Trial of Fire

Chapter 25
Final Showdown


The alarm blared painfully in their ears as Reina quickly pulled Tenkou from its sheath.

“Leon.” Kinomi ordered.

There was a look of panic on the young boys face.

“Leon.” She called again.

“I can’t open one. It’s like I am being blocked.” He reported, a tinge of fear in his voice.

“Shit.” She cursed. “Move.” She ordered.

They bolted from the room, making their way to the nearest exit and launching themselves out into the desert. They raced away from the fortress, not daring to look back. They were a good distance away when something large and black landed before them, blocking their escape.

Kinomi and the others gaped at the large oriental dragon standing before them, scales black as sin, spikes sticking out at almost every conceivable crease and a pair of large horns adorning the head. He had a harness with five gems imbedded in it, one in the centre the other four surrounding that one like the points of a compass.

“Not only do you dare to take something of mine, but you have interfered with my plans for the last time worms.” The booming voice of Akusesshou filled the clearing.

“Dear gods what the hell is he?” Taka gasped.

Black, electrical charges danced around his horns before shooting out towards them, forcing them to break apart. A gout of black flame erupted from his mouth at the same time, turning the sand into glass where it hit.

“Bankai: Shirohyou Kyattsuai.”

“Bankai: Sameru Garou.”

“Volar, halcón.”

“Celestial Anomestar, Tenkou. Bankai: Jikuu Tenkou.”

“Bankai: Ginkiri Namazu.”

“Morder, Leon Melena.”

“Subir, Luna Sangre Gemelo.”

The next bout of black flame was met by a torrent of water, the head shaped like a cat fish before it collided with the stream of fire and burst into steam.


Reina took to the air, moving herself away from the main conflict, Tenkou lashing out in waves of power as she systematically cut down the hollow pets of Akusesshou who had come at his masters command.

A flash of silver out of the corner of her eye warned her at the last second and she brought Tenkou up to parry the strike, intending to slice right through the blade and creature who had come up without her noticing.

The blade of the sword aiming for her was sliced cleanly in half, but she stopped the strike before it could slice the holder in half as well, regret and other emotions tearing into her heart.

His red eyes were still dead, no emotion in them what so ever, or even sign of intelligence. This was worse then the Aku’s had been.

Not at all perturbed about his sword now being gone he simply lunged at her. Reina back winged out of the way and continued to do so while he chased her about in an almost drunken like way.

“Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six.” She whispered. “Bakudo 61; Rikujokoro.”

The six rods snapped around him, pinning him in place. He fell to the ground and remained still. Looking back only once to make sure he remained as he was and wasn’t going to come after her again, she returned to the main fight.


Akusesshou’s true form was astonishingly large, far larger then any oriental type dragon Kinomi had ever heard or seen of before. Like Monban he was able to launch all of the elements at them, granted they were all tainted black.

What was worse was the barrier he had erected around himself. He could hit them but they could not get past his barrier to return the favour. Reina had disappeared as well to deal with the small fry that had followed their boss out.

She had thought about getting Leon and Zan to deal with the rats and free Reina up for she had no doubt only the young woman would be able to blast through the shield, but just as she was about to call out for the switch in task Reina reappeared.

“Strike.” Kinomi ordered in a shout.

She fired her Toranekosuto, the slashes slamming against Akusesshou’s shield. Right behind her was a stream of red acid from Garou, the red beams from Zan’s Sangre Inciso, a cero from Leon, a more powerful cero from Taka, an Issui from Barbo and the most important strike, a Heki Tengai from Reina.

The blast hit the shield, and she watched in awe as the shield shattered like glass, letting one of the cero’s get through to burn his side. Reina’s strike missed as he launched himself into the air, black flames erupting around his wrist/ankles as he went sky born.

The gem in the centre of the harness flashed, went dull for a moment, and then returned to glowing as another shield came up around him, deflecting several strikes he didn‘t bother to dodge.

“Impudent brats.” He roared in rage.

Black lightning erupted all around him. Kinomi yelped in pain as it danced across her skin and burned her. Zan grunted and she heard several of the others give out various cried of pain.

