10 Life-Or-Death!

*clash!

Bikou just barely managed to block Koga's staff with his blade. The strength of the blade was un-like anything Bikou could have imagined. 

' Damn, he's strong!' Bikou grit his teeth and clenched his staff as hard as he could, but it didn't feel as though Koga was going to budge even an inch. 

" I told you; this is where the real fight begins!" Koga raised his other arm and smashed down on Bikou's staff, sending him flying away in a wave of electricity. 

Bikou hurtled towards the ground, managing to recover just before he crashed into the ground, and landed on his feet. He quickly jumped out of the way of three large lightning bolts.

Bikou reeled a little from the surging electricity filling area, before jumping back into the sky. 

Koga dove towards Bikou, lightning and fire rippling off of their body as they tore through the air. Bikou swung his staff, up and struck Koga's blade, creating a giant geyser of fire, blasting Koga in his face. 

Koga emerged from the fire almost unaffected by the blast, before flying back at Bikou. He raised one of his blades straight up and brought it down on top of Bikou's staff. 

Bikou bit his tongue trying to keep his arms up, but much to his shock and awe, the blade made of lightning started to cut through Bikou's staff, like a saw. 

Bikou watched as the sword cut right through his red staff, slicing him right down the middle of his chest, causing blood to erupt from his chest. 

' Fuck!'

Bikou didn't have time to waste.

Koga was coming right at him with both of his blades, primed to deliver the killing blow. Bikou raised the broken remnants of his staff, and reshaped the energy composing them, into two separate blades, that resembled two regular katana's. 

He raised the two swords and clashed with Koga's blades of lightning. Parrying the blades with quick and tempered strokes of his own two red swords. 

Bikou gazed into Koga's eyes, a burning fire growing within them. 

He hated the idea of losing, so badly. And yet, despite the fact he was losing, Bikou found himself happy. 

Koga watched as Bikou's eyes shrunk, and a smile spread across his face.

" HAHA!" Bikou laughed. " You're amazing, captain!"

[ Stand up be strong]

Bikou pushed Koga back and lunged at the man. " HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Koga deflected Bikou's oncoming sword swing, and returned with one of his own, aimed right at Bikou's left shoulder.

Bikou deflected that attack as well.

The two men continued attacking and parrying each other's attacks for a solid moment, however, Koga slowly, but surely, began to completely dominate Bikou. Parrying each of his attacks and landing multiple devastating blows of his own. 

Bikou tried to cut Koga, horizontally, across his chest. Koga, however, vaulted over Bikou's entire body, before cutting deep into Bikou's back. Bikou turned around, to try and defend himself, however, Koga was already launching another attack.

Bikou watched as the two red blades came straight at him, like two bolts of lightning being attracted by a rod. 

The two blades pierced Bikou straight through, skewering him. 

' He's winning. Is this... Is this what losing feels like?' Bikou asked himself as Koga's blades penetrated his chest. He reached for the blades in defiance. He had hoped to try and pry them from his body. 

" You were pretty damn tough, Hollow. But this is it." Koga muttered. " Shinku Senko Soraishin-Twin Lightning shiver!"

Two red bolts of lightning exploded from the sky, towards Koga's swords, acting as rods, and struck Bikou with an enormous amount of electricity. 

Bikou howled in pain and agony, as the lightning ripped through his flesh, like two sharp dragon fangs.

Koga pulled his swords from Bikou's chest and watched as the lightning bolts continued to hammer Bikou, all the way to the ground, where they continued to peel the flesh from the Hollows body. 

' Damn... It.... Damn it all....' Bikou wanted to curse, to yell as loud as possible. But he couldn't the lightning striking him constantly was fried his tongue out the moment he opened his mouth. ' Damn.'

Bikou's body fell limp, and his mind started flashing. Images of his life over the past years in Hueco Mundo flourished. 

' How long ago was it, that I first awoke?' He wondered. ' I remember those barren sands and feeling alone.... As if I had lost something.'

[ Soundscape to ardor]

' I remember waking up, and the first thing that I encountered was the hunger.' Bikou remembered. ' Yes, that blood boiling hunger. It drove me insane. I 'd never been so hungry in my life. I hunted Hollows, my own brethren to sate my needs. Thinking back on it... The first thing I did was attack something... Heh, that really was surprising... For them.' Bikou joked. ' At first, it was just out of necessity. A need to survive. But before I knew it... I began searching for the strong. A want... No, a need to fight the strong.... Because.... I liked it. I needed it. Why?' He wondered.

