milliways_bar | (no subject)

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The boy is outside again, out back beyond the lake. He likes to be well away from the main bar when he trains, so that none will notice him swinging his sword, positively glowing with energy. A light blue aura surround him as he leaps and swings, his body covered in sweat as he goes over exercises and desperately wills himself to achieve that which he desires.

Day after day he's been out here, training as best he can by himself, all for Bankai. All so he can be strong again, strong enough to protect those he cares for. It sounds corny, he knows, but it's true. That's the only reason he fights. Not for more power and not for a love of fighting, but so that he can be strong enough to do as he has always wanted. Protect people.

So again today he came out, made his way out across the grass until he was almost out of sight, rocks and trees and the like hiding him well enough. He's not totally hidden, and his entire body is glowing brightly, but he doubts anybody will bother him anyways.

...or not.

[ooc: Plot-locked, so sorry.]

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Rock and fist both meet air, although the rock does continue on to whap another Hollow in the shoulder. The reason for this would be because Bankai has a funny way of making Ichigo too fast to track with the human (or generally inhuman) eye. So when he heard movement and the words "Three O'Clock", he took the liberty of slicing the monster in two, causing it to dissolve into nothing before it could reach them.

Though his glare is probably not on par with the likes of Batman, Ichigo does a good job of trying to intimidate her. "You are leaving." He's gone then, doing that whole Speed Demon thing again and moving as a blur of black. He knows what direction the bar is in, and so cuts a nice wide path through the mob for her with his sword. This involves about eight or nine Hollows dying, but they were sacrificed for a good cause. Namely, Steph not being eaten.

He's at her side again in an instant, grabbing her arm as the Hollows pause and try to figure out what just happened. They're normal Hollows, after all. Not Captains, and as such, are not nearly on the same level he's on at the moment.

"Now get out of here!"

"Don't be - eight o'clock! - don't be stupid!"

She kicks another rock up into her hand and hurls it at a different monster, and takes a couple of steps back towards the forest - away from the Bar. Because - yeah. It's a Hero Thing. Actually, mostly it's a Steph Thing, not to know when you're outclassed, but it's also a Thing not to leave a friend alone in a fight.

...Yeah, she's not leaving.

Rocks are not very effective against Hollows, though it does crack the mask. This one also meets a swift end, and he turns to her before any more dive for them. "I am getting you out of this fight whether you like it or not, you idiot, so if you won't leave, I'm gonna have to do something you're not gonna like."

Two more Hollows are destroyed, and then he whirls on her, delivering a swift blow with his unoccupied hand. It's a strike he's used a few times before, a martial arts move that strikes a nerve and leaves one more or less paralyzed for a good time. He doesn't hit her hard, but it should keep her out of the battle for a short while.

Before she can hit the ground he scoops her up, escaping through the opening he made earlier. He can't escape, can't leave them alive, but at least now all the Hollows are in front of them.

MAYBE THE REASON YOU DON'T HAVE MANY FRIENDS IS BECAUSE YOU'RE A COMPLETE AND UTTER DICKHEAD! Steph doesn't scream, due to not having control over her vocal chords. Or limbs. Or anything. FUCK!!!

Who does he think he is - Cass? Steph can't quite believe he just did that.

Her eyes, mute and furious, promise him DEATH.

A quick glance at her reveals she is unhurt, but apparently not happy.

"Sorry."

He frowns and surveys the sight ahead of them. There's a lot of them. Easily forty or fifty now, but less and less are coming through at least. Still, he can't put her down, and he can't be racing around with her. Which leaves him with one option that he really doesn't like.

Ichigo sighs and readies himself, black energy wrapping around him now instead of the blue sort. It's not like last time, but he doesn't power up long (they are running towards them, some spitting acid and whathaveyou) before he swings the blade horizontally and cries out, "Getsuga tenshō!"

Like the last time he used such a move, a crescent move shaped blast erupts from the blade, but it's different this time. Black as ink and far larger, this blast roars towards the horde of Hollows, ripping all that it comes in contact with to shreds. Two thirds of the enemy have been destroyed, but at a price. Ichigo keeps his eyes closed, but he knows what would happen if he opened them. Already the inky darkness swims in his eyes, revealing that he has been corrupted. The move was not his own, but rather one belonging to his inner Hollow. Using it hurts him, and using it too many times can and will lead to him losing control.