“Again, bring that shield down.” Kinomi shouted.

She frowned as she noticed the damage the Cero had done was already healed.

“Great, he’s got high speed regeneration as well. Lovely.” She grumbled.

Again all their strikes slammed into his shield, it shattered like glass, the gem dulled, a few attacks got through, then the gem flashed up again and the shield was returned, the damage healed.

“Damn it.” Zan cursed.

Lightning erupted all around Akusesshou again, forcing them to back off. A pillar of fire flew at Zan even as what appeared to be meteors fell from the sky around Taka, forcing her to dodge between them. The earth errupted around Leon, causing him to dance between the spikes to avoid being impaled.

She couldn’t help it. Even while fear for her friends safety tugged at her heart she felt a deep thrill race up her spine, one she saw reflected in Taka’s eyes even as she dodged the flaming rock falling from the sky.

“Reina.” Kinomi shouted. “Tango four.” She declared.

“Acknowledged.”

Kinomi counted down in her head, when she hit three she called for another round of assaults. Once again their ranged attacks raced in, all but Reina’s.

“Regresar.” Reina calmly declared.
With that single word the shield dropped and all their attacks hit home. Akusesshou roared in pain and black lightning erupted all around them while more of the meteors came hurling down from the sky.

When the storm ended the shield was up again and the wounds already well on their way to being healed.

“Gem.” Barbo declared.

“Leon.” Kinomi commanded.

With a nod of understanding Leon dropped his Resurrección. They dodged Akusesshou’s strikes while Reina charged another Regresar. Once ready they fired off again, only this time Leon flashed in with Sonpo, Zanpakuto swinging as he slammed it into the central Gem, or tried to.

Akusesshou roared in rage as their strikes hit, black fire erupting all around him, forcing Leon to retreat before the strike could be completed. Even with his superior speed his entire back was still burnt to a black crisp. Leon cried out in anguish and stuttered out his Resurrección.

Once back into his other form the damage was completely healed. Which was one hell of a relief because Reina was not able to pull out another Regresar that quickly. Kinomi turned her attention back to Akusesshou and stared in disbelief as another shield came up and the damage began to heal.

They tried again, this time with Zan, but still he was not fast enough to get the strike in before the wall of flames erupted around Akusesshou. Without his hierro Zan would have been burnt to a crisp, with it he wasn’t fast enough.

They were starting to get worn out while Akusesshou still continued to heal any damage they did with no signs of his fast regeneration slowing down. They simply could not destroy his shield for any length of time nor do enough damage while the shield was down to kill the bastard.

“God, what is faster then Sonpo.” She wondered while dodging and parrying the set of earth spikes Akusesshou sent her way. “At this rate we will run out of steam and he will defeat us.”

Her body was starting to feel sluggish and she could tell that Leon was just about done, breathing heavily and sporting a large number of burns from the black fire and lightning and a large number of bruises from the meteors.

“ ‘tera.” Kyattsuai all but shouted in her mind. “Use ‘tera.”

As if in agreement ‘tera pulsed warmly in her hand, the blades reiatsu swirling around her own.

Pantera, her name sake. She remembered watching Grimmjow in his released form, the speed and power he had. The strength of his Hierro, maybe not Zan‘s released level, but then Zan was a lot slower in his released form.

“Use us.” Kyattsuai commanded.

Her own Bankai was fast, not Sonpo fast but damn close. With the boost Grimmjow’s Resurrección gave him on top of her Bankai, or vice verse how fast would one be?

“It’s impossible.” She declared. “No one has ever used another’s Zankaputo.” She pointed out, even as she could feel ‘tera’s reiatsu coil more tightly around her. “Let alone a Shinigami drawing on a Hollows sealed power.”

“Do it.” Kyattsuai screamed in her mind. “Like Reina, now.”

Well, what did she have to lose? She dropped her Bankai form and looked at ‘tera, the blade feeling warm in her palm and the reiatsu swirling softly around her. Gulping she sheathed Kyattsuai and held ‘tera the way she had watched Grimmjow do it many times in the past.

