The End is My Beginning

Karakura Town - Present Day...
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The day was a beautiful one, like most of them normally were during Spring. Children ran amok, laughing and playing together in various activities ranging from sports to more imaginative heroes vs villains. Everybody went about as they always did, doing their own thing, living their own lives. But for Derek, there was only one place he was allowed to be...

He sat, leaned against the base of a tree where the headstones of his deceased parents had been set up nearby. His soft brown locks cascaded down the front of his face in long streaks as he hung his head in silence. His clothes were frayed, filthy and worn down to dull colors; a show of the dismal life he had been forced to live after the mysterious murder of his mother and father. This was where he spent his last few living moments, and this was the place he found himself unable to leave, as a long chain stretched from his own chest down to both of the stone columns, sealed and bolted into them which allowed him a limited amount of space to travel around. He had spent the last week there, a prisoner in that graveyard.

He noticed a few people would walk by from time to time, and just stare at him. He made no attempt to acknowledge any of them. In truth, he didn't care about anything anymore. He was content to sit there for the rest of eternity, considering it his own personal hell for the choices he made in life; the life he uselessly squandered. Yet, all the while, he secretly wished he could be free of this, and maybe experience some semblance of happiness. A couple of times, Derek would try and pull the chain loose from his parent's resting place, tugging and yanking as hard as he could until he no longer had any strength left, but still the chain would not budge. Exhausted, he would collapse to his knees and weep.

The morning came and went, and Derek had noticed how he had no desire to eat or drink anything. Somehow, he had lost his sense of hunger and thirst; a relief to be sure, but also he considered it to be another form of punishment from the Fates that had condemned him to be trapped in this place.

With a heavy sigh, his body fell back lazily against the large tree hovering over his parent's tombstones. He closed his eyes, trying to find some measure of peace listening to the birds in the air, the laughter of the children, even the gentle revving of car engines passing down the streets. He slowly began to relax, a calm smile stretching along his lips, when suddenly...

*RRRAAAAAARRRRRHHHHH!!!*

A chilling howl like he had never heard before roused him from his tranquil state. The sound pierced the air like nails on a chalkboard, forcing Derek to cover his ears as tight as he could. The ground beneath him seemed to quake under the vibration. After it had quieted, Derek stood up and looked around on the other side of the tree, trying to find just what it was that could release such a horrid noise. He looked out to the North, finding the streets fairly empty, when the ground shook once again with the thudding of something very heavy stamping into the ground. Turning back around and looking to the East, he spotted a massive beast with pale white skin in the distance. The creature looked like a hybrid between a 3-headed dragon and a brontosaurus. Long spikes stood up on it's back as it marched through the streets, chasing after many innocent civilians that fled from it. Derek noticed that the people it seemed to be after all had chains - much like his own - attached to their chests as well, but with the exception that they were not near as long as his, and neither of them seemed to be bound to a single spot.

Nevertheless, the calm serenity that enveloped the city moments ago was now a chorus of terrified screams and horrendous, shrieking roars from a monstrous creature that looked like it came straight out of the depths of Hell. Derek ogled the scene, watching as the towering demon pursued after a small group of children that were too slow to outrun it's giant, thundering footsteps. They suddenly rounded the corner, where they came to a dead-end at the end of a narrow ally. Luckily for them though, the beast was much too large to fit between such a narrow space as it roared out in displeasure.

Derek relaxed slightly as it seemed the children were safe, and the rest of the people it had been chasing had gotten away as well. However, his sense of relief was quickly banished when he saw the white demon suddenly begin to ram it's hulking body against the 2 buildings shielding the group of children. It's strength easily started to break away the stone and brick of each edifice, allowing it to draw closer to the children, as well as causing massive chunks of rubble to rain down into the streets. He could hear the children crying in the ally, trapped with nowhere left to run, and that hideous...thing snapping at them to try and make them it's next meal.

Knowing that something needed to be done, Derek bolted towards it, determined to save them. But as his chain reached it's limit, it snapped taut, pulling his body into the air before he crashed onto his back. He growled under his breath, turning around to see the other end of the chain still bolted to the headstones.

