An Inescapable Battle [Closed]

Early in the morning, Sakura received a message through hell butterfly. She had a new mission and was supposed to take care of a elusive hollow, but something felt off. She accepted the mission without hesitation, excited to try herself out in battle to see if her training was going anywhere. She started the morning trying to be confident and happy, but as the hours passed her by, she felt that confidence fading. Her mind began to wander to the negative. What if she wasn't good enough? What if she was going to fail? What if it was too powerful? What if she died? She tried to keep these thoughts at bay, but it was difficult and the fact that it was almost time for her to leave made things worse.

Sakura was ready to go with her Zanpakutō at her side. She had cooked a decent breakfast this morning and was now ready to go! However, Sakura was obviously bothered. As she turned to leave, she stopped and looked to Ryuunosuke, but not at his face. Sakura had a habit of hugging, but he would not accept her hugs, so she had learned to give him rather energetic handshakes instead. "I'll return as soon as I can. I'll be relieved for another two weeks once this hollow is taken care of." she said and reached for his hand. She took it with both of her hands and grasped a little more firmly than both. "I'm scared this time. I don't know why." she said, looking to the floor, "Something just feels off."

"No. The orders were fine..." Sakura sighed and shook her head, "Have you ever felt like something was going to go wrong? I mean... I feel like today is just..." She sighed again and let go of his hand. She did not shake this time, only held. "If you think I can do it, then I know I can." she nodded, pushing up a fake confident smile. Sakura said her goodbye and hurried off to the senkaimon. Within the hour, she was in the world of the living, stationed in New Zealand of all places. Her first impression was nice. She enjoyed the greenery and the small homes of the town she was in. There was a forest on the outskirts of the town and Sakura could sense the hollow from here. That raised a red flag for her.

"Finding it this fast is strange." she mumbled and sighed. It was her job, so she had no choice. She stared out to the area she could sense the hollow from for a while. It never moved and an eerie feeling sent a shiver up her spine. "What the hell..." she rubbed her arm, trying to lower the goosebumps she just got. It still wasn't moving, so Sakura got ready. She dropped her kimono, the rather revealing piece of her Zanpakutō being under it. She took hold of her zanpakutos handle and unsheathed it. When she did this, it was shown that there was no blade and the handle was white. Her reiryoku began to collect and a light shined around her. When it vanished, she was in her black Ten Tekio.

The moment her transformation ended, Sakura realized something. The hollow finally moved. It had rushed toward her with an intent to kill. She barely got her sword up in time to block it's first attack, but was knocked back thirty feet, her body creating a line in the gorund. "Ow, ow, ow..." she muttered. She heard the hollows howl and covered her ears. It took it's chance and went on the attack again. She rolled along the ground, luckily able to hold onto her sword as it attacked. She jumped to her feet and with a very quick motion, was able to shunpo one hundred feet behind him and slide to a stop. "Keep your cool, Sakura." she told herself, eyeing the hollow closely. And so it turned to her again...

The bastard finally gave Sakura a good look at it. It was a scorpion hollow that stood about ten feet tall while excluding its three tails. With the tails, the longest middle tail was about twenty feet long. Its pincers were about as large as she was. Beyond that, it's reiryoku was quite a bit larger than her own. Sakura immediately began to wonder why she was the one sent on this mission. She didn't doubt that a Lieutenant would have a decent battle with this thing. She gripped her sword tighter as it began walking to her. It didn't run this time, it only walked. It stopped thirty feet from her and began to laugh. Sakura just stared until it stopped. "I'm eating well tonight." "If you think you're going to defeat me, you're wrong." "You think you defeat me? Laughable." "I can and I will. Just watch me!"

The impatience the hollow had wore thin very quickly. Sakura stayed focused as it charged. It's first attack came from the large pincer. Sakura moved out of the way only to have the second pincer attack. She was able to duck under it, trying not to have to parry or counter. She knew this hollows strength likely tripled her own, so being hit by it was not an option. For quite some time Sakura's entire strategy was getting out of the way. She ducked, jumped, rolled, flipped, and side stepped everything she could. She was getting a feel for the hollows movements and observing its pattern of attack. Unfortunately, though she was getting this information, she was wearing herself out as well.