She closed her eyes, steeling herself, and then ran her hand along the blade, calling out the release phrase.

“Kishire, Pantera.”

All at once the soft energy of ‘tera ceased its gentle caresses and rushed into her, filling her entire being while weaving around the part of her soul that was Kyattsuai. The power was unlike anything she had ever felt before, but she could still hear Kyattsuai just fine.

Everyone stared at her in shock, and she didn’t blame them, for right now her reiatsu felt like Grimmjow as opposed to herself. Hell she looked like him except her hair remained black and she didn’t have the blades on her knees or elbows.

“Reina.” She shouted, drawing ‘tera once more.

With a nod Reina powered up another spell.

“This had better work because I don’t think Reina can cast another Regresar after this.” She silently prayed.

Kinomi held Kyattsuai out in front of her, calling forth her Bankai form once again. The power that rushed in on her, doubling over the power ‘tera had giving her almost knocked her unconscious. Her hair changed from black to white and her eyes to blue-green and cat like as Kyattsuai’s power joined ‘tera’s.

The shield dropped and Kinomi rushed in, slashing Kyattsuai across the gem and smirking in satisfaction as it shattered into a million fragments.

Another round of strikes went in, slamming into Akusesshou as he roared in rage.

Then there was a large explosion and she was sent flying away from him, as were the others as black winds whipped up around him and knocked them all away. Kinomi was barely aware of the power biting at her, and than the massive surge her body had taken in Reiatsu ran out and she was falling.

She could feel the heat of fire rushing towards her as Akusesshou fired a blast of fire her way, but it never reached her, nor did she hit the ground. Someone caught her. Someone who was familiar and yet she could not sense who it was. Someone else was close by, her father she was sure. Did he stop the fire? Then who caught her?

All around her she could feel her friends reiatsu dropping as exhaustion claimed them.

“What the hell have you done to my Zanpakuto, Pantera?”



As the strikes bore into Akusesshou he roared in pain and rage. How dare the maggots destroy one of his shield gems. How dare they presume to scar his scales with their meagre attacks. In a burst of pure power he sent them flying away from him. He would have used something stronger but to do so would have killed Reina and he still desired her alive.

His goal was achieved however as they all went flying away from his body and dropped their various forms. It was over. He turned to face where Reina was falling, intent to claim her yet again but she suddenly vanished.

Spinning about he caught sight of the brat who was their leader. The one known as Kurosaki Pantera Kinomi. Rage fueled him and he let lose a stream of fire, a stream that was blocked by another attack.


Reina felt her world darkening. She was so exhausted, having never had to use so much power before. She was falling, but could do nothing to stop it. Suddenly there was warmth and she was no longer falling.

“This warmth. So familiar.” Her eyes cracked open. “Okaasan?” She whispered in disbelief.

“It’s okay, Reina-chan. I am here now.” Rangiku smiled down at her daughter as they touched the ground.

Reina felt her eyes close in exhaustion. Something warm was enveloping her a moment later, making her feel better by the second.


Taka felt Azucena separate from her as her pool of reiatsu ran dry. She glanced over at her other half before exhaustion forced her eyes closed. They were falling, unable to maintain their place in the sky.

And then she wasn’t falling anymore. Something warm was holding her and she cracked open her eyes once more. There was Azucena still beside her, but no longer falling.

Holding tightly onto her other half was Lilinette. Taka was sure she must have been dreaming. She turned her head to see the soft smile of her own mother. Unable to keep her eyes open she felt them slid shut again as she drifted in limbo, and then there was a familiar warmth as she felt all her pains slowly wash away.


The very last person Barbo ever expected to show up here was his father. So when his free fall to the earth was stopped because said figure caught him he was suitably surprised. No words were shared between them as Byakuya set his son down next to the others to be healed before turning his back on the kids to rejoin what was quickly turning into a fresh fight.

Zan was deposited by his mother and Barbo wondered how his small aunt was even able to carry the large boy. He was honestly surprised Ggio was the one to have caught Leon, having expected the former Fracción to go right for Reina, who had been caught by her mother.