For the first time in weeks, he feels something deep within him stir.

'Not happy' is a mild way to put it. She's white-hot furious. But there's really not much she can do about it.

She's currently visualising smashing his teeth in.

Possibly with an aeroplane.

From a height.

Put me DOWN, you big IDIOT, and for fuck's sake go FIGHT PROPERLY! she's mentally shrieking when he finally lets loose. She's too blindly angry to notice anything wrong about him just yet.

He opens his eyes but doesn't look down at her, the inky blackness only covering about a fourth of his eyes and settling at the bottom. He's hoping from her angle she can't see, but he does have more pressing issues.

The Hollows have been reduced now to about a dozen or so, and though they hiss and gnash their teeth in frustration, they keep their distance. A few moments later they seem to sense something, turning their heads skywards, sniffing the air with anticipation. Suddenly, they raise their arms to the sky and make a terrible, screeching cry, like a flock of banshees. It's not as loud as one would expect, but it certainly pierces the air and chills the spine in a very...unique way.

Especially because Ichigo has seen them do that only once before. And it was not good news for him then either.

She might be able to help him. Or run back to the bar and get some more magic users and so on out here. You know, things like that.

If he hadn't PARALYSED HER.

She can't even move her freakin' neck to look up at him, or - no, wait, was that a finger-twitch? Was it - augh, no, dammit, it wasn't.

Ichigo, you stupid IDIOT!

He's not quite telepathic enough to catch that.

He does, however, watch with a sense of dread as the shriek stops and the remaining Hollows flee in a similar way they came. Basically just running for their lives. And for good reason.

Because high in the sky, way way up there, the sky is cracking. And not just a little crack or two. A lot.

If he's going to be stupid enough to knock her out of the fight, he can just bloody deal with it himself.

"...mphurgh!" she manages to make herself say.

It could be loosely translated as "For fuck's sake, put me the fuck down and do your stupid hero thing, and I'm gonna give you such an arse-kicking when I get my arms back, you ---"

Actually, what follows would demand fairly specific translations. We'll leave it up to the readers' imaginations, shall we?

~~We have readers?~~

He's still a bit too busy to care much for her feelings in this. She can yell and shriek and beat him bloody later. He just wants to make sure they're both still alive to do such things in the very near future. Because as he watches two massive pale hands suddenly push through the cracks in the sky, he knows that the time for screwing around and feeling bad for Steph is over. He needs both hands for this.

Rushing over to a nearby tree, he sets her down (not too carefully, since he figures she can take it like a big girl and not be any MORE angry) and leans her back against the tree so she can at least see things unfolding. She probably won't be paralyzed for more then ten minutes longer or so at best, and it'll start to wear off slowly soon. But he has enough time.

Behind him, more hands push through, many sets working together to tear open the sky and let in the behemoths that eagerly wait on the other side.

...Yeah, she's gonna kill him.

Steph has never taken kindly to being treated 'like a girl'.

The freaky giant hands in the sky are occupying her attention though, now that she can move at least her eyes enough to watch.

... And she's scouting the ground nearby for more rocks, too.

Fucking hell...

The hands pull harder, the opening they make grows wider and wider until...a face appears. No normal face, of course. A masked face, though this Hollow mask is a bit different. It's quite plain, except for the nose which is very long and pointy. The sheer size of it, however, is what is immediately most evident. As the thing starts to step through, black cloak covering its entire body and only white (and pointy) boots barely visible beneath it, it is clear that this creature is far larger than any Hollow before it, towering over even skyscrapers. No hands can be seen now, no doubt hidden within the dark billowing cloak. Its eyes are the eyes of a Hollow, like all Hollows, and they remain firmly locked on Ichigo, who has moved a short ways off from Steph.

Even as he evaluates the situation, more Menos Grande step forwards. Two, three, four...more and more come, and only when six of the colossi stand before him do the cracks heal and the hole close.

