The End is My Beginning

"It's time to end this." The beast's right head declared, as 3 of them opened their mouths wide.

Thinking the creature had decided to devour her, she climbed into the air, arching herself up and over the middle head, deciding to go for help. But as she cleared over the head, she found herself face to face with a white wall of spikes; her retreat had been cut off by it's powerful tail. The spiny limb smacked into the light-haired, dark-skinned warrioress with crushing force.

"Aagghh!" She yelps as one of the spikes impales through her right shoulder in combination with the stone-hard skin of the Hollow's tail.

She was instantly thrown to the ground, bruised and bleeding; her zanpakuto barely clutched in her right hand. Worse yet, she had been forced right at the monster's giant feet.

"It's over for you...Shinigami." The center head proclaims.

Knowing he could stand by and watch no longer, Derek makes a B-line right for the hellish monstrosity...

Staggering to her feet, the woman points her blade at the creature; blood and sweat dripping from her to form a modest puddle at her feet.

"You still wish to continue?" The middle head inquires.

"Is it not obvious to you that you do not possess the power necessary to defeat us?" The left head added.

Even with her strength, and chances of survival fading fast, she stood strong in front of her enemy, "Even if I don't have a chance in hell, rest-assured I'm gonna show the Devil and you just what I'm made of!" And with that, she rushed the creature head-on...

'Forgive me, my Captain. You were right; I wasn't ready.' She confesses to herself, letting her thoughts wander to more serene moments, rather than let herself be swallowed by thew despair of her pending doom, 'But I wanted to prove to you that I could aid you against your strongest and most dangerous enemies. And I'm going to prove that...right now.'

"Give up the fight, girl!" The Hollow's right head insists, holding one of it's clawed hands over her.

"Your power now belongs to us!" The middle head pronounces next.

The hand came down like an anvil, but still did not deter her from her objective. With eyes burning like stars of sapphire, she times her next move, waiting until she was positioned between the gaps of the long, lean fingers of the beast's hand. The claws puncture the earth like needles through cloth, and the impact causes the entire park to shake. To the naked eye, it appeared as though the courageous cougar had been pancaked beneath the creature's hand; that is, until she suddenly sprung up from between it's fingers, catching the monster by surprise.

Her eyes burned with intensity as a sea-green aura of light flared up around her body. Her grip around the hilt of her aquatic blade tightens as she prepares for one last attack...

With the element of surprise temporarly on her side, the fierce, determined heroine raised her blade high and said a little prayer.

'My last chance...' She tells herself, feeling the blade of her sword bubbling with anticipation, 'I can do this! Mizu Meiden help me tame the seas!'

With a violent, downward slash, her blade released not just one, but several discs of spiraling moisture reeling the monster. Caught off-guard and off-balance, the Hollow roars out in agony as the school of aquatic blades ripped open it's dense flesh in multiple areas; cutting across it's belly, legs, necks and arms. Blood squirts from each wound as the triple-headed beast staggers backwards, it's heads flailing about as it released a horrid howl...

The monster bellows out a deafening roar of pain as it's body was cut up severely. The warrioress reponsible drops from the sky, her hair a beautiful column of blue and green against the sunlight. But in spite of her beauty and spirit, she was feeling the worse for wear.

Blood pooled from her wounds, almost entirely coating her left arm. Her right shoulder was aching, and her strength had all but completely vanished. The moment her feet touched the ground her knees buckled underneath her, collapsing in exhaustion. She had nothing left to give. She could only pray that the Hollow was now in the same shape...

Her body felt like it had the consistency of jelly. 'I don't think I have enough strength left in me to even stand up again.' She felt as though she would faint, but was immediately jarred back to reality when she felt the ground shaking under her. Her eyes flew open as she reluctantly turned to look over shoulder to witness a sight that made her blood run cold...

The Hollow was still standing, it's wounds gradually closing up.

'It...can't be.' The woman thought as she watched the creature become healed of it's injuries.

She tried to stand, but her legs simply wouldn't move for her, and the towering white monstrosity was already marching it's way toward her. Though things looked bleak for her, she found a warm smile creeping along her lips.

'Heh. So I failed after all. I guess this was the last time I would get to see you again, Captain Kuchki.' She thought to herself, 'I'm sorry.'

"That was an impressive feat just now, Shinigami." The monster's center head compliments, noticing the woman didn't seem to have anymore gas left in the tank.

"You almost had enough energy in that last attack to actually cause some real damage to us." Added the 2nd head of the creature.

Turning a glare up to the beast, the woman scoffs under her breath, knowing it was just mocking her now.

"But as we told you earlier," Began the 3rd head, "you lack the necessary amount of spirit energy to challenge us."

"Tch... Do you always yak people's ears off before you eat them?" Growls the Shinigami, glaring up at the big white demon, "Don't patronize me. I know I've failed, so let's just get this overwith."