Galgo was dropped off second last by his Father, the later looking slightly annoyed at having been dragged to a battle. The golden shield enveloped them all once again and he glanced over to nod his thanks to Orihime as her healing power set to work.

Looking over to the growing battle he was shocked to see how many people had come. Aside from their parents Ikkaku, Hisagi and Renji had come from Soul Society. Ishida was also here, standing guard over his wife.

He still could not find Kinomi though and that worried him.

At the accusation her eyes snapped open to stare into bright blue eyes just as they touched the ground, Kyattsuai landed to their left blade first and ‘tera to the right in a similar manner.

It was impossible? She was dead or in a coma and this was just a coma induced dream right?

Grinning down at her was Grimmjow, appearing completely healed. It was he who had caught her. That was why she couldn’t sense him, her senses were still messed up from her merger with ‘tera.

“Just get her to Inoue already.” Another voice broke in.

Kinomi looked over in shock as the gravely voice of her father washed over her. He was fully released, complete with mask and staring down Akusesshou.

“Don’t tell me what to do Shinigami.” Grimmjow snarled back, though it lacked any real malice.

He grabbed Kyattsuai and returned it to her sheath before pulling ‘tera out of the sand and replacing it in her sheath as well, stills strapped to Kinomi‘s back. Then there was the static noise of Sonido and she was dropped off with the
others.

Grimmjow reclaimed ‘tera, leaving the sheath behind, and left to join the growing fight against Akusesshou. Kinomi lay back and let Orihime’s shield fall over her, healing her wounds and slowly restoring her reiatsu.

It was alright. Her friends were safe and the adults would deal with Akusesshou. Their mission was complete. The sound of the fight continued far longer then she thought it should have.

About half way healed she sat up and looked over to the battle, spotting the problem at once. Some how, some way Akusesshou had another shield. It was like watching their own fight from an outside standpoint. Sooner or later the same problem would wear them out.

“How the hell does he have another shield.” Taka cursed.

“The gems.” Galgo answered. “Another one is flashing now. I bet each one is a shield.”

Kinomi frowned, then looked over to Reina, who was slowly recovering.

“Reina, you got enough power for a Regresar or three?” She asked.

“I do.” She answered.

Kinomi looked back out at the field where the fighting was taking place. They had a lot more to work with this time. She formulated a plan quickly, and then asked Orihime to drop the shield.

Orihime looked at her in shock, but recognizing the look on Kinomi’s face, a look she inherited from her father. She dropped the shield.

“Zan, left gem. Leon, right. I’ll take the other two.”

“Can you move that fast?” Ishida asked in disbelief.

“Yes.” She answered confidently.

“Reina, drop shield on mark, first time DPS race, second Gem cutter and return. Go.”

With nods all but Zan and Leon unleashed their powers once more and raced in. Reina stayed back with Orihime. They spread the word quickly to the others. When the shield goes down on the mark do as much damage as possible.

Now that there was an actual timer for when the shield went down they all stored up their attacks. Kinomi hunted down Grimmjow, she was going to need his co-operation in this.

“Grimm-ji.” She shouted, grabbing his attention. “ I need to borrow ‘tera again.”

“Why?” He looked at her sceptically.

So they hadn’t arrived in time to see what she had done.

“No time to explain, can I please have her?”

He looked about to refuse, but then shook his head and dropped his Resurrección before handing her the reformed Zanpakuto. She thanked him and then turned back to the battle.

The shield was torn down. Fine. It reformed the damaged healed. She began a mental countdown, as had everyone. The shield dropped again. And everyone except for her, Zan and Leon let lose with every spell they had to do as much damage as was possible.

For the first time ever she got to see some of the far more deadly attacks of the people she had grown up with, although none were as impressive as Stark/Lilinette’s Cero Metralleta.

The HMK’s just stared up at ‘them’ in pure shock. Akusesshou screamed in pain as the attacks slammed into his body. The fire shield went up followed quickly by the other shield and once again the wounds began to heal.