He knows how bad this situation is. And he knows how downright terrible it is to have Steph nearby. So he wastes no time, rocketing forwards through the air. He's...well, flying is perhaps not the best word for it, but he's not touching the ground and he's still moving forwards, so...he's flying. Walking on air, one could say. Walking very fast. As in, zipping.

Okay, that was definitely a fingertwitch. That's good.

...she's carefully not freaking out about the giant monster things. She can do that once she can move again. Right now, yes, a little finger wiggle is enough to make her happy. She'll just keep working on that, and trying not to atract the attention of the giant whatthefucks.

Not that she's got a plan once she can move again. But she hasn't thought about that yet.

She can always throw more rocks.

Ichigo and the Menos seem to have some sort of silent agreement that they cannot co-exist. So when Ichigo reaches them, it is instantaneous for three of the closest Hollows to swat at him with surprising speed, massive hands emerging to try and crush him or beat him into the ground.

Speed and power are on his side, however, and he dodges two hands and slices off the third, leaving its owner with a not-so-bloody stump. Shooting forwards, he shows that the age-old saying 'The bigger they are, the harder they fall.' is true, ramming a Menos in the face with a shoulder and sending it toppling to the ground. They're slow, Menos, and while normally a Shinigami at Bankai level could tear such enemies apart, he can't go all out. He has his inner Hollow to worry about, and Steph, and he's rather not tear the landscape a new one. Which leaves him with physical strength and a lot of speed. He doesn't waste either, going from the Hollow he knocked over to the next closest one, stabbing it like an annoying bug in the face and sending reiatsu through the blade. Not like his earlier attack, but when he's oozing the stuff like he is, pushing enough of it into one of the beasts is enough to cause it to explode, though not in fire and heat but rather with black energy and black cloth, the effect not being devastating to the environment or Ichigo, for that matter. Just the Menos.

"Use them against each other! You're little, they're big, make them take each other out!" Steph tries to yell.

What actually comes out is a muffled little "usmgsntchth!" that's probably inaudible, as high up and far away as Ichigo is at this point. She swears, viciously, inside her head, and works on clenching her fists.

Almost!

He's going under and over their attacks, dodging and weaving in midair. His strikes are larger and more powerful than the blade appears, several Menos already having large cut in their masks. Wounds to the body are far less evident, and for all he knows, do next to nothing. He can't kill them all like the first of course, mainly because he can feel something pressing in on his mind. It's distracting and worries him, stealing from his concentration and making him hold back too much. His attacks don't do as much damage as they should, he's not fighting as boldly or aggressively as he normally does.

Another Menos goes down, but one lands a good hit while he's preoccupied, smashing him into the ground. He's up again soon, shooting into the air to deliver a strong blow to its face, a deep slice appearing in its mask as he hovers above the four monsters remaining. A trickle of blood goes down the side of his face from a wound he received, and he looks a bit bruised but otherwise not too badly harmed.

And then, slowly and stealthily, one seems to spot Steph.

Amazing what a shot of pure adrenaline'll do.

She scrabbles for a rock, and manages to get hold of a reasonably hefty one - but not to lift it, or to throw it with any strength.

All right, big freaky monster, bring it on, she thinks at the approaching beastie, as hard as she can. Oh, she's gonna kill Ichigo for this.

... if she survives. The rock is gripped tightly; if it takes her anywhere near its face, she'll swing as hard as she can, even if that's not very hard.

It takes one step towards her, then another, but seems to decide there is a much easier way to go about this.

Namely, turning her to dust. So the beast seems to draw in breath, a little ball of...something appearing in front of its mouth. A close inspection would reveal it to be the same sort of energy Ichigo uses for his attacks, though white and not quite the same kind. Of course, a close inspection is not easy, and one does not want to be close to a Menos powering up a Cero.

Sensing the attack being charged, the boy whirls, cursing himself for being even a little careless. Even as he moves, the beast opens its mouth and fires the blast of energy.

It's not unlike what Ichigo did, but this attack is more of a beam. A straight blast, like a canon, with the whole beam-of-death thing heading straight for her. Really, really, really fast.