The Hollow stares down at it's prey, savoring the moment, "As you wish." It responds as all 3 mouths lift open, and each shoots out a chain line, capturing the woman's arms and legs in a suffocating grip.

Bound helplessly by the monster, the Shinigami was yanked up off the ground, held firmly to face the trio of demonic, horned masked heads. She struggled to breath as she lost her grip on her sword, dropping it roughly 40 feet to the ground below. Next, she noticed a different light beginning to illuminate inside each of the creature's throats.

Inside the left head, grew a mild white light outlined graciously with a bit of blue. Within the right head, she saw that cracking ball of electricity growing in it's mouth. Finally, inside the middle head, a light of bright red-orange began to build. This was it...

The Shinigami closed her eyes, bracing for the pending impact set to be dealt by the combination of ice, electricity, and whatever element the center head was channeling.

'I'll bet anything it's fire.' She thought to herself, ready to accept her fate.

Derek however, wasn't so willing to give up yet. He rushed at the gigantic creature, coming directly up behind it...

"Hey!" Derek called out, snatching up a large rock off the ground, "Let her go, freak!" Rearing his arm back, he pitched the stone up at the monster.

The rock pelted against the creature's hide, but received no reaction from it; as though it didn't even feel the rock hitting it. More so, he also noticed it didn't appear to have heard him. Deciding on a different strategy, Derek's eyes fell on it's tail - the very place he latched onto when this same monster was after those children.

'Yeah, that didn't pan out so well last time.' He reminds himself, weighing his options.

There didn't seem to be much choice in the matter. He had to do something fast if he was going to save the woman that decided to risk herself to save him.

'I can't just run away.' He thought to himself as he mused over how he would feel if he allowed this...thing to kill her, while he survives another day to mull over all of the failures in his life; the lessons he refused to learn, 'I wouldn't be able to stand it! I...I won't...I won't look down!'

Shoving all doubt and fear aside, he charged ahead and wrapped his arms around the monster's tail; being careful to avoid stabbing himself on one of the long spikes protruding up from it's flesh...

He struggled to even lift the tail off the ground. To him, it was like trying to lift a grand piano by himself, and the thought of trying a different approach seemed much more appropriate. But such thoughts were quickly swept away when a pained cry rang out.

Reminded of the fact that he didn't have time to think about this all day, Derek strengthened his hold around the monster's tail and took several steps back until the tail was stretched to it's limit. Despite his slow attempts to thwart the creature from devouring the woman, it still seemed as though it didn't even know he was there.

Derek began to pull and yank on the tail, trying to do something to attract the demon's attention; however, pulling on it's tail was like trying to hold up a steel beam, causing his arms to tremble under the strain. Nevertheless, he maintained his grip, tugging and pulling as hard as he could.

"Hey! I said leave her alone!" He shouted at the beast as his face began to drip with sweat, motivating him to try even harder.

But despite his efforts, the monstrous titan just wouldn't react. He noticed the trio of lights illuminating from it's mouths, and his eyes swelled up in a panic. He was out of time...

Suddenly, the extreme weight of the creature's tail began to steadily disappear as he looked to the woman's frightened visage. His brows drew tighter together, a frustrated growl echoing in his throat, "I won't let you do it! I...won't...let you!" He screams, gathering all of his strength and giving another hard yank at the demon. This time, the creature budged; it's feet skidding backwards; claws raking the ground...

'What?' Thought the Hollow...

Slowly, the charges within the beast's mouths vanished, a growl echoing in it's throat as it felt itself getting jerked backwards again.

"What is this?" The middle head questioned in annoyance, twisting it's neck around to look begind itself. The other 2 were quick to follow, looping around each shoulder like dragonic serpents.

When she felt no pain or agonizing force, the Shinigami opened her eyes in search of the reason. She gazed up in perplexity, seeing each one of the monster's heads turned around. Unable to decipher the cause for this, she leaned her head as much as she was allowed to, peering over the creature's shoulder as well...

A gasp caught in the woman's throat as she spots Derek below; the very man whose soul she was fighting to save.

'That fool!' She thought angrily, 'Is he trying to get himself killed?!! What is he thinking?!?'

Derek pauses his efforts as he notices the creature finally turn it's attention to him, and away from the woman caught in it's clutches. He glares at it, knowing now he needed to think of something that wasn't going to get him killed now.

'Okay, Derek, this was what you wanted. You've got it's attention.' He thinks to himself, 'Now what?'

The monster growls deeply, all 3 heads leering at him...

"You..." Growls the center head at Derek.

"You dare interfere with us, little soul?" The left head asks next.

"Heh..." Came Derek's response, glancing down at the creature's tail still in his hands, surprised at how light it suddenly felt to him, "Well, wasn't I the one you were originally after?