"No. I've had enough of this." He mutters angrily, rising back to his feet, "I've had enough of staying here." He reached down and grabbed at the chain, stretching it to it's limit once more as he began to pull for all he was worth, "I don't want to stay here anymore, you hear?!?"

He grunted and growled, yanking and tugging harder and harder at the chain, "I'm tired of being here, you understand?! I can't stay here anymore!" He continues to shout, grinding his teeth as his hands squeezed tighter into the metal links, his feet slowly dragging forward with the effort he was making pulling against it, "Those kids need help. You have to let me go!"

He could feel his grip warming around the chain, making his hands burn slightly, but that only fueled his resolve as he jerked harder and harder...and harder, "Let...me...go! Aarrraaaggghh!!!"

He felt like his arms were about to detach from his body, feeling the veins in his neck standing up as he fought to break free. Suddenly, there came a loud *snap!* accompanied by a soft ringing that filled the air, and Derek found himself stumbling backwards before falling on his rear. He gazed up, and saw that the chain had broken in half, observing as the other end that had been attached to his parent's tombstones suddenly dissolved into the air, as though it had suddenly been turned to ash. When it had gone, Derek looked down at the link still connected to his chest, shocked that he had finally managed to break free; soaking in the realization that he was no longer bound to this place...this prison. He was free...

His abstraction was interrupted as he heard the beast behind him, bashing itself into the two buildings yet again. He could hear the children crying even more now, and turned to assess the situation. The monster clawed at them, but could not yet reach their location. The main head would snap at them from between the narrow margin, while another hovered over them, trying to squeeze itself through the roofs.

Steeling himself, Derek picked himself up off the ground and charged at the creature, deciding that if he couldn't make his parents proud in one life, he would make them proud in another...

His feet rapidly pattered along the earth, his strides were long and swift as Derek raced towards the hideous white monster clamoring after the group of children trapped inside the narrow alley space. Though he had nearly 100 yards to cover to reach them, Derek forced himself to continue his accelerated pace; mildly concerned that he might be too exhausted to be of any help at all when he finally got there.

But knowing he couldn't let such thoughts enter his mind, Derek narrowed his gaze on the demon, and pushed himself even faster. A rather daunting sensation began to overwhelm him as he noticed the creature looming larger and larger the closer he drew to it. By sheer estimate, he imagined the pale beast to be a towering 50 feet high - 60 feet if he included the length of each neck reaching up to it's 3 heads.

Another detail he had begun to factor in was the magnitude of it's strength; having noticed it was making short, progressive work in tearing down the two buildings that were acting as the only shelter protecting the children. He could only imagine what that creature was capable of doing to him.

Still, this would not shake his resolve as he cut the distance from 100 yards to only 10 feet. Surveying the beast's anatomy, Derek lunged for it's tail, grabbing on as tight as he could; a decision he probably would've thought twice about as it began to swish and swing, crashing into parked cars in the street, as well as colliding into the sides of other buildings. The force was so strong, Derek knew if he let go, he would likely be thrown for miles. He felt like his arms would tear from their sockets every time the tail slammed into something, which only made hanging on that much more difficult.

"Yeah, maybe this wasn't such a good idea." Derek groaned, digging his nails into the creature's skin, which felt hard as stone. His body was flung and jerked around in nearly every direction as he tried desperately to hang on, feeling the rubble debris of the buildings raining down over him.

Bracing himself for an even stronger fight, he reached up and grabbed one of the long spikes protruding from it's body, using it to pull himself gradually up the tail. The creature howled that ear-piercing roar once again as it launched it's massive frame into the buildings a 4th time and drew almost close enough to snatch the children into it's gaping jaws.

Finally, Derek managed to pull himself along the full length of the monster's tail and then began to creep along it's back, carefully weaving around the field of white palisades until he could start making his way down the length of it's 10 foot neck, which was angled down as it continued trying to devour the group of kids trapped against the back wall of the ally. Derek's eyes narrowed as he began to make out it's face - a hideous, long snout and jaw filled with rows of long white dagger teeth. A curious design striped it's face, which continued all the way down it's neck. He was getting close, until the beast suddenly reared back, raising it's front legs off of the ground. It released another displeased howl into the afternoon air as Derek lost his balance and began falling toward the spiked bed on it's back. Blindly reaching out for anything nearby, he snagged one of the creature's neck spines, hanging on for dear life as he peered down at the nest of white stakes below him.