Ichigo is, thankfully, really really really fast, moving into the way and deflecting the blast skywards with a sweep of his sword. He glances at her with a frown, mutters something like "Shoulda made her leave..." and then he's back into the fray, making sure to keep their attention on him this time. No more slip-ups. A Cero is the sort of thing he can block with a Bankai, but a blast like that would have done serious harm even to him if he were unguarded. And probably have disintegrated her. He's thankful it was only one. Multiple Ceroes are not fun.

Well. Good. She releases her death-grip on the rock, a little, but leaves it close by.

So. Upper body, feels like she's been asleep for six months and forgotten how to use any muscles. Lower body, she's got nothin' but a twitching toe.

This still sucks.

He's anxious now, the feeling of his inner Hollow pressing in on him growing stronger. He wants to end the battle quickly, by any means necessary. He lets loose, despite his better judgement, another getsuga tenshō. The blast is strong enough to cleave two of the Menos in half, but he drops to the ground quickly, one hand clutching his head.

'Shit shit shit! Stupid of me, fucking hell...shouldn't have done that, getting sloppy...'

He gets to his feet, gripping his sword tighter, and starts to move to the right...

Except he doesn't. He can't.

Before he can ponder why his body won't listen, it hits him. The pressure he was feeling is multiplied tenfold, his head ready to explode. There's laughter then, a terrible laughter he hoped never to hear again, and as he grips his head and wishes silently for the bastard to just GO AWAY, he knows this is bad. He can't move a muscle, can't bring up his sword, can't run away. Nothing. As his reiatsu fluctuates and his aura varies from Shinigami to Hollow back and forth, the Menos take notice.

Two Cero blasts. Their eyes on him, his eyes staring straight back as he silently urges himself to move, they let loose two attacks, and he's left defenseless, unable to even bring up his hands to defend himself.

The explosion is not pretty, and smoke and dust billow up, hiding whatever charred remains there might be of him. ~~Or not.~~

Okay, this stopped being even mildly entertaining a long time ago, but now it's really not fun.

Steph doesn't scream, because that would draw their attention. She does, however, use the tree to drag herself up onto wobbly feet, scanning the dustcloud urgently. She's seen him move, that didn't get him, no way ...

Okay. She can walk. Still feels like gravity's twice as strong as normal, but she can walk. She bends down to scoop up several more rocks, tucking them in various pockets, and takes a few steps out into the open.

"Oi! Oi, you big freaky things! Over here!"

...yeah, the bit about not drawing their attention, maybe oops. But at least she can give Ichigo a few moments to get his stuff together. Because he's not hurt. Because he can't be.

She hefts a sharp-edged rock, testing its weight and balance, and waits.

They're not turning. All eyes on the dust. And it quickly becomes apparent why when a sharp, high-pitched cackle emerges from the smoke.

This is followed by about a dozen getsuga tenshō blasts, shredding the Menos to ribbons before they can think to dodge or move or...blink. One would have been enough, but by the time the blasts stop, they're not just dead. They've been absolutely destroyed. And as smoke clears and dust settles, something white as porcelain can be seen.

And then two eyes.

And then he's visible, head to toe, a smirk on his face as he rests his black katana on his shoulder.

"Oi, girl! Long time no see, huh?"

Steph's eyes go very wide, for a second, and then narrow.

He - lied. He LIED.

She stays there, poised to fight, back straight and feet planted firmly. (This is so she doesn't fall over.)

"Been a while, yeah," she says, icily. "Took a vacation, did you?"

The narration will give up attempting to convey the force of Steph's anger with mere words. It'd take a long time and involve descriptions of fiery volcanic flow and detonating explosives and so on, and probably be boring. Suffice it to say: Steph is Very, Very Angry.

You can tell by just how polite her smile is.

~~Sounds like lazy narration if you ask me...~~

"Oh, somethin' like that." He twirls his sword playfully, tosses it from one hand to the other as if to pass the time. "Been busy yourself? Hope you're happy to see me, huh? Or..."

He pauses, meeting her gaze with an absolutely wicked smile.

"...maybe you're too busy hating Ichigo's guts right now?"