She started the count down, this time from a different number. Over and over again the shield was brought down by pure damage, damage was inflicted, the shield went up, he healed, wash, rinse repeat. She could feel everyone’s reiatsu start to wane at the taxing fight.

“Just a little bit more. A little longer.” She begged silently.

She had not done anything yet other then sit to the side, coiling her reiatsu together, Zan and Leon beside her doing the same as they prepared themselves for the crucial strike. Should one of them fail it was game over.

“Kishire, Pantera.” Kinomi whispered.

Once more she felt ‘tera’s reiatsu fill her. No one paid any attention though, too focus on the fight before them to bother noting what felt like Grimmjow’s power rising. The timer ticked down.

“Bankai, Shirohyou Kyattsuai.”

She felt the power tear through and she once again had to struggle to control it. Beside her Zan and Leon held their weapons ready. The shield dropped and all three of them disappeared.

The left gem shattered under Zan’s Zanpakuto. The right Gem shattered as Leon’s fist smashed into it. The bottom Gem shattered almost in sync with the top Gem as Kinomi moved at a speed that was unheard of.

At the same time every ounce of damage that had been done in the last five minutes returned itself upon Akusesshou as well as another full round as everyone drained their reiatsu pools dry.

With a gurgled cry of agony mixed with rage, Akusesshou collapsed onto the ground unmoving.


“Is it over?” Zan asked in a panting breath.

Beside him Kinomi was huffing in exhaustion, her merged form already dropping and her eyes rolling to the back of her head as the shear amount of Reiatsu her body had been forced to handle burned her out.

A large explosion of fire answered his question, tossing those close to Akusesshou away with heavy burns. In the centre of that explosion was Kinomi, unable to move as her body was paralyzed from the power she had wielded.

Unbelievingly Akusesshou rose to his feet, black lightning and electricity cackling around him madly. Those with ranged attacks fired them off, dredging up power from the deepest parts of their souls.

A large collection of water washed over the black flames, extinguishing them before they could burn anyone else and five Gran Ray Cero’s bore into him. Everyone else used their most powerful moves with the exception of Leon and Zan, both of them safely under Orihime’s shield as she worked hard to heal them of the heavy burns they had taken when Akusesshou’s fire lashed out.

Akusesshou’s legs wavered, but still he stood, blood soaking into the sand beneath him and wounds slowly healing.

“Insolent whelps.” He roared.

A lance of pure power slammed into his back, flanked by two more, fully powered cero’s. Gasping Taka looked up to where the attack had come from as Akusesshou collapsed to the ground, nearly severed in two.

Three figures hovered in the air above the fight, one of them staying air born with black wings. The set of wings on the second figure seemed more for decoration then anything and the third figure was wingless.

“Oh.” Zan smiled. “They did decide to follow us after all.”

The exhausted shinigami looked up at the three figures warily, all their own reiatsu spent.

A gasp drew his attention to Orihime, who was staring up at the former fourth with an expression mixed with relief, pain, and something else. A glance back up showed that Ulquirroa was also staring down at the girl, and in a bang of Sonido appeared before them.

Awkward silence fell between them.

“I’ll just step over here.” He excused himself, limping off to the side.

“What’s that all about?” Leon asked quietly.

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know. Looks like Ichi-ji is about to have a coronary though.” He nodded to where Ichigo was all but glaring death at the former fourths back.

“Well, if you thing that conversation is awkward, scope out that one.” Leon pointed to where Nnoitra, Nel, and Grimmjow were locked in a staring fit.

Zan chuckled as he looked over at that group. He didn’t think he had ever seen his Otousan’s figurative hackles raised so high as he hovered protectively over his mate while she had a conversation with Nnoitra.

“I must admit I am surprised they came at all.” Leon frowned.

Zan nodded in agreement before starting a head count. Leon was by his side. Taka, Azucena and Galgo where being cared for by Unohana, Stark looking half asleep near by and a worried Lilinette hovering close by. Barbo was standing alone on a dune looking out over the desert. Reina was heading to join him and trying to shoo a hovering Ggio who was hanging worriedly over her shoulder. Rangiku appeared to be on perimeter patrol. Kinomi…

Of Kinomi there was no sign. Zan looked around in a panic, slamming his hand onto the ground and letting loose a Pesquisa. Not too far away was practically a swarm of hollows, no doubt drawn by the reiatsu storm that the battle had created.