'This is nuts! What the hell am I thinking doing this?!?' he thought to himself, squeezing his hands tight around the spike he had grabbed during the fall.

A glance over to the children - huddled together in a ball, embracing each other with tears running down their faces was enough to remind him that even though it was crazy to be attempting to take on this giant beast, it was the right thing he could do; as the only one around to do anything to help them at all. Regaining his composure once again, Derek began to pull himself up, prepared to climb the rest of the way to confront the 3-headed demon when the head dipped back down, and his grip around the spine above him broke off in his hand, leaving him now hanging by one arm over the back of the beast.

His arm was starting to grow tired as he fought to stay on, slowly twisting around in the air. A sudden scream jolted him out of his state of panic, and he looked to find the hem of a little girl's dress caught in the creature's mouth, fighting to drag her away from the rest of the group while she clung to the others to prevent herself from being devoured. All of their strength alone could not overcome the sheer ferocity of the demon's own strength as it began to pull the entire group further away from the alley.

"Leave 'em alone!" Derek shouted, hoping to distract it's attention, but his words seemed to have been drowned out by the excessive screaming and the beast's own monstrous howls.

Knowing he needed to do something fast, Derek noticed the claw which had broken off from the creature's neck in his hand. He found it strange that the beast didn't react to him when it had. Neither of it's heads even seemed to notice he was there yet. He speculated that it was likely due to it's hide being so thick and dense that it probably was numb to anything that touched it. He wasn't sure if he could even hurt, but determined that perhaps, a piece of it's own flesh and bone might be able to pierce such a thick layer of skin. That and a prayer being his only option, Derek squeezed the spike tightly in his hand and swung himself around to stab the spike into the side of the creature's long neck. He was fortunate to learn he had guessed correctly; the sharp spine punctured through the creature's stiff white flesh, causing the beast to rear back and release a sharp, pained yelp.

It's main head jerked backwards, stretching towards the sky with such force that it nearly pulled Derek's arm from it's socket, forcing him to lose his grip as he was thrown through the air. His body tumbled and twisted precariously, feeling the wind pummeling him as he soared. The environment spun in his vision until he crashed, painfully through a field of trees. His body snapped a few branches as he fell through, but thankfully, each branch he hit slowed his momentum as he finally smacked the earth in a heap; his breath forced from his lungs for an instant.

In the distance, the creature stamped it's heavy feet back into the street pavement and all three heads twisted about to try and locate the culprit.

"Who dares to attack me?!" The middle head demands in a heavy, rasping voice.

"More importantly, who dares attack us?" asked another head, it's tone similar to the main one's, but with a slightly higher pitch.

The beast growled as each head turned in a different direction, searching for the assailant with pure black-slit eyes.

*sniff...sniff...* "I smell...something..." The third head speaks, raising it's long nose to the air, "I smell...a spirit. A strong...tasty...spirit."

"Yes," The middle head replies, reaching up next to it's partner, "I smell it too. There is another nearby; whose spirit seems stronger than any other here."

"Perhaps it is the one we have been searching for?" The 2nd head suggests, meeting it's brothers in the sky, now all facing the same direction, *sniff...sniff...* "They are close..." *sniff* "and wounded..."

The beast slowly turned it's body around, ignoring the children below now; too attracted to the scent of another. A devilish chuckle echoed from each head as it began stomping towards the woods where Derek had fallen; it's heavy body turning parked vehicles into metal scrap heaps, as well as knocking over trees and telephone poles as though they were made of cardboard.

Hearing the pounding of it's hefty footsteps, Derek sat up in the grass and noticed the creature heading right for him. His eyes bulged, and his heart pounded in his chest. Originally, getting the thing away from the children was what he had intended, but now that he had succeeded, he wasn't sure what to do.

"This soul shall give us power beyond all our brothers and sisters." The main head declares gleefully, "We will, at last, become a Menos!"

With the creature rapidly closing the distance between them, Derek scrambles to his feet and takes off into the darkness of the forest.

"You cannot escape us, fool!" One of the heads calls after him as a pair of arms slowly sprout from it's sides, each with 5 fingers with claws as long as swords.

