HookerBoots
Your Girl for All Seasons
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2007
- Posts
- 5,340
Amaya's heart leaped when Isamu leaped into existence behind Aizen, that massive hammer swinging in a powerful arc for the treacherous captain's midsection. They wouldn't be able to take him down, of course, but they might be able to delay all three of them - since the other two didn't seem to be doing anything, just waiting on Aizen - long enough for the swelling tidal wave of reiatsu she felt coming this way to arrive.
The hammer connected, and there was the sound of impact, dust blowing up in a cloud, and when it cleared . . . Aizen was standing tall, the head of the hammer against his side as though it were just resting. One of his hands was on the haft of the weapon, and he grabbed it and swung forward and down, flinging Isamu as well as the hammer away and towards Amaya. "I repeat, how could you hinder me, in any way? You can't even pull up enough pressure to do more than that."
Amaya's heart made her strain to see how Isamu had fared from the blow - he had looked so injured already! - but her training kept her eyes on the three men in front of her. "Well, apparently, you can't shut up about how amazing you are, so I'm hindering you that way, at least," she snarked, praying that someone, anyone, would get here fast. "I've never been very good at giving up fights, even when I can't win anyway, Sosuke. So, let's see if your will is stronger than my luck!"
She lifted her guan dao and surged forward, twirling it in a way that she knew would make it both hard to follow and put it into a proper position for a strike that would hit more or less at his neck. She kept moving, even when she heard him say lazily, "Kaname, please."
"Hado no 54, Haien," she heard the blind man say, one hand flinging out toward her. And in the second that a glowing nimbus of purple flame headed for her, her could feel her foot hit something hand and square and slick. She had stepped on one of the broken pieces of Zabimaru, and her foot went out from under her before she could stop it. She fell backward, the spell sailing a foot over her tumbling form. Amaya also felt the piece of sharp metal fly out from under her foot, and heard the clang as Aizen blocked it from hitting his head with his sword.
There was a moment afterward where she lay there, helpless and wondering exactly what had happened. She pushed her upper body up, looking at them. Aizen shook his head. "I'm tired of having to deal with these gnats. It's time to finish what I came here to do." He reached down and grabbed Rukia's robe again, lifting her into the air. "As I said, I do have an alternate method of removing what you have inside you."
His voice turn conversational. "When I found you in the world of the living, the first thing I did was go and slaughter Central 46. In order to make it look like they were still alive, one of the three of us was there the whole time - to make sure you would be arrested, I sent Squad 6. I ordered the return and destruction of your gigai. To ensure the evaporation of your soul . . . well, you know." He gestured to the broken framework of the Soukyoku. "When a foreign object has been inserted into a soul, there are only two ways to remove it. The first is to use a powerful thermal forse to evaporate the soul from around it. The other is to use another method that breaks down the soul's cohesion, and allows the two to separate."
Amaya struggled to her knees, and could see Isamu doing the same, as Aizen used his free hand to reach into his uniform and pull out what looked like a small purple tube. "When you execution failed, I had to find that other method." He clicked the end of it, and the whirling storm of spiritual pressure started around him and Rukia. "That brings us back to Central 46. They had all of Kisuke Urahara's research - and since he was the one who figured out how to implant something into a soul, I figured that there would be the key to extracting it as well." A small, pleased smile passed over his face. "There was."
What looked like arm-thick spears of bamboo burst up from the ground surrounding the two. "Yes," he said in a pleased tone, holding his free arm up, bent at the elbow. "This is that answer." The arm he held up turned the same dark green as the spears around them, the fingers pointing into claws. Even as he let Rukia drop with one hand, the green hand slammed forward with immense force, plunging deep into her chest with a sickening sound.
"No!" Amaya yelled, and could hear matching screams from the rest of the people on the hill. A violent storm of pink lightening spread from one spear of bamboo-looking material to another until they were sheltered by it, then exploded. Aizen's hand, as the air cleared, came out of the slender girl's chest, clutching in two fingers what looked like a small, lavender crystal with a black set in the center. Rukia fell to the ground, the gaping hole in her chest not bleeding, but simply looking like a portal to another dimension.
Aizen stared at the crystal. "How fascinating. I didn't expect the Hogyoku to be so small." The hole in Rukia's chest slowly sealed again, leaving not even a mark to show that her soul had been violated by force. "And no permanent damage to the soul, either. What an astounding technique." He bent down, picking her up by the penitent's collar she still wore. "Too bad, but," Amaya gathered herself, trying to think if she'd have the strength to try and move again - she wasn't sure but she thought she'd sprained an ankle when she fell - "I no longer have a use for you."
He turned to one side, holding her out at arm's length. "Kill her, Gin."
The silver-haired man turned to face the two, his smile still in place. "Well, if I must." He drew his sword, aimed it at the tiny woman dangling in the air. "Shoot to kill, Shinso."
The blade flew forward, its motion too fast to see for most people. Everything seemed to freeze, even as Amaya and Isamu and Ichigo all struggled to move, to do something. The blade sailed directly towards Rukia's neck.
The hilltop was silent save for the sound of blood dripping onto the ground, from where it was sunk deep into the should of Byakuya Kuchiki. He was crouched there, Rukia cradled to his other side gently, Ichimaru's blade deep in his right shoulder and still spattered with blood from his fight with Ichigo.
