Bleach: Of Fate and Phoenix 41

Chapter Forty-One:
Don't

All I know from what I see
All I see from what I know
Blindfold to capture the Rain
Blindfold to escape the Pain


"Mmmmm," Konso Priatt, the white-skinned Arrancar, raised his spidery index finger and waved it between Yoruichi and Hanatarou, "which one of you should I kill first?" His eyes gleamed in the moonlight, "I'm sure neither of you will let me take the girl without dying."

Karin stood with her feet planted firmly on the ground, her navy eyes wide with shock. That's...that's the Arrancar from Karakura Town. He's the one-"I thought Toshiro killed you," Karin blurted aloud. Yoruichi and Hanatarou both stared at her.

"You know this hollow?" Yoruichi gave her an incredulous look.

"Yeah," Karin frowned, "He's the one that attacked us at Karakura Town," And tried to kill me, Karin couldn't make herself say that part though. "I thought Toshiro had killed him."

"Bah," Konso spat, "That runt kill me? You know who you're talkin' to, brat?"

Yoruichi's golden eyes were wider as she turned back to Konso, who looked bored at the exposition taking place. "You're the Arrancar the Kido Corps were tracking. Not," She observed, "The Vasto Lordes."

"Heh," Konso snickered, "You're a smart cookie. Nah, I'm no Vasto Lordes."

To Karin's surprise, as well as Hanatarou's, Yoruichi suddenly smiled. "Ah," She said, sounding almost refreshed, "That's good to hear."

"Eh?" The Arrancar raised an eyebrow.

Yoruichi raised an arm horizontally and white lightening began to form around her wrist. Karin could feel the spiritual energy start to pour from the catlike woman. "That means," Yoruichi smirked darkly through the wave of lightening starting to surround her, "I shouldn't worry about losing."

"Stand back, Miss Karin!" Hanatarou grabbed Karin by the waist and shoved her back several feet. "You'll get hit by that energy if you don't." His droopy eyes focused on hers.

"Oh," Karin noticed the white lightening surging around Yoruichi. The Arrancar didn't look pleased about this development. Yoruichi cracked her knuckles, the white lightening erupting around her.

"Haaaah!" Yoruichi sprang forward and connected her fist to the Arrancar's chest. A flash of energy ripped across the treeline, as Konso was rocketed backwards like a missile. There was a crash, leaves scattering, and the sound of splintered wood. Karin smelled smoke from the blast, as it invaded her nostrils.

"Woah," Karin murmured. Hanatarou was trying not to shake as he stood beside her. Yoruichi landed beside her, brushing back a lock of purple hair. "Yoruichi, that was...," but she stopped the compliment, seeing that Yoruichi's face bore no look of triumph. "What's wrong?"

"He's far from being defeated," Yoruichi was looking towards the trees where she'd just jetisoned Konso. "However, he's not that strong. I should be able to take care of him. What bothers me," She turned to look behind them, "Is why he's here, and where the Vasto Lorde is."

Hanatarou gulped audibly. Karin narrowed her eyes, her face determined, "The two of us can go to mansion if you want to hold him off."

Yoruichi glanced at her with a surprised look. She realizes this isn't her fight. "Oh," She slowly formed a grin, Sometimes it's hard to believe she's Ichigo's sister, "Yes, you two head to Leta's. I'll hold the Arrancar off to allow you time."

"Good. Let's go, Hanatarou!" Karin gripped his hand and led him away, taking a route ahead that slightly detoured where Yoruichi had sent the Arrancar flying.

"Do you think we'll be safe at the mansion?" Hanatarou asked, his eyes looking fearfully at the young Shinigami.

Karin didn't answer him at first. Safe from both an Arrancar and a Vasto Lorde? She sighed, irritated at her lack of knowing, "Who knows?"

Yoruichi, meanwhile, had flash-stepped to the location Konso had landed. He was sitting up, his legs sprawled apart, amongst several toppled over trees, branches and twigs floating through the air and being recovered in soil.

"Bleh," The Arrancar spit out a glob of blood, wiping his mouth with his right forearm, "That's a nasty attack there, cookie."

"Thank you," Yoruichi gave a small smile, her voice curt. He seems like a big talker...I wonder how much he knows...and if he'd tell? "In cahoots with the Vasto Lordes, huh? That's a smart alliance for a weak hollow like yourself."

Konso gave her a look of disbelief, "Please, woman," He shook his head, "You're pathetic, you know?"

Yoruichi felt her skin twitch, "Hmm?"