' Because... Because I felt at peace... The starving... That damned starving. The constant voices that tried to pull and rip my mind apart... It was so damned lonely and painful.... But... When I was fighting, oh yes. I was in my element. I was strong. I was... At peace. I was happy.'

' Ah, but... I guess that's over now. Huh? This time, I might've bit off a bit more than I could actually chew. I figured that if I fought smart and used my skills to the best of my ability, then I'd surely prevail. And prove myself strong.'

Bikou's mind began to flash to all of his fights. Both big and small. Important and inconsequential. Even this one now... And for some reason.... He felt incomplete. Like things weren't meant to end here. Like this wasn't the end he was searching for.

' Would I really be fine? With just rolling over and dying in the dirt? Like a dog?!' 

Bikou was becoming angry with himself. Every waking moment, the pain from the lightning began to surge more and more. 

Angering him further and further.

Why was he becoming so angry?

Bikou began concentrating. Clawing his way back. 

Life returned to his eyes. 

His power began to surge. 

The budding flame, that drumming within, came back, stronger than before. When before it was like a small explosion trying to erupt from his body, this time it was far more intense. Like a raging inferno trying to overtake him.

This feeling.

It had only one word to describe it.

Instinct!

' Yes. Instinct. Instinct was what it was. The instinct to consume the strong. The Instinct to seek out and battle. I allowed myself to forget!'

[ Bleach- Senna.]

' Placing my life on the line! In order for identical beings to get stronger and gain powers, they need to develop a killer instinct! That instinct is forged in battle. The hunger, the need, the want to engage in battle with foes as strong as I was. Instinct. A lust for it. To live for it. To crush, shred and slice to gain power. That thirst for unnatural power, is an unnatural desire! It forms the very essence of our power! So, why am I okay with letting it end?! When did I become a coward?! I won't die! I can't die! Not until I've slaughtered this enemy! Using my brain. Reason. Logic. Instead of that pure instinct within me. WEAK!'

' Reason and Logic, isn't working. So.... I'LL GIVE IN TO INSTINCT!'

.........................

Koga looked down, deep within the crater as the smoke began to clear away. Bikou's corpse was motionless, and the light had drained from his eyes. 

Sensing nothing more coming from the Hollow, Koga deactivated his bankai, and sheathed his blade, taking a deep breath as the strain of using his bankai for so long had finally reached him. 

" That took more effort than I thought. But... It's finally over." Koga muttered in relief.

" CAPTAIN!"

Koga looked up to see Squad 9's lieutenant flying straight towards him.

" Kensei. You look injured. Are you alright?" Koga asked.

" I was just about to ask you the same." Kensei spoke. He looked Koga over from top to bottom, noticing the many wounds covering the man's body and was amazed to still see him standing tall.

" Yeah... It was hard... But I managed to get the job done." Koga told the man. " Come on, let's go back and report to the head captain." Koga spoke. " I need a shower. 

Koga and Kensei turned and began to leave, when suddenly a strong spiritual pressure roused their attention.

Koga and Kensei were both caught unaware by the strong energy. 

" No WAY!" Koga yelled.

He and Kensei both turned back to the energy building up behind them. 

.........

" Huh?!"

All the captains and lieutenants throughout the entirety of the Soul Society felt an immense and evil spiritual pressure, twisted and foul suddenly explode. And immediately, they all began to rush towards the source.

......

[ Bleach-Vasto Lorde ost.]

The spiritual pressure continued to build and build, until finally a large burst of dark red energy exploded from the crater Bikou was left lying.

Koga and Kensei were both engulfed by the sheer restricting spiritual pressure they were experiencing.

Knowing what was coming, Koga readied himself.

" Kensei! Together!" The captain yelled.

" Right!"

" BANKAI! SHINKU SENKO RAIGA!

" BANKAI! TEKKEN TACHIKAZE!"

The two soul reapers assumed their Bankai immediately. 

................

" That spiritual pressure! It's Koga and Kensei!" Jushiro muttered.

" This is trouble! We need to hurry!" Shunsui drew both his blades.

........................

Koga and Kensei watched as the red energy dispersed and the pluming smoke filled the air.

Every hair, every breath, every part of Koga's body down to his last cell, was screaming and on full alert. 

' How is he alive? I was sure he was dead. And where did this spiritual pressure come from? It's so dense. Denser than anything I've ever felt. It's like every inch of my body is screaming at me to keep my guard up.' 