Rukia looked up at him with wide eyes. "N-nii-sama? Why would you . . . why would you save me?" The blade withdrew, and he slumped to his knees, still holding the raven-haired girl tight to him protectively.
The hammer connected, and there was the sound of impact, dust blowing up in a cloud, and when it cleared . . . Aizen was standing tall, the head of the hammer against his side as though it were just resting. One of his hands was on the haft of the weapon, and he grabbed it and swung forward and down, flinging Isamu as well as the hammer away and towards Amaya. "I repeat, how could you hinder me, in any way? You can't even pull up enough pressure to do more than that."
Amaya's heart made her strain to see how Isamu had fared from the blow - he had looked so injured already! - but her training kept her eyes on the three men in front of her. "Well, apparently, you can't shut up about how amazing you are, so I'm hindering you that way, at least," she snarked, praying that someone, anyone, would get here fast. "I've never been very good at giving up fights, even when I can't win anyway, Sosuke. So, let's see if your will is stronger than my luck!"
She lifted her guan dao and surged forward, twirling it in a way that she knew would make it both hard to follow and put it into a proper position for a strike that would hit more or less at his neck. She kept moving, even when she heard him say lazily, "Kaname, please."
"Hado no 54, Haien," she heard the blind man say, one hand flinging out toward her. And in the second that a glowing nimbus of purple flame headed for her, her could feel her foot hit something hand and square and slick. She had stepped on one of the broken pieces of Zabimaru, and her foot went out from under her before she could stop it. She fell backward, the spell sailing a foot over her tumbling form. Amaya also felt the piece of sharp metal fly out from under her foot, and heard the clang as Aizen blocked it from hitting his head with his sword.
There was a moment afterward where she lay there, helpless and wondering exactly what had happened. She pushed her upper body up, looking at them. Aizen shook his head. "I'm tired of having to deal with these gnats. It's time to finish what I came here to do." He reached down and grabbed Rukia's robe again, lifting her into the air. "As I said, I do have an alternate method of removing what you have inside you."
His voice turn conversational. "When I found you in the world of the living, the first thing I did was go and slaughter Central 46. In order to make it look like they were still alive, one of the three of us was there the whole time - to make sure you would be arrested, I sent Squad 6. I ordered the return and destruction of your gigai. To ensure the evaporation of your soul . . . well, you know." He gestured to the broken framework of the Soukyoku. "When a foreign object has been inserted into a soul, there are only two ways to remove it. The first is to use a powerful thermal forse to evaporate the soul from around it. The other is to use another method that breaks down the soul's cohesion, and allows the two to separate."
Amaya struggled to her knees, and could see Isamu doing the same, as Aizen used his free hand to reach into his uniform and pull out what looked like a small purple tube. "When you execution failed, I had to find that other method." He clicked the end of it, and the whirling storm of spiritual pressure started around him and Rukia. "That brings us back to Central 46. They had all of Kisuke Urahara's research - and since he was the one who figured out how to implant something into a soul, I figured that there would be the key to extracting it as well." A small, pleased smile passed over his face. "There was."
What looked like arm-thick spears of bamboo burst up from the ground surrounding the two. "Yes," he said in a pleased tone, holding his free arm up, bent at the elbow. "This is that answer." The arm he held up turned the same dark green as the spears around them, the fingers pointing into claws. Even as he let Rukia drop with one hand, the green hand slammed forward with immense force, plunging deep into her chest with a sickening sound.
"No!" Amaya yelled, and could hear matching screams from the rest of the people on the hill. A violent storm of pink lightening spread from one spear of bamboo-looking material to another until they were sheltered by it, then exploded. Aizen's hand, as the air cleared, came out of the slender girl's chest, clutching in two fingers what looked like a small, lavender crystal with a black set in the center. Rukia fell to the ground, the gaping hole in her chest not bleeding, but simply looking like a portal to another dimension.
Aizen stared at the crystal. "How fascinating. I didn't expect the Hogyoku to be so small." The hole in Rukia's chest slowly sealed again, leaving not even a mark to show that her soul had been violated by force. "And no permanent damage to the soul, either. What an astounding technique." He bent down, picking her up by the penitent's collar she still wore. "Too bad, but," Amaya gathered herself, trying to think if she'd have the strength to try and move again - she wasn't sure but she thought she'd sprained an ankle when she fell - "I no longer have a use for you."
He turned to one side, holding her out at arm's length. "Kill her, Gin."
The silver-haired man turned to face the two, his smile still in place. "Well, if I must." He drew his sword, aimed it at the tiny woman dangling in the air. "Shoot to kill, Shinso."
The blade flew forward, its motion too fast to see for most people. Everything seemed to freeze, even as Amaya and Isamu and Ichigo all struggled to move, to do something. The blade sailed directly towards Rukia's neck.
The hilltop was silent save for the sound of blood dripping onto the ground, from where it was sunk deep into the should of Byakuya Kuchiki. He was crouched there, Rukia cradled to his other side gently, Ichimaru's blade deep in his right shoulder and still spattered with blood from his fight with Ichigo.
Rukia looked up at him with wide eyes. "N-nii-sama? Why would you . . . why would you save me?" The blade withdrew, and he slumped to his knees, still holding the raven-haired girl tight to him protectively.