"You are brave, little soul." The right head compliments him, "Stupid...but brave."

"What are you doing here?!?" The Shinigami's voice echoed out, "Idiot! I told you to run!"

"And last I checked, you weren't the boss of me!" Derek shouts back up to her, refusing to abandon her to that demon.

"What the?! Can't you see that I'm trying to save you here?!? You should stop arguing about this and do what I tell you!" She demanded.

"And leave you to sacrifice youself for me?!?" Derek snaps back, "No thanks! I'd much rather die as this thing's lunch, than let a total stranger die in my place!"

His words shocked the Shinigami momentarily; for she had never seen another soul that was willing to openly challenge a Hollow before - just to protect a Shinigami from dying. In truth, it was inspiring to her. However, as brave and honorable as his words were, she knew the man had absolutely no chance of surviving a confrontation with this creature.

"You fool! You don't understand!" She insisted, still arguing with him, "I'm trained to handle these things - you're not! Now swallow your damned pride and run!"

"Can't you understand?! You're only in the way here!" She added, struggling to try and break loose from the chains the Hollow had snared her in.

'I've got to get free from this thing before it devours that idiot!' She thought to herself, twisting and squirming in the links, 'I can't let it happen again. I promised myself I wouldn't let it happen again!'

The beastly Hollow continues to glare down at Derek, noticing the small skid marks in the grass beneath it's feet, 'Could this little human actually have been the one to distract us?' It wonders. Belonging to the same body, the other 2 head's thoughts were linked, 'How could such a weakling have the strength to move us?'

"The one who's in the way here...is you, woman!" Derek retaliates.

This incrimination catches the Shinigami by surprise, and more so, comes to her as callous and insulting, "What'd you say?!? How dare you!"

"This monster was after a group of kids earlier, and would've killed them if I hadn't shown up!"

This was news to her. She couldn't recall seeing any children on her way over to confront the Hollow, 'Was it because he saved them?' She asked herself, truly curious if Derek actually had challenged the creature beforehand.

"This is between me and...whatever this thing is!" Continued Derek, still holding on to it's tail, "So instead of worrying about me, why don't you go rescue those kids?!?"

"Maybe I would if I wasn't a little tied up right now!" The Shinigami puns, irritated by Derek's lack of understanding to her situation.

"Enough of this!" The Hollow suddenly interrupts, "We shall consume both of you!"

The beast suddenly began to swing it's tail around, taking Derek for a powerful, exhausting ride as he bounced and jerked around. It took nearly everything he had just to hold on and prevent himself from being thrown through the air another 200 yards.

Fortunately, there wasn't any buildings or cars around that could possibly crush him, and most of the trees that had been standing earlier were now a bunch of short stumps sticking out of the ground. That didn't make hanging on any easier though. Derek felt like his arms were going to tear off as he flipped and twisted through the air.

While Derek struggled to maintain his grip, the Shinigami continued to wriggle around within the confines of the chains.

'Damn it! How can this thing still have so many abilities?!?'

Finally, after several minutes, she managed to slip one arm free, then the other. She exhaled a short sigh of relief before shooting a glare at the Hollow. She proceeded to hold up her right hand, keeping it perfectly vertical with her thumb gently folded in toward her palm. She began to concentrate, a steel glint in her eyes as she reached across with her left hand and locked it around her right wrist...

'I hope I have enough energy to do this...'

Suddenly, her palm began to glow a bright red, slowly spreading outward like scarlet flames. She gently closed her eyes, searching her mind before she suddenly began to mutter several quiet words, almost like a prayer, "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!"

As she spoke these words, the red flames began to rotate in a clockwise motion, forming into a single, red ball. Finally, her glorious blue eyes leapt open.

"Hado 31: Shakkaho!!!"

The orb of red light launched from her hand and exploded against the back of the Hollow's center head. The explosion, while relatively compared to how strong it would've been at full strength, seemed to have an effect as the beast howled into the air - all 3 heads singing a small chorus of agony.

'Even with my power as exhausted as it is, the Hollow still felt it?' She thought in astonishment, pondering, 'Does that mean the head in the middle is it's mosy vulnerable area?'

The attack managed to cause enough of a distraction for it to stop flailing it's tail, which Derek had been hanging on to...

The chains coiled around the young Shinigami warrior finally fell slack as she dropped out of their links and fell to the ground. Upon making a firm, sore landing, she rushed to reclaim her Zanpakuto, noticing it standing up in the earth by the blade.

"Foolish wench!" The middle head of the creature exclaims, "It is useless! You cannot destroy us! Your soul and powers WILL be ours!" With Derek still onboard, the creature lifted it's spikey tail into the air, turned it over so the tall palisades were positioned over the woman, before finally thrusting it down, attempting to kill two birds with one stone...