Sakura was breathing heavily, her chest moving up and down as she tried to keep her breathing steady. She held her sword firmly in both hands, her eyes never leaving the hollow. Even when she blinked it seemed calculated. The hollow shot its middle tail down toward her. Sakura side-stepped to the right of it, but was caught off guard by the incoming pincer that was about to trap her between it and the tail that now acted like a wall implanted in the earth. She brought her sword between the pincer and herself, but she had been right about her previous deduction. This hollow was very strong and the moment the pincer made contact, her body slammed against the tail and was crushing her.

Sakura pushed back and was beginning to panic, but realized that her Zanpakutō was acting like a barrier between her and the pincer. She had just enough room to duck under and shunpo out, so she quickly maneuvered herself and reappeared to the hollows side.  After a well-timed shunpo, she swung her sword down through one of its legs. The hollow howled in pain, the shriek almost deafening her. She felt her mind go fuzzy for that moment and stepped back. The hollow took advantage of this and swung its tail around. It slammed into her side, hitting the unprepared Sakura with enough force to crack a rib. She screamed and was sent flying about one hundred feet before hitting a tree.

Before Sakura even had a chance to react. The scorpion was in her face, swinging it's pincers down at her. She rolled around multiple times, parried once or twice only to be knocked around like a ragdoll, and was stomped on once. When she saw what she thought was an opening, she rushed away from the hollow and was about to shunpo when she felt its tail strike her in the back. She went flying again, but not that far. Instead, the longest tail suddenly slammed it's stinger through her back and partly out of her stomach. When this happened, it was a mere five feet away from her audience and she was facing him. Not knowing he was there, Sakura let a look of defeat show. It wasn't just defeat in her eyes though. With a single tear falling down her cheek, she looked apologetic and closed her eyes.

"I'm gonna die..."

Sakura's body hit the ground and she was expected to be devoured. She was not expecting Ryuunosuke to appear out of nowhere. Barely able to move, Sakura shifted her eyes up toward him and saw it. He smiled. He was smiling at her. Her eyes widened and her gaze fixated on that smile. The look on his face was something she had been wanting to see and it gave her a bit of a boost. She felt her body healing as he helped her. He told her she would live and would win. With him here, she knew that she would live, but could she really win? All she had to do was remember that he smiled and her confidence returned. She smiled, nodded, and pushed herself to her feet, glaring at the hollow with a new found confidence. And then time seemed to freeze, the world shining with a bright yellow.

"It's been a while since you showed an ounce of determination. This man has an effect on you, doesn't he?" "He's my friend; what did you expect?" "Yes, your friend. I guess I can give you the boost you've been needing. If you fuck it up and lose to this hollow, I will take all of the power I've granted you away and you will start all over. Do you understand that, Sakura?" Sakura nodded and in what seemed like a small meeting to her, was a mere moment to Ryuunosuke. Sakura was at her feet and suddenly her body was surrounded by a bright yellow light that swirled around her. It moved in toward her and became a new outfit, a new form of her shikai. Her weapon became to, separating into two fans with a gun attached. The best part is she could already sense how to use their basic techniques.

Sakura was still hurt, but she felt like she could continue on. Her breathing was calmer and she felt a bit of a rush. "Alright... I've got this." she said and readied herself. Once the hollow was let go, she charged with more speed than she normally was able to move, even in her black Ten Tekio. In what felt like a flash to her, she was able to slice through three of the scorpions legs before it could even attack, causing it to collapse toward it's right. The hollow howled again, causing Sakura to feel like she had before. It turned in an attempt to attack, but Sakura was able to move out of the way, even under it's howl's effects. The battle continued and Sakura was able to out maneuver him now. She ended up slicing through one of its tails, causing that tail to hang from it's body, barely attached.