“Leon.”

“Yeah, I feel them, they won‘t stay back for long.” Leon confirmed, his own hand pressed to the ground. “But still, no Kinomi.”

“Oi, has anyone seen Kinomi?” Zan shouted, drawing everyone’s attention.

At once they all started to look around, only now noticing she was missing. Cries of ‘kinomi’ and ‘pantera’ quickly lit up the dunes as they looked for their missing member.



Reina looked around until she spotted Barbo, Ggio hovering worriedly over her shoulder. Sometimes he took the protection thing a bit too far, and this was one of them. Finally she got rid of him as she was approaching Barbo by ordering him to check on Leon.

He seemed surprised, but then worry over his son took over as Leon had taken a nasty burn when the fire wall had come up. She held back a sigh of relief as she came up beside Barbo.

“What is the cause of your discomfort?” She asked.

“I do not retain enough reiatsu for an attack of such magnitude.”

She looked at him in surprise. Then both of them looked out into the desert once again. They had but a moment to contemplate his remark before Zan and Leon’s shouts started a frantic search for Kinomi.


The horde of hollows hovering at the edge of the battle field slowly approached the prone figure, fangs snapping at each other as they contested who would be the one to get to eat the being before them.

One emerged ahead of the others, fangs bared and ready to consume the ragged looking Shinigami brat, when blood exploded as its face was ripped in two. The horde backed off as the Adjucas hissed at them, standing over the prone body and daring any of the lesser hollows to contend with it for the meal.

They wisely backed off from the far more powerful being, its reiatsu lashing about it in silent threat, declaring the shinigami as his. A far larger force crushed the hollows, forcing them to scream and scatter, the less fortunate bursting into spirit particles from the force of the reiatsu as the Vasto Lorde approached the Adjucas.

Behind him came several more Adjucas and even a few Arrancar as they cleared the gathered hollows out, chasing them off and in many cases consuming them. The Vasto Lorde stopped before the Adjucas jealously guarding the prone Shinigami.

“Why do I get the feeling, I still can’t eat her.” The rat like Adjucas bemoaned.

Hurón chuckled as he gently picked Kinomi up from the ground, spotting the twin blades and returning them to their respective sheaths. Rata jumped off of her chest and climbed up onto Hurón’s head.

“So they won eh. Who would have known we would owe our lives and freedom to a Shinigami.” Rata sniffed.

Hurón nodded his head, causing its cargo to hiss in annoyance as he was almost dislodged by the sudden movement. Looking over to the large group they began to walk towards its, stopping twenty steps in when the bang of Sonido warned them of a new arrival.

“Neliel-sama. Grimmjow-sama.” Their companions cried in relief as they rushed over to greet their leaders.

Grimmjow ignored them, leaving Nel to deal with their subjects, and marched up to Hurón, eyes that were trying to hold back a clear sign of worry scrolling over the woman’s body.

“She is merely exhausted, and no doubt heavily bruised after being knocked such a distance.” Hurón reported as he gently handed his bundle over to the blue haired arrancar.

“How?” Grimmjow muttered.

“Sir?” Hurón asked.

“Nothing.” He grunted.

Grimmjow shuffled Kinomi into a more comfortable position before they continued heading back towards the group of gathering Shinigami. There appeared to be an argument going on and more of the black robbed creatures had arrived.


Stay Tuned for Chapter 26: Fate

Where Kinomi gives Yamamoto a large piece of her mind.

All the time spent with 'tera, all the hints of 'tera protecting her and dragging the Zanpakuto around as a child was meant to lead up to that moment when Kinomi released her. Of course that much power she can only hold for 14 seconds and after wards leaves her completely toasted. An explanation as to the how and why I believe is somewhere in the next chapter.

Did anyone catch Barbo's insinuation?

Only two chapters left. As usual /love you my faithful reviewers.