stop! Please...' She started to cry a little. There wasn't much that she had control over, but she could at least miss his vital organs. The situation was making her miserable. Sayuri had never thought a fight could turn out like this.

'Just fight back Toshiro... Fight back, you idiot! I don't want to do this anymore.'

'It'll be fine, Sayuri,' Rai-Joshin said.

'Sure it will. And Toshiro's hair is black!'

-

Toshiro winced as Sayuri pulled Rai-Joshin out of his side.

'Fight back, Hitsugaya,' Hyorinmaru said. 'She wants you to fight back.'

'No.'

'If you really want to get yourself killed...'

'I won't do it.'

'She's in pain, Hitsugaya. She wants you to end this.'

'Over my dead body!'

'It will be your dead body if you don't hurry up.'

'Shut up, you stupid dragon.' Then it occurred to him that the only way he could save the both of them may be to fight back. 'Forgive me, Sayuri.'

Toshiro pushed his zanpakuto harder onto Sayuri. When he actually tried, he was stronger than her, but under these conditions she might have been on his level in swordsmanship. Normally she would have been half as strong as him. Without saying the incantation, she lashed a purple shockwave at him. Toshiro blocked it with Hyorinmaru.

"Reign over the frozen sky, Hyorinmaru!" he commanded. Toshiro panicked. He didn't know how to fight back without possibly killing her. Then an idea hit him. He wrapped the chain at the end of his zanpakuto around Sayuri's waist and pulled her closer. He winced as she cut his other leg. Toshiro grabbed Sayuri's waist with his hand and embraced her in a hug. Then he did what he hoped he would never have to. He cut her leg and muttered "Ryuusenka." The two were instantly encased in ice.

Toshiro's plan wasn't to kill them, but to stop her movements. Of course he could survive just fine in it. His Ryuusenka wasn't at its full power because he was only in his shikai, but Sayuri wasn't used to the cold. Her reiatsu was getting low, so he channeled some of his own into her body. Just enough so he wouldn't overwhelm her, but enough to keep her alive. Then Toshiro melted the ice because he didn't think she could withstand it for that long. Sayuri shivered when she was freed.

"W-w-w-why is i-i-it so c-c-c-cold in here?" her teeth chattered. Apparently his reiatsu did something to let her regain control of her body. Sayuri looked behind her. The blades were on the ground. Then she looked at Toshiro and remembered something. "Oh yeah... WHY DIDN'T YOU FIGHT BACK?!"

"It's no big deal."

"No big deal?! I could've killed you, you idiot!"

"Now's not the time to squabble over whether or not I would have died. Our opponent is still standing. Now sit."

"Not a chance-" Toshiro's reiatsu rose so drastically that she sat down -or rather dropped to the ground. Her reiatsu was still low so a captain's level of reiatsu such as Toshiro's easily overwhelmed her.

"Bankai!" he said.

xXxXx

Gosh... It took forever to get this one written. I would've got it done sooner, but with ACTs, teachers piling on the homework, and my lack of ideas for Kira's resurrección, it wasn't easy. I haven't not been writing though. My chapters will have to be longer because I really don't want to drag out these first fights in the Hueco Mundo arc. Sayuri's and Toshiro's fight should be over soon, but once I caught up to the latest manga chapter I realized I have a lot more to write than I thought...

~Kai

1. It's been awhile since I edited this. I forgot what I was going to put in the #1. It was probably something about changing Rukia's zanpakuto command from Dance to Mai. (Mai means dance)

2. "Manipulate, Puppeteer!" Thus the reason Sayuri became a puppet...

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I've edited all my chapters. Not drastically, but some are a little different.

*Sayuri no longer calls Ichigo Ichi-nii. Not even in earlier ch's. It started to annoy me...

*Sayuri uses her charge technique in the fight with Luppi.

*In chapter 2, I added some stuff.

*Chapter 1 has changed a bit.

*Sayuri has no fan club.

*My author's notes are footnotes, except for a few. Comments on the story are gone.

*My formatting is a little different for thoughts, etc.

*And others...

So reread them if you want. I go through everything every so often, so don't be surprised if I change something in this chapter 2 months from now... ^_^;