"I may have a big mouth," The Arrancar chided, "but I'm no fool. All you need to know is that I'm not working for that worm of a Vasto Lorde." He slowly rose to his feet, straightening and stretching his back until it popped.

Yoruichi eyed him, her mind racing with numerous thoughts. "That" Vasto Lorde? So this Vasto Lorde is a rogue? Who's he working for? Who's this Arrancar working for? Yoruichi wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, More questions than answers. Damn. "And I suppose," The tilted her head with a sarcastic smile, "You're not willing to tell me who sent you to capture Karin?"

Konso gave his back one more good pop, his hands resting on the white small of his backside, "Ah, there you go again, cookie. I'll spill the beans," He smirked evilly, "If you can beat them out of me."

********

"That Arrancar must not be very tough," Hanatarou commented as he and Karin ran through the forest.

"What are you talking about?" Karin felt a drop of sweat run down her cheek.

"I mean, the barrier they made was to hold Vice-Captain level reitsu or higher within the Summit Hall. The Arrancar came at us from the woods, so he must have went through the barrier before it shut down and his friend, the Vasto Lordes, could get through." Hanatarou's gloomy expression lightened, "So he can't be that strong then!"

Karin considered this. "Or he didn't come with the Vasto Lordes to begin with," She noted finally, turning to Hanatarou, whose light blue eyes were wide with fear. They were reaching the edge of the tree line; the forest around them was starting to diminish and thin, more spaces between the trees. "Here we go," Karin smiled. The edge of the forest meant they were closing in on the Kamaguchi Manor.

The clearing was lit up by the torches scattered througout the yard of the Kamaguchi grounds; the fence surrounding the area looking weak and flimsy as it always had. But Karin knew it was a ruse; there was actually powerful Kido blocking anyone from entering.

Karin walked around the fence, Hanatarou trailing behind her, "The fence is protected by Kido, so we can't get in unless an attendent lets us. We'll have to make sure we-"

Karin blinked, and a figure flashed directly in front of her. Hanatarou squealed and fell backwards onto the ground, shuffling away several feet in terror. Karin raised a hand to protect her chest and face, but lowered it as soon as she saw who it was.

"Toshiro!" She exclaimed in surprise. The diminuitive captain had his sword gripped in one hand, and Karin saw it was already released, the silvery chain dangling into his other arm, a moon-shaped blade on the end of it. The captain sighed impatiently,

"You never cease to amaze me, Karin," Toshiro looked at her, his intensely teal eyes looking with disbelief, "An all-powerful Hollow racing to capture you, and you're still able to outrun him in that ridiculously oversized dress."

His words forced Karin to look down. It was true, she was still in her navy ballgown, though the ends of it were dirty and frayed; she hoped Leta would forgive her. "Oh, uhm, well, since we're not at the Summit Hall...I guess I don't need it on anymore, do I?" She stated casually, as she undid the back clasp and let it fall off her shoulders. She had lowered the dress to her waist when she heard Toshiro utter an indescribable noise. She lifted her eyes and saw that his face was bright red, which made his eyes and ice hair stand out all that much more.

"Wha-what are you doing?" Toshiro stammered, his hand rising as if to cover his face; but not quite making it past his chest.

"What?" Karin furrowed her brows, not understanding what the big deal was. Suddenly, it hit her. "I'm wearing this under it." She let the gown fall to the dirt, revealing the skin-tight sleeveless body suit. "Seriously, what did you think I was doing?" She eyed him suspiciously, but to her relief, the red had drained from his face; which looked much calmer.

"I would ask where you got such an...outfit," Toshiro finally managed to say, still looking flushed in the face, "But I'm going to go ahead and guess Urahara had something to do with it."

Karin's eyes opened wide in surprise, "Does he normally make stuff like this for other Shinigami?" She asked, wondering who else could possibly have an ability like her.

Toshiro chose to ask a different question, rather than answer hers, "Did you have your zanpakuto under your dress this entire time?" He pointed curiously to her hip, where her sheathed sword hung.

"Oh!" Karin patted the crimson hilt. "Yeah, Yoruichi brought it along with the suit. Urahara even made this clip here," She pointed to her hip, where a small barely noticeable cloth fastener was attached to the sword's sheath, "So when I'm not using-"

"Uhm, I hate to interrupt, but we need to get inside." Karin and Toshiro turned to see Hanatarou still on the ground, his hands covering his eyes.

Karin smiled; What an innocent guy. "It's okay, Hanatarou, you can look." Her friend on the ground uncovered his eyes, looking relieved. "Yeah, we should try to go inside," She started to walk forward, Hanatarou rising to his feet.

"You're hiding in the Kamaguchi mansion?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow at Karin, who nodded.