The hollow was nearing defeat and it new it, so it decided to try something foolish. It turned to Ryuunosuke. "Fine, I will take you in as my meal if I cannot have the girl!" the hollow spoke confidently. Sakura scoffed and then laughed, catching the hollow off guard. "What are you laughing at?!" "Hahaha..." she wiped a tear and rubbed the back of her head, "If you've given up on killing me, then fighting him is suicide, sorry." "You apologize to your enemy? You're a strange Shinigami." "Well, I didn't mean it as an actual apology... It's just hilarious to think you'd stand a chance against him. I have no doubt he could kill you with his eyes shut and an arm behind his back. However, he is not your opponent, I am. Be glad he hasn't stepped in. You'd be dead." "Ha.. I doubt that." the hollow scoffed.

Sakura shunpo'd and appeared in front of the hollow, pointing both of her guns at the hollows head. "I wouldn't lie about him, ever. The fact is, you're through. Even if I were to die against you, I trust in my Master to defeat you afterwards. You will not terrorize the people of this village anymore." Sakura smiled and giggled a bit, "Goodbye!" The barrels of her guns began to glow. The hollow tried to turn, but the moment he moved, Sakura released two condensed bullets of reiryoku and fired them through the hollows head. It was dead and began to disintegrate in front of her. Sakura watched as it fell apart and then smiled before hopping up and down like a energetic bunny rabbit. "I did it, I did it, I did it!" she said and then ran to Ryuunosuke with her arms out, quite obviously going for a hug.

Sakura squeezed tighter when Ryuunosuke did not push her away. She was finally able to hug him and the pat on her head made her feel amazing! When she let  him go, she hopped up and down, spinning at the same time as her hair flew everywhere. Finally, she stopped her little energry spree and looked back to him, putting her hands behind her back and smiling widely. She blushed when he said he was proud. "I'm glad! It felt so amazing to do that! You saw me, right?!" Sakura asked and pointed toward where the hollow was, "I was all like woosh! And it was like ahh! And I was like goodbye!" Sakura's movements matched her speech as she spoke so excitedly. She blinked and looked down to her new weapons and then her outfit. She nodded, spun the fans, and then pointed them to the trees.

Sakura let off two more shots, both hitting their mark and shattering the trees they hit. "Oh. This form is so fun!" she shuffled her feet and giggled a bit. She realized then that she had been ignoring his question. "Oh! Right. Yes, this is part of my shikai. It's one of the forms. I don't know how many I'm gonna have, but this is the second one. The first is the black one you saw when we met." Sakura explained. She took in a deep breath and her outfit began to glow. It faded away and revealed the base of her shikai. She forgot in that moment how she was going to be dressed, but that didn't really matter. The moment the outfit faded, Sakura dropped to her knees and fell to the ground. "It hurts..." she said through a clenched jaw. The stab wound in her back reopened, causing her to bleed.

The entire time Ryuunosuke was healing her, Sakura was tense and breathing heavily. When he was finally done, she was able to relax, but the pain wasn't entirely gone. She was surprised to have her head placed in his lap and a blush crept over her cheeks. "The Captain Commander. Is that Captain Hatakeyama?" she asked curiously, her voice slightly strained. He called out for a doctor and she nodded when he told her. She took a deep breath and sighed. "I thought I was going to die. That feeling I had about this mission was right. I'm just glad you came to help me." Sakura looked up to him with a soft, but weak smile, "I did something right... I was able to kill it and make you proud. It's been a long time since anyone has been proud of me... Thank you." Sakura fought a few tears and kept a smile.

"Proud of what?" a familiar voice, one that they could both hear, showed up. Sakura twisted around and looked to a man of all white that stood right above them. He was scowling at Sakura. "Ten... What are yo-..." "Shut up. What do you have to be proud about, Sakura? Once again, you needed help. I gave you the piece of your shikai because you would have died otherwise. It's not like he was going to lift his sword to help you." "I thought you gave it to me becau-..." "Because you were ready? No. Do not kid yourself. Your life was in danger and you were too weak, as usual, to handle the situation on your own. The next time you access that form, I will not be so lenient. You will no longer understand how to use its abilities. Learn that on your own. You will be handed nothing more. Understood?"