Turning a glance back over his shoulder, Derek watched as it made a quick swipe through the trees, ducking low as he barely avoided having his body cleaved into 3 separate pieces. Every tree in the way of the hand was quickly reduced to a 4 foot stump; some of the trunks became flying projectiles which he was forced to duck and dodge as well. His heart throbbing in his chest, Derek continues on, trying to outrun the creature. But no matter how far he seemed to run, the beast remained close behind.

He looked around, searching eagerly for some kind of escape, but there was nothing but more trees. Looking further ahead, he noticed a clearing in the distance which might provide the proper cover and exit he was looking for. Increasing his pace, sweat and blood running down his cheeks, he raced to reach the clearing as the demon clawed through another section of trees and brush. Derek was suddenly forced to take a diving plunge into the ground as a whole, uprooted tree flew no more than 6 inches over him like a giant spear. When he felt the force of the wind pass over him, he picked himself back up and continued on; now only a few hundred feet from reaching the clearing.

Plowing his way through a few stray branches, Derek sprung through the clearing and saw nothing but a wide expanse of blue ocean stretching into the distance. He quickly threw on the brakes, skidding just to the edge of a cliff that he almost ran right over. His heart sank, heaving heavy breaths as he looked out into the endless blue breadth. He was trapped.

He felt the ground shaking under him as the beast drew closer behind him. There was nowhere left to run; this was it.

"No..." He mutters to himself as fear overwhelmed him, "No. No! Damn it!!!"

He spun around as the creature finally plowed through the last of the trees that shielded him from sight, looking up at it's 50 foot frame. It's 3 heads roared out loudly, forcing him to clap his hands against his ears as he crumbled to his knees.

"There's nowhere left for you to run, little soul." The main head taunts him, "We shall devour your spirit, and in so doing, shall become the dominant Hollow of this city."

Derek balled his hands into fists, trying to think of something, but confronted by something so monstrous and threatening, he knew there wasn't anything he could do. Each head sunk lower towards him, and he tried to inch a step back, but almost lost his footing over the edge, gazing back at what must have been a 200 foot drop.

'Well, it might be better than suffering whatever this...thing has planned for me.' He thought to himself, contemplating on simply jumping and trying to dive into the waters below. He wasn't too enthusiastic on the idea as multiple rocks stood up on the surface of the waves, which left very little room for error.

"I can smell his strength of spirit." The 3rd head voices, inching closer towards Derek, "He smells delicious."

"This shall be our finest meal by far." The 2nd head concurred.

Each head slowly reared back, baring their fangs at him. Derek decided for the lesser of 2 evils and prepared to throw himself over the edge of the cliff when he saw something flash in the air, and the creature's side suddenly burst open, spewing out a thick crimson liquid.

*GRRAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!*

The creature bellows out a horrid noise as Derek saw a figure suddenly appear before him, clothed in a black kimono...

The vicious 3-headed monster cried out in a yelp that seemed to make the heavens themselves tremble; the pitch of the combined roar from each head was enough to make anyone within the next 100 feet go completely deaf.

The ground shook, nearly causing Derek to stumble over the edge of the cliff; his arms flailed as he fought to regain his balance. His right foot began to slip, and he felt himself falling backwards when he suddenly felt something grab him by the collar of his shirt, stopping him.

Curious, he looked up into the face of a light-skinned beauty, with a head of long turquoise hair and sapphire eyes staring at him. Her features were modeled and delicate, complete with a beauty mark just under her left eye. Her expression was soft, yet stern as she jerked him back onto land.

Caught off-guard by her strength, Derek stumbles and lands on his face in the dirt. Ripping his head up, he turns to the woman - whom he noticed also had a full, curvacious figure, and wielded a katana.

"You need to leave this place." The woman tells Derek, fixating her gaze on the stumbling beast before them, "Now."

Spitting a few blades of grass from his lips, Derek turns to her in protest, "Hey now wait a minute! Who the hell are you?"

"I'm the one saving your ass." She answers rigidly, "Now, get moving!"

Derek simply stares at her, taken aback by her demeanor, yet noticing she seemed determined to take on that monstrous creature all by herself; something he decided he could not allow in all good conscience.