"Yoruichi told us to." Seeing Toshiro's questioning face, she added, "She gave us the chance to run when-" Wait, Karin suddenly thought mid-sentence, That Arrancar is the same one that attacked us the day when... "-when she went to fight another hollow that was following us."

"Another hollow?" Toshiro frowned incredulously, "Just how many are after you?"

"Only that one," Karin answered, walking ahead of him. She hoped Hanatarou would have the good sense and not mention anything else about the Arrancar around Toshiro. "Well, that and this apparent Vasto-"

Karin's sentence was cut off as a tree came flying through the forest, trunk and all, and slammed into the gate of the Kamaguchi Manor. The Kido surrounding the fence flashed with white light and the entire tree disintegrated into tiny flecks of grey dust.

"-Lorde." Karin finished quietly. So that's what happens, Karin thought, stunned; I'm glad I never tried to enter the mansion without- "Leta!" The young Shinigami involuntarily called out the name of her instructor as she saw the strawberry blonde emerge from the forest, spinning her heels to turn in the dirt to face the treeline. Her face looked fierce, as if in the middle of a battle.

Toshiro had jumped in front of Karin, his sword drawn tightly towards his face. "Move back," He growled, his voice suddenly tense.

"What's happening?" Hanatarou had his hands raised above his head, his eyes big as dinner plates.

"The Vasto Lorde," Karin whispered, her face white. She could see him now, coming out of the woods slowly, like a predator cornering its prey. It had baby blue tinted skin, the finely muscled body of a man, with white loose pants, black boots, and a bone-like blade jutting from its elbows. This didn't scare Karin; what frightened her was its mask. Smooth and rounded sides, it was stark white with a black tattoo-like line running up and curling around the eye of the mask; its own eyes a dead black. The mask had no mouth either.

"You." The Vasto Lorde's voice was scarier than its face, a rumbling, deep gravel-scraping rasp. It had turned its head to stare at Karin.

Leta's eyes were full of panic as she turned them to Karin, "Guard yourself! Don't let him touch you!"

"I won't let him!" Toshiro angrily called out.

Karin stared at him with an angered expression. Does he think I can't take care of myself? I am NOT going to be some stupid damsel in distress here! "Back up, Hanatarou. Toshiro," Karin said calmly, to which both Toshiro and Hanatarou looked at her curiously.

"Huh?" Hanatarou's voice was confused. "Why?"

"Otherwise you'll get burned," Karin eyed him with a stern frown, drawing out her sword. "Surrender, Yakyuu!"

The sword in her hand vanished, unraveling into dozens of flames that engulfed her body. She focused, and the flames collected and were absorbed into her wrist; Karin knew they were now a part of it. She looked down, hoping the suit had actually worked; otherwise, the situation would indeed be awkward once again. To her relief and utmost happiness, the black suit hadn't even charred an inch. On the contrary, it looked completely normal.

"It works!" Karin smiled, her hand forming into a fist. She watched it, seeing small licks of fire trying to escape from between her tensed fingers.

"Move!" Leta shoved Karin out of the way as the Vasto Lorde collided its elbow with Toshiro's sword, ice forming on the hollow's bone blade. Hanatarou had retreated behind a tree, his knees shaking as he looked at the scene in front of him. Leta angrily looked down at Karin; it was the first time she'd ever seen her instructor upset. "I said guard yourself! You won't have time to admire your zanpakuto if you're dead!" Her hazel eyes were blazing, "Get it together, Karin!"

"Sorry," Karin apologized timidly. She didn't like seeing Leta frown, so to see her yell was almost unbearable for the young Shinigami. She felt her knees shaking as she stared up from the ground at her mentor.

Leta looked at her another moment, as if deciding something, before her face softened. "Do yourself a favor," her voice stern and strained, "And get inside my house already." The corners of her mouth drew upward to form her trademark grin, causing the tension to ease between them. Karin rose quickly, as Leta helped her to her feet. "You'll have plenty of time to fight in the future, trust me." She grinned, which in turn caused Karin to as well. Despite the danger around them, Karin felt safer with Leta to guide her through it.

"Okay," Karin took off towards the gate with Leta ahead of her, about to pass Toshiro and the Vasto Lordes, when the young Shinigami suddenly realized, "Hanatarou!" She spun around, "Come on! You too!"

"What?" Leta turned in her step to see Karin running back towards the treeline. "Wha-Karin! Wait!"

We can't leave him! Karin thought frantically, as she reached out a hand, "Come on, Hanatarou! We won't leave you here!" A gust of wind rushed across face as her hand drew nearer to his, Hanatarou's blue eyes wide with fear, but his face registering a relief that she hadn't forgotten him.

