Melted Ice (Bleach Fan Fiction)

21| The Final Battle I: Our Paths are Parting

- Chapter 21 -

The Final Battle I: Our Paths are Parting

Miyori

 The thick air blowed towards our destination, almost sending us backwards. I barely managed to hold on because of the explosion; needless to say that the wall was broken almost in half. Renji and Ichigo entered the enormous palace and looked around at the empty space covered with darkness and pure silence.

Ichigo carried on blabbering with Nell when suddenly I put my hand on his shoulder, making him turn around. I gave a sheepish smile at the small green-haired child and nodded in approvement. "Thank you for helping us so far, Nell. We owe you"

And with those words, we turned our heels to the opposite direction of the friendly Hollows and got lost in the dark. Or that would have happened, if the panting and the crying figure of the tiny Hollow made us stop to our tracks, her whining and shouting echoing all over the sealed place.

"I'll cry!!! Ubububu... UBUEEEEEE!!! Ichigo you stupid! B-Baldy! Piece of poop!" Nell started whining, crocodile tears streaming down her flushed face from running. I swear, this girl was starting to get on my nerves.

I left a small sigh and was ready to warn Nell about our current mission, but the unexpected happened. Ichigo gave in and stopped in his tracks, turning around and pleasing Nell to stop whining and shouting.

A vein popped on my already burning head, shortening my sleeves and showing my already balled fists. I would have punched him to death, but Renji held me back, making an inhuman try to prevent me from killing the stupidity of Ichigo. Yeah, like the world needs it!

...

"Hmpf, I can't see anything! Is Aizen making economy in electricity or something?" I asked ironically, my eye twitching in annoyance from the minutes of running in combine with the absolute darkness which was swallowing us inside it.

A small laugh of pity was heard from the red pinapple who was running right in front of me. "Don't worry, Miyori! I will help everyone with that!" he exclaimed with a high self confidence and stretched his arms front, a mocking smirk etching his face. "Haddou 31, Shakkahou!!"

A small blow was heard from Renji's hands and when the dust disappeared, a small glimpse of light could be seen through the darkness. I held back my laughter and patted his back sympatheticaly, "This is what we call 'a glimpse of hope' in the absolute darkness" I commented, Ishida chuckling softly while Rukia and Ichigo tried not to laugh hysterically at the small light that was leading us.

 We carried on running with Ichigo and Renji fighting (again) when the hallway reached its end and leaded us in a room, darker than the other ones. The only light that could be seen was the one which was forming in Renji's hand.

"Looks like we made it" Ishida commented, a bit relieved from the end of the fight of the two shinigamis' and glad that he got a chance to rest a bit.

My eyes observed the room around us, furrowing my eyebrows at a sudden annoyance and nervousness that was starting to get on me; something was definitely wrong inside here. "Of vourse, this place is dark too..." Chad exclaimed all of sudden, making my hand automatically grab the hanging from my waist katana.

Like Chad's words were magic, five candles lightened up mysteriously, my orbs travelling all over the place. Oh no. We're screwed. The room wasn't a simple room, it was--

"An intersection!" Ishida exclaimed, his eyebrows furrowing suspiciously while his dark gaze was looking around the room, trying to capture any movement.

The room was divided into some other portals that were leading who-knows-where, darkness swallowing the horizon of those hallways, making them attractive for possible traps. A huge amount of reiatsu was sensed from a certain room, making everybody's gazes snap towards that destination.

"Nell..." Ichigo mumbled, his bangs covering entirely his eyes. "Looks like we really will be parting with you guys here". The male took a small and determined breath, only to be replaced with a huge grin, his eyes reflecting the determination and the urge which was pushing him towards the battlerfield.

"The reiatsu from here on out... You guys won't even be able to tolerate..."

...

 After a long discussion, we decided which path each one of us should take. Five paths, six Shinigamis. I wonder, if I hadn't come in Hueco Mundo by following Rukia and Renji, would they really choose a path for each one of them? But still... the unpleasant feeling the spiritual pressure is giving me is eerie and odd, like something much worse than the usual Arrancars are waiting for us, ready to make us fall in their thread and kill us immediately.

 Finally, Renji stopped Ichigo from continuing his nonsense about the dangers we would face if we were going to split up and left a long sigh. I puffed my cheeks, wondering what I was going to do from now on. The instructions of captain Yamamoto echoed in my head once more: "...must protect Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends...".

"Okay, let's get going. I'm taking Ichigo as a partner, since he is a scaredy cat~" I teased, trying to light the heavy atmosphere which was surrounding the room.

"What did ya say?!"

"Guys! Before we head off, let's do something for good luck" Renji suggested, an idea seemed to be creating in his mind.

Ichigo raised a confused yet curious eyebrow at the red-haired pinapple. "For good luck?"

Well, who said that curiosity killed the cat? Because that just happened. The change in there is that Renji killed the good image I had created for him after what he said, "Before heading off to a serious battle, there's a ritual-like chant we do in the Gotei 13" he started saying but he was soon cut off by me.

"Wut?! No Renji, just no! Anything but that! Just please, doooooonnnn'''tttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!"

He ignored me completely and continued blabbering until he reached the idiotic part of his until now serious speech. "Alright! Put out your hands!! .... Don't look at me like that!! I don't even want to do it myself!"

Purple lines appeared to the side of my head as everyone around us looked at him with the 'dafuq?' look. "Then... why are you keen on doing it?" I asked as a matter of fact, my eye twitching nervously.

...

Our hands were now one up on the other, serious ,mascades as our expressions, cold sweat rolling down our skin. I took a deep breath, not able to hold back my own nervousness of the intense upcomming battles. 

"We! Are about to head to the battlefield!!" Renji started, his strong and loud voice giving determination to whoever was listening to him. "Believe, Our Blades will not shatter. Believe, our sould will not be cut! Even if our steps separate, our iron will remains solid! 

"Promise! Even if the ground may split.... We will come back alive to this place!" Those encouraging words made us split up; Rukia, Renji, Ishida, Chad and Ichigo splitting up while I followed the certain orange-headed with an expression full of faith to his comprades and comprehension of the current situation.

I smirked slightly and followed him, grinning like an idiot to the whole path that was standing wide in front of our eyes. Adventure and battles were the upcommings actions we must take from now on and excitement was flowing through my veins. Though, during our running I could swear that someone was watching us from distance. We run in silence for a long time, until a loud and vivid voice was heard from behind us, making us freeze in utter surprise.