Koga's eyes suddenly shot open. Something was coming. 

FAST!

" Kensei! Move!" Koga shoved Kensei to the side as a whole opened up in the smoke and an object came speeding out of it. The moment, Koga had pushed Kensei out of the way, he was immediately thrown backwards, by a heavy and powerful blow, one he managed to block with one of his blades.

Koga looked upon his opponent in pure shock. 

The Hollow. The animalistic being that he was certain he'd killed, now took on a more human appearance. His entire body was standing upright like a man. His mask was changed. His hair was straighter. Shorter, definitely. It no longer looked like a long flowing mane. It was short and red. A part of his mask that hadn't been destroyed kept his hair up, like a circlet. His arms were covered in bright red fur, that stopped right before his fists. His long red tail wrapped itself neatly around his waist. And then his pants, were long and black, with black boots. 

' He looks... like a man?!' Koga muttered.

Bikou smirked under his mask, and swatted Koga away with a flick of his new red staff. 

Koga struggled to control himself. The pressure Bikou was exuding was more powerful than anything he had ever expected from a Hollow. 

*Bzzzt!

Koga's eyes flashed as Bikou vanished from his sight.

Then a heavy hand came down on his shoulder. He looked back at Bikou and the Hollow slashed Koga across his chest with his staff, cutting him wide open.

Koga was speechless. 

' He cut through my lightning armor? How?' Koga asked. That had never happened before. In all his battles, his armor was his absolute best defense. 

" CAPTAIN!" 

Kensei rushed to re-engage the enemy and help his captain. But Bikou, hardly paid him any attention. 

" BLAST AWAY!" Kensei aimed his large and powerful fist right at the back of Bikou's head. Bikou merely turned and faced him, allowing himself to be hit by the attack. 

Bikou was assaulted continuously, by a heavy rain of explosions and powerful fists, as Kensei unleashed a full barrage of his power. 

Kensei unloaded, giving everything he had in his punches.

However, his attack was interrupted, when Bikou grabbed one of his fists, stopping him.

Kensei eyes widened in shock, and a second later, Bikou cut him straight across his stomach. He then let Kensei's hand go and watched as the lieutenant dropped towards the ground, without halting. 

Bikou, without saying a word, then turned back to his prey. Koga.

Koga was breathing heavy. He had exhausted himself earlier, using his bankai, and the damage he's taken was more than taking his toll. It was a wonder he was still standing as he was... 

" Kensei.... Thank you.... My friend." Koga muttered. He looked down at the downed Lieutenant and gave a faint smile. " I don't know how you survived... That earlier attack. But your luck's just run out." He said. " Kensei gave me the smallest time possible. But it was enough. Just enough."

*Flash! Flash! Flash!

" I told you, my bankai channeled all the lightning in the sky into my blades. But that's not all my bankai does. Now... It's time to strike and sever.... " Koga's swords vanished, and he raised his hand to the sky.

................

In the distance, the captains could see the red lightning in the sky, changing, and taking shape. Forming into... A giant Dragon. 

" That's Koga's bankai!" Makoto shouted.

" We need to hurry." Shinji exclaimed.

" Yoruichi, go on ahead! Don't wait for us!" Goto exclaimed.

" Right!" Yoruichi shouted. " Shunko!" Yoruichi's captain's cloak exploded from her body, and she vanished from the sight of the other captains. 

" Damn! This is crazy!" Love muttered. " You better be ready, Unohana. Something tells me this is gonna be bloody."

Unohana nodded. She too could feel the severity. No... She could practically taste the blood already.

' Koga!' 

Makoto was left worried as the giant dragon finally finished taking form. 

..................

[ Bleach- Treachery.]

" This is my ultimate technique. Shink Senko- Ryuo Meikaiha!" [Crimson Flash- Dragon Emperor Life Destructor!] Koga shouted and brought his hand down from the sky.

Bikou watched, with a look of boredom on his face as the giant red dragon dropped towards him. He held his arms out wide, embracing the dragon of destruction and allowing it to swallow him whole. The dragon then shot straight towards the ground and exploded in a brilliant blaze of light. 

Koga placed all his faith in this one last technique, in this one last stand. 

This was Koga's last chance to put an end to this Hollow's life.

Koga..... Failed.

Bikou emerged from the explosion, covered in wounds, bleeding from head to toe, but alive. 