"Tch. Yeah right." He scoffs at her, rising back to his feet, but the moment he does, he was knocked back down as the woman thrust her fist directly into his jaw with surprising force.

"Listen you, I don't have time to argue! This thing is gonna devour your soul if you don't do as I say!" She exclaims, still watching as the white beast before them started to recover from it's disoriented state.

"And just what the hell are you gonna do to it?" Derek demands, still skeptical of the idea that he should leave her alone to face this beastly white behemoth.

"I am going to kill it." The woman answers plainly as a swift breeze swept over her, brushing her gorgeous strands like strings of silk on the wind.

With an angry growl echoing in all 3 of it's throats, the horrid monster turned around to spot the intruder that had sliced a long scar into the side of it's pale belly. The woman stood poised before it, the katana gripped firmly in her right hand, and her beautiful sapphire stare glaring back without recoil.

"Leave. Now." She instructs Derek once more, refusing to take her eyes off of her enemy, "Do not worry about me. I'll be fine. I'm trained to battle these demons."

Derek, still unsure whether or not he should abandon her, just stares on blankly, a fresh bruise imprinted into his jaw from where she struck him. Maybe she was trained to fight these things, but then again, from the look on her face, he began to suspect she had never quite encountered one of this size before. Her stance was stiff, as though she were concentrating all of her willpower into standing between him and the monster.

He then noticed her glancing behind her shoulder, her eyes meeting with his. She seemed to concentrate on him; more specifically, she appeared to be gazing at the discoloration in his left jaw. She saw the blood streaming down his face, indicating to her that he had already been fighting and dodging the creature for some time. Her expression suddenly morphed from a cold, determined stare to a more delicate, concerned visage. Then, he saw her lips curl into a tender, confident smile.

"Go. Please..." She uttered quietly, and going against his better judgment, Derek picked himself up and took off, leaving her to face the demon...alone...

Truthfully, the woman felt quite ashamed for striking Derek the way she had, but time and time again, she had seen those she had tried to protect become these monster's next meals; which meant she would have to return to her superiors and inform them that she had failed to save another soul.

'That's not happening this time.' She thought solidly to herself, returning her focus to the towering beast before her; the resolve to destroy it masking all other emotion, 'Not this time...'

Derek raced across the field leading towards the city, but decided to take cover near a sparkling fountain near the heart of one of the city's parks, watching from afar as the pale-white demon confronted the woman dressed in black.

"You..." The main head spoke to her, "You dare to challenge us?!"

"We have slain your kind before." The 2nd head adds, drooping low to glare at her through empty, black eyes.

Undaunted, the woman took a defensive stance before the creature, her katana at the ready in front of her, "And I've slain more than my share of your kind, demon."

"Perhaps," Spoke the 3rd and final head, "but you have never encountered one like us before...Shinigami."

The beast began stomping it's heavy feet up to her, rivers of saliva falling from between it's rows of long white fangs. Derek looked on anxiously, forcing himself to stay put so as not to get in the way of the battle that was coming...

Derek balls his hands into tight fists at his sides as he looks on.

'I shouldn't have left her. That thing will kill her.' he berates himself mentally, 'I have...to do something.'

The ground shook under the woman's feet as she swallowed a small lump in her throat, watching as the towering white beast advanced towards her.

'I've never seen a Hollow like this before; not of this size or shape. Most Hollows posses a single, simple humanoid form. But this one...is different.'

A small bead of sweat gleamed down her cheek as she glared at the monster, questioning if she had what it took to take this thing on by herself, or if she should have called for back-up.

'Captain...why didn't I listen to you?' She thought to herself, tightening her grip on her sword.

She suddenly charged directly at it, releasing a fierce battle cry...

The towering beast stood patiently; watching below as a woman, no taller than an ant by comparison, charged it head-on.

"You cannot hope to defeat us with such an insubstantial amount of spirit energy, girl." Declared the middle head of the dragonic creature.

"We have devoured souls far stronger than the likes of you!" Another head proclaimed as it raised it's spiny tail into the air.

"You've only just begun to sense the depths of my power, monster!" The woman exclaims as a brilliant aura of blue light began to emit from the blade of her katana, "Draw over the Earth, Mizu Meiden!!!"