"Karin," He said in a weak, kind voice, then she could see the pupils of his eyes shrink, "Look out!"

The Vasto Lorde, seeing Karin rush back to the trees, grabbed Toshiro's sword with one hand by the blade, and thrust his other arm forward, the elbow-blade aimed at Captain Hitsugaya's eye. Avoiding the gouging attempt, the small Shinigami ducked his head, but in doing so took his focus from the hollow, allowing it to have the opportunity to send its knee flying upward to crack into Toshiro's back. The captain let out a gasp and a cough of blood, as the Vasto Lorde flew past the injured Hitsugaya and the panicked woman below him, to tackle Karin.

The next sensation Karin felt was a body grip her by the waist and pull her down. She hit the dirt, the firm landing rattling her head. She had closed her eyes and for a second, all was silent and black. No! Karin forced the thought through the bleak darkness, I am not going to pass out from this!

Karin felt a warm breeze sweep past her lips and her eyes slowly reopened. The atmosphere was orange and red from the torches lighting the yard of the Kamaguchi manor. Karin thought in that moment that the reds and the greens from the treeline looked odd together. Then she realized she was being held in an arm-lock by the Vasto Lorde.

With one arm gripped by the other, she reared her elbow forward, focusing the fire to the point where the two bones of her arm connected, and sling-shot her arm into the hollow's stomach. The fire rippled across its flesh, and he gave a low grunt of pain, but the fire, to Karin's surprise, didn't penetrate its body.

"What?" It didn't even break the surface of his skin-

The Vasto Lorde tightened its grip on Karin and lifted a hand to squeeze her wrist. Karin realized what it was doing. "Wait!" She screamed, but it was too late. The pressure he was emitting was terrifying, but what he was doing with it was worse. The Vasto Lorde wasn't trying to subdue her with his spiritual pressure; he was manipulating it. With a strain of his hand, Karin let out a wail as the flames erupted from her wrist to re-form the katana in her hand. It didn't burn, but felt as if the hairs of her arm were being yanked out in fistfuls. He-he-he forced me to seal my sword, She realized, feeling suddenly drained.

"Karin!" Leta screamed, running forward. He realized when she released her Shikai that it entered her wrist...she's still a rookie, so she couldn't fight back. This wasn't looking good.

Toshiro was struck with confusion at the sight, "How did he-?"

"Don't," The Vasto Lordes raised Karin's hand, still clutching the sealed Yakyuu, and held it against her throat.

Karin could feel the cool metal touch her skin. Her arm was limp, like a puppet's. No matter how loud her soul was screaming for her to resist or stop him, her arms were detached; unable to even twitch. It's like he's sucking up any energy I have...

Both Leta and Toshiro froze at the sight, both screaming "Don't!" simultaneously.

"Don't," The Vasto Lorde growled threateningly, as he took his other arm and made a slashing motion towards the sky. Hundreds of feet above them in the pitch black sky, a loud groaning creaked through the trees. Karin had never heard anything like it before. Or had she? Karakura, She thought, her brain a sloth. His skin seemed warmer than before.

"Stop, wait!" Leta screamed, her sword twitching wildly in her hand, her yellow dress covered in black soil and ripped in several places. No, no, no, no! We've lost, we've lost! There has to be something I can do...he can't take her!

"We can't do a damn thing," Toshiro muttered, his knuckles white from grasping his own sword too hard, "We were completely useless." We need to attack him! But how? He has the blade at her throat and if we so much as lose a second in our assault-He tried to keep his mind from the thought, the image of Karin's head rolling limp across the cold earth, forging at the forefront of his mind. He shook the thought away with a flinch.

Karin, her body feeling numb, stared at them with a weary face. Stop. Stop looking at me like that. She wanted to escape his grasp, so she wouldn't have to see their faces look so desperate and completely helpless. She caught a glimpse at Hanatarou. He was shaking against a tree, and her eyes could have been deceiving her against the red torch light, but Karin could have swore he was crying.

"Damn it," She muttered, feeling her feet lift off the ground, "I couldn't do anything."

Their bodies grew smaller at first as her and the Vasto Lordes rose toward the blackened sky. Then she saw two bodies start to grow larger again; it was Toshiro and Leta rising to stop the Vasto Lorde. But what could they do? The blade was still cold against her skin. Without hesitation the hollow gripped her tighter and they flew into an even darker, starless tear in the sky. Karin recognized it from earlier; it was similar to how Konso had arrived in Karakura Town.