Sakura nodded weakly. It was embarrassing to be scolded and humiliated by her own Zanpakutō in front of Ryuunosuke. She closed her eyes, unable to look at either of them right now. "Tsst..." the man of all white stared at Ryuunosuke, looking him up and down. He scowled again and then waved his hand. The wings he had on his back came in to wrap around him and he soon vanished in a rain of glitter and light. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Ryuunosuke." Sakura forced herself onto her side. Her body was in a lot of pain and it made her wonder what the damage was internally. Her wound had been mostly closed, but there was still a small amount of blood coming through her back. Ignoring her pain, she kept trying to get up on her own, but she was off balance and the pain kept making her fall again.

In her failed attempts to get up, she never expected Ryuunosuke to use Kidō on her. She fell back to the ground, lying on her side. She couldn't move her arms or legs. She looked up to him, her eyes narrowed in anger at him. She hadn't been angry with him before, but this was uncalled for. The expression stayed until he apologized and then it faded completely. She sighed and stared off into the distance. Ryuunosuke healed her again and then sat her upright against a tree. "This tree is not comfortable, you know?" Sakura pouted a bit, playfully glaring at Ryuunosuke as he sat down in front of her. "What kind of questions?" she looked worriedly at him. His questions were understandable, but also hurtful. He wasn't hurting her; she just knew why her Zanpakutō is the way he is.

Sakura sighed and looked away. "Yes, he hates me. It's my fault, I guess." she said sadly, "When he first came about, I was in a worse way than I am now, if that is even possible..." Sakura once again talked herself down. This was something that Ryuunosuke was likely used to. "I hate myself and beca-... Hated. I hated myself and because of that, he hated me as well. It hasn't changed at all since I first spoke with him. I don't know how to change it without changing how I feel about myself. I thought I had gotten better, but he's still harsh and strict to me...." Sakura lowered her head and sighed, "You will likely hate me for saying this, but I've never liked myself and still don't. The only reason I am where I am is because of this stupid hope that someone else will like me. I don't know how to change that. It's not like I haven't tried, because I have. I'd like to like myself, even just a little. I just don't."

Sakura just smiled at him, but that smile faded. There was an echo in the back of her head, one that he could probably guess about. She closed her eyes and mouthed a few unreadable words. When she opened her eyes again, she looked to Ryuunosuke. "Do I have to like myself? I mean... Why is that required... People say that you're supposed to like yourself and that people will only like you if  you like you... And then they say that everyone is different and that everyone has their own way..." Sakura sighed tried shaking her head, only to realize that she still couldn't, "I've thought about it for years now... What if my way is for other people? What if for me to like myself, I need to be liked by others? I don't know... It sounds stupid because of what others have taught me and what they two have been taught, but the only time I feel decent about who I am and what I've done... is when someone else tells me I've done well. So what if I am suited to living for others... Is that really so wrong?"

Sakura was astounded at his advice. "Become a teacher..." she repeated and then thought about it. She nodded, liking the idea. "I never thought of that, Ryuunosuke. Thank you." Sakura tried to move, but couldn't. "So... Can I move now?" "Are you going to try to get up?" "I'm going to try to move!" "Are you going to try to walk away." "I wanna shake your damn hand! Or get a hug if I'm allowed." Sakura watched him with a playful suspicion as he came over. He sat in front of her and released the Kidō, "No hug this time." Sakura just smiled and carefully leaned forward, taking his hand. She didn't really shake it, but more hold it. "Thank you for being there for me, Ryuunosuke...  I don't remember a time anyone really has. Even I haven't been there for myself, so thank you very much."

Of course it was at that momenet that someone cleared their throat. Sakura immediately let go of Ryuunosuke's hand and looked up to CAPTAIN HAYASHI!? "Um... Captain Hayashi? How come they sent you...? No disrespect of course, but..." "A former Head Captain calls for relief and you really think they'll send anyone else?" Midori asked with a raised eyebrow and then she winked, "Now let's get you straightened up." Midori asked where the worse of it was and Sakura pointed to hero back. Midori helped Sakura lay on her stomach so she could better see the back wound. "Mm... You'll be fine. Do you care if it scars?" Midori asked. Sakura was silent for a moment, but then smiled. "I'd like it to, yeah." Sakura closed her eyes. "Alright then." Midori smiled and looked knowingly at Ryuunosuke.