The beautiful, blue-haired warrioress growls in her throat as the steel blade of her katana illuminated in a bath of mystic blue light. Derek watched in amazement as her weapon transformed from a simple Samurai sword to a more divine weapon; though still in the form of a katana. From what he could see from his vantage point, the blade had dissolved from its metallic frame into a sparkling, crystal-blue brand bearing an aquatic nature.

'What kind of sword is that?' He wondered to himself as he watched her fearlessly rush the creature.

"So...you are able to release your sword." Spoke the middle head of the beast, seemingly undaunted by the display.

"While it may help you delay your demise..." The 2nd head began.

"You are still no match for us." The 3rd and final head finishes as it swings it's massive tail through the air, discharging several of the elongated spikes in her direction...

"Anybody tell you you things never learn when to shut up?!" The woman chides, leaping into the air as the creature's spiked projectiles crashed into the earth below her.

Her leap was strong enough to reach all the way up to the white-skinned demon's full height. She brought her sword over her head - still a good 20 feet from the monster - and made a hard, angled slash.

In a blink, a thin crescent disc ripped through the air and severed the creature's left arm from it's body, drawing a pained yelp from it as it's arm fell to the ground; a plentiful amount of blood spurting from the wound.

With an irritated snarl, the beast swiped at the woman dressed in black with it's other arm, it's claws tearing through the air. Performing a backwards somersault, she evades the attack before making another swing of her sword. Once again, an azure disc of moisture spun out in vertical motion, cutting away the monster's other arm

"Grraaawwwwrrrr!!!" The beast bellows out, stumbling back as blood poured out from it's severed limbs.

This brought a satisfied smirk to the woman's face. Her hair blew gently against the breeze as she reveled in the moment.

"Seems you were the one underestimating me, Hollow filth!" She rebukes, feeling rather confident she could actually win.

'Learning the name of my Shikai really has increased my power!' She thought positively, glancing down at her shimmering marine blade.

Regaining it's composure, the monster growled at it's female adversary.

"Well done, Shinigami." The middle head compliments, "Your powers are competent."

"I think you'll find them more than competent." She replies, holding up her sword in front of the monstrous titan, "Allow me to introduce you to my Zanpakuto: Mizu Meiden. It's blade is pure, concentrated water that constantly spreads a cloud of moisture within the immediate area, up to 2 square miles." She explains, haughtily, "By compressing limitless amounts of air within the hilt, I can release that moisture by simply swinging my sword. The compressed air fires the amount collected by Mizu Meiden at a velocity faster than the speed of sound; making each strike potentially fatal."

The towering Hollow listened quietly as the woman relayed the information regarding her sword until she was finished. All 3 heads then suddenly began to chuckle in unison...

"Do you honestly believe such a simple weapon can destroy us?" The middle head inquired mockingly, "Fool!"

"Your skills cannot contend with the likes of us." The 2nd head added as the blood streaming from it's 2 missing arms began to slow, then stopped altogether; wiping the smirk off the woman's lips.

"For we are not without our own unique gifts." The 3rd head decreed as a new pair of arms sprouted from the stubs.

'No way!' She gasped to herself, 'So this Hollow can regenerate itself?!?' She swallows a lump in her throat, trying hard to maintain her focus...

Noticing her reaction, the beast chortles and begins advancing toward her once again, "Are you surprised, Shinigami?" It asks her as it's heavy feet pounded the earth with each step.

"Are you frightened?" Another head asks, taunting her.

She gave no response, hardening her expression and preparing herself for another round with the pale beast; her sword at the ready.

"If you truly believe you can achieve victory," the 3rd head spoke, "then you should swing your sword as hard as you can."

The woman growls in anger, watching as the creature lifted it's 3 heads, opening itself to attack.

"You should aim for our heart." The monster advised in confidence...

"Don't you mock me, demon!" The woman shouts before assaulting the creature directly. She raises her crystal-blue blade over her head, slashing at the opening provided by the Hollow, "Cut through it, Mizu Meiden!"

An azure discus of water spirals through the air, striking it's target before suddenly bursting into a bunch of harmless drops over the creature's skin.

"What?!" She exclaims, noticing the attack didn't even put a scratch on it this time.

'This can't be. I mean that's...' She stammers to herself, looking for some sort of reasonable explanation as to why the attack had no effect this time, 'I put most of my strength into that swing!'