Toshiro was flying fast towards them; "Let her go, Vasto Lorde!"

Leta was suddenly on the side of the hollow, her sword raised and slashing horizontally. Her blade connected with its arm, the one holding Karin's wrist. The sword slit the hollow's arm, the gash deep and instantly bleeding dark blood. Karin felt the blade release from her throat and took a heavy breath. Good to see I won't be headless anytime soon.

Toshiro swung his sword in the air, his teal eyes fiery even in the pale moonlight, "Bankai! Daiguren Hyorinmaru!"

Karin's eyes grew wide as ice exploded from Toshiro's back, forming into frozen dragon wings. His hand clutching the sword appeared like the head of a glacial dragon, his feet iced dragon's talons. Karin stared; it was a bizarre transformation, but strangely interesting.

Toshiro sent a blast of frozen water towards the hollow. It dodged with Karin still in grip, falling backwards. Both Karin and the Vasto Lordes looked upward to see Leta hovering overhead, her sword coming to crash onto the hollow's neck like a guillotine. With one arm, the Vasto Lordes went to grab Leta's sword, but as he did this, Toshiro sent another icy attack, slicing into the arm holding Karin, and causing him to fully release his grip upon her.

Karin felt her body plummet downward, but couldn't force herself to stop in midair, her body was too exausted to move. Luckily, Toshiro caught her with his non-iced arm and held her close to his chest. The two glanced at each other, and what Karin saw in his eyes was a mixed expression of relief, anger, and some emotion she couldn't quite place.

"Hang on," He advised her, his sword raised in front of his face.

I guess I earned this tonight, Karin sighed, realizing her lecture to him about how she was not a damsel in distress would have to wait until later, "I didn't think you intended to let me go."

Leta turned to Toshiro as she pulled her sword out from the Vasto Lorde's flesh, her hazel eyes hawk-like, "Now!"

"Sennon Hyoro!" Toshiro twisted his sword and Karin saw numerous pillars of ice start to form around the Vasto Lordes, which looked confused. They circled and enclosed the hollow, like a prison made of frozen columns connected together. Toshiro and Karin stared at the ice fortress, waiting for the Vasto Lorde to break free. But nothing happened; only silence except for the wind slithering through the trees.

Leta gazed at the ice wall, "Did it work? Toshiro?"

"He's trapped," Karin murmured aloud in amazement. They'd won. They actually trapped it! "You did it, Toshiro." She turned to look him in the eye, a grin budding on her lips.

The diminuitive captain actually let a smile flash across his young face, "Karin, how many times have I told you? Address me as 'Captain'-"

The Vasto Lorde flashed in front of them, it's white skull as bright as the moon. Karin gasped, and Toshiro's words caught in his looked frozen in mid-air. No! The words flashed across her mind, But how can he-

The next motion seemed to Karin to take an eternity, though to a normal spectator would have only taken a matter of seconds. The Vasto Lorde took his forearm and threw it against the captain's face. There was a crack, and Toshiro's head whipped backward, blood oozing into the sky. Karin called out his name, as Leta screamed hers, and the Vasto Lorde grabbed Karin by the arm, threw her against himself, and kicked Captain Hitsugaya to send him falling to the ground below. Karin gripped the hollow's arm, feeling sensation rush back into her limbs. But the Vasto Lorde squeezed her body to him tighter and looked into her eyes. She realized they were so close she could see into the eye holes of his mask. The irises of his eyes were a bright, almost neon blue. The rest of the eyeball that was normally white, was as black as the night sky. Karin was frozen in his arms, mesmerized as he spoke, his voice less rocky than before,

"Don't," he warned, "move."

Before Karin could blink, the world went black.

Leta flew down in a fury, grabbing Toshiro by the arm to stop his , no longer shaking, lept from behind the tree, his face full of a new resolve. I can't fight anything, but I can-

"Please move aside, Miss Kamaguchi! I'll heal him!" He pulled from his side a thin blade, the middle of it hollow. Leta mentally noted it appeared more like a thermometer than an actual weapon. "Fulfill, Hisagomaru!" He jabbed the blade into the captain's arm, and a red liquid started to fill the hollowed out portion of the katana. The liquid only stopped halfway up the sword though, before Toshiro flashed his teal eyes open. His face looked polished and clean, where a moment prior it had been bruised and covered in blood.

He sat up, Hanatarou quickly removing the blade from his arm. "Karin!" He screamed, and immediately stopped; realizing where he was. He looked from Hanatarou to Leta, whose face bore the exact emotion to let him know the answer before he even asked. "What happened?"

"We failed," Leta's voice was choked, "She's gone."