Koga looked up; pure despair radiated from his entire being. His best technique had failed to end the battle.

" Thank you, Captain.... You've helped me reach a new level of power; I didn't know I had. As a reward, allow me to show it to you." Bikou raised his staff over his head.

Koga summoned the last of his strength and summoned his blade. He raised the thin sword over head to block the attack.

However.

Bikou slashed down with such force, that it split Koga's Zanpakuto in two, and tore off one of his arms, and cut another deep wound into his chest.

Koga's entire face went pale as his own blood splattered across his face. His entire body felt numb. 

Bikou watched as Koga slipped from the sky and hurtled towards the ground. His body falling almost lifelessly, only for it to be caught by the vice-captain, Muguruma. 

" Captain?! Captain, stay with me!" Kensei yelled. " Damn it!" 

" Don't feel sorry, Kensei... You should be proud. He was far stronger, than anything I could have imagined. He fought honorably, and with courage till the end." Bikou told the man. " As a thank you, allow me to send you both into the next world together." Bikou muttered. He raised his hand and fired a cero at the two men, intent on delivering the finishing blow.

However.

" Sogyo no Kotowari!"

Bikou heard a voice, and then a moment later his cero was fired right back at him. 

Standing in front of the two men, was another captain, with long white hair, wielding two weirdly shaped swords. 

" Katen Kyokotsu!"

Bikou noticed another captain, also wielding two swords, sneaking up behind him. This one was wearing a pink Kimono and had a straw hat on. 

He quickly turned around and blocked the man's attack with his staff, twirling the bright red object, and pushing off of the man's swords, to get some distance.

" Ha! That's pretty sneaky, there captains." Bikou joked. He leaped backwards and watched as the two men regrouped. 

" Shunko!" 

Bikou turned.

' Another one?!' He asked.

This one was a woman, and somehow faster than Bikou had anticipated, as she managed to slip past his pesquisa. 

' She slipped by my pesquisa!' 

Bikou felt a heavy-handed fist slam into his chest and was sent hurtling backwards. Even in his state, the power of a captain wasn't to be taken lightly. 

Bikou corrected himself in the air, and stared at the three captains, as they formed a protective wall around Koga and his Lieutenant.

" You're not taking another step!" The white-haired Captain yelled.

Shortly afterwards, more and more captains began piling onto the scene. Each of them with their Zanpakuto drawn. 

And finally, arriving last, was the head captain, himself. His spiritual pressure immediately sent flares into Bikou's body. Warning him, that death was standing right in front of him. 

Makoto ran over to Koga and Kensei and started cradling the heavily injured man in his arms.

" Koga! Koga!" She yelled. Her eyes were beat red with tears. " Please, Koga. You have to get up! You can't... You can't leave us..."

" Excuse me, Captain Shirahashi. But I must ask you take a step aside and leave him in my hands for the time." Unohana told the younger woman. 

She knelt down next to Makoto and Koga and immediately began trying to provide medical treatment. While, Kensei, moved Makoto to the side. 

Bikou watched the scene unfolding in front of him and smiled. " I gotta say... This isn't what I expected."

" And what did you expect?" Yamamoto asked the Hollow, inquisitively. 

" I expected to come here and kill him. Honestly, that was my goal... Never in a million years, did I think I would actually evolve." Bikou spoke. " But now that I have... I don't feel the same." He said. " For a brief moment, I was happy. Excited. I was enjoying myself and then.... Nothing. Like for just a moment, I had attained what it was I wanted. Like I was complete. And now, I feel empty inside." Bikou explained.

" That is strange. I did not think you Hollows could comprehend such emotions." Yamamoto spoke.

" I wonder." Bikou muttered. " Regardless... This is over." Bikou stated. " I'm not stupid enough to try fighting you all at once. Not even I will follow my instincts on that one." Bikou muttered. " But... We will meet again."

" Do you think, we're just gonna let you walk away?!" Makoto shouted. She grabbed her blade and sprang into the sky in anger. " Drown him! Mizuwari!" Makoto Swung her blade at Bikou and a long-narrowed wave of water shot from her sword like a jet. 

Bikou blocked the attack with his staff and laughed. " Sorry. But like I said... I'm going home." Bikou picked his ears, and then opened a crack in the sky. 

Bikou stepped through the portal into the sands of Hueco Mundo, but not before taking one last look at the captain, who he had fought his greatest life or death battle with. The last thing the soul reapers noticed was the smile on his face.

*DOOM!