Deciding it was just a fluke, she swung 3 more times at the belly of the beast, but wound up with the same result; each attack merely pelted it's body with drops of water.

Stunned, she looked at her sword, then back up to the creature.

"Still don't understand yet, girl?" The far right head of the Hollow inquires.

"We have grown accustomed to the strength of your sword." Informs the far left head.

Still at a loss for words, the Shinigami looked at her weapon once more, 'Does that mean...my Zanpakuto can no longer hurt it?' She asks herself.

"We were not bragging when we told you we have slain foes far stronger than you." The center head continues, "Our body is not so fragile as most other Hollows. After our flesh has been cleaved, it adapts to the force of whatever caused the damage."

This news caught the woman off-guard, wondering if her opportunity to kill this thing had suddenly been tossed out the window.

'This...looks bad.' Thought Derek as he watched anxiously from the side-lines

"You can cut us as much as you like..." The creature continued, verbally tearing at the woman's confidence.

"But no matter how many times you strike us..." Spoke the far left head.

"Our body will continue to heal and grow more durable." The far right head finished.

Derek was unable to hear what was being said, standing too far out of earshot; however, he could clearly see what was happening. It seemed whatever advantage the woman had over the creature had now been disqualified.

'She can't do this herself.' He affirms to himself, glaring intensely at the giant demon, 'I've got to help her!'

'It's just trying to deceive me.' The blue-haired beauty assured herself, 'I can cut it. I can kill it! I just have to believe in myself!' Her grip tensed against the hilt of her sword before she swung it up at the creature's far left head, "Mizu Meiden!!!" She shouts, as though calling for visual aid from her Zanpakuto.

The disc of moist energy zipped up toward it's target, glancing off the side of it's long neck, and slicing a small gash into it's flesh. 'I got it!' She told herself with renewed confidence.

Just as soon as the wound had been inflicted, it closed shut, leaving no mark behind. The beast growled quietly, staring blankly at it's female adversary, "Is that truly the extent of your abilities?" Asked the center head.

"How pathetic." The right head remarks, "After all of that the best you could manage was a meager scratch?"

"We shall not waste our time with you any longer." The left head stated next, motivating the woman into a defensive stance.

Just then, the same head of the beast began to open it's mouth, and a tender blue particles began to sprinkle outward.

Curious, the woman squinted her eyes to examine the element, 'Is that...snow?' She wondered.

The small white and blue crystals continued to gather into the creature's mouth. Then, with a powerful breath, the beast expelled a blast of frozen air at the black-robed heroine.

'Damn it! What the hell kind of Hollow is this?!?' She thought to herself before disappearing into thin air just as the arctic gust reached her.

She reappears a few feet above the beast, finding herself confronted by another of it's 3 heads; it's mouth already opened wide. Caught by surprise, she noticed a field of lightning collecting into a single ball of electricity that filled the darkness within.

The creature then suddenly spit the giant, electric orb from it's mouth, sending it tumbling menacingly for the Shinigami...

'Ice AND electricity?!?' She thought to herself in disbelief.

Once again, she shunpos at the last second, allowing the ball of lightning to travel up into the atmosphere. But as she reformed, once again, she saw herself under relentless assault; this time, by the monster's powerful clawed hands.

'It's too fast!' She panics, her sapphire eyes swelling into saucers. No matter how fast she tried to move, this Hollow seemed to one step ahead of her!

She quickly crossed her arms together defensively as the demon's claws neared. The air was suddenly filled with the sound of flesh being torn, and a spray of red...

Drops of blood began to stain the ground below. The titan-sized demon's claws held a fresh coat over them as it growled at the woman across from it.

The gorgeous, full-figured warrior panted heavily. While still alive, the situation was looking grim for her. The creature had sliced off the left sleeve of her hakama, and carved a long gash down her arm that bled profusely, hanging limp at her side.

"You know you can't keep this up much longer, girl." The creature's center head gloats.

She heaves a few more breaths, feeling a stream of sweat crawling down her face, "Don't start celebrating yet, monster. I still have plenty of fight left in me."

'He's right though. At this rate, it won't be long until I'm...' She didn't even want to finish that thought, telling herself to be